Proteomics Platform Reveals Broad-Spectrum Nanobodies for SARS-CoV-2 Variant Neutralization.

The ongoing evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the emergence of different variants of concerns with immune evasion that have been prevalent over the past three years. Nanobodies, the functional variable regions of camelid heavy-chain-only antibodies, have garnered interest in developing neutralizing antibodies due to their smaller size, structural stability, ease of production, high affinity, and low immunogenicity, among other characteristics. In this work, we describe an integrated proteomics platform for the high-throughput screening of nanobodies against different SARS-CoV-2 spike variants. To demonstrate this platform, we immunized a camel with subunit 1 (S1) of the wild-type spike protein and constructed a nanobody phage library. The binding and neutralizing activities of the nanobodies against 72 spike variants were then measured, resulting in the identification of two nanobodies (C-282 and C-39) with broad neutralizing activity against six non-Omicron variants (D614G, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa) and five Omicron variants (BA.1-5). Their neutralizing capability was validated using in vitro pseudovirus-based neutralization assays. All these results demonstrate the utility of our proteomics platform to identify new nanobodies with broad neutralizing capability and to develop a treatment for patients with SARS-CoV-2 variant infection in the future.

Biallelic COQ4 Variants in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia: Clinical and Molecular Characterization.

BACKGROUND: Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) are neurologic disorders characterized by progressive lower-extremity spasticity. Despite the identification of several HSP-related genes, many patients lack a genetic diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: The aims were to confirm the pathogenic role of biallelic COQ4 mutations in HSP and elucidate the clinical, genetic, and functional molecular features of COQ4-associated HSP. METHODS: Whole exome sequences of 310 index patients with HSP of unknown cause from three distinct populations were analyzed to identify potential HSP causal genes. Clinical data obtained from patients harboring candidate causal mutations were examined. Functional characterization of COQ4 variants was performed using bioinformatic tools, single-cell RNA sequencing, biochemical assays in cell lines, primary fibroblasts, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived pyramidal neurons, and zebrafish. RESULTS: Compound heterozygous variants in COQ4, which cosegregated with HSP in pedigrees, were identified in 7 patients from six unrelated families. Patients from four of the six families presented with pure HSP, whereas probands of the other two families exhibited complicated HSP with epilepsy or with cerebellar ataxia. In patient-derived fibroblasts and COQ4 knockout complementation lines, stable expression of these missense variants exerted loss-of-function effects, including mitochondrial reactive oxygen species accumulation, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and lower ubiquinone biosynthesis. Whereas differentiated pyramidal neurons expressed high COQ4 levels, coq4 knockdown zebrafish displayed severe motor dysfunction, reflecting motor neuron dysregulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that loss-of-function, compound heterozygous, pathogenic COQ4 variants are causal for autosomal recessive pure and complicated HSP. Moreover, reduced COQ4 levels attributable to variants correspond with decreased ubiquinone biosynthesis, impaired mitochondrial function, and higher phenotypic disease severity. © 2023 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Mendelian randomization analysis identifies a genetic casual association between circulating C-reactive protein and intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: The causal effect of C-reactive protein (CRP) on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains controversial. We discussed the causal association of CRP with ICH based on two-sample Mendelian randomization. METHODS: The data from two genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of European ancestry was extracted, including circulating CRP levels (204,402 individuals) and ICH (1,687 cases and 201,146 controls). The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was primary tool to evaluate the causal relationship of circulating CRP levels on ICH risk. MR-Egger regression and MR-PRESSO global test were utilized to identify pleiotropy. Heterogeneity was discussed with Cochran's Q test. The leave-one-out analysis explored the reliability of the results. RESULTS: 54 SNPs were identified as instrumental variables (IVs) for circulating CRP levels, and these IVs had no significant horizontal pleiotropy, heterogeneity, or bias. MR analysis demonstrated a causal relationship between elevated circulating CRP levels and decreased risk of ICH (ORIVW = 0.828, 95% CI 0.692-0.992, P = 0.040). CONCLUSION: Elevated circulating CRP levels demonstrated a significant potentially protective causal relationship with risk of ICH.

Structural basis of the human negative elongation factor NELF-B/C/E ternary complex.

Negative elongation factor (NELF) is a four-subunit transcription elongation factor that mainly functions in maintaining the paused state of RNA polymerase II in eukaryotes. Upon binding to Pol II, NELF works synergistically with DRB sensitivity-inducing factor (DSIF) and inhibits transcription elongation of Pol II, which subsequently retains a stably paused state 20-60 base pairs downstream of the promoter. The promoter-proximal pausing of Pol II caused by NELF is a general mechanism of transcriptional regulation for most signal-responsive genes. To date, structural studies have significantly advanced our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of NELF. However, a high quality structural model clarifying the interaction details of this complex is still lacking. In this study, we solved the high resolution crystal structure of the NELF-B/C/E ternary complex. We observed detailed interactions between subunits and identified residues important for the association between NELF-B and NELF-E. Our work presents a precise model of the NELF complex, which will facilitate our understanding of its in vivo function.

Metabolomics analysis reveals cytotoxic effects of ouabain towards psoriatic keratinocytes via impairment of glutathione metabolism.

Ouabain is a cardiac glycoside long studied for treating heart diseases, but the attempts to evaluate its anti-psoriatic activity have not been reported. We aimed to explore the effects of ouabain on proliferation and metabolism towards psoriatic keratinocytes. In human HaCaT keratinocytes, ouabain potently decreased viability, promoted apoptosis and caused G2/M cycle arrest. Metabolomics analysis indicated that ouabain markedly impaired glutathione metabolism. The solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) is an amino acid transporter highly specific to cysteine, which is critical for glutathione synthesis. Ouabain downregulated SLC7A11, reduced cysteine uptake and subsequently inhibited glutathione synthesis, probably through inhibiting Akt/mTOR/beclin axis that regulate protein activity of SLC7A11. The impaired glutathione synthesis and oxidative stress caused by ouabain may contribute to its cytotoxicity towards psoriatic keratinocytes. Our results provide experimental evidence supporting further study of ouabain as a potential anti-psoriatic agent.

Polycomb-like proteins link the PRC2 complex to CpG islands.

The Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) mainly mediates transcriptional repression and has essential roles in various biological processes including the maintenance of cell identity and proper differentiation. Polycomb-like (PCL) proteins, such as PHF1, MTF2 and PHF19, are PRC2-associated factors that form sub-complexes with PRC2 core components, and have been proposed to modulate the enzymatic activity of PRC2 or the recruitment of PRC2 to specific genomic loci. Mammalian PRC2-binding sites are enriched in CG content, which correlates with CpG islands that display a low level of DNA methylation. However, the mechanism of PRC2 recruitment to CpG islands is not fully understood. Here we solve the crystal structures of the N-terminal domains of PHF1 and MTF2 with bound CpG-containing DNAs in the presence of H3K36me3-containing histone peptides. We show that the extended homologous regions of both proteins fold into a winged-helix structure, which specifically binds to the unmethylated CpG motif but in a completely different manner from the canonical winged-helix DNA recognition motif. We also show that the PCL extended homologous domains are required for efficient recruitment of PRC2 to CpG island-containing promoters in mouse embryonic stem cells. Our research provides the first, to our knowledge, direct evidence to demonstrate that PCL proteins are crucial for PRC2 recruitment to CpG islands, and further clarifies the roles of these proteins in transcriptional regulation in vivo.

Structural Basis of the Transcriptional Elongation Factor Paf1 Core Complex from Saccharomyces eubayanus.

The multicomponent polymerase associated factor 1 (Paf1) complex (PAF1C) is an important transcription elongation factor that upregulates RNA polymerase II-mediated genome-wide transcription. PAF1C can regulate transcription through direct association with the polymerase or by impacting the chromatin structure epigenetically. In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms of PAF1C. However, high-resolution structures that can clarify the interaction details among the components of the complex are still needed. In this study, we evaluated the structural core of the yeast PAF1C containing the four components Ctr9, Paf1, Cdc73 and Rtf1 at high resolution. We observed the interaction details among these components. In particular, we identified a new binding surface of Rtf1 on PAF1C and found that the C-terminal sequence of Rtf1 dramatically changed during evolution, which may account for its different binding affinities to PAF1C among species. Our work presents a precise model of PAF1C, which will facilitate our understanding of the molecular mechanism and the in vivo function of the yeast PAF1C.

The effect of flexible low-dose GnRH antagonist on pregnancy outcome in the fresh embryo transfer cycle of IVF-ET: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the practicality and effectiveness of a flexible low-dose protocol in the fresh embryo transfer cycle: reducing the total amount of antagonist by increasing the interval between administrations of Cetrotide. METHODS: A total of 211 patients with normal ovarian reserve who accepted GnRH-ant protocol for IVF-ET were selected, and they were randomized to the flexible low-dose antagonist group (test group, n = 101) or the conventional dose antagonist group (control group, n = 110). The initial dose of Cetrotide in the test group was 0.25 mg every other day, and then the dose was adjusted to 0.25 mg every day based on the subsequent luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. The dosage of Cetrotide in the control group was 0.25 mg per day. The primary outcome was the clinical pregnancy rate. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of premature LH rise, total dosage of Cetrotide, number of oocytes retrieved, number of fertilized oocytes, number of high-quality embryos, biochemical pregnancy rate and ongoing pregnancy rate. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the general condition of the two groups. There was no significant difference in the clinical pregnancy rate (51.49% vs. 48.18%, p = 0.632) or the incidence of premature LH rise (18.81% vs. 15.45%, p = 0.584) between the two groups. However, the amount of Cetrotide used in the test group was significantly lower than that in the conventional dose antagonist group (1.13 ± 0.41 vs. 1.61 ± 0.59 mg, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The flexible low-dose antagonist protocol and the conventional dose antagonist protocol were equally effective in people with a normal ovarian reserve in the fresh embryo transfer cycle of IVF-ET.

Identified lung adenocarcinoma metabolic phenotypes and their association with tumor immune microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), causes high mortality around the world. Previous studies have suggested that the metabolic pattern of tumor is associated with tumor response to immunotherapy and patient's survival outcome. Yet, this relationship in LUAD is still unknown. METHODS: Therefore, in this study, we identified the immune landscape in different tumor subtypes classified by metabolism-related genes expression with a large-scale dataset (tumor samples, n = 2181; normal samples, n = 419). We comprehensively correlated metabolism-related phenotypes with diverse clinicopathologic characteristics, genomic features, and immunotherapeutic efficacy in LUAD patients. RESULTS: And we confirmed tumors with activated lipid metabolism tend to have higher immunocytes infiltration and better response to checkpoint immunotherapy. This work highlights the connection between the metabolic pattern of tumor and tumor immune infiltration in LUAD. A scoring system based on metabolism-related gene expression is not only able to predict prognosis of patient with LUAD but also applied to pan-cancer. LUAD response to checkpoint immunotherapy can also be predicted by this scoring system. CONCLUSIONS: This work revealed the significant connection between metabolic pattern of tumor and tumor immune infiltration, regulating LUAD patients' response to immunotherapy.

miR-18b regulates the function of rabbit ovary granulosa cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been determined to participate in the process of oestradiol production. Generally, there are two pathways by which oestradiol levels change, one being the state of cells (i.e. the status of enzymes involved in the synthesis of hormones such as oestradiol) and the other being the number of cells that secrete oestradiol. It is known that oestrogens are the main steroids produced by granulosa cells (GCs) of mature ovarian follicles. In this study we explored the function of miR-18b in rabbit GCs by overexpressing or inhibiting its activity. We found that miR-18b silencing promoted the secretion of oestradiol by significantly affecting the expression of steroidogenesis-related genes. Thus, miR-18b may act as a negative regulator of the production of enzymes related to oestradiol synthesis and affect oestradiol production. Furthermore, the effects of miR-18b on the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of GCs were investigated using a cell counting kit (CCK-8) proliferation assay, detection of annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate apoptosis, flow cytometry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that miR-18b upregulated GC apoptosis (miR-18b overexpression decreases cell growth and stimulates apoptosis). These findings suggest that miR-18b and the oestrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) gene may be attractive targets to further explore the molecular regulation of GCs. The miR-18b may also explain, in part, the abnormal folliculogenesis in mammals caused by conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, primary ovarian insufficiency, and others.

Myopic Retinal Changes Screening: Comparison of Sensitivity and Specificity among 15 Combinations of Ultrawide Field Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy Images.

AIM: The objective of the study was to investigate the evaluation indices (diagnostic test accuracy and agreement) of 15 combinations of ultrawide field scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (UWF SLO) images in myopic retinal changes (MRC) screening to determine the combination of imaging that yields the highest evaluation indices in screening MRC. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of UWF SLO images obtained from myopes and were analyzed by 2 retinal specialists independently. Five field UWF SLO images that included the posterior (B), superior (S), inferior (I), nasal (N), and temporal (T) regions were obtained for analysis and its results used as a reference standard. The evaluation indices of different combinations comprising 1 to 4 fields of the retina were compared to determine the abilities of each combination screens for MRC. RESULTS: UWF SLO images obtained from 823 myopic patients (1,646 eyes) were included for the study. Sensitivities ranged from 50.0 to 98.9% (95% confidence interval (CI), 43.8-99.7%); the combinations of B + S + I (97.3%; 95% CI, 94.4-98.8%), B + T + S + I (98.5%; 95% CI, 95.9-99.5%), and B + S + N + I (98.9%; 95% CI, 96.4-99.7%) ranked highest. Furthermore, the combinations of B + S + I, B + T + S + I, and B + S + N + I also revealed the highest accuracy (97.7%; 95% CI, 95.1-100.0, 98.6; 95% CI, 96.7-100.0, 98.8; 95% CI, 96.9-100.0%) and agreement (kappa = 0.968, 0.980, and 0.980). For the various combinations, specificities were all higher than 99.5% (95% CI, 99.3-100.0%). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, screening combinations of B + S + I, B + T + S + I, and B + S + N + I stand out with high-performing optimal evaluation indices. However, when time is limited, B + S + I may be more applicable in primary screening of MRC.

Transcriptional elongation factor Paf1 core complex adopts a spirally wrapped solenoidal topology.

The polymerase-associated factor 1 (Paf1) complex is a general transcription elongation factor of RNA polymerase II, which is composed of five core subunits, Paf1, Ctr9, Cdc73, Leo1, and Rtf1, and functions as a diverse platform that broadly affects gene expression genome-wide. In this study, we solved the 2.9-Å crystal structure of the core region composed of the Ctr9-Paf1-Cdc73 ternary complex from a thermophilic fungi, which provides a structural perspective of the molecular details of the organization and interactions involving the Paf1 subunits in the core complex. We find that Ctr9 is composed of 21 tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) motifs that wrap three circular turns in a right-handed superhelical manner around the N-terminal region of an elongated single-polypeptide-chain scaffold of Paf1. The Cdc73 fragment is positioned within the surface groove of Ctr9, where it contacts mainly with Ctr9 and minimally with Paf1. We also identified that the Paf1 complex preferentially binds single-strand-containing DNAs. Our work provides structural insights into the overall architecture of the Paf1 complex and paves the road forward for understanding the molecular mechanisms of the Paf1 complex in transcriptional regulation.

Effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on repair and receptivity of damaged endometrium in rats.

AIM: This study was to investigate whether bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can repair damaged endometrium in rats and its effect on endometrial receptivity. METHODS: A rat model of endometrial damage was established by heat injury. BMSCs were labeled with PKH26 and were transplanted into the right uterine cavity. The endometrial thickness and fertility testing were examined to assess the repair of damaged endometrium. The mass on trichrome staining was used to assess the endometrium fibrosis. The expression of integrin avß3 and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) in rat endometrium was used to evaluate the endometrial receptivity. RESULTS: After transplantation of BMSCs, the distribution of PKH26 positive cells was mainly on the damaged side in the endometrial tissues. Compared to control group, the endometrial tissue structure recovered after treatment with BMSCs. BMSCs transplantation improved the fertility of endometrial injury model rats. BMSCs decreased the area of endometrial fibrosis. The expression of integrin avß3 and LIF in endometrium was the stronger in BMSCs treatment group than control group. CONCLUSION: BMSCs can migrate to the endometrium and repair damaged endometrium and improve endometrium receptivity.

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability of JY09 in healthy Chinese subjects: A titrating, dose-escalating study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and tolerability of JY09, a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, in healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy subjects were enrolled into 5 cohorts (0.3, 0.7, 1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 mg JY09) and received subcutaneous JY09 or placebo according to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-center, dose-escalating phase I trial design. Blood samples were collected over a 42-day period, and JY09 in plasma was determined by an electrochemical luminescence method. For the pharmacodynamic evaluation, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs) were conducted predose and on day 5 after the target dose, during which plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon concentrations were analyzed. Tolerability was assessed using physical examination and queries, vital sign measurements, laboratory analysis, and detection of immunogenicity. RESULTS: In healthy Chinese subjects, JY09 exhibited a dose-dependent increase in AUC0-inf and Cmax from 0.7 to 6.0 mg JY09. The half-life of JY09 was ~ 9.3 days, and the peak concentration was reached at ~ 60 - 72 hours. Following the OGTT, an increase in C-peptide concentration was observed after exposure to JY09 at the dose of 6.0 mg compared to the placebo group. JY09 was well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects following a single dose of up to 6.0 mg. No symptomatic hypoglycemia was reported, and the most commonly observed adverse event was suppressed appetite, and its incidence was dose-dependent. Four subjects (13%) developed anti-JY09 antibodies. CONCLUSION: JY09 has a long half-life of ~ 9.3 days, with an acceptable safety profile.

lncRNA HOXD-AS1 Regulates Proliferation and Chemo-Resistance of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer via Recruiting WDR5.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that occurs after the failure of androgen deprivation therapy is the leading cause of deaths in prostate cancer patients. Thus, there is an obvious and urgent need to fully understand the mechanism of CRPC and discover novel therapeutic targets. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulators in many human cancers, yet their potential roles and molecular mechanisms in CRPC are poorly understood. In this study, we discovered that an lncRNA HOXD-AS1 is highly expressed in CRPC cells and correlated closely with Gleason score, T stage, lymph nodes metastasis, and progression-free survival. Knockdown of HOXD-AS1 inhibited the proliferation and chemo-resistance of CRPC cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we identified several cell cycle, chemo-resistance, and castration-resistance-related genes, including PLK1, AURKA, CDC25C, FOXM1, and UBE2C, that were activated transcriptionally by HOXD-AS1. Further investigation revealed that HOXD-AS1 recruited WDR5 to directly regulate the expression of target genes by mediating histone H3 lysine 4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3). In conclusion, our findings indicate that HOXD-AS1 promotes proliferation, castration resistance, and chemo-resistance in prostate cancer by recruiting WDR5. This sheds a new insight into the regulation of CRPC by lncRNA and provides a potential approach for the treatment of CRPC.

