Aim To investigate whether diallyl disul-fide (DADS) augments the sensitivity of DJ-1 (protein/ nucleic acid deglycase) overexpressed human gastric SGC7901 cells to 5-FU (5-fluorouracil). Methods The experimental groups include control group, DADS group, VCR (vincristine) group, VCR + DADS group, DJ-1 group, DJ-1 + DADS group. MTT was used to analyze the effect of DADS on 5 -FU (5 -fluorou- racil) induced proliferation inhibition. Flow cytometry was performed to examine the effect of DADS on cell apoptosis. RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluo-rescence were used for determine the effect of DADS on the drug resistance associated gene expression. Results DADS enhanced the proliferation inhibitory effect of 5-FU on DJ-1 overexpressed cells and VCR resistant cells. DADS could induce apoptosis in VCR-resistant cells. DADS downregulated the expression of DJ-1 while inducing apoptosis in DJ-1 overexpressed cells. DJ-1 overexpression upregulated the expression of P-gp (P-glycoprotein), Bcl-2, and XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein), downregulated the expression of caspase-3. DADS decreased the expression of P-gp, Bcl-2, and XIAP, while increased the expression of caspase-3 in DJ-1 overexpressed cells and VCR-resistant cells. Conclusions DADS can augment the sensitivity of DJ-1 overexpressed cells to 5-FU, which is related to its antagonism against DJ-1 mediated upregula- tion of P-gp, Bcl-2, XIAP, and downregulation of caspase-3.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) in boys.Methods:Cross-sectional study.Clinical data, laboratory data and genetic results of boys who were genetically diagnosed with CHH at the Department of Endocrinology of Shenzhen Children′s Hospital from December 2019 to February 2023 were collected in this retrospective study.Their clinical manifestations, hormone levels and gene mutations were analyzed.The non-normal distribution was represented by the median.The rank sum test was used to compare the non-normal distribution data between the two groups.Results:A total of 27 boys were genetically diagnosed with CHH, with the age at first diagnosis ranging from 0.3 to 16.6 years old.All these children presented with micropenis (100%), of whom 16 were complicated with cryptorchidism (59.3%), 9 with microrchidia (33.3%), 7 with simple micropenis (25.9%), and no had simple cryptorchidism.Three children had cardiovascular dysplasia.The median of basal luteinizing hormone(LH) level was 0.09 IU/L, and 92.5%(25/27) of children had the basal LH level below 1.00 IU/L.The median of peak LH level after gonadotropin-releasing hormone(GnRH) stimulation was 1.42 IU/L, and 96.2%(26/27) of children had the peak LH level below 4.00 IU/L.The median of serum inhibin B was 41.15 μg/L, and the median of serum anti-Müllerian hormone(AMH) was 12.62 mg/L.The serum AMH level of children with cryptorchidism was significantly lower than that of children without cryptorchidism (10.02 mg/L vs.50.50 mg/L, P<0.05). A total of 12 gene mutations were detected in the 27 children, of which 1 was biallelic mutation.The most common gene mutations were in CHD7 and ANOS1 genes (7 children each, both accounting for 51.8%), followed by FGFR1 gene (3 children, 11.1%). After short-term treatment by GnRH pump or subcutaneous injection of recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone in 4 children, the levels of serum inhibin B and AMH increased significantly, and the testicular volume also increased. Conclusions:CHH is a congenital disease with different clinical manifestations at different ages.The main manifestations in childhood are micropenis and cryptorchidism, and some children have microrchidia.Its diagnosis in prepuberty is difficult, but genetic testing is of great significance for early diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of postoperative complications in patients with spinal tuberculosis and analyze the value of prognostic nutritional index(PNI)in predicting these complications.Methods The clinical data of 156 patients with spinal tuberculosis who underwent surgery in the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 2018 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into a complication group and a non-complication group based on the presence or absence of postoperative complications.Baseline data,laboratory indicators,and surgery-related indicators were compared between the two groups.The risk factors for postoperative complications in spinal tuberculosis were analyzed,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive value of PNI for postoperative complications in the patients.Results Among all of 156 patients,68 contracted a total of 82 instances of postoperative complications,with an incidence of 43.59%.Coinfection with pulmonary tuberculosis,preoperative anti-tuberculosis treatment duration more than 4 weeks,surgical operation duration,and drainage days were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative complications in spinal tuberculosis(P<0.05).On the other hand,a higher PNI was found to be a protective factor against postoperative complications of the spinal tuberculosis(P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve for PNI predicting postoperative complications ofthe spinal tuberculosis was 0.805.Conclusion The risk of postoperative complications in patients with spinal tuberculosis is subject to such factors ascoexistence of pulmo-nary tuberculosis,preoperative anti-tuberculosis treatment duration,surgery duration,drainage duration,and preoperative PNI.Preoperative PNI has a certain value for predicting the postoperative complications in the patients.

Objective:To assess the applicability of fully automatic pipeline automated testing for internal quality control (automated quality control).Methods:Stability, assay efficiency and implementation costs of 18 biochemical tests, 5 immunoturbidimetric tests and 11 chemical illuminescent tests in the Department of Laboratory Medicine of Peking Union Hospital from January 2019 to July 2022 were evaluated using automated quality control implementation methods. The detailed method is as follows: quality control materials for biochemical, immunoturbidimetric and chemiluminescent tests were stored in the refrigerator in the pipeline which was controlled by the intermediate software, and were automatically retrieved and tested as pre-set followed by documenting and storing. The quality control setup for the biochemical tests included refreshing quality control materials daily and weekly,both of which were paralleled for 3 months. The on-line storage stability of quality control materials in the pipeline was evaluated by comparing the coefficients of variation ( CV) of the quality control results between the two patterns. Effect of automated quality control application was evaluated using 6 indicators, including the results′ variation of automatically performed and manually performed quality controls, the out-of-controlled rate, the consumption of quality control materials, the change of staff workload, the impact on the testing time of the first sample, and the failure rate of automated quality control. Results:(1) Storage stability of quality control materials in the pipeline: under the pattern of weekly refresh of the biochemical quality control materials, except for total carbon dioxide (TCO 2) (the CVs of low and high level quality control were respectively 20.24% and 21.82%) and sodium (the CV of low level quality control was 1.51%) that were greater than the allowable variation set by the laboratory, the CVs of the rest tests meet the lab requirements on the allowable variations. (2) The results′ variation of quality control in automatically performed and manually performed control patterns: in the patterns of daily refresh of biochemical quality control materials and weekly refresh of immunoturbidimetric and chemiluminescent quality control materials, the CVs of both low and high levels of quality control were lower in the automatically performed control pattern than that in manually performed pattern for 8 chemiluminescent items of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, serum ferritin, serum folic acid, vitamin B12 and testosterone, 3 immunologic items of complement 3, C reactive protein and immunoglobulin G, and 10 biochemical items of alkaline phosphatase, glucose, calcium, chloride, potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, sodium, urea, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and adenosine deaminase. The out-of-control rates of biochemistry, immunoturbidimetric and chemiluminescence tests in both quality control patterns conformed with the clinical routine work requirements. (3) Comparison of quality control materials′ consumption: compared with manually performed quality control, weekly consumption of automatically performed chemiluminescent quality control materials decreased 37.5% (from 8 ml to 5 ml); weekly consumption of automatically performed immunoturbidimetric quality control materials decreased 33.3% (from 3 ml to 2 ml). (4)Comparison of staff workload and first sample testing time: compared with manually performed quality control, automatical quality control reduced manual work by about 156 steps per week, and the daily initial testing time was earlier by 15 min on average. The failure rate was 54.5% (37/64) during the early-stage application of the automated quality control which dropped to 10.2% (13/128) in the late-stage. Conclusion:The results of automated quality control detected in the pipeline system meet the quality indicators′ requirements of the laboratory, and the application of automated quality control can improve the quality control, save costs, reduce workload, and improve work efficiency.

Objective To analyze the interaction between voriconazole(VRC)and immunosuppressants such as tacrolimus and cyclosporine and the effect of CYP2C19 gene polymorphism on the interaction and adverse reactions(ADR)based on the results of CYP2C19 gene polymorphism and therapeutic drug monitoring,so as to provide a basis for the development of individualized VRC combined with immunosuppressants.Methods Two-dimensional liquid chromatography and pyrosequencing was used to detect the concentration of VRC and the CYP2C19 gene pol-ymorphism,respectively.And the concentration of immunosuppressants was detected at the same time.The rela-tionship among CYP2C19 gene polymorphism,the concentration of VRC and immunosuppressant and ADR was an-alyzed.Results A total of 61 patients were enrolled in this study,and the mutation rates of CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 were 54.1％(33/61)and 9.84％(6/61),respectively.The concentrations of VRC in patients with extensive metabolism(EMs),intermediate metabolism(IMs)and poor metabolism(PMs)were(4.44±3.46),(3.62±3.02)and(10.05±1.46)μg/ml(P＜0.05),respectively.The concentration of tacrolimus af-ter combined with VRC significantly increased compared to tacrolimus alone[(13.4±9.2)ng/ml vs(6.5±3.6)ng/ml;P=0.002],and the concentration of tacrolimus increased along with an increasing of VRC concentration.The concentration of VRC in patients combined with tacrolimus was lower than that in patients without immunosup-pressants[(3.81±3.48)μg/ml vs(5.84±3.71)μg/ml;P=0.032].The concentration of VRC inpatients with cyclosporine significantly decreased(P＜0.01),while tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil had no signifi-cant effect on the concentration of VRC.45.90％(28/61)of the patients had adverse reactions,the concentration of VRC in patients with ADR was significantly higher than that in patients without ADR[(7.07±3.43)μg/ml vs(3.06±2.90)μg/ml;P＜0.001].And the concentration of VRC in patients with ADR was higher than patients without ADR with based on CYP2C19 genotype.Conclusion CYP2C19 gene polymorphism can significantly affect the concentration and adverse reactions of VRC,and VRC has significant interaction with immunosuppressants such as tacrolimus.CYP2C19 gene polymorphism combined with therapeutic drug monitoring can improve the individual-ized treatment of tacrolimus and voriconazole,and is expected to minimize toxicity and improve treatment effects.

