Single-cell RNA-seq analysis identifies unique chondrocyte subsets and reveals involvement of ferroptosis in human intervertebral disc degeneration

OBJECTIVE

Nucleus pulposus (NP) plays a central role in disc degeneration pathogenesis, however, as a heterogeneous tissue, cell subsets in NP and their corresponding biological process in intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) are unreported.

METHOD

Nucleus pulposus were isolated from normal control and IVDD, and then subjected to single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Unsupervised clustering of the cells based on the gene expression profiles using the Seurat package and passed to tSNE for clustering visualization. Rat model of disc degeneration was built to validate the pathways identified by scRNA-Seq.

RESULTS

Seven chondrocyte subsets were revealed in NP based on differential gene expression, among which 4 subsets (C1-C4) were reported for the first time. Furthermore, GO and KEGG analyses discovered that ferroptosis pathways were enriched. Rat model of disc degeneration was built (n = 6/group, control vs. model) to validate the pathways identified by scRNA-Seq. Iron levels of NP were significantly higher in model group than control group (means 0.712 vs. 0.248, respectively, mg/gpro, p = 0.0026), and the levels of Heme Oxygenase 1 (HO-1) were also elevated in model group (means 14.33 vs. 5.16 IOD, respectively, p = 0.0002). However, the levels of ferritin light chain (FTL) were significantly decreased in model group compared to control group (means 26.17 vs. 9.00 FTL⁺ cell number, respectively, p = 0.0011).

CONCLUSIONS

Novel chondrocyte subsets in nucleus pulposus were discovered through scRNA-Seq, which provided novel insight to understand the pathological change during the development of IVDD. Ferroptosis participated in disc degeneration pathogenesis and it might serve as a new target for intervening IVDD.

[Advice on the rationalized layout of outpatient clinics in a wound repair department]

According to a document issued by the General Office of National Health Commission, "one person, one diagnosis, and one room" is required in the process of outpatient consultation. However, the patient will need to go to another room for dressing change after the doctor checks the wound if sticking to the conventional layout of current wound repair specialist outpatient clinic in hospitals and following the regulation of "separation of diagnosis and treatment". To allow a patient walking back and forth with the exposed wounds to different clinics or going to another clinic for dressing change with the original dressing reapplied to the wound is against the regulation of nosocomial infection control and the principle of sterility. To ensure that the layout of the outpatient clinic in the wound repair outpatient department not only conforms to the principle of "one person, one diagnosis, and one room", but also meets the characteristics of the diagnosis and treatment process of chronic wounds, this paper proposes the layout of "large space and small partition" in the wound repair clinic.

Characterization of serum adiponectin and leptin in healthy perinatal dairy cows or cows with ketosis, and their effectson ketosis involved indices

We investigated changes in concentrations of ADP (adiponectin), LEP (leptin), BHBA (beta-hydroxybutyric acid), NEFA (non-esterified fatty acid), Glucose (Glu) and INS (insulin) in serum of healthy perinatal dairy cows and cows with ketosis. Twenty-one healthy cows and seventeen cows with ketosis from a herd of a total 60 Holstein cows (near dry period i.e. 56 days antepartum) were selected. Blood was collected through the tail vein every 7 days, from 56 day antepartum to 56 day postpartum. Serum ADP, LEP, BHBA, NEFA, Glu, and INS concentrations were determined, and ketosis was diagnosed through serum BHBA (≥1.2 mmol/L). We showed the concentration of serum adipokines and energy balancing indices were stable during antepar- tum period. However, ADP concentration increased while LEP decreased, and there were a significant increase in cows with ketosis compared to that of in healthy cows. Serum BHBA and NEFA concentrations increased significantly at first, and then gradually decreased in both healthy cows and cows with ketosis. However, cows with ketosis showed higher concentrations of BHBA and NEFA which restored later. The serum concentration of Glu in both healthy dairy cows and cows with ketosis showed a decreasing trend. INS concentration in healthy cows was decreased while it was increased in cows with ketosis. The results reflect the extent of hypo- glycemia and lipid mobilization postpartum, suggest IR exists in cows with ketosis while serum ADP and LEP might play roles in the development of ketosis.

The association between the vaginal microenvironment and fecundability: a register-based cohort study among Chinese women

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association between the vaginal microenvironment and fecundability among women.

DESIGN

Register-based nationwide cohort study.

SETTING

Chinese National Free Pre-conception Check-up Project from 2015 to 2018.

POPULATION

Our study included a total of 3 388 554 eligible women who were attempting to become pregnant.

METHOD

We assessed the vaginal microenvironment at baseline by considering four indices: vaginal pH, clue cell examination, whiff test and vaginal cleanliness grading. If any of these indicators was abnormal, the vaginal microenvironment was defined as poor. Propensity score matching was used to control for potential confounders and reduce bias. Logistic models were used to estimate the fecundability odds ratios (FORs) after adjustment for covariates.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Achievement of a pregnancy within 1 year.

RESULTS

Of the total study population, 379 718 women (11.2%) had a poor vaginal microenvironment and their pregnancy rate after 1 year was significantly lower than the group with a normal microenvironment (71.8% versus 76.1%, P < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, the women with a poor vaginal microenvironment were associated with a 9% reduction in fecundability compared with the normal microenvironment group (FOR 0.91, 95% CI 0.90-0.92). The adverse effects of a poor vaginal microenvironment were stronger among multipara (FOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.87-0.90) or women with irregular menstruation (FOR 0.86, 95% CI 0.84-0.89).

CONCLUSION

There was a negative association between a poor vaginal microenvironment and the fecundability of women. These findings highlight the significance of assessing the vaginal microenvironment during pre-pregnancy health examinations.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Women with a poor vaginal microenvironment were associated with a reduction in fecundability.

[Expression and clinical significance of interleukin-16 in patients with primary biliary cholangitis]

Objective: To investigate the expressional condition of interleukin-16 (IL-16) in the liver and serum of patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Methods: Liver biopsies samples were collected from 70 cases and 10 healthy controls, and serum samples were collected from 62 cases and 87 healthy controls. The expression of IL-16 in liver was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the serum level of IL-16 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The correlation between the expression level of IL-16 and the severity of disease was determined by correlation analysis with clinical biomarker. The t-test was used for normally distributed data. Wilcoxon signed rank sum test was used for non-normally distributed data. Results: The expression level of IL-16 in the liver of PBC patients was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (P = 0.002 5), and it was mainly expressed in infiltrating lymphocytes in the portal area. Correlation analysis showed that the level of IL-16 in liver tissue was positively correlated with the degree of liver inflammation (r = 0.36, P = 0.002). In addition, the serum IL-16 level of PBC patients were significantly higher than that of healthy people (P = 0.000 5), and serum IL-16 level was correlated with the level of cholestasis biomarker γ-glutamyltransferase (r = 0.31, P = 0.03). Conclusion: The expression level of IL-16 is significantly increased in liver and serum of PBC patients, and it is positively correlated with the severity of the disease, suggesting that IL-16 may be used as a biomarker to assess the severity of the disease.

MiR-21-5p in macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles affects podocyte pyroptosis in diabetic nephropathy by regulating A20

OBJECTIVES

Podocyte pyroptosis, characterized by inflammasome activation, plays an important role in inflammation-mediated diabetic nephropathy (DN). Our study aimed to investigate whether miR-21-5p in macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) could affect podocyte injury in DN.

METHODS

EVs were extracted after the treatment of RAW 264.7 (mouse macrophage line) with high glucose (HG). The podocyte pyroptosis was determined using the flow cytometry and the western blot. After the knockdown of miR-21-5p in HG-induced RAW264.7 cells, we injected the extracted EVs into DN model mice.

RESULTS

The level of miR-21-5p was higher in HG-stimulated macrophage-derived EVs than in normal glucose-cultured macrophage-derived EVs. The co-culture of EVs and podocytes promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and activation of inflammatory in MPC5 cells (mouse podocyte line). However, restraint of miR-21-5p in EVs reduced ROS production and inhibit inflammasome activation in MPC5 cells, thereby reducing podocytes injury. Meanwhile, we found that miR-21-5p inhibited the A20 expression through binding with its 3'-untranslated regions in MPC5 cells. Further studies showed that A20 was also involved in the regulation of miR-21-5p of RAW 264.7-derived EVs on MPC5 injury. At the same time, it was also proved in the DN model mice that miR-21-5p in macrophage-derived EVs could regulate podocyte injury.

CONCLUSION

MiR-21-5p in macrophage-derived EVs can regulate pyroptosis-mediated podocyte injury by A20 in DN.

[Clinical and prognostic values of TP53 mutation in patients with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia]

Objective: To investigate the survival and prognosis of B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients with TP53 mutation. Methods: The clinical data of 479 newly diagnosed B-ALL patients treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2016 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 479 B-ALL patients, 34 cases (7.1%) were positive for TP53 gene mutation, and a total of 36 TP53 mutations were detected, including 10 frameshift gene mutations (27.8%) , 23 missense mutations (63.9%) and 3 nonsense mutations (8.3%) . A total of 34 (94.4%) mutations were located in the DNA binding domain (exons 5-8) .The average number of mutated genes in patients with TP53 gene mutation (2.3) and the group without TP53 gene mutation (1.1) were statistically different (P<0.001) . The proportion of Ph positive and Ph-like positive patients in the TP53 gene mutation negative group was significantly higher than that of the TP53 mutation positive group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001) . The 3-year OS and EFS rates of the TP53 gene mutation negative group were significantly higher than those of the TP53 gene mutation positive group. The differences in OS and EFS rates between the two groups were statistically significant (χ(2)= 4.694, P = 0.030; χ(2)= 5.080, P= 0.024) . In the multivariate analysis, failure to achieve remission (CR) after one course of induction chemotherapy was an independent adverse prognostic factor affecting OS.Of the 34 patients with TP53 mutation, 16 underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in the CR(1) state, and 2 patients with recurrence after transplantation obtained CR(2) after infusion of donor-derived anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells. Among the 11 patients with TP53 gene mutation who relapsed during consolidation chemotherapy, 6 received anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy, 4 patients achieved remission and minimal residual disease (MRD) turned negative, followed by bridging allo-HSCT, and 2 of them sustained CR. Conclusion: Missense mutations are the most common in B-ALL patients with TP53 gene mutation, and the majority of mutations were located in the DNA binding domain. B-ALL patients with TP53 gene mutation should undergo allo-HSCT as soon as possible after CAR-T cell therapy has cleared the MRD after recurrence. B-ALL patients with TP53 gene mutation still have a higher recurrence rate after allo-HSCT, and the infusion of donor-derived CAR-T cells can achieve better sustained remission.

MiR-1-3p facilitates Th17 differentiation associating with multiple sclerosis via targeting ETS1

OBJECTIVE

T helper 17 (Th17) cells are involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). The present study aimed to explore the role of miR-1-3p in Th17 cell differentiation associated with MS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Expression of miR-1-3p in periphery blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, non-T cells and differentiated CD4+ T cells derived from healthy donors and MS patients during remitted and relapsed stages was detected. Level of ETS1 in PBMC in MS-relapse patients was examined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). Correlations among neurofilament light (NF-L), C-reactive protein (CRP), estrogen receptor 1 (ESR), interleukin 17A (IL-17A) in serum, NF-L, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13), chitinase 3 like 1 (CHI3L1), RAR related orphan receptor C (RORC) in CSF, and ETS proto-oncogene 1 (ETS1), RORC in PBMC and miR-1-3p expression were analyzed. The target gene of miR-1-3p was analyzed by performing Dual-Luciferase reporter assay, and the IL-17A+ CD4+ (Th17) cells were detected by flow cytometer. Gene expressions of IL-17A, RORC and Th17 pathogenic were determined by qRT-PCR.

RESULTS

Upregulated miR-1-3p was observed in MS-relapse patients and Th17 cells, and expression of miR-1-3p was positively correlated with MS severity. MiR-1-3p overexpression in naïve CD4+ T cells promoted the differentiation of Th17 cells by upregulating the level of inflammation-associated markers. The expression of ETS1, which was predicted to be the target gene of miR-1-3p, was reduced in PBMC from MS-relapse patients, while the upregulation of ETS1 inhibited the expression of pathogenic genes of Th17.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrated the positive role of miR-1-3p in Th17 differentiation associated with MS via targeting ETS1.

Laser spectroscopy of the [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] transitions in stored and cooled relativistic C[Formula: see text] ions

The [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] transitions in Li-like carbon ions stored and cooled at a velocity of [Formula: see text] in the experimental storage ring (ESR) at the GSI Helmholtz Centre in Darmstadt have been investigated in a laser spectroscopy experiment. Resonance wavelengths were obtained using a new continuous-wave UV laser system and a novel extreme UV (XUV) detection system to detect forward emitted fluorescence photons. The results obtained for the two transitions are compared to existing experimental and theoretical data. A discrepancy found in an earlier laser spectroscopy measurement at the ESR with results from plasma spectroscopy and interferometry has been resolved and agreement between experiment and theory is confirmed.

Increasing coenzyme Q10 yield from Rhodopseudomonas palustris by expressing rate-limiting enzymes and blocking carotenoid and hopanoid pathways

Coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀ ), a strong antioxidant, is used extensively in food, cosmetic and medicine industries. A natural producer, Rhodopseudomonas palustris, was engineered to overproduce CoQ₁₀ . For increasing the CoQ₁₀ content, crtB gene was deleted to block the carotenoid pathway. crtB gene deletion led to 33% improvement of CoQ₁₀ content over the wild type strain. However, it was found that the yield of hopanoids was also increased by competing for the precursors from carotenoid pathway with CoQ₁₀ pathway. To further increase the CoQ₁₀ content, hopanoid pathway was blocked by deleting shc gene, resulting in R. palustris [Δshc, ΔcrtB] to produce 4·7 mg g^-1 DCW CoQ₁₀ , which was 1·2 times higher than the CoQ₁₀ content in the wild type strain. The common strategy of co-expression of rate-limiting enzymes (DXS, DPS and UbiA) was combined with the pathway blocking method resulted in 8·2 mg g^-1 DCW of CoQ₁₀ , which was 2·9 times higher than that of wild type strain. The results suggested a synergistic effect among different metabolic engineering strategies. This study demonstrates the potential of R. palustris for CoQ₁₀ production and provides viable strategies to increase CoQ₁₀ titer.

Untargeted Metabolomic Profiling of the Correlation Between Prognosis Differences and PD-1 Expression in Sepsis: A Preliminary Study

Objectives: The mortality rate of sepsis remains very high. Metabolomic techniques are playing increasingly important roles in diagnosis and treatment in critical care medicine. The purpose of our research was to use untargeted metabolomics to identify and analyze the common differential metabolites among patients with sepsis with differences in their 7-day prognosis and blood PD-1 expression and analyze their correlations with environmental factors.

Methods: Plasma samples from 18 patients with sepsis were analyzed by untargeted LC-MS metabolomics. Based on the 7-day prognoses of the sepsis patients or their levels of PD-1 expression on the surface of CD4+ T cells in the blood, we divided the patients into two groups. We used a combination of multidimensional and monodimensional methods for statistical analysis. At the same time, the Spearman correlation analysis method was used to analyze the correlation between the differential metabolites and inflammatory factors.

Results: In the positive and negative ionization modes, 16 and 8 differential metabolites were obtained between the 7-day death and survival groups, respectively; 5 and 8 differential metabolites were obtained between the high PD-1 and low PD-1 groups, respectively. We identified three common differential metabolites from the two groups, namely, PC (P-18:0/14:0), 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyric acid and glyceraldehyde. Then, we analyzed the correlations between environmental factors and the common differences in metabolites. Among the identified metabolites, 2-ethyl-2-hydroxybutyric acid was positively correlated with the levels of IL-2 and lactic acid (Lac) (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusions: These three metabolites were identified as common differential metabolites between the 7-day prognosis groups and the PD-1 expression level groups of sepsis patients. They may be involved in regulating the expression of PD-1 on the surface of CD4+ T cells through the action of related environmental factors such as IL-2 or Lac, which in turn affects the 7-day prognosis of sepsis patients.

[Research study on nucleic acid testing of hemostatic stickers used and the surface of the recipients' hands after the inoculation of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine]

Among the staff of Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, who received the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine on January 30 in 2021, 28 recipients were selected for this research. Samples for nucleic acid tests were collected from the surface of the recipients' both hands before and after vaccination. The hemostatic stickers used after the inoculation were also collected for nucleic acid tests. The nucleic acid tests of the samples collected from the surface of both hands of the 28 recipients before vaccination were all negative. After vaccination, the nucleic acid tests of the samples collected from the surface of both hands of recipients were positive in 3 cases, and suspicious in 8 cases, with a positive rate of 10.7%. A total of 25 hemostatic stickers used were collected, 24 of them had positive nucleic acid tests, and the rest one had suspicious nucleic acid test result, with a positive rate of 96%. The hemostatic stickers used after the inoculation have the risk of nucleic acid contamination.

[Analysis of early death factors and prognosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia]

目的

总结初诊急性早幼粒细胞白血病（APL）早期死亡患者的临床特征，分析早期死亡的危险因素和直接死亡原因，同时对患者进行生存分析。

方法

回顾性分析2011年1月至2017年12月苏州大学附属第一医院、苏州大学附属第一医院广慈分院、苏州弘慈血液病医院收治的368例初诊APL患者的临床特征，分析早期死亡的独立危险因素，比较出血性早期死亡与非出血性早期死亡患者的临床特征，并对所有APL患者进行生存分析。

