Objective: To analyze characteristics of hepatitis B infection in HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ blood donors in Taiyuan, so as to provide evidence for adjusting blood screening strategies. Methods: Blood samples of HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ donors were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), chemiluminescence assay, nucleic acid qualitative test, and nucleic acid quantitative test. Data on HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ donors in Taiyuan region from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2024 were statistically analyzed to evaluate the detection rate, demographic characteristics, influencing factors of detection rate, nucleic acid quantitative results, and serological patterns of HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ donors. Results: From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2024, 991 565 donor samples underwent nucleic acid testing in Taiyuan. A total of 309 HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ samples were detected, resulting in an HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ detection rate of 3.12 per 10 000. The detection rate varied significantly across different years (P<0.05). Males had a significantly higher HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ detection rate than females, first-time donors had a higher rate than repeat donors, and whole blood donors had a higher rate than apheresis donors (P<0.05). The detection rate also differed significantly among age groups (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, donation frequency, and donation type were all influencing factors for HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ detection (all P<0.05). The predominant serological patterns among HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ donors were HBsAb+/HBcAb+ (43.69%, 135/309) or HBcAb+ alone (24.27%, 75/309). Viral load was detectable in 53.40% (165/309) of the HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ donors. Among these, 61.21% (101/165) donors had a viral load<20 IU/mL, and 94.55% (156/165) had a viral load<200 IU/mL. Donors with viral load<200 IU/mL primarily exhibited HBsAb+/HBcAb+ (41.67%, 65/156) or HBcAb+alone (36.54%, 57/156) serological patterns. Conclusion: The prevalence of HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ is low among blood donors in Taiyuan. Higher detection rates were observed in the 46-55 years age group, males, first-time donors, and whole blood donors. HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ donors exhibit specific serological patterns and generally have low viral loads, indicating a potential residual transfusion risk. It is recommended to add HBcAb testing, together with high-sensitivity nucleic acid testing technologies and donor follow-up, to ensure blood safety and guide donor reentry.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet count ratio (APRI), liver stiffness value (LSM), and Agile 3+ score and their combined model in predicting advanced-stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) combined with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).Methods:A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted on the BMOVE population.Nine hundred twenty CHB cases combined with MAFLD who underwent liver biopsy at seven medical centers in China from April 2006 to December 2023 were included. The patients were divided into advanced-stage liver fibrosis (159 cases) and non-advanced-stage liver fibrosis (761 cases) according to the Scheuer's scoring system.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), decision curve, and calibration curve analysis were used to evaluate the efficacy of the firbrosis-4 index (FIB-4) score, NFS score, APRI index, LSM, and Agile 3+ score and their combined model in predicting advanced-stage fibrosis. The liver fibrosis grade of all patients was diagnosed by liver biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of each scoring model and combined model, as well as the proportion of correctly classified patients, were calculated based on different cutoff values.Results:AUROC analysis showed that Agile 3+ (0.814, 95% CI: 0.787-0.838) and LSM (0.805, 95% CI: 0.778-0.829) had similar accuracy and were superior to FIB-4 (0.721, 95% CI: 0.691-0.749), NFS (0.687, 95% CI: 0.656-0.716) and APRI ( 0.689, 95% CI: 0.658-0.718); however, HBV DNA level and HBV e antigen status had no effect on this outcome. Decision curve analysis showed that interventions based on LSM and Agile 3+ had provided higher net benefits compared with serological scores. Calibration curves showed that Agile 3+ had better predicitive accuracy than all other models. Agile 3+ had the highest PPV (0.54), minimal uncertainty interval (11.6%), and the highest proportion of correctly classified patients (76%); followed by LSM (PPV: 0.43, uncertainty interval: 15.5%, correct classification rate: 66%), and FIB-4 (PPV: 0.42, uncertainty interval: 26.1%, correct classification rate: 62.6%) in terms of identifying advanced-stage liver fibrosis. Combined model analysis demonstrated that FIB-4 combined with Agile 3+ had improved the correct classification rate and reduced the proportion of missed patients compared with FIB-4 combined with LSM. Conclusion:The Agile 3+ score is superior than LSM, FIB-4, NFS, and APRI index at identifying advanced-stage fibrosis in patients with CHB combined with MAFLD. This study supports the use of FIB-4 index combined with Agile 3+ for risk stratification in patients with CHB combined with MAFLD.

