The PCR-amplified severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus(SFTSV)Gn-DⅢ-Ⅲ gene was inserted into the pET-30a(+)prokaryotic expression vector to generate the re-combinant plasmid pET-SFTSV-Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ.The plasmid was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)for Gn-DⅢ-m protein expression and the expression conditions were optimized.The Gn-DⅢ-Ⅲ protein purified with Ni-NTA column affinity chromatography was applied as the captured antigen to establish an indirect ELISA method for the detection of SFTSV antibody.The results demonstrated that the recombinant plasmid pET-SFTSV-Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ was successfully constructed as identified by PCR and sequencing.The recombinant protein SFTSV Gn-D m-Ⅲ was soluble ex-pression in E.coli under the optimal induction conditions of 0.4 mmol/L IPTG at 25 ℃ for 4 h,and the protein purity was 91.77％after purification by Ni-NTA column.The optimal reaction con-ditions for the indirect ELISA of SFTSV antibody were as follows:coating antigen concentration(5 μg/mL),primary antibody(incubation at 37 ℃ for 1.5 h),and secondary antibody(diluted 1:10 000 and incubated at 37 ℃ for 1 h).The established method had no cross-reactivity with Rift Valley fever virus(RVFV),Ebola virus(EBOV),and tick-borne encephalitis virus(TBEV)posi-tive sera.The method had a high sensitivity,with P/N＞2.1 for SFTSV-positive sera diluted to 81920.Coefficients of variation for intra-and inter-batch reactions were less than 10％.Detection of four SFTSV-infected human clinical serum samples showed the serum samples from patients in re-mission were tested as positive(P/N＞2.1),while serum samples from patients with multiple or-gan failure were detected as negative(P/N＜2.1).The results indicated that the SFTSV Gn-D Ⅲ-Ⅲ protein was successfully expressed and purified,and it was used as the coating protein to estab-lish an indirect ELISA assay for SFTSV antibody,which possesses good specificity,sensitivity and reproducibility.This method might be applied to detect human SFTSV clinical serum samples.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-positive bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-positive bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of National Bloodstream Infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:A total of 3 163 strains of Gram-positive pathogens were collected from 51 member units，and the top five bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus（ n=1 147，36.3%），coagulase-negative Staphylococci（ n=928，29.3%）， Enterococcus faecalis（ n=369，11.7%）， Enterococcus faecium（ n=296，9.4%）and alpha-hemolyticus Streptococci（ n=192，6.1%）. The detection rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus（MRSA）and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci（MRCNS）were 26.4%（303/1 147）and 66.7%（619/928），respectively. No glycopeptide and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci were detected. The sensitivity rates of Staphylococcus aureus to cefpirome，rifampin，compound sulfamethoxazole，linezolid，minocycline and tigecycline were all >95.0%. Enterococcus faecium was more prevalent than Enterococcus faecalis. The resistance rates of Enterococcus faecium to vancomycin and teicoplanin were both 0.5%（2/369），and no vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium was detected. The detection rate of MRSA in southern China was significantly lower than that in other regions（ χ2=14.578， P=0.002），while the detection rate of MRCNS in northern China was significantly higher than that in other regions（ χ2=15.195， P=0.002）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS in provincial hospitals were higher than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=13.519 and 12.136， P<0.001）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS in economically more advanced regions（per capita GDP≥92 059 Yuan in 2022）were higher than those in economically less advanced regions（per capita GDP<92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=9.969 and 7.606， P=0.002和0.006）. Conclusions:Among the Gram-positive pathogens causing bloodstream infections in China， Staphylococci is the most common while the MRSA incidence decreases continuously with time；the detection rate of Enterococcus faecium exceeds that of Enterococcus faecalis. The overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci is still at a low level. The composition ratio of Gram-positive pathogens and resistant profiles varies slightly across regions of China，with the prevalence of MRSA and MRCNS being more pronounced in provincial hospitals and areas with a per capita GDP≥92 059 yuan.