Nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA), one of the most severe types of male infertility, etiology often remains unclear in most cases. Therefore, this study aimed to detect four biallelic detrimental variants (0.5%) in the minichromosome maintenance domain containing 2 ( MCMDC2 ) genes in 768 NOA patients by whole-exome sequencing (WES). Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) demonstrated that MCMDC2 deleterious variants caused meiotic arrest in three patients (c.1360G>T, c.1956G>T, and c.685C>T) and hypospermatogenesis in one patient (c.94G>T), as further confirmed through immunofluorescence (IF) staining. The single-cell RNA sequencing data indicated that MCMDC2 was substantially expressed during spermatogenesis. The variants were confirmed as deleterious and responsible for patient infertility through bioinformatics and in vitro experimental analyses. The results revealed four MCMDC2 variants related to NOA, which contributes to the current perception of the function of MCMDC2 in male fertility and presents new perspectives on the genetic etiology of NOA.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Meiosis/genetics* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics* ; Adult ; Exome Sequencing ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics* ; Alleles ; Infertility, Male/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and efficacy of high-dose etoposide (VP-16) combined with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) as salvage mobilization for peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. METHODS: From April 2021 to May 2023, eight NDMM patients who had failed to yield sufficient PBSC during initial mobilization with high-dose cyclophosphamide (CTX) combined with rhG-CSF underwent salvage mobilization with 1.2 g/m2 etoposide combined with rhG-CSF 10 μg/(kg·d). The effects and adverse reactions of initial mobilization and salvage mobilization were analyzed. RESULTS: For salvage mobilization and initial mobilization, the numbers of PBSC collections were 16 and 18, respectively. The mean value of total collected CD34⁺ cells were (11.90±5.75)×10⁶/kg and (1.67±0.75)×10⁶/kg (P =0.0010) in salvage mobilization group and initial mobilization group, respectively. The proportion of patients with a total collection of CD34⁺ cell count≥2×10⁶/kg were 100% and 37.5% (P =0.0625), and the proportion of patients with a total collection of CD34⁺ cell count≥5×10⁶/kg were 87.5% and 0% (P =0.0156) in salvage mobilization group and initial mobilization group, respectively. For five patients who underwent high-dose CTX initial mobilization but had a total CD34⁺ cell count < 2×10⁶/kg, successful collection was achieved through salvage mobilization with high-dose VP-16. Salvage mobilization with high-dose VP-16 was scheduled 2-3 weeks after failure of CTX mobilization. Adverse reactions of high-dose VP-16 mobilization did not increase compared to the initial mobilization with high-dose CTX. CONCLUSION As a salvage mobilization regimen, VP-16 1.2 g/m² combined with rhG-CSF is safe and highly effective in NDMM patients who failed to initial mobilization with high-dose CTX combined with rhG-CSF.
Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/therapy* ; Etoposide/therapeutic use* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization/methods* ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use* ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Salvage Therapy ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cells ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic causal relationship of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) with prostatitis, orchitis and epididymitis by two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: Using LTL as the exposure factor and prostatitis, orchitis and epididymitis as outcome factors, we mined the Database of Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS). Then, we analyzed the causal relationship of LTL with prostatitis, orchitis and epididymitis by Mendelian randomization using inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the main method and weighted median and MR-Egger regression as auxiliary methods, determined the horizontal multiplicity by MR-Egger intercept test, and conducted sensitivity analysis using the leaving-one-out method. RESULTS: A total of 121 related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in this study. IVW showed LTL to be a risk factor for prostatitis (OR = 1.383, 95% CI: 1.044－1.832, P = 0.024), and for orchitis and epididymitis as well (OR = 1.770, 95% CI: 1.275－2.456, P = 0.000 6). CONCLUSION Genetic evidence from Mendelian randomized analysis indicates that shortening of LTL reduces the risk of prostatitis, orchitis and epididymitis.
Humans ; Male ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Epididymitis/genetics* ; Prostatitis/genetics* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Leukocytes ; Orchitis/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Telomere ; Risk Factors

Schizophrenia (SZ) stands as a severe psychiatric disorder. This study applied diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data in conjunction with graph neural networks to distinguish SZ patients from normal controls (NCs) and showcases the superior performance of a graph neural network integrating combined fractional anisotropy and fiber number brain network features, achieving an accuracy of 73.79% in distinguishing SZ patients from NCs. Beyond mere discrimination, our study delved deeper into the advantages of utilizing white matter brain network features for identifying SZ patients through interpretable model analysis and gene expression analysis. These analyses uncovered intricate interrelationships between brain imaging markers and genetic biomarkers, providing novel insights into the neuropathological basis of SZ. In summary, our findings underscore the potential of graph neural networks applied to multimodal DTI data for enhancing SZ detection through an integrated analysis of neuroimaging and genetic features.
Humans ; Schizophrenia/pathology* ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Brain/metabolism* ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; White Matter/pathology* ; Gene Expression ; Nerve Net/diagnostic imaging* ; Graph Neural Networks

Objective This study systematically evaluated the clinical efficacy of Shangke Jiegu tablet in the treatment of fracture,and explored the mechanism of action of Shangke Jiegu tablet and the compatibility of each efficacy group from the"Disease-Symptom-Formula"perspective.Methods Clinical research literatures on the use of Shangke Jiegu tablet for fracture intervention were retrieved from Chinese databases(CNKI,Wanfang Database,VIP database)and English databases(PubMed,Cochrane Library,EMbase),covering the period from the inception of the databases to January 2024.Risk assessment tools were used to evaluate the literature's quality,and the data were extracted and analyzed using Stata 16.0 software.Gene sets associated with fracture symptoms were identified through the TCMIP platform(version 2.0).Differential gene expression related to fractures was obtained from the GEO database.Chemical composition and candidate target profiles of the 12 herbs in Shangke Jiegu tablets were collected from TCMIP v 2.0.An interaction network between fracture-related genes and drug candidate targets was established,and core network targets were screened based on topological features,with functional enrichment analysis performed.Results A total of 14 articles were incorporated into the Meta-analysis,encompassing a total sample size of 1 293 cases,indicating an overall response rate of Shangke Jiegu tablets in fracture therapy(RR=1.24,95%CI:1.18-1.31,P<0.001).The"Disease-Symptom-Formula"association network analysis indicated that the pathways related to the putative targets of Shangke Jiegu tablet were primarily involved in bone healing,nerve and blood system regulation,and immune-inflammation regulation.Different efficacy groups within the prescriptions showed varying emphases on these roles.Conclusions Shangke Jiegu tablet may facilitate fracture healing by regulating blood and nervous systems,correcting immune-inflammatory imbalances,and maintaining bone and energy metabolism.The comprehensive effects include the dissipation of blood stasis,the promotion of blood circulation,the alleviation of swelling and pain,the regeneration of muscles and bones,and the clearance of heat and detoxification.These findings support the clinical advantages and positioning of Shangke Jiegu tablet.

Objective To investigate the rate of germline variants in patients with pancreatic cancer and clinical characteristics related with germline variants.Methods A total of 271 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer were enrolled in this study.Germline variants of 21 tumor susceptibility genes were detected by next-generation sequencing,and the relationship between germline variants and clinical factors such as age of onset,family history and personal history was analyzed.Results The rate of germline P/LP variants was 6.3%in unselected pancreatic cancer patients,but was high as 17.1%in genetic high-risk group patients(those with a family or personal history of cancer,or early-onset).Genes with higher frequency of germline variants in pancreatic cancer patients were PALB2,BRCA2,and ATM.Conclusion The rate of germline variants in overall pancreatic cancer patients is not high,but it increases significantly in genetic high-risk group,proving the importance of clinical factors in the screening of hereditary pancreatic cancer.

Objective To evaluate the value of high-throughput sequencing(HTS)data reanalysis that does not include ERBB2 copy number variation(CNV)analysis,in identifying ERBB2 amplification in patients with colorectal cancer.Methods The HTS data of 252 cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed by pathological biopsy who received peripheral blood cfDNA HTS detection samples were retrospectively analyzed.According to the HTS data of ERBB2 non-amplified samples judged by immunohistochemistry(IHC)and/or fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH),the number of chromosome 17(Chr17)reads in the total number of reads was calculated the range of the ratio was initially determined as the threshold for prompting ERBB2 amplification.Suspected positive samples were screened according to thresholds and verified by digital PCR,IHC and FISH.Results The proportion of the number of Chr17 reads accounts for the number of total reads in the 89 cases of ERBB2 non-amplified samples determined by IHC and/or FISH ranged from 0.188 to 0.299(0.239±0.192).Using 0.298(1.25 times the mean)as the threshold indicating ERBB2 amplification,the data of 163 samples were analyzed,of which 7 cases were suspected to be positive,and the ratio ranged from 0.302 to 0.853.Among them,5 cases were determined to be positive by IHC and/or FISH,and 6 cases were confirmed to be positive by digital PCR.The ratio of the number of Chr17 reads to the number of total reads was positively correlated with the ratio of ERBB2/EIF2C1,and the correlation was good(r2=0.909).Conclusion The high-throughput sequencing data that does not cover the ERBB2 CNV analysis has a certain hint value for ERBB2 amplification in patients with colorectal cancer.

Objective To evaluate the pharmacokinetics(PK)of tenofovir alafenamide Fumarate tablets(25 mg)in healthy Chinese subjects after single oral administration to provide a basis for bioequivalence evaluation.Methods Using a single-dose,randomized,open-lable,two-period,two-way crossover design under fasting condition,while three-way crossover design under fed condition,42 healthy subjects respectively for fasting and fed study were enrolled,and randomized into two groups to receive a single dose of test product(T)or reference product(R)25 mg.Plasma concentration of tenofovir alafenamide and tenofovir were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method.The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by WinNonlin software(8.1 version)using non-compartmental model,and bioequivalence evaluation was performed for the two preparations.Relevant safety evaluations were performed during the trial.Results The test product and the reference product under fasting study,the main PK parameters of tenofovir alafenamide were as follows:Cmax were(215.17±94.24)and(199.30±71.11)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(135.44±71.60)and(123.91±53.82)h·ng·mL-1;the main PK parameters of tenofovir were as follows:Cmax were(7.30±2.27)and(7.12±1.74)ng·mL-1,AUC0-t of tenofovir were(237.16±47.09)and(230.06±43.41)h·ng·mL-1,respectively.The test product and the reference product under fed study,the main PK parameters of tenofovir were as follows:Cmax were(197.69±82.19)and(197.10±110.54)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(197.69±82.19)and(197.10±110.54)h·ng·mL-1;the main PK parameters of tenofovir were as follows:CMax were(2.57±1.37)and(2.58±1.31)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(227.08±74.33)and(238.51±128.30)h·ng·mL-1,respectively.The 90％confidence interval for geometric mean ratio of Cmax,AUC0-tof T and R under fed condition were between 80.00％-125.00％,respectively.The incidence of adverse events in fasting and fed tests was 21.43％and 30.95％,respectively,and no serious adverse event was reported.Conclusion The test formulation and reference formulation of tenofovir alafenamide fumarate tablets were equivalent and was safe.

Objective:To observe the effect of human mesenchymal stem cells(hMSCs)conditioned medium(CM)co-cultured with the human liposarcoma SW872 cells on the proliferation and migration of the tumor cells,and to discuss the effect of hMSCs CM on the liposarcoma cells and the possible mechanism.Methods:The hMSCs were cultured in vitro and transfected with either lentiviral vector control shNS(control group)or lentiviral shRNA targeting Yes-associated protein(YAP)(shYAP-hMSCs group)by lentiviral methods.The expression levels of YAP mRNA and protein in the hMSCs in various groups were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)and Western blotting methods.The CM was then harvested.The SW872 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into control group(normal culture),hMSCs CM group,and shYAP-hMSCs CM group.The proliferation activities of the cells in various groups were detected by CCK-8 assay;the apoptotic rates of the cells in various groups were detected by flow cytometry;the scratch healing rates of the cells in various groups were detected by cell scratch assay;the expression levels of YAP,matrix metallopeptidase-9(MMP-9),and cyclin D1 proteins in the cells in various groups were detected by Western blotting method.Results:Compared with control group,the expression levels of YAP mRNA and protein in the cells in shYAP-hMSCs group were decreased(P＜0.01),indicating the successful establishment of a stable transfected cell line.The CCK-8 assay results showed that compared with control group,the proliferation activity of the cells in hMSCs CM group was increased(P＜0.05),and the proliferation activity of the cells in shYAP-hMSCs CM group was decreased(P＜0.01).The flow cytometry results showed that compared with control group,there was no significant change in the apoptotic rate of the cells in hMSCs CM group(P＞0.05),while the apoptotic rate of the cells in shYAP-hMSCs CM group was increased(P＜0.01).The cell scratch assay results showed that compared with control group,the scratch healing rate of the cells in hMSCs CM group was increased(P＜0.05),and the scratch healing rate of the cells in shYAP-hMSCs CM group was decreased(P＜0.01).The Western blotting results showed that compared with control group,there were no significant differences in the expression levels of YAP,MMP-9,and cyclin D1 proteins in the cells in hMSCs CM group(P＞0.05),while the expression levels of YAP,MMP-9,and cyclin D1 proteins in the cells in shYAP-hMSCs group were decreased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion:The hMSCs regulate the proliferation and migration of the human liposarcoma SW872 cells,and its mechanism may be related to the expression of YAP.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the associations between genetic variations of pyroptosis pathway related key genes and adverse events (AEs) of postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in patients with rectal cancer. Methods: DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood which was collected from 347 patients before CRT. Sequenom MassARRAY was used to detect the genotypes of 43 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) in eight pyroptosis genes, including absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), caspase-1 (CASP1), caspase-4(CASP4), caspase-5 (CASP5), caspase-11 (CASP11), gasdermin D (GSDMD), gasdermin E (GSDME) and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3). The associations between 43 htSNPs and AEs were evaluated by the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by unconditional logistic regression models, adjusted for sex, age, clinical stage, tumor grade, Karnofsky performance status (KPS), surgical procedure, and tumor location. Results: Among the 347 patients with rectal cancer underwent concurrent CRT with capecitabine after surgery, a total of 101(29.1%) occurred grade ≥ 2 leukopenia. rs11226565 (OR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.21-0.79, P=0.008), rs579408(OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.03-2.29, P=0.034) and rs543923 (OR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.98, P=0.040) were significantly associated with the occurrence of grade ≥ 2 leukopenia. One hundred and fifty-six (45.0%) had grade ≥ 2 diarrhea, two SNPs were significantly associated with the occurrence of grade ≥ diarrhea, including CASP11 rs10880868 (OR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.33-0.91, P=0.020) and GSDME rs2954558 (OR=1.52, 95% CI: 1.01-2.31, P=0.050). In addition, sixty-six cases (19.0%) developed grade ≥2 dermatitis, three SNPs that significantly associated with the risk of grade ≥2 dermatitis included GSDME rs2237314 (OR=0.36, 95% CI: 0.16-0.83, P=0.017), GSDME rs12540919 (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.27-0.99, P=0.045) and NLRP3 rs3806268 (OR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.03-2.22, P=0.037). There was no significant difference in the association between other genetic variations and AEs of rectal cancer patients (all P>0.05). Surgical procedure and tumor location had great impacts on the occurrence of grade ≥2 diarrhea and dermatitis (all P<0.01). Conclusion: The genetic variants of CASP4, CASP11, GSDME and NLRP3 are associated with the occurrence of AEs in patients with rectal cancer who received postoperative CRT, suggesting they may be potential genetic markers in predicting the grade of AEs to achieve individualized treatment of rectal cancer.
Humans ; Pyroptosis ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Gasdermins ; Chemoradiotherapy/adverse effects* ; Rectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Caspases/metabolism* ; Diarrhea/chemically induced* ; Leukopenia/genetics* ; Genetic Variation ; Dermatitis