BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

Genetic transformation is a fundamental tool in molecular biology research of medicinal plants. Tailoring transgenic technologies to each distinct medicinal plant would necessitate a substantial investment of time and effort. Here, we present a simple hairy root transformation method that does not require sterile conditions, utilizing Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain K599 and the visible RUBY reporter system. Transgenic hairy roots were obtained for six tested medicinal plant species, roots or rhizomes of which have recognized medicinal value, spanning four botanical families and six genera (Platycodon grandiflorus, Atractylodes macrocephala, Scutellaria baicalensis, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis). Furthermore, two previously identified Glycyrrhiza uralensis UGTs that convert liquiritigenin into liquiritin in heterologous systems were studied in planta using the method. Our results indicate that overexpression of GuUGT1 but not GuUGT10 and Cas9-mediated knockout of GuUGT1 profoundly influenced the accumulation of liquiritin and isoliquiritin in licorice roots. Therefore, the method described here represents a simple, rapid and widely applicable hairy root transformation method that enables fast gene functional study in medicinal plants.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection's effect on gestational liver function, pregnancy and delivery complications, and neonatal development. METHODS: A total of 157 HCV antibody-positive (anti-HCV[+]) and HCV RNA(+) patients (Group C) and 121 anti-HCV(+) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group B) were included as study participants, while 142 anti-HCV(-) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group A) were the control group. Data on biochemical indices during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, delivery-related information, and neonatal complications were also collected. RESULTS: Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) rates in Group C during early, middle, and late pregnancy were 59.87%, 43.95%, and 42.04%, respectively-significantly higher than Groups B (26.45%, 15.70%, 10.74%) and A (23.94%, 19.01%, 6.34%) ( P < 0.05). Median ALT levels in Group C were significantly higher than in Groups A and B at all pregnancy stages ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in neonatal malformation rates across groups ( P > 0.05). However, neonatal jaundice incidence was significantly greater in Group C (75.16%) compared to Groups A (42.25%) and B (57.02%) ( χ ² = 33.552, P < 0.001). HCV RNA positivity during pregnancy was an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice ( OR = 2.111, 95% CI 1.242-3.588, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS Chronic HCV infection can affect the liver function of pregnant women, but does not increase the pregnancy or delivery complication risks. HCV RNA(+) is an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Infant, Newborn ; Viremia/virology* ; Hepatitis C ; Hepacivirus/physiology* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/virology* ; Young Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood*

OBJECTIVE: CRISPR-Cas protects bacteria from exogenous DNA invasion and is associated with bacterial biofilm formation and pathogenicity. METHODS: We analyzed the type I-F CRISPR-Cas system of Legionella pneumophila WX48, including Cas1, Cas2-Cas3, Csy1, Csy2, Csy3, and Cas6f, along with downstream CRISPR arrays. We explored the effects of the CRISPR-Cas system on the in vitro growth, biofilm-forming ability, and pathogenicity of L. pneumophila through constructing gene deletion mutants. RESULTS: The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system did not affect the in vitro growth of wild-type or mutant strains. The biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation of the mutant strains were weaker than those of the wild type owing to the regulation of type IV pili and Dot/Icm type IV secretion systems. In particular, Cas6f deletion strongly inhibited these processes. CONCLUSION The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system may reduce biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation in L. pneumophila.
Legionella pneumophila/pathogenicity* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Biofilms/growth & development* ; Phenotype ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Deletion

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of transrectal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for rectal cancer with intestinal stenosis caused by tumors. Methods Forty-nine patients with rectal cancer underwent transrectal CEUS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery.Intraoperative tumor localization and postoperative pathological results were taken as the gold standard for diagnosis.The differences in T stage,localization,and tumor length of rectal cancer were compared between the two methods. Results The total accuracy rates of transrectal CEUS and MRI in diagnosing T stage were 75.5% (36/49) and 67.3% (33/49),which had no significant difference (χ²=0.8,P=0.371).The total accuracy rates of transrectal CEUS and MRI in judging tumor localization were 79.5% (39/49) and 77.5% (38/49),which had no significant difference (χ²=0.061,P=0.806).The measurement results of tumor length in pathological examination had no significant difference from the transrectal CEUS results (t=1.42,P=0.162) but a significant difference from the MRI results (t=3.38,P=0.001).Furthermore,transrectal CEUS detected 8 (16.3%) cases of colonic polyps among the 49 patients,while MRI did not detect colon lesions. Conclusions Transrectal CEUS has good consistency with MRI in T staging and localization judgement of rectal cancer with intestinal stenosis,and this method can more accurately evaluate the tumor length and simultaneously evaluate whether there is a lesion in the entire colon at the proximal end of stenosis.It can be used as a supplementary examination before rectal cancer treatment in clinical practice.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/complications* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Aged ; Contrast Media ; Ultrasonography ; Adult ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Constriction, Pathologic/diagnostic imaging* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Intestinal Obstruction/etiology*

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and survival analysis of myelodysplastic syndromes(MDS)with RUNX1 gene mutation.Methods:Clinical data of 177 newly diagnosed MDS patients admitted to the Department of Hematology,the Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University from October 1,2015 to October 31,2022 were retrospectively analyzed.Gene mutation detection was performed by second-generation sequencing technology,and clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with RUNX1 gene mutation were analyzed.Results:A total of 30 cases(16.95％)of RUNX1 gene mutations were detected,including 15 missense mutations(50.0％),9 frameshift deletion mutations(30.0％),4 splice site mutations(13.3％),1 insertion mutation(3.3％),and 1 nonsense mutation(3.3％).Patients with RUNX1 mutations had a median age of 68.5 years at diagnosis(range:62.25-78.50 years old).There were no significantly differences between RUNX1 mutations and wild type patients in age distribution,gender,peripheral blood white blood cell count,hemoglobin level,bone marrow and peripheral blood blasts ratio,IPSS-R cytogenetics,IPSS-R stage,etc.(P＞0.05).However,there were statistically significant differences in platelet count and whether complicated karyotype.Compared with patients without RUNX1 gene mutation,patients with RUNX1 gene mutation had lower platelet count(P=0.018),and were less likely to have complicated karyotype at initial diagnosis(P=0.01).Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that when other co variates remained unchanged,the higher the platelet count,the better the survival of patients(HR=0.995,95％CI:0.990-0.999,P=0.036);In the IPSS-M prognostic stratification,keeping other covariates unchanged,the risk of progression or death of myelodysplastic syndrome was significantly lower in the medium to high-risk and low-risk groups compared with the high-risk group(HR=0.149,95％CI:0.031-0.721,P=0.018;HR=0.026,95％CI:0.003-0.234,P=0.001).Survival analysis showed that MDS patients with RUNX1 gene mutation had worse overall survival time(P＜0.001).Patients with RUNX1 mutation had worse OS than non-mutation patients in the early WHO group.RUNX1 mutation and IPSS-M risk stratification mean OS and mean LFS were worse in low-risk patients than in non-mutated patients.Conclusion:RUNX1 gene mutation is an adverse prognostic factor in MDS patients,especially in the IPSS-M prognosis stratification group of low-risk,medium-low risk,medium-high risk and WHO classification of early patients.

To explore the absorption mechanism of APS-Ⅱ in vivo by establishing M cell model. First, Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) was divided into two different molecular weight polysaccharides APS-I ( > 2 000 kDa) and APS-II (10 kDa) by ultrafiltration, and APS-II (10 kDa) was prepared and fluorescently labeled. Meanwhile, M cell model was constructed by Caco-2 cells and Raji cells. The M cell model was treated with transport inhibitors to explore the transport of APS-Ⅱ on M cells. The results show that FITC has been successfully labeled to the end of APS-Ⅱ, and the M cell model was successfully constructed, which found that APS-Ⅱ could be transported by M cells, and four transport inhibitors of 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA), genistein, dynasore and nocodazole indicated that APS-II may enter cells through clathrin and caveolin-mediated endocytosis.

Objective To explore the characteristics of blood lipid metabolism indicators and risk factors of prognosis in children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods A total of 54 children who were diagnosed with SLE and hospitalized in Chengdu Women and Children’ s Central Hospital from January 2013 to August 2022 were selected. Clinical data of all children were collected and blood lipid metabolism indicators and biochemical indicators were detected , and binary logistic regression was used to analyze the prognosis risk factors in children with SLE. Results Among the 47 cases (87.04%) had abnormal blood lipid metabolism at admission, and is mainly manifested as elevated levels of LDL-C, TG and TC and decreased level of HDL-C. The proportion of cardiovascular system damage, hematological system damage, urinary protein positivity, and SLEDAI-2000 score in the group with good prognosis were lower than those in the group with poor prognosis, while the proportion of dsDNA positivity was higher in the group with poor prognosis. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the cardiovascular system damage and positive urinary protein were risk factors for poor prognosis, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Conclusion Abnormal blood lipid metabolism is common in children with SLE, and cardiovascular system damage and positive urinary protein may increase the risk of poor prognosis in young children.

Aim To investigate the dynamic time-course changes in neuronal cytoskeleton after acute ischemia and reperfusion in rats. Methods Reperfusion was performedin rats by blocking the middle cerebralarteryfor 90 min, then therats wereobserved and collected at different time points. The brain damage wasobserved by Nissl staining,and neurobehavioural function was evaluated with neurological deficit score and forelimb placement test. The cellular changes in the alternations of cytoskeletal elements including microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP2) and neurofilament heavy chain (NF-H) were observed by immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot. Impaired axons, dendrites and cytoskeletal alternations were detected by electron microscope. Results Brain damage and neurobehavioural function were gradually aggravated with the prolongation of reperfusion. Brain damage appeared earlier and more severe in striatum than in cortex. Moreover, decreased MAP2-related and increased NF-H-related immunoreactive intensities were found in the ischemic areas. Impaired cytoskeletal arrangement and reduced dense were indicated. Damaged cytoskeletal components such as microtubules and neurofilament arrangement, decreased axonal filament density, and swelled dendrites were observed after cerebral ischemia reperfusion by ultrastructural observations. Conclusions Different brain regions have diverse tolerance to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Major elements of neuronal cytoskeleton show dynamic responses to ischemia and reperfusion, which may further contribute to brain damage and neurological impairment following MCAO and reperfusion.

Objective To compare the principles,methods and applications of provider-to-population ratios method,gravity-based model,two-step floating catchment area(2SFCA)method and improved two-step floating catchment area method for evaluating the spatial accessibility to healthcare services.Methods Taking the spatial accessibility to maternal and child healthcare services in Nanning prefecture for example,we collected data on vector map,transportation network,population size,and the number of health professionals in maternal and child health institutions.Provider-to-population ratios method,gravity-based model,2SFCA method and improved 2SFCA method were applied to evaluate the spatial accessibility to maternal and child healthcare services,on the scales of county level,township level and village level,respectively.Results The four models showed that the spatial heterogeneity of spatial accessibility to maternal and child health services was significant,and the spatial accessibility was gradually decreased from urban areas of Nanning to rural areas.However,regions with high spatial accessibility and regions with low spatial accessibility,decreasing trend in spatial accessibility across regions,the median and inter quartile range of spatial accessibility were different across the four models.Conclusion The practical significance in evaluating spatial accessibility to healthcare services for provider-to-population ratios method,gravity-based model,2SFCA method and improved 2SFCA method was different,yet the spatial accessibility varied somewhat across the four models.Thus,integrating findings of the four models based on multi space scales is strongly recommended to evaluate the spatial accessibility to healthcare services comprehensively and robustly.