Identification and characterization of Orf virus 050 protein proteolysis.

The Orf virus 050 (ORFV050) gene is located in the core region of the ORFV genome. It is similar to Vaccinia virus (VV) Copenhagen L4R, and encodes the DNA-binding virion core protein VP8, which has structures similar to the VV P25K core protein and may undergo similar proteolytic processing during virus assembly. Three conserved Ala-Gly-X motifs at putative cleavage sites were identified in ORFV050. To investigate the proteolysis of ORFV050 and its participation in viral assembly, full-length and site-directed mutant ORFV050 recombinant proteins were constructed and expressed. Two distinct protein bands of 28.5 and 25 kDa were detected in the infected cells using anti-ORFV050 polyclonal antiserum. A potential cleavage site was identified at amino acids 30-32 of ORFV050. Mutation of AG/A to (R) in ORFV050 abolished the process of proteolysis. ORFV050 is a late gene synthesized during viral replication in the host cytoplasm. According to these results, we conclude that ORFV050 undergoes proteolysis and plays an important role in viral assembly.

Gender Disparity in the Relationship between Prevalence of Thyroid Nodules and Metabolic Syndrome Components: The SHDC-CDPC Community-Based Study.

The study is aimed to investigate the pathogenesis underlying the increased prevalence of thyroid nodule (TN) in different levels of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components and analyze the relationships between TN and MetS components. A total of 6,798 subjects, including 2201 patients with TN, were enrolled in this study. Anthropometric, biochemical, thyroid ultrasonographic, and other metabolic parameters were all measured. There was obviously sexual difference in the prevalence of TN (males 26.0%, females 38.5%, resp.). The prevalence of TN in hyperuricemia (45.7% versus 37.4%, P = 0.001), NAFLD (41.2% versus 36.4%, P < 0.05), and MetS (41.4% versus 35.4%, P < 0.001) groups was significantly increased only in females. Insulin resistance [OR = 1.31 (1.15, 1.49)], MetS [OR = 1.18 (1.03, 1.35)], and diabetes [OR = 1.25 (1.06, 1.48)] were all independent risk factors for TN in total subjects, whereas, after stratified analysis of gender, MetS [OR = 1.29, (1.09, 1.53)] and diabetes [OR = 1.47, (1.17, 1.84)] are still strongly and independently associated with the higher risks of TN in female subjects, but not in males. Our results suggest that the components of MetS might associate with the higher risks of TN in women than in men, but further cohort study of this gender disparity in the association between TN and MetS is required.

Heterogeneous associations of insoluble dietary fibre intake with subsequent glycosylated Hb levels among Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes: a quantile regression approach.

Dietary fibre intake has been suggested to reduce blood glucose levels in diabetic patients, particularly when glycosylated Hb (HbA1c) levels are high. In the present study, we used a quantile regression (QR) approach to characterise the possible heterogeneous associations of dietary fibre intake with HbA1c levels in Chinese diabetic patients. A total of 497 diabetic patients participated in the baseline survey in 2006 and in the follow-up survey in 2011, both of which were conducted in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China. Structured in-person interviews were conducted to collect information on demographic characteristics and lifestyle factors. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated FFQ. Blood samples were collected during the interviews for biochemical assays. QR models were used to examine the heterogeneous associations of dietary factors with HbA1c levels. A significant marginal association of insoluble dietary fibre intake with subsequent HbA1c levels was observed only when the HbA1c level was over 6·8%. The associations appeared to be greater when the quantile levels of HbA1c were higher. The coefficient estimates were -0·174 (95% CI -0·433, -0·025) at the quantile of 0·60, -0·200 (95% CI -0·306, -0·008) at 0·70, -0·221 (95% CI -0·426, -0·117) at 0·80, and -0·389 (95% CI -0·516, -0·018) at 0·90. A similar pattern was observed for the associations of dietary glycaemic index (GI) value with HbA1c levels. In conclusion, the present results indicate that the associations of insoluble dietary fibre intake and GI value with subsequent HbA1c levels depend on glycaemic control status in Chinese diabetic patients. More studies are required to confirm our findings.

