Synthetic biology is a crucial tool for the development of the bio-industry and bio-economy, representing a significant aspect of new quality productive forces. As a core course for graduate students in bioengineering, Synthetic Biology plays a vital role in ensuring the supply of essential talents for the development of the bio-industry in the new era. To better serve regional economic development and provide high-level talents for China's progress in the bio-industry, we analyzed typical issues encountered in the past teaching activities, set up a multi-disciplinary teaching team, optimized the course contents, adjusted the teaching mode, and mobilized students' learning interest. With the application of scientific research project as the starting point, we guided students to think and discuss deeply through the simulation of application writing and project defense, which improved students' critical thinking and innovative thinking. With industrialization as a focus, we explored a new training model combining production, education, and research through the joint practice base of the university and enterprises introduced typical cases of biomanufacturing to encourage students to engage in scientific research. The teaching reform significantly enhances the comprehensive abilities and national sentiments of graduate students. This paper hopes to serve as a reference for colleagues engaged in teaching in this field.
Synthetic Biology/education* ; Teaching ; China ; Humans

With the increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus in recent years， cardiomyopathy caused by diabetes mellitus has aroused wide concern and this disease is characterized by high insidiousness and high mortality. The early pathological changes of diabetic cardiomyopathy （DCM） are mitochondrial structural disorders and loss of myocardial metabolic flexibility. The turbulence of mitochondrial quality control （MQC） is a key mechanism leading to the accumulation of damaged mitochondria and loss of myocardial metabolic flexibility， which， together with elevated levels of oxidative stress and inflammation， trigger changes in myocardial structure and function. Qi deficiency and stagnation is caused by the loss of healthy Qi， and the dysfunction of Qi transformation results in the accumulation of pathogenic Qi， which further triggers injuries. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， DCM is rooted in Qi deficiency of the heart， spleen， and kidney. The dysfunction of Qi transformation leads to the generation and lingering of turbidity， stasis， and toxin in the nutrient-blood and vessels， ultimately damaging the heart. Therefore， Qi deficiency and stagnation is the basic pathologic mechanism of DCM. Mitochondria， similar to Qi in substance and function， are one of the microscopic manifestations of Qi. The role of MQC is consistent with the defense function of Qi. In the case of MQC turbulence， mitochondrial structure and function are impaired. As a result， Qi deficiency gradually emerges and triggers pathological changes， which make it difficult to remove the stagnant pathogenic factor and aggravates the MQC turbulence. Ultimately， DCM occurs. Targeting MQC to treat DCM has become the focus of current research， and TCM has the advantages of acting on multiple targets and pathways. According to the pathogenesis of Qi deficiency and stagnation in DCM and the modern medical understanding of MQC， the treatment should follow the principles of invigorating healthy Qi， tonifying deficiency， and regulating Qi movement. This paper aims to provide ideas for formulating prescriptions and clinical references for the TCM treatment of DCM by targeting MQC.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a prevalent autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and excessive proliferation of the synovium. Currently, treatment options focus on either reducing inflammation or inhibiting synovial hyperplasia. However, these modalities are unsatisfactory in achieving the desired therapeutic outcomes. Halofuginone hydrobromide (HF), an herbal active ingredient, has demonstrated pharmacological effects of both anti-inflammation and inhibition of synovial hyperplasia proliferation. However, HF's medical efficacy is limited due to its poor water solubility, short half-life (t _1/2), and non-target toxicity. In the current study, by using the advantages of nanotechnology, we presented a novel dual-targeted nanocomplex, termed HA-M@P@HF NPs, which consisted of a hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified hybrid membrane (M)-camouflaged poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanosystem for HF delivery. These nanocomplexes not only overcame the limitations of HF but also achieved simultaneous targeting of inflammatory macrophages and human fibroblast-like synoviocytes-RA (HFLS-RA). In vivo experiments demonstrated that these nanocomplexes effectively suppressed immune-mediated inflammation and synovial hyperplasia, safeguarding against bone destruction in rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA). Remarkable anti-arthritic effects of these nanocomplexes were accomplished through promoting repolarization of M1-to-M2 macrophages and apoptosis of HFLS-RA, thereby offering a promising therapeutic strategy for RA.

ObjectiveTo explore the inhibitory effect of different concentration of baicalin （0， 100， 200， 400 μmol·L^-1） on the proliferation of human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells and the underlying mechanism. MethodSGC-7901 cells were treated with baicalin. Then methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay was employed to examine the inhibitory effect of baicalin on the cells. At the same time， ferrostatin-1 （Fer-1） was added to observe the viability of cells after baicalin treatment. The expression of ferroptosis-related genes was detected by Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. The content of malondialdehyde （MDA） and the level of glutathione （GSH） were detected respectively by MTT assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The role of tumor protein 53 （p53）/solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） pathway in the regulation of ferroptosis was investigated respectively via overexpression and small interfering RNA （siRNA） methods. ResultCompared with the blank group， baicalin decreased the viability of SGC-7901 （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The intervention of Fer-1 significantly alleviated the decrease of SGC-7901 cell viability caused by baicalin （P<0.01）. In addition， compared with the baicalin group， Fer-1+baicalin group showed decrease in MDA content and the mRNA and protein levels of prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 （PTGS2） in the cells （P<0.01）， and increase in GSH activity and mRNA and protein levels of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） （P<0.01）. The protein level of SLC7A11 in the baicalin group was decreased compared with that in the blank group （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the baicalin group， the reactive oxygen species （ROS） level and MDA content in SLC7A11-overexpressing cells were significantly decreased after baicalin treatment （P<0.01）， and the GSH activity was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The fluorescence intensity of p53 in the cells of the baicalin group was increased compared with that of the blank group （P<0.01）. Compared with the baicalin group， the expression level of p53 protein in the cells transfected with p53 siRNA was significantly decreased after baicalin treatment （P<0.01）， and the expression level of SLC7A11 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. ConclusionBaicalin can effectively inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 cells by regulating p53/SLC7A11-mediated ferroptosis.

Pituitary abscess is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease. Headache, visual disturbance, and hypopituitarism are the most common presenting symptoms of pituitary abscess. On magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), pituitary abscess may present as a round sellar cystic lesion, hypo- or isointense on T1 imaging and hyper- or isointense on T2 imaging with peripheral gadolinium enhancement. Diagnosis usually is made during surgical exploration when pus is found in a cystic lesion. The mainstay of treatment is transsphenoidal surgical resection in combination with antibiotic therapy, although a craniotomy approach is warranted in select conditions. Here we report 3 cases of pituitary abscess in our hospital and review the literatures.

Objective To compare the differences in the intestinal microflora of WHBE rabbit and JW rabbit models of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS). Methods 16 WHBE rabbits and 16 JW rabbits were randomly divided into normal control(NC)group and IBS model group, respectively(n=8). The diarrhea-predominant IBS model was established by wet-heat stress combined with intragastric gavage of senna decoction. The abdominal circumference index,water content of feces and colonic transit function were observed. After sacrifice,colon tissue samples were taken for histopathological examination and colon contents for intestinal flora diversity analysis. Results Compared with the NC group,the IBS model rabbits showed an increased abdominal circumference index and fecal water content,and a shortened colon transit time, but no obvious pathological changes were observed in the colon tissues. Meanwhile, the Shannon index and Chao1 index of IBS model rabbits were significantly decreased(P<0.05). According to the result of OTU classification analysis,Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the dominant bacteria in the intestinal microflora of rabbits. Compared with the NC group, the Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, Chloroflexi, Akkermansia, and Streptococcus in the WHBE rabbit IBS model group were significantly reduced(P < 0.05, P < 0.01), while Bacteroidetes and rc4-4 significantly increased(P < 0.05, P < 0.01). However, in the JW rabbit IBS model group, Eubacterium and Subdoligranulum were significantly increased(P< 0.05),while Lactobacillus,Coprobacter,Veillonella and Streptococcus were markedly decreased(P<0.05). Compared with the JW rabbit NC group,the abundance of Firmicutes,Odoribacter, Veillonella,Streptococcus,Oscillospira and Pseudoflavonifractor were significantly decreased(P<0.05, P<0.01), but Bacteroidetes,Verrucomicrobia,Eubacterium,Akkermansia and Coprobacter were significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01)in the WHBE rabbit NC group. Compared with the JW rabbit IBS model group, the abundance of rc4-4, Bacteroidetes,Coprobacter and Clostridium were significantly higher(P < 0.05, P < 0.01), while the Firmicutes, Dorea, Coprococcus and Subdoligranulum were significantly lower(P <0.05)in the WHBE rabbit IBS model group. Conclusions There is an intestinal microflora imbalance in rabbits with IBS, resulting in a decrease of microflora diversity. The changes of intestinal microflora in the WHBE rabbits and JW rabbits with IBS have their own characteristics, and have apparent differences.

Klinefelter syndrome(KS) is the most common sex chromosome disorder in males,which is caused by the presence of the extra X chromosome that maybe inherited from mother or father. Approximately 80% karyotype of the cases is 47,XXY. KS is characterized by small firm testes, hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, infertility,gynaecomastia, increased height. However, cognitive disabilities and psychiatric disorders are rarely diagnosed in KS because they lack screening in related aspects. At the present, the pathogenesis of cognitive disabilities and increased risk of psychiatric diseases in KS have not been delineated. In this article,we report two cases of KS,and review their clinical manifestations,diagnosis,and treatments.

Kiss1 gene encodes Kisspeptins,an intercellular signal peptide whose corresponding receptor is Kiss1R. The initial study found that the Kiss1/Kiss1R system has the effect on inhibiting tumor metastasis. More and more evidence suggests that it can act on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal(HPG) axis and is the key to puberty initiation and progression. It plays an important role in the neuroendocrine regulation of reproduction. In this paper, we reviewed the studies on Kiss1/Kiss1R system,its intracellular signal transduction pathway,role on HPG axis,and clinical application.

Objective To observe the morphological structures of WHBE rabbit brain in vivo based on 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging system (MRI), accumulate the basic biological data of WHBE rabbit brain imaging, and provide a background information to further expand the WHBE rabbit application.Methods Nine healthy adult male WHBE rabbits were intravenously anesthetized with 3% pentobarbital sodium.3.0 T MRI plus rabbit brain dedicated coil was used to perform routine transverse and sagittal scans, and the size of brain structures were measured.Results MRI scanning can be successfully performed to obtain sagittal and transverse T2WI or T1WI images of WHBE rabbit brain in vivo, and can be clearly observed the basic structures of WHBE rabbit brains in vivo, such as olfactory bulb, cerebrum, cerebellum and pituitary gland.In addition, high signal was found in the hippocampus of the left and right temporal lobes in 4 rabbits with T2WI, but also low signal appeared in the corresponding regions in T1WI, and the others were not abnormal.Meanwhile, the reference data of frontal lobe, hippocampus, cerebrum, lateral ventricles, pituitary gland and other related anatomical structures were also obtained.Conclusions Using the 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging system and rabbit brain coil,the morphological and anatomical structures of rabbit brain can be clearly observed, and the basic imaging data of WHBE rabbits brain have been established preliminarily.

Objective To investigate the difference in the pass rate of intensity?modulated radiation therapy ( IMRT) planning in patients with different tumors and its value in determining pass rate thresholds. Methods A total of 35 verified IMRT plans for each of esophageal cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and lung cancer were selected consecutively, and a one?way analysis of variance was used to investigate the difference in pass rate. A single pass rate threshold was used to test all IMRT plans, and the pass rate thresholds of IMRT plans for different tumors were calculated based on normal distribution law. Results There was a significant difference in the means between the 5 groups of data ( F=35. 83, P<0. 01) , and there was also a significant difference between any two groups ( P=0. 000) . There were statistically significant differences between nasopharyngeal carcinoma group and other four groups ( P=0. 000) . The difference was not only significant between the breast cancer group and the esophageal cancer group ( P=0. 001) , but also between the breast cancer group and the lung cancer group ( P=0. 033) . The calculated results of each threshold were 93. 37%, 89. 34%, 97. 68%, 95. 99%, and 95. 42%, respectively. Conclusions Different thresholds should be used for IMRT plans for different tumors, and the normal distribution law can be used to calculate the threshold.