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Table_1_Genetic testing of sperm donors in China: a survey of current practices.doc

BackgroundThe National Health and Family Planning Commission of China (NHFPCC) issued the “Measures for the Management of Human Sperm Banks,” which was revised in 2003 and is still in effect today. One of the standard guidelines is that potential donors undergo laboratory testing to exclude infectious and genetic diseases and karyotype analysis. However, patient demands for donor genetic testing have also increased, and only karyotype analysis to exclude genetic diseases is not sufficient to meet these demands.ObjectiveTo examine donor genetic screening practices at sperm banks in China and to evaluate the qualifications and skills of genetic counselors at the banks.Materials and methodsAn electronic survey was distributed to twenty-seven sperm banks to examine donor genetic screening practices at sperm banks in China and to evaluate the qualifications and skills of genetic counselors at the banks. Twenty-six human sperm banks responded to a 32-question survey about their current practices related to genetic testing of sperm donors.ResultsThe 26 sperm banks reported that all qualified sperm donors undergo karyotype analysis; 22 banks (84.6%) collected three generations of family history from each qualified sperm donor; 10 (38.5%) reported that they attempted to accommodate special requests from donor semen recipients for particular genetic tests. Only 2 of the 26 (7.7%) sperm banks reported that they performed whole-exome sequencing. At all the sperm banks, consent for genetic testing was obtained as part of the overall contract for sperm donors. Nineteen (73.1%) sperm banks had genetic counselors on their staff, while six (23.1%) had no genetic counselors on their staff but had access to genetic counselors at the hospital. Only one (3.8%) sperm bank had no genetic counselors on their staff or at the hospital.ConclusionsThe need for larger scale genetic testing of donors and recipients and an extensive panel of genetic tests specific to the Chinese population. Additionally, professionally trained geneticists must be employed as genetic counsellors so that the results of genetic tests and their implications can be explained to donors.</p

Electrospray Formation of Gelled Nano-Aluminum Microspheres with Superior Reactivity

Nanometallic fuels with high combustion enthalpy, such as aluminum, have been proposed as a potential fuel replacement for conventional metallic fuel to improve propellant performance in a variety of propulsive systems. Nevertheless, nanometallic fuels suffer from the processing challenges in polymer formulations such as increased viscosity and large agglomeration, which hinder their implementation. In this letter, we employ electrospray as a means to create a gel within a droplet, via a rapid, solvent evaporation-induced aggregation of aluminum nanoparticles, containing a small mass fraction of an energetic binder. The gelled aluminum microspheres were characterized and tested for their burning behavior by rapid wire heating ignition experiments. The gelled aluminum microspheres show enhanced combustion behavior compared to nanoaluminum, which possibly benefits from the nitrocellulose coating and the gelled microstructure, and is far superior to the corresponding dense micrometer-sized aluminum

Hybrid Melittin Cytolytic Peptide-Driven Ultrasmall Lipid Nanoparticles Block Melanoma Growth <i>in Vivo</i>

The cytolytic peptide melittin is a potential anticancer candidate that may be able to overcome tumor drug resistance due to its lytic properties. However, <i>in vivo</i> applications of melittin are limited due to its main side effect, hemolysis, which is especially pronounced following intravenous administration. Here, we designed a hybrid cytolytic peptide, α-melittin, in which the N-terminus of melittin is linked to the C-terminus of an amphipathic α-helical peptide (α-peptide) <i>via</i> a GSG linker. The strong α-helical configuration allows α-melittin to interact with phospholipids and self-assemble into lipid nanoparticles, with a high efficiency for α-melittin encapsulation (>80%) and a strong ability to control the structure of the nanoparticle (∼20 nm). This α-melittin-based lipid nanoparticle (α-melittin-NP) efficiently shields the positive charge of melittin (18.70 ± 0.90 mV) within the phospholipid monolayer, resulting in the generation of a neutral nanoparticle (2.45 ± 0.56 mV) with reduced cytotoxicity and a widened safe dosage range. Confocal imaging data confirmed that α-melittin peptides were efficiently released from the nanoparticles and were cytotoxic to the melanoma cells. Finally, α-melittin-NPs were administered to melanoma-bearing mice <i>via</i> intravenous injection. The growth of the melanoma cells was blocked by the α-melittin-NPs, with an 82.8% inhibition rate relative to the PBS-treated control group. No side effects of treatment were found in this study. Thus, the excellent properties of α-melittin-NP give it potential clinical applications in solid tumor therapeutics through intravenous administration

High-Yielding and Continuous Fabrication of Nanosized CL-20-Based Energetic Cocrystals via Electrospraying Deposition

Energetic cocrystals, especially CL-20-based cocrystals, have attracted a wide range of attention due to their low sensitivity and impressive detonation performance. In this study, a series of nanosized CL-20-based energetic cocrystals were successfully fabricated by electrospray deposition. For CL-20/TNT nanococrystals, the influence of different solvents on the morphology and crystal structure of as-prepared cocrystals were investigated. The results showed that all the electrosprayed CL-20/TNT samples were partial formation of cocrystals and particles obtained from ketone had smaller size than those obtained from ethyl solvents. In contrast, electrosprayed CL-20/DNB nanococrystals had completely formed the cocrystal structure proved by DSC and PXRD. Moreover, the terahertz (THz) result confirmed the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Additionally, we have fabricated the CL-20/TNB cocrystals for the first time by using electrospray method. The PXRD and DSC results confirmed the formation of this novel energetic cocrystal. Expectedly, all the electrosprayed nanosized CL-20-based cocrystals exhibited visible reduced impact sensitivity compared with raw CL-20. The electrospray can thus offer a flexible and versatile approach for continuous and high-yielding synthesis of nanosized energetic cocrystals with preferable safety performance, and provide an efficient screening to quickly distinguish whether two energetic materials can form a cocrystal

DataSheet_1_Genetic testing of sperm donors at a human sperm bank in China.doc

BackgroundIn China, numerous human sperm banks only perform three-generation family history evaluation to exclude genetic diseases with clinical symptoms; therefore, many inherited risks cannot be detected before donor qualification even when a thorough genetic family history evaluation has been performed. Hence, the risk of recessive disease inheritance persists with the current eligibility guidelines in China regarding the donor selection process.MethodsRetrospective study that reviewed the genetic test analyses and clinical outcomes of young adult men who were qualified sperm donors at the Hunan Province Human Sperm Bank of China from January 1, 2018, to May 1, 2021. We included a total of 3231 qualified sperm donors: all donors underwent primary screening for thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency. Whereafter, 278 of donors underwent genetic testing for specific genes, and 43 donors underwent whole exome sequencing.Results2.4% of 3231 qualified sperm donors might have thalassemia and 1.4% might have G6PD deficiency. Sperm donors with thalassemia and G6PD deficiency would be eliminated. Specific gene testing identified 7 of the 278 donors (2.5%) as carriers of at least one pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in a gene, including 1.9% of 154 donors (3/154) as carrier variants in α-Like or β-Like globin genes, 17.6% of 17 donors (3/17) as carrier variants in GJB2, 12.5% of 8 donors (1/8) as carrier variants in SMN1. In addition, among the 43 sperm donors carrying the 111 pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants, eight (18.6%) were carriers of pathogenic variants of the GJB2 gene. The frequency, therefore, was approximately 1 in 5.ConclusionsThe data suggest that used blood routine and RDT can make a preliminary screening of sperm donors, and special gene testing should be performed for sperm donors according to the regional incidence of specific genetic diseases. Meanwhile, whole exome sequencing can be used as a supplementary application in sperm donor genetic testing, and aid a successful and healthy pregnancy. However, industry guidelines must be modified to incorporate its use.</p

Down-regulated HOXB7 decreased cell proliferation in vivo and its effect on cell cycle distribution.

<p>(A) Tumors generated by injection of EC109/KYSE150 with stable knockdown HOXB7 protein and control cells. (B) The weight and volume of tumors from the HOXB7-knockdown cells were relatively lower than those from the control cells. (C) Representative histograms analyzed by flow cytometry showed the cell cycle profiles of the ESCC cells. In the cells with stable knockdown HOXB7 protein, the cell number at S and G2 phases decreased compared with the control cells. (D) Proportion of cells in different phases of the cell cycle. Error bars represent mean±SD from 3 independent experiments. *, P<0.05.</p

Association between HOXB7 expression and clinical characteristics of patients with ESCC in the cohort I (n = 177) and cohort II (n = 103).

<p>Association between HOXB7 expression and clinical characteristics of patients with ESCC in the cohort I (n = 177) and cohort II (n = 103).</p

Immunohistochemical detection of HOXB7 in ESCC specimens and Kaplan-Meier survival curve for ESCC patients.

<p>(A) Representative sample of paired normal tissues (a, b) and ESCC (c, d). In the normal esophageal epithelial, HOXB7 expression was mainly limited to the nucleus of the epithelial cells located in the basal and suprabasal layers, whereas in the ESCC, HOXB7-positive cells were broadly observed in the tumor (Case no. 53865). (B) Figure a and b, negative control, with primary antibody replaced by PBS (Case no. 40146). Figure c and d, low expression of HOXB7 in ESCC (Case no. 42873). Figure e and f, high expression of HOXB7 in ESCC (Case no. 36840). (C) Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 177 patients in the cohort I. The median survival time was 45 months for high expression patients, which was significantly shorter than the 137 months for low expression patients (P = 0.007). (D) Kaplan-Meier survival curve for 103 patients in the cohort II. The median survival time was 19 months for high expression patients, which was significantly shorter than the 34 months for low expression patients (P = 0.001).</p

Independent predictors of survival time in multivariate analysis.

<p>Independent predictors of survival time in multivariate analysis.</p