Objective To determine the value of spectral karyotyping(SKY)in identification of the marker chromosome.Methods Selected six cases that could not be identified in clinic were studied,using samples of peripheral blood from four cases,and samples of amonic fluid and fetal cord blood for prenatal diagnosis in two cases were investigated.All cases were analyzed with the routine SKY method.and the results with the SKY View software.The SKY results were identified by using fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).And C-banding technique was used to help diagnose the heterochromatin.Results SKY wag successfully performed on all of 6 cases.The origin of all marker chromosomes was identified by SKY.Except case No.4,the others were confirmed by FISH.It helped determine the pregnancy outcome in two cases of prenatal diagnosis:one case of genetic marker chromosome continued the pregnancy,and another case of de novo marker chromosome was terminated of the pregnancy.Conclusion SKY may be a vahable tool to diagnose the marker chromosome with rapidness,direct-viewing and sensitiveness.It can be used to assess the prognosis and the pregnancy outcome.

Aim To investigate whether D-galactose cause osteoporosis and the difference compared with the osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy, and to deter-mine whether ovariectomy coupled with D-galactose ac-celerated the progress of osteoporosis and whether es-trogen had a preventive effect on these osteoporosis models. Methods Sixty SPF mice were randomly divided into six groups , namely sham-operated group, D-galactose group, OVX group, OVX + D-galactose group, OVX + D-galactose + diethylstilbestrol group and D-galactose + diethylstilbestrol group. Seventy days later, the right tibia was processed with undecal-cified sections for bone histomorphometric analysis. Results Compared with the sham-operated group, %Tb. Ar, Tb. Th and Tb. N decrease by 50. 4%, 25. 4%, 50. 9% ( P <0.01 ) respectively, Tb. Sp in-creased by 169. 4% (P <0.05), Oc. pm, Oc. No. ,%Oc. S, Oc. N/mm which reflected bone absorption significantly increased ( P < 0.01 ) , and % L. Pm, MAR, BFR/TV, BFR/BV, BFR/BS which reflected bone formation significantly decreased ( P <0.01 ) in OVX group. %Tb. Ar decreased by 30. 4% in D-ga-lactose group, but there was no statistically significant difference. However, the four parameters reflected the bone absorption in D-galactose group increased signifi-cantly ( P<0.05 ) , while the four parameters reflected bone formation decreased significantly ( P < 0.05 ) . OVX+D-galactose group has obvious performance of osteoporosis, but there was no significant difference compared to OVX group, nor to D-galactose group. Estrogen had significant preventive effect on related pa-rameters of osteoporosis induced by D-galactose and o-variectomy coupled with D-galactose. ConclusionsOsteoporosis model of mice can be established by OVX, D-galactose and OVX +D-galactose. Estrogen can effectively prevent bone loss induced by D-galac-tose and OVX+ D-galactose.

Objective To investigate the relationship between spontaneous miscarriage and embryonic chromosome abnormalities,and to evaluate the clinical application of karyotype analysis by chorionic villus cell culture. Methods The chorionic villus karyotype of 1983 cases of miscarriage from January 2010 to July 2016 in Guangzhou Women and Children′ s Mecical Center were analyzed retrospectively. The miscarried chorionic villi were obtained by curettage under sterilized condition. The chromosome specimens were prepared after chorionic villus cell culture. Karyotype analysis was performed by G-banding technique. Results In the 1983 samples, successful karyotype analysis was performed in 1770 cases, with the successful rate of 89.98%. Chromosomal abnormalities were found in 1038 cases (58.64%,1038/1770). Chromosomal structural abnormalities were found in 37 cases. The numeral abnormalities were more common than structural abnormalities, and most of the numeral abnormalities were aneupoidies. In turn, they were trisomy 16, 45,X, trisomy 22, trisomy 2, trisomy 21, trisomy 15. The most common structural abnormality was balanced translocation, including Robersonian translocation. Female embryoes accounted for 61.02%(1080/1770) miscarriages and for 57.4%(596/1770) of chromosomal abnormalities, while male embroyes acoounted for 61.02%(1080/1770),57.4%(596/1770)respectively. The proportion of female embryoes was higher than male embryoes. The median age of the patients was 30 years old(16-46 years old). As the maternal age increased, the proportion chromosomal abnormalities increased. The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in the advanced age group (≥35 years) was 68.38%(240/351), which was significantly higher than that in the younger group (56.24% ,798/1419; χ2=17.10, P<0.01). Conclusions Embryonic chromosomal abnormalities are the most common cause of early spontaneous miscarriage. The abnormalities centralize in some karyotypes. There is certain relationship between maternal age and the incidence of miscarriage, as well as the embryonic gender. Chorionic villus cell culture and karyotype analysis are helpful in finding the cause of miscarriage and counsel the patients.

