Purpose: This study aimed to identify the altered pathways and genes associated with freezing damage in human sperm during cryopreservation by multiomics analysis. Materials and Methods: Fifteen fresh human semen samples were collected for transcriptomic analysis, and another 5 fresh human semen samples were obtained for metabolomic analysis. For each semen sample, 1 mL was cryopreserved, and another 1 mL was left untreated for paired design. The results were then combined with previously published proteomic results to identify key genes/pathways. Results: Cryopreservation significantly reduced sperm motility and mitochondrial structure. Transcriptomic analysis revealed altered mitochondrial function, including changes in tRNA-methyltransferase activity and adenosine tri-phosphate/adenosine di-phosphate transmembrane transporter activity. Metabolomic analysis showed that the citrate cycle in mitochondria was significantly altered. Combining transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses revealed 346 genes that were altered in at least two omics analyses. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that metabolic pathways were significantly altered and strongly associated with mitochondria. Five genes were altered in all three omics analyses: COL11A1, COL18A1, LPCAT3, NME1, and NNT. Conclusions Five genes were identified by multiomics analysis in human cryopreserved sperm. These genes might have specific functions in cryopreservation. Explorations of the functions of these genes will be helpful for sperm cryopreservation and sperm motility improvement or even for reproduction in the future.

Objective To establish a method for uranium aerosol sample collection, dry ashing treatment, and laboratory laser-fluorescence measurement in the workplace of uranium processing and fuel fabrication facilities. Methods Through optimization experiments, the effects of sampling flow, sample pH value, and test temperature on uranium aerosol concentration results were studied, and the detection limit, precision, and recovery rate of the method were tested. Results Under the optimal test conditions, the detection limit of the method was 0.025 ng/mL; the minimum detectable concentration of 1 m³ of aerosol samples was 1.25 × 10⁻³ μg/m³; the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the measurement results was less than 5%; the recovery rate was between 96% and 104%. Conclusion The detection limit, precision, and accuracy of the method meet the testing requirements for uranium aerosol samples in the workplace of uranium processing and fuel fabrication facilities.

Objective: To explore the correction factors of lung cancer caused by radon exposure in a uranium mine, and estimate the excess relative risk (ERR) coefficient of lung cancer caused by radon in the uranium miners. Methods: Male miners who worked in a uranium mine more than one year in Hunan Province from 1958 to 2018 were selected. This study preliminarily estimated the ERR coefficient of lung cancer caused by radon in the miners with different corrections using the Possion regression model. Results: This study cohort included 4 851 uranium miners, with 187 miners died with lung cancer from 1958 to 2018, and cumulative follow-up of 207 251 person-year. The ERR coefficient of lung cancer caused by radon without correction factors was estimated to be 0.21%/WLM (95%CI: 0.04%/WLM-0.27%/WLM). In the final model, the exponential correction factors of radon-induced lung cancer were time since exposure and exposure rate. In this model, if time since exposure was 45 years and the average exposure rate was 0.14 WL, the estimated ERR coefficient was 1.73%/WLM (95%CI: 0.36%/WLM-3.11%/WLM). The ERR decreases by about 60.00% for every 10 years since exposure, and increases by about 30.00% for every one WL increase exposure rate. Conclusion: The correction factors of lung cancer caused by radon in uranium miners in this mine were the time since exposure and exposure rate. It was preliminarily estimated that the ERR coefficient of lung cancer caused by radon in the occupational radon exposed population in this uranium mine was 1.73%/WLM (95%CI: 0.36%/WLM-3.11%/WLM).

With the rapid development of the nuclear industry, the uranium-exposed population is rapidly expanding. Kidney injury is a major health concern for uranium-exposed population because uranium is initially retained in the kidneys and induces chemical toxicity. However, the commonly used clinical markers of kidney injury usually show significant changes in the late stages of such damage, making it difficult to monitor the occupational health of uranium-exposed population. In recent years, a number of biomarkers that can reflect early kidney injury caused by uranium have been identified and investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and protein blotting. This article will review the studies in this area, with the aim of providing a basis for the diagnosis and understanding the development and prognosis of uranium-induced kidney injury.

Objective:To explore the predictive value of low-dose biphasic (inspiratory and expiratory) CT air trapping sign and semi-quantitative score in predicting abnormal blood gas parameters and progression to severe disease in COVID-19 patients.Methods:Patients with non-severe COVID-19 who were diagnosed by nucleic acid testing and hospitalized in designated hospitals in Wuxi City from January 23 to February 29, 2020 were prospectively and consecutively recruited. All patients received low-dose biphasic CT examination on admission and repeated CT examination at regular intervals during the course. On the inspiratory phase admission of the bipolar CT, the scope of the lesion was evaluated by semi-quantitative score, and the air trapping sign on bipolar CT was assessed. The differences of semi-quantitative score, the presence of the air trapping sign and other clinical factors were compared between the patients with abnormal and the normal blood gas index, as well as between the cases progressed to severe disease and cases without disease progression using the independent sample t-test or χ 2 test. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and the comprehensive discriminant improvement index (IDI) were used to evaluate the predictive effectiveness of the semi-quantitative scores, air trapping sign, and combination of two factors in differentiating cases with abnormal and normal blood gas indexes, as well as in differentiating cases with and without disease progression to severe COVID-19 cases. Results:In total 51 non-severe COVID-19 cases were included, with 16 cases showed air trapping sign during the first biphasic CT examination on admission. During the course of the disease, there were 13 patients with abnormal blood gas index, and 9 cases displaying air trapping sign (9/13). All 7 cases with progression to severe cases showed air trapping sign (7/7). Patients with advanced age, air trapping sign and higher semi-quantitative score were found more likely to have abnormal blood gas index ( t=3.10, χ 2=9.38, t=3.34, P<0.05); patients with advanced age, underlying diseases, air trapping sign and higher semi-quantitative score were more likely to develop into severe disease ( t=2.68, χ 2=6.65, χ 2=4.25, t=4.33, P<0.05). The AUC of semi-quantitative score, air trapping sign and combination of two factors in distinguishing abnormal blood gas index from normal blood gas index was 0.803, 0.754 and 0.794 respectively. The AUC of semi-quantitative score, air trapping sign and combination of two factors in distinguishing cases with progression to severe cases from non-progression was 0.881, 0.898 and 0.932, respectively. Air trapping sign combined with semi-quantitative score significantly improved the prediction effectiveness of disease progression, compared with semi-quantitative score or air trapping sign (IDI=0.271, 0.117). Conclusion:Air trapping sign and semi-quantitative score might be used as effective indicators to predict the progression of COVID-19 cases, and the combination of these two factors might be more helpful to predict the disease progression.

With the development of nuclear energy technology and the use of depleted uranium weapons, the uranium exposed population is gradually expanding and the health effects of uranium exposure are of increasing concern. The toxicity of uranium to kidney, a sensitive organ for uranium to enter the body to produce effects, cannot be ignored. As of now, the effects of uranium exposure on the kidney are still not well understood, the threshold of uranium-induced kidney injury has been controversial, and there is a lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers for the diagnosis of early kindey damage, especially in the context of chronic uranium exposure. For these reasons, this paper reviewed the results of research on dose-effect relationships and biomarkers of uranium-induced kidney injury and provided an outlook on future research directions, with the aim of providing a basis for subsequent study on animal experiments and population health effects related to uranium exposure.

Objective To explore the titre of serum anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibodies (anti-PLA2 R antibodies) detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to provide a more specific serological index for clinical diagnosis and disease judgment of membranous nephropathy (MN).Methods Thirty-four cases of MN confirmed by kidney biopsy ,32 inpatients with autoimmune diseases ,nephrotic syndrome and renal insufficiency in the nephrology department of our hospital and 12 persons un-dergoing physical examination were selected.The serum was collected for detecting anti-PLA2 R antibodies level.Then its diagnostic performance for diagnosing MM was analyzed by combining with serum TP ,ALB ,IgG ,IgA ,IgM ,C3 and C4 indicators.Results The medians of anti-PLA2 R antibodies titres in the MN group ,disease control group and healthy control group were 22.1 ,2.0 ,2.0 RU/mL respectively ,which had statistical difference between the MN group and other two groups (P<0.05).Seventeen cases of anti-PLA2R antibodies positive were in the MN group(positive rate50% )and 17 cases were negative,the disease control group and healthy control group all were negative.Its specificity and positive predictive value were 100% ,TP ,ALB and IgG had statistical difference between the MN group with the disease control group and healthy control group (P<0.05);the relative coefficients of anti-PLA2 R antibodies with TP ,ALB and IgG ,IgA ,IgM ,C3 and C4 were in turn -0.382 ,-0.344 ,-0.502 ,-0.295 ,0.062 , 0.005 and 0.241 respectively ,anti-PLA2R antibodies were negatively correlated with TP ,ALB ,IgG and IgA(P<0.01) ,positively correlated with C4(P<0.05) and had no relation with IgM and C3(P>0.05).Conclusion Anti-PLA2 R antibodies have higher specificity for the diagnosis of MN and can serve as the necessary and specific serologic detection indicator in the patients unable to conduct renal biopsy.Quantitative detection helps to condition judgment.

BACKGROUND:Neural stem cels have the potential to differentiate into neurons and glial cels to replace the injured brain cels, so as to achieve the purpose of repairing nerve injury.
OBJECTIVE:To observe the neuronal differentiation ability of cel subsets with stem cel characteristics in the adult rat meningeal tissues.
METHODS:Under anesthesia, the meningeal tissues were obtained from adult Sprague-Dawley rats to make cel suspension folowed by inoculation and subculture. Then, the Nestin immunofluorescence staining was performed. The third generation cels were culturedin vitro with complete culture medium containing trichostatin A. After 7 days of induction, western blot assay was used to detect the expression of NF-200 and BM88 proteins in neural cels.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At 24 hours of culture, some spherical cels were suspended and some cels adherent. In addition, some spherical cels scattered gradualy formed the clone spheres, and the growth rate decreased with the increasing volume. The positive expression of Nestin was detected by immunocytochemistry staining, and the cel nucleus was stained blue by Hoechst staining. BM88 and NF-200 proteins were al expressed at 7 days of neural induction. These findings indicate that the cel subsets with stem cel characteristics in the adult rat meningeal tissues can differentiate into neurons after in vitro induction.

ObjectiveTo assess the impact of intense pulsed light (IPL) on the dermatopathological manifestation in a Bama miniature pig model of steroid-induced dermatitis.MethodsFive female Bama miniature pigs aged two months were selected.The white skin areas with white hair at both sides of the neck served as the target area.Halometasone(0.05％) cream was applied to the right target area twice daily for 60 days to establish a model of steroid-induced dermatitis.Then,3 pigs were randomly selected and irradiated with IPL of 25 J/cm2 at the model area with an interval of 3 weeks for 9 weeks,the remaining 2 pigs receiving no treatment served as the natural recovery group.Finally,skin tissues were obtained from the left and right target areas and subjected to haematoxylin and eosin staining for the observation of histopathological changes.ResultsA significant increase was observed in the layer number of keratinocytes and thickness of dermal collagen fiber in the IPL-treated pigs compared with the pigs in natural recovery group (6.27 ± 1.26 vs.2.98 ±0.92,t =3.27,P＜ 0.01; 1.88 ± 0.19 mm vs.0.84 ± 0.15 mm,t =4.25,P＜ 0.01).Moreover,IPL irradiation resulted in the regression of telangiectasis in the dermis.ConclusionIPL may increase skin thickness,relieve flushing and improve skin elasticity efficiently.

To investigate the effect of Toxoplasma gondii infection upon the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and N-methyl-D-aspirate receptor (NMDA) subunits NR2A and NR2B,Wistar rats of 4 weeks old were randomly divided into 3 groups with 10 rats in each group in which 2 mL suspensions of T.gondii tachyzoits in the concentrations of 2×10~7/mL and 2×10~5/mL were injected intra-peritoneally to rats in group A and group B respectively, serving as the experimental groups, while 2 mL of sterile physiologic saline was injected intra-peritoneally in group C serving as the control group. Four weeks after injection, the expressions of BDNF mRNA and BDNF protein in the brain tissues were detected by in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical assay and the expressions of NR2A and NR2B immune activity in the hippocampal CA1,CA3 and DG were investigated by using computer-assisted image analysis system. Compared with the control group, the expression of BDNF protein in the hippocampus of the experimental groups was significantly enhanced [(64.27±23.18), (50.39±19.34) vs (44.68±22.74)/mm~2,P＜0.05]. In addition, the increased expressions of BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus of the experimental groups were also demonstrated [(0.13±0.02), (0.12±0.02) vs (0.09±0.01); P＜0.05]. In the expression of the NR2A protein, their expressions in group A and B of rats were significantly lower than that of group C in CA3 (P＜0.05),but there was no significant change in CA1 and DG. In the expression of NR2B protein, the expressions in group A and B were also lower than that of group C in CA1 and CA3, and had no significant change in DG. It is evident that the expressions of BDNF mRNA and BDNF protein in hippocampal tissues were significantly increased following chronic infection with T.gondii, supporting the hypothesis that BDNF may be involved in the intrinsic neuro-protective mechanism.