Knockdown of Sucla2 decreases the viability of mouse spermatocytes by inducing apoptosis through injury of the mitochondrial function of cells

Introduction. Sucla2, a β subunit of succinyl coenzyme A synthase, is located in the mitochondrial matrix. Sucla2 catalyzes the reversible synthesis of succinate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Sucla2 expression was found to be correlated with the capacitation of boar spermatozoa. We have previously reported that Sucla2 was decreased in the testes of rats with spermatogenesis failure after exposure to endocrine disruptor BDE47. Yet, the expression model of Sucla2 in spermatogenesis and the function of Sucla2 in spermatogenic cells are still unclear. Our objective was to explore the localization of Sucla2 during mouse spermatogenesis and its function in the mouse spermatocyte line (GC2). Material and methods. The localization of Sucla2 in the mouse testis was explored through immunohistochemistry (IHC). Sucla2 was knocked down in GC2 cells and its expression was detected by Western blot (WB) to verify the efficiency of the siRNA transfection. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), apoptosis and ROS of GC2 were detