AIM: To delineate the specific mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa(RP)in a Yi pedigree, and to analyze the correlation of RHO gene mutation with clinical phenotype.METHODS:A comprehensive clinical evaluation was conducted on the proband diagnosed with RP and other familial members, complemented by a thorough ophthalmic examination. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the proband and familial members, from which genomic DNA was extracte. Subsequent whole exome sequencing(WES)was employed to identify the variant genes in the proband. The identified variant gene was validated through Sanger sequencing, then an in-depth analysis of the mutation genes was carried out using genetic databases to ascertain the pathogenic mutation sites. Furthermore, an exhaustive analysis was performed to delineate the genotype and phenotype characteristics.RESULTS:The RP pedigree encompasses 5 generations with 42 members, including 19 males and 23 females. A total of 13 cases of RP were identified, consisting of 4 males and 9 females, which conforms to the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The clinical features of this family include an early onset age, rapid progression, and a more severe condition. The patients were found to have night blindness around 6 years old, representing the earliest reported case of night blindness in RP families. The retina was manifested by progressive osteocytoid pigmentation of the fundus, a reduced visual field, and significantly decreased or even vanished a and b amplitudes of ERG. The combined results of WES and Sanger sequencing indicated that the proband had a heterozygous missense mutation of the RHO gene c.1040C>T:p.P347L, where the 1 040 base C of cDNA was replaced by T, causing codon 347 to encode leucine instead of proline. Interestingly, this mutation has not been reported in the Chinese population.CONCLUSION:This study confirmed that the mutant gene of RP in a Yi nationality pedigree was RHO(c.1040C>T). This variant leads to the change of codon 347 from encoding proline to encoding leucine, resulting in a severe clinical phenotype among family members. This study provides a certain molecular, clinical, and genetic basis for genetic counseling and gene diagnosis of RHO.

AIM: To delineate the specific mutation responsible for retinitis pigmentosa(RP)in a Yi pedigree, and to analyze the correlation of RHO gene mutation with clinical phenotype.METHODS:A comprehensive clinical evaluation was conducted on the proband diagnosed with RP and other familial members, complemented by a thorough ophthalmic examination. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the proband and familial members, from which genomic DNA was extracte. Subsequent whole exome sequencing(WES)was employed to identify the variant genes in the proband. The identified variant gene was validated through Sanger sequencing, then an in-depth analysis of the mutation genes was carried out using genetic databases to ascertain the pathogenic mutation sites. Furthermore, an exhaustive analysis was performed to delineate the genotype and phenotype characteristics.RESULTS:The RP pedigree encompasses 5 generations with 42 members, including 19 males and 23 females. A total of 13 cases of RP were identified, consisting of 4 males and 9 females, which conforms to the autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The clinical features of this family include an early onset age, rapid progression, and a more severe condition. The patients were found to have night blindness around 6 years old, representing the earliest reported case of night blindness in RP families. The retina was manifested by progressive osteocytoid pigmentation of the fundus, a reduced visual field, and significantly decreased or even vanished a and b amplitudes of ERG. The combined results of WES and Sanger sequencing indicated that the proband had a heterozygous missense mutation of the RHO gene c.1040C>T:p.P347L, where the 1 040 base C of cDNA was replaced by T, causing codon 347 to encode leucine instead of proline. Interestingly, this mutation has not been reported in the Chinese population.CONCLUSION:This study confirmed that the mutant gene of RP in a Yi nationality pedigree was RHO(c.1040C>T). This variant leads to the change of codon 347 from encoding proline to encoding leucine, resulting in a severe clinical phenotype among family members. This study provides a certain molecular, clinical, and genetic basis for genetic counseling and gene diagnosis of RHO.

Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.

Aim To generate a dual-reporter mouse model for tracing microglia and neurons to analyze their dynamic changes in real-time and to investigate the functional role of microglia-neuron interactions through microglial depletion.Methods Mi-croglia reporter mice were crossed with neuron reporter mice to generate Tmem119-e(2A-tdTomato-2A-DTR);Thy1-GFP dual-reporter mice.Genotyping was performed using tail DNA.Con-focal and two-photon microscopy were used to examine neuronal morphology.In vivo two-photon imaging was employed to observe the distribution of microglia and neurons in the brain.Diphtheria toxin(DT)was intraperitoneally injected to deplete microglia.Results The dual-reporter mice were successfully generated with the correct genotype.Both microglia and neurons were visu-alized,and microglia were specifically depleted by DT.Conclu-sions The successful establishment of a dual-reporter mouse model for tracing neurons and microglia will facilitate real-time in vivo observation of microglial and neuronal changes under physiological or pathological conditions,elucidating their specific roles in brain homeostasis.

Objective Human facial morphology is an appearance phenotype with high heritability,high diversity,and complexity.Traditional facial morphological genetic analysis is mostly based on facial landmark measurements,using linear regression for genome-wide association studies,but this method extracts limited facial morphological feature information.This study established an extraction method for multidimensional facial representations and validated the correlation between 473 single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)previously reported to be significantly associated with facial features and facial representations in the Han Chinese population.Methods After acquiring facial 3D images,3D morphable face models and HR-net network were used to align and quantify the 3D images,obtaining high-density 3D facial point cloud data.After unsupervised clustering of the point cloud,principal component analysis was applied to reduce dimensionality and extract multidimensional morphological phenotypes for each facial region.Based on these multidimensional phenotypes,partial least squares regression(PLSR)and canonical correlation analysis(CCA)were used for genetic association analysis.Results A total of 10 SNPs were validated to be significantly associated with facial morphology in Han Chinese,of which 7 SNPs were validated by the PLSR method,2 SNPs were validated by the CCA method,and 1 SNP was validated by both methods.Conclusion Among the 10 significantly associated SNP sites,9 related facial morphological regions were consistent with previous reports in other populations,indicating that genes affecting complex facial morphology have cross-population effects.

Aim To generate a dual-reporter mouse model for tracing microglia and neurons to analyze their dynamic changes in real-time and to investigate the functional role of microglia-neuron interactions through microglial depletion.Methods Mi-croglia reporter mice were crossed with neuron reporter mice to generate Tmem119-e(2A-tdTomato-2A-DTR);Thy1-GFP dual-reporter mice.Genotyping was performed using tail DNA.Con-focal and two-photon microscopy were used to examine neuronal morphology.In vivo two-photon imaging was employed to observe the distribution of microglia and neurons in the brain.Diphtheria toxin(DT)was intraperitoneally injected to deplete microglia.Results The dual-reporter mice were successfully generated with the correct genotype.Both microglia and neurons were visu-alized,and microglia were specifically depleted by DT.Conclu-sions The successful establishment of a dual-reporter mouse model for tracing neurons and microglia will facilitate real-time in vivo observation of microglial and neuronal changes under physiological or pathological conditions,elucidating their specific roles in brain homeostasis.

Objective Human facial morphology is an appearance phenotype with high heritability,high diversity,and complexity.Traditional facial morphological genetic analysis is mostly based on facial landmark measurements,using linear regression for genome-wide association studies,but this method extracts limited facial morphological feature information.This study established an extraction method for multidimensional facial representations and validated the correlation between 473 single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)previously reported to be significantly associated with facial features and facial representations in the Han Chinese population.Methods After acquiring facial 3D images,3D morphable face models and HR-net network were used to align and quantify the 3D images,obtaining high-density 3D facial point cloud data.After unsupervised clustering of the point cloud,principal component analysis was applied to reduce dimensionality and extract multidimensional morphological phenotypes for each facial region.Based on these multidimensional phenotypes,partial least squares regression(PLSR)and canonical correlation analysis(CCA)were used for genetic association analysis.Results A total of 10 SNPs were validated to be significantly associated with facial morphology in Han Chinese,of which 7 SNPs were validated by the PLSR method,2 SNPs were validated by the CCA method,and 1 SNP was validated by both methods.Conclusion Among the 10 significantly associated SNP sites,9 related facial morphological regions were consistent with previous reports in other populations,indicating that genes affecting complex facial morphology have cross-population effects.

This consensus was developed by the Orthodontic Society of the Chinese Stomatological Association to provide a systematic, scientific, and practical guideline for informed consent in orthodontic care. Orthodontic treatment is typically lengthy, highly individualized, and involves multiple factors such as growth and development, occlusal function, and facial esthetics. Rapid technological advances and diverse risk profiles make the traditional reliance on orthodontist experience or institutional templates insufficient to ensure patients′ full understanding and autonomous decision-making. To address this, the expert panel conducted extensive reviews of domestic and international guidelines, analyzed representative dispute cases, and performed multicenter patient-clinician surveys. Using a multi-round Delphi method, the group established a standardized informed consent framework covering the initial consultation, treatment, and retention phases. The consensus emphasizes that informed consent is not only a fundamental legal and ethical requirement but also a key step in building trust, improving patient compliance, and enhancing treatment satisfaction. Orthodontists should clearly and comprehensively explain treatment plans, potential risks, uncertainties, and associated costs, while respecting the autonomy of patients or guardians, and maintain continuous communication and dynamic evaluation throughout the treatment process. The release of this consensus provides unified and authoritative guidance for clinical orthodontics, helping to standardize informed consent, enhance its transparency, safeguard patient rights, reduce medical risks, and promote high-quality, sustainable development of orthodontic practice.

Aim To investigate the effect of icariin(ICA)on chronic ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice.Methods Male SPF-grade C57BL/6J mice were ran-domly divided into the control group,model group,low-dose ICA group,and high-dose ICA group.Except for the control group,the rest of the mice were established as chronic UC models.Expressions of tight junction proteins,inflammatory factors,fibrosis markers,macro-phage markers,and MAPK signaling pathways in the colonic epithelium of each group were determined by Western blot,qPCR,immunohistochemistry;the degree of intestinal damage and fibrosis was detected by HE and Masson staining;the co-localization of different macrophage markers with related factors was examined by immunofluorescence.Results Treatment of ICA significantly improved the general condition of chronic UC mice,decreased the infiltration of M1-type macro-phages and the secretion of pro-inflammatory factors,inhibited the MAPK signaling pathway,reduced the co-localization expression of M1-type macrophages with the MAPK signaling pathway,and downregulated the infiltration of M2-type macrophages and the secretion of pro-fibrotic factors in the colon.Conclusion ICA mitigates the inflammatory damage and fibrosis of colon in chronic UC mice.

Objective To design an 8-channel gene analyzer to take the place of the widely used gene analyzer with problems in inconvenient consumable replacement and short storage time of electrophoresis polymer.Methods The 8-channel gene analyzer had its mechanical components composed of an automatic sample loading table,a polymer injection module,a high-voltage temperature control module,an optical module and an integrated U box,its electrical control system made up of a host computer(an embedded computer)and three slave computers(a sampling control board,a polymer injection control board and a high-voltage temperature control board).The automatic sample loading table involved in four motors and transmission systems for x,y,z directions and optical alignment,the transmission systems adopted mainly belt drive mode and the optical alignment motor had its threads with an anti-backlash structure;the polymer injuection module was manipulated by the polymer injection control board,and the polymer block was made of highly transparent acrylic material;the high-voltage temperature control module realized the regulation of electrophoresis voltage and the detection of electrophoresis current by the low-ripple precision high-voltage power supply,and controlled the temperature of the heating furnace by the proportional-integral-differential(PID)algorithm;the optical module consisted of an excitation module and a light-receiving module,which had the base of the reflector made of low expansion coefficient alloy material;the integrated U box had the electrophoresis polymer,capillary array,polymer block and anode buffer in a plastic housing;the host computer had the data acquisition software programmed with C# and C++,and the slave computers were controlled by STM32 SCM.Results The 8-channel gene analyzer had no significant differences with the widely used ABI3500 gene analyzer in resolution,precision accuracy and clinical results.Conclusion The 8-channel gene analyzer gains advantages in consumable replacement and storage time of electrophoresis polymer,and can meet the requirements for gene sequencing.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(2):24-30]