Objective:To analyze the results of next generation sequencing (NGS) gene testing in liquid-based cytological specimens of lung adenocarcinoma cavity and evaluate the clinical efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment.Methods:Liquid based cytological specimens of 222 cases of lung adenocarcinoma with cavity effusion and 201 cases of metastatic lymph node biopsy were collected. Specimens were obtained from the Cytology Laboratory of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The collection period was from January 2018 to December 2022. The results of NGS gene detection were compared. The clinical efficacy of 91 patients treated with EGFR-TKI was evaluated, and the survival curve was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and other statistical methods.Results:The mutation rates of cancer-related genes detected by NGS were 82.0% (182/222) vs 79.1% (159/201), ( P=0.455) in liquid-based cytological specimens and histological specimens of metastatic lymph node biopsy, respectively. However, the mutation rate of EGFR T790M was significantly higher in cavity effusion than in lymph node biopsy specimens [12.2%(27/222)＞3.5%(7/201), P=0.001]. The results of gene mutation were identical in 10 of the 13 cases with cavity effusion and metastatic lymph node biopsy, and the agreement rate of EGFR was 84.6%(11/13). In 3 inconsistent cases, EGFR mutations were detected in 2 cavity effusion cases that were not detected by lymph node biopsy. Results of genetic analysis of fluid-based cytological samples of 91 patients with cavity effusion were evaluated after drug treatment with EGFR-TKI. The mean progression-free survival (PFS) of the patients was 11.4 months (95% CI: 9.9-12.9). The mean PFS of patients harboring EGFR mutation was 12.3 months (95% CI: 10.8-13.9), and the mean PFS of EGFR wild type was 4.1 months (95% CI: 2.1-6.2). Conclusions:The results of NGS gene detection in liquid-based cytological specimens of lung adenocarcinoma patients with cavity effusion show that the PFS time is similar to that of histological specimens after clinical treatment with EGFR-TKI, which proves the reliability of NGS gene detection results in liquid cytological specimens. NGS gene testing appears higher sensitivity in cavity liquid-based samples than in metastatic lymph node samples.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.

Objective To analyze the detrimental effects of exposure to environmental noise alone and combined with carbon monoxide(CO)on spermatogenesis in male rats,investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in such damage,and evaluate the protective role of pterostilbene(PTE)against these adverse effects.Methods Sixty male SD rats(6～8 weeks old,weighing 200±10 g)were randomly divided normal control group(standard housing),sham-exposure control group(restraint stress only),noise exposure(85 dB),CO exposure(460 mg/m3),combined exposure(simultaneous exposure),and PTE intervention(80 mg/kg pretreatment),with 10 animals in each group.The rats were exposed daily for 2 h via a nose-only inhalation exposure system within a multifactorial environmental simulation chamber for 60 consecutive days.Sperm count and viability were measured after exposure.Histopathological changes of testicular tissues were observed with HE staining.qRT-PCR was used to measure stage-specific mRNA levels in germ cells.Serum sex hormone levels and adenosine triphosphate(ATP)concentrations in testes and sperm were detected.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)was applied to observe the ultrastructural damage in the spermatocytes.Additionally,transcriptome sequencing was performed on testicular tissue,followed by bioinformatics analysis.Results Compared with the negative control group,the combined exposure group exhibited significant reductions in sperm viability and count(P<0.05),and developmental arrest of immature germ cells in the testicular tissue,with obviously less spermatogonia,spermatocytes,and round/elongated spermatids(P<0.01).Additionally,significantly reduced levels of reproductive-related hormones,such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone,follicle-stimulating hormone,luteinizing hormone and testosterone,and ATP levels in testes and sperm were observed in the mice after combined exposure(P<0.01),accompanied by mitochondrial rupture and cristae disruption in spermatocytes.Conversely,the PTE intervention group showed marked alleviation of these impairments,with parameters recovering almost to normal levels.Transcriptome sequencing identified biological processes related to reproductive development and ATP-dependent pathways as potential contributors to testicular injury induced by noise and CO exposure,with key genes including Nppa,Adm,Gnrh1,Ptafr,Atp13a5,Atp8b1,and LOC102555469.Conclusion Noise and CO exposure induce spermatogenic damage in rats,which may be related with energy metabolism and hormonal regulation,while PTE demonstrates significant protective effects against such reproductive impairments.

