Modelling human blastocysts by reprogramming fibroblasts into iBlastoids.

Human pluripotent and trophoblast stem cells have been essential alternatives to blastocysts for understanding early human development1-4. However, these simple culture systems lack the complexity to adequately model the spatiotemporal cellular and molecular dynamics that occur during early embryonic development. Here we describe the reprogramming of fibroblasts into in vitro three-dimensional models of the human blastocyst, termed iBlastoids. Characterization of iBlastoids shows that they model the overall architecture of blastocysts, presenting an inner cell mass-like structure, with epiblast- and primitive endoderm-like cells, a blastocoel-like cavity and a trophectoderm-like outer layer of cells. Single-cell transcriptomics further confirmed the presence of epiblast-, primitive endoderm-, and trophectoderm-like cells. Moreover, iBlastoids can give rise to pluripotent and trophoblast stem cells and are capable of modelling, in vitro, several aspects of the early stage of implantation. In summary, we have developed a scalable and tractable system to model human blastocyst biology; we envision that this will facilitate the study of early human development and the effects of gene mutations and toxins during early embryogenesis, as well as aiding in the development of new therapies associated with in vitro fertilization.

Reprogramming roadmap reveals route to human induced trophoblast stem cells.

The reprogramming of human somatic cells to primed or naive induced pluripotent stem cells recapitulates the stages of early embryonic development1-6. The molecular mechanism that underpins these reprogramming processes remains largely unexplored, which impedes our understanding and limits rational improvements to reprogramming protocols. Here, to address these issues, we reconstruct molecular reprogramming trajectories of human dermal fibroblasts using single-cell transcriptomics. This revealed that reprogramming into primed and naive pluripotency follows diverging and distinct trajectories. Moreover, genome-wide analyses of accessible chromatin showed key changes in the regulatory elements of core pluripotency genes, and orchestrated global changes in chromatin accessibility over time. Integrated analysis of these datasets revealed a role for transcription factors associated with the trophectoderm lineage, and the existence of a subpopulation of cells that enter a trophectoderm-like state during reprogramming. Furthermore, this trophectoderm-like state could be captured, which enabled the derivation of induced trophoblast stem cells. Induced trophoblast stem cells are molecularly and functionally similar to trophoblast stem cells derived from human blastocysts or first-trimester placentas7. Our results provide a high-resolution roadmap for the transcription-factor-mediated reprogramming of human somatic cells, indicate a role for the trophectoderm-lineage-specific regulatory program during this process, and facilitate the direct reprogramming of somatic cells into induced trophoblast stem cells.

Dietary Fiber and Microbiota Metabolite Receptors Enhance Cognition and Alleviate Disease in the 5xFAD Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with poorly understood etiology. AD has several similarities with other "Western lifestyle" inflammatory diseases, where the gut microbiome and immune pathways have been associated. Previously, we and others have noted the involvement of metabolite-sensing GPCRs and their ligands, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), in protection of numerous Western diseases in mouse models, such as Type I diabetes and hypertension. Depletion of GPR43, GPR41, or GPR109A accelerates disease, whereas high SCFA yielding diets protect in mouse models. Here, we extended the concept that metabolite-sensing receptors and SCFAs may be a more common protective mechanism against Western diseases by studying their role in AD pathogenesis in the 5xFAD mouse model. Both male and female mice were included. Depletion of GPR41 and GPR43 accelerated cognitive decline and impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis in 5xFAD and WT mice. Lack of fiber/SCFAs accelerated a memory deficit, whereas diets supplemented with high acetate and butyrate (HAMSAB) delayed cognitive decline in 5xFAD mice. Fiber intake impacted on microglial morphology in WT mice and microglial clustering phenotype in 5xFAD mice. Lack of fiber impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis in both W and AD mice. Finally, maternal dietary fiber intake significantly affects offspring's cognitive functions in 5xFAD mice and microglial transcriptome in both WT and 5xFAD mice, suggesting that SCFAs may exert their effect during pregnancy and lactation. Together, metabolite-sensing GPCRs and SCFAs are essential for protection against AD, and reveal a new strategy for disease prevention.Significance Statement Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases; currently, there is no cure for AD. In our study, short-chain fatty acids and metabolite receptors play an important role in cognitive function and pathology in AD mouse model as well as in WT mice. SCFAs also impact on microglia transcriptome, and immune cell recruitment. Out study indicates the potential of specialized diets (supplemented with high acetate and butyrate) releasing high amounts of SCFAs to protect against disease.

Endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy with and without bicanalicular silicone tube in patients with a small lacrimal sac: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND: To establish whether bicanalicular silicone tube intubation is required during endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (En-DCR) for treating chronic dacryocystitis with a small lacrimal sac. METHODS: In total, this study enrolled 264 patients diagnosed with unilateral chronic dacryocystitis with small lacrimal sacs via computed tomography-dacryocystography that underwent En-DCR from March 2016-September 2020. Patients were randomized into two treatment groups, with those in group A undergoing tubes intubation and those in group B not undergoing this procedure. The tubes were removed 3 months post-operation in group A. Surgical outcomes and related complication rates were then compared. RESULTS: This study included 242 patients, including124 and 118 in groups A and B, respectively. At the three-month follow-up time point, 12.90% of patients in group A exhibited ostial granulation tissue, with this frequency with no differences observed in group B (11.86%). At 6 months post-surgery, 80.65% of patients in group A and 72.88% of patients in group B exhibited successful surgical outcomes, with no significant differences between groups. At 9 months postoperatively, the overall effective success rate was 60.74%, and the success rate was significantlyhigher in group A relative to group B (group A: 75.81%; group B: 44.92%). There were no failed patient outcomes observed as of the 12-month follow-up time point. CONCLUSIONS: While En-DCR-based treatment of chronic dacryocystitis in those with smalllacrimal sacs did not yield satisfactory outcomes with respect to the overall effective success rate, these results suggest that intraoperative intubation may improve success rates in long-term follow-up.

[Effect of growth hormone supplementation on liver and lung function in patients with hypopituitarism].

To analyze the clinical features of patients with anterior hypopituitarism (HP) complicated with cirrhosis, and to explore the effects of growth hormone supplementation on liver and lung function. A total of 11 patients with HP complicated with cirrhosis admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2016 to December 2022 were included in the study, including 8 males and 3 females, aged [M(Q1, Q3)]31 (20, 37) years. There were 6 patients with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome, 4 patients after craniopharyngioma resection, and 1 patient after germinal cell tumor chemoradiotherapy. Cirrhosis appeared at [M(Q1, Q3)]7 (1, 16) years after the diagnosis of HP. There were 7 cases complicated with hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS). The liver and lung function of 5 patients were improved significantly after the addition of growth hormone, and the arterial partial pressure of oxygen increased from (47±11) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to (84±12) mmHg. Timely supplementation of growth hormone can improve the symptoms of fatty liver, cirrhosis and HPS, and postpone or even avoid the transplantation of liver and other organs.

Effect of Experimental Litter Reduction on Cerebellum Development in Suckling Rats.

We studied morphological features of the cerebellum in 14-day-old Wistar rats from reduced litters (the number of pups was reduced from 10-12 to 6 on the next day after birth). The control group comprised 14-day-old animals from litters of medium size (10-12 rat pups). Rats from reduced litters had greater body weight and brain weight. The weight of the cerebellum, together with the weight of the adjacent part of the brain stem and the thickness of cerebellar cortex also significantly exceeded the corresponding parameters in control animals. The thickness of the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex and the numerical density of Purkinje cells in these rats did not differ significantly from the control. The thickness of the external granular (neurogenic) layer of the cerebellar cortex in rats from reduced litters was smaller. This can indicate accelerated reduction of this layer that persists in rats until days 20-22 of age. Numerical density of cells in the external granular layer of control and experimental animals was similar. Numerical density Ki-67+ cells in this layer, as well as GFAP+ glial cells in the granular layer of the cerebellar cortex in rats from reduced litters significantly exceeded the corresponding parameters in control animals. The cerebellum of rats from litters reduced 1 day after birth had a number of differences in important indicators reflecting the rate of its development during the neonatal and suckling periods of ontogeny.

Effects of Neonatal Administration of Non-Opiate Analogues of Leu-Enkephalin on the Delayed Cardiac Consequences of Intrauterine Hypoxia.

