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*

Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent and intractable ocular disease induced by a variety of causes. Elevated sphingomyelin (SM) levels and pro-inflammatory cytokines were detected on the ocular surface of DED patients, particularly in the meibomian glands. Sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2), one of the proteins involved in SM synthesis, would light a novel way of developing a DED therapy strategy. Herein, we report the design and optimization of a series of novel thiophene carboxamide derivatives to afford 14l with an improved highly potent inhibitory activity on SM synthesis (IC_{50, SMS2} = 28 nmol/L). Moreover, 14l exhibited a notable protective effect of anti-inflammation and anti-apoptosis on human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC) under TNF-α-hyperosmotic stress conditions in vitro, with an acceptable ocular specific distribution (corneas and meibomian glands) and pharmacokinetics (PK) profiles (t _{1/2, cornea} = 1.11 h; t _{1/2, meibomian glands} = 4.32 h) in rats. Furthermore, 14l alleviated the dry eye symptoms including corneal fluorescein staining scores and tear secretion in a dose-dependent manner in mice. Mechanically, 14l reduced the mRNA expression of Tnf-α, Il-1β and Mmp-9 in corneas, as well as the proportion of very long chain SM in meibomian glands. Our findings provide a new strategy for DED therapy based on selective SMS2 inhibitors.

The cooccurrence of NPM1, FLT3-ITD, and DNMT3A mutations (i.e., triple mutation) is related to dismal prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) receiving chemotherapy alone. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we aimed to identify whether allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) could overcome the poor prognosis of DNMT3A^mutNPM1^mutFLT3-ITD^mut AML across four transplant centers in China. Fifty-three patients with triple-mutated AML receiving allo-HSCT in complete remission were enrolled. The 1.5-year probabilities of relapse, leukemia-free survival, and overall survival after allo-HSCT were 11.9%, 80.3%, and 81.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that more than one course of induction chemotherapy and allo-HSCT beyond CR1 were associated with poor survival. To our knowledge, this work is the largest study to explore the up-to-date undefined role of allo-HSCT in patients with triple-mutated AML. Our real-world data suggest that allo-HSCT could overcome the poor prognosis of DNMT3A^mutNPM1^mutFLT3-ITD^mut in AML.
Humans ; Nucleophosmin ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/mortality* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods* ; Male ; Female ; DNA Methyltransferase 3A ; Adult ; China ; Retrospective Studies ; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3/genetics* ; Mutation ; Young Adult ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Adolescent ; Aged

Objective To investigate the changes in the prevalence of Babesia microti infections, spleen morphology and proportions of splenic immune cells in BALB/c mice following intravenous and intraperitoneal injections, so as to provide insights into unraveling the immune regulatory mechanisms of Babesia infections. Methods Laboratory - maintained B. microti strains were prepared into whole blood samples with 10% prevalence of B. microti infection. A total of 75 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three groups, including the normal control group, intravenous injection group, and intraperitoneal injection group, of 25 mice in each group. Mice in the intravenous and intraperitoneal injection groups were administered 100 μL of whole blood samples with 10% prevalence of B. microti infection, with the day of injection recorded as d0, and animals in the normal control group were given no treatments. Blood was sampled from mice in each group via the tail tip on d7, d14, d21, d28 and d35, and prepared into thin-film blood smears, and B. microti infection was observed in red blood cells. Five mice were randomly sampled from each group and sacrificed on d7, d14, d21, d28 and d35, and spleen was collected for measurement of spleen size and weight. In addition, splenic cells were isolated, and the proportions of CD3e⁺ T cells, CD45R⁺ B cells, CD49b⁺ nature killer (NK) cells, and F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in CD45⁺ lymphocytes using flow cytometry. Results The prevalence of B. microti infection in the intravenous (22.80%) and intraperitoneal injection groups (44.82%) peaked on d7 (χ² = 8.141, P < 0.01) and then rapidly decreased, and no parasites were observed on d35. The longest mouse spleen length [(32.91 ± 2.20) mm] and width [(9.82 ± 0.43) mm], and the greatest weight [(0.78 ± 0.10) g] were found on d14 in the intravenous injection group, and the longest spleen length [(32.42 ± 3.21) mm] and width [(10.25 ± 0.73) mm], and the greatest weight [(0.73 ± 0.09) g] were seen in the intra-peritoneal injection group on d21, d7 and d14, respectively. There were significant differences among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and the normal control group in terms of spleen length (F = 10.310, P < 0.05), width (F = 9.824, P < 0.05), and weight (F = 10.672, P < 0.05) on d21, and the mouse spleen length, width and weight were all significantly greater in the intraperitoneal injection group than in the intravenous injection group (allP values < 0.05). The proportions of splenic CD3e⁺ T cells [(60.60 ± 6.20)% and (39.68 ± 7.62)%], CD45R⁺ B cells [(43.32 ± 2.08)% and (49.53 ± 4.90)%], CD49b⁺ NK cells [(6.88 ± 1.34)% and (7.71 ± 1.59)%], and F4/80⁺ macrophages [(2.21 ± 0.29)% and (3.80 ± 0.35)%] peaked on d14, d21, d21 and d14 in the intravenous and intraperitoneal injection groups, respectively. There were significant differences in the proportions of CD3e⁺ T cells (F = 16.730, P < 0.05) and F4/80⁺ macrophages (F = 15.941, P < 0.05) among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d14, and a higher proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells and a lower proportion of F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (both P values < 0.01). There were significant differences among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d21 in terms of proportions of splenic CD3e⁺ T cells (F = 9.252, P < 0.05), CD45R⁺ B cells (F = 14.349, P < 0.05), CD49b⁺ NK cells (F = 13.436,P < 0.05), and F4/80⁺ macrophages (F = 8.180, P < 0.05), and a higher proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells and lower proportions of CD45R⁺ B cells and F4/80⁺ macrophages were detected in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (all P values < 0.01). In addition, there was a significant difference in the proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells among the intravenous injection group, intraperitoneal injection group and normal control group on d28 (F = 9.772,P < 0.05), and a lower proportion of CD3e⁺ T cells was found in the intravenous injection group than in the intraperitoneal injection group (P < 0.01). Conclusions Both intraperitoneal and intravenous routes are effective to induce B. microti infections in BALB/c mice, and the prevalence of B. microti infections is higher in BALB/c mice through the intraperitoneal route than through the intravenous route. Intraperitoneal and intravenous injections with B. microti cause diverse spleen morphologies and proportions of splenic immune cells in mice, indicating routes of B. microti infections cause different impacts on immune response mechanisms in mice.

Objective:To develop a scientific and practical questionnaire for general practice residents, and to conduct multidimensional and comprehensive evaluation of the quality of general practice teaching clinics.Methods:A preliminary draft of the questionnaire items was formulated based on a literature review and in-depth interviews. The Delphi method was employed to conduct two rounds of consultation with 14 experts. Following revisions, a convenience sampling method was used to invite general practice residents from three standardized residency training bases to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire.Results:The questionnaire consisted of 23 items, covering the three dimensions of preparation, implementation process, and comprehensive evaluation of the teaching clinics. The response rates for the two rounds of the expert consultation were both 100.00%, with expert authority coefficients of 0.89 and 0.90, respectively. The overall Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.93, and the correlation coefficients between each item score and the total score were all >0.30. Structural validity analysis revealed that three common factors were extracted from the questionnaire, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 77.89%. Conclusions:The General Practice Teaching Clinic Quality Evaluation Questionnaire for Residents developed in this study demonstrates high reliability and validity. The questionnaire provides a scientific basis for the standardized assessment of teaching quality in general practice clinics. By incorporating resident feedback on the teaching process, the questionnaire promotes the development of a teaching clinic quality improvement mechanism focused on residents and plays a significant role in enhancing the teaching capabilities of supervising physicians in clinics.

Objective:To explore the dynamic effects of venous sinus stenting (VSS) implantation on the optic nerve structure and visual function in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).Methods:Patients with IIH combined with venous sinus stenosis and optic disc edema who were admitted to the Beijing Tiantan Hospital and received VSS treatment from January 2019 to September 2023 were prospectively included. Before the operation, the general data of the patients were collected and lumbar puncture examination was performed to measure the cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Ophthalmic multimodal imaging examinations such as binocular best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optic disc stereoscopic photography, visual field, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed respectively before the operation, 3 months and 6 months after the operation. The BCVA of both eyes, the Frisén grade (FPG) of optic disc edema, the mean defect (MD) value of the visual field, the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) around the optic disc and the thickness of the optic ganglion cell complex (GCC) were collected respectively. The eye with poor preoperative visual field MD value was defined as the study eye, and the other eye was the contralateral eye. The Friedman rank sum test was used to statistically analyze the differences of various indicators before the operation, 3 months after the operation and 6 months after the operation. Further, the Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to pairwise compare the results at the three time points.Results:A total of 72 patients with IIH who met the criteria were included, among whom 61 were female (84.7%), and the baseline optic disc edema Frisén grade was 3(2-4). The FPG, BCVA, MD values and RNFL thickness of the study eye and the contralateral eye at 3 and 6 months after the operation were significantly improved compared with those before the operation (all P<0.017). At 6 months after the operation, the FPG, BCVA, MD value, RNFL thickness of the study eye and the FPG and RNFL thickness of the contralateral eye were further improved compared with those at 3 months, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.017). During the treatment and follow-up period, no serious adverse reactions occurred in all patients. Conclusions:VSS can effectively improve papillary edema and visual function impairment in patients with IIH combined with venous sinus stenosis. Ophthalmic multimodal imaging examination provides an objective basis for preoperative assessment of optic nerve structure and visual function, postoperative efficacy monitoring and visual function recovery, etc. In the diagnosis and treatment process of IIH, the collaborative cooperation between the neurology department and the ophthalmology department is very important.

Objective:To explore the dynamic effects of venous sinus stenting (VSS) implantation on the optic nerve structure and visual function in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).Methods:Patients with IIH combined with venous sinus stenosis and optic disc edema who were admitted to the Beijing Tiantan Hospital and received VSS treatment from January 2019 to September 2023 were prospectively included. Before the operation, the general data of the patients were collected and lumbar puncture examination was performed to measure the cerebrospinal fluid pressure. Ophthalmic multimodal imaging examinations such as binocular best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optic disc stereoscopic photography, visual field, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed respectively before the operation, 3 months and 6 months after the operation. The BCVA of both eyes, the Frisén grade (FPG) of optic disc edema, the mean defect (MD) value of the visual field, the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) around the optic disc and the thickness of the optic ganglion cell complex (GCC) were collected respectively. The eye with poor preoperative visual field MD value was defined as the study eye, and the other eye was the contralateral eye. The Friedman rank sum test was used to statistically analyze the differences of various indicators before the operation, 3 months after the operation and 6 months after the operation. Further, the Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to pairwise compare the results at the three time points.Results:A total of 72 patients with IIH who met the criteria were included, among whom 61 were female (84.7%), and the baseline optic disc edema Frisén grade was 3(2-4). The FPG, BCVA, MD values and RNFL thickness of the study eye and the contralateral eye at 3 and 6 months after the operation were significantly improved compared with those before the operation (all P<0.017). At 6 months after the operation, the FPG, BCVA, MD value, RNFL thickness of the study eye and the FPG and RNFL thickness of the contralateral eye were further improved compared with those at 3 months, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.017). During the treatment and follow-up period, no serious adverse reactions occurred in all patients. Conclusions:VSS can effectively improve papillary edema and visual function impairment in patients with IIH combined with venous sinus stenosis. Ophthalmic multimodal imaging examination provides an objective basis for preoperative assessment of optic nerve structure and visual function, postoperative efficacy monitoring and visual function recovery, etc. In the diagnosis and treatment process of IIH, the collaborative cooperation between the neurology department and the ophthalmology department is very important.

Objective:To develop a scientific and practical questionnaire for general practice residents, and to conduct multidimensional and comprehensive evaluation of the quality of general practice teaching clinics.Methods:A preliminary draft of the questionnaire items was formulated based on a literature review and in-depth interviews. The Delphi method was employed to conduct two rounds of consultation with 14 experts. Following revisions, a convenience sampling method was used to invite general practice residents from three standardized residency training bases to test the reliability and validity of the questionnaire.Results:The questionnaire consisted of 23 items, covering the three dimensions of preparation, implementation process, and comprehensive evaluation of the teaching clinics. The response rates for the two rounds of the expert consultation were both 100.00%, with expert authority coefficients of 0.89 and 0.90, respectively. The overall Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.93, and the correlation coefficients between each item score and the total score were all >0.30. Structural validity analysis revealed that three common factors were extracted from the questionnaire, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 77.89%. Conclusions:The General Practice Teaching Clinic Quality Evaluation Questionnaire for Residents developed in this study demonstrates high reliability and validity. The questionnaire provides a scientific basis for the standardized assessment of teaching quality in general practice clinics. By incorporating resident feedback on the teaching process, the questionnaire promotes the development of a teaching clinic quality improvement mechanism focused on residents and plays a significant role in enhancing the teaching capabilities of supervising physicians in clinics.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignant tumor often leading to liver metastasis and mortality. Despite some success with PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, the response rate for colon cancer patients remains relatively low. This is closely related to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment mediated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Our previous work identified that a phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) allosteric inhibitor, HKB99, exerts a range of anti-tumor activities in lung cancer. Here, we found that upregulation of PGAM1 correlates with increased levels of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in human colon cancer samples, particularly in liver metastatic tissues. HKB99 suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in cell culture and syngeneic tumor models. M2-polarization, induced by colon cancer cell co-culture, was reversed by HKB99. Conversely, the increased migration of colon cancer cells by M2-TAMs was remarkably restrained by HKB99. Notably, a decrease in TAM infiltration was required for the HKB99-mediated anti-tumor effect, along with an increase in CD8⁺ T cell infiltration. Moreover, HKB99 improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment in syngeneic tumors. Overall, this study highlights HKB99's inhibitory activity in TAM-mediated colon cancer progression. Targeting PGAM1 could lead to novel therapeutic strategies and enhance the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies for colon cancer.