This study explores whether the current external quality assessment (EQA) level and acceptable bias for basic semen analysis in China are clinically useful. We collected data of semen EQA from Andrology laboratories in the Hunan Province (China) in 2022 and searched for data in the published literature from January 2000 to December 2023 in China. On the basis of these data, we analyzed the coefficients of variation and acceptable biases of different quality control materials for basic semen analysis through robust statistics. We compared these findings with quality specifications based on biological variation from optimal, desirable, and minimum levels of bias to seek a unified and more suitable semen EQA bias evaluation standard for China's national conditions. Different sources of semen quality control material exhibited considerable variation in acceptable biases among laboratories, ranging from 8.2% to 56.9%. A total of 50.0% of the laboratories met the minimum quality specifications for progressive motility (PR), whereas 100.0% and 75.0% of laboratories met only the minimum quality specifications for sperm concentration and total motility (nonprogressive [NP] + PR), respectively. The Z value for sperm concentration and PR+NP was equivalent to the desirable performance specification, whereas the Z value for PR was equivalent only to the minimum performance specification. This study highlights the feasibility of operating external quality assessment schemes for basic semen analysis using quality specifications based on biological variation. These specifications should be unified among external quality control (EQC) centers based on biological variation.
Semen Analysis/standards* ; Humans ; China ; Male ; Quality Control ; Sperm Motility ; Sperm Count/standards*

In recent years, the development of host-acting antibacterial compounds has gradually become a hotspot in the field of anti-infection. Through research on the interaction mechanism between hosts and pathogenic bacteria, it has been found that the immune system is one of the key targets of host-acting antibacterial compounds. There is a communication system called the quorum sensing system in microorganisms, which mainly adjusts the structure of multi-microbial community and coordinates the group behavior. When the quorum sensing molecules secreted by microorganisms reach a threshold concentration, the quorum sensing system is activated and the overall gene expression of the microorganism is changed. In addition to regulating the density of microorganisms, quorum sensing molecules can also act as a link between pathogenic microorganisms and hosts, entering the host immune system and playing a role in affecting the morphological structure of immune cells, secreting cytokines, and inducing apoptosis, leading to host immune injury and causing host immune dysfunction.The key mechanism of 3-oxo-C12-HSL and other acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) molecules in the innate immune system has been extensively studied. The lipid solubility allows AHLs to pass through the plasma membrane of host immune cells easily and induce dissolution of lipid domains. Then, it acts through signaling pathways such as p38MAPK and JAK-STAT, further influencing the immune cell’s defense response to bacteria and potentially leading to cell apoptosis. Additionally, the human lactonase paraoxonase 2, which can degrade3-oxo-C12-HSL, has been found in macrophage. It acts as an immune regulator that promotes macrophage phagocytosis of pathogens and is hypothesized to have the ability to reduce bacterial resistance. The mechanism of quorum sensing molecules in the adaptive immune system is less studied, the current results suggest that 3-oxo-C12-HSL is closely related to the mitochondrial pathway in host immune cells. For example, 3-oxo-C12-HSL induces apoptosis of Jurkat cells by inhibiting the expression of three mitochondrial electron transport chain proteins; it can also trigger mitochondrial dysfunction and induce mast cell apoptosis through Ca²⁺ signaling.Among the quorum sensing molecules, the AHLs have the greatest impact on plant immune system. The different effects on plant resistance depends on the chain lengths of acyl groups in bacterial-produced AHLs. Short-chain AHLs (C4-HSL and C8-HSL) induce plant resistance to pathogenic bacteria mainly through the auxin pathway and jasmonic acid pathway. Long-chain AHL (3-oxo-C14-HSL) is commonly used in hosts against fungal pathogens by inducing stomata defense responses, and the reaction process is related to salicylic acid. Diffusible signal factor molecules also interfere with the stomatal immunity caused by pathogens. It may act through the formin nanoclustering-mediated actin assembly and MPK3 pathway to inhibit the innate immunity of Arabidopsis. In summary, AHLs induced different plant pathways and affects the plant-bacteria interactions to trigger plant immunity. As a quorum sensing molecule of fungi, farnesol has similar effects on host immunity as AHLs, such as stimulating cytokine secretion and activating an inflammatory response. It also plays a unique role on dendritic cell differentiation and maturation. In addition, studies have found that farnesol has a protective effect on autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which may be related to its effect on the composition of intestinal microorganisms of the host.Therefore, targeting the host immune system and quorum sensing molecules to develop antibacterial compounds can effectively inhibit the invasion of pathogens and subserve the host to resist the influence of pathogenic bacteria. This article will review the mechanism of host immune responses triggered by important quorum sensing molecules, aiming to explore the targets of host-acting antibacterial compounds and provide new directions for the prevention or treatment of causative infectious sources and the development of related drugs.

