Objective This study aims to achieve high-yield functional expression of the human voltage-gated potassium channel K_V3.1 using an Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system, thereby providing a novel synthetic approach for drug screening, structural analysis and functional characterization of K_V3.1. Methods K_V3.1 was expressed in an Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system for 10 hours in the presence of peptide surfactant A₆K. The secondary structure of K_V3.1 was analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The potassium channel activity of the recombinant protein liposome K_V3.1-A₆K was investigated using fluorescent dyes Oxonol VI as indicators, which are capable of reflecting alterations in membrane potential. Results Soluble K_V3.1 protein was successfully synthesized, achieving a purified yield of up to 1.2 mg/mL via an Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that K_V3.1 exhibited characteristic α-helical secondary structures. Membrane potential fluorescence assays demonstrated that the K_V3.1-A₆K proteoliposomes, which were reconstructed with surfactant peptide A₆K, exhibited remarkable potassium ion permeability. Conclusion This study successfully achieved high-yield expression of human K_V3.1 with activity using an Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis system. This innovative method not only significantly enhances the expression yield of K_V3.1, but also maintains its functional activity, thereby establishing a novel and efficient synthetic platform for drug screening and advancing our understanding of structure-function relationships in K_V3.1 research.
Humans ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Shaw Potassium Channels/biosynthesis* ; Cell-Free System ; Circular Dichroism ; Protein Biosynthesis ; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism* ; Membrane Potentials ; Shab Potassium Channels

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of a child with Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis (OSCS) due to variant of AMER1 gene. Methods:A child presented at the Affiliated Children′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University in July 2024 due to growth and development retardation was selected as the study subject. A retrospective study was conducted to collect the child′s clinical data. Peripheral blood samples (2 mL each) were collected from the child and her parents, and genomic DNA was extracted for whole exome sequencing (WES). Sanger sequencing was used for the verification of candidate variants. The pathogenicity of variant was rated according to the guidelines from American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No.: 2024-108-001).Results:The patient, a 4-year-and-10-month-old girl, presented with global developmental delay, short stature, cleft palate, distinct facial features, and hearing impairment. WES revealed that she has harbored a heterozygous c. 790_794dup (p.Cys265Trpfs*19) variant of the AMER1 gene, which was not detected in either parent. Based on the guidelines from ACMG, the gene variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1 + PS2 + PM2_supporting). As the result of a non-triplet base insertion in the coding region of the AMER1 gene, it has converted a codon originally encoding an amino acid into a stop codon, and led to a truncated protein, causing severe alteration and dysfunction of the protein. Conclusion:The child was diagnosed with OSCS for clinical features such as global developmental delay, short stature, cleft palate, distinctive facial features, and hearing impairment, for which the de novo heterozygous frameshift variant AMER1: c. 790_794dup (p.Cys265Trpfs*19) may be accountable. Above finding has expanded the mutational spectrum of OSCS and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the family.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) in pediatric patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 2 ECCL cases admitted to Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between January 2024 and December 2024. Additionally, a review of relevant literature was performed to summarize the clinical features of this condition.Results:Case 1 is a male patient aged 2 years and 10 months, while case 2 is a female patient aged 8 months. Both patients presented with seizures and exhibited nevus psiloliparus on the scalp, non-scarring alopecia, nodular skin tags around the eyes, and ocular choristomas. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed leptomeningeal angiomatosis in both cases, with case 1 also demonstrating an intracranial lipoma and case 2 showing localized cerebral atrophy and an arachnoid cyst. Whole-exome sequencing of peripheral blood and copy number variation analysis in both cases did not identify any pathogenic variants. Additionally, no relevant pathogenic variants were detected in the scalp lesion tissue of case 2. A review of the literature revealed that, to date, there have been 5 reported domestic cases, 132 reported foreign cases in pediatric populations, totally 139 cases including 2 cases described in this article. Among these patients, 86 are male, 49 are female, and the gender of 4 cases remains unspecified. Clinical manifestations observed included seizures in 79.0% (64/81) of cases and developmental delay in 64.7% (57/88). Cutaneous lesions were characterized by non-scarring alopecia in 100% (97/97) of cases,non-hair-bearing fatty tissue nevi in 98.3% (58/59), nodular skin tags in 96.5% (56/58), and subcutaneous lipomas in 94.8% (73/77). Ocular lesions predominantly involved choristomas, occurring in 91.8% (90/98) of cases. Central nervous system abnormalities were identified as ventricular dilatation or hydrocephalus in 85.0% (68/80) of cases, intracranial lipomas in 82.1% (69/84), localized cerebral atrophy in 80.9% (34/42), intracranial vascular anomalies in 74.1% (23/31), and spinal lipomas in 66.6% (30/45).Conclusions:ECCL is an uncommon neurocutaneous disorder with the potential to impact various organ systems, notably the integumentary, ocular, and central nervous systems. Pediatric patients may exhibit symptoms such as seizures, developmental delays, and additional clinical manifestations, necessitating vigilant monitoring and management.

Objective To explore the value of preoperative ultrasound examination in the prediction of restenosis of arteriovenous fistula(AVF)after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty(PTA)in hemodialysis patients.Methods A case-control trial was conducted on 225 hemodialysis patients who undergoing PTA due to AVF in our hospital January 2023 to May 2024.After 3 months of follow-up,they were divided into a patency group(n=204)and a restenosis group(n=21)according to the occurrence of postoperative restenosis.The preoperative clinical data and ultrasound parameters were compared between the groups.Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent factors for AVF restenosis after PTA.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to evaluate the value of preoperative stenosis length in the prediction of the restenosis after PTA.Results There were significant differences in preoperative internal diameter at the site of stenosis,stenosis length,stenosis number,intimal thickness,and brachial artery flow between the 2 groups(P<0.05).Preoperative stenosis length(OR=1.856,95%CI:1.350～2.552,P<0.001)was an independent factor of AVF restenosis in hemodialysis patients after PTA.ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of preoperative stenosis length in predicting restenosis after PTA was 0.868(95%CI:0.784～0.953,P<0.001),with a sensibility and specificity of 85.7%and 80.4%,respectively.Conclusion Preoperative stenosis length may be an independent factor for AVF restenosis after PTA in hemodialysis patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of a child with Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis (OSCS) due to variant of AMER1 gene. METHODS: A child presented at the Affiliated Children's Hospital of Zhengzhou University in July 2024 due to growth and development retardation was selected as the study subject. A retrospective study was conducted to collect the child's clinical data. Peripheral blood samples (2 mL each) were collected from the child and her parents, and genomic DNA was extracted for whole exome sequencing (WES). Sanger sequencing was used for the verification of candidate variants. The pathogenicity of variant was rated according to the guidelines from American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No.: 2024-108-001). RESULTS: The patient, a 4-year-and-10-month-old girl, presented with global developmental delay, short stature, cleft palate, distinct facial features, and hearing impairment. WES revealed that she has harbored a heterozygous c.790_794dup (p.Cys265Trpfs*19) variant of the AMER1 gene, which was not detected in either parent. Based on the guidelines from ACMG, the gene variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1 + PS2 + PM2_supporting). As the result of a non-triplet base insertion in the coding region of the AMER1 gene, it has converted a codon originally encoding an amino acid into a stop codon, and led to a truncated protein, causing severe alteration and dysfunction of the protein. CONCLUSION The child was diagnosed with OSCS for clinical features such as global developmental delay, short stature, cleft palate, distinctive facial features, and hearing impairment, for which the de novo heterozygous frameshift variant AMER1: c.790_794dup (p.Cys265Trpfs*19) may be accountable. Above finding has expanded the mutational spectrum of OSCS and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the family.
Humans ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Osteosclerosis/genetics* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics* ; Mutation ; Exome Sequencing ; Retrospective Studies ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of a child with Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis (OSCS) due to variant of AMER1 gene. Methods:A child presented at the Affiliated Children′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University in July 2024 due to growth and development retardation was selected as the study subject. A retrospective study was conducted to collect the child′s clinical data. Peripheral blood samples (2 mL each) were collected from the child and her parents, and genomic DNA was extracted for whole exome sequencing (WES). Sanger sequencing was used for the verification of candidate variants. The pathogenicity of variant was rated according to the guidelines from American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). The study has been approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No.: 2024-108-001).Results:The patient, a 4-year-and-10-month-old girl, presented with global developmental delay, short stature, cleft palate, distinct facial features, and hearing impairment. WES revealed that she has harbored a heterozygous c. 790_794dup (p.Cys265Trpfs*19) variant of the AMER1 gene, which was not detected in either parent. Based on the guidelines from ACMG, the gene variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1 + PS2 + PM2_supporting). As the result of a non-triplet base insertion in the coding region of the AMER1 gene, it has converted a codon originally encoding an amino acid into a stop codon, and led to a truncated protein, causing severe alteration and dysfunction of the protein. Conclusion:The child was diagnosed with OSCS for clinical features such as global developmental delay, short stature, cleft palate, distinctive facial features, and hearing impairment, for which the de novo heterozygous frameshift variant AMER1: c. 790_794dup (p.Cys265Trpfs*19) may be accountable. Above finding has expanded the mutational spectrum of OSCS and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis for the family.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) in pediatric patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 2 ECCL cases admitted to Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between January 2024 and December 2024. Additionally, a review of relevant literature was performed to summarize the clinical features of this condition.Results:Case 1 is a male patient aged 2 years and 10 months, while case 2 is a female patient aged 8 months. Both patients presented with seizures and exhibited nevus psiloliparus on the scalp, non-scarring alopecia, nodular skin tags around the eyes, and ocular choristomas. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed leptomeningeal angiomatosis in both cases, with case 1 also demonstrating an intracranial lipoma and case 2 showing localized cerebral atrophy and an arachnoid cyst. Whole-exome sequencing of peripheral blood and copy number variation analysis in both cases did not identify any pathogenic variants. Additionally, no relevant pathogenic variants were detected in the scalp lesion tissue of case 2. A review of the literature revealed that, to date, there have been 5 reported domestic cases, 132 reported foreign cases in pediatric populations, totally 139 cases including 2 cases described in this article. Among these patients, 86 are male, 49 are female, and the gender of 4 cases remains unspecified. Clinical manifestations observed included seizures in 79.0% (64/81) of cases and developmental delay in 64.7% (57/88). Cutaneous lesions were characterized by non-scarring alopecia in 100% (97/97) of cases,non-hair-bearing fatty tissue nevi in 98.3% (58/59), nodular skin tags in 96.5% (56/58), and subcutaneous lipomas in 94.8% (73/77). Ocular lesions predominantly involved choristomas, occurring in 91.8% (90/98) of cases. Central nervous system abnormalities were identified as ventricular dilatation or hydrocephalus in 85.0% (68/80) of cases, intracranial lipomas in 82.1% (69/84), localized cerebral atrophy in 80.9% (34/42), intracranial vascular anomalies in 74.1% (23/31), and spinal lipomas in 66.6% (30/45).Conclusions:ECCL is an uncommon neurocutaneous disorder with the potential to impact various organ systems, notably the integumentary, ocular, and central nervous systems. Pediatric patients may exhibit symptoms such as seizures, developmental delays, and additional clinical manifestations, necessitating vigilant monitoring and management.

Objective To investigate the impact of different treatment options on lumbar function, pain intensity, and anterior vertebral height in elderly patients with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures. Methods The clinical data of 102 elderly patients with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures who completed 1-year follow-up were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into conservative group (32 cases), percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) group (35 cases), and percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) group (35 cases) based on different treatment options. One year after treatment, the clinical efficacy and complications of the three groups were evaluated. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, Cobb angle, and anterior vertebral height were compared before and 1 year after treatment among the three groups. Results The excellent and good rates of the PKP group and PVP group were higher than those of the conservative group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the excellent and good rates between the PKP group and PVP group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in occurrence of complications among the three groups (P>0.05). One year after treatment, the VAS scores of the three groups were lower than before treatment, and the JOA scores were higher than before treatment, and the VAS scores of the PKP group and PVP group were lower than those of the conservative group, and the JOA scores were higher than those of the conservative group (P < 0.05). The VAS score of the PKP group was lower than that of the PVP group, and the JOA score was higher than that of the PVP group (P < 0.05). One year after treatment, the Cobb angles of the three groups were smaller than before treatment, and the anterior vertebral heights were higher than before treatment, and the Cobb angles of the PKP group and PVP group were smaller than those of the conservative group, and the anterior vertebral heights were higher than those of the conservative group (P < 0.05). The Cobb angle of the PKP group was smaller than that of the PVP group, and the anterior vertebral height was higher than that of the PVP group, the difference in anterior vertebral height was greater than that of the PVP group (P < 0.05). Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, surgery can improve the clinical efficacy of elderly patients with thoracolumbar vertebral compression fractures. PKP is superior to PVP in reducing pain of patients, improving lumbar function and Cobb angle, and anterior vertebral height. Moreover, it has better safety.

Objective To investigate the predictive value of serum oncogene[proliferation-related gene(C-myc),transformation gene(N-ras),silk/threonine kinase 1(PLK1),fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2)]protein levels in patients with hepatitis B associated hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)after hepatic arterial chemoem-bolization(TACE).Methods A total of 127 patients with hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma ad-mitted to a hospital from July 2016 to January 2021 were selected and divided into death group and survival group according to the follow-up results.The serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 protein levels were determined by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Univariate and multivari-ate Cox analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 pro-tein levels in patients with hepatitis B-associated hepatocellular carcinoma after TACE.The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the prognostic value of the serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 protein levels,and the patients were divided into high expression group and low expression group ac-cording to the corresponding cutoff value.Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to evaluate the prognosis of different serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1 and FGF2 protein level.Results Multivariate Cox regression a-nalysis indicated that TNM stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ(HR=2.998,95％CI:1.239-7.257),portal vein metastasis(HR=3.737,95％CI:1.941-7.193),abdominal metastasis(HR=3.482,95％CI:1.709-7.097),Child-Pugh grade B(HR=2.587,95％CI:1.045-6.406),high serum oncogene C-myc protein level(HR=1.224,95％CI:1.090-1.374),high serum oncogene N-ras protein level(HR=1.218,95％CI:1.097-1.353),high serum oncogene PLK1 protein level(HR=1.237,95％CI:1.110-1.379)and high serum oncogene FGF2 protein level(HR=1.141,95％CI:1.060-1.228)were independent risk factors for the prognosis of hepatitis B-asso-ciated hepatocellular carcinoma patients after TACE(all P＜0.05).The overall survival rate of low expression group of serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1,FGF2 protein level was significantly higher than that of high expression group of serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1,FGF2 protein level,the difference was statistically significant(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Serum oncogene C-myc,N-ras,PLK1,FGF2 protein levels have predic-tive value for the prognosis of patients with HBV-related liver cancer after TACE.

Objective Previous studies on the association between lipid profiles and chronic kidney disease(CKD)have yielded inconsistent results and no defined thresholds for blood lipids. Methods A prospective cohort study including 32,351 subjects who completed baseline and follow-up surveys over 5 years was conducted.Restricted cubic splines and Cox models were used to examine the association between the lipid profiles and CKD.A regression discontinuity design was used to determine the cutoff value of lipid profiles that was significantly associated with increased the risk of CKD. Results Over a median follow-up time of 2.2(0.5,4.2)years,648(2.00%)subjects developed CKD.The lipid profiles that were significantly and linearly related to CKD included total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C,whereas low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and LDL-C/HDL-C were nonlinearly correlated with CKD.TC,TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed an upward jump at the cutoff value,increasing the risk of CKD by 0.90%,1.50%,2.30%,and 1.60%,respectively,whereas HDL-C showed a downward jump at the cutoff value,reducing this risk by 1.0%.Female and participants with dyslipidemia had a higher risk of CKD,while the cutoff values for the different characteristics of the population were different. Conclusion There was a significant association between lipid profiles and CKD in a prospective cohort from Northwest China,while TG,TC/HDL-C,and TG/HDL-C showed a stronger risk association.The specific cutoff values of lipid profiles may provide a clinical reference for screening or diagnosing CKD risk.