Glucosidases are an indispensable class of enzymes in the sugar metabolism of organisms. To investigate the biological functions and expression patterns of α-glucosidases (AGLUs) and β-glucosidases (BGLUs), we identified the two family members in the genome of melon (Cucumis melo). The number, location on chromosomes, gene structure, subcellular localization, conserved motifs, and phylogenetic relationship of the two family members were analyzed. Based on the cis-acting elements in the promoter region and protein interaction models, their functions were preliminarily predicted. Furthermore, the gene expression of the two family members was determined by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the melon genome contained five AGLU family members on five chromosomes, and all of the five members were located in the extracellular matrix, with the amino acid sequence lengths ranging from 899 aa to 1 060 aa. The melon genome carried 18 BGLU family members on 8 chromosomes, and all the members were located in the cell membrane or cytoplasm, with the amino acid lengths ranging from 151 aa to 576 aa. The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression of about 50% of the genes was down-regulated upon cold stress. CmAGLU5 and CmBGLU7 may be key members of the two families, respectively, in response to cold stress. The expression of all members of the two families was up-regulated under abscisic acid (ABA), high salt, and drought stress. In the AGLU family, CmAGLU3 was the key gene in response to ABA and high salt stress, while CmAGLU4 was the key gene in response to drought stress. In the BGLU family, CmBGLU18 was the key gene in response to ABA, while CmBGLU6 was the key gene in response to high salt and drought stress.
beta-Glucosidase/metabolism* ; Phylogeny ; alpha-Glucosidases/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Cucurbitaceae/enzymology* ; Multigene Family ; Cucumis melo/enzymology* ; Stress, Physiological

Objective:To analyze the level of interleukin-36(IL-36) family cytokines in peripheral blood, and explore the regulatory role of recombinant human IL-36α in monocyte function in patients with diabetic kidney disease(DKD).Methods:A total of 41 type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) patients, 36 DKD patients, and 20 controls were consecutively enrolled. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) were isolated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure plasma levels of IL-36α, IL-36β, IL-36γ, and IL-36 receptor antagonist(IL-36Ra). PBMCs were sorted, and real-time quantitative PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expression of IL-36 receptor subunits in monocytes. Monocytes were stimulated with recombinant IL-36α, and levels of cytotoxic molecules and cytokines in the culture supernatant were measured. Flow cytometry was used to assess the expressions of programmed death receptor-1(PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4(CTLA-4). Co-culture of monocytes with Vero cells was performed to evaluate monocyte cytotoxicity.Results:Plasma levels of IL-36α and IL-36β in the T2DM and DKD groups were significantly higher than those in the control group. The DKD group also showed higher plasma levels of IL-36α compared to the T2DM group( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in IL-36γ and IL-36Ra levels among the three groups( P>0.05). The mRNA expression of IL-36 receptor subunits in monocytes was comparable among the three groups( P>0.05). The DKD group had higher level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α) compared to the control and T2DM groups( P<0.05). The levels of PD-1 and CTLA-4 were lower in the DKD group than those in the control and T2DM groups( P<0.05). The proportion of monocyte-induced Vero cell death was significantly higher in the DKD group compared to the control and T2DM groups( P<0.05). After stimulation with recombinant human IL-36α, monocytes from DKD patients showed a significant increase in the secretion of granzyme B and TNF-α( P<0.05), as well as an increased proportion of monocyte-induced Vero cell death( P=0.024). Conclusion:In DKD patients, elevated IL-36α and granzyme B levels in monocytes enhance monocyte function.

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective mechanism of Qianyang Yuyin granules （QYYY） on aldosterone-induced podocyte injury. MethodA total of 30 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups： control group， model group， QYYY low dose （QYYY-L） group， QYYY high dose （QYYY-H） group， and spironolactone （SPL） group， with six mice in each group. Except for the control group， mice were implanted with osmotic minipumps and injected continuously with aldosterone （300 μg·kg^-1·d^-1） to induce renal injury. The drug administration group was given low and high doses （2.6， 5.2 g·kg^-1·d^-1） of QYYY and SPL （18 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） for 28 days. The renal pathological changes of mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining. The expression levels of Nephrin， Desmin， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， Bcl-2-associated X （Bax）， cleaved Caspase-3， nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 （NR3C2）， extracellular regulated protein kinases （ERK）， and phospho-ERK （p-ERK） in kidney tissue were detected by Western blot. The apoptosis levels of kidney tissue were detected by TdT-mediated dUTP nick and labeling （TUNEL） staining， and the superoxide dismutase （SOD） levels were detected. In vitro， the mice were divided into five groups： Control group， model group （aldosterone concentration of 200 nmol·L^-1）， QYYY-L group， QYYY medium dose （QYYY-M） group， and QYYY-H group （25， 50， and 100 mg·L^-1）. The effect of different concentrations of QYYY on the relative viability of aldosterone-induced podocytes was detected by cell proliferation and viability assay （CCK-8）. The expressions of Nephrin， Desmin， Bax， Bcl-2， cleaved Caspase-3， NR3C2， and p-ERK/ERK were detected by Western blot. AnnexinV-FITC/PI flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptosis levels of podocytes. Reactive oxygen species （ROS） in podocytes were observed by DCFH-DA. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed structural pathological changes and fibrotic conditions in the kidney， increased apoptosis levels （P<0.01）， and decreased SOD levels （P<0.01）. Aldosterone concentration at 200 nmol·L^-1 showed a significant decrease in podocyte activity （P<0.05）. Podocytes in the model group showed structural pathological changes， disordered arrangement of intercellular microfilaments， increased apoptosis levels （P<0.01）， and increased intracellular ROS levels （P<0.01）. The protein expressions of Nephrin， Bcl-2， and p-ERK/ERK in kidney tissue and podocytes were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The protein expressions of Desmin， Bax， cleaved Caspase-3， and NR3C2 were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， QYYY alleviated the structural damage and fibrosis of the kidney， decreased the apoptosis levels （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and enhanced the SOD content of the kidney （P<0.05， P<0.01）. QYYY improved the activity of podocytes （P<0.05， P<0.01）， restored the foot process structure of podocytes， and decreased apoptosis levels （P<0.01） and ROS levels of podocytes （P<0.01）. The protein expressions of Nephrin， Bcl-2， and p-ERK/ERK in kidney tissue and podocytes were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the protein expressions of Desmin， Bax， cleaved Caspase-3， and NR3C2 were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionQYYY improves aldosterone-induced podocyte injury by regulating the NR3C2/ROS/ERK pathway.

Objective:To train a deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) using a labeled data set to classify the metaphase chromosomes and test its accuracy for chromosomal identification.Methods:Three thousand and three hundred individuals undergoing surveillance for chromosomal disorders at the Laboratory for Comprehensive Prevention and Treatment of Birth Defects, Ningbo Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital from January 2013 to July 2019 were enrolled. A total of 3 300×46 chromosome images were included, of which 70% were used as the training set and 30% were used as the test set for the deep CNN. The accuracy of chromosome counting and "cutting + recognition + arrangement + automatic analysis" of the model were respectively evaluated. Another 80 images were collected to record the time and accuracy of chromosome classification by geneticists and the model, respectively, so as to assess the practical value of the model.Results:The CNN model was used to count the chromosomes with an accuracy of 61.81%, and the "cutting + recognition + arrangement + automatic analysis" accuracy of the model was 96.16%. Compared with manual operation, the classification time of the CNN model has been greatly reduced, and its karyotyping accuracy was only 3.58% lower than that of geneticists.Conclusion:The CNN model has a high performance for chromosome classification and can significantly reduce the work load involved with the segmentation and classification and improve the efficiency of chromosomal karyotyping, thereby has a broad application prospect.

Objective To observe and compare the effect of remimazolam combined with nalbuphine and midazolam combined with nalbuphine on postoperative recovery in elderly patients undergoing fibrobronchoscopy.Methods A total of 112 elderly patients undergoing fibrobronchoscopy,56 males and 56 females,aged ≥ 65 years,BMI 18.5-28.0 kg/m2,ASA physical status I or Ⅱ,were ran-domly divided into two groups:midazolam group and remimazolam group,56 patients in each group.The midazolam group received midazolam 0.03 mg/kg combined with nalbuphine 0.1 mg/kg for anesthesia.The remimazolam group received remimazolam 0.1 mg/kg combined with nalbuphine 0.1 mg/kg for anesthesia.HR,MAP,SpO2,and RR were recorded after entering room,before anesthesia induction,5 minutes after anesthesia induction,and at the end of the operation.The onset time of anesthesia,the time of awakening,the time of operation,the time of discharge,the number of successful cases of sedation,the number of suc-cessful cases of endoscopy,and the occurrence of adverse events were recorded.The satisfaction of the pa-tient,anesthesiologist,and endoscopist were also recorded.Results Compared with the midazolam group,HR and MAP were significantly increased 5 minutes after induction and the end of operation in the remima-zolam group(P＜0.05),the onset time of anesthesia and the time of awakening were significantly short-ened(P＜0.05),the incidence of hypotension,respiratory depression and nausea and vomiting were sig-nificantly reduced(P＜0.05),and the rae of very satisfaction of the operating physician was significantly increased(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the time of separation,the success rate of sedation and the success rate of endoscopy between the two groups.Conclusion Compared with midazolam,remimazolam combined with nalbuphine can be safely used for flexible bronchoscopy in elderly patients,reduce recovery time and adverse reactions,which is conducive to rapid postoperative recovery.

Objective To study the relationship between the expression level of regulators of G-protein signalling 2(RGS2)in brain tissue around hematoma and inflammatory response,short-term prognosis of patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage.Methods A total of 124 patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage who underwent hematoma clearance in our hospital from May 2019 to May 2022 were selected as the cerebral hemorrhage group,22 patients with non cerebral hemorrhage who underwent autopsy were selected as the control group.The protein expression of RGS2,TNF-α,IL-1β were detected.The mRS scores of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage at 3 months after discharge were evaluated,patients were divided into patients with good prognosis and patients with poor prognosis.Pearson test was used to analyze correlation between RGS2 and TNF-α,IL-1β.Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of the short-term prognosis of patients with cerebral hemorrhage,ROC curve was used to analyze the predictive value of RGS2,TNF-α,IL-1β for the short-term prognosis of patients with cerebral hemorrhage.Results The relative expression level of RGS2 protein in brain tissue around hematoma of cerebral hemorrhage group was lower than that in control group,the relative expression level of TNF-α,IL-1β were higher than those of the control group(all P<0.05).There was a negative correlation between the relative expression level of RGS2 and TNF-α,IL-1β.The NIHSS score,random blood glucose level,cerebral hemorrhage volume and the relative expression level of TNF-α,IL-1β of patients with poor prognosis in the cerebral hemorrhage group were higher than those of patients with good prognosis,and the relative expression level of RGS2 was lower than that of patients with good prognosis(all P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that NIHSS score,hematoma volume and the relative expression level of RGS2,TNF-α,IL-1β were influencing factors of the short-term prognosis of patients with cerebral hemorrhage.ROC curve analysis showed that the relative expression level of RGS2,TNF-α,IL-1β had predictive value for the short-term prognosis of patients with cerebral hemorrhage.Conclusion The decreased expression of RGS2 in the brain tissue around the hematoma of hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage is related to the activation of inflammatory reaction and poor short-term prognosis.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly malignant tumor with poor prognosis. In the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment, only a small number of patients can receive surgical treatment in time, and the rest often have local infiltration or distant metastasis at the time of presentation, which can only prolong the overall survival by adjuvant therapy. At present, the main adjuvant treatments in clinical practice include chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. This article reviews the progress of systemic therapy and some clinical trials in patients with advanced unresectable ICC, to provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of ICC.

Objective:To observe the expression of interleukin-35(IL-35) in Hashimoto's thyroiditis(HT) patients, and evaluate its regulatory effect on the balance between regulatory T cells(Treg) and T helper 22(Th22) cells.Methods:Forty-two HT patients and eighteen controls were consecutively enrolled. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) were isolated. Treg were purified. Plasma IL-35 and IL-22 were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Treg and Th22 percentages were measured using flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to assess mRNA levels of forhead box protein 3(FoxP3) and aryl hydrocarbon receptor(AhR). Treg were stimulated with exogenous IL-35, and were co-cultured with autologous PBMC to induce Treg-to-Th22 phenotypic differentiation, evaluating the effect of IL-35 on Treg function and differentiation.Results:There was imbalance between Treg and Th22 cells in HT group. HT group had reduced Treg percentage, plasma IL-35 and FoxP3 mRNA( P<0.001), while had elevated Th22 percentage and AhR mRNA( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in plasma IL-22 level between two groups( P=0.775). The suppressive capacity of Tregs in the HT group was diminished( P=0.013), and secretion levels of IL-35 and IL-10 were lower than those in the control group( P<0.001). The ability of Tregs in the HT group to differentiate into Th22 cells was increased, with higher levels of CCR4, CCR6, CCR10, AhR mRNA, and IL-22 secretion compared to the control group( P<0.01). IL-35 stimulation induced elevation of Treg percentage, FoxP3 mRNA, and IL-35/IL-10 secretion( P<0.05), but did not affect Th22 percentage, AhR mRNA, or IL-22 secretion( P>0.05). IL-35 stimulation enhanced Treg function in HT group, increasing proliferation inhibition and secretion of IL-35 and IL-10( P<0.05). IL-35 stimulation reduced the differentiation of Treg to Th22 phenotype in HT group, with decreased levels of CCR4, CCR6 CCR10, AhR mRNA, and IL-22 secretion( P<0.05). Conclusion:IL-35 enhances the immunosuppression of Tregs in HT patients and inhibits its differentiation into Th22 cells, thus regulating the balance between Tregs and Th22 cells.

Adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia(ALSP)is a clinically rare autosomal dominant genetic disease,and its specific pathogenesis is not yet clear.The colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor(CSF1R)is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor on the cell surface and mutations in the gene encoding it have been identified as potential pathogenic factors for ALSP.However,the specific mechanisms by which CSF1R gene mutations lead to the onset of ALSP are still unclear.After reviewing the mutation sites and pathogenic mechanisms of CSF1R in the pathogenesis of ALSP,CSF1R mutations have been shown to cause microglial dysfunction through mechanisms such as dominant-negative effects,loss of function,haploinsufficiency,and gain of function,thereby leading to the onset of ALSP.A deeper understanding of the causes of ALSP will help in exploring potential treatment methods.

Background::Hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) share several pathophysiologic risk factors, and the exact relationship between the two remains unclear. Our study aims to provide evidence concerning the relationship between hypertension and NAFLD by analyzing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2017-2018 and Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.Methods::Weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression was applied to assess the relationship between hypertension and NAFLD risk by using data from the NHANES 2017-2018. Subsequently, a two-sample MR study was performed using the genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to identify the causal association between hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and NAFLD. The primary inverse variance weighted (IVW) and other supplementary MR approaches were conducted to verify the causal association between hypertension and NAFLD. Sensitivity analyses were adopted to confirm the robustness of the results.Results::A total of 3144 participants were enrolled for our observational study in NHANES. Weighted multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis suggested that hypertension was positively related to NAFLD risk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.677; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.159-2.423). SBP ≥130 mmHg and DBP ≥80 mmHg were also significantly positively correlated with NAFLD. Moreover, hypertension was independently connected with liver steatosis ( β = 7.836 [95% CI, 2.334-13.338]). The results of MR analysis also supported a causal association between hypertension (OR = 7.203 [95% CI, 2.297-22.587]) and NAFLD. Similar results were observed for the causal exploration between SBP (OR = 1.024 [95% CI, 1.003-1.046]), DBP (OR = 1.047 [95% CI, 1.005-1.090]), and NAFLD. The sensitive analysis further confirmed the robustness and reliability of these findings (all P >0.05). Conclusion::Hypertension was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD.