Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (ENGase) is widely distributed in various organisms. The first reported ENGase activity was detected in Diplococcus pneumoniae in 1971. The protein (Endo D) was purified and its peptide sequence was determined in 1974. Three ENGases (Endo F1-F3) were discovered in Flavobacterium meningosepticum from 1982 to 1993. After that, the activity was detected from different species of bacteria, yeast, fungal, plant, mice, human, etc. Multiple ENGases were detected in some species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Trichoderma atroviride. The first preliminary crystallographic analysis of ENGase was conducted in 1994. But to date, only a few ENGases structures have been obtained, and the structure of human ENGase is still missing. The currently identified ENGases were distributed in the GH18 or GH85 families in Carbohydrate-Active enZyme (CAZy) database. GH18 ENGase only has hydrolytic activity, but GH85 ENGase has both hydrolytic and transglycosylation activity. Although ENGases of the two families have similar (β/α)8-TIM barrel structures, the active sites are slightly different. ENGase is an effective tool for glycan detection andglycan editing. Biochemically, ENGase can specifically hydrolyze β‑1,4 glycosidic bond between the twoN-acetylglucosamines (GlcNAc) on core pentasaccharide presented on glycopeptides and/or glycoproteins. Different ENGases may have different substrate specificity. The hydrolysis products are oligosaccharide chains and a GlcNAc or glycopeptides or glycoproteins with a GlcNAc. Conditionally, it can use the two products to produce a new glycopeptides or glycoprotein. Although ENGase is a common presentation in cell, its biological function remains unclear. Accumulated evidences demonstrated that ENGase is a none essential gene for living and a key regulator for differentiation. No ENGase gene was detected in the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and three other yeast species. Its expression was extremely low in lung. As glycoproteins are not produced by prokaryotic cells, a role for nutrition and/or microbial-host interaction was predicted for bacterium produced enzymes. In the embryonic lethality phenotype of the Ngly1-deficient mice can be partially rescued by Engase knockout, suggesting down regulation of Engase might be a solution for stress induced adaptation. Potential impacts of ENGase regulation on health and disease were presented. Rabeprazole, a drug used for stomach pain as a proton inhibitor, was identified as an inhibitor for ENGase. ENGases have been applied in vitro to produce antibodies with a designated glycan. The two step reactions were achieved by a pair of ENGase dominated for hydrolysis of substrate glycoprotein and synthesis of new glycoprotein with a free glycan of designed structure, respectively. In addition, ENGase was also been used in cell surface glycan editing. New application scenarios and new detection methods for glycobiological engineering are quickly opened up by the two functions of ENGase, especially in antibody remodeling and antibody drug conjugates. The discovery, distribution, structure property, enzymatic characteristics and recent researches in topical model organisms of ENGase were reviewed in this paper. Possible biological functions and mechanisms of ENGase, including differentiation, digestion of glycoproteins for nutrition and stress responding were hypothesised. In addition, the role of ENGase in glycan editing and synthetic biology was discussed. We hope this paper may provide insights for ENGase research and lay a solid foundation for applied and translational glycomics.

Protein as the allergens could lead to allergy. In addition, a widespread class of allergens were known as glycans of N-glycoprotein. N-glycoprotein contained oligosaccharide linked by covalent bonds with protein. Recently,studies implicated that allergy was associated with glycans of heterologous N-glycoprotein found in food, inhalants, insect toxins, etc. The N-glycan structure of N-glycoprotein allergen has exerted an influence on the binding between allergens and IgE, while the recognition and presentation of allergens by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) were also affected. Some researches showed thatN-glycan structure of allergen was remodeled by N-glycosidase, such as cFase I, gpcXylase, as binding of allergen and IgE partly decreased. Thus, allergic problems caused by N-glycoproteins could potentially be solved by modifying or altering the structure ofN-glycoprotein allergens, addressing the root of the issue. Mechanism of N-glycans associated allergy could also be elaborated through glycosylation enzymes, alterations of host glycosylation. This article hopes to provide a separate insight for glycoimmunology perspective, and an alternative strategy for clinical prevention or therapy of allergic diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a new noninvasive diagnostic model for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) based on features of tongue images. METHODS: Healthy controls and volunteers confirmed to have NAFLD by liver ultrasound were recruited from China-Japan Friendship Hospital between September 2018 and May 2019, then the anthropometric indexes and sampled tongue images were measured. The tongue images were labeled by features, based on a brief protocol, without knowing any other clinical data, after a series of corrections and data cleaning. The algorithm was trained on images using labels and several anthropometric indexes for inputs, utilizing machine learning technology. Finally, a logistic regression algorithm and a decision tree model were constructed as 2 diagnostic models for NAFLD. RESULTS: A total of 720 subjects were enrolled in this study, including 432 patients with NAFLD and 288 healthy volunteers. Of them, 482 were randomly allocated into the training set and 238 into the validation set. The diagnostic model based on logistic regression exhibited excellent performance: in validation set, it achieved an accuracy of 86.98%, sensitivity of 91.43%, and specificity of 80.61%; with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.98]. The decision tree model achieved an accuracy of 81.09%, sensitivity of 91.43%, and specificity of 66.33%; with an AUC of 0.89 (95% CI 0.66-0.92) in validation set. CONCLUSIONS The features of tongue images were associated with NAFLD. Both the 2 diagnostic models, which would be convenient, noninvasive, lightweight, rapid, and inexpensive technical references for early screening, can accurately distinguish NAFLD and are worth further study.
Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnostic imaging* ; Ultrasonography ; Anthropometry ; Algorithms ; China

Objective: Data for 2016 from cancer registries were used to estimate cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2016. Methods: According to the quality control process of the National Central Cancer Registry, the data from 683 cancer registries submitted by each province were evaluated, and the data of 487 cancer registries were qualified and included in the final analysis. Age-specific incidence and mortality rates were calculated by area (urban/rural), sex, age and cancer site, combined with national population data to estimate cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2016. Chinese population census in 2000 and Segi's population were used for age-standardized incidence and mortality rates. Results: Total population covered by 487 cancer registries was 381 565 422 (192 628 370 in urban and 188 937 052 in rural areas). The percentages of morphologically verified (MV%) and death certificate-only cases (DCO%) accounted for 68.31% and 1.40%, respectively, and the mortality to incidence ratio was 0.61. It was estimated about 4 064 000 new cases occurred in China in 2016, with the crude incidence rate being 293.91/100 000 (the rates of males and females were 315.52/100 000 and 271.23/100 000), age-standardized incidence rates by Chinese standard population (ASIRC) and by world standard population (ASIRW) were 190.76/100 000 and 186.46/100 000, with the cumulative incidence rate (0-74 years old) being 21.42%. The crude incidence and ASIRC were 314.74/100 000 and 196.38/100 000 in urban areas, whereas in rural areas, they were 265.90/100 000 and 182.21/100 000, respectively. It was estimated about 2 413 500 cancer deaths occurred in China in 2016, the crude mortality rate was 174.55/100 000 (216.16/100 000 in males and 130.88/100 000 in females), the age-standardized mortality rates by Chinese standard population (ASMRC) and by world standard population (ASMRW) were 106.00/100 000 and 105.19/100 000, and the cumulative mortality rate (0-74 years old) was 11.85%. The crude mortality and ASMRC were 180.31/100 000 and 104.44/100 000 in urban areas, whereas in rural areas, they were 166.81/100 000 and 108.01/100 000, respectively. The most common cancer cases include lung, colorectal, stomach, liver and female breast cancers. The top five cancers accounted for about 57.27% of all cancer cases. The most common cancer deaths included lung, liver, stomach, colorectal and esophageal cancers. The top five cancers accounted for about 69.25% of all cancer deaths. Conclusions: The burden of cancer shows a continuous increasing trend in China. Regional and gender differences in cancer burden are obvious. The cancer patterns still show the coexistence of cancer patterns in developed countries and developing countries. The situation of cancer prevention and control is still serious in China.
Male ; Humans ; Female ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Urban Population ; Breast Neoplasms ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Rural Population ; China/epidemiology* ; Registries ; Incidence ; Colorectal Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of acupuncture at "Kongzui" (LU 6) and "Yuji" (LU 10) on the latent period of inducing asthma, pulmonary function and the expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and metallothionein-2 (MT-2) in asthma rats, and to explore the possible mechanism of acupuncture in alleviating airway smooth muscle spasm and improving the acute attack of asthma. METHODS: A total of 40 male SD rats of SPF-grade were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a medication group and an acupuncture group, 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group, ovalbumin sensitization method was used to establish the asthma model in the other 3 groups. Salbutamol nebulization was adopted in the medication group, while acupuncture was applied at bilateral "Kongzui" (LU 6) and "Yuji" (LU 10) in the acupuncture group. The intervention was given once a day for 14 days in the two groups. The latent period of inducing asthma and pulmonary function were observed, the levels of ET-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were detected by ELISA method, the morphology of the airway was observed by Masson staining, the ultrastructure of the airway smooth muscle was observed by transmission electron microscopy, the mRNA and protein expression of ET-1 and MT-2 in lung tissue was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot methods. RESULTS: Compared with the normal group, in the model group, the latent period of inducing asthma was shortened (P<0.01); the airway resistance (RL) was increased while the dynamic compliance (Cdyn) was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05); the levels of ET-1 and TNF-α in serum and BALF were increased (P<0.01); collagen fibers and collagen depositions were found around the bronchi, airway smooth muscle was thickened, the cell damage was severe and mitochondria were swollen; the mRNA and protein expression of ET-1 was increased while the mRNA and protein expression of MT-2 was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the acupuncture group, the latent period of inducing asthma was prolonged (P<0.05), the RL was decreased while the Cdyn was increased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, in the medication group and the acupuncture group, the levels of ET-1 and TNF-α in serum and BALF were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05); collagen fibers and collagen depositions around the bronchi were reduced, the thickened airway smooth muscle was lightened, the cell damage was improved; the mRNA and protein expression of ET-1 was decreased while the mRNA and protein expression of MT-2 was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the medication group, the mRNA expression of MT-2 was increased in the acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture at "Kongzui" (LU 6) and "Yuji" (LU 10) can improve the pulmonary function and alleviate the airway smooth muscle spasm in rats with asthma. Its mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of ET-1 expression and up-regulation of MT-2 expression.
Rats ; Male ; Animals ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Lung ; Asthma/metabolism* ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Spasm ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism*

Bibliometric and scientific knowledge graph methods were used to analyze the research status and hot spots of acupuncture-moxibustion in treatment of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and explore its development trend. The articles of both Chinese and English versions relevant to MPS treated by acupuncture-moxibustion were searched in CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed and WOS from the database inception to March 20, 2023. Using Excel2016, CiteSpace6.2.R2 and VOSviewer1.6.18, the visual analysis was conducted by means of the cooperative network, keyword co-occurrence, keyword timeline, keyword emergence, etc. From Chinese databases and WOS database, 910 Chinese articles and 300 English articles were included, respectively. The annual publication volume showed an overall rising trend. Literature output of English articles was concentrated in Spain, China, and the United States, of which, there was less cross-regional cooperation. In the keyword analysis, regarding acupuncture-moxibustion therapy, Chinese articles focused on "acupuncture", "electroacupuncture" and "acupotomy"; while, "dry needling" and "injection" were dominated for English one. Clinical study was the current hot spot in Chinese databases, in comparison, the randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial was predominant in WOS. Both Chinese and English articles were limited in the report of mechanism research. The cooperation among research teams should be strengthened to conduct comparative research, dose-effect research and effect mechanism research with different methods of acupuncture-moxibustion involved so that the evidences can be provided for deeper exploration.
Humans ; Moxibustion ; Pattern Recognition, Automated ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes/therapy* ; Electroacupuncture

The acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults have a higher rate of neurological injury and early death compared with atlas or axial fractures alone. Currently, the diagnosis and treatment choices of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults are controversial because of the lack of standards for implementation. Non-operative treatments have a high incidence of bone nonunion and complications, while surgeries may easily lead to the injury of the vertebral artery, spinal cord and nerve root. At present, there are no evidence-based Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults. To provide orthopedic surgeons with the most up-to-date and effective information in treating acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults, the Spinal Trauma Group of Orthopedic Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized experts in the field of spinal trauma to develop the Evidence-based guideline for clinical diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults ( version 2023) by referring to the "Management of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults" published by American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) in 2013 and the relevant Chinese and English literatures. Ten recommendations were made concerning the radiological diagnosis, stability judgment, treatment rules, treatment options and complications based on medical evidence, aiming to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of acute combination fractures of the atlas and axis in adults.

Platelets are reprogrammed by cancer via a process called education, which favors cancer development. The transcriptional profile of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) is skewed and therefore practicable for cancer detection. This intercontinental, hospital-based, diagnostic study included 761 treatment-naïve inpatients with histologically confirmed adnexal masses and 167 healthy controls from nine medical centers (China, n = 3; Netherlands, n = 5; Poland, n = 1) between September 2016 and May 2019. The main outcomes were the performance of TEPs and their combination with CA125 in two Chinese (VC1 and VC2) and the European (VC3) validation cohorts collectively and independently. Exploratory outcome was the value of TEPs in public pan-cancer platelet transcriptome datasets. The AUCs for TEPs in the combined validation cohort, VC1, VC2, and VC3 were 0.918 (95% CI 0.889-0.948), 0.923 (0.855-0.990), 0.918 (0.872-0.963), and 0.887 (0.813-0.960), respectively. Combination of TEPs and CA125 demonstrated an AUC of 0.922 (0.889-0.955) in the combined validation cohort; 0.955 (0.912-0.997) in VC1; 0.939 (0.901-0.977) in VC2; 0.917 (0.824-1.000) in VC3. For subgroup analysis, TEPs exhibited an AUC of 0.858, 0.859, and 0.920 to detect early-stage, borderline, non-epithelial diseases and 0.899 to discriminate ovarian cancer from endometriosis. TEPs had robustness, compatibility, and universality for preoperative diagnosis of ovarian cancer since it withstood validations in populations of different ethnicities, heterogeneous histological subtypes, and early-stage ovarian cancer. However, these observations warrant prospective validations in a larger population before clinical utilities.
Humans ; Female ; Blood Platelets/pathology* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology* ; China

This study evaluated the scientific nature and effectiveness of iterative optimization of prevention and control measures for local outbreaks caused by the BA.2 and BA.5.2 COVID-19 strains in Fujian Province in 2022,to provide a scientif-ic basis for responding to future new or recurrent respiratory infectious diseases.According to the theory of infectious disease dynamics,relevant information regarding the local epidemic situation caused by the BA.2 sub-type Omicron virus strain in March 2022 and BA.5.2 sub-type Omicron virus strain in October 2022 in Fujian Province was collected.The susceptible exposed infectious removed(SEIAR)model of COVID-19 infection with a latent period and asymptomatic infected persons was used to analyze the transmission dynam-ics of two local epidemic situations,and evaluate the preven-tion and control effects.The incubation period of the BA.2 epidemic was 3 days(1～9 days),the intergenerational inter-val was 3 days(1～5 days),and the initial Rt was 3.0(95％CI:2.7～3.3).The incubation period of the BA.5.2 epidemic was 2 days(1～6 days),the intergenerational interval was 1 day(0～2 days),and the initial R,was 1.9(95％CI:1.7～2.1).The fittingresults for the BA.2 and BA.5.2 epidemics were good,and no statistical difference was observed between the predic-ted and actual numbers of cases(x2BA.2=31.53,x2BA.5.2=27.88,P＞0.05).If an emergency response had not been initiated,the BA.2 epidemic would have continued to spread andpeak on April 7th,with an estimated 638 035 cases.The BA.5.2 epidemic would have rapidly spread,reaching a peak on November 14th,with an estimated 685 940 cases.If one incubation period were detected early,the scale of the BA.2 epidemic would have decreased by 25.73％;if two incubation periods were detected early,the scale would have decreased by 79.56％,and if one incubation period had been delayed,the scale would have expanded by 13.72％.If one incubation period had been detected early in the BA.5.2 epidemic,the scale would have decreased by 35.04％;if two incubation periods had been detected early,the scale would have decreased by 92.47％;and if one incubation period had been delayed,the scale would have increased by 19.75％.The guiding ideology,and the prevention and control measures for handling two local epidemics were optimized and iterated.Our study indicated that implementing the"four early"measures ef-fectively decreased the scale of the epidemic,and earlier detection was associated with more significant control effects.This study provides valuable information for the prevention and control of new or recurrent respiratory infectious diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of proteasome inhibitor MG132 in improving osteoporosis. METHODS: Total of 32 female SD rats, weighing 220 to 250 g and 8 weeks old, were selected. They were randomly divided into 4 groups(n=8). Rats of group A and group B were cut off ovaris on both sides to make model of osteoporosis, and then they were given proteasome inhibitors MG132 and dimethyl sufoxide (DMSO) respectively. Group C was a sham group and rats were given MG132. Group D was a normal group and rats were given MG132 too. The rats were killed in batches at 6 and 12 weeks after administration, and the femoral neck tissues were obtained. Relevant data were analyzed, such as pathomorphological observation, micro-CT analysis, detection of 20S proteasome activity in tissues, and expression of Wnt and β-catenin. RESULTS: Morphological observation showed that the trabecular were slightly thinner, reticulated, and occasionally interrupted in group A, while the trabecular were obviously thinner and discontinuous in group B. And the trabecular were intact and arranged reticulated in group C and D. The analysis results of bone mineral density(BMD), bone surface(BS), bone volume/total volume(BV/TV) and trabecular thickness(Tb.Th) showed that group B was worse than other groups in all parameters at different time points(P<0.05), and group A was worse than group C and group D in BS(P<0.05), there was no significant difference in all parameters between group C and group D. RFU value of 20S proteasome in group B was significantly higher than that in other groups(P<0.05). According to the results of Western blot, the gray values of Wnt protein and β-catenin protein in group A were significantly higher than those in other groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION MG-132, a ubiquitin proteasome inhibitor, can regulate Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by inhibiting the degradation of β-catenin protein, and delaying the occurrence and development of osteoporosis.
Animals ; Bone Density ; Female ; Leupeptins ; Osteoporosis/drug therapy* ; Proteasome Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Wnt Signaling Pathway ; beta Catenin/metabolism*