Objective To explore the effect of ionizing radiation on the fertility of male mice and its offspring and the intergenerational and transgenerational genetic effect mechanism of ionizing radiation through sperm DNA methylation sequencing.Methods Eight-week-old(8 w)C57BL/6 male mice were irradiated with 60Co radiation source at a dose of 3 Gy(3 Gy-F0 group,n=60)and non-irradiated mice of the same age were used as controls(0 Gy-F0 group,n=60).Afetr 5-,6-,7-,8-,9-,10-,11-,and 12-week radiation,the mice began to breed with healthy females,and the first generation(F1 generation)male mice then breed with healthy female mice to obtain the offspring(F2 generation)male mice.The structure of testis was detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining;serum follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),testosterone(T)and luteinizing hormone(LH)levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Automatic sperm analysis system was used to detect sperm concentration and activity.The DNA of F0 generation sperm was extracted and analyzed by genome-wide DNA methylation sequencing.MassARRAY methylation sites were detected in sperm DNA of F1 generation mice and verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR).Results Compared with the 0 Gy-F0 group,male mice in the 3 Gy-F0 group gradually regained their reproductive ability 7 weeks after ionizing radiation.There was no significant difference in the number of surviving offspring between the 3 Gy-F0 group and 0 Gy-F0 group 10-11 weeks after radiation(P＞0.05).There were no significant differences in body weight,testicular morphology,or sperm concentration of F1 generation mice between the 3 Gy-F1 group and the 0 Gy-F1 group(all P＞0.05).However,compared with the 0 Gy-F1 group,the contents of LH,FSH and T in the 3 Gy-F1 group were all decreased(all P＜0.05),the testicle volume,total sperm motility rate,forward motility rate and the fertility were considerably decreased(all P＜0.05).DNA methylation sequencing showed that more differentially methylated genes were enriched in the pathway regulating microtubule formation.MassARRAY methylation sites analysis showed that the methylation level of Mid1 was significantly increased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Mid1 was verified down-regulated in Fl and F0 sperm by qPCR(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).However,there were no significant differences in volume of testes,testicular index,sperm concentration,sperm motility,hormone levels or Mid1 expression level between 0 Gy-F2 and 3 Gy-F2 mice in F2 generation male mice(all P＞0.05).Conclusion Sperm damage in mice caused by ionizing radiation at a dose of 3 Gy can recover by itself.However,it may decrease sperm activity by regulating Mid1 methylation level of sperm in F1 mice,thus affect the fertility of F1 mice,but has no effect on the fertility of male F2 mice.

Objective To investigate the effect and mechanisms of celecoxib on right heart function in mice with acute high-altitude hypoxia exposure.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice(7 weeks old)were housed in a hypobaric chamber simulating an altitude of 5 800 m for 2 d to establish an animal model of acute hypobaric hypoxia.①Eighteen mice were randomly assigned to plain+saline(P+S),high-altitude hypoxia exposure+saline(H+S),and high-altitude hypoxia exposure+celecoxib(H+Cel).Body weight and routine blood indicators were measured,and cardiac ultrasound examination were performed for heart rate(HR),pulmonary artery acceleration time to ejection time ratio(AT/ET),tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion(TAPSE),tricuspid annular systolic velocity(S'),and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and fractional shortening(FS).Targeted metabolomic profiling was applied to detect the cardiac arachidonic acid(AA)metabolite levels.The contents of 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid(12,13-diHOME)in the heart,liver,brown adipose tissue,and plasma were quantified by ELISA.② Eighteen mice were randomly assigned into plain+saline(P+S),high-altitude hypoxia exposure+saline(H+S)and high-altitude hypoxia exposure+12,13-diHOME(H+di)groups.Body weight,routine blood tests,and echocardiography were performed as above.③ Thirty-two mice were randomly divided into high-altitude hypoxia exposure+saline(H+S),high-altitude hypoxia exposure+celecoxib(H+Cel),high-altitude hypoxia exposure+soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitor(sEHI)(H+sEHI),and high-altitude hypoxia exposure+sEHI+celecoxib(H+sEHI+Cel)groups.Body weight,routine blood tests,and echocardiography were performed as above.Cardiac and plasma contents of 12,13-diHOME and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids(EETs)were measured by ELISA.Results ① Compared to the P+S group,the H+S group exhibited significantly reduction of cardiac 12,13-diHOME level(P<0.001),increased counts of white blood cells(WBC)and neutrophils(P<0.01)and decreased TAPSE,S'and AT/ET both at resting state and under stress(P<0.01,P<0.001).Compared to the H+S group,the H+Cel group exhibited significantly increase of cardiac 12,13-diHOME level(P<0.05),reduced WBC and lymphocyte counts(P<0.01,P<0.05)and improved TAPSE and S'levels at resting state and under stress(P<0.01,P<0.001).② Compared to the H+S group,the H+di group demonstrated significantly improvement of TAPSE at basal and under stress(P<0.001)and a trend towards improved TAPSE at resting state(P=0.0532),but no obvious differences was observed in WBC and neutrophil counts between the H+di group and the H+S group.③ Compared to the H+Cel group,both the H+sEHI and H+sEHI+Cel groups exhibited significantly reduction of cardiac 12,13-diHOME level(P<0.01,P<0.05)though no statistical changes in cardiac function indicators.Compared to the H+S group,WBC counts and lymphocyte were decreased,and serum EETs level was incrased in the H+Cel group,H+sEHI group and H+sEHI+Cel group(P<0.01,P<0.001).Conclusion Celecoxib can elevate cardiac level of 12,13-diHOME and improves right heart function in mice after acute high-altitude hypoxia exposure through the CYP450-sEH metabolic pathway.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Gandou Bushen Decoction(GDBSD)for improving reproductive disorders in male mouse models of Wilson disease(WD).Methods Sixty male homozygous TX mice were randomized equally into 4 groups and treated with daily gavage of saline(WD model group),penicillamine(0.09 g/kg),or GDBSD(0.2 mL/10 g),or with intraperitoneal injection of U0126(20 mg/kg)in addition to GDBSD gavage,with 15 male DL mice as control.After 4 weeks of treatment,copper content in testicular tissue of the mice was detected,and histopathology of the testes and epididymis was examined using HE staining and electron microscopy.TUNEL staining was used to identify apoptotic cells in the testes.The protein expressions of Bcl-2,Cytc,caspase-3,ERK,and p-ERK in the testicular tissue were evaluated with Western blotting,and BrdU-positive cells were detected with immunohistochemical labeling.Sperm density,viability,malformation rate and fertility levels of male mice were studied.Results Treatment with penicillamine and GDBSD obviously improved pathological changes of the testis,increased sperm density and motility,lowered sperm abnormality rate,fertility levels and increased testicular JOHNSEN score of TK mice,but the therapeutic effect of GDBSD was blocked by U0126.GDBSD treatment significantly lowered Cytc and caspase-3 expressions and increased Bcl-2 expression in the testicular tissue of TX mice(P<0.05),while U0126 treatment significantly lowered testicular Bcl-2 expression level.No significant differences were found in total protein expression levels of ERK1/2 among the 5 groups,but p-ERK protein expression was significantly reduced in WD and U0126 groups and increased in penicillamine and GDBSD groups.Conclusion GDBSD can improve spermatogenesis and enhance fertility of male TX mice with WD possibly by activating the ERK signaling pathway to enhance proliferation and reduce apoptosis of the spermatogenic cells.

