Distinct characteristics of the DNA damage response in mammalian oocytes.

DNA damage is a critical threat that poses significant challenges to all cells. To address this issue, cells have evolved a sophisticated molecular and cellular process known as the DNA damage response (DDR). Among the various cell types, mammalian oocytes, which remain dormant in the ovary for extended periods, are particularly susceptible to DNA damage. The occurrence of DNA damage in oocytes can result in genetic abnormalities, potentially leading to infertility, birth defects, and even abortion. Therefore, understanding how oocytes detect and repair DNA damage is of paramount importance in maintaining oocyte quality and preserving fertility. Although the fundamental concept of the DDR is conserved across various cell types, an emerging body of evidence reveals striking distinctions in the DDR between mammalian oocytes and somatic cells. In this review, we highlight the distinctive characteristics of the DDR in oocytes and discuss the clinical implications of DNA damage in oocytes.

Effect of Guanxin Danshen Dripping Pills on Coronary Heart Disease Comorbid with Depression or Anxiety: The ADECODE-Real World Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of Guanxin Danshen Dripping Pill (GXDSDP) in treating anxiety and depression in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: A total of 1,428 patients diagnosed with CHD screened for anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QOL) at baseline received 0.4 g of GXDSDP treatment 3 times per day and returned for monthly reassessment. Patients were recruited after stable treatment for CHD and received assessment of General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) for evaluating anxiety, depression, and QOL. Patients were followed up 3 times, once every 4 weeks, during outpatient visits for 12 weeks. RESULTS: At the third follow-up (F3), the anxiety symptom of 63.79% (673/1,055) of the patients improved to sub-clinical level, and the GAD-7 score improved significantly (8.11 vs. 3.87, P<0.01); 57.52% (585/1,017) patients' depressive symptoms improved to sub-clinical level, with a significant improvement in PHQ-9 score (8.69 vs. 4.41, P<0.01) at F3. All aspects of QOL significantly improved at the end of treatment compared to those at baseline (all P<0.01) as assessed by SAQ: physical limitation (31.17 vs. 34.14), anginal stability (2.74 vs. 4.14), anginal frequency (8.16 vs. 9.10), treatment satisfaction (13.43 vs. 16.29), and disease perception (8.69 vs. 11.02). CONCLUSIONS: A fixed dosage of GXDSDP may be a potential treatment option for CHD patients comorbid with anxiety or depression. (Registration No. ChiCTR2100051523).

Guanxin Danshen Dripping Pills Improve Quality of Life and Cardiovascular Prognoses of CHD Patients after PCI with Anxiety or Depression (GLAD Study): A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of Guanxin Danshen Dripping Pills (GXDS) in the treatment of depression or anxiety in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: From September 2017 to June 2019, 200 CHD patients after PCI with depression and anxiety were included and randomly divided into GXDS (100 cases) and placebo control groups (100 cases) by block randomization and a random number table. Patients in the GXDS and control groups were given GXDS and placebo, respectively, 0.4 g each time, 3 times daily for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes were scores of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD-7) and the Seattle Angina Pectoris Scale (SAQ). The secondary outcomes included 12 Health Survey Summary Form (SF-12) scores and the first onset time and incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Other indices including blood pressure, blood lipids, microcirculation and inflammatory-related indices, etc. were monitored at baseline, week 4, and week 12. RESULTS: In the full analysis set (200 cases), after treatment, the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores in the GXDS group were considerably lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the baseline, the total PHQ-9 scores of the experimental and control groups decreased by 3.97 and 1.18, respectively. The corrected mean difference between the two groups was -2.78 (95% CI: -3.47, -2.10; P<0.001). The total GAD-7 score in the GXDS group decreased by 3.48% compared with the baseline level, while that of the placebo group decreased by 1.13%. The corrected mean difference between the two groups was -2.35 (95% CI: -2.95, -1.76; P<0.001). The degree of improvement in SAQ score, SF-12 score, endothelin and high-sensitive C-reactive protein levels in the GXDS group were substantially superior than those in the placebo group, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). Similar results were obtained in the per protocol population analysis of 177 patients. Three cases of MACES were reported in this study (1 in the GXDS group and 2 in the placebo group), and no serious adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: GXDS can significantly alleviate depression and anxiety, relieve symptoms of angina, and improve quality of life in patients with CHD after PCI. (Registration No. ChiCTR1800014291).