Objective:To analyze the results of next generation sequencing (NGS) gene testing in liquid-based cytological specimens of lung adenocarcinoma cavity and evaluate the clinical efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment.Methods:Liquid based cytological specimens of 222 cases of lung adenocarcinoma with cavity effusion and 201 cases of metastatic lymph node biopsy were collected. Specimens were obtained from the Cytology Laboratory of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The collection period was from January 2018 to December 2022. The results of NGS gene detection were compared. The clinical efficacy of 91 patients treated with EGFR-TKI was evaluated, and the survival curve was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and other statistical methods.Results:The mutation rates of cancer-related genes detected by NGS were 82.0% (182/222) vs 79.1% (159/201), ( P=0.455) in liquid-based cytological specimens and histological specimens of metastatic lymph node biopsy, respectively. However, the mutation rate of EGFR T790M was significantly higher in cavity effusion than in lymph node biopsy specimens [12.2%(27/222)＞3.5%(7/201), P=0.001]. The results of gene mutation were identical in 10 of the 13 cases with cavity effusion and metastatic lymph node biopsy, and the agreement rate of EGFR was 84.6%(11/13). In 3 inconsistent cases, EGFR mutations were detected in 2 cavity effusion cases that were not detected by lymph node biopsy. Results of genetic analysis of fluid-based cytological samples of 91 patients with cavity effusion were evaluated after drug treatment with EGFR-TKI. The mean progression-free survival (PFS) of the patients was 11.4 months (95% CI: 9.9-12.9). The mean PFS of patients harboring EGFR mutation was 12.3 months (95% CI: 10.8-13.9), and the mean PFS of EGFR wild type was 4.1 months (95% CI: 2.1-6.2). Conclusions:The results of NGS gene detection in liquid-based cytological specimens of lung adenocarcinoma patients with cavity effusion show that the PFS time is similar to that of histological specimens after clinical treatment with EGFR-TKI, which proves the reliability of NGS gene detection results in liquid cytological specimens. NGS gene testing appears higher sensitivity in cavity liquid-based samples than in metastatic lymph node samples.

Aim To explore the effect of astragalosideⅣ(AS-Ⅳ)on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced po-larization and migration of RAW 264.7 macrophages and the underlying mechanism.Methods 1 mg·L-1 LPS was used to construct cell migration model.Scratch assay was utilized to determine cell migration rate.Immunofluorescence staining was utilized to de-tect the expression and location of F4/80,iNOS and Arg-1.CCK-8 assay was used to determine the viabili-ty of RAW 264.7 cells.Griess assay was used to measure NO content.Molecular docking was used to analyze the interaction between AS-Ⅳ and the core tar-gets such as cGAS and STING protein.Western blot was employed to detect the expression of iNOS,Arg-1,cGAS,STING,NF-κB p65 and p-NF-κB p65 protein.Results AS-Ⅳ significantly inhibited the migration and M1 polarization of RAW 264.7 cells induced by LPS.Moreover,AS-Ⅳ could interact with cGAS and STING protein,especially cGAS.Further Western blot assay showed that AS-Ⅳ significantly downregulated the expression of iNOS,cGAS,STING and p-NF-κB p65 protein.Conclusions AS-Ⅳ could promote mac-rophage M1 to M2 polarization,thereby inhibited mac-rophage migration through restraining the cGAS/STING/NF-κB signaling pathway,which provides a new therapeutic target for AS-Ⅳ to improve the early inflammatory response of AS.

Aim To explore the protective effect of icariin on the damage of tight junctional function of Sertoli cells in naturally aging mice and the related mechanism.Methods 15-month-old C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into three groups:aging model group,low-dose and high-dose icariin treatment group(5 and 20 mg·kg-1).Another 1-month-old C57BL/6J male mice were considered as adult control group(n=10).The mice in adult control group and aging model group were given the vehicle(0.5％sodi-um carboxymethyl cellulose solution)by intragastric administration,while the mice in icariin-treated groups were given different concentrations of icariin,respec-tively.After continuous administration of icariin for three months,the testes and epididymis were immedi-ately removed,weighed,and the organ index was calcu-lated.Sperm viability and sperm concentration in epi-didymis were measured.The morphological changes of testes were observed by HE staining.The ultrastructur-al changes of tight junctions of Sertoli cells were ob-served by transmission electron microscopy.The ex-pression levels of tight junction-related proteins ZO-1,Occludin,and Claudin11 of testicular Sertoli cells were detected by Western blot.The expression and localiza-tion of ZO-1,Occludin,Raptor,Rictor,p-70S6K,and p-rps6 were detected by immunofluorescence.Results Compared with the aging model group,icariin signifi-cantly increased testicular weight and its index,and ep-ididymal index,improved sperm viability and increased sperm concentration in naturally aging mice.In addi-tion,icariin improved the degeneration of testicular morphology and the damage of ultrastructure of Sertoli cell tight junction with aging.Furthermore,Western blot results showed that icariin up-regulated the expres-sion of ZO-1 and Occludin,but had no significant effect on the expression of Claudin 11.Immunofluorescence assay showed that icariin up-regulated the expression of Rictor,and down-regulated the expression of p-70S6K,p-rps6 and Raptor.Conclusions Icariin improves the tight junction damage of Sertoli cells in naturally aging mice,and its mechanism may be related to restoring the balance between mTORC1 and mTORC2.

Aim To investigate the effect of high-fat diet on the tight junction function injury of Sertoli cells through the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway in mice and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with high-fat or normal diet for five months.The body and gonadal organ weight of mice were measured,and their indices were calculated.The sperm concentration,the sperm viabili-ty,the testicular histomorphology and the expression levels of tight junction proteins ZO-1,Occludin and Claudin-11 were measured.TM4 cells were treated with palmitic acid(PA)for 24 h.Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method.Then,TM4 cells were di-vided into different groups treated with PA(0,50,100,200 and 300 μmnol·L-1),and the expression lev-els of tight junction proteins ZO-1,Occludin and Clau-din-11 were detected by Western blot.The tight junc-tion permeability of TM4 cells were detected by transepithelial electrical resistance(TEER)and FITC-dextran.The expression levels of mRNA and proteins for the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway-related factors were de-tected by RT-qPCR and Western blot.Results The results from animal experiments showed that high-fat diet increased body weight and seminal vesicle weight of mice,and decreased testicular index,epididymal in-dex,sperm concentration and sperm motility of mice.High-fat diet also caused testicular tissue structure damage and down-regulated the expression levels of tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin,without af-fecting the expression of Claudin-11.In vitro,PA sig-nificantly down-regulated the expression levels of ZO-1,Occludin and Claudin-11 in TM4 cells,increased the cell permeability,as well as up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of NLRP3/NF-κB signa-ling pathway-related factors in TM4 cells.Conclusions High-fat diet can impair the function of tight junction of testicualr Sertoli cells,and the machanism may be related to the activation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway,resulting in Sertoli cell inflammation in mice.

Forsythia suspensa is a traditional Chinese medicine and a commonly used landscaping plant. Its dried fruit is used in medicine for its functions of clearing heat, removing toxins, reducing swelling, dissipating masses, and dispersing wind and heat. It possesses extremely high medicinal and economic value. However, the genetic differentiation and diversity of its wild populations remain unclear. In this study, chloroplast genome sequences were obtained from 15 wild individuals of F. suspensa using high-throughput sequencing technology. The sequence characteristics and intraspecific variations were analyzed. The results were as follows:(1) The full length of the F. suspensa chloroplast genome ranged from 156 184 to 156 479 bp, comprising a large single-copy region, a small single-copy region, and two inverted repeat regions. The chloroplast genome encoded a total of 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes.(2) A total of 166-174 SSR loci, 792 SNV loci, and 63 InDel loci were identified in the F. suspensa chloroplast genome, indicating considerable genetic variation among individuals.(3) Population structure analysis revealed that F. suspensa could be divided into five or six groups. Both the population structure analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction results indicated significant genetic variation within the wild populations of F. suspensa, with no obvious correlation between intraspecific genetic differentiation and geographical distribution. This study provides new insights into the genetic diversity and differentiation within F. suspensa species and offers additional references for the conservation of species diversity and the utilization of germplasm resources in wild F. suspensa.
Genome, Chloroplast ; Forsythia/classification* ; Phylogeny ; Genetic Variation ; Chloroplasts/genetics* ; Microsatellite Repeats

The genome tagging project (GTP) plays a pivotal role in addressing a critical gap in the understanding of protein functions. Within this framework, we successfully generated a human influenza hemagglutinin-tagged sperm-specific protein 411 (HA-tagged Ssp411) mouse model. This model is instrumental in probing the expression and function of Ssp411. Our research revealed that Ssp411 is expressed in the round spermatids, elongating spermatids, elongated spermatids, and epididymal spermatozoa. The comprehensive examination of the distribution of Ssp411 in these germ cells offers new perspectives on its involvement in spermiogenesis. Nevertheless, rigorous further inquiry is imperative to elucidate the precise mechanistic underpinnings of these functions. Ssp411 is not detectable in metaphase II (MII) oocytes, zygotes, or 2-cell stage embryos, highlighting its intricate role in early embryonic development. These findings not only advance our understanding of the role of Ssp411 in reproductive physiology but also significantly contribute to the overarching goals of the GTP, fostering groundbreaking advancements in the fields of spermiogenesis and reproductive biology.
Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Spermatids/metabolism* ; Spermatogenesis/physiology* ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; Thioredoxins/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the laboratory detection results of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn(HDFN). METHODS: Related test results of 283 newborns and their mothers' blood samples from Kunming Maternal and Child Health Hospital from August 2023 to May 2024 were collected, including mother and child ABO blood group, RhD blood group, as well as 3 tests of HDFN, total bilirubin (TBil) and indirect bilirubin (IBil). RESULTS: 283 were ABO incompatibility, among which 187 were HDFN positive, with a positive rate of 66.08%; the positive rate of HDFN in neonates with antigen-A incompatibility was 74.12%(126/170), the positive rate of HDFN in neonates with antigen-B incompatibility was 53.57%(60/112), which was the highest in neonates with O/A incompatibility ［75.45%(126/167)］, followed by O/B incompatibility［54.55%(60/110)］. Group by age, the positive rates of HDFN in the ≤1 d group, 2 d group, 3 d group, 4 d group, 5 d group and ≥6 d group were 76.03%(111/146), 67.86%(38/56), 57.14%(24/42), 38.46%(5/13), 46.15%(6/13) and 23.08%(3/13), respectively. With the increase of age, the positive rates of HDFN gradually decreased, there was a statistically significant difference between the ≤3 day age group and >3 day age group ( P <0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in TBil and IBil levels between the "direct antibody+indirect antibody+release+" group and the HDFN negative group in newborns. HDFN infants exhibited a rapid increase in bilirubin levels within the first day after birth, with significantly higher TBil and IBil values compared to Non ABO-HDFN infants in the ≤1 day group ( P <0.01). However, the difference of bilirubin levels between the two groups gradually narrowed from 2-6 days after birth, and the difference was not statistically significant (P >0.05). The peak value of TBil and IBil occurred on the 4th day after birth in HDFN infants. CONCLUSION ABO-HDFN is most commonly seen in newborns whose mothers are type-O, and the positive rate was the highest in newborns with O/A incompatibility. The detection rate of HDFN is affected by the age of the newborns, and the two were correlated inversely. ABO-HDFN group developed more rapidly with a higher peak. Therefore, HDFN tests should be carried out as soon as possible for mothers and newborns with incompatible blood types, and appropriate treatment should be provided to prevent complications.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; ABO Blood-Group System ; Erythroblastosis, Fetal/epidemiology* ; Female ; China/epidemiology* ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Male ; Bilirubin/blood*