OBJECTIVE To explore the molecular mechanism of Compound Dihuang Granule in treating Parkinson's disease(PD)with yin-deficiency and dynamic wind syndrome by regulating the changes of ubiquitin-proteasome system-related proteins.METHODS SPF male SD rats were randomly selected as normal control group and sham operation group,13 rats in each group.The remaining rats were treated with 6-hydroxydopamine lateral brain injection to damage the substantia nigra to establish PD yin-deficien-cy and dynamic wind syndrome rat model.The established rats were randomly divided into model group,madopar group(150 mg·kg-1),low,medium and high dose groups of Compound Dihuang Granule(1.75,3.5,7 g·kg-1),13 rats in each group.Each group was given drugs by intragastric gavage for 28 d.The general conditions and neurobehavioral manifestations of the rats were observed;the expression of ubiquitin(UB),ubiquitin activating enzyme(UBE1),ubiquitin conjugating enzyme(UBE2A)and ubiquitin carboxyl terminal hydrolase(UCH-L1)positive cells,protein and mRNA expression levels in the damaged lateral stria-tum of the brain of rats were detected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot and qPCR methods;changes of dopamine(DA)content in the damaged lateral striatum of the brain of rats were detected by ELISA.RESULTS There was no significant difference in general conditions between the normal control group and the sham operation group,and there was no significant difference in the number of ro-tations,suspension time and number of moving grids.Compared to the sham-op group,the model group rats showed poor spirit,irrita-bility,limb tremor,slow movement,dark yellow fur,less food intake,reduced body weight;the modeling increased number of rota-tions,decreased hanging time and number of moving grids(P<0.01),significantly decreased expression of UB,UBE1,UBE2A,and UCH-L1 positive cells,mRNA and protein expression levels in the damaged lateral striatum(P<0.01),and significantly decreased DA content(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the general condition of the rats in the madopar group and Compound Di-huang Granule groups was improved,the number of rotations was reduced,the hanging time and number of moving grids were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expression of UB,UBE1,UBE2A,and UCH-L1 positive cells,mRNA and protein expression levels were increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the DA content was increased(P<0.01);behavioral tests and the expression levels of various in-dicators were most significantly improved in the madopar group and the high-dose Compound Dihuang Granule group(P<0.05,P<0.01),and there was no statistical significance between the two groups.CONCLUSION Compound Dihuang Granule may play a role in treating PD yin-deficiency and dynamic wind syndrome by regulating the expression of ubiquitin-proteasome system-related proteins,reducing abnormal protein aggregation,and thus alleviating DA content deficiency,and the high-dose Compound Dihuang Granule has the best effect.

Objective To observe the effects of compound Dihuang Granules on striatum PINK1,Parkin and α-syn in rats with Parkinson disease yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome;To explore the mechanism of compound Dihuang Granules in the treatment of Parkinson disease yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome.Methods 6-hydroxydopamine was injected into the substantia nigra of the midbrain to prepare the model of PD yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome.Totally 65 model rats were randomly divided into model group,Madopar(150 mg/kg)group,and TCM low-,medium-,and high-dosage(1.75,3.5,7 g/kg)groups.Another 26 rats were divided into normal control group and sham-operation group,with 13 rats in each group.Each administration group was given corresponding medication solution by gavage,the normal control group,sham-operation group and the model group were given equivalent volume of normal saline,once a day for 28 consecutive days.The behavioral changes of rats were detected,ELISA and biochemical assay kits were used to detect ATP content and COX Ⅳactivity in striatum,HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of the striatum,immunohistochemistry staining,Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of PINK1,Parkin,α-syn protein and mRNA in striatal tissue.Results Compared with the normal control group and the sham-operation group,the rats in the model group showed increased number of rotations and pole climbing time,decreased swimming score(P<0.01),the ATP content and COX Ⅳ activity in striatum tissue decreased(P<0.01),with disordered arrangement and reduced number of neurons,cell swelling,partial nuclear shrinkage,formation of vacuoles,and blurred boundaries,the expressions of PINK1,Parkin protein and mRNA in striatal tissue decreased(P<0.01),and the expressions of α-syn protein and mRNA increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the number of rotations and pole climbing time of rats in each medication group decreased,swimming scores increased(P<0.01),ATP content and COX Ⅳ activity in striatal tissue increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the number of neurons increased,the arrangement tended to be neat,and the morphology improved,the expressions of PINK1,Parkin protein and mRNA in striatal tissue increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expressions of α-syn protein and mRNA decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).The improvement was most significant in the Medopar group and TCM high-dosage group(P<0.05,P<0.01),and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05),and TCM groups showed dosage dependence(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Compound Dihuang Granules can improve the behavioral symptoms of Parkinson disease yin-deficiency and wind movement syndrome,possibly by regulating the expressions of PINK1,Parkin and α-syn in the striatum tissue,thereby alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction,protecting dopaminergic neurons,and playing a role in treating Parkinson disease.

Objective To observe the effect of compound Dihuang Granules on the expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver and colonic tissue of Parkinson disease(PD)rats with yin deficiency and wind movement syndrome.Methods 6-Hydroxydopamine was used to inject into the right substantia nigra to prepare PD with yin deficiency and wind movement syndrome rats model.65 rats that successfully modeled were randomly divided into model group,madopar group(madopar 150 mg/kg)and TCM low-,medium-and high-dosage groups(compound Dihuang Granules 1.75,3.5,7 g/kg),with 13 rats in each group;another 13 rats without intervention were selected as the normal control group,and 13 rats were only injected with ascorbic acid solution as sham-operation group.The administration groups were given corresponding drugs by gavage,and the normal control group,sham-operation group and model group were given normal saline by gavage,once a day for 28 consecutive days.The neurobehavioral changes of rats were observed,and the morphology of liver tissue and colonic tissue were observed by HE staining,the protein and mRNA expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver and colonic tissue were detected by immunohistochemical staining,Western blot and RT-PCR,respectively.Results Compared with the normal control group and the sham-operation group,the number of rotation circles of rats in the model group increased,with granular degeneration of liver tissue,loose cytoplasm of cells,slight hepatic steatosis,edema of colonic mucosal and submucosal layers,loose connective tissue,infiltration of a small number of lymphocytes,and significant vascular dilation,the expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 protein and mRNA in liver and colonic tissue were significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the number of rotation circles of rats in madopar group and TCM groups were significantly decreased,with mild granular degeneration of liver cells,loose cytoplasm,orderly arrangement of hepatic cords,mild edema of the colon,a small amount of lymphocyte and granulocyte infiltration,and a small amount of vascular dilation,the protein and mRNA expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver and colonic tissue significantly increased(P<0.05).The TCM high-dosage group showing the most obvious changes,there was no statistical significance with the madopar group(P>0.05).Conclusion Compound Dihuang Granules may restore endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria homeostasis,improve gut-liver-brain axis mitochondrial function,protect dopamine neurons,and delay PD by regulating the expressions of DJ-1,IP3R,GRP75 and VDAC1 in liver tissue and colonic tissue.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical features and spectrum of genetic variants in 12 patients with Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS), and to explore the correlation between the type of genetic variants and clinical phenotypes. METHODS: Twelve patients suspected for LDS at Beijing Anzhen Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2015 to January 2022 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the patients were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and subjected to genetic testing. Pathogenicity of candidate variants was analyzed. RESULTS: The clinical phenotypes of the 12 patients have mainly included cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, craniofacial, skin, ocular and other systemic signs. Four patients (patients 5-1, 5-2, 6, 7) have carried heterozygous missense variants of the TGFBR1 gene, 5 patients (patients 1-1, 1-2, 2, 3, 4) have carried heterozygous variants of the TGFBR2 gene, and 2 patients (patients 8-1, 8-2) had carried heterozygous frameshift variants of the TGFB3 gene. One patient (patient 9) had carried a heterozygous missense variant of the SMAD3 gene. Among these, TGFBR1 c.603T>G (p.1201M) and TGFB3 c.536delA (p.H179FS35) had not been reported previously. CONCLUSION Variants of the TGFBR1, TGFBR2, SMAD3, TGFB2, TGFB3 and SMAD2 genes are mainly associated with LDS. The severity of the disease phenotype caused by the same variant may vary, whilst the clinical phenotype caused by different variant sites may be specific.
Humans ; Loeys-Dietz Syndrome/genetics* ; Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type I/genetics* ; Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II/genetics* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta3 ; Face

