Objective:To determine the differential expressions of long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)and messenger RNA(mRNA)in normal and asthenospermia(AS)men and analyze their biological significance in AS.Methods:We isolated and ex-tracted total RNAs from 9 normal and 9 AS sperm samples,determined the expressions of RNAs in the sperm using the DNBSEQ se-quencing platform,and analyzed their relevant functions by gene ontology enrichment(GO)and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and ge-nomes pathway(KEGG)analyses.Results:An average of 10.64G data was generated per group,with 282 185 RNAs detected,in-cluding 107 009 lncRNAs.Among the total number of lncRNAs,15 157 were differentially expressed,2 190 upregulated and 12 967 downregulated;and among the 19 514 mRNAs,13 736 were differentially expressed,4 995 upregulated and 8 741 downregulated.Differentially expressed genes were enriched mainly in the sperm cell membrane and the pathways related to the ion channel functions,sperm development and fertilization.Conclusion:Differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs can be identified by sequencing a-nalysis of AS and normal sperm.Regulation of sperm function through membrane ion channels may contribute to the development of AS,which provides a molecular basis for further research on AS.

Objective To study the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution and pathogenic factors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis(AS).Methods One hundred patients of AS and their family members who had medical consultation in the Fifth Hospital of Xi'an(i.e.,Shaanxi Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine)in August 2019 and September 2020 were selected as the study subjects.The guidelines of Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution issued by the China Association of Chinese Medicine were adopted to determine the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution types of the study subjects.The sociodemographic information,living habits,clinical symptoms,and TCM constitution types of the AS patients and their family members were collected by means of questionnaires and clinical investigations,and then the pathogenic factors of the patients with AS were investigated.The binomial Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between TCM constitution types and pathogenic factors in patients with AS.Results(1)Among the 100 AS patients,the majority of them had the biased constitutions,and the biased constitutions with the occurrence frequency in descending order were yang deficiency constitution,qi deficiency constitution,and damp-heat constitution,which accounted for 33.00%,14.00%,and 18.00%,respectively.(2)The prevalence rates of AS in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 56.25%,40.00%and 25.00%,respectively.For the positive rates of human leukocyte antigen B27(HLA-B27)in AS patients and their family members,HLA-B27 in AS patients was all positive,while the positive rates of HLA-B27 in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 44.31%,30.67%and 15.63%,respectively.(3)The results of regression analysis showed that the disease duration of AS patients was significantly correlated with qi deficiency constitution,the grading of sacroiliac arthritis was correlated with qi stagnation constitution,and age was correlated with blood stasis constitution(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The results indicated that disease duration and age were the important factors affecting the constitution types of AS patients,and disease duration was closely related to qi deficiency while age was closely related to blood stasis.Conclusion AS is a highly hereditary autoimmune disease,and its onset is associated with HLA-B27.Yang deficiency is the basic constitution type of AS,and damp-heat constitution is the main constitution type in the progression of AS(especially in the active stage of the disease).The prolongation of the disease will exacerbate the illness condition of AS and then the manifestations of qi deficiency will be more obvious.

Background/Aims: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients who failed antiviral therapy are at increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study assessed the potential role of metformin and statins, medications for diabetes mellitus (DM) and hyperlipidemia (HLP), in reducing HCC risk among these patients. Methods: We included CHC patients from the T-COACH study who failed antiviral therapy. We tracked the onset of HCC 1.5 years post-therapy by linking to Taiwan’s cancer registry data from 2003 to 2019. We accounted for death and liver transplantation as competing risks and employed Gray’s cumulative incidence and Cox subdistribution hazards models to analyze HCC development. Results: Out of 2,779 patients, 480 (17.3%) developed HCC post-therapy. DM patients not using metformin had a 51% increased risk of HCC compared to non-DM patients, while HLP patients on statins had a 50% reduced risk compared to those without HLP. The 5-year HCC incidence was significantly higher for metformin non-users (16.5%) versus non-DM patients (11.3%; adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio [aSHR]=1.51; P=0.007) and metformin users (3.1%; aSHR=1.59; P=0.022). Statin use in HLP patients correlated with a lower HCC risk (3.8%) compared to non-HLP patients (12.5%; aSHR=0.50; P<0.001). Notably, the increased HCC risk associated with non-use of metformin was primarily seen in non-cirrhotic patients, whereas statins decreased HCC risk in both cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients. Conclusions Metformin and statins may have a chemopreventive effect against HCC in CHC patients who failed antiviral therapy. These results support the need for personalized preventive strategies in managing HCC risk.

Objective: To analyze and compare therapy responses, outcomes, and incidence of severe hematologic adverse events of flumatinib and imatinib in patients newly diagnosed with chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) . Methods: Data of patients with chronic phase CML diagnosed between January 2006 and November 2022 from 76 centers, aged ≥18 years, and received initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy within 6 months after diagnosis in China were retrospectively interrogated. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce the bias of the initial TKI selection, and the therapy responses and outcomes of patients receiving initial flumatinib or imatinib therapy were compared. Results: A total of 4 833 adult patients with CML receiving initial imatinib (n=4 380) or flumatinib (n=453) therapy were included in the study. In the imatinib cohort, the median follow-up time was 54 [interquartile range (IQR), 31-85] months, and the 7-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.2%, 88.4%, 78.3%, and 63.0%, respectively. The 7-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 71.8%, 93.0%, and 96.9%, respectively. With the median follow-up of 18 (IQR, 13-25) months in the flumatinib cohort, the 2-year cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) were 95.4%, 86.5%, 58.4%, and 46.6%, respectively. The 2-year FFS, PFS, and OS rates were 80.1%, 95.0%, and 99.5%, respectively. The PSM analysis indicated that patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had significantly higher cumulative incidences of CCyR, MMR, MR(4), and MR(4.5) and higher probabilities of FFS than those receiving the initial imatinib therapy (all P<0.001), whereas the PFS (P=0.230) and OS (P=0.268) were comparable between the two cohorts. The incidence of severe hematologic adverse events (grade≥Ⅲ) was comparable in the two cohorts. Conclusion: Patients receiving initial flumatinib therapy had higher cumulative incidences of therapy responses and higher probability of FFS than those receiving initial imatinib therapy, whereas the incidence of severe hematologic adverse events was comparable between the two cohorts.
Adult ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Imatinib Mesylate/adverse effects* ; Incidence ; Antineoplastic Agents/adverse effects* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pyrimidines/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Benzamides/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Chronic-Phase/drug therapy* ; Aminopyridines/therapeutic use* ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

[Abstract] Objective To investigate the protective effect of exogenous hydrogen sulfide (H

Golgi protein 73 (GP73) is a transmembrane protein on the Golgi apparatus and can be cut and released into the blood. In recent years, an increasing number of clinical studies have shown that the elevated serum GP73 level is closely related to liver diseases. And thus GP73 is expected to be used as a new serum marker for assessing progress of chronic liver diseases. Herein, the clinical application of serum GP73 in chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma with different etiologies was reviewed based on available literatures; and a research outlook in this field is made.
Biomarkers ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Golgi Apparatus ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features of children with recurrent medulloblastoma (MB) and treatment regimens. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 101 children with recurrent MB who were admitted to the hospital from August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2017. The children were followed up to July 31, 2020. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. The Cox regression model was used for multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 101 children, 95 underwent remission induction therapy, among whom 51 had response, resulting in a response rate of 54%. The median overall survival (OS) time after recurrence was 13 months, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 50.5%±5.0%, 19.8%±4.0%, and 10%±3.3% respectively. There was no significant difference in the 5-year OS rate between the children with different ages (< 3 years or 3-18 years), sexes, pathological types, or Change stages, between the children with or without radiotherapy before recurrence or re-irradiation after recurrence, and between the children with different times to recurrence (< 12 months or ≥ 12 months after surgery) ( CONCLUSIONS As for the recurrence of MB, although remission induction therapy again can achieve remission, such children still have a short survival time. Only reoperation can significantly prolong survival time, and therefore, early reoperation can be considered to improve the outcome of children with recurrent MB.
Cerebellar Neoplasms/therapy* ; Child ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma/therapy* ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of different routes in placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSC) on serum expression levels of IL-4, IL-17, TNF-α and IFN-γ in aplastic anemia (AA) rats. METHODS: The rat model of aplastic anemia (AA rats) was established by 5-fluorouracil combined with busulfan. The rats was divided into four groups: control, experimental, PMSC-injected into the tail vein, and PMSC-injected into the medullary cavity. The general state of rats in each group was observed in detail before and after treatment. The serum levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) , interleukin-17 (IL-17), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at week 1, 3 and 5 after treatment. RESULTS: The serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the level of IL-4 was significantly decreased (P＜0.05). The levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 gradually decreased after treatment while the level of IL-4 increased. By the fifth week, the above indexes were closed to the control group (P＞0.05), and the levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-17 in the group with PMSCs injected via the medullary cavity decrease more significantly than those group with PMSC injected via the tail vein, but level of IL-4 was not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSION The level of serum hematopoietic negative regulators increase significantly, and the level of hematopoietic promoting factors decreases significantly in aplastic anemia rats. PMSC can down-regulate the level of hematopoietic negative regulators and up-regulate the level of hematopoietic promoting factors in the rats with aplastic anemia, and the inhibition of hematopoietic negative regulators by intramedullary injection is more significant than that by caudal vein injection.
Anemia, Aplastic ; Animals ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Interferon-gamma ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Rats ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

OBJCTIVE: To study the clinical effect of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in children with central primitive neuroectodermal tumor (cPNET), as well as the risks factors for poor prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 42 children who were diagnosed with cPNET from June 2012 to September 2018. RESULTS: The 42 children had a median overall survival (OS) time of 2.0 years and a median event-free survival (EFS) time of 1.3 years; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 76.2%±6.6%, 41.4%±8.7%, 37.3%±8.8% respectively, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year EFS rates were 64.3%±7.4%, 32.7%±8.0%, 28.0%±8.1% respectively. The univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in the OS and EFS rates among the children with different patterns of surgical resection, chemotherapy cycles, and risk grades (P<0.05), and there was also a significant difference in the OS rate between the children receiving radiotherapy and those not receiving radiotherapy (P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that chemotherapy cycles and risk grade were independent influencing factors for EFS and OS rates (P<0.05). The EFS and OS rates increased with the increase in chemotherapy cycles and the reduction in risk grade. CONCLUSIONS Multimodality therapy with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is an effective method for the treatment of cPNET in children. Early diagnosis and treatment and adherence to chemotherapy for as long as possible may improve EFS and OS rates.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Evaporative light scattering detector(ELSD) and charged aerosol detector(CAD) methods were established in this study for the content determination of four kinds of sugars in Zhusheyong Yiqi Fumai(YQFM), and the factors affecting the accuracy of CAD methods were discussed. HPLC-ELSD chromatographic separation was performed on a Shodex Asahipak NH2 P-50 column with acetonitrile-water(75∶25)as the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 0.8 mL·min~(-1), drift tube temperature of 80 ℃. The analysis by HPLC-CAD was performed on the same column with acetonitrile-water as mobile phase for gradient elution, with a flow rate of 0.8 mL·min~(-1), a neb temperature of 45 ℃, and power function(PF) of 1.3. The samples of YQFM were detected by ELSD and CAD respectively. It was found that YQFM was composed of fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose. The linear relationship of the two methods was good, and the recoveries, reproducibility and stability of these four kinds of sugars measured by the two methods satisfied the requirements of methodology. Both CAD and ELSD detectors were accurate and reliable in detecting saccharides components in YQFM. In addition, it was revealed in this study for the first time that the PF parameter of CAD had an important influence on the accuracy of sugar determination and acted as the key parameter of CAD method. It was also found that for CAD, a non-linear detector, there was no significant difference between the results of linear regression and logarithmic regression.
Aerosols ; Carbohydrates ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Light ; Reproducibility of Results ; Scattering, Radiation ; Sugars