Objective To elucidate the influence of two procedures aortic root remodeling using a straight tubular artificial vessel while preserving the aortic valve and the Florida sleeve procedure on the biomechanics of the aortic root.Methods Five finite element models of the aortic root were reconstructed using computed tomography angiography images,including two cases of aortic root remodeling(A1 and A2),two cases of the Florida sleeve procedure(B1 and B2),and one control group without aortic root pathology(C).Numerical simulations were performed to obtain the blood flow and pressure distribution result to assess the differences in the hemodynamics of the aortic root.Results There were no significant differences in the peak systolic velocity between the two procedures and the control.However,the flow velocity after aortic root remodeling was smoother,similar to the model of the control group,with a more stable average aortic pressure and wall shear stress.In the Florida sleeve procedure,high-speed blood flow affected the vessel wall,leading to various degrees of wall shear stress and pressure concentrations along the aortic wall.Conclusions After aortic root replacement with valve preservation,blood flow patterns in the reconstructed aortic root depended on postoperative changes in sinus geometry.Both surgical procedures showed favorable blood flow patterns;however,the flow pattern after aortic root remodeling was more stable than that after the Florida sleeve procedure.

Objective To investigate vascular remodeling and low-density lipoprotein(LDL)deposition,the growth and development trends of lateral branch plaques in bifurcated vessels,and the potential locations of subsequent plaque growth due to the presence of plaques.Methods An idealized model of bifurcated vessels was established and the distribution of wall shear stress before and after the growth of edge-branch plaques was obtained using computational fluid dynamics.Seven sections were intercepted in the areas of low shear stress:planes 1-3 were the low shear stress areas on the lateral branch before plaque formation,planes 4-5 were the proximal and distal edges of the plaque,and planes 6-7 were the lower shear stress areas of the plaque.Vascular remodeling and LDL deposition in the cross section were simulated.The growth and development trends of plaques are also discussed.Results Among planes 1-3,plane 2 produced obvious negative remodeling and the highest concentration of LDL deposition(102.266 mmol/L),thereby indicating that this was the initial location of the atherosclerotic plaque.Compared to plane 4,plane 5 produced more pronounced vascular remodeling,lumen narrowing,and the highest deposition concentration(110.17 mmol/L)after plaque formation,which indicated that the patch had a tendency for eccentric growth downstream.Compared to plane 6,plane 7(blood flow separation reattachment site)produced more negative remodeling and the highest deposition concentration(93.851 mmol/L),thereby indicating the possibility of new plaque formation near the reattachment point of blood flow separation.Conclusions Obvious vascular remodeling at low shear stress in the lateral branches leads to lumen stenosis and high LDL deposition,thus,forming atherosclerotic plaques.The lateral wall of the bifurcated blood vessels is the initial location of atherosclerotic plaque growth.After growth,the plaque tends to develop downstream,and subsequent plaques may form at the flow separation and reattachment points.

Objective:To explore the clinical and genetic characteristics of asparagine synthase deficiency.Methods:Case series studies. Retrospective analysis and summary of the clinical data of 6 cases with asparagine synthase deficiency who were diagnosed by genetic testing and admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from May 2017 to April 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. The main clinical features, laboratory and imaging examination characteristics of the 6 cases were summarized, and the gene variation sites of them were analyzed.Results:All of the 6 cases were male, with onset ages ranging from 1 month to 1 year and 4 months. All of the 6 cases had cognitive and motor developmental delay, with 3 cases starting with developmental delay, 3 cases starting with convulsions and later experiencing developmental arrest or even regression. All of 6 cases had epilepsy, in whom 2 cases with severe microcephaly developed epileptic encephalopathy in the early stages of infancy with spasms as the main form of convulsions, 4 cases with mild or no microcephaly gradually evolved into convulsions with no fever after multiple febrile convulsions with focal seizures, tonic clonic seizures and tonic seizure as the main forms of convulsions. Three cases of 4 gradually developed into stagnation or even regression of development and ataxia after multiple convulsions with no fever. There were normal cranial imaging in 2 cases, dysplasia of the brains in 1 cases, frontal lobe apex accompanied by abnormal white matter signal in the frontal lobe and thin corpus callosum in 1 case, thin corpus callosum and abnormal lateral ventricular morphology in 1 case, and normal in early stage, but gradually developing into cerebellar atrophy at the age of 5 years and 9 months in 1 case. Two cases underwent visual evoked potential tests, the results of which were both abnormal. Three cases underwent auditory evoked potential examination, with 1 being normal and 2 being abnormal. All of 6 cases had variations in the asparagine synthase gene, with 2 deletion variations and 7 missense variations. The variations of 2 cases had not been reported so far, including c.1341_1343del and c.1283A>G, c.1165_1167del and c.1075G>A. The follow-up time ranged from 3 months to 53 months. Two cases who had severe microcephaly died in infancy, while the other 4 cases with mild or no microcephaly were in survival states until the follow-up days but the control of epilepsy was poor.Conclusions:Asparagine synthase deficiency has a certain degree of heterogeneity in clinical phenotype. Children with obvious microcephaly often present as severe cases, while children with mild or no microcephaly have relatively mild clinical manifestations. The variation of asparagine synthetase gene is mainly missense variation.

ObjectiveTo investigate the pharmacodynamic characteristics and explore the molecular mechanism of Honghua oral liquid （HOL） in relieving neuropathic pain （NP）. MethodHealthy male SD rats were randomly assigned into sham group， model group， low-， medium-， high-dose （0.5， 1.0， 2.0 mL·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively） HOL groups， and a positive drug （pregabalin， 25 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） group， with 6 rats in each group. Spinal nerve ligation （SNL） of L5 was conducted in other groups except the sham group. Drug administration was performed 3 days after the SNL surgery for 2 consecutive weeks， and samples were collected after the end of the administration. During the treatment period， the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold were determined to measure the pain-relieving effect of HOL. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on hippocampal tissue samples from the sham， model， and high-dose HOL groups， and differentially expressed genes between the sham group and the model group as well as the model group and HOL high-dose group were obtained. After pathway enrichment analysis， we selected the targets which were closely related to neuroinflammation for validation， and predicted the specific binding sites of the major active components in HOL with the targets through molecular docking. In addition， the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-10 （IL-10） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） to evaluate the effect of HOL on neuroinflammation in NP rats. ResultCompared with the sham group， SNL decreased the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， HOL recovered the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold （P<0.05）. The transcriptome data showed that 376 differentially expressed genes （DEGs） were identified between the model group and the sham group， including 124 upregulated genes and 252 downregulated genes， and 194 DEGs between the model group and the high-dose HOL group， including 33 upregulated genes and 161 downregulated genes. Among them， insulin-like growth factor 1（IGF1）， matrix metallopeptidase-2 （MMP-2）， matrix metallopeptidase-14 （MMP-14）， erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 （ERBB2）， and integrin subunit alpha 5 （ITGA5） associated with NP were selected for further validation. The Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） results showed that compared with the sham group， the modeling up-gurelated the mRNA levels of the above five molecules in the hippocampus （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， HOL down-regulated the mRNA levels of these molecules （P<0.01）. The molecular docking results showed that the main active components of safflower， hydroxysafflor yellow A， kaempferol， and quercetin， formed stable hydrogen bonds with the amino acid residues of IGF1， MMP-2， MMP-14， ERBB2， and ITGA5. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） results showed that compared with those in the sham group， the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-10 were out of balance in the model rats （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， HOL lowered the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α （P<0.01） and elevated that of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 （P<0.05）. ConclusionHOL exerts analgesic effect on SNL rats by inhibiting neuroinflammation.

Tripterygium glycosides tablet(TGT),the classical commercial drug of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.F.has been effectively used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis,nephrotic syndrome,leprosy,Behcet's syndrome,leprosy reaction and autoimmune hepatitis.However,due to its narrow and limited treatment window,TGT-induced organ toxicity(among which liver injury accounts for about 40％of clinical reports)has gained increasing attention.The present study aimed to clarify the cellular and molecular events underlying TGT-induced acute liver injury using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)technology.The TGT-induced acute liver injury mouse model was constructed through short-term TGT exposure and further verified by hematoxylin-eosin staining and liver function-related serum indicators,including alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin.Using the mouse model,we identified 15 specific subtypes of cells in the liver tissue,including endothelial cells,hepatocytes,cholangiocytes,and hepatic stellate cells.Further analysis indicated that TGT caused a significant inflammatory response in liver endothelial cells at different spatial locations;led to marked inflammatory response,apoptosis and fatty acid metabolism dysfunction in hepatocytes;activated he-patic stellate cells;brought about the activation,inflammation,and phagocytosis of liver capsular macrophages cells;resulted in immune dysfunction of liver lymphocytes;disturbed the intercellular crosstalk in liver microenvironment by regulating various signaling pathways.Thus,these findings elaborate the mechanism underlying TGT-induced acute liver injury,provide new insights into the safe and rational applications in the clinic,and complement the identification of new biomarkers and ther-apeutic targets for liver protection.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and genetic basis of two children patients with CHARGE syndrome. METHODS: The clinical features of the two patients were analyzed, and potential variants were detected by Trio whole exome sequencing (trio-WES) of the probands and their parents. RESULTS: Child 1 has manifested cerebellar vermis dysplasia, enlargement of cerebral ventricles, whereas child 2 manifested with infantile spasm and congenital hip dysplasia. Both children were found to harbor de novo heterozygous variants of the CHD7 gene, namely c.4015C>T (exon 17) and c.5050G>A (exon 22). Based on the guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, the two variants were rated as pathogenic variants, and the related disease was CHARGE syndrome. Furthermore, child 2 was also found to harbor a novel heterozygous c.6161A>C (p.Gln2054Pro) missense variant of COL12A1 gene, which was rated as possibly pathogenic, and the associated disease was Bethlem myopathy type 2, which is partially matched with the patient' s clinical phenotype. CONCLUSION The special clinical phenotypes shown by the two children harboring novel CHD7 variants have further expanded the phenotypic spectrum of CHARGE syndrome.
CHARGE Syndrome/genetics* ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics* ; Genetic Testing ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Mutation ; Phenotype ; Whole Exome Sequencing

Congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG) is a group of genetic metabolic diseases involving multiple organs. A case of CDG caused by SLC35A2 gene mutation was diagnosed. The clinical characteristics included spasms, developmental retardation and multiple malformations. Video-electroencephalogram showed dysrhythmia. A de novo heterozygous missense mutation of SLC35A2 gene was detected by whole exome sequencing: c.844G>A (p.Gly282Arg). It was predicted to be likely pathogenic according to American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines which had not been reported in China.

Bone defects have always been an important cause of threat to human health, and artificial biomimetic bone repair replacement materials are currently one of the most effective and feasible solution approaches to treat bone damage. To develop artificial bone biomimetic materials, an in vitro biomimetic mineralization system must be constructed first to study in vitro biomimetic mineralization mechanism of natural bone matrix. Collagen is a template for mineralization, and its properties such as crosslinking degree, diameter, osmotic pressure, and surface charge can all directly affect mineralization progress. The biochemical and mechanical environments in which mineralization occurs are also quite distinct in their effects on mineralization process, particularly noncollagenous proteins and fluid shear stress (FSS). FSS is considered to be the main mechanical stimulation of bone tissues in micro-environment, which is of great significance to bone growth, repair and health maintenance. FSS at different levels and loading regimes has significant effects on transformation of amorphous calcium phosphate to bone apatite, self-assembly and directional alignment of collagen fibrils, and formation of hierarchical intrafibrillar mineralization. In this paper, the factors affecting collagen mineralization and their mechanism were summarized, with focus on regulation of FSS on collagen mineralization, and development direction in future was also prospected.

