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 investigate the effects of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in coronary arteriosclerosis(AS)on the migration of stem cell antigen-1(Scal-1)and Nanog positive cells migration.Methods Ten atherosclerotic model mice and 10 normal mice were taken respectively,and the fresh hearts of the two groups were taken out,OCT embedding,frozen sections,HE staining and oil red O staining were performed respectively to observe the pathological changes of coronary arteries;Using immunohistochemical staining techniques,the expression changes of TNF-α,IL-6,Scal-1,and Nanog in the coronary artery wall were observed under light microscope.The ventricular tissue of 20 1-week-old mice was excised.Primary Scal-1 and Nanog positive cells were extracted using density gradient centrifugation,and these cells were purified and cultured.Immunofluorescence technology was used to identify the purity of Scal-1 and Nanog positive cells.Transwell migration experiments on passage 1(P1)cells was performed to observe the effects of different concentrations of inflammatory factors on the migration of Scal-1 and Nanog positive cells.Results The blood lipid test showed that the total cholesterol,triglycerides,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol of the model mice were significantly higher than those of the normal control group.Histological staining showed that all the mouse models had obvious coronary atherosclerosis plaque.Immunohistochemical staining results showed that the inflammatory factor TNF-α and IL-6 in atherosclerosis region were strong positive expression,while Scal-1 and Nanog positive cells in atherosclerotic plaques increased,compared to the normal group.The positive rate of Scal-1 in P1 generation cells was about 80％,The positive rate of Nanog was approximately 91％.The Transwell experiment showed that IL-6 had no effect on cell migration at low concentrations,but had an inhibitory effect on cell migration at high concentrations;Low concentrations TNF-α promoted cell migration with 0.5 μg/L TNF-α showing the most significant effection cell migration,and exhibiting inhibitory effects inhibit at high concentrations.Conclusion TNF-α and IL-6 inflammatory factors,Scal-1 and Nanog positive cells are all involved in the occurrence and development of AS,and the appropriate concentration of inflammatory factors can enhance the migration of stem cells to the coronary atherosclerosis region.

Objective:To observe the clinical phenotype of patients with CACNA1F gene variant. Methods:A retrospective clinical study. From January 1, 2022 to October 1, 2023, 36 patients with CACNA1F gene mutation-related eye diseases diagnosed by clinical examination and genetic testing in Changsha Aier Eye Hospital and Jinan Purui Eye Hospital were included in the study. All patients underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), medical optometry, fundus color photography, optical coherence tomography, full-field electroretinography (ERG), nystagmus examination, and genetic whole-exon sequencing. BCVA was performed using log visual acuity charts and converted to (logMAR). The nystagmus examination was performed using a helmet-mounted multifunctional video eye movement recording system. The clinical phenotypic characteristics were observed. Results:At total of 36 patients were male, aged was (6.69±5.26) years. There were 36 cases of myopia (38.89%, 14/36), and the spherical equivalent was (?3.01±4.84) D. There were 14 different genetic variants including 7 cases of pathogenic variants, 20 cases of suspected pathogenic variants and 9 cases of unknown pathogenic variants, respectively. logMAR BCVA was 0.67±0.27; 26 patients had optic nerve atrophy (72.22%, 26/36); 6 had optical nerve hypoplasia (16.67%, 6/36). Fundus pigment dysplasia with mild iris transillumination was found in 4 cases (11.11%, 4/36). There were 5 cases of foveal dysplasia (Thomas grade) 1 (13.89%, 5/36). In full-field ERG examination, the B-wave reduction of the maximum mixed reaction of dark adaptation showed a negative waveform, and the amplitude of the shock potential was seriously reduced. The main phenotypes were residual type (residual dark adaptation 0.01 reaction wave and bright adaptation 3.0 reaction wave, and the response decreased at 30 Hz to a double-peak wide wave), dominant type of bright adaptation decreased (all light adaptation extinguished, all dark adaptation extinguished), and total extinction type (all light adaptation extinguished). Among them, 10 cases presented with residual ERG (27.78%, 10/36), 8 cases with photopic reduced ERG (22.22%, 8/36) and 18 with extinguished ERG (50.00%, 18/36). Low amplitude and high frequency pendulum (PLAHF) nystagmus waverforms were found in 32 cases (88.89%, 32/36), head oscillation in 27 cases (75.00%, 27/36) and chin up abnormal head posture in 26 cases (72.22%, 26/36), respectively.Conclusions:CACNA1F Gene variant eye diseases had diverse clinical phenotype. Clinical phenotype of PLAHF nystagmus is closely related with CACNA1F gene variant eye disease.

Objective: Compare and analyze the results of the domestic Lanyi AH600 glycated hemoglobin analyzer and other different detection systems to understand the comparability of the detection results of different detectors, and establish the best cut point of Lanyi AH600 determination of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in the diagnosis of diabetes. Methods: Multi center cohort study was adopted. The clinical laboratory departments of 18 medical institutions independently collected test samples from their respective hospitals from March to April 2022, and independently completed comparative analysis of the evaluated instrument (Lanyi AH600) and the reference instrument HbA1c. The reference instruments include four different brands of glycosylated hemoglobin meters, including Arkray, Bio-Rad, DOSOH, and Huizhong. Scatter plot was used to calculate the correlation between the results of different detection systems, and the regression equation was calculated. The consistency analysis between the results of different detection systems was evaluated by Bland Altman method. Consistency judgment principles: (1) When the 95% limits of agreement (95% LoA) of the measurement difference was within 0.4% HbA1c and the measurement score was≥80 points, the comparison consistency was good; (2) When the measurement difference of 95% LoA exceeded 0.4% HbA1c, and the measurement score was≥80 points, the comparison consistency was relatively good; (3) The measurement score was less than 80 points, the comparison consistency was poor. The difference between the results of different detection systems was tested by paired sample T test or Wilcoxon paired sign rank sum test; The best cut-off point of diabetes was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: The correlation coefficient R² of results between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument in 16 hospitals is≥0.99; The Bland Altman consistency analysis showed that the difference of 95% LoA in Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Jiangsu Province (reference instrument: Arkray HA8180) was -0.486%-0.325%, and the measurement score was 94.6 points (473/500); The difference of 95% LoA in the Tibetan Traditional Medical Hospital of TAR (reference instrument: Bio-Rad Variant II) was -0.727%-0.612%, and the measurement score was 89.8 points; The difference of 95% LoA in the People's Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT) was -0.231%-0.461%, and the measurement score was 96.6 points; The difference of 95% LoA in the Taihe Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine in Anhui Province (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT) was -0.469%-0.479%, and the measurement score was 91.9 points. The other 14 hospitals, Lanyi AH600, were compared with 4 reference instrument brands, the difference of 95% LoA was less than 0.4% HbA1c, and the scores were all greater than 95 points. The results of paired sample T test or Wilcoxon paired sign rank sum test showed that there was no statistically significant difference between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument Arkray HA8180 (Z=1.665,P=0.096), with no statistical difference. The mean difference between the measured values of the two instruments was 0.004%. The comparison data of Lanyi AH600 and the reference instrument of all other institutions had significant differences (all P<0.001), however, it was necessary to consider whether it was within the clinical acceptable range in combination with the results of the Bland-Altman consistency analysis. The ROC curve of HbA1c detected by Lanyi AH600 in 985 patients with diabetes and 3 423 patients with non-diabetes was analyzed, the area under curve (AUC) was 0.877, the standard error was 0.007, and the 95% confidence interval 95%CI was (0.864, 0.891), which was statistically significant (P<0.001). The maximum value of Youden index was 0.634, and the corresponding HbA1c cut point was 6.235%. The sensitivity and specificity of diabetes diagnosis were 76.2% and 87.2%, respectively. Conclusion: Among the hospitals and instruments currently included in this study, among these four hospitals included Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital in Jiangsu Province (reference instrument: Arkray HA8180), Tibetan Traditional Medical Hospital of TAR (reference instrument: Bio-Rad Variant Ⅱ), the People's Hospital of Chongqing Liang Jiang New Area (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT), and the Taihe Hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine in Anhui Province (reference instrument: Huizhong MQ-2000PT), the comparison between Lanyi AH600 and the reference instruments showed relatively good consistency, while the other 14 hospitals involved four different brands of reference instruments: Arkray, Bio-Rad, DOSOH, and Huizhong, Lanyi AH600 had good consistency with its comparison. The best cut point of the domestic Lanyi AH600 for detecting HbA1c in the diagnosis of diabetes is 6.235%.
Pregnancy ; Child ; Humans ; Female ; Glycated Hemoglobin ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/diagnosis* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; ROC Curve

Severe periodontitis is the main cause of tooth loss in adults, with varying degrees of horizontal and vertical alveolar bone loss. In view of the complex alveolar bone defect, a suitable surgery planning should be made on the basis of fully nuderstanding the characteristics of alveolar bone defect in severe periodontitis and the key points of bone augmentation technique, so as to choose an appropriate method for reconstruction of alveolar bone and complete the implantation and restoration to ensure the integrity of dentition, which are important for the long-term stability of periodontal health. Based on clinical experiences and literature review, we summarizes the characteristics of alveolar bone loss in patients with severe periodontitis and the timing of implant placement after bone augmentation surgery, in order to provide reference for implant treatment of severe periodontitis.

Amyloidosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Biopsy ; Heart ; Humans

Objective: To study the effects of dihydromyricetin (DMY) on the proliferation, apoptosis and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cell KYSE150 and KYSE410. Methods: KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells were treated with different concentrations of DMY (0, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200 μmol/L) for 24 hours. The median inhibition concentration (IC₅₀) values of KYSE150 and KYSE410 were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method. Then 0.5‰ dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was used as control group, dihydromyricetin (DMY), dihydromyricetin and transforming growth factor-β1 (DMY+ TGF-β1), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were used as experimental group. Cell proliferation and apoptosis rates were measured by clonal formation and flow cytometry. Transwell invasion and wound healing assay were used to detect cell invasion and migration. The protein expression levels of Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax, Smad2/3, phosphorylation-Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and Vimentin were detected by western blot. Results: The IC₅₀ values of DMY on KYSE410 and KYSE150 cells were 100.51 and 101.27 μmol/L. The clone formation numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 in DMY group [(0.53±0.03) and (0.31±0.03)] were lower than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.10) and (1.00±0.05), P<0.05]. The apoptosis rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group [(1.84±0.22)% and (2.80±0.07)%] were higher than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.18)% and (1.00±0.07)%, P<0.05]. The invasion numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group [(0.42±0.03) and (0.29±0.05)] were lower than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.08) and (1.00±0.05), P<0.05]. The migration rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group [(0.65±0.14)% and (0.40±0.17)%] were lower than those in DMSO group [(1.00±0.10)% and (1.00±0.08)%, P<0.05]. The clone formation numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 in TGF-β1 group [(1.01±0.08) and (0.99±0.25)] were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(0.73±0.10) and (0.58±0.05), P<0.05]. The apoptosis rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group [(0.81±0.14)% and (1.18±0.10)%] were lower than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(1.38±0.22)% and (1.85±0.04)%, P<0.05]. The invasion numbers of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group [(1.19±0.11) and (1.39±0.11)] were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(0.93±0.09) and (0.93±0.05), P<0.05]. The migration rates of KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group [(1.87±0.19)% and (1.32±0.04)%] were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group [(0.86±0.16)% and (0.77±0.12)%, P<0.05]. The protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group were higher than those in DMSO group, while the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was lower than that in DMSO group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of p-Smad2/3, Smad2/3 and Vimentin in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY group were lower than those in DMSO group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group were lower than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group, and the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was higher than that in DMY+ TGF-β1 group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of Bax, Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in DMY+ TGF-β1 group were lower than those in DMY group, and the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was higher than that in DMY group (P<0.05). The protein expression levels of p-Smad2/3, Smad2/3 and Vimentin in KYSE150 and KYSE410 cells in TGF-β1 group were higher than those in DMY+ TGF-β1 group (P<0.05). Conclusion: DMY can inhibit the proliferation and EMT of ESCC mediated by TGF-β1 and promote cell apoptosis.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Caspase 9/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide/pharmacology* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Esophageal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ; Flavonols ; Humans ; Signal Transduction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/pharmacology* ; Vimentin/metabolism* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/pharmacology*

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*

Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides (MOO) are an oral drug approved in China for the treatment of depression in China. However, MOO is hardly absorbed so that their anti-depressant mechanism has not been elucidated. Here, we show that oral MOO acted on tryptophan → 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) → serotonin (5-HT) metabolic pathway in the gut microbiota. MOO could increase tryptophan hydroxylase levels in the gut microbiota which accelerated 5-HTP production from tryptophan; meanwhile, MOO inhibited 5-hydroxytryptophan decarboxylase activity, thus reduced 5-HT generation, and accumulated 5-HTP. The raised 5-HTP from the gut microbiota was absorbed to the blood, and then passed across the blood-brain barrier to improve 5-HT levels in the brain. Additionally, pentasaccharide, as one of the main components in MOO, exerted the significant anti-depressant effect through a mechanism identical to that of MOO. This study reveals for the first time that MOO can alleviate depression via increasing 5-HTP in the gut microbiota.

To evaluate the safety of the domestic 13-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccine-tetanus toxoid protein (PCV13-TT) after its licensure. The adverse event following immunization (AEFI) and the vaccination data of PCV13-TT in Zhejiang province from July 2020 to October 2021 were collected from national adverse event following immunization surveillance system and Zhejiang provincial immunization information system. Descriptive epidemiological method was used for this analysis. From July 2020 to October 2021, 302 317 doses of PCV13-TT were administered in children under 6 years old in Zhejiang Province and 636 AEFI case reports were received, with a reporting rate of 21.04 per 10 000 doses. Of these AEFI cases, 97.17% were mild vaccine product-related reaction (20.54 per 10 000 doses) and 95.44% occurred in the 0-1 d after vaccination (20.08 per 10 000 doses). The most common clinical diagnoses of AEFI included fever (224 cases), redness (204 cases), and induration (190 cases), while allergic rash (11 cases) was the most common diagnosis among the abnormal reactions. In conclusion,the present results bolstered that the domestic PCV13-TT was generally well tolerated in children under 6 years old in Zhejiang Province.
Child ; Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Vaccines, Conjugate/adverse effects* ; Pneumococcal Vaccines/adverse effects* ; Vaccination ; Immunization ; Polysaccharides