Objective This study reports on the obligatory parasitism of water mites Arrenurus sp. on Anopheles messeae at the Manzhouli Port, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods Duing July 2024, a survey on the mosquito diversity was conducted at the Manzhouli Port. Captured mosquitoes and their ectoparasites were identified to species level. Results A total of 1840 adult mosquitoes were collected, representing species from three genera: Culex(Cx. modestus, Cx. pipiens pallens), Aedes(Ae. dorsalis, Ae. flavidorsalis, Ae. flavescens), and Anopheles (An. messeae). Among all the mosqutioes specimens,3 out of 150 captured An. messeae were found to carry ectoparasitic mites, with number of 2,4,27 mites separately. Morphological and molecular identification reached the same result as water mites(Hydrachnidiae, Hydracrina). COI gene sequence showed 94% similarity with the closest species Arrenurus truncatellus. Conlusions Literature review suggests water mites are host-specific parasitism of mosquito species and herein with the first record of Arrenurus sp. parasiting on An. Messeae in the most high-latitude region globally.

Nitrofurazone(NFZ)is an antibiotic that is used as a veterinary drug in aquaculture.NFZ abuse can lead to a series of environmental and health issues,making it crucial to establish a rapid and highly sensitive method for NFZ detection.In this study,platinum nanoparticle(PtNPs)-loaded zeolitic imidazolate framework(ZIF-8)was used as a precursor,and PtNPs functionalized nitrogen doped porous carbon(NC)was obtained through pyrolysis.Pt@NC was combined with multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs)and cast onto a glassy carbon electrode(GCE)surface to construct an electroch-emical sensor.Electrochemical tests revealed that Pt@NC/WCNT/GCE exhibited an electrochemical active area of 0.066 cm2 and a heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant(k0)of 2.03×10-3 cm/s,which were higher than other materials.Compared with the electrodes modified by other materials,the NFZ generated the highest peak current of irreversible reduction peak on the Pt@NC/WCNT/GCE electrode.In comparison with Pt@ZIF-8/WCNT/GCE,after pyrolysis and carbonization treatment,the reduction current of NFZ increased by 2.19 times,and the reduction peak potential shifted positively by 19 mV simultaneously.When compared with NC/WCNT/GCE,the PtNPs in the composite material enhanced the NFZ current by 4.25 times.Additionally,the experimental conditions for detecting NFZ using the sensor were optimized,including the carbonization temperature of Pt@ZIF-8,ratio of Pt@NC to CNT,loading amount of the modified material,and electrolyte pH.Under the optimized conditions,the sensor demonstrated a linear detection range for NFZ of 0.20-240 μmol/L,a sensitivity of 9.995 μA/((μmol/L)?cm2)and a limit of detection(LOD)of 0.06 μmol/L.The sensor exhibited excellent anti-interference capability,good reproducibility,and stability,with spiked recoveries for NFZ in water samples ranging from 94.6%to 105.6%.This study provided a novel electrochemical sensing approach for NFZ detection.

Objective::To analyze fetal renal abnormality genetic features and the prenatal characteristics of the 17q12 microdeletion syndrome.Methods::This prospective cohort study examined prenatal ultrasound findings of renal abnormalities in pregnant women who underwent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array or copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) testing on amniotic fluid or fetal tissue at Tianjin Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital between January 2016 and August 2022. The study cohort comprised women with advanced maternal age, fetal ultrasound anomalies, high-risk non-invasive prenatal testing results, or suspected 17q12 microdeletion syndrome. Comprehensive clinical data, including maternal age, detailed ultrasound findings, and pregnancy outcomes, were systematically collected. SNP-array analysis was conducted using an Affymetrix CytoScan 750 K Array Chip to identify CNVs and loss of heterozygosity, while CNV-seq was performed on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. Detected variants were classified according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 27.0.Results::Abnormal renal development was identified in 141 patients, among whom 26 exhibited hyperechogenic kidneys (HCK). Of these, 12 cases were associated with 17q12 microdeletion syndrome, while the remaining 14 were linked to other chromosomal abnormalities. When excluding patients with HCK, those diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease demonstrated a higher prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities compared to those with multicystic dysplastic kidney and renal dysplasia. Although isolated conditions such as horseshoe kidney, hydronephrosis, ectopic kidney, and unilateral kidney typically presented with normal chromosomal findings, the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities increased when these conditions coexisted with other anomalies. A detailed analysis of the correlation between 17q12 microdeletion syndrome and HCK revealed that 12 out of the 14 patients diagnosed with 17q12 microdeletion syndrome exhibited HCK. Genetic testing confirmed the syndrome in seven patients, with five cases attributed to novel mutations and two cases resulting from inherited mutations.Conclusion::Fetal HCK was closely associated with the 17q12 microdeletion syndrome, and polycystic kidney disease showed a higher rate of chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosome test results were mostly normal in patients with other renal abnormalities, such as kidney dysplasia, horseshoe kidneys, hydronephrosis, kidney deficiency, and ectopic kidneys. Prenatal diagnosis is recommended, especially in cases of non-isolated fetal renal abnormalities. This study provides strong evidence supporting a link between fetal renal abnormalities and genetic syndromes.