结果

368例初诊APL患者中早期死亡31例，早期病死率为8.4%，从诊断至死亡的中位时间为7（0~29）d。比较早期死亡患者与非早期死亡患者的临床特征，应用Logistic回归模型进行多因素分析显示，年龄≥50岁和初诊时WBC≥10×10⁹/L为初诊APL患者发生早期死亡的独立危险因素（P值均<0.01）。31例早期死亡患者中有27例（87.1%）的直接死亡原因为出血，出血是<50岁患者的唯一死亡原因，≥50岁患者的主要死亡原因。比较出血性早期死亡患者与非出血性早期死亡患者的临床特征，提示出血性早期死亡患者的中位年龄和间接胆红素水平较非出血性早期死亡患者低（P<0.05）。所有患者中位随访时间为41.0（0.3~101.4）个月。2年总生存（OS）率为（93.5±1.3）%，5年OS率为（91.0±1.5）%。2年无病生存（DFS）率为（98.8±0.6）%，5年DFS率为（97.1±0.9）%。≥50岁与<50岁患者的2年OS率分别为79.3%和94.2%（P=0.000）；2年DFS率分别为92.3%和98.1%（P=0.023）。高危患者与非高危患者的2年OS率分别为77.3%和96.7%（P=0.000）；2年DFS率分别为94.0%和98.4%（P=0.139）。

结论

年龄≥50岁和WBC≥10×10⁹/L是APL患者早期死亡的独立危险因素；高危和低危APL的早期病死率有差异而DFS率差异无统计学意义。

[Efficacy and safety of Kangbingdu granules in the treatment of influenza: a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, positive-drug parallel control multicenter clinical trial]

Objective: To observe the efficacy and safety of Kangbingdu granules (KBD) in the treatment of influenza. Methods: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, and positive-drug parallel control trial was conducted in 27 Grade ⅢA hospitals in China and the subjects were randomly assigned to the KBD test group or the oseltamivir phosphate capsule control group at a ratio of 1∶1. 200 subjects were planned to be enrolled in each group. The experimental group was given KBD (18g each time, 3 times a day) and oseltamivir phosphate simulator orally, while the control group was given oseltamivir phosphate capsule (75 mg each time, twice a day) and KBD simulator orally for 5 days. The primary efficacy indicators included the remission time of major clinical symptoms and the time of complete defervescence. The secondary efficacy indicators included dosage of acetaminophen, the change of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score and the remission time of other important clinical symptoms. The efficacy of KBD in the test group and Oseltamivir phosphate control group were compared. Adverse events or adverse reactions were observed at the same time to evaluate the safety of KBD Granules. Results: A total of 393 subjects from 27 Grade ⅢA hospitals in China were enrolled. The experimental group included 195 subjects and 191 subjects (97.95%) completed the trial, While the control group included 198 subjects and 195 subjects (98.48%) completed the trial. There was no significant difference in the shedding rate and rejection rate between the two groups (P>0.05). In the Full Analysis Set (FAS), the mean age of the experimental group was (34.9±14.4) years old, with 83 males (42.78%). The mean age of the control group was (33.3±13.5) years old, with 78 males (39.59%). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in demographic data, physical examination, viral pathogen detection, total score of TCM syndromes and scores of each symptom at baseline (P>0.05). In the FAS, the remission time M (Q₁, Q₃) of major clinical symptoms was 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) days in the experimental group and 3.0 (3.0, 4.0) days in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The time M (Q₁, Q₃) of complete defervescence was 34.0 (20.3, 49.0) hours in the experimental group and 36.5 (19.6, 48.8) hours in the control group, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). KBD granules had the same effect as Oseltamivir phosphate capsule (P>0.05) in terms of acetaminophen dosage, TCM syndrome effect and disappearance rate of most important clinical symptoms. Meanwhile, the disappearance rate of dizziness and chest distress on day 3 in the KBD granules group was better than that of oseltamivir phosphate capsule (P<0.05). Conclusion: KBD granules have the same efficacy as Oseltamivir Phosphate capsule in the treatment of influenza and the drug safety is good.

Repair of facial scars using free and pedicle-expanded deltopectoral flaps

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and long-term outcomes of free and pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flaps with perforation of the internal thoracic artery to repair facial scars. This retrospective review was of 37 patients who presented between June 2013 and June 2019 with various types of facial scar. Ten patients received a free expanded deltopectoral flap and 27 a pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flap. During the stage-one operation, the expander was implanted into the deltopectoral area and fully expanded by normal saline injection. In stage two, the facial lesions were incised, and the free or pedicled flap transferred to reconstruct the defect. Flap necrosis did not occur in the 10 patients treated with free flaps. Two patients need to have the pedicle trimmed three months after surgery because it had become bloated. Distal necrosis occurred in five of 27 patients who received a pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flap. Healing by conservative treatment was noted in two cases and healing after skin grafting was documented in the other three. All 37 patients achieved satisfactory results. A pedicled, expanded deltopectoral flap appears to be a reliable and safe option for the treatment of facial scars.