ObjectiveBased on transcriptomics， to explore the mechanism of Hei Xiaoyaosan regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway to improve the learning and memory ability of insomnia rats with liver depression syndrome. MethodsSixty 8-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group， model group， eszopiclone group （0.09 mg·kg^-1）， and low， medium， and high dose groups of Hei Xiaoyaosan （3.82， 7.65， 15.30 g·kg^-1）， with ten rats in each group. Except for the blank group， the other groups were induced insomnia rat model with liver depression by chronic restraint， tail clamping stimulation and intraperitoneal injection of p-chlorophenylalanine （PCPA）. Each treatment group received intragastric administration according to the specified dosage， once a day for 14 consecutive days. The pentobarbital sodium cooperative sleep test， open field test， and Morris water maze test were used to test the sleep quality， depressive-like behavior， and learning and memory abilities of rats. Additionally， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the contents of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）， glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor （GDNF） and nitric oxide （NO） in hippocampus. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe pathological changes of the hippocampal tissue， while terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate （dUTP） nick end labeling （TUNEL） was used to evaluate apoptosis of hippocampal neurons. Transcriptomic sequencing technology was employed to identify differentially expressed genes in hippocampus between the model group and the blank group， as well as between the medium-dose group of Hei Xiaoyaosan and the model group. Gene Ontology （GO） and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis were performed on the intersecting genes. Subsequently， the enriched key genes and signaling pathways were analyzed and verified. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was utilized to assess the mRNA expression levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog （PTEN）， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）-like protein 11 （BCL2L11）， and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 （MAPK1） in hippocampus， and Western blot was employed to evaluate the protein expressions of PI3K， phosphorylation （p）-PI3K， Akt， p-Akt， Bcl-2， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， and cleaved Caspase-3 in the same tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited a reduction in body weight， an increase in sleep latency， and a decrease in sleep duration （P<0.01）. Additionally， rats showed obvious depression-like behavior， and their learning and memory abilities decreased. Furthermore， the contents of 5-HT， GABA， NO， BDNF and GDNF in hippocampus decreased （P<0.01）. Histological examination revealed a disorganized cell arrangement in the CA1 region of the hippocampus， characterized by irregular cell shapes， a reduced cell count， deeply stained and pyknotic nuclei， increased vacuolar degeneration， and an elevated apoptosis rate （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the body weight of the high and medium dose groups of Hei Xiaoyaosan increased， the sleep latency shortened and the sleep time prolonged （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Additionally， depression-like behavior and learning and memory abilities of rats were significantly improved， the levels of 5-HT， GABA， NO， BDNF and GDNF in the hippocampus increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. These interventions also ameliorated pathological damage in the hippocampal CA1 area and reduced the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons （P<0.01）. Transcriptomic sequencing results indicated that Hei Xiaoyaosan might exert a therapeutic effect by regulating PI3K/Akt pathway through key mRNAs such as PTEN， BCL2L11， and MAPK1. The roles of these key mRNAs and proteins within PI3K/Akt pathway were further validated. In comparison to the blank group， the expression levels of PTEN， BCL2L11 and MAPK1 mRNA in the hippocampus of rats in the model group were increased （P<0.01）， while the protein expression levels of p-PI3K， p-Akt and Bcl-2 were decreased （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of PTEN， Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 were increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high-dose and medium-dose groups of Hei Xiaoyaosan could down-regulate the expressions of PTEN， BCL2L11 and MAPK1 mRNAs （P<0.01）， up-regulate the expressions of p-PI3K， p-Akt and Bcl-2 proteins （P<0.01）， and down-regulate the protein expressions of PTEN， Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionHei Xiaoyaosan may regulate PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by down-regulating expressions of key genes such as PTEN， BCL2L11 and MAPK1， and thus improve the learning and memory abilities of insomnia rats with liver depression syndrome.

Objective: Exploring the effect and mechanism of Xinyang Tablet on reduction of ferroptosis in myocardial cells from mice with chronic heart failure. Methods: Sixty C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to the sham, model, Xinyang Tablet low-dose (0.34 g/kg), Xinyang Tablet medium-dose (0.68 g/kg), Xinyang Tablet high-dose (1.36 g/kg), and perindopril (0.607 mg/kg) groups using a random number table method (10 mice in each group). Except for the sham group, all other groups underwent aortic arch constriction surgery to construct a chronic heart failure model. On the third day after completion of the modeling, each treatment group was administered the corresponding medication by gavage, while the sham and model groups were administered equal volumes of water by gavage once a day for eight consecutive weeks. After treatment, cardiac ultrasound was used to detect the structure and function of the mouse heart. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to detect pathological changes in mouse heart tissue. Masson staining was used to detect the proportion of fibrotic area of mouse heart tissue. Realtime fluorescence PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), collagen 3α (Col3α), and myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7) in mouse myocardial tissue. Transmission electron microscope was used to detect the ultrastructure of myocardial cell mitochondria. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) staining was used to detect the mean fluorescence intensity of ROS in myocardial tissue. Micro-determination was used to detect superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in myocardial tissue. An immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the mean fluorescence intensity of phosphorylated histone deacetylase 2 (p-HDAC2) in myocardial cell. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), p-HDAC2, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 1 (NOX1), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and cystine glutamate reverse transporter (xCT) in mouse myocardial tissue. Results: Compared to the sham group, the model group showed a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular fraction shortening (LVFS), an increase in left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), an increase in the proportion of cardiac fibrosis area, an increase in relative expression levels of ANP, BNP, Col3α, and MYH7 mRNA, an increase in ROS mean fluorescence intensity, a decrease in SOD activity, an increase in mean fluorescence intensity of p-HDAC2, an increase in relative expression levels of p-HDAC2 and NOX1 proteins, and a decrease in relative expression levels of Nrf2, GPX4, and xCT proteins (P<0.05). Myocardial fibrosis lesions are obvious, with disordered mitochondrial arrangement, decreased volume and shrinkage, increased membrane density, and reduced mitochondrial cristae. Compared to the model group, the LVEF and LVFS of mice in each dose group of Xinyang Tablet and the perindopril group increased, LVESD and LVEDD decreased, the proportion of fibrotic area of heart tissue decreased, the relative expression levels of ANP, BNP, Col3α, MYH7 mRNA decreased, ROS mean fluorescence intensity decreased, SOD activity increased, mean fluorescence intensity of p-HDAC2 decreased, relative expression levels of p-HDAC2 and NOX1 proteins decreased, and relative expression levels of Nrf2 and xCT proteins increased (P<0.05). Myocardial fibrosis was reduced, the mitochondrial arrangement was more regular, the mitochondria enlarged, the membrane density was reduced, and mitochondrial cristae increased. Compared to the model group, the relative expression level of the GPX4 protein in myocardial tissue increased in the Xinyang Tablet medium-, high-dose, and the perindopril groups (P<0.05). Conclusion Xinyang Tablet can improve ferroptosis and ventricular remodeling in mice with chronic heart failure by regulating the HDAC2-mediated Nrf2 antioxidant pathway.

