Objective To explore the construction of α-1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) gene-knockout (GTKO) Diannan miniature pigs and the kidney xenotransplantation from pigs to rhesus macaques, and to assess the effectiveness of GTKO pigs. Methods The GTKO Diannan miniature pigs were constructed using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system and somatic cell cloning technology. The phenotype of GTKO pigs was verified through polymerase chain reaction, Sanger sequencing and immunofluorescence staining. Flow cytometry was used to detect antigen-antibody (IgM) binding and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Kidney xenotransplantation was performed from GTKO pigs to rhesus macaques. The humoral immunity, cellular immunity, coagulation and physiological indicators of the recipient monkeys were monitored. The function and pathological changes of the transplanted kidneys were analyzed using ultrasonography, hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining. Results Single-guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting exon 4 of the GGTA1 gene in Diannan miniature pigs was designed. The pGL3-GGTA1-sgRNA1-GFP vector was transfected into fetal fibroblasts of Diannan miniature pigs. After puromycin selection, two cell clones, C59# and C89#, were identified as GGTA1 gene-knockout clones. These clones were expanded to form cell lines, which were used as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. The reconstructed embryos were transferred into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, resulting in 13 fetal pigs. Among them, fetuses F04 and F11 exhibited biallelic mutations in the GGTA1 gene, and F04 had a normal karyotype. Using this GTKO fetal pig for recloning and transferring the reconstructed embryos into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, seven surviving piglets were obtained, all of which did not express α-Gal epitope. The binding of IgM from the serum of rhesus monkey 20# to GTKO pig PBMC was reduced, and the survival rate of GTKO pig PBMC in the complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay was higher than that of wild-type pig. GTKO pig kidneys were harvested and perfused until completely white. After the left kidney of the recipient monkey was removed, the pig kidney was heterotopically transplanted. Following vascular anastomosis and blood flow restoration, the pig kidney rapidly turned pink without hyperacute rejection (HAR). Urine appeared in the ureter 6 minutes later, indicating successful kidney transplantation. The right kidney of the recipient was then removed. Seven days after transplantation, the transplanted kidney had good blood flow, the recipient monkey's serum creatinine level was stable, and serum potassium and cystatin C levels were effectively controlled, although they increased 10 days after transplantation. Seven days after transplantation, the levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils in the recipient monkey increased, while platelet count and fibrinogen levels decreased. The activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and prothrombin time remained relatively stable but later showed an upward trend. The recipient monkey survived for 10 days. At autopsy, the transplanted kidney was found to be congested, swollen and necrotic, with a small amount of IgG deposition in the renal tissue, and a large amount of IgM, complement C3c and C4d deposition, as well as CD68⁺ macrophage infiltration. Conclusions The kidneys of GTKO Diannan miniature pigs may maintain normal renal function for a certain period in rhesus macaques and effectively overcome HAR, confirming the effectiveness of GTKO pigs for xenotransplantation.

Rectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignant tumors,and patients with early rectal cancer can achieve radical tumor resection by surgical treatment alone,while most patients with rectal cancer are in the locally advanced stage when admitted to hospital.For this group of people,it is difficult to obtain a good prognosis through surgical treatment alone,and interventional chemoradio-therapy before surgery is of important clinical significance.A large number of clinical studies have proved that preoperative neoadjuvant therapy can effectively reduce tumor stage,increase pathological complete response(pCR)rate,thereby greatly improving the prognosis of patients.At present,the core methods of neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer are radiotherapy and chemotherapy,as well as the emerging targeted therapy and immunotherapy,while the optimal combination order of various treatments remains in dispute.This article summarizes various neoadjuvant therapy regimens in recent years,in order to provide evidence for the multidisciplinary and comprehensive treatment of rectal cancer.

Objective:To explore the application value of part-cut jejunal transection in digestive tract reconstruction of totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy.Methods:The propensity score matching and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 112 patients with gastric cancer who underwent totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2018 to September 2022 were collected. There were 81 males and 31 females, aged (70±8)years. Among the 112 patients, 60 patients undergoing diges-tive tract reconstruction by Roux-en-Y anastomosis with part-cut jejunum were set as the part-cut group, and 52 patients undergoing digestive tract reconstruction by traditional Roux-en-Y anasto-mosis were set as the traditional group. Observation indicators: (1) propensity score matching status and comparison of clinical data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) intraopera-tive and postoperative conditions; (3) follow-up. Comparison of measurement data with normal dis-tribution between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Com-parison of ordinal data was conducted using the nonparametic rank sum test. Propensity score matching was performed using the 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, with the caliper value of 0.02. Results:(1) Propensity score matching status and comparison of clinical data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 112 patients, 90 patients were successfully matched, with 45 cases in each of the part-cut group and the traditional group. After propensity score matching, the elimination of body mass index, clinical TNM staging confounding bias ensured comparability. (2) Intraoperative and postoperative conditions. After propensity score matching, the total operation time and digestive tract reconstruction time of patients in the part-cut group were (217.0±15.1)minutes and (34.7±1.8)minutes, versus (252.6±21.9)minutes and (52.6±7.4)minutes in the traditional group, respectively, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( t=?8.97, ?15.66, P<0.05). (3) Follow-up. After propensity score matching, 90 patients were followed up postoperatively for (47±15)months. During the follow-up, no patient in either group received secondary surgery, and there was no death. There were 3 cases and 10 cases of Roux stasis syndrome in the part-cut group and the traditional group, respectively, showing a significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=4.41, P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with traditional Roux-en-Y anastomosis, the Roux-en-Y anastomosis with part-cut jejunum in totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy can signifi-cantly shorten the time for digestive tract reconstruction and reduce the incidence of postoperative Roux stasis syndrome.

Objective:To explore the application value of part-cut jejunal transection in digestive tract reconstruction of totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy.Methods:The propensity score matching and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 112 patients with gastric cancer who underwent totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2018 to September 2022 were collected. There were 81 males and 31 females, aged (70±8)years. Among the 112 patients, 60 patients undergoing diges-tive tract reconstruction by Roux-en-Y anastomosis with part-cut jejunum were set as the part-cut group, and 52 patients undergoing digestive tract reconstruction by traditional Roux-en-Y anasto-mosis were set as the traditional group. Observation indicators: (1) propensity score matching status and comparison of clinical data of patients between the two groups after matching; (2) intraopera-tive and postoperative conditions; (3) follow-up. Comparison of measurement data with normal dis-tribution between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Comparison of count data between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Com-parison of ordinal data was conducted using the nonparametic rank sum test. Propensity score matching was performed using the 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, with the caliper value of 0.02. Results:(1) Propensity score matching status and comparison of clinical data of patients between the two groups after matching. Of the 112 patients, 90 patients were successfully matched, with 45 cases in each of the part-cut group and the traditional group. After propensity score matching, the elimination of body mass index, clinical TNM staging confounding bias ensured comparability. (2) Intraoperative and postoperative conditions. After propensity score matching, the total operation time and digestive tract reconstruction time of patients in the part-cut group were (217.0±15.1)minutes and (34.7±1.8)minutes, versus (252.6±21.9)minutes and (52.6±7.4)minutes in the traditional group, respectively, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( t=?8.97, ?15.66, P<0.05). (3) Follow-up. After propensity score matching, 90 patients were followed up postoperatively for (47±15)months. During the follow-up, no patient in either group received secondary surgery, and there was no death. There were 3 cases and 10 cases of Roux stasis syndrome in the part-cut group and the traditional group, respectively, showing a significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=4.41, P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with traditional Roux-en-Y anastomosis, the Roux-en-Y anastomosis with part-cut jejunum in totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy can signifi-cantly shorten the time for digestive tract reconstruction and reduce the incidence of postoperative Roux stasis syndrome.

Rectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal malignant tumors,and patients with early rectal cancer can achieve radical tumor resection by surgical treatment alone,while most patients with rectal cancer are in the locally advanced stage when admitted to hospital.For this group of people,it is difficult to obtain a good prognosis through surgical treatment alone,and interventional chemoradio-therapy before surgery is of important clinical significance.A large number of clinical studies have proved that preoperative neoadjuvant therapy can effectively reduce tumor stage,increase pathological complete response(pCR)rate,thereby greatly improving the prognosis of patients.At present,the core methods of neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced rectal cancer are radiotherapy and chemotherapy,as well as the emerging targeted therapy and immunotherapy,while the optimal combination order of various treatments remains in dispute.This article summarizes various neoadjuvant therapy regimens in recent years,in order to provide evidence for the multidisciplinary and comprehensive treatment of rectal cancer.

Objective To investigate and analyze the distribution of serum cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1)and squamous cell carcinoma-associated antigen(SCCA)levels in healthy pregnant women during pregnancy and to assess their diagnostic value for cervical cancer in pregnancy.Methods A total of 441 healthy pregnant women and 69 patients with cervical cancer in pregnancy who attended the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from Jan 2021 to May 2024 were selected,and 165 healthy women in the Physical Examination Center of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University were included in the same period as the control group.The healthy pregnant women were divided into 143 in early pregnancy(T1 group),147 in middle pregnancy(T2)and 151 in late pregnancy(T3).Serum CYFRA21-1 and SCCA values were detected and analyzed in all groups.One-way ANOVA,independent samples t-test,Mann-Whitney U-test,Kruskal-Wallis H-test,logistic analysis,and ROC curves were used for comparative analysis.Results The CYFRA21-1 and SCCA values were 1.66(1.19-2.17)ng/mL and 0.8(0.6-1.0)ng/mL in the control group,3.07(2.11-4.14)ng/mL and 0.9(0.7-1.3)ng/mL in the healthy pregnant women group,and were 4.33(2.99-7.60)ng/mL and 1.8(0.9-8.5)ng/mL in the patients with cervical cancer in pregnancy group,respectively.There was a statistically significant difference in the two serum values between every two groups(P<0.05).CYFRA21-1 levels were 3.13(2.46-4.05)ng/mL,1.89(1.50-2.53)ng/mL and 4.19(3.48-5.43)ng/mL in the T1,T2,and T3 groups,respectively;and SCCA levels were 0.9(0.7-1.1)ng/mL,0.7(0.6-1.0)ng/mL and 1.2(0.8-1.7)ng/mL,respectively.The results of T1 and T3 groups were higher than those of the control group(P<0.05);however,there was no statistically significant difference between the results of the T2 group and those of the control group(P>0.05).The areas under the ROC curves for the diagnosis of cervical cancer in pregnancy for CYFRA21-1,SCCA,human epididymis protein 4(HE4),anti-carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)and joint indicators were 0.684,0.724,0.612,0.791 and 0.913,with sensitivities of 36%,48%,38%,57%and 73%,specificities of 96%,97%,89%,86%and 99%,respectively.The cut-off values of each indicator were 6.05 ng/mL,2.60 ng/mL,51.45 pg/mL and 1.75 ng/mL,respectively.Conclusion Serum CYFRA21-1 and SCCA levels were higher in pregnant women during early and late pregnancy compared with non-pregnant individuals,while they were not statistically different from non-pregnant women during mid-trimester.CYFRA21-1 and SCCA have diagnostic value for patients with cervical cancer during pregnancy.

Strong cation exchange mediums have been widely applied in protein purification.In this work,the strong cation exchange chromatography medium was prepared by coupling small molecular ligands through allyl activation commonly used in agarose-based media.The matrix based on the macroporous microspheres was a copolymer of glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate.The effects of reaction factors on the ligand density were detailedly investigated.The ligand density in the prepared medium was controlled in the range of 0.126-0.370 mol/L(wet gel).Its adsorption performance was evaluated with lysozyme as a model protein.The static binding capacity was in the range of 37.0-81.0 g/L.The maxium dynamic binding capacity reached 37.7 g/L and the maximum lysozyme recovery was 98.97%.The strong cation exchange medium obtained here showed low non-specific adsorption and high separation efficiency on lysozyme.This strong cation exchange medium showed a great potential in rapid protein purification.

This study investigated the effect of Suanzaoren Decoction on the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors(NMDAR) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid receptors(AMPAR) in the hippocampus and synaptic plasticity in rats with conditioned fear-induced anxiety. The effect of Suanzaoren Decoction on rat behaviors were evaluated through open field experiment, elevated plus maze experiment, and light/dark box experiment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure the levels of glutamate(Glu) and γ-aminobutyric acid(GABA) in the rat hippocampus. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR) and Western blot were employed to assess the gene and protein expression of ionotropic glutamate receptors in the hippocampal region. Transmission electron microscopy was utilized to observe the changes in the ultrastructure of synaptic neurons in the hippocampal region. Long-term potentiation(LTP) detection technique was employed to record the changes in population spike(PS) amplitude in the hippocampal region of mice in each group. The behavioral results showed that compared with the model group, the Suanzaoren Decoction group effectively increased the number of entries into open arms, time spent in open arms, percentage of time spent in open arms out of total movement time, number of entries into open arms out of total entries into both arms(P<0.01), and significantly increased the time spent in the light box and the number of shuttle crossings(P<0.01). There was an increasing trend in the number of grid crossings, entries into the center grid, and time spent in the center grid, indicating a significant anxiolytic effect. ELISA results showed that compared with the model group, the Suanzaoren Decoction group exhibited significantly reduced levels of Glu, Glu/GABA ratio(P<0.01), and significantly increased levels of GABA(P<0.01) in the rat hippocampus. Furthermore, Suanzaoren Decoction significantly decreased the gene and protein expression of NMDAR(GluN2B and GluN2A) and AMPAR(GluA1 and GluA2) compared with the model group. Transmission electron microscopy results demonstrated improvements in synapses, neuronal cells, and organelles in the hippocampal region of the Suanzaoren Decoction group compared with the model group. LTP detection results showed a significant increase in the PS amplitude changes in the hippocampal region of Suanzaoren Decoction group from 5 to 35 min compared with the model group(P<0.05, P<0.01). In conclusion, Suanzaoren Decoction exhibits significant anxiolytic effects, which may be attributed to the reduction in NMDAR and AMPAR expression levels and the improvement of synaptic plasticity.
Rats ; Mice ; Animals ; Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate/metabolism* ; Hippocampus ; Neuronal Plasticity ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/genetics* ; Anxiety/genetics* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression and significance of jumonji domain-containing protein 2B (JMJD2B) and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) tissues in children. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of JMJD2B and HIF-1α in lymph node tissue specimens from 46 children with NHL (observation group) and 24 children with reactive hyperplasia (control group). The relationship between JMJD2B and HIF-1α expression with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in children with NHL, as well as the correlation between JMJD2B and HIF-1α expression in NHL tissues, were analyzed. RESULTS: The positive expression rates of JMJD2B (87% vs 21%) and HIF-1α (83% vs 42%) in the observation group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The expression of JMJD2B and HIF-1α was correlated with serum lactate dehydrogenase levels and the risk of international prognostic index in children with NHL (P<0.05). The expression of JMJD2B was positively correlated with the HIF-1α expression in children with NHL (r_s=0.333, P=0.024). CONCLUSIONS JMJD2B and HIF-1α are upregulated in children with NHL, and they may play a synergistic role in the development of pediatric NHL. JMJD2B can serve as a novel indicator for auxiliary diagnosis, evaluation of the severity, treatment guidance, and prognosis assessment in pediatric NHL.
Humans ; Child ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; Prognosis ; Hypoxia ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin

Paris rugosa(Melanthiaceae) only grows in Yunnan province of China at present, and its chemical constituents have not been systematically studied. In this study, nine compounds, including one new compound pariposide G(1) and eight known compounds of cerin(2), stigmast-4-en-3-one(3), β-ecdysone(4), ophiopogonin C'(5), methyl protogracillin(6), gracillin(7), parissaponin H(8), and parisyunnanoside G(9), were isolated and identified from the ethanol extract of P. rugosa rhizomes by column chromatography methods and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). Compounds 1-9 were isolated from this plant for the first time. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of all the compounds were evaluated. The results showed that ophiopogonin C' had strong inhibitory effects on Candida albicans [MIC_(90)=(4.68±0.01) μmol·L~(-1)] and the fluconazole-resistant strain of C. albicans [MIC_(90)=(4.66±0.02) μmol·L~(-1)].
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Candida albicans ; China ; Liliaceae ; Melanthiaceae ; Rhizome