OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression regulation of lipid metabolism gene ABHD5 in testes. METHODS: Differential gene analysis was performed by integrating databases of TCGA and GTEx to identify the target gene ABHD5. The expression trends of ABHD5 gene in testicular carcinoma tissue were analyzed. Human testis single-cell atlases were obtained from the Human Protein Atlas and Male Health Atlas databases to determine the expression distribution of ABHD5 across different testicular cell types. Additionally, the GTEx database was utilized to visualize the expression pattern of ABHD5 in the testis, thereby enhancing the understanding of its transcriptional profile. The relationship between ABHD5 expression and age was assessed through integrated database analysis. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were performed to detect differential expressions of ABHD5 in testicular tissues of young and aged mice respectively. RESULTS: The TCGA database indicated that the expression of ABHD5 in human testicular carcinoma tissue was significantly lower than that in normal testicular tissue which showed a negative correlation with patient survival. ABHD5 was highly expressed in germ cells of the testis reveaked from Human Protein Atlas and Male Health Atlas databases. The stability of ABHD5 protein was crucial for testicular tissue, and its expression decreased with age. Furthermore, Western blot and immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that ABHD5 expression in the testicular tissue of aged mice was significantly lower than that in young mice. CONCLUSION ABHD5 plays an important role in testicular tissue, and may be inseparable from testicular tumors and reproductive aging. However, its mechanism of action remains to be further studied.
Male ; Animals ; Mice ; Testis/metabolism* ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism/genetics* ; 1-Acylglycerol-3-Phosphate O-Acyltransferase/metabolism* ; Testicular Neoplasms/metabolism*

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

The main chemical components of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus and components in serum were analyzed and identified rapidly and precisely by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)technique in this study.The compounds were identified based on the relative molecular mass,fragmentation ions,and retention time of chromatographic peaks.A total of 36 kinds of chemical components were identified from Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus,including 28 kinds of saponins,3 kinds of amino acids,2 kinds of flavonoids,one kind of organosulfur compound,one kind of nucleoside,and one kind of hormone-lipid compound.In addition,8 kinds of compounds of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus were identified from the serum.Based on the intersection compounds of which detected in serum and screened out by TCMSP platform database,by using targeted network pharmacology and molecular docking technology,a"drug-component-target-pathway"association network was constructed.Naringenin,quercetin,macrostemonoside E and 25(R)-26-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-22-hydroxy-5β-furostan-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside were screened as the main active constituents of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.In addition,adenosine 5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK),tumor necrosis factor(TNF),vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA)and matrix metallopeptidase 9(MMP9)were the key action targets for Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in the treatment of hyperlipidemia.Molecular docking was performed using the main pharmacodynamic components and key action targets.The results indicated that all the four active components showed strongly bound to AMPK.This suggested that the regulation of lipid metabolism might be the key mechanism of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus in antihyperlipidemic effect.This study provided a data reference for the research on the pharmacodynamic components of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus,and provided a basis for the improvement of quality standard of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus.

Objective To investigate the age-related changes of the mandibular third molar root pulp visibility in individuals in East China,and to explore the feasibility of applying this method to deter-mine whether an individual is 18 years or older.Methods A total of 1 280 oral panoramic images were collected from the 15-30 years old East China population,and the mandibular third molar root pulp visibility in all oral panoramic images was evaluated using OLZE 0-3 four-stage method,and the age distribution of the samples at each stage was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results Stages 0,1,2 and 3 first appeared in 16.88,19.18,21.91 and 25.44 years for males and in 17.47,20.91,22.01 and 26.01 years for females.In all samples,individuals at stages 1 to 3 were over 18 years old.Conclusion It is feasible to determine whether an individual in East China is 18 years or older based on the mandibular third molar root pulp visibility on oral panoramic images.

Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement/surgery* ; Skull ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Blindness ; Treatment Outcome ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/surgery*

The paper explores the evolution of "bone-approaching" acupuncture, its effect target and mechanism. The concrete operation procedure of "bone-approaching" method is recorded originally in Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor) as short needling and Shu needling (referring to the category of the five needling technique). The periosteum is the most effective stimulation target of "bone-approaching" acupuncture for analgesia, regaining consciousness and regulating spirit. The "bone-approaching" acupuncture is not only prominently effective on bone bi syndrome, but also has the unique effect on painful, encephalogenic and emotional diseases. The paper summarizes and improves "bone-approaching" acupuncture, i.e. "touching bone surface" with needle tip by slow insertion, "touching bone surface" without pain by swift insertion and "touching bone" with needle body by oblique insertion. It contributes to the inheritance, development and supplementation to the bone needling techniques in Huangdi Neijing and is significant for broadening the clinical application range of acupuncture.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Periosteum ; Analgesia ; Pain Management ; Consciousness ; Pain

To investigate the factors affecting the sperm retrieval rate of microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE) in patients with nonmosaic Klinefelter syndrome (KS), 64 patients with nonmosaic KS who underwent micro-TESE in the Center for Reproductive Medicine of Peking University Third Hospital (Beijing, China) between January 2016 and December 2017 were included in the study. Data on medical history, physical examination and laboratory examination results, and micro-TESE outcomes were collected. Patients were divided into two groups according to micro-TESE outcomes. The following factors were compared between the two groups by the Mann‒Whitney U test or Student's t-test based on the distribution (nonnormal or normal) of the factors: age, testicular size, follicle-stimulating hormone level, luteinizing hormone level, testosterone level, and anti-Müllerian hormone level. The overall success rate of sperm retrieval was 50.0%. Correlation analysis showed that testicular volume was positively correlated with testosterone level. Using a logistic regression model, age and anti-Müllerian hormone levels were found to be better predictors for the sperm retrieval rate than the other parameters.
Humans ; Male ; Sperm Retrieval ; Klinefelter Syndrome ; Microdissection ; Anti-Mullerian Hormone ; Semen ; Testis ; Spermatozoa ; Testosterone ; Azoospermia ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a user-friendly risk score for older mitral regurgitation (MR) patients, referred to as the Elder-MR score. METHODS: The China Senile Valvular Heart Disease (China-DVD) Cohort Study functioned as the development cohort, while the China Valvular Heart Disease (China-VHD) Study was employed for external validation. We included patients aged 60 years and above receiving medical treatment for moderate or severe MR (2274 patients in the development cohort and 1929 patients in the validation cohort). Candidate predictors were chosen using Cox's proportional hazards model and stepwise selection with Akaike's information criterion. RESULTS: Eight predictors were identified: age ≥ 75 years, body mass index < 20 kg/m², NYHA class III/IV, secondary MR, anemia, estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m², albumin < 35 g/L, and left ventricular ejection fraction < 60%. The model displayed satisfactory performance in predicting one-year mortality in both the development cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.69-0.77, Brier score = 0.06) and the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.68-0.78, Brier score = 0.06). The Elder-MR score ranges from 0 to 15 points. At a one-year follow-up, each point increase in the Elder-MR score represents a 1.27-fold risk of death (HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.21-1.34, P < 0.001) in the development cohort and a 1.24-fold risk of death (HR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.17-1.30, P < 0.001) in the validation cohort. Compared to EuroSCORE II, the Elder-MR score demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for one-year mortality in the validation cohort (C-statistic = 0.71 vs. 0.70, net reclassification improvement = 0.320, P < 0.01; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.029, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The Elder-MR score may serve as an effective risk stratification tool to assist clinical decision-making in older MR patients.

Aim To investigate the involvement and mechanism of miR-619-5p in the proliferation, migration and invasion of human breast cancer cells. Methods The expression of miR-619-5p in breast cancer and normal breast tissue and cells was detected using bioinformatic analysis or qRT-PCR. After transfection with miR-619-5p mimics or inhibitors, the expression of miR-619-5p and EMT-related molecule mRNA was determined by qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was detected using CCK-8 assay; cell migration and invasion capacity was estimated by the wound healing assay and Transwell assay. The protein levels of EMT-related molecules were analyzed by Western blot. The target genes of miR-619-5p were analyzed by bioinformatic a-nalysis, and a preliminary analysis of the potential target gene CREB1 was carried out. Results miR-619-5p was low expressed in breast cancer tissues and breast cancer cells. Compared with the control group, over-expression of miR-619-5p resulted in up-regula-tion of miR-619-5p expression levels and EMT epithelial markers, down-regulation of pro-EMT molecules and mesenchymal markers, impairment of cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and down-regulation of CREB1 expression. The results of the low miR-619-5p expression group were opposite to the above results. Conclusions In breast cancer tissue and cells, miR-619-5p expression is lower. miR-619-5p inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of breast cancer cells, and its possible mechanism of the effects may be targeting CREB1.