Tongue diagnosis is an important method of TCM diagnosis and treatment.Tongue is the key link of auxiliary diagnosis of tongue feature extraction and processing,and also is the bottleneck of intelligent tongue diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine.Using image processing,artificial intelligence technology to the tongue as a quantitative and identify characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine,looking for both conforms to the original thinking of TCM,and TCM tongue diagnosis method of accurately,has become a common concern of traditional Chinese medicine and computer field.From the mobile terminal tongue as auxiliary diagnostic system of traditional Chinese medicine tongue acquisition basic attribute,tongue diagnosis and image information building,tongue like features are required for accurate extraction and so on related key technology is analyzed,and build overall architecture,so as to provide technical reference for the tongue like intelligent diagnosis,promote the development of technology of tongue diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine modernization.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of Gandou Bushen Decoction(GDBSD)for improving reproductive disorders in male mouse models of Wilson disease(WD).Methods Sixty male homozygous TX mice were randomized equally into 4 groups and treated with daily gavage of saline(WD model group),penicillamine(0.09 g/kg),or GDBSD(0.2 mL/10 g),or with intraperitoneal injection of U0126(20 mg/kg)in addition to GDBSD gavage,with 15 male DL mice as control.After 4 weeks of treatment,copper content in testicular tissue of the mice was detected,and histopathology of the testes and epididymis was examined using HE staining and electron microscopy.TUNEL staining was used to identify apoptotic cells in the testes.The protein expressions of Bcl-2,Cytc,caspase-3,ERK,and p-ERK in the testicular tissue were evaluated with Western blotting,and BrdU-positive cells were detected with immunohistochemical labeling.Sperm density,viability,malformation rate and fertility levels of male mice were studied.Results Treatment with penicillamine and GDBSD obviously improved pathological changes of the testis,increased sperm density and motility,lowered sperm abnormality rate,fertility levels and increased testicular JOHNSEN score of TK mice,but the therapeutic effect of GDBSD was blocked by U0126.GDBSD treatment significantly lowered Cytc and caspase-3 expressions and increased Bcl-2 expression in the testicular tissue of TX mice(P<0.05),while U0126 treatment significantly lowered testicular Bcl-2 expression level.No significant differences were found in total protein expression levels of ERK1/2 among the 5 groups,but p-ERK protein expression was significantly reduced in WD and U0126 groups and increased in penicillamine and GDBSD groups.Conclusion GDBSD can improve spermatogenesis and enhance fertility of male TX mice with WD possibly by activating the ERK signaling pathway to enhance proliferation and reduce apoptosis of the spermatogenic cells.

Objective To observe the effect of quercetin on mechanical allodynia,astrocyte activation,and upregulation of pain-related transient receptor potential vanilloid 1(TRPV1)and P2X purinoceptor 3(P2X3)in mice with paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.Methods Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were divided randomly into control,model,and model+quercetin groups(n=8 mice per group).Paclitaxel(total dose 8 mg/kg)was injected intraperitoneally into mice in the model and model+quercetin groups to establish the model.Mice in the control group were injected intraperitoneally with the same volume of vehicle.On day 8 after the first injection,mice in the model+quercetin group were injected with 60 mg/kg quercetin solution orally and mice in the other groups were injected with the same volume of vehicle.Mechanical pain was measured by the von Frey test.Activation of astrocytes in the spinal dorsal horn was detected by immunofluorescence.Expression levels of TRPV1 and P2X3 in dorsal root ganglia were detected by immunofluorescence and Western Blot.Results(1)Compared with model group,the mechanical pain of mice in model+quercetin group were relieved.(2)Compared with model group,the activation of astrocytes and the expressions of TRPV1 and P2X3 in mice of model+quercetin group were alleviated(P＜0.05).Conclusions Quercetin can significantly reduce mechanical pain in mice with paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.This mechanism maybe related to alleviating the activation of astrocytes in the spinal dorsal horn and reducing expression of TRPV1 and P2X3 in the dorsal root ganglia.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of 99Tc m-pyrophosphate (PYP) SPECT imaging for the differential diagnosis of transthyretin-related cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Methods:Data of patients who were definitively diagnosed with ATTR-CA (35 patients (28 males, 7 females); age 62.5(58.6, 64.3) years) or HCM (14 patients (13 males, 1 female); age 60.5(57.3, 68.7) years) by extracardiac biopsy and echocardiography in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between June 2020 and March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent planar and SPECT imaging 1 h after injection of 370-720 MBq 99Tc m-PYP. Visual scoring was performed (0-1 was negative, 2-3 was positive), and heart-to-contralateral lung uptake ratio (H/CL) was calculated based on planar images. The χ2 test was used to compare the difference in visual scores between ATTR-CA and HCM groups, and the diagnostic efficacy of the visual score was calculated. The H/CL differences between ATTR and HCM groups were compared with Mann-Whitney U test, and the ROC curve was used to analyze the efficacy of H/CL for the differential diagnosis of ATTR-CA and HCM. Results:There were 34 patients with visual scores≥2 and 1 patient with visual score<2 in the ATTR-CA group, 6 patients with visual scores =2 and 8 patients with visual scores <2 in HCM group, and there were significant differences between the 2 groups ( χ2=16.20, P<0.001). The diagnostic sensitivity of the visual score was 97.1%(34/35), and the specificity was 8/14. The H/CL in the ATTR-CA group was significantly higher than that in the HCM group (2.08(1.97, 2.20) vs 1.26 (1.17, 1.35), z=-5.09, P<0.001). The ROC curve analysis suggested that the optimal cut-off value was 1.45 (AUC: 0.980, 95% CI: 0.946-1.000; P<0.001); the sensitivity of H/CL differential diagnosis between HCM and ATTR-CA was 97.1%(34/35), and the specificity was 14/14. Conclusion:99Tc m-PYP SPECT imaging is useful in differentiation of ATTR-CA and HCM, and the optimal cut-off value of H/CL for differential diagnosis of these 2 diseases is 1.45.

