[Clinical and molecular biological characterization of patients with accelerated chronic lymphocytic leukemia]

Objective: To investigate the clinical and molecular biological characteristics of patients with accelerated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (aCLL) . Methods: From January 2020 to October 2022, the data of 13 patients diagnosed with aCLL at The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively analyzed to explore the clinical and molecular biological characteristics of aCLL. Results: The median age of the patients was 54 (35-72) years. Prior to aCLL, five patients received no treatment for CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), while the other patients received treatment, predominantly with BTK inhibitors. The patients were diagnosed with aCLL through pathological confirmation upon disease progression. Six patients exhibited bulky disease (lesions with a maximum diameter ≥5 cm). Positron emission tomography (PET) -computed tomography (CT) images revealed metabolic heterogeneity, both between and within lesions, and the median maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the lesion with the most elevated metabolic activity was 6.96 (2.51-11.90). Patients with unmutated IGHV CLL accounted for 76.9% (10/13), and the most frequent genetic and molecular aberrations included +12 [3/7 (42.9% ) ], ATM mutation [6/12 (50% ) ], and NOTCH1 mutation [6/12 (50% ) ]. Twelve patients received subsequent treatment. The overall response rate was 91.7%, and the complete response rate was 58.3%. Five patients experienced disease progression, among which two patients developed Richter transformation. Patients with aCLL with KRAS mutation had worse progression-free survival (7.0 month vs 26.3 months, P=0.015) . Conclusion: Patients with aCLL exhibited a clinically aggressive course, often accompanied by unfavorable prognostic factors, including unmutated IGHV, +12, ATM mutation, and NOTCH1 mutation. Patients with CLL/SLL with clinical suspicion of disease progression, especially those with bulky disease and PET-CT SUVmax ≥5, should undergo biopsy at the site of highest metabolic uptake to establish a definitive pathological diagnosis.

[Clinicopathological analysis of benign mammary ductal cystic papillomatosis with loss of myoepithelial cells]

Objective: To investigate the histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of benign apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia of the breast with loss of myoepithelial cell layer. Methods: The clinical data, histopathological features and immunohistochemical profile of patients with benign apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia of breast with loss of myoepithelial cell layer from January 2016 to December 2021 were examined, in which six patients were identified. Results: All six patients were female, aged 36-61 years (median 46 years), who presented with a breast mass; three cases were from the left breast and three cases were from the right breast. Microscopic examination of all cases showed breast hyperplasia with apocrine cysts, accompanied by different degrees of micropapillary and papillary hyperplasia of apocrine cells. One case was associated with lobular carcinoma in situ, and one case was associated with apocrine ductal carcinoma in situ with intraductal dissemination in adenosis. Immunohistochemical staining of CK5/6, p63, SMA, SMMHC, Calponin and CD10 showed complete absence of myoepithelial cell layer surrounding ducts in apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia. Conclusions: The myoepithelial cells of apocrine cystic papillary hyperplasia of the breast may undergo abnormal changes and may even be completely lost. The diagnosis should be comprehensively considered along with cytomorphological and histological features to avoid overdiagnosis.

[Effect of Friday surgery on clinical outcome of elderly patients with hip fracture under multidisciplinary treatment]

Objective: To assess the impact of Friday surgery on clinical outcomes in elderly patients with hip fracture under multidisciplinary treatment. Methods: A retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 414 geriatric patients with hip fractures admitted to Zhongda Hospital Affiliated with Southeast University from January 2018 to March 2021 were analyzed retrospectively, including 126 males and 288 females with a mean age of (81.3±7.6) years. The patients were divided into two groups based on whether they underwent surgery on Friday or not. The Friday group(n=69) and the non-Friday group(n=345) were compared in terms of general information, American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA) classification, fracture type, injury to admission time, preoperative waiting time, surgical method, anesthesia type and use of intensive care unit (ICU) fast track. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed based on age, ASA grade, time from injury to admission, preoperative waiting time, hemoglobin and albumin levels at admission. Clinical outcomes were collected and compared between the two groups, including length of hospital stay, total hospitalization cost and 30-day, 90-day and 1-year mortality rates, and postoperative complications. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify influencing factors for 1-year mortality in geriatric patients with hip fracture. Results: Baseline data showed statistically significant differences in hemoglobin, albumin and preoperative waiting time between the two groups (all P<0.05). After PSM matching, 69 patients were included in each group, and no significant differences were observed in baseline data between the two groups (all P>0.05). There was no significant differences in 30-day mortality rate (4.3% vs 0, P=0.080), 90-day mortality rate (7.2% vs 1.4%, P=0.095), length of hospital stay [(10.85±4.45)d vs (10.92±3.68)d, P=0.919], total hospitalization cost [(60.9±15.4) thousands yuan vs (59.1±15.4) thousands yuan, P=0.489], postoperative complications [pneumonia (11.6% vs 13.0%, P=0.796), cardio-cerebrovascular complications (11.6% vs 8.7%, P=0.573) and delirium (5.7% vs 2.9%, P=0.245)] between the Friday group and the non-Friday group (all P>0.05). However, the 1-year mortality rate was higher in the Friday group than that in the non-Friday group(18.8% vs 4.3%, P=0.008). Multivariate analysis revealed that surgery on Friday (OR=11.222, 95%CI: 2.198-57.291, P=0.004), low hemoglobin levels at admission (OR=0.920, 95%CI: 0.875-0.967, P=0.001), hemiarthroplasty treatment (OR=5.127, 95%CI: 1.308-20.095, P=0.019) and longer surgery duration (OR=0.958, 95%CI: 0.927-0.989, P=0.009) were influencing factors for 1-year mortality in geriatric patients with hip fracture. Conclusions: In the context of multidisciplinary treatment, Friday surgery does not increase short-term mortality, length of hospital stay, total hospitalization cost or incidence of complications in geriatric patients with hip fracture. However, it remains a influencing factor for 1-year mortality in those patients.

[Clonality relatedness and molecular characteristics of Richter transformation]

Objective: To investigate the clinical, genetic, and clonality related aspects of individuals with Richter transformation (RT) . Methods: From January 2019 to December 2021, 18 RT patients with diagnoses at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Pukou CLL center) were retrospectively examined. The immunoglobin heavy variable (IGHV) gene usage and IGHV-D-J rearrangement pattern of diagnosed CLL/SLL and transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were compared to determine the clonality relatedness. To investigate the risk factors of RT, Clinical and laboratory data from patients with newly diagnosed CLL/SLL and transformed DLBCL were gathered. Results: The median age of RT was 56.5 (41-75) years old. 17 patients transformed to DLBCL and 1 transformed to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) . Of 17 individuals who had DLBCL transformation, 15 had CLL/SLL-related clonality and 2 had unrelated clonality. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of 11 paired initially diagnosed treatment-naive CLL/SLL and RT DLBCL found that EGR2、TP53 and NOTCH1 were among the most frequently mutated genes both in treatment-naive CLL/SLL and in RT DLBCL. In several cases, specific mutations were gained or lost throughout RT, indicating clonal evolution. Among 10 patients before exposure to BTK inhibitors before RT, four patients acquired BTK mutation. The aforementioned mutations should be considered high-risk variables for transformation; in addition, TP53 and EGR2 mutations could be linked to a poor prognosis following RT in patients receiving a cocktail of new medicines. Conclusion: Most RT DLBCL patients in our center are clonality related (15/17, 88.2% ) and we recommend all qualified centers to evaluate clonality relatedness of RT DLBCL patients. There was some variability in the mutational landscape between DLBCL that had undergone a transformation and initially diagnosed, treatment-naive CLL/SLL. The underlying molecular mechanism of RT needs more research.

