ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanisms of Wenyang Huazhuo Formula （温阳化浊方， WHF） in improving reproductive aging from the perspective of the ovarian mechanical microenvironment. MethodsThe experiment included five groups， 3-month group （20 female mice at 3 months of age）， 6-month group （20 female mice at 6 months of age）， 6-month + WHF group （20 female mice at 5 months of age treated with WHF）， 9-month group （20 female mice at 9 months of age）， and 9-month + WHF group （20 female mice at 8 months of age treated with WHF）. The 6-month + WHF group and 9-month + WHF group were orally administered WHF 41.2 g/（kg·d） once daily for 4 consecutive weeks. The other three groups received no intervention. Reproductive hormone levels were measured by ELISA. HE staining was used to count the numbers of various stages of follicles. Ovarian hyaluronic acid （HA） content and collagen fiber content were measured to evaluate the ovarian mechanical microenvironment. Superovulation was performed to observe the number of eggs obtained， as well as the number of offspring and birth weight to assess fertility. The in vitro fertilization and blastocyst culture of oocytes from female offspring in each group were observed to evaluate the effect of WHF on offspring reproductive potential. ResultsCompared with the 3-month group， the 6-month group and 9-month group showed significantly decreased serum levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone （GnRH）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， and luteinizing hormone （LH）， decreased ovarian collagen content， and reduced numbers of primordial and secondary follicles. In contrast， the numbers of primary follicles， antral follicles， and atretic follicles increased. The levels of anti-Müllerian hormone （AMH）， ovarian HA content， and the fertilization rate， cleavage rate， and blastocyst formation rate of oocytes from offspring were significantly lower （P＜0.05）. Compared with the 6-month group， the 6-month + WHF group showed significantly reduced serum levels of GnRH， FSH， and LH， with a significant decrease in primary follicles， antral follicles， and atretic follicles as well as increase of AMH levels， ovarian HA content， number of primordial and secondary follicle， egg count， and offspring birth weight （P＜0.05）. Compared with the 9-month group， the 9-month + WHF group exhibited reduced GnRH， FSH， and collagen fiber content， as well as reduced number of primary follicles， antral follicles， and atretic follicles. However， AMH levels， ovarian HA content， number of primordial and secondary follicle， egg count， offspring numbers， birth weight， fertilization rate， cleavage rate， and blastocyst formation rate of oocytes from offspring all significantly increased （P＜0.05）. ConclusionWHF can significantly improve the ovarian reserve， fertility， and reproductive potential in offspring during reproductive mid-life and late-life stages. Its effect may be related to the remodeling of the mechanical microenvironment of aging ovaries. Moreover， the effect on the mechanical microenvironment remodeling of late-stage ovaries and the improvement of the offspring reproductive potential is more significant.

ObjectiveTo explore the current situation of forensic ethics practice and education by designing a questionnaire on forensic ethics， with a view to exploring the path of forensic ethics education construction. MethodsA total of 667 valid questionnaires were collected using the online survey method， basically covering various regions across the country and all sub-specialties of forensic medicine. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the relevant data. ResultsMost practitioners had relevant ethical reflections in the process of forensic practice. 69.12% of the respondents indicated that they had studied the relevant rules， but approximately half stated that there were no corresponding ethical norms or standard operating manuals. The specific behaviors violating ethics in different units were diverse. 23.04% of the respondents reported that they had encountered unethical behaviors， but only 4.9% of them reported such violations. In terms of forensic ethics education， 87.75% of the respondents believed that there were issues with the current model of forensic ethics education. Meanwhile， the respondents showed a high degree of recognition for receiving forensic ethics education， with 84.15% of respondents expressing willingness to participate in relevant courses. More than half of respondents were willing to participate in forensic ethics education during undergraduate studies， new employee training， and regular post-employment training. ConclusionCurrently， there is a problem of ethical neglect in forensic work in China. Combining ethics courses with professional courses at the practitioner training stage and providing regular training at the practice stage are effective measures to popularize forensic ethics knowledge， enhance ethical awareness， and improve the quality of practice.

Background Job burnout and depressive symptoms are prevalent among occupational populations, with a close relationship between them. Sleep quality, as a potential mediating factor, significantly affects the mental health of workers. Objective To explore the relationship between job burnout, sleep quality, and depressive symptoms, and determine whether sleep quality mediates the relationship between job burnout and depressive symptoms. Methods From April 25 to May 1, 2024, this study employed cluster sampling to conduct a questionnaire survey among individuals engaged in various occupations across five cities in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The questionnaires included socio-demographic information, as well as the Chinese Maslach Burnout Inventory (CMBI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for assessing burnout, sleep quality, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Out of the 4106 questionnaires distributed, a total of 3837 questionnaires were valid, and the valid recovery rate was 93.45%. The distribution among demographic variables in burnout, sleep quality and depressive symptoms were statistically analyzed. A binary logistic regression model was used for multifactor correlation analysis; Pearson correlation was used to test the correlation between burnout, sleep quality, and depressed mood. Modelling and mediated effect path mapping were performed using Amos 24.0 software. Results The postive rate of occupational burnout in the workers was 97.49% (3741/3837), the positive rate of poor sleep quality was 66.77% (2526/3837), and the positive rate of depressive symptoms was 75.68% (2904/3837). There were statistically significant differences in depressive symptoms by ages, shift types, working years, marital status, smoking habits, drinking habits, and exercising frequency (P < 0.05). The logistic model indicated that working years, drinking habits, job burnout, and overall sleep quality were significant factors influencing the occurrence of depressive symptoms (P < 0.05). The correlation analysis revealed positive correlations between depressive symptom scores and job burnout scores (r=0.045, P < 0.01), between depressive symptom scores and sleep quality scores (r=0.480, P < 0.01), and between job burnout scores and sleep quality scores (r=0.054, P < 0.01). Furthermore, the indirect effect of job burnout on depressive symptoms through sleep quality was 0.100 (95%CI: 0.204, 0.252; P < 0.01). Conclusion Job burnout and sleep quality are significant factors associated with the occurrence of depressive symptoms among occupational populations, and sleep quality plays a partial mediating role in depressive symptoms associated with job burnout. This finding may provide a scientific basis for developing intervention strategies to control depressive symptoms among workers.

AIM: To compare the agreement between the ARK Biometer Combo and OA 2000 in patients wearing orthokeratology lenses.METHODS: A prospective study. A total of 148 patients(148 eyes)who were wearing orthokeratology lenses and returned for follow-up at the Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center from August to September 2024 were included. Biometric measurements were performed using both the ARK Biometer Combo and OA 2000. Parameters including axial length(AL), corneal central thickness(CCT), anterior chamber depth(ACD), lens thickness(LT), corneal curvature(Kf and Ks), astigmatism(AST), white-to-white corneal diameter(WTW)and pupil diameter(PD)were obtained. Differences in measurement parameters between the two biometers were compared, and agreement was assessed.RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the measurements of Kf, Ks and AST between the two biometers(P>0.05). Statistically significant differences were found in the measurements of AL, CCT, ACD, LT, WTW and PD(t=2.559, P=0.012; t=16.771, P<0.0001; t=4.749, P<0.0001; t=-15.212, P<0.0001; t=-14.915, P<0.0001; t=-2.402, P=0.018). ICC ranged from 0.615 to 0.999. Bland-Altman analysis showed that the maximum absolute values of the 95% limits of agreement(LoA)of AL, CCT, ACD, LT, Kf, Ks, AST, WTW and PD were 0.07 mm, 35.07 μm, 0.07 mm, 0.12 mm, 0.66 D, 1.14 D, 1.00 D, 0.76 mm, and 0.98 mm, respectively.CONCLUSION: In orthokeratology patients, the ARK Biometer Combo and OA 2000 showed good agreement in measuring AL, CCT, ACD, Kf and LT, and can be used interchangeably.

Objective To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of human placental chorionic plate-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hpcMSCs) on cognitive dysfunction, neuroinflammation, neuronal damage and synaptic plasticity in a mouse model of stroke. Methods A mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was adopted. The mice were randomly divided into three groups: sham operation group, MCAO group and hpcMSCs treatment group, with seven mice in each group. The hpcMSCs treatment group received hpcMSCs transplantation on the 1st, 3rd and 10th day after MCAO. One month after MCAO, the cognitive ability of the mice was evaluated by Morris water maze and Y maze behavioral tests; the morphological changes and synaptic functions of hippocampal neurons were analyzed by HE staining, Nissl staining, Golgi staining and immunofluorescence staining techniques; the density and activation status of microglia was analyzed by Fluorescent labeling method; the levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in brain tissue were analyzed by ELISA; the expressions of phosphorylated-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (p-MEK1), phosphorylated-extracellular regulated protein kinase (p-ERK) and phosphorylated-cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB) and other proteins related to neuroprotection in the signal pathways were detected by Western blotting; and electrophysiological detection was performed using hippocampal slices in vitro. Results Compared with the MCAO group, mice in the hpcMSCs treatment group showed significant improvements, including improved cognitive ability, alleviated neuroinflammation (demonstrated by reduced microglial activation and decreased levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), and increased neuronal density with normalized morphology of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region. The treatment group also demonstrated a significantly increased number of Nissl-positive cells and density of dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons, along with restored frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic potential (mEPSP). Moreover, hpcMSCs treatment significantly increased the expression levels of p-MEK1, p-ERK and p-CREB in the hippocampus. Conclusion Transplantation of hpcMSCs ameliorates cognitive dysfunction and hippocampal neuronal injury in stroke mice through the reduction of neuroinflammation, restoration of hippocampal neuronal function, promotion of synaptic plasticity and activation of the MEK/ERK/CREB signaling pathway. These findings suggest a new potential therapeutic approach for post-stroke neural repair.
Animals ; Hippocampus/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Stroke/metabolism* ; Humans ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/therapy* ; Female ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Combined with elastic network model (ENM), the perturbation response scanning (PRS) has emerged as a robust technique for pinpointing allosteric interactions within proteins. Here, we proposed the PRS analysis of drug-target networks (DTNs), which could provide a promising avenue in network medicine. We demonstrated the utility of the method by introducing a deep learning and network perturbation-based framework, for drug repurposing of multiple sclerosis (MS). First, the MS comorbidity network was constructed by performing a random walk with restart algorithm based on shared genes between MS and other diseases as seed nodes. Then, based on topological analysis and functional annotation, the neurotransmission module was identified as the "therapeutic module" of MS. Further, perturbation scores of drugs on the module were calculated by constructing the DTN and introducing the PRS analysis, giving a list of repurposable drugs for MS. Mechanism of action analysis both at pathway and structural levels screened dihydroergocristine as a candidate drug of MS by targeting a serotonin receptor of serotonin 2B receptor (HTR2B). Finally, we established a cuprizone-induced chronic mouse model to evaluate the alteration of HTR2B in mouse brain regions and observed that HTR2B was significantly reduced in the cuprizone-induced mouse cortex. These findings proved that the network perturbation modeling is a promising avenue for drug repurposing of MS. As a useful systematic method, our approach can also be used to discover the new molecular mechanism and provide effective candidate drugs for other complex diseases.

S-methyl-L-cysteine sulfoxide (SMCO) is a non-protein sulfur-containing amino acid with a variety of functions. There are few reports on the enzymes catalyzing the biosynthesis of SMCO from S-methyl-L-cysteine (SMC). In this study, the flavin-containing monooxygenase gene derived from Schizosaccharomyces pombe (spfmo) was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and the enzymatic properties of the expressed protein were analyzed. The optimum catalytic conditions of the recombinant SpFMO were 30 ℃ and pH 8.0, under which the enzyme activity reached 72.77 U/g. An appropriate amount of Mg²⁺ improved the enzyme activity. The enzyme kinetic analysis showed that the K_m and k_cat/K_m of SpFMO on the substrate SMC were 23.89 μmol/L and 61.71 L/(min·mmol), respectively. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the yield of SMCO synthesized from SMC catalyzed by SpFMO was 12.31% within 9 h. This study provides reference for the enzymatic synthesis of SMCO.