Validity evaluation of teacher's core literacy questionnaire of public physical education.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a core literacy questionnaire for public physical education teachers in colleges and universities (TCLQ-PPE) to address the current lack of core literacy assessment tools for public physical education teachers in Chinese colleges and universities. The study measured the validity of the TCLQ-PPE questionnaire by collecting evidence of the validity of this questionnaire. Methods: An initial pool of items was obtained from existing research tools, literature, and expert opinion. An expert review panel evaluated its content. A subsequent validation process reduced the number of items in the item pool. A validated factor analysis of the TCLQ-PPE was performed using structural equation modeling. Results: The TCLQ-PPE consists of five dimensions (professional beliefs, professional knowledge and skills, sports skills, work and life adaptation and reflection, and work management), consisting of a total of 40 items. The factorial validity of the TCLQ-PPE was determined by the significant loadings of all items on their expected factors, showing good data model fit and good stability between two independent samples. The Cronbach's ɑ coefficient for each dimension was greater than 0.9. Conclusion: The TCLQ-PPE had sufficient evidence of validity. The development of the instrument showed evidence of validity for the content, response process, and internal structure.

Fibrillary Glomerulonephritis and Monoclonal Gammopathy: Potential Diagnostic Challenges.

Fibrillary glomerulonephritis (FGN) is a rare glomerular disease featured by the randomly arranged 12- to 24-nm fibrils under electron microscopy (EM). Up to 10% of FGN patients have monoclonal gammopathy. However, distinguishing between FGN as monoclonal gammopathy of renal significance (MGRS) and FGN from other causes with incidental monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) can be challenging, as the current way of demonstrating monoclonality is flawed due to (1) the suboptimal sensitivity of kappa staining by immunofluorescence in frozen tissue (IF-F) as compared to pronase-digested paraffin sections (IF-P), causing incorrect labeling of light chain restriction; (2) the unavailability of immunoglobulin G (IgG) subtyping in some centers; and (3) the unavailability of tests demonstrating the monoclonality of highly variable VH or VL domains in immunoglobulin structures in clinical use. The discovery of DnaJ homolog subfamily B member 9 (DNAJB9) allows diagnosis for FGN with less reliance on EM, and the summary of recent studies revealed that genuine MGRS is extremely rare among FGN. Further research integrating IF-P, IgG subtyping, VH or VL domain monoclonality confirmation, and DNAJB9 as diagnostic modalities, with corresponding clinical data including treatment response and prognosis, is required for a better understanding of this subject.

Highly-efficient and sequential recovery of rare earth elements, alumina and silica from coal fly ash via a novel recyclable ZnO sinter method.

A novel sinter method using ZnO as the activator instead of the conventional Na2CO3/CaCO3, (NH4)2SO4, and K2S2O7 was developed to achieve efficient sequential extraction of rare earth elements (REEs), alumina (Al), and silica (Si) from coal fly ash (CFA). Up to 93.3% Si, 87.1% REEs (70.7% Ce, 82.5% La, 83.2% Gd, 87.1% Nd, 62.3% Dy, and 81.7% Y), and 92.9% Al were extracted from CFA, respectively. Moreover, 93.1% of the ZnO activator was efficiently recycled, and the yield of red mud was only 14.9%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) results showed that the speciation transformation of Al/Si during CFA/ZnO roasting was as follows: mullite, quartz, amorphous Al2O3, and SiO2 → Zn0.75Al1.5Si1.5O6, kyanite and willemite → gahnite and quartz/cristobalite solid solutions. The change in the REEs occurrence mode hinted at the migration of most REEs in aluminosilicates forms with Si during roasting, and disassociation with Si into the acid-soluble form after alkali leaching. These results indicate that the coupling of Al-Si-REE in CF was broken by this ZnO sinter method, promoting the sequential and efficient extraction of REEs, Al, and Si from CFA. This study provides a green and efficient strategy for element recovery from CFA, substantially reducing residues and favoring REEs concentration.

Polystyrene nanoparticles incorporate into the endoplasmic reticulum and disturb translation during meiotic maturation in mouse oocytes.

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the most common polymers that cause plastic pollution after release into the environment. Although a growing body of evidence has shown the adverse effects of PS on living organisms including humans, their effects on mammalian oocytes have not been extensively studied. In this study, we investigated the effect of exposure to PS-nanoparticle (PS-NPs) on meiotic maturation in mouse oocytes. We found that exogenous PS-NPs internalized into oocytes after penetrating the zona pellucida and accumulated in the cytoplasm of oocytes during meiotic maturation. Exposure to PS-NPs did not affect meiotic resumption but inhibited meiotic maturation by impairing spindle assembly and chromosome alignment. Moreover, exposure to PS-NPs increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial aggregation during meiotic maturation. Notably, internalized PS-NPs localized around the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and disturbed translation in oocytes. Therefore, it is suggested that PS-NPs impair meiotic maturation not only by increasing oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, but also by decreasing translation efficiency after incorporating into the ER during meiotic maturation in mouse oocytes.

Elevated Urinary Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 and Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-7 Predict Drug-Induced Acute Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-7 (IGFBP7) predict severe acute kidney injury (AKI) in critical illness. Earlier but subtle elevation of either biomarker from nephrotoxicity may predict drug-induced AKI. METHODS: A prospective study involving serial urine collection in patients treated with vancomycin, aminoglycosides, amphotericin, foscarnet, or calcineurin inhibitors was performed. Urinary TIMP2 and IGFBP7, both absolute levels and those normalized with urine creatinine, were examined in days leading to AKI onset by KDIGO criteria in cases or at final day of nephrotoxic therapy in non-AKI controls, who were matched for age, baseline kidney function, and nephrotoxic exposure. RESULTS: Urinary biomarker analyses were performed in 21 AKI patients and 28 non-AKI matched-controls; both groups had comparable baseline kidney function and duration of nephrotoxic drug therapy. Significantly higher absolute, normalized, and composite levels of TIMP2 and IGFBP7 were observed in AKI cases versus controls as early as 2-3 days before AKI onset (all P<0.05); >70% of patients with corresponding levels above 75th percentile developed AKI. Normalized TIMP2 at 2-3 days pre-AKI predicted AKI with the highest average AUROC of 0.81, followed by that of composite [TIMP2]x[IGFBP7] (0.78) after cross-validation. [TIMP2]x[IGFBP7] >0.01 (ng/mL)2/1000 predicted AKI with a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 60%. CONCLUSION: Elevated urinary TIMP2 or IGFBP7 predicts drug-induced AKI with a lead-time of 2-3 days; an opportune time for interventions to reduce nephrotoxicity.

Neural Network-Based Strong Motion Prediction for On-Site Earthquake Early Warning.

Developing on-site earthquake early warning systems has been a challenging problem because of time limitations and the amount of information that can be collected before the warning needs to be issued. A potential solution that could prevent severe disasters is to predict the potential strong motion using the initial P-wave signal and provide warnings before serious ground shaking starts. In practice, the accuracy of prediction is the most critical issue for earthquake early warning systems. Traditional methods use certain criteria, selected through intuition or experience, to make the prediction. However, the criteria thresholds are difficult to select and may significantly affect the prediction accuracy. This paper investigates methods based on artificial intelligence for predicting the greatest earthquake ground motion early, when the P-wave arrives at seismograph stations. A neural network model is built to make the predictions using a small window of the initial P-wave acceleration signal. The model is trained by seismic waves collected from 1991 to 2019 in Taiwan and is evaluated by events in 2020 and 2021. From these evaluations, the proposed scheme significantly outperforms the threshold-based method in terms of its accuracy and average leading time.

Chlorhexidine - a commonly used but often neglected culprit of dialysis associated anaphylactic reactions (case report).

BACKGROUND: Hemodialysis-associated anaphylactic reactions are rare and frequently complex in nature due to the sheer number of possible culprit agents. Unfortunately, dialysis is often unavoidable or strictly essential for life-saving solute clearance or fluid removal in patients with end stage kidney failure and those with severe acute kidney injury. It is of utmost importance that the culprit agent is identified and avoided to allow continuation of dialysis treatment as needed. CASE PRESENTATION: We present 2 cases of hemodialysis-associated anaphylactic reactions. These patients developed anaphylactic reactions peri-dialysis and were initially suspected to have dialyser reactions. They were investigated in a controlled healthcare setting and possible culprit agents were systemically identified and eliminated. They both underwent allergy testing and were diagnosed with chlorhexidine allergy. Of note, Case 1 was an incident dialysis patient at the time of presentation and Case 2 was a prevalent dialysis patient. This suggests that the time from initial sensitization to reaction may not always be helpful in determining if a particular agent is the culprit of an anaphylactic reaction. In both cases, the patients were dialysed through a tunnelled dialysis catheter. We postulate that the presence of an exit site, which represents a compromise to the integrity of the skin's epidermal barrier, may have a significant role in the development of these reactions. As chlorhexidine is a widely used disinfectant in hemodialysis, it is imperative that we consider it as a possible culprit agent when these reactions arise. To our knowledge, there are no other reported cases of anaphylaxis secondary to chlorhexidine use in dialysis patients other than a previous report in 2017. Our report also highlights the possibility of these reactions occurring more frequently in patients with damaged epidermal barriers and in patients exposed to higher environmental concentrations of chlorhexidine. These are novel concepts that can be explored with further research. CONCLUSION: Chlorhexidine associated anaphylactic reactions can occur in the peri-dialysis setting and a high index of suspicion is paramount to diagnosis.

Dahuang Zhechong Pills Suppress Silicosis Fibrosis Progression via p38 MAPK/TGF-ß1/Smad Pathway In Vitro.

BACKGROUND: Dahuang Zhechong pills (DHZCP) is a classic Chinese medicinal prescription in "Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases (Shanghan Zabing Lun)," and it has the function of tonifying blood, nourishing Yin, and removing blood stasis. Previous studies have shown that DHZCP could alleviate SiO2 induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. This study aims to further explore the preventive and therapeutic effects of DHZCP against silicosis fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms in vitro. METHODS: We used the experimental model of SiO2-induced MH-S cells to evaluate the therapeutic potential of DHZCP. MH-S cells induced by SiO2 were intervened with the drug-containing serum of DHZCP, and the effects of drug-containing serum of DHZCP on the MH-S cells were detected by CCK8, ELISA, flow cytometry, western blot, and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: DHZCP improved cell viability by reducing apoptosis. It also decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 in the supernatant of MH-S cells induced by SiO2, inhibited the expression of p38 MAPK, blocked the activation of NF-κB, and controlled the upstream inflammatory response by multiple targeting. Concomitantly, we observed upregulation of Smad7 and a marked decline in TGF-ß1, α-SMA, Smad2, Smad3 expression in MH-S cells treated with DHZCP. CONCLUSION: To sum up, we conclude that DHZCP protects against SiO2-induced silicosis by reducing the persistent irritation of inflammation, regulating the p38 MAPK/TGF-ß1/Smad pathway.

[Interaction between Stromal Cell-Derived Factor 1 Alpha and Dickkopf-1 Involves in Occurence of Myeloma Bone Disease].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of interaction between osteoclast stimulator stromal derived factor 1 alpha (SDF-1α) and osteoblast inhibitor dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) in the development of multiple myeloma (MM) bone disease. METHODS: The serum samples of 51 patients with newly diagnosed MM, 30 age-matched healthy controls, and 35 non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients from June 2011 to May 2014 in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were collected. The serum SDF-1α and DKK-1 were detected by ELISA. Primary myeloma cells and human MM cell line RPMI 8226 were treated with SDF-1α, then DKK-1 mRNA expression was detected by real time PCR. Primary bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were treated with Wnt-3a and/or DKK-1, and the transc-ription level of SDF-1α mRNA was assayed. RESULTS: Serum SDF-1α in MM patients was significantly higher than that in control group (3231.0±1269.5 pg/ml vs 2817.5±419.6 pg/ml)(P=0.036), so was serum DKK-1 (3057.4±1874.7 pg/ml vs 1867.7±1148.4 pg/ml)(P=0.01). There was a positive correlation between serum SDF-1α and DKK-1 in MM patients (r=0.301, P=0.032), but there was no correlation between control group (r=0.15, P=0.428) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients (r=0.227, P=0.095). After treated with SDF-1α (20 ng/ml) for 8 and 36 h, the DKK-1 mRNA transcription level in RPMI 8226 increased by 1.92 and 4.19-folds respectively(P=0.365, P=0.099). Moreover, the high transcription level of DKK-1 mRNA was observed in 5 out of 9 MM patients. The detection showed that after treatment with SDF-1α, the transcription level was up-regulated(P=0.043), the Wnt-3a (200 ng/ml) could decrease the expression of SDF-1α mRNA in primary BMSC to 29% of baseline(P=0.028), the adding DKK-1 could reverse the down-regulation effect. CONCLUSION: The serum SDF-1α and DKK-1 level in MM patients is high than normal leve, moreover shows the positive correlation between them. The SDF-1α and DKK-1 can interreact, therefore accerate the formation of MM bone disease.

Treatment of chronic heart failure in the 21st century: A new era of biomedical engineering has come.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a challenging burden on public health. Therapeutic strategies for CHF have developed rapidly in the past decades from conventional medical therapy, which mainly includes administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, and aldosterone antagonists, to biomedical engineering methods, which include interventional engineering, such as percutaneous balloon mitral valvotomy, percutaneous coronary intervention, catheter ablation, biventricular pacing or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and CRT-defibrillator use, and implantable cardioverter defibrillator use; mechanical engineering, such as left ventricular assistant device use, internal artery balloon counterpulsation, cardiac support device use, and total artificial heart implantation; surgical engineering, such as coronary artery bypass graft, valve replacement or repair of rheumatic or congenital heart diseases, and heart transplantation (HT); regenerate engineering, which includes gene therapy, stem cell transplantation, and tissue engineering; and rehabilitating engineering, which includes exercise training, low-salt diet, nursing, psychological interventions, health education, and external counterpulsation/enhanced external counterpulsation in the outpatient department. These biomedical engineering therapies have greatly improved the symptoms of CHF and life expectancy. To date, pharmacotherapy, which is based on evidence-based medicine, large-scale, multi-center, randomized controlled clinical trials, is still a major treatment option for CHF; the current interventional and mechanical device engineering treatment for advanced CHF is not enough owing to its individual status. In place of HT or the use of a total artificial heart, stem cell technology and gene therapy in regenerate engineering for CHF are very promising. However, each therapy has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is currently possible to select better therapeutic strategies for patients with CHF according to cost-efficacy analyses of these therapies. Taken together, we think that a new era of biomedical engineering for CHF has begun.

Serial Quantification of Urinary Protein Biomarkers to Predict Drug-induced Acute Kidney Injury.

BACKGROUND: Drug-induced Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) develops in 10-15% of patients who receive nephrotoxic medications. Urinary biomarkers of renal tubular dysfunction may detect nephrotoxicity early and predict AKI. METHODS: We prospectively studied patients who received aminoglycosides, vancomycin, amphotericin, or calcineurin inhibitors, and collected their serial urine while on therapy. Patients who developed drug-induced AKI (fulfilling KDIGO criteria) were matched with non-AKI controls in a 1:2 ratio. Their urine samples were batch-analyzed at time-intervals leading up to AKI onset; the latter benchmarked against the final day of nephrotoxic therapy in non- AKI controls. Biomarkers examined include clusterin, beta-2-microglobulin, KIM1, MCP1, cystatin-C, trefoil-factor- 3, NGAL, interleukin-18, GST-Pi, calbindin, and osteopontin; biomarkers were normalized with corresponding urine creatinine. RESULTS: Nine of 84 (11%) patients developed drug-induced AKI. Biomarkers from 7 AKI cases with pre-AKI samples were compared with those from 14 non-AKI controls. Corresponding mean ages were 55(±17) and 52(±16) years; baseline eGFR were 99(±21) and 101(±24) mL/min/1.73m2 (all p=NS). Most biomarker levels peaked before the onset of AKI. Median levels of 5 biomarkers were significantly higher in AKI cases than controls at 1-3 days before AKI onset (all µg/mmol): clusterin [58(8-411) versus 7(3-17)], beta-2-microglobulin [1632(913-3823) versus 253(61-791)], KIM1 [0.16(0.13-0.76) versus 0.07(0.05-0.15)], MCP1 [0.40(0.16-1.90) versus 0.07(0.04-0.17)], and cystatin-C [33(27-2990) versus 11(7-19)], all p<0.05; their AUROC for AKI prediction were >0.80 (confidence intervals >0.50), with average accuracy highest for clusterin (86%), followed by beta-2-microglobulin, cystatin-C, MCP1, and KIM1 (57%) after cross-validation. CONCLUSION: Serial surveillance of these biomarkers could improve the lead time for nephrotoxicity detection by days.

Comparing the effects of depression, anxiety, and comorbidity on quality-of-life, adverse outcomes, and medical expenditure in Chinese patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety have been correlated with elevated risks for quality-of-life (QOL), adverse outcomes, and medical expenditure in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the relevant data are lacking for Chinese ACS populations, especially regarding different effects of major depression, anxiety, and comorbidity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dynamic changes of depression and/or anxiety over 12 months and examine the effects of depression, anxiety, and comorbidity on QOL, adverse outcomes, and medical expenditure in Chinese patients with ACS. METHODS: For this prospective longitudinal study, a total of 647 patients with ACS were recruited from North China between January 2013 and June 2015. Among them, 531 patients (82.1%) completed 12-month follow-ups. Logistic regression model was utilized for analyzing the association of baseline major depression, anxiety, and comorbidity with 12-month all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events, QOL, and health expenditure. RESULTS: During a follow-up period of 12 months, 7.3% experienced non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and 35.8% cardiac re-hospitalization. Baseline comorbidity, rather than major depression/anxiety, strongly predicted poor 12-month QOL as measured by short-form health survey-12 (odds ratio [OR]: 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22-2.52, P = 0.003). Regarding 12-month non-fatal MI and cardiac re-hospitalization, baseline anxiety (OR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.33-5.89, P < 0.01; OR: 4.47, 95% CI: 1.50-13.00, P < 0.01), major depression (OR: 2.58, 95% CI: 1.02-6.15, P < 0.05; OR: 5.22, 95% CI: 1.42-17.57, P < 0.03), and comorbidity (OR: 6.33, 95% CI: 2.96-13.79, P < 0.0001, OR: 14.08, 95% CI: 4.99-41.66, P < 0.0001) were all independent predictors, and comorbidity had the highest predictive value. Number of re-hospitalization stay, admission frequency within 12 months and medical expenditure within 2 months were the highest in patients with ACS with comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Major depression and anxiety may predict 12-month non-fatal MI and cardiac re-hospitalization. However, comorbidity has the highest predictive value with greater medical expenditure and worse QOL in Chinese patients with ACS. And depression with comorbid anxiety may be a new target of mood status in patients with ACS.

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate induces reproductive toxicity via JAZF1/TR4 pathway and oxidative stress in pubertal male rats.

Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is a typical endocrine-disrupting chemical and reproductive toxicant. Although previous studies have attempted to describe the mechanism by which DEHP exposure results in reproductive dysfunction, few studies focused on puberty, a critical period of reproductive development, and the increased susceptibility to injury in adolescents. To elucidate the mechanism underpinning the testicular effects of DEHP in puberty, we sought to investigate the JAZF1/TR4 pathway in the testes of pubertal rats. Specifically, we focused on the role of the JAZF1/TR4 pathway in male reproduction, including the genes JAZF1, TR4, Sperm 1, and Cyclin A1. In the present study, rats were exposed to increasing concentrations of DEHP (0, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg/day) by oral gavages for 30 days. Then we assayed testicular zinc and oxidative stress levels. Our results indicated that DEHP exposure could lead to oxidative stress and decrease the contents of testicular zinc. Additionally, significant morphological changes and cell apoptosis were observed in testes exposed to DEHP, as identified by hematoxylin and eosin staining and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick and labeling assay. By measuring the expression levels of the above relevant genes by qPCR, we found the DEHP-induced increased expression of JAZF1 and decreased expression of TR4, Sperm 1, and Cyclin A1. Therefore, we have demonstrated that in vivo exposure to DEHP might induce reproductive toxicity in pubertal male rats through the JAZF1/TR4 pathway and oxidative stress.

Functional and proteomic comparison of different techniques to produce equine anti-tetanus immunoglobulin F(ab')2 fragments.

Tetanus is still a major cause of human deaths in several developing countries. In particular, the neonatal form remains a significant public health problem. According to the World Health Organization, administration of tetanus toxoid is recommended for neonatal tetanus patients. Furthermore, tetanus antitoxin or anti-tetanus immunoglobulin (Ig) are used for mild case or intensive care. This paper discusses a novel purification technique for improving equine anti-tetanus Ig production. First, equine plasma dealt with two steps salting out with ammonium sulfate; second, ultrafiltration concentration liquid purified by one successive protein G based affinity chromatography steps; finally, the purified F(ab')2 fragments was characterized using biochemical and proteomic methods and shown to be pure and homogeneous. Compared with the original technique product, specific activity increased by 80% (about 90,000 IU/g) and recovery of F(ab')2 is approximately equal 75%. Furthermore, Proteomic profiling of total technique process is demonstrated by nano-HPLC-MS and bioinformatics analysis. New technique to produce equine anti-tetanus immunoglobulin F(ab')2 fragments from crude plasma in high quality and yield. And it also could be used for industrial amplification.