Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

Osteoporotic distal radius fracture (ODRF), a common fragility fracture in elderly patients, poses a significant threat to patients′ life and health due to its high incidence and disability rate. Both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine have accumulated extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of ODRF. However, there is currently a lack of specific guideline on how to effectively integrate the strengths of the two medical systems. To standardize the collaborative diagnosis and treatment of ODRF using integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, the Clinical Practice Guideline Working Group for the clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic distal radius fracture through integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine was established in September 2024, led by the Third Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Chinese medicine (Kunming Hospital of Chinese Medicine) with the participation of many medical institutions across China. Protocol for the guideline was then formulated to detail each key aspect in the development of the guideline and explain the related procedures, aiming to ensure a standardized, orderly and transparent development.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) children carrying a TCF3: : PBX1 fusion gene and to evaluate the prognostic value of this gene.Methods:Retrospective cohort study.A total of 2 164 B-ALL children aged 0-18 years diagnosed and treated at 19 pediatric centers from October 2016 to June 2022 were enrolled.They were divided into the positive group and the negative group according to whether they carried a TCF3: : PBX1 fusion gene.The clinical characteristics, treatment response, adverse reactions, and prognosis of the 2 groups of patients were analyzed.The rank sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare two and more than two groups of numerical variables, respectively.Fisher′s exact test was used to compare categorical variables.Results:Among the 2 164 patients, 116 (5.4%) were TCF3: : PBX1 positive, of which 70 patients were female, accounting for 60.3%.There were 840 female patients in the TCF3: : PBX1-negative group, accounting for 41.0%.There was a significant difference in the ratio of females between the TCF3: : PBX1-positive and TCF3: : PBX1-negative groups ( P<0.001).No significant difference was observed in age of onset between the two groups( P>0.05).The proportion of bone marrow naive cells [54.00 (14.00, 76.50)% vs.29.00 (3.00, 68.00)%], white blood cell counts [25.30 (10.46, 60.94)×10 9/L vs.9.03 (4.38, 30.73)×10 9/L] and hemoglobin counts [82.00(63.00, 101.00) g/L vs.74.00(60.00, 90.00) g/L] in the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group were significantly higher than those in the negative group at the onset (all P<0.05).In terms of treatment response, the proportion of peripheral blood naive cells on Day 8 in the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group was significantly higher than that in the negative group [2.00 (0, 9.00)% vs.0 (0, 2.00)%, P<0.001].The proportion of minimal residual disease <0.1% on Day 15 in the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group was significantly higher than that in the negative group ( P=0.038).There were no significant differences in cumulative recurrence rate, treatment-related mortality (TRM), and overall survival (OS) between the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group and TCF3: : PBX1-negative group (all P>0.05).The cumulative recurrence risk of TCF3: : PBX1-positive patients was 9.646 times higher than that of ETV6: : RUNX1-positive patients with better prognosis( HR=9.646, 95% CI: 1.026-90.700, P=0.047).There were no significant differences in TRM and OS between TCF3: : PBX1-positive and ETV6: : RUNX1-positive patients (all P>0.05).A significant enrichment of PAX5 mutations was detected in TCF3: : PBX1-positive patients.Among the 7 high-risk TCF3: : PBX1-positive patients in a single center, 4 patients had PAX5 mutations, and this proportion was significantly higher than that in other patients ( P<0.001). Conclusions:B-ALL children carrying a TCF3: : PBX1 fusion gene have a high remission rate and good long-term prognosis after intensive chemotherapy.It is suggesting that TCF3: : PBX1-positive B-ALL patients should be rated at intermediate risk to receive intensive chemotherapy.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features and prognosis of acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) children carrying a TCF3: : PBX1 fusion gene and to evaluate the prognostic value of this gene.Methods:Retrospective cohort study.A total of 2 164 B-ALL children aged 0-18 years diagnosed and treated at 19 pediatric centers from October 2016 to June 2022 were enrolled.They were divided into the positive group and the negative group according to whether they carried a TCF3: : PBX1 fusion gene.The clinical characteristics, treatment response, adverse reactions, and prognosis of the 2 groups of patients were analyzed.The rank sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare two and more than two groups of numerical variables, respectively.Fisher′s exact test was used to compare categorical variables.Results:Among the 2 164 patients, 116 (5.4%) were TCF3: : PBX1 positive, of which 70 patients were female, accounting for 60.3%.There were 840 female patients in the TCF3: : PBX1-negative group, accounting for 41.0%.There was a significant difference in the ratio of females between the TCF3: : PBX1-positive and TCF3: : PBX1-negative groups ( P<0.001).No significant difference was observed in age of onset between the two groups( P>0.05).The proportion of bone marrow naive cells [54.00 (14.00, 76.50)% vs.29.00 (3.00, 68.00)%], white blood cell counts [25.30 (10.46, 60.94)×10 9/L vs.9.03 (4.38, 30.73)×10 9/L] and hemoglobin counts [82.00(63.00, 101.00) g/L vs.74.00(60.00, 90.00) g/L] in the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group were significantly higher than those in the negative group at the onset (all P<0.05).In terms of treatment response, the proportion of peripheral blood naive cells on Day 8 in the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group was significantly higher than that in the negative group [2.00 (0, 9.00)% vs.0 (0, 2.00)%, P<0.001].The proportion of minimal residual disease <0.1% on Day 15 in the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group was significantly higher than that in the negative group ( P=0.038).There were no significant differences in cumulative recurrence rate, treatment-related mortality (TRM), and overall survival (OS) between the TCF3: : PBX1-positive group and TCF3: : PBX1-negative group (all P>0.05).The cumulative recurrence risk of TCF3: : PBX1-positive patients was 9.646 times higher than that of ETV6: : RUNX1-positive patients with better prognosis( HR=9.646, 95% CI: 1.026-90.700, P=0.047).There were no significant differences in TRM and OS between TCF3: : PBX1-positive and ETV6: : RUNX1-positive patients (all P>0.05).A significant enrichment of PAX5 mutations was detected in TCF3: : PBX1-positive patients.Among the 7 high-risk TCF3: : PBX1-positive patients in a single center, 4 patients had PAX5 mutations, and this proportion was significantly higher than that in other patients ( P<0.001). Conclusions:B-ALL children carrying a TCF3: : PBX1 fusion gene have a high remission rate and good long-term prognosis after intensive chemotherapy.It is suggesting that TCF3: : PBX1-positive B-ALL patients should be rated at intermediate risk to receive intensive chemotherapy.

