Objective To investigate the differences and the immunocompatibility of wild-type (WT), four-gene modified (TKO/hCD55) and six-gene modified (TKO/hCD55/hCD46/hTBM) pig erythrocytes with human serum. Methods The blood samples were collected from 20 volunteers with different blood groups. WT, TKO/hCD55, TKO/hCD55/hCD46/hTBM pig erythrocytes, ABO-compatible (ABO-C) and ABO-incompatible (ABO-I) human erythrocytes were exposed to human serum of different blood groups, respectively. The blood agglutination and antigen-antibody binding levels (IgG, IgM) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity were detected. The immunocompatibility of two types of genetically modified pig erythrocytes with human serum was evaluated. Results No significant blood agglutination was observed in the ABO-C group. The blood agglutination levels in the WT and ABO-I groups were higher than those in the TKO/hCD55 and TKO/hCD55/hCD46/hTBM groups (all P<0.001). The level of erythrocyte lysis in the WT group was higher than those in the ABO-C, TKO/hCD55 and TKO/hCD55/hCD46/hTBM groups. The level of erythrocyte lysis in the ABO-I group was higher than those in the TKO/hCD55 and TKO/hCD55/hCD46/hTBM groups (both P<0.01). The pig erythrocyte binding level with IgM and IgG in the TKO/hCD55 group was lower than those in the WT and ABO-I groups. The pig erythrocyte binding level with IgG and IgM in the TKO/hCD55/hCD46/hTBM group was lower than that in the WT group and pig erythrocyte binding level with IgG was lower than that in the ABO-I group (all P<0.05). Conclusions The immunocompatibility of genetically modified pig erythrocytes is better than that of wild-type pigs and close to that of ABO-C pigs. Humanized pig erythrocytes may be considered as a blood source when blood sources are extremely scarce.

Objective To explore the effect of circular RNA(circRNA)transcription factor 25(TCF25)-targeting microRNA-128b(miR-128b)on the proliferation and apoptosis of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.Methods MCF-7 cells were cultured until the loga-rithmic growth stage.Cells were randomly divided into the blank(untransfected),si-NC(transfected si-NC),si-circRNA TCF25(transfected si-circRNA TCF25),pcDNA-circRNA TCF25(transfected pcDNA-circRNA TCF25),miR-NC(transfected miR-NC),miR-128b mimic(transfected miR-128b mimic),miR-128b inhibitor(transfected miR-128b inhibitor),and pcDNA-circRNA TCF25+miR-128b mimic(transfected with pcDNA-circRNA TCF25 and miR-128b mimic)groups.Each group included six multiple pores.Forty-eight hours after transfection,the expression of circRNA TCF25 and miR-128b in each group was determined using real-time reverse transcription-quanti-tative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR).An RNase R enzyme digestion assay was used to identify circular RNA.Subcellular locali-zation of circRNA TCF25 was determined through cytoplasmic-nuclear separation.Cell proliferative activity was measured using the 2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide(MTT)assay.Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry.RT-qPCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN),proliferating nuclear antigen 67(Ki-67),andcaspase-3.Western blotting was performed to measure PTEN,Ki-67,caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression.The dual-luciferase reporter(DLR)assay was performed to analyze the relationship between circRNA TCF25 and miR-128b.Results Compared to the control group,the relative expression of circRNA TCF25 did not exhibit significant changes after RNase R enzyme treatment(P＞0.05),whereas that of linear TCF25 decreased after RNase R enzyme treatment(P＜0.05).The relative expression of circRNA TCF25 in the cytoplasm was higher than that in the nucleus(P＜0.05).Compared with the blank and si-NC groups,the cell proliferation activity of the si-circRNA TCF25 group decreased;the apoptosis rate increased;Ki-67mRNA and protein expression decreased;and PTEN,caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-3mRNA and protein expression increased.In addition,cell proliferation activity increased and apoptosis rate decreased in the pcDNA-circRNA TCF25 group.Ki-67 mRNA and protein expression were increased,and PTEN,caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-3 mRNA and protein expression decreased,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).Compared with the blank and miR-NC groups,the cell proliferation activity of the miR-128b mimic group decreased;the apoptosis rate increased;Ki-67mRNA and protein expression decreased;and PTEN,caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-3 mRNA and protein expression were increased,whereas the cell proliferation activity increased and apoptosis rate decreased in the miR-128b inhibitor group.Ki-67mRNA and protein expression were increased,and PTEN,caspase-3,and cleavedcaspase-3mRNA and protein expression decreased,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).Compared with the pcDNA circRNA TCF25 group,the cell proliferation activity of the pcDNA circRNA TCF25+miR-128b mimic group decreased;the apoptosis rate increased;Ki-67mRNA and protein expression decreased;and PTEN,caspase-3,and cleavedcaspase-3mRNA and protein expression increased,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).The DLR assay results confirmed that circRNA TCF25 targets miR-128b.Conclusion CircRNAs may play a key role in promoting the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and inhibiting their apoptosis by targeting miR-128b expression;promoting Ki-67 expression;and inhibiting PTEN,caspase-3,and cleaved caspase-3 expression.

Objective To investigate the activated phenotype and the expression of the receptor of advanced glycation endproducts(RAGE)of astrocytes after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD)in neonatal rats and the effects of gastrodin(GAS)intervention on them.Methods Totally 48 neonatal 3 days SD rats were used to construct HIBD model and randomly divided into sham group,HIBD group and HIBD+GAS group(100 mg/kg),and the expressions of Al type astrocyte marker C3,A2 type astrocyte marker S100A10,RAGE,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF),and insulin-like growth factor(IGF-1)in the corpus callosum of the ischemic side were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining on day 1 and day 3 after HIBD.TNC-1 cells were divided into control group,oxygen glucose deprivation(OGD)group,OGD+GAS(0.34 mmol/L)group and GAS group,and then the protein expressions of RAGE,TNF-α,BDNF and IGF-1 were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence.Results In vivo,Western blotting showed that compared with the sham group,the protein expression levels of C3,S100A10,RAGE,TNF-α and IGF-1 in the 1 day and 3 days groups after HIBD group in 1 day group were significantly higher than those in the sham group(P＜0.05),but the protein expression level of BDNF decreased in 1 day group and increased in 3 days group(P＜0.05).Compared with the HIBD group,the C3,RAGE and TNF-α protein expression levels were significantly attenuated in the HIBD+GAS group(P＜0.05),and the protein expression levels of BDNF and IGF-1 further increased(P＜0.05).The protein expression of S100A10 in the 3 days group was higher than that in the HIBD group after GAS treatment(P＜0.05).The immunohistochemical staining results of C3,S100A10,and RAGE in the 1 day and 3 days groups after HIBD were consistent with Western blotting results.Furthermore,the protein expressions of RAGE and TNF-α were significantly enhanced in OGD-stimulated astrocytes(P＜0.05).After GAS intervention,while the expressions of both RAGE and TNF-α decreased significantly(P＜0.05),the expressions of BDNF and IGF-1 increased significantly(P＜0.05).Conclusion With inhibiting the up-regulation of RAGE signal in astrocyte after HIBD and expressions of A1 astrocyte and neuroinflammatory factors,gastrodin can promot the expressions of A2 astrocyte and nutritional factors,which play an important role in neuro-protective effect.

Objective To investigate the advantages and efficacy of traction with titanium clips in endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD)for large laterally spreading tumor(LST)in rectum and sigmoid colon.Methods 67 patients with large sigmoid or rectal LST underwent ESD from January 2018 to June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively,including 32 patients in Group A and 35 patients in Group B.Group A was treated with clip-line traction and group B was treated with traditional ESD.The size of lesion,the total operation time,the submucosal dissection time,submucosal dissection rate,submucosal injection number,en bloc resection rate,R0 resection rate,curative resection rate and complications of the two groups were compared.Results LST-G-M was the most common type and villous adenoma was the main pathology in both groups.There were no differences in en bloc resection rate,R0 resection rate and incidence of complications between the two groups.The average size of group A was(13.6±8.4)cm2,significantly larger than that in group B(9.3±4.7)cm2,the total operation time was(42.3±10.3)min in group A,significantly shorter than that in group B(47.9±10.1)min,submucosal dissection time was(30.7±8.2)min in group A,significantly shorter than that in group B(36.1±7.6)min,submucosal injection number was(2.7±1.1)times in group A,significantly less than that in group B(3.5±1.2)times,submucosal dissection rate was(0.4±0.2)cm2/min in group A,significantly faster than that in group B(0.2±0.1)cm2/min,the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Compared with traditional ESD,clip-line traction can provide a better surgical field and more effective dissection for large LST in rectum and sigmoid colon.

This study aimed to investigate the effect and molecular mechanism of sinomenine on proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and combination with inhibitors in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and SK-HEP-1 cells. The effect of sinomenine on the growth ability of HepG2 and SK-HEP-1 cells were investigated by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, and BeyoClick~(TM) EdU-488 staining. The effect of sinomenine on DNA damage was detected by immunofluorescence assay, and the effect of sinomenine on apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells was clarified by Hoechst 33258 staining and CellEvent~(TM) Cystein-3/7Green ReadyProbes~(TM) reagent assay. Cell invasion assay and 3D tumor cell spheroid invasion assay were performed to investigate the effect of sinomenine on the invasion ability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro. The effect of sinomenine on the regulation of protein expression related to the protein kinase B(Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) signaling pathway in HepG2 and SK-HEP-1 cells was examined by Western blot. Molecular docking was used to evaluate the strength of affinity of sinomenine to the target cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3(caspase-3) and STAT3, and combined with CCK-8 assay to detect the changes in cell viability after combination with STAT3 inhibitor JSI-124 in combination with CCK-8 assay. The results showed that sinomenine could significantly reduce the cell viability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in a concentration-and time-dependent manner, significantly inhibit the clonogenic ability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, and weaken the invasive ability of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro. In addition, sinomenine could up-regulate the cleaved level of poly ADP-ribose polymerase(PARP), a marker of apoptosis, and down-regulate the protein levels of p-Akt, p-mTOR, and p-STAT3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Molecular docking results showed that sinomenine had good affinity with the targets caspase-3 and STAT3, and the sensitivity of sinomenine to hepatocellular carcinoma cells was diminished after STAT3 was inhibited. Therefore, sinomenine can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and induce apoptosis, and the mechanism may be attributed to the activation of caspase-3 signaling and inhibition of the Akt/mTOR/STAT3 pathway. This study can provide a new reference for the in-depth research and clinical application of sinomenine and is of great significance to further promote the scientific development and utilization of sinomenine.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Caspase 3/metabolism* ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Sincalide/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Hep G2 Cells ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Apoptosis

Approximately 140 million people worldwide are homozygous carriers of APOE4 (ε4), a strong genetic risk factor for late onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD), 91% of whom will develop AD at earlier age than heterozygous carriers and noncarriers. Susceptibility to AD could be reduced by targeted editing of APOE4, but a technical basis for controlling the off-target effects of base editors is necessary to develop low-risk personalized gene therapies. Here, we first screened eight cytosine base editor variants at four injection stages (from 1- to 8-cell stage), and found that FNLS-YE1 variant in 8-cell embryos achieved the comparable base conversion rate (up to 100%) with the lowest bystander effects. In particular, 80% of AD-susceptible ε4 allele copies were converted to the AD-neutral ε3 allele in human ε4-carrying embryos. Stringent control measures combined with targeted deep sequencing, whole genome sequencing, and RNA sequencing showed no DNA or RNA off-target events in FNLS-YE1-treated human embryos or their derived stem cells. Furthermore, base editing with FNLS-YE1 showed no effects on embryo development to the blastocyst stage. Finally, we also demonstrated FNLS-YE1 could introduce known protective variants in human embryos to potentially reduce human susceptivity to systemic lupus erythematosus and familial hypercholesterolemia. Our study therefore suggests that base editing with FNLS-YE1 can efficiently and safely introduce known preventive variants in 8-cell human embryos, a potential approach for reducing human susceptibility to AD or other genetic diseases.
Humans ; Apolipoprotein E4/genetics* ; Cytosine ; Mutation ; Blastocyst ; Heterozygote ; Gene Editing ; CRISPR-Cas Systems

Objective:To compare the clinical effects of hip arthroplasty through direct anterior approach (DAA) in lateral decubitus in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis caused by Kaschin-Beck disease and congenital acetabular dysplasia.Methods:The prospective study method was used to select the patients who needed hip arthroplasty in the Fourth Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019. All of them were operated with lateral decubitus DAA. According to the inclusion criteria, they were divided into Kacshin-Beck disease hip osteoarthritis group (group A) and congenital acetabular dysplasia hip osteoarthritis group (group B). Hip Harris score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score were conducted, and hip abduction angle and flexion angle were measured before surgery, 3, 14 days and 1, 3, and 12 months after surgery.Results:Nineteen and twenty-two patients were included in group A and group B, respectively. All patients successfully completed the surgery. There was no significant difference in Harris score between the two groups before surgery, 3, 14 days, and 1, 12 months after surgery ( P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in WOMAC score, VAS score, hip abduction angle and hip flexion angle between the two groups before surgery and each time point after surgery ( P > 0.05). In the same group, there were significant differences in Harris score, WOMAC score, VAS score, hip abduction angle and hip flexion angle at different time points ( P < 0.001). All postoperative indicators were significantly improved compared with those before surgery. Conclusions:There is no significant difference in the clinical effects of hip arthroplasty through lateral decubitus DAA in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis caused by Kaschin-Beck disease and congenital acetabular dysplasia. This surgical method has good therapeutic effect on both types of hip osteoarthritis.

Axilla/pathology* ; Breast Neoplasms/pathology* ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intraoperative Period ; Lymph Nodes/pathology* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sentinel Lymph Node/surgery* ; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy ; Touch

The vagina contains at least a billion microbial cells,dominated by lactobacilli.Here we perform metagenomic shotgun sequencing on cervical and fecal samples from a cohort of 516 Chinese women of reproductive age,as well as cervical,fecal,and salivary samples from a second cohort of 632 women.Factors such as pregnancy history,delivery history,cesarean section,and breastfeeding were all more important than menstrual cycle in shaping the microbiome,and such information would be necessary before trying to interpret differences between vagino-cervical micro-biome data.Greater proportion of Bifidobacterium breve was seen with older age at sexual debut.The relative abundance of lactobacilli especially Lactobacillus crispatus was negatively associated with pregnancy history.Potential markers for lack of menstrual regularity,heavy flow,dysmenor-rhea,and contraceptives were also identified.Lactobacilli were rare during breastfeeding or post-menopause.Other features such as mood fluctuations and facial speckles could potentially be predicted from the vagino-cervical microbiome.Gut and salivary microbiomes,plasma vitamins,metals,amino acids,and hormones showed associations with the vagino-cervical microbiome.Our results offer an unprecedented glimpse into the microbiota of the female reproductive tract and call for international collaborations to better understand its long-term health impact other than in the settings of infection or pre-term birth.

BACKGROUND: Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) and acute type A intramural hematoma (ATAIMH) are life-threatening diseases with high mortality. To better understand their clinical features in the Chinese population, we analyzed the data from the first Registry of Aortic Dissection in China (Sino-RAD) to promote the understanding and management of the diseases. METHODS: All patients with ATAAD and ATAIMH enrolled in Sino-RAD from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016 were involved. The data of patients' selection, history, symptoms, management, outcomes, and postoperation complications were analyzed in the study. The continuous variables were compared using the Student's t test for normal distributions and the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normal distributions. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: A total of 1582 patients with ATAAD and 130 patients with ATAIMH were included. The mean age of all patients was 48.4 years. Patients with ATAAD were significantly younger than patients with ATAIMH (48.9 years vs. 55.6 years, P < 0.001). For the total cohort, males were dominant, but the male ratio of patients with ATAAD was significantly higher compared to those with ATAIMH (P = 0.01). The time range from the onset of symptom to hospitalization was 2.0 days. More patients of ATAIMH had hypertension than that of ATAAD (82.3% vs. 67.6%, P < 0.05). Chest and back pain were the most common clinical symptoms. Computerized tomography (CT) was the most common initial diagnostic imaging modality. 84.7% received surgical treatment and in-hospital mortality was 5.3%. Patients with ATAAD mainly received surgical treatment (89.6%), while most patients with ATAIMH received medical treatment (39.2%) or endovascular repair (35.4%). CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that doctors should comprehensively use clinical examination and genetic background screening for patients with ATAAD and ATAIMH and further shorten the time range from symptoms onset to intervention, achieving early diagnosis and treatment, thereby reducing the mortality rate of patients with aortic dissection in China. We should standardize the procedures of aortic dissection treatment and improve people's understanding. Meanwhile, the curing and transferring efficiency should also be improved.
Acute Disease ; Aneurysm, Dissecting/diagnosis* ; China ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Registries ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome