Regulation of Mitochondrial Quality Control in Treatment of Diabetic Kidney Disease by Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） is characterized by the hyperfiltration and albuminuria in the early phase which are followed by progressive renal function decline， renal tubular epithelial cell hypertrophy， and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Thus， it is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney diseases. The currently available therapies mainly aim to control the primary diseases and reduce the risk of kidney injury. Based on syndrome differentiation， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） relieves the symptoms by excreting water and alleviating edema and eliminates the root cause by tonifying deficiency and supplementing the original Qi， thereby showing therapeutic effect and delaying the progression of DKD. It excels in comprehensively regulating the constitution of patients with little side effects. Among the Zang-fu organs， kidney takes the second place in the content of mitochondria which participate in the metabolism of water and fluid and are the foundation of kidney Yin and kidney Yang. Mitochondria are energy producers within a cell， which carry out cellular respiration， produce reactive oxygen species， and generate adenosine triphosphate by oxidative phosphorylation. Mitochondrial quality control （MQC） is an effective way to maintain mitochondrial dynamic balance， whose imbalances， such as mitochondrial oxidative stress， mitophagy， mitochondrial dynamic changes， and abnormal calcium regulation， are related to the occurrence and development of DKD. It is generally believed that the destruction of mitochondrial structure in the case of metabolic disorder is the main cause of the disease. In recent years， TCM has attracted the attention of both Chinese and foreign researchers for the unique advantages of treating both symptoms and root cause at the same time and multi-target synergy in the treatment of DKD. However， the specific mechanism is still unclear. It has been frequently verified that mitochondria may be one of the targets of TCM in the treatment of DKD. At the moment， no review on the treatment of DKD by TCM through the intervention of MQC is available. Therefore， this paper aims to summarize the research on TCM treatment of DKD by regulating MQC in the past 10 years， which is expected to provide a new direction for the treatment of DKD by TCM.

Genetic analysis of two children with developmental delay and intellectual disability / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic etiology of two patients with developmental delay and intellectual disability.@*METHODS@#Two children who were respectively admitted to Henan Provincial People's Hospital on August 29, 2021 and August 5, 2019 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were collected, and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) was carried out on the children and their parents for the detection of chromosomal microduplication/microdeletions.@*RESULTS@#Patient 1 was a 2-year-and-10-month female and patient 2 was a 3-year-old female. Both children had featured developmental delay, intellectual disability, and abnormal findings on cranial MRI. aCGH revealed that patient 1 has harbored arr[hg19] 6q14.2q15(84621837_90815662)×1, a 6.19 Mb deletion at 6q14.2q15, which encompassed ZNF292, the pathogenic gene for Autosomal dominant intellectual developmental disorder 64. Patient 2 has harbored arr[hg19] 22q13.31q13.33(46294326_51178264)×1, a 4.88 Mb deletion at 22q13.31q13.33 encompassing the SHANK3 gene, haploinsufficiency of which can lead to Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Both deletions were classified as pathogenic CNVs based on the guidelines of American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and were not found in their parents.@*CONCLUSION@#The 6q14.2q15 deletion and 22q13-31q13.33 deletion probably underlay the developmental delay and intellectual disability in the two children, respectively. Haploinsufficiency of the ZNF292 gene may account for the key clinical features of the 6q14.2q15 deletion.

Prenatal genetic analysis of a fetus with Miller-Dieker syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for fetus with bilateral lateral ventriculomegaly.@*METHODS@#Fetus umbilical cord blood and peripheral blood samples of its parents were collected. The fetus was subjected to chromosomal karyotyping, whilst the fetus and its parents were subjected to array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). The candidate copy number variation (CNV) were verified by qPCR, Application goldeneye DNA identification system was used to confirm the parental relationship.@*RESULTS@#The fetus was found to have a normal karyotype. aCGH analysis indicated that it has carried a 1.16 Mb deletion at 17p13.3, which partially overlapped with the critical region of Miller-Dieker syndrome (MDS), in addition with a 1.33 Mb deletion at 17p12 region, which is associated with hereditary stress-susceptible peripheral neuropathy (HNPP). Its mother was also found to harbor the 1.33 Mb deletion at 17p12. qPCR analysis confirmed that the expression levels of genes from the 17p13.3 and 17p12 regions were about the half of that in the normal control, as well as the maternal peripheral blood sample. Parental relationship was confirmed between the fetus and its parents. Following genetic counseling, the parents has chosen to continue with the pregnancy.@*CONCLUSION@#The fetus was diagnosed with Miller-Dieker syndrome due to the de novo deletion at 17p13.3. Ventriculomegaly may be an important indicator for prenatal ultrasonography in fetuses with MDS.

Analysis of a fetus with unbalanced translocation derived from a balanced t(6;14) maternal translocation / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic characteristics of a fetus with a high risk by maternal serum screening during the second trimester.@*METHODS@#Genetic counseling was provided to the pregnant woman on March 22, 2020 at Henan Provincial People's Hospital. G-banded chromosomal karyotyping and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) were carried out on the amniotic fluid sample and peripheral blood samples from the couple.@*RESULTS@#The fetus and the pregnant woman were respectively found to have a 46,XX,der(6)t(6;14)(q27;q31.2) and 46,XX,t(6;14)(q27;q31.2) karyotype, whilst the husband was found to have a normal karyotype. aCGH analysis has identified a 6.64 Mb deletion at 6q26q27 and a 19.98 Mb duplication at 14q31.3q32.33 in the fetus, both of which were predicted to be pathogenic copy number variations. No copy number variation was found in the couple.@*CONCLUSION@#The unbalanced chromosome abnormalities in the fetus have probably derived from the balanced translocation carried by the pregnant woman. aCGH can help to determine the types of fetal chromosome abnormalities and site of chromosomal breakage, which may facilitate the prediction of fetal outcome and choice for subsequent pregnancies.

The effect of tumor-associated macrophage on proliferation of renal carcinoma cells and related mechanism / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of tumor-associated macrophage(TAM) on proliferation of renal carcinoma cells and its related mechanism.Methods:The model of TAM was established by stimulating human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), bacterial endotoxin (LPS) and interferon-γ (IFN- γ). Then the TAM model was co-cultured with carcinoma cell lines ACHN and 786-O in vitro .The cytokines IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β in TAM supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). MTT method was used to detect the proliferation of ACHN and 786-O cells treated with supernatant of TAM or TAM/Tocilizumab. Western blot was used to detect lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) expression of both renal cancer cells co-cultured with TAM or TAM/Tocilizumab. The ACHN and 786-O cells with LDHA-overexpression and LDHA-knockdown were cultured in TAM supernatant in vitro. The cell proliferation was detected by MTT and the relative proliferation rate was calculated.Results:THP-1 cells was differentiated into TAM through the treatment of 80 ng/ml PMA combined with 20 ng/ml LPS and 20 ng/ml IFN- γ.The expression rate of CD68, a cell surface marker on TAM, was (36.2 ±4.5)%. When TAM was co-cultured with ACHN cells, the results of ELISA showed that the secretion of IL-6 in the supernatant was significantly elevated compared with that in the supernatant when ACHN cells cultured alone [(138.0 ±12.4) pg/ml and (19.7±4.9) pg/ml], and the secretion of TNF- α [(122.5 ±14.2) pg/ml and (12.6 ±2.3) pg/ml] and IL-1 β [(89.2 ±6.4) pg/ml and (69.2 ±3.5) pg/ml] were also significantly increased. The secretion of IL-6 [(119.2 ±14.8) pg/ml and (17.1 ±3.3) pg/ml], TNF- α [(122.6 ±14.4) pg/ml and (45.7 ±7.2) pg/ml] and IL-1 β [(95.1 ±11.8) pg/ml and (88.2 ±12.7) pg/ml] in the supernatant were also significantly elevated when 786-O cells co-cultured with TAM compared with 786-O cells cultured alone. After treated with the supernatant of TAM for 72 hours, the relative proliferation rates of ACHN and 786-O cells [(128.6 ±21.4)% and (124.2 ±19.7)%] were significantly higher than that of the control group (100.0%). At the same time, the expression of LDHA in ACHN and 786-O cells increased significantly. After 72 hours of treatment with the supernatant of TAM combined with tocilizumab, the relative proliferation rates of ACHN and 786-O cells [(76.5±13.7)% and (74.8±12.5)%] were significantly lower than that of the control group(100.0%), and the expression of LDHA was also significantly decreased at the same time. The relative proliferation rates of ACHN and 786-O cells in LDHA overexpression group [(121.5 ±17.2)% and (122.7±21.6)%]were significantly higher than that in blank-vector-transfection group[(93.3±10.7)% and (89.8±11.2)%], while the relative proliferation rates in LDHA-knockdown group [(61.4±11.2)% and (58.0 ±10.6)% ]were significantly lower than that in blank-vector-transfection group.Conclusions:By secreting IL-6, TAM can up-regulate the expression of LDHA and promote the proliferation of renal cancer cells.

Prenatal diagnosis and genetic analysis of 9p24 microdeletion in six fetuses / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the prenatal diagnosis and genetic analysis of 9p24 microdeletion in six fetuses.Methods:Genetic data of six pregnant women with positive results of serological Down's syndrome screening at Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Amniotic fluid and the parents' peripheral blood samples were subjected to G banding and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis. Detected copy number variation (CNV) were classified based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) scoring standard.Results:Six fetuses showed no abnormalities in ultrasound during the second trimester as well as in karyotyping. A chromosome deletion of 1 019~6 001 kb at 9p24 was found in all six fetuses by aCGH, referring to disease-related genes DMRT1, SMARCA2, DOCK8, etc. The deletion of case 3 was inherited from the asymptomatic father, and the other fetal five were all de novo mutations. Cases 1, 2, 5, and 6 were pathogenic/likely pathogenic CNV carriers and cases 3 and 4 were CNV of unknown clinical significance carriers. After genetic counseling, cases 1, 2, 5, and 6 chose to terminate the pregnancies; cases 3 and 4 continued and gave birth to normal offspring. Conclusions:Fetuses with 9p24 microdeletion lack specific phenotypes before born. DMRT1 and SMARCA2 may be the key genes in this region.

Genetic analysis and prenatal diagnosis of intellectual disability caused by Xq25 microduplication in a pedigree / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of a 27-year-old male patient with intellectual disability and his pedigree to provide a reference for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis.Methods:G-banding and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) were performed to analyze the karyotypes and genomic copy number variations of the proband (Ⅲ-1) and his family members. Based on the results, prenatal diagnosis was performed for one pregnant woman (Ⅲ-2) in the pedigree who is the sister of the proband.Results:All karyotyping were normal in the family members, while aCGH results showed a 1 533 kb microduplication in the Xq25 region of the proband, his mother (Ⅱ-3), his uncle (Ⅱ-2), and his sister (Ⅲ-2), which was confirmed to be pathogenic. The proband and his uncle presented with intellectual disability, bradylalia, and facial dysmorphism. In contrast, his mother and sister showed normal phenotypes. His sister's fetal karyotype and aCGH results were normal, and the pregnancy continued. A male baby (Ⅳ-1) was delivered vaginally at term and showed no physical or intellectual abnormalities during a 46-month follow-up.Conclusions:Xq25 microduplication might be the cause of intellectual disability in the proband. STAG2 is probably the essential gene in Xq25 region.

Prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes of 17 fetuses with 16p13.11 microdeletion syndrome / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the association between prenatal genotype and phenotype of 16p13.11 microdeletion syndrome, aiming to provide a reference for prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed the results of comparative genomic hybridization microarray and low-coverage whole genome sequencing performed on 4 230 pregnant women in the Henan Provincial People's Hospital from July 2018 to July 2021. Indications for prenatal diagnosis, pedigree information and pregnancy outcomes of 17 fetuses with 16p13.11 microdeletion were described.Results:Prenatal diagnostic indications in the 17 fetuses were ultrasound abnormalities in five cases (increased nuchal translucency in four and cerebral ventriculomegaly with 10.7 mm in one), inter-twin weight discordance over 20% in one case, high risk in five cases and marginal risk in one in trisomy-21 serum screening, advanced maternal age in three cases (one with echogenic intracardiac focus in the left ventricle and two with normal ultrasound images) and adverse pregnancy history in two cases with normal ultrasound images. Pedigree verification that performed on 12 cases revealed that five were caused by de novo mutations and seven were inherited from their parents. The follow-up results showed that five cases were terminated, two lost to follow-up and 10 born alive (inheritance patterns were de novo mutations in three cases, parental inheritance in six and unknown pattern in one). These 10 infants were followed up from age 7 months to 3 years and 2 months and the results showed that one case was born with choroid plexus cyst of the left ventricle and presented instability of gait at 1 year and 3 months; one was a premature infant with 33 gestational weeks whose parents reported his language ability was not well at 2 years and 1 month old but without other abnormalities; one case had low muscle tone and was unable to keep head upright at 3 months who recovered at 5 months old after rehabilitation treatment according to the parents' report; all seven parents in the remaining seven cases reported no abnormalities. Conclusions:There was no specific prenatal diagnostic indication for 16p13.11 microdeletion syndrome. Genetic tracing, pregnancy outcome analysis and follow-up surveillance would provide reference for genetic counseling of 16p13.11 microdeletion syndrome.

Unexpected detection of Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene mutation by array comparative genomic hybridization in prenatal diagnosis: a retrospective analysis / 中华围产医学杂志

Objective:To explore the accuracy of array comparative genomic hybridization(aCGH) in the unexpected detection of Duchenne muscular dystrophy ( DMD) gene duplication/deletion in prenatal diagnosis. Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 31 cases with DMD gene duplication/deletion detected by aCGH among 5 025 prenatal diagnosis samples without family history of DMD in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from July 2018 to December 2019. The multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) method was used to verify the above results. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guideline was referred for pathogenicity analysis of the detected duplicates/deletions. Descriptive analysis was adopted in analysis. Results:The total unexpected DMD gene duplication/deletion rate was 0.62% (31/5 025), among which 25 cases were with microduplication/microdeletion ≤ 200 kb and six were >200 kb; there were 24 cases of deletion, seven cases of duplication; exon or intron duplication/deletion were accounted for 19 and 12 cases, respectively. According to the five classification standards of ACMG guideline, there were 17 cases with pathogenic variants and 14 cases with uncertain pathogenicity/likely benign variants. Of the 19 with exon mutations, 17 cases were DMD intragenic variants, and two cases involved variants in and outside DMD gene, which were verified by MLPA whose results were all positive. Conclusions:The duplication/deletion of exon region of DMD gene detected by aCGH technique is accurate and reliable, which plays an important role in the diagnosis of DMD. For these cases involved both internal and external regions of DMD gene, aCGH can identify the upstream and downstream breaking points of DMD gene, thus providing the basis for ACMG grading.

Genetic analysis of a pedigree with atypical partial 4q trisomy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a Chinese pedigree affected with mental retardation.@*METHODS@#G-banded karyotyping analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism microarray (SNP array) were used to detect the genetic variants within the family, and the origin of the variants was analyzed using UPDtool Statistics software.@*RESULTS@#The patient, a 26-year-old female, was found to have a chromosomal karyotype of 46,XX,dup(4)(q28.2q31.3),and SNP array revealed a 25.71 Mb duplication at 4q28.2-q31.3. The duplication was inherited from her father, and her fetus was found to carry the same duplication.@*CONCLUSION@#The duplication of the patient probably underlay the mental retardation. The gender of the carrier and parental origin of the duplication might have led to the variation in their clinical phenotype.

Genetic analysis of a child with atypical Williams-Beuren syndrome presenting as supravalvular aortic stenosis / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a child with supravalvular aortic stenosis.@*METHODS@#The child and his parents were subjected to conventional G-banding karyotyping, array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis.@*RESULTS@#No karyotypic abnormality was detected in the child and his parents. aCGH has identified a de novo 278 kb deletion encompassing the ELN gene in 7q11.23, which overlapped with the critical region of Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS). MLPA has confirmed above findings.@*CONCLUSION@#The proband was diagnosed with atypical WBS. Deletion of the ELN gene may predispose to supravalvular aortic stenosis in the proband.

Germinal mosaicism for partial deletion of the Dystrophin gene in a family affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

Objective@#To carry out genetic testing and prenatal diagnosis for a family affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).@*Methods@#Multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to detect potential deletion and duplication of the Dystrophin gene. Haplotype analysis was performed using five short tandem repeat polymorphism loci (3'-STR, 5'-STR, 45-STR, 49-STR, 50-STR of the DMD gene.@*Results@#A same deletional mutation (exons 51-55) of the DMD gene was detected in two brothers but not in their mother. The patients and fetus have inherited different haplotypes of the Dystrophin gene from their mother, suggesting that the fetus was unaffected.@*Conclusion@#The mother was very likely to harbor germline mosaicism for the Dystrophin gene variant. Genetic testing of peripheral blood samples cannot rule out germline mosaicism in the mother. Prenatal diagnosis should be provided for subsequent pregnancies in this family.