Intrauterine hypoxia (gestation days 15-19, pO2 65 mm Hg, duration 4 h) led to an increase in the expression of p53, beclin-1, endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and caspase-3 proteins in cardiomyocytes and reduced the number of mast cells in the heart of 60-day-old albino rats. Administration of a non-opiate analogue of leu-enkephalin (NALE peptide: Phe-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-Leu-Arg, 100 µg/kg) on days 2-6 of the neonatal period decreased the severity of delayed posthypoxic myocardial reaction. The content of eNOS+ cardiomyocytes and the total number of mast cells of these animals did not differ from the control parameters; the content of p53+ cardiomyocytes was significantly lower than in animals exposed to intrauterine hypoxia. The cardioprotective activity of NALE was partially neutralized by co-administration with the NO synthase inhibitor (L-NAME, 50 mg/kg). Correction of the delayed posthypoxic changes, similar to the effects of NALE peptide, was observed after neonatal administration of its arginine-free analogue, G peptide (Phe-D-Ala-Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly; 100 µg/kg). Non-opiate analogues of leu-enkephalin NALE and G peptides can be considered as promising substances capable of preventing long-term cardiac consequences of intrauterine hypoxia.

[The association of cholesterol crystals and non-culprit plaque characteristics in AMI patients: an OCT study].

Objective: To analyze plaque characteristics of non-culprit coronary lesions with cholesterol crystals in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI) by using optical coherence tomography(OCT). We also investigated the potential association between cholesterol crystals with plaque rupture and healed plaque at non-culprit segment. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study. Between January 2017 and December 2017, patients with AMI who underwent 3-vessel OCT imaging were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of cholesterol crystals at the non-culprit lesions. All patients underwent coronary angiography and OCT examination, and non-culprit plaque characteristics were compared between the two groups. The generalized estimating equation log-binomial multirariate regression model was used to assess the relationship between non-culprit lesions with cholesterol crystals and plaque rupture and plaque healing. The follow-up data collection ended in October 2023. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted, and log-rank tests were used to compare the cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events between the two groups. Results: A total of 173 AMI patients were included (aged (56.8±11.6) years; 124 men (71.7%)). Among 710 non-culprit lesions identified by OCT, there were 102 (14.4%) in cholesterol crystals group and 608 (85.6%) in non-cholesterol crystals group. Compared with non-culprit lesions without cholesterol crystals, those with cholesterol crystals had smaller minimum lumen diameter, severer diameter stenosis, and longer lesion length (all P<0.01). The prevalence of plaque rupture (17.6% (18/102) vs. 4.9% (30/608), P=0.001) and thin-cap fibroatheroma (31.4% (32/102) vs. 11.5% (70/608), P<0.01) was higher in the cholesterol crystals groups than in the non-cholesterol crystals group. In addition, vulnerable plaque characteristics such as (44.1% (45/102) vs. 25.8% (157/608), P<0.01), macrophages were more frequently observed in non-culprit lesions with cholesterol crystals. The generalized estimating equation log-binomial multivariate regression analyses showed that non-culprit cholesterol crystals were positively correlated with healed plaque (OR=1.583, 95%CI: 1.004-2.495, P=0.048). Conversely, cholesterol crystals were not associated with plaque rupture (OR=1.632, 95%CI: 0.745-3.576, P=0.221). The follow-up time was 2 142 (1 880, 2 198) days. Non-culprit cholesterol crystals were not related to the major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with AMI (log-rank P=0.558). Conclusions: Among AMI patients, non-culprit lesions with cholesterol crystals presented with severer luminal stenosis and increased plaque vulnerability. The presence of non-culprit cholesterol crystals was associated with rather than plaque rupture.

[Morphological features of vasoproliferative tumor of the retina]. / Morfologicheskie osobennosti vazoproliferativnoi opukholi setchatki.

Vasoproliferative retinal tumor (VPT) is a term proposed by ophthalmologists in relation to the totality of manifestations of an intraocular volumetric process with involvement of the inner lining of the eye, an integral part of which is the active growth of blood vessels. The available literature data on the morphology of this process are very contradictory and ambiguous. The article presents two clinical cases of vasoproliferative retinal tumor with own illustration of morphological studies.

[Legal and forensic medical problems of postmortem donation]. / Pravovye i sudebno-meditsinskie problemy posmertnogo donorstva.

The article is devoted to legal and forensic medical problems of postmortem donation. The substantive provisions of postmortem donation, as well as normative legal documents regulating the processes of organs harvesting from deceased persons for subsequent transplantation and governing the work of transplantologists and forensic medical experts have been considered. The practical examples illustrating the essence and nature of the problem of postmortem forensic medical expertise of persons with absent organs has been given and the importance of the participation of a forensic medical expert involved in the decision-making process on possibility (or impossibility) of the corpse's organs and tissues explantation without prejudice to the further expert examination has been emphasized. The authors pay particular attention to the inadequacy of the legal framework, including the lack of a clear understanding of the legal status of the person holding the position of forensic medical expert, who provides an expert opinion on the organs' explantation.

Characterizing and predicting the relationship between translaminar fracture toughness and pull-out length distributions under distinct temperatures.

The translaminar fracture toughness reflects the damage tolerance of a fibre-reinforced composite under longitudinal tension, which often governs the final failure of structures. One of the main energy-dissipation mechanisms that contributes to the translaminar toughness of composites is the fibre pull-out process. The present study aims to quantify and model the statistical distribution of fibre pull-out lengths formed on the translaminar fracture surface of composites, for the first time in the literature; this is done under different temperatures, so that the relationship between pull-out length distributions, micromechanical properties and the translaminar fracture toughness can be established. The fracture surfaces of cross-ply compact tension specimens tested under three different temperatures have been scanned through X-ray computed tomography to quantify the extent of fibre pull-out on the fracture surfaces; the distribution of pull-out lengths showed alarger average and larger variability with an increase in temperature, which also lead to an increase in translaminar fracture toughness. A similar trend has been captured by the proposed analytical model, which predicts the pull-out length distribution based on the analysis of quasi-fractal idealizations of the fracture surface, yielding an overall accuracy of more than 85%. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and durability of composite materials'.

Dynamics of Soluble Forms of the Immune Checkpoint Components PD-1/PD-L1/B7-H3, CD314/ULBP1, and HLA-G in Peripheral Blood of Melanoma Patients Receiving Blockers of Programmed Cell Death Protein PD-1.

The content of the soluble forms of immune checkpoint components sPD-1, sPD-L1 in blood serum, and sB7-H3, sCD314, sULBP1, sHLA-G in blood plasma of 30 melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy with anti-PD-1 antibodies (nivolumab, pembrolisumab) was measured before and in 4 and 8 weeks after the start of immunotherapy. The control group comprised 70 practically healthy donors. Standard immunoassay kits were used. In melanoma patients, the levels of sPD-L1 and sB7-H3 were significantly higher than in the control group (p<0001), sPD-1 level did not differ from the control, while sCD314 and sHLA-G levels were insignificantly decreased. During therapy, opposite changes in the levels of markers in individual patients were observed, and frequently after the initial increase (or decrease) after the first 4 weeks normalization did occur in the further 4 weeks. No statistically significant associations between the initial levels of markers and direction of their changes during treatment were found, but some trends indicating to the potential benefits from assessment of soluble forms of immune checkpoint proteins for evaluation and monitoring of the efficiency of the therapy with immune checkpoint blockers were revealed: significant decrease of sB7-H3 and sPD-1 levels in the course of treatment, higher initial sPD-1 level in patients with future progression than in those with stabilization or partial effect, and lower progression frequency in patients with increasing sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels than in those with decreasing markers levels.

Soluble B7-H3 in Colorectal Cancer.

We present the results of comparative ELISA of the concentration of soluble form of immunity checkpoint B7-H3 (sB7-H3) in the serum of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) at different stages before treatment and healthy control donors. The analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between the median levels of sB7-H3 in the blood serum of CRC patients (19.66 ng/ml) and healthy donors (16.76 ng/ml) (p=0.0025). ROC analysis showed 62.9% sensitivity and 56.7% specificity for CRC patients (cut-off 17.62 ng/ml; p=0.0028). An association of sB7-H3 levels with tumor progression was revealed. We demonstrated that sB7-H3 levels were significantly lower in patients with regional metastases than in patients without metastases (p=0.039) and that sB7-H3 concentration tends to decrease at the late stages of the disease. Thus, high serum level of sB7-H3 in CRC patients can be a favorable prognostic factor in future.

[Efficacy and safety of various doses of hybutimibe monotherapy or in combination with atorvastatin for primary hypercholesterolemia: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-controlled phase â ¢ clinical trial].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hybutimibe monotherapy or in combination with atorvastatin in the treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia. Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-controlled phase Ⅲ clinical trial of patients with untreated primary hypercholesterolemia from 41 centers in China between August 2015 and April 2019. Patients were randomly assigned, at a ratio of 1∶1∶1∶1∶1∶1, to the atorvastatin 10 mg group (group A), hybutimibe 20 mg group (group B), hybutimibe 20 mg plus atorvastatin 10 mg group (group C), hybutimibe 10 mg group (group D), hybutimibe 10 mg plus atorvastatin 10 mg group (group E), and placebo group (group F). After a dietary run-in period for at least 4 weeks, all patients were administered orally once a day according to their groups. The treatment period was 12 weeks after the first dose of the study drug, and efficacy and safety were evaluated at weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12. After the treatment period, patients voluntarily entered the long-term safety evaluation period and continued the assigned treatment (those in group F were randomly assigned to group B or D), with 40 weeks' observation. The primary endpoint was the percent change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) from baseline at week 12. Secondary endpoints included the percent changes in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), apolipoprotein B (Apo B) at week 12 and changes of the four above-mentioned lipid indicators at weeks 18, 24, 38, and 52. Safety was evaluated during the whole treatment period. Results: Totally, 727 patients were included in the treatment period with a mean age of (55.0±9.3) years old, including 253 males. No statistical differences were observed among the groups in demographics, comorbidities, and baseline blood lipid levels. At week 12, the percent changes in LDL-C were significantly different among groups A to F (all P<0.01). Compared to atorvastatin alone, hybutimibe combined with atorvastatin could further improve LDL-C, TG, and Apo B (all P<0.05). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in percent changes in LDL-C at week 12 between group C and group E (P=0.991 7). During the long-term evaluation period, there were intergroup statistical differences in changes of LDL-C, TG and Apo B at 18, 24, 38, and 52 weeks from baseline among the statins group (group A), hybutimibe group (groups B, D, and F), and combination group (groups C and E) (all P<0.01), with the best effect observed in the combination group. The incidence of adverse events was 64.2% in the statins group, 61.7% in the hybutimibe group, and 71.0% in the combination group during the long-term evaluation period. No treatment-related serious adverse events or adverse events leading to death occurred during the 52-week study period. Conclusions: Hybutimibe combined with atorvastatin showed confirmatory efficacy in patients with untreated primary hypercholesterolemia, which could further enhance the efficacy on the basis of atorvastatin monotherapy, with a good overall safety profile.

[Reflexology in patient rehabilitation with postoperative pain. (Literature review)]. / Refleksoterapiya v reabilitatsii patsientov s posleoperatsionnoi bol'yu. (Obzor literatury).

Postoperative pain is a pressing medical problem, as it significantly reduces the quality of life of patients after surgical treatment. Chronic postoperative pain further disables patients and impairs their functional activity. Being a widespread interdisciplinary problem, postoperative pain requires the integration of various pain management methods in complex multimodal pain management in the acute period and treatment programs for its chronicity. The paper examines the possibilities of reflexology methods for the relief of acute and treatment of chronic postoperative pain. Integration of reflex effects from the first days after surgery makes it possible to more effectively and safely solve the problems of acute and chronic postoperative pain.

LncRNA-599547 contributes the inductive property of dermal papilla cells in cashmere goat through miR-15b-5p/Wnt10b axis.

The lncRNA-599547 (619-nt in length) is identified in secondary hair follicle (SHF) of cashmere goat, but its functional roles in regulating the inductive property of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) remains unknown. We found that lncRNA-599547 had significantly higher expression in dermal papilla of cashmere goat SHF at anagen than its counterpart at telogen. The overexpression of lncRNA-599547 led to a significant increase of ALP and LEF1 expression in DPCs (p < 0.05), whereas, the siLncRNA-1 mediated silencing of lncRNA-599547 significantly down-regulated the expression of ALP and LEF1 in DPCs (p < 0.05). Based on biotin-labeled RNA pull-down assay, we found that lncRNA-599547 directly interacted with chi-miR-15b-5p in DPCs. Based on both overexpression and silencing analysis of lncRNA-599547, our results indicate that lncRNA-599547 promotes the expression of Wnt10b in DPCs but without modulating its promoter methylation level. Using the mRNA-3'UTR fragments of goat Wnt10b containing the predicted binding sites of chi-miR-15b-5p in Dual-luciferase Reporter Assays, we show that lncRNA-599547 modulates the expression of Wnt10b at the chi-miR-15b-5p mediated post-transcriptional level. Taken together, our results indicate that lncRNA-599547 sponges miR-15b-5p to positively regulate the expression of Wnt10 gene, and thereby contributes the inductive property of DPCs in cashmere goat.

Rapid antigen test during a COVID-19 outbreak in a private hospital in Hong Kong.

INTRODUCTION: In response to two nosocomial clusters of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in our hospital, we adopted a series of strict infection control measures, including regular rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for high-risk patients, visitors, and healthcare workers. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of a locally developed RAT, the INDICAID COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test (Phase Scientific, Hong Kong), using respiratory samples from both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals. METHODS: Real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)-confirmed deep throat saliva (DTS) and pooled nasopharyngeal swab and throat swab (NPS/TS) samples collected from 1 November to 30 November 2020 were tested by INDICAID. Screening RATs were performed on asymptomatic healthcare workers during a 16-week period (1 December 2020 to 22 March 2021). RESULTS: In total, 20 rRT-PCR-confirmed samples (16 DTS, four pooled NPS/TS) were available for RAT. Using the original sample, RAT results were positive in 17/20 samples, indicating 85% sensitivity (95% confidence interval [CI]=62.11%-96.79%). Negative RAT results were associated with higher cycle threshold (Ct) values. For samples with Ct values <25, the sensitivity was 100%. Of the 49 801 RATs collected from healthcare workers, 33 false positives and one rRT-PCR-confirmed case were detected. The overall specificity was 99.93% (95% CI=99.91%-99.95%). The positive and negative predictive values were 2.94% (95% CI=2.11%-4.09%) and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The INDICAID COVID-19 RAT demonstrated good sensitivity for specimens with high viral loads and satisfactory specificity for low-risk, asymptomatic healthcare workers.

miRNA-mRNA associations with inosine monophosphate specific deposition in the muscle of Jingyuan chicken.

1. Inosine monophosphate (IMP), is an essential component for meat flavour and microRNAs (miRNAs) play a vital role in its post-transcriptional regulation. However, the mechanism of how miRNA expression affects muscle-specific IMP deposition is unclear.2. The following study performed transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of breast and leg muscle, which have significantly different IMP content in Jingyuan chicken. The differential miRNA-mRNAs were screened out and correlation analysis with IMP content was performed.3. A total of 39 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) and 666 differentially expressed mRNAs (DE mRNAs) were identified between breast muscles and leg muscles. Using miRNA-mRNA integrated analysis, 29 miRNA-target gene pairs were obtained, composed of 13 DE miRNAs and 28 DE mRNAs. Next, purine metabolism, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate metabolism and the biosynthesis of amino acid pathways as necessary for muscle IMP-specific deposition were identified. The differentially expressed gene PKM2, which was significantly enriched in all four pathways, is involved in IMP anabolism in the form of energy metabolism and enzyme activity regulation. The correlation analysis suggested that the gga-miR-107-3p-KLHDC2 negative interaction may be a key regulator in IMP deposition.4. This study explores the functional mechanism of IMP-specific deposition in Jingyuan chicken muscles at the miRNA and mRNA levels and highlights multiple candidate miRNAs and mRNAs for molecular-assisted breeding.

[Infective endocarditis in pregnancy: A case report].

Infective endocarditis in pregnancy is extremely rare in clinical practice. Guidelines addressing prophylaxis and management of infective endocarditis do not extensively deal with concomitant pregnancy, and case reports on infective endocarditis are scarce. Due to increased blood volume and hemodynamic changes in late pregnancy, endocardial neoplasms are easy to fall off and cause systemic or pulmonary embolism, respiratory, cardiac arrest and sudden death may occur in pregnant women, the fetus can suffer from intrauterine distress and stillbirth at any time, leading to adverse outcomes for pregnant women and fetuses. The disease is dangerous and difficult to treat, which seriously threatens the lives of mothers and babies. Early diagnosis and reasonable treatment can effectively improve the prognosis of patients. The most important method for the treatment of infective endocarditis requires early, adequate, long-term and combined antibiotic therapy. Moreover, surgical controversies regarding indication and timing of treatment exist, especially in pregnancy. In terms of the timing of termination of pregnancy, the timing of cardiac surgery, and the method of surgery, individualized programs must be adopted. A pregnant woman with 30+5 weeks of gestation is reported. She was admitted to hospital due to intermittent chest tightness, suffocation and fever, with grade Ⅲ cardiac insufficiency. Imaging revealed large mitral valve vegetation, 22.0 mm×4.1 mm and 22.0 mm×5.1 mm, respectively, and severe valve regurgitation. Mitral valve perforation was more likely, blood culture suggested Staphylococcus epidermidis infection, after antibiotic conservative treatment, the effect was poor. After the joint consultation including cardiology, neonatology, interventional vascular surgery, anesthesiology, and obstetrics, the combined operation of obstetrics and cardiac surgery was performed in time. The heart was blocked for 60 minutes, the bleeding was 1 200 mL, the newborn was mildly asphyxiated after birth, and the birth weight was 1 890 g. Nine days after the operation, the patient was discharged from the hospital, and the newborn was discharged with the weight of 2 020 g. Critical cases like this require a thorough weighing of risks and benefits followed by swift action to protect the mother and her unborn child. An optimal outcome in a challenging case like this greatly depends on effective interdisciplinary communication, informed consent of the patient, and concerted action among the specialists involved.

[Naringenin inhibits thoracic aortic aneurysm formation in mice with Marfan syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether naringenin plays a protective role during thoracic aneurysm formation in Marfan syndrome. METHODS: To validate the effect of naringenin, Fbn1C1039G/+ mice, the mouse model of Marfan syndrome, were fed with naringenin, and the disease progress was evaluated. The molecular mechanism of naringenin was further investigated via in vitro studies, such as bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET), atomic force microscope and radioligand receptor binding assay. RESULTS: Six-week-old Fbn1C1039G/+ mice were fed with naringenin for 20 weeks. Compared with the control group, naringenin significantly suppressed the aortic expansion [Fbn1C1039G/+ vs. Fbn1C1039G/++naringenin: (2.49±0.47) mm, n=18 vs. (1.87±0.19) mm, n=22, P < 0.05], the degradation of elastin, and the expression and activity of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9 in the ascending aorta of Fbn1C1039G/+ mice. Besides, treatment with naringenin for 6 weeks also attenuated the disease progress among the 20-week-old Fbn1C1039G/+ mice with established thoracic aortic aneurysms [Fbn1C1039G/+ vs. Fbn1C1039G/++naringenin: (2.24±0.23) mm, n=8 vs. (1.90±0.17) mm, n=8, P < 0.05]. To understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, we examined the effects of naringenin on angiotensin Ⅱ type 1 receptor (AT1) signaling and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) signaling respectively, which were the dominant signaling pathways contributing to aortopathy in Marfan syndrome as previously reported. The results showed that naringenin decreased angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ)-induced phosphorylation of protein kinase C (PKC) and extracellular regulating kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in HEK293A cell overexpressing AT1 receptor. Moreover, naringenin inhibited Ang Ⅱ-induced calcium mobilization and uclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) signaling. The internalization of AT1 receptor and its binding to ß-arrestin-2 with Ang Ⅱ induction were also suppressed by naringenin. As evidenced by atomic force microscope and radioligand receptor binding assay, naringenin inhibited Ang Ⅱ binding to AT1 receptor. In terms of TGF-ß signaling, we found that feeding the mice with naringenin decreased the phosphorylation of Smad2 and ERK1/2 as well as the expression of TGF-ß downstream genes. Besides, the serum level of TGF-ß was also decreased by naringenin in the Fbn1C1039G/+ mice. Furthermore, we detected the effect of naringenin on platelet, a rich source of TGF-ß, both in vivo and in vitro. And we found that naringenin markedly decreased the TGF-ß level by inhibiting the activation of platelet. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that naringenin has a protective effect on thoracic aortic aneurysm formation in Marfan syndrome by suppressing both AT1 and TGF-ß signaling.