Laboratory animals serve as the cornerstone in life science research, acting as surrogate models for human physiology, pathology, and disease treatment. They play an irreplaceable role in basic research, drug development, and translational medicine. Gut microbiota, a complex microbial community comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, and unicellular organisms, colonizes the host's intestinal tract and is closely associated with the maintenance of normal physiological metabolism and overall health. Studies have shown that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota can lead to various diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, inflammatory bowel disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, conducting characteristic analyses of the gut microbial composition of laboratory animals can not only enhance the reliability of experimental outcomes but also facilitate their translational application. Sex differences represent a critical variable in biological research, significantly influencing the physiological functions, metabolic traits, and gut microbial composition of laboratory animals. However, a pronounced sex bias has been widely observed in many biological studies, thereby limiting the generalizability of results. This study focused on ten commonly used laboratory animals in life sciences, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, dogs, cats, non-human primates, miniature pigs, and chickens. Their gut microbial composition was summarized and related sex-specific differences of certain species were analyzed. Furthermore, by comparing the gut microbiota of laboratory animals with that of humans, this study offers novel perspectives for comparative medical research. In summary, this study not only deepens researchers' understanding of gut microbiota characteristics and sex-dependent variations across laboratory animal species but also provides practical guidance for selecting appropriate laboratory animals, constructing sex-specific disease models, and interpreting experimental results in scientific studies.

Laboratory animals serve as the cornerstone in life science research, acting as surrogate models for human physiology, pathology, and disease treatment. They play an irreplaceable role in basic research, drug development, and translational medicine. Gut microbiota, a complex microbial community comprising bacteria, fungi, viruses, and unicellular organisms, colonizes the host's intestinal tract and is closely associated with the maintenance of normal physiological metabolism and overall health. Studies have shown that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota can lead to various diseases, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, inflammatory bowel disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, conducting characteristic analyses of the gut microbial composition of laboratory animals can not only enhance the reliability of experimental outcomes but also facilitate their translational application. Sex differences represent a critical variable in biological research, significantly influencing the physiological functions, metabolic traits, and gut microbial composition of laboratory animals. However, a pronounced sex bias has been widely observed in many biological studies, thereby limiting the generalizability of results. This study focused on ten commonly used laboratory animals in life sciences, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, dogs, cats, non-human primates, miniature pigs, and chickens. Their gut microbial composition was summarized and related sex-specific differences of certain species were analyzed. Furthermore, by comparing the gut microbiota of laboratory animals with that of humans, this study offers novel perspectives for comparative medical research. In summary, this study not only deepens researchers' understanding of gut microbiota characteristics and sex-dependent variations across laboratory animal species but also provides practical guidance for selecting appropriate laboratory animals, constructing sex-specific disease models, and interpreting experimental results in scientific studies.

Objective To evaluate the regulatory effects of psilocybin on social behavior of male C57BL/6J mice.Methods Adult male C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally injected with psilocybin(0.2,1 and 5 mg/kg,i.p.),and the effects of psilocybin on prosocial behavior were evaluated by the three-chamber test.Stressed mice undergoing chronic social defeat stress(CSDS)were given acute intraperitoneal injection of psilocybin(1 mg/kg)to evaluate the moderation of social novelty preference behavior using the modified two-chamber test.Results Intraperitoneal injection of psilocybin(1 mg/kg)promoted prosocial behavior and prolonged social time(P＜0.01),while intraperitoneal injection of psilocybin(0.2 mg/kg)had no apparent effect on the prosocial behavior of mice,and intraperitoneal injection of psilocybin(5 mg/kg)inhibited prosocial behavior before promoting it.Further studies showed that intraperitoneal injection of psilocybin(1 mg/kg)increased the social novelty exploration time in stressed mice undergoing CSDS.Conclusion This study shows that 1 mg/kg dose of psilocybin can promote the prosocial behavior in mice,and potentially ameliorate the deficit of social novelty preference behavior in CSDS mice.

Objective:To analyze the effects of HIV non-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Nanning and Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.Methods:Participants were recruited through community publicity and advocacy under a "Trinity" approach among non-governmental organizations (NGO), CDCs/hospitals and pharmacies. Basic information, drug taking and follow-up tests of participants who had enrolled for 28 days of the research were collected. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Results:From September 2017 to March 2019, a total of 213 MSM cases consulted for nPEP service, 159 of them were eligible for nPEP, and 154 were enrolled in the study for drug taking. For 132 cases enrolled in the study for 28 days and above, 118 completed the 28-day course of antiretroviral therapy (ART), while 10 failed to complete the 28-day course of ART, and 4 could not be confirmed whether completed the full course of ART due to loss of contact. For those who completed 28-day course of ART, 94.1% (111/118) and 75.4% (89/118) respectively received HIV tests at 4-6 weeks and 3 months after exposure, the results were all HIV negative.Conclusion:Under the "Trinity" approach, taking antiviral drugs earlier after HIV non-occupational exposure can effectively reduce the risk of HIV infection and to some extent, reduce the new infection cases.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between the changes of lung function and serum proinflammatory cytokines in workers occupationally exposed to toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and to explore the evaluation index of respiratory toxicity of TDI.Methods:In October 2014, 61 male workers engaged in TDI synthesis process, purification process, packaging process and the above production process in a TDI factory in western China were selected as TDI exposure group; 62 male enterprise managers who were not exposed to TDI and other known allergenic chemicals were selected as control group, which were matched at the age of workers in exposure group. The questionnaire survey obtained information such as gender, length of service, age, occupational history, exposed length of service and so on. The lung function indexes [forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC] and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1 β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, macrophage inflammatory factor-1 β, monocyte chemoattractant factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor were measured. The urine was collected after the weekend shift, and the concentration of (TDA), the metabolite of TDI, was determined as the index of internal exposure. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between cytokines and lung function indexes, and multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the changes of lung function indexes and cytokines with TDI exposure concentration and time.Results:The median age ( P5- P95) of the exposed group and the control group was 36.5 (24.0-51.0) and 38.0 (24.0-50.0) years, respectively. In the exposed group, the median length of service ( P5- P95) was 6.94 (0.97-26.33) years, and the median concentration of TDA in urine was 15.56 (2.28-112.16) ng/ml. The three indexes of lung function, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and the levels of serum IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01). With the increase of exposure concentration and exposure time, the level of serum TNF-α, FVC and FEV1 decreased, and showed a good dose-effect and time-effect relationship (all Ptrend values< 0.05). Serum IL-8 and TNF-α were positively correlated with FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC (all P values<0.01). Conclusion:The levels of serum inflammatory factors IL-8 and TNF-α in worker exposed to TDI are related to lung function indexes, which can be used as early evaluation indexes of respiratory toxicity induced by TDI.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between the changes of lung function and serum proinflammatory cytokines in workers occupationally exposed to toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and to explore the evaluation index of respiratory toxicity of TDI.Methods:In October 2014, 61 male workers engaged in TDI synthesis process, purification process, packaging process and the above production process in a TDI factory in western China were selected as TDI exposure group; 62 male enterprise managers who were not exposed to TDI and other known allergenic chemicals were selected as control group, which were matched at the age of workers in exposure group. The questionnaire survey obtained information such as gender, length of service, age, occupational history, exposed length of service and so on. The lung function indexes [forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC] and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1 β, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, macrophage inflammatory factor-1 β, monocyte chemoattractant factor-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor were measured. The urine was collected after the weekend shift, and the concentration of (TDA), the metabolite of TDI, was determined as the index of internal exposure. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between cytokines and lung function indexes, and multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the changes of lung function indexes and cytokines with TDI exposure concentration and time.Results:The median age ( P5- P95) of the exposed group and the control group was 36.5 (24.0-51.0) and 38.0 (24.0-50.0) years, respectively. In the exposed group, the median length of service ( P5- P95) was 6.94 (0.97-26.33) years, and the median concentration of TDA in urine was 15.56 (2.28-112.16) ng/ml. The three indexes of lung function, FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC and the levels of serum IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.01). With the increase of exposure concentration and exposure time, the level of serum TNF-α, FVC and FEV1 decreased, and showed a good dose-effect and time-effect relationship (all Ptrend values< 0.05). Serum IL-8 and TNF-α were positively correlated with FVC, FEV1 and FEV1/FVC (all P values<0.01). Conclusion:The levels of serum inflammatory factors IL-8 and TNF-α in worker exposed to TDI are related to lung function indexes, which can be used as early evaluation indexes of respiratory toxicity induced by TDI.

The biodiversity of the mycobiome, an important component of the oral microbial community, and the roles of fungal-bacterial and fungal-immune system interactions in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP) remain largely uncharacterized. In this study, we sequenced the salivary mycobiome and bacteriome associated with OLP. First, we described the dysbiosis of the microbiome in OLP patients, which exhibits lower levels of fungi and higher levels of bacteria. Significantly higher abundances of the fungi Candida and Aspergillus in patients with reticular OLP and of Alternaria and Sclerotiniaceae_unidentified in patients with erosive OLP were observed compared to the healthy controls. Aspergillus was identified as an "OLP-associated" fungus because of its detection at a higher frequency than in the healthy controls. Second, the co-occurrence patterns of the salivary mycobiome-bacteriome demonstrated negative associations between specific fungal and bacterial taxa identified in the healthy controls, which diminished in the reticular OLP group and even became positive in the erosive OLP group. Moreover, the oral cavities of OLP patients were colonized by dysbiotic oral flora with lower ecological network complexity and decreased fungal-Firmicutes and increased fungal-Bacteroidetes sub-networks. Third, several keystone fungal genera (Bovista, Erysiphe, Psathyrella, etc.) demonstrated significant correlations with clinical scores and IL-17 levels. Thus, we established that fungal dysbiosis is associated with the aggravation of OLP. Fungal dysbiosis could alter the salivary bacteriome or may reflect a direct effect of host immunity, which participates in OLP pathogenesis.
Adult ; Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Case-Control Studies ; Dysbiosis ; complications ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Lichen Planus, Oral ; complications ; microbiology ; Male ; Microbiota ; Middle Aged ; Mouth Mucosa ; microbiology ; Mycobiome ; Saliva ; microbiology

Objective? To compare the reliability and validity of Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC) and Neelon and Champagne Confusion Scale (NEECHAM) when evaluating non-mechanical ventilation patients in Neurosurgery Department. Methods? A total of 100 non-mechanical ventilation patients in the Neurosurgery Department of a ClassⅢ Grade A hospital in Shanxi Province from August to December 2018 were selected. The non-operative patients were assessed on the third day after admission, and the operative patients were assessed on the third day after operation. Qualified nurses assessed the patients at 00:00—1:00, 8:00—9:00 and 16:00—17:00 with ICDSC and NEECHAM. Psychiatrists assess the patients at 16:30—17:30 on the same day by Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale (RASS) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV). Using the results of DSM-IV as the gold standard, the curve of ROC was drawn, and the sensitivity and specificity of the two scales were compared. Results? Area under ROC Curve (ROCAUC) of ICDSC was 0.891 (95%CI: 0.826-0.956,P＜0.01). The ROCAUC of NEECHAM was 0.987 (95% CI: 0.970-0.999, P＜ 0.01). When the optimal threshold of ICDSC was 4.25, the sensitivity and specificity were 87.8% and 76.2% respectively. When the optimal threshold of NEECHAM was 23.5, the sensitivity and specificity were 98.0% and 92.9% respectively. Conclusions? The misdiagnosis rate of NEECHAM is lower than ICDSC, and the diagnostic efficacy, authenticity, reliability and diagnostic value of NEECHAM are higher than ICDSC. NEECHAM is more suitable for nurses to evaluate delirium in neurosurgery patients without mechanical ventilation.

OBJECTIVETo analyze two Chinese pediatric patients with multiple malformations and growth and development delay.

METHODSBoth patients were subjected to targeted gene sequencing, and the results were analyzed with Ingenuity Variant Analysis software. Suspected pathogenic variations were verified by Sanger sequencing.

RESULTSHigh-throughput sequencing showed that both patients have carried heterozygous variants of the CHD7 gene. Patient 1 carried a nonsense mutation in exon 36 (c.7957C>T, p.Arg2653*), while patient 2 carried a nonsense mutation of exon 2 (c.718C>T, p.Gln240*). Sanger sequencing confirmed the above mutations in both patients, while their parents were of wild-type for the corresponding sites, indicating that the two mutations have happened de novo.

CONCLUSIONTwo patients were diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome by high-throughput sequencing.

CHARGE Syndrome ; genetics ; DNA Helicases ; genetics ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Genetic Testing ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mutation

OBJECTIVE: To establish the cell model using human leukemia cell line HL-60 for exposure of coke oven emissions( COE) in vitro and to explore the mechanism of COE-induced acute toxicity in HL-60 cells. METHODS: HL-60 cells were collected in their logarithmic growth phase and cultured in medium that had final concentrations of COE in 2. 5,5. 0,10. 0 and 20. 0 mg / L for 24 hours. Cell survival rate was examined by CCK-8 assay. The cytotoxicity was evaluated using lactate dehydrogenase release assay. Reactive oxygen species( ROS) production was determined by the 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and nitroblue tetrazolium method. The activation of nuclear factor-κB( NF-κB) pathway was evaluated by western blot. RESULTS: With the increasing exposure concentrations of COE,the cytotoxicity of HL-60 cells increased( P < 0. 01),the cell survival rate decreased( P < 0. 01),intracellular ROS decreased( P < 0. 01),whereas extracellular ROS increased( P < 0. 01). These changes had a dose-effect relationship. The levels of phospho-nuclear factor-kappa B p65 and phospho-inhibitor of kappa Bα were higher in all the COE-treated cells compared with untreated cells( P < 0. 05),with no dose-effect relationship. CONCLUSION: COE could cause acute toxicity in HL-60 cells in a doseeffect relationship. The mechanism may be related to the COE-induced in-balanced ROS release and removal,leading to the activation of NF-κB pathway. HL-60 cells can be used as a common cell line for COE hematotoxicity analysis.