Objective:To prepare mesenchymal stem cells with antioxidant capacity (AO-MSC ) from human umbilical cords and evaluate its cell biological properties.Methods:In control group,mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) were isolated by digesting human umbilical cord Wharton's Jelly tissues with 0.2％ collagenase Ⅱ,and the released cells were collected and cultured in an animal serum-free culture medium.In AO-MSC group,incompletely collagenase Ⅱ-digested tissue debris were allowed to adhere to flusk flat bottoms and the AO-MSC was harvested by adherent culture. The conventional digestion and culture method was used as control.MSC colony forming ability was evaluated by fibroblast colony forming assay (CFU-F).MSC proliferative capacity was evaluated by CCK-8 assay.The MSC surface markers were detected by using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining.The adipogenic and osteogenic capacity of MSC was evaluated by multi-differentiation in vitro,and the mRNA expression of genes that control adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR );Moreover,the mRNA expression of antioxidant substances such as SOD-1,GSH,GAT,and NQO1 in MSC was also evaluated by RT-qPCR.Results:The AO-MSC isolated by this strategy reached a confluence of 80％-90％ at around 18 days and grew in a swirling pattern.Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining assays showed that CD73,CD29,CD105,CD90 were highly expressed and CD31,CD45,HLA-DR were scarcely expressed in AO-MSC.AO-MSC exhibited stronger self-renewal and differentiation ability compared to MSC.However,the in vitro adipogenic-osteogenic capacity of MSC in the control group was stronger than that of AO-MSC.RT-qPCR assay showed that AO-MSC expressed higher mRNA levels of antioxidant substances compared to MSC.Conclusion:Human AO-MSC is successfully prepared from human umbilical cord without animal serum.

Congenital bilateral absence of the vas deferens (CBAVD) is observed in 1%-2% of males presenting with infertility and is clearly associated with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations. CFTR is one of the most well-known genes related to male fertility. The frequency of CFTR mutations or impaired CFTR expression is increased in men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA). CFTR mutations are highly polymorphic and have established ethnic specificity. Compared with F508Del in Caucasians, the p.G970D mutation is reported to be the most frequent CFTR mutation in Chinese patients with cystic fibrosis. However, whether p.G970D participates in male infertility remains unknown. Herein, a loss-of-function CFTR p.G970D missense mutation was identified in a patient with CBAVD and NOA. Subsequent retrospective analysis of 122 Chinese patients with CBAVD showed that the mutation is a common pathogenic mutation (4.1%, 5/122), excluding polymorphic sites. Furthermore, we generated model cell lines derived from mouse testes harboring the homozygous Cftr p.G965D mutation equivalent to the CFTR variant in patients. The Cftr p.G965D mutation may be lethal in spermatogonial stem cells and spermatogonia and affect the proliferation of spermatocytes and Sertoli cells. In spermatocyte GC-2(spd)ts (GC2) Cftr p.G965D cells, RNA splicing variants were detected and CFTR expression decreased, which may contribute to the phenotypes associated with impaired spermatogenesis. Thus, this study indicated that the CFTR p.G970D missense mutation might be a pathogenic mutation for CBAVD in Chinese males and associated with impaired spermatogenesis by affecting the proliferation of germ cells.