ObjectiveBased on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-TOF-MS）， network pharmacology and pharmacodynamics， to investigate the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism of Hei Xiaoyaosan in improving learning and memory ability of insomnia rats. MethodUPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to characterize the chemical constituents of Hei Xiaoyaosan. Network pharmacology was applied to construct the network of active ingredients-intersecting targets-pathways， and molecular docking was performed on key ingredients and core targets. Sixty 8-week-old male SD rats were selected and randomly divided into blank group， model group， Hei Xiaoyaosan low， medium， and high dose groups（3.82， 7.65， 15.30 g·kg^-1）， and zolpidem tartrate group（0.5 mg·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group， the insomnia model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of p-chlorophenylalanine（PCPA） for 4 consecutive days. Rats in each dosing group were administered the corresponding dose by gavage， once a day for 14 consecutive days. Morris water maze test was utilized to assess the learning and memory ability of rats， transmission electron microscopy was employed to examine the ultrastructure of hippocampal synapses， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was conducted to analyze the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine（5-HT）， interleukin-6（IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α） in hippocampal tissues， and Western blot was performed to detect the expression levels of tumor suppressor protein p53（TP53）， rat sarcoma virus（RAS）， epidermal growth factor receptor（EGFR）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate（cAMP）-response element binding protein（CREB） binding protein（CREBBP）， glycogen synthase kinase-3β（GSK-3β）， protein kinase B1（Akt1）， nitric oxide synthase 1（NOS1）， phosphorylated（p）-Akt1， and p-GSK-3β in hippocampal tissues. Additionally， real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） was used to assess the mRNA expression levels of TP53， RAS， EGFR， CREBBP， GSK-3β， Akt1 and NOS1. ResultA total of 176 components were identified in Hei Xiaoyaosan， mainly flavonoids， triterpene saponins， phenylpropanoids and other compounds. Network pharmacological analysis revealed that TP53， V-Ha-Ras Harvey Rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog（HRAS）， neuroblastoma sarcoma viral oncogene homolog（NRAS）， EGFR， CREBBP， GSK-3β， Akt1 and NOS1 were the key targets of Hei Xiaoyaosan in treating insomnia. The core targets were predominantly associated with cAMP， RAS， Ras-associated protein 1（Rap1）， advanced glycation end products（AGE）/receptor for AGE（RAGE）， and EGFR signaling pathways， and the key active ingredients of Hei Xiaoyaosan in treating insomnia were 8-shogaol， ligustilide F， 6-gingerol， levistilide A and senkyunolide E. Animal experiment results demonstrated that Hei Xiaoyaosan medium and high dose groups significantly increased body weight， shortened sleep latency and prolonged sleep duration in insomnia rats（P<0.01）， significantly decreased escape latency and increased platform crossing frequency（P<0.01）， and improved the pathological changes of hippocampal synaptic ultrastructure. Meanwhile， the two groups could significantly elevate 5-HT level， Akt1 mRNA expression， Akt1 and p-Akt1 protein expression（P<0.01）， reduce inflammatory factor levels（P<0.01）， and down-regulate protein expression levels of TP53， RAS， NOS1， EGFR， CREBBP， GSK-3β and p-GSK-3β（P<0.01）， as well as mRNA expression levels of TP53， RAS， NOS1， EGFR， CREBBP and GSK-3β in hippocampal tissues（P<0.01）. ConclusionThis study determined that the five key active ingredients（8-shogaol， ligustilide F， 6-gingerol， levistilide A and senkyunolide E） in Hei Xiaoyaosan may improve the learning and memory ability of insomnia rats by regulating signaling pathways such as cAMP， RAS， and EGFR， providing an important reference for its mechanism research and clinical application.

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of single sperm sequencing in preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disease (PGT-M). METHODS: A Chinese couple with two children whom had died of Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and attended the Jiangxi Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in June 2020 was selected as the subject. Eleven single sperm samples were isolated by mechanical immobilization and subjected to whole genome amplification. Real-time PCR and Sanger sequencing were used to detect the SMN1 variants in the single sperm samples. Genomic DNA of the wife, her parents and the husband, as well as one single sperm sample harboring the SMN1 variant and two single sperm samples without the variant were used for the linkage analysis. Targeted capture and high-throughput sequencing were carried out to test 100 single nucleotide polymorphisms distributed within 2 Mb up- and downstream the variant site. The haplotypes linked with the SMN1 variants were determined by linkage analysis. Blastocyst embryos were harvested after fertilizing by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cells from the trophoblasts of each embryo were biopsied and subjected to whole genome amplification and targeted capture and high-throughput sequencing to determine their carrier status. Chromosomal aneuploidy of wild-type embryos was excluded. An euploid embryo of high quality was transferred. Amniotic fluid sample was taken at 18 weeks of gestation to confirm the status of the fetus. RESULTS: Genetic testing showed that the couple both had deletion of exons 7 ~ 8 of the SMN1 gene. The wife has inherited the deletion from her father, while the husband was de novo. The haplotypes of the husband were successfully constructed by single sperm sequencing. Preimplantation genetic testing has indicated that 5 embryos had harbored the heterozygous variant, 4 embryos were of the wild type, among which 3 were euploid. Prenatal diagnosis during the second trimester of pregnancy has confirmed that the fetus did not carry the deletion. CONCLUSION By single sperm sequencing and PGT-M, the birth of further affected child has been successfully avoided.
Humans ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Child ; Male ; Preimplantation Diagnosis ; East Asian People ; Semen ; Genetic Testing ; Muscular Atrophy, Spinal/genetics* ; Aneuploidy ; Blastocyst/pathology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Spermatozoa

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has achieved 40%-50% long-term complete response in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. However, the underlying mechanism of alterations in the tumor microenvironments resulting in CAR-T cell therapy failure needs further investigation. A multi-center phase I/II trial of anti-CD19 CD28z CAR-T (FKC876, ChiCTR1800019661) was conducted. Among 22 evaluable DLBCL patients, seven achieved complete remission, 10 experienced partial remissions, while four had stable disease by day 29. Single-cell RNA sequencing results were obtained from core needle biopsy tumor samples collected from long-term complete remission and early-progressed patients, and compared at different stages of treatment. M2-subtype macrophages were significantly involved in both in vivo and in vitro anti-tumor functions of CAR-T cells, leading to CAR-T cell therapy failure and disease progression in DLBCL. Immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments persisted before CAR-T cell therapy, during both cell expansion and disease progression, which could not be altered by infiltrating CAR-T cells. Aberrant metabolism profile of M2-subtype macrophages and those of dysfunctional T cells also contributed to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. Thus, our findings provided a clinical rationale for targeting tumor microenvironments and reprogramming immune cell metabolism as effective therapeutic strategies to prevent lymphoma relapse in future designs of CAR-T cell therapy.

ObjectiveTo explore the relationship between five-state personality and Cattell's 16 personality factors. MethodsA total of 913 students recruited from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from November 2020 to January 2021 were assessed by using the Five-state Personality Test Form and the 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire （16PF）. The five-state personality scores were compared with national norms and gender differences were examined. Additionally， a structural equation model was established and the model fit was assessed using comparative fit index （CFI）， Tucker-Lewis index （TLI）， and root mean square error of approximation （RMSEA）. The five-state personality （Taiyang， Shaoyang， Yin-yang balance， Shaoyin and Taiyin） was used as individual outcome variables while the 16PF factors was employed as predictor variables. Based on standardized parameter estimation results， we explored the relationships between the five-state personality and 16PF. ResultsA total of 913 students were recruited， and 756 valid samples were obtained after excluding unqualified questionnaires. Among these， the scores of Taiyang， Shaoyang and Taiyin in the 756 school students were significantly lower than the national norms， while the scores of Yin-yang balance was significantly higher （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The scores of Taiyang， Shaoyang， Yin-yang balance and Shaoyin were significantly higher than in males compared to females （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Regarding the relationship between the dimensions of five-state personality and 16PF， the model demonstrated a good fit with CFI and TLI values of 0.993 and 0.980， respectively， and an RMSEA value of 0.027. The 16PF factors， including dominance， social boldness， vigilance， rule-consciousness， tension， and emotional stability， positively predicted the Taiyang personality traits， while privateness and apprehension negatively predicted the Taiyang personality traits （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. For Shaoyang personality traits， factors such as liveliness， social boldness， dominance， and tension positively predicted them， while rule-consciousness， apprehension， and privateness negatively predicted Shaoyang perso-nality traits （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. In the case of Yin-yang balance personality traits， perfectionism， rule-consciousness， emotional stability， and self-reliance positively predicted them， while apprehension negatively predicted Yin-yang balance personality traits （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Regarding Shaoyin personality traits， perfectionism， emotional stability， self-reliance， rule-consciousness， and vigilance positively predicted them， while dominance， social boldness， and liveliness negatively predicted Shaoyin personality traits （P＜0.01）. Apprehension， tension， vigilance， and self-reliance positively predicted Taiyin personality traits， while social boldness， rule-consciousness， and intelligence negatively predicted Taiyin personality traits （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionThere is a significant correlation between five-state personality test and 16PF with 16PF factors capable of predicting five-state personality factors. The five-state personality demonstrates scientific validity and effectiveness.

BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) is a common cause of allograft failure. However, differentiation between BKPyVAN and type I T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) is challenging when simian virus 40 (SV40) staining is negative, because of the similarities in histopathology. This study investigated whether donor-derived cell-free DNA (ddcfDNA) can be used to differentiate BKPyVAN. Target region capture sequencing was applied to detect the ddcfDNAs of 12 recipients with stable graft function, 22 with type I TCMR, 21 with proven BKPyVAN, and 5 with possible PyVAN. We found that urinary ddcfDNA levels were upregulated in recipients with graft injury, whereas plasma ddcfDNA levels were comparable for all groups. The median urinary concentrations and fractions of ddcfDNA in proven BKPyVAN recipients were significantly higher than those in type I TCMR recipients (10.4 vs. 6.1 ng/mL,

Objective:To analyze, with Wuhan as an example, the problems found in the infrastructure development of China′s healthcare institutions, and put forward optimization suggestions for future epidemic prevention and control.Methods:From May to June 2020, we surveyed with questionnaires 56 healthcare institutions in Wuhan, covering such aspects as basic information of the institutions, infectious disease infrastructure readiness, and the converted wards for COVID-19. Statistical descriptions were used to analyze data so acquired.Results:The number of beds in the infectious departments of healthcare institutions in Wuhan amounted to 1.64 per 10 000 people, yet the existing 1 873 beds and about 5 000 convertible beds failed to meet the medical needs against the outbreak of COVID-19. After the outbreak, a total of 19 084 convertible beds were set up, of which general hospitals accounted for 88%; the area occupied by each converted bed in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, hospitals of traditional and Western medicine, and maternal and child hospitals (<30.0m 2) was lower than that in general hospitals and specialist hospitals (>40.0m 2). Conclusions:Healthcare institutions should scientifically allocate " peacetime-wartime adaptive" hospital beds, optimize both the number and efficiency of these beds, and prepare for the worst scenarios, so that the infrastructure can be built and maintained in strict accordance with standards, government departments can rationally arrange infectious disease prevention and control facilities and strengthen their planning in case of emergencies.

Objective:To explore the prognostic value of quantitative plaque analysis and coronary CT angiography (CCTA) derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) in evaluating plaque progression (PP).Methods:A total of 118 consecutive patients who underwent serial CCTA examinations in Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from December 2013 to December 2017 were retrospectively enrolled. There were 37 patients in the PP group and 81 patients in the non-PP group. All patients′ CCTA images were quantitatively analyzed using plaque analysis software. The quantitative analysis parameters included stenosis degree, plaque length, total plaque volume, calcified plaque volume, non-calcified plaque volume, minimum lumen area, remodeling index(RI) and plaque burden. Plaque progression was defined as plaque burden change rate>1%. CT-FFR analysis was performed using cFFR software and the CT-FFR value was measured at 2-4 cm distal to the coronary lesion. Baseline parameters between the two groups were evaluated using Students t-test, U-test, chi-square test. The logistic regression model was conducted to evaluate the relationship between CCTA derived parameters and PP. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with the areas under the curve (AUC) was used to determine the predictive performance of different CCTA parameters. Results:Compared with the non-PP group, the patients were older( t=2.391, P=0.018), the prevalence of hyperlipidemia was higher(χ2=4.550, P=0.033), and the proportion of statins use was lower (χ2=4.764, P=0.029) in the PP group. The PP group showed greater coronary stenosis, smaller minimum lumen area, larger plaque volume and non-calcified plaque volume, larger remodeling index and lower CT-FFR value on baseline CCTA (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that RI(OR=2.714, 95%CI:1.078-6.836)and CT-FFR (OR=2.940, 95%CI:1.215-7.116) were independent predictors of PP. The model based on CCTA stenosis degree, quantitative plaque features and CT-FFR (AUC 0.83, 95%CI: 0.75-0.90; P<0.001) was significantly better than the model based on CCTA stenosis degree (AUC 0.62, 95%CI: 0.52-0.70, P=0.049) and the model based on CCTA stenosis degree and quantitative plaque characteristics (AUC 0.77, 95%CI: 0.68-0.84, P<0.001). Conclusions:Compared with the prediction model derived on stenosis degree, plaque quantitative markers and CT-FFR can improve the prediction value of PP.RI and CT-FFR were important predictors of PP.