OBJECTIVES: The purinergic receptor P2X2 (P2RX2) encodes an ATP-gated ion channel permeable to Na⁺, K⁺, and especially Ca²⁺. Loss-of-function mutations in P2RX2 are known to cause autosomal dominant nonsyndromic deafness 41 (DFNA41), which manifests as high-frequency hearing loss, accelerated presbycusis, and increased susceptibility to noise-induced damage. Zebrafish, owing to their small size, rapid development, high fecundity, transparent embryos, and high gene conservation with humans, provide an ideal model for studying human diseases and developmental mechanisms. This study aims to generate a p2rx2 knockout zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system to investigate the effect of p2rx2 deficiency on the auditory system, providing a basis for understanding P2RX2-related hearing loss and developing gene therapy strategies. METHODS: Two CRISPR targets (sgRNA1 and sgRNA2) spaced 47 bp apart were designed within the zebrafish p2rx2 gene. Synthesized sgRNAs and Cas9 protein were microinjected into single-cell stage Tübingen (TU)-strain zebrafish embryos. PCR and gel electrophoresis verified editing efficiency at 36 hours post-fertilization (hpf). Surviving embryos were raised to adulthood (F0), tail-clipped, genotyped, and screened for positive mosaics. F1 heterozygotes were generated by outcrossing, and F2 homozygous mutants were obtained by intercrossing. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with sequencing verified mutation type and heritability. At 5 days post-fertilization (dpf), YO-PRO-1 staining was used to examine hair cell morphology and count in lateral line neuromasts and the otolith region. Auditory evoked potential (AEP) thresholds at 600, 800, 1 000, and 2 000 Hz were measured in nine 4-month-old wild type and mutant zebrafish per group. RESULTS: A stable p2rx2 knockout zebrafish line was successfully established. Sequencing revealed a 66 bp insertion at the first target site introducing a premature stop codon (TAA), leading to early termination of protein translation and loss of function. Embryos developed normally with no gross malformations. At 5 dpf, mutants exhibited significantly reduced hair cell density in the otolith region compared with wild type, although lateral line neuromasts were unaffected. AEP testing showed significantly elevated auditory thresholds at all 4 frequencies in homozygous mutants compared with wild type (all P<0.001), indicating reduced hearing sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS We successfully generated a p2rx2 loss-of-function zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. p2rx2 deficiency caused hair cell defects in the otolith region and increased auditory thresholds across frequencies, indicating its key role in maintaining zebrafish auditory hair cell function and hearing perception. The phenotype's restriction to the otolith region suggests tissue-specific roles of p2rx2 in sensory organs. This model provides a valuable tool for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of P2RX2-related hearing loss and for screening otoprotective drugs and developing gene therapies.
Animals ; Zebrafish/genetics* ; Receptors, Purinergic P2X2/deficiency* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; Gene Knockout Techniques ; Phenotype ; Zebrafish Proteins/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent programmed cell death. Iron overload and lipid reactive oxygen accumulation play a core role in the occurrence and development of ferroptosis. Any factors affecting the balance of iron metabolism and redox system may induce and aggravate ferroptosis. Ferroptosis is involved in the pathological process of acute kidney injury, diabetic nephropathy, renal interstitial fibrosis and some other kidney diseases, and inhibiting ferroptosis has potential renoprotective benefits. This article reviewed the pathophysiological mechanism of ferroptosis and its research progress in renal diseases, and discussed the application prospect of targeted ferroptosis in the treatment of renal diseases.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes mellitus is closely associated with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), but no definitive evidence has established a causal relationship between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and SSNHL. This study aims to investigate the impact of T1DM on SSNHL from a genetic perspective, providing insights for risk prediction and treatment strategies. METHODS: Genetic data related to exposure (T1DM) and outcome (SSNHL) were obtained from publicly available genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Instrumental variables were selected, and Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to explore the causal association between T1DM and SSNHL. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) analysis was used as the primary method, with random-effects IVW serving as the main analytical approach. MR-Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode analyses were utilized as supplementary methods. Cochran's Q test was applied to evaluate the heterogeneity of the selected instrumental variables, MR-PRESSO was applied to detect outliers, MR-Egger regression was used to assess horizontal pleiotropy and leave-one-out analysis was conducted to examine the robustness of individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the overall results. RESULTS: A total of 127 SNPs were selected as instrumental variables for the MR analysis. IVW analysis demonstrated a genetically determined association between T1DM and SSNHL (OR=1.036, 95% CI 1.002 to 1.071, P=0.038). Forest plots and scatter plots indicated a causal relationship, suggesting that T1DM increases the risk of SSNHL. Cochran's Q test demonstrated no significant heterogeneity among SNPs (MR-Egger: Q=126.030, P=0.356; IVW: Q=126.450, P=0.373). The funnel plot appeared symmetrical, indicating that the selected instrumental variables were primarily related to exposure rather than potential confounding factors. The MR-Egger intercept was not significantly different from zero (P=0.527), indicating no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy among the SNPs. MR-PRESSO analysis did not identify any outlier SNPs (P=0.356). Leave-one-out analysis confirmed the robustness of the findings, as the results remained stable after removing individual SNPs. CONCLUSIONS Two-sample MR analysis supports the conclusion that T1DM patients have an increased risk of developing SSNHL.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/etiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics* ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Hearing Loss, Sudden/etiology* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Risk Factors ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease

A reliable UPLC-MS method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 4 chemicals (Sudan Ⅰ, tetrabromobisphenol A, tris ( 1, 3-dichloroisopropyl ) phosphate and tris ( chlorisopropyl ) Phosphate) in children products. The samples were ultrasonic extracted with acetonitrile, and then the four chemicals were separated on a C18 column in 3 min. Results showed that the limit of quantification of the method was between 5 and 500μg/kg. The calibration curves were linear within 2-3 orders of magnitude with typical correlation coefficient above 0 . 9995 . The recoveries ranged from 83 . 7% to 97 . 8% with three addition levels. The sensitivity, recovery and selectivity of the method could fully meet the requirements of practical work.

Objective: To investigate the effect of myxomavirus (MV) on the proliferation of human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells, and its molecular mechanism. Methods: The human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells were cultured in vitro and infected with MV. At the same time, SKOV3 cells infected with inactivated virus or only cultured with RPMI 1640 medium were used as the negative control group or the blank group, respectively. The proliferation of SKOV3 cells in the three groups was determined by CCK-8 assay. The mRNA levels of Bcl-2 and survivin were detected by real-Time fluorescent quantitative PCR. The cell cycle distribution was analyzed by FCM. The expressions of total extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), Akt, p-Akt, Bcl-2 and survivin proteins were measured by Western blotting. The activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were also quantified by colorimetric method. Results: Compared with the negative control group and the blank group, MV significantly inhibited the proliferation and cell cycle progression of human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells (all P < 0.05). After SKOV3 cells were infected with MV for 96 h, the mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 and survivin were significantly down-regulated (both P < 0.05), while the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and Akt were significantly decreased (both P < 0.05), but the activities of caspase-3 and caspase-8 were obviously enhanced (both P < 0.05). Conclusion: MV can inhibit the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, and its mechanism may be related to blocking cell cycle progression, down-regulating the expressions of anti-Apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and survivin, increasing the activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8, and inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK and Akt in proliferation-related signal pathway.

Objective To measure the expression of circulating microRNA (miRNA)in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver failure and its relationship with disease prognosis.Methods The miRNA expressions in serum of 5 patients with HBV-related liver failure and 5 healthy control subjects were compared using Exiqon miRCURY LNATM miRNA microarray.The sera from 20 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB),20 patients hepatitis B related cirrhosis,50 patients with HBV-related liver failure and 40 healthy persons in Ruijin Hospital were collected.The relative expression of miRNA-595 was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).The relative expressions of miRNAs among groups were analyzed using student t test,the correlations were analyzed by Pearson and Spearman correlation.Results Microarray informed that 92 miRNAs changed significantly in patients with HBV-related liver failure,and miRNA-595 increased most significantly.The results of real-time PCR showed that the relative expressions of miRNA-595 ,miRNA-300 and miRNA-122 were 6.03 (t=3.134, P =0.003),3.12 (t=7.221 ,P <0.01)and 2.77 (t=2.671 ,P =0.021),which were higher compared to those in healthy control group.In the analysis of the relationship between miRNA-595 expression and disease prognosis in patients with HBV-related liver failure,the relative expressions of miRNA-595 in patients with CHB,hepatitis B related cirrhosis and HBV-related liver failure were 2.26 (t =3.780,P =0.001),3.32 (t = 6.111 ,P < 0.01)and 6.03 (t = 3.134,P = 0.003),respectively,which were all increased compared to that of the healthy control.The relative expression of miRNA-595 of patients with HBV-related liver failure was 2.66 times (t=2.450,P =0.043)higher than that of patients with CHB. When dividing patients according to prothrombin activity,miRNA-595 increased significantly in patients with early stage liver failure.When dividing patients according to model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) score,MELD score was positive correlated with the expression of miRNA-595 when MELD score was under 30 (r=0.673,P =0.004).The expression of serum miRNA-595 in survival group (11 .08,n=23) was higher than that in non-survival group (3.67,n = 27,t =4.309,P =0.041).Conclusions The expressions of miRNA595 ,miRNA-300 and miRNA-122 are all increased in patients with HBV-related liver failure,especially the expression of circulating miRNA-595 at early stage of the disease.The miRNA-595 may be used as a new serum biomarker for monitoring the severity of disease.

Objective To explore the expressions of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in acute liver failure mice induced by D-galactosamine (GalN)/lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the correlation with miRNAs in the liver.Methods Forty clean grade Balb/C mice,with 32 in the model group and 8 in the control group were enrolled in the study.Liver failure was induced by intraperitoneally injection of D-GalN and LPS in mice of the model group,while mice of the control group were intraperitoneally injected with 1 mL 0.9 ％ sodium chloride solution.Serum and liver samples were collected at 0,3,5,7 hours following administration,and eight mice should be supplied to each sample,and changes of alanine aminotransferase (ALT),aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and histopathology of the liver were observed.miRNA from both the serum and the liver was extracted,miRNA expression profile in the liver at 0,5,7 hours by locked nucleic acid (LNA)-miRNA microarray was analyzed and miRNA by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was detected.Means of the two groups were compared using one-way ANOVA and correlation analyses were performed using Pearson and Spearman correlation.Results Expression of miRNAs in the liver tissue changed significantly over time with the occurrence of acute liver failure in the mice.Twenty-one miRNAs were up-regulated and 27 were down-regulated,among which miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 were down-regulated while miRNA-146a and miRNA-155 were up-regulated.It was confirmed by the PCR assay that the expression of miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 in the liver gradually decreased,while those in the serum were up-regulated over time.However,the expressions of inflammation associated miRNA-155 and miRNA-146a were up-regulated both in the serum and the liver after administration.The expressions of miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 were negatively correlated between serum and liver (r=-0.477,P=0.0089,r=-0.420,P=0.231),while the expressions of miRNA-155 in serum and liver were positively correlated (r=0.678,P=0.0001).Moreover,the expressions of miRNA-122 (r=0.571,0.554) and miRNA-1187 (r=0.471,0.542) were also positively correlated with serum levels of ALT and AST (all P＜0.05).Liver and serum levels of miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 changed significantly at 5 hours after administration,which preceded the changes of ALT/AST.Conclusions The expressions of miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 in serum are well inversely correlated with the corresponding expressions in liver tissues during acute liver failure in mice.The changes of miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 in the serum precede those of ALT/AST.These data suggest that serum miRNA-122 and miRNA-1187 might be the candidate serum biomarkers for early prediction of liver injury.