Objective To evaluate the radioprotective effect of vanillin derivative VND3207 on DNA damage induced by different LET ionizing radiation.Methods The plasmid DNA in liquid was irradiated by 60Co γ-rays, proton or 7Li heavy ion with or without VND3207.The conformation changes of plasmid DNA were assessed by agarose gel electrophoresis and the quantification was done using gel imaging system.Results The DNA damage induced by proton and 7Li heavy ion was much more serious as compared with that by 60Co γ-rays, and the vanillin derivative VND3207 could efficiently decrease the DNA damage induced by all three types of irradiation sources, which was expressed as a significantly reduced ratio of open circular form (OC) of plasmid DNA.The radioprotective effect of VND3207 increased with the increasing of drug concentration.The protective efficiencies of 200 μmol/L VND3207 were 85.3% (t =3.70,P =0.033), 73.3% (t = 10.58, P =0.017)and 80.4% (t =8.57,P =0.008)on DNA damage induction by 50 Gy of γ-rays, proton and 7Li heavy ion, respectively.It seemed that the radioprotection of VND3207 was more effective on DNA damage induced by high LET heavy ion than that by proton.Conclusions VND3207 has a protective effect against the genotoxicity of different LET ionizing radiation, especially for γ-rays and 7 Li heavy ion.

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constitutents of the 60% ethanol extract of the stems of Sambucus williamsii.

METHODCompounds were isolated and purified by Diaion D101, silica gel,Sephadex LH-20, ODS column chromatography and preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic methods.

RESULTSeven lignans were isolated and identified as erythro-guaiacylglycerol-beta-O-4'-sinapyl ether (1), 1-( 4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl) -2- [4"-( 3-hydroxypropyl) -2", 6"-dimethoxyphenoxy] propane-1,3-diol (2), isolariciresinol (3), burselignan (4), lyoniresinol (5), 5-methoxy-isolariciresinol (6), cycloolivil (7).

CONCLUSIONAll these compounds were obtained from this genus for the first time.

Anisoles ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Lignans ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Lignin ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Microscopy ; Naphthalenes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Naphthols ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Plant Stems ; chemistry ; Sambucus ; chemistry

Objective: To understand characteristics of vaginal cervical microbiota in high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infected women and to uncover the relationship between hrHPV infection and vaginal cervical microbiota. Methods: All participants were randomly selected from Peking University First Hospital from September to October of 2017, including 5 subjects of control group, 5 cases of HPV16/18 group, 5 cases of other hrHPV infected group and 3 cases of cervical squamous carcinoma group. All subjects were required to fill in a questionnaire, and cervical and vaginal discharges were separately collected for microscopic examination and new generation sequencing targeting the variable region (V3-V4) of bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Results: Vaginal microbiota analysis: (1) 6 major phylum were found in vaginal microbiota:Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes and Proteobacteria. Firmicutes contributed to the majority of normal vaginal flora, Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria increased in hrHPV infected ones, while Fusobacteria showed significant difference in cervical carcinoma group. (2) Lactobacillus occupied most of normal vaginal flora while genus like Gardnella, Prevotella, Atopobium, Megasphaera and Sneathia increased in hrHPV infected subjects, Sneathia showed significant difference in cervical carcinoma group. (3) No significant difference had been calculated in Alpha diversity of four groups (P=0.073) . Cervical microbiota analysis: (1) Microbial diversity of cervical microbiota was higher than that of vaginal microbiota. (2) Significant difference had been found in Alpha diversity of four groups (P=0.046) . (3) Proteobacteria in normal cervical flora was much more than that in vagina, and Proteobacteria increased significantly in hrHPV infected cervical discharge. (3) Chlamydia increased significantly in cervical carcinoma group. Conclusions The diversity of cervical microbiota is higher than that of vaginal microbiota. Change in cervical microbiota is more obvious than that of vagina in hrHPV infected subjects. Fusobacteria-Sneathia and Chlamydia significantly increase in cervical carcinoma group. Proteobacteria might relate to hrHPV infection.

Objective To investigate the effect of tail vein transplantation of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) with different transforming growth factor (TGF)-β expressions on recovery of sciatic nerve function in peripheral nerve xenotransplantation mice.Methods The hAMSCs were isolated from amnion membranes by healthy mother donors and identified by fluorescence activated cell sorter.The up-regulated and down-regulated TGF-β lentiviral plasmids were constructed and transfected into the purified hAMSCs;hAMSCs with stable up-regulated or down-regulated TGF-β expression were constructed.The sciatic nerves of C57BL/6 mice were isolated and cut out,and sciatic nerves of SD rats were isolated and transplanted into the sciatic nerve defected C57BL/6 mice to construct peripheral nerve xeno-transplanted mice models;these mice models were divided into 4 groups (n=10)according to random number table:control group,hAMSCs treatment group,high-expressed TGF-βhAMSCs treatment group,and low-expressed TGF-β hAMSCs treatment group;one d before modeling,phosphate buffer saline (PBS) or hAMSCs re-suspension were drawn with a syringe and slowly pushed into the tail veins of mice for transplantation treatment;14 d after treatment,DigGait analysis system was used to evaluate the recovery of sciatic nerve function in each group of mice.Result Fourteen d after treatment,the sciatic nerve function index (SFI) of the high-expressed TGF-β hAMSCs treatment group (-25.820±0.286) was significantly higher than that of the low-expressed TGF-β hAMSCs treatment group (-33.413±0.920) and hAMSCs treatment group (-30.755±0.421,P＜0.05).Conclusion The tail vein transplantation of hAMSCs with TGF-β high expression can effectively improve the sciatic nerve function in peripheral nerve xenotransplantation mice,which may be a new breakthrough in the treatment of peripheral nerve defects.

OBJECTIVETo explore the genetic cause for two familial Angelman syndrome cases and correlation between the clinical phenotypes and their genetic basis.

METHODSKaryotyping analysis and microarray assay were carried out to exclude chromosome anomalies and uniparental disomy. The UBE3A gene was analyzed for potential point mutations, deletions, insertions and splice site mutations. Reverse transcription PCR was used to evaluate splicing mutation of the RNA transcripts.

RESULTSDNA sequencing showed the proband of family 1 has carried a novel maternal UBE3A splice acceptor site mutation, resulting in a guanine-to-cytosine transversion (IVS15-1G>C). Reverse transcription PCR revealed the proband and his mother both carried heterozygous mutant transcripts with loss of 54 and 59 nucleotides in exon 16, respectively. The proband displayed severe mental retardation, ataxia, seizures and inappropriate laughter. The siblings of family 2 has carried a novel maternal missense mutation in exon 16 of the UBE3A gene (c.2540C>T). She also presented with mental retardation, absent speech, mild ataxia and inappropriate laughter.

CONCLUSIONThe novel IVS15-1G>C and c.2540 C>T mutations of the UBE3A gene probably underlie the AS in the two families. Compared with small-scale mutations, larger fragments mutations can produce more severe phenotypes.

Angelman Syndrome ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Mutation ; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo determine the genetic cause for two mentally retarded patients from a family, and to correlate their genotypes with clinical phenotypes.

METHODSRoutine G-banded karyotyping analysis was performed. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray analysis was used to detect microdeletions or microduplications. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to ascertain the origin of chromosomal abnormalities.

RESULTSBoth proband and his uncle showed a normal karyotype. SNP microarray analysis has identified a 1.147-Mb microdeletion at 16p13.3 (85 880-1 233 819) and a 2.948-Mb microduplication at 19q13.42-q13.43 (56 008 597-58 956 816). FISH analysis confirmed that the patient has inherited a derivative chromosome 16 from his father. The proband presented with mental retardation, reduced speech, and facial dysmorphism (hypertelorism, down-slanting palpebral fissure, low nasal bridge and wide gap between front teeth). His uncle presented with a milder phenotype with mental retardation.

CONCLUSIONBoth the proband and his uncle have carried a chromosome microdeletion at 16p and microduplication at 19q, which were originated from their fathers carrying a balanced t(16;19) translocation. Combined SNP microarray analysis and FISH assay are useful for the detection the copy number variations and delineation of potential structural changes, which may help with evaluation of recurrence risk for this family.

Adult ; Child ; Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosome Duplication ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16 ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Intellectual Disability ; genetics ; Karyotyping ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Translocation, Genetic

Objective To investigate the value of renal CT volumetric texture analysis with machine learning radiomics in assessment of pathological grade of clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC). Methods Thirty-four biopsy-confirmed ccRCC subjects who had four-phase CT scanning (NC:non-contrast, CM: Corticomedullary, N: Nephrographic, E: Excretory) were collected retrospectively from June 2013 to October 2017 for the study.Non-rigid registration was performed on multi-phase CT images in reference to CM-phase.Each lesion was segmented on CM-phase CT images using our in-house volumetric image analysis platform,"3DQI".A set of fifty-nine volumetric textures,including histogram,gradient,gray level co-occurrence matrix(GLCM),run-length(RL),moments,and shape,was calculated for each segment lesion in each phase as parameters for the training/testing of Random Forest (RF) classifier. Four groups according to pathological Fuhrman grade on a scaleⅠtoⅣ,these tumors were then divided into low(Ⅰ+Ⅱ) and high grade ( Ⅲ + Ⅳ) groups. Feature selection was performed by Boruta algorithm. A 10-fold cross-validation method was applied to validate the RF performance by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the model. Results Subjects were divided into four groups by Fuhrman grade on a scaleⅠtoⅣ:3 cases gradeⅠ,19 cases gradeⅡ,8 cases gradeⅢand 4 cases gradeⅣ.In CM-phase,kurtosis and long-run-emphasis(RLE)were selected the most important textures for ccRCC staging among 59 features. The area under curve (AUC) of ROC was 0.88 (79% sensitivity and 82% specificity)by using kurtosis and RLE textures.The mean values of kurtosis and RLE were(-20.00±22.00)×10-2and(3.00±0.40)×10-2for low group,whereas(31.00±32.00)×10-2and(5.00± 0.02)×10-2for high group.Within the mean±SD range of statistics,radiomics can distinguish between low and high grade tumors.In multi-phase analysis,three most important features were selected among 236(59× 4) textures: kurtosis (CM-phase), GLCM homogeneity I (HOMO 1) (E-phase), and GLCM homogeneity 2 (HOMO2)(E-phase).The mean values of HOMO 1(E-phase)and HOMO 2(E-phase)were(19.00±0.03)× 10-2and(11.00±0.02)×10-2for low group,whereas(22.00±0.03)×10-2and(14.00±0.02)×10-2for high group. The AUC was 0.92(93% sensitivity and 87% specificity)by using these three textures. Conclusion This study has demonstrated that renal CT volumetric texture analysis with machine learning radiomics could preoperative accurately perform cancer staging for ccRCC.

Objective: To analyze the implementation status and challenges of sex education in special education schools, so as to provide a scientific basis for formulating effective promotion strategies. Methods: From November 2023 to January 2024, a census survey was conducted among 120 in service teachers from 7 special education schools in Luzhou. The questionnaire covered the current status of sex education in schools, teachers attitudes and knowledge toward sex education, and their coping methods for students inappropriate sexual behaviors. Results: About 77.5% of teachers reported having provided sex education to students, but 93.2% indicated a lack of specialized sex education textbooks for special children, 90.4% reported no full time teachers for sex education, and the methods of sex education were relatively limited (50.0% mainly based on lecture method). Nearly 95.8% of teachers held a positive attitude toward sex education, with 98.3% supporting its implementation. Only 26.7% of teachers demonstrated a good grasp of sex education knowledge, with the best understood topic being "recognition and protection of private parts" (21.6%). When dealing with students inappropriate sexual behaviors, the active response rate of teachers was 23.9%, with the highest active response rate observed for "intentionally hugging or kissing the opposite sex" (39.7%). Conclusions The special education schools in Luzhou lack comprehensive sex education curricula, teaching materials and full time teachers, sufficient knowledge among teachers, and adequate proactive responses to students inappropriate sexual behaviors. Greater emphasis should be placed on sex education for special children, including the training of dedicated teachers, to provide comprehensive and high quality sex education services for special children.

Objective To explore the spatial description of Keshan disease(KD)and to provide a basis for reasonable allocation of health resources and for making precision prevention and control strategies. Methods In 2013 and 2014, the KD's condition, prevention and control measures and their effects were investigated in the diseased affected counties in the provinces through combination of case search and key survey. Results A total of 16(100.0%,16/16)diseased provinces,315(96.0%,315/328)diseased counties were surveyed,and 1 562 people with KD were detected in 281 000 residents, the detection rate was 55.6/10 000. Chronic and latent KD detection rates were 8.9/10 000(250)and 46.7/10 000(1 312),respectively.There were 261(82.9%)diseased counties that had reached the control standards of KD,and 54(17.1%)did not meet the control standards,which mainly distributed in the provinces of Henan, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Shanxi. Conclusions The detection rate of KD has been at a low level, but in Henan, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Shanxi, there are prevalent KD areas that have not yet reached the control level.This part of the areas should be treated as key prevention and control areas of KD.

Objective To explore the spatial distribution clustering and influencing factors of chronic Keshan disease in China,and to provide evidence for prevention and control of Keshan disease.Methods Using non-probability sampling methods,combined with case search and key surveys,data on national detection rate of chronic Keshan disease,on disease influencing factors in 2013-2014 were collected;a spatial database was established,and ArcGIS 9.0 software was used to perform global Moran'sI,local Moran's I,local Getis-Ord Gi and inverse distance weighted interpolation analysis for the detection rate of national chronic Keshan disease.Spatial regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of chronic Keshan disease.Results Global autocorrelation analysis showed that Moran's I =0.03,Z =2.72,P ＜ 0.01,indicating that there was aggregation in the detection rate of Keshan disease.The results of local Moran's Ii showed that there were local high-detection rate clusters in the wards of Keshan disease,and the high-high aggregation areas were mainly concentrated in the wards of Gansu,Inner Mongolia,and Shanxi;the high-low aggregation areas were mainly located in the wards of Heilongjiang,Jilin,Shandong;the low-high aggregation area were mainly located in the wards of Heilongjiang.Getis-Ord Gi autocorrelation results showed that Keshan disease hotspots were mainly located in the wards of Inner Mongolia,Heilongjiang,Gansu,Shandong,Shanxi and Yunnan;the results of reverse distance weighted interpolation showed that the detection rates of the counties in Gansu and Inner Mongolia were higher than that in Heilongjiang,Jilin,Liaoning,Shanxi,Shandong,Shaanxi and Yunnan,the detection rate of wards in other provinces was at a lower level.Spatial regression analysis showed that the spatial distribution of chronic Keshan disease was negatively related to rural per capita net income and annual average temperature in the ward (Z =-2.808,-2.747,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Global chronic Keshan disease exists spatial aggregation,the local gathering area is mainly located in the wards of Gansu,Inner Mongolia.The spatial distribution of chronic Keshan disease may be affected by the level of rural per capita net income and annual average temperature in the ward.