Following on our recently developed biphenyl-ATDP non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor ZLM-66 (SI = 2019.80, S = 1.9 μg/mL), a series of novel heterocycle-substituted ATDP derivatives with significantly improved selectivity and solubility were identified by replacement of the biphenyl moiety of ZLM-66 with heterocyclic group with lower lipophilicity. Evidently, the representative analog 7w in this series exhibited dramatically enhanced selectivity and solubility (SI = 12,497.73, S = 4472 μg/mL) in comparison with ZLM-66 (SI = 2019.80, S = 1.9 μg/mL). This new NNRTI conferred low nanomolar inhibition of wild-type HIV-1 strain and tested mutant strains (K103N, L100I, Y181C, E138K, and K103N + Y181C). The analog also demonstrated favorable safety and pharmacokinetic profiles, as evidenced by its insensitivity to CYP and hERG, lack of mortality and pathological damage, and good oral bioavailability in rats (F = 27.1%). Further development of 7w for HIV therapy will be facilitated by this valuable information.

Considering the undesirable metabolic stability of our recently identified NNRTI 5 (t_1/2 = 96 min) in human liver microsomes, we directed our efforts to improve its metabolic stability by introducing a new favorable hydroxymethyl side chain to the C-5 position of pyrimidine. This strategy provided a series of novel methylol-biphenyl-diarylpyrimidines with excellent anti-HIV-1 activity. The best compound 9g was endowed with remarkably improved metabolic stability in human liver microsomes (t_1/2 = 2754 min), which was about 29-fold longer than that of 5 (t_1/2 = 96 min). This compound conferred picomolar inhibition of WT HIV-1 (EC₅₀ = 0.9 nmol/L) and low nanomolar activity against five clinically drug-resistant mutant strains. It maintained particularly low cytotoxicity (CC₅₀ = 264 μmol/L) and good selectivity (SI = 256,438). Molecular docking studies revealed that compound 9g exhibited a more stable conformation than 5 due to the newly constructed hydrogen bond of the hydroxymethyl group with E138. Also, compound 9g was characterized by good safety profiles. It displayed no apparent inhibition of CYP enzymes and hERG. The acute toxicity assay did not cause death and pathological damage in mice at a single dose of 2 g/kg. These findings paved the way for the discovery and development of new-generation anti-HIV-1 drugs.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the carrier rate of, and molecular variation in, α- and β-globin gene mutations in Hunan Province. METHODS: We recruited 25,946 individuals attending premarital screening from 42 districts and counties in all 14 cities of Hunan Province. Hematological screening was performed, and molecular parameters were assessed. RESULTS: The overall carrier rate of thalassemia was 7.1%, including 4.83% for α-thalassemia, 2.15% for β-thalassemia, and 0.12% for both α- and β-thalassemia. The highest carrier rate of thalassemia was in Yongzhou (14.57%). The most abundant genotype of α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia was -α ^3.7/αα (50.23%) and β ^IVS-II-654/β ^N (28.23%), respectively. Four α-globin mutations [CD108 (ACC>AAC), CAP +29 (G>C), Hb Agrinio and Hb Cervantes] and six β-globin mutations [CAP +8 (C>T), IVS-II-848 (C>T), -56 (G>C), beta nt-77 (G>C), codon 20/21 (-TGGA) and Hb Knossos] had not previously been identified in China. Furthermore, this study provides the first report of the carrier rates of abnormal hemoglobin variants and α-globin triplication in Hunan Province, which were 0.49% and 1.99%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates the high complexity and diversity of thalassemia gene mutations in the Hunan population. The results should facilitate genetic counselling and the prevention of severe thalassemia in this region.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/genetics* ; alpha-Thalassemia/genetics* ; Hemoglobinopathies/genetics* ; China/epidemiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing

Objective To investigate the Gram-positive coccus resistance in nationwide's tertiary hospitals and understand the trend of antimicrobial resistance.Methods All the clinical isolates were collected from 19 hospitals and the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs)were tested using agar/broth dilution method recommended.Results A total of 1 974 pathogenic Gram-positive coccus from 19 tertiary hospitals in 19 cities nationwide over the period from July 2021 to June 2022 were studied.Based on the MIC results,the prevalence of methicillin resistant Stapylococcus aureus(MRSA)and methicillin resistant Stapylococcus epidermidis(MRSE)were 36.4％and 79.9％respectively.No vancomycin insensitivity Staphylococcus was detected.Staphylococcus aureus were 100％susceptibility to linezolid and teicoplanin.Antibiotic resistance rate of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium to ampicillin were 3.1％and 92.9％.The detectation rate of vancomycin resistant Enterococcus(VRE)was 1.6％.Nonsusceptibility rate of Enterococcus faecalis to linezolid was 32.2％,two consecutive monitoring rises and nonsusceptibility rate of Enterococcus faecium(12.5％)was also significantly increased.The prevalence of penicillin non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae(PNSSP)was 0.8％based on non-meningitis and parenteral administration criterion,decrease of nearly 30 percentage points from the previous surveillance.While for cases of oral penicillin,the rate was 71.8％,showing similar to last time.The results indicated that the number of strains with higher MIC value of penicillin(MIC ≥4 mg·L-1)decreased significantly.There were no significant differences of resistance rates of Stapylococcus aureus,Stapylococcus epidermidis,Enterococcus faecalis,Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus pneumoniae among various groups such as different department,age,or specimen source.Conclusion VRE detection ratio stablized at a relatively low level.The number of Streptococcus pneumoniae with higher MIC value of penicillin decreased significantly compared with the previous monitoring.The increase of linezolidin-insensitive Enterococcus was noteworthy.

Objective To investigate the Gram-negative bacteria resistance in nationwide's tertiary hospitals and understand the trend of antimicrobial resistance.Method All the clinical isolates were collected from 19 hospitals and the minimal inhibitory concentrations(MICs)were tested using agar/broth dilution method recommended.Results A total of 4 066 pathogenic isolates from 19 tertiary hospitals in 19 cities nationwide over the period from July 2021 to June 2022 were studied.Based on the MIC results,Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae showed extended spectrum β-lactamase(ESBLs)phenotype rates of 55.0％and 21.0％,respectively,ESBLs phenotype rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae keep going down.The ratios of carbapenems resistance Klebsiella pneumoniae increased by 5 percentage points compared with the previous monitoring.Carbapenems,moxalactam,sitafloxacin,β-lactam combination agents,fosfomycin trometamol,and amikacin displayed desirable antibacterial activity against Enterbacterales,susceptibal rates were above 75％.In addition,tigacycline,omacycline,colistin and fluoxefin maintained good antibacterial activity against their respective effective bacteria/species,and the bacterial sensitivity rates by more than 80％.Resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannnii to imipenem were 26.3％and 72.1％and multidrug-resistant(MDR)detection rates were 41.1％and 77.3％,extensively drug-resistant(XDR)were 12.0％and 71.8％,respectively.Comparison of drug resistance rates from different wards,ages and specimen sources indicated that the proportion of resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from intensive care unit(ICU)were significantly higher than non-ICU.Carbapenem resistance rates of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from ICU were more than 35％.Resistance rates of Haemophilus influenzae isolated in children to β-lactam,macrolide,clindamycin and ESBLs detection rate in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from children were more than those from adults and the old people,so bacterial resistance in children is an important problem in China.Conclusion ESBLs detection rate of Escherichia coli increased slightly after years of continuous decline.The proportion of carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa was stable,but the resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii to carbapenems was still increased,which should be paid more attention.

Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and correlation of clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with disorders of sex development (DSD). Methods: A retrospective study of 1 235 patients with clinically proposed DSD in 36 pediatric medical institutions across the country from January 2017 to May 2021. After capturing 277 DSD-related candidate genes, second-generation sequencing was performed to analyzed the heterogeneity and correlation combined with clinical phenotypes. Results: Among 1 235 children with clinically proposed DSD, 980 were males and 255 were females of social gender at the time of initial diagnosis with the age ranged from 1 day of age to 17.92 years. A total of 443 children with pathogenic variants were detected through molecular genetic studies, with a positive detection rate of 35.9%. The most common clinical phenotypes were micropenis (455 cases), hypospadias (321 cases), and cryptorchidism (172 cases) and common mutations detected were in SRD5A2 gene (80 cases), AR gene (53 cases) and CYP21A2 gene (44 cases). Among them, the SRD5A2 mutation is the most common in children with simple micropenis and simple hypospadias, while the AMH mutation is the most common in children with simple cryptorchidism. Conclusions: The SRD5A2 mutation is the most common genetic variant in Chinese children with DSD, and micropenis, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias are the most common clinical phenotypes. Molecular diagnosis can provide clues about the biological basis of DSD, and can also guide clinicians to perform specific clinical examinations. Target sequence capture probes and next-generation sequencing technology can provide effective and economical genetic diagnosis for children with DSD.
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; Child ; China/epidemiology* ; Cryptorchidism/genetics* ; Disorders of Sex Development/genetics* ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Male ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypospadias/genetics* ; Male ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Penis/abnormalities* ; Phenotype ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroid 21-Hydroxylase/genetics*

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To compare the outcomes between haploidentical donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) and matched-sibling donor transplantation (MSD-HSCT) for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) . Methods: The clinical data of 40 PNH patients received HSCT (haplo-HSCT=25, MSD-HSCT=15) from July 2007 to May 2018 were analyzed retrospectively to compare the outcomes between haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT groups. Results: There were no differences in terms of gender, age, patients of PNH-AA and median time from diagnosis to transplantation between the 2 groups (P>0.05) . The median values of absolute mononuclear cell counts and CD34⁺ cells infused were 10.74 (4.80-22.86) ×10⁸/kg and 12.19 (5.14-17.25) ×10⁸/kg (P=0.866) , 3.57 (0.68-7.80) ×10⁶/kg and 4.00 (3.02-8.42) ×10⁶/kg (P=0.151) respectively, in haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT groups. All patients attained complete engraftment, no patient occurred graft failure. The median durations for myeloid and platelet engraftment were 12 (range, 9-26) and 11 (range, 7-15) days (P=0.065) , 19 (range, 11-75) and 13 (range, 11-25) days (P=0.027) respectively, in haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT groups. During a median follow-up of 26 (4-65) months in haplo-HSCT and 36 (4-132) months in MSD-HSCT groups (P=0.294) , the incidences of grade Ⅰ-Ⅳ acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) were 32.0% and 20.0% (P=0.343) , grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ aGVHD were 16.0%, 13.3% (P=0.759) , chronic GVHD were 30.7% and 24.6% (P=0.418) , moderate-severe chronic GVHD were 12.7% and 7.1% (P=0.522) respectively, in haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT groups. The incidences of infection were 32.0% (8/25) and 26.7% (4/15) (P=1.000) respectively, in haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT groups. No patients occurred early death and relapse. Three-year estimated overall survival (OS) were (86.5±7.3) % and (93.3 ±6.4) % (P=0.520) , GVHD-free and failure-free survival (GFFS) were (78.3±8.6) % and (92.9±6.9) % (P=0.250) respectively, in haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT groups. Conclusion: The preliminary results indicated that haplo-HSCT was a feasible choice for PNH with favorable outcomes, haplo-HSCT and MSD-HSCT produced similar therapeutic efficacy.
Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal/therapy* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Siblings ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To compare the outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria-aplastic anemia (PNH-AA) syndrome. Methods: The outcomes of 46 patients who received allo-HSCT (16 PNH patients, 30 PNH-AA patients) from July 10, 2007 to June 2, 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The conditioning regimen was busulfan, cyclophosphoramide, and ATG in haploidentical donors and unrelated donors. Patients with matched sibling donors were treated with the fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and ATG regimen. Results: There were no differences of baseline data between the 2 groups except gender distribution and the numbers of haploidentical donor transplantation. The median values of absolute nucleated cell counts were 10.58 (3.83-13.83) ×10(8)/kg in the PNH group and 10.81 (3.96-33.40) ×10(8)/kg in the PNH-AA group (P=0.668) . The median doses of CD34(+) cells infused were 5.00 (3.14-8.42) ×10(6)/kg and 3.57 (1.97-6.17) ×10(6)/kg (P=0.002) , respectively. All patients obtained complete engraftment. The median time for myeloid engraftment were 11 (7-14) days in the PNH group and 12 (10-26) days in the PNH-AA group (P=0.003) . The median time for platelet engraftment were 13 (11-16) days and 18 (12-75) days (P=0.002) , respectively, after a median follow-up of 36 (4-132) months in the PNH group and 26 (4-75) months in the PNH-AA group (P=0.428) . There were no differences of incidence rates of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) , chronic GVHD and infection between PNH and PNH-AA groups (P>0.05) . No patient occurred early death and relapse. The estimated 3-year overall survival (OS) of PNH and PNH-AA groups were (100.0±0.0) % and (85.7± 6.6) % (P=0.141) , GVHD-free and failure-free survival (GFFS) were (100.0±0.0) %, (78.7±7.7) % (P=0.067) . Conclusions: allo-HSCT is effective for patients with PNH and PNH-AA syndrome. The preliminary results indicate that myeloid and platelet engraftment in PNH group were faster than PNH-AA group. There were no differences in OS and GFFS between PNH group and PNH-AA group.
Anemia, Aplastic/therapy* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal/therapy* ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous ; Treatment Outcome

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Modified Dahuang Zhechong Granule (MDZG) on the development and maturation of epididymal sperm in experimental varicocele (VC) rats.

METHODSSixty SD male rats were randomly divided into six groups of equal number, sham operation, VC model, Aescuven forte, and low-, medium- and high-dose MDZG. The model of left VC was made by the Turner method in all the rats except those of the sham operation group, followed by treatment with 0.9% normal saline for the animals in the sham operation and VC model groups, Aescuven forte tablets at 54 mg per kg of the body weight for those in the Aescuven forte group, and MDZG at 0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 g/ml for those in the low-, medium- and high-dose MDZG groups, all administered intragastrically qd for 8 successive weeks. Then, all the rats were sacrificed and their left epididymides harvested for examination of the quality of the epididymal sperm and the local microscopic and ultrastructural changes of the epididymal tissue.

RESULTSThe VC model rats showed significant apoptosis of the epididymal sperm cells, interstitial edema, microvascular dilatation, degeneration and degeneration of the epithelial cells, degeneration of some principal cells and basal cell vacuoles, and immature spermatids in the lumen. Sperm motility was significantly increased in the Aescuven forte and low-, medium- and high-dose MDZG groups as compared with the VC models (P <0.01). Both sperm concentration and motility were markedly higher in the high-dose MDZG than in the Aescuven forte group (P <0.05). Remarkable apoptosis of epididymal sperm cells was observed in the microenvironment of sperm development in the VC models, which exhibited no statistically significant difference from that in the rats of the medium- and high-dose MDZG groups.

CONCLUSIONSExperimental varicocele induced local apoptosis of epididymal sperm cells, interstitial edema and microvascular dilatation in the rat epididymis, while Modified Dahuang Zhechong Granule could improve the stability of epididymal sperm maturation and contribute to their development.

Aesculus ; chemistry ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Edema ; chemically induced ; Epididymis ; drug effects ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; drug effects ; Spermatozoa ; cytology ; drug effects ; Varicocele ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology