Objective · To extract and identify exosomes in follicular fluid from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome in order to determine the existence of exosomes in follicular fluid, to isolate and extract miRNAs in exosomes, and to detect relative expression of miRNAs. Methods · Exosomes in follicular fluid were collected with membrane affinity chromatography and their size and morphology were observed with the transmission electron microscope. Exosome protein markers CD63 and CD81 were detected with flow cytometry. miRNAs in purified exosomes were extracted and expressions of miR-125b, miR-19b, and miR-222 were measured with TaqMan real-time PCR. Results · Exosomes in follicular fluid were circular or elliptic under the transmission electron microscope with diameters of around 30-100 nm. They had complete membrane structure and contained low density matter. Flow cytometry showed that CD63 and CD81 were positively expressed in exosomes. Real-time PCR detected expressions of miR-125b, miR-19b, and miR-222. Conclusion · Exosomes can be collected in follicular fluid from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. Transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry can be used to identify exosomes in follicular fluid. miR-125b, miR-19b, and miR-222 can be detected in exosomes.

Real world clinical diagnosis and treatment activity is a complicated decision-making task. The effective clinical cases of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) of highly experienced physicians play an important role in the routine diagnosis and treatment and the formulation of medical knowledge . Based on TCM electronic medical record data, this paper proposed a decision support prototype system on TCM clinical diagnosis and treatment based on TCM effective clinical cases and case-based reasoning (CBR) algorithm, which is used to assist inexperienced clinicians to make more reliable clinical decisions, and thereafter to improve the clinical curative effectiveness. The system integrates TCM clinical cases data set from a TCM clinical data warehouse, and retrieves the similar cases based on CBR method. In particular, according to the underlying personalized diagnosis and treatment for patients in TCM, this system implemented a flexible diagnosis and treatment modification mechanism based on correlation analysis among symptoms, diagnoses (syndrome or pattern in TCM) and medicine. Finally, through a demonstration of clinical application, we made an initial evaluation of the usefulness and practical effects of the system.

Objective: MicroRNA-221/222 is involved in the pathogenesis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) to promote the apoptosis of placental bile acids through human trophoblastic cells. This study investigates the effects of miR-221/222 on proliferation, apoptosis and apoptosis-related proteins of human trophoblast HTR-8/SVneo (HTR-8 cells) to understand its role in promoting trophoblastic apoptosis. Methods: The experiment was divided into transfection group and negative control group. Transient transfection method was used in both groups. The transfection efficiency was detected by RT-QPCR after 48 h transfection. CCK-8 was used to detect the proliferation of HTR-8 cells and the apoptosis of HTR-8 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blot was used to detect the expression of B-cell Lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) in HTR-8 cells. Data were compared with t-test. Results: The expression of miR-221/222 transfected group (25.43±0.80, 22.70±0.95) was increased significantly in the HTR-8 cells than that to negative control group (1.14±0.14, 1.58±0.14), and P value was < 0.01, the difference was statistically significant. The expression of Bcl-2 protein in mir-221/222 transfection group was (0.56 ± 0.03, 0.53 ± 0.03), and the protein expression was decreased compared with negative control group (0.72 ± 0.003, 0.76 ± 0.04). P value was < 0.05, the difference was statistically significant, and compared with the mir-221/222 negative control group (8.827 ± 0.48, 11.80 ± 0.45), cell apoptosis of mir-221/222 transfection group (42.53 ± 4.47, 24.09 ± 2.53) increased significantly, P value was < 0.01, and the difference was statistically significant. Proliferation rate in mir-221/222 transfection group was (0.82 ± 0.02, 0.74±0.01), and proliferation was inhibited, when compared with control group (1.15 ± 0.08, 1.06 ± 0.08), P value was < 0.05, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion miR-221/222 may promote the apoptosis of human trophoblastic cells by down regulating the expression of apoptosis inhibitory protein bcl-2, leading to placental dysfunction and impairing the normal bile acid transport function of placenta. This mechanism may be involved in the occurrence and development of ICP.

Objective: To establish the quality standard for Yuhuang sprays. Methods: Berberine hydrochloride in Yuhuang sprays was qualitatively identified by TLC and determined by UV. The Vanillin-H2 SO4 method was employed for the determination of condensed tannins. Results:The spots obtained from the sample solutions showed the same color as those from the reference substance solution without interference from the negative sample. The calibration curve of berberiny hydrochloride was linear within the range of 1. 13-13. 60μg·ml-1(r=0. 999 9), and the average recovery was 99. 68% with RSD of 1. 53%(n=9). The calibration of catechin was linear within the range of 0. 03-0. 30 mg· ml-1(r=0. 999 3), and the average recovery was 99. 6% with RSD of 1. 76%(n=9). Conclusion:The method can be used in the quality control of Yuhuang sprays.

Background:The morbidity of ulcerative colitis(UC)is high,and is easily recurrent.A number of systematic review/meta-analysis have explored the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)in the treatment of UC with varying conclusions,however,the quality of these studies has not yet been adequately assessed.Aims:To overview the systematic review/meta-analysis of FMT for UC.Methods:Systematic review/meta-analysis of FMT in the treatment of UC were retrieved from PubMed,Cochrane Library,Embase,Web of Science,CNKI,CBM,Wanfang,VIP and other databases from the date of database establishment to May 2023,while gray literatures were searched and experts were consulted.Literature screening and extract information were performed by two researchers.The PRISMA checklist,AMSTAR-2 tool was used to assess the reporting quality and methodological quality,respectively,as well as to grade the quality of evidence for outcome measurements based on the GRADE system.Results:Seventeen systematic review/meta-analysis were finally included.The original studies included randomized controlled trials and observational studies.Most of the studies drew positive conclusions about the efficacy and safety of FMT in the treatment of UC.The PRISMA checklist score was 12.5-22.5,and the mean score was 17.68.Three studies reported relative completeness;ten had some deficiencies;and four had relatively serious report deficiencies.AMSTAR-2 tool showed that two were of intermediate quality,three were of low quality,and twelve were of very low quality.GRADE system ratings showed that six of the eight outcome measurements were of intermediate quality and two were of low quality.Conclusions:FMT may be a safe and effective treatment for UC,but the quality of the current evidence is low and users of clinical evidence need to treat the above evidence with caution.

Background:Ulcerative colitis(UC)is highly prevalent and recurrent.A number of systematic review/meta-analysis have explored the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT)in the treatment of UC with varying conclusions,however,the quality of these studies has not yet been adequately assessed.Aims:To overview of systematic review/meta-analysis of FMT for UC.Methods:Systematic review/meta-analysis of FMT for the treatment of UC were retrieved from PubMed,Cochrane Library,Embase,Web of Science,CNKI,CBM,Wanfang,VIP and other databases from the date of database establishment to May 2023,while gray literature was searched manually and experts were consulted.Literature screening and extract information were performed by two researchers.The PRISMA checklist,AMSTAR-2 tool was used to assess the reporting quality and methodological quality,respectively,as well as to grade the quality of evidence for outcome measurements based on the GRADE system.Results:Seventeen systematic review/meta-analysis were finally included.The original studies included randomized controlled trials and observational studies.Most of the studies drew positive conclusions about the effectiveness and safety of FMT in the treatment of UC,but some of them only made inferences about possible effectiveness.The PRISMA checklist score was 12-22.5,and the mean score was 17.68.Four studies(23.5%)reported relative completeness;nine(52.9%)had some deficiencies;and four(23.5%)had relatively serious information deficiencies.AMSTAR-2 score showed that two were of intermediate quality,three were of low quality,and twelve were of very low quality.GRADE ratings showed that five of the eight outcome measurements were of intermediate quality and three were of low quality.Conclusions:FMT may be a safe and effective treatment for UC,but the quality of the current evidence is low and users of clinical evidence need to treat the above evidence with caution.

Deep bite is a common clinical malocclusion that has a great impact on patients’ facial aesthetics and oral function. Bite opening is the key step in the treatment of deep bite, playing a decisive role in the development of mandible and the progress of orthodontic treatment. Torque and tip control during the correction of deep bites is a hot topic in orthodontics. The three-dimensional finite element method can accurately simulate clinical processes and conduct dynamic stress analysis, which provides the basis of the biomechanical mechanism. This paper reviewed the finite element analysis of various orthodontic systems for bite opening to provide a reference for clinical application. The emergence of mini-implants provided a new idea for anchorage control in bite opening. Finite element studies found that high-positioned mini-implants are beneficial for bodily tooth intrusion and proposed the ideal position for force application. For the finite element simulation of the reverse curve archwire, it was found that the intrusion and inclination of the anterior teeth increased with the curve depth of the archwire. The application of clear aligners has also been flourishing, but these forces are still difficult to effectively control. Finite element studies on their attachment design and corresponding tooth movement may be helpful to open the bite quickly and effectively. However, the existing studies still have modeling limitations. The structural simplification, linearization and nonstandard parameter definition of the model reduce model accuracy. Additionally, the existing research mostly focused on initial tooth movement, and studies on long-term tooth movement after bone remodeling are lacking. These studies are needed in the future.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of proteinuria in patients with hypertension in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Methods:From March 2019 to June 2020, prospective design was used to collect data of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau hypertension patients who were eligible for continuous enrollment in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine in Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region. Questionnaire survey, physical examination and blood pressure measurement were performed on the selected patients. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for liver function test, blood lipid test, blood glucose test, and hemoglobin test, etc. Three times of morning urine samples were taken on different days, and urine protein creatinine ratio (UACR) was measured, UACR < 30 mg/g was negative for urinary protein, and UACR≥30 mg/g was positive for urinary protein. At the same time, the selected patients were examined by carotid artery color ultrasound and heart color ultrasound. The risk factors of proteinuria were analyzed.Results:A total of 588 patients with hypertension met the inclusion criteria, including 472 patients (80.3%) who received antihypertensive drug therapy, 239 patients (40.6%) had antihypertensive treatment compliance, and 252 patients (42.9%) reached the standard blood pressure after theropy. Hypertension was associated with diabetes mellitus in 150 patients (25.5%), and urinary protein was positive in 126 patients (21.4%). In univariate analysis, ethnic composition, systolic blood pressure [(138.19 ± 19.65) vs (133.16 ± 18.45) mmHg, 1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa], diastolic blood pressure [(85.80 ± 13.51) vs (83.17 ± 12.19) mmHg], uric acid [(411.79 ± 101.54) vs (379.96 ± 102.18) μmol/L], hemoglobin [(152.86 ± 30.70) vs (143.49 ± 21.15) g/L], pulmonary artery trunk width [(21.76 ± 3.94) vs (20.98 ± 3.34) mm], and ventricular septal thickness [(9.90 ± 1.70) vs (9.47 ± 1.60) mm] in the positive group ( n = 126) were significantly higher than those in the negative group ( n = 462, P < 0.01 or < 0.05). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, increased systolic blood pressure [odds ratio ( OR) = 1.015, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.005 - 1.026], uric acid ( OR = 1.003, 95% CI: 1.001 - 1.005), and pulmonary artery trunk width ( OR = 1.058, 95% CI: 1.001 - 1.118) were risk factors for proteinuria; Tibetans had a decreased risk of proteinuria compared with Han ( OR = 0.505, 95% CI: 0.317 - 0.805), but increased hemoglobin had an increased risk of proteinuria compared with normal hemoglobin ( OR = 1.890, 95% CI: 1.231 - 2.903). Conclusion:In patients with hypertension at high altitude, increased hemoglobin, systolic blood pressure, uric acid, pulmonary artery trunk width, and Han nationality are risk factors for proteinuria.

Yarrowia lipolytica is a non-conventional yeast with unique physiological and metabolic characteristics. It is suitable for production of various products due to its natural ability to utilize a variety of inexpensive carbon sources, excellent tolerance to low pH, and strong ability to secrete metabolites. Currently, Y. lipolytica has been demonstrated to produce a wide range of carboxylic acids with high efficiency. This article summarized the progress in engineering Y. lipolytica to produce various carboxylic acids by using metabolic engineering and synthetic biology approaches. The current bottlenecks and solutions for high-level production of carboxylic acids by engineered Y. lipolytica were also discussed, with the aim to provide useful information for relevant studies in this field.
Carboxylic Acids/metabolism* ; Metabolic Engineering ; Synthetic Biology ; Yarrowia/metabolism*