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-negative bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of national bloodstream infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:During the study period，9 035 strains of Gram-negative bacteria were collected from 51 hospitals，of which 7 895（87.4%）were Enterobacteriaceae and 1 140（12.6%）were non-fermenting bacteria. The top 5 bacterial species were Escherichia coli（ n=4 510，49.9%）， Klebsiella pneumoniae（ n=2 340，25.9%）， Pseudomonas aeruginosa（ n=534，5.9%）， Acinetobacter baumannii complex（ n=405，4.5%）and Enterobacter cloacae（ n=327，3.6%）. The ESBLs-producing rates in Escherichia coli， Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus spp. were 47.1%（2 095/4 452），21.0%（427/2 033）and 41.1%（58/141），respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli（CREC）and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（CRKP）were 1.3%（58/4 510）and 13.1%（307/2 340）；62.1%（36/58）and 9.8%（30/307）of CREC and CRKP were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination，respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii（CRAB）complex was 59.5%（241/405），while less than 5% of Acinetobacter baumannii complex was resistant to tigecycline and polymyxin B. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa（CRPA）was 18.4%（98/534）. There were differences in the composition ratio of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections and the prevalence of main Gram-negative bacteria resistance among different regions，with statistically significant differences in the prevalence of CRKP and CRPA（ χ2=20.489 and 20.252， P<0.001）. The prevalence of CREC，CRKP，CRPA，CRAB，ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were higher in provinicial hospitals than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=11.953，81.183，10.404，5.915，12.415 and 6.459， P<0.01 or <0.05），while the prevalence of CRPA was higher in economically developed regions（per capita GDP ≥ 92 059 Yuan）than that in economically less-developed regions（per capita GDP <92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=6.240， P=0.012）. Conclusions:The proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in bloodstream infections shows an increasing trend，and Escherichia coli is ranked in the top，while the trend of CRKP decreases continuously with time. Decreasing trends are noted in ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Low prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Escherichia coli and high prevalence in CRAB complex have been observed. The composition ratio and antibacterial spectrum of bloodstream infections in different regions of China are slightly different，and the proportion of main drug resistant bacteria in provincial hospitals is higher than those in municipal hospitals.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical bacterial isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2021.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture from member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS) were collected during January 2021 to December 2021. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 11 013 bacterial strains were collected from 51 hospitals, of which 2 782 (25.3%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 8 231 (74.7%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (37.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.9%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.8%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (6.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.6%), Enterococcus faecium (3.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (2.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.7%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.5%) and Klebsiella spp (2.1%). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus were 25.3% and 76.8%, respectively. No glycopeptide- and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci was detected; more than 95.0% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to ceftobiprole. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci strains were detected. The rates of extended spectrum B-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolated in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were 49.6%, 25.5% and 39.0%, respectively. The prevalence rates of carbapenem-resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 2.2% and 15.8%, respectively; 7.9% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae was resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. Ceftobiprole demonstrated excellent activity against non-ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Aztreonam/avibactam was highly active against carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii was 60.0%, while polymyxin and tigecycline showed good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii (5.5% and 4.5%). The prevalence of carbapenem-resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 18.9%. Conclusions:The BRICS surveillance results in 2021 shows that the main pathogens of blood stream infection in China are gram-negative bacteria, in which Escherichia coli is the most common. The MRSA incidence shows a further decreasing trend in China and the overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci is low. The prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is still on a high level, but the trend is downwards.

Objective: A multicenter Chinese mainland survey was conducted to investigate the sensitization distribution characteristics of cat, dog and horse dander in patients with allergic diseases, so as to provide clinicians with epidemiological data of common animal allergens and useful information for the prevention and treatment of allergies in cats, dogs and horses. Methods: The epidemiological investigation and design was adopted. This study is based on the national epidemiological survey of allergic diseases led by the first affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. From January to December in 2021, a total of 2 122 patients diagnosed with allergic diseases were included in the outpatient department of respiratory department/pediatrics/allergy department of 14 units such as the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, and 222 healthy subjects were included as controls from the physical examination center of the above units in the same period. All the subjects filled out the allergic disease questionnaire under the guidance of doctors, and the allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) of cats, dogs and horses of all subjects were detected by magnetic particle chemiluminescence system. The epidemiological characteristics of three animal allergens in different diseases, ages and regions were analyzed. Chi square test was used to analyze the frequency difference between groups, t test or Mann Whitney U test was used to test the distribution difference between two groups, and one-way ANOVA or Kruskal Wallis H test was used to compare the distribution difference between multiple groups. Bar chart, Venn-plot and radar chart were drawn to show the sensitization distribution characteristics. A small number of missing values caused by subjects' omission have been excluded during the analysis. Results: The 2 122 patients with allergic diseases were 57.35% male (1 217/2 122) and 40.95% female (869/2 122), and 1.70% (36/2 122) patients had loss of gender information. The age of patients with allergic diseases was 9.0 (6.0, 28.0) years, while that of healthy controls was 29.0 (13.0, 39.0) years old, and there were 1.7% (36/2 122) and 0.9% (2/222) subjects with missing age information, respectively. The proportion of caesarean section in allergic patients was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (31.4% vs. 17.6%,χ²=16.582,P<0.001) [2.5% (54/2 122) of the patient group and 5.4% (12/222) of the control group had missing birth mode information], and the proportion of patients with allergic diseases who reported that both parents had allergic diseases was significantly higher than that of the control group (35.7% vs. 9.5%, χ²=65.171,P<0.001). Patients with allergic diseases are mainly school-age (6-12 years old) and adolescents (12-18 years old). 16.4% of patients with allergic diseases were sensitized to cat dander, 10% and 6% to dog and horse dander. The sensitization rate of cat dander in patients with rhinitis, asthma, conjunctivitis, food allergy and atopic dermatitis was the highest (16.4%-21.6%), followed by dog dander (10.2%-15.2%). The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was the highest among different animal sensitized populations. The proportion of cat, dog and horse allergens sensitized at the same time is between 10%-15%, and the proportion of any two or more animal dander sensitized at the same time is about 45%. Animal allergens are associated with respiratory allergic diseases, especially allergic rhinitis with allergic conjunctivitis. There were significant differences in the distribution of positive rates of three animal allergens in different regions, and the highest positive rate of cat dander was found in all provinces of the country. Conclusion: The sensitization rate of animal dander allergens increased significantly, and the highest was in children and adolescents. Cat dander is the most common animal allergen, followed by dog. Different animals show obvious cross or common sensitization due to their high homology.
Allergens ; Animals ; Cats ; Cesarean Section ; Dander ; Dogs ; Female ; Horses ; Immunoglobulin E ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Rhinitis, Allergic

Objective:In general, patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are considered to show an aggressive disease course. However, the relationship between the two subgroups in disease severity is controversial. Our study is aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and prognosis of double-seropositive and seronegative RA in China through a real-world large scale study.Methods:RA patients who met the 1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria or the 2010 ACR/European Anti-Rheumatism Alliance RA classification criteria, and who attended the 10 hospitals across the country from September 2015 to January 2020, were enrolled. According to the serological status, patients were divided into 4 subgroups [rheumatoid factor (RF)(-) anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody (-), RF(+), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+), anti-CCP antibody(+)] and compared the disease characteristics and treatment response. One-way analysis of variance was used for measurement data that conformed to normal distribution, Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for measurement data that did not conform to normal distribution; paired t test was used for comparison before and after treatment within the group if the data was normally distributed else paired rank sum test was used; χ2 test was used for count data. Results:① A total of 2 461 patients were included, including 1 813 RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) patients (73.67%), 129 RF(+) patients (5.24%), 245 RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) patients (9.96%), 74 anti-CCP antibody(+) patients (11.13%). ② Regardless of the CCP status, RF(+) patients had an early age of onset [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) (51±14) years old, anti-CCP antibody(+) (50±15) years old, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) (48±14) years old, RF(+)(48±13) years old, F=3.003, P=0.029], longer disease duration [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 50 (20, 126) months, anti-CCP antibody(+) 60(24, 150) months, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 89(35, 179) months, RF(+) 83(25, 160) months, H=22.001, P<0.01], more joint swelling counts (SJC) [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 2(0, 6), Anti-CCP antibody(+) 2(0, 5), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 2(0, 7), RF(+) 2(0, 6), H=8.939, P=0.03] and tender joint counts (TJC) [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 3(0, 8), anti-CCP antibody(+) 2(0, 6), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 3(1, 9), RF(+) 2(0, 8), H=11.341, P=0.01] and the morning stiff time was longer [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 30(0, 60) min, anti-CCP antibody(+) 20(0, 60) min, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 30(10, 60) min, RF(+) 30(10, 60) min, H=13.32, P<0.01]; ESR [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 17(9, 38) mm/1 h, anti-CCP antibody(+) 20(10, 35) mm/1 h, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 26(14, 45) mm/1 h, RF(+) 28(14, 50) mm/1 h, H=37.084, P<0.01] and CRP [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) 2.3 (0.8, 15.9) mm/L, Anti-CCP antibody(+) 2.7(0.7, 12.1) mm/L, RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) 5.2(1.3, 17.2) mm/L, RF (+) 5.2(0.9, 16.2) mm/L, H=22.141, P<0.01] of the RF(+)patients were significantly higher than RF(-) patients, and RF(+) patients had higher disease severity(DAS28-ESR) [RF(-) anti-CCP antibody(-) (4.0±1.8), anti-CCP antibody(+) (3.8±1.6), RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) (4.3±1.8), RF(+) (4.1±1.7), F=7.269, P<0.01]. ③ The RF(+) anti-CCP antibody(+) patients were divided into 4 subgroups, and it was found that RF-H anti-CCP antibody-L patients had higher disease severity [RF-H anti-CCP antibody-H 4.3(2.9, 5.6), RF-L anti-CCP antibody-L 4.5(3.0, 5.7), RF-H anti-CCP antibody-L 4.9(3.1, 6.2), RF-L anti-CCP antibody-H 2.8(1.8, 3.9), H=20.374, P<0.01]. ④ After 3-month follow up, the clinical characteristics of the four groups were improved, but there was no significant difference in the improvement of the four groups, indicating that the RF and anti-CCP antibody status did not affect the remission within 3 months. Conclusion:Among RA patients, the disease activity of RA patients is closely related to RF and the RF(+) patients have more severe disease than RF(-) patients. Patients with higher RF titer also have more severe disease than that of patients with low RF titer. After 3 months of medication treatment, the antibody status does not affect the disease remission rate.

Objective:To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical bacteria isolated from blood culture in China.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture from member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS) were collected during January 2018 to December 2019. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted with agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by US Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 14 778 bacterial strains were collected from 50 hospitals, of which 4 117 (27.9%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 10 661(72.1%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (37.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.0%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.7%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (8.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.7%), Enterococcus faecium (3.4%), Acinetobacter baumannii(3.4%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.9%), Streptococci(2.8%) and Enterococcus faecalis (2.3%). The the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were 27.4% (394/1 438) and 70.4% (905/1 285), respectively. No glycopeptide-resistant Staphylococcus was detected. More than 95% of S. aureus were sensitive to amikacin, rifampicin and SMZco. The resistance rate of E. faecium to vancomycin was 0.4% (2/504), and no vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis was detected. The ESBLs-producing rates in no carbapenem-resistance E. coli, carbapenem sensitive K. pneumoniae and Proteus were 50.4% (2 731/5 415), 24.6% (493/2001) and 35.2% (31/88), respectively. The prevalence of carbapenem-resistance in E. coli and K. pneumoniae were 1.5% (85/5 500), 20.6% (518/2 519), respectively. 8.3% (27/325) of carbapenem-resistance K. pneumoniae was resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. The resistance rates of A. baumannii to polymyxin and tigecycline were 2.8% (14/501) and 3.4% (17/501) respectively, and that of P. aeruginosa to carbapenem were 18.9% (103/546). Conclusions:The surveillance results from 2018 to 2019 showed that the main pathogens of bloodstream infection in China were gram-negative bacteria, while E. coli was the most common pathogen, and ESBLs-producing strains were in majority; the MRSA incidence is getting lower in China; carbapenem-resistant E. coli keeps at a low level, while carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae is on the rise obviously.

Objective:To investigate the bacterial composition and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical isolates from bloodstream infections in China.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture were collected during January 2020 to December 2020 in member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS). Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI, USA). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 10 043 bacterial strains were collected from 54 hospitals, of which 2 664 (26.5%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 7 379 (73.5%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (38.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.4%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.9%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (7.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.9%), Enterococcus faecium (3.3%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (2.4%) and Klebsiella spp (1.8%). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus were 27.6% and 74.4%, respectively. No glycopeptide- and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci were detected. More than 95% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to rifampicin and SMZco. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci strains were detected. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were 48.4%, 23.6% and 36.1%, respectively. The prevalence rates of carbapenem-resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 2.3% and 16.1%, respectively; 9.6% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii was 60.0%, while polymyxin and tigecycline showed good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 23.2%. Conclusions:The surveillance results in 2020 showed that the main pathogens of bloodstream infection in China were gram-negative bacteria, while Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen, and ESBL-producing strains declined while carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae kept on high level. The proportion and the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were on the rise slowly. On the other side, the MRSA incidence got lower in China, while the overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci was low.

Objective Reports are rarely seen on the role of autophagy in missed abortion. This study aimed to explore the association of missed abortion with autophagy by detecting the expressions of the autophagy-related factors Beclin-1 and LC3 in the villus and decidua of normal pregnancy and missed abortion women so as to provide some theoretical evidence for the early prevention of missed abortion.Methods We included in the experimental group 30 missed abortion patients treated in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, from January to March 2017 and enrolled another 30 normal pregnancy women as controls. We determined the expression level of Beclin-1 mRNA in the villus and decidua by quantitative fluorescence PCR and those of Beclin-1 and LC3II/LC3I proteins by Western blot. We also positioned Beclin-1 in the villus and decidua tissues of the two groups of women by immunohistochemistry.Results Compared with the normal pregnancy women, the patients with missed abortion showed significantly up-regulated expression of Beclin-1 mRNA in the villus (1.00±0.28 vs 2.17±0.87, P<0.05) and decidua (1.75±0.41 vs 4.74±0.93, P<0.05) and those of Beclin-1 and LC3II/LC3I proteins (P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry revealed markedly increased expression of the Beclin-1 protein in the villus and decidua of the missed abortion patients (P<0.05).Conclusion Beclin-1 mRNA, Beclin-1 protein and LC3II/LC3I are all up-regulated in the villus and decidua of missed abortion patients, suggesting the involvement of autophagy in the occurrence of missed abortion, which may provide a new theoretical basis for studying the pathogenesis of missed abortion.

Objective Whether the Ubi-p63E gene regulates spermatogenesis and tumorigenesis remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the regulatory effect of Ubi-p63E on germline stem cells (GSC) in the GSC niche of the Drosophila testis. Methods We used the UAS-Gal4 system for knockdown of the Ubi-p63E gene in the specific GSCs of the Drosophila testis and divided the male flies for this experiment into three groups: control (wild-type W1118 flies), nos>Ubi-p63E RNAi (knockdown of the Ubi-p63E gene in the early germ cells), and tj>Ubi-p63E RNAi (knockdown of the Ubi-p63E gene in the cystoblasts). We determined the fertility rate of the flies by fertility tests and examined the effect of Ubi-p63E on the Drosophila testis in the GSC niche by immunofluorescence staining. Results Fertility tests manifested a significantly lower rate of fertility in the nos>Ubi-p63E RNAi and tj>Ubi-p63E RNAi groups than in the control (0.00% and 4.12% vs 97.26%, P < 0.01). Morphologically abnormal testes were observed in the nos>Ubi-p63E RNAi and tj>Ubi-p63E RNAi groups, only 22.77% and 18.86% as long as the testes of the control flies. Immunofluorescence staining revealed no morphologically normal testes in the tj>Ubi-p63E RNAi group, but quite a few masses of abnormal cells, and mostly Vasa-positive cells. Conclusion The Ubi-p63E gene affects the self-renewal ability of GSCs in the GSC niche of the Drosophila testis as well as the differentiation of GSCs via cystoblasts, and consequently leads to the formation of germ cell tumors.