Depression disorder(DD)is one of the major mental health problems worldwide,and special nutrients such as amino acids,vitamins,fatty acids,probiotics,etc.can affect the emotional state and disease prognosis of DD patients.Amino acids such as tryptophan and S-adenosylmethionine have been shown to improve stress levels in DD patients through various mechanisms,including vitamin B and vitamin C,while unsaturated fatty acids and probiotics have also been shown to have the same effect.This article reviews the mechanisms by which these nutrients improve DD,with the aim of providing new clues for treatment of DD.

[ ABSTRACT] AIM: To investigate the SALL4 expression, proliferation and apoptosis in the LNCaP cells after transfection of SALL4 siRNA.METHODS: The expression of SALL4 at mRNA and protein levels was detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting.MTS assay, colony formation assay and flow cytometry were used to determine the prolifer-ation, colony formation ability and apoptosis of the LNCaP cells.The effect of SALL4 on the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 was analyzed by Western blotting.RESULTS:Compared with negative control group, the expression of SALL4 at mRNA and protein levels in LNCaP cells was down-regulated by transfection of SALL4 siRNA ( P<0.05 ) .The proliferation rate and colony formation ability were decreased, while apoptosis rate increased in si-SALL4 group (P<0.05).Higher expres-sion of Bax and lower expression of Bcl-2 in si-SALL4 group were observed ( P<0.05 ) .CONCLUSION:Down-regula-tion of SALL4 by siRNA not only suppresses LNCaP cell proliferation and colony formation, but also inhibits Bcl-2 expres-sion and activates Bax expression to induce apoptosis.

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of noninvasive fetal trisomy testing based on massively parallel sequencing for the detection of chromosomal deletions and duplications.

METHODSPeripheral venous blood was taken from pregnant women with a high risk. Free fetal DNA in maternal plasma was used for library construction and subjected to massively parallel sequencing. Positive results were validated by traditional karyotype analysis or array-CGH. Phenotype of the fetus was observed through patholoical evaluation.

RESULTSThirteen out of 629 cases were suspected to harbor chromosomal aberrations, which included 9 aneuploid cases and 4 structural abnormalities. The latter included one case with dup (18q) (14.35 Mb), del (18q) (21.34 Mb), one with dup (3q) (35 Mb) and two with dup (7q) (7.0 Mb). Among these, dup (18q ) (14.35 Mb), del (18q) (21.34 Mb) and dup (3q) (35 Mb) were confirmed by karyotype analysis and patholoical evaluation. However, the two cases with dup (7q) were validated by karyotype analysis and array-CGH as false positives. The phenotype with the fetus also presented as normal.

CONCLUSIONThe introduction of maternal plasma sequencing for prenatal testing could dramatically improve the efficiency for detecting large, partial (> 10 Mb) chromosomal deletions and duplications.

Adult ; Chromosome Deletion ; Chromosome Duplication ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; Female ; Fetal Diseases ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; methods ; Trisomy

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the method of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) in identifying unbalanced chromosome aberrations.

METHODSFour cases that could not be diagnosed by conventional cytogenetic technique were selected to undergo array-CGH analysis. DNA samples were extracted and hybridized with the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 arrays using Human Mapping SNP6.0 assay kit following the manufacturer's standard protocol. The data were analyzed by two professional software packages, GCOS and Genotyping Console.

RESULTSBy using array-CGH technique, all the four cases were diagnosed precisely through identifying two duplications and two complex derivative chromosomes.

CONCLUSIONArray-CGH is an effective method for whole-genome identification of unbalanced chromosomal aberrations with high sensitivity and specificity. It has a great value to investigate the correlations between genotype and phenotype in clinical service, especially in prenatal diagnosis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Cells ; cytology ; Child, Preschool ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; methods ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Young Adult

Objective:To investigate the indications for prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes of fetal Turner syndrome (TS) with different karyotypes.Methods:Clinical data of TS cases diagnosed by fetal karyotyping in the Prenatal Diagnostic Center of Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2021, were analyzed retrospectively. According to the karyotyping results, these cases were divided into two groups: monosomy X (45,X) and non-monosomy X groups (including karyotypes of mosaic monosomy X, isochromosome X, X deletion, X rearrangement, pseudodicentric X, and mosaicism with Y or Y deletion). Chi-square test was used to compare the detection rate, indications for prenatal diagnosis, and pregnancy outcomes of the two groups, and the Bonferroni test was conducted for further pairwise comparisons between the subgroups. The Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test) was used to compare the abnormal ultrasound signs. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the nuchal translucency (NT) thickness of the two groups. Results:(1) Invasive prenatal diagnosis was performed on 27 981 pregnancies, and 205 (0.73%) of them were diagnosed with TS, including 135 cases of monosomy X and 70 cases of non-monosomy X (44 with numerical sex chromosome abnormalities, and 26 with structural sex chromosome abnormalities). (2) Out of the 205 pregnancies, 164 (80.0%) had one indication for prenatal diagnosis, and 41 (20.0%) had multiple indications. The detection rate of fetal ultrasonographic abnormalities [85.2% (115/135)] in monosomy X cases was significantly higher than that of three other indications [positive serological screening for Down's syndrome: 67.3% (35/52); positive non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for sex chromosome abnormality: 60.0% (15/25); and other indications (advanced maternal age, adverse pregnancy history and thalassemia genes carried by both parents): 5.2% (7/135); all P<0.05], and also higher than the figure in non-monosomy X cases [25.7% (18/70), χ 2=71.55, P<0.001]. In non-monosomy X cases, the detection rates of TS among cases with high-risk results from serological screening for Down's syndrome and NIPT for sex chromosome abnormality [54.7% (29/53) and 68.3% (28/41)] were higher than those of the other two indications [fetal ultrasonographic abnormalities: 25.7% (18/70), other indications: 14.3% (10/70); all P<0.05]. (3) Of the 133 pregnancies with fetal ultrasonographic abnormalities as the indication, 65 (48.9%) had one abnormal ultrasound sign, and 68 (51.1%) had multiple signs. Among the 95 cases with ultrasound abnormalities in the first trimester and 38 cases in the second or third trimester, the incidence of cystic hygroma and hydrops was significantly higher in monosomy X cases than in non-monosomy X cases [in the first trimester: 71.8% (61/85) vs 1/10, 34.1% (29/85) vs 0/10; in the second or third trimester: 73.3% (22/30) vs 0/8, 50.0% (15/30) vs 0/8; Fisher's exact test, all P<0.05]. NT thickness in monosomy X cases was greater than that of non-monosomy X cases [7.5 mm (1.0-17.4 mm) vs 1.7 mm (0.8-9.5 mm), Z=－5.25, P<0.001]. (4) Among the 72 pregnancies with indications other than ultrasound abnormalities, 68 underwent Down's syndrome screening and 61 underwent NIPT. The detection rates among the cases with positive results in Down's syndrome screening, NIPT for a sex chromosome abnormality, and other indications (advanced maternal age, adverse pregnancy history, and thalassemia genes carried by both parents) were 54.4% (37/68), 59.0% (36/61) and 22.2% (16/72), respectively ( χ 2=22.40, P<0.001). The detection rates of the cases with high-risk results from Down's syndrome screening and NIPT for sex chromosome abnormality were higher than that of the cases with other indications ( χ 2=18.77 and 15.40, both P<0.001). Of the 72 pregnancies, 19 (26.4%) were monosomy X and 53 (73.6%) were non-monosomy X, including 42 (58.3%) with chromosomal mosaicism. (5) Among the 205 cases of TS, 185 were successfully followed up (123 were monosomy X and 62 were non-monosomy X). There was one live birth in monosomy X cases (0.8%, 1/123) and 17 in non-monosomy X cases (27.4%, 17/62), and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=33.22, P<0.001). Sixty-three TS cases with normal ultrasound findings were followed up (18 were monosomy X and 45 were non-monosomy X). In these cases, all 18 pregnancies with monosomy X and 32 (71.1%, 32/45) with non-monosomy X were terminated and the other 13 (28.9%, 13/45) cases of non-monosomy X were delivered. Of the 18 live births, one (non-monosomy X) was delivered at 36 weeks of gestation and the rest were born at term. Eleven cases of them were followed up. The height of one child with monosomy X was lower than the average height of children of the same age and sex by more than 2 standard deviations (－2 SD). The height of 10 children with non-monosomy X were between－1 SD and +3 SD among the children of the same age and gender. The mental and motor development were good in the 11 cases, and no other structural abnormalities were observed. The remaining seven cases refused to be followed up. Conclusions:Ultrasonographic abnormalities are the main indications of fetal TS with monosomy X, while positive Down's syndrome screening and positive NIPT for sex chromosome abnormality are indicators of non-monosomy X. The termination rate for pregnancies with monosomy X is higher than that for non-monosomy X.