Celastrol and wilforlide A are the main active triterpenoids of the traditional Chinese medicine Lei Gong Teng, which have anti-tumour, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities, and are the material basis for the clinical efficacy of Lei Gong Teng-related Chinese medicinal preparations. By analysing the biosynthetic pathway of active ingredients, optimizing genetic elements and utilizing "cell factory" to produce triterpenoids heterologously will be an effective way to obtain from Tripterygium wilfordii in the future in a "low-cost and high-efficient" manner. CYP712Ks are the first cytochrome P450s involved in the skeleton modification of friedelane-type and oleanane-type triterpenoids in T. wilfordii, and they can catalyse the generation of polpunonic acid from friedelin and 3-epi-katonic acid from β-amyrin by carboxylation at C-29 position. In this study, four multifunctional TwCYP712K1/2/3/5 were used to clarify the catalytic function and substrate selection preference using in vivo functional characterization in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The spatial structure of the protein-substrate binding was clarified through homology modeling and molecular docking, and then the differential amino acids in the active pocket of the protein were mutated to clarify the crucial amino acids determining the catalytic function and the selection of substrate structure. A total of 63 mutant elements were constructed, and the amino acid sites affecting the carboxylation function of TwCYP712Ks were analyzed. In particular, the key amino acids affecting the substrate selectivity of TwCYP712K2 towards oleanane-type and friedelane-type triterpenoids were revealed and the TwCYP712K2^F127I and TwCYP712K2^A227T mutants would result in a reversal of the product ratio. In conclusion, four proteins of TwCYP712Ks were semi-rationally designed by homologous protein alignment and mutual mutation to elucidate multiple amino acid sites determining the catalytic function of the proteins, and a series of activity-enhancing or altering mutants were obtained, which provide abundant catalytic elements for the biosynthesis of active triterpenoids from T. wilfordii, and the mechanism of carboxylation in the C-29 position was initially elucidated.

Objective:To compare the therapeutic effects of 0.05% cyclosporine and 0.1% fluorometholone eye drops in patients with moderate and severe dry eye.Methods:A randomized controlled study was conducted.Fifty-two patients (52 eyes) with moderate to severe dry eye in Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital from August 2021 to December 2022 were enrolled and randomly divided into 0.05% cyclosporine group and 0.1% fluorometholone group by random number table method, with 26 cases (26 eyes) in each group.Patients received 0.05% cyclosporine eye drops (2 times/day) and 0.1% fluorometholone eye drops (2 times/day) combined with calf blood deproteinized extract eye drops (4 times/day) according to the grouping.Before and 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment, clinical symptoms and signs were observed and Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) score, Schirmer Ⅰ test (SⅠT), non-invasive first tear film break-up time (NIBUTf), and conjunctival goblet cell (CGC) density were recorded.Before treatment and after 6 months of treatment, changes in corneal nerves and dendritic cells (DC) were observed by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Eye Hospital of Tianjin Medical University (No.2021KY-17).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject. Results:Compared with the 0.1% fluorometholone group, CFS score decreased after 1 month of treatment, but SⅠT, NIBUTf and CFS score increased after 3 months of treatment, and OSDI score, SⅠT and CFS score decreased after 6 months of treatment in the 0.05% cyclosporine group, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05).Compared with baseline, in the 0.05% cyclosporine group, NIBUTf increased and CFS score decreased after 1 month of treatment, OSDI score and CFS score decreased, SⅠT and NIBUTf increased after 3 and 6 months of treatment, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05).In the 0.1% fluorometholone group, CFS score decreased after 3 months of treatment, OSDI score and CFS score decreased, SⅠT increased after 6 months of treatment compared to baseline, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05).OSDI score and CFS score decreased, SⅠT increased after 6 months of treatment compared to 3 months of treatment in the 0.05% cyclosporine group, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05).Baseline and CGC densities after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment were (147.66±17.29), (195.44±15.46), (210.36±19.15) and (282.09±22.63)cells/mm 2 in the 0.05% cyclosporine group and (138.09±17.29), (95.67±15.46), (117.77±19.15) and (109.13±22.63)cells/mm 2 in the 0.1% fluorometholone group, respectively, with a statistically significant overall difference ( Fgroup=11.724, P<0.001; Ftime=4.837, P=0.005).Compared with the 0.1% fluorometholone group, CGC density in the 0.05% cyclosporine group increased after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment, with statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05).Compared with baseline, the CGC density increased in the 0.05% cyclosporine group after 1, 3 and 6 months of treatment, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05).Compared with the 0.1% fluorometholone group, the corneal nerve fiber density in the 0.05% cyclosporine group increased after 6 months of treatment, and corneal DC density, area and dendrite number decreased, showing statistically significant differences (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:Cyclosporine 0.05% eye drops combined with calf blood deproteinized extract eye drops can improve symptoms and signs in patients with moderate to severe dry eye, and the long-term effect is better than that of 0.1% fluorometholone plus calf blood deproteinized extract eye drops.

Background::Total human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA and integrated HIV DNA are widely used markers of HIV persistence. Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) can be used for absolute quantification without needing a standard curve. Here, we developed duplex ddPCR assays to detect and quantify total HIV DNA and integrated HIV DNA.Methods::The limit of detection, dynamic ranges, sensitivity, and reproducibility were evaluated by plasmid constructs containing both the HIV long terminal repeat (LTR) and human CD3 gene (for total HIV DNA) and ACH-2 cells (for integrated HIV DNA). Forty-two cases on stable suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) were assayed in total HIV DNA and integrated HIV DNA. Correlation coefficient analysis was performed on the data related to DNA copies and cluster of differentiation 4 positive (CD4 +) T-cell counts, CD8 + T-cell counts and CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio, respectively. The assay linear dynamic range and lower limit of detection (LLOD) were also assessed. Results::The assay could detect the presence of HIV-1 copies 100% at concentrations of 6.3 copies/reaction, and the estimated LLOD of the ddPCR assay was 4.4 HIV DNA copies/reaction (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 3.6-6.5 copies/reaction) with linearity over a 5-log 10-unit range in total HIV DNA assay. For the integrated HIV DNA assay, the LLOD was 8.0 copies/reaction (95% CI: 5.8-16.6 copies/reaction) with linearity over a 3-log 10-unit range. Total HIV DNA in CD4 + T cells was positively associated with integrated HIV DNA ( r = 0.76, P <0.0001). Meanwhile, both total HIV DNA and integrated HIV DNA in CD4 + T cells were inversely correlated with the ratio of CD4/CD8 but positively correlated with the CD8 + T-cell counts. Conclusions::This ddPCR assay can quantify total HIV DNA and integrated HIV DNA efficiently with robustness and sensitivity. It can be readily adapted for measuring HIV DNA with non-B clades, and it could be beneficial for testing in clinical trials.

Objective To investigate the improvement effect and mechanism of marmesin on cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease(AD)mice.Methods Fifty mice were randomly divided into five groups:blank group,model group,low-and high-dose marmesin groups and donepezil(positive drug)group,with 10 mice in each group.After 21 days of continuous administration,except for the blank group,the mice in other groups were given intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine to establish the AD model.Network pharmacology was used to construct the protein-protein interaction(PPI)network of common targets of marmesin in the treatment of AD,and gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis were performed to provide further research direction.The cognitive function of AD model mice was evaluated by Morris water maze,open field test and new object recognition test.Nissl staining was used to observe the damage of hippocampal neurons.The levels of acetylcholine(Ach),acetylcholine transferase(ChAT),acetylcholinesterase(AChE),reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA)and catalase(CAT)in hippocampus of mice were detected by kit.The protein expression levels of interleukin 6(IL-6),interleukin 1β(IL-1 β),tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(NRF2),silent information regulator homologous protein 3(SIRT3),Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1(KEAP1),quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1)and heme oxygenase 1(HO-1)in hippocampus were detected by Western Blot.Results Compared with the model group,the latency of Morris water maze test was significantly shortened in the high-dose marmesin group,the time of entering the target area in the open field new object test and the movement distance in the central area of the open field were prolonged,the number of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 regions was significantly increased,the levels of ChAT and Ach in the hippocampus were significantly increased,AChE level was significantly decreased,CAT level was significantly increased,ROS and MDA levels were significantly decreased,TNF-α expression level was decreased,SIRT3 and HO-1 expression levels were increased,and KE AP1 protein expression level was decreased,the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01 or P＜0.001).Conclusion Marmesin can effectively improve the learning and memory impairment of AD mice,and its mechanism may be related to the activation of NRF2/SIRT3 signaling pathway,thereby alleviating oxidative stress level and neuroinflammation,and repairing cholinergic neuron function.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.