Objective:This study identifies independent predictive indicators to distinguish autoimmune gastritis from Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori)-induced atrophic gastritis and validates their diagnostic performance to compare laboratory indicators of autoimmune gastritis and H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis. Methods:A retrospective comparison of laboratory examination indicators was conducted for chronic atrophic gastritis patients with involvement of the gastric fundus and corpus, who were followed up at the Department of Gastroenterology, Xijing Hospital, from January 2014 to September 2024. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to determine the optimal cutoff points and corresponding diagnostic thresholds. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictive indicators for autoimmune gastritis, with further assessment in a validation cohort.Results:A total of 139 patients with autoimmune gastritis and 209 patients with H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis were included. Pepsinogen (PG) Ⅰ levels and the PG Ⅰ/PG Ⅱ ratio in patients with autoimmune gastritis were significantly lower than in those with H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis [11.0 (4.8, 22.5) vs. 41.8 (32.2, 59.9) μg/L, U=722.00, P<0.001; 1.24 (0.75, 3.54) vs. 5.76 (4.31, 7.12), U=817.00, P<0.001], while gastrin levels were significantly higher [375 (84, 738) vs. 49 (35, 81) ng/L, U=378.00, P<0.001]. PG Ⅰ was identified as an independent predictive variable, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.847 (95% CI 0.791-0.904), sensitivity of 77.6%, specificity of 91.8%, positive predictive value of 80.5%, and negative predictive value of 90.5%. Conclusions:Significant differences in laboratory indicators were observed between autoimmune gastritis and H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis in chronic atrophic gastritis involving gastric fundus and corpus. Besides, PG Ⅰ demonstrated good diagnostic performance in identifying autoimmune gastritis and can effectively differentiate between different types of atrophic gastritis.

Objective:This study identifies independent predictive indicators to distinguish autoimmune gastritis from Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori)-induced atrophic gastritis and validates their diagnostic performance to compare laboratory indicators of autoimmune gastritis and H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis. Methods:A retrospective comparison of laboratory examination indicators was conducted for chronic atrophic gastritis patients with involvement of the gastric fundus and corpus, who were followed up at the Department of Gastroenterology, Xijing Hospital, from January 2014 to September 2024. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to determine the optimal cutoff points and corresponding diagnostic thresholds. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent predictive indicators for autoimmune gastritis, with further assessment in a validation cohort.Results:A total of 139 patients with autoimmune gastritis and 209 patients with H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis were included. Pepsinogen (PG) Ⅰ levels and the PG Ⅰ/PG Ⅱ ratio in patients with autoimmune gastritis were significantly lower than in those with H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis [11.0 (4.8, 22.5) vs. 41.8 (32.2, 59.9) μg/L, U=722.00, P<0.001; 1.24 (0.75, 3.54) vs. 5.76 (4.31, 7.12), U=817.00, P<0.001], while gastrin levels were significantly higher [375 (84, 738) vs. 49 (35, 81) ng/L, U=378.00, P<0.001]. PG Ⅰ was identified as an independent predictive variable, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.847 (95% CI 0.791-0.904), sensitivity of 77.6%, specificity of 91.8%, positive predictive value of 80.5%, and negative predictive value of 90.5%. Conclusions:Significant differences in laboratory indicators were observed between autoimmune gastritis and H. pylori-induced atrophic gastritis in chronic atrophic gastritis involving gastric fundus and corpus. Besides, PG Ⅰ demonstrated good diagnostic performance in identifying autoimmune gastritis and can effectively differentiate between different types of atrophic gastritis.

Objective To compare the early embryonic developmental potential and clinical outcomes of oocytes matured in vivo and those matured by modified in vitro maturation(LVM)technology during the same controlled ovarian hyperstimulation(COH)cycle,and to explore the clinical application of melatonin-supplemented IVM technology.Methods 159 patients were recruited into the study.920 mature oocytes were collected during their COH cycles processed for conventional IVF/ICSI protocols,while 1 283 immature oocytes from the same cycles were matured in a melatonin-supplemented IVM medium before ICSI was performed.A retrospective analysis was conducted to compare the impact of conventional assisted reproductive technology and improved IVM technology on the outcomes of assisted reproductive therapy and pregnancy outcomes.Results Compared with mature oocytes collected from COH cycles treated with conventional IVF/ICSI,oocytes promoted by improved melatonin-supple-mented IVM technology had a lower rate of high-quality blastocyst formation.However,after embryo transfer,there was no significant difference in the clinical outcomes of mature oocytes obtained through two methods,including clinical pregnancy rate,full-term birth rate,neonatal length,and neonatal Apgar score.Conclusion The applica-tion of melatonin-supplemented IVM significantly increases the utilization of immature oocytes collected from COH cycles,improving the pregnancy outcomes of patients assisted by assisted reproductive technology.

Objective:To analyze the mechanism of Jindan Tablets, Xiaoyan Lidan Tablets and ursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of gallstone and cholecystitis based on network pharmacology; To conduct a comparative analysis.Methods:The chemical components of Jindan Tablets, Xiaoyan Lidan Tablets and ursodeoxycholic acid and their drug targets were collected from Traditional Chinese Medicine Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP). DAVID 6.8 database was used to search for the associated diseases of the drug targets. The disease targets of gallstone and cholecystitis were collected from GeneCards and other databases. The protein-protein interactions network was established based on the intersecting targets of three drugs and two diseases. KEGG enrichment analysis was performed based on the DAVID 6.8 database. Cytoscape 3.7.1 software was used to construct a complex network and topology analysis of component- target- disease between three drugs and diseases.Results:222 chemical components and 3 133 drug targets were collected for Jindan Tablets. 104 chemical components and 1 425 action targets were collected for Xiaoyan Lidan Tablets. 1 chemical component and 119 action targets were collected for ursodeoxycholic acid. The three drugs were associated with 31 diseases. 1 382 disease targets for gallstones and cholecystitis were collected. There were 237, 163 and 33 targets for gallstones and cholecystitis in the three drugs, of which 17 were shared by the three drugs and 20 were shared by Jindan Tablets and Xiaoyan Lidan Tablets. Based on the DAVID database, 113, 74 and 10 significant KEGG enrichment pathways were obtained for the three drugs respectively.Conclusions:The three drugs shared many targets and pathways in the treatment of gallstones and cholecystitis, which all had the function of regulating metabolism and inhibiting inflammatory response, while participating in apoptosis, oxidative stress and cancer pathology process. However, they had their own special effects, with Jindan Tablets favoring involving in the cancer process and inhibition of inflammation, and promoting angiogenesis. Xiaoyan Lidan Tablets and ursodeoxycholic acid focused on regulating cholesterol metabolism, and Xiaoyan Lidan Tablets also regulated steroid metabolism and inhibit inflammation, while ursodeoxycholic acid regulated bile acid metabolism.

L-theanine has been shown to have a therapeutic effect on depression.However,whether L-theanine has an excellent preventive effect on depression in children and adolescents and what its mechanism is have not been well explained.Given the complexity of the pathogenesis of depression,this study investigated the preventive effect and mechanism of L-theanine on depression in juvenile rats by combining serum and hippocampal metabolomic strategies.Behavioral tests,hippocampal tissue sections,and serum and hippocampal biochemical indexes were studied,and the results confirmed the preventive effect of L-theanine.Untargeted reversed-phase liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spec-trometry and targeted hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spec-trometry were developed to analyze the metabolism changes in the serum and hippocampus to screen for potential biomarkers related to L-theanine treatment.The results suggested that 28 abnormal me-tabolites in the serum and hippocampus that were considered as potential biomarkers returned to near-normal levels after L-theanine administration.These biomarkers were involved in various metabolic pathways,mainly including amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism.The levels of amino acids and neurotransmitters in the phenylalanine,tryptophan,and glutamic acid pathways were significantly reduced after L-theanine administration compared with chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rats.In summary,L-theanine had a significant preventive effect on depression and achieved its preventive results on depression by regulating various aspects of the body,such as amino acids,lipids,and inflammation.This research systematically analyzed the mechanism of L-theanine in preventing depression and laid the foundation for applying L-theanine to prevent depression in children and adolescents.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of hyperoside(Hyp)on transverse aortic constriction-in-duced cardiac hypertrophy and its possible mechanism.Methods Forty 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups:Sham group,TAC group,Hyp+TAC group and Hyp+ML385+TAC group.Four weeks after operation,cardiac function including left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS)and left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness(LVPWd)were measured with echocardiography.HE staining was used to evaluate the myocyte cross-sectional area.Masson staining was used to determine myocardial fibrosis.The ratio of heart weight/body weight was calculated.DHE staining was used to assess reactive oxygen species(ROS)production.The mRNA levels of atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),brain natriuretic peptide(BNP)and β-myosin heavy chain(β-MHC)were detected by qRT-PCR.The protein levels of NF-E2-related factor 2(Nrf2),heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),superoxide dismutase2(SOD2)and NAD-PH-Oxidase 2(gp91phox)were detected by Western blot.Differences among groups were compared by one-way a-nalysis of variance,and LSD-t test was used for comparison between the two groups.Results Compared with the Sham group,the values of LVEF and LVFS in the TAC group decreased(P＜0.01).The value of LVPWd,the cross-sectional area,fibrosis and the ratio of HW/BW increased(P＜0.01).The mRNA levels of ANP,BNP andβ-MHC were upregulated(P＜0.01).The ROS production and gp91phox protein level were elevated in the TAC group(P＜0.01),while the protein levels of Nrf2,HO-1 and SOD2 decreased(P＜0.01).Compared with the TAC group,the values of LVEF and LVFS in the Hyp+TAC group increased(P＜0.01).The value of LVPWd,the cross-sectional area,fibrosis and the ratio of HW/BW decreased(P＜0.01).The mRNA levels of ANP,BNP and β-MHC were downregulated(P＜0.01).The ROS production and gp91 phox protein levels were reduced in the Hyp+TAC group(P＜0.01),while the protein levels of Nrf2,HO-1 and SOD2 increased(P＜0.01).However,ML385 could partially reverse the protective effects of Hyp on TAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy.Conclusion Hyp alleviates pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting oxidative stress and fibrosis,and its mechanism may be related to Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.

Objective To study the effects of three ferroptosis inducers Erastin (Era), sulfasalazine (SASP) and artesunate (Art) alone or combined with gemcitabine hydrochloride (hcGEM) on the proliferation inhibition of Human pancreatic cell line PANC -1. Methods The CCK-8 method was used to detect the inhibitory effects of different concentrations of Era, SASP and Art alone or combined with hcGEM on the proliferation of PANC-1, and the combination index (CI) was used to judge whether three ferroptosis inducers combined with hcGEM had synergistic inhibitory effect on PANC-1. Results The three ferroptosis inducers and hcGEM alone or in combination could significantly inhibit the activity of PANC-1. The inhibitory effects were enhanced with the concentration increasing. The CI values of hcGEM-Era 4∶1 or 1∶4 combination group and hcGEM-SASP 1∶400 combination group were less than 1.The CI values of hcGEM-Art 1∶4 or 1∶16 combination group were less than 1 only within a certain concentration range. Conclusion The inhibitory effects of the three ferroptosis inducers and hcGEM alone or in combination were dose-dependent. The combination of hcGEM and three ferroptosis inducers could synergistically inhibit the proliferation of PANC-1.

Cucurbitaceae is an important family of flowering plants containing multiple species of important food plants, such as melons, cucumbers, squashes, and pumpkins. However, a highly efficient genetic transformation system has not been established for most of these species (Nanasato and Tabei, 2020). Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), an economically important and globally cultivated fruit crop, is a model species for fruit quality research due to its rich diversity of fruit size, shape, flavor, aroma, texture, peel and flesh color, and nutritional composition (Guo et al., 2019). Through pan-genome sequencing, many candidate loci associated with fruit quality traits have been identified (Guo et al., 2019). However, few of these loci have been validated. The major barrier is the low transformation efficiency of the species, with only few successful cases of genetic transformation reported so far (Tian et al., 2017; Feng et al., 2021; Wang JF et al., 2021; Wang YP et al., 2021). For example, Tian et al. (2017) obtained only 16 transgenic lines from about 960 cotyledon fragments, yielding a transformation efficiency of 1.67%. Therefore, efficient genetic transformation could not only facilitate the functional genomic studies in watermelon as well as other horticultural species, but also speed up the transgenic and genome-editing breeding.
CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Citrullus/genetics* ; Cucurbitaceae/genetics* ; Gene Editing ; Plant Breeding ; Transformation, Genetic

Objective:To investigate the relationship between NOD-like receptors 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes mediated inflammatory response and the pathogenesis of depression, and to investigate the effect of fluoxetine on this process.Methods:120 male C57BL/6J (wild-type) mice were randomly divided into control group 1, control group 2, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) group, and CUMS plus fluoxetine group. Another 30 male C57BL/6J (NLRP3-/-) mice were selected as NLRP3-/- group. Control group 1 and control group 2 had No treatment; CUMS group, CUMS plus fluoxetine group, and NLRP3-/- group were given chronic unpredictable mild stimulation for six weeks. After modeling, mice in control group 2 and CUMS plus fluoxetine group were intraperitoneally injected with fluoxetine (10 mg/(kg·d)). In contrast, mice in the other three groups were injected with the same amount of normal saline every day for four weeks. Behavioral tests were performed once a week before and after stress stimulation. Tail venous blood was drawn immediately before stress stimulation, three weeks later and six weeks after stress stimulation and was centrifuged at 3000 r/min for 10 min. The supernatant was kept and frozen for future use. Serum levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After drug intervention (10 mg/(kg·d) fluoxetine or the same volume of normal saline), the mice in each group underwent behavioral tests once a week. The results included the sugar water preference test, forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). Tail venous blood was drawn from mice in each group at 1, 3, and 4 weeks after fluoxetine administration, and the supernatant was centrifuged and stored for later use. Serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At the above time points, 5 mice in each group were sacrificed each time, and fresh hippocampal tissues were collected and stored at a low temperature. NLRP3, urinary winter peptidase (caspase-1), the induction of transcription factors-KB (nuclear factor-κB, NF-κB), IL-1β and the IL-18 in the hippocampus brain regions were detected by using Western Blot.Results:(1) Model establishment: After six weeks of CUMS, compared with control group 1 and control group 2, the sugar water consumption of mice in CUMS group and CUMS+fluoxetine group was significantly reduced, and the immobility time of FST and TST was significantly prolonged, which proved that the model establishment was successful. After CUMS, NLRP3-/- group mice did not show depression-like changes in FST, sugar water preference test, and TST, which indicated that the model failed to be established. (2) After intraperitoneal fluoxetine injection, there were no significant differences in sugar water consumption, FST and TST immobility time between control group 2 and control group 1 ( P>0.05), and the sugar water consumption of mice in CUMS plus fluoxetine group was significantly increased, compared with CUMS group ( P<0.05). The immobility time of FST and TST was significantly shortened ( P<0.05). (3) The results of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that after stimulation of CUMS, compared with control group 1 and control group 2, the serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in CUMS group and CUMS plus fluoxetine group were significantly increased ( P<0.05), while NLRP3-/- group had no significant change ( P>0.05). After fluoxetine administration, the serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in CUMS plus fluoxetine group were significantly lower than those in CUMS group ( P<0.05). (4) Western blotting results showed that after stimulation of CUMS, compared with control group 1 and control group 2, mice brain hippocampus NLRP3 expression, caspase-1 activation and induction of transcription factors-κB (nuclear factor-κB, NF-κB), IL-1β, IL-18 expression significantly increased ( P<0.05) in CUMS and CUMS plus fluoxetine group. After fluoxetine treatment, mice brain hippocampus NLRP3 expression, caspase-1 activation, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression in CUMS plus fluoxetine group had a significant reduction (restored to control 1 group by 99%, 91%, 97%, 95%, and 97% respectively). Conclusion:(1) CUMS may bring more NLRP3, caspase-1, NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-18 expression in mice hippocampus, which cannot be seen, in the NLRP3 gene knockout mice; (2) The fluoxetine treatment may significantly decrease the NLRP3, caspase-1, NF-κB, IL-1β, IL-18 expression on depressive model mice, and improve depressive behavior.

The etiology of infertility is multifactorial, in addition to fallopian tube factors, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity are also important causes of infertility. As revealed by recent studies, the composition and metabolism of gut microbiota have been considered to influence the occurrence and development of PCOS and obesity, thus impairing women's reproductive health. Based on recent studies on gut microbiota, this article briefly reviews the composition characteristics of gut microbiota involved in PCOS and obese people, as well as potential treatments for PCOS and obesity.