Objective To investigate the sleep structure of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and its correlations with cognitive function, depressive state and motor function. Methods A total of 120 PD patients were enrolled in this study, and divided into PD+RBD group (n=45) and PD group (n=75) based on the presence or absence of RBD. Sleep structure was recorded for both groups. The scores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part Ⅲ (UPDRS-Ⅲ) and Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT) were compared between the two groups. The correlations of MoCA, HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores with sleep structure in the PD+RBD group were analyzed. Results The PD+RBD group showed significantly higher percentage of non-rapideye movement (NREM) at stage 1, arousal index, periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) compared to the PD group, while the percentages of NREM at stage 3, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep efficiency and lowest oxygen saturation were significantly lower (P < 0.05). The PD+RBD group also had significantly higher HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores, and significantly lower MoCA scores compared to the PD group (P < 0.05). In the PD+RBD group, the percentages of NREM at stage 1, arousal index, PLMS and AHI were positively correlated with HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores, and negatively correlated with MoCA scores (P < 0.05). Conversely, the percentages of NREM at stage 3, REM sleep, sleep efficiency and lowest oxygen saturation were negatively correlated with HAMA, HAMD, UPDRS-Ⅲ and SCOPA-AUT scores, and positively correlated with MoCA scores (P < 0.05). Conclusion PD patients with RBD exhibit disrupted sleep structure, which is closely associated with cognitive function, depressive state, motor function, and autonomic nervous system function.

Carotenoids are secondary metabolite responsible for colored pigments in plants and microbes (Li et al., 2022). They are a class of C₄₀ tetraterpenoids consisting of eight isoprenoid units, and can be classified into carotenes and xanthophylls on the basis of their functional groups (Saini et al., 2015). Carotenes can be linear (phytoene, phytofluene, and ζ‍-carotene) or branched (β‍-carotene and α‍-carotene). Xanthophylls comprise β,β‍-xanthophylls (β‍-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, violaxanthins, and neoxanthin) and β,ε‍-xanthophylls (α-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene, and lutein). Citrus fruits are complex sources of carotenoids, which are the principal pigments responsible for the typical orange color of most types (Chen, 2020). The difference in total carotenoid content and the diversity of carotenoid isomer proportion also accounts for other colors of citrus fruits, such as yellow, red, and pink (Chen, 2020).
Citrus/metabolism* ; Carotenoids ; Xanthophylls ; Lutein/metabolism* ; Zeaxanthins/metabolism* ; Fruit

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) in the genetic etiology of fetuses with nasal bone dysplasia (NBD). METHODS: A total of 217 fetuses discovered with NBD from December 2017 to December 2020 were divided into the isolated NBD group and NBD combined with other anomalies group, for which copy number variations (CNVs) were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 40 fetal abnormalities were detected in 217 cases, with an overall abnormal rate of 18.4%. These included 31 cases with aneuploidies (14.3%, 31/217) and 9 cases with genomic CNVs (4.1%, 9/217). Five cases of trisomy 21 (3.5%, 5/144) and two CNVs cases with unknown clinical significance (1.4%, 2/144) were detected in the isolated group. As for the combined NBD group, 26 aneuploidies (35.6%, 26/73), including 19 cases with trisomy 21, 6 cases with trisomy 18, 1 case with trisomy 13, 5 cases with pathogenic CNVs (6.8%, 5/73), and 2 cases with CNVs of unknown clinical significance (2.7%, 2/73) were detected. A significant difference was detected between the two groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION The detection rate of CNV-seq is high for chromosomal aneuploidies and pathogenic CNVs in fetuses with NBD, particularly in those combined with other ultrasonic abnormalities.
Aneuploidy ; Bone Diseases, Developmental ; Chromosome Aberrations ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Down Syndrome/genetics* ; Female ; Fetus/abnormalities* ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Trisomy