Objective To analyze the correlation of clinical phenotype and genotype and gene mutation frequency characteristics of 21-hydroxylase deficiency,and to provide the basis for clinical diagnosis and methods for early intervention.Methods The clinical phenotypic signs and examination results of 14 cases with 21-hydroxylase deficiency were collected from September 2008 to December 2016 in Children's Hospital of Shanxi Province.Point mutations,deletions and conversion mutations for gene CYP21A2 coding 21-hydroxylase were detected through using next generation sequencing(NGS) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA).The captured mutations were further confirmed with Sanger sequencing.Furthermore,the family members underwent the co-segregation validation through the Sanger sequencing or MLPA in those captured mutated sites.Results Among the total 14 cases,9 cases were identified as the salt wasting,5 cases the simple virilizing;10 cases of compound heterozygous mutations,and 4 cases of homozygous mutations.Analysis of the 14 patients revealed 8 different kinds of mutations in CYP21A2 gene.The most frequent mutations of CYP21A2 gene were I2G [50％ (14/28)] and I173N [21.4％ (6/28)],followed by Arg357Trp[10.7％ (3/28)].Del[10.7％ (3/28)] mutations including E247fs,Gly1 1 1fs and R484fs.Q319X [3.6％ (1/28)] and Arg355His[3.6％ (1/28)] were rarely found.Missense mutation was found in 10 cases,splicing mutation in 14 cases,frameshifi mutations in 3 cases,nonsense mutations in 1 case.All of the mutations were inherited from their parents,and no new mutation was found.The most common mutations for salt wasting and simple virilizing were respectively I2G[50％ (9/18)] and I173N [50％ (5/10)].Collectively,genotypes and phenotypes were matched with each other.Conclusions The combination of clinical phenotypes with laboratory examination by gene sequencing and comprehensive analysis,is helpful to early diagnosis,differential diagnosis and optimized treatment,which will improve prognosis and provide guidance for genetic consultancy.

Objective:To investigate the genetic etiology of a Marfan syndrome pedigree, and the impact of c.4336G>A variant on the splicing process of FBN1 gene.Methods:The proband was admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Xijing Hospital due to thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection in August 2019. Multiplex PCR and next generation sequencing technology were used to detect 15 genes associated with hereditary aortic diseases in the proband. Then the pathogenic sites were further verified by Sanger sequencing, and above examinations were also performed among the family members of the proband. The effect of the mutation on mRNA splicing was predicted by splicing prediction software. RNAs from peripheral blood cells of the proband and the healthy person were extracted, and the effect of the mutation on mRNA splicing was verified by reverse transcription PCR and Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity was analyzed by the recommendations from the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG).Results:The gene panel detected a missense mutation of FBN1 gene (c.4336G>A) in the proband. Sanger sequencing results were consistent with that of panel. Sanger sequencing results showed that 4 family members were carriers of the same variant, and 3 out of the 4 family members presented signs of thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. The dbscSNV_ada_score and dbscSNV_rf_score software predicted that this mutation would lead to the occurrence of abnormal splicing of mRNA. The skipping of exon 35 was verified in the subsequent examinations by reverse transcription PCR and Sanger sequencing. The variant was classified as"pathogenic"according to ACMG guideline.Conclusion:FBN1 c.4336G>A mutation can cause the skipping of exon 35, and this might be the genetic mechanistic of severe cardiovascular abnormalities observed in this Marfan syndrome pedigree.

A 27-year-old male was admitted to the Xijing Hospital in August 2018 due to unprovoked severe thoracodynia with palpitations, shortness of breath and chest tightness. Computed tomography angiography showed a type A aortic dissection. Genetic testing based on next-generation sequencing for 15 genes associated with hereditary aortic diseases and Sanger sequencing validation revealed a heterozygous missense mutation c.998G>T (p.Gly333Val) in the COL3A1 gene. Sanger sequencing verification of family members confirmed that the mutation c.998G>T co-segregated with the patient′s phenotype in this family. That mutation was classified as "likely pathogenic" according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards and guidelines for genetic variant classification. Carriers of this mutation can be definitively diagnosed with "vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome". After the diagnosis was clarified, symptomatic treatment was given to the patient, but the disease progressed rapidly. The patient discontinued treatment and died shortly after being discharged. In this study, we found a new variant in the COL3A1 gene, expanding the mutation spectrum of this gene.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the serum chemical composition of rats after intragastric administration of water extract of crude Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-crude Phellodendri Chinensis and salted Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-salted Phellodendri Chinensis based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)technology,predict the effect of salt processing on the treatment of type 2 dia-betes in Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-Pheellodendri Chinensis combined with network pharmacology,and preliminarily verify it through in vitro experiments.METHODS Rats were continuously intragastrically administered with crude Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-crude Phello-dendri Chinensis drug pair and salted Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-salted Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair water extract twice,with an in-terval of 1 h.After 60 min of the last administration,the blood was taken from the abdominal aorta,and the protein was precipitated by methanol.After dissolution,the chromatographic column was Shim-pack GIST C18(4.6 mm×150 mm,5 μm);the mobile phase A was 0.1%formic acid water,and the mobile phase B was 0.1%formic acid-acetonitrile;gradient elution,positive and negative ion full scan mode,mass scan range 100-1 500 m/z.Combined with the secondary spectrum of the database and literature,the blood compo-nents of crude Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-crude Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair and salted Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-salted Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair were analyzed and identified.The disease targets of type 2 diabetes were retrieved,and the protein interaction net-work analysis,GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the intersection targets of blood components and diseases.The"blood components-targets"network diagram was constructed,and the selected core components and core targets were verified by molecular docking using AutoDock software.In the verification experiment,HepG2 cells were used as the experimental ob-ject,and the insulin resistance model was induced by high insulin and high glucose.CCK8 method was used to test the effect of Rhizo-ma Anemarrhenae-Phellodendri Chinensis on cell proliferation before and after salt processing.Western blot was used to detect the ex-pression of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway-related proteins.RESULTS 15 prototype components and 1 mangiferin metabolic compo-nent were identified in the serum of rats.17 prototype components and 1 mangiferin metabolite were identified in the rat serum of the water extract of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-Phellodendri Chinensis after salt processing.The contents of mangiferin,berberine and 3-isobutylglutaric acid in the blood components after salt-processing were higher than those in the raw products.According to the results of KEGG and GO,the treatment of type 2 diabetes may be related to the transcriptional regulation of RNA polymerase,inflammatory re-sponse,AGE-RAGE,PI3K-AKT pathway and insulin resistance.Cell experiments showed that the ratio of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT and GLUT4 protein expression could be up-regulated before and after salt processing,and the effect of salt processing group was better than that of the crude group.CONCLUSION This experiment preliminarily revealed the components of Anemarrhenae Rhizo-ma-Phellodendri Chinensis drug pair entering the blood before and after salt exposure,and suggested that ferulic acid,berberine,ber-berrubine,mangiferin,mTOR,SIRT1,EGFR and PPARA may be the main components and targets of Rhizoma Anemarrhenae-Phel-lodendri Chinensis after salt processing to enhance the therapeutic effect of type 2 diabetes.The mechanism may be to enhance the role of PI3K-AKT and other related signaling pathways,providing an important reference for the pharmacodynamic material basis and clini-cal application of Anemarrhenae Rhizoma-Phellodendri Chinensis before and after salt processing.

Objective    To establish a model of tracheomalacia in beagle dogs. Methods    Six healthy male beagles were selected with a weight of 12-15 kg and age of 12-18 months. The dog was placed in supine position after being anesthetized. Then midline incision was performed on dogs' cervical skin and main trachea was dissected. Six continuous cartilage rings separated from the tracheal wall were removed. Finally, the endotracheal mucosal was examined and the wound was sutured layer by layer. Different degrees of cartilage were removed to simulate different degrees of tracheomalacia. The beagle dogs were classified into two groups (n=3 in each group): a mild tracheomalacia (MTM) group (part of the cartilage near the trachea membrane was retained) and a severe tracheomalacia (STM) group (cartilage was removed as much as possible). Results    The dogs in the MTM group survived for a long time after the operation, showing symptoms of airway stenosis such as wheezing and coughing. The dogs were killed at postoperative week 2, and the pathological examination was performed. In the STM group, severe asphyxia occurred in the experimental animals after tracheal intubation removed, and all dogs died within 1 hour after surgery. Postoperative bronchoscopy revealed that the trachea of the MTM group dogs collapsed in the phase of inhalation, but it could maintain a certain patency. The trachea of the STM group dogs collapsed completely in the phase of inhalation. Postoperative X-ray showed that the diameter of the airway in the MTM group was reduced and trachea did not completely collapse. In the STM group, the trachea collapsed completely at the cartilage removed segment. Pathological examination showed that the cartilage in the MTM group was partially removed and tracheomalacia was obvious in the cartilage removed segment. In the STM group, most of the cartilage was removed with only few cartilages left. Conclusion    The clinical symptoms of tracheomalacia in different degrees can be simulated and repeatable. Animal models can be established by controlling the degree of removal of tracheal cartilage ring in dogs. This method provides a simple, repeatable and standardized large animal model for the treatment and transformation of tracheomalacia.

ObjectiveTo investigate the key compounds affecting the irritation and to clarify the effect of heating and the addition of ginger juice as the auxiliary material during the processing on the irritation of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex（MOC） by comparing the irritation and composition of volatile oil in MOC and its different processed products. MethodVolatile oil in raw products， water-processed products， ginger-dried products， ginger-fried products（the amounts of ginger were 10%， 50%， respectively） of MOC were extracted by steam distillation and subjected to rabbit eye irritation experiment， and the volatile components of each sample were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry（GC-MS）. Principal component analysis（PCA）and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） were used to analyze the data of each sample by SIMCA 14.1. The relative contents of different processed products were compared two by two with those of and raw products or ginger-fried products， and the markers that might be related to the irritation were sorted out according to the principles of variable importance in the projection（VIP） value >1 and P<0.05， and the factors influencing the differences in irritation were analyzed. ResultCompared with the blank group， the administration groups all had irritation to the eyes of rabbits， and the degree of irritation was in the order of raw products>water-processed products>ginger-dried products>ginger-fried products（10%）>ginger-fried products（50%）. The results of PCA and OPLS-DA showed that there were differences in the volatile oil from raw products and different processed products. According to VIP value>1 and P<0.05， and combined with the results of eye irritation experiment， ten volatile compounds related to irritation changes were screened out. Among them， cis-cinnamaldehyde was only detected in raw products， the relative contents of β-caryophyllene， （+）-delta-cadinene， α-humulene， γ-muurolene， （-）-isoledene and citral all increased to different degrees， the contents of p-cymene， 1（10）-4-cadinadien-15-ol and β-eudesmol all decreased to different degrees. ConclusionThe irritation of MOC is reduced after heating and processing with ginger juice， and the synergistic effect of both is more effective for reducing irritation. Among the differential markers associated with changes in irritation， the increase in the relative content of citral is closely related to the addition of ginger juice， while the decrease in the relative contents of cis-cinnamaldehyde， p-cymene， 1（10）-4-cadinadien-15-ol is related to heating， and the changes of other components may be related to the synergistic effect of heating and ginger juice.