Objective To provide a reference basis for the establishment of ideal animal models of leukemia,the characteristics of animal models of leukemia was summarized.Methods The themes of"leukemia"and"animal"were searched in CNKI databases.The relevant literature on animal experiments of leukemia from January 2010 to August 2024 were screened.And a database by Excel 2017 tables was established by organizing their research animal strains,modeling methods and testing indexes to analyze the characteristics of leukemia animal models.Results After comparative analysis,it was found that the animal strains in modeling were BALB/C-nude mice(40 times,29.86%)and NOD/SCID mice(32 times,23.88%),respectively.The modeling method was transplanted cells(127 times,93.38%),and the detection indexes were pathological tissues(80 times,14.84%),blood smears(75 times.13.91%),general condition(73 times,13.54%),bone marrow smear(73 times,13.54%),flow cytometry(55 times,10.20%),blood routine(50 times,9.28%).Conclusion The existing animal models of leukemia are complex and diverse.

Objective To provide a reference basis for the establishment of ideal animal models of leukemia,the characteristics of animal models of leukemia was summarized.Methods The themes of"leukemia"and"animal"were searched in CNKI databases.The relevant literature on animal experiments of leukemia from January 2010 to August 2024 were screened.And a database by Excel 2017 tables was established by organizing their research animal strains,modeling methods and testing indexes to analyze the characteristics of leukemia animal models.Results After comparative analysis,it was found that the animal strains in modeling were BALB/C-nude mice(40 times,29.86%)and NOD/SCID mice(32 times,23.88%),respectively.The modeling method was transplanted cells(127 times,93.38%),and the detection indexes were pathological tissues(80 times,14.84%),blood smears(75 times.13.91%),general condition(73 times,13.54%),bone marrow smear(73 times,13.54%),flow cytometry(55 times,10.20%),blood routine(50 times,9.28%).Conclusion The existing animal models of leukemia are complex and diverse.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), aspartate aminotransferase to platelet count ratio (APRI), liver stiffness value (LSM), and Agile 3+ score and their combined model in predicting advanced-stage liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) combined with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).Methods:A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted on the BMOVE population.Nine hundred twenty CHB cases combined with MAFLD who underwent liver biopsy at seven medical centers in China from April 2006 to December 2023 were included. The patients were divided into advanced-stage liver fibrosis (159 cases) and non-advanced-stage liver fibrosis (761 cases) according to the Scheuer's scoring system.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), decision curve, and calibration curve analysis were used to evaluate the efficacy of the firbrosis-4 index (FIB-4) score, NFS score, APRI index, LSM, and Agile 3+ score and their combined model in predicting advanced-stage fibrosis. The liver fibrosis grade of all patients was diagnosed by liver biopsy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of each scoring model and combined model, as well as the proportion of correctly classified patients, were calculated based on different cutoff values.Results:AUROC analysis showed that Agile 3+ (0.814, 95% CI: 0.787-0.838) and LSM (0.805, 95% CI: 0.778-0.829) had similar accuracy and were superior to FIB-4 (0.721, 95% CI: 0.691-0.749), NFS (0.687, 95% CI: 0.656-0.716) and APRI ( 0.689, 95% CI: 0.658-0.718); however, HBV DNA level and HBV e antigen status had no effect on this outcome. Decision curve analysis showed that interventions based on LSM and Agile 3+ had provided higher net benefits compared with serological scores. Calibration curves showed that Agile 3+ had better predicitive accuracy than all other models. Agile 3+ had the highest PPV (0.54), minimal uncertainty interval (11.6%), and the highest proportion of correctly classified patients (76%); followed by LSM (PPV: 0.43, uncertainty interval: 15.5%, correct classification rate: 66%), and FIB-4 (PPV: 0.42, uncertainty interval: 26.1%, correct classification rate: 62.6%) in terms of identifying advanced-stage liver fibrosis. Combined model analysis demonstrated that FIB-4 combined with Agile 3+ had improved the correct classification rate and reduced the proportion of missed patients compared with FIB-4 combined with LSM. Conclusion:The Agile 3+ score is superior than LSM, FIB-4, NFS, and APRI index at identifying advanced-stage fibrosis in patients with CHB combined with MAFLD. This study supports the use of FIB-4 index combined with Agile 3+ for risk stratification in patients with CHB combined with MAFLD.

Introduction::Observational studies have revealed an association between waist circumference (WC) and atrial fibrillation (AF). However, it is difficult to infer a causal relationship from observational studies because the observed associations could be confounded by unknown risk factors. Therefore, the causal role of WC in AF is unclear. This study was designed to investigate the causal association between WC and AF using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.Methods::In our two-sample MR analysis, the genetic variation used as an instrumental variable for MR was acquired from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of WC (42 single nucleotide polymorphisms with a genetic significance of P <5 × 10 –8). The data of WC (from the Genetic Investigation of ANthropometric Traits consortium, containing 232,101 participants) and the data of AF (from the European Bioinformatics Institute database, containing 55,114 AF cases and 482,295 controls) were used to assess the causal role of WC on AF. Three different approaches (inverse variance weighted [IVW], MR–Egger, and weighted median regression) were used to ensure that our results more reliable. Results::All three MR analyses provided evidence of a positive causal association between high WC and AF. High WC was suggested to increase the risk of AF based on the IVW method (odds ratio [OR] = 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30–1.58, P = 2.51 × 10 -13). The results of MR–Egger and weighted median regression exhibited similar trends (MR–Egger OR = 1.40 [95% CI, 1.08–1.81], P = 1.61 × 10 -2; weighted median OR = 1.39 [95% CI, 1.21–1.61], P = 1.62 × 10 -6). MR–Egger intercepts and funnel plots showed no directional pleiotropic effects between high WC and AF. Conclusions::Our findings suggest that greater WC is associated with an increased risk of AF. Taking measures to reduce WC may help prevent the occurrence of AF.

Self-organized blastoids from extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells possess enormous potential for investigating postimplantation embryo development and related diseases. However, the limited ability of postimplantation development of EPS-blastoids hinders its further application. In this study, single-cell transcriptomic analysis indicated that the "trophectoderm (TE)-like structure" of EPS-blastoids was primarily composed of primitive endoderm (PrE)-related cells instead of TE-related cells. We further identified PrE-like cells in EPS cell culture that contribute to the blastoid formation with TE-like structure. Inhibition of PrE cell differentiation by inhibiting MEK signaling or knockout of Gata6 in EPS cells markedly suppressed EPS-blastoid formation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that blastocyst-like structures reconstituted by combining the EPS-derived bilineage embryo-like structure (BLES) with either tetraploid embryos or tetraploid TE cells could implant normally and develop into live fetuses. In summary, our study reveals that TE improvement is critical for constructing a functional embryo using stem cells in vitro.
Pregnancy ; Female ; Animals ; Mice ; Tetraploidy ; Blastocyst ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Cell Differentiation ; Embryonic Development

Objective::Arterial stiffness is an important predictor of cardiovascular disease. Microbial diversity in the gut has been shown to be associated inversely with arterial stiffness in Caucasian populations. However, due to the different profiles of the gut microbiota among ethnicities, the relationship between gut-microbiota dysbiosis and the progression of arterial stiffness merits further investigation. This study aimed to investigate the association between the composition and functional capacity of the gut microbiota and the progression of arterial stiffness.Methods::"Shotgun" metagenomics sequencing were undertaken in 96 individuals from a hypertension-associated gut-microbiota study in the Kailuan cohort, who measured brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and provided fecal samples between September 2014 and February 2015 at Kailuan General Hospital and 11 affiliated hospitals. The different composition and functional capacity of the gut microbiota were compared between individuals without arterial stiffness (normal arterial stiffness group, baPWV <1,400 cm/s, n = 27) and participants with arterial stiffness (increased arterial stiffness group, baPWV ≥1,400 cm/s, n = 69) at baseline. These participants were followed up prospectively for a mean duration of 2.6 years, and 50 underwent a repeat baPWV measurement. Associations between the gut microbiota and severity and progression of arterial stiffness were assessed using MaAsLin2 software after adjustment for age, sex, and mean arterial blood pressure and correction for multiple testing. Gene "catalogs" were aligned to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database to obtain information for potential functional capacities of the gut microbiota. Results::In this study, 14 genera and 50 species of bacteria were identified to be abundant in participants with normal arterial stiffness compared with those with increased arterial stiffness. Of 14 genera, the prevalence of beneficial bacteria of the genera Leadbetterella and Cytophaga was correlated inversely with baPWV ( P < 0.05). Analyses of functional capacity revealed gut-microbial dysfunctions in the synthetic processes of "threonine dehydratase" "hypothetical protein" "mannosyl transferase" and "type-IV secretion-system proteins" in individuals suffering from arterial stiffness. During follow-up, bacteria of the proinflammatory genera Escherichia, Shigella, and Ruegeria were enriched in individuals with increased baPWV. Functional analyses showed that 26 KEGG orthologs of gut microbes were associated with an increase in baPWV and involved in "carbohydrate metabolism" "amino acid metabolism" and "protein families related to genetic information processing." Conclusions::The composition and functional capacity of the microbial community in the gut of people suffering from arterial stiffness differed from those in individuals not suffering from arterial stiffness. Our data provide a new direction for the causality of the host-gut microbiota in arterial stiffness.

Objective::Arterial stiffness is an important predictor of cardiovascular disease. Microbial diversity in the gut has been shown to be associated inversely with arterial stiffness in Caucasian populations. However, due to the different profiles of the gut microbiota among ethnicities, the relationship between gut-microbiota dysbiosis and the progression of arterial stiffness merits further investigation. This study aimed to investigate the association between the composition and functional capacity of the gut microbiota and the progression of arterial stiffness.Methods::"Shotgun" metagenomics sequencing were undertaken in 96 individuals from a hypertension-associated gut-microbiota study in the Kailuan cohort, who measured brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and provided fecal samples between September 2014 and February 2015 at Kailuan General Hospital and 11 affiliated hospitals. The different composition and functional capacity of the gut microbiota were compared between individuals without arterial stiffness (normal arterial stiffness group, baPWV <1,400 cm/s, n = 27) and participants with arterial stiffness (increased arterial stiffness group, baPWV ≥1,400 cm/s, n = 69) at baseline. These participants were followed up prospectively for a mean duration of 2.6 years, and 50 underwent a repeat baPWV measurement. Associations between the gut microbiota and severity and progression of arterial stiffness were assessed using MaAsLin2 software after adjustment for age, sex, and mean arterial blood pressure and correction for multiple testing. Gene "catalogs" were aligned to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database to obtain information for potential functional capacities of the gut microbiota. Results::In this study, 14 genera and 50 species of bacteria were identified to be abundant in participants with normal arterial stiffness compared with those with increased arterial stiffness. Of 14 genera, the prevalence of beneficial bacteria of the genera Leadbetterella and Cytophaga was correlated inversely with baPWV ( P < 0.05). Analyses of functional capacity revealed gut-microbial dysfunctions in the synthetic processes of "threonine dehydratase" "hypothetical protein" "mannosyl transferase" and "type-IV secretion-system proteins" in individuals suffering from arterial stiffness. During follow-up, bacteria of the proinflammatory genera Escherichia, Shigella, and Ruegeria were enriched in individuals with increased baPWV. Functional analyses showed that 26 KEGG orthologs of gut microbes were associated with an increase in baPWV and involved in "carbohydrate metabolism" "amino acid metabolism" and "protein families related to genetic information processing." Conclusions::The composition and functional capacity of the microbial community in the gut of people suffering from arterial stiffness differed from those in individuals not suffering from arterial stiffness. Our data provide a new direction for the causality of the host-gut microbiota in arterial stiffness.

Objective:To evaluate the predictive value of the serum N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration for postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in neonates undergoing cardiac surgery.Methods:Perioperative data of 110 consecutive neonates (≤28 days) who underwent cardiac surgery in our hospital from October 2017 to May 2021, were collected retrospectively.According to pROCK criteria, the patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group.Demographics, predominant diagnosis, laboratory examination, perioperative management and postoperative outcomes were compared between two groups.The concentration of serum NT-proBNP was routinely measured within 12 h after operation.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed for the association between serum NT-proBNP and postoperative AKI.Receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn, and the predictive value of serum NT-proBNP for postoperative AKI was determined according to the area under the curve.Results:A total of 106 neonates were enrolled, and the incidence of postoperative AKI was 54.7%.There were significant difference in the baseline hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit and serum creatinine and serum NT-proBNP concentration between AKI group and non-AKI group ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that NT-proBNP level was an independent risk factor for AKI after cardiac surgery in neonates ( odds ratio 2.49, 95% confidence interval 1.183-5.23, P=0.016). The area under the curve of NT-proBNP predicting AKI after cardiac surgery was 0.66 (95% confidence interval 0.56-0.76, P=0.007). Conclusions:Elevated serum NT-proBNP concentration is an independent risk factor for AKI after cardiac surgery in neonates and has a certain predictive value for AKI, and close monitoring of perioperative NT-proBNP level is helpful for early identification of high-risk neonates.