Objective To clone and sequence the cDNA encoding(S)-N-methylcoclaurine-3'-hydroxylase from Coptis chinensis.Methods The cDNA,encoding(S)-N-methylcoclaurine-3'-hydroxylase,was amplified by RT-PCR with cDNA library of tender leaf as the template.Results The full-length cDNA of(S)-N-methylcoclaurine-3'-hydroxylase(named as CYP80B3) had 1 680 bp with an open reading frame encoding 488 amino acids of protein.The CYP80B3 had 95%,82%,70%,and 68% amino acid sequence homology to the sequence of(S)-N-methylcoclaurine-3'-hydroxylase from C.japonica,Thalictrum flavum,Eschscholzia californica and Papaver somniferum,respectively.The sequence was reported to the GenBank and coded as EF492879.Comparison of sequence with(S)-N-methylcoclaurine-3'-hydroxylase from C.japonica showed CYP80B3 possessed the same functional regions involved with 3'-hydroxylation of(S)-N-methylcoclaurine.Conclusion The cDNA encoding CYP80B3 from C.chinensis was cloned and reported.This work underlays the first step for exploring the pathway of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis and for improving the content of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid in C.chinensis.

Aptamers have shown great potential in early diagnosis,treatment of tumor because of its high specificity and affinity.The aptamers selected by cell-SELEX can identify tumor cells through target molecular changes,and then realize the prevention and treatment of tumors.At present,researchers have successfully selected a number of aptamers by using cell-SELEX technology combined with flow cytometry.To make up for the deficiencies and exert the advantages of aptamers can make aptamer technology really apply to clinical diagnosis and treatment.

PURPOSE: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed that common variants on or near EDNRA, HDAC9, SOX17, RP1, CDKN2B-AS1, and RBBP8 genes are associated with intracranial aneurysm (IA) in European or Japanese populations. However, due to population heterogeneity, whether these loci are associated with IA pathogenesis in Chinese individuals is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate associations among GWAS-identified loci and risk of IA in a Chinese population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 765 individuals (including 230 IA patients and 535 controls) were involved in this study. Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of candidate loci were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Associations were analyzed using univariate or multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: SNPs in CDKN2B-AS1 (especially rs10757272) showed significant associations with IA in dominant and additive models [odds ratio (OR), 2.99 and 1.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.44–6.24 and 1.10–1.86, respectively]. A SNP near HDAC9 (rs10230207) was associated with IA in the dominant model (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.01–1.99). One SNP near RP1 (rs1072737) showed a protective effect on IA in the dominant model (OR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.46–0.95), while another SNP in RP1 (rs9298506) showed a risk effect on IA in a recessive model (OR, 3.82; 95% CI, 1.84–7.91). No associations were observed among common variants near EDNRA, SOX17, or RBBP8 and IA. CONCLUSION: These data partially confirmed earlier results and showed that variants in CDKN2B-AS1, RP1, and HDAC9 could be genetic susceptibility factors for IA in a Chinese population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Logistic Models ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Population Characteristics

In the past decade,based on the “common disease-common variant” hypothesis,genomewide association studies (GWAS) have been extensively used to dissect the genetic components of complex diseases and quantitative traits.However,the identified disease-associated common variants by GWASs can only explain small part of the corresponding disease heritability.“Common disease-rare variant” hypothesis has been proposed to explore the missed heritability.With the development of the next generation sequencing technology,various association studies of less common variants are ongoing.This paper provides an overview of the study designs and statistical tests of these variants.