Objective:To summarize the clinical features and PLGL gene variation characteristics of children with CHIME syndrome. Methods:The medical records of one patient who was diagnosed with CHIME syndrome in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University in October 2018 were analyzed.Foreign and domestic databases were searched with " CHIME syndrome or PIGL gene" as the keywords, so as to review clinical features of CHIME syndrome and PIGL gene variation characteristics. Results:(1) The boy, 1 year old and 3 months, developed seizures at the age of 7 months, when he received rehabilitation due to developmental delay.Physical examination showed that the boy had facial dysmorphisms, including high forehead, ocular hypertelorism, low and flat nasal root, broad nose tip, full lips, overfolded helices, cleft palate, developmental delay, dry skin, erythematous papular rash on the neck, and indirect inguinal hernia. Conductive deafness was revealed by the hearing test and retinal defect was found in fundus examination.Whole exome sequencing test identified PIGL(NM_004278)gene compound hybrid variation.The frameshift variation c. 26delT was present in one allele, combined with a synonymous variation c. 333C>T in the opposite allele.(2) A total of 9 CHIME syndrome patients were retrieved from the databases.No cases were reported in China.All 9 patients had craniofacial dysmorphism, epilepsy, conductive deafness, development delay and retinal defect.Eight patients had ichthyosiform skin, 6 patients had congenital heart disease and 4 patients had renal malformation.There were 6 different kinds of PIGL gene variations in patients, including 7 missense variants, 4 frameshift variants, 3 deletion variants, 2 nonsense variants, 1 splice variant, and 1 synonymous variant. All of the missense variants were c. 500T>C (p.Leu167Pro), which was the most common site. Conclusions:CHIME syndrome is mainly manifested by nervous system and dermal system abnormalities, and often involves multiple systems. PIGL gene variation is the cause of CHIME syndrome, and c. 500T>C (p.Leu167Pro) is the most common site.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the clinical and genetic features of PCDH19 gene mutation related epilepsy in 11 families. Methods:The clinical manifestations and genetic mutation characteristics of 13 children (from 11 families) diagnosed with PCDH19 gene mutation related epilepsy at the Department of Pediatric Neurology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from March 2013 to July 2019 were analyzed. Results:(1) The results of PCDH19 gene mutations: among 11 probands, 10 children had point mutations of PCDH19 gene and one child was with Exon 5 deletion.One male patient was detected with mosaic PCDH19 mutation, which was c. 840C > A, and the proportion of variation was 34.27%.Five hereditary and 6 de novo mutations were identified in 11 probands.Three patients inherited mutations from their clinically asymptomatic fathers with hemizygous mutation.Two patients inherited from their mothers, 1 case was diagnosed with epilepsy and the other was asymptomatic carrier.(2) Clinical features: there were 12 females and 1 male in the enrolled 13 children, with the age of onset of less than 2 years old.The clinical phenotypes: epilepsy with mental retardation in 9 patients, which including 3 patients with Dravet syndrome, and the remaining 4 patients were epilepsy without mental retardation.The phenotypic heterogeneity was observed in females with identical mutations from the same family, and a few girls can be asymptomatic.In all patients, seizures in clusters were observed in all 13 cases, fever sensitivity in 12 cases, and status epilepticus was only found in 3 cases.Of all the patients, only 2 cases had no seizures for more than 2 years, 3 cases with Dravet syndrome were given 6 to 8 kinds of antiepileptic drugs successively, but there were still frequent seizures. Conclusions:Most patients with PCDH19 mutations-related epilepsy are females, while rare mosaic males can be affected, phenotypic heterogeneity is obvious.Seizures in clusters and fever sensitivity are the major clinical features, and most patients are companied with different levels of intellectual impairment.Mutations in PCDH19 can be inherited or de novo, most of which are point mutations.