This study primarily aimed to investigate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and other common pathogens of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in spermatozoa of infertile men and their effects on semen parameters. These pathogens included Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium , herpes simplex virus 2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Staphylococcus aureus . A total of 1951 men of infertile couples were recruited between 23 March 2023, and 17 May 2023, at the Department of Reproductive Medicine of The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province (Kunming, China). Multiplex polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis were used for HPV genotyping. Polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis were also used to detect the presence of other STIs. The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 12.4%. The top five prevalent HPV subtypes were types 56, 52, 43, 16, and 53 among those tested positive for HPV. Other common infections with high prevalence rates were Ureaplasma urealyticum (28.3%), Ureaplasma parvum (20.4%), and Enterococcus faecalis (9.5%). The prevalence rates of HPV coinfection with Ureaplasma urealyticum, Ureaplasma parvum, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium , herpes simplex virus 2, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus agalactiae , and Staphylococcus aureus were 24.8%, 25.4%, 10.6%, 6.4%, 2.4%, 7.9%, 5.9%, 0.9%, and 1.3%, respectively. The semen volume and total sperm count were greatly decreased by HPV infection alone. Coinfection with HPV and Ureaplasma urealyticum significantly reduced sperm motility and viability. Our study shows that coinfection with STIs is highly prevalent in the semen of infertile men and that coinfection with pathogens can seriously affect semen parameters, emphasizing the necessity of semen screening for STIs.
Humans ; Male ; Infertility, Male/epidemiology* ; Coinfection/microbiology* ; Papillomavirus Infections/virology* ; Adult ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases/complications* ; China/epidemiology* ; Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification* ; Chlamydia trachomatis/isolation & purification* ; Prevalence ; Mycoplasma genitalium/isolation & purification* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum/isolation & purification* ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae/isolation & purification* ; Enterococcus faecalis/isolation & purification* ; Streptococcus agalactiae/isolation & purification* ; Herpesvirus 2, Human/genetics* ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/isolation & purification* ; Semen/virology* ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa/microbiology* ; Human Papillomavirus Viruses

Phosgene is a highly reactive chemical substance and a prevalent chemical warfare agent,and it is vitally important for rapid and accurate detection of phosgene to counteract terrorist threats and industrial accidents.In this work,a phosgene probe,designated as SX-Pho,which incorporated benzimidazole and hydroxyl groups as recognition motifs,was prepared through Suzuki coupling and Debus-Radziszewski methodologies to incorporate an electron-donating carbazole moiety.This probe exhibited a large Stokes shift(Approximately 130 nm).Upon exposure to triphosgene/triethylamine conditions(in situ phosgene generation),the fluorescence emission of probe at 470 nm underwent significant quenching,with a 20-fold reduction in intensity,while the fluorescence lifetime decreased from 3.30 ns to 3.06 ns.Concentration titration experiments demonstrated that SX-Pho achieved a lower detection limit of 57.8 nmol/L with high specificity and interference resistance.Preton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H NMR),high-resolution mass spectrometry,and density functional theory(DFT)calculations confirmed the cyclization reaction between hydroxyl groups,imines,and phosgene.The extent of overlap between the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO)was notably decreased,leading to the suppression of radiative transitions.The energy gap underwent a reduction of 0.43 eV,while the non-radiative transition was augmented,resulting in fluorescence quenching and achieving rapid detection of phosgene.Based on this,probe-loaded test strips were prepared.The color change under 365 nm illumination allowed visual discrimination of phosgene at concentrations below 20 μL/L.Furthermore,using a smartphone's built-in RGB application to measure the intensity of the blue(B)channel after the test strips were exposed to phosgene enabled both qualitative and quantitative detection.The detection range was 1.82-50 μL/L,with a limit of detection(LOD)of 1.814 μL/L.

