Recent advances in lamellar liquid crystal emulsification methods encapsulating natural active substances for functional cosmetics / 药学学报

Due to the high similarity with the lipid layer between human skin keratinocytes, functional cosmetics with layered liquid crystal structure prepared by liquid crystal emulsification technology encapsulating natural active substances have become a hot research topic in recent years. This type of functional cosmetic often has a fresh and natural skin feel, excellent skin barrier repair function and efficient moisturizing effect, etc., showing great potential in cosmetic application. However, the present research on the application of liquid crystal emulsification technology to functional cosmetics is still in the initial stage, and there are fewer relevant reports with reference values. Based on the mentioned above, this review provides a comprehensive summary of functional cosmetics with layered liquid crystal structures prepared by liquid crystal emulsification technology from the following aspects: the structure of human skin, the composition of lamellar liquid crystal, the advantages of liquid crystal emulsification technology containing natural active substances used in the field of functional cosmetics, the preparation process, main components, influencing factors during the preparation and the market functional cosmetics with lamellar liquid crystal structure. Finally, the prospect of the application of liquid crystal emulsification technology in functional cosmetics is presented, to provide useful references for those engaged in the research of liquid crystal emulsification technology-related functional cosmetics.

Research progress on metabolic function in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome / 公共卫生与预防医学

The incidence of infertility disorders is increasing year by year, affecting about 12-15% of women of reproductive age worldwide. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the common causes of infertility. In recent years, the incidence rate of PCOS has increased year by year, but the improvement of endocrine and metabolic dysfunction and pregnancy outcomes in patients with PCOS are not satisfactory. There is a consensus both domestically and internationally that improving metabolic function and endocrine abnormalities in PCOS patients can increase their pregnancy rate. Therefore, it is important to explore the improvement of metabolic function in patients with PCOS. This article reviews the progress of basic research on improving metabolic function in patients with PCOS.

Dimethyl fumarate inhibits NLRP3/AIM2 inflammasomes to prevent spleen radiation injury ZHANG / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the protective effect of dimethyl fumarate on spleen injury induced by gamma radiation in mice and the related mechanism. Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the blank control group, radiation model group and DMF administration group, which were administered once at 12 h before irradiation and once at 0. 5 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after irradiation. The 30-day survival rate, body weight and pathological injury of spleen were measured after a one-time total body irradiation of Co 7 rays (8 Gy). TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis of spleen cells. Enzyme-linked immunoassay ( ELISA) was applied to detect the contents of TNF-a, IL-1 p, IL-6, IL-18, NLRP3 and AIM2 in spleen. Western blot test and immunofluorescence staining test was employed to verify the changes of NLRP3 and AIM2 contents in spleen tissue after irradiation. Results DMF could obviously improve the survival rate of irradiated mice, improve the weight loss of irradiated mice, re-duce the pathological injury of spleen, and inhibit the apoptosis of spleen cells after irradiation. ELISA results showed that DMF could significantly inhibit the increase of spleen inflammatory cytokines TNF-a, IL-lp, IL-6, IL-18 and inflammasome components NL-RP3 and AIM2 induced by irradiation. Western blot and tissue immunofluorescence staining also confirmed that DMF could inhibit the increase of NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome protein levels caused by irradiation. Meanwhile, NLRP3 agonist and AIM2 agonist could antagonize the radiation protection effect of DMF on spleen cells. Conclusion DMF can ameliorate spleen injury of Co 7-ray injured mice, and its mechanism is closely related to NLRP3/AIM2 inflamma-somes, which can be used as a potential protective drug for radiation injury.

Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation Attenuates Cognitive Deficits and Alzheimer's Disease-Type Pathologies via ISCA1-Mediated Mitochondrial Modulation in APP/PS1 Mice / 神经科学通报·英文版

Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a time-saving and cost-effective repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation regime, has been shown to improve cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the specific mechanism underlying iTBS-induced cognitive enhancement remains unknown. Previous studies suggested that mitochondrial functions are modulated by magnetic stimulation. Here, we showed that iTBS upregulates the expression of iron-sulfur cluster assembly 1 (ISCA1, an essential regulatory factor for mitochondrial respiration) in the brain of APP/PS1 mice. In vivo and in vitro studies revealed that iTBS modulates mitochondrial iron-sulfur cluster assembly to facilitate mitochondrial respiration and function, which is required for ISCA1. Moreover, iTBS rescues cognitive decline and attenuates AD-type pathologies in APP/PS1 mice. The present study uncovers a novel mechanism by which iTBS modulates mitochondrial respiration and function via ISCA1-mediated iron-sulfur cluster assembly to alleviate cognitive impairments and pathologies in AD. We provide the mechanistic target of iTBS that warrants its therapeutic potential for AD patients.

Research progress on innovative drugs for diabetic nephropathy with potential anti-inflammatory targets / 药学实践杂志

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common microvascular complication of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)，which is also the main cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, the treatment methods are limited at present. More and more evidences have indicated that inflammatory response is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of DN. Several anti-inflammatory strategies that target specific inflammatory mediators (transcription factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules) and intracellular signaling pathways have shown benefits in the DN rodent model. The mechanisms related to inflammation in the development and progression of DN were summarized and new strategies to prevent or treat DN based on inflammation were briefly discussed in this review.

Copy number variation analysis and outcomes of 1 658 fetuses with increased nuchal translucency / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the genetic etiology and prognosis in fetuses with increased nuchal translucency (NT) in order to assist in the clinical prenatal genetic counseling and diagnosis.Methods:This study retrospectively enrolled 1 658 cases of singleton pregnancy (<35 years old) receiving invasive prenatal diagnosis, including karyotype analysis and/or chromosome microarray analysis or copy number variation (CNV) sequencing, due to NT value ≥2.5 mm in the first trimester in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from August 2014 to December 2021. They were divided into different groups according to the thickness of NT (≥2.5-<3.0, ≥3.0-<3.5, ≥3.5-<4.5, ≥4.5-<5.5, ≥5.5-<6.5 and ≥6.5 mm groups) and abnormal ultrasound findings (isolated increased NT group, increased NT complicated by soft markers/non-severe structural abnormality group and increased NT complicated by severe structural abnormality group). The results of invasive prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes were compared between different groups using Chi-square test and trend Chi-square test. Results:The detection rates of numerical abnormalities of chromosomes were 15.8% (262/1 658) and 17.6% (252/1 431) when the NT thickness cut-off value were 2.5 mm or 3.0 mm, respectively. Overall, the detection rate of numerical abnormalities of chromosomes increased with thickness of NT ( χ2trend=180.75, P<0.001), ranging from 6.6% (44/671) in the NT≥2.5-<3.5 mm group to 45.6% (113/248) in the NT≥5.5 mm group. The incidence of pathogenic/likely pathogenic CNV(P/LP CNV) did not increased with NT thickness ( χ2trend=3.26, P=0.071), and the highest detection rate was observed in the NT≥4.5-<5.5 mm group (9.0%, 19/211). The detection rate of numerical abnormalities of chromosomes plus P/LP CNV in the isolated NT≥2.5-<3.0 mm group and NT≥3.0-<3.5 mm group were 5.3% (10/188) and 9.6% (36/375), respectively, however, the difference was not statistically significant ( χ2=3.06, P=0.080). The detection rates of numerical abnormalities of chromosomes plus P/LP CNV in the isolated NT≥3.5-<4.5 mm group and NT≥2.5-<3.0 mm complicated by soft markers/ non-severe structural abnormality group were 12.7% (52/410) and 24.1% (7/29), respectively, and the risk were 2.6 times (95% CI: 1.3-5.2) and 5.7 times (95% CI: 2.0-16.4) of the isolated NT≥2.5-<3.0 mm group, respectively. The pregnancy termination rate increased with the NT thickness ( χ2trend=304.42, P<0.001), ranging from 10.8% (23/212) in the NT≥2.5-<3.0 mm group to 90.7% (117/129) in the NT≥6.5 mm group. After exclusion of the pregnancies terminated due to numerical abnormalities of chromosomes and P/LP CNV, 87.6% (862/984) of the fetus with increased NT were born alive. Conclusions:The detection rate of numerical abnormalities of chromosomes increases with the thickness of NT. Invasive prenatal diagnosis is required for non-advance aged singleton pregnant women when fetuses present with isolated NT≥2.5 mm with or without soft markers/structural abnormalities.

Inosine:A broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory against SARS-CoV-2 infection-induced acute lung injury via suppressing TBK1 phosphorylation / 药物分析学报

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)-induced cytokine storms constitute the primary cause of coronavirus disease 19(COVID-19)progression,severity,criticality,and death.Gluco-corticoid and anti-cytokine therapies are frequently administered to treat COVID-19,but have limited clinical efficacy in severe and critical cases.Nevertheless,the weaknesses of these treatment modalities have prompted the development of anti-inflammatory therapy against this infection.We found that the broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory agent inosine downregulated proinflammatory interleukin(IL)-6,upregulated anti-inflammatory IL-10,and ameliorated acute inflammatory lung injury caused by mul-tiple infectious agents.Inosine significantly improved survival in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2.It indirectly impeded TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1)phosphorylation by binding stimulator of interferon genes(STING)and glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK3β),inhibited the activation and nuclear trans-location of the downstream transcription factors interferon regulatory factor(IRF3)and nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB),and downregulated IL-6 in the sera and lung tissues of mice infected with lipopoly-saccharide(LPS),H1N1,or SARS-CoV-2.Thus,inosine administration is feasible for clinical anti-inflammatory therapy against severe and critical COVID-19.Moreover,targeting TBK1 is a promising strategy for inhibiting cytokine storms and mitigating acute inflammatory lung injury induced by SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious agents.

Genetic analysis of two children with developmental delay and intellectual disability / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic etiology of two patients with developmental delay and intellectual disability.@*METHODS@#Two children who were respectively admitted to Henan Provincial People's Hospital on August 29, 2021 and August 5, 2019 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected, and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) was carried out on the children and their parents for the detection of chromosomal microduplication/microdeletions.@*RESULTS@#Patient 1 was a 2-year-and-10-month female and patient 2 was a 3-year-old female. Both children had featured developmental delay, intellectual disability, and abnormal findings on cranial MRI. aCGH revealed that patient 1 has harbored arr[hg19] 6q14.2q15(84621837_90815662)×1, a 6.19 Mb deletion at 6q14.2q15, which encompassed ZNF292, the pathogenic gene for Autosomal dominant intellectual developmental disorder 64. Patient 2 has harbored arr[hg19] 22q13.31q13.33(46294326_51178264)×1, a 4.88 Mb deletion at 22q13.31q13.33 encompassing the SHANK3 gene, haploinsufficiency of which can lead to Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Both deletions were classified as pathogenic CNVs based on the guidelines of American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and were not found in their parents.@*CONCLUSION@#The 6q14.2q15 deletion and 22q13-31q13.33 deletion probably underlay the developmental delay and intellectual disability in the two children, respectively. Haploinsufficiency of the ZNF292 gene may account for the key clinical features of the 6q14.2q15 deletion.

Prenatal genetic analysis of a fetus with Miller-Dieker syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for fetus with bilateral lateral ventriculomegaly.@*METHODS@#Fetus umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood samples of its parents were collected. The fetus was subjected to chromosomal karyotyping, whilst the fetus and its parents were subjected to array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). The candidate copy number variation (CNV) were verified by qPCR, Application goldeneye DNA identification system was used to confirm the parental relationship.@*RESULTS@#The fetus was found to have a normal karyotype. aCGH analysis indicated that it has carried a 1.16 Mb deletion at 17p13.3, which partially overlapped with the critical region of Miller-Dieker syndrome (MDS), in addition with a 1.33 Mb deletion at 17p12 region, which is associated with hereditary stress-susceptible peripheral neuropathy (HNPP). Its mother was also found to harbor the 1.33 Mb deletion at 17p12. qPCR analysis confirmed that the expression levels of genes from the 17p13.3 and 17p12 regions were about the half of that in the normal control, as well as the maternal peripheral blood sample. Parental relationship was confirmed between the fetus and its parents. Following genetic counseling, the parents has chosen to continue with the pregnancy.@*CONCLUSION@#The fetus was diagnosed with Miller-Dieker syndrome due to the de novo deletion at 17p13.3. Ventriculomegaly may be an important indicator for prenatal ultrasonography in fetuses with MDS.

Clinical and genetic analysis of two children with intellectual developmental disorder and microcephaly with pontine and cerebellar hypoplasia / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the clinical features and genetic etiology of two children with intellectual developmental disorder and microcephaly with pontine and cerebellar hypoplasia (MICPCH).@*METHODS@#Two children with MICPCH who were presented at the Henan Provincial People's Hospital between April 2019 and December 2021 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the two children were collected, along with peripheral venous blood samples of them and their parents, and amniotic fluid sample of the mother of child 1. Whole exome sequencing (WES), array-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were carried out for the children, their parents and the fetus. The pathogenicity of candidate variants were evaluated.@*RESULTS@#Child 1 was a 6-year-old girl featuring motor and language delay, whilst child 2 was a 4.5-year-old girl mainly featuring microcephaly and mental retardation. WES revealed that child 2 has harbored a 158.7 kb duplication in Xp11.4 (chrX: 41446160_41604854), which has encompassed exons 4~14 of the CASK gene. The same duplication was not found in either of her parents. aCGH revealed that child 1 has harbored a 29 kb deletion at Xp11.4 (chrX: 41637892_41666665), which encompassed exon 3 of the CASK gene. The same deletion was not found in either of her parents and the fetus. The above results were confirmed by qPCR assay. Above deletion and duplication were not found in the ExAC, 1000 Genomes and gnomAD databases. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), both variants were rated as likely pathogenic (PS2+PM2_Supporting).@*CONCLUSION@#The deletion of exon 3 and duplication of exons 4~14 of the CASK gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of MICPCH in these two children, respectively.

Application of quantitative proteomics in the study of acute mountain sickness / 生物工程学报

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a clinical syndrome of multi-system physiological disorder after acute exposure to low pressure and low oxygen at high altitude. Quantitative proteomics can systematically quantify and describe protein composition and dynamic changes. In recent years, quantitative proteomics has been widely used in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and pathogenesis of many diseases. This review summarizes the progress of quantitative proteomics techniques and its application in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment of AMS and mechanisms of rapidly acclimatizing to plateau, in order to provide a reference for the pathogenesis, early intervention, clinical treatment and proteomic research of AMS.

Discussion on safety and related pharmacological mechanism of compound anshen essential oil in relieving sleep disorders / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the hypnotic effect and safety of compound anshen essential oil. Methods Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) was used to analyze the main active components of compound anshen essential oil. The mouse model of insomnia was established by intraperitoneal injection of para-chloro-phenyl alanine ( PC PA ) , combined with pentobarbital sodium sleep experiment and EEG characteristic monitoring in rats to study the hypnotic effect and mechanism. The safety of compound anshen essential oil was evaluated by acute toxicity test, skin irritation/allergy test and 90-day repeated administration toxicity test. The clinical effect and safety were evaluated by using the sleep monitoring technology for micro-motion sensitive mattress. Results Four components, including Atractylone (34.61%), (+) -Limonene (17.80%) , Linalool (11.63%), and Ocimene (11.67%) , were detected as the main active components of compound anshen essential oil. Compound anshen essential oil in-halation administration for seven days could effectively reduce the autonomic activity of insomnia mice, shorten the sleep latency (P <0.05) , improve the sleep duration, increase of neurotransmitters such as 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT) and -γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in brain of mice with insomnia, and the medium dose group had better hypnotic effect. There was no death or adverse reaction in the safety evaluation test. The sleep balance index of 10 subjects with difficulty in falling a-sleep significantly increased (P <0.05), sleep latency was significantly shortened (P <0.05) , total sleep duration and sleep efficiency were improved, and no ad¬verse reactions were found after using the compound anshen essential oil for two days. Conclusions The compound anshen essential oil developed by the research team is safe and effective in relieving sleep disorders, which may be closely related to the co-regulation of the levels of neurotransmitters such as 5-HT and GABA by the four main active components.

Pharmacokinetic study of HMS-01 in mice / 药学实践杂志

Objective To study the pharmacokinetics of HMS-01 in mice and provide support for subsequent studies. Methods Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to establish a sensitive and specific method for the determination of the concentration of HMS-01 in plasma and other biological samples. The pharmacokinetics of HMS-01 in C57BL/6J mice were studied by the established method. To obtain the basic pharmacokinetic parameters, three doses of HMS-01 were given orally and one dose of HMS-01 was given intravenously. Results The pharmacokinetic results of mice showed that the intestinal absorption of HMS-01 was fast, the oral bioavailability of HMS-01 in mice was moderate (50% to 70%). The exposure levels (AUC and cmax) of HMS-01 in mice increased with the increase of dosage, while the AUC was linearly correlated with the increase of dosage. After intravenous administration of HMS-01, the half-life period in mice was about 1 h which was not long. The plasma clearance rate (CLtotal.p) was 2.8 L/h·kg, which was similar to the hepatic blood flow of mice. The apparent volume of distribution (VSS) was 5 L/kg, which was much larger than the total mouse fluid. There were significant differences in AUC and F (P<0.05), but no significant differences in parameters such as cmax,AUC0−∞,t1/2,CLtot,p,MRT,Vss in male and female mice which were given 30 and 60mg/kg HWS-01 orally. Conclusion The pharmacokinetic process of HMS-01 in mice showed gender differences, and the area under the curve of blood concentration time and bioavailability of female mice were higher than that of male mice. As oral bioavailability was reasonable, further in vivo studies on HMS-01 in mice with heart failure by oral administration could be considered to provide evidence.

Molecular mechanism of ginsenoside Rg_1 against radiation enteritis: based on network pharmacology and in vitro experiment / 中国中药杂志

Via network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cellular experiment, this study explored and validated the potential molecular mechanism of ginsenoside Rg_1(Rg_1) against radiation enteritis. Targets of Rg_1 and radiation enteritis were retrieved from BATMAN-TCM, SwissTargetPrediction, and GeneCards. Cytoscape 3.7.2 and STRING were employed for the construction of protein-protein interaction(PPI) network for the common targets, and screening of core targets. DAVID was used for Gene Ontology(GO) term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment to predict the possible mechanism, followed by molecular docking of Rg_1 with core targets and cellular experiment. For the cellular experiment, ~(60)Co-γ irradiation was performed for mo-deling of IEC-6 cells, which were then treated with Rg_1, protein kinase B(AKT) inhibitor LY294002, and other drugs to verify the effect and mechanism of Rg_1. The results showed that 29 potential targets of Rg_1, 4 941 disease targets, and 25 common targets were screened out. According to the PPI network, the core targets were AKT1, vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA), heat shock protein 90 alpha family class A member 1(HSP90AA1), Bcl-2-like protein 1(BCL2L1), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1), etc. The common targets were mainly involved in the GO terms such as positive regulation of RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter transcription, signal transduction, positive regulation of cell proliferation, and other biological processes. The top 10 KEGG pathways included phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/AKT pathway, RAS pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) pathway, Ras-proximate-1(RAP1) pathway, and calcium pathway, etc. Molecular docking showed that Rg_1 had high binding affinity to AKT1, VEGFA, HSP90AA1, and other core targets. Cellular experiment indicated that Rg_1 can effectively improve cell viability and survival, decrease apoptosis after irradiation, promote the expression of AKT1 and B-cell lymphoma-extra large(BCL-XL), and inhibit the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bcl-2-associated X protein(BAX). In conclusion, through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cellular experiment, this study verified the ability of Rg_1 to reduce radiation enteritis injury. The mechanism was that it regulated PI3K/AKT pathway, thereby suppressing apoptosis.

Analysis of a fetus with unbalanced translocation derived from a balanced t(6;14) maternal translocation / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic characteristics of a fetus with a high risk by maternal serum screening during the second trimester.@*METHODS@#Genetic counseling was provided to the pregnant woman on March 22, 2020 at Henan Provincial People's Hospital. G-banded chromosomal karyotyping and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) were carried out on the amniotic fluid sample and peripheral blood samples from the couple.@*RESULTS@#The fetus and the pregnant woman were respectively found to have a 46,XX,der(6)t(6;14)(q27;q31.2) and 46,XX,t(6;14)(q27;q31.2) karyotype, whilst the husband was found to have a normal karyotype. aCGH analysis has identified a 6.64 Mb deletion at 6q26q27 and a 19.98 Mb duplication at 14q31.3q32.33 in the fetus, both of which were predicted to be pathogenic copy number variations. No copy number variation was found in the couple.@*CONCLUSION@#The unbalanced chromosome abnormalities in the fetus have probably derived from the balanced translocation carried by the pregnant woman. aCGH can help to determine the types of fetal chromosome abnormalities and site of chromosomal breakage, which may facilitate the prediction of fetal outcome and choice for subsequent pregnancies.

YAP regulates the liver size during the fasting-refeeding transition in mice

Liver is the central hub regulating energy metabolism during feeding-fasting transition. Evidence suggests that fasting and refeeding induce dynamic changes in liver size, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a key regulator of organ size. This study aims to explore the role of YAP in fasting- and refeeding-induced changes in liver size. Here, fasting significantly reduced liver size, which was recovered to the normal level after refeeding. Moreover, hepatocyte size was decreased and hepatocyte proliferation was inhibited after fasting. Conversely, refeeding promoted hepatocyte enlargement and proliferation compared to fasted state. Mechanistically, fasting or refeeding regulated the expression of YAP and its downstream targets, as well as the proliferation-related protein cyclin D1 (CCND1). Furthermore, fasting significantly reduced the liver size in AAV-control mice, which was mitigated in AAV Yap (5SA) mice. Yap overexpression also prevented the effect of fasting on hepatocyte size and proliferation. Besides, the recovery of liver size after refeeding was delayed in AAV Yap shRNA mice. Yap knockdown attenuated refeeding-induced hepatocyte enlargement and proliferation. In summary, this study demonstrated that YAP plays an important role in dynamic changes of liver size during fasting-refeeding transition, which provides new evidence for YAP in regulating liver size under energy stress.

Platelet RNA enables accurate detection of ovarian cancer: an intercontinental, biomarker identification study

Platelets are reprogrammed by cancer via a process called education, which favors cancer development. The transcriptional profile of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) is skewed and therefore practicable for cancer detection. This intercontinental, hospital-based, diagnostic study included 761 treatment-naïve inpatients with histologically confirmed adnexal masses and 167 healthy controls from nine medical centers (China, n = 3; Netherlands, n = 5; Poland, n = 1) between September 2016 and May 2019. The main outcomes were the performance of TEPs and their combination with CA125 in two Chinese (VC1 and VC2) and the European (VC3) validation cohorts collectively and independently. Exploratory outcome was the value of TEPs in public pan-cancer platelet transcriptome datasets. The AUCs for TEPs in the combined validation cohort, VC1, VC2, and VC3 were 0.918 (95% CI 0.889-0.948), 0.923 (0.855-0.990), 0.918 (0.872-0.963), and 0.887 (0.813-0.960), respectively. Combination of TEPs and CA125 demonstrated an AUC of 0.922 (0.889-0.955) in the combined validation cohort; 0.955 (0.912-0.997) in VC1; 0.939 (0.901-0.977) in VC2; 0.917 (0.824-1.000) in VC3. For subgroup analysis, TEPs exhibited an AUC of 0.858, 0.859, and 0.920 to detect early-stage, borderline, non-epithelial diseases and 0.899 to discriminate ovarian cancer from endometriosis. TEPs had robustness, compatibility, and universality for preoperative diagnosis of ovarian cancer since it withstood validations in populations of different ethnicities, heterogeneous histological subtypes, and early-stage ovarian cancer. However, these observations warrant prospective validations in a larger population before clinical utilities.

Advances in potential drugs for improvement of energy metabolism in heart failure / 药学实践杂志

Heart failure (HF) is a global public health problem with high morbidity and mortality. Numerous studies have shown that HF is caused by severe disturbance of energy metabolism, resulting in insufficient cardiac energy supply. This lack of energy could lead to a failure of the heart to pump blood and a failure of energy metabolism in other organs throughout the body. Currently, therapeutics of HF work by reducing heart rate and cardiac preload and afterload, symptomatic treatment, or delaying the progression of the disease. However, drugs targeting heart energy metabolism have not been developed. the main characteristics of cardiac energy metabolism, metabolic changes during HF were summarized and drugs that improve cardiac function through energy metabolism were discussed, which could provide a new research direction for the development and application of drugs in treatment of heart failure.

Effect of different hypoxic and hypobaric interventions on blood gas and erythrocyte-related indicators in rats / 浙江大学学报·医学版

OBJECTIVES@#To explore the effects of hypoxic and hypobaric conditions on blood gas and erythrocyte-related indicators in rats.@*METHODS@#SD male rats were exposed to low-pressure hypoxic conditions simulating an altitude of 6500 m in a small or a large experimental cabin. Abdominal aortic blood samples were collected and blood gas indicators, red blood cells (RBCs) count, and hemoglobin (Hb) content were measured. The effects of exposure to different hypoxia times, different hypoxia modes, normal oxygen recovery after hypoxia, and re-hypoxia after hypoxia preconditioning on blood gas indicators, RBCs count and Hb content were investigated.@*RESULTS@#The effect of blood gas indicators was correlated with the length of exposure time of hypoxia and the reoxygenation after leaving the cabin. Hypoxia caused acid-base imbalance and its severity was associated with the duration of hypoxia; hypoxia also led to an increase in RBCs count and Hb content, and the increase was also related to the time exposed to hypoxia. The effects of reoxygenation on acid-base imbalance in rats caged in a small animal cabin were more severe that those in a large experimental cabin. Acetazolamide alleviated the effects of reoxygenation after leaving the cabin. Different hypoxia modes and administration of acetazolamide had little effect on RBCs count and Hb content. Normal oxygen recovery can alleviate the reoxygenation and acid-base imbalance of hypoxic rats after leaving the cabin and improve the increase in red blood cell and hemoglobin content caused by hypoxia. The improvement of hypoxia preconditioning on post hypoxia reoxygenation is not significant, but it can alleviate the acid-base imbalance caused by hypoxia in rats and to some extent improve the increase in red blood cell and hemoglobin content caused by hypoxia.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Due to excessive ventilation and elevated RBCs count and Hb content after hypoxia reoxygenation, oxygen partial pressure and other oxygenation indicators in hypoxic rats are prone to become abnormal, while blood gas acid-base balance indicators are relatively stable, which are more suitable for evaluating the degree of hypoxia injury and related pharmacological effects in rats.

Genetic analysis of a Chinese pedigree with Cohen syndrome due to compound heterozygous variants of VPS13B gene / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of a Chinese pedigree affected with Cohen syndrome.@*METHODS@#A proband who was admitted to Zhengzhou People's Hospital on June 2, 2021 due to intellectual disability and developmental delay, in addition with her younger sister and other family members, were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the proband and her younger sister were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral venous blood and chorionic villi samples. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected with chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA). Whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were carried out to detect candidate variants in the proband. With RNA extracted from the peripheral blood samples, VPS13B gene transcripts and expression were analyzed by PCR and real-time quantitative PCR. Prenatal diagnosis was carried out at 12 weeks' gestation.@*RESULTS@#The proband was a 10-year-old female with clinical manifestations including development delay, obesity, severe myopia and peculiar facial features. Her sister was 3 years old with a similar phenotype. CMA revealed no chromosomal abnormality in the proband, while WES results revealed that the proband and her sister had both harbored compound heterozygous variants of the VPS13B gene, namely c.10076_10077delCA (p.T3359fs*29) and c.6940+1G>T, which were respectively inherited from their mother and father. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), both variants were classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PS4+PM4+PP1; PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PM3+PP1). In vivo splicing assay confirmed that the c.6940+1G>T variant has produced a frameshift transcript with skipping of exon 38. Compared with the control group, the expression of RNA in the peripheral blood of the proband's parents has decreased to 65% ~ 70% (P < 0.01), whilst that in the proband and her sister has decreased to 40% (P < 0.001). Prenatal diagnosis at 12 weeks of gestation has found that the fetus only harbored the heterozygous c.10076_ 10077delCA variant.@*CONCLUSION@#The c.10076_10077delCA (p.T3359fs*29) frameshift variant and c.6940+1G>T splicing variant probably underlay the Cohen syndrome in this pedigree. Genetic testing has facilitated the diagnosis of this disease.