Objective:To investigate the alteration of m6A demethylase AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) expression and its impact on form-deprivation myopia (FDM) retina in guinea pigs.Methods:Thirty normal SPF grade 3-week-old tricolor guinea pigs were randomly divided into normal control group and experimental group, with 15 in each group.In the experimental group, the right eyes were covered as FDM group and the left eyes uncovered were set as self-control group.Ocular biometry was performed at one-week intervals from baseline to week 4 of the experiment.Spherical equivalent was detected by streak retinoscopy and axial length was measured by A-scan ultrasonography.Animals were sacrificed after 4 weeks of modeling.The distribution and expression of ALKBH5 protein in the guinea pig retina was detected by immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining.Expression of ALKBH5 mRNA and protein in guinea pig retina was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot, respectively.The use of animals in ophthalmic and vision research followed the tenets of Animal Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the study was approved by the Ethics Committee of North Sichuan Medical College (No.2023087).Results:At weeks 2, 3, and 4 after myopia induction, diopters and axial lengths were significantly higher in the FDM group than in the normal control group and the self-control group (all at P<0.001). Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assays showed that ALKBH5 protein was expressed in the retinal nerve fiber layer, rod/cone photoreceptor cells, and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer, and was highly expressed in the retinal nerve fiber layer and RPE layer.The relative ALKBH5 immunofluorescence intensity in the normal control group, self-control group and FDM group was 1.000±0.204, 0.874±0.076 and 0.571±0.053, respectively, which was lower in the FDM group than in the normal control and self-control groups, showing statistically significant differences ( t=4.069, P=0.006; t=5.176, P=0.014). After 4 weeks of modeling, ALKBH5 mRNA and protein expressions were significantly lower in FDM group than in normal control and self-control groups (both at P<0.01). Conclusions:The expression of m6A demethylase ALKBH5 is decreased in the retina of FDM guinea pigs, suggesting that ALKBH5 and related m6A methylation modification may be involved in the development and progression of myopia.

[Objective]To summarize the clinical experience of Professor JIA Yingjie,a renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in the treatment of esophageal cancer.[Methods]Through clinical following up,collect and analyze Professor JIA's understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of esophageal cancer and related medication,and a case of was attached as evidence.[Results]Professor JIA believes that the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer can be summarized as"phlegm coagulation and Qi stagnation"in the early stage,"primitive deficiency"in the late stage as a whole,"phlegm and blood stasis intermingle,Qi and blood stasis obstruct the diaphragm"in local areas,phlegm,Qi,and blood stasis solidify and poison transform into cancer turbidity,and block and form tumors.Clinical differentiation and treatment should always focus on"Qi",with a particular emphasis on regulating the"Qi mechanism".The lungs,spleen and liver are in sync,and dynamic differentiation and treatment should be carried out based on the characteristics of the patient's tongue and pulse.Medication should emphasize the use of"strengthening the body resistance righting"and"dispelling pathogenic factors"to achieve the dissipation of blood stasis,the elimination of cancer toxins and the opening of the diaphragm.[Conclusion]Based on the characteristics of esophageal cancer and the patient's physical constitution,Professor JIA combines disease and syndrome differentiation in treating esophageal cancer,providing a certain reference value and new path for clinical medication.

Objective: To analyze the situation of AIDS knowledge and discrimination among freshmen in Chengdu city, and to explore possible effects of AIDS knowledge on discrimination. Methods: A cluster random sampling was employed to investigate 1 053 college students from 11 universities in Chengdu about their HIV/AIDS knowledge and discrimination. The scores of AIDS knowledge and discrimination of students with different characteristics were analyzed, and the influence path of AIDS knowledge on AIDS discrimination were further analyzed based on different peer relationships. Results: The total scores of AIDS knowledge was negatively correlated to AIDS discrimination( r s =-0.13, P <0.01). After adjusting for confounding factors, the total score of AIDS knowledge was associated with the total score of AIDS discrimination( β =-0.12, P <0.01). AIDS knowledge played a role in AIDS discrimination in intimate, general and unfamiliar peer relationships, with standardized path coefficients of -0.20, -0.24 and -0.18 respectively( P <0.01). Conclusion AIDS knowledge are correlated with discrimination among freshmen under different peer relationships. More anti-AIDS discrimination courses should be added to AIDS education to reduce the students’ fear and stigma of HIV/AIDS patients and related risk groups.

Synthetic Biology is one of the most promising fields of modern Biology and a frontier interdisciplinary subject in the 21st century. With the rapid development of synthetic biology, the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition has emerged. The iGEM competition, based on the subject foundation of Synthetic Biology, intends to solve the biological problems in our daily life by applying modern biological technology. In recent years, with the continuous increase of participating teams, the iGEM competition has received extensive attention and achieved great progress. On the basis of the development of Synthetic Biology, we analyzed the 2018-2020 award-winning projects of the iGEM competition and illustrated the role and significance of the iGEM competition in cultivating college students' innovative thinking and ability with the participation experience of the iGEM team of Southwest Jiaotong University as an example.
Genetic Engineering ; Humans ; Students ; Synthetic Biology ; Universities

BackgroundAcne treatment cycle lasts long and will cause facial appearance damage. Many patients are prone to psychological problems and severe patients may even experience suicidal ideation.However， the influencing factors of psychological health problems in acne patients are still unclear. ObjectiveTo investigate the mental health status of patients with moderate-to-severe acne and to analyze the influencing factors of their psychological health problems， so as to provide references for improving their mental health. MethodsA total of 120 patients with moderate-to-severe acne of grades II-IV were selected as the research subjects， who were treated in the dermatology outpatient department of the Third Hospital of Mianyang from June 2021 to June 2023. All subjects were evaluated by using the Acne-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire（Acne-QoL）， Self-rating Depression Scale （SDS）， Self-rating Anxiety Scale （SAS）， Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale （RSES） and Social Phobia Inventory （SPIN）. According to the evaluation results of SDS， SAS， RSES， SPIN， subjects were divided into a group with mental health problems （n=21） and a group without mental health problems （n=99）. Binary Logistic regression anaylsis was adopted to explore the influencing factors of psychological health problems in acne patients. ResultsA total of 21 patients （17.50%） were detected to have symptoms of depression， anxiety， inferiority or social dysfunction. Statistically significant difference was observed in comparison between two groups in gender， profession， acne classification， dietary habit， age， illness course as well as the factor scores of self perception， emotional function， social function and acne symptom in Acne-QoL （χ²=7.013， 23.123， 9.028， 11.327， t=9.913， 13.022， 4.081， 5.383， 5.361， 10.203，P<0.05）. The results of binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the followings were risk factors for the occurrence of psychological health problems in acne patients： female （OR=2.243， 95% CI： 1.136~4.429）， acne of grade III （OR=3.615， 95% CI： 1.269~10.295） or IV （OR=1.872， 95% CI： 1.073~3.266）， course of disease≥ 1.6 years （OR=2.499， 95% CI：1.068~5.851）， a spicy or greasy diet （OR=3.811， 95% CI： 1.169~12.427）， Acne-QoL self perception score ≤18 （OR=1.802， 95% CI：1.227~2.646）， Acne-QoL emotional function score ≤18 （OR=2.252， 95% CI： 1.016~4.992）， Acne-QoL social function score ≤14 （OR=3.515， 95% CI： 1.534~8.053） and Acne-QoL acne symptom score ≤18 （OR=3.586， 95% CI： 1.098~11.715）. Protective factors for psychological health problems in acne patients included age over 30 years old （OR=0.429， 95% CI： 0.283~0.648）， occupation as professional cadre or enterprise employee （OR=0.483， 95% CI： 0.249~0.939） and other occupations （OR=0.276， 95% CI： 0.090~0.850）. ConclusionA part of patients with moderate-to-severe acne may experience psychological health problems. Patients with female gender， higher acne grades， longer disease duration， preference for greasy or spicy foods and lower scores in all Acne-QoL factors have a higher risk of experiencing psychological health problems.

Nucleic acid aptamer is an oligonucleotide sequence screened by the exponential enrichment ligand system evolution technology (SELEX). Previous studies have shown that nucleic acid aptamer has a good application prospect in tumor diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, we reviewed the selection and identification of nucleic acid aptamer of lung cancer cells in recent years, and discussed the effect of aptamer as targeting drugs and targeting vectors on the diagnosis of tumors, which provide a new idea for early diagnosis and treatment of tumor.