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Male ; Mutation, Missense ; Retrospective Studies ; Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator/genetics* ; Infertility, Male/genetics* ; Mutation ; Vas Deferens/abnormalities* ; Spermatogenesis/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To establish an intestinal organoid model that mimic acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) caused intestinal injuries by using aGVHD murine model serum and organoid culture system, and explore the changes of aGVHD intestine in vitro by advantage of organoid technology. METHODS: 20-22 g female C57BL/6 mice and 20-22 g female BALB/c mice were used as donors and recipients for bone marrow transplantation, respectively. Within 4-6 h after receiving a lethal dose (8.0 Gy) of γ ray total body irradiation, a total of 0.25 ml of murine derived bone marrow cells (1×10⁷/mice, n=20) and spleen nucleated cells (5×10⁶/mice, n=20) was infused to establish a mouse model of aGVHD (n=20). The aGVHD mice were anesthetized at the 7th day after transplantation, and the veinal blood was harvested by removing the eyeballs, and the serum was collected by centrifugation. The small intestinal crypts of healthy C57BL/6 mice were harvested and cultivated in 3D culture system that maintaining the growth and proliferation of intestinal stem cells in vitro. In our experiment, 5%, 10%, 20% proportions of aGVHD serum were respectively added into the organoid culture system for 3 days. The formation of small intestinal organoids were observed under an inverted microscope and the morphological characteristics of intestinal organoids in each groups were analyzed. For further evaluation, the aGVHD intestinal organoids were harvested and their pathological changes were observed. Combined with HE staining, intestinal organ morphology evaluation was performed. Combined with Alcian Blue staining, the secretion function of aGVHD intestinal organoids was observed. The distribution and changes of Lgr5⁺ and Clu⁺ intestinal stem cells in intestinal organoids were analyzed under the conditions of 5%, 10% and 20% serum concentrations by immunohistochemical stainings. RESULTS: The results of HE staining showed that the integrity of intestinal organoids in the 5% concentration serum group was better than that in the 10% and 20% groups. The 5% concentration serum group showed the highest number of organoids, the highest germination rate and the lowest pathological score among experimental groups, while the 20% group exhibited severe morphological destruction and almost no germination was observed, and the pathological score was the highest among all groups(t=3.668, 4.334,5.309,P<0.05). The results of Alican blue staining showed that the secretion function of intestinal organoids in serum culture of aGVHD in the 20% group was weaker than that of the 5% group and 10% of the organoids, and there was almost no goblet cells, and mucus was stainned in the 20% aGVHD serum group. The immunohistochemical results showed that the number of Lgr5⁺ cells of intestinal organoids in the 5% group was more than that of the intestinal organoids in the 10% aGVHD serum group and 20% aGVHD serum group. Almost no Clu⁺ cells were observed in the 5% group. The Lgr5⁺ cells in the 20% group were seriously injuried and can not be observed. The proportion of Clu⁺ cells in the 20% group significantly increased. CONCLUSION The concentration of aGVHD serum in the culture system can affect the number and secretion function of intestinal organoids as well as the number of intestinal stem cells in organoids. The higher the serum concentration, the greater the risk of organoid injury, which reveal the characteristics of the formation and functional change of aGVHD intestinal organoids, and provide a novel tool for the study of intestinal injury in aGVHD.
Mice ; Female ; Animals ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Stem Cells ; Organoids

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy and survival of venetoclax based (VEN-based) regimen in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia（AML）. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in patients who received VEN-based regimen and completed at least 1 course of efficacy evaluation at the The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from July 2019 to July 2022. The incidence of complete remission （CR）/CR with incomplete hematologic recovery （CRi） rate, objective remission rate（ORR） and survival of patients with different risk strati- fication and gene subtypes were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 79 patients were enrolled, including 43 patients with newly diagnosed unfit AML （unfit AML） and 36 relapsed/refractory AML (R/R AML). The median age of the patients was 62(14-83) years old. 36 out of 79 patients achieved CR/CRi and the ORR of the whole cohort was 64.6%. The CR/CRi rate of unfit AML patients was significantly higher than that of R/R AML patients (60.5% vs 27.8%, P=0.004). In unfit AML cohort, the patients with NPM1 and IDH1/2 mutations were benefited, 8 out of 9 patients ahcieved CR/CRi, 7/8 and 5/8 patients achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity, respectively. Six out of 9 patients with TET2 mutation achieved CR/CRi, 3/6 patients achieved MRD negativity. In R/R AML cohort, 2 out of 3 patients with RUNX1 mutation achieved CR/CRi, without MRD negative, while the CR/CRi rate of patients with other gene mutations was lower than 40%. The median follow-up time was 10.1(95%CI: 8.6-11.6) months. In whole cohort, the median overall survival (mOS) time was 9.1 months and the relapse free survival (RFS) time was not reached. The mOS and RFS of unfit AML patients were significantly longer than those of R/R AML patients (14.1 vs 6.8 months, P=0.013; not reached vs 3.3 months, P=0.000). In unfit AML cohort, the mOS of patients with NPM1 or IDH1/2 mutations was not reached, while that of patients without NPM1 or IDH1/2 mutations was 8.0 months (P=0.009; P=0.022). Furthermore, the mOS of patients with TP53 mutaion was significantly shorter than that of patients without TP53 mutation (5.2 vs 14.1 months， P=0.049). In R/R AML cohort, there was no significant difference in mOS between patients with mutation in each gene subtype and those without gene mutation (P>0.05). All patients had hematology adverse reactions, 91.1% patients had AE grade≥3. The most common non-hematology adverse reactions was infection, with an incidence of 91.1%. VEN-based regimen was tolerable for AML patients. CONCLUSION VEN-based regimen can achieve a high response rate, especially in unfit AML with acceptable safety, and some patients can achieve MRD negative. It is also effective in NPM1-, IDH1/2-positive patients with long survival time.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Retrospective Studies ; Nucleophosmin ; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/adverse effects* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Recurrence ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*

PURPOSE: This study aims to elucidate the electrotaxis response of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) in direct-current electric fields (EFs), explore the impact of EFs on the cell fate of AECs, and lay the foundation for future exploitation of EFs for the treatment of acute lung injury. METHODS: AECs were extracted from rat lung tissues using magnetic-activated cell sorting. To elucidate the electrotaxis responses of AECs, different voltages of EFs (0, 50, 100, and 200 mV/mm) were applied to two types of AECs, respectively. Cell migrations were recorded and trajectories were pooled to better demonstrate cellular activities through graphs. Cell directionality was calculated as the cosine value of the angle formed by the EF vector and cell migration. To further demonstrate the impact of EFs on the pulmonary tissue, the human bronchial epithelial cells transformed with Ad12-SV40 2B (BEAS-2B cells) were obtained and experimented under the same conditions as AECs. To determine the influence on cell fate, cells underwent electric stimulation were collected to perform Western blot analysis. RESULTS: The successful separation and culturing of AECs were confirmed through immunofluorescence staining. Compared with the control, AECs in EFs demonstrated a significant directionality in a voltage-dependent way. In general, type Ⅰ alveolar epithelial cells migrated faster than type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells, and under EFs, these two types of cells exhibited different response threshold. For type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cells, only EFs at 200 mV/mm resulted a significant difference to the velocity, whereas for, EFs at both 100 mV/mm and 200 mV/mm gave rise to a significant difference. Western blotting suggested that EFs led to an increased expression of a AKT and myeloid leukemia 1 and a decreased expression of Bcl-2-associated X protein and Bcl-2-like protein 11. CONCLUSION EFs could guide and accelerate the directional migration of AECs and exert antiapoptotic effects, which indicated that EFs are important biophysical signals in the re-epithelialization of alveolar epithelium in lung injury.
Humans ; Rats ; Animals ; Alveolar Epithelial Cells ; Lung ; Lung Injury ; Cell Movement/physiology*

Objective: To evaluate the effect of depth of remission of induction chemotherapy on the overall prognosis of limited stage small cell lung cancer (L-SCLC). Methods: The study was a retrospective, L-SCLC patients who contained complete imaging data and underwent consecutive standardized treatments at the Department of Thoracic Radiation and Medical Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between January 2013 and June 2021 were included. To delineate the volume of tumor before and after induction chemotherapy and to calculate the depth of remission caused by the induced chemotherapy. The time receiver operating characteristic (timeROC) method was used to determine the optimal predictors for prognosis, multi-factor analysis using Cox risk proportional model. Results: A total of 104 patients were included in this study. The median PFS and OS of this cohort were 13.7 months and 20.9 months, respectively. It was observed by timeROC analysis that residual tumor volume after induction chemotherapy had the optimal predictive value of PFS at 1 year (AUC=0.86, 95% CI: 0.78~0.94) and OS at 2 years (AUC=0.76, 95% CI: 0.65~0.87). Multivariate analysis showed residual tumor volume after induction chemotherapy was the independent prognostic factor to PFS (HR=1.006, 95% CI: 1.003~1.009, P<0.01) and OS (HR=1.009, 95% CI: 1.005~1.012, P<0.001). For those whose residual tumor volume remitted to less than 10 cm(3) after induction chemotherapy, the favorable long-term outcomes could be achieved, regardless of their initial tumor load. Conclusion: The depth of remission of induction chemotherapy could be a promising prognostic predictor to the L-SCLC and provide the individualized treatment guidance.
Humans ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/pathology* ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Prognosis

Objective To evaluate the effects of early exercise intervention in patients who have undergone primary isolated valve surgery. Methods Forty patients scheduled for mitral, aortic, and/or tricuspid valve surgery were allocated to receive a supervised exercise intervention consisting of cycling for 3 min/d at the bedside after operation (intervention group, n=20, mean age [49.05±3.728] years) or to receive no exercise intervention (control group, n=20, mean age [47.95 ± 3.214] years). Oxygen saturation (SpO2) was measured by pulse oximetry continuously before and after the 6-minute walk test. Psycho-educational counseling was provided, and patients were assessed using standard patient questionnaires. Results The arterial SpO2 level increased significantly in the intervention group after exercise compared with the control group (P<0.05). Heart rate returned to baseline in the intervention group postoperatively and was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions A small amount of supervised cycling exercise at the bedside is a safe activity that may improve peripheral arterial SpO2 and reduce heart rate to the baseline level following longer distance walk before discharge in patients who have undergone isolated valve surgery.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Biejiajian Wan （BJJW） on transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） of HepG2 cells， and explore its mechanism against EMT of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. MethodHepG2 cells were randomly divided into a blank group， a TGF-β₁ model group （10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁）， a low-dose BJJW group （10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁+0.55 g·kg^-1 BJJW）， a medium-dose BJJW group （10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁+1.1 g·kg^-1 BJJW）， a high-dose BJJW group （10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁+2.2 g·kg^-1 BJJW）， and a sorafenib group （10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁+0.03 g·kg^-1 sorafenib）. The EMT model was induced by 10 μg·L^-1 TGF-β₁ in HepG2 cells. After treatment with corresponding medicated serum， cell counting kit -8 （CCK-8） assay was used to detect cell proliferation. Cell migration ability was detected by the Transwell assay and wound healing assay. The protein expression related to EMT and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathway was detected by cell immunofluorescence assay and Western blot. ResultCompared with the blank group 4 days later， the TGF-β₁ model group showed fusiform and loose cells with widened gap and antennae reaching out， decreased protein expression of E-cadherin （P<0.05）， and increased protein expression of N-cadherin and vimentin （P<0.05）， which indicated that the EMT model was properly induced in HepG2 cells by TGF-β₁ stimulation for 4 days. After 48 hours of treatment with the corresponding medicated serum， each medication group showed inhibited proliferation of HepG2 cells that had undergone EMT， especially the low- and high-dose BJJW groups （P<0.01）， and the medium-dose BJJW group showed increased E-cadherin protein expression （P<0.05） and decreased p-p65， N-cadherin， and vimentin protein expression （P<0.05）， as compared with the TGF-β₁ model group. As revealed by the transwell assay and wound healing assay， TGF-β₁ enhanced the migration ability of HepG2 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01） compared with the results in the blank group， compared with the TGF-β₁ model group， the medication groups showed inhibited migration ability of HepG2 cells （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the TGF-β₁ model group promoted the expression of p65 and Snail into the nucleus. Compared with the TGF-β₁ model group， the medication groups inhibited the expression of p65 and Snail into the nucleus. ConclusionBJJW may inhibit the EMT， proliferation， and migration of HepG2 cells induced by TGF-β₁ by suppressing the NF-κB signaling pathway to exert an anti-hepatocellular carcinoma effect.