Objective To explore the construction of α-1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) gene-knockout (GTKO) Diannan miniature pigs and the kidney xenotransplantation from pigs to rhesus macaques, and to assess the effectiveness of GTKO pigs. Methods The GTKO Diannan miniature pigs were constructed using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system and somatic cell cloning technology. The phenotype of GTKO pigs was verified through polymerase chain reaction, Sanger sequencing and immunofluorescence staining. Flow cytometry was used to detect antigen-antibody (IgM) binding and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Kidney xenotransplantation was performed from GTKO pigs to rhesus macaques. The humoral immunity, cellular immunity, coagulation and physiological indicators of the recipient monkeys were monitored. The function and pathological changes of the transplanted kidneys were analyzed using ultrasonography, hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining. Results Single-guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting exon 4 of the GGTA1 gene in Diannan miniature pigs was designed. The pGL3-GGTA1-sgRNA1-GFP vector was transfected into fetal fibroblasts of Diannan miniature pigs. After puromycin selection, two cell clones, C59# and C89#, were identified as GGTA1 gene-knockout clones. These clones were expanded to form cell lines, which were used as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. The reconstructed embryos were transferred into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, resulting in 13 fetal pigs. Among them, fetuses F04 and F11 exhibited biallelic mutations in the GGTA1 gene, and F04 had a normal karyotype. Using this GTKO fetal pig for recloning and transferring the reconstructed embryos into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, seven surviving piglets were obtained, all of which did not express α-Gal epitope. The binding of IgM from the serum of rhesus monkey 20# to GTKO pig PBMC was reduced, and the survival rate of GTKO pig PBMC in the complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay was higher than that of wild-type pig. GTKO pig kidneys were harvested and perfused until completely white. After the left kidney of the recipient monkey was removed, the pig kidney was heterotopically transplanted. Following vascular anastomosis and blood flow restoration, the pig kidney rapidly turned pink without hyperacute rejection (HAR). Urine appeared in the ureter 6 minutes later, indicating successful kidney transplantation. The right kidney of the recipient was then removed. Seven days after transplantation, the transplanted kidney had good blood flow, the recipient monkey's serum creatinine level was stable, and serum potassium and cystatin C levels were effectively controlled, although they increased 10 days after transplantation. Seven days after transplantation, the levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils in the recipient monkey increased, while platelet count and fibrinogen levels decreased. The activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and prothrombin time remained relatively stable but later showed an upward trend. The recipient monkey survived for 10 days. At autopsy, the transplanted kidney was found to be congested, swollen and necrotic, with a small amount of IgG deposition in the renal tissue, and a large amount of IgM, complement C3c and C4d deposition, as well as CD68⁺ macrophage infiltration. Conclusions The kidneys of GTKO Diannan miniature pigs may maintain normal renal function for a certain period in rhesus macaques and effectively overcome HAR, confirming the effectiveness of GTKO pigs for xenotransplantation.

OBJECTIVE:At present,there are a variety of treatment methods for scoliosis using specific exercise therapy,but there is a lack of comparison of efficacy between different specific exercise therapy.This article compared the effectiveness of different specific exercise therapies to treat adolescent idiopathic scoliosis through a network meta-analysis. METHODS:Domestic and foreign electronic databases of relevant studies were searched for randomized controlled trials of specific exercise therapy for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.Search time was from January 2000 to July 2023.The literature was screened by two reviewers using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 16.0 software to extract data and assess the bias risk of of inclusion studies. RESULTS:(1)This article includes 20 randomized controlled trials with 1 377 patients.Of them,12 studies involved Schroth therapy;2 studies involved BSPTS therapy,and 6 studies involved SEAS therapy.(2)The network meta-analysis indicated that in terms of improving Cobb angle and reducing trunk rotation angle in scoliosis patients,the BSPTS therapy group and Schroth therapy group were better than the conventional control group[WMD=-4.60,95%CI(-8.37,-0.82),P<0.05;WMD=-3.37,95%CI(-4.98,-1.75),P<0.05;WMD=-3.20,95%CI(-5.50,-0.90),P<0.05;WMD=-2.13,95%CI(-3.16,-1.09),P<0.05].The Schroth therapy group performed better than the conventional control group effective in improving the International Society for Scoliosis Research-22 Questionnaire quality of life score[WMD=1.41,95%CI(0.07,2.75),P<0.05]. CONCLUSION:Given the current evidence,BSPTS therapy group and Schroth therapy group were better than the conventional control group in improving Cobb angle and reducing trunk rotation angle.In the comparison of different specific exercise therapies,BSPTS therapy can be preferred to improve Cobb angle and reduce trunk rotation angle in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.In addition,Schroth therapy may be the best treatment to improve the quality of life of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.Limited by the quantity and quality of the included studies,the above conclusions should be interpreted with caution and need more high-quality studies to further validation.

Interactions between brain-resident and peripheral infiltrated immune cells are thought to contribute to neuroplasticity after cerebral ischemia. However, conventional bulk sequencing makes it challenging to depict this complex immune network. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we mapped compositional and transcriptional features of peri-infarct immune cells. Microglia were the predominant cell type in the peri-infarct region, displaying a more diverse activation pattern than the typical pro- and anti-inflammatory state, with axon tract-associated microglia (ATMs) being associated with neuronal regeneration. Trajectory inference suggested that infiltrated monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) exhibited a gradual fate trajectory transition to activated MDMs. Inter-cellular crosstalk between MDMs and microglia orchestrated anti-inflammatory and repair-promoting microglia phenotypes and promoted post-stroke neurogenesis, with SOX2 and related Akt/CREB signaling as the underlying mechanisms. This description of the brain's immune landscape and its relationship with neurogenesis provides new insight into promoting neural repair by regulating neuroinflammatory responses.
Humans ; Ischemic Stroke ; Brain/metabolism* ; Macrophages ; Brain Ischemia/metabolism* ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Neuronal Plasticity/physiology* ; Infarction/metabolism*

Objective To describe the distribution characteristics of knee and ankle joint range of motion and muscle atrophy related indexes in patients with Kashin-Beck disease(KBD)in Shaanxi Province so as to explore the correlation of knee and ankle joint range of motion(ROM)with muscle atrophy indexes and provide reference for clinical characteristics analysis of KBD patients.Methods To investigate the registered KBD patients from KBD areas in Shaanxi Province,we measured the general demographic data of the patients were collected and the ROM of the knee joint(flexion and extension),the ankle joint(dorsiflexion and plantar flexion),and the muscle atrophy related indexes such as the upper arm circumference,thigh circumference,calf circumference and grip strength.According to the population characteristics,i.e.,gender,age,body mass index(BMI)and KBD grade,the median and quartile of joint ROM and muscle atrophy of KBD patients were reported,and then the differences in each index among different groups were analyzed.Partial correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between indicators after controlling for variables such as gender,age and BMI.Results A total of 480 patients with KBD were investigated in this study,who consisted of 249(51.9％)males and 231(48.1％)females,with an average age of(63.10±7.32)years and an average BMI of(23.49±8.90)kg/m2.The knee flexion ROM,knee extension ROM,ankle dorsiflexion ROM and ankle plantar flexion ROM were[105.0(95.0,120.0)]°,[0.0(-15.0,0.0)]°,[5.0(0.0,15.0)]° and[20.0(15.0,30.0)]°,respectively,in KBD patients in Shaanxi Province.The left thigh circumference,right thigh circumference,left calf circumference,right calf circumference,and upper arm circumference were[43.0(40.0,47.0)]cm,[43.0(39.0,47.0)]cm,[29.0(27.0,32.0)]cm,[29.5(27.0,32.0)]cm,[27.0(25.0,30.0)]cm,respectively.The left hand grip strength and right hand grip strength were[13.4(9.5,18.4)]kg and[13.9(9.8,18.2)]kg,respectively.With the increase of age,the extension range of the left and right knee joints of KBD patients showed a decreasing trend(H=31.499,31.847;all P＜0.001).The range of motion of bilateral knee flexion was higher in the normal BMI group than in the overweight or obese group,with statistically significant differences(H=7.753,12.333;P=0.021,0.002).The knee flexion,thigh circumference,and calf circumference of the left and right sides showed a decreasing trend under different KBD grades(H=14.345,17.256,8.000,8.462,8.558,9.633;all P＜0.05).Correlation analysis showed that knee flexion ROM was positively correlated with thigh circumference,calf circumference,and grip strength in patients with KBD(all P＜0.05).There was a positive correlation between knee extension ROM and thigh circumference in patients with KBD(P＜0.01).Conclusion The impaired joint ROM and muscle atrophy are serious in KBD patients in Shaanxi Province,and there is a correlation between joint motion and muscle atrophy.

Objective To study the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the test formulation of compound lidocaine cream and reference formulation of lidocaine and prilocaine cream in Chinese healthy subjects and to evaluate whether there is bioequivalence between the two formulations.Methods A single-center,single-dose,randomized,open-label,two-period,two-sequence,crossover design was used.This study included 40 healthy subjects,and in each period,test formulation or reference formulation 60 g was applied to the skin in front of both thighs(200 cm2 each side,a total of 400 cm2)under fasting conditions,and the drug was left on for at least 5 h after application.The concentrations of lidocaine and prilocaine in plasma were determined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method.Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using WinNonlin 8.0 software to evaluate the bioequivalence of the two formulations.Results After the application of the test formulation compound lidocaine cream and the reference formulation lidocaine and prilocaine cream on both thighs of the subjects,the pharmacokinetic parameters of lidocaine in plasma were as follows:Cmax were(167.27±91.33)and(156.13±66.86)ng·mL-1,AUC0-t were(1 651.78±685.09)and(1 636.69±617.23)ng·mL-1·h,AUC0-∞ were(1 669.85±684.65)and(1 654.37±618.30)ng·mL-1·h,the adjusted geometric mean ratios were 104.49％,101.88％and 101.89％,respectively,with 90％confidence intervals of 98.18％-111.20％,97.80％-106.13％and 97.87％-106.07％,all within the range of 80.00％-125.00％.The pharmacokinetic parameters of prilocaine in plasma were as follows:Cmax were(95.66±48.84)and(87.52±39.16)ng·mL-1,AUC0-t were(790.86±263.99)and(774.14±256.42)ng·mL-1·h,AUC0_m were(807.27±264.67)and(792.84±254.06)ng·mL-1 h,the adjusted geometric mean ratios were 107.34％,103.55％and 102.98％,respectively with 90％confidence intervals of 101.69％-113.31％,99.94％-107.30％and 99.65％-106.43％,all within the range of 80.00％-125.00％.Conclusion The test formulation compound lidocaine cream and the reference formulation lidocaine and prilocaine cream are bioequivalent.

Objective With the widespread of transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis(AS),the life-cycle management has become a major determinant of prognosis.Methods A total of 408 AS patients who underwent successfully TAVR from June 2021 to August 2023 were consecutively enrolled in Hospital Valve Intervention Center.Patients were assigned to the Usual Care(UC)group between June 2021 and October 2022,while patients were assigned to the Heart Multi-parameter Monitoring(HMM)group between November 2022 and August 2023.The primary endpoint was defined as composite endpoint within 6 months post-TAVR,including all-cause death,cardiovascular death,stroke/transient ischemic attack,conduction block,myocardial infarction,heart failure rehospitalization,and major bleeding events.Secondary endpoints were the time interval(in hours)from event occurrence to medical consultation or advice and patient satisfaction.Statistical analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.Results The incidence of primary endpoint in HMM group was significantly lower than that in UC group(8.9％vs.17.7％,P=0.016),the driving event was the rate of diagnosis and recognition of conduction block.The average time intervals from event occurrence to receiving medical advice were 3.02 h in HHM group vs.97.09 h in UC group(P＜0.001).Using cardiac monitoring devices and smart healthcare platforms provided significant improving in patients long-term management(HR 0.439,95％CI 0.244-0.790,P=0.006).Conclusions The utilization of cardiac monitoring devices and smart healthcare platforms effectively alerted clinical events and improved postoperative quality of life during long-term management post TAVR.

Nitazoxanide is an FDA-approved antiprotozoal drug. Our previous study found that oral administration of nitazoxanide inhibited Western diet (WD)-induced hepatic steatosis in ApoE^-/- mice. However, the specific mechanism remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we performed an untargeted metabolomics approach to reveal the effect of nitazoxanide on the liver metabolic profiles in WD-fed ApoE^-/- mice, and carried out the cellular experiments to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. UPLC-MS-based untargeted metabolomics analysis was used to investigate the effect of nitazoxanide on global metabolite changes in liver tissues. The differential metabolites were screened for enrichment analysis and pathway analysis. Hepatocytes were treated with tizoxanide, the metabolite of nitazoxanide, to investigate the underlying mechanism based on the findings in metabolomics study. The improvement of liver lipid metabolism disorders by nitazoxanide treatment in WD-fed ApoE^-/- mice was mainly through regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism, D-glutamine and glutamate metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis metabolism. Tizoxanide, the active metabolite of nitazoxanide, increased glutathione (GSH) contents and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (Gcl-c) and glutathione reductase (Gsr) mRNA expressions in HepG2 cells. Tizoxanide increased cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) and phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT) protein levels, inhibited lipid accumulation in hepatocytes induced by free fatty acid (FFA). Tizoxanide increased S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) protein levels in HepG2 cells and mouse primary liver cells stimulated with free fatty acid (FFA). Tizoxanide increased N-acetyl glutamate synthase (Nags) and carbamoylphosphate synthetase 1 (Cps1) mRNA expressions in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, nitazoxanide improves WD-induced hepatic steatosis in ApoE^-/- mice and the underlying mechanisms include increasing CBS expression, GSH content, PEMT protein expression, Nags and Cps1 mRNA expression in hepatocytes.

Background Chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) can effectively alleviate type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In this process, the underlying mechanism in its association with the epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation in the promoter regions of glucose metabolism key enzyme genes remains unclear yet. Objective To investigate the effects of CIHH on expression and promoter region methylation of key enzyme genes related to glucose metabolism in diabetes mice, and to explore the underlying mechanism by which CIHH regulates glucose metabolism. Methods Forty C57BL/6J male mice were divided randomly into a normobaric normoxic control (NN/CON) group, a chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia intervention control (CIHH/CON) group, a normobaric normoxic diabetic model (NN/DM) group, and a chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia intervention diabetic model (CIHH/DM) group. The mice in the NN/DM and the CIHH/DM groups were fed for 7 weeks with high-fat and high-sugar diet. Subsequently, these mice were intraperitoneally injected consecutively with 50 mmol·L⁻¹ streptozotocin (STZ) for 5 d at a dose of 40 mg·kg⁻¹ (body weight) per day to create T2DM model mice. The mice in the CIHH/DM and the CIHH/CON groups were intervened by simulating hypobaric hypoxia at 5000 m altitude for 6 h per day, while the mice in the NN/DM and the NN/CON groups were always placed in a normobaric normoxic environment. All mice were continuously treated for 4 weeks, and blood glucose were monitored during this period. After the CIHH intervention experiment, the glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity of mice were evaluated. A set of indicators involved in key glycolytic enzymes glucokinase (GK) and pyruvate kinase (PK), as well as key gluconeogenic enzymes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxyl kinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6P) were measured in the liver of mice, including enzyme activity, relative mRNA expression level, and DNA methylation level in the gene promoter regions. Results Compared with the mice in the NN/DM group, the blood glucose levels of the mice in the CIHH/DM group decreased after the 25^th day of the CIHH intervention (P<0.05). Regarding the diabetic glucose tolerance curves, the area under the curve (AUC) of the mice in the CIHH/DM group was lower than that of the NN/DM group (P<0.05). Compared with the mice in the NN/DM group, the mice in the CIHH/DM group showed that the serum insulin content and HOMA of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IRI) decreased (P<0.05), the enzyme activities of GK and PK increased and the relative mRNA expression levels of their genes were up-regulated (P<0.05), while the enzyme activities of PEPCK and G6P decreased and the relative mRNA expression levels of their genes were down-regulated (P<0.05) in liver. The average DNA methylation levels in the promoter regions of GK, PK, PEPCK, and G6P genes in liver of mice in each group were not significantly different (P>0.05), and their correlations with mRNA expression levels were also not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion CIHH intervention may reduce blood glucose level, improve glucose tolerance, alleviate insulin resistance, and regulate the key enzyme activities of glucose metabolism and the relative mRNA expression of their corresponding genes in T2DM mice, but the above phenomena are not related to the DNA methylation levels in the promoter regions of these key enzymes.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)on overweight/obesity patients,and to explore its central mechanism.Methods Twenty-six overweight/obesity patients were randomly divided into two groups,12 cases in the taVNS test group(shortened as the taVNS group)and 14 cases in the lifestyle intervention control group(shortened as the control group).The patients in the control group were treated with online lifestyle intervention of calorie-restricted diet(CRD),and the patients in the taVNS group were treated with taVNS on the basis of the intervention for the control group.The taVNS was performed on unilateral acupoints of spleen and endocrine,twice(in the morning and at evening)per day,for five days a week.The treatment for the two groups covered four weeks.The obesity indicators such as body weight,body mass index(BMI)and waist circumference of the patients in the two groups were observed before and after treatment.Moreover,the resting-state cerebral functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)data of the patients were collected after treatment,and then the regulatory effect of taVNS on the regional homogeneity(ReHo)of local cerebral area of the patients was observed.Results(1)During the trial,one case in each group dropped off,and a total of 24 patients(including 13 cases in the control group and 11 cases in the taVNS group)were finally included in the statistical analysis of the observation indicators.(2)After treatment,the body weight,BMI and waist circumference of patients in the taVNS group were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),while the obesity indicators in the control group only showed a downward trend compared with those before treatment,the differences being not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The improvement of the obesity indicators of body weight,BMI,and waist circumference in the taVNS group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and there were statistically significant differences in the post-treatment indicators and in the pre-and post-treatment difference values of the indicators between the two groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the taVNS group had greater ReHo values in the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus than the control group,and the control group had greater ReHo value in the right parietal lobe than the taVNS group,which indicated that compared with the control group,the ReHo of the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus in the taVNS group was increased and the ReHo of the right parietal lobe was decreased(Pvoxel＜0.001,Pcluster＜0.05,corrected by FWE level).Conclusion As a non-invasive treatment method,taVNS exerts certain efficacy for the treatment of overweight/obesity patients.The central response mechanism for treatment of obesity is probably related with the modulation of taVNS on the functional areas of left prefrontal lobe,medial frontal gyrus,and right parietal lobe of the patients.

Aim To investigate the mechanism of icar-itin(ICT)on D-galactose(D-gal)-induced TM4 ser-toli cell junctional function damage in vitro.Methods TM4 cells were divided into the normal control group and D-gal treatment group with different concentra-tions.The expression changes of TM 4 cell junction function-related proteins(ZO-1,Occludin,β-catenin and Cx43)and ERα/FAK signaling pathway-related proteins(ERα,FAK and pY397-FAK)were detected by Western blot.The concentration of ICT was screened by MTT method.TM4 cells were divided into normal control group,D-gal treatment group,and D-gal treatment+different concentrations of ICT group.The expression levels of the above proteins were detected by Western blot.Molecular docking was used to study the interaction between ERα and ICT,meanwhile predict the affinity between them.Finally,TM4 cells were di-vided into normal control group,D-gal treatment group,ERα inhibitor group,D-gal+ICT group,and ERα inhibitor+ICT group.The expression levels of the above proteins were detected by Western blot.Re-sults Compared with the normal control group,the ex-pression of junctional function-related proteins(ZO-1,Occludin,β-catenin and Cx43)and ERα/FAK signa-ling pathway-related proteins(ERα,FAK and pY397-FAK)were significantly down-regulated.After treat-ment with ICT,the expression of above proteins were significantly up-regulated.The docking results of ERα and ICT molecules revealed the formation of two hydro-gen bonds between Asp351 amino acid residue of ERα and ICT,with bond distances measuring 3.4? and 2.4?.Additionally,the docking binding energy be-tween them was found to be lower than-7 kcal·mol-1.After TM4 cells were treated with ERα inhibi-tor,the expression of above proteins and ERα/FAK signaling pathway-related proteins were significantly down-regulated,while the expression levels of the a-bove proteins did not change significantly after being given ICT protected group.Conclusions D-gal can cause damage to the junctional function of TM4 cells,and ICT can improve this damage,which may be related to the up-regulation of ERα/FAK signaling pathway.