Long-term effect of dietary fibre intake on glycosylated haemoglobin A1c level and glycaemic control status among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: Dietary fibre has been linked to lower levels of glycosylated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) among diabetes patients. The present study aimed to evaluate the long-term effect of dietary fibre on HbA1c levels among Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2006 and 2011, with the second one being a repeat survey on a sub-sample from the initial one. In both surveys, an in-person interview was conducted to collect information on demographic characteristics and lifestyles following a similar protocol. Dietary intake was assessed with a validated FFQ. Anthropometric measures and biochemical assays were performed at the interview. SETTING: Communities in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China. SUBJECTS: Chinese patients (n 934) with type 2 diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: An inverse association was observed between dietary fibre and glycaemic status indicated by HbA1c level in both surveys, although it was significant only in the first survey. Among 497 patients participating in both surveys, dietary fibre intake at the first survey was inversely associated with uncontrolled glycaemic status at the second survey, with adjusted odds ratios across the tertiles of intake being 1·00, 0·72 (95 % CI 0·43, 1·21) and 0·58 (95 % CI 0·34, 0·99; P trend = 0·048). The change in fibre intake was slightly associated with glycaemic status, with each increase in tertile scores of intake linked to a 0·138 % (ß = -0·138; 95 % CI -0·002, 0·278) decrease in HbA1c value and a 19 % (OR = 0·81; 95 % CI 0·65, 1·02) reduced risk of uncontrolled glycaemic status at the second survey. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary fibre may have a long-term beneficial effect on HbA1c level among Chinese diabetes patients.

The Relationship Between Chromosomal Polymorphism and Male Reproductive Abnormalities.

This study aims to investigate the association between chromosomal polymorphisms and abnormalities in male reproductive health. Within the period from January 2018 to December 2022, a cohort of 10,827 males seeking fertility services at our reproductive center was selected for inclusion in this study. Peripheral blood chromosomal karyotype analysis was conducted for each participant to identify carriers of chromosomal polymorphisms, who were subsequently categorized into a polymorphism group. Additionally, a control group was constituted by randomly selecting 1,630 patients exhibiting normal chromosomal karyotypes. The study conducted statistical analyses to compare clinical outcomes between the two groups, focusing on infertility, history of spontaneous miscarriage in partners, anomalies in reproductive development, fetal abnormalities, and sperm quality metrics. (1) Among the cohort of 10,827 males, chromosomal polymorphisms were identified in 1,622 participants, yielding a detection rate of 14.98%. This rate is significantly elevated in comparison to the baseline prevalence of 1.77% observed in the general population. (2) The predominant variant among these polymorphisms was related to the Y chromosome, accounting for 1,082 cases (66.71% of the polymorphic findings), corresponding to a detection rate of 9.99%. This is markedly higher than the approximate 0.09% prevalence noted within a normative demographic. (3) Statistical analysis revealed significant disparities between the chromosomal polymorphism group and the control group in several clinical outcomes. Notably, the rates of spontaneous abortion (18.06% vs. 1.35%), fetal anomalies (1.97% vs. 0.25%), and poor sperm quality (41.74% vs. 7.18%) were markedly higher in the polymorphism group. Additionally, incidences of testicular dysgenesis (2.28% vs. 0.92%) and hypogonadism in partners (0.62% vs. 0.37%) also demonstrated significant differences, underscoring the potential reproductive implications of chromosomal polymorphisms. The study establishes a significant link between chromosomal polymorphisms and critical reproductive outcomes, including male infertility, spontaneous miscarriages in partners, fetal anomalies, and reduced sperm quality. These findings highlight the clinical relevance of chromosomal polymorphisms in reproductive health assessments and suggest the necessity for their consideration in the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for male reproductive disorders.