Exons ; genetics ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary ; etiology ; genetics

Objective: To study the correlation of lifestyle characteristics with thyroid nodules in a population-based sample of centenarians in Hainan. Methods: The study was based on China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study (CHCCS) conducted in 18 cities and counties in Hainan province from 2014 to 2016. A group of multidisciplinary team interviewed and examined local centenarians with structured questionnaires and ultrasonography procedures. A total of 918 centenarians were analyzed after excluding those who refused ultrasonographic examinations or had relevant missing data. Thyroids of centenarians were examined by 3-year experienced sonographer, details on lifestyle characteristics and dietary habits were collected by standard procedure. Results: Of the 918 centenarians, 683 (74.4%) had thyroid nodules under the ultrasonography procedures. The prevalence of thyroid nodules in different group of areca nut consumption varied significantly (P<0.05). In multivariate logistic regression model, the results showed female and areca nut intake were independently associated with thyroid nodules in centenarians (P<0.05). Conclusions The modifiable variables including areca nut intake as well as non-modifiable such as gender are independent determinants of thyroid nodules in centenarians. Further studies are warranted to explore and verify these associations in populations with different ranges of age.

The PCR-amplified severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus(SFTSV)Gn-DⅢ-Ⅲ gene was inserted into the pET-30a(+)prokaryotic expression vector to generate the re-combinant plasmid pET-SFTSV-Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ.The plasmid was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)for Gn-DⅢ-m protein expression and the expression conditions were optimized.The Gn-DⅢ-Ⅲ protein purified with Ni-NTA column affinity chromatography was applied as the captured antigen to establish an indirect ELISA method for the detection of SFTSV antibody.The results demonstrated that the recombinant plasmid pET-SFTSV-Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ was successfully constructed as identified by PCR and sequencing.The recombinant protein SFTSV Gn-D m-Ⅲ was soluble ex-pression in E.coli under the optimal induction conditions of 0.4 mmol/L IPTG at 25 ℃ for 4 h,and the protein purity was 91.77％after purification by Ni-NTA column.The optimal reaction con-ditions for the indirect ELISA of SFTSV antibody were as follows:coating antigen concentration(5 μg/mL),primary antibody(incubation at 37 ℃ for 1.5 h),and secondary antibody(diluted 1:10 000 and incubated at 37 ℃ for 1 h).The established method had no cross-reactivity with Rift Valley fever virus(RVFV),Ebola virus(EBOV),and tick-borne encephalitis virus(TBEV)posi-tive sera.The method had a high sensitivity,with P/N＞2.1 for SFTSV-positive sera diluted to 81920.Coefficients of variation for intra-and inter-batch reactions were less than 10％.Detection of four SFTSV-infected human clinical serum samples showed the serum samples from patients in re-mission were tested as positive(P/N＞2.1),while serum samples from patients with multiple or-gan failure were detected as negative(P/N＜2.1).The results indicated that the SFTSV Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ protein was successfully expressed and purified,and it was used as the coating protein to estab-lish an indirect ELISA assay for SFTSV antibody,which possesses good specificity,sensitivity and reproducibility.This method might be applied to detect human SFTSV clinical serum samples.

Objective: To explore the effects of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) on the ejaculatory behaviors of male rats and its potential mechanisms. METHODS: Male SD rats with normal ejaculation ability were mated with female ones in hormone-induced estrus. After bilateral PVN microinjection of D-Ala-2-Me-Phe-4-Gly-ol enkephalin (DAGO) or D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTAP) with an inserted catheter, the male animals were observed for mount latency (ML), mount frequency (MF), intromission latency (IL), intromission frequency (IF), ejaculation latency (EL), ejaculation frequency (EF), post-ejaculation interval (PEI), and intromission ratio (IR). The lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (LSNA) of the rats was recorded using the PowerLab data acquisition hardware device, and the levels of norepinephrine (NE) in the peripheral plasma were measured by ELISA following microinjection of saline or different doses of DAGO or CTAP. RESULTS: Neither CTAP nor DGAO significantly affected the ML of the male rats (P > 0.05). DGAO remarkably increased IF (P < 0.01) and MF (P < 0.01), prolonged IL (P < 0.01), EL (P < 0.01) and PEI (P < 0.01), and reduced EF (P <0.01) and IR (P < 0.05). On the contrary, CTAP markedly decreased IF (P < 0.01) and MF (P < 0.01), shortened IL (P < 0.01), EL (P < 0.01) and PFI (P < 0.01), and elevated EF (P < 0.01) and IR (P < 0.01). Additionally, DAGO decreased LSNA in a dose-dependent manner and reduced the NE level in the peripheral plasma. CTAP, however, not only offset the effects of DAGO on LSNA, but also significantly increased LSNA. CONCLUSIONS MOR in PVN inhibits ejaculatory behaviors in male rats by weakening LSNA, which has provided some theoretical evidence for the use of highly selective opioids in the treatment of premature ejaculation.
Animals ; Ejaculation ; Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-/pharmacology* ; Female ; Male ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/physiology* ; Peptide Fragments/pharmacology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Opioid, mu/physiology* ; Somatostatin/pharmacology* ; Sympathetic Nervous System/physiology*

Cancer cell membrane (CCM) derived nanotechnology functionalizes nanoparticles (NPs) to recognize homologous cells, exhibiting translational potential in accurate tumor therapy. However, these nanoplatforms are majorly generated from fixed cell lines and are typically evaluated in cell line-derived subcutaneous-xenografts (CDX), ignoring the tumor heterogeneity and differentiation from inter- and intra- individuals and microenvironments between heterotopic- and orthotopic-tumors, limiting the therapeutic efficiency of such nanoplatforms. Herein, various biomimetic nanoplatforms (CCM-modified gold@Carbon, i.e., Au@C-CCM) were fabricated by coating CCMs of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines and patient-derived cells on the surface of Au@C NP. The generated Au@C-CCMs were evaluated on corresponding CDX, tongue orthotopic xenograft (TOX), immune-competent primary and distant tumor models, and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. The Au@C-CCM generates a photothermal conversion efficiency up to 44.2% for primary HNSCC therapy and induced immunotherapy to inhibit metastasis via photothermal therapy-induced immunogenic cell death. The homologous CCM endowed the nanoplatforms with optimal targeting properties for the highest therapeutic efficiency, far above those with mismatched CCMs, resulting in distinct tumor ablation and tumor growth inhibition in all four models. This work reinforces the feasibility of biomimetic NPs combining modular designed CMs and functional cores for customized treatment of HNSCC, can be further extended to other malignant tumors therapy.
Animals ; Humans ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/therapy* ; Heterografts ; Photothermal Therapy ; Biomimetics ; Disease Models, Animal ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/therapy* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Tumor Microenvironment

The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in interhemispheric functional connectivity in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) based on a triple network model consisting of the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and executive control network (ECN). The technique of voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) analysis was applied to explore the aberrant connectivity of all patients. The results showed that: (1) the statistically significant connections of interhemispheric brain regions included DMN-related brain regions (i.e. precuneus, calcarine, fusiform, cuneus, lingual gyrus, temporal inferior gyrus, and hippocampus), SN-related brain regions (i.e. frontoinsular cortex), and ECN-related brain regions (i.e. frontal middle gyrus and frontal inferior); (2) the precuneus and frontal middle gyrus in the AD group exhibited lower VMHC values than those in the aMCI and healthy control (HC) groups, but no significant difference was observed between the aMCI and HC groups; and (3) significant correlations were found between peak VMHC results from the precuneus and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Scale (MOCA) scores and their factor scores in the AD, aMCI, and AD plus aMCI groups, and between the results from the frontal middle gyrus and MOCA factor scores in the aMCI group. These findings indicated that impaired interhemispheric functional connectivity was observed in AD and could be a sensitive neuroimaging biomarker for AD. More specifically, the DMN was inhibited, while the SN and ECN were excited. VMHC results were correlated with MMSE and MOCA scores, highlighting that VMHC could be a sensitive neuroimaging biomarker for AD and the progression from aMCI to AD.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease/physiopathology* ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Brain Mapping ; Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology* ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Memory ; Middle Aged ; Models, Neurological ; Nerve Net

Experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP)-induced persistent inflammatory immune response can significantly upregulate the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). However, the mechanism has not yet been elucidated. Herein, we screened out the target prostate-derived inflammation cytokines (PDICs) by comparing the inflammatory cytokine levels in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) between EAP rats and their controls. After identifying the target PDIC, qualified males in initial copulatory behavior testing (CBT) were subjected to implanting tubes onto bilateral PVN. Next, they were randomly divided into four subgroups (EAP-1, EAP-2, Control-1, and Control-2). After 1-week recovery, EAP-1 rats were microinjected with the target PDIC inhibitor, Control-1 rats were microinjected with the target PDIC, while the EAP-2 and Control-2 subgroups were only treated with the same amount of artificial CSF (aCSF). Results showed that only interleukin-1β(IL-1β) had significantly increased mRNA-expression in the prostate of EAP rats compared to the controls (P < 0.001) and significantly higher protein concentrations in both the serum (P = 0.001) and CSF (P < 0.001) of the EAP groups compared to the Control groups. Therefore, IL-1β was identified as the target PDIC which crosses the blood-brain barrier, thereby influencing the central nervous system. Moreover, the EAP-1 subgroup displayed a gradually prolonged ejaculation latency (EL) in the last three CBTs (all P < 0.01) and a significantly lower expression of NMDA NR1 subunit in the PVN (P = 0.043) compared to the respective control groups after a 10-day central administration of IL-1β inhibitors. However, the Control-1 subgroup showed a gradually shortened EL (P < 0.01) and a significantly higher NR1 expression (P = 0.004) after homochronous IL-1β administration. Therefore, we identified IL-1β as the primary PDIC which shortens EL in EAP rats. However, further studies should be conducted to elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms through which IL-1β upregulates NMDA expression.
Animals ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ejaculation/physiology* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Male ; N-Methylaspartate/metabolism* ; Prostate/metabolism* ; Prostatitis/metabolism* ; Rats ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism*

This study aimed to explore the anti-glioma effect of natural compound pterostilbene(PTE) through regulating pyroptosis and apoptosis pathways, and to analyze the possible anti-glioma pathways and targets of PTE by network pharmacology and molecular docking. In this study, the action targets of PTE and the glioma targets were obtained by network pharmacology to construct a target network and a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network to predict the possible action targets of PTE against glioma. Molecular docking was performed on the core targets by AutoDock and the action pathways of PTE against glioma were predicted by enrichment analysis. In addition, the effect of PTE on the viability of U87MG and GL261 glioma cells was detected by CCK-8 assay. Clone formation assay and cell scratching assay were used to explore the effect of different concentrations of PTE on the proliferation and migration, respectively of glioma cells. Hoechst staining was used to observe PTE-induced apoptosis in glioma cells. The changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were detected by JC-1 staining. The pyroptosis-inducing effect of PTE on glioma cells was observed by inverted microscopy and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) assay. Hoechst 33342/PI dual staining assay was performed to detect the integrity of glioma cell membranes. The expressions of pyroptosis and apoptosis-related proteins in glioma cells after PTE induction were determined by Western blot. In this study, 37 anti-glioma targets of PTE were obtained, and enrichment analysis suggested that PTE exerted anti-glioma effects through various signaling pathways including cancer pathway, proteoglycan in cancer, PI3K/AKT pathway, and apoptosis regulatory pathway. Molecular docking revealed that PTE had good binding activity with the main targets. Compared with the control group, PTE significantly reduced the viability as well as the proliferation, migration and adhesion abilities of U87MG and GL261 cells; it induced the apoptosis of the two glioma cells and the decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential in U87MG cells, and the effects increased with the increase of drug concentration. Compared with the conditions in the control group, glioma cells in the PTE group had increased pyroptosis-specific appearance and gradually increased LDH release; the number of PI positive cells was significantly elevated with the increase of PTE concentration as revealed by Hoechst 33342/PI staining; the expression levels of apoptosis-related factors cleaved PARP1 and B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) associated X(BAX) in the PTE group were markedly up-regulated, while the expression level of Bcl-2 was markedly down-regulated; the activation levels of pyroptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase-3 and gasdermin E-N(GSDME-N) had a remarkable rise in the PTE group, while no significant changes were found in the activation levels of gasdermin D-N(GSDMD-N) and cleaved caspase-1. In summary, PTE plays an anti-glioma role by inhibiting cell viability, proliferation, and migration and activating the caspase-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis pathway and mitochondrial apoptosis pathway.
Pyroptosis ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Network Pharmacology ; Gasdermins ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism*