Analysis of the MCL-1 gene in Chinese women with idiopathic premature ovarian insufficiency

OBJECTIVE

Animal studies have demonstrated that myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) gene deficiency leads to premature ovarian failure and decreased reproductive ability in mice. This study investigated the relationship between MCL-1 gene variation and idiopathic premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) in Chinese women.

METHODS

A total of 200 idiopathic POI patients and 100 healthy controls were recruited for this study, and peripheral blood was collected. First, genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral leukocytes. Then, the entire coding region and splice sites of the MCL-1 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Chi-squared tests were used to compare the genotype distribution and allele frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms between the POI and control groups.

RESULTS

Three mutations of the MCL-1 gene (c.-36C > T, c.-131C > T and c.78C > T) were identified. After data analysis, c.-36C > T and c.-131C > T in the 5'-untranslated region were both found in the POI group and the control group. No difference was found in the genotype distribution or allelic frequency of either variant between the POI group and the control group (p > 0.05). The synonymous variant (c.78C > T) in exon 1 was discovered in only one of the control subjects and did not result in a change in amino acid sequence (p.Gly26Gly).

CONCLUSION

MCL-1 gene mutation may not be associated with idiopathic POI in Chinese women.

[Pros and cons of perioperative therapy in the protection of organ function in rectal cancer]

The goal of rectal cancer treatment should be to better protect organ function and improve patients' quality of life on the basis of ensuring radical resection. The current evidence has proved the superiority of perioperative chemoradiotherapy in reducing local recurrence and improving long-term survival. From the perspective of organ function protection, however, perioperative chemoradiotherapy has both disadvantages and advantages. Despite the great help in improving long-term outcomes, adverse reactions of chemoradiotherapy can aggravate defecation, urination and sexual dysfunction. Also, for patients with significant or complete remission, if the treatment strategy of local resection or close follow-up is selected, organ function can be preserved to the greatest extent. The key to the choice of treatment is to evaluate preoperatively whether pathological complete response is achieved. It should be kept in mind that preserving organ itself is not the same as protecting organ function. For patients who need perioperative chemoradiation, the optimal treatment methods should be chosen based on the patient's condition. Surgeons should fully evaluate organ function before operation, select the appropriate treatment strategy, pay special attention to the protection of important organs and nerves during surgeries, and carry out close postoperative follow-up and organ function rehabilitation as soon as possible, so as to reduce the incidence of dysfunction and the impact on the quality of life.

Gas explosion-induced acute blast lung injury assessment and biomarker identification by a LC-MS-based serum metabolomics analysis

The objective of this study was to evaluate the histopathological effect of gas explosion on rats, and to explore the metabolic alterations associated with gas explosion-induced acute blast lung injury (ABLI) in real roadway environment using metabolomics analyses. All rats were exposed to the gas explosion source at different distance points (160 m and 240 m) except the control group. Respiratory function indexes were monitored and lung tissue analysis was performed to correlate histopathological effect to serum metabolomics. Their sera samples were collected to measure the metabolic alterations by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). HE staining in lung showed that the gas explosion caused obvious inflammatory pulmonary injury, which was consistent with respiratory function monitoring results and the serum metabolomics analysis results. The metabolomics identified 9 significantly metabolites different between the control- and ABLI rats. 2-aminoadipic acid, L-methionine, L-alanine, L-lysine, L-threonine, cholic acid and L-histidine were significantly increased in the exposed groups. Citric acid and aconitic acid were significantly decreased after exposure. Pathway analyses identified 8 perturbed metabolic pathways, which provided novel potential mechanisms for the gas explosion-induced ABLI. Therefore, metabolomics analysis identified both known and unknown alterations in circulating biomarkers, adding an integral mechanistic insight into the gas explosion-induced ABLI in real roadway environment.

[Influences of gas explosion on acute blast lung injury and time phase changes of pulmonary function in rats under real roadway environment]

Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of gas explosion on rats and to explore the pulmonary function alterations associated with gas explosion-induced acute blast lung injury (ABLI) in real roadway environment. Methods: In April 2018, the large coal mine gas explosion test roadway and explosion test system were used to simulate the real gas explosion roadway environment, fixed the cage and set the explosion parameters. 72 SD rats, male, SPF grade, were randomly divided into nine groups by completely random grouping method according to their body weight: control group, close range group (160 m) , and long range group (240 m) . In each group, there were wound groups (24 h group and 48h group, 8/group, total 48 in six groups) and no wound groups (8/group, total 24 in three groups) . Except for the control group, the other groups were placed in cages at different distances under anesthesia, the experiment of gas explosion was carried out by placing the rats in a position that could force the lungs. The changes of respiratory function of the rats in the non-invasive group were monitored with pulmonary function instrument at 2 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 168h after the explosion, and were killed under anesthesia 7 days later; the rats in invasive groups were anesthetized and killed at 24 h, 48 h and 168 h, respectively. Gross observation, lung wet-dry ratio and lung histopathology were performed. Results: Compared with the control group, f (respiratory frequency, f) , MV (minute ventilation, MV) , PEF (peak expiratory flow rate, PEF) , PIF (peak inspiratory flow rate, PIF) and EF50 (1/2 tidal volume expiratory flow, EF50) of rats in the close and long range groups decreased significantly after gas explosion 2 h. PAU (respiration pause, PAU) , Te (expiratory time, Te) , Ti (inspiratory time, Ti) and Tr (relaxation time, Tr) were significantly increased (P<0.05) . After 48 h, TV (tidal volume, TV) , Penh (enhanced respiration pause, Penh) , PAU, and PIF of rats in the long range group were significantly increased (P<0.05) . After 72 h, MV in the long range group was significantly decreased (P<0.05) . Compared with the control group, Penh, PAU, Ti and Te were significantly decreased after 168 h in the close and long range groups, with statistical significance (P<0.05) . At the same time, the body weight of rats in different range groups was significantly decreased (P<0.05) . In addition, both HE staining and routine observation of lung tissues of rats in different range groups showed that gas explosion caused pulmonary edema, obviously congested pulmonary capillaries, a large number of inflammatory cells and infiltrated red blood cells. Conclusion: Gas explosion in real roadway environment can cause the change of respiratory function phase and lung tissue damage in rats, suggesting that the model of gas explosion-induced ABLI has been initially established successfully, which would provide a basis for further study on the pathogenesis of ABLI.

[Challenges and countermeasures in prevention of re - establishment of imported malaria in China]

Malaria was one for the most serious communicable diseases in China. Following the concerted efforts for decades, remarkable achievements have been gained for malaria control in China. Since the national malaria elimination programme was initiated in China in 2010, local malaria transmission was rapidly interrupted, with zero indigenous malaria case reported for the first time in the country in 2017, and the country will undergo the certification of malaria elimination by WHO. Currently, however, malaria remains hyper-endemic across the world. In China, there are more than 2 000 overseas imported malaria cases each year, and prevention of re-establishment of imported malaria will become the major task in future malaria control activities. Here by, we analyze the main challenges in the prevention of re-establishment of imported malaria in China, and propose the corresponding countermeasures, so as to provide insights into the consolidation of malaria elimination achievements.

Integrated package of electron cyclotron emission imaging data processing and forward modeling in OMFIT

An Electron Cyclotron Emission Imaging (ECEI) data analysis module has been developed for the OMFIT platform to accommodate the needs of users at the DIII-D tokamak for physics applications. The user can easily access the ECEI spatial observation windows in the plasma that are calculated based on the automatically retrieved hardware setup and available DIII-D equilibria, perform spectral analysis, and obtain 2D electron temperature fluctuation images. The module provides a powerful data post-processing package for extracting important physics parameters from the 2D measurements, including the radial structure and poloidal mode number of Alfven eigenmodes, as well as the frequency-vs-wavenumber dispersion relationship of broadband MHD. The module propagates characterized synthetic fluctuations for the user, so one can perform forward modeling tasks with simple analytical fluctuations.

Correlation between changes in the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes and survival rate in patients with cervical cancer after radio-chemotherapy

PURPOSE

This study aimed to compare the absolute numbers of various types of lymphocytes in the peripheral blood before and after chemotherapy following radio-chemotherapy in patients with cervical cancer, so as to explore the correlation between the changes in the absolute numbers of peripheral various types of lymphocytes and the overall survival rate of patients.

METHODS

Data of 205 patients with cervical cancer admitted to the hospital from June 2014 to August 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. These patients underwent concurrent radio-chemotherapy, followed by chemotherapy. The absolute numbers of peripheral blood lymphocytes and subtypes were compared before and after re-chemotherapy.

RESULTS

For patients with a good prognosis, the number of lymphocytes, T cells, and cytotoxic T cells (Tc) significantly decreased (P<0.05) after re-chemotherapy, while this phenomenon was not observed in patients with poor prognosis. Kaplan-Meier univariate analysis showed that patients with cervical cancer who had an advanced FIGO stage before treatment, presence of lymph node metastasis, and increased numbers of Tc and T helper cells after re-chemotherapy showed a low 30-month survival rate; the overall log-rank analysis showed significant differences (P<0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, presence of lymph node metastasis: HR=9.718, P=0.002, 95% CI=0.183-0.679; Tc grouping: HR=3.239, P=0.0.072, 95% CI=0.950-03.347; Th group: HR=3.197, P=0.074, 95% CI=0.943-3.564.

CONCLUSIONS

After radio-chemotherapy, in patients with advanced cervical cancer, the change in the numbers of peripheral blood Tc and Th before and after re-chemotherapy was associated with the 30-month overall survival rate of patients. It can be considered as a predictor of the survival of patients with advanced cervical cancer.

Integrated gut virome and bacteriome dynamics in COVID-19 patients

SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the current global pandemic of COVID-19; this virus infects multiple organs, such as the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. The microbiome in these organs, including the bacteriome and virome, responds to infection and might also influence disease progression and treatment outcome. In a cohort of 13 COVID-19 patients in Beijing, China, we observed that the gut virome and bacteriome in the COVID-19 patients were notably different from those of five healthy controls. We identified a bacterial dysbiosis signature by observing reduced diversity and viral shifts in patients, and among the patients, the bacterial/viral compositions were different between patients of different severities, although these differences are not entirely distinguishable from the effect of antibiotics. Severe cases of COVID-19 exhibited a greater abundance of opportunistic pathogens but were depleted for butyrate-producing groups of bacteria compared with mild to moderate cases. We replicated our findings in a mouse COVID-19 model, confirmed virome differences and bacteriome dysbiosis due to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and observed that immune/infection-related genes were differentially expressed in gut epithelial cells during infection, possibly explaining the virome and bacteriome dynamics. Our results suggest that the components of the microbiome, including the bacteriome and virome, are affected by SARS-CoV-2 infections, while their compositional signatures could reflect or even contribute to disease severity and recovery processes.

[Strategies and studies of malaria vector control in Jiangsu Province]

Malaria was one of the major infectious diseases in Jiangsu Province, where Anopheles sinensis and An. anthropophagus are main vectors for malaria transmission. Following the concerted efforts for decades, the goal of malaria elimination was achieved in Jiangsu Province in 2019, and the vector control strategy has played a vital role during the progress towards malaria elimination in Jiangsu Province. Hereby, we review the historical distribution and ecological features of An. sinensis and An. anthropophagus and describe vector control strategies at different stages of malaria control in Jiangsu Province. In addition, the advances in the research of vector biology and control in Jiangsu Province are discussed, including vector identification, strain colonization, susceptibility to malaria parasites and insecticide resistance.

[Virome: the next hotspot in microbiome research]

Virome is the collective term for the viral collection or viral metagenomes that are distributed in various environments. Viruses can be found in bodies of water, glaciers, plants, animals, and even some viruses, which are classified as eukaryotes, prokaryotes and subviruses. Viruses play very important role in maintaining environmental homeostasis and ecosystem balance, and are especially closely related to human health. In recent years, with the advancement of sequencing technology and data analysis, we are able to gain more insights into the virome and explore its potential role in the ecological niche by metagenomic sequencing. A large amount of viral data have been obtained from glaciers, oceans, and various plants and animals, and numerous unknown viruses have been discovered. Virome has been studied mainly through metagenomic data mining, as well as virus-like particles separation and enrichment. To date, several different methods for viral isolation and enrichment exist, and numerous bioinformatic analyses of the virome have been performed. However, there is a lack of specific and complete reviews on the enrichment and data analysis methods for the virome. Thus, our review will summarize viral isolation and enrichment methods and data analysis, and present some of the landmark research conducted by the enrichment method, to provide a reference for researchers of interest and further advance the field of virome research.

[Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of the pulmonary veins: a case report and literature review]

Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathological and genetic characteristics of neonatal alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of the pulmonary veins (ACDMPV). Methods: The clinical manifestations, radiographic examinations, pathology and parental genetic analysis of a newborn with FOXF1 variation induced ACDMPV, who was hospitalized in the Department of Neonatology of Shenzhen Children's Hospital in January 2020, were extracted and analyzed. Related literature up to March 2020 with the key words of "Alveolar capillaries dysplasia" "Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of the pulmonary veins" "FOXF1" in PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, CQVIP database and Leiden Open Variation database (LOVD) were searched. Results: A full-term male newborn （1 hour of age） was admitted due to anal atresia. Surgical repair of anal atresia and omphalocele was performed on the first day of life, and gallbladder absence and Meckel's diverticulum were identified during the operation. Respiratory distress with hypoxemia developed at about 6 hours of life, and persistent pulmonary hypertension developed and progressed after surgery, with poor response to mechanical ventilation and pulmonary vasodilators. This infant passed away at 26 days of life. Lung biopsy showed decreased alveolar units and thickened interalveolar septa, reduced alveolar capillary density and thickened walls of peripheral pulmonary arteries, and misaligned pulmonary veins adjacent to the pulmonary arterioles, which were consistent with ACDMPV. The whole exome sequencing revealed a heterozygous novel frameshift of FOXF1 gene located in chromosome 16q24.1 c376_377insT; p.(Pro126fs). According to the bioinformatics analysis, this variation was likely to be pathogenic as it was associated with coding disorder of FOXF1 Pro126, resulting in truncation of the encoded protein. This novel variation had not been reported in the human gene mutation database (HGMD), ESP6500siv2_ALL, 1000g2015aug_ALL or dbSNP147 database. Previous 6 literatures reported 54 variants, including 28 missense, 10 nonsense, 11 frameshift, 2 deletion, 1 synonymous, and 2 extensions. Only three of the reported 45 cases （24 males, 21 females） were still alive as of the time of this study. Conclusions: Typically, ACDMPV is a catastrophic disease in neonatal period with high mortality. Lung biopsy and genetic testing should be considered in infants who present with persistent pulmonary hypertension and refractory hypoxemia, especially when combined with extrapulmonary abnormalities.

[Cardiovascular disease risk in diabetes patients aged 40 years old and above in China]

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events among Chinese diabetic patients aged 40 years and above with different CVD risk levels. Methods: This study enrolled participants aged 40 years and above in 15 provinces from a prospective cohort study, the China-PAR project (Prediction for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk in China). Participants were categorized into two groups according to the presence or absence of diabetes at baseline. Individuals were further classified into low (0-4.9%), moderate (5%-9.9%) and high risk groups (≥10%), based on predicted ten-year CVD risk using the China-PAR equations. Two followed-up surveys were conducted between 2007 and 2015 to identify CVD events, which were defined as nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, or death due to coronary heart disease, or stroke. Ischemic cardiovascular events included nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, or death due to coronary heart disease, or ischemic stroke. Hemorrhagic cardiovascular events included subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage. The incidences of CVD, ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events were compared in diabetes and non-diabetes population with different CVD risk levels. Results: This study included 89 209 participants aged 40 years and above, the average follow-up period was 8.5 years. The age was (54.8±9.4) years, and 36 794 (41.2%) were men, and 5 730 (6.4%) were diabetic patients. In diabetes patients aged 40 years and above, 53.7% (3 075/5 730) were at high risk of CVD. Age-and sex-adjusted incidence of CVD, ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events (1 066.93/100 000 person-years, 824.23/100 000 person-years, and 211.56/100 000 person-years) were significantly lower in diabetes patients than those in non-diabetes population with high CVD risk (1 773.73/100 000 person-years, 1 228.18/100 000 person-years, and 446.49/100 000 person-years) (all P<0.001). Among high CVD risk populations, incidence of ischemic events was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in non-diabetes population (1 638.47/100 000 person-years vs. 1 228.18/100 000 person-years, P<0.001), but incidence of hemorrhagic events tended to be lower in diabetic patients than in non-diabetes population (415.70/100 000 person-years vs. 446.49/100 000 person-years, P=0.635). Incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic events were similar between diabetes patients and non-diabetes population at low or moderate CVD risk groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions: More than half of diabetes patients aged 40 years and above in China have high CVD risk. The incidence of CVD, ischemic and hemorrhagic cardiovascular events are different in diabetic patients with different CVD risk levels.