Objective To explore the role of pseudogene AC106872.1 in maintaining the self-renewal capacity of human embryonic stem cells(hESCs).Methods AC106872.1 was knocked out in hESCs and knockout effi-ciency was validated by PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis.The colony formation of hESCs was assessed through colony formation assays and alkaline phosphatase(AP)staining.The expression level of pluripotency and differ-entiation marker genes was analyzed by qPCR and flow cytometry.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed to assess transcriptomic changes upon AC106872.1 knockout.Results Knockout of AC106872.1 significantly in-hibited the colony formation of hESCs(P＜0.05).The expression level of pluripotency marker genes was signifi-cantly reduced(P＜0.000 1),while the expression of differentiation marker genes was markedly increased(P＜0.000 1).Conclusions The pseudogene AC 1 06872.1 plays a crucial role in maintaining human embryonic stem cell self-renewal through regulation of pluripotency genes expression.

Objective To investigate the effect of ergothioneine(EGT)on tissue metabolism in middle-aged and aged mice.Methods Nine-month-old middle-aged and aged C57BL/6J mice were selected to be gavaged with EGT aqueous solution at the dose and frequency of 35 mg EGT per kg body weight every two days.The control group was gavaged with the same amount of water.Both groups were fed with EGT-free diet.After 7 weeks,the liver,kidney,and small intestine of mice were collected,and untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed using ultra-per-formance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(UHPLC-MS).The differential metabolites were selected for KEGG metabolic pathway enrichment analysis.Results Compared with the control group,the abundances of me-tabolites related to redox balance in liver,kidney and small intestine of middle-aged and aged mice treated with EGT did not change significantly.However,taurine and hypotaurine metabolism in liver(P＜0.01),purine metabo-lism in kidney(P＜0.01),and cysteine and methionine metabolism in small intestine(P＜0.001)were affected.Conclusions Non-redox-related metabolic changes in the liver,kidney and small intestine of middle-aged and aged mice by ergothioheine.

Objective To investigate the effect of pseudogene GTF3AP2 in erythroid differentiation.Methods The published high-throughput RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)data were analyzed to identify the functional pseudogene GTF3AP2,which may play a role in erythropoiesis.The endogenous expression of GTF3AP2 was inhibited by shR-NA in CD34+hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells to assess the colony-forming ability through colony-forming assay.Flow cytometry analysis was applied to detect changes in the ratio of erythroid/megakaryocytic progenitor cells.Ad-ditionally,the role of GTF3AP2 in erythroid differentiation was determined through transcriptome sequencing,which revealed alterations at the cellular and molecular levels following the knockdown of GTF3AP2.Results Com-pared with the sh-EV group,knockdown of GTF3AP2 resulted in a significant increase in cell expansion,character-ized by a significant rise in the number of colony-forming unit erythroid cells(P＜0.001),an increase in the proportion of CD71+CD235a+erythroid precursors(P＜0.01),and a decrease in the proportion of CD71-CD235a+mature erythrocytes(P＜0.05).Furthermore,there was a significant reduction in the expression of key erythroid dif-ferentiation genes,including KLF1,HBB,GYPA,EPOR and TFRC.Conclusions Knocking down of GTF3AP2 promotes the expansion of erythroid precursor cells and inhibits erythroid maturation,suggesting that GTF3AP2 plays a regulatory role in erythroid differentiation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and goblet cell-stimulating effects of a suspension of Ophiopogon japonicus (L. f.) Ker Gawl. (O. japonicus, Mai Dong) extract combined with hyaluronic acid (HA) in the mouse model with dry eye disease (DED).MethodsA DED mouse model was induced using benzalkonium chloride (BAK), followed by treatment with O. japonicus extract-containing eye drops at varying concentrations. Experimental groups included a normal control, a DED model control, a positive control, and an O. japonicus extract-treated group. Corneal fluorescein staining and tear break-up time (TBUT) were used to assess tear film stability and ocular surface integrity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measured inflammatory factor levels in corneal and conjunctival tissues, whereas Western blot (WB) analyzed key antioxidant and inflammatory markers, including nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (2Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1). Periodic acid-schiff (PAS) staining and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate goblet cell density and mucin secretion.ResultsO. japonicus extract significantly improved corneal damage, reduced fluorescein staining scores, prolonged TBUT, and increased tear secretion. It downregulated inflammatory markers, including interleukin-8 (IL-8), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) while upregulating Nrf2, HO-1, and the interleukin-13 (IL-13)/IFN-γ ratio, alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation. PAS staining showed increased conjunctival goblet cell density and restored mucin secretion, enhancing tear film stability.ConclusionO. japonicus extract demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and goblet cell-stimulating effects in a DED model, with good biocompatibility and promising therapeutic potential. Future research should optimize extraction processes and validate their efficacy and safety in clinical settings.

Renal fibrosis, especially tubulointerstitial fibrosis, is the most common pathway of all chronic kidney diseases progressing to end-stage renal diseases. Several adaptive reactions occur in renal tubular epithelial cells after chronic injury, such as changes in glycolipid metabolism, unfolded protein response, autophagy and senescence, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and G2/M cell cycle arrest. Maladaptive repair mechanisms can induce tubulointerstitial fibrosis. This article will discuss the molecular mechanism of these adaptive responses of renal tubular epithelial cells driving renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis, and provide a basis for exploring new drug targets for renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis.

In recent years， the incidence of pulmonary nodules has kept rising. To give full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of pulmonary nodules and identify the breakthrough points of integrating TCM with Western medicine， the China Association of Chinese Medicine organized medical experts in TCM and western medicine to carry out in-depth discussion regarding this disease. The discussion encompassed the modern medical advances， TCM theories of etiology and pathogenesis， the role and advantages of TCM in the whole course management of pulmonary nodules， contents and methods of research on pulmonary nodules， and science popularization work， aiming to provide a reference for clinical practice and scientific research. After discussion， the experts concluded that the occurrence of pulmonary nodules was rooted in the deficiency of the lung and spleen and triggered by phlegm dampness， blood stasis， and Qi stagnation. TCM can treat pulmonary nodules by controlling and reducing nodules， improving physical constitution， ameliorating multi-system nodular diseases， reducing anxiety and avoiding excessive diagnosis and treatment， and serving as an alternative for patients who are unwilling or unfit for surgical treatment. At present， the optimal diagnosis and treatment strategy for pulmonary nodules has not been formed， which needs to be further studied from multiple perspectives such as clinical epidemiology， biology， and evidence-based medicine. The primary task of current research is to find out the advantages， effective prescriptions， and target populations and determine the effective outcomes of TCM in the treatment of pulmonary nodules. At the same time， basic research should be carried out to explore the etiology and biological behaviors of pulmonary nodules. The expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules with integrated TCM and Western medicine needs to be continuously revised to guide clinicians to conduct standardized， scientific， and accurate effective diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To develop and evaluate a rapid and sensitive point-of-care chemiluminescent assay(POC-CLIA)for β-human chorionic gonadotropin(β-HCG).Methods:POC-CLIA was constructed based on alkaline phosphatase(Alp)-AMPPD lumi-nescence system and magnetic particles(Mps)carrier.Performance of POC-CLIA,including sensitivity,precision,accuracy,linear dilution,specificity,stability,hook effect and clinical application were evaluated.Results:Detection limit of β-HCG was 0.71 mU/ml,linear detection range was 0.710～1.092×104 mU/ml,and was no hook effect up to 1.7×105 mU/ml.Intra and inter batch coefficients of variation were less than 10％,and could be stored stably at 37℃ for 10 days.Accuracy deviation was within±10％,so results were reliable.There was no cross-reactivity between interfering substances and anti-β-HCG antibdies.For detecting β-HCG in 100 clinical serum samples,results were highly correlated with those that were tested by clinical standard methods(R2=0.997 0).Turnaround time for single sample was less than 15 min and throughput could reach 200 T/h.Conclusion:This method is adequate that can be widely used in grassroots communities to help large-scale screening of pregnancy and related diseases.

Background::The conversion of adenosine (A) to inosine (I) through deamination is the prevailing form of RNA editing, impacting numerous nuclear and cytoplasmic transcripts across various eukaryotic species. Millions of high-confidence RNA editing sites have been identified and integrated into various RNA databases, providing a convenient platform for the rapid identification of key drivers of cancer and potential therapeutic targets. However, the available database for integration of RNA editing in hematopoietic cells and hematopoietic malignancies is still lacking.Methods::We downloaded RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data of 29 leukemia patients and 19 healthy donors from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and RNA-seq data of 12 mouse hematopoietic cell populations obtained from our previous research were also used. We performed sequence alignment, identified RNA editing sites, and obtained characteristic editing sites related to normal hematopoietic development and abnormal editing sites associated with hematologic diseases.Results::We established a new database, "REDH", represents RNA editome in hematopoietic differentiation and malignancy. REDH is a curated database of associations between RNA editome and hematopoiesis. REDH integrates 30,796 editing sites from 12 murine adult hematopoietic cell populations and systematically characterizes more than 400,000 edited events in malignant hematopoietic samples from 48 cohorts (human). Through the Differentiation, Disease, Enrichment, and knowledge modules, each A-to-I editing site is systematically integrated, including its distribution throughout the genome, its clinical information (human sample), and functional editing sites under physiological and pathological conditions. Furthermore, REDH compares the similarities and differences of editing sites between different hematologic malignancies and healthy control.Conclusions::REDH is accessible at http://www.redhdatabase.com/. This user-friendly database would aid in understanding the mechanisms of RNA editing in hematopoietic differentiation and malignancies. It provides a set of data related to the maintenance of hematopoietic homeostasis and identifying potential therapeutic targets in malignancies.

Epitranscriptomics focuses on the RNA-modification-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. The past decade has witnessed tremendous progress in our understanding of the landscapes and biological functions of RNA modifications, as prompted by the emergence of potent analytical approaches. The hematopoietic system provides a lifelong supply of blood cells, and gene expression is tightly controlled during the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The dysregulation of gene expression during hematopoiesis may lead to severe disorders, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Emerging evidence supports the involvement of the mRNA modification system in normal hematopoiesis and AML pathogenesis, which has led to the development of small-molecule inhibitors that target N6-methyladenosine (m 6A) modification machinery as treatments. Here, we summarize the latest findings and our most up-to-date information on the roles of m 6A and N7-methylguanine in both physiological and pathological conditions in the hematopoietic system. Furthermore, we will discuss the therapeutic potential and limitations of cancer treatments targeting m 6A.

Objective:To investigate the value of virtual touch tissue imaging quantitative (VTIQ) combined with serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) detection in predicting the recurrence of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) after breast preservation surgery.Methods:A total of 102 TNBC patients admitted to our hospital from May. 2020 to Apr. 2022 who underwent elective breast-preserving surgery were selected as the study objects. VTIQ was examined after surgery, shear wave velocity (SWV) was measured, and serum TK1 was detected. All patients were followed up after surgery, and tumor recurrence two years after surgery was statistically analyzed. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of tumor recurrence after TNBC breast-preserving preservation, and ROC curve was drawn to analyze the predictive value of SWV and serum TK1 levels on tumor recurrence.Results:The tumor recurrence rate of 102 TNBC patients was 29.41% (30/102) at 2 years after breast-preserving surgery. The TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, the levels of SWV and TK1 in the relapsed group were higher ( χ2=4.42, χ2=6.41, t=6.97, t=6.15, all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that lymph node metastasis, SWV and serum TK1 level were influential factors for tumor recurrence at 2 years after breast-preserving surgery in TNBC patients ( OR=3.093, OR=3.501, OR=2.939, all P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC values of SWV and serum TK1 levels and their combined detection in predicting tumor recurrence after breast-preserving in TNBC patients were 0.821, 0.778 and 0.869, respectively, the sensitivity was 66.67%, 73.33% and 83.33%, respectively, and the specificity was 81.94%, 76.39% and 79.17%, respectively. The combined detection of SWV and serum TK1 level was more effective than the single detection in predicting tumor recurrence in patients with TNBC after breast-preserving surgery. Conclusion:SWV and serum TK1 levels are related to tumor recurrence after TNBC, and can predict tumor recurrence, and the combined detection of the two indicators can improve the prediction efficiency of tumor recurrence after TNBC.