Objective:To explore the differences of metabolomic profiles in day 3 (D3) culture medium of embryos with varying developmental potentials, in order to provide a theoretical foundation for the establishment of embryo selection technology platform using metabolomics.Methods:Eight patients who received in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment at Reproductive Medicine Center of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Hospital between November 13 and December 5, 2023 were selected as the study subjects. The D3 culture medium from patient embryos was collected and divided into high-quality blastocysts ( n=42), non-high-quality blastocysts ( n=33), and embryos that failed to form blastocysts (non-formation group, n=43) according to the formation of day 5 blastocysts. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to perform non-targeted metabolomic analysis in the D3 culture medium from three distinct groups. Results:1) The metabolites in D3 culture medium of embryos with varying developmental potentials exhibit significant differences. Specifically, 79 differential metabolites were identified between the blastocyst formation group and the non-blastocyst formation group (all P<0.05); additionally, 73 differential metabolites were found between the high-quality blastocyst group and the non-high-quality blastocyst group (all P<0.05). 2) The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of significantly differential metabolites for predicting potential of D3 embryo blastocyst formation and high-quality blastocyst formation were both greater than 0.9, demonstrating excellent predictive performance. 3) KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that differential metabolites associated with blastocyst formation potential were primarily enriched in pathways including D-amino acid metabolism, glycine-serine-threonine metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and histidine metabolism ( P<0.05). For high-quality blastocyst formation, the differential metabolites were predominantly enriched in pathways related to tryptophan metabolism, D-amino acid metabolism, serotonergic synapses, and protein digestion and absorption ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Embryos with different developmental potentials have significantly different metabolic profiles, and it is feasible to predict the developmental potential of D3 embryos by metabolomics analysis.

Objective:To explore the differences of metabolomic profiles in day 3 (D3) culture medium of embryos with varying developmental potentials, in order to provide a theoretical foundation for the establishment of embryo selection technology platform using metabolomics.Methods:Eight patients who received in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) treatment at Reproductive Medicine Center of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Hospital between November 13 and December 5, 2023 were selected as the study subjects. The D3 culture medium from patient embryos was collected and divided into high-quality blastocysts ( n=42), non-high-quality blastocysts ( n=33), and embryos that failed to form blastocysts (non-formation group, n=43) according to the formation of day 5 blastocysts. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed to perform non-targeted metabolomic analysis in the D3 culture medium from three distinct groups. Results:1) The metabolites in D3 culture medium of embryos with varying developmental potentials exhibit significant differences. Specifically, 79 differential metabolites were identified between the blastocyst formation group and the non-blastocyst formation group (all P<0.05); additionally, 73 differential metabolites were found between the high-quality blastocyst group and the non-high-quality blastocyst group (all P<0.05). 2) The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of significantly differential metabolites for predicting potential of D3 embryo blastocyst formation and high-quality blastocyst formation were both greater than 0.9, demonstrating excellent predictive performance. 3) KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that differential metabolites associated with blastocyst formation potential were primarily enriched in pathways including D-amino acid metabolism, glycine-serine-threonine metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and histidine metabolism ( P<0.05). For high-quality blastocyst formation, the differential metabolites were predominantly enriched in pathways related to tryptophan metabolism, D-amino acid metabolism, serotonergic synapses, and protein digestion and absorption ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Embryos with different developmental potentials have significantly different metabolic profiles, and it is feasible to predict the developmental potential of D3 embryos by metabolomics analysis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)is an autoimmune disease with high heterogeneity in tissues and organs,Whose pathogenesis is still unclear.Lymphocytes are important immune cells involved in the occurrence and development of SLE.It has been found that the abnormal activation of T cells and B cells are important causes of SLE.In this review,by summarizing the role of T cells and B cells in the pathogenesis of SLE and the latest research progress in lymphocyte-targeted treatment strategy of SLE,the important scientific evidences can be provided to the study of the pathogenesis of SLE and the development of new medicines for the treatment of SLE.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic characteristics of intestinal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumours(IMT)in middle-aged and elderly patients.Methods The clinical,pathologi-cal morphology,immunophenotype and follow-up results of 5 cases of intestinal IMT in middle-aged and elderly patients were retrospectively analyzed.Results 4 cases of IMT occurred in the right half colon and 1 in the ileum.Most patients(3/5)had a history of intestinal injury,starting the digestive tract symptoms and increased leukocytes.The tumor tissue was composed of fusiform myofibroblasts and fibroblasts arranged in storiform pattern,with an infiltrative growth pattern,accompanied by a large number of lymphocytes and plasma cells infiltration,collagen formation and myxedema.One case was atypically large and deformed.Immunophenotype:vimentin(5cases),SMA(5 cases),desmin(3 cases),ALK(3 cases),CK(2 cases)were positive.Caldesmon,CD34,β-catenin,MC,CD117,DOG1,S-100,BCL-2,CD99,CD68 were negative,and Ki-67 proliferation index was 1.28%to 10.01%.All the 5 cases underwent complete tumor resection and were followed up for 48.5 to 133 months.Among them,1 patient aged 83 was considered to have tumor recurrence 27 months after surgery.The other patient survived 122 months without tumor and died of other causes.All the others survived without tumor and were in good condition.Conclusion(1)Intestinal IMT in the middle-aged and elderly people in this group was more common in the right half colon,and most of them had a history of intestinal injury,first gastrointestinal symptoms and elevated white blood cells;(2)Vimentin and SMA were positive at the same time,and ALK was more positive;(3)4/5 patients had good surgical resection,and 1/5 patients could relapse 2～3 years after surgery;old age,ALK-positive,Ki67 up to 10%,atypia may be an important risk factor for intestinal IMT recurrence in the elderly,of which ALK-positive patients may have a recurrence risk of 1/3.

Objective:To investigate the effects of different semen sample collection methods on sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) test results, then to evaluate the accuracy of the current semen sample collection method in the assessment of male fertility.Methods:In this study, 50 semen sample obtained on the day of oocyte retrieval from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization at the Reproductive Medical Center in Maternity and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from August 2021 to January 2022 were collected. For each semen, a small amount of samples were collected in three different retention methods for routine semen and sperm DFI testing. Three different ways of retaining samples were as follows: group A, after mixing of the semen, 50 μL sample was directly collected; group B, after density gradient centrifugation, 50 μL sample was collected at the interface between semen and gradient fluid; group C, after density gradient centrifugation, the sperm pellet was upstream, then 50 μL sample was collected from upstream liquid. After semen treatment, routine semen testing and sperm DFI testing were performed. Pearson was used to analyze the correlation between DFI and the percentage of immobile sperm and the percentage of forward sperm movement. Results:The sperm motility rate of group C [(96.83±2.28)%] was significantly higher than that of group A [(57.16±11.28)%, P<0.001] and group B [(22.54±9.35)%, P<0.001], and there was a statistical difference among the three groups. The immotile sperm rate of group B sample was (77.46±9.35)%, which was significantly higher than that of samples from group C [(3.14±2.31)%, P<0.001] and group A [(42.83±11.28)%, P<0.001]. There was also a statistical difference in DFI among the three groups ( P<0.001). The DFI of group B [37.18% (30.41%, 47.80%)] was significantly higher than that of group A [22.00% (14.75%, 29.25%), P<0.001] and group C [0.78% (0.00%, 2.07%), P<0.001]. Pearson analysis results showed that the DFI of group A and group B was positively correlated with the percentage of immobile sperm ( r=0.304, P=0.032; r=0.612, P<0.001), while the DFI of group B was negatively correlated with the percentage of sperm forward movement ( r=-0.517, P<0.001). Conclusion:For the same semen, the DFI of immotile sperm was significantly higher than that of motile sperm. Therefore, due to the interference of immotile sperm, the DFI value by the current sample retention method cannot accurately reflect the DNA status of active sperm participating in fertilization. This suggests that the samples used for DFI testing should be collected from motile sperm collected by gradient centrifugation, upstream or other methods, which can more accurately assess male fertility.

Objective:To evaluate the detection ability and efficiency of single nucleotide polymorphisms array (SNP-array) and next generation sequencing (NGS) in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).Methods:Totally 188 couples who carried pathogenic gene mutation and requested preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic (PGT-M) treatment were retrospectively analyzed in the Reproductive Center of Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region during January 2020 and August 2022. After ovulation induction, insemination was conducted by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cultured in vitro, 995 blastocysts were harvested and biopsied. After whole genome amplification (WGA) of the genetic material from embryonic cell samples, their carrying status of mutations and chromosome copy number variations (CNVs) were analyzed by SNP-array or NGS, respectively, and along with mutation direct detection by Sanger sequencing or Gap-PCR. The relationship between female age and the number of blastocysts was analyzed, as well as the proportion of embryos carrying mutations and pathogenic CNVs. The detection success rate and accuracy of different molecular diagnostic techniques used in PGT were compared. Amniocentesis prenatal diagnosis was performed in the second trimester after successful intrauterine transfer of embryos. Results:1) A total of 924 embryo samples were successfully performed genetic testing, with a total success rate of 92.9%, and 389 embryos (42.1%) can be transferred according to these results. 2) In detecting deletional α-thalassemia, the success rate of Gap-PCR [84.9% (465/548)] was lower than that of SNP-array [98.7% (81/82)] and NGS [92.5% (431/466)]. However, the success rate of direct mutation detection by Sanger sequencing [98.5% (440/447)] was not significantly different from that by SNP-array [95.6% (110/115)] and NGS [96.1% (319/332)]. There were 38 embryo samples with direct mutation detection results inconsistent with those based on SNP haplotyping. In addition, 4 embryo samples failed SNP haplotyping due to chromosomal recombination. 3) Compared with NGS, SNP-array had a lower success rate [83.7% (165/197)] in detecting CNVs, but it could find out more types of chromosomal abnormalities. 4) A total of 152 embryo transfers were performed, 107 patients got clinical pregnancies, 69 patients completed amniocentesis prenatal diagnosis, and 42 healthy infants were delivered.Conclusion:In considering the detection efficiency, SNP-array is suitable for analyzing embryos which carry multiple pathogenic genes, rare monogenic or deletion mutations, whereas NGS is suitable for detecting common types of mutations. Meanwhile, using Sanger sequencing and Gap-PCR to directly detect the mutations can improve the success rate and accuracy of PGT. Our findings would provide a basis for PGT technicians to select appropriate detection platforms based on the type of mutations and the situation of patients.

Objective:To investigate the effects of different semen sample collection methods on sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) test results, then to evaluate the accuracy of the current semen sample collection method in the assessment of male fertility.Methods:In this study, 50 semen sample obtained on the day of oocyte retrieval from patients undergoing in vitro fertilization at the Reproductive Medical Center in Maternity and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from August 2021 to January 2022 were collected. For each semen, a small amount of samples were collected in three different retention methods for routine semen and sperm DFI testing. Three different ways of retaining samples were as follows: group A, after mixing of the semen, 50 μL sample was directly collected; group B, after density gradient centrifugation, 50 μL sample was collected at the interface between semen and gradient fluid; group C, after density gradient centrifugation, the sperm pellet was upstream, then 50 μL sample was collected from upstream liquid. After semen treatment, routine semen testing and sperm DFI testing were performed. Pearson was used to analyze the correlation between DFI and the percentage of immobile sperm and the percentage of forward sperm movement. Results:The sperm motility rate of group C [(96.83±2.28)%] was significantly higher than that of group A [(57.16±11.28)%, P<0.001] and group B [(22.54±9.35)%, P<0.001], and there was a statistical difference among the three groups. The immotile sperm rate of group B sample was (77.46±9.35)%, which was significantly higher than that of samples from group C [(3.14±2.31)%, P<0.001] and group A [(42.83±11.28)%, P<0.001]. There was also a statistical difference in DFI among the three groups ( P<0.001). The DFI of group B [37.18% (30.41%, 47.80%)] was significantly higher than that of group A [22.00% (14.75%, 29.25%), P<0.001] and group C [0.78% (0.00%, 2.07%), P<0.001]. Pearson analysis results showed that the DFI of group A and group B was positively correlated with the percentage of immobile sperm ( r=0.304, P=0.032; r=0.612, P<0.001), while the DFI of group B was negatively correlated with the percentage of sperm forward movement ( r=-0.517, P<0.001). Conclusion:For the same semen, the DFI of immotile sperm was significantly higher than that of motile sperm. Therefore, due to the interference of immotile sperm, the DFI value by the current sample retention method cannot accurately reflect the DNA status of active sperm participating in fertilization. This suggests that the samples used for DFI testing should be collected from motile sperm collected by gradient centrifugation, upstream or other methods, which can more accurately assess male fertility.

OBJECTIVE: To carry out preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic/single gene disorders (PGT-M) for a Chinese family affected with Molybdenum co-factor deficiency due to pathogenic variant of MOCS2 gene. METHODS: A family with molybdenum co-factor deficiency who attended to the Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in April 2020 was selected as the research subject. Trophoblast cells were biopsied from blastocysts fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Embryos carrying the MOCS2 gene variant and chromosome copy number variation (CNV) of more than 4 Mb were detected by single-cell whole genome amplification, high-throughput sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism typing. Embryos without or carrying the heterozygous variant and without abnormal chromosome CNV were transplanted. During mid-pregnancy, amniotic fluid sample was collected for prenatal diagnosis to verify the results of PGT-M. RESULTS: Eleven oocytes were obtained, among which three blastocysts were formed through culturing. Results of genetic testing suggested that one embryo was heterozygous for the maternally derived MOCS2 gene variant and without chromosomal CNV. Following embryo transfer, intrauterine singleton pregnancy was attained. Prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis at 18 weeks of gestation revealed that the MOCS2 gene variant and chromosomal analysis results were both consistent with that of PGT-M, and a healthy male infant was born at 37⁺⁵ weeks of gestation. CONCLUSION PGT-M has helped the couple carrying the MOCS2 gene variant to have a healthy offspring, and may become an important method for couples carrying other pathogenic genetic variants.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Aneuploidy ; China ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Genetic Testing/methods* ; Preimplantation Diagnosis/methods* ; Metal Metabolism, Inborn Errors/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the serological characteristics and molecular mechanism for an individual with p phenotype. METHODS: An individual with p phenotype upon blood group identification at Jiaxing Blood Center in May 2021 was analyzed. ABO, RhD and P1PK blood groups and irregular antibodies in her serum were identified using conventional serological methods. The encoding region of α1, 4-galactosyltransferase gene (A4GALT) encoding P1 and Pk antigens was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT). RESULTS: The individual was A group, RhD positive and had a p phenotype of the P1PK blood group system. Anti-PP1Pk was discovered in her serum. Sequencing analysis revealed that she has harbored a homozygous c.343A>T variant of the A4GALT gene. CONCLUSION The homozygous c.343A>T variant of the A4GALT gene probably underlay the p phenotype in this individual.
Female ; Animals ; Blood Group Antigens ; Homozygote ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Objective:To observe the effects of blue light intervention on the development of optical defocus-induced myopia in guinea pigs and investigate its underlying mechanisms.Methods:Forty-eight normal-grade two-week-old tricolor guinea pigs were randomly divided into a blue light group and a white light group, with 24 animals in each group.The right eye of guinea pigs was fitted with a -5.00 D lens to establish an optical defocus model as the experimental eye, while the left eye served as the control without any covering.Before the experiment and after 8-week intervention, the refractive power of guinea pigs was measured by streak retinoscopy.The anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and axial length were measured by A-scan ultrasonography.Corneal curvature radius was determined using a keratometer.After 8-week intervention, the guinea pigs were euthanized through overanesthesia, and the right eyeballs were enucleated and the retinas were isolated.The density of S and M cone cells of the guinea pig retinal sections were observed via immunofluorescence staining.The expression of retinal retinoic acid was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography.The expressions of retinoic acid receptor (RAR-β) in the retina and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2), and type Ⅰ collagen in the sclera were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.Changes in scleral thickness were observed through hematoxylin-eosin staining.The use and care of the animals complied with Regulations for the Administration of Affair Concerning Experimental Animals by State Science and Technology Commission.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Eye and ENT Hospital of Fudan University (No.2022ETKLD10032).Results:After 8 weeks of intervention, guinea pigs in the blue light group showed (0.63±0.12)D of relative hyperopia and a deceleration of axial elongation by (0.08±0.00)mm compared with the white light group in the right eye.In the left eye, guinea pigs in the blue light group showed (0.42±0.09)D of relative hyperopia and a deceleration of axial elongation by (0.08±0.00)mm compared with the white light group.The guinea pigs in blue light group showed (1.52±0.09)D of myopia in the right eye compared with the left eye, with an increase in axial elongation of (0.06±0.00)mm.The guinea pigs in white light group showed (1.66±0.07)D of myopia in the right eye compared with the left eye, with an increase in axial elongation of (0.13±0.00)mm, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05). The density of M cone cells was lower and density of S cone cells was higher in the blue light group in the dorsal and ventral sides of the retinal sections compared with the white light group, showing statistically significant differences ( t=32.33, 52.23, 42.09, 25.02; all at P<0.05). The deceleration of myopia progression in the blue light group was strongly positively correlated with the increase in S cone cell density on the ventral side ( r=0.95, P<0.01). The expression levels of retinoic acid, RAR-β, and MMP-2 were decreased, and expression levels of TIMP-2 and type Ⅰ collagen were increased in blue light group compared with the white light group, showing statistically significant differences ( t=18.73, 7.45, 3.72, 6.19, 9.03; all at P<0.05). The scleral thickness in the blue light group was (125.0±7.8)μm, which was significantly thicker than (102.0±6.3)μm in the white light group ( t=26.93, P<0.05). Conclusions:Blue light intervention can inhibit the progression of defocus-induced myopia in guinea pigs.Refractive power changes in guinea pigs may be influenced by alterations in retinal cone cell density, retinoic acid expression, and scleral collagen expression.