[Expression of PD-L1 and tumor infiltrating lymphocyte markers in uterine cervical carcinoma]

Objective: To investigate the expression of PD-L1, CD4, CD8 and CXCL-13 in cervical carcinoma, and their clinicopathological significance was analyzed. Methods: A total of 77 patients with cervical carcinoma in the Seventh Medical Center, PLA General Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were included. All patients received radical surgical resection in the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital. The expression of PD-L1, CD4, CD8 and CXCL-13 was detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) method. The correlation between IHC markers and patients' clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. Results: There were 59 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 18 cases of adenocarcinoma (ranging from 29 to 69 years) with an average of (49.4±9.8) years. PD-L1 was expressed in different degrees in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma (χ²=4.975, P=0.026); CD4⁺, CD8⁺and CXCL-13⁺tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were observed in the carcinoma cell nests and peritumoral stroma. PD-L1 expression in cervical carcinoma was moderately correlated with the number of CD4⁺TIL in the carcinoma nests, and the number of CD8⁺, CXCL-13⁺TIL infiltration in the carcinoma nests and stroma, but not to the patient's age, histologic differentiation, presence or absence of vascular invasion, presence or absence of lymph node metastasis and FIGO stage (P>0.05). Conclusions: The high expression of PD-L1 in cervical carcinoma tissues is closely related to the number of TIL in the carcinoma nests and peritumor stroma, suggesting that they may have important reference value for predicting the response to immunotherapy in patients with cervical carcinoma.

The relationship between serum FSH level and ovarian response during controlled ovarian stimulation

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate whether serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level during the early controlled ovarian stimulation can be used as a predictor of the ovarian response in the in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The participants of this retrospective study were chosen from Reproductive Medicine Center, Weifang People's Hospital between January 2015 and December 2020.The participants of this study met the age of 20~43 years old, anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) ≥ 1.2 ng/mL, antral follicle count (AFC) ≥ 5, and the data was complete and no cancellation cycle. Each participant was given GnRH agonist protocol and given a fixed dose of recombinant FSH in the first four days during the controlled ovarian stimulation (COS). According to the number of oocytes retrieved, the participants were divided into two different ovarian response groups. Serum FSH level after the fourth recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH) injection were compared during the different ovarian responders.

RESULTS

The number of participants who met both the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria was 235. Serum sFSH levels (mean: 11.76 ± 3.10 IU/L) in the inappropriate responders was significantly higher than serum sFSH levels (mean: 10.79 ± 2.52 IU/L) in the superior responders(p = 0.029). There was a weak correlation between serum sFSH levels and the number of oocytes retrieved (r = -0.134, p = 0.041). Serum sFSH levels had significant clinical valuable (p = 0.0346) in predicting the number of oocytes retrieved.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum sFSH levels may be a potential marker to predict the ovarian response during the early COS in the IVF/ICSI cycles, which can guide the adjustment of the exogenous rFSH dose.

Severity and factors of menopausal symptoms in middle-aged women in Gansu Province of China: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the severity and risk factors of menopausal symptoms in the middle-aged women in Gansu Province of China.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 7319 women (aged 40-55 years) attended the health survey in Gansu Province in China were enrolled. Information on demographics, menopausal status, reproductive history, and history of chronic diseases was collected via a structured questionnaire. Severity of menopausal symptom was evaluated by the Modified Kupperman Menopausal Index. Ordinal logistic regression model was applied to explore its risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 7319 participants were included in present study, among them, 3606 (49.27%) had moderate or severe menopausal symptom. Compared with premenopausal women, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women have a higher mKMI score. We observed that older age, higher BMI, non-married status, longer duration of menstruation (≥ 7 days), number of pregnancy (> 3 times), longer duration of breastfeeding (> 12 months), peri- or post-menopausal status, and menopause hormone therapy was positively associated with menopausal symptom score, while higher level of family income, educational and physical activity, and history of gynecological, breast or chronic disease were negatively associated with the score.

CONCLUSIONS

Numerous factors were associated with the severity of menopausal symptom among the Chinese women. Because it was gradually increased with aging, more attention is warranted to manage the menopausal symptom.

[The risk prediction models for occurrence of cervical cancer: a systematic review]

Objective: To systematically summarize and assess risk prediction models for occurrence of cervical cancer and to provide evidence for selecting the most reliable model for practice, and guide cervical cancer screening. Methods: Two groups of keywords related to cervical cancer and risk prediction model were searched on Chinese databases (CNKI, and Wanfang) and English databases (PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library). Original articles that developed or validated risk prediction models and published before November 21, 2019, were selected. Information form was created based on the CHARMS checklist. The PROBAST was used to assess the risk of bias. Results: 12 eligible articles were identified, describing 15 prediction models, of which five were established in China. The predicted outcomes included multiple stages from cervical precancerous lesions to cancer occurrence, i.e., abnormal Pap smear (1), occurrence or recurrence of CIN (9), and occurrence of cervical cancer (5), etc. The most frequently used predictors were HPV infection (12), age (7), smoking (5), and education (5). There were two models using machine learning to develop models. In terms of model performance, the discrimination ranged from 0.53 to 0.87, while only two models assessed the calibration correctly. Only two models were externally validated in Taiwan of China, using people in different periods. All of the models were at high risk of bias, especially in the analysis domain. The problems were concentrated in the improper handling of missing data (13), preliminary evaluation of model performance (13), improper use of internal validation (12), and insufficient sample size (11). In addition, the problems of inconsistency measurements of predictors and outcomes (8) and the flawed report of the use of blindness for outcome measures (8) were also severe. Compared with the other models, the Rothberg (2018) model had relatively high quality. Conclusions: There are a certain number of cervical cancer risk prediction models, but the quality is poor. It is urgent to improve the measurement of predictors and outcomes, the statistical analysis details such as handling missing data and evaluation of model performance and externally validate existing models to better guide screening.

Bis-isatin derivatives: design, synthesis, and biological activity evaluation as potent dimeric DJ-1 inhibitors

The PARK7 gene (encode DJ-1 protein) was first discovered as an oncogene and later found to be a causative gene for autosomal recessive early onset Parkinson's disease. DJ-1 has been proposed as a potential therapeutic anticancer target due to its pivotal role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. Based on the homodimer structure of DJ-1, a series of bis-isatin derivatives with different length linkers were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as dimeric inhibitors targeting DJ-1 homodimer. Among them, DM10 with alkylene chain of C10 displayed the most potent inhibitory activity against DJ-1 deglycase. We further demonstrated that DM10 bound covalently to the homodimer of DJ-1. In human cancer cell lines H1299, MDA-MB-231, BEL7402, and 786-O, DM10 (2.5-20 μM) inhibited the cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner showing better anticancer effects compared with the positive control drug STK793590. In nude mice bearing H1299 cell xenograft, intratumor injection of DM10 (15 mg/kg) produced significantly potent tumor growth inhibition when compared with that caused by STK793590 (30 mg/kg). Moreover, we found that DM10 could significantly enhance N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide-based apoptosis and erastin-based ferroptosis in H1299 cells. In conclusion, DM10 is identified as a potent inhibitor targeting DJ-1 homodimer with the potential as sensitizing agent for other anticancer drugs, which might provide synergistical therapeutic option for cancer treatment.

The C terminus of DJ-1 determines its homodimerization, MGO detoxification activity and suppression of ferroptosis

DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein associated with cancers and autosomal early-onset Parkinson disease. Besides the well-documented antioxidative stress activity, recent studies show that DJ-1 has deglycation enzymatic activity and anti-ferroptosis effect. It has been shown that DJ-1 forms the homodimerization, which dictates its antioxidative stress activity. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the dimeric structure of DJ-1 and its newly reported activities. In HEK293T cells with Flag-tagged and Myc-tagged DJ-1 overexpression, we performed deletion mutations and point mutations, narrowed down the most critical motif at the C terminus. We found that the deletion mutation of the last three amino acids at the C terminus of DJ-1 (DJ-1 ΔC3) disrupted its homodimerization with the hydrophobic L187 residue being of great importance for DJ-1 homodimerization. In addition, the ability in methylglyoxal (MGO) detoxification and deglycation was almost abolished in the mutation of DJ-1 ΔC3 and point mutant L187E compared with wild-type DJ-1 (DJ-1 WT). We also showed the suppression of erastin-triggered ferroptosis in DJ-1-/- mouse embryonic fibroblast cells was abolished by ΔC3 and L187E, but partially diminished by V51C. Thus, our results demonstrate that the C terminus of DJ-1 is crucial for its homodimerization, deglycation activity, and suppression of ferroptosis.

Histone demethylase KDM4A overexpression improved the efficiency of corrected human tripronuclear zygote development

Human zygotes are difficult to obtain for research because of limited resources and ethical debates. Corrected human tripronuclear (ch3PN) zygotes obtained by removal of the extra pronucleus from abnormally fertilized tripronuclear (3PN) zygotes are considered an alternative resource for basic scientific research. In the present study, eight-cell and blastocyst formation efficiency were significantly lower in both 3PN and ch3PN embryos than in normal fertilized (2PN) embryos, while histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) levels were much higher. It was speculated that the aberrant H3K9me3 level detected in ch3PN embryos may be related to low developmental competence. Microinjection of 1000 ng/µl lysine-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A) mRNA effectively reduced the H3K9me3 level and significantly increased the developmental competence of ch3PN embryos. The quality of ch3PN zygotes improved as the grading criteria, cell number and pluripotent expression significantly increased in response to KDM4A mRNA injection. Developmental genes related to zygotic genome activation (ZGA) were also upregulated. These results indicate that KDM4A activates the transcription of the ZGA program by enhancing the expression of related genes, promoting epigenetic modifications and regulating the developmental potential of ch3PN embryos. The present study will facilitate future studies of ch3PN embryos and could provide additional options for infertile couples.

Melatonin protects against oxybenzone-induced deterioration of mouse oocytes during maturation

Oxybenzone (OBZ), an ultraviolet light filter that is widely used in sunscreens and cosmetics, is an emerging contaminant found in humans and the environment. Recent studies have shown that OBZ has been detected in women's plasma, urine, and breast milk. However, the effects of OBZ exposure on oocyte meiosis have not been addressed. In this study, we investigated the detrimental effects of OBZ on oocyte maturation and the protective roles of melatonin (MT) in OBZ-exposed mouse models. Our in vitro and in vivo results showed that OBZ suppressed oocyte maturation, while MT attenuated the meiotic defects induced by OBZ. In addition, OBZ facilitated H3K4 demethylation by increasing the expression of the Kdm5 family of genes, elevating ROS levels, decreasing GSH, impairing mitochondrial quality, and disrupting spindle configuration in oocytes. However, MT treatment resulted in significant protection against OBZ-induced damage during oocyte maturation and improved oocyte quality. The mechanisms underlying the beneficial roles of MT involved reduction of oxidative stress, inhibition of apoptosis, restoration of abnormal spindle assembly and up-regulation of H3K4me3. Collectively, our results suggest that MT protects against defects induced by OBZ during mouse oocyte maturation in vitro and in vivo.

[The value of conventional magnetic resonance imaging based radiomic model in predicting the texture of pituitary macroadenoma]

Objective: To investigate the value of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based radiomic model in predicting the texture of pituitary macroadenoma. Methods: The complete data of 101 patients with pituitary macroadenoma confirmed by surgery and pathology in Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College from December 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the texture of the intraoperative pituitary tumor, patients were divided into soft group (n=58) and hard group (n=43). They were randomly divided into training group (n=72) and validation group (n=29) at a ratio of 7∶3. All patients underwent conventional MRI scan of the pituitary gland. Itk-snap software was used to manually outline the T(1)-weighted image (T(1)WI), T(2)-weighted image (T(2)WI) and enhanced T(1)WI image section by section on tumor area of interest (ROI) and perform three-dimensional fusion. Then AK software was imported to extract texture features. The regression analysis methods of minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used for feature selection and radiomic signature establishment. The reliability of the model was verified by 100 leave-group-out cross validation (LGOCV), and the predictive ability of the model was evaluated by drawing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical application value of the model. Results: The AUC (Area Under the ROC Curve) (95%CI) values of T1WI, T2WI, enhanced T1WI, and the combined sequence model to predict the texture of pituitary macroadenomas in the training and validation groups were 0.91 (0.84-0.98) and 0.90 (0.78-1.00), 0.86 (0.78-0.95) and 0.83 (0.64-1.00), 0.90 (0.83-0.97) and 0.89 (0.77-1.00),0.92 (0.85-0.98) and 0.91 (0.79-1.00), respectively. DCA demonstrated that T(1)WI, T(2)WI, enhanced T(1)WI, and combined sequence model all had good net benefits in clinical practice. Conclusions: T(1)WI, T(2)WI, enhanced T(1)WI, and combined sequence model of conventional MRI all had high efficacy in predicting the texture of pituitary macroadenoma, which provided a new quantitative method for predicting the texture of pituitary macroadenoma.

[Yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training on upper limb spasticity in stroke hemiplegia]

OBJECTIVE

To compare the therapeutic effect of yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training and single rehabilitation training on upper limb spasticity in patients with stroke hemiplegia.

METHODS

A total of 60 patients with upper limb spasticity of stroke hemiplegia were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. On the basis of conventional western medication, rehabilitation training was adopted in the control group. On the basis of treatment in the control group, yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture was applied from Jianyu (LI 15) to Binao (LI 14), Quchi (LI 11) to Shaohai (HT 3), Yanglingquan (GB 34) to Yinlingquan (SP 9), Xuanzhong (GB 39) to Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. of the affected side in the observation group. The treatment was given once a day, 5 days were as one course, with a 2-day interval between two courses, 4 courses were required in both groups. The classification of modified Ashworth spasticity scale (MAS), surface integrated electromyogram (iEMG) of affected upper limb and the scores of National Institute of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) of upper limb and modified Barthel index (MBI) before and after treatment were observed, the therapeutic effect was evaluated in both groups.

RESULTS

①After treatment, the MAS classification reduced in both groups (P<0.05), the cases of grade 0 to Ⅰ⁺ in the observation group were more than those in the control group (P<0.05); iEMG values of the maximum isometric voluntary contraction of affected usculus biceps brachii, musculus triceps brachii, musculus flexor carpi, musculus extensor carpi, extensor digitorum, aductor pollicis brevis were increased in both groups (P<0.05), and the variations of iEMG of above muscles on the affected side in the observation group were larger than those in the control group (P<0.05). ②After treatment, the scores of NIHSS were decreased (P<0.05), the scores of FMA, MBI were increased in both groups (P<0.05), and the variations of NIHSS, FMA and MBI scores were larger than those in the control group (P<0.05). ③The total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the observation group, which was superior to 70.0% (21/30) in the control group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Yin-yang balance penetrating acupuncture combined with rehabilitation training can improve upper limb spasticity, heighten the motor function of upper limb and daily self care in patients with stroke hemiplegia, its therapeutic effect is superior to single rehabilitation training.

