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.

Objective:To analyze the clinical, genetic mutation characteristics, and treatment prognosis of type 2A hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) in China.Methods:Peripheral blood samples and clinical data of patients with primary iron overload were collected through the China Registry of Genetic/Metabolic Liver Disease from June 2015 to November 2023. HH-related genes were detected by Sanger sequencing. Clinical characteristics and gene mutation characteristics of HH patients carrying HJV gene mutations were analyzed.Results:Among the 37 cases with primary iron overload, ten cases (27.0%, 10/37) had detectable HJV gene mutations, which included four homozygous mutations, five compound heterozygous mutations, and one monoheterozygous mutation. p.Q6H and p.C321X (80.0%, 8/10) were the most common mutated sites. The average age of onset was 30.7±14.7 years. The age of diagnosis was 35.7±16.2 years, with male-to-female ratio of 7:3. Ferritin and transferrin saturation were (5 267±905) ng/ml, and 94.3%±1.2%, respectively. Magnetic resonance imaging showed iron overload in the liver, pancreas, and myocardium. Liver biopsy showed diffuse iron deposition within hepatocytes. All ten cases had elevated transaminases; one case (1/10, 10.0%) had liver cirrhosis; four cases (4/10, 40.0%) had heart failure and arrhythmia; five cases (5/10, 50.0%) had diabetes; six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had hypogonadism; six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had skin pigmentation; and six cases (6/10, 60.0%) had fatigue symptoms. All six cases underwent bloodletting therapy, and ferritin levels dropped to about 100 ng/ml. Two cases of oral administration of the iron chelator deferasirox did not meet the ferritin level standard, and one case died from acute heart failure following a confirmed diagnosis during hospitalization.Conclusion:The HJV gene may be one of the main pathogenic genes of HH in China. The p.Q6H and p.C321X mutations were one of the hotspot mutations. The onset age of HJV gene-related HH was between 20 and 30 years old, and their condition was severe. Therefore, early bloodletting treatment can have a favorable outcome.

ObjectiveTo study the correlation between Vimentin and hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） and the mechanism of Jianpi Yiqi prescription against HCC through Vimentin. MethodCorrelation between Vimentin and HCC was analyzed based on the cancer genome atlas（TCGA）， clinical proteomic tumor analysis consortium（CPTAC）， STRING， and Cytoscape. SD rats were randomized into normal group （normal saline， ig， once/day， 4 weeks）， model group （normal saline， ig， once/day， 4 weeks）， low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose （5.25， 10.5， 21 g·kg^-1， ig， once/day， 4 weeks） JianpiYiqi prescription groups， signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） inhibition group （C188-9， 4.5 mg·kg^-1， ip， once/day， 4 weeks）， and glycoprotein 130 （gp130） inhibition group （SC144， 4.5 mg·kg^-1， ip， once/day， 4 weeks）， 10 rats in each group. Diethylnitrosamine （DEN， 70 mg·kg^-1 body weight， ip） was injected in rats except the normal group to induce HCC. After the modeling， administration began. After last administration， Real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was performed to determine Vimentin mRNA level in rat liver tissue. Caspase-3 activity in liver tissue was detected by colorimetry， and expression of Rho kinase （ROCK）1， ROCK2， aurora kinase B （AURKB）， Zinc-finger protein 148 （ZNF148）/zinc-binding protein-89 （ZBP-89）， STAT3， p-STAT3， total Vimentin， and phosphorylated （p）-Vimentin in liver tissue and Vimentin in liver tissue nucleus detected by Western blot. Serum Vimentin concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. ResultVimentin mRNA level was high in tissues from HCC patients with different cancer stages （stage Ⅰ-Ⅳ）， different pathological grades （G₁-G₃）， no regional lymph node metastasis （N0）， and different subtypes （P<0.01）. Vimentin mRNA expression was higher in tissues from patients with lymph node metastasis than in patients without lymph node metastasis and normal samples. Vimentin protein level was decreased in HCC tissues （P<0.01）. Vimentin gene has 4 mutations which can induce change in the primary structure of Vimentin protein and patients with Vimentin gene mutation had short disease free survival time （P<0.01）. The mRNA expression of Vimentin was negatively associated with HCC cell purity （P<0.01） but was positively associated with the infiltration levels of cancer-associated fibroblasts， M2 macrophages， myeloid dendritic cell and other immune cells in tumor microenvironment （P<0.01）. Association analysis results showed that the expression of Vimentin was correlated with the STAT3 expression in HCC tissues （P<0.01）. As for the animal experiment， Vimentin mRNA level and protein levels of total Vimentin and p-Vimentin in liver tssue， Vimentin protein level in liver tissue nucleus， Vimentin in rat serum， ROCK2， AURKB， STAT3 and p-STAT3 in liver tissues were up-regulated （P<0.01） and protein level of negative regulator ZBP-89 was reduced in the model group （P<0.01） compared with those in the normal group. Activity of Caspase-3 in liver tissue increased and the ROCK1 protein level was increased in the model group compared with those in the normal group. STAT3 inhibitor， gp130 inhibitor， and medium-dose and high-dose Jianpi Yiqi prescription all can reduce the secretory Vimentin protein in serum， protein levels of total Vimentin and p-Vimentin in liver tissues， and Vimentin in liver tissue nucleus， and the protein levels of STAT3/Vimentin signaling pathway-related molecules， such as STAT3， p-STAT3， ROCK2， and AURKB and up-regulate the protein level of negative regulator ZBP-89 and activity of Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Effect of medium-dose or high-dose Jianpi Yiqi prescription on Vimentin mRNA expression， STAT3 protein expression， ZBP-89 protein expression， ROCK2 protein expression， AURKB protein expression and Caspase-3 activity was not significantly different from that of STAT3 inhibitor. ConclusionVimentin， an important inflammatory molecule， is closely related to the occurrence and development of HCC and its expression， subcellular location and function may be affected by cancer-associated fibroblasts， M2 macrophages， myeloid dendritic cell， and IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway， particularly by STAT3 molecule. Jianpi Yiqi prescription may exert therapeutic effect on HCC via regulating Vimentin through the STAT3/Vimentin signaling pathway.

AIM: To establish a ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method to determination the plasma concentration of clozapine and compare the bioequivalence of a generic clozapine tablet with Clozaril

Objective:To compare the differences in lung function between sanitation workers and the general population undergoing routine physical examinations, and to analyze the risk factors for restricted airflow and severity of the condition in sanitation workers.Methods:This study is a large cross-sectional study called "Shanxin Respiratory Health Screening for Ten Thousand People". A total of 1 036 sanitation workers (sanitation group) and 6 701 individuals from the general population undergoing routine physical examinations (control group) were selected as the original study subjects from June 2021 to April 2022 (before matching). Both groups underwent pre-bronchodilator lung function tests, and the differences in lung function characteristics between the two groups were compared. The sanitation group also completed a questionnaire survey. Multivariate and ordinal multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors for airflow limitation and its severity.Results:A total of 1 027 individuals from the sanitation group and 999 individuals from the control group were included in the study. There were no significant differences in age, gender, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) between the two groups (all P>0.05). The rate of airflow restriction was significantly higher in the sanitation group compared to the control group (22.88% vs 8.81%, P<0.001). In the sanitation group, there was no statistically significant difference in a self-assessment test for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CAT) scores between individuals with airflow restriction (235 cases) and those without airflow restriction (792 cases) [(1.50±2.50) vs (1.15±2.03) points, P=0.084]. There were no statistically significant differences in forced vital capacity (FVC) as a percentage of predicted value (FVC%pred) between the two groups. However, the sanitation group had significantly lower %pred for forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1%pred), FVC/FEV 1 ratio (FEV 1/FVC%pred), forced expiratory flow at 50% of FVC (FEF 50%%pred), forced expiratory flow at 75% of FVC (FEF 75%%pred), and maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF%pred) compared to the control group (all P<0.05). The rates of abnormal FEF 50%%pred, FEF 75%%pred, and MMEF%pred were significantly higher in the sanitation group compared to the control group (17.62% vs 10.31%, 17.04% vs 10.01%, 27.26% vs 18.41%, all P<0.001). Small airway parameters and the rate of airflow restriction were significantly higher in past and current smokers of the sanitation group compared to never smokers (all P<0.05). Multifactorial analysis showed that high BMI ( OR=0.929, 95% CI: 0.885-0.974) was a protective factor for airflow restriction, while high smoking index was a risk factor ( OR=1.020, 95% CI: 1.011-1.030). Ordered multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that high BMI ( OR=0.925, 95% CI: 0.882-0.971) was a protective factor for the severity of airflow restriction, while high smoking index ( OR=1.020, 95% CI: 1.011-1.029) was a risk factor for the severity of airflow restriction. Conclusions:The incidences of airflow limitation and small airway abnormalities in sanitation workers are higher than that in general physical examination population. High smoking index and low BMI are independent risk factors for airflow limitation and its severity.

Objective:To explore the effect and mechanism of microRNA (miRNA)-4320 on the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer MGC803 cells.Methods:Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-4320 in four gastric cancer cell lines(MGC803, HS-746T, SGC7901, BGC823) MGC803 cells were infected with recombinant lentivirus carrying miR-4320 interference fragments or blank lentivirus, and set as si-miR-4320 group and NC group. Thiazole blue colorimetry and Transwell small box experiment were used to detect the proliferation and migration of MGC803 cells after miR-4320 was down-regulated. The bioinformatics software RNAhybrid was used to predict the target gene of miR-4320. The targeting relationship between miR-4320 and target gene was verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene experiment. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of miR-4320 target gene. Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and t-test or one-way ANOVA was used for comparison between groups. Results:The expression of miR-4320 in the four gastric cancer cell lines was significantly higher than that of normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells ( P<0.01). The expression of miR-4320 in MGC803 cells in the NC group and the si-miR-4320 group were 8.19±1.00 and 1.09±0.31, respectively. The miR-4320 interference fragment significantly reduced the expression of miR-4320 ( P<0.01). The absorbance of MGC803 cells in the si-miR-4320 group was significantly lower than that of the NC group ( P<0.05), and the migration ability was significantly lower than that of the NC group ( P<0.01). Suppressor of cytokine signaling1 ( SOCSI) is the target gene of miR-4320. Compared with the NC group, the SOCS1 gene expression in the si-miR-4320 group was significantly up-regulated ( P<0.01). Conclusions:The expression of miR-4320 is increased in gastric cancer cell lines. Down-regulating the expression of miR-4320 can inhibit the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer MGC803 cells by inducing the expression of SOCS1 gene.

Objective:To investigate outcomes and safety of doxycycline-moxifloxacin sequential regimen in the treatment of Mycoplasma genitalium urethritis/cervicitis. Methods:From June 2019 to December 2020, patients with Mycoplasma genitalium urethritis/cervicitis confirmed by nucleic acid amplification testing were successively recruited at Department of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and received sequential therapy with oral doxycycline for 7 days followed by oral moxifloxacin for 7 days. Clinical and/or etiological assessment was conducted 2 to 3 weeks after the end of treatment. Fisher′s exact test was used to analyze factors influencing the treatment outcome. Results:Totally, 36 eligible subjects were enrolled, including 30 males and 6 females. Among them, 18 (50%) patients completed post-treatment etiological assessment, which showed that 12 achieved microbiological cure, and treatment failures occurred in 6; another 18 patients achieved clinical cure. The overall response rate to doxycycline-moxifloacin sequential therapy was 83.3% (30/36, 95% confidence interval[ CI]: 70.5%, 96.1%) . The treatment outcome showed no significant association with the patients′ age, gender, marital status, number of sexual partners in the past 1 month, history of sexually transmitted diseases, history of antibiotic use in the past 1 month, or co-infections (all P > 0.05) . Conclusion:The efficacy of doxycycline-moxifloacin sequential regimen is limited in the treatment of Mycoplasma genitalium infections in Nanjing area, and clinicians should be alerted to the possibility of treatment failure in clinical practice.

Objective:To explore the effect of down-regulation of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) CTB-191K22.5 on the proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer SW480 cells and the molecular mechanism.Methods:The TCGA database was used to analyze the expression differences of CTB-191K22.5 in colorectal cancer tissues and normal tissues. The CTB-191K22.5 inhibitor (Anti-CTB-191K22.5) and negative inhibitor (Control) were transfected into colorectal cancer SW480 cells, denoted as Observation group and Control group, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT) -PCR) was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect. MTT method and Transwell chamber method were used to evaluate the proliferation and invasion of SW480 cells. Western blot was used to evaluate the protein levels of PI 3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in SW480 cells. The bioinformatics software starBase v2.0 was used to predict the target genes of CTB-191K22.5. qRT-PCR was used to evaluate the expression of CTB-191K22.5 target gene in SW480 cells. Measurement data were expressed as Mean±SD, and t-test was used for comparison between two groups. Results:Compared with normal tissues, the expression of CTB-191K22.5 in colorectal cancer tissues was significantly increased ( P<0.01). The expression of CTB-191K22.5 in SW480 cells of the Control group and Observation group were 6.60±0.85 and 1.08±0.21, respectively. The expression level of CTB-191K22.5 decreased after transfection with Anti-CTB-191K22.5 ( P<0.01). Compared with the Control group, the SW480 cell proliferation ability of the Observation group decreased ( P<0.01). The invasion numbers of SW480 cells in the Control group and Observation group were (135.4 ± 16.29) and (42.24±14.59), respectively. The invasion ability of SW480 cells decreased after transfection with Anti-CTB-191K22.5 ( P<0.01). Compared with the Control group, the expression levels of PI 3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway protein in SW480 cells in the Observation group decreased. miR-326 may be the target gene of CTB-191K22.5. Compared with the Control group, transfection with Anti-CTB-191K22.5 significantly increased the expression level of miR-326 in SW480 cells ( P<0.01). Conclusion:CTB-191K22.5 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer tissues, and down-regulation of CTB-191K22.5 may inhibit the proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer SW480 cells by targeting miR-326.