Objective:To investigate the genetic etiology of fetal conotruncal heart defects (CTDs) and to evaluate the performance of copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) and whole exome sequencing (WES) in identifying the genetic etiology.Methods:This retrospective study involved 196 fetuses diagnosed with CTDs by fetal echocardiography in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2017 to December 2021. CNV-seq was performed to screen for chromosomal abnormalities [aneuploidy and copy number variations (CNVs)] in the fetuses and their parents, and then WES was performed if CNV-seq was negative. The diagnostic yields of genetic abnormalities [aneuploidy+CNVs+single nucleotide variations (SNVs)] for different types of CTDs were compared using Chi-square test. Results:CNV-seq revealed 54 cases (27.6%, 54/196) with chromosomal abnormalities, including 14 (7.1%, 14/196) aneuploidies, 39 (19.9%, 39/196) CNVs and one aneuploidy complicated by CNVs. Together with another 13 fetuses with pathogenic or likely pathogenic SNVs detected by WES among the rest 142 cases whose CNV-seq results were negative, the total detection rate of genetic abnormalities was 34.2% (67/196). WES increased the diagnostic yield for CTDs by 9.2% (13/142). There was significant difference in the diagnostic yields for different types of CTDs ( χ2=20.31, P=0.002). The diagnostic yield was relatively high for interrupted aortic arch of type B, absent of the pulmonary valve -type of tetralogy of Fallot (9/10 and 8/12), but low for transposition of the great arteries (12.5%, 5/40). Conclusions:CNVs are the common genetic abnormalities in fetal CTDs, and SNVs are also detected in some cases. It is recommended that all fetuses with CTDs should undergo genetic testing. CNV-seq should be used in combination with WES if possible to improve the identification of genetic etiology and provide reference for genetic counseling.

Objective:To summarize the etiological mechanism, echocardiographic and clinical features of fetal cardiomyopathies (FCMs).Methods:According to the data of echocardiography in Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center in Fetal Heart Disease of Beijing Anzhen Hospital during 2015 January to 2020 December, 70 cases with FCMs were retrospectively reviewed, and the clinical, ultrasonic, pathological and clinical outcome data were collected. Whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing were used to identify the genetic changes.Results:Primary FCMs were diagnosed in 55 cases (78.6%, 55/70), including 39 fetuses with non-compaction of the ventricular myocardium (NVM), 10 with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), 5 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and 1 with restricted cardiomyopathy (RCM). Secondary FCMs were diagnosed in 15 cases (21.4%, 15/70), including 7 fetuses with maternal anti-Ro/La antibodies (presenting with DCM), 4 with twin-twin transfusion syndrome (2 with DCM and 2 with HCM), 2 with fetal anemia (presenting with DCM), 1 with maternal diabetes (presenting with HCM) and 1 with chorioangioma of the placenta (presenting with DCM). In all cases, 9 cases were born, 3 cases died in perinatal period, and 58 pregnancies were terminated due to ineffective treatment or the decisions of pregnant women. Thirty cases with primary FCMs were performed with genetic tests, and 13 of them were identified with positive genetic changes related to FCMs, including 12 cases with NVM and 1 with HCM.Conclusions:Primary FCMs are more common than secondary FCMs in fetal period. The genetic disorders have a high proportion in fetal NVM. Fetal DCM and HCM have a large spectrum of intrinsic and extrinsic causes.

Objective:To investigate the differences of umbilical vein diameter(D), time average peak velocity(TAmax) and blood flow between congenital heart disease and normal fetus.Methods:The umbilical vein diameter and time average peak velocity of 69 fetuses with congenital heart disease (disease group) from 22 to 27 weeks were prospectively studied in Maternal-Fetal Medical Center in Fetal Heart Disease of Beijing Anzhen Hospital from May 2021 to September 2021. Q 1 (umbilical venous blood flow) was calculated according to the formular [Q=0.5TAmax·π·(D/2) 2)], and Q 2 (Q 2=Q 1/weight) was calculated according to the fetal weight. At the same time, 111 normal fetuses with matched gestational age were selected as control group. The differences of fetal umbilical vein D, TAmax, Q 1 and Q 2 between the two groups were analyzed. Results:The inner diameter of umbilical vein D, TAmax, Q 1 and Q 2 in the congenital heart disease group were lower than those in the control group(all P<0.05). In the control group, the inner diameter of umbilical vein D, TAmax and Q 1 increased with the increase of gestational age and showed a positive linear correlation( r=0.608, 0.320, 0.626; all P≤0.001), while there was no obvious linear correlation between Q 2 and gestational age( r=0.189, P=0.047). Conclusions:The decrease of umbilical vein D, TAmax, Q 1 and Q 2 in the fetus with congenital heart disease indicates the decrease of effective blood flow in placenta-fetus circulation, which indirectly reflects the decrease of placental function in the fetus with congenital heart disease.

Objective:To evaluate the heart hemodynamics in fetuses with premature ductus arteriosus constriction or closure using fetal heart quantification (FHQ).Methods:The clinical data of 50 singleton fetuses with ductus arteriosus constriction ( n=35) or ductus arteriosus closure ( n=15) who underwent echocardiography in Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Anzhen Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, from May 2013 to January 2020. Fifty healthy singleton fetuses were randomly selected as the control group. The ductus arteriosus diameter (DA), pulsatility index (PI), diameter of the left atrium(LA) and right atrium(RA), diameter of the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV), tricuspid regurgitation/right atrium area ratio (TR/RA Ratio), pressure gradient of tricuspid regurgitation (PG of TR), and heart/chest ratio were measured using conventional fetal echocardiography; the correlations among the parameters were analyzed. Speckle-tracking analysis was used to analysis and compute the LV and RV global spherical index (GSI), fractional area change (FAC) and global strain (GS), the LV ejection fraction(EF) and stroke volume (SV). These variables and their correlations were compared and analyzed. Results:Compared with the control group, the GS and FAC of the LV and RV in the ductus arteriosus constriction or closure groups were lower ( P<0.05) while the LV-SV was higher ( P<0.05). The FAC, GS, and EF values of the LV were higher in the premature ductus arteriosus closure group than in the ductus arteriosus constriction group ( P<0.05), while the RV-FAC was lower ( P<0.05), the RV-GS and LV-SV showed no significant changes ( P>0.05). Correlation analyse showed that the PI was positively correlated with DA( r=0.364, P<0.05); the PG of TR was negatively correlated with DA( r=-0.414, P<0.05); the TR/RA Ratio was negatively linearly correlated with PI( r=-0.388, P<0.05), and positively correlated with RV/LV Ratio ( r=0.369, P<0.05); the other parameters were not significantly correlated with the DA or PI ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Fetal heart hemodynamics in the premature ductus arteriosus constriction or closure groups change significantly, FHQ can provide valuable information for the evaluation of the fetal heart with ductus arteriosus constriction or closure.

Objective:To explore the changes of biparietal diameter, head circumference and cerebrovascular hemodynamics in fetuses with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) during middle pregnancy.Methods:The biparietal diameter, head circumference, middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (MCA-PI), umbilical artery pulsatility index (UA-PI) and MCA-PI/UA-PI (CPR) of 41 fetuses with HLHS(HLHS group) were retrospectively analyzed from January 2015 to December 2019 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, and were compared with those of 82 normal fetuses matched for gestational age at the same period (control group).Results:The Z-scores of head circumference, MCA-PI and CPR in with HLHS group were lower than in control group(all P<0.05); Head circumference in HLHS group were weakly and positively correlated with the MCA-PI and CPR ( r=0.385, 0.416; all P<0.05). Conclusions:There are some changes in the head circumference and cerebral hemodynamics in fetuses with HLHS during mid-gestational age, and the head circumference is weakly and positively correlated with MCA-PI and CPR, which has clinical significance.

Objective:Through the establishment and application of the biosafety autopsy pathology platform in Huoshenshan Hospital, the feasibility and application effect of the biosafety autopsy pathology platform were analyzed.Methods:The feasibility and application effect of the biosafety autopsy pathology platform were analyzed by layout design, instruments and equipment preparation, testing methods examination, and effect evaluation.Results:A total number of 26 cases of systematic autopsy and 8 cases of minimally invasive autopsy (puncture) were performed on the biosafety autopsy pathology platform, and no one was infected. Some pathology original findings were identified, including COVID-19 and pathological characteristics of identification, SARS respiratory failure mechanism and treatment significance, systemic distribution and spreading mechanism of the new coronavirus, the " storm" of inflammation pathological basis, some tumor markers rise in pulmonary pathological cell source and the overcast with fibrosis characteristics, such findings play important roles in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.Conclusions:The study of autopsy pathology is of great significance for the prevention and control of emerging infectious disease, which calls for early intervention. To promote the standard construction of biosafety autopsy platform is the key to the pathological study of emerging infectious diseases. Pathological research and clinical diagnosis and treatment should be combined to inform each other.