[Clinical application of vitrification freezing of oocytes]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of oocyte vitrification on embryo quality and developmental potential. Methods: From January 2014 to December 2017, 30 cases of oocytes vitrification in the reproductive center of Sir Run Run Shaw hospital were collected as the frozen group, due to failure of sperm extraction or inability to obtain sufficient sperm at the ovum pick-up-day because of oligoospermia or azoospermia. 220 cases of fresh oocytes from the same period were selected as the fresh group. The fertilization rate, embryo rate, pregnancy rate, implantation rate and live birth rate of the two groups were compared retrospectively. Results: The survival rate of oocyte resuscitation was 91.4% (180/197). In the frozen group, 24 cases were transferred with 14 pregnancies, while in the fresh group, 31 cases were transferred with 18 pregnancies. The number of 2PN fertilized eggs, 2PN embryos and 2PN high-quality embryos in the frozen group was significantly lower than that in the fresh group (3.7±2.5 vs 7.3±4.8), (3.3±2.5 vs 7.2±4.8), and (1.2±1.8 vs 2.9±2.7) (all P<0.05). The fertilization rate of the frozen group was 77.2% (115/149) and the high-quality embryo rate was 36.6% (37/101), lower than that of the fresh group 77.6% (1 637/2 109) and 40.9% (651/1 591) (P>0.05).The pregnancy rate of the frozen group was 58.3% (14/24) higher than that of the fresh group 58.1% (18/31), the implantation rate of each mature oocyte and the live birth rate of each mature oocyte were 10.8% (15/138) and 10.8% (15/138), both higher than that of the fresh group 9.6% (21/218) and 8.7% (19/218) (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Vitrification cryopreservation of oocytes may lead to a decrease in embryo quality, but embryo development potential is still considerable. Higher pregnancy rate, implantation rate and live birth rate may be obtained.

[Primary thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma: 7 clinical cases report and a review of the literature]

Objective: To reveal clinical features, pathological diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of primary thymic mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and review literatures. Methods: The clinical characteristics, pathological diagnosis, laboratory texts, treatment and prognosis of 7 cases of primary thymic MALT lymphoma identified at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from November 2017 to January 2019 were collected and analyzed. Results: Of 7 primary thymic MALT lymphoma cases, six were female. Patients were often asymptomatic and were found mediastinal mass by chest CT. After mediastinal mass resection, pathologist reported a primary thymic MALT lymphoma. Laboratory tests showed all patients were positive for anti-nuclear antibody, anti-Ro52 antibodies and anti-Sjogren's syndrome A antibodies, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) . Four were diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome (SS) . After surgery, the patients were given the positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) scans. All cases received "watch and wait" approach. Up to now, all cases showed good prognoses and none of them relapsed. Conclusion: Primary thymic MALT lymphoma was rare, and it was often associated with autoimmune diseases. Such patients who usually had good prognoses should be followed up closely and avoided excessive treatments if there were no indications of intervention.

[High-dose methylprednisolone with Rituximab and fresh frozen plasma in the treatment of six patients with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders harboring TP53 abnormalities]

Objective: To investigate whether high-dose methylprednisolone with Rituximab and fresh frozen plasma (HDMP+RTX+FFP) is an effective therapy for patients with B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders (B-CLPD) with TP53 abnormalities. Methods: Six B-CLPD patients with TP53 abnormalities from May 2008 to May 2012 were prospectively enrolled in the study. The patients were treated with HDMP+RTX+FFP for up to 6 cycles. Results: Of the six B-CLPD patients, there were 4 cases of chronic B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders-unclassified (B-CLPD-U) , 1 B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) and 1 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) . After a median 3 courses of treatment, 4 patients achieved complete remission (CR) including 3 with undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD(-)) . One patient was evaluated as stable disease (SD) and another one patient was in disease progression (PD) . After a median follow-up of 30 (4-56) months, 2 non-responders progressed quickly and died. All of CR patients survived and no one succumbed to disease progression at the last follow-up. The hematopoietic function was significantly improved after the treatment whereas there was also significant decrease in serum IgA, IgG and IgM levels. All patients showed well tolerance to this regimen. The incidence of myelosuppression was low and adverse events (AE) were mainly neutropenia which did not exceed grade 3 and infection. All AE were controllable. Conclusion: HDMP+RTX+FFP is an effective and relatively tolerable therapy for patients with B-CLPD accompanying with TP53 abnormalities.

[Clinical observation of five pediatric-type follicular lymphoma in adult]

目的

探讨成人儿童型滤泡淋巴瘤（PTFL）患者的病理诊断、临床特征、治疗及转归特点。

方法

回顾性分析在江苏省人民医院就诊的5例成人PTFL患者的临床病理特点、实验室检查、诊治经过及随访结果，并结合文献进行综述。

结果

5例PTFL患者均为成年发病，中位年龄22（15~33）岁。起病时表现为局部无痛性淋巴结肿大，无发热、盗汗、消瘦等全身B症状。组织病理表现为典型的大滤泡结构，增殖指数高，存在免疫球蛋白重链基因克隆性重排，组化提示无BCL-2蛋白表达，荧光原位杂交未见BCL-2基因异常。所有患者均为Ⅰ~Ⅱ期，治疗仅通过局部肿块切除，未追加局部放疗或全身系统性免疫化疗。中位随访27个月，5例患者均处于持续缓解状态。

结论

成人PTFL病理增殖指数较高，无BCL-2表达和基因异常，临床多为局限病变，通过局部手术治疗预后较好，与经典成人滤泡淋巴瘤有显著差异。

[The prognostic significance of peripheral lymphocyte/monocyte ratio and PET-2 evaluation in adult Hodgkin's lymphoma]

目的

探讨淋巴细胞/单核细胞比值（LMR）及2个疗程后PET评价（PET-2）在成人霍奇金淋巴瘤（HL）中的预后价值。

方法

回顾性分析2007年1月至2016年3月南京医科大学第一附属医院133例初诊成人HL患者的临床资料。采用X-tile软件确定变量的最佳临界值，生存分析采用Kaplan-Meier法及Cox回归。

结果

133例HL患者中位年龄33（18~84）岁，男女比例1.9∶1。LMR最佳临界值为2.5，LMR<2.5组无进展生存（PFS）时间（P<0.001）和总生存（OS）时间（P<0.001）均较LMR ≥2.5组显著缩短。多因素生存分析显示LMR<2.5是HL患者PFS（HR=2.35，95%CI 1.36~4.07，P=0.002）和OS（HR=10.36，95%CI 2.35~45.66，P=0.002）的独立预后因素。56例患者的PET-2结果分析显示，PET-2阳性患者PFS明显差于PET-2阴性患者（P=0.022）。根据LMR和PET-2将患者分为PET-2阴性且LMR ≥2.5、PET-2阳性或LMR<2.5、PET-2阳性且LMR<2.5三组，三组间的PFS和OS差异均有统计学意义（P值分别为0.009和0.012）。

结论

LMR<2.5是成人HL患者的独立预后不良因素。PET-2与LMR结合的预后价值可能更好。

[Clinical outcomes of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for aggressive peripheral T-cell lymphoma]

目的

研究外周血造血干细胞移植治疗外周T细胞淋巴瘤（PTCL）的疗效。

方法

回顾性分析解放军总医院血液科2007年6月至2017年6月接受外周血造血干细胞移植PTCL患者的临床资料。

结果

共有41例PTCL患者纳入研究，男30例，女11例，中位年龄38（13~57）岁。17例行自体外周血造血干细胞移植（auto-PBSCT），24例行异基因外周血造血干细胞移植（allo-PBSCT）。auto-PBSCT组ALK阳性间变大细胞淋巴瘤占47.1%（8/17），allo-PBSCT组NK/T细胞淋巴瘤和外周T细胞淋巴瘤-非特指型占66.7%（16/24）。auto-PBSCT组患者移植前疾病处于完全缓解（CR）状态者占58.8%（10/17），疾病进展（PD）状态者占11.8%（2/17）；allo-PBSCT组移植前疾病状态为CR者8.3%（2/24），PD者45.8%（11/24）。auto-PBSCT组和allo-PBSCT组移植后2年总生存率、无病生存率差异均无统计学意义[（64.0±10.8）%对（53.5±9.7）%，P=0.543；（57.1±12.4）%对（53.5±10.6）%，P=0.701]。auto-PBSCT组6例死亡，5例死于复发；allo-PBSCT组12例死亡，其中5例死于复发，7例为移植相关死亡。

结论

auto-PBSCT和allo-PBSCT均是PTCL的有效治疗方法。

[Infiltration of tumor associated macrophages in multiple myeloma and its clinical significance]

目的

探讨肿瘤相关性巨噬细胞（TAM）在多发性骨髓瘤（MM）中的临床意义及其与肿瘤血管生成、免疫抑制的关系。

方法

以2015年8月至2017年6月就诊的70例MM患者为观察对象，以20例良性血液病（缺铁性贫血13例，巨幼细胞性贫血7例）患者为对照，采用免疫组化法检测骨髓标本中CD163、CD34、VEGF的表达，采用流式细胞术检测Treg细胞比例，采用ELISA法检测IL-10水平，结合临床特征进行分析。

结果

①70例患者中，男31例，女39例，中位年龄65（50~78）岁。MM患者组的TAM浸润密度、微血管密度（MVD）、VEGF表达水平、Treg细胞比例及IL-10水平均较对照组升高（P值均<0.05）。②在MM患者组中，疾病稳定组（15例）患者的上述指标均较初诊组（35例）和复发难治组（20例）低（P值均<0.05）；后两组差异无统计学意义（P值均>0.05）。③35例初诊MM患者中27例完成4个疗程治疗，有效组（15例）治疗后TAM浸润密度较治疗前明显下降，差异有统计学意义[（20.20±7.66）对（28.87±11.97）个/高倍，t=2.362，P=0.025]；无效组（12例）治疗前后差异无统计学意义[（42.00±13.76）对（48.25±13.59）个/高倍，t=1.119，P=0.275]。④硼替佐米方案治疗有效组患者（21例次）的TAM浸润密度较非硼替佐米方案治疗有效组（18例次）减低[（16.52±4.26）对（19.27±5.82）个/高倍，t=1.662，P=0.170]。⑤MM患者的TAM浸润密度与MVD、VEGF表达水平、Treg细胞比例及IL-10水平呈正相关（P值均<0.001）。

结论

骨髓微环境中浸润的TAM与MM发生、发展、疗效及治疗耐药有关，其作用机制可能与TAM促进肿瘤血管形成及抑制免疫反应有关。

[Prognostic significance of CLL-IPI for Chinese patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia]

目的

明确慢性淋巴细胞白血病国际预后指数（CLL-IPI）评分系统在中国慢性淋巴细胞白血病（CLL）患者中的预后评估价值。

方法

回顾性分析2002年1月至2017年11月诊断的215例初治CLL患者的临床资料，采用CLL-IPI评分系统进行危险分层和预后评估。

结果

①215例患者中，男143例，女72例，中位年龄60（16~85）岁。中位无治疗生存（TFS）和中位总生存（OS）时间分别为16（4~24）个月和180（145~215）个月。②按照CLL-IPI评分系统进行危险分层，低危组（60例）、中危组（50例）、高危组（45例）及极高危组（60例）的中位TFS时间分别为56、15、12及5个月，差异有统计学意义（P<0.001）。③中位随访48（1~192）个月，低危组、中危组、高危组及极高危组的中位OS时间分别为未达到和180、89、74个月，预计5年OS率分别为97.6%、83.7%、67.8%及55.2%，差异有统计学意义（P<0.001）。④多因素分析结果显示，免疫球蛋白重链可变区（IGHV）基因无突变（P=0.038）、β₂微球蛋白>3.5 mg/L（P<0.001）是影响患者TFS的独立危险因素；而TP53缺失和（或）突变（P=0.008）、IGHV基因无突变（P=0.017）、年龄>65岁（P=0.045）是影响患者OS的独立危险因素。

结论

CLL-IPI评分系统在中国初治CLL患者中具有较好的预后判断意义，可作为CLL有效的预后分层工具。

[Prognostic value of lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio in angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma]

目的

探究淋巴细胞/单核细胞比值（LMR）在血管免疫母细胞性T细胞淋巴瘤（AITL）患者中的预后价值。

方法

回顾性分析2009年6月至2017年7月南京医科大学第一附属医院收治的64例初诊AITL患者资料。采用ROC曲线计算LMR临界值，并以此将患者分为高LMR和低LMR组，采用Pearson卡方检验及Fisher精确概率法进行组间比较。采用Kaplan-Meier法和Cox回归分析影响无进展生存（PFS）和总生存（OS）的预后因素。

结果

64例患者中，男39例，女25例，中位年龄63（29~89）岁。LMR临界值为3.07。中位随访33（5~103）个月，低LMR与高LMR组比较，患者的PFS时间（9对13个月，P=0.044）和OS时间（16个月对未达到，P=0.014）差异均有统计学意义。多因素分析显示低LMR是影响患者PFS（HR=0.48, 95% CI 0.26~0.92，P=0.027）和OS（HR=0.38，95% CI 0.18~0.82，P=0.013）的独立预后不良因素。亚组分析结果显示，在中高危至高危[非特指型预后指数（PIT）评分2~4分]患者中，低LMR者有更短的PFS和OS时间（P值分别为0.013、0.031），而在低危至中低危（PIT评分0~1分）患者中其差异均无统计学意义（P值分别为0.949、0.238）。

结论

可根据PIT评分及LMR的状态初步评估患者的疾病风险。低LMR提示患者具有更差的预后。

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, JNJ-7706621, improves in vitro developmental competence of porcine parthenogenetic activation and somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

In this study we examined the effects of JNJ-7706621, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, on the in vitro growth of pig embryos that had been produced either by parthenogenetic activation (PA) or somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). A significantly higher percentage of PA embryos reached the blastocyst stage by Day 7 after exposure to 10 µM JNJ-7706621 for 4 h compared with embryos exposed to 5 µg mL−1 cytochalasin B for 4 h (P < 0.05). Similarly, the rate of Tyr15 phosphorylation of the complex of cyclin and p34cdc2 (CDK1) was significantly elevated in the JNJ-7706621-treated embryos compared with embryos exposed to cytochalasin B or non-treated controls (P < 0.05). In contrast, Thr161 phosphorylation of CDK1 was significantly lower in the JNJ-7706621-treated group compared with the cytochalasin B-treated as well as the non-treated group (P < 0.05). Similarly, the level of M-phase-promoting factor (MPF) in embryos was significantly lower in the JNJ-7706621-treated group compared with the cytochalasin B-treated and non-treated groups (P < 0.05). In addition, more SCNT embryos reached the blastocyst stage after treatment with JNJ-7706621 than following exposure to cytochalasin B (P < 0.05). In conclusion, these results reveal that exposure to 10 µM JNJ-7706621 for 4 h improves early development of PA and SCNT porcine embryos by suppressing the activity of CDK1 and a concomitant reduction in the level of MPF.

[A retrospective analysis of clinical characteristics and prognostic factors for 124 cases of primary gastric lymphomas]

目的

探讨原发胃淋巴瘤（PGL）的临床特征、治疗方法及预后。

方法

以2009年7月至2016年1月收治的124例PGL患者为研究对象，回顾性分析患者的临床资料，并探讨患者初诊时临床特征与预后的关系。

结果

124例PGL患者中包括弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤（DLBCL）93例、黏膜相关淋巴组织（MALT）淋巴瘤25例、外周T细胞淋巴瘤非特指型4例、套细胞淋巴瘤和结外NK/T细胞淋巴瘤各1例。93例原发胃DLBCL（PG-DLBCL）患者中，非生发中心型（non-GCB）48例，生发中心型（GCB）45例，其中10例（10.8%）为MALT淋巴瘤转化的DLBCL。胃幽门螺杆菌检测：DLBCL患者阳性率51.2%（21/41），MALT淋巴瘤患者阳性率43.5%（10/23）。单因素分析结果显示临床分期Ⅲ~Ⅳ期（P=0.002）、B症状（P=0.001）、高国际预后指数（P<0.001）、HGB<100 g/L（P<0.001）、白蛋白<35 g/L（P=0.001）、LDH升高（P<0.001）、β₂微球蛋白升高（P=0.003）、未联合利妥昔单抗（P=0.006）是影响PG-DLBCL患者无进展生存（PFS）的不良因素。多因素分析结果显示临床分期Ⅲ~Ⅳ期（HR=5.113，95%CI 1.087~24.048，P=0.039）、LDH升高（HR=5.111，95%CI 1.651~15.827，P=0.005）是影响患者PFS的独立危险因素。在PG-DLBCL non-GCB型组，是否接受利妥昔单抗治疗对患者PFS率的影响差异有统计学意义（P=0.013）。MALT淋巴瘤转化与非转化的DLBCL患者PFS率差异无统计学意义（P=0.373）。

结论

PGL以DLBCL和MALT淋巴瘤多见，PG-DLBCL是一组高度异质性的恶性肿瘤，临床分期Ⅲ~Ⅳ期和LDH升高是影响PG-DLBCL患者PFS的独立危险因素。

Quisinostat treatment improves histone acetylation and developmental competence of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

Abnormal epigenetic modifications are considered a main contributing factor to low cloning efficiency. In the present study, we explored the effects of quisinostat, a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, on blastocyst formation rate in porcine somatic-cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, on acetylation of histone H3 lysine 9 (AcH3K9), and on expression of POU5F1 protein and apoptosis-related genes BAX and BCL2. Our results showed that treatment with 10 nM quisinostat for 24 hr significantly improved the development of reconstructed embryos compared to the untreated group (19.0 ± 1.6% vs. 10.2 ± 0.9%; p < 0.05). Quisinostat-treated SCNT embryos also possessed significantly increased AcH3K9 at the pseudo-pronuclear stage (p < 0.05), as well as improved immunostaining intensity for POU5F1 at the blastocyst stage (p < 0.05). While no statistical difference in BAX expression was observed, BCL2 transcript abundance was significantly different in the quisinostat-treated compared to the untreated control group. Of the 457 quisinostat-treated cloned embryos transferred into three surrogates, six fetuses developed from the one sow that became pregnant. These findings suggested that quisinostat can regulate gene expression and epigenetic modification, facilitating nuclear reprogramming, and subsequently improving the developmental competence of pig SCNT embryos and blastocyst quality.

Generation of cloned adult muscular pigs with myostatin gene mutation by genetic engineering

Skeletal muscle is the most economically valuable tissue in meat-producing animals and enhancing muscle growth in these species may enhance the efficiency of meat production.

Effect of histone acetylation modification with MGCD0103, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, on nuclear reprogramming and the developmental competence of porcine somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

Cloning remains as an important technique to enhance the reconstitution and distribution of animal population with high-genetic merit. One of the major detrimental factors of this technique is the abnormal epigenetic modifications. MGCD0103 is known as a histone deacetylase inhibitor. In this study, we investigated the effect of MGCD0103 on the in vitro blastocyst formation rate in porcine somatic cell nuclear transferred (SCNT) embryos and expression in acetylation of the histone H3 lysine 9 and histone H4 lysine 12. We compared the in vitro embryonic development of SCNT embryos treated with different concentrations of MGCD0103 for 24 hours. Our results reported that treating with 0.2-μM MGCD0103 for 24 hours effectively improved the development of SCNT embryos, in comparison to the control group (blastocyst formation rate, 25.5 vs. 10.7%, P < 0.05). Then we tested the in vitro development of SCNT embryos treated with 0.2-μM MGCD0103 for various intervals after activation. Treatment for 6 hours significantly improved the development of pig SCNT embryos, compared with the control group (blastocyst formation rate, 21.2 vs. 10.5%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, MGCD0103 supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increases the average fluorescence intensity of AcH3K9 and AcH4K12 in embryos at the pseudo-pronuclear stage. To examine the in vivo development, MGCD0103-treated SCNT embryos were transferred into two surrogate sows, one of whom became pregnant and three fetuses developed. These results suggest that MGCD0103 can enhance the nuclear reprogramming and improve in vitro developmental potential of porcine SCNT embryos.

[MRI features of ventricular system tuberculosis]

OBJECTIVE

To study the MRI features of ventricular system tuberculosis.

METHODS

Nineteen patients with ventricular system tuberculosis in our hospital from Mar. 2009 to Sep. 2014 were retrospectively identified. Their clinical features and cranial MRI characteristics were reviewed.

RESULTS

There were 13 males and 6 females, aged from 15-81 years(mean 37±16). Eight patients had intraventricular tuberculosis, with 5 long striped or irregular shaped intraventricular tuberculosis and 3 with ventricular tuberculoma. Six patients had tubercular ependymitis and 5 had intraventricular tuberculosis along with tubercular ependymitis. The lesions of 14 patients were in the lateral ventricle; 13 in occipital or temporal horn of lateral ventricle, 9 complicated by tubercular meningitis, and 10 complicated by brain tuberculoma. The lesion of 5 patients were in the fourth ventricle, 5 in the postmedian of the fourth ventricle, 5 complicated by tubercular meningitis and 4 complicated by hydrocephalus. There were 4 cases with ring-enhancement and 15 with heterogeneous enhancement. Ten cases were complicated by peripheral edema.

CONCLUSIONS

The diagnosis of ventricle system tuberculosis is difficult due to its low incidence. The site, cranial MRI characteristics, the patterns of enhancement and complications have certain specificity and are useful in the diagnosis of ventricular system tuberculosis.