Objective To evaluate the forensic application value of used dental floss as a source of bio-logical evidence for individual identification by analyzing the effects of dental floss sample collection methods,DNA extraction methods,preservation conditions,and sampling sites on the success rate of STR typing.Methods Dental floss samples were collected using three techniques:direct cutting,cotton swab wiping,and flocked swab wiping,respectively.DNA was extracted respectively by the Chelex,spin column-based and magnetic bead-based methods.DNA quantification and STR typing were per-formed using the Qubit kit and FGI HumDNA Typing kit(Platinum),respectively.Storage environ-ments(temperature and humidity,ultraviolet radiation)and sampling locations(the floss part,the handle part)on DNA quantity and STR typing were evaluated.Results Through conducting a statisti-cal analysis of three key indicators of average DNA mass concentration,STR locus detection rate,and typing accuracy rate,the direct cutting method demonstrated the highest efficacy,followed by cotton swab wiping mothed,and the flocked swab wiping method had the lowest efficacy.Direct cutting yielded an average DNA mass concentration greater than(4.94±1.87)ng/μL,with STR locus detection and accuracy rates of 100%.Bead-based DNA extraction method produced superior DNA concentration and quality compared to spin column-based and Chelex methods,regardless of whether the sampling technique used.Preservation conditions had a significant impact on the DNA analysis of samples.Par-ticularly,the STR typing accuracy of samples preserved at 55℃/50%RH for 35 days dropped to(81.82±12.31)%,and that of samples exposed to ultraviolet radiation for 12 h dropped to(55.46±34.31)%.DNA concentration from the handle part of dental floss was extremely low,with an STR typing accuracy of only(30.91±27.35)%.Conclusion Using cotton swabs to wipe or directly cutting the thread of dental floss samples,and combining this approach with the magnetic bead method for DNA extraction,can best guarantee the concentration and quality of DNA.In addition,samples should be stored in low-temperature,low-humidity environment,protected from light and ultraviolet radiation.

Objective To develop a predictive model for postoperative mortality risk in patients with acute aortic dissection(AAD)using the Extreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost)algorithm combined with Shapley Additive Explanation(SHAP),and to establish a prediction website to serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic support platform for clinicians and patients.Methods A retrospective cohort study design was adopted.Data from 782 AAD patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2013 to December 2023 were collected,including basic information and initial serum biomarker test results.Patients were randomly divided into training and test sets at a 7:3 ratio.An external validation set consisting of 313 AAD patients admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2020 to December 2023 was also established for further model validation.Variables were screened using LASSO regression,and an XGBoost machine learning model was constructed and interpreted using SHAP.The predictive performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Using the Shiny package,the XGBoost model was deployed to shinyapps.io to create a prediction website for postoperative mortality risk in AAD patients.One patient was selected by simple random sampling from the test set and the external validation set respectively for the prediction example on the Shiny webpage.Results The XGBoost model demonstrated high predictive performance for postoperative mortality in AAD patients,with area under the ROC curve(AUC)values of 0.928(95%CI 0.901-0.956)in the training set,0.919(95%CI 0.891-0.949)in the test set,and 0.941(95%CI 0.915-0.967)in the external validation set.SHAP values indicated the following order of variable importance in the model(from highest to lowest):"lactate dehydrogenase""blood chlorine""multiple organ injury""carbon dioxide combining power""prothrombin time""α-hydroxybutyric acid""creatine kinase isoenzyme""Stanford classification""combined use of bedside blood purification""gender""acute kidney injury""gastrointestinal bleeding""brain injury"and"shock".A risk prediction website for adverse postoperative outcomes in AAD patients was developed using XGBoost-SHAP method(https://dun-dunxiaolu.shinyapps.io/document/)and validated with examples.One randomly selected patient from each of the test and external validation sets was applied:the predicted mortality risk value for patient 1(who died postoperatively)was 0.9539,and that for patient 2(who survived postoperatively)was 0.0206.Conclusions The XGBoost-SHAP model demonstrates high accuracy in predicting postoperative mortality risk for AAD patients.The online prediction tool established based on this model enhances the identification efficiency of high-risk postoperative mortality patients.

