Germ cells make two major decisions when they move from an indeterminate state to their final stage of gamete production. One decision is sexual commitment for sperm or egg production, and the other is to maintain mitotic division or entry into meiosis. It is unclear whether the two decisions are made as a single event or separate events, because there has been no evidence for the presence of germ cell sex prior to meiosis. Here we report direct evidence in the fish rainbow trout that gonia have distinct sexuality. We show that dazl expression occurs in both male and female gonia but exhibits differential intracellular distribution. More strikingly, we show that boule is highly expressed in male gonia but absent in female gonia. Therefore, mitotic gonia possess sex, sperm/egg decision and mitosis/meiosis decision are two independent events, and sperm/egg decision precedes mitosis/meiosis decision in rainbow trout, making this organism a unique vertebrate model for mechanistic understanding of germ cell sex differentiation and relationship between the two decisions.
Animals ; Female ; Fish Proteins ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Male ; Meiosis ; Oncorhynchus mykiss ; genetics ; physiology ; Ovary ; cytology ; metabolism ; Ovum ; cytology ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Sex Determination Processes ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; metabolism ; Testis ; cytology ; metabolism

Objective To analyze the application value of a Nomogram model established on clinical and ultrasound features of thyroid in modifying classification results of the Chinese Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (C-TI-RADS) by ultrasound physicians. Methods The clinicopathological ultrasound materials of patients with surgical resection for thyroid nodules in Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (training set, n=841) and Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital (external validation set, n=295) from January 2021 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, and preoperative thyroid ultrasound was used to classify thyroid nodules by C-TI-RADS. Univariate and Multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to screen independent predictors in the training set and a Nomogram model was constructed, and Bootstrap resampling was used for internal validation; ultrasound physicians in Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital were charged in external verification based on this Nomogram model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve were drawn to evaluate the efficacy of the model and its clinical value in modifying the classification results by C-TI-RADS. Results Univariate and Multivariate Logistic regression analyses showed that gender, age, maximum diameter of nodules, the number of nodules, ultrasound abnormalities of cervical lymph nodes and C-TI-RADS classification were the independent factors for predicting the modified classification results of C-TI-RADS by ultrasound physicians (P < 0.05). Consistency index of the Nomogram model constructed based on these factors was 0.842 (95%CI, 0.816 to 0.867), the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.842, sensitivity was 92.9%, specificity was 63.7%, and accuracy was 75.9%. The prediction results of the Nomogram model were in good agreement with the actual situation in both the training set and the external validation set. Conclusion Nomogram model based on clinical and ultrasound features of thyroid shows good predictive accuracy in modifying classification results of C-TI-RADS by ultrasound physicians, which has potential clinical application value.

Objective : To analyze the status and influencing factors of the intention of people aged 18 to 25 years to primary medical institutions and their satisfaction for health services in Zhejiang Province, so as to provide basis for the improvement of health services in primary medical institutions. Methods: During November and December in 2019,the 18-25 year-old people in Zhejiang Province were recruited to investigate the general information, intention to seek medical advice and satisfaction for health services in primary medical institutions through WeChat. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the influencing factors of the intention and the satisfaction. Importance matrix was used to analyze the key drivers of the satisfaction. Results: Among the 620 people surveyed, with a response rate of 93.37%, 142 (22.90%) chose primary medical institutions for advice. Actually 516 (83.23%) people went to primary medical institutions last year, and 384 ( 74.42% ) of them were satisfied with the health services. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the people aged 18-25 years who were under the new rural cooperative medical care system ( OR=3.062, 95%CI: 1.745-5.373 ) and who had records in community health centers ( OR=0.547, 95%CI: 0.308-0.970 ) were more likely to go to primary medical institutions for medical advice; the ability of doctors ( OR=1.478, 95%CI:1.168-1.871 ) ,the drug notification by medical staff ( OR=1.308, 95%CI: 1.065-1.606 ) , routine examination items ( OR=1.523, 95%CI: 1.227-1.889 ) , the ways of payment ( OR=1.168, 95%CI: 1.017-1.340 ) , the comfort of environment ( OR=1.785, 95%CI: 1.437-2.219 ) and the bulletin boards of health knowledge ( OR=1.302, 95%CI: 1.086-1.561 ) were associated with the satisfaction. The results of importance matrix analysis showed that the ability of doctors and routine examination items were the priorities to improve, followed by the drug notification by medical staff; the comfort of environment had competitive advantages; the ways of payment and the bulletin boards of health knowledge needed to be further analyzed. Conclusions The 18-25-year-old people in Zhejiang Province were less intended to seek medical advice in primary medical institutions, which was associated with the type of medical insurance and records in community health centers. They were satisfied with the health services, the ability of doctors and routine examination items were the key drivers.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the associations of obesity phenotypes with hypertension stages, phenotypes, and transitions among middle-aged and older Chinese. METHODS: Using the 2011-2015 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis included 9,015 subjects and a longitudinal analysis included 4,961 subjects, with 4,872 having full data on the hypertension stage and 4,784 having full data on the hypertension phenotype. Based on body mass index and waist circumstance, subjects were categorized into 4 mutually exclusive obesity phenotypes: normal weight with no central obesity (NWNCO), abnormal weight with no central obesity (AWNCO), normal weight with central obesity (NWCO), and abnormal weight with central obesity (AWCO). Hypertension stages were classified into normotension, pre-hypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension. Hypertension phenotypes were categorized as normotension, pre-hypertension, isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH), and systolic-diastolic hypertension (SDH). The association between obesity phenotypes and hypertension was estimated by logistic regression. A comparison between different sexes was conducted by testing the interaction effect of sex. RESULTS: NWCO was associated with normal→stage 2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 3.42), maintained stage 1 (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.14 to 2.29), and normal→ISH (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.85). AWCO was associated with normal→stage 1 (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.19), maintained stage 1 (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 2.06 to 3.72), maintained stage 2 (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.50 to 5.25), normal→ISH (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.20 to 2.02), and normal→SDH (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.72 to 3.75). An interaction effect of sex existed in the association between obesity phenotypes and hypertension stages. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of various obesity phenotypes and sex differences in hypertension progression. Tailored interventions for different obesity phenotypes may be warranted in hypertension management, taking into account sex-specific differences to improve outcomes.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of rubber band-assisted endoscopic submucosal excavation (RB-ESE) for gastric submucosal tumors (SMT).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on data of gastric SMT patients who underwent ESE in Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University from January 2017 to August 2022. A total of 48 patients were selected and divided into two groups: RB-ESE group ( n=20) and the conventional ESE (C-ESE) group ( n=28). The operation time, bleeding rate and perforation rate during operation, the retention rate of the mucosal cap, the number of clips, postoperative complications, and the hospitalization time were analyzed. Additionally, correlations between complications and tumor size/location and between bleeding and perforation were evaluated. Results:No significant difference was found in the general conditions between the two groups ( P>0.05). The operation time of RB-ESE group (14.82±2.31 min) was significantly shorter than that of C-ESE group (23.70±3.67 min) ( t=-9.539, P<0.001). The intraoperative bleeding rates were 20.0% (4/20) and 42.9% (12/28) in the RB-ESE group and C-ESE group respectively ( χ2=2.743, P=0.098), while the intraoperative perforation rates were 25.0% (5/20) and 46.4% (13/28) respectively ( χ2=2.286, P=0.131). Furthermore, the mucosal cap preservation rate was notably higher in the RB-ESE group at 60.0% (12/20) compared with 7.1% (2/28) in the C-ESE group ( χ2=15.777, P<0.001). The number of clips applied to close the wound was 8.05±1.40 and 10.43±1.96 in the RB-ESE group and C-ESE group respectively ( t=4.925, P<0.001). The postoperative hospital stays were 4.35±0.75 days and 5.00±0.86 days respectively in two groups ( t=2.724, P=0.009). No postoperative bleeding or perforation occurred in either group. The results showed that the occurrence of perforation and bleeding were associated with tumor diameter. Patients with tumor size ≥2 cm showed increased proportions of intraoperative bleeding [68.4% (13/19), P<0.001] and perforation [78.9% (15/19), P<0.001]. There was a correlation between intraoperative bleeding and perforation ( P<0.001). Conclusion:RB-ESE proves to be an effective and safe approach for managing gastric SMT, offering advantages such as reduced operation time and hospital stays, improved retention of the mucosal cap post-operation, and less clips use. The results suggest that RB-ESE could be widely adopted for treating SMT.