OBJECTIVES: To investigate the molecular epidemiology of children with phenylketonuria (PKU) in Gansu, China, providing foundational data for intervention strategies. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 159 PKU families who attended Gansu Provincial Maternity and Child Care Hospital from January 2012 to December 2024. Sanger sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, whole exome sequencing, and deep intronic variant analysis were used to analyze the PAH gene. RESULTS: For the 1 159 children with PKU, 2 295 variants were identified in 2 318 alleles, resulting in a detection rate of 99.01%. The detection rates were 100% (914/914) in 457 classic PKU families, 99.45% (907/912) in 456 mild PKU families, and 96.34% (474/492) in 246 mild hyperphenylalaninemia families. The 2 295 variants detected comprised 208 distinct mutation types, among which c.728G>A (14.95%, 343/2 295) had the highest frequency, followed by c.611A>G (4.88%, 112/2 295) and c.721C>T (4.79%, 110/2 295). The cumulative frequency of the top 23 hotspot variants reached 70.28% (1 613/2 295), and most variant alleles were detected in exon 7 (29.19%, 670/2 295). CONCLUSIONS Deep intronic variant analysis of the PAH gene can improve the genetic diagnostic rate of PKU. The development of targeted detection kits for PAH hotspot variants may enable precision screening programs and enhance preventive strategies for PKU.
Humans ; Phenylketonurias/epidemiology* ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Phenylalanine Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Mutation ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Child ; Infant

OBJECTIVE: To explore the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of neferine in the context of angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction. METHODS: Male mice were infused with Ang II to induce hypertension and randomly divided into treatment groups receiving neferine or a control vehicle based on baseline blood pressure using a random number table method. The hypertensive mouse model was constructed by infusing Ang II via a micro-osmotic pump (500 ng/kg per minute), and neferine (0.1, 1, or 10 mg/kg), valsartan (10 mg/kg), or double distilled water was administered intragastrically once daily for 6 weeks. A non-invasive blood pressure system, ultrasound, and hematoxylin and eosin staining were performed to assess blood pressure and vascular changes. RNA sequencing and network pharmacology were employed to identify differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) and pathways. Vascular ring tension assay was used to test vascular function. A7R5 cells were incubated with neferine for 24 h and then treated with Ang II to record the real-time Ca²⁺ concentration by confocal microscope. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot were used to evaluate vasorelaxation, calcium, and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway. RESULTS: Neferine treatment effectively mitigated the elevation in blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, aortic thickening in the abdominal aorta of Ang II-infused mice (P<0.05). RNA sequencing and network pharmacology analysis identified 355 DETs that were significantly reversed by neferine treatment, along with 25 potential target genes, which were further enriched in multiple pathways and biological processes, such as ERK1 and ERK2 cascade regulation, calcium pathway, and vascular smooth muscle contraction. Further investigation revealed that neferine treatment enhanced vasorelaxation and reduced Ca²⁺-dependent contraction of abdominal aortic rings, independent of endothelium function (P<0.05). The underlying mechanisms were mediated, at least in part, via suppression of receptor-operated channels, store-operated channels, or voltage-operated calcium channels. Neferine pre-treatment demonstrated a reduction in intracellular Ca²⁺ release in Ang II stimulated A7R5 cells. IHC staining and Western blot confirmed that neferine treatment effectively attenuated the upregulation of p-ERK1/2 both in vivo and in vitro, which was similar with treatment of ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Neferine remarkably alleviates Ang II-induced elevation of blood pressure, vascular dysfunction, and pathological changes in the abdominal aorta. This beneficial effect is mediated by the modulation of multiple pathways, including calcium and ERK1/2 pathways.
Animals ; Angiotensin II ; Male ; Benzylisoquinolines/therapeutic use* ; Network Pharmacology ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Mice ; Hypertension/chemically induced* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Calcium/metabolism*

Objective Based on nuclear factor E2 associated factor 2(NRF2)/PTEN induced hypothesized kinase 1(PINK1)pathway,explored the ameliorating effect of rutaecarpine on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)rats and its repairing effect on airway epithelial barrier.Methods COPD rat model were established by smoke combined with airway infusion of lipopolysaccharide;and were randomly divided into model group,control group,and experimental-L group,experimental-M group,experimental-H group,10 rats per group.Another 10 normal rats were selected as the normal group.Experimental-L,-M,-H groups were intraperitoneally injected 15,30 and 60 mg·mL-1 rutaecarpine at the dose of 10 mL·kg-1,respectively.The control group was received 4.05 x 10-2 mg·mL-1 prednisone acetate at the dose of 10 mL·kg-1 by gavage.The normal and model groups were given 0.9％NaCl by intraperitoneal injection.Six groups were treated for 28 days with once a day.The first second forced expiratory volume(FEV1)and forced vital capacity(FVC)of rats were measured by minor animal lung function tester.The levels of interleukin(IL)and interferon-γ(INF-γ)in alveolar lavage fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.The expression levels of PINK1 and NRF2 proteins in the lung tissue were determined by Western blot.Results The levels of FEV1 in the experimental-M group,experimental-H group,control group,model group and normal group were(5.17±0.16),(6.36±0.12),(5.06±0.07),(2.24±0.20)and(6.84±0.11)mL;the levels of FVC were(6.71±0.13),(7.56±0.12),(6.81±0.07),(4.46±0.14)and(7.92±0.11)mL;the levels of IL-12 in alveolar lavage fluid were(7.08±0.51),(9.03±0.54),(7.92±0.79),(3.61±1.01)and(10.15±0.82)pg·mL-1;the levels of IL-9 in alveolar lavage fluid were(22.49±2.27),(15.02±1.41),(17.47±1.84),(38.72±1.28)and(11.78±0.94)pg·mL-1;the levels of INF-γ in alveolar lavage fluid were(13.18±0.54),(16.25±0.60),(15.23±0.43),(6.97±0.89)and(17.22±1.15)pg·mL-1;the relative expression levels of PINK1 protein were 1.10±0.06,1.30±0.09,1.18±0.15,0.42±0.03 and 1.61±0.05;the relative expression levels of NRF2 protein were 0.91±0.05,1.46±0.03,1.35±0.07,0.53±0.07 and 1.64±0.11,respectively.The differences of above indexes were statistically significant between the experimental-M group,experimental-H group,control group and the model group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Rutaecarpine can inhibit inflammation,improve lung function and repair airway epithelial barrier in COPD rats,and its mechanism may be related to regulating NRF2/PINK1 pathway.

Aim To explore the mechanism of luteolin in alleviating hepatic fibrosis.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group,CCl4 group,silybin group(100 mg·kg-1)and luteo-lin group(100 mg·kg-1).After 10-week modeling and 2-week treatment,the serum levels of aminotrans-ferase and liver histopathology were examined.Hepatic fibrosis and autophagy-related gene expression were as-sessed using immunohistochemistry and immunofluores-cence.Human hepatic stellate cell line(LX2)was cultured and divided into control,TGF-β1(10 mg·L-1),TGF-β1+silybin(40 μmol·L-1),TGF-β1+luteolin(40 μmol·L-1).Fibrotic and autophagy-re-lated markers were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR,Western blot,immunofluorescence and MDC staining.Results Compared with the CCl4 group,the treatment groups showed significantly improved liver function and reduced hepatic fibrosis,with markedly downregulated COL1A1 and α-SMA expression,and luteolin demonstrated superior efficacy.Compared with TGF-β1 group,luteolin treatment significantly de-creased mRNA levels of COL1A1,ACTA2 and MAP1LC3B,while increasing the mRNA level of SQSTM1,the protein levels of COL1A1 and α-SMA de-creased,p62 was enhanced,the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio was downregulated,and autophagy was reduced.These effects of luteolin were reversed by autophagy inducer rapamycin.Conclusion Luteolin alleviates liver fi-brosis by decreasing the autophagy of hepatic stellate cells.

Objective Based on nuclear factor E2 associated factor 2(NRF2)/PTEN induced hypothesized kinase 1(PINK1)pathway,explored the ameliorating effect of rutaecarpine on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)rats and its repairing effect on airway epithelial barrier.Methods COPD rat model were established by smoke combined with airway infusion of lipopolysaccharide;and were randomly divided into model group,control group,and experimental-L group,experimental-M group,experimental-H group,10 rats per group.Another 10 normal rats were selected as the normal group.Experimental-L,-M,-H groups were intraperitoneally injected 15,30 and 60 mg·mL-1 rutaecarpine at the dose of 10 mL·kg-1,respectively.The control group was received 4.05 x 10-2 mg·mL-1 prednisone acetate at the dose of 10 mL·kg-1 by gavage.The normal and model groups were given 0.9％NaCl by intraperitoneal injection.Six groups were treated for 28 days with once a day.The first second forced expiratory volume(FEV1)and forced vital capacity(FVC)of rats were measured by minor animal lung function tester.The levels of interleukin(IL)and interferon-γ(INF-γ)in alveolar lavage fluid were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.The expression levels of PINK1 and NRF2 proteins in the lung tissue were determined by Western blot.Results The levels of FEV1 in the experimental-M group,experimental-H group,control group,model group and normal group were(5.17±0.16),(6.36±0.12),(5.06±0.07),(2.24±0.20)and(6.84±0.11)mL;the levels of FVC were(6.71±0.13),(7.56±0.12),(6.81±0.07),(4.46±0.14)and(7.92±0.11)mL;the levels of IL-12 in alveolar lavage fluid were(7.08±0.51),(9.03±0.54),(7.92±0.79),(3.61±1.01)and(10.15±0.82)pg·mL-1;the levels of IL-9 in alveolar lavage fluid were(22.49±2.27),(15.02±1.41),(17.47±1.84),(38.72±1.28)and(11.78±0.94)pg·mL-1;the levels of INF-γ in alveolar lavage fluid were(13.18±0.54),(16.25±0.60),(15.23±0.43),(6.97±0.89)and(17.22±1.15)pg·mL-1;the relative expression levels of PINK1 protein were 1.10±0.06,1.30±0.09,1.18±0.15,0.42±0.03 and 1.61±0.05;the relative expression levels of NRF2 protein were 0.91±0.05,1.46±0.03,1.35±0.07,0.53±0.07 and 1.64±0.11,respectively.The differences of above indexes were statistically significant between the experimental-M group,experimental-H group,control group and the model group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Rutaecarpine can inhibit inflammation,improve lung function and repair airway epithelial barrier in COPD rats,and its mechanism may be related to regulating NRF2/PINK1 pathway.

Aim To explore the mechanism of luteolin in alleviating hepatic fibrosis.Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group,CCl4 group,silybin group(100 mg·kg-1)and luteo-lin group(100 mg·kg-1).After 10-week modeling and 2-week treatment,the serum levels of aminotrans-ferase and liver histopathology were examined.Hepatic fibrosis and autophagy-related gene expression were as-sessed using immunohistochemistry and immunofluores-cence.Human hepatic stellate cell line(LX2)was cultured and divided into control,TGF-β1(10 mg·L-1),TGF-β1+silybin(40 μmol·L-1),TGF-β1+luteolin(40 μmol·L-1).Fibrotic and autophagy-re-lated markers were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR,Western blot,immunofluorescence and MDC staining.Results Compared with the CCl4 group,the treatment groups showed significantly improved liver function and reduced hepatic fibrosis,with markedly downregulated COL1A1 and α-SMA expression,and luteolin demonstrated superior efficacy.Compared with TGF-β1 group,luteolin treatment significantly de-creased mRNA levels of COL1A1,ACTA2 and MAP1LC3B,while increasing the mRNA level of SQSTM1,the protein levels of COL1A1 and α-SMA de-creased,p62 was enhanced,the LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ ratio was downregulated,and autophagy was reduced.These effects of luteolin were reversed by autophagy inducer rapamycin.Conclusion Luteolin alleviates liver fi-brosis by decreasing the autophagy of hepatic stellate cells.

Objective To explore the relevant risk factors of H.pylori infection,and provide reference for prevention and treatment of H.pylori in this area,and further provide theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer.Methods A total of 1200 residents in four districts of Haikou city were investigated by questionnaire and urea 14 C breath test by holistic stratified random sampling to calculate the population infection rate and analyze the risk factors of infection.Results The total infection rate was 32.5％,which was lower than the national H.pylori infection rate.No consumption of fruits and vegetables,no habit of washing hands before meals,and people with gastrointestinal symptoms,are independent risk factors of H.pylori infection.No consumption of pickled products is of great significance to prevent H.pylori infection.Conclusion The prevalence of H.pylori infection in the population of Haikou is lower than the national average,and H.pylori infection is closely related to the poor living habits of residents.

Objective To explore clinical effect of manipulation reduction combined with vertebral plasty on osteoporotic compression fractures(OVCFs).Methods Totally 61 patients with OVCFs treated from January 2022 to March 2024 were randomly divided into self-made spinal locator positioning with manipulation reduction group(treatment group)and traditional Kirchner positioning group(control group).There were 30 patients in treatment group,including 4 males and 26 females,aged from 61 to 87 years old with an average of(73.61±7.17)years old;body mass index(BMI)ranged from 15.24 to 28.89 kg·m-2 with an average of(23.90±3.20)kg·m-2;bone mineral density T value ranged from-4.90 to-2.50 SD with an avergae of(-3.43±0.75)SD;fracture to operation time was 6.50(4.00,10.25)d;10 patients were grade Ⅰ,13 patients were grade Ⅱ,and 7 patients were grade Ⅲ according to Genant classification of fracture compression.There were 31 patients in control group,in-cluding 7 males and 24 females,aged from 61 to 89 years old with an average of(73.63±8.77)years old;BMI ranged from 18.43 to 27.06 kg·m-2 with an average of(23.67±2.35)kg·m-2;bone mineral density T value ranged from-4.60 to-2.50 SD with an avergae of(-3.30±0.68)SD;fracture to operation time was 6.00(3.00,8.00)d;1l patients were grade Ⅰ,9 patients were grade Ⅱ,and 11 patients were grade Ⅲ according to Genant classification of fracture compression.The puncture times,X-ray fluoroscopy times and puncture time between two groups were observed and compared.Visual analogue scale(VAS),Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)and timed up and go test(TUGT)were observed and compared before operation,3 d and 1 month after operation.Results All patients were followed up for 1 to 3 months with an average of(2.10±0.80)months.Puncture times,X-ray fluorosecopy times and puncture time in treatment group were 5.00(4.00,6.00)times,(29.53±5.89)times and 14.83(12.42,21.20)min,respectively,while those in control group were 7.00(6.00,8.00)times,(34.58±5.33)times,22.19(17.33,27.01)min,treatment group was better than those of control group(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in preoperative VAS,JOA and TUGT between two groups(P＞0.05).VAS,JOA and TUGT in both groups were sig-nificantly improved after opeation(P＜0.05).On the third day after operation,JOA score of treatment group was 23.00(20.75,25.00),which was higher than that of control group 20.00(19.00,23.00)(P＜0.05).TUGT of treatment group was 6.26(5.86,6.57)s,which was better than that of control group 6.90(6.80,7.14)s(P＜0.05).Bone cement leakage occurred with 1 patient in treatment group and 2 patients in control group.Conclusion The optimal scheme of self-made spinal locators for lo-cating descending verteboplasty combined with traditional Chinese medicine reduction manipulation for OVCF patients could reduce the number of intraoperative puncture times,shorten puncture times and reduce number of X-ray fluoroscopy times,and have advantages over the simple positioning of Kirschn's needle in restoring short-term lumbar function and standing and walk-ing ability of postoperative patients.

The effect of porcine SIRT5 on replication of foot and mouth disease virus type O(FMDV-O)and the underlying regulatory mechanism were investigated.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were employed to monitor expression of endoge-nous SIRT5 in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O.Three pairs of SIRT5-specific siRNAs were synthesized.Changes to SIRT5 and FMDV-O protein and transcript levels,in addition to virus copy numbers,were measured by western blot and RT-qPCR analyses.PK-15 cells were transfected with a eukaryotic SIRT5 expression plasmid.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were used to explore the impact of SIRT5 overexpression on FMDV-O replication.Meanwhile,RT-qPCR analysis was used to detect the effect of SIRT5 overexpression on the mRNA expression levels of type I interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.The results showed that expression of SIRT5 was up-regulated in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O and siRNA interfered with SIRT5 to inhibit FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 overexpression promoted FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 over-expression decreased mRNA expression levels of interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.These results suggest that FMDV-O infection stimulated expression of SIRT5 in PK-15 cells,while SIRT5 promoted FMDV-O rep-lication by inhibiting production of type I interferon-stimula-ted genes.These findings provide a reference to further ex-plore the mechanism underlying the ability of porcine SIRT5 to promote FMDV-O replication.

Objective:To investigate the correlation of miR-155 expression with drug sensitivity of FLT3-ITD+acute myeloid leukemia(AML)cell line and its potential regulatory mechanism.Methods:By knocking out miR-155 gene in FLT3-ITD+AML cell line MV411 through CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology,monoclonal cells were screened.The genotype of these monoclonal cells was validated by PCR and Sanger sequencing.The expression of mature miRNA was measured by RT-qPCR.The treatment response of doxorubicin,quizartinib and midostaurin were measured by MTT assay and IC50 of these drugs were calculated to identify the sensitivity.Transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze change of mRNA level in MV411 cells after miR-155 knockout,gene set enrichment analysis to analyze change of signaling pathway,and Western blot to verify expressions of key molecules in signaling pathway.Results:Four heterozygotes with gene knockout and one heterozygote with gene insertion were obtained through PCR screening and Sanger sequencing.RT-qPCR results showed that the expression of mature miR-155 in the monoclonal cells was significantly lower than wild-type clones.MTT results showed that the sensitivity of MV411 cells to various anti FLT3-ITD+AML drugs increased significantly after miR-155 knockout compared with wild-type clones.RNA sequencing showed that the mTOR signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway were inhibited after miR-155 knockout.Western blot showed that the expressions of key molecules p-mTOR,Wnt5α and β-catenin in signaling pathway were down-regulated.Conclusion:Drug sensitivity of MV411 cells to doxorubicin,quizartinib and midostaurin can be enhanced significantly after miR-155 knockout,which is related to the inhibition of multiple signaling pathways including mTOR and Wnt signaling pathways.