A previous study showed that the length of the foreskin plays a role in the risk of sexually transmitted infections and chronic prostatitis, which can lead to poor quality of sexual life. Here, the association between foreskin length and sexual dysfunction was evaluated. A total of 5700 participants were recruited from the andrology clinic at The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (Hefei, China). Clinical characteristics, including foreskin length, were collected, and sexual function was assessed by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) and Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) questionnaires. Men with sexual dysfunction were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men without sexual dysfunction. Among the 2721 erectile dysfunction (ED) patients and 1064 premature ejaculation (PE) patients, 301 (11.1%) ED patients and 135 (12.7%) PE patients had redundant foreskin, respectively. Men in the PE group were more likely to have redundant foreskin than men in the non-PE group ( P = 0.004). Logistic regression analyses revealed that the presence of redundant foreskin was associated with increased odds of moderate/severe ED (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.31, adjusted P = 0.04), moderate PE (aOR = 1.38, adjusted P = 0.02), and probable PE (aOR = 1.37, adjusted P = 0.03) after adjusting for confounding variables. Our study revealed a positive correlation between the presence of redundant foreskin and the risk of sexual dysfunction, especially in PE patients. Assessment of the length of the foreskin during routine clinical diagnosis may provide information for patients with sexual dysfunction.
Humans ; Male ; Foreskin ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Premature Ejaculation/epidemiology* ; Middle Aged ; China/epidemiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological/epidemiology* ; Young Adult

Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen to support the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the precise reason why cancer cells are particularly dependent on glutamine remains unclear. In this study, we report that glutamine modulates the tumor suppressor F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) to promote cancer cell proliferation and survival. Specifically, lysine 604 (K604) in the sixth of the 7 substrate-recruiting WD repeats of FBW7 undergoes glutaminylation (Gln-K604) by glutaminyl tRNA synthetase. Gln-K604 inhibits SCFFBW7-mediated degradation of c-Myc and Mcl-1, enhances glutamine utilization, and stimulates nucleotide and DNA biosynthesis through the activation of c-Myc. Additionally, Gln-K604 promotes resistance to apoptosis by activating Mcl-1. In contrast, SIRT1 deglutaminylates Gln-K604, thereby reversing its effects. Cancer cells lacking Gln-K604 exhibit overexpression of c-Myc and Mcl-1 and display resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Silencing both c-MYC and MCL-1 in these cells sensitizes them to chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the glutamine-mediated signal via Gln-K604 is a key driver of cancer progression and suggest potential strategies for targeted cancer therapies based on varying Gln-K604 status.
Glutamine/metabolism* ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Signal Transduction ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7/genetics* ; Cell Survival ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are major outer membrane components of Gram-negative bacteria. Unlike most Gram-negative bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii can still survive and acquire polymyxin resistance after complete loss of LPS. Previous studies of LPS-deficient Acinetobacter baumannii mostly focused on LPS-deficient strains induced by polymyxin, whose background was complex and unstable. To investigate LPS loss-mediated polymyxin resistant-Acinetobacter baumannii, this study constructed a stable and clear background LPS-deficient strain by knocking out lpxC gene in Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 with CIRSPR/Cas9, and then studied the phenotypic changes of the lpxC-deficient strain including morphology, growth rate, antibiotic susceptibility, virulence, membrane permeability, and membrane potential. Animal experiments were approved by the Animal Care and Welfare Committee Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, CAMS and PUMC (approval number: IMB-20240119D₉). The results indicated that the lpxC gene of Acinetobacter baumannii ATCC 19606 was successfully knocked out. After losing the lpxC, the strain underwent the morphological change from rod-shaped to spherical. Furthermore, it leads to reduced growth rate, enhanced membrane permeability, decreased membrane potential, lower virulence, and increased antibiotic susceptibility to β-lactams, quinolones, aminoglycosides, macrolides, glycopeptides. The lpxC deletion results in significant changes in membrane homeostasis and adaptability of Acinetobacter baumannii. Understanding the phenotypic changes of colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii mediated by LPS loss is useful for exploring the resistance mechanism of Acinetobacter baumannii and developing new therapeutic strategies.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is an increasingly common liver disease worldwide. MAFLD is diagnosed based on the presence of steatosis on images, histological findings, or serum marker levels as well as the presence of at least one of the three metabolic features: overweight/obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and metabolic risk factors. MAFLD is not only a liver disease but also a factor contributing to or related to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which is the major etiology responsible for morbidity and mortality in patients with MAFLD. Hence, understanding the association between MAFLD and CVD, surveillance and risk stratification of MAFLD in patients with CVD, and assessment of the current status of MAFLD management are urgent requirements for both hepatologists and cardiologists. This Taiwan position statement reviews the literature and provides suggestions regarding the epidemiology, etiology, risk factors, risk stratification, nonpharmacological interventions, and potential drug treatments of MAFLD, focusing on its association with CVD.