Prenatal diagnosis and genetic analysis of increased fetal nuchal translucency due to 2p15-16.1 microdeletion: a case report / 中华围产医学杂志

We reported the prenatal molecular diagnosis and pregnant outcome of a fetus with increased nuchal translucency.The ultrasound findings of the gravida at 12+5 gestational weeks indicated that the fetal nuchal translucency thickness was 4.5 mm,and non-invasive prenatal testing suggested as low risk.Amniocentesis was performed at 18 gestational weeks.Fetal chromosomal karyotype was normal but chromosome microarray comparative genomic hybridization analysis identified a 1.878 Mb deletion on chromosome 2p15-16.1.No copy number variation was found in the parents.The microdeletion was also verified by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.Literature reported that chromosome 2p 15-16.1 microdeletion syndrome was characterized by mental retardation,language developmental disorder,microcephaly and so on.This case we reported here was a de novo 2p 15-16.1 microdeletion which contained the critical region and genes of 2p 15-16.1 microdeletion syndrome and was inferred to be a pathogenetic mutation.The gravida chose to terminate the pregnancy after genetic consultation.

Genetic analysis of a pedigree affected with Bartter's syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the genetic basis for a pedigree affected with Bartter's syndrome (BS).@*METHODS@#Panel-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) was carried out to detect mutation in BS-related genes SLC12A1, KCNJ1, BSND and CLCNKB. Sanger sequencing of MAGED2 gene and chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) were also performed on the patient. Suspected mutation was validated in her family members.@*RESULTS@#No pathogenic mutation was detected by NGS, while a 0.152 Mb microdeletion at Xp11.21 (54 834 585-54 986 301) was found in the male fetus, which removed the entire coding region of the MAGED2 gene. His mother was a heterozygous carrier of the deletion. His father and sister did not carry the same deletion.@*CONCLUSION@#The loss of the MAGED2 gene may underlie the BS in this pedigree.

Genetic diagnosis of a child with Smith-Magenis syndrome / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the molecular mechanism of a girl with developmental delay and intellectual disability.@*METHODS@#Chromosomal karotypes of the child and her parents were analyzed with routine G-banding method. Their genomic DNA was also analyzed with array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) for chromosomal duplications/deletions.@*RESULTS@#No karyotypic abnormality was detected in the child and her parents, while aCGH has identified a de novo 3.37 Mb deletion at 17p11.2 in the child.@*CONCLUSION@#The child was diagnosed with Smith-Magenis syndrome, for which RAI1 may be the causative gene.

Germinal mosaicism for partial deletion of the Dystrophin gene in a family affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To carry out genetic testing and prenatal diagnosis for a family affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).@*METHODS@#Multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was used to detect potential deletion and duplication of the Dystrophin gene. Haplotype analysis was performed using five short tandem repeat polymorphism loci (3'-STR, 5'-STR, 45-STR, 49-STR, 50-STR of the DMD gene.@*RESULTS@#A same deletional mutation (exons 51-55) of the DMD gene was detected in two brothers but not in their mother. The patients and fetus have inherited different haplotypes of the Dystrophin gene from their mother, suggesting that the fetus was unaffected.@*CONCLUSION@#The mother was very likely to harbor germline mosaicism for the Dystrophin gene variant. Genetic testing of peripheral blood samples cannot rule out germline mosaicism in the mother. Prenatal diagnosis should be provided for subsequent pregnancies in this family.

Genetic diagnosis of a child with aortic stenosis and thumb aplasia / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the molecular mechanism and prognosis of a child with aortic stenosis and thumb aplasia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The karotypes of the child and his parents were analyzed with routine G-banding. Their genomic DNA was also analyzed with array comparative genomic hybridization(aCGH) for chromosomal duplications/deletions.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No karyotypic abnormality was detected at cytogenetic level for the child and his parents. aCGH identified a de novo 5.86 Mb deletion at 2q22.3-q23.3 in the child.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The child was diagnosed with 2q23.1 microdeletion syndrome. MBD5 may be the key gene for the 2q23.1 microdeletion syndrome.</p>