AIM: To investigate and clarify the intervention mechanism of trigonelline(TRG)in preventing ferroptosis in ARPE-19 cells based on the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 pathway.METHODS: The ARPE-19 cells were cultured and subsequently treated with varying concentrations of trigonelline to ascertain the most effective concentration for modulating the cells. Then the cells were categorized into distinct groups, including normal control(NC)group, high glucose(HG)group, Fer-1 group, TRG group based on the determined concentration. Samples from each group were then gathered to assess relevant indicators. The intracellular levels of glutathione(GSH), malondialdehyde(MDA), and Ferrion were quantified in accordance with the protocols provided by the GSH, MDA, and Ferrion detection kits. Flow cytometry was employed to measure the ROS levels within each group. Additionally, Western blot analysis was conducted to examine the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1(HO-1), glutathione peroxidase(GPX4), and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4(ACSL4)across the different groups.RESULTS: The preconditioning intervention with 40 μg/mL TRG effectively mitigated the decline in cell activity induced by high glucose levels. The levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and MDA in the HG group were markedly elevated compared to the NC group; and the TRG group exhibited significantly reduced levels of ROS and MDA compared to those of the HG group, with the antioxidant stress index GSH showing opposite trends to those of ROS and MDA across all the groups. Whereas the Fer-1 and TRG groups showed decreased expression levels of ACSL4 protein and iron ions, and the expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and GPX4 in the Fer-1 and TRG groups were increased.CONCLUSION: TRG protects ARPE-19 cells from the detrimental effects of high glucose by targeting the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 signaling pathway to counter ferroptosis.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of CGG repeat numbers in the FMR1 gene among reproductive-age women in China, providing data reference for carrier screening and genetic counseling of Fragile X syndrome. Methods:This cross-sectional study recruited 16 610 reproductive-age women from 12 medical institutions between July 2022 and October 2023. Peripheral venous blood samples (3 mL) were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. The number of CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene was determined using the triplet-primed polymerase chain reaction (TP-PCR) combined with capillary electrophoresis technology. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the prevalence and distribution of CGG repeat expansions. Results:Among 16 610 women of childbearing age, 5 684 (34.220%) women had the same number of CGG repeats in the two alleles of FMR1 gene, and 10 926 (65.780%) women had different numbers of repeats in the two alleles. Among the 33 220 FMR1 alleles in 16 610 women of reproductive age, the most common CGG repeat numbers were 29 [48.645% (16 160/33 220)] and 30 [26.276% (8 729/33 220)], while the most frequent CGG genotype was CGG 29/29 [24.726% (4 107/16 610)]. The CGG repeat numbers of FMR1 gene were normal in 16 498 women (99.326%). Among the 112 women (0.674%) with CGG repeat abnormities, 96 (0.578%) women were classified as intermediate carriers, 15 (0.090%) as premutation carriers, and 1 (0.006%) as a full mutation carrier, whose CGG genotype was (36, >200). Conclusion:In the general reproductive-age female population in China, the normal CGG repeat numbers of the FMR1 gene account for 99.326%, while the intermediate carrier rate is 0.578%, and the combined carrier rate of the premutation and full mutation types is 0.096%.

Objective:To investigate the distribution of CGG repeat numbers in the FMR1 gene among reproductive-age women in China, providing data reference for carrier screening and genetic counseling of Fragile X syndrome. Methods:This cross-sectional study recruited 16 610 reproductive-age women from 12 medical institutions between July 2022 and October 2023. Peripheral venous blood samples (3 mL) were collected, and genomic DNA was extracted. The number of CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene was determined using the triplet-primed polymerase chain reaction (TP-PCR) combined with capillary electrophoresis technology. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the prevalence and distribution of CGG repeat expansions. Results:Among 16 610 women of childbearing age, 5 684 (34.220%) women had the same number of CGG repeats in the two alleles of FMR1 gene, and 10 926 (65.780%) women had different numbers of repeats in the two alleles. Among the 33 220 FMR1 alleles in 16 610 women of reproductive age, the most common CGG repeat numbers were 29 [48.645% (16 160/33 220)] and 30 [26.276% (8 729/33 220)], while the most frequent CGG genotype was CGG 29/29 [24.726% (4 107/16 610)]. The CGG repeat numbers of FMR1 gene were normal in 16 498 women (99.326%). Among the 112 women (0.674%) with CGG repeat abnormities, 96 (0.578%) women were classified as intermediate carriers, 15 (0.090%) as premutation carriers, and 1 (0.006%) as a full mutation carrier, whose CGG genotype was (36, >200). Conclusion:In the general reproductive-age female population in China, the normal CGG repeat numbers of the FMR1 gene account for 99.326%, while the intermediate carrier rate is 0.578%, and the combined carrier rate of the premutation and full mutation types is 0.096%.

Objective·To observe the impact of hip synovitis on the long-term outcomes of free vascularized fibular grafting(FVFG)for osteonecrosis of femoral head(ONFH).Methods·Between October 2001 and December 2013,370 patients diagnosed with ONFH(556 hips)underwent FVFG.Preoperative synovitis was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and quantified with the Hip Inflammation MRI Scoring System(HIMRISS).Patients were divided into no synovitis group,moderate synovitis group,and severe synovitis group.Harris hip scores and the incidence of total hip arthroplasty were collected with an average follow-up duration of 90.5 months(range:5-215 months).Hip survival failure(defined as a Harris hip score lower than 80 at the final follow-up or the occurrence of total hip arthroplasty)was calculated.Multivariable Cox regression analysis was adopted to compare the influence of different degrees of synovial inflammation on long-term prognosis.Results·The proportion of hip survival failure was 28.0％in patients without synovitis and 28.5％in those with moderate synovitis,whereas it was significantly higher(60.4％)in patients with severe synovitis.The results of multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that severe synovitis was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis(HR 2.06,95％CI 1.21-3.53)after adjusting for age,gender,education level,marital status,ONFH type,affected side of ONFH,smoking history,baseline Harris hip score and other hip MRI-based covariates(collapse,bone marrow edema,and degeneration).Conclusion·Severe synovitis in patients with ONFH significantly increases the failure rate of hip preservation after FVFG,and the severity of synovitis should be considered in surgical decision-making.

Objective To investigate the status of population dynamics and distribution changes of Aedes aegypti in Guangdong Province.Methods Continuous monitoring was conducted from May 2018 to July 2024 in Wushi Town and Qishui Town,Leizhou City,Zhanjiang City,Guangdong Province.Additionally,a survey of the distribution of Ae.aegypti along the Leizhou Peninsula coast was carried out.Results The density of Ae.aegypti in Zhanjiang showed a gradual decline from 2018 to 2024.The last detection of adult Ae.aegypti in Wushi Town was in September 2021,and the last larva was found in October 2023.No Ae.aegypti was detected in Qishui Town during surveys from 2021 to 2024.A survey of 18 coastal villages in the Leizhou Peninsula revealed no detections of Ae.aegypti.Conclusions This study provides a basis for understanding the distribution and population density fluctuations of Ae.aegypti,assessing its invasion risk,and scientifically conducting relevant prevention and control efforts.

Constructing an efficient and easy-to-operate multigene expression system is currently a crucial part of plant genetic engineering. In this study, a fragment carrying three independent gene expression cassettes and the expression unit of the gene-silencing suppressor protein(RNA silencing suppressor 19 kDa protein, P19) simultaneously was designed and constructed. This fragment was cloned into the commonly used plant expression vector pCAMBIA300, and the plasmid pC1300-TP2-P19 was obtained. Each gene expression cassette consists of different promoters, fusion tags, and terminators. The target gene can be flexibly inserted into the corresponding site through enzymatic digestion and ligation or recombination and fused with different protein tags, which provides great convenience for subsequent detection. The enhanced green fluorescent protein(eGFP) reporter gene was individually constructed into each expression cassette to verify the feasibility of this vector system. The results of tobacco transient expression and laser-confocal microscopy showed that each expression cassette presented independent and normal expression. Meanwhile, the three key enzyme genes in the betanin synthesis pathway, BvCYP76AD, BvDODA1, and DbDOPA5GT, were constructed into the three expression cassettes. The results of tobacco transient expression phenotype, protein immunoblotting(Western blot), and chemical detection of product demonstrated that the three exogenous genes were highly expressed, and the target compound betanin was successfully produced. The above results indicated that the constructed multigene expression system for plants in this study was efficient and reliable and can achieve the co-transformation of multiple plant genes. It can provide a reliable vector platform for the analysis of plant natural product synthesis pathways, functional verification, and plant metabolic engineering.
Nicotiana/metabolism* ; Genetic Vectors/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism* ; Genetic Engineering/methods* ; Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Expression

Objective·To observe the impact of hip synovitis on the long-term outcomes of free vascularized fibular grafting(FVFG)for osteonecrosis of femoral head(ONFH).Methods·Between October 2001 and December 2013,370 patients diagnosed with ONFH(556 hips)underwent FVFG.Preoperative synovitis was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and quantified with the Hip Inflammation MRI Scoring System(HIMRISS).Patients were divided into no synovitis group,moderate synovitis group,and severe synovitis group.Harris hip scores and the incidence of total hip arthroplasty were collected with an average follow-up duration of 90.5 months(range:5-215 months).Hip survival failure(defined as a Harris hip score lower than 80 at the final follow-up or the occurrence of total hip arthroplasty)was calculated.Multivariable Cox regression analysis was adopted to compare the influence of different degrees of synovial inflammation on long-term prognosis.Results·The proportion of hip survival failure was 28.0％in patients without synovitis and 28.5％in those with moderate synovitis,whereas it was significantly higher(60.4％)in patients with severe synovitis.The results of multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that severe synovitis was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis(HR 2.06,95％CI 1.21-3.53)after adjusting for age,gender,education level,marital status,ONFH type,affected side of ONFH,smoking history,baseline Harris hip score and other hip MRI-based covariates(collapse,bone marrow edema,and degeneration).Conclusion·Severe synovitis in patients with ONFH significantly increases the failure rate of hip preservation after FVFG,and the severity of synovitis should be considered in surgical decision-making.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and mutation spectrum of monogenic diseases in Chinese population through a large-scale,multicenter carrier screening.Methods This study was conducted among a total of 33 104 participants(16 610 females)from 12 clinical centers across China.Carrier status for 223 genes was analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and different PCR methods.Results The overall combined carrier frequency was 55.58%for 197 autosomal genes and 1.84%for 26 X-linked genes in these participants.Among the 16 669 families,874 at-risk couples(5.24%)were identified.Specifically,584 couples(3.50%)were at risk for autosomal genes,306(1.84%)for X-linked genes,and 16 for both autosomal and X-linked genes.The most frequently detected autosomal at-risk genes included GJB2(autosomal recessive deafness type 1A,393 couples),HBA1/HBA2(α-thalassemia,36 couples),PAH(phenylketonuria,14 couples),and SMN1(spinal muscular atrophy,14 couples).The most frequently detected X-linked at-risk genes were G6PD(G6PD deficiency,236 couples),DMD(Duchenne muscular dystrophy,23 couples),and FMR1(fragile X syndrome,17 couples).After excluding GJB2 c.109G>A,the detection rate of at-risk couples was 3.91%(651/16 669),which was lowered to 1.72%(287/16 669)after further excluding G6PD.The theoretical incidence rate of severe monogenic birth defects was approximately 4.35‰(72.5/16 669).Screening for a battery of the top 22 most frequent genes in the at-risk couples could detect over 95%of at-risk couples,while screening for the top 54 genes further increased the detection rate to over 99%.Conclusion This study reveals the carrier frequencies of 223 monogenic genetic disorders in the Chinese population and provides evidence for carrier screening strategy development and panel design tailored to the Chinese population.In carrier testing,genetic counseling for specific genes or gene variants can be challenging,and the couples need to be informed of these difficulties before testing and provided with options for not screening these genes or gene variants.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of montelukast tablets combined with loratadine tablets in the treatment of allergic rhinitis(AR).Methods AR patients were divided into control group and treatment group according to the cohort method.The control group was given 10 mg of loratadine tablets orally once a day.On this basis,the treatment group was given 10 mg of montelukast tablets orally once a day.Both groups were treated for 8 weeks.Clinical efficacy,nasal symptom scores,inflammation cells and mediators[eosinophil cationic protein(ECP)and eosinophil(EOS)],immunoglobulin E(IgE),inflammatory factors[interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-8(IL-8)and interleukin-10(IL-10)],nasal mucosal tissue growth factor[insulin growth factor-1 receptor(IGF-IR),fibrogrowth factor-2(FGF-2)],and recurrence rate were compared between the two groups.And evaluated safety.Results After