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 study the root canal morphology of permanent mandibular anterior teeth and explore its correlation with the occurrence of three-rooted mandibular molars using cone beam computed tomographic(CBCT)imaging.Methods CBCT image data of 200 subjects were randomly collected from dental clinics.The root canal morphology of the mandibular anterior teeth was identified and classified by Vertucci's classification,and the root length and labio-lingual dimension at the tooth neck level were measured.The occurrence of three-rooted mandibular first molars was examined as well.The concurrence rates of double-canaled anterior teeth and three-rooted mandibular first molars at each side,and concurrence rates of bilateral double-canaled anterior teeth and three-rooted man-dibular first molars were calculated.Spearman correlation tests were applied to analyze the correlation between the double-canaled ante-rior teeth and three-rooted mandibular first molars,as well as the bilateral antimetric teeth.Results The incidence of double-canaled system was 10.4％,18.6％and 6.5％in mandibular central incisors,lateral incisors and canines,respectively;the bilateral concur-rence rates were 5.7％,11.1％and 3.0％,respectively,and Spearman correlation coefficients(rho)were 0.487,0.505 and 0.440(P＜0.01),respectively;gender difference and side difference were not detected(P＞0.05).The frequency of three-rooted mandibular first molars was 24.6％;gender difference was not detected(P＞0.05),while the incidence was significantly higher at the right side(29.0％)than the left side(20.3％)(P＜0.05).The bilateral concurrence rate was 17.4％,and a moderate correlation was detected(rho=0.666,P＜0.01).The concurrence rates between the double-canaled anterior teeth and three-rooted mandibular first molars at each side were very low(2.6％-7.6％),and Spearman correlation tests demonstrated that no correlation(P＞0.05)could be detected between them.Conclusion The lateral incisors exhibited the highest incidence of two root canals among the mandibular anterior teeth.Ad-ditionally,there was no significant corr-elation between three-rooted mandibular first molars and double-canaled mandibular anterior teeth.

Objective:To explore the role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in monitoring prognosis after contralateral C7 nerve transfer in patients with central paralysis.Methods:The clinical data of a 56-year-old male patient with right limb motor impairment after cerebral infarction, admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at Brain Hospital of Hunan Province in October 2023, were retrospectively analyzed. The patient had experienced right limb motor dysfunction for over 2 years following a cerebral infarction and was treated with contralateral C7 nerve transfer. Follow-ups were conducted at 2 and 6 months postoperatively. Motor function was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, while changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the lesion area and corticospinal tract were monitored via DTI.Results:Postoperative follow-up of patient showed: (1) Significant improvement in motor function: ADL scores increased from 65 preoperatively to 75 (2 months postop) and 80 (6 months postop); FMA scores increased from 46 to 58 (2 months postop) and 61 (6 months postop). Muscle tension in the affected upper limb decreased markedly, and range of motion in the right shoulder joint improved. (2) Imaging improvements: DTI revealed an increase in FA values from 0.157 to 0.174 in the lesion area and from 0.52 to 0.53 in the corticospinal tract, indicating partial restoration of neural tract integrity.Conclusions:Contralateral C7 nerve transfer can effectively improve motor function in stroke patients. DTI technology provides an objective imaging basis for clinically assessing functional recovery by quantitatively evaluating changes in neural tract integrity, demonstrating significant value in guiding rehabilitation.

Objective:To explore the role of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in monitoring prognosis after contralateral C7 nerve transfer in patients with central paralysis.Methods:The clinical data of a 56-year-old male patient with right limb motor impairment after cerebral infarction, admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at Brain Hospital of Hunan Province in October 2023, were retrospectively analyzed. The patient had experienced right limb motor dysfunction for over 2 years following a cerebral infarction and was treated with contralateral C7 nerve transfer. Follow-ups were conducted at 2 and 6 months postoperatively. Motor function was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale, while changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) in the lesion area and corticospinal tract were monitored via DTI.Results:Postoperative follow-up of patient showed: (1) Significant improvement in motor function: ADL scores increased from 65 preoperatively to 75 (2 months postop) and 80 (6 months postop); FMA scores increased from 46 to 58 (2 months postop) and 61 (6 months postop). Muscle tension in the affected upper limb decreased markedly, and range of motion in the right shoulder joint improved. (2) Imaging improvements: DTI revealed an increase in FA values from 0.157 to 0.174 in the lesion area and from 0.52 to 0.53 in the corticospinal tract, indicating partial restoration of neural tract integrity.Conclusions:Contralateral C7 nerve transfer can effectively improve motor function in stroke patients. DTI technology provides an objective imaging basis for clinically assessing functional recovery by quantitatively evaluating changes in neural tract integrity, demonstrating significant value in guiding rehabilitation.

Objective To study the expression levels of serum complement C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein 6(CTRP6)in women in early pregnancy and to explore its relationship with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM).Methods Women at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March 2021 to March 2022 were prospectively and consecutively selected from 10 to 13 weeks gestation for outpatient obstetric check-ups.The age,height,weight,and time of last menstruation of pregnant women were collected,and the levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high density lipoprotein(HDL),low density lipoprotein(LDL),fasting plasma glucose(FPG),glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c),fasting insulin(FINS)and CTRP6 were measured in early pregnancy,and the pre-pregnancy body mass index(BMI),baseline BMI,prenatal BMI,and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)were calculated.All pregnant women underwent a 75g oral glucose tolerance test at 24-28 weeks of gestation and were divided into GDM group and normal glucose tolerance(NGT)group according to the test results.The clinical data and laboratory indexes of the two groups in early pregnancy were compared,and the correlation between serum CTRP6 and various indexes in early pregnancy and its relationship with GDM were analyzed.Results A total of 213 maternal cases were enrolled,and 203 cases were completed for follow-up.Among them,52 mothers were diagnosed with GDM,with a GDM prevalence rate of 25.62%.Serum CTRP6,age,pre-pregnancy BMI,baseline BMI,antenatal BMI,TC,LDL,FPG,HbA1c,FINS,and HOMA-IR were higher in GDM group compared to NGT group,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).CTRP6 in early pregnancy was positively correlated with age,pre-pregnancy BMI,baseline BMI,prenatal BMI,TG,LDL,FPG,HbA1c,FINS,HOMA-IR,and negatively correlated with HDL(P<0.05).After correcting for age,BMI,glycolipid metabolism index and HOMA-IR,CTRP6 in early pregnancy remained an independent factor in the development of GDM.Conclusion Elevated serum CTRP6 in early pregnancy is associated with GDM and is an independent risk factor for GDM.

Objective: To explore the network structure characteristics and core items of rural middle school students suffering from campus bullying and anxiety symptoms, so as to provide a reference basis for the precise prevention and intervention of the comorbidity of campus bullying and anxiety symptoms. Methods: From September 2021 to March 2022, a multi stage random cluster sampling method was used to select 1 920 rural middle school students from Xuzhou. The Chinese version of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was used to investigate the situation of campus bullying, and the Chinese version of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms. The network analysis method was used to construct the network between suffering from campus bullying and anxiety symptoms of rural middle school students to evaluate the centrality, bridge strength, stability and accuracy of each item. Results: The total score of suffering from campus bullying symptoms of rural middle school students was (10.42±3.26) points, and the total score of anxiety symptoms was (11.47±4.93) points. The symptom with the highest strength and expected influence was "unable to stop or control one s worry emotions", and the node strength and expected influence value was 1.041 7. The nodes "feel nervous, anxious or irritable" and "unable to stop or control one s worry emotions" were most closely related. The symptoms with the highest bridge strength were "others give me ugly nicknames to scold me or make fun of and satirize me" and "unable to stop or control one s worry emotions". Conclusions Rural middle school students suffering from campus bullying is related to anxiety symptoms. Accurate intervention according to the intervention targets may minimize the negative impact of suffering from campus bullying and anxiety symptoms on rural middle school students.

The protein kinase B(Akt)pathway can regulate the growth,proliferation,and metabolism of tumor cells and stem cells through the activation of multiple downstream target genes,thus affecting the development and treatment of a range of diseases.Thioesterase superfamily member 4(THEM4),a member of the thioesterase superfamily,is one of the Akt kinase-binding proteins.Some studies on the mechanism of cancers and other diseases have shown that THEM4 binds to Akt to regulate its phosphorylation.Initially,THEM4 was considered an endogenous inhibitor of Akt,which can inhibit the phosphorylation of Akt in diseases such as lung cancer,pancreatic cancer,and liver cancer,but subsequently,THEM4 was shown to promote the proliferation of tumor cells by positively regulating Akt activity in breast cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma,which contradicts previous findings.Considering these two distinct views,this review summarizes the important roles of THEM4 in the Akt pathway,focusing on THEM4 as an Akt-binding protein and its regulatory relationship with Akt phosphorylation in various diseases,especially cancer.This work provides a better understanding of the roles of THEM4 combined with Akt in the treatment of diseases.

Objective To study the effect of Salidroside(Sal)on platelet activation and aggregation and the interaction between human platelets and MDA-MB-468 cells of breast cancer.Methods Human platelets were collected,platelet sus-pension was prepared,and platelets were treated with different concentrations of Sal.The effects of Sal on platelet activation and aggregation were detected by thromboelastogram(TEG)and flow cytometry.Breast cancer MDA-MB-468 cells were cul-tured in vitro,and human platelets were treated with different concentrations of Sal,and then activated by thrombin.The effects of Sal on the interaction between platelets and MDA-MB-468 cells were analyzed by adhesion test and scratch test.Re-sults TEG detection:The ADP inhibition rate in the blank control group was(10.97±12.69)%,and the ADP inhibition rate in all Sal intervention groups was higher than that in the blank control group(P＜0.05).The AA inhibition rate was(8.11±7.84)%in the control group and(25.96±15.18)%in the 5 μmol/L Sal intervention group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Flow cytometry:The expression of CD62P on platelet surface in 40 and 60 μmol/L Sal groups was(56.5±0.17)%and(65.50±0.36)%,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant compared with the positive control group(76.53±0.49)%(P＜0.05).The percentages of PAC-1 expression on platelet surface in 40 and 60 μmol/L Sal groups were(62.20±0.10)%and(58.47±0.15)%,and the difference was statistically significant com-pared with the positive control group(72.10±0.20)%(P＜0.05).Adhesion experiment:Platelets can have adhesion with MDA-MB-468 cells,and activated platelets have stronger adhesion ability.The adhesion rate in the Sal group was signifi-cantly lower than that in the positive control group,and was negatively correlated with the concentration of Sal.Scratch test:The cell mobility at 24 h in the positive control group was(12.71±0.70)%,and the cell mobility in each Sal treatment group was(4.51±0.44)%,(3.85±0.11)%,(5.37±0.36)%,(4.15±0.13)%and(3.55±0.38)%,respectively,showing significant decrease compared with the positive control group(P＜0.05).After 48 h of Sal treatment,the cell mobility of 10,20,40 and 60μmol/L Sal groups decreased,and there was a statistical difference compared with the positive control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Sal can inhibit the adhesion between activated platelets mediated by thrombin and MDA-MB-468 cells and the migration of MDA-MB-468 cells.

Objectives To explore and compare the clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality between patients with artificial quartz stone silicosis and those with classic silicosis. Methods A total of 48 patients with artificial quartz stone silicosis (experiment group) and 98 patients with classic silicosis (control group) were recruited as the research subjects using the convenience sampling method. Data of clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), and pulmonary pathology of the research subjects were retrospectively analyzed. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors on the survival time of silicosis patients. Results Patients in the experiment group had shorter years of dust exposure, latency period and time since last exposure than those in the control group (all P<0.01). The positive rate of anti-nuclear antibodies and the expression of neuron-specific enolase in the experiment group were higher than those in the control group (39.6% vs 10.2%, median： 28.44 vs 16.25, both P<0.01). The PaO₂ levels in the experiment group were lower than those in the control group (median： 66.0 vs 89.0, P<0.01). The patients in the experiment group had lower vital capacity, inspiratory reserve volume, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), forced vital capacity (FVC), and carbon monoxide diffusion capacity compared to the control group (all P<0.05), but the maximal expiratory flow in 75% vital capacity was higher than the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, patients in the experiment group had the presence of ground-glass opacity (GGO) in both lungs, aggregation and fusion of subpleural nodules, and gradual formation of progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), with higher potential of pneumothorax. Within 5 years after diagnosis, the mortality of patients in the experiment group was higher than that in the control group (27.1% vs 4.1%, P<0.01). The Cox regression model analysis results showed that patients with nodule aggregation on lung HRCT images had a higher risk of mortality than those without nodule aggregation, and lower lung function including vital capacity, FVC, FEV₁ and maximum expiratory flow in 25% vital capacity had higher risk of reduced survival time (all P<0.05). Conclusion Compared with patients with classic silicosis, patients with artificial quartz stone silicosis have higher level of serum neuron-specific enolase, increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases. Pulmonary imaging features in patients with artificial quartz stone silicosis include GGO, PMF and susceptibility to pneumothorax, and rare calcification of mediastinal lymph nodes, leading to a higher mortality rate within 5 years after diagnosis.

Objective:To explore the value of jellyfish sign, an abnormal ultrasonographic sign, in predicting adverse perinatal outcomes of women with complete placenta previa combined with placenta accreta spectrum disorders (PAS).Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the ultrasound images of 72 singleton gravidas, diagnosed with complete placenta previa combined with PAS, who underwent cesarean section at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2020 and February 2023. Based on the presence and absence of the jellyfish sign in ultrasound images, these gravidas were divided into the jellyfish-sign group (15 cases, 20.8%) and the non-jellyfish-sign group (57 cases, 79.2%). The clinical data and perinatal outcomes of the two groups were analyzed. The adverse perinatal outcomes encompassed conditions such as abdominal aorta balloon block, uterine artery embolism, hysterectomy, postpartum hemorrhage, and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission of their neonates. Statistical analysis was performed using two independent samples t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Chi-square (or Fisher's exact) test. Results:(1) The jellyfish-sign group exhibited a higher parity [(1.6±0.7) times vs (1.2±0.6) times, t=2.01] and higher prenatal scores of placenta accreta [(12.3±1.5) scores vs (8.6±2.9) scores, t=6.59] than those in the non-jellyfish-sign group (both P<0.05). Among the 57 cases in the non-jellyfish-sign group, there were 14 cases of placenta creta (24.6%), 40 cases of placenta increta (70.2%), and three cases of placenta percreta (5.3%). Among the 15 cases in the jellyfish-sign group, nine cases were diagnosed with placenta increta, six with placenta percreta, and none with placenta creta. The difference in distribution between the two groups was statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, P<0.001). (2) Intraoperative blood loss [(for those who accepted abdominal aorta balloon block, 1 973±1 057) ml vs (1 211±576) ml, t=2.55], red blood cells transfused [4.0 U (2.0-23.0 U) vs 2.5 U (0.0-11.0 U), Z=－2.53], postoperative hospitalization time [(9.7±2.4) vs (7.5±2.2) d, t=3.36], the incidence of abdominal aorta balloon block [15/15 vs 38.6% (22/57), χ2=17.92], uterine artery embolism [for those who accepted abdominal aorta balloon block, 3/15 vs 1.8% (1/57), Fisher's exact test], and requiring blood transfusion [15/15 vs 63.2% (36/57), Fisher's exact test] were higher in the jellyfish-sign group than those in the non-jellyfish-sign group. However, the non-jellyfish-sign group had lower gestational age at delivery [(33.6±1.5) weeks vs (35.2±1.8) weeks, t=－3.24], and lower neonatal Apgar score at 1 min and 5 min [1 min: 8 scores (3-10 scores) vs 9 scores (4-10 scores), Z=－2.46; 5 min: 9 scores (7-10 scores) vs 10 scores (6-10 scores), Z=－2.02] (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences in emergency surgery rate, 24 h postoperative blood loss, neonatal birth weight, and proportion of NICU admission between the two groups. Additionally, no cases of hysterectomy or death were observed in the two groups. Conclusions:Ultrasound examination revealing jellyfish signs in patients with complete placenta previa and PAS is associated with an increased likelihood of adverse perinatal outcomes. Consequently, the management of these patients should be given greater attention.