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Dingchan Granule （定颤颗粒） for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis. MethodsUsing a randomised， double-blind， placebo controlled study method， 90 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 45 cases each in the treatment group and the control group. Both groups were given conventional western medicine treatment， and the treatment group was additionally treated with Dingchan Granule， while the control group was treated with Dingchan Granule placebo， both of which were taken orally for 8 g each time twice a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. We compared the clinical effectiveness， the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptoms and the recovery rate of atrial fibrillation between the two groups. We compared the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes， TCM symptoms score， atrial fibrillation symptom classification， 24-hour average ventricular rate， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI）， anxiety index， depression index before and after treatment， and evaluated the safety of the two groups. ResultsThe total clinical effectiveness rate in the treatment group was 82.22% （37/45）， which was better than 60.00% （27/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome effectiveness in the treatment group was 88.89% （40/45）， which was better than 66.67% （30/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）； and the rate of atrial fibrillation regression in the treatment group was 26.67% （12/45）， better than 6.67% （3/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in both groups were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）， and the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.01）. The TCM syndrome scores of both groups after treatment were significantly lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， and the scores of the treatment group was lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05）. The severity of atrial fibrillation symptoms and the grading of atrial fibrillation symptoms in both groups after treatment were improved （P＜0.01）， and the degree of symptom improvement in the treatment group was better than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. The 24-hour average ventricular rate of both groups after treatment was significantly lower （P＜0.01）. The PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group were all lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， while the PSQI and anxiety index of the control group were both lower than before treatment （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）， the PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group being lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No adverse events occurred in both groups， and no abnormalities were observed in blood， urine， stool routine， liver and kidney function， and coagulation function indexes. ConclusionDingchan Granule for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome can alleviate clinical symptom， improve TCM symptom scores， increase atrial fibrillation recovery rate， stabilise the average ventricular rate， and significantly improve the quality of sleep， alleviate the anxiety and depression， with a good safety profile.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) develops on the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity. It accounts for approximately 90% of oral malignancies and impairs appearance, pronunciation, swallowing, and flavor perception. In 2020, 377,713 OSCC cases were reported globally. According to the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO), the incidence of OSCC will rise by approximately 40% by 2040, accompanied by a growth in mortality. Persistent exposure to various risk factors, including tobacco, alcohol, betel quid (BQ), and human papillomavirus (HPV), will lead to the development of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), which are oral mucosal lesions with an increased risk of developing into OSCC. Complex and multifactorial, the oncogenesis process involves genetic alteration, epigenetic modification, and a dysregulated tumor microenvironment. Although various therapeutic interventions, such as chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and nanomedicine, have been proposed to prevent or treat OSCC and OPMDs, understanding the mechanism of malignancies will facilitate the identification of therapeutic and prognostic factors, thereby improving the efficacy of treatment for OSCC patients. This review summarizes the mechanisms involved in OSCC. Moreover, the current therapeutic interventions and prognostic methods for OSCC and OPMDs are discussed to facilitate comprehension and provide several prospective outlooks for the fields.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/therapy* ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck ; Mouth Neoplasms/therapy* ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Tumor Microenvironment