In recent years, the roles of mitochondrial RNA and its associated human diseases have been reported to increase significantly. Treatments based on mtRNA metabolic processes and nuclear gene mutations are thus discussed. The mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation process is affected by mtRNA metabolism, including mtRNA production, maturation, stabilization, and degradation, which leads to a variety of inherited human mitochondrial diseases. Moreover, mitochondrial diseases are caused by mitochondrial messenger RNA, mitochondrial transfer RNA, and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene mutations. This review presents the molecular mechanisms of human mtRNA metabolism and pathological mutations in mtRNA metabolism-related nuclear-encoded/nonencoded genes and mitochondrial DNA mutations to highlight the importance of mitochondrial RNA-related diseases and treatments.
Humans ; Mitochondrial Diseases/therapy* ; RNA, Mitochondrial ; RNA/genetics* ; Mitochondria/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; RNA, Transfer/genetics* ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics*

Objective To analyze and compare the change of disease burden attributed to high temperature in the Chinese population in 2019 compared with 1990. Methods Based on the global burden of disease study data in 2019, the number of deaths, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and DALY rate attributable to high temperature in Chinese population of different ages and genders in 1990 and 2019 were extracted to analyze the changing trend of disease burden attributable to high temperature exposure in Chinese population and its main causes. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the trend of changes in standardized attributable DALY rates. Results Compared with 1990, the number of disease deaths attributable to high temperature in China in 2019 increased from 10 700 to 13 900, and the attributable DALY decreased from 532,200 to 276 100 person-years. The standardized mortality and DALY rates decreased by 35.25% and 65.20%, respectively. The burden attributable to high temperature was higher in males than in females, and the burden was relatively heavier in the population aged 70 and above. In 2019, chronic non-communicable diseases were the main cause of the attributable burden of high temperature exposure, and ischemic heart disease had the highest DALY burden, with an age-standardized DALY rate of 4.64/100 000. Conclusion The absolute death burden attributable to high temperature exposure in Chinese population is still increasing. It is necessary to pay more attention to high-risk groups such as men and the elderly, continue to strengthen environmental protection, and formulate relevant interventions in a targeted way to further reduce the disease burden caused by high temperature exposure.

Objective To improve the efficiency and quality of end-to-end anastomosis,a novel degradable vascular anastomotic device was designed,and the relationship between pressure distances and biomechanical properties of the anastomotic stoma was explored.Methods The three-dimensional(3D)structure of the vascular anastomotic device was designed and the prototype was fabricated with extruded high-purity magnesium.The finite element model of the end-to-end vascular anastomosis was established to study the stress distributions of the anastomotic end face under different pressure distances(0.4,0.5,0.6,0.7,and 0.8 mm)and their change rules.In vitro experiments were conducted to verify the rationality of the finite element results as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of the vascular anastomotic device.Results When the pressure distance was 0.6 mm,the anastomotic tensile force,and burst pressure could reach(11.79±0.64)N and(39.32±2.99)kPa,respectively,meeting the clinical requirement for the strength of vascular anastomosis,and with the minimal mechanical damages to tissues.Conclusions The device designed in this study can be used for vascular anastomosis by adjusting the pressure distance,and it can improve operation efficiency,reduce mechanical damage to tissues,and further improve the quality of anastomosis.These results provide an essential reference for the design of degradable vascular anastomotic devices.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To study the effect of berberine(BBR) on autophagy of human breast cancer HCC1937 cells under hypoxia condition. METHODS Cultured human breast cancer HCC1937 cells, CCK-8 method was used to determine the effects of different concentrations of BBR(0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μmol·L-1) on cell viability under normoxia and hypoxia conditions, and select the drug concentration for further experiments. Cultured HCC1937 cells were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, 20 μmol·L-1 BBR group, hypoxia group, hypoxia+20 μmol·L-1 BBR group. LIVE/DEAD cell viability/cytotoxicity kits were used to measure the cell death rate. The expressions of autophagy related proteins Beclin1, LC3 and P62 in each group were determined by Western blotting. The cells were infected with mCherry-GFP-LC3 adenovirus, and the number of autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes in each group were counted by laser confocal microscopy to determine the effect of BBR on the autophagy flow of HCC1937 cells. RESULTS BBR decreased the cell viability of human breast cancer HCC1937 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. After hypoxia treatment, the cell death rate of HCC1937 cells was not significantly changed, and the intracellular Beclin1, LC3-II and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were significantly increased, while P62 without significant changes, and the autophagy flow was increased. BBR significantly increased cell death rate, decreased Beclin1 and LC3II/LC3-I ratio, increased intracellular P62, significantly reduced the number of autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes, and inhibited the formation and clearance of autophagosomes under both normal and hypoxia conditions. CONCLUSION BBR increases the death rate of human breast cancer HCC1937 cells under hypoxia condition, and its effect is related to the inhibitory effect of berberine on autophagy under hypoxia condition.

Objective: To clinically validate the feasibility and accuracy of cine images acquired through the multitasking method, with no electrocardiogram gating and free-breathing, in measuring left ventricular (LV) function indices by comparing them with those acquired through the balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) method, with multiple breath-holds and electrocardiogram gating. Materials and Methods: Forty-three healthy volunteers (female:male, 30:13; mean age, 23.1 ± 2.3 years) and 36 patients requiring an assessment of LV function for various clinical indications (female:male, 22:14; 57.8 ± 11.3 years) were enrolled in this prospective study. Each participant underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the multiple breath-hold bSSFP method and free-breathing multitasking method. LV function parameters were measured for both MRI methods. Image quality was assessed through subjective image quality scores (1 to 5) and calculation of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between the myocardium and blood pool. Differences between the two MRI methods were analyzed using the Bland–Altman plot, paired t-test, or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, as appropriate. Results: LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was not significantly different between the two MRI methods (P = 0.222 in healthy volunteers and P = 0.343 in patients). LV end-diastolic mass was slightly overestimated with multitasking in both healthy volunteers (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 60.5 ± 10.7 g vs. 58.0 ± 10.4 g, respectively; P < 0.001) and patients (69.4 ± 18.1 g vs. 66.8 ± 18.0 g, respectively; P = 0.003). Acceptable and comparable image quality was achieved for both MRI methods (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 4.5 ± 0.7 vs. 4.6 ± 0.6, respectively; P = 0.203). The CNR between the myocardium and blood pool showed no significant differences between the two MRI methods (18.89 ± 6.65 vs. 18.19 ± 5.83, respectively; P = 0.480). Conclusion Multitasking-derived cine images obtained without electrocardiogram gating and breath-holding achieved similar image quality and accurate quantification of LVEF in healthy volunteers and patients.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the anatomical and functional outcomes between bilateral sacrospinous hysteropexy (BSHP) and bilateral sacrospinous ligament fixation with vaginal hysterectomy (BSLF/VH) in women with apical-predominant uterovaginal prolapse. Methods: Clinical data from patients with symptomatic Pelvic Organ Prolapse-Quantification (POP-Q) stage 2 or higher uterovaginal prolapse who underwent either BSHP (48 patients) or BSLF/VH (69 patients) between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. The primary outcome was the subjective satisfaction rate evaluated by Patient Global Impression of Improvement, and the secondary outcomes included objective anatomical success rates, impact on disease-specific quality of life evaluated by the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-Short Form 20, and Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire 7, and surgical complications. Results: After a median follow-up of 35 months (range, 25–58 months), all patients in both groups demonstrated significant postoperative improvements in anatomical and functional outcomes (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in postoperative subjective and objective results, sexual satisfaction outcomes, or disease-specific quality of life between the BSHP and BSLF/VH groups, and similar incidence rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications were also recorded. Conclusions The uterus-sparing BSHP procedure yielded noninferior anatomical and functional outcomes compared to the BSLF/VH procedure and could be adopted as an alternative to conventional hysterectomy-based native-tissue repair modalities for symptomatic apical-predominant uterovaginal prolapse.

New threats posed by the emerging circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 highlight the need to find conserved neutralizing epitopes for therapeutic antibodies and efficient vaccine design. Here, we identified a receptor-binding domain (RBD)-binding antibody, XG014, which potently neutralizes β-coronavirus lineage B (β-CoV-B), including SARS-CoV-2, its circulating variants, SARS-CoV and bat SARSr-CoV WIV1. Interestingly, antibody family members competing with XG014 binding show reduced levels of cross-reactivity and induce antibody-dependent SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein-mediated cell-cell fusion, suggesting a unique mode of recognition by XG014. Structural analyses reveal that XG014 recognizes a conserved epitope outside the ACE2 binding site and completely locks RBD in the non-functional "down" conformation, while its family member XG005 directly competes with ACE2 binding and position the RBD "up". Single administration of XG014 is effective in protection against and therapy of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo. Our findings suggest the potential to develop XG014 as pan-β-CoV-B therapeutics and the importance of the XG014 conserved antigenic epitope for designing broadly protective vaccines against β-CoV-B and newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Antibodies, Viral ; COVID-19 ; Epitopes ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics*

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a complicated psoriasis comorbidity with manifestations of psoriatic skin and arthritic joints, and tailoring specific treatment strategies for simultaneously delivering different drugs to different action sites in PsA remains challenging. We developed a need-based layered dissolving microneedle (MN) system loading immunosuppressant tacrolimus (TAC) and anti-inflammatory diclofenac (DIC) in different layers of MNs,

Objective:To screen the differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs derived from liver cancer stem cells (LCSCs) and its effect on the malignant biological characteristics of liver cancer cells.Methods:miRNA expression profile chip was used to analyze the differentially expressed exosomal miRNA derived from LCSCs. The effects of miRNA on malignant phenotypes of LCSCs were identified. The cells were further treated with doxorubicin at different concentrations (0, 150, 300 μmol/L), and the expression level of miR-196a was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The apoptosis of liver cancer cells cultured by exosomes derived from LCSCs (Exo-NC group) and exosomes derived from miR-196a inhibited LCSCs (Exo-Inhibitor group) and the activity of caspase3/7 under the action of exosomes from LCSCs were detected. Nude mice were randomly divided into Do-PBS group, Do-Exo-Inhibitor group and Do-Exo-NC group using random number table method, with 5 mice in each group, and the effect of miR-196a on nude mice xenograft tumor model with liver cancer cells was analyzed.Results:In this study, exosomes were isolated and purified from CD133 + Huh7 stem cell culture supernatant. miR-7162-3p, miR-1910-5, miR-3613-3p, miR-196a and miR-155-5p were up-regulated, while miR-1246 and miR-3613-5p were down-regulated. miR-7162-3p, miR-196a and miR-155-5p in exosomes had important effects on the self-renewal ability of LCSCs. miR-1910-5p, miR-196a and miR-155-5p had important effects on the invasion ability of liver cancer stem cells, among which miR-196a had the most significant inhibitory effect. Treatment for 24 h, the miR-196a expression level of the 0, 150 and 300 μmol/L doxorubicin was 0.96±0.05, 1.23±0.05 and 2.33±0.03 respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=996.90, P<0.001). Treatment for 48 h, the miR-196a expression level of the 0, 150 and 300 μmol/L doxorubicin were 1.02±0.07, 2.35±0.05 and 2.89±0.55 respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=303.00, P<0.001). When the concentration of doxorubicin was 0 and 300 μmol/L, the apoptosis rates of the Exo-NC group were 9.37%±0.19% and 11.64%±0.27%, and those of the Exo-Inhibitor group were were 18.80%±1.91% and 22.79%±1.57%, with statistically significant differences ( t=4.41, P=0.048; t=4.96, P=0.038). When doxorubicin was not used, the ratios of caspase3/7 in the Exo-NC group at 24 h and 48 h were 0.94±0.08 and 0.97±0.09, and those in the Exo-Inhibitor group were 1.56±0.01 and 1.58±0.01, with statistically significant differences ( t=11.41, P=0.008; t=6.07, P=0.026). Under 300 μmol/L doxorubicin, the ratios of caspase3/7 in the Exo-NC group at 24 h and 48 h were 0.95±0.07 and 1.36±0.08, and those in the Exo-Inhibitor group were 2.84±0.08 and 3.20±0.14, with statistically significant differences ( t=24.20, P=0.002; t=15.78, P=0.004). The results of xenograft tumor in nude mice showed that the tumor volumes of Do-PBS, Do-Exo-Inhibitor and Do-Exo-NC groups increased successively, which were (1 051.86±89.90) mm 3, (1 310.91±86.66) mm 3 and (2 185.14± 352.34) mm 3 respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=30.28, P<0.001). The weights of the transplanted tumors in the 3 groups increased successively, which were (0.36±0.10) g, (0.39±0.12) g and (0.76±0.16) g respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=11.81, P=0.002). The expression of miR-196a in tumors was significantly decreased after miR-196a inhibitor transfection. The expression levels of the 3 groups were 1.05±0.16, 0.38±0.08 and 2.17±0.26, with a statistically significant difference ( F=48.93, P<0.001). Conclusion:The exosomal secreted by LCSCs can enhance the resistance of liver cancer cells to doxorubicin by miR-196a.

Objective Todeterminetherelationshipbetweenthetumorvolumeoftheperipherallungadenocarcinomawith maximum diameter≤3cmandlymphnodemetastasis(LNM).Methods TheMSCTmanifestationsof235subjectswhowerediagnosedasperipheral lungadenocarcinomawithmaximumdiameter≤3cm wereretrospectivelyanalyzed.Thesepatientsweregroupedaccordingtodifferent parametersincludingsmokinghistory,differentiation,tumorconsistencyandavailabilityoftumornecrosis.Tumorvolumeandratesof LNMamongthesegroupswerecompared.ROCanalysiswasusedtocalculatethecut-offvalueanddiagnosticaccuracy.Results (1) ThetumorvolumeofLNMgroupwaslargerthanthatofnoLNMgroup,cut-offvaluewas5.5cm3,andAUCwas0.76;(2)Therates ofLNMofthewell,moderate-well,moderate,moderate-poorandpoordifferentiationgroupswere0%,8.7%,17.7%,45.6%and46.7%respectively.Theratesofpuregroundglassopacity(p-GGO),mixedandsolidtumorwere0%,8.3%and29.3%respectively.The ratesofthetumorpresentandabsentofnecrosiswere47.8%,22.0%respectively(P＜0.05).Conclusion Usingthevolumeoftumor on MSCTtopredictLNMisanewnon-invasivewayofassessingLNM,withhighsensitivityandspecificity,whichcouldsupplymore imaginginformationforsurgeonstochoosethewayoflymphnodedissection.