OBJECTIVES: Chromosomal abnormalities are the most common cause of spontaneous abortion (SA). This study aims to analyze the association between SA and chromosomal abnormalities in products of conception, and to compare the impact of different pregnancy modes and different numbers of previous abortions on chromosomal abnormalities, providing clinical consulting references. METHODS: A total of 1 345 SA patients treated at the Affiliated Women's Hospital of Jiangnan University (Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital) between January 2019 and December 2023 were enrolled. According to the mode of conception, patients were divided into 2 groups: a spontaneous pregnancy group (S group, n=1242) and an assisted reproductive technology (ART)-conceived group (ART group, n=103). Based on the number of miscarriages, the S group was further subdivided into a spontaneous sporadic abortion group (S-1 group, n=780) and a spontaneous recurrent abortion group (S-2 group, n=462); the ART group was subdivided into an ART sporadic abortion group (ART-1 group, n=68) and an ART recurrent abortion group (ART-2 group, n=35). Chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) was performed on products of conception. RESULTS: The incidence of numerical chromosomal abnormalities was 56.79% (443/780) in the S-1 group and 52.38% (242/462) in the S-2 group, while the incidence of structural abnormalities was 4.36% (34/780) and 7.36% (34/462), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in structural abnormalities between the 2 groups (P<0.05). Among the spontaneous pregnancy SA cases, the incidence of numerical abnormalities decreased with increasing numbers of miscarriages, and was significantly lower in the group with ≥4 miscarriages compared to those with 1 or 2 miscarriages (both P<0.05). The incidence of structural abnormalities in groups with 1, 2, 3, and ≥4 miscarriages was 3.46%, 5.65%, 5.88%, and 4.35%, respectively, with no statistically significant differences among groups (all P>0.05). The incidence of pathogenic copy number variants (pCNVs) plus likely pathogenic copy number variants (LP-CNVs) gradually increases in the group with 1-3 miscarriages, and there was a statistically significant difference between the group with 1 miscarriage and the group with 2 miscarriages (P<0.05). In the ART group, the incidence of numerical abnormalities was 47.06% (32/68) in ART-1 and 37.14% (13/35) in ART-2, while structural abnormalities occurred in 2.94% (2/68) and 11.43% (4/35), respectively, with no significant differences between the groups (both P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of numerical or structural abnormalities between the S-1 and ART-1 groups, or between the S-2 and ART-2 groups (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Chromosomal numerical and structural abnormalities are common in SA patients from both spontaneous and ART-conceived pregnancies. Attention should be paid to patients with recurrent miscarriage in genetic investigation.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Chromosome Aberrations/statistics & numerical data* ; Abortion, Spontaneous/epidemiology* ; Adult ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted/adverse effects* ; Abortion, Habitual/genetics* ; Fertilization

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are significant drug targets, but their potential in cancer therapy remains underexplored. Conventional GPCR agonists or antagonists have shown limited effectiveness in cancer treatment, necessitating new GPCR-targeting strategies for more effective therapies. This study discovers that Yersinia pestis LcrV, a crucial linker protein for plague infection, acts as a biased agonist of a GPCR, the formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1). The LcrV protein induces unique conformational changes in FPR1, resulting in G proteins being activated in a distinctive state without subunit dissociation. This leads to a biased signaling profile characterized by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) responses and β-arrestin2 recruitment, but not calcium mobilization. In FPR1-expressing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, LcrV bi-directionally modulates intracellular signaling pathways, downregulating extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) and Akt pathways while upregulating Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 pathways. This dual modulation results in cell cycle arrest and the inhibition of TNBC cell proliferation. In TNBC xenograft mouse models, long-term LcrV treatment inhibits tumor growth more effectively than a conventional FPR1 antagonist. Additionally, LcrV treatment reprograms tumor cells by reducing stemness-associated proteins OCT4 and c-MYC. Our findings highlight the potential of biased GPCR agonists as a novel GPCR-targeting strategy for cancer treatment.

β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyric acid (HMB) is widely applied in sports nutrition, disease prevention and other fields. However, chemical synthesis methods, limited by toxic reagents and violent reactions, can hardly meet the demands of green production. The biosynthesis method mainly utilizes enzymatic catalysis or metabolic engineering techniques for synthesis, and has the advantages of high efficiency, low cost, and sustainability. Therefore, the production of HMB by the biosynthesis method has a good application prospect. In this research, a biosynthesis-based production strategy for HMB was developed. By using L-leucine as the substrate and constructing a dual-enzyme co-expression system, we established an efficient catalytic process. At first, the enzymatic properties of L-amino acid deaminase (PvL-AAD) from Proteus vulgaris and 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (Rn4-HPPD) from Rattus norvegicus were characterized. Rn4-HPPD had low relative activity and required an acidic environment for catalysis. Based on the surface charge modification strategy of the enzyme protein, site-directed mutagenesis and combinatorial mutagenesis were conducted on 10 sites of Rn4-HPPD. A double mutant Rn4-HPPD^H18R/N302R was thus obtained, with the enzyme activities being 2.00 times and 2.39 times that of the wild type at pH 5.5 and pH 6.5, respectively. Subsequently, the expression of the two enzymes in Escherichia coli was optimized. After the optimal expression ratio of the two enzymes was determined as 1:3 and under the conditions of OD₆₀₀ of 70, pH 6.0, 35 ℃, Fe²⁺ concentration of 1.5 mmol/L, and feeding of the substrate in batches in a 5 L fermenter, the maximum yield of HMB reached 8.60 g/L. This study not only enhances the optimal pH and activity of Rn4-HPPD but also provides new approaches for the efficient microbial synthesis of HMB.
Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Valerates/metabolism* ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis* ; Animals ; Metabolic Engineering/methods* ; Rats ; Catalysis

Yeast autolysis affects the flavor and quality of beer. The regulation of yeast autolysis is a need for industrial beer production. Previous studies on brewer's yeast autolysis showed that the citric acid cycle-related genes had a great influence on yeast autolysis. To explore the contribution of isocitrate dehydrogenase genes in autolysis, the IDP1 and IDP2 genes were destroyed or overexpressed in typical lager yeast Pilsner. The destruction of IDP1 gene improved the anti-autolytic ability of yeast, and the anti-autolytic index after 96 h autolysis was 8.40, 1.5 times higher than that of the original strain. The destruction of IDP1 gene increased the supply of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and the NADPH/NADP⁺ ratio was 1.94. After fermentation, intracellular ATP level was 1.8 times higher than that of the original strain, while reactive oxygen species (ROS) was reduced by 10%. The destruction of IDP2 gene resulted in rapid autolysis and a decrease in the supply of NADPH. Anti-autolytic index after 96 h autolysis was 4.03 and the NADPH/NADP⁺ ratio was 0.89. After fermentation, intracellular ATP level was reduced by 8% compared with original strain, ROS was 1.3 times higher than that of the original strain. The results may help understand the regulation mechanism of citric acid cycle-related genes on yeast autolysis and provide a basis for the selection of excellent yeast with controllable anti-autolytic performance.
Humans ; Isocitrate Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; NADP ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Autolysis ; Adenosine Triphosphate

Objective To observe the protective effect of electroacupuncture(EA)on ankle joint synovitis and HIF-1 α/MDM2/p53 signaling pathway in adjuvant arthritis(AA)rats.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,sham EA group,agonist group,EA group,EA+antagonist group,antagonist group,with 10 rats in each group.Preparation of AA rat model by injecting Freund's complete adjuvant into bilateral foot pads of rats.EA(2 Hz,3 V)was applied to bilateral ST36 and GB39 or two control points(5 mm left to ST36 and GB39)for 15 min,once every other day for a total of 8 times.HIF-1 α agonists and antagonists were injected into the tail vein of rats in the corresponding groups.The inflammatory conditions of the ankle joint were observed by HE staining,and the contents of serum HIF-1 α was assayed by ELISA.mRNA expression of HIF-1α,VEGF,MDM2 and p53 were detected by RT-PCR,protein expression of HIF-1α,VEGF,MDM2 and p53 were detected by Western blot in synovium of AA rats.Results The results of HE staining showed that compared with the control group,the synovial cells in the model group had significant proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration(P<0.01);Compared with the model group,the arthritic reaction of the rats in the EA group,the EA+antagonist group and the antagonist group was significantly reduced(P<0.01),while the arthritic reaction of the rats in the sham EA group and the agonist group was still serious(P>0.05).The results of ELISA showed that compared with the control group,the serum HIF-1αexpression of the model group rats was significantly increased(P<0.01);Compared with model group,serum HIF-1αexpression of rats in EA group,EA+ antagonist group and antagonist group was significantly decreased(P<0.01);There was no significant difference in serum HIF-1αexpression among the model group,sham EA group and agonist group(P>0.05).RT-PCR results showed that compared with the control group,the mRNA expression of HIF-1α,VEGF,MDM2 and p53 of model group rats increased significantly;Compared with model group,the mRNA expression of HIF-1α,VEGF and MDM2 of rats in EA group,EA+antagonist group and antagonist group decreased significantly,while the mRNA expression of p53 increased significantly.Western blot results showed that compared with the control group,the protein expression of HIF-1α,VEGF,MDM2 and p53 of model group rats increased significantly;Compared with model group,the mRNA expression of HIF-1α,VEGF and MDM2 of rats in EA group,EA+antagonist group and antagonist group decreased significantly,while the mRNA expression of p53 increased significantly.Conclusion Electroacupuncture intervention has significant protective effect on ankle inflammation in AA rats,HIF-1 α/MDM2/p53 signaling pathway plays a key role in this process.

Genistein and its monoglucoside derivatives play important roles in food and pharmaceuticals fields, whereas their applications are limited by the low water solubility. Glycosylation is regarded as one of the effective approaches to improve water solubility. In this paper, the glycosylation of sophoricoside (genistein monoglucoside) was investigated using a cyclodextrin glucosyltransferase from Penibacillus macerans (PmCGTase). Saturation mutagenesis of D182 from PmCGTase was carried out. Compared with the wild-type (WT), the variant D182C showed a 13.42% higher conversion ratio. Moreover, the main products sophoricoside monoglucoside, sophoricoside diglucoside, and sophoricoside triglucoside of the variant D182C increased by 39.35%, 56.05% and 64.81% compared with that of the WT, respectively. Enzymatic characterization showed that the enzyme activities (cyclization, hydrolysis, disproportionation) of the variant D182C were higher than that of the WT, and the optimal pH and temperature of the variant D182C were 6 and 40℃, respectively. Kinetics analysis showed the variant D182C has a lower K_m value and a higher k_cat/K_m value than that of the WT, indicating the variant D182C has enhanced affinity to substrate. Structure modeling and docking analysis demonstrated that the improved glycosylation efficiency of the variant D182C may be attributed to the increased interactions between residues and substrate.
Cyclodextrins ; Genistein ; Glucosyltransferases/metabolism* ; Glycosylation ; Kinetics

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the coexisting mutations and clinical significance of Homo sapiens neuroblastoma RAS viral oncogene homolog (NRAS) gene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. METHODS: High-throughput DNA sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to detect 51 gene mutations. The occurrence, clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy of coexisting genes with NRAS were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 57 NRAS mutations (17.5%) were detected in 326 patients with AML. Compared with the patients in NRAS non-mutation group, patients in the mutant group were younger (P=0.018) and showed lower platelet count (P=0.033), but there was no significant difference in peripheral leukocyte count, hemoglobin, and sex. For FAB classification, NRAS mutation and M2 subtype showed mutually exclusive (P=0.038). Among 57 patients carried with NRAS mutation, 51 (89.5%) patients carried with other gene mutations, 25 (43.9%) carried with double gene mutations, 10 (17.5%) carried with 3 gene mutations, and 16 (28.1%) corried with ≥ 4 gene mutations. The most common coexisting gene mutation was KRAS (24.6%, 14/57), followed by FLT3-ITD (14.0%, 8/57), RUNX1 (12.3%, 7/57), NPM1 (10.5%, 6/57), PTPN11 (10.5%, 6/57), DNMT3A (10.5%, 6/57) and so on. The age (P=0.013, P=0.005) and peripheral platelet count (P=0.007, P=0.021) of patients with NPM1 or DNMT3A mutations were higher than those of the patients with wild type, but there was no significant difference in peripheral leukocyte count and hemoglobin. Also, there was no significant difference in age, peripheral leukocyte count, hemoglobin, and peripheral platelet count between the patients in KRAS, FLT3-ITD, RUNX1 or PTPN11 mutant group and the wild group. Patients with FLT3-ITD mutations showed a lower complete remission (CR) rate (P=0.044). However, there was no significant difference in CR rate between the patients with KRAS, NPM1, RUNX1, PTPN11 or DNMT3A mutations and the wild group. The CR rate of the patents with single gene mutation, double gene mutations, 3 gene mutations, and≥ 4 gene mutations were decreased gradually, and there was no significant difference in CR rate between pairwise comparisons. CONCLUSION The mutation rate of NRAS mutation is 17.5%, 89.5% of AML patients with NRAS mutation coexist with additional gene mutations. The type of coexisting mutations has a certain impact on clinical characteristics and CR rate of patients with AML.
Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/genetics* ; GTP Phosphohydrolases/genetics* ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Mutation ; Nucleophosmin ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)/genetics* ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic value of multislice spiral CT (MSCT) and MRI in occult fracture of knee joint with meniscus and ligament injury. METHODS: From January 2020 to March 2021, 63 patients with knee occult fracture with meniscus and ligament injury, including 41 males and 22 females, aged from 21 to 67 years old, with an average of (44.35±8.77) years old, the course of disease ranged from 1 to 6 days, with an average of (4.64±1.75) days, the body mass index (BMI) was (19.85±2.78) kg/m². MSCT and MRI data of 63 patients were collected and statistically analyzed to evaluage their diagnist value. RESULTS: The detection of MRI for occult knee fravtures with meniscus and ligament injury, joint cavity effusion, bone marrow edema, and articular surface injury were 100.00% (63/63), 95.24% (60/63), 42.86% (27/63) and 36.51% (23/63), respectively. The detection rates of MSCT were 49.21% (31/63), 41.27% (26/63), 0.00% (0/63) and 1.59% (1/63), respectively, significantly lwver than that of MRI (P<0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRI were significantly higher than those of MSCT(P<0.05). CONCLUSION The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of occult fracture of knee joint with meniscus and ligament injury are significantly better than that of MSCT. MRI has higher accuracy in the diagnosis of peripheral tissue diseases such as joint cavity, articular surface and bone marrow, and can reduce the risk of clinical misdiagnosis.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Tibial Meniscus Injuries/diagnostic imaging* ; Fractures, Closed/diagnostic imaging* ; Arthroscopy/methods* ; Knee Injuries/diagnostic imaging* ; Knee Joint/diagnostic imaging* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Ligaments ; Meniscus ; Tomography, Spiral Computed ; Fractures, Bone ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries

Objective To investigate the effect of phenformin combined with hexokinase inhibitor 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) on the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer cell lines 4T1 and MDA-MB-231. Methods Following treatment with phenformin, 2-DG or phenformin combined with 2-DG on 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells for 48 h, the cell proliferation in each group was detected by SRB and the apoptosis of cells was detected by flow cytometry. The concentration of glucose and lactic acid in cell culture supernatant was detected by ELISA. The activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex Ⅰ was detected by FlexStation3 and the mitochondrial oxygen consumption (OCR) was assayed with the Seahorse X Fe Analyzer. Results The hexokinase expression (4.6±0.17,3.73±0.21), glucose consumption (356±31，397±42) μg/10⁵ cells , Lactic acid concentration (5.59±0.52, 7.83±0.78) μmol/L in the supernatant of 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells in Phenformin group were higher than that in control group ( 1±0.15，1±0.12 ) , ( 289±25，301±32) μg/10⁵cells , ( 2.37±0.18，4.01±0.45) μmol/L (P < 0.01). Even if the dose was reduced by 90%, the cell viability of phenformin combined with 2-DG group (64.63±2.28, 51.97±2.29) % was still higher than that of phenformin group (86.70±1.83, 85.53±1.46) % (P<0.001). The combination of the two drugs significantly promoted the apoptosis of 4T1 and MDA-MB-231. In addition, compared with the phenformin group (5.59±0.52, 7.83±0.78) μmol/L, the phenformin combined with 2-DG group (3.46±0.37, 5.18±0.62) μmol/L cell lactic acid production also greatly reduced (P<0.01). Compared with the phenformin or 2-DG single-drug group, the phenformin combined with 2-DG group can significantly inhibit the growth rate of tumors in tumor-bearing mice (P<0.01). The median survival time of tumor-bearing mice in the phenformin combined with 2-DG group was 72.5 d, which was higher than that in the phenformin group 57 d and 2-DG group 55.5 d (P<0.01). Conclusion Hexokinase inhibitor 2-DG significantly enhances the therapeutic effects of phenformin on triple-negative breast cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: To set up an easy and effective method for biotinylation of small molecule drugs with long chain. METHODS: Biotinylated 6-aminocaproic acid was synthesized as intermediate by one step method, doxorubicin(DOX) with auto-fluorescence was used as the first drug, and by DCC and DMAP catalysis, biotinylated DOX was synthesized. Using the double fluorescence system of DOX, the binding ability of biotinylated DOX to avidin and its biological activity were determined. When verified to be reasonable and effective, the method was applied to catalyze biotinylated paclitexal (PTX) which didn′t have auto-fluorescence itself, and the physical and chemical characteristics, and biological activities as well as the visualization were tested. RESULTS: The binding rate of synthesized DOX to avidin was 93.7%; the cells inhibition rate and localization were the same as DOX; the purity of biotinylated PTX was 84.42%, and the structure shown by NMR was correct; the cell inhibition rate was the same as PTX; the combination of PTX with microtubules was observed by visual modification. CONCLUSION: The method supplies a temperate way for biotinylation, and can be used for the synthesis and visualization of small molecules as probes and research of drug mechanism.