Ribosome is an intracellular ribonucleoprotein particle that serves as the site of protein biosynthesis. Ribosomal dysfunction caused by mutations in genes encoding ribosomal proteins (RPs) and ribosome biogenesis factors (RBFs) can lead to a spectrum of diseases, collectively known as ribosomopathy. Phase separation is a thermodynamic process that produces multiple phases from a homogeneous mixture. The formation of membraneless organelles and intracellular structures, including ribosomes and nucleoli, cannot occur without the involvement of phase separation. Here, ribosome structure, biogenesis, and their relationship with ribosomopathy are systematically reviewed. The tissue specificity of ribosomopathy and the role of phase separation in ribosomopathy are particularly discussed, which may offer some clues for understanding the mechanisms of ribosomopathy. Then, some new ideas for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ribosomopathy are provided.
Humans ; Ribosomes/physiology* ; Ribosomal Proteins/metabolism* ; Mutation ; Animals ; Cell Nucleolus/metabolism* ; Protein Biosynthesis ; Phase Separation

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Bushen Jianpi Formula(BSJPF)in treating type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)of spleen-kidney deficiency type.Methods Seventy-two patients with T2DM complicated with NAFLD of spleen-kidney deficiency type admitted to Clifford Hospital from June 2023 to September 2024 were randomized into treatment group(n=36,receiving lifestyle intervention+metformin+BSJPF)and control group(n=36,lifestyle intervention+metformin alone)for 12 weeks.TCM syndrome scores,liver function markers,ultrasonographic grading of fatty liver,glycolipid metabolic parameters were observed,and the clinical efficacy and safety were assessed.Results(1)Regarding dropouts,during the study,2 patients in the treatment group dropped out,while none occurred in the control group.Ultimately,34 patients in the treatment group and 36 in the control group completed efficacy evaluation.(2)In terms of clinical efficacy,after 12 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate was 88.24％(30/34)in the treatment group versus 66.67％(24/36)in the control group.Intergroup comparison(by chi-square test)showed significantly superior efficacy in the treatment group(P＜0.05).(3)For liver function indicators,after treatment,serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase(GGT)levels decreased significantly in both groups compared to those before treatment(P＜0.05),with substantially greater reduction in the treatment group(P＜0.05).(4)Regarding fatty liver ultrasound grading,both groups showed improvement after treatment(P＜0.05),with significantly greater enhancement in the treatment group(P＜0.05).(5)For glucose-lipid metabolism markers,both groups exhibited decreased fasting blood glucose(FBG),2-hour postprandial glucose(2hPG),glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),fasting insulin(FINS),insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR),total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)levels(P＜0.05),with treatment group showing markedly greater reductions(P＜0.05);both groups demonstrated increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)levels(P＜0.05),with treatment group showing significantly greater elevation(P＜0.05).(6)In TCM syndrome score assessment,both groups showed reduced scores after treatment(P＜0.05),with treatment group demonstrating significantly greater improvement(P＜0.05).(7)Regarding safety,routine blood/urine/stool tests,renal function indicators,and electrocardiograms remained normal in both groups.The adverse reaction rate was 2.94％(1/34)in treatment group versus 5.56％(2/36)in control group,with no statistically significant difference between groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion BSJPF combined with metformin demonstrates superior efficacy to metformin alone for patients with T2DM complicated with NAFLD of spleen-kidney deficiency type.It is effective in relieving clinical symptoms,enhancing TCM syndrome efficacy,improving liver enzymes,fatty liver grading and insulin resistance,and regulating glycolipid metabolism.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of low-dose and standard-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT vs. SD-RT) in the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer patients with positive human papillomavirus (HPV). Methods:All comparative studies of low-dose versus standard-dose radiotherapy in the treatment of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer were searched from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), CNKI, Chongqing VIP, and Wanfang databases from January 1, 2000 to February 9, 2023. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the data were strictly screened, and the RevMan 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis.Results:A total of 8 studies were included. The pooled results showed that the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients in the LD-RT group were similar to those in the SD-RT group ( HR=0.83, 95% CI=0.59-1.18, P=0.31; HR=0.97, 95% CI=0.53-1.78, P=0.92), but the rate of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion was significantly reduced ( RR=0.45, 95% CI=0.28-0.72, P=0.001). Conclusion:LD-RT yields similar efficacy and lower rate of PEG insertion compared with SD-RT in HPV-positive oropharyngeal neoplasm patients.

Objective To explore the application of Plan-Do-Check-Act(PDCA)cycle management to continuously im-prove the service quality of outpatient pharmacy and enhance patient satisfaction.Methods To address the problem of long wait-ing time for patients in outpatient pharmacy,we applied PDCA cycle to investigate the factors affecting patients'waiting time in the process of medicine collection,analyze the current situation,determine the expected goals,formulate the service quality im-provement plan of outpatient pharmacy,implement the improvement plan,follow up and supervise,and summarize and analyse the problems regularly until it was solved.Results After implementing the PDCA cycle in the management,the service quality of outpatient pharmacy was improved,the waiting time was significantly shortened and the satisfaction of medical treatment was in-creased.Conclusion The application of PDCA cycle method is effective in improving the service quality of outpatient pharmacy.Therefore,it is recommended for broader implementation.

Objective:To analyze the gene mutation type and clinical phenotype of patients with PRRT2 mutation, and explore their relations with prognosis. Methods:A total of 18 patients with PRRT2 gene mutation (1 patient with novel mutation in PRRT2 gene, and 17 probands in 17 families with PRRT2 gene mutation) were enrolled in Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 2018 to July 2023. Serum of the patients was collected for whole exon sequencing, and mutation sites and types of PRRT2 gene were analyzed. SWISS-MODEL website was used to predict the changes in protein structure caused by PRRT2 gene mutation. The relations of gene mutation type and clinical phenotype with prognosis of these patients were analyzed. Results:(1) All 18 patients with PRRT2 gene mutation were heterozygous mutation, including 12 frameshift mutations, 5 missense mutations, and 1 integer mutation. The clinical phenotype included benign familial infantile epilepsy (BFIE) in 5 patients, epilepsy in 6 patients, exercise-induced paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) in 5 patients, and infantile convulsion and choreoathetosis (ICCA) in 2 patients. A total of 8 mutation sites were found in 18 patients with PRRT2 gene mutation, of which 3 mutation sites have been reported, and 5 mutation sites have not been reported, including c.647(exon2)C>A, c.647(exon2)C>G, c.170(exon2)delC, c.981(exon3)C>G, and lossl(EXON: 2)(all). (2) Eighteen patients mainly accepted oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, and sodium valproate in combination or monotherapy. Among them, 5 BFIE patients, 2 ICCA patients and 3 epilepsy patients were seizure-free after treatment. PKD patients did not respond well to oxcarbazepine. (3) Three frameshift mutations (mutation sites: c.649 [exon2]_c.650 [exon2] insC, c.640 [exon2]_c.641 [exon2] insC, and c.170 [exon2] delC) led to premature termination of protein translation, resulting in significant changes in protein structure. Four missense mutations (mutation sites: c.640[exo2]G>C, c.647[exon2]C>A, c.647[exon2]C>G, and c.981[exon3]C>G) had little effect on protein structure changes. No relation was found between changes of protein structure caused by different mutation types and prognosis. Conclusion:PRRT2 gene mutation patients with clinical phenotypes of BFIE and ICCA have good prognosis, but the mutation type is not related with the prognosis of patients.

Alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) is a liver disease characterized by steatosis, inflammation, and necrosis of the liver tissue as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a xenobiotic nuclear receptor best known for its function in the transcriptional regulation of drug metabolism and disposition. Clinical reports suggested that the antibiotic rifampicin, a potent human PXR activator, is a contraindication in alcoholics, but the mechanism was unclear. In this study, we showed that the hepatic expression of fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) was uniquely elevated in ASH patients and a mouse model of ASH. Pharmacological inhibiting FABP4 attenuated ASH in mice. Furthermore, treatment of mice with the mouse PXR agonist pregnenolon-16α-carbonitrile (PCN) induced the hepatic and circulating levels of FABP4 and exacerbated ASH in a PXR-dependent manner. Our mechanism study established FABP4 as a transcriptional target of PXR. Treatment with andrographolide, a natural compound and dual inhibitor of PXR and FABP4, alleviated mice from ASH. In summary, our results showed that the PXR-FABP4 gene regulatory axis plays an important role in the progression of ASH, which may have accounted for the contraindication of rifampicin in patients of alcoholic liver disease. Pharmacological inhibition of PXR and/or FABP4 may have its promise in the clinical management of ASH.

Humans ; SARS-CoV-2 ; COVID-19

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of melatonin (MT) on bone mass and serum inflammatory factors in rats received ovariectomy (OVX) and to investigate the effects of MT on the levels of inflammatory factors in culture medium and osteogenic ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) stimulated by lipopolysaccharide. METHODS: Fifteen 12-week-old Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 3 groups. The rats in Sham group only received bilateral lateral abdominal incision and suture, the rats in OVX group received bilateral OVX, and the rats in OVX+MT group received 100 mg/(kg·d) MT oral intervention after bilateral OVX. After 8 weeks, the levels of serum inflammatory factors [interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)] were detected using ELISA assay. Besides, the distal femurs were detected by Micro-CT to observe changes in bone mass and microstructure, and quantitatively measured bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, and trabecular number. The BMSCs were extracted from the femurs of three 3-week-old SD rats using whole bone marrow culture method and passaged. The 3rd-5th passage BMSCs were cultured with different concentrations of MT (0, 1, 10, 100, 1 000 µmol/L), and the cell viability was then detected using cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) to select the optimal concentration of MT for subsequent experiments. Cells were devided into osteogenic induction group (group A) and osteogenic induction+1/5/10 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide group (group B-D). The levels of inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in cell culture medium were detected using ELISA assay after corresponding intervention. According to the results of CCK-8 method and ELISA detection, the cells were intervened with the most significant concentration of lipopolysaccharide for stimulating inflammation and the optimal concentration of MT with osteogenic induction, defining as group E, and the cell culture medium was collected to detect the levels of inflammatory factors by ELISA assay. After that, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and alizarin red staining were performed respectively in groups A, D, and E, and the expression levels of osteogenic related genes [collagen type Ⅰ alpha 1 chain (Col1a1) and RUNX family transcription factor 2 (Runx2)] were also detected by real time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: ELISA and Micro-CT assays showed that compared with Sham group, the bone mass of the rats in the OVX group significantly decreased, and the expression levels of serum inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) in OVX group significantly increased (P<0.05). Significantly, the above indicators in OVX+MT group were all improved (P<0.05). Rat BMSCs were successfully extracted, and CCK-8 assay showed that 100 µmol/L was the maximum concentration of MT that did not cause a decrease in cell viability, and it was used in subsequent experiments. ELISA assays showed that compared with group A, the expression levels of inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) in the cell culture medium of groups B-D were significantly increased after lipopolysaccharide stimulation (P<0.05), and in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, the expression levels of inflammatory factors in group D were significantly higher than those in groups B and C (P<0.05). After MT intervention, the expression levels of inflammatory factors in group E were significantly lower than those in group D (P<0.05). ALP staining, alizarin red staining, and RT-qPCR assays showed that compared with group A, the percentage of positive area of ALP and alizarin red and the relative mRNA expressions of Col1a1 and Runx2 in group D significantly decreased, while the above indicators in group E significantly improved after MT intervention (P<0.05). CONCLUSION MT may affect the bone mass of postmenopausal osteoporosis by reducing inflammation in rats; MT can reduce the inflammation of BMSCs stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and weaken its inhibition of osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.
Female ; Rats ; Animals ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Osteogenesis ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit ; Melatonin/pharmacology* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Coloring Agents ; Inflammation

Objective:To investigate the clinical, pathological and genetic characteristics of myopathy-type very long chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD).Methods:The detailed clinical data, muscle biopsy pathology and molecular results of 4 patients with genetically confirmed myopathy-type VLCADD admitted to Henan Provincial People′s Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from June 2014 to November 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Results:All of the 4 patients were late-onset myopathy-type VLCADD. The onset age ranged from 13 to 16 years, with a mean age of 14.5 years. The age at diagnosis ranged from 21 to 54 years, with a mean age of 42.5 years. The main clinical manifestation was repeated rhabdomyolysis, including myalgia, weakness and dark urine. Obvious somnolence was observerd in 1 patient. Muscle biopsy pathology revealed mild lipid accumulation, without vacuoles. Six ACADVL variations were detected in the 4 patients, including c.1283G>A (p.R428H), c.1532G>A (p.R511Q), c.833_835delAGA (p.K278del), c.1843C>T (p.R615 *), c.1748C>T (p.S583L) and c.1391C>T (p.T464I),among which c.1391C>T (p.T464I) was a novel variation, predicted to be likely pathogenic. Other 5 variations were reported pathogenic variations. Conclusions:Myopathy-type VLCADD is characterized by paroxysmal rhabdomyolysis and can be associated with somnolence. There is no specificity in muscle pathology. There are ACADVL variations, among which c.1391C>T is a novel variation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic variants in a patient with adult ceroid lipofuscinosis neuronal type 7 (ACLN7). METHODS: A female patient diagnosed with ACLN7 in Henan Provincial People's Hospital in June 2021 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data, auxiliary examination and result of genetic testing were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The patient, a 39-year-old female, has mainly presented progressive visual loss, epilepsy, cerebellar ataxia and mild cognitive decline. Neuroimaging analysis has revealed generalized brain atrophy, prominently cerebellum. Fundus photography has revealed retinitis pigmentosa. Ultrastructural skin examination has revealed granular lipofuscin deposits in the periglandular interstitial cells. Whole exome sequencing revealed that she has harbored compound heterozygous variants of the MSFD8 gene, namely c.1444C>T (p.R482*) and c.104G>A (p.R35Q). Among these, c.1444C>T (p.R482*) was a well established pathogenic variant, while c.104G>A (p.R35Q) was a missense variant unreported previously. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the daughter, son and elder brother of the proband have respectively carried heterozygous c.1444C>T (p.R482*), c.104G>A (p.R35Q), and c.104G>A (p.R35Q) variants of the same gene. The family has therefore fit with the autosomal recessive inheritance pattern of the CLN7. CONCLUSION Compared with previously reported cases, this patient has the latest onset of the disease with a non-lethal phenotype. Her clinical features have involved multiple systems. Cerebellar atrophy and fundus photography may be indicative of the diagnosis. The c.1444C>T (p.R482*) and c.104G>A (p.R35Q) compound heterozygous variants of the MFSD8 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis in this patient.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics* ; Neuronal Ceroid-Lipofuscinoses/diagnosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Atrophy ; Mutation