Objective To investigate the effects of ischemia time and storage periods on RNA quality in fresh-frozen breast cancer(BC)and esophageal cancer(EC)tissue samples in order to establish evidence-based protocols for biobank sample management.Methods The tumor(T)and paired normal(N)tissue samples from 6 cases of BC and 6 cases of EC were collected and cryopreserved in Biobank,Shantou Central Hospital.Mirror paraffin-embedded tissues were simultaneously prepared into sections for morphological analysis.The samples were divided into two groups of<15 min and 15-30 min according to ischemia time,and RNA quality was analyzed at 4 storage periods of 8-10 months(T1),14-16 months(T2),26-28 months(T3)and 38-40 months(T4).Results In 96 analyzed samples,93.8%(90/96)exhibited high quality(RIN≥6),with 89.6%(43/48)in BC and 97.9%(47/48)in EC.Significant differences in RIN were observed between BC group and EC group(8.050 vs.8.600,P=0.009).In EC group,RIN value was significantly negatively correlated with RNA yield(P<0.001).Moreover,RIN values of tumor-normal pairs exhibited markedly significant differences(7.550 vs.9.000,P<0.001).In contrast,no significant difference was detected in BC group(8.200 vs.7.700,P=0.348).Statistical analysis showed that RIN value was positively correlated with 28S/18S(P<0.001),but had no correlation with tumor content(P=0.676)and necrotic content(P=0.055).Neither ischemia time(<15 min vs.15-30 min:8.200 vs.8.300,P=0.932)nor storage periods(T1-T4:8.400,7.700,8.450,8.600,P=0.163)compromised RNA quality.Conclusion Organ origin and tissue type could influence RNA quality of fresh-frozen tissue samples.However,limited ischemia time(≤30 min)and long-term storage period(38-40 months)do not adversely affect RNA quality in fresh-frozen breast cancer and esophageal cancer tissue samples.

Objective To investigate the effects of ischemia time and storage periods on RNA quality in fresh-frozen breast cancer(BC)and esophageal cancer(EC)tissue samples in order to establish evidence-based protocols for biobank sample management.Methods The tumor(T)and paired normal(N)tissue samples from 6 cases of BC and 6 cases of EC were collected and cryopreserved in Biobank,Shantou Central Hospital.Mirror paraffin-embedded tissues were simultaneously prepared into sections for morphological analysis.The samples were divided into two groups of<15 min and 15-30 min according to ischemia time,and RNA quality was analyzed at 4 storage periods of 8-10 months(T1),14-16 months(T2),26-28 months(T3)and 38-40 months(T4).Results In 96 analyzed samples,93.8%(90/96)exhibited high quality(RIN≥6),with 89.6%(43/48)in BC and 97.9%(47/48)in EC.Significant differences in RIN were observed between BC group and EC group(8.050 vs.8.600,P=0.009).In EC group,RIN value was significantly negatively correlated with RNA yield(P<0.001).Moreover,RIN values of tumor-normal pairs exhibited markedly significant differences(7.550 vs.9.000,P<0.001).In contrast,no significant difference was detected in BC group(8.200 vs.7.700,P=0.348).Statistical analysis showed that RIN value was positively correlated with 28S/18S(P<0.001),but had no correlation with tumor content(P=0.676)and necrotic content(P=0.055).Neither ischemia time(<15 min vs.15-30 min:8.200 vs.8.300,P=0.932)nor storage periods(T1-T4:8.400,7.700,8.450,8.600,P=0.163)compromised RNA quality.Conclusion Organ origin and tissue type could influence RNA quality of fresh-frozen tissue samples.However,limited ischemia time(≤30 min)and long-term storage period(38-40 months)do not adversely affect RNA quality in fresh-frozen breast cancer and esophageal cancer tissue samples.

Objective To compare the predictive effectiveness of the Glasgow coma scale(GCS),GCS-pupils scale(GCS-P),Glasgow-Pittsburgh coma scale(GPCS),full outline of unresponsiveness scale(FOUR),and coma recovery scale-revised(CRS-R)in forecasting the prognosis of severe stroke patients.Methods A prospective,consecutive cohort of severe stroke patients admitted to the Department of Neurology,First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from September 2021 to April 2024 was enrolled.Demographic and clinical data were collected,including age,sex,length of hospital stay,diagnosis(severe ischemic stroke,severe cerebral hemorrhage,aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage),medical history(hypertension,diabetes,coronary artery disease),smoking and drinking habits,vital signs upon admission(temperature,pulse,respiration,blood pressure),neurological examination findings(including speech and brainstem reflexes)at admission,head imaging results(CT,MRI)within 24 h of admission to assess the presence of brain herniation,and whether intubation occurred within 24 h of admission.Patients underwent GCS,GCS-P,GPCS,FOUR,and CRS-R scoring within 8h of admission.Telephone follow-up was conducted at 6 months post-stroke to assess outcomes using the modified Rankin scale(mRS),with mRS scores of 0-2 classified as the good prognosis group and 3-6 as the poor prognosis group.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the prognostic prediction value of the five scales for poor outcomes at 6 months.The area under the ROC curve(AUC)was calculated,and pairwise comparisons of AUC were performed using the Delong test.Results A total of 179 severe stroke patients were enrolled,including 116 males and 63 females.The group consisted of 132 patients with severe ischemic stroke,30 with severe intracerebral hemorrhage,and 17 with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.At 6months,126patients had a poor prognosis and 53 had a good prognosis.(1)There were statistically significant differences in age,temperature,pulse,history of coronary artery disease,smoking and drinking habits,presence of speech impairment,abnormal brainstem reflexes,brain herniation,intubation within 24 h of admission,and GCS,GCS-P,GPCS,FOUR,and CRS-R scores between the poor and good prognosis groups(all P＜0.05).(2)ROC analysis revealed that the AUC(95％CI)for predicting poor outcomes at 6 months in severe stroke patients for GCS,GCS-P,GPCS,FOUR,and CRS-R were 0.808(0.742-0.863),0.815(0.750-0.869),0.828(0.765-0.880),0.841(0.780-0.892),and 0.831(0.768-0.883),respectively.Sensitivities were 76.98％,78.57％,82.54％,84.13％,and 82.54％,and specificities were 73.58％,73.58％,67.92％,71.70％,and 73.58％,respectively.The FOUR had the highest AUC,with an optimal cutoff value of 13.(3)Pairwise comparisons of AUC showed a statistically significant difference between the FOUR and GCS(the difference value of AUC is 0.034,95％CI 0.004-0.064,Z=2.194,P=0.028),but no significant differences were observed between other scales(all P＞0.05).Conclusion Compared to GCS,GCS-P,GPCS,and CRS-R,FOUR may provide more valuable prognostic information for severe stroke patients.

CRM 197(cross-reacting material 197),a naturally occurring mutant of diphtheria toxin,is a safe and effective vaccine vector and extensively used on developing conjugate or combined vaccines.The mutant loses its enzymatic activity,but fully retains its receptor-binding ability and immunogenicity.In current work,the diphtheria toxin mutant CRM 197 and its fusion proteins with the receptor-binding do-main of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E(EHc)were developed using genetic engineering technology.These recombinant proteins were confirmed by Western blotting and SDS-PAGE.BALB/c mice were im-munized with the CRM197-EHc and EHc-CRM197 fusion proteins,and their immunogenicity was evalua-ted.These two fusion protein molecules,CRM197-EHc and EHc-CRM197,as subunit vaccines,elicited a robust humoral immune response targeting both CRM197 and EHc antigens in the immunized mice.Compared to the mixture of CRM197 and EHc,the mice vaccinated with the fusion proteins(CRM197-EHc and EHc-CRM197)induced higher levels of anti-CRM197 antibodies,and the mice vaccinated with EHc-CRM197 also generated strongest anti-EHc antibodies.Consequently,as a carrier molecule in the fusion protein vaccine,EHc enhances the immunogenicity of CRM197 molecules.Likewise,CRM197 boosts the immunogenicity of EHc in the EHc-CRM197 fusion protein.

CRM 197(cross-reacting material 197),a naturally occurring mutant of diphtheria toxin,is a safe and effective vaccine vector and extensively used on developing conjugate or combined vaccines.The mutant loses its enzymatic activity,but fully retains its receptor-binding ability and immunogenicity.In current work,the diphtheria toxin mutant CRM 197 and its fusion proteins with the receptor-binding do-main of botulinum neurotoxin serotype E(EHc)were developed using genetic engineering technology.These recombinant proteins were confirmed by Western blotting and SDS-PAGE.BALB/c mice were im-munized with the CRM197-EHc and EHc-CRM197 fusion proteins,and their immunogenicity was evalua-ted.These two fusion protein molecules,CRM197-EHc and EHc-CRM197,as subunit vaccines,elicited a robust humoral immune response targeting both CRM197 and EHc antigens in the immunized mice.Compared to the mixture of CRM197 and EHc,the mice vaccinated with the fusion proteins(CRM197-EHc and EHc-CRM197)induced higher levels of anti-CRM197 antibodies,and the mice vaccinated with EHc-CRM197 also generated strongest anti-EHc antibodies.Consequently,as a carrier molecule in the fusion protein vaccine,EHc enhances the immunogenicity of CRM197 molecules.Likewise,CRM197 boosts the immunogenicity of EHc in the EHc-CRM197 fusion protein.

Sampling is the first stage of the DNA Typing in forensic science,and some studies found that the sampling technology affected the outcomes of"Contact DNA"testing.Since swabs are the most commonly used collection instrument for"Contact DNA",the researchers in forensic science field should pay more attention to study the collection efficiency of swabs.However,currently the majority of relevant research is focused on downstream testing processes,such as typing and amplification;the corresponding work on sampling performance by swabs is quite limited.Furthermore,the absence of an internationally recognized standard procedure makes it impossible to directly compare the collection results among laboratories.In this paper,a review on the use of swabs in the forensic science field is presented.It analyzes the collection efficiency,advantages and disadvantages of different swabs,and investigates the need and feasibility of developing a standardized method to evaluate the swab collection efficiency,for improving the sampling performance of swabs and ultimately increasing the detection rate of"Contact DNA"in forensic science.

Objective To establish a rapid,sensitive,and specific multiplex PCR detection method for the simultaneous detection of Cryptosporidium,Eimeria,and bovine parvovirus.Methods Specific primers targeting the SSU rRNA genes of Cryptosporidium and Eimeria,as well as the VP2 gene of bovine parvovirus were designed and the corresponding recombinant plasmid standards were constructed.To establish the multiplex PCR method,the reaction conditions were optimized using temperature gradient PCR and single-variable control methods.The sensitivity,specificity,reproducibility,and clinical application of the protocol were evaluated.Results The optimal annealing temperature was found to be 60.5℃,and the forward and reverse primer concentrations were determined to be 0.2 μmol/L for Eimeria,and 0.4 μmol/L for Cryptosporidium and bovine parvovirus.The assay demonstrated high sensitivity,with detection limits of 243,260,and 3 110 copies for the recombinant plasmid standards of Cryptosporidium,Eimeria,and bovine parvovirus,respectively.Specificity testing showed no cross-reactivity with ten common bovine pathogens,including Salmonella,bovine viral diarrhea virus,and bovine rotavirus.Consistent intra-and inter-batch results confirmed the strong reproducibility of the method.Clinical application to 81 diarrhea samples from various regions in the Ganzi Prefecture,Sichuan,revealed positivity rates of 18.52%(15/81)for Cryptosporidium,34.57%(28/81)for Eimeria,and 18.52%(15/81)forbovineparvovirus,withamixedinfectionrateof3.7%(3/81).Conclusions Themultiplex PCR method established in this study offers a reliable tool for differential diagnosis and epidemiological investigation of the three common diarrheal pathogens in yaks.

Sampling is the first stage of the DNA Typing in forensic science,and some studies found that the sampling technology affected the outcomes of"Contact DNA"testing.Since swabs are the most commonly used collection instrument for"Contact DNA",the researchers in forensic science field should pay more attention to study the collection efficiency of swabs.However,currently the majority of relevant research is focused on downstream testing processes,such as typing and amplification;the corresponding work on sampling performance by swabs is quite limited.Furthermore,the absence of an internationally recognized standard procedure makes it impossible to directly compare the collection results among laboratories.In this paper,a review on the use of swabs in the forensic science field is presented.It analyzes the collection efficiency,advantages and disadvantages of different swabs,and investigates the need and feasibility of developing a standardized method to evaluate the swab collection efficiency,for improving the sampling performance of swabs and ultimately increasing the detection rate of"Contact DNA"in forensic science.

In-depth study of the components of polymyxins is the key to controlling the quality of this class of antibiotics. Similarities and variations of components present significant analytical challenges. A two-dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometr (LC-MS) method was established for screening and comprehensive profiling of compositions of the antibiotic colistimethate sodium (CMS). A high concentration of phosphate buffer mobile phase was used in the first-dimensional LC system to get the components well separated. For efficient and high-accuracy screening of CMS, a targeted method based on a self-constructed high resolution (HR) mass spectrum database of CMS components was established. The database was built based on the commercial MassHunter Personal Compound Database and Library (PCDL) software and its accuracy of the compound matching result was verified with six known components before being applied to genuine sample screening. On this basis, the unknown peaks in the CMS chromatograms were deduced and assigned. The molecular formula, group composition, and origins of a total of 99 compounds, of which the combined area percentage accounted for more than 95% of CMS components, were deduced by this 2D-LC-MS method combined with the MassHunter PCDL. This profiling method was highly efficient and could distinguish hundreds of components within 3 h, providing reliable results for quality control of this kind of complex drugs.

Two novel skeleton sesquiterpenoids (1 and 6), along with four new iphionane-type sesquiterpenes (2-5) and six new cyperane-type sesquiterpenes (7-11), were isolated from the whole plant of Artemisia hedinii (A. hedinii). The two novel skeleton compounds (1 and 6) were derived from the decarbonization of iphionane and cyperane-type sesquiterpenes, respectively. Their structures were elucidated through a comprehensive analysis of spectroscopic data, including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) and 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra. The absolute configurations were determined using electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses, time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) ECD calculation, density functional theory (DFT) NMR calculations, and biomimetic syntheses. The biomimetic syntheses of the two novel skeletons (1 and 6) were inspired by potential biogenetic pathways, utilizing a predominant eudesmane-type sesquiterpene (A) in A. hedinii as the substrate. All compounds were evaluated in LX-2 cells for their anti-hepatic fibrosis activity. Compounds 2, 8, and 10 exhibited significant activity in downregulating the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), a protein involved in hepatic fibrosis.
Artemisia/chemistry* ; Sesquiterpenes/chemical synthesis* ; Molecular Structure ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/genetics* ; Biomimetics ; Plant Extracts/pharmacology*