AlphaFold2 (AF2) is an artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by DeepMind that can predict three-dimensional (3D) structures of proteins from amino acid sequences with atomic-level accuracy. Protein structure prediction is one of the most challenging problems in computational biology and chemistry, and has puzzled scientists for 50 years. The advent of AF2 presents an unprecedented progress in protein structure prediction and has attracted much attention. Subsequent release of structures of more than 200 million proteins predicted by AF2 further aroused great enthusiasm in the science community, especially in the fields of biology and medicine. AF2 is thought to have a significant impact on structural biology and research areas that need protein structure information, such as drug discovery, protein design, prediction of protein function, et al. Though the time is not long since AF2 was developed, there are already quite a few application studies of AF2 in the fields of biology and medicine, with many of them having preliminarily proved the potential of AF2. To better understand AF2 and promote its applications, we will in this article summarize the principle and system architecture of AF2 as well as the recipe of its success, and particularly focus on reviewing its applications in the fields of biology and medicine. Limitations of current AF2 prediction will also be discussed.

Piwi-interacting RNAs are a type of small noncoding RNA that have various functions. piRBase is a manually curated resource focused on assisting piRNA functional analysis. piRBase release v3.0 is committed to providing more comprehensive piRNA related information. The latest release covers >181 million unique piRNA sequences, including 440 datasets from 44 species. More disease-related piRNAs and piRNA targets have been collected and displayed. The regulatory relationships between piRNAs and targets have been visualized. In addition to the reuse and expansion of the content in the previous version, the latest version has additional new content, including gold standard piRNA sets, piRNA clusters, piRNA variants, splicing-junction piRNAs, and piRNA expression data. In addition, the entire web interface has been redesigned to provide a better experience for users. piRBase release v3.0 is free to access, browse, search, and download at http://bigdata.ibp.ac.cn/piRBase.

Background: Spatiotemporal disparities exist in the disease burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) attributable to kidney dysfunction, which has been poorly assessed. The present study aimed to evaluate the spatiotemporal trends of the global burden of NCDs attributable to kidney dysfunction and to predict future trends. Methods: Data on NCDs attributable to kidney dysfunction, quantified using deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), were extracted from the Global Burden of Diseases Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) Study in 2019. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) of age-standardized rate (ASR) was calculated with linear regression to assess the changing trend. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to determine the association between ASR and sociodemographic index (SDI) for 21 GBD regions. A Bayesian age–period–cohort (BAPC) model was used to predict future trends up to 2040. Results: Between 1990 and 2019, the absolute number of deaths and DALYs from NCDs attributable to kidney dysfunction increased globally. The death cases increased from 1,571,720 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 1,344,420–1,805,598) in 1990 to 3,161,552 (95% UI: 2,723,363–3,623,814) in 2019 for both sexes combined. Both the ASR of death and DALYs increased in Andean Latin America, the Caribbean, Central Latin America, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Southern Sub-Saharan Africa. In contrast, the age-standardized metrics decreased in the high-income Asia Pacific region. The relationship between SDI and ASR of death and DALYs was negatively correlated. The BAPC model indicated that there would be approximately 5,806,780 death cases and 119,013,659 DALY cases in 2040 that could be attributed to kidney dysfunction. Age-standardized death of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and CKD attributable to kidney dysfunction were predicted to decrease and increase from 2020 to 2040, respectively. Conclusion: NCDs attributable to kidney dysfunction remain a major public health concern worldwide. Efforts are required to attenuate the death and disability burden, particularly in low and low-to-middle SDI regions.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is an autoimmune disease with multiple system involvement and is also one of the most serious forms of organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is mainly caused by the formation and deposition of immune complexes in glomeruli. More than 50% of SLE patients have clinical manifestations of renal damage. At present, the treatment of lupus nephritis is mainly based on glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants. However, due to adverse drug reactions and frequent recurrence or aggravation after drug reduction or withdrawal, the prognosis remains poor; thus, it is still one of the most important causes of end-stage renal failure. Therefore, new treatment strategies are urgently needed. This article aims to review the application of traditional Chinese medicine and natural extracts in the treatment of lupus nephritis to provide the basic mechanisms of treatment and a new treatment strategy with clear effects and high safety performance.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 8 to 16% of the world’s population and is one of the top ten important drivers of increasing disease burden. Apart from genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors greatly contribute to the incidence and progression of CKD. The current bibliometric analysis aims to characterize the current focus and emerging trends of the research about the impact of modifiable lifestyle factors on CKD. Methods: We searched articles addressing the impact of modifiable lifestyle factors on the incidence and/or progression of CKD, published between 2011 and 2020, from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database. An adjusted citation index, which considered both the original citation count and publication year, was derived for the selection of most-cited publications. Publishing trends, co-authorship network, keywords, and research hotspots were analyzed and visualized. Results: Among the top 100 most influential articles, 32 were narrative reviews, 16 systematic reviews and/or meta-analysis, 44 clinical research, and 8 basic research. The United States occupied a dominant position in the perspective of article numbers and international partnerships, followed by European countries. The modifiable factors that drew the most and constant attention over the decade were diet or nutrition management reported in 63 papers, followed by obesity or body mass index (n = 27), and physical activity or exercises (n = 8). Alcohol consumption, fish oil, chain fatty-acids, and water-soluble vitamins were emerging hotspots identified in the recent most cited publications. Conclusions: Based on the bibliometric analysis of the most influential articles, our study provides a comprehensive description of publishing trends and research focus over a decade in the field of lifestyle factors’ impact on CKD. Diet, obesity, and physical activity were factors receiving the most attention in this topic.