Objective: To explore the long term trend of forced vital capacity to weight index (FWI) among Chinese Han students aged 7-18 from 2000 to 2019, and to predict its changes over the next decade, so as to provide scientific evidences for targeted health interventions and school health policies. Methods: Based on the data of the five Chinese National Surveys on Students Constitution and Health conducted from 2000 to 2019, a total of 216 500, 233 565, 215 267, 214 256 and 212 632 Han students aged 7-18 were included, respectively. The long term trend of FWI among students was analyzed, and the GM (1,1) grey model was used to predict FWI changes over the next decade. Subgroup analyses were conducted by sex, age, and urban-rural residence. Results: The FWI levels of Chinese Han students aged 7-18 were (55.30±11.47)(47.43±11.92)(48.11±12.46)(48.75±12.81)(50.93±13.11)mL/kg in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2014, and 2019, respectively. The FWI of Chinese Han students showed a decreasing then increasing trend from 2000 to 2019, reaching the lowest point of approximately 47.03 mL/kg around 2006, and was projected to recover to 52.88 mL/kg by 2029. Boys had higher FWI for each year and the total level than girls from 2000 to 2019( t =72.58-304.66), and the decline between 2000 and 2005 was smaller in boys (13.1%) than in girls (15.4%). However, the gender gap gradually narrowed and was projected to reduce to 5.36 mL/kg by 2029. FWI increased with age, with the largest difference observed in 2014 between the 7-9 and 16-18 age groups (8.62 mL/kg). Before 2014, urban boys had slightly lower FWI than rural boys; the gap narrowed thereafter, and their FWI levels were expected to become similar by 2029. Urban girls generally had higher FWI than rural girls, and the urban-rural gap showed an increasing trend. By 2029, the largest difference was projected to occur in the 13-15 age group, reaching 7.74 mL/kg. Conclusions The FWI of Chinese Han students showed a trend of initial decline followed by a gradual increase from 2000 to 2019, with notable differences across sex, age, and urban-rural residence. Greater attention should be paid to the respiratory health of rural girls, and effective measures should be taken to reduce urban-rural disparities.

Objective To profile ubiquitination in cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-2(CASP2)deficient cells under heat shock and investigate the role of CASP2 in stress response.Methods Ubiquitination levels in subcellular fractions of control and C ASP2 knockout(KO)cells were detected via Western blotting.After 2 hours of heat shock treatment,Soluble Ⅱ and Pellet fractions were collected from both control and CASP2 KO cells for ubiquitinome analysis.Anti-di-glycine remnant(K-ε-GG)antibody-based proteomic analysis was performed to identify differentially ubiquitinated proteins and associated key signaling pathways.Proteins that displayed significantly upregulated ubiquitination in CASP2 KO cells under heat shock were subjected to His-tag pull-down assays to find out whether CASP2 regulated the ubiquitination of these proteins.Results Under heat shock,CASP2 KO cells displayed significantly higher accumulation of overloaded ubiquitinated conjugates in the Pellet fraction compared to controls.Ubiquitinomics analysis revealed substantial alterations in protein ubiquitination patterns following CASP2 KO.One hundred proteins exhibited significantly elevated ubiquitination levels while 36 proteins had their ubiquitination reduced relative to controls.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis indicated that hyper-ubiquitinated proteins were primarily associated with Huntington disease,Alzheimer disease,bile secretion,carbon metabolism and autophagy.His-tag pull-down assays combined with Western blotting revealed increased ubiquitination of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced-ubiquinone oxidoreductase 1 beta subcomplex subunit 3(NDUFB3)and autophagy-related protein 9A(ATG9A)in CASP2 KO cells under heat shock.Conclusion Overloaded ubiquitinated conjugates are accumulated due to CASP2 deficiency during heat shock.CASP2 modulates ubiquitination levels through multiple signaling pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic etiology of fetal skeletal dysplasia using whole exome sequencing (WES) and copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq) techniques, and the feasibility of using WES as the first-tier method for such fetuses. METHODS: Seventy four fetuses with skeletal dysplasia detected by prenatal ultrasound at the Genetic Testing Center of the Women and Children's Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University from January 2020 to August 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Fetal muscle and peripheral blood samples of the pregnant women and their spouses were collected and subjected to WES analysis. CNV-seq was carried out on all fetal muscle tissue samples. And the results were compared with the CNVs indicated by WES. Genetic etiologies were analyzed across different subtypes of skeletal dysplasia. And the feasibility of using WES as the first-tier genetic test for similar fetuses was assessed, in addition with a systematic cost-effectiveness analysis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics No.: QFELL-YJ-2024-201). RESULTS: A total of 50 fetuses were diagnosed, which yielded a diagnostic rate of 67.57%. These included 6 chromosomal aneuploidies, 4 chromosomal CNVs and 40 monogenic disorders. The monogenic diseases had involved 46 variant sites in 23 pathogenic genes, among which 12 were unreported previously, including MYH3: c.735T>C, ALPL: c.1324C>T, NEK9: c.1973G>A, MAGEL2: c.2024_2025del, LMBR1: c.423+4914A>C, NEB: c.21273_21276del, COL1A1: c.2651G>C and c.2758G>C, ASPM: c.2473delinsGA, TBX5: c.704G>A, DYNC2H1: c.10893del, and DYNC2I2: c.1270C>T. Substantial concordance was reached between WES-derived CNV calls and CNV-seq findings. No clinically significant CNV was exclusively detected by CNV-seq. Cost-effectiveness modeling demonstrated that implementing WES as the first-tier genetic testing method could reduce the total expenditure when WES unit cost remained below 6.4 folds that of the CNV-seq. CONCLUSION Genetic variants including single nucleotide variations (SNV) of monogenic disorders, chromosomal aneuploidies and genomic CNVs are important causes for fetal skeletal dysplasia. WES is an accurate and efficient method for analyzing the etiology of fetal skeletal dysplasia, particularly in those with a family history of similar phenotype or maternal history of adverse pregnancies.
Humans ; Exome Sequencing/methods* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics* ; Genetic Testing/methods* ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Adult ; Male ; Fetus ; Bone Diseases, Developmental/diagnosis* ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

OBJECTIVE: To explore the detection rate of copy number variations (CNVs) in fetuses with isolated Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) and pregnancy outcomes in order to provide a basis for genetic counseling. METHODS: One hundred and eighty eight fetuses who underwent chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) due to isolated CAKUT detected by prenatal ultrasonography at Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital from January 2021 to December 2024 were selected as the study subjects. According to the ultrasound findings, the fetuses were divided into 8 groups, including renal parenchymal dysplasia group, renal cystic dysplasia group, simple renal parenchymal echo enhancement group, abnormal development of renal collecting system group, duplicated kidney group, ectopic kidney group, horseshoe kidney group, and bladder/posterior urethral abnormalities group. The detection of CNVs was retrospectively analyzed, and the pregnant women were followed up to summarize their pregnancy outcomes. 2 test (or Fisher's exact probability method) was used to compare the CNV detection rates between the groups. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Qingdao Women and Children's Hospital (Ethics No.: QFELL-YJ-2025-85). RESULTS: Among the 188 fetuses with isolated CAKUT, 23 CNVs (12.23%) were detected, of which 13 cases (6.91%) were pathogenic and 10 cases were rated as variants of unknown significance (VOUS). Among the 8 groups, the three groups with the highest proportion were renal cystic dysplasia group, renal metaplasia group, and renal parenchymal dysplasia group. The detection rates of pathogenic CNVs in the three groups were 1.79% (1/56), 6.78% (4/59), and 16.67% (5/30), respectively, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). Parental verification was conducted on 12 fetuses detected with the CNVs, confirming that 2 cases were de novo and 10 were inherited from parents with a normal phenotype. After genetic counseling, the parents of 9 fetuses opted to terminate the pregnancy, while 11 chose to continue with the pregnancy, and 3 were lost to follow-up. At the time of last follow-up, the youngest offspring was 5 months old and the oldest was 3 years and 11 months old. One child had renal aplasia, and two were born with hydronephrosis, which have been cured through surgery. The remainders had no obvious abnormality with their growth and development. CONCLUSION CMA testing has important value for prenatal diagnosis of isolated CAKUT. In this study, the detection rate of pathogenic CNVs has increased sequentially in fetuses with renal cystic developmental abnormalities, renal collecting system developmental abnormalities, and renal parenchymal dysplasia, while there was no significant difference in the detection rate of CNVs. For fetuses with isolated CAKUT detected by prenatal ultrasound, CMA testing should be considered, and reasonable pregnancy decisions should be made based on the results of prenatal ultrasound and parental verification.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics* ; Kidney/abnormalities* ; Adult ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal ; Urogenital Abnormalities/diagnosis* ; Microarray Analysis/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Tract/abnormalities* ; Fetus ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of modified Weijingtang on the pyroptosis of RAW264.7 macrophages via the cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease-1 （Caspase-1）/gasdermin D （GSDMD） pathway. MethodLipopolysaccharide （LPS） was used to induce pyroptosis of RAW264.7 cells. The blank group was treated with the blank serum， and the intervention groups were treated with the sera containing different doses of modified Weijingtang. After 24 h， the viability of cells in different groups was examined by the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. The pyroptosis and morphology of cells in each group were observed by a scanning electron microscope and a phase-contrast microscope， respectively. The mRNA and protein levels of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）， Caspase-1， and GSDMD in each group were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. The levels of interleukin （IL）-18 and IL-1β in each group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. ResultUnder the electron microscope， RAW264.7 cells presented the best morphology and structure in the blank group and obvious pyroptosis and leakage of cell contents in the model （LPS） group. Compared with the model group， the intervention groups showed reduced pyroptosis to varying degrees， and the high-dose group had the closest cell morphology and structure to the blank group. Under the optical microscope， RAW264.7 cells were spherical in the blank group and irregular with protrusions in the model group. Compared with the model group， the intervention groups showed improved cell morphology， and the cell morphology in the group with the dose of 20% was the closest to that in the blank group. The mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3， Caspase-1， and GSDMD in the model group were higher than those in the blank group （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， each intervention group showed down-regulated expression of the above indicators （P<0.05）. Compared with the blank group， the model group presented elevated levels of IL-18 and IL-1β （P<0.05）， which were lowered in the intervention （10%， 20%） groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionModified Weijingtang inhibits the pyroptosis of macrophages by down-regulating the Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway and reducing the release of proinflammatory cytokines.

Objective:To analyze and summarize the clinical, genotypic and pathological characteristics of children with PAX2 gene mutation in China, and to provide information for the monitoring, treatment and prognosis of the disease. Methods:It was a case series analysis study. The clinical data of children with PAX2 gene mutation in Pediatric Nephrology Department, Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2014 to December 2022 were collected, and peripheral blood gene DNA was extracted and sequenced for whole exome sequencing. The clinical, pathological and genotypic characteristics of PAX2 gene variation of children in China were summarized by searching PubMed, Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang database and compared with the cases in this single center. Results:Among the 13 children with PAX2 gene mutation, there were 9 males and 4 females, 12 patients with abnormal urine tests, 7 patients with small kidney volume by imaging examination, and 5 patients with renal cysts. The clinical phenotypes were congenital renal and urinary tract malformations in 8 cases, renal coloboma syndrome in 1 case, and hematuria or proteinuria in 3 cases. Five patients underwent renal biopsies, showing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and C3 glomerulopathy in 1 case, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 1 case, thin basement membrane lesion in 1 case, and IgA nephropathy in 2 cases. The genetic testing in 13 children showed 9 de novo mutations and 4 new mutations of c.321G>A, c.213-8C>G, c.63C>A and c.449C>T. There were 2 cases of 76dupG (p.V26Gfs*28) mutant. A total of 51 Chinese children with PAX2 gene mutation were found in the literature search. There were 32 males and 19 females, 8 cases with small kidney volume and 12 cases with renal cysts. The clinical phenotypes were congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract in 28 cases, renal coloboma syndrome in 17 cases, and hematuria or proteinuria in 6 cases. Seven patients underwent renal biopsies, including 2 cases with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, 1 case with minimal lesion, 1 case with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, 1 case with IgA nephropathy, 1 case with membranous nephropathy and a case with focal proliferative sclerosing purpura nephritis combined with glomerular hypertrophy. Thirty-four cases were de novo mutations, and 12 mutations were from the father or mother. The father or mother of 5 children had no clinical manifestations, with normal renal function. There were 11 cases of 76dupG (p.V26Gfs*28) mutant. Conclusions:The clinical phenotypes and genotypes of PAX2 gene variation in Chinese children are diverse. The most common clinical phenotype of PAX2 gene variation is congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract. c.76dupG (p.V26Gfs*28) is the most common of PAX2 gene variant.

Objective To investigate the impact of Yanghe-patch acupoint in the treatment of impaired glucose tolerance(IGT)with Yang-deficiency constitution and its influence on serum metabolites.Methods The study enrolled a total of 63 patients with IGT were randomly selected and stratified into two groups:The control group(32 cases)and the treatment group(31 cases)at Ningbo Municipal Hospital of TCM Affliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University from October 2022 to January 2024,blood glucose,blood lipids,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),Yang-deficiency body mass score,and infrared thermal imaging temperature before and after treatment were compared between two groups.Furthermore,29 healthy individuals were selected as healthy negative controls,and their serum metabolites were analyzed by using liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer(LC-MS)among three groups.Principal component analysis and orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminate analysis were employed to identify characteristic differential metabolites.Additionally,key metabolic pathways were screened through network analysis by using MetaboAnalyst software.Results The treatment group after Yanghe-patch showed significant reductions in fasting blood glucose,glycosylated hemoglobin,triglycerides,low-density lipopro-tein and TNF-α levels(P＜0.05).Additionally,Yang-deficiency constitution conversion points significantly decreased within the treatment group(P＜0.05),while there were significant increases in the temperatures of Ren channel,Du channel,middle-Jiao and lower-Jiao(P＜0.05).However,there was a notable decrease in upper-Jiao temperature(P＜0.05).Metabolomics analysis identified varying levels of serum metabolites in IGT patients with Yang-deficiency constitution,such as 4-acetylaminobutyric acid,3-dehydrocholic acid,citric acid,and cystine etc.16 metabolites.Treatment group exhibited distinct expression patterns for 16 metabolites(including diaminoheptadecic acid,acetyl-L-carnitine and monobutyl phthalate etc.).The analysis by MetaboAnalyst shows that Yang-deficiency constitution with IGT was linked to dysregulation in the tricarboxylic acid cycle,aminoacyl bioanabolic pathway,and Gly-Ser-Thr metabolic axis.Additionally,Yanghe-patch intervention affects the glycine,serine and threonine(Gly-Ser-Thr)metabolic axis and sphingolipid metabolism.Conclusion The application of Yanghe-patch on acupoints shows potential in alleviating chronic systemic inflammation and improving symptoms associated with Yang-deficiency constitution in individuals with IGT.Metabolomics analysis has revealed a range of metabolites involved in their mechanism,among which the Gly-Ser-Thr metabolic pathway is considered crucial for regulating the constitution of Yang-deficiency constitution in individuals with IGT.

Objective:To study the effects of the alternate rapid maxillary expansion and constriction(Alt-RAMEC)with maxillary protraction on different parts of upper airway by CBCT.Methods:20 Angle Class Ⅲ patients aged 9-12 years were included,and CBCT images were taken before treatment and after Alt-RAMEC with maxillary protraction,the total volume of the upper airway,the volume of each part of the nasopharynx,palatopharynx,linguopharynx and laryngopharynx,the cross-sectional area of the division in-terface,and the minimum cross-sectional area were measured after 3D reconstruction using Dolphin software,the data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software.Results:The total upper airway volume,nasopharyngeal volume,and palatopharyngeal volume were in-creased by the average of 1 385.39 mm3(P=0.013),546.74 mm3(P=0.011)and 768.03 mm3(P=0.035)respectively after Alt-RAMEC with maxillary protraction treatment;the area of the nasopharyngeal and palatopharyngeal division interface increased by 73.79 mm2(P=0.002),the cross-sectional diameter by 1.41 mm(P=0.037),and sagittal diameter by 1.52 mm(P=0.022)respectively;however,there was no statistically significant change in the volume,minimum cross-sectional area,partition area,and partition transverse and sagittal diameters of the linguopharynx and laryngopharynx(P＞0.05).Conclusion:Alt-RAMEC with maxil-lary protraction can significantly increase nasopharyngeal and palatopharyngeal volumes,with no significant effect on the linguopharyn-geal and laryngopharyngeal segments of the airway.

Objective Based on the theory of"gut-brain",this study explored the effect of acupuncture on the gut microbiota and central inflammation in migraine model rats,in order to explore the mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine from the perspective of"gut-brain".Methods The migraine rat model was established by subcutaneous injection of nitroglycerin.They were randomly divided into a model group and an acupuncture group,with 6 rats in each group,and a control group with 6 rats for conventional binding and fixation.Before modeling and on the 1st,5th,and 9th days after modeling,each group used electronic VonFrey to measure the plantar mechanical pain threshold of rats.After the experiment,Elisa was used to detect the expression levels of inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF-α in the central trigeminal spinal nucleus of the rats in each group.Three-generation Pacbio full-length microbial diversity sequencing was used to perform 16S full-length rDNA sequencing on each group of fecal samples to detect the operational taxonomic unit(OTU)clustering and its abundance,Alpha diversity index,Beta diversity index,species among the samples in each group.differences in abundance.Results In migraine model rats,plantar mechanical pain threshold was significantly decreased(P<0.01),central IL-6 and TNF-α contents were significantly increased(P<0.01),and the structure and abundance of gut microbiota were abnormal.change(P<0.01).Continuous acupuncture treatment can significantly increase the plantar mechanical pain threshold in migraine rats(P<0.01),regulate the diversity of gut microbiota in migraine rats,increase Lactobacillus murine,and reduce the abundance of Lactobacillus enterobacteriaceae.degree(P<0.05),and decreased the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in the central nervous system of migraine model rats(P<0.01).Conclusion Acupuncture can exert the"gut-brain"anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine by regulating the gut microbiota structure and the expression of central IL-6 and TNF-α inflammatory factors in migraine model rats.

BACKGROUND: Long-term remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has been proven to be beneficial in multiple diseases, such as cerebral and cardiovascular diseases. However, the hyperacute and acute effects of a single RIC stimulus are still not clear. Quantitative proteomic analyses of plasma proteins following RIC application have been conducted in preclinical and clinical studies but exhibit high heterogeneity in results due to wide variations in experimental setups and sampling procedures. Hence, this study aimed to explore the immediate effects of RIC on plasma proteome in healthy young adults to exclude confounding factors of disease entity, such as medications and gender. METHODS: Young healthy male participants were enrolled after a systematic physical examination and 6-month lifestyle observation. Individual RIC sessions included five cycles of alternative ischemia and reperfusion, each lasting for 5 min in bilateral forearms. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 5 min after RIC, and 2 h after RIC, and then samples were processed for proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. RESULTS: Proteins related to lipid metabolism (e.g., Apolipoprotein F), coagulation factors (hepatocyte growth factor activator preproprotein), members of complement cascades (mannan-binding lectin serine protease 1 isoform 2 precursor), and inflammatory responses (carboxypeptidase N catalytic chain precursor) were differentially altered at their serum levels following the RIC intervention. The most enriched pathways were protein glycosylation and complement/coagulation cascades. CONCLUSIONS One-time RIC stimulus may induce instant cellular responses like anti-inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis balancing, and lipid metabolism regulation which are protective in different perspectives. Protective effects of single RIC in hyperacute and acute phases may be exploited in clinical emergency settings due to apparently beneficial alterations in plasma proteome profile. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of long-term (repeated) RIC interventions in preventing chronic cardiovascular diseases among general populations can also be expected based on our study findings.
Young Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Proteome ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Proteomics ; Ischemia ; Blood Coagulation