treatment,the total effective rates in the treatment group and the control group were 95.10％(97 cases/102 cases)and 80.61％(79 cases/98 cases),with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).After treatment,visual analogue scale(VAS)scores for nasal symptoms in the treatment group and the control group were 1.25±0.16 and 3.01±0.70;ECP levels were(370.18±13.34)and(457.31±17.60)ng·mL-1;EOS were(2.95±0.53)％and(3.98±1.14)％;IgE levels were(119.37±7.65)and(179.55±11.63)U·mL-1;IL-6 levels were(106.27±7.13)and(135.41±10.90)ng·L-1;IL-8 levels were(108.36±6.72)and(129.47±10.33)ng·L-1;IL-10 levels were(17.14±4.55)and(13.59±3.76)ng·L-1;IGF-IR were 3.70±0.63 and 2.47±0.51;FGF-2 were 3.93±0.72 and 2.19±0.40.There were statistically significant differences in the above indexes between the treatment group and the control group(all P＜0.05).The recurrence rates in the treatment group and the control group at 6 and 12 months after treatment were 7.84％and 17.35％,15.69％and 25.51％.The differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).Adverse drug reactions in the treatment group mainly included nausea,weakness,headache and diarrhea.Adverse drug reactions in the control group mainly included nausea,weakness and headache.The total incidence rates of adverse drug reactions in the treatment group and the control group were 5.88％and 4.08％,without statistically significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared with loratadine tablets,montelukast tablets combined with loratadine tablets is more effective in the treatment of AR,without increasing adverse drug reactions.

Objective:To observe the correlation between retinal capillary density and retinal thickness in the macula and spherical equivalent (SE) in school-age children.Methods:A cross-sectional study. From May to December 2022, 182 school-age children who visited the ophthalmology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were included. There were 95 males and 87 females. The age ranged from 6 to 12 years, and the spherical equivalent (SE) was +0.50 to -6.00 D. They were divided into three groups based on the SE of the right eyes: 54 eyes in emmetropia group (+0.50≤SE<-0.50 D), 71 eyes in low myopia group (-0.50≤SE<-3.00 D), and 57 eyes in moderate myopia group (-3.00≤SE≤-6.00 D). The macular area of 6 mm×6 mm was scanned using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography and was divided into three concentric rings centered on the fovea, including the macular central fovea (0-1 mm diameter), inner ring (1-3 mm diameter) and outer ring (3-6 mm diameter). The retinal thickness and blood flow density of superficial vascular plexus (SVP) and deep vascular plexus (DVP) in different zones within 6 mm of the macular area were measured. The relationships between SE and SVP, DVP and retinal thickness in each ring region were investigated by univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses, smooth curve fitting, and threshold effects.Results:There were significant differences in the SVP ( F=6.64, 26.06, 22.69) and DVP ( F=7.97, 25.01, 5.09) of macular central fovea, inner ring and outer ring among the emmetropia, low myopia and moderate myopia groups ( P<0.05). Univariate linear regression analysis showed that the SVP ( β=-0.56,-1.17, -0.79) and DVP ( β=-1.03, -0.93, -0.45) of the three regions were positively correlated with SE ( P<0.05). After smooth curve fitting, threshold effect analysis and multivariate linear regression analysis, the SVP and DVP in the macular central fovea were linearly positively correlated with SE ( β=-0.91, -1.40; P<0.05), and SVP and DVP in the inner ring and outer ring showed an inverted U-shaped curve relationship with SE with the inflection (<3.00 D). When the SE was less than <3.00 D, the SVP and DVP in the inner ring and outer ring were positively correlated with SE ( P<0.05). When the SE was higher than -3.00 D, except for the DVP in the inner ring region, the other parameters were negatively correlated with SE ( P<0.05). There were significant differences in retinal thickness of the inner ring and outer ring ( F=5.47, 16.36; P<0.05), and no significant difference in the macular central fovea among the emmetropia, low and moderate myopia groups ( F=2.16, P>0.05). By using univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses, the retinal thickness in the inner ring and outer ring were negatively correlated with SE ( β =1.99, 3.05; P<0.05). However, no correlation was found between retinal thickness and SE in the macular central fovea ( β=-1.65, P>0.05). Conclusions:In school-age children with SE between +0.50 D and -6.00 D, the retinal capillaries density of the macular central fovea gradually increase, and increase first and then decrease in the inner ring and outer ring with increasing SE. The retinal thickness of inner ring and outer ring gradually decrease and not change significantly in the macular central fovea.