OBJECTIVE: To explore the genotype-phenotype correlation in a Chinese family with structural brain abnormalities due to variant of the TUBB gene. METHODS: A family undergoing prenatal diagnosis at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in October 2024 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data were collected. Amniotic fluid sample was subjected to chromosomal copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq). Trio whole-exome sequencing (Trio-WES) was carried out on the amniotic fluid and parental blood samples, and candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: 2023-KY-076-01). RESULTS: Both prenatal ultrasound and fetal MRI showed deviation of brain midline, unilateral lateral ventriculomegaly, and bilateral gyral asymmetry. Trio-WES revealed that the fetus has harbored a maternally derived heterozygous missense variant of the TUBB gene [NM_178014.4: c.155A>G (p.N52S)]. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the woman and a previously terminated fetus both harbored the same variant. Both the proband and two fetuses exhibited similar neuroimaging abnormalities including midline deviation and asymmetrical gyri. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the variant was classified as likely pathogenic (PM2_Supporting+PS2_Moderate+PS3). CONCLUSION The heterozygous c.155A>G (p.N52S) variant was the TUBB gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of the structural brain abnormalities in this family. Above findings have expanded the phenotypic spectrum associated with the variant and facilitated the prenatal diagnosis for this family.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Tubulin/genetics* ; Adult ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Male ; Pedigree ; DNA Copy Number Variations/genetics* ; Exome Sequencing ; Genetic Association Studies ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Ulcerative colitis （UC）， a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease， involves multifaceted pathological mechanisms such as intestinal barrier dysfunction， immune dysregulation， and oxidative stress. Current therapeutic strategies remain limited in efficacy and safety. In recent years， the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK） signaling pathway has emerged as a pivotal therapeutic target for UC due to its central role in energy metabolism， inflammatory regulation， and intestinal homeostasis. This article systematically reviewed the mechanisms by which traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） prevented and treated UC through the regulation of the AMPK signaling pathway， with a focus on elucidating AMPK's multidimensional regulatory network in inflammatory signaling crosstalk， alleviating oxidative stress， restoring intestinal immune balance， repairing the intestinal barrier， and modulating gut microbiota. Leveraging its unique advantages of multi-target engagement and low toxicity， TCM demonstrates promising potential in UC treatment and has become a focal area of research. By systematically summarizing and synthesizing the existing literature on TCM-mediated AMPK pathway modulation in UC， this review aims to provide a theoretical foundation for advancing mechanistic research and clinical interventions in UC.

BACKGROUND:Wolff's law points out that the lack of mechanical stress in the body will lead to the degradation of the microstructure of bone tissue,mass loss,and metabolic disorders,and eventually lead to osteoporosis,which suggests that mechanical stress plays an important role in the growth,reconstruction,and formation of bone tissue.At present,the relevant studies concerning mechanical stress on osteoblasts mainly focus on fluid shear force,but it is difficult to intervene in vivo.Meanwhile,some studies have found that compressive stress can also play a similar role in fluid shear force to a certain extent.Exploring the mode of action and influence of compressive stress on cells in vitro experiments can enrich the interaction relationship between mechanical stress and cells.It helps provide a theoretical basis for studies of metabolic bone diseases,including osteoporosis,and other diseases.OBJECTIVE:To review in vitro experiments,the application of compressive stress to cells,different biological behaviors caused by cells,the possible signaling pathways,and possible future applications.METHODS:We searched PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI,and WanFang databases from January 2000 to March 2024 to include all articles related to compressive stress on cells,including basic research and microscopic mechanism studies,using search terms"compressive stress,mechanical stress,hydrostatic pressure,cell"in Chinese and English.Finally,the 63 included articles were reviewed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)There are various ways to apply compressive stress,and different experimental equipment has different ways of pressurizing cells,so it is necessary to further standardize the experimental equipment,standardize the pressurization unit,reduce the confounding factors,and make the reference and comparability between different experimental groups.(2)Compressive stress can cause changes in cell proliferation,differentiation,autophagy,apoptosis,migration,etc.,and the effect of compressive stress is time-or dose-dependent in most cases.(3)At present,most in vitro experimental studies have shown that compressive stress may mainly act on osteoblasts through MAPK signaling pathway and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway,causing osteoblasts to produce different responses.(4)The effect of compressive stress on different cells is not the same,and its possible biological effects need to be studied.(5)Further research on compressive stress is helpful to provide a theoretical basis for treatment in orthopedics,stomatology,tumors and other fields,and gentle disinfection using hydrostatic pressure is a promising disinfection method.

Objective To promote the objectification and intelligence of clinical TCM tongue diagnosis in ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods Daosheng DS01-B tongue and face diagnosis information collection system was used to prospectively collect tongue image pictures of patients with ulcerative colitis damp-heat in the large intestine syndrome(DCSR)and spleen deficiency dampness retention syndrome(PXSY),with totaling 1096 images.After UC tongue image segmentation,preprocessing,and data augmentation,a data set of UC tongue images was formed.Based on ResNet50,a UC tongue image classification model was constructed using feature fusion methods and attention modules.Results The UC tongue image classification model constructed had better classification performance,with an average F1 value of 85.09%,an AUC value of 0.83 for PXSY,and an AUC value of 0.81 for DCSR,both of which were higher than the VGG11 and ResNet50 models.Conclusion The constructed UC tongue image classification model can effectively identify DCSR and PXSY,providing a new approach to improve the accuracy and objectivity of UC differentiation and assisting in the intelligence of TCM tongue diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of drug-eluting bead DACE(DEB-TACE)combined with systemic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)in different locations.Methods A total of 204 HCC patients who underwent DEB-TACE combined with systemic therapy(targeted and immunotherapy)were retrospectively collected.According to the anatomical location of HCC,86 cases with lesions located at the main trunk of portal vein(PV)or within 1 cm of the first PV branch were classified into central type group,while 118 cases with lesions located at the other areas were classified as peripheral type group.Follow-up was regularly performed after DEB-TACE until August,2024.The objective response rate(ORR)and disease control rate(DCR)at 1,3,6 and 12 months after DEB-TACE,also patients'progression-free survival(PFS)and overall survival(OS)were compared between groups.Results All patients were followed up for a median of 32.6 months,during which 164 cases died.Significant differences of ORR at 1 and 3 months after DEB-TACE(77.91％[67/86]vs.89.83％[106/118],34.88％[30/86]vs.54.24％[64/118])and DCR at 3 and 6 months after DEB-TACE(51.16％[44/86]vs.66.95％[79/118],34.88％[30/86]vs.50.00％[59/118])were found between groups(all P＜0.05).Patients'PFS(30.18[9.12,48.54]months)and OS(37.36[17.79,56.68])in peripheral type group were better than those in central type group(20.11[11.35,28.87]months and 23.24[3.11,43.47]months,x2=3.971,4.162,P=0.048,0.041).Conclusion The effect of DEB-TACE combined with systemic treatment for peripheral type HCC was better than for central type HCC.

Purpose To explore whether tryptanthrin(TRYP)can inhibit the malignant behavioral ability of glio-ma cells,and to elucidate the specific mechanism of its action.Methods MTT assay was performed to detect the effect of TRYP on the proliferation of glioma cells;Transwell assay was performed to detect the effect of TRYP on the migration and invasion of glioma cells;AnnexinV-FITC/PI apoptosis assay was performed to detect the effect of TRYP on the apoptosis of glioma cells;PI/RNase cell cycle assay was performed to detect the effect of TRYP on the cell cycle distribution of glioma cells;Western blot assay was performed to detect the effect of TRYP on the protein expressions of p-ERK and c-Myc in glioma cells.The effect of TRYP on the proliferation of glioma cells in vivo was verified by con-structing a subcutaneous transplantation tumor model in nude mice,and the effect of TRYP on the apoptotic ability of cells in the transplantation tumor was detected by TUNEL assay.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the effect of TRYP on the expression of Ki67,BRAF,c-Myc,and p-ERK proteins in transplanted tumor tissues.Results MTT assay showed that TRYP could effectively inhibit the proliferation of glioma cells(P＜0.001).Transwell assay showed that TRYP could inhibit the invasion and migration of glioma cells(P＜0.001).AnnexinV-FITC/PI cell apoptosis as-say showed that TRYP could promote the apoptosis of glioma cells(P＜0.001).The results of PI/RNase cell cycle as-say showed that TRYP was able to promote the G2 phase block of glioma cells(P＜0.001).Western blot results showed that the expression levels of c-Myc and p-ERK proteins in the glioma cells were significantly reduced after TR-YP treatment(P＜0.001).The results of subcutaneous transplantation tumor model in nude mice showed that TRYP could effectively inhibit the growth rate(P＜0.01)and weight(P＜0.05)of transplanted tumor.TUNEL assay showed that TRYP could promote the apoptosis of tumor cells in transplanted tumor(P＜0.001).Immunohistochemis-try results showed that TRYP could effectively inhibit the protein expression of Ki67(P＜0.01),BRAF,c-Myc,and p-ERK(P＜0.001).Conclusion TRYP can inhibit the proliferation,invasion,and migration ability of glioma cells,promote apoptosis of glioma cells,and block the cell cycle of glioma cells.TRYP may inhibit the malignant pro-gression of glioma cells by suppressing the protein expression of BRAF,c-Myc and p-ERK1/2 in the MAPK/ERK sig-naling pathway.