Objective:To explore the effect of microRNA (miRNA)-3126-5p on the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells by inhibiting the expression of LIM and SH3 protein 1 ( LASP1). Methods:Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of miR-3126-5p in colorectal cancer cell lines (HT-29, HCT116, LoVo, SW480) and normal intestinal mucosal epithelial cells (HIEC). The cell line with the lowest expression level was selected as the experimental object. The experiment was divided into 2 groups: the negative control group (transfected with miR-NC) and the miR-3126-5p group (transfected with miR-3126-5p). Cells of each group were collected 48h after transfection. qRT-PCR method was used to detect the expression level of miR-3126-5p in each group. The MTS method and the scratch healing experiment were used to detect the proliferation level and migration ability of the cells in each group. The bioinformatics software microRNA.org and the dual-luciferase reporter gene experiment were used to predict and verify the target genes of miR-3126-5p, respectively. qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of target genes in each group of cells. Measurement data were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( Mean± SD), t test was used for comparison between two groups, and one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups. Results:Compared with normal intestinal mucosal epithelial cells (HIEC), the expression level of colorectal cancer cell line miR-3126-5p was significantly reduced ( P<0.05), and the cell line with the lowest expression level was HCT116 cells ( P<0.01). The expression of miR-3126-5p in HCT116 cells in the negative control group and miR-3126-5p group were (1.05±0.16) and (7.91±1.26) respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=5.40, P<0.01). Compared with the negative control group, the proliferation ability of HCT116 cells in the miR-3126-5p group was significantly reduced ( t=4.52, P<0.05), and the migration ability was significantly reduced ( P<0.01). microRNA.org shows that miR-3126-5p has complementary binding sites with LIM and SH3 protein 1 ( LASP1) gene mRNA. miR-3126-5p can target LASP1 mRNA ( P<0.01). Compared with the negative control group, the expression of LASP1 gene in HCT116 cells of the miR-3126-5p group was significantly reduced ( t=4.56, P<0.01). Conclusion:The expression of miR-3126-5p in colorectal cancer cell lines is low, and miR-3126-5p can reduce the proliferation and migration ability of colorectal cancer HCT116 cells by inhibiting the expression of the target gene LASP1.

Objective:To investigate the effect of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) HAGLR on the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting the expression of microRNA (miRNA, miR)-93-5p.Methods:Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of HAGLR in gastric cancer cell lines (HS-746T, BGC823, SGC7901, MGC803) and normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells (GES-1). Selected the cell line with the lowest HAGLR expression and transfected with the negative control plasmid (negative control group) or HAGLR-high-expression plasmid (HAGLR group) respectively. The MTS method and the scratch healing test were used to detect the proliferation and migration ability of the cells after transfection. The bioinformatics software miRcode database was used to predict the target gene of HAGLR, and the dual luciferase reporter gene experiment was used to verify the binding of HAGLR to the target gene. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of the target gene. Western blot was used to detect the expression of Hippo signaling pathway. The software SPSS 21.0 was used to conduct statistical analysis. The t test was used for comparison between two groups, and the one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups. Results:Compared with GES-1 cells, the expression level of HAGLR in gastric cancer cell lines was lower (all P<0.05), and the cell line with the lowest HAGLR expression was SGC7901 cells ( P<0.01). The HAGLR expression in SGC7901 cells in the HAGLR group and the negative control group were 1.03±0.13 and 9.75±1.10, respectively. The expression level of HAGLR in the negative control group was significantly lower than that in the HAGLR group ( t=7.87, P<0.01). Compared with the negative control group, the absorbance of SGC7901 cells in the HAGLR group was significantly reduced ( P<0.05), and the scratch healing rate was significantly reduced ( P<0.01). The miRcode database showd that HAGLR and miR-93-5p have complementary binding sites. The dual luciferase reporter gene experiment showed that HAGLR can complement miR-93-5p ( P<0.01). Compared with the negative control group, the expression of miR-93-5p in SGC7901 cells in the HAGLR group was significantly reduced ( P<0.01), and the expression of Hippo signaling pathway protein was significantly reduced (all P<0.01). Conclusions:HAGLR is low expressed in gastric cancer cell lines. HAGLR inhibits the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer SGC7901 cells by negatively regulating miR-93-5p.