In modern society, sugary foods have become an integral part of many people′s lives. However, excessive sugar consumption has adverse effects on both overall health and oral health, serving as a contributing factor to the global increasing incidence in oral diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, obesity, and diabetes. In response to the health risks related to high-sugar diets, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Dental Federation (FDI) have proposed initiatives and recommendations, with various governments implementing different policies and strategies to reduce sugar intake. Chinese government has also taken proactive measures. The "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" initiative introduced by the State Council in 2019 established a crucial benchmark in limiting the average daily intake of added sugar to 25 g per person forward to 2030. Experts from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the field of oral health have meticulously examined the impacts of sugar reduction on oral health, as well as strategies, methods, and practical considerations related to reducing sugar intake through several meeting and wrote the "Expert consensus: reducing free-sugar for caries prevention", which was subsequently reviewed and revised based on the feedback from multiple stakeholders. They have conducted thorough analyses of global trends in sugar reduction and best practices to provide valuable insights to China for crafting effective policies and strategies on sugar reduction. This consensus mainly includes the classification of free sugars, the latest scientific evidence on dental caries, recommendations from WHO on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, nutrition labeling, advertising, food reform, adjusting supply systems, education, and promotion strategies, as well as sugar reduction actions taken by various governments around the world. Combining the actual situation in China, policy recommendations and authoritative popular science knowledge on sugar reduction for caries prevention to public are proposed to advocate for experts in multiple fields to focus on sugar reduction for caries prevention, promote the work process, and provide the scientific basis for oral health educators.

To verify whether the two B-cell epitopes Pep1 and Pep4 in the FAdV-4 WZ fiber can be used as candidate epitopes for multivalent epitope vaccines,epitopes Pep1 and Pep4 were tandemly linked with the chicken infectious bronchitis virus strain M41 S1 protein gene in different patterns,and a recombinant fusion plasmid was constructed and expressed in E.coli BL21(DE3).It was confirmed by Western blot and ELISA tests that all four expressed fusion proteins reacted specific-ally with anti-M41 whole virus serum and WZ strain anti-Fiber 2-knob protein serum.After purifi-cation and immunization of BALB/c mice,specific antibodies against the peptide epitopes were de-tected in mouse sera.The results showed that the Pep4 epitope induced a stronger immune re-sponse than the Pep1 epitope.When Pep1 was connected with the amino and carboxyl termini of the fusion protein,respectively,both resulted in the production of the same level of anti-Pep1 anti-bodies in the immunized animals,whereas when Pep4 was connected with the carboxyl terminus of the fusion protein,the immunized animals produced a higher level of anti-Pep4-specific antibodies.This research indicates that the B cell epitopes Pep1 and Pep4 of the reactive WZ strain Fiber 2,when conjugated with proteins to form fusion proteins,can enhance the immunogenicity of Pep1 and Pep4 without affecting the antigenicity of the carrier protein.This study provides technical support and serves as a reference for the design and development of a multivalent epitope vaccine for FAdV-4.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics, co-mutated genes in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with NRAS and KRAS gene mutations, and the impact of NRAS and KRAS mutations on prognosis. METHODS: The clinical data and next-generation sequencing results of 80 newly diagnosed AML patients treated at our hospital from December 2018 to December 2023 were collected. The clinical characteristics, co-mutated genes of NRAS and KRAS , and the impact of NRAS and KRAS mutations on prognosis in newly diagnosed AML patients were analyzed. RESULTS: Among 80 newly diagnosed AML patients, NRAS mutations were detected in 20 cases(25.0%), and KRAS mutations were detected in 9 cases(11.3%). NRAS mutations predominantly occurred at codons 12 and 13 of exon 2, as well as codon 61 of exon 3, while KRAS mutations were most commonly occurred at codons 12 and 13 of exon 2, all of which were missense mutations. There were no statistically significant differences observed in terms of age, sex, white blood cell count(WBC), hemoglobin(Hb), platelet count(PLT), bone marrow blasts, first induction chemotherapy regimen, CR1/CRi1 rates, chromosome karyotype, 2022 ELN risk classification and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT) among the NRAS mutation group, KRAS mutation group and NRAS/KRAS wild-type group (P >0.05). KRAS mutations were significantly correlated with PTPN11 mutations (r =0.344), whereas no genes significantly associated with NRAS mutations were found. Survival analysis showed that compared to the NRAS/KRAS wild-type group, patients with NRAS mutation had a relatively higher 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and relapse-free survival (RFS) rate, though the differences were not statistically significant (P =0.097, P =0.249). Compared to the NRAS/KRAS wild-type group, patients with KRAS mutation had a lower 5-year OS rate and RFS rate, with no significant differences observed (P =0.275, P =0.442). There was no significant difference in the 5-year RFS rate between the KRAS mutation group and NRAS mutation group (P =0.157), but the 5-year OS rate of patients with KRAS mutation was significantly lower than that of patients with NRAS mutation (P =0.037). CONCLUSION In newly diagnosed AML patients, KRAS mutation was significantly correlated with PTPN11 mutation. Compared to patients with NRAS/KRAS wild-type, those with NRAS mutation showed a more favorable prognosis, while patients with KRAS mutation showed a poorer prognosis; however, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Notably, the prognosis of AML patients with KRAS mutation was significantly inferior compared to those with NRAS mutation.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/diagnosis* ; Mutation ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)/genetics* ; GTP Phosphohydrolases/genetics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in patients treated with PCI for chronic total occlusion (CTO) was still undetermined. METHODS: All CTO vessels treated with successful anatomical PCI in patients from PANDA III trial were retrospectively measured for post-PCI QFR. The primary outcome was 2-year vessel-oriented composite endpoints (VOCEs, composite of target vessel-related cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was conducted to identify optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting the 2-year VOCEs, and all vessels were stratified by this optimal cutoff value. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: Among 428 CTO vessels treated with PCI, 353 vessels (82.5%) were analyzable for post-PCI QFR. 31 VOCEs (8.7%) occurred at 2 years. Mean value of post-PCI QFR was 0.92 ± 0.13. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis shown the optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting 2-year VOCEs was 0.91. The incidence of 2-year VOCEs in the vessel with post-PCI QFR < 0.91 (n = 91) was significantly higher compared with the vessels with post-PCI QFR ≥ 0.91 (n = 262) (22.0% vs. 4.2%, HR = 4.98, 95% CI: 2.32-10.70). CONCLUSIONS Higher post-PCI QFR values were associated with improved prognosis in the PCI practice for coronary CTO. Achieving functionally optimal PCI results (post-PCI QFR value ≥ 0.91) tends to get better prognosis for patients with CTO lesions.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the underlying pharmacological mechanisms and its potential effects of Chinese medicine herbal formula Sini Powder (SNP) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The active components of SNP and their in vivo distribution were identified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Construction of component-target-disease networks, protein-protein interaction network, Gene Ontology function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis, and molecular docking were employed to analyze the active components and anti-HCC mechanisms of SNP. Cell viability assay and wound healing assay were utilized to confirm the effect of SNP-containing serum (2.5%, 5.0%, 10%, 20%, and 40%), isoprenaline or propranolol (both 10, 100, and 1,000 µ mol/L) on proliferation and migration of HepG 2 or Huh7 cells. Meanwhile, the effect of isoprenaline or propranolol on the β 2 adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) mRNA expression on HepG2 cells were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription (RT-qPCR). Mice with subcutaneous tumors were either subjected to chronic restraint stress (CRS) followed by SNP administration (364 mg/mL) or directly treated with SNP (364 mg/mL). These two parallel experiments were performed to validate the effects of SNP on stress responses. Stress-related proteins and hormones were quantified using RT-qPCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and immunohistochemistry. Metagenomic sequencing was performed to confirm the influence of SNP on the gut microbiota in the tumor-bearing CRS mice. RESULTS: The distribution of the 12 active components of SNP was confirmed in various tissues and feces. Network pharmacology analysis confirmed the anti-HCC effects of the 5 active components. The potential anti-HCC mechanisms of SNP may involve the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src (SRC) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathways. SNP-containing serum inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and Huh7 cells at concentrations of 2.5% and 5.0%, respectively, after 24 h of treatment. Furthermore, SNP suppressed tumor progression in tumor-bearing mice exposed to CRS. SNP treatment also downregulated the expressions of stress-related proteins and pro-inflammatory cytokines, primarily by modulating the gut microbiota. Specifically, the abundance of Alistipes and Prevotella, which belong to the phylum Bacteroidetes, increased in the SNP-treated group, whereas Lachnospira, in the phylum Firmicutes, decreased. CONCLUSION SNP can combat HCC by alleviating stress responses through the regulation of gut microbiota.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Liver Neoplasms/microbiology* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Powders ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Mice ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Hep G2 Cells ; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/genetics* ; Stress, Physiological/drug effects* ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Male ; Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects* ; Cell Survival/drug effects* ; Proto-Oncogene Mas

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the common mechanisms among collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and CIA+BLM to evaluate the therapeutic effect of triptolide (TP) on CIA+BLM. METHODS: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups according to a random number table (n=6 per group): normal control (NC), CIA, BLM, combined CIA+BLM model, TP low-dose (TP-L, 0.0931 mg/kg), and TP high-dose (TP-H, 0.1862 mg/kg) groups. The CIA model was induced by intradermal injection at the base of the tail with emulsion of bovine type II collagen and incomplete Freund's adjuvant (1:1), with 200 µL administered on day 0 and a booster of 100 µL on day 7. Pulmonary fibrosis was induced via a single intratracheal injection of BLM (5 mg/kg). The CIA+BLM model combined both protocols, and TP was administered orally from day 14 to 35. After successful modeling, arthritis scores were recorded every 3 days, and pulmonary function was assessed once at the end of the treatment period. Lung tissues were collected for histological analysis (hematoxylin eosin and Masson staining), immunohistochemistry, measurement of hydroxyproline (HYP) content, and calculation of lung coefficient. In addition, HE staining was performed on the ankle joint. Total RNA was extracted from lung tissues for transcriptomic analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared with those from the RA-associated interstitial lung diseases patient dataset GSE199152 to identify overlapping genes, which were then used to construct a protein-protein interaction network. Hub genes were identified using multiple topological algorithms. RESULTS: The successfully established CIA+BLM rat model exhibited significantly increased arthritis scores and severe pulmonary fibrosis (P<0.01). By intersecting the DEGs obtained from transcriptomic analysis of lung tissues in CIA, BLM, and CIA+BLM rats with DEGs from rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease patients (GSE199152 dataset), 50 upregulated and 44 downregulated genes were identified. Through integrated PPI network analysis using multiple topological algorithms, IGF1 was identified as a central hub gene. TP intervention significantly improved pulmonary function by increasing peak inspiratory flow (P<0.01), and reduced lung index and HYP content (P<0.01). Histopathological analysis showed that TP alleviated alveolar collapse, interstitial thickening, and collagen deposition in the lung tissues (P<0.01). Moreover, TP treatment reduced the expression of collagen type I and α-SMA and increased E-cadherin levels (P<0.01). TP also significantly reduced arthritis scores and ameliorated synovial inflammation (P<0.05). Both transcriptomic and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed that IGF1 expression was elevated in the CIA+BLM group and downregulated following TP treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION TP exerts protective effects in the CIA+BLM model by alleviating arthritis and pulmonary fibrosis through the inhibition of IGF1-mediated EMT.
Animals ; Pulmonary Fibrosis/complications* ; Bleomycin/adverse effects* ; Phenanthrenes/pharmacology* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Diterpenes/pharmacology* ; Epoxy Compounds/therapeutic use* ; Arthritis, Experimental/complications* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism* ; Rats ; Lung/physiopathology*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets