Objective To investigate the protective effect of mild hypothermia on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats and the effect of mild hypothermia on the expression of inhibitor of differentiation 2 (Id2) protein.Methods A total of 72 adult male rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group,a normothermia group,and a mild hypothermia group.A model of middle cerebral artery occlusion was induced by a suture method.The mild hypothermia group was treated with low temperature (anal temperature 33±1 ℃,tympanic membrane temperature 31±1 ℃).Modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) was used to evaluate neurological deficits,triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to detect infarct volume,and Western blot was used to detect the Id2 expression in the ischemic cortex at ischemia-reperfusion 6,12,24,and 72 h,respectively.ResultsThe mNSS scores in the mild hypothermia group were significantly lower than those in the normothermia group,the infarct volumes were significantly smaller than those in the normothermia group at ischemia-reperfusion 6,12,24,and 72 h (all P<0.001).Western blot analysis showed that the Id2 expressions in the ischemic cortex in the mild hypothermia group were significantly lower than those in the normothermia group at ischemia-reperfusion 6,12,24,and 72 h (all P<0.05).Conclusion s Mild hypothermia can decrease neurological deficits and reduce infarct volume after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion,its mechanism may be associated with the down-regulation of the Id2 expression.

Objective To establish a method based on 3D printing radiology equivalent phantom for individual radiotherapy dose verification,and to offer an assurance for the safety of 3D conformal radiotherapy.Methods Two patients' CT data was collected,reconstructing the first patient's skull and brain tissue to generate a skull-brain phantom for the purpose of testing the equivalent material.The second patient's data was used for whole head tissue reconstruction to produce a head phantom with equivalent material.By inserting ionization chamber dosimeters to target region for radiotherapy program,equivalent phantom dose distribution of lesions location was obtained in order to verify and calibrate the actual radiation treatment planning for patients.Results DR,CT images of the phantoms revealed that the difference of X-ray gray value between brain skull phantom and patient's skull was 13 721,CT value difference between equivalent tissue of brain skull phantom and that part of the patient was 35-40 HU,and CT difference between head phantom temporalis and that of the patient tissue was 18-28 HU.The imaging data indicated that the radiation equivalence of 3D printing phantom was similar to that of human body tissue,and the equivalent dose distribution accorded well with the normal range of treatment.The dose verification of phantom model can effectively improve the accuracy of the radiotherapy system.Conclusions The personalized radiotherapy phantom which based on the 3D printing and tissue equivalent technology is suitable for personalized radiation therapy validation.With advantages of easy accessibility,highly-personalized degree and high precision,this technology provides a reliable and safe way for radiation therapy.

Objective: To explore the impact of tennis on the visual health of primary school students, so as to provide a basis for myopia prevention. Methods: In September 2021, a total of 202 third grade students from Fengtai Affiliated School of Renmin University of China in Beijing were recruited, with 75 students in the intervention group and 127 students in the control group. In addition to attending the same cultural and physical education courses, the intervention group added a tennis course twice a week and tested their vision before the intervention (September 2021), middle (January 2022) and later (June 2022). Data collected at different time points in the two groups were analyzed by using independent sample t-test for comparison between blocks, and single factor repeated measurement ANOVA for analysis of time point factors. Results: After intervention, among male subjects, the average visual acuity of the left and right eyes in the intervention group were higher than that in the control group at the third visual acuity test (left eye:5.00±0.13,4.88±0.29, right eye:5.00±0.12,4.88±0.30, t =2.33, 2.36, P <0.05). Among female subjects, the second visual acuity test (left eye:5.03±0.17, 4.86±0.21, right eye:5.03±0.15, 4.85±0.23) and the third visual acuity test (left eye:4.97±0.13, 4.81±0.23, right eye:4.97±0.14, 4.82±0.24) showed that the average visual acuity of the left and right eyes in the intervention group were higher than that in the control group among females (second: t =3.84, 3.87, third: t =3.70, 3.46, P < 0.01 ). After intervention, the detection rate of visual impairment in both males and females control groups increased at three tests, with statistically significant differences ( χ 2=17.86, 34.77, P <0.01). In the first visual acuity test, there was no statistically significant difference in the detection rate of visual impairment between the control group and the intervention group for both males and females ( χ 2=0.01, 0.10, P >0.05). The third visual impairment detection rate of males in the intervention group was lower than that of the control group (20.00% vs 45.45%), while the second and third visual impairment detection rates of female students in the intervention group were lower than those of the control group (22.86% vs 54.00%; 28.57% vs 70.00%) ( χ 2=7.34, 8.24, 14.18, P < 0.01). Conclusions Tennis can alleviate and prevent the occurrence of myopia in primary school students to a certain extent. Sports such as tennis should be actively promoted to protect the visual health of primary school students.

CRISPR-Cas Systems ; genetics ; Gene Editing ; methods ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

Circadian Rhythm ; Social Behavior ; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Genetic composition plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Especially, inherited and de novo intronic variants are often seen in patients with ASD. However, the biological significance of intronic variants is difficult to address. Here, among a Chinese ASD cohort, we identified a recurrent inherited intronic variant in the CHD7 gene, which is specifically enriched in East Asian populations. CHD7 has been implicated in numerous developmental disorders including CHARGE syndrome and ASD. To investigate whether the ASD-associated CHD7 intronic variant affects neural development, we established human embryonic stem cells carrying this variant using CRISPR/Cas9 methods and found that the level of CHD7 mRNA significantly decreased compared to control. Upon differentiation towards the forebrain neuronal lineage, we found that neural cells carrying the CHD7 intronic variant exhibited developmental delay and maturity defects. Importantly, we found that TBR1, a gene also implicated in ASD, was significantly increased in neurons carrying the CHD7 intronic variant, suggesting the intrinsic relevance among ASD genes. Furthermore, the morphological defects found in neurons carrying CHD7 intronic mutations were rescued by knocking down TBR1, indicating that TBR1 may be responsible for the defects in CHD7-related disorders. Finally, the CHD7 intronic variant generated three abnormal forms of transcripts through alternative splicing, which all exhibited loss-of-function in functional assays. Our study provides crucial evidence supporting the notion that the intronic variant of CHD7 is potentially an autism susceptibility site, shedding new light on identifying the functions of intronic variants in genetic studies of autism.

BACKGROUND: Till date, the optimal treatment strategy for delivering adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in localized and locally advanced prostate cancer (PCa), as a lower stage in PCa progression compared with metastatic PCa, is still unclear. This study compares the efficacy of castration alone with complete androgen blockade (CAB) as adjuvant ADT in patients with localized and locally advanced PCa undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS: Patients diagnosed with PCa, without lymph node or distant metastasis, who received RP in West China Hospital between January 2009 and April 2019, were enrolled in this study. We performed survival, multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression, and subgroup analyses. RESULTS: A total of 262 patients were enrolled, including 107 patients who received castration alone and 155 patients who received CAB. The survival analysis revealed that there was no significant difference between the two groups (hazard ratios [HR] = 1.07, 95% confidence intervals [95% CI] = 0.60-1.90, P = 0.8195). Moreover, the multivariable Cox model provided similarly negative results before and after adjustment for potential covariant. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the clinical recurrence between the two groups in both non-adjusted and adjusted models. Furthermore, our subgroup analysis showed that CAB achieved better biochemical recurrence (BCR) outcomes than medical castration alone as adjuvant ADT for locally advanced PCa (P for interaction = 0.0247, HR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.14-1.00, P = 0.0497). CONCLUSION Combined androgen blockade achieved better BCR outcomes compared with medical castration alone as adjuvant ADT for locally advanced PCa without lymph node metastasis.
Androgen Antagonists/therapeutic use* ; Androgens ; Castration ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/pathology* ; Prostatectomy/methods* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies

Humans ; Mental Retardation, X-Linked/genetics* ; Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2/genetics* ; Gene Duplication

Whether direct manipulation of Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk genes in the adult monkey brain can elicit a Parkinsonian phenotype remains an unsolved issue. Here, we used an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9)-delivered CRISPR/Cas9 system to directly co-edit PINK1 and DJ-1 genes in the substantia nigras (SNs) of two monkey groups: an old group and a middle-aged group. After the operation, the old group exhibited all the classic PD symptoms, including bradykinesia, tremor, and postural instability, accompanied by key pathological hallmarks of PD, such as severe nigral dopaminergic neuron loss (>64%) and evident α-synuclein pathology in the gene-edited SN. In contrast, the phenotype of their middle-aged counterparts, which also showed clear PD symptoms and pathological hallmarks, were less severe. In addition to the higher final total PD scores and more severe pathological changes, the old group were also more susceptible to gene editing by showing a faster process of PD progression. These results suggested that both genetic and aging factors played important roles in the development of PD in the monkeys. Taken together, this system can effectively develop a large number of genetically-edited PD monkeys in a short time (6–10 months), and thus provides a practical transgenic monkey model for future PD studies.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are critical for both development and function of the central nervous system. Significant evidence suggests that abnormal expression of miRNAs is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. MeCP2 protein is an epigenetic regulator repressing or activating gene transcription by binding to methylated DNA. Both loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutations in the MECP2 gene lead to neurodevelopmental disorders such as Rett syndrome, autism and MECP2 duplication syndrome. In this study, we demonstrate that miR-130a inhibits neurite outgrowth and reduces dendritic spine density as well as dendritic complexity. Bioinformatics analyses, cell cultures and biochemical experiments indicate that miR-130a targets MECP2 and down-regulates MeCP2 protein expression. Furthermore, expression of the wild-type MeCP2, but not a loss-of-function mutant, rescues the miR-130a-induced phenotype. Our study uncovers the MECP2 gene as a previous unknown target for miR-130a, supporting that miR-130a may play a role in neurodevelopment by regulating MeCP2. Together with data from other groups, our work suggests that a feedback regulatory mechanism involving both miR-130a and MeCP2 may serve to ensure their appropriate expression and function in neural development.
Animals ; Dendrites ; genetics ; metabolism ; Dendritic Spines ; genetics ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; physiology ; Methyl-CpG-Binding Protein 2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats