Investigating the correlation between micronucleus formation and male infertility has the potential to improve clinical diagnosis and deepen our understanding of pathological progression. Our study enrolled 2252 male patients whose semen was analyzed from March 2023 to July 2023. Their clinical data, including semen parameters and age, were also collected. Genetic analysis was used to determine whether the sex chromosome involved in male infertility was abnormal (including the increase, deletion, and translocation of the X and Y chromosomes), and subsequent semen analysis was conducted for clinical grouping purposes. The participants were categorized into five groups: normozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, oligoasthenozoospermia, and azoospermia. Patients were randomly selected for further study; 41 patients with normozoospermia were included in the control group and 117 patients with non-normozoospermia were included in the study group according to the proportions of all enrolled patients. Cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) screening was conducted through peripheral blood. Statistical analysis was used to determine the differences in micronuclei (MNi) among the groups and the relationships between MNi and clinical data. There was a significant increase in MNi in infertile men, including those with azoospermia, compared with normozoospermic patients, but there was no significant difference between the genetic and nongenetic groups in azoospermic men. The presence of MNi was associated with sperm concentration, progressive sperm motility, immotile spermatozoa, malformed spermatozoa, total sperm count, and total sperm motility. This study underscores the potential utility of MNi as a diagnostic tool and highlights the need for further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of male infertility.
Humans ; Male ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; Adult ; Micronucleus Tests ; Semen Analysis ; Oligospermia/genetics* ; Azoospermia/genetics* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Sperm Count ; Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective ; Middle Aged

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

Recent data suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor (VEGFRi) can enhance the anti-tumor activity of the anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) antibody in colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite stability (MSS). However, the comparison between this combination and standard third-line VEGFRi treatment is not performed, and reliable biomarkers are still lacking. We retrospectively enrolled MSS CRC patients receiving anti-PD-1 antibody plus VEGFRi (combination group, n=54) or VEGFRi alone (VEGFRi group, n=32), and their efficacy and safety were evaluated. We additionally examined the immune characteristics of the MSS CRC tumor microenvironment (TME) through single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data, and an MSS CRC immune cell-related signature (MCICRS) that can be used to predict the clinical outcomes of MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy was developed and validated in our in-house cohort. Compared with VEGFRi alone, the combination of anti-PD-1 antibody and VEGFRi exhibited a prolonged survival benefit (median progression-free survival: 4.4 vs. 2.0 months, P=0.0024; median overall survival: 10.2 vs. 5.2 months, P=0.0038) and a similar adverse event incidence. Through single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analysis, we determined ten MSS CRC-enriched immune cell types and their spatial distribution, including naive CD4⁺ T, regulatory CD4⁺ T, CD4⁺ Th17, exhausted CD8⁺ T, cytotoxic CD8⁺ T, proliferated CD8⁺ T, natural killer (NK) cells, plasma, and classical and intermediate monocytes. Based on a systemic meta-analysis and ten machine learning algorithms, we obtained MCICRS, an independent risk factor for the prognosis of MSS CRC patients. Further analyses demonstrated that the low-MCICRS group presented a higher immune cell infiltration and immune-related pathway activation, and hence a significant relation with the superior efficacy of pan-cancer immunotherapy. More importantly, the predictive value of MCICRS in MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy was also validated with an in-house cohort. Anti-PD-1 antibody combined with VEGFRi presented an improved clinical benefit in MSS CRC with manageable toxicity. MCICRS could serve as a robust and promising tool to predict clinical outcomes for individual MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy.
Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Male ; Female ; Immunotherapy ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Tumor Microenvironment/immunology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Microsatellite Instability ; Transcriptome ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/immunology* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor/antagonists & inhibitors*

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)on overweight/obesity patients,and to explore its central mechanism.Methods Twenty-six overweight/obesity patients were randomly divided into two groups,12 cases in the taVNS test group(shortened as the taVNS group)and 14 cases in the lifestyle intervention control group(shortened as the control group).The patients in the control group were treated with online lifestyle intervention of calorie-restricted diet(CRD),and the patients in the taVNS group were treated with taVNS on the basis of the intervention for the control group.The taVNS was performed on unilateral acupoints of spleen and endocrine,twice(in the morning and at evening)per day,for five days a week.The treatment for the two groups covered four weeks.The obesity indicators such as body weight,body mass index(BMI)and waist circumference of the patients in the two groups were observed before and after treatment.Moreover,the resting-state cerebral functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)data of the patients were collected after treatment,and then the regulatory effect of taVNS on the regional homogeneity(ReHo)of local cerebral area of the patients was observed.Results(1)During the trial,one case in each group dropped off,and a total of 24 patients(including 13 cases in the control group and 11 cases in the taVNS group)were finally included in the statistical analysis of the observation indicators.(2)After treatment,the body weight,BMI and waist circumference of patients in the taVNS group were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),while the obesity indicators in the control group only showed a downward trend compared with those before treatment,the differences being not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The improvement of the obesity indicators of body weight,BMI,and waist circumference in the taVNS group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and there were statistically significant differences in the post-treatment indicators and in the pre-and post-treatment difference values of the indicators between the two groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the taVNS group had greater ReHo values in the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus than the control group,and the control group had greater ReHo value in the right parietal lobe than the taVNS group,which indicated that compared with the control group,the ReHo of the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus in the taVNS group was increased and the ReHo of the right parietal lobe was decreased(Pvoxel＜0.001,Pcluster＜0.05,corrected by FWE level).Conclusion As a non-invasive treatment method,taVNS exerts certain efficacy for the treatment of overweight/obesity patients.The central response mechanism for treatment of obesity is probably related with the modulation of taVNS on the functional areas of left prefrontal lobe,medial frontal gyrus,and right parietal lobe of the patients.

The current situation of medical simulation technology was introduced when applied in medical service of foreign armies.The current situation and problems of medical simulation technology in mobile medical service detachment training of the PLA were described.Some suggestions were put forward including completing medical simulation management system,optimizing personnel managment and training mode and promoting standardization and modular construction of medical simulation system.References were provided for enhancing combat-oriented training and medical service support capability of levels of medical service institutions and mobile medical service detachment of the PLA.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(10):88-92]

Jumonji domain-containing protein D3(JMJD3)is a 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that specif-ically removes transcriptional repression marks di-and tri-methylated groups from lysine 27 on histone 3(H3K27me2/3).The erasure of these marks leads to the activation of some associated genes,thereby influencing various biological processes,such as development,differentiation,and immune response.However,comprehensive descriptions regarding the relationship between JMJD3 and inflammation are lacking.Here,we provide a comprehensive overview of JMJD3,including its structure,functions,and involvement in inflammatory pathways.In addition,we summarize the evidence supporting JMJD3's role in several inflammatory diseases,as well as the potential therapeutic applications of JMJD3 inhibitors.Additionally,we also discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with investigating the functions of JMJD3 and developing targeted inhibitors and propose feasible solutions to provide valuable insights into the functional exploration and discovery of potential drugs targeting JMJD3 for inflammatory diseases.

Aim To design the pyrimidoindole deriva-tive N-butyl-9H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indole-2-carboxamide(BFPI)and synthesize it to investigate whether it in-hibits macrophage pyroptosis and foaming effects through the NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway.Methods BFPI was synthesized using 2,4,6-triethoxycarbonyl-l,3,5-triazine and 2-aminoindole as starting materials and structurally characterized by 1H NMR,13C NMR,and ESI-MS.The in vitro cultured mouse monocyte macro-phage cell line RAW264.7 was divided into blank,model(PA)and therapeutic(BFPI)groups,and the cells in each group were treated with the corresponding culture medium for 24 h.The proliferative viability was detected by MTT assay,and the formation of intracel-lular lipid droplets was detected by oil red O staining,and NLRP3 was detected by Western-blot and RT-qPCR,caspase-1 and MCP-1 mRNA and protein ex-pression levels by Western blot and RT-qPCR.Results Compared with the blank group,the proliferation vi-ability of cells in the model group significantly de-creased and the formation of lipid droplets significantly increased;compared with the model group,the prolif-eration viability of cells in the treatment group signifi-cantly increased and the formation of lipid droplets sig-nificantly decreased,and the differences were statisti-cally significant(P＜0.01);compared with the blank group,the cellular NLRP3,caspase-1 and MCP-1 mR-NA and protein expression levels of cells in the model group significantly increased;compared with the model group,the expression levels of the above indexes of the cells in the treatment group significantly decreased,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.01).Conclusions BFPI contributes to delaying macrophage-derived foam cell formation during athero-genesis by inhibiting macrophage NLRP3,caspase-1,and MCP-1 expression and thereby promoting their pro-liferation and inhibiting lipid phagocytosis.

Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; COVID-19

Objective:To investigate the value of radiomics based on three-dimensional high resolution MR vessel wall imaging (3D HRMR-VWI) for identifying culprit plaques in symptomatic patients with middle cerebral atherosclerosis.Methods:The clinical and imaging features of 117 patients (139 middle cerebral artery plaques) with cerebrovascular diseases in Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from October 2018 to October 2020 were respectively reviewed. Stratified random sampling was used to divide 139 plaques into training set (97 plaques) and validation set (42 plaque) at the ratio of 7∶3. The plaques were divided into 69 culprit plaques and 70 non-culprit plaques based on plaque MR features and clinical symptoms. The clinical and imaging characteristics of culprit plaques and non-culprit plaques were compared by independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ 2 test, and factors with significant difference between two groups in univariate analysis were further analyzed by multivariate logistic regression to find out the independent predictors of culprit plaques. Radiomics features were extracted, screened and radiomics model was constructed using pre-and post-contrast 3D HRMR-VWI based on the training set. The combined model was constructed by combining the independent predictors and radiomics model. Receiver operating characteristic curve and area under curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the efficacy of each model, and DeLong test was used to compare the efficacy of different models. Results:Significant difference was found in intraplaque hemorrhage, lumen area of stenosis, stenosis diameter, stenosis rate, plaque burden and enhancement rate between culprit and non-culprit plaques (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that only intraplaque hemorrhage was the independent predictor for culprit plaques (OR=7.045,95%CI 1.402-35.397, P=0.018). In the validation set, the AUC of the pre-contrast 3D HRMR-VWI model was lower than that of the post-contrast 3D HRMR-VWI model ( Z=-2.01, P=0.044). The AUC of pre+post-contrast 3D HRMR-VWI model was not significantly different from that of post-contrast 3D HRMR-VWI model ( Z=0.79, P=0.427). The AUC showed no significant difference between combined model and pre+post-contrast 3D HRMR-VWI model ( Z=-0.59, P>0.05). The combined model showed the best performance in predicting culprit plaques of middle cerebral artery (AUC=0.939), with the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 95.24%, 76.19% and 85.71%. Conclusion:Radiomics based on 3D HRMR-VWI has potential values in identifying culprit plaques in symptomatic patients with middle cerebral atherosclerosis.

Objective:To explore the practical application and clinical significance of modified grading system for Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) scores in evaluating long-term postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (PGID) in patients after colon cancer surgery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the case data of 122 patients who underwent right hemicolectomy for colorectal cancer at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2021 to September 2022. Among these patients, 69 were males (56.6%), and 53 were females (43.4%). The median age was 66.5 years, and the body mass index was (24.4±3.3) kg/m 2. The main observe indiator was GSRS scores of patients. The measurement data of normal distribution were represented as mean±standard deviation( ± s), and intergroup comparisons were conducted using ANOVA. The measurement data of non-normal distribution were expressed as the median (interquartile distance) [ M( Q1, Q3)], the Kruskal-Wallis H test was employed. Unordered count data comparisons were performed using the χ2 test, while comparisons for ordered count data between groups were conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. GSRS scores were represented using density plots, and the scores were categorized into five symptom groups, presented using radar charts to illustrate the distribution of each symptom group. Results:Among the 122 patients, the most common long-term PGID syndromes was dyspepsia, followed by abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. GSRS score data in the study population exhibited a nearly trimodal trend. Based on the overall data trend, the GSRS scale was refined, with cut-off values of 20 and 30, categorizing patients with right-sided colon cancer into low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk groups for quantifying the severity of long-term PGID. In terms of gender distribution, the differences among the three groups was statistically significant ( P=0.031), suggesting that males may be more susceptible to long-term PGID. However, there were no significant differences among the three groups concerning age, tumor location, surgical approach, anastomotic technique, lymph node dissection, pathological staging, adjuvant chemotherapy, and other factors. Conclusions:The modified grading system for GSRS scores aligns with the distribution characteristics of postoperative gastrointestinal function in colorectal cancer patients. It can quantify the risk of long-term PGID, allowing for a graded management approach to improve the postoperative quality of life for patients.