Novel Polymorphisms of Adrenergic, Alpha-1B-, Receptor and Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Gamma, Coactivator 1 Beta Genes and Their Association with Egg Production Traits in Local Chinese Dagu Hens

Adrenergic, alpha-1B-, receptor (ADRA1B) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, coactivator 1 beta (PPARGC1B) genes are involved in regulation of hen ovarian development. In this study, these two genes were investigated as possible molecular markers associated with hen-housed egg production, egg weight (EW) and body weight in Chinese Dagu hens. Samples were analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) technique, followed by sequencing analysis. Two novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified within the candidate genes. Among them, an A/G transition at base position 1915 in exon 2 of ADRA1B gene and a T/C mutation at base position 6146 in the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of PPARGC1B gene were found to be polymorphic and named SNP A1915G and T6146C, respectively. The SNP A1915G (ADRA1B) leads to a non-synonymous substitution (aspartic acid 489-to-glycine). The 360 birds from the Dagu population were divided into genotypes AA and AG, allele A was found to be present at a higher frequency. Furthermore, the AG genotype correlated with significantly higher hen-housed egg production (HHEP) at 30, 43, 57, and 66 wks of age and with a higher EW at 30 and 43 wks (p<0.05). For the SNP T6146C (PPARGC1B), the hens were typed into TT and TC genotypes, with the T allele shown to be dominant. The TC genotype was also markedly correlated with higher HHEP at 57 and 66 wks of age and EW at 30 and 43 wks (p<0.05). Moreover, four haplotypes were reconstructed based on these two SNPs, with the AGTC haplotype found to be associated with the highest HHEP at 30 to 66 wks of age and with higher EW at 30 and 43 wks (p<0.05). Collectively, the two SNPs identified in this study might be used as potential genetic molecular markers favorable in the improvement of egg productivity in chicken breeding.

Association between ADSL, GARS-AIRS-GART, DGAT1, and DECR1 expression levels and pork meat quality traits

In this study, meat quality traits were compared between Chinese lard- and European lean-type pigs. The association between expression of four genes (ADSL, GARS-AIRS-GART, DGAT1, and DECR1) and meat quality traits was also investigated. Meat quality traits were found to differ significantly between pig breeds. Meat color parameter values (a* and b*) and intramuscular fat content in Anqingliubai were significantly higher than those in Landrace (P < 0.01). Meat pH at 1 and 24 h following slaughter was significantly higher in Landrace than in Wei pigs, and meat inosine monophosphate (IMP) content was significantly higher in Landrace than in Wei and Anqingliubai pigs (both P < 0.01). Expression levels of ADSL, GARS-AIRS-GART, and DGAT1 were higher in longissimus lumborum muscle than in heart or liver tissues. ADSL and GARS-AIRS-GART expression levels were correlated with meat IMP content and pH levels. The results of this study will contribute to the understanding of meat quality traits in Chinese lard- and European lean-type pigs.

Relationship between polymorphisms in exon 10 of FSHR gene and litter size in swine

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a glycoprotein secreted by the anterior pituitary, can regulate ovarian function through the FSH receptor (FSHR). To evaluate the effects of the FSHR gene on reproductive traits in pigs, polymorphisms in exon 10 of the FSHR gene were observed by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism, and 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (C1491T, G1885A, and C1977T) in exon 10 of the porcine FSHR gene, and 3 genotypes (AA, AB, and BB) for C1491T and 2 haplotypes (D and E) for G1885A and C1977T were identified. Further analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes associated with reproductive traits including total number born (TNB) and number born alive (NBA) was carried out in 3 pig populations including Berkshire, Wannan Black (a Chinese indigenous pig breed), and BW pigs (two-way crossbred pigs produced from Berkshire ♂ and Wannan Black pig ♀). The results showed that the TNB and NBA of Wannan Black pigs with the AB genotype were significantly higher than in AA genotype sows (P < 0.01) in multiparity sows and all parities. The TNB and NBA of Berkshire pigs with the DE genotype were significantly higher than the DD and EE genotype sows (P < 0.01) in gilts, sows and all parities. Overall, TNB and NBA from the 3 identified genotypes was DE > DD > EE. The results showed that polymorphisms in exon 10 of the FSHR gene had a significant effect on litter size traits of Wannan Black and Berkshire pigs. These results can be applied for marker-assisted selection in the 2 swine breeds.

MicroRNA-141 regulates the tumour suppressor DLC1 in colorectal cancer

Our previous study has showed that DLC1 acts as a functional tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines. The aims of this study were to determine whether DLC1 is a target of MicroRNA (miRNA) regulation and to evaluate the role of this mechanism in CRC. By bioinformatics approach and literature, miR-141 was chosen for further study. The miR-141 mimic, miR-141 inhibitor were synthesized and transfected to Lovo cells. Cell growth was determined by MTT and in vivo models. The flow cytometric analysis for cell cycle determination and transwell assays for evaluating the cell invasion were used. Luciferase reporter assays and Western blots showed that DLC1 was a direct target of miR-141 in CRC. The expression levels of miR-141 were obviously up-regulated in CRC tissues compared to non-cancerous tissues, while DLC1 expression levels were down-regulated in a high proportion of clinical samples (14/18). In addition, correlation analyses revealed negative correlation between miR-141 levels and DLC1 expression levels in CRC tissues. MiR-141 overexpression promoted cell growth in vitro and in vivo, promoted cell cycle progression and invasion in Lovo cells. Furthermore, re-introduction of DLC-1 in miR-141-overexpressing Lovo cells decreased growth rate of cells, increase of the percentage in G0/G1 phase and decreased the number of migrating cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated that miR-141 is up-regulated in CRC and acts as a functional oncogene by targeting DLC1.

Effect of demecolcine-assisted enucleation on the MPF level and cyclin B1 distribution in porcine oocytes

Demecolcine (DEM) treatment of oocytes induces formation of a membrane protrusion containing a mass of condensed maternal chromosomes, which can be removed with minimal damage prior to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). However, the effect of this method on the distribution of maturation-promoting factor (MPF) in porcine oocytes has not been reported. Here, the level of MPF and the distribution of cyclin B1 were assessed in porcine oocytes following DEM treatment. In addition, the efficiencies of DEM-assisted and mechanical enucleation were compared, as were the development (in vitro and in vivo) of these oocytes following SCNT. MPF was uniformly distributed in oocytes that had been treated with 0.4 μg/ml DEM for 1 h. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that in untreated oocytes, cyclin B1, the regulatory subunit of MPF, accumulated around the spindle, and was lowly detected in the cytoplasm. DEM treatment disrupted spindle microtubules, induced chromosome condensation, and reduced the level of cyclin B1 in the nuclear region. Cyclin B1 was uniformly distributed in DEM-treated oocytes and the level of MPF was increased. The potential of embryos generated from DEM-treated oocytes to develop in vivo was significantly greater than that of embryos generated from mechanically enucleated oocytes. This is the first study to report the effects of DEM-assisted enucleation of porcine oocytes on the distribution of cyclin B1. MPF in mature oocytes is important for the development of reconstructed embryos and for efficient SCNT.

Production of rhesus monkey cloned embryos expressing monomeric red fluorescent protein by interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer

Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) is a promising method to clone endangered animals from which oocytes are difficult to obtain. Monomeric red fluorescent protein 1 (mRFP1) is an excellent selection marker for transgenically modified cloned embryos during somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In this study, mRFP-expressing rhesus monkey cells or porcine cells were transferred into enucleated porcine oocytes to generate iSCNT and SCNT embryos, respectively. The development of these embryos was studied in vitro. The percentage of embryos that underwent cleavage did not significantly differ between iSCNT and SCNT embryos (P>0.05; 71.53% vs. 80.30%). However, significantly fewer iSCNT embryos than SCNT embryos reached the blastocyst stage (2.04% vs. 10.19%, P<0.05). Valproic acid was used in an attempt to increase the percentage of iSCNT embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage. However, the percentages of embryos that underwent cleavage and reached the blastocyst stage were similar between untreated iSCNT embryos and iSCNT embryos treated with 2mM valproic acid for 24h (72.12% vs. 70.83% and 2.67% vs. 2.35%, respectively). These data suggest that porcine-rhesus monkey interspecies embryos can be generated that efficiently express mRFP1. However, a significantly lower proportion of iSCNT embryos than SCNT embryos reach the blastocyst stage. Valproic acid does not increase the percentage of porcine-rhesus monkey iSCNT embryos that reach the blastocyst stage. The mechanisms underling nuclear reprogramming and epigenetic modifications in iSCNT need to be investigated further.

Reprogramming fibroblasts into bipotential hepatic stem cells by defined factors

Recent studies have demonstrated direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into a range of somatic cell types, but to date stem or progenitor cells have only been reprogrammed for the blood and neuronal lineages. We previously reported generation of induced hepatocyte-like (iHep) cells by transduction of Gata4, Hnf1α, and Foxa3 in p19 Arf null mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Here, we show that Hnf1β and Foxa3, liver organogenesis transcription factors, are sufficient to reprogram MEFs into induced hepatic stem cells (iHepSCs). iHepSCs can be stably expanded in vitro and possess the potential of bidirectional differentiation into both hepatocytic and cholangiocytic lineages. In the injured liver of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (Fah)-deficient mice, repopulating iHepSCs become hepatocyte-like cells. They also engraft as cholangiocytes into bile ducts of mice with DDC-induced bile ductular injury. Lineage conversion into bipotential expandable iHepSCs provides a strategy to enable efficient derivation of both hepatocytes and cholangiocytes for use in disease modeling and tissue engineering.

Cuprous oxide nanoparticles selectively induce apoptosis of tumor cells

In the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, many researchers have discovered that metal oxide nanoparticles have very useful pharmacological effects. Cuprous oxide nanoparticles (CONPs) can selectively induce apoptosis and suppress the proliferation of tumor cells, showing great potential as a clinical cancer therapy. Treatment with CONPs caused a G1/G0 cell cycle arrest in tumor cells. Furthermore, CONPs enclosed in vesicles entered, or were taken up by mitochondria, which damaged their membranes, thereby inducing apoptosis. CONPs can also produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and initiate lipid peroxidation of the liposomal membrane, thereby regulating many signaling pathways and influencing the vital movements of cells. Our results demonstrate that CONPs have selective cytotoxicity towards tumor cells, and indicate that CONPs might be a potential nanomedicine for cancer therapy.

New TiO2/MgAl-LDH nanocomposites for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes

In this study we report the synthesis of a series of composite nanostructures comprising LDH and TiO2 phases. The materials characterization showed that the LDH crystallites are encapsulated inside the TiO2 matrix after the anatase seeds are deposited on MgxAl-LDHs. The structure in which LDH phase is embedded into anatase matrix is unique bringing important advantages to the photocatalytic performances of the nanocomposites. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanocomposites was tested on the degradation of the methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The photocatalytic activities of the nanocomposites were compared with commercial TiO2 nanoparticles Degussa P25. The nanocomposites exhibited superior photocatalytic activity in basic environment because the negatively charged surface of TiO2 nanoparticles at high pH attracts the positively charged methylene blue species.

The existence of multipotent stem cells with epithelial-mesenchymal transition features in the human liver bud

During early stage of embryonic development, the liver bud, arising from the foregut endoderm, is the beginning for the formation of future liver three-dimensional structure. While the gene expression profiles associated with this developmental stage have been well explored, the detailed cellular events are not as clear. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) was thought to be essential for cell migration in the early vertebrate embryo but seldom demonstrated in human liver development. In this study, we tried to identify the cell populations with both stem cell and EMT features in the human liver bud. Our in situ studies show that the phenotype of EMT occurs at initiation of human liver development, accompanied by up-regulation of EMT associated genes. A human liver bud derived stem cell line (hLBSC) was established, which expressed not only genes specific to both mesenchymal cells and hepatic cells, but also octamer-binding protein 4 (OCT4) and nanog. Placed in appropriate media, hLBSC differentiated into hepatocytes, adipocytes, osteoblast-like cells and neuron-like cells in vitro. When transplanted into severe combined immunodeficiency mice pre-treated by carbon tetrachloride, hLBSC engrafted into the liver parenchyma and proliferated. These data suggests that there are cell populations with stem cell and EMT-like properties in the human liver bud, which may play an important role in the beginning of the spatial structure construction of the liver.

Preparation, characterization, adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of novel magnetic chitosan enwrapping nanosized gamma-Fe2O3 and multi-walled carbon nanotubes with enhanced adsorption properties for methyl orange

A novel magnetic composite bioadsorbent composed of chitosan wrapping magnetic nanosized gamma-Fe(2)O(3) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (m-CS/gamma-Fe(2)O(3)/MWCNTs) was prepared under relative mild conditions and was characterized. Adsorption of methyl orange (MO) onto m-CS/gamma-Fe(2)O(3)/MWCNTs was investigated with respect to pH, initial MO concentration, coexisting anions and temperature. Results of characterizations indicated that magnetic nanosized gamma-Fe(2)O(3) and MWCNTs have been wrapped by crosslinked chitosan. Introduction of MWCNTs could obviously increase the adsorption capacity (q(e)) of MO onto bioadsorbent by 2.2 times. Kinetics data and adsorption isotherm were better fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and by Langmuir isotherm, respectively. Values of activation parameters such as free energy ( big up tri, openG degrees ), enthalpy ( big up tri, openH degrees ) and entropy (DeltaS degrees ) were determined as 3.15-3.78 kJ mol(-1), -9.94 kJ mol(-1) and -20.65 J mol(-1)k(-1), respectively, indicating that the adsorption was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic process in nature. After adsorption, m-CS/gamma-Fe(2)O(3)/MWCNTs could be effectively and fleetly separated by applying a magnetic field.

Resistance to Grapevine leafroll associated virus-2 is conferred by post-transcriptional gene silencing in transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus-2 (GLRaV-2) is an important component of the leafroll disease complex in grapevine. We have previously sequenced the GLRaV-2 genome and identified the coat protein (CP) gene. The objective of this study is to test the concept of pathogen-derived resistance against a closterovirus associated with grapevine leafroll disease. Because GLRaV-2 is capable of infecting Nicotiana benthamiana, we decided to test the concept on this herbaceous host. Thirty-seven T(0) transgenic N. benthamiana plants expressing the GLRaV-2 CP gene were regenerated following Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Disease resistance was evaluated in greenhouse-grown T(1) and T(2) plants by mechanical inoculation with GLRaV-2. Although all the inoculated non-transgenic plants showed symptoms 2-4 weeks post inoculation, various numbers of transgenic plants (16-100%) in 14 of 20 T(1) lines tested were not infected. In these resistant plants, GLRaV-2 was not detectable by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Although virus resistance was confirmed in T(2) progenies, the percentage of resistant plants was generally lower (0-63%) than that of the corresponding T(1) lines (0-100%). Northern blot and nuclear run-off results showed that virus resistance in the transgenic plants was consistently associated with the low level of transgene RNA transcript suggesting a post-transcriptional gene silencing. The success of pathogen-derived resistance to GLRaV-2 in transgenic N. benthamiana plants represents the first step towards eventual control of the leafroll disease in grapevines using this strategy.