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of the novel bone cement bridging screw system combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in the treatment of symptomatic chronic osteoporotic vertebral fractures (SCOVF) with intravertebral vacuum cleft (IVC).Methods:A retrospective case series study was used to analyze the clinical data of 27 patients with SCOVF admitted to Honghui Hospital affiliated to Xi′an Jiaotong University from August 2016 to August 2018, including 6 males and 21 females; age 69-88 years [(75.2±4.9)years]. All patients were treated by the novel bone cement bridging screw combined with PVP. The operation time, amount of bone cement injected and occurrence of bone cement leakage or displacement were recorded. The vertebral body index (VBI), vertebral body angle (VBA), two-segment Cobb angle (BCA), visual analogue score (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were compared preoperatively, at day 1 after operation and at the last follow-up. The results of the MOS 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) and Odom′s criteria were compared preoperatively and at the last follow-up to evaluate pain relief and neurological recovery.Results:All patients were followed up for 36-48 months [(40.2±3.7)months]. The operation time was 37-70 minutes [(49.6±10.8)minutes], with the amount of bone cement injected for 3-6 ml [(34.7±0.9)ml]. Intraoperative bone cement leakage occurred in 4 patients (15%), among which 3 had lateral vertebral leakage and 1 superior intervertebral disc leakage. There was no bone cement displacement during the postoperative period to the last follow-up. The VBI, VBA, BCA, VAS and ODI were (43.1±5.9)%, (21.0±2.6)°, (45.0±6.3)°, 7.6 (7.0, 8.0)points, (79.9±7.6)% preoperatively, were (78.7±2.6)%, (12.7±2.1)°, (26.1±4.7)°, 3.2 (3.0, 4.0)points, (50.0±9.3)% at day 1 after operation, and were (78.0±2.3)%, (13.2±2.4)°, (27.1±4.9)°, 2.0 (2.0, 2.0)points, (22.9±5.1)% at the last follow-up. There were significant differences in above five measures at day 1 after operation and at the final follow-up in comparison with the preoperative values (all P<0.05), and their values measured at day 1 after operation and at the final follow-up were also significantly different (all P<0.05). The SF-36 score in physical function, role physical, body pain, vitality and social function was 45.2 (40.0, 50.0)points, 28.7 (25.0, 50.0)points, 15.9 (10.0, 22.0)points, 48.3 (40.0, 60.0)points, 29.2 (25.0, 37.5)points preoperatively, significantly different from 78.0 (75.0, 85.0)points, 75.0 (75.0, 75.0)points, 68.1 (64.0, 74.0)points, 62.0 (55.0, 70.0)points, 34.7 (25.0, 37.5)points at the last follow-up (all P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in SF-36 before operation and at the last follow-up in dimensions of general health, emotional function and mental health (all P>0.05). According to Odom′s criteria, 19 patients were graded as excellent, 7 good, 1 fair and 0 poor, with an excellent and good rate of 96%. Conclusion:For SCOVF patients with IVC, the novel bone cement bridging screw system combined with PVP has advantages of no displacement of bone cement, satisfactory fixation, significant pain relief and satisfactory functional recovery.

Objective:To compare the prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcome of increased nuchal translucency (NT) with or without nuchal cystic hygroma (CH) in fetuses with first-trimester NT ≥5 mm.Methods:Data from 131 fetuses with NT ≥5 mm who received invasive prenatal diagnosis at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from July 2017 to December 2020 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Those with a septum in the cyst were grouped as NT with CH group ( n=57), and those without as increased NT without CH group ( n=74). Genetic test results, incidence of structural malformations, survival rate after birth were compared using Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test and non-parametric test. Results:There was no significant difference in the incidence of fetal genetic abnormalities[67.6%(50/74) vs 61.4%(35/57), χ 2=0.54, P=0.464], ultrasonic structural malformations [21.6%(16/74) vs 33.3%(19/57), χ 2=2.26, P=0.133], or in the survival rate (12/14 vs 3/8, P=0.053) between increased NT without CH group and NT with CH group. Conclusions:For increased NT with or without CH, although the two groups had different spectrum of disease, they had a high incidence of chromosomal abnormalities and structural malformations, and both groups had a certain healthy survival rate after birth.