Objective To investigate the effect of dihydromyricetin(DMY)on myocardial oxidative damage in exhaustive exercise mice.Methods C57BL/6 mice were divided into control group,model group,positive control group and low,medium and high dose experimental groups and with 10 mice in each group.Mice in control group and model group were intragastricated with distilled water;20,40 and 80 mg·kg-1 dihydromyricetin were given by gavage in low,medium and high dose experimental groups,while mice in positive control group were intragastricated with 100 mg·kg-1 Vitamin C once a day for 4 weeks.After administration,superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)were detected by the kit.The expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)protein were detected by Western blot.Results SOD levels in control group,model group and low,medium,high dose experimental groups and positive control group were(57.81±6.92),(26.85±2.74),(33.68±4.52),(39.74±3.95),(48.97±4.26)and(39.22±3.54)U·mg-1;MDA were(4.72±0.36),(10.48±1.68),(8.75±0.82),(6.43±0.71),(5.11±0.48)and(6.36±0.64)nmol·mg-1;LDH were(268.71±23.94),(726.58±81.26),(621.32±47.59),(479.12±50.24),(337.91±34.99)and(486.15±50.98)U·L-1;Nrf2 protein expression were 0.75±0.06,0.19±0.02,0.30±0.04,0.47±0.05,0.63±0.06 and 0.49±0.06;the protein expression of HO-1 were 0.83±0.08,0.27±0.05,0.39±0.04,0.52±0.03,0.77±0.07 and 0.55±0.06,respectively.There were statistically significant differences between control group and model group(all P＜0.05);there were statistically significant differences in the above indexes between model group and positive control group,low dose experimental group,medium dose experimental group,high dose experimental group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Dihydromyricetin can delay myocardial oxidative injury in exhaustive exercise mice,which may be related to Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Objective To investigate the effects of verbascoside on oxygen consumption and mitochondrial enzyme activities in skeletal muscle of rats with intense exercise.Methods Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,experimental-L,-M,-H groups.Exercise training was performed in all groups except the control group.The control group and model group were given 2 mL of 0.9％NaCl,the experimental-L,-M,-H groups was given 20,40,80 mg·kg-1·d-1 verbascoside.The activities of Na+/K+-ATP and Ca2+/Mg2+-ATP were detected by kit.Protein expressions of optic atrophy 1(Opa1),mitochondrial fusion(Mfn)1 and Mfn2 were detected by Western blot.Results The Na+/K+-ATP of experimental-L,-M,-H groups,model group and blank group were(2.74±0.44),(3.50±0.38),(4.39±0.41),(2.13±0.32)and(5.75±0.42)U·mg-1;Ca2+/Mg2+-ATP were(4.01±0.32),(4.82±0.79),(6.57±0.70),(3.51±0.35)and(8.92±1.14)U·mg-1;Opa-1 were 0.40±0.05,0.52±0.04,0.69±0.09,0.25±0.06 and 0.78±0.11;Mfn1 were 0.47±0.06,0.59±0.07,0.74±0.08,0.32±0.05 and 0.89±0.12;Mfn2 were 0.51±0.07,0.65±0.06,0.83±0.06,0.35±0.06 and 1.02±0.13,respectively.There was statistical significance between control group and model group(all P＜0.05);there were statistically significant differences in the above indexes between the experimental-L,-M,-H groups and the model group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Verminoside can improve the oxygen consumption and mitochondrial enzyme activity of skeletal muscle and increase the antioxidant capacity of rats with intense exercise.

ObjectiveThe detection of RNA single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is of great importance due to their association with protein expression related to various diseases and drug responses. At present, splintR ligase-assisted methods are important approaches for RNA direct detection, but its specificity will be limited when the fidelity of ligases is not ideal. The aim of this study was to create a method to improve the specificity of splintR ligase for RNA detection. MethodsIn this study, a dual-competitive-padlock-probe (DCPLP) assay without the need for additional enzymes or reactions is proposed to improve specificity of splintR ligase ligation. To verify the method, we employed dual competitive padlock probe-mediated rolling circle amplification (DCPLP-RCA) to genotype the CYP2C9 gene. ResultsThe specificity was well improved through the competition and strand displacement of dual padlock probe, with an 83.26% reduction in nonspecific signal. By detecting synthetic RNA samples, the method demonstrated a dynamic detection range of 10 pmol/L-1 nmol/L. Furthermore, clinical samples were applied to the method to evaluate its performance, and the genotyping results were consistent with those obtained using the qPCR method. ConclusionThis study has successfully established a highly specific direct RNA SNP detection method, and provided a novel avenue for accurate identification of various types of RNAs.

Bacterial biofilms gave rise to persistent infections and multi-organ failure, thereby posing a serious threat to human health. Biofilms were formed by cross-linking of hydrophobic extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as proteins, polysaccharides, and eDNA, which were synthesized by bacteria themselves after adhesion and colonization on biological surfaces. They had the characteristics of dense structure, high adhesiveness and low drug permeability, and had been found in many human organs or tissues, such as the brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skeleton. By releasing pro-inflammatory bacterial metabolites including endotoxins, exotoxins and interleukin, biofilms stimulated the body’s immune system to secrete inflammatory factors. These factors triggered local inflammation and chronic infections. Those were the key reason for the failure of traditional clinical drug therapy for infectious diseases.In order to cope with the increasingly severe drug-resistant infections, it was urgent to develop new therapeutic strategies for bacterial-biofilm eradication and anti-bacterial infections. Based on the nanoscale structure and biocompatible activity, nanobiomaterials had the advantages of specific targeting, intelligent delivery, high drug loading and low toxicity, which could realize efficient intervention and precise treatment of drug-resistant bacterial biofilms. This paper highlighted multiple strategies of biofilms eradication based on nanobiomaterials. For example, nanobiomaterials combined with EPS degrading enzymes could be used for targeted hydrolysis of bacterial biofilms, and effectively increased the drug enrichment within biofilms. By loading quorum sensing inhibitors, nanotechnology was also an effective strategy for eradicating bacterial biofilms and recovering the infectious symptoms. Nanobiomaterials could intervene the bacterial metabolism and break the bacterial survival homeostasis by blocking the uptake of nutrients. Moreover, energy-driven micro-nano robotics had shown excellent performance in active delivery and biofilm eradication. Micro-nano robots could penetrate physiological barriers by exogenous or endogenous driving modes such as by biological or chemical methods, ultrasound, and magnetic field, and deliver drugs to the infection sites accurately. Achieving this using conventional drugs was difficult. Overall, the paper described the biological properties and drug-resistant molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilms, and highlighted therapeutic strategies from different perspectives by nanobiomaterials, such as dispersing bacterial mature biofilms, blocking quorum sensing, inhibiting bacterial metabolism, and energy driving penetration. In addition, we presented the key challenges still faced by nanobiomaterials in combating bacterial biofilm infections. Firstly, the dense structure of EPS caused biofilms spatial heterogeneity and metabolic heterogeneity, which created exacting requirements for the design, construction and preparation process of nanobiomaterials. Secondly, biofilm disruption carried the risk of spread and infection the pathogenic bacteria, which might lead to other infections. Finally, we emphasized the role of nanobiomaterials in the development trends and translational prospects in biofilm treatment.

Objective To investigate the attributable risk(AR)of Acinetobacter baumannii(AB)infection in criti-cally ill patients.Methods A multicenter retrospective cohort study was conducted among adult patients in inten-sive care unit(ICU).Patients with AB isolated from sterile body fluid and confirmed with AB infection in each cen-ter were selected as the infected group.According to the matching criteria that patients should be from the same pe-riod,in the same ICU,as well as with similar APACHE Ⅱ score(±5 points)and primary diagnosis,patients who did not infect with AB were selected as the non-infected group in a 1:2 ratio.The AR was calculated.Results The in-hospital mortality of patients with AB infection in sterile body fluid was 33.3％,and that of non-infected group was 23.1％,with no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0.069).The AR was 10.2％(95％CI:-2.3％-22.8％).There is no statistically significant difference in mortality between non-infected pa-tients and infected patients from whose blood,cerebrospinal fluid and other specimen sources AB were isolated(P＞0.05).After infected with AB,critically ill patients with the major diagnosis of pulmonary infection had the high-est AR.There was no statistically significant difference in mortality between patients in the infected and non-infec-ted groups(P＞0.05),or between other diagnostic classifications.Conclusion The prognosis of AB infection in critically ill patients is highly overestimated,but active healthcare-associated infection control for AB in the ICU should still be carried out.

Objective:To provide reference for hospital drug selection and clinical rational drug selection,through evaluating the nutritional value of six commonly used balanced compound amino acid injection (BCAA) in clinical practice,including 18AA (250 mL:12.5 g),18AA-I (250 mL:17.5 g),18AA-Ⅱ(250 mL:21.25 g),18AA-IV (250 mL:8.7 g),18AA-V (250 mL:8.06 g),and 18AA-V-SF (250 mL:8.06 g). Methods:Based on the whole egg protein model,the nutritional value of six varieties of BCAA from two aspects were evaluated,including the first limiting amino acid chemical score (CS),value of essential amino acid (EAA) and the comprehensive quality of total EAA (both essential amino acid index and closeness to standard protein). Results:The first limiting amino acid CS value from high to low was 18AA-Ⅱ>18AA>18AA-V=18AA-V-SF>18AA-I=18AA-Ⅳ. Total EAA comprehensive quality:the essential amino acid index from high to low was 18AA-Ⅱ>18AA>18AA-I>18AA-Ⅳ>18AA-V=18AA-V-SF. The closeness to whole egg protein from high to low was 18AA-Ⅱ=18AA=18AA-I>18AA-Ⅳ>18AA-V=18AA-V-SF. Ultimately,the nutritional value of the 6 varieties of BCAA decreased from high to low:18AA-Ⅱ>18AA>18AA-I>18AA-Ⅳ>18AA-V=18AA-V-SF. Conclusions:Among the six varieties of BCAA,18AA-Ⅱ has the highest nutritional value and the highest amino acid content in the same liquid volume,making it the preferred drug for patients with normal liver and kidney function.