Different animals in Xinjiang carry Escherichia coli O157:H7(E.coli O157:H7),but the connection between these strains is not clear.This study aims to understand the evolutionary sub-group of E.coli O157:H7,the distribution of the dominant genetic lineage,the biofilm formation ability,the carriage of mobile genetic elements and their drug resistance profile.E.coli O157:H7 was identified by PCR.Multilocus sequence typing(MLST)protocol was used for E.coli O157 to detect ST type,plasmid replicon and integron genes.Biofilm formation ability was determined by crystal violet microplate,and Kirby-Bauer was used to detect drug resistance.The results showed that 46.7％(7/15)of E.coli O157:H7 belongs to Group A,53.3％(8/15)of E.coli O157:H7 be-longs to Group E.Sheep source were mainly prevalent in Group A(4/6).Cattle sources are mainly Group E(6/7).A total of six ST types were detected:ST11(8/15),ST-206(1/15),ST-6126(3/15),ST-1640(1/15),ST-178(1/15),ST-4550(1/15).Two strains had a moderate biofilm-form-ing capacity,two strains had a weak biofilm-forming capacity,10 strains have no biofilm-forming capacity.All were multidrug-resistant strains,with complete resistance to lincomycin,oxacillin,clindamycin,vancomycin,midemycin and cefthiophene,and 88％-94％resistance to poly-myxin B,ampicillin,penicillin G and erythromycin,they are highly drug resistant.The five resist-ance genes detected were acrA(66.66％,10/15),tolC(73.33％,11/15),qurS(13.33％,2/15),floR and qurA(6.67％,1/15).Four plasm id replicons were detected,they were IncP(66.66％,10/15),IncFrepB(86.67％,13/15),IncFIA(6.67％,1/15),IncFIB(66.66％,10/15).Two class Ⅰ integrons were detected and they were ISCR1(33.33％,5/15),ISECP1(20％,3/15).The re-sults showed that E.coli O157:H7 in Xinjiang was predominantly prevalent in Group A and Group E.Sheep sources were predominantly prevalent in Group A,and cattle sources were predominantly prevalent in Group E.The ST types were widely distributed,with ST11 types being the predomi-nant type,the biofilm-forming ability was weak,and the resistance was strong,all of them were multi-drug-resistant strains,and the resistance genes were mainly externally excreted from the pumps,and the resistance genes had more spreading elements.

OBJECTIVE To summarize the clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment experiences in dealing with non-severe Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia.METHODS The clinical data were collected from 34 patients who were diagnosed with non-severe C.psittaci pneumonia through quantitative polymerase chain reactiong(qPCR)for sputum in fever clinic of the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from Mar.2023 to Mar.2024 and were retrospectively analyzed.The clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes were evaluated.RESULTS The average age of the patients was(44.82±13.74)years old,the ratio of male to female was 1∶1.83;all of the patients had fever;major symptoms were cough(70.59％),pharyngodynia(44.12％),and flu-like symptoms(41.18％);82.35％of the patients had the history of contact with poultry.The C-reactive pro-tein(CRP)level,interleukin-6(IL-6),systemic inflammatory response index(SIRI)and aggregate index of sys-temic inflammation(AISI)were higher among the patients aged no less than 44 years old than among the patients less than 44 years old(P＜0.05);the percentage of lymphocytes of the patients aged no less than 44 years old was lower than that of the patients aged less than 44 years old(P＜0.05).As for the imaging findings,73.53％of the patients had consolidation shadows,26.47％had ground-glass opacities,and 32.35％involved both lungs.All of the patients received quinolones or tetracyclines for treatment of 7-14 days and all symptoms relieved.CT reexami-nated 1 month after the treatment showed that 55.88％of the cases had complete absorption of pulmonary infec-tious lesions,and 35.29％had partial absorption.CONCLUSIONS The patients with non-severe Chlamydia psitta-ci pneumonia are characterized by the history of contact with poultry,fever complicated with respiratory tract symptoms,rise of inflammatory markers(more significant among patients of advanced age)and lower lobe con-solidation shadow/ground-glass opacities.Early identification and standardized treatment may facilitate the favora-ble treatment outcomes.

Emotions are an integral part of animal welfare.Facial expressions are increasingly used as a non-invasive method for assessing the emotional state of animals.Dogs(Canis familiaris)are closely related to humans,and facial expressions are crucial for interspecies communication and emotional expression.This paper reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of facial expressions and the anatomical structure of the facial muscles and their evolution in dogs,the analogy between dog and human facial expressions,and the expression of various parts of the dog's face under different emotions.These studies demonstrate that dog's facial expressions can be used as a potential indicator of animal welfare,and that dogs can be used as a model animal for studying interspecies facial emotional communication.The use of dog's facial expressions to assess emotions will aid multidisciplinary research,including in the fields of neuroscience,psychopharmacology,animal behavior,and animal welfare.

Objective To promote the objectification and intelligence of clinical TCM tongue diagnosis in ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods Daosheng DS01-B tongue and face diagnosis information collection system was used to prospectively collect tongue image pictures of patients with ulcerative colitis damp-heat in the large intestine syndrome(DCSR)and spleen deficiency dampness retention syndrome(PXSY),with totaling 1096 images.After UC tongue image segmentation,preprocessing,and data augmentation,a data set of UC tongue images was formed.Based on ResNet50,a UC tongue image classification model was constructed using feature fusion methods and attention modules.Results The UC tongue image classification model constructed had better classification performance,with an average F1 value of 85.09%,an AUC value of 0.83 for PXSY,and an AUC value of 0.81 for DCSR,both of which were higher than the VGG11 and ResNet50 models.Conclusion The constructed UC tongue image classification model can effectively identify DCSR and PXSY,providing a new approach to improve the accuracy and objectivity of UC differentiation and assisting in the intelligence of TCM tongue diagnosis.