Schizosaccharomyces/genetics* ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism* ; Cysteine/biosynthesis* ; Mixed Function Oxygenases/metabolism* ; Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins/metabolism* ; Oxygenases/metabolism* ; Kinetics

Objective To explore the potential role and underlying mechanism of the functionally uncharacterized gene Gm49394 on regulating β-cell apoptosis under diabetic conditions.Methods The expression and translational activity of Gm49394 in pancreatic β-cell lines and non-β-cell lines were validated using RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization(RNA-FISH),quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR),Western blotting,and immunofluorescence(IF)assay.The β-cell lines(NIT-1/Min6)with Gm49394 overexpression or knockdown were constructed.The proliferation,apoptosis,mitochondrial function,as well as oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers in these β-cell lines under physiological homeostasis or pathological stress conditions,such as high glucose(30 mmol/L),inflammation(10 ng/mL IFN-γ alone or combined with 10 ng/mL IL-6),and hydrogen peroxide(100 μmol/L H2O2)were detected by flow cytometry and Western blotting.Results RNA-FISH and qPCR indicated that Gm49394 was specifically expressed in pancreatic β-cell lines and up-regulated under high glucose or inflammatory stimulation.IF assay and Western blotting showed that Gm49394 had protein-coding activity.Flow cytometry and Western blotting identified that Gm49394 overexpression did not affect β-cell proliferation,but promoted β-cell apoptosis and increased reactive oxygen species(ROS)and mitochondrial superoxide(MitoSOX)levels in β cells under physiological homeostasis or pathological stress conditions(P<0.05).Under physiological conditions,Gm49394 knockdown failed to induce significant alterations on β-cell apoptosis,ROS,or MitoSOX levels.Under pathological stress conditions,Gm49394 knockdown significantly suppressed β-cell proliferation,apoptosis,as well as oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress(P<0.05).Conclusion Gm49394 may promote β-cell apoptosis via oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Objective To determine the improved effect of methylene blue(MB)on cognitive func-tion in brain-inflammatory-aging rats and investigate the underlying mechanism.Methods A total of 38 healthy 12-month-old SD rats were randomly divided into healthy control group,lipopo-lysaccharide(LPS)group,MB vehicle group and MB group,with 8 rats in the control and 10 rats in the other three groups.LPS was injected into the fourth ventricle with aid of a subcutaneous sustained release pump to establish a rat model of brain chronic inflammatory aging.MB of 0.5 mg/(kg·d)was added into the pump in the rats from the MB group.T-maze test and new object recognition test were employed to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of the rats.The acti-vation of microglia and astrocytes in the hippocampal CA1 region of the rats was detected by im-munofluorescence assay.The release of inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-6 was measured by ELISA,and neuronal death in the CA1 region was assessed by neuronal nuclei(NeuN)fluores-cence staining.Results There was no significant difference in the exploration time for new and old objects between the LPS group and the MB solvent group(P＞0.05).The MB group spent significantly longer time in exploring the new objects than the old object(22.50±4.32 s vs 11.60± 3.01 s,P=0.000).The alternating selection rate of new arm and expression level of NeuN antigen were significantly decreased,and the expression levels of ionized calcium binding adaptor mole-cule-1(Iba-1)and glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP)and the contents of IL-1β and IL-6 were obviously increased(P＜0.05)in the LPS group and the MB vehicle group than the healthy con-trol group.Compared with the MB vehicle group,the MB group had notably increased alternating selection rate of new arms and higher NeuN expression level,and decreased Iba-1 and GFAP ex-pression and IL-1β and IL-6 contents(P＜0.05).Conclusion Subcutaneous administration of MB could significantly inhibit the damages of spatial learning and memory abilities in the LPS-induced brain chronic inflammatory aging rats.The mechanism may be closely associated with MB inhibi-ting inflammatory glial cells and protecting hippocampal pyramidal neurons.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and pathogenic variant in a child with Cantú syndrome (CS).Methods:A male who was admitted to the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University on February 23, 2022 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data of the child was collected. Peripheral blood samples of the child and his parents were collected and subjected to whole-exome sequencing (WES). Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. This study was approved by Medical Ethics Committee of the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University (Ethics No. 2023-K-087).Results:The child, a 3-year-and-2-month-old male, was born with hirsutism, with heavy hair all over the body and peculiar facial features. Routine echocardiography 1 month before had discovered atrial septal defect. Sequencing revealed that the child has harbored a heterozygous c. 2438G>C (p.S813T) variant of the ABCC9 gene, which was de novo in origin. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the c. 2438G>C variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PS2+ PM2_Supporting+ PP3). Conclusion:The heterozygous c. 2438G>C variant of the ABCC9 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of CS in this child.