Osteoporotic distal radius fracture (ODRF), a common fragility fracture in elderly patients, poses a significant threat to patients′ life and health due to its high incidence and disability rate. Both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine have accumulated extensive clinical experience in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of ODRF. However, there is currently a lack of specific guideline on how to effectively integrate the strengths of the two medical systems. To standardize the collaborative diagnosis and treatment of ODRF using integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, the Clinical Practice Guideline Working Group for the clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic distal radius fracture through integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine was established in September 2024, led by the Third Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University of Chinese medicine (Kunming Hospital of Chinese Medicine) with the participation of many medical institutions across China. Protocol for the guideline was then formulated to detail each key aspect in the development of the guideline and explain the related procedures, aiming to ensure a standardized, orderly and transparent development.

Objective:To evaluate the role of minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring during early induction therapy for the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).Methods:This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. Clinical data of 1 164 ALL patients first diagnosed between October 2016 and June 2019 was collected from 16 hospitals in South China Children′s Leukemia Group. According to MRD assay on day 15 of early induction therapy, they were divided into MRD<0.10% group, MRD 0.10%-<10.00% group and MRD≥10.00% group. According to MRD assay on day 33, they were divided into MRD<0.01% group, MRD 0.01%-<1.00% group and MRD≥1.00% group. Age, onset white blood cell count, central nervous system leukemia (CNSL), molecular genetic characteristics and other data were compared between groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Cox regression model was used to analyze prognostic factors.Results:Of the 1 164 enrolled patients, there were 692 males and 472 females. The age of diagnosis was 4.7 (0.5, 17.4) years. The white blood cell count at initial diagnosis was 10.7 (0.4, 1 409.0) ×10 9/L. Among all patients, 53 cases (4.6%) had CNSL. The follow-up time was 47.6 (0.5, 68.8) months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were (93.1±0.8) % and (90.3±1.1) %. On day 15 of early induction therapy, there were 466 cases in the MRD<0.10% group, 523 cases in the MRD 0.10%-<10.00% group and 175 cases in the MRD≥10.00% group. The 5-year OS rates of the MRD<0.10% group, MRD 0.10%-<10.00% group and MRD≥10.00% group were (95.4±1.0) %, (93.3±1.1) %, (85.4±2.9) %, respectively, while the RFS rates were (93.2±1.6) %, (90.8±1.4) %, (78.9±4.3) %, respectively ( χ2=16.47, 21.06, both P<0.05). On day 33 of early induction therapy, there were 925 cases in the MRD <0.01% group, 164 cases in the MRD 0.01%-<1.00% group and 59 cases in the MRD≥1.00% group. The 5-year RFS rates in the MRD 0.01%-<1.00% group was lowest among three groups ((91.4±1.2) % vs. (84.5±3.2) % vs. (87.9±5.1) %). The difference between three groups is statistically significant ( χ2=9.11, P=0.010). Among ALL patients with MRD≥10.00% on day 15 of induction therapy, there were 80 cases in the MRD <0.01% group on day 33, 45 cases in the MRD 0.01%-<1.00% group on day 33 and 45 cases in the MRD≥1.00% group on day 33. The 5-year RFS rates of three groups were (83.9±6.0)%, (67.1±8.2)%, (83.3±6.9)% respectively ( χ2=6.90, P=0.032). Univariate analysis was performed in the MRD≥10.00% group on day 15 and the MRD 0.01%-<1.00% group on day 33.The 5-year RFS rate of children with CNSL was significantly lower than that without CNSL in the MRD≥10.00% group on day 15 ((50.0±20.4)% vs. (80.3±4.4)%, χ2=4.13, P=0.042). Patients with CNSL or MLL gene rearrangement in the MRD 0.01%-<1.00% group on day 33 had significant lower 5-year RFS rate compared to those without CNSL or MLL gene rearrangement ((50.0±25.0)% vs. (85.5±3.1)%, χ2=4.06, P=0.044;(58.3±18.6)% vs. (85.7±3.2)%, χ2=9.44, P=0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that age ( OR=0.58, 95% CI 0.35-0.97) and white blood cell count at first diagnosis ( OR=0.43, 95% CI 0.27-0.70) were independent risk factors for OS. The MRD level on day 15 ( OR=0.55,95% CI 0.31-0.97), ETV6-RUNX1 fusion gene ( OR=0.13,95% CI 0.03-0.54), MLL gene rearrangement ( OR=2.55,95% CI 1.18-5.53) and white blood cell count at initial diagnosis ( OR=0.52,95% CI 0.33-0.81) were independent prognostic factors for RFS. Conclusions:The higher the level of MRD in early induction therapy, the worse the OS. The MRD levels on day 15 is an independent prognostic factor for RFS.The MRD in early induction therapy guided accurate risk stratification and individualized treatment can improve the survival rate of pediatric ALL.

Fe-based γ-cyclodextrin nanoparticles(Fe-γ-CD)with peroxidase-like activity were successfully synthesized through a solvothermal approach for establishing a simple and sensitive sarcosine(SAR)assay method.Fe-γ-CD could catalyze the oxidation of colorless 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine(TMB)to blue oxidized TMB(oxTMB)in the presence of H2O2,accompanied by a characteristic absorption peak centered at 652 nm.The effects of reaction conditions were investigated,and the catalytic mechanism as well as the steady-state kinetics were analyzed.Fe-γ-CD could catalyze H2O2 to generate hydroxyl radical,singlet oxygen and superoxide radical,these reactive oxygen species with robust oxidizability further oxidized TMB.This process followed a typical Michaelis-Menten kinetic model.With the assistance of sarcosine oxidase(SOx),SAR was hydrolyzed into H2O2 to trigger Fe-γ-CD catalyzed chromogenic reaction,resulting in deepened color and increased absorbance.The degree of colorimetric signal change was related to SAR concentration and thus SAR could be quantitatively detected.The linear range and detection limit were 1.0-70.0 μmol/L and 0.46 μmol/L,respectively.Typical amino acids and metal ions had no obvious interference on SAR detection,indicating a good selectivity.The method was successfully applied to determination of SAR level in serum with satisfactory results.

Purpose: The risk stratification of pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) has not been standardized. In this study, new risk factors were included to establish a new risk stratification system for ALCL, and its feasibility in clinical practice was explored. Materials and Methods: On the basis of the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma Berlin–Frankfurt–Munster 95 (NHL-BFM-95) protocol, patients with minimal disseminated disease (MDD), high-risk tumor site (multiple bone, skin, liver, and lung involvement), and small cell/lymphohistiocytic (SC/LH) pathological subtype were enrolled in risk stratification. Patients were treated with a modified NHL-BFM-95 protocol combined with an anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor or vinblastine (VBL). Results: A total of 136 patients were enrolled in this study. The median age was 8.8 years. The 3-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival of the entire cohort were 77.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 69.0% to 83.9%) and 92.3% (95% CI, 86.1% to 95.8%), respectively. The 3-year EFS rates of low-risk group (R1), intermediate-risk group (R2), and high-risk group (R3) patients were 100%, 89.5% (95% CI, 76.5% to 95.5%), and 67.9% (95% CI, 55.4% to 77.6%), respectively. The prognosis of patients with MDD (+), stage IV cancer, SC/LH lymphoma, and high-risk sites was poor, and the 3-year EFS rates were 45.3% (95% CI, 68.6% to 19.0%), 65.7% (95% CI, 47.6% to 78.9%), 55.7% (95% CI, 26.2% to 77.5%), and 70.7% (95% CI, 48.6% to 84.6%), respectively. At the end of follow-up, one of the five patients who received maintenance therapy with VBL relapsed, and seven patients receiving anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor maintenance therapy did not experience relapse. Conclusion This study has confirmed the poor prognostic of MDD (+), high-risk site and SC/LH, but patients with SC/LH lymphoma and MDD (+) at diagnosis still need to receive better treatment (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03971305).

Child ; Humans ; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Anti-Retroviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; HIV Infections/epidemiology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use*

Objective:To investigate the difference of urinary protein components in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia (PE) with different degrees of proteinuria and the correlation between 24-hour urinary protein quantification and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).Methods:Clinical data of 101 PE pregnant women who were delivered in Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from July 2018 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to 24-hour urinary protein quantification, they were divided into 3 groups, including 40 cases of mild proteinuria group (24-hour urinary protein quantification ≤2.0 g), 21 cases of moderate proteinuria group (2.0 g<24-hour urinary protein quantification ≤5.0 g), 40 cases of severe proteinuria group (24-hour urinary protein quantification >5.0 g). The general clinical data, urinary protein index and renal function index of PE pregnant women in 3 groups were compared. The eGFR was calculated based on age, serum creatinine (sCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum albumin (sAlb). Correlation analysis was conducted between 24-hour urinary protein quantification and each index of eGFR.Results:(1) General clinical data: the median PE onset week (31 weeks) and delivery gestational week [(36.4±3.6) weeks] of PE pregnant women in the mild proteinuria group were later than those in the moderate proteinuria group [median PE onset: 22 weeks, delivery: (32.2±4.2) weeks] and severe proteinuria group [median PE onset: 25 weeks, delivery: (29.6±3.4) weeks]; systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase levels and the incidence of fetal growth restriction were lower than those in the moderate and severe proteinuria groups; median newborn birth weight (3 150 g) was higher than those in the moderate proteinuria group (1 305 g) and the severe proteinuria group (1 042 g), respectively. The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). (2) Urinary protein index: the 24-hour urinary protein quantification, urinary microalbumin (mAlb) and urinary transferrin (TRF) levels of PE pregnant women in the mild proteinuria group, moderate proteinuria group and severe proteinuria group were increased successively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The median urinary α1-microglobulin (α1-MG) level of PE pregnant women in the severe proteinuria group (50 mg/L) was significantly higher than those in the mild proteinuria group (17 mg/L) and moderate proteinuria group (22 mg/L; all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the mild proteinuria group and the moderate proteinuria group ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the median urinary β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) level among the 3 groups ( P=0.632). (3) Renal function index: sAlb and eGFR of PE pregnant women in the mild proteinuria group, moderate proteinuria group and severe proteinuria group were successively decreased, and BUN was successively increased, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The sCr level of PE pregnant women in the severe proteinuria group was significantly higher than those in the mild proteinuria group and the moderate proteinuria group (all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the mild proteinuria group and the moderate proteinuria group ( P>0.05). (4) Correlation analysis: the 24-hour urinary protein quantification of PE pregnant women was significantly negatively correlated with eGFR ( r=-0.645, P<0.001), and was correlated with the variables sAlb ( r=-0.549, P<0.001), sCr ( r=0.582, P<0.001) and BUN ( r=-0.657, P<0.001) in the eGFR calculation formula. The 24-hour urinary protein quantification were significantly negatively correlated with the gestational weeks of PE onset, gestational weeks of termination of pregnancy and newborn birth weight (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The protein composition in the urine of PE pregnant women with different degrees of proteinuria is not different, but the protein level is significantly different. There is a significant negative correlation between the increase of 24-hour urinary protein quantification and the decrease of eGFR.