Objective To investigate the effects of low-dose ionizing radiation on the thyroid status and hormone levels of radiation workers. Methods Radiation workers who underwent occupational health examinations at a hospital in Guangzhou from 2015 to 2022 were selected as the subjects of this study. The levels of FT3, FT4 and TSH were analyzed, and the thyroid abnormality status of radiation workers in different groups were compared. Results A total of 1152 participants were included in this study, consisting of 885 (76.82%) males and 267 (23.18%) females, with an average age of (35.26 ± 10.16) years. The prevalence of thyroid abnormalities was 9.38%, which was significantly higher in females (13.86%) than in males (8.02%) (P < 0.05). The TSH level of females [(2.15 ± 1.29) mIU/L] was higher than that of males [(1.85 ± 1.20) mIU/L], while the levels of FT3 [(5.10 ± 0.64) pmol/L] and FT4 [(15.84 ± 2.32) pmol/L] in females were lower than those in males [(5.23 ± 0.63) pmol/L and (16.61 ± 2.75) pmol/L, P < 0.05]. The FT3 of industrial workers [(5.25 ± 0.63) pmol/L] was higher than that of medical workers [(5.10 ± 0.63) pmol/L], while the TSH of industrial workers [(1.80 ± 1.12) mIU/L] was lower than that of medical workers [(2.15 ± 1.37) mIU/L]. FT4 levels decreased with increasing age and duration of occupational exposure. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that sex was a significant independent predictor of thyroid abnormalities among radiation workers. Female workers were more likely to experience thyroid abnormalities (β = −0.62, P < 0.05). Conclusion Low-dose ionizing radiation may have a certain impact on the thyroid status of radiation workers, especially for female workers, which requires further attention and research.

Loss-of-function variants in CSDE1 have been strongly linked to neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the precise role of CSDE1 in neurogenesis remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that knockout of Csde1 during cortical development in mice results in impaired neural progenitor proliferation, leading to abnormal cortical lamination and embryonic lethality. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that Csde1 upregulates the transcription of genes involved in the cell cycle network. Applying a dual thymidine-labelling approach, we further revealed prolonged cell cycle durations of neuronal progenitors in Csde1-knockout mice, with a notable extension of the G1 phase. Intersection with CLIP-seq data demonstrated that Csde1 binds to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of mRNA transcripts encoding cell cycle genes. Particularly, we uncovered that Csde1 directly binds to the 3' UTR of mRNA transcripts encoding Cdk6, a pivotal gene in regulating the transition from the G1 to S phases of the cell cycle, thereby maintaining its stability. Collectively, this study elucidates Csde1 as a novel regulator of Cdk6, sheds new light on its critical roles in orchestrating brain development, and underscores how mutations in Csde1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Animals ; Neurogenesis/genetics* ; Cell Cycle/genetics* ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells/metabolism* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; 3' Untranslated Regions ; Cerebral Cortex/embryology* ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Transcriptional regulation based on transcription factors is an effective regulatory method widely used in microbial cell factories. Currently, few naturally transcriptional regulatory elements have been discovered from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and applied. Moreover, the discovered elements cannot meet the demand for specific metabolic regulation of exogenous compounds due to the high background expression or narrow dynamic ranges. There are abundant transcriptional regulatory elements in plants. However, the sequences and functions of most elements have not been fully characterized and optimized. Particularly, the applications of these elements in microbial cell factories are still in the infancy stage. In this study, natural regulatory elements from Medicago truncatula were selected, including the transcription factors MtTASR2 and MtTASR3, along with their associated promoter P_roHMGR1, for functional characterization and engineering modification. We constructed an inducible transcriptional regulation tool and applied it in the regulation of heterologous β-carotene synthesis in S. cerevisiae, which increased the β-carotene production by 7.31 folds compared with the original strain. This study demonstrates that plant-derived transcriptional regulatory elements can be used to regulate the expression of multiple genes in S. cerevisiae, providing new strategies and ideas for the specific regulation and application of these elements in microbial cell factories.
Medicago truncatula/metabolism* ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; beta Carotene/biosynthesis* ; Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Metabolic Engineering/methods* ; Regulatory Elements, Transcriptional/genetics* ; Plant Proteins/genetics*

Objective To establish a mouse model of bronchiectasis with acute infection and evaluate the immunogenicity and protective effect of a self-assembling Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PA)nanoparticle vaccine rePO-FN based on fusion of PcrV-OprI(rePO)protein with self-assembling ferritin(Ferritin).Methods ① SPF-grade female C57BL/6 mice(aged 6～8 weeks,weighing 18～20 g)were randomly allocated into normal saline group,and low-,medium-and high-dose elastase groups(n=6).A mouse model of bronchiectasis was established via intratracheal instillation of different doses of elastase(30 μL of normal saline containing 0.65,1.30 and 2.60 IU elastase)for 3 consecutive days.At 14 and 21 d after modeling,ELISA and HE staining were performed respectively to detect the concentration of IL-6 and to observe pathological changes in lung tissue in order to confirm the modeling.② A recombinant plasmid encoding the gene of fusion protein rePO-FN was constructed and expressed in E.coli.The target protein was purified via affinity chromatography and renatured to obtain the desired protein.The physicochemical properties of the rePO-FN protein were characterized using SDS-PAGE protein gel electrophoresis,dynamic light scattering,molecular sieve chromatography,and transmission electron microscopy.③ C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into PBS group,rePO group,rePO-FN group,and Ferritin group(n=10).The mice in the above groups were immunized intramuscularly with 100 μL PBS buffer alone or containing 10 μg of corresponding proteins on days 0,7,and 14.ELISA was used to measure the specific antibodies in serum.In 7 d after the final immunization,an acute PA infection model was used to compare the survival rates and bacterial colonization among the PBS,rePO,and rePO-FN groups.After establishing a bronchiectasis model by intratracheal instillation of 2.60 IU of elastase in C57BL/6J mice as described above,the mice were randomly divided into bronchiectasis PBS group,bronchiectasis rePO group,and bronchiectasis rePO-FN group(n=10).Immunization was conducted at the same dose and procedure as described above,in 21 d after bronchiectasis modeling.At the 7th d after the final immunization,an acute PA infection model was used to compare the survival rates and bacterial colonization among the groups.Results ①Repeated intratracheal instillation of elastase significantly increased the concentration of IL-6 in the lung tissue when compared to the content of the normal saline group(P＜0.05).Pathological observations revealed varying degrees of bronchial wall destruction,alveolar fusion,edema,neutrophil infiltration,and hemorrhage,with the severity increasing with elastase dose,which confirming successful establishment of the mouse model of bronchiectasis.② Well-dispersed rePO-FN nanoparticles were successfully prepared,with an average particle size of 91.28 nm,a Zeta potential of approximately-6.5 mV,and a polydispersity index(PDI)of 0.306.Molecular sieve chromatography determined the elution volume of rePO-FN protein to be 8.80 mL,corresponding to a molecular weight of approximately 1 400 kDa.③ Under acute PA XN-1 strain infection,the survival rate of the rePO-FN immunization group and the bronchiectasis rePO-FN immunization group were significantly higher than that of the PBS control group(P＜0.05).Additionally,bacterial colonization in the lung tissues was significantly lower in the rePO-FN immune group and the bronchiectasis rePO-FN immune group under acute PA XN-1 strain infection than that in the rePO group and the bronchiectasis rePO group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Our vaccine rePO-FN can effectively trigger a strong humoral immune response and provide significant protection against PA infection in a mouse bronchiectasis model.

Objective To compare the efficacy of tegoprazan and esomeprazole in treatment of reflux esophagitis(RE)and analyze the influencing factors for treatment failure.Methods A total of 120 RE patients were selected as study subjects and divided into control group(treated with esome-prazole)and observation group(treated with tegoprazan)using random number table method,with 60 cases in each group.The clinical efficacy and gastroscopic efficacy of the two groups were com-pared.Based on the gastroscopic assessment results,the patients were divided into failure group(26 cases)and success group(94 cases).The clinical data of the failure group and the success group were collected and compared.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the influen-cing factors for treatment failure in RE patients.Results The total clinical effective rate in the ob-servation group was 93.33％(56/60),which was higher than 76.67％(46/60)in the control group(P＜0.05).The total effective rate under gastroscopy in the observation group was 88.33％(53/60),which was higher than 68.33％(41/60)in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The proportions of patients with body mass index(BMI)＞28 kg/m2,diabe-tes,a family history,Helicobacter pylori(Hp)infection,Los Angeles classification(LA classifica-tion)of gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)grade C to D,and treated with esomeprazole in the failure group were all higher than those in the success group,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that BMI＞28 kg/m2,con-comitant diabetes,LA classification grade C to D,and treatment with esomeprazole were all inde-pendent risk factors for treatment failure in RE patients(P＜0.05).Conclusion Tegoprazan has a significant clinical effect in treatment of RE,and its efficacy is superior to that of esomeprazole.BMI＞28 kg/m2,concomitant diabetes,LA classification grade C to D,and treatment with esome-prazole are all risk factors for treatment failure in RE patients.

Objective:Screening factors that might influence rheumatoid arthritis (RA) complicating interstitial lung diseases (ILD) by constructing and validating a model for early diagnostic.Methods:The study subjects were composed of 712 RA patients in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University during December 2019 to October 2022. Fifty-two variables such as their demographic data, clinical symptoms, and laboratory indexes were collected. Patients were categorized into RA-only group and RA-ILD group with or without the occurrence of ILD disease. After data preprocessing, subjects were randomly assigned to the modeling and validation groups in a 7:3 ratio.Univariate analysis comparing baseline characteristics of the two groups of patients. Feature selection was performed using LASSO and SVM-RFE regression algorithms.Screening indicators were analyzed by logistic regression and the results were used to develop a nomograms model for the early diagnosis of RA complicating interstitial lung disease; and the modeling group was evaluated for its performance for internal assessment of the model and internal validation using data from the validation group.Results:A total of 712 subjects participated in the study, of which 498 in the modeling group and 214 in the validation group. Univariate analysis showed that the differences between the two groups were statistically significant ( P<0.05) in 18 characteristic indexes, including male, gender, age, smoking history, drinking history, number of swollen joints, number of painful joints, use of prednisone, WBC, ESR, CRP, IL-2, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, INF-γ, AFA family, APF, and serum albumin. The LASSO algorithm identified 13 risk variables for RA-ILD, the SVM-RFE algorithm identified 12 variables for RA-ILD, and the intersecting risk variables were male, age, history of alcohol consumption, number of painful joints, prednisone acetate, IL-2, AFA family, TNF-α, serum albumin, and IL-10. The results of multifactorial logistic regression analysis confirmed that the differences between males [ OR(95% CI)=3.61(2.11, 6.18)], gender, age [ OR(95% CI)=1.05(1.03, 1.08)], number of painful joints [ OR(95% CI)=1.03(1.01, 1.06)], IL-2 [ OR(95% CI)=0.91 (0.84, 0.99)], and TNF-α[ OR (95% CI)=1.06 (1.02, 1.10)] were statistically significant ( P<0.05) and were independently influences on ILD complicated by RA. The modeling and validation groups that were used to construct early diagnostic Nomograms had high calibration curve accuracies, and the model had a high diagnostic power, which was mainly demonstrated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) and decision curve analysis(DCA), the model modeling group had an AUC of 0.76 (95% CI=0.71, 0.81), with net benefit rates of 3%~82% and 93%~99%, whereas the model validation group had an AUC of 0.71 (95% CI=0.64, 0.79), with net benefit rates of 5%~11%, 14%~60% and 85%~89%. Conclusion:Male, gender, age, number of painful joints, IL-2, and TNF-α are independent factors for RA complicated with ILD, and the Nomogram model constructed has good performance in early diagnosis of the disease.

Objective:To analyze and summarize the key points of design and implementation of new drug clinical trials for ankylosing spondylitis.Methods:The platform for drug clinical trial registration and information published on the official website of center for drug review and evaluation of national medical products administration (CDE) was searched to obtain data and classified statistics was conducted then. The Mean±SD and M ( Q1, Q3) were used for quantitative data for statistical description, and the rate, composition or relative ratio of qualitative data were used for statistical description. Results:A total of 23 clinical trials meeting the requirements were screened, among which 19 were biological products included in nine phase Ⅲ clinical trials. Among the four chemical drugs, two were phase Ⅱ clinical trials. One of the clinical trials on AS adopted the 1966 New York classification criteria, accounting for 4%. Nineteen of the trials adopted the1984 New York classification criteria, accounting for 83%. Three other trials adopted unspecified classification criteria, accounting for 13%. In one of these clinical trials, the age of patients included was older than 16 years old, 9 trials were 18 to 65 years old, 6 were 18 years old but without upper limit. In the definition of active AS, 19 trials took BASDAI≥4 as the cut-off value for active disease, and BASDAI, total back pain, spinal pain and morning stiffness were regarded as active disease in 4.Conclusion:The number of dosestic AS clinical trial projects continnes to rise. The 1984 classification criteria is adopted as the classification criteria in clinical trials. The minimum age in the inclusion criteria is 18 years old, there is no upper limit in age for inclusion. Disease activity can be evaluated by BASDAI score, combined with comprehensive indicators such as night-time back pain, global spinal pain and morning stiffness.