OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy of Ag₂Se nanoparticles for eliminating intracellular Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) in esophageal cancer and examine the effect of P. gingivalis clearance on progression of esophageal cancer. METHODS: Ag₂Se nanoparticles were synthesized via a chemical synthesis method. The effects of Ag₂Se nanoparticles on P. gingivalis viability and colony-forming ability were assessed using fluorescence staining and colony formation assays. In a mouse model bearing subcutaneous murine esophageal cancer cell allograft with P. gingivalis infection, the effect of treatment with Ag₂Se nanoparticles on the abundance of P. gingivalis in the tumor tissues was quantified using RNAscope in situ hybridization and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and the changes in tumor volume were monitored. The biosafety of Ag₂Se nanoparticles was assessed by examining liver and kidney functions and pathological changes in the major organs of the mice. RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the synthesized Ag₂Se nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed spherical particles with a diameter around 50 nm. In vitro experiments demonstrated that exposure to Ag₂Se nanoparticles significantly reduced the viability and clonal proliferation capacity of P. gingivalis in a dose-dependent manner. In the tumor-bearing mice, treatment with Ag₂Se nanoparticles significantly reduced the abundance of P. gingivalis in tumor tissues and suppressed tumor cell proliferation. No significant damages to the liver and kidney functions or the major organs were observed in Ag₂Se nanoparticle-treated mice, demonstrating good biocompatibility of Ag₂Se nanoparticles. CONCLUSIONS Ag₂Se nanoparticles exhibit significant bactericidal and inhibitory effects against P. gingivalis, and can effectively eliminate intracellular P. gingivalis to suppress the growth of esophageal cancer allograft in mice, suggesting the potential of Ag₂Se nanoparticles in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
Animals ; Porphyromonas gingivalis/drug effects* ; Mice ; Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Nanoparticles ; Metal Nanoparticles ; Bacteroidaceae Infections ; Cell Line, Tumor

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of Gongxuening Capsules in reducing post-abortion bleeding following artificial abortion.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, double-blind study was conducted. From May 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023, 484 women who underwent vacuum aspiration abortion for early intrauterine pregnancy were enrolled in 11 centers and randomly assigned to control group and the study group at a 1∶1 ratio using a center-block randomization method. Control group were administered a placebo of Gongxuening Capsules for 9 d, while the study group received the actual Gongxuening Capsules for the same duration. The outcomes measured included vaginal bleeding volume, duration of vaginal bleeding, endometrial thickness, time to menstrual recovery, and complications.Results:1) A total of 484 subjects were enrolled, and 472 completed the study. Totally 450 subjects were included in the efficacy analysis set, with 224 in control group and 226 in the study group; 468 subjects were included in the safety analysis set, with 236 in control group and 232 in the study group. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable (all P>0.05). 2) The vaginal bleeding volume was lower in the study group [(13.30±12.14) mL] than in control group [(19.00±17.67) mL, P<0.001]. The proportion of subjects in the study group with bleeding days less than 4 d [29.65% (67/226)] was higher than that in control group [19.20% (43/224), P=0.010]. 3) No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of time to menstrual recovery and endometrial thickness (all P>0.05). 4) In the study group, 3 subjects experienced non-therapeutic-related complications, while 11 subjects in control group. The incidence of complications was lower in the study group [1.29% (3/232)] than in control group [4.66% (11/236), P=0.033]. Conclusion:The administration of Gongxuening Capsules to women following artificial abortion significantly reduced vaginal bleeding volume and was associated with good safety, with the treatment being well-tolerated by the subjects.

Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of Gongxuening Capsules in reducing post-abortion bleeding following artificial abortion.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, double-blind study was conducted. From May 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023, 484 women who underwent vacuum aspiration abortion for early intrauterine pregnancy were enrolled in 11 centers and randomly assigned to control group and the study group at a 1∶1 ratio using a center-block randomization method. Control group were administered a placebo of Gongxuening Capsules for 9 d, while the study group received the actual Gongxuening Capsules for the same duration. The outcomes measured included vaginal bleeding volume, duration of vaginal bleeding, endometrial thickness, time to menstrual recovery, and complications.Results:1) A total of 484 subjects were enrolled, and 472 completed the study. Totally 450 subjects were included in the efficacy analysis set, with 224 in control group and 226 in the study group; 468 subjects were included in the safety analysis set, with 236 in control group and 232 in the study group. The baseline characteristics of the two groups were comparable (all P>0.05). 2) The vaginal bleeding volume was lower in the study group [(13.30±12.14) mL] than in control group [(19.00±17.67) mL, P<0.001]. The proportion of subjects in the study group with bleeding days less than 4 d [29.65% (67/226)] was higher than that in control group [19.20% (43/224), P=0.010]. 3) No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of time to menstrual recovery and endometrial thickness (all P>0.05). 4) In the study group, 3 subjects experienced non-therapeutic-related complications, while 11 subjects in control group. The incidence of complications was lower in the study group [1.29% (3/232)] than in control group [4.66% (11/236), P=0.033]. Conclusion:The administration of Gongxuening Capsules to women following artificial abortion significantly reduced vaginal bleeding volume and was associated with good safety, with the treatment being well-tolerated by the subjects.

Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) refers to that irradiated cells release signaling factors and induce responses in nonirradiated cells.In other words, it is the communication between irradiated and nonirradiated cells by intracellular signals. RIBE could influence the efficacy of tumor radiotherapy, but also has potential risk to the normal tissues outside of radiation field. Studies have found that ionizing radiation can induce the alteration of miRNA expression not only in the irradiated cells but also in adjacent nonirradiated tissues, and miRNAs may play an important role in the regulation of signaling pathways between irradiated and nonirradiated bystander cells. This article reviewed the roles of miRNAs in RIBE.

Objective:To investigate the abnormal results of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) in the subsequent pregnancy of women with adverse pregnancy history, and explore the applicability of CMA in women with different genetic etiology.Methods:Out of 5 563 pregnant women who received CMA test in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital during June 2014 and July 2020, 169 cases that underwent prenatal diagnosis due to isolated adverse pregnancy history were retrospectively collected in this study. All the participants were divided into three groups based on the etiology type of probands, genetic origin and expected CMA outcome: high-risk group ( n=19, including 11 cases with inherited pathogenic copy number variations and eight cases with inherited chromosomal abnormalities), low-risk group ( n=113, including six cases with negative whole exome sequencing and/or CMA findings, 31 cases with confirmed monogenic disease, 47 cases with de novo pathogenic copy number variations and 29 cases with de novo chromosomal abnormalities), and unknown risk group ( n=40, none of the cases underwent genetic testing). Descriptive statistical analysis was used to summarize the abnormal detection of each group. Results:There were 169 mothers with 172 fetuses finally enrolled, including two twins and one woman with two singleton pregnancies. A total of nine cases of abnormal fetuses were detected by CMA, accounting for 5.2% (9/172). Among them, eight were in the high-risk group, which were all caused by parental abnormalities, and one case in the low-risk group was detected with a de novo 22q11.22q11.23 microduplication, which was arr[GRCh37]22q11.22q11.23(22,997,928-25,002,659)×3. No abnormality was detected in the 40 patients of unknown risk group. Conclusions:Clarifying the etiology of isolated adverse pregnancy history is crucial to the rational application of CMA. Monogenic disease, unknown cause or negative finding of CMA in probands may not be an indication for prenatal diagnosis of CMA.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) for the detection of fetal anomalies among pregnant women with advanced age. METHODS: CMA results of 562 cases, in addition with the outcome of pregnancy and neonatal follow-up were reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 562 amniotic fluid samples, 73 cases (12.99%) of fetal chromosomal abnormalities were detected, which included 21 cases (3.73%) of chromosomal aneuploidies and 52 cases (9.25%) of copy number variations (CNVs). The latters included 27 cases of pathological CNVs (4.80%), 4 cases of possible pathogenic CNVs (0.71%) and 42 cases of variants with unknown clinical significance (7.47%). Compared with those under 35, the detection rate of fetal chromosomal aneuploidies for women with advanced age was higher under the indications of voluntary test, abnormal ultrasonic structures, abnormal ultrasonic soft index and risks indicated by non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). No significant difference was found in the detection rate of CNVs between those ≥35 and <35 and between those with age factor only and with additional indications (P> 0.05). 552 cases (98.22%) of pregnant women have completed the followed up. Among 31 women with pathological and possible pathogenic fetal CNVs detected by CMA, 25 had terminated the pregnancy, 6 (19.35%) have delivered without obvious abnormality. 41 pregnant women with fetal CNVs of unknown clinical significance have completed the follow up, among whom 3 had terminated the pregnancy, 1 newborn was found with malformation after birth, which yielded an abnormal pregnancy rate of 9.76%. 480 pregnant women with negative CMA results have completed the follow up, among whom 5 (1.04%) had abnormal pregnancy or delivered a child with birth defect. CONCLUSION There is a certain difference between the outcome of pregnancy predicted by CMA testing and the actual outcome. The pregnancies with fetal CNVs with unknown clinical significance detected by CMA have a high adverse rate, which should attract clinical attention. CMA testing should be recommended for pregnant women with advanced age regardless of whether they have other symptoms. CMA combined with other detection methods is the trend for prenatal diagnosis.
Aneuploidy ; Chromosome Aberrations ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Maternal Age ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis

Biochemistry experiment is an experimental module associated with biochemistry curriculum. In the context of deepening the education reform on innovation & entrepreneurship, integrating the concept of innovation & entrepreneurship with the experimental course is an effective way for the biology discipline to foster professional talents with strong engineering ability and innovation & entrepreneurship ability. Outcome-based education (OBE) is a new concept for education. Guided by this concept, we encouraged students to propose and take part in research projects, redesigned the time frame for research project-based experiment teaching, and implemented a multi-dimensional evaluation system along the entire teaching process. Furthermore, we integrated the concept of innovation & entrepreneurship for training undergraduates during the teaching process of biochemistry experiment. These measures not only boosted the students' interest in research and innovation, but also guided the teachers to participate in the entire process, which helped improving the engineering ability and innovation & entrepreneurship ability of the students.
Biochemistry/education* ; Curriculum ; Entrepreneurship ; Humans ; Students

AIM: To explore the effect of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) on chemotherapy sensitivity and survival prognosis of patients with metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: A total of 153 patients with newly treated metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were admitted to Suzhou Science and Technology City Hospital from June 2016 to February 2020 were included and administered with cisplatin combined with capecitabine chemotherapy. Before the first chemotherapy, 5 mL of venous blood was collected to extract DNA, and the TaqMan probe method was used to detect the genotypes of the BRCA1 gene rs8176318G/T, rs799917T/C and rs1799966T/C polymorphic loci. The objective response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) of different genotypes were analyzed. RESULTS: Rs799917T/C polymorphism was closely related to the chemosensitivity of metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The chemotherapy response rates of TT, TC and CC genotypes increased gradually (TT 22.5%, TC 38.6%, CC 55.3%, χ

The clinical characteristics and gene mutation characteristics of a child with typical maple syrup urine disease were analyzed retrospectively.The child is a boy, who showed unexplained milk refusal, poor reaction, foaming at the mouth, and encephalopathy symptoms 7 days after birth.The total leucine concentration was abnormally increased by blood tandem mass spectrometry, and the results of urine gas chromatography/mass spectrometry suggested that the concentrations of 2-hydroxy isovaleric acid, 2-keto isovaleric acid, 2-keto-3-methylpentanoic acid and 2-keto-isohexanoic acid were significantly increased.The gene detection results showed that c. 1028delC (p.S343Lfs*9) homozygous mutation was found in the BCKDHB gene.Understanding the clinical symptoms and gene mutation characteristics of this disease can help with the early detection and early diagnosis of this disease, so as to improve its prognosis to the greatest extent.

Objective:To access the effectiveness and safety of the intrauterine balloon tamponade verse gauze packing combined with temporary abdominal aortic balloon occlusion in the management of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).Methods:This was an open-label, randomized controlled trial conducted in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The patients suspected with PAS for uterine preservation surgery under the multidisciplinary team care were recruited between Aug 2015 and Jan 2018. When bleeding could not be achieved after fetus delivered, and a temporary abdominal aortic balloon occlusion and the compression sutures as needed, the women were randomly allocated 1∶1 into balloon tamponade ( n=81) or gauze packing ( n=80) group. The primary outcome was successful bleeding arrests by avoiding second line surgeries. The secondary outcomes included the volume of blood loss during and after cesarean section, the rate of PPH, incidence and amount of blood transfusion, hysterectomy, postpartum pain, ICU admission, need for re-laparotomy, and the length of hospital stay, readmission, and interventional radiology complications. Results:All the women [100% (81/81)] in the balloon group were obtained hemostasis without further intervention, significantly higher than 88% (70/80) in the gauze group ( P=0.001). Before uterine tamponade, blood loss were 820 ml (620-1 230) ml and 850 ml (605-1 442) ml, while placenta bed were sutured in 96%（78/81, 77/80） respectively ( P>0.05).The proportion of blood loss≥1 000 ml was higher in the gauze group than that in the balloon group ( P=0.006). Maternal adverse events involving total blood loss, puerperal morbidity and postpartum pain occurred more frequently in the gauze group ( P<0.05). The following outcome showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups: the vascular occlusion time, the dose of radiation, and interventional radiology complication ( P>0.05). The median volume infused into the lower and upper balloons is 70 ml (50-100 ml) and 180 ml (100-240 ml). Conclusions:Incrauterine balloon tamponade is as effective as gauze packing in hemostasis following the placenta delivery in PAS. Compared with gauze packing, the uterine balloon tamponade is more effective.