Polycystin-2 (also known as PC2, TRPP2, PKD2) is a major contributor to the underlying etiology of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), which is the most prevalent monogenic kidney disease in the world. As a transient receptor potential (TRP) channel protein, PC2 exhibits cation-permeable, Ca²⁺-dependent channel properties, and plays a crucial role in maintaining normal Ca²⁺ signaling in systemic physiology, particularly in ADPKD chronic kidney disease. Structurally, PC2 protein consists of six transmembrane structural domains (S1-S6), a polycystin-specific “tetragonal opening for polycystins” (TOP) domain located between the S1 and S2 transmembrane structures, and cytoplasmic N- and C-termini. Although the cytoplasmic N-terminus and C-terminus of PC2 may not be significant in the gating of PC2 channels, there is still much protein structural information that needs to be thoroughly investigated, including the regulation of channel function and the assembly of homotetrameric ion channels. This is further supported by the presence of human disease-associated mutation sites on the PC2 structure. Moreover, PC2 synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum is enriched in specific subcellular localization via membrane transport and can assemble itself into homotetrameric ion channels, as well as form heterotrimeric receptor-ion channel complexes with other proteins. These complexes are involved in a wide range of physiological functions, including the regulation of mechanosensation, cell polarity, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. In particular, PC2 assembles with chaperone proteins to form polycystic protein complexes that affect Ca²⁺ transport in cell membranes, cilia, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria, and are involved in activating cell fate-related signaling pathways, particularly cell differentiation, proliferation, survival, and apoptosis, and more recently, autophagy. This leads to a shift of cystic cells from a normal uptake, quiescent state to a pathologically secreted, proliferative state. In conclusion, the complex structural and functional roles of PC2 highlight its critical importance in the pathogenesis of ADPKD, making it a promising target for therapeutic intervention.

Objective Studies on the relationship between iodine,vitamin A(VA),and vitamin D(VD)and thyroid function are limited.This study aimed to analyze iodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)status and their possible relationships with VA,VD,and other factors in postpartum women. Methods A total of 1,311 mothers(896 lactating and 415 non-lactating)from Hebei,Zhejiang,and Guangxi provinces were included in this study.The urinary iodine concentration(UIC),TSH,VA,and VD were measured. Results The median UIC of total and lactating participants were 142.00 μg/L and 139.95 μg/L,respectively.The median TSH,VA,and VD levels in all the participants were 1.89 mIU/L,0.44 μg/mL,and 24.04 ng/mL,respectively.No differences in the UIC were found between lactating and non-lactating mothers.UIC and TSH levels were significantly different among the three provinces.The rural UIC was higher than the urban UIC.Obese mothers had a higher UIC and a higher prevalence of excessive TSH.Higher UICs and TSHs levels were observed in both the VD deficiency and insufficiency groups than in the VD-sufficient group.After adjustment,no linear correlation was observed between UIC and VA/VD.No interaction was found between vitamins A/D and UIC on TSH levels. Conclusion The mothers in the present study had no iodine deficiency.Region,area type,BMI,and VD may be related to the iodine status or TSH levels.

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the bacterial communities of biting midges and ticks collected from three sites in the Poyang Lake area,namely,Qunlu Practice Base,Peach Blossom Garden,and Huangtong Animal Husbandry,and whether vectors carry any bacterial pathogens that may cause diseases to humans,to provide scientific basis for prospective pathogen discovery and disease prevention and control. Methods Using a metataxonomics approach in concert with full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and operational phylogenetic unit(OPU)analysis,we characterized the species-level microbial community structure of two important vector species,biting midges and ticks,including 33 arthropod samples comprising 3,885 individuals,collected around Poyang Lake. Results A total of 662 OPUs were classified in biting midges,including 195 known species and 373 potentially new species,and 618 OPUs were classified in ticks,including 217 known species and 326 potentially new species.Surprisingly,OPUs with potentially pathogenicity were detected in both arthropod vectors,with 66 known species of biting midges reported to carry potential pathogens,including Asaia lannensis and Rickettsia bellii,compared to 50 in ticks,such as Acinetobacter lwoffii and Staphylococcus sciuri.We found that Proteobacteria was the most dominant group in both midges and ticks.Furthermore,the outcomes demonstrated that the microbiota of midges and ticks tend to be governed by a few highly abundant bacteria.Pantoea sp7 was predominant in biting midges,while Coxiella sp1 was enriched in ticks.Meanwhile,Coxiella spp.,which may be essential for the survival of Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann,were detected in all tick samples.The identification of dominant species and pathogens of biting midges and ticks in this study serves to broaden our knowledge associated to microbes of arthropod vectors. Conclusion Biting midges and ticks carry large numbers of known and potentially novel bacteria,and carry a wide range of potentially pathogenic bacteria,which may pose a risk of infection to humans and animals.The microbial communities of midges and ticks tend to be dominated by a few highly abundant bacteria.

Objective To investigate the reliability and validity of the assessment tools of Brief ICF Core Sets for Arthroplasty of Knee Osteoarthritis in Perioperative Period(ICSAKOPP). Methods From May,2022 to April,2023,320 patients undergoing knee arthroplasty were selected in Peking University Third Hospital,China-Japan Friendship Hospital,Peking University First Hospital and Chinese PLA General Hospital.Trained assessors used Brief ICSAKOPP to evaluate all enrolled patients before arthroplasty,three days(±one day)after arthroplasty,three weeks(±one week)after arthroplasty,and three months(±one month)after ar-throplasty.Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC)scores were recorded at the same time.Five professionals were asked to score all the items of Brief ICSAKOPP,and the content validity index(CVI)was caculated. Results A total of 64 cases were dropped down.CVI of all the items of the Brief ICSAKOPP were above 0.8,with a av-erage CVI of the scale of 0.938.The Cronbach's α coefficient of the Brief ICSAKOPP was 0.813.There was a moderate correlation(r=0.681,P<0.001)between the overall Brief ICSAKOPP and WOMAC scores,as well as body functional dimension score(r=0.668,P<0.001)and activities and participation dimension score(r=0.657,P<0.001). Conclusion Brief ICSAKOPP is good in content validity,internal consistency reliability and criterion validity.

The occurrence of benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH)was related to disrupted sex steroid hormones,and metformin(Met)had a clinical response to sex steroid hormone-related gynaecological disease.How-ever,whether Met exerts an antiproliferative effect on BPH via sex steroid hormones remains unclear.Here,our clinical study showed that along with prostatic epithelial cell(PEC)proliferation,sex steroid hormones were dysregulated in the serum and prostate of BPH patients.As the major contributor to dysregulated sex steroid hormones,elevated dihydrotestosterone(DHT)had a significant positive rela-tionship with the clinical characteristics of BPH patients.Activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)by Met restored dysregulated sex steroid hormone homeostasis and exerted antiproliferative effects against DHT-induced proliferation by inhibiting the formation of androgen receptor(AR)-mediated Yes-associated protein(YAP1)-TEA domain transcription factor(TEAD4)heterodimers.Met's anti-proliferative effects were blocked by AMPK inhibitor or YAP1 over-expression in DHT-cultured BPH-1 cells.Our findings indicated that Met would be a promising clinical therapeutic approach for BPH by inhibiting dysregulated steroid hormone-induced PEC proliferation.

Objective: To explore mental health status of vocational college students and its association with physical exercise and exercise motivation, so as to provide data support for the promotion of physical exercise, exercise motivation theory and the protection of mental health among vocational college students. Methods: From June 2 to July 2, 2023, a convenience sampling method was used to select 1 763 college students from three vocational colleges in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou for the survey. Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), Motives for Physical Activities Measure-Revised (MPAM-R), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Flourishing Scale (FS) were used to assess physical exercise, exercise motivation, depressive symptoms and flourishing levels of vocational college students. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between physical exercise, exercise motivation, depression as the negative indicator of mental health and flourishing as the positive indicator of mental health. Results: There were negative correlations between physical exercise, exercise motivation and their five factors with depression scores among vocational college students ( r=-0.162--0.133, P <0.01). Physical exercise, health motivation and pleasure motivation were positively correlated with flourishing and its eight factors among vocational college students ( r= 0.054 -0.099, P <0.05). Depression scores and flourishing scores varied significantly across students with different levels of physical exercise and exercise motivation ( F=11.18-15.69, 2.80-16.05, P <0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that physical exercise, health motivation, and total exercise motivation scores were negatively correlated with depressive symptoms ( β = -0.02 , -0.11, -0.35), and physical exercise, health motivation, pleasure motivation, and total exercise motivation scores were positively correlated with flourishing ( β =0.31, 0.32, 0.50, 0.30) ( P <0.05). Conclusions Physical exercise and exercise motivation are significantly associated with mental health of vocational college students. Enhancing physical exercise and increasing exercise motivation in aspects of health and pleasure can promote mental health of vocational college students.

Objective:To explore the onset characteristics and pathophysiological changes of simple liver cyst in Beijing.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was used. The physical examination data of Department of Health Management of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University for 10 years from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2021 were analyzed. Selected clinical data of 37 389 subjects with 2 or more repeated ultrasound examinations, including 17 759 males, 19 630 females, aged (44.4±16.2) years, ranged from 22-103 years. 3 431 cases hepatic cyst were confirmed by repeated ultrasound examination, the data of the liver cyst formation after the same physical examination were the study group ( n=3 431), and the data before cyst formation were the control group ( n=3 431). The observation indicators included: (1) the epidemiological characteristics of liver cysts; (2) the age distribution of the incidence of liver cysts; (3) the gender distribution of the incidence of liver cysts; (4) the pathophysiological changes of liver cysts.Measurement data of normal distribution were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( ± s). The measurement data of skewed distribution were expressed as M ( Q1, Q3), using Wilcoxon signed rank sum test for comparing groups and chi-square test for comparing count data. The factors associated with hepatic cyst pathogenesis were summarized by multivariate Logistic regression. Results:The overall incidence of hepatic cysts was 9.18%, 9.78% in males, 8.63% in females, and the incidence of males was greater than that of females. The incidence of males over 70 to 79 years old decreased slightly, and the incidence in males and females in the other age groups increased with age.Results of multivariate Logistic analysis showed age ( OR=1.01, 95% CI: 1.01-1.02, P<0.01), waist circumference( OR=1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.02, P<0.01), systolic blood pressure ( OR=1.00, 95% CI: 0.99-1.00, P=0.013), ALT ( OR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.98-1.00, P<0.01), AST ( OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.02-1.04, P<0.01), triglyceride lipids ( OR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.86-0.95, P<0.01), HDL( OR=0.71, 95% CI: 0.60-0.83, P<0.01), uric acid ( OR=1.00, 95% CI: 1.00-1.00, P<0.01), creatinine ( OR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.99-0.99, P<0.01) were the factors influencing the occurrence of liver cysts. Conclusions:The incidence of liver cysts increased linearly with age, and the incidence of males was greater than that of females. Age, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, ALT, AST, triglycerides, HDL, uric acid, and creatinine may interact with the occurrence and development of liver cysts.

Background and aim:Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI)is a significant challenge in liver trans-plantation,trauma,hypovolemic shock,and hepatectomy,with limited effective interventions available.This study aimed to investigate the role of leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2(LECT2)in hepatic IRI and assess the therapeutic potential of Lect2-short hairpin RNA(shRNA)delivered through adeno-associated virus(AAV)vectors. Materials and methods:This study analyzed human liver and serum samples from five patients under-going the Pringle maneuver.Lect2-knockout and C57BL/6J mice were used.Hepatic IRI was induced by clamping the hepatic pedicle.Treatments included recombinant human LECT2(rLECT2)and AAV-Lect2-shRNA.LECT2 expression levels and serum biomarkers including alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),creatinine,and blood urea nitrogen(BUN)were measured.Histological analysis of liver necrosis and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction were performed. Results:Serum and liver LECT2 levels were elevated during hepatic IRI.Serum LECT2 protein and mRNA levels increased post reperfusion.Lect2-knockout mice had reduced weight loss;hepatic necrosis;and serum ALT,AST,creatinine,and BUN levels.rLECT2 treatment exacerbated weight loss,hepatic necrosis,and serum biomarkers(ALT,AST,creatinine,and BUN).AAV-Lect2-shRNA treatment significantly reduced weight loss,hepatic necrosis,and serum biomarkers(ALT,AST,creatinine,and BUN),indicating thera-peutic potential. Conclusions:Elevated LECT2 levels during hepatic IRI increased liver damage.Genetic knockout or shRNA-mediated knockdown of Lect2 reduced liver damage,indicating its therapeutic potential.AAV-mediated Lect2-shRNA delivery mitigated hepatic IRI,offering a potential new treatment strategy to enhance clinical outcomes for patients undergoing liver-related surgeries or trauma.

Objective To construct the demand model of four types of medical resources including beds in hospi-tal,beds in intensive care unit(ICU),ventilators and medical human resources during the major infectious disease epidemic events,simulate and analyze the treatment of infectious diseases when different medical resources are in short supply.Methods Based on the susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered(SEIR)model,considering the infec-tivity of infected persons,the susceptibility of the population and the immunity of convalescents,the characteristics of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and different clinical types,the"COVID-19 infection-hospitalization model"was constructed.By collecting and setting the parameters of disease transmission,clinical course and medical re-source shortage scenarios,an analysis model of allocation and supply of urban medical resources during infectious di-sease epidemic events was initially formed based on Anylogic platform,the supply and demand of medical resources during infectious disease events in different scenarios were analyzed.Results In the non-intervention scenario,the peak time of bed demand was on the 107th day,and the peak value was 160.92 beds per thousand people;the peak time of ventilator demand was on the 122nd day,and the peak value was 5.61 units per thousand people;the peak time of ICU bed demand was on the 117th day,and the peak value was 12.78 beds per thousand people;the peak time of the demand for medical human resources was on the 109th day,and the peak value was 151.12 persons per thousand persons.The simulation results suggested that there were some differences in the impact of different medi-cal resources on the outcome of medical treatment.Conclusion This study constructs an analytical tool for the allo-cation and supply of urban medical resources under the epidemic events of infectious diseases,and the results of mul-tiple simulation experiments suggest that bed resources and medical human resources play more important roles in the outcome of medical treatment.

Objective To determine the appropriate time to perform laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC)for acute calculous cholecystitis.Methods The clinical data of 125 patients with acute calculous cholecystitis who underwent LC between Jan.2018 and Dec.2021 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the interval time from symptom onset to operation,all patients were divided into 2 groups:immediate group(43 cases)who underwent LC within 24 hours and delayed group(82 cases)who underwent LC in 25-72 h.The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,conversion to laparotomy,postoperative complications,postoperative hospitalization days and hospitalization expenses between the two groups were compared.Results The operation time,intraoperative blood loss of immediate group were lower than those of delayed group[50(45,65)min vs 65(55,95)min,10(10,20)ml vs 20(10,30)ml,P＜0.05].There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to incision infection,bile leak and biliary duct injury(4.7％vs13.4％,2.3％vs 2.4％,2.3％vs 1.2％,P＞0.05),but the total rate of postoperative complications in immediate group reduced significantly(9.3％vs 29.3％,P＜0.05).No mortality occurred in either group.Both of postoperative hospitalization days and direct medical costs reduced in immediate group[5(5,7)d vs 7(6,7)d,6 503(6 231,7 749)yuan vs 7 056(6 448,9 105)yuan,P＜0.05].Conclusion LC for the operable patient with acute calculous cholecystitis,during 24 h from onset of symptom,significantly reduced the operation time,intraoperative blood loss and postoperative hospital stay without increasing the rate of bile leak and biliary duct injury.