ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on cognitive function of vascular dementia (VD) rats and its mechanism. MethodsVD rat model was established by modified two-vessel occlusion (2-VO). After modeling, TEAS and electroacupuncture (EA) were used to stimulate Baihui and Zusanli points of rats respectively for 14 d. After treatment, novel object recognition test, Morris water maze test, and Y maze test were used to evaluate the spatial memory and learning ability of rats. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the morphology of hippocampal neurons. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of hippocampal mitochondria. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits were used to detected the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, MDA and ROS in serum of rats. Western blot was used to detect the expression of PGC-1α, TFAM, HO-1, NQO1 proteins in the hippocampus, Keap1 protein in the cytoplasm and Nrf2, NRF1 proteins in the nucleus. ResultsAfter treatment for 14 d, compared to the model group, the escape latency of VD rats decreased, while the discrimination index, the times of rats crossing the original platform area, the residence time in the original platform quadrant, and the percentage of alternation increased. TEAS can improve the structure of hippocampal neurons and mitochondria of VD rats, showing that neurons were arranged more regularly and distributed more evenly, nuclear membrane and nucleoli were clearer, and mitochondrial swelling were reduced, mitochondrial matrix density were increased, and mitochondrial cristae were more obvious. The levels of SOD, GSH-Px and CAT in serum increased significantly, while the concentration of MDA and ROS decreased. TEAS also up-regulated the expression levels of PGC-1α TFAM, NQO1 and HO-1 proteins in the hippocampus and Nrf2, NRF1 proteins in the nucleus, but down-regulated the Keap1 protein in the cytoplasm. ConclusionTEAS can improve cognition, hippocampal neurons and mitochondrial structure of VD rats, and the effect is better than EA. The mechanism may be the activation of PGC-1α mediated mitochondrial biogenesis and antioxidant stress, which also provides a potential therapeutic technology and experimental basis for the treatment of VD.

Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome is a rare type of teratozoospermia that severely impairs the reproductive ability of male patients, and genetic defects have been recognized as the main cause of acephalic spermatozoa syndrome. Spermatogenesis and centriole-associated 1 like (SPATC1L) is indispensable for maintaining the integrity of sperm head-to-tail connections in mice, but its roles in human sperm and early embryonic development remain largely unknown. Herein, we conducted whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 22 infertile men with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome. An in silico analysis of the candidate variants was conducted, and WES data analysis was performed using another cohort consisting of 34 patients with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome and 25 control subjects with proven fertility. We identified biallelic mutations in SPATC1L (c.910C>T:p.Arg304Cys and c.994G>T:p.Glu332X) from a patient whose sperm displayed complete acephalia. Both SPATC1L variants are rare and deleterious. SPATC1L is mainly expressed at the head-tail junction of elongating spermatids. Plasmids containing pathogenic variants decreased the level of SPATC1L in vitro. Moreover, none of the patient's four attempts at intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) resulted in a transplantable embryo, which suggests that SPATC1L defects might affect early embryonic development. In conclusion, this study provides the first identification of SPATC1L as a novel gene for human acephalic spermatozoa syndrome. Furthermore, WES might be applied for patients with acephalic spermatozoa syndrome who exhibit reiterative ICSI failures.
Centrioles/genetics* ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; Male ; Mutation ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Spermatozoa

Objective:Patients are breathing freely during adjuvant proton pencil beam radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery. Fluctuation of the thorax may affect the position of the end of the proton beam flow, which needs to be precisely evaluated on a millimeter scale.Methods:For 20 patients with breast cancer treated with proton radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery, PET-CT scan was performed approximately 10 min after the end of proton radiotherapy. The images of PET-CT were processed for ROI determination and sampling line (profile) extraction on a Raystation RV workstation to calculate the actual difference between the predicted and real radioactivity from the same spatial location as obtained by PET acquisition R50. Then, the differences in the spatial location between the actual process of proton irradiation and the planned process were obtained. Depth difference values for each pair of sampling lines were presented. Results:For 20 patients with breast cancer with a median follow-up of 22 months (range 12 - 46 months), all patients survived at the last follow-up, and no radiation pneumonitis was observed during the follow-up period. Among the verification results of 21 cases, the depth difference of evenly distributed was (-0.75±1.89) mm in the primary field and (-0.82±2.06) mm in the secondary field; The depth difference of sequential treatment was (1.81±1.87) mm in the primary field and (1.32±1.74) mm in the secondary field; The depth difference of synchronous addition in the primary field was (-1.47±1.44) mm, and the depth difference in the secondary field was (-1.48±2.11) mm.Conclusion:The results of off-line PET-CT in vivo biological verification show that the accuracy of the dose boundary cut-off was within 3 mm in breast cancer patients, which meets the clinical and physician requirement for the precision in breast cancer treatment.

Objective:To preliminarily estimate and study the effect of nucleic acid testing in blood screening on the residual risk (RR) of transfusion transmitted HBV infection (TTI HBV).Methods:Using the NAT yield/WP ratio model and adopting the relevant data of information management system of practice comparison working party in the Mainland of China, this paper analyzed the trend of the RR of TTI HBV among 18 blood centers from 2015 to 2019 in China, and compared the impact of two kinds of blood screening strategies which were ELISA+ ID-NAT/MP-NAT (individual-donation nucleic acid testing or mini-pool nucleic acid testing) and ELISA + MP-NAT on RR in 2019.Results:The overall trends of the 5-year RR of HBV among 18 blood centers showed by trend chi square test were NAT single positive rate trend χ2= 39.42( P<0.01) and residual risk trend χ2= 279.792( P<0.01); The influence on RR from the differences of ELISA+ ID-NAT/MP-NAT and ELISA+ MP-NAT was statistically significant, and chi square test showed that χ2= 7.4( P<0.01). Conclusions:Since the implementation of nucleic acid testing in the blood screening in China from 2015, the residual risk of transfusion transmitted HBV infection has decreased year by year. The observed two blood screening strategies which dominated in China may lead to discrepancy in the residual risk of TTI.

Objective:To summarize clinical characteristics of and treatment experience with patients with critical illnesses in a dermatological ward.Methods:All patients with serious or life-threatening conditions, who were hospitalized at the dermatological ward of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 9, 2011 to December 31, 2020, were collected, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, disease types and proportions, main complications, causes of serious or life-threatening conditions, important treatment measures and outcomes were summarized, and causes of death were also analyzed and discussed.Results:A total of 1 057 patients with critical illnesses were collected, with a male-to-female ratio of 1∶1.11, and 64.81% of them aged 18 to 65 years. The types of diseases mainly included drug eruptions (332 cases) , connective tissue diseases (226 cases) , bullous skin diseases (104 cases) , psoriasis (57 cases) , erythroderma (45 cases) , infectious skin diseases (67 cases) , etc. Among them, psoriasis (39 cases) and erythroderma (32 cases) mostly occurred in males, and connective tissue diseases (168 cases) mostly occurred in females. Common complications mainly involved infections, important organ damage or dysfunction, hypoalbuminemia, and fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. A total of 94 patients were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions, which were found to be mainly caused by primary skin diseases, hematologic abnormalities, respiratory failure, nervous system abnormalities, renal failure, sepsis, fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances, etc. During the management of critical illnesses, 43 patients were treated with high-dose glucocorticoid pulse therapy, 264 were treated with gamma-globulin pulse therapy, 355 were transfused with other blood products, and 34 received special therapies such as hemoperfusion/immunoadsorption therapy, plasma exchange, dialysis, artificial liver support therapy; 42 patients were transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) , 12 were transferred to the department of surgery for operations, and 12 were transferred to the department of obstetrics and gynecology for delivery or induction of labor. After treatment, 989 patients (93.57%) achieved improvement and were discharged. A total of 14 patients (1.32%) died, of whom 7 died of secondary sepsis, 2 died of severe pulmonary infections, 2 died of asphyxia caused by respiratory mucosa shedding-induced airway obstruction, the other 3 died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage and neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus, respectively.Conclusions:Critical cases in the dermatological ward mainly suffered from serious skin diseases such as severe drug eruptions, connective tissue diseases and bullous skin diseases, as well as complications such as severe underlying diseases, severe organ dysfunction, sepsis or severe fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. In terms of treatment, it is of critical significance to make a clear diagnosis and assess the severity of disease as early as possible, monitor and prevent possible complications, and to consult with specialists in relevant disciplines in time.

Objective:To observe the effect of Puerariae Lobatae Radix on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats and related mechanism. Method:Ninety SD rats were divided into normal group, model group, metformin group, Puerariae Lobatae Radix high dose group, Puerariae Lobatae Radix medium dose group and Puerariae Lobatae Radix low dose group, 15 rats in each group. The rats in abnormal group were fed with high-fat and high sugar diet for 4 weeks, and then T2DM model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg·kg^-1 streptozotocin (STZ). Puerariae Lobatae Radix high-dose group was intragastrically administered with 2.1 g·kg^-1 of Puerariae Lobatae Radix extract powder, Puerariae Lobatae Radix medium-dose group was intragastrically administered with 1.4 g·kg^-1 of Puerariae Lobatae Radix extract powder, Puerariae Lobatae Radix low-dose group was intragastrically administered with 0.7 g·kg^-1 of Puerariae Lobatae Radix extract powder, 0.2 g·kg^-1 of metformin hydrochloride in metformin group, distilled water once a day in normal group and model group. After 8 weeks, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated serum protein (GSP), insulin (FINS), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC) were measured, and insulin resistance index （HOMA-IR） was calculated. The expression of tumor necrosis factor -α(TNF-α) was observed by immunohistochemistry. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of glucose regulatory protein 78 （GRP78）, activated transcription factor 6 （ATF6） in pancreatic tissue. Result:Compared with normal group, the contents of FBG, GSP, TG, TC, FINS, TNF-α in model group were significantly increased (P<0.05), the HOMA-IR was significantly increased (P<0.05), the protein expressions of GRP78 and ATF6 in pancreatic tissue were significantly increased (P<0.05). Compared with model group, the contents of FBG, GSP, TG, TC, FINS and TNF-α in the metformin group and Puerariae Lobatae Radix high, medium and low dose groups were significantly decreased (P<0.05), HOMA-IR decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the expression of GRP78 and ATF6 protein in pancreatic tissue decreased significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion:Puerariae Lobatae Radix can significantly improve insulin resistance in T2DM rats, inhibit the expression of inflammatory factor TNF-α in pancreatic tissue, reduce the protein expression of GRP78 and ATF6 in pancreatic tissue.