OBJECTIVE: To test the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of adverse childhood experiences international questionnaire (ACE-IQ) in Chinese parents of preschool children. METHODS: The parents of preschool children in 6 kindergartens in Tongzhou District of Beijing were selected by stratified random cluster sampling, and the Chinese version of ACE-IQ after translation and adaptation was used for survey online. The collected data were randomly divided into two parts. One part of the data (n=602) was used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), to screen items and evaluate structural validity, and then form the final Chinese version of ACE-IQ. The other part of the data (n=700) was used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), criterion validity analysis and reliability analysis. At the same time, experts investigation method was used to evaluate the content validity of the final Chinese version of ACE-IQ. RESULTS: After deleting four items of collective violence, the Chinese version of ACE-IQ with twenty-five items indicated good structural, criterion and content validity. Analysis results showed that the Chinese version of ACE-IQ presented a seven-factor model dimension, namely emotional neglect, physical neglect, family dysfunction, family violence, emotional and physical abuse, sexual abuse and violence outside the home, and the total score of the binary version of ACE-IQ Chinese version was positively correlated with the total score of childhood trauma questionaire-28 item short form (CTQ-SF, r=0.354, P < 0.001) and the center for epidemiological studies depression scale (CES-D, r=0.313, P < 0.001) respectively. Results from five experts showed that the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) of 25 items was between 0.80 and 1.00, and the average of all I-CVIs on the scale (S-CVI/Ave) of the scale was 0.984. At the same time, the internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient) of the whole scale was 0.818, and the split-half reliability (Spearman-Brown coefficient) was 0.621, which demonstrated good reliability. CONCLUSION This study has formed a Chinese version of ACE-IQ with 25 items and 7 dimensions, which has good reliability and validity among the parents of preschool children in China. It can be used as an evaluation instrument for measuring the minimum threshold of the adverse childhood experiences in the parents of preschool children in the cultural background of China.
Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Adverse Childhood Experiences ; Reproducibility of Results ; Parents/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; China ; Psychometrics/methods*

Objective:To investigate soft-and hard-tissue changes after simultaneously labial and lingual augmented corticotomy in patients with insufficient alveolar bone thickness of lower anterior teeth both in labial and lingual side during orthodontic treatment.Methods:From January 2021 to June 2022, 10 patients [2 males and 8 females, (26.2±3.1) years old] who received orthodontic and orthognathic combined treatment from the Fourth Clinical Division, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology were selected. The alveolar bone thickness of lower anterior teeth both in labial and lingual side in these patients was less than 0.5 mm according to cone-beam CT examination before or during treatment, and 60 lower anterior teeth were included. The 10 patients were treated with simultaneously labial and lingual augmented corticotomy. The differences in gingival recession, papilla index and the differences in labial and lingual alveolar bone thickness of lower anterior teeth were compared.Results:Six months after surgery, the alveolar bone thicknesses at the 4 mm under cemento-enamel junction (CEJ), 8 mm under CEJ and at the apical level [labial side: (1.02±0.39), (2.22±0.89) and (4.87±1.35) mm; lingual side: (1.07±0.46), (2.31±1.04) and (3.91±1.29) mm] were significantly higher than that before surgery [labial side: (0.02±0.09), (0.06±0.21) and (2.71±1.33) mm]; lingual side: (0.14±0.29), (0.40±0.52) and (2.13±1.02) mm] ( P<0.001), respectively. The increases in alveolar bone thickness of central incisors [apical level on labial side: (2.53±1.20) mm, 8 mm under CEJ on lingual side: (2.27±1.24) mm, apical level on lingual side: (2.66±1.49) mm] and lateral incisors [apical level on labial side: (2.42±1.30) mm, 8 mm under CEJ on lingual side: (2.28±0.92) mm, apical level on lingual side: (1.94±1.15) mm] were significantly higher than that of canines [apical level on labial side: (1.52±1.47) mm, 8 mm under CEJ on lingual side: (1.17±1.09) mm,apical level on lingual side: (0.74±1.37) mm] ( P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the degree of gingival recession [labial side before surgery: (0.72±0.88) mm, lingual side before surgery: (0.80±1.09) mm; labial side 6 months after surgery: (0.72±0.81) mm,lingual side 6 months after surgery: (0.89±0.21) mm] and gingival papilla index [before surgery: 1.00(0.75, 2.00); 6 months after surgery: 1.00(1.00, 2.00) ] between pre-operation and 6 months after surgery ( P>0.05). No serious complications occurred. Conclusions:The method used in this article for simultaneously labial and lingual augmented corticotomy was safe and feasible. This surgery has positive clinical significance for the stability of the periodontal tissue in orthodontic treatment for patients with alveolar bone thickness less than 0.5 mm of lower anterior teeth both in labial and lingual side.

The present study investigated the effect of active components of Descurainia sophia on allergic asthma and explored the underlying mechanism. SD male rats were randomly divided into a normal group(NC), a model group(M), a D. sophia decoction group(DS), a D. sophia fatty oil group(FO), a D. sophia flavonoid glycoside group(FG), a D. sophia oligosaccharide group(Oli), and a positive drug dexamethasone group(Y). The allergic asthma model was induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin(OVA) and aluminum hydroxide gel adjuvant(sensitization) and atomization of OVA solution(excitation). After modeling, asthma-related indicators, tracheal phenol red excretion, inflammatory cell levels in the peripheral blood, lung permeability index(LPI), and oxygenation index(OI) of rats were detected. The pathological changes of lung tissues were observed by HE staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the content of inflammatory factors immunoglobulin E(IgE), interleukin-4(IL-4), and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and the content of endothelin-1(ET-1) and angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE) in lung tissue homogenate. The serum content of nitric oxide(NO) was detected by colorimetry. Western blot was employed to determine the protein expression of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), nuclear factor κB-p65(NF-κB-p65), phosphorylated NF-κB-p65(p-NF-κB-p65), myosin light chain kinase(MLCK), vascular endothelial cadherin(VE cadherin), connexin 43, and claudin 5, and the mechanism of active components of D. sophia on allergic asthma was explored. As revealed by the results, the M group showed extensive infiltration of inflammatory cells around the bronchus of the lung tissues of the allergic asthma rats, thickened bronchial wall, severely deformed alveolar structure, increased number of wheezes, the content of IgE, IL-4, ET-1, and ACE, inflammatory cells, and LPI, and reduced latency of asthma, tracheal phenol red excretion, IFN-γ, NO content, and OI. After the intervention of the active components of D. sophia, the DS, FO, FG, Oli, and Y groups showed improved asthma-related indicators, tracheal phenol red excretion, and lung tissue lesions in allergic asthma rats, and the effects in the FO and Oli groups were superior. The content of inflammatory factors in BALF was recovered in the DS, FO, and Y groups and the FG and Oli groups. The number of inflammatory cells in rats was reduced in the DS and FO groups, and the FG, Oli, and Y groups to varying degrees, and the effect in the FO group was superior. DS, FO, Oli, and Y reduced ET-1, ACE, and LPI and increased NO and OI. FG recovered NO, ET-1, ACE, LPI, and OI to improve lung epithelial damage and permeability. Further investigation of inflammation-related TLR4/NF-κB pathways, MLCK, and related skeleton protein levels showed that TLR4, NF-κB-p65, p-NF-κB-p65, and MLCK levels were increased, and VE cadherin, connexin 43, and claudin 5 were reduced in the M group. DS, FO, FG, Oli, and Y could reduce the protein expression related to the TLR4 pathway to varying degrees, and regulate the protein expression of MLCK, VE cadherin, connexin 43, and claudin 5. It is inferred that the active components of D. sophia improve lung permeability in rats with allergic asthma presumedly by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway to improve airway inflammation, mediating MLCK and connexin, and regulating epithelial damage.
Animals ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Lung ; Male ; Permeability ; Rats

Most bacterial cell surface glycans are structurally unique, and have been considered as ideal target molecules for the developments of detection and diagnosis techniques, as well as vaccines. Chemical synthesis has been a promising approach to prepare well-defined oligosaccharides, facilitating the structure-activity relationship exploration and biomedical applications of bacterial glycans. L-Galactosaminuronic acid is a rare sugar that has been only found in cell surface glycans of gram-negative bacteria. Here, an orthogonally protected L-galactosaminuronic acid building block was designed and chemically synthesized. A synthetic strategy based on glycal addition and TEMPO/BAIB-mediated C6 oxidation served well for the transformation of commercial L-galactose to the corresponding L-galactosaminuronic acid. Notably, the C6 oxidation of the allyl glycoside was more efficient than that of the selenoglycoside. In addition, a balance between the formation of allyl glycoside and the recovery of selenoglycoside was essential to improve efficiency of the NIS/TfOH-catalyzed allylation. This synthetically useful L-galactosaminuronic acid building block will provide a basis for the syntheses of complex bacterial glycans.
Carbohydrates ; Glycosides ; Oligosaccharides ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Polysaccharides/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE: The individual cascades of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway and the molecular mechanism of aging have not been fully clarified. In the current study, we explored the effect of DNA polymerase delta 1 (POLD1) on the IGF-1 signaling pathway in cell aging. METHODS: First, we analyzed the relationship between IGF-1 and POLD1 expression in aging. To investigate the effect of IGF-1 on POLD1 expression and aging, the 2BS cells were incubated with young-age or old-age human serum, IGF-1 protein, or linsitinib. Next, the effect of IGF-1 on aging was examined in the 2BS cells with increased or decreased POLD1 expression to clarify the molecular mechanism. RESULTS: In this study, we found that IGF-1 expression increased and POLD1 expression decreased with aging in human serum and hippocampal tissues of SAMP8 mice, and a negative relationship between IGF-1 and POLD1 expression was observed. Furthermore, the cells cultured with old-age human serum or IGF-1 showed lower POLD1 expression and more pronounced senescence characteristics, and the effect could be reversed by treatment with linsitinib or overexpression of POLD1, while the effect of linsitinib on cell aging could be reversed with the knockdown of POLD1. CONCLUSION Taken collectively, our findings demonstrate that IGF-1 promotes aging by binding to IGF-1R and inhibiting the expression of POLD1. These findings offer a new target for anti-aging strategies.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/pharmacology* ; Cellular Senescence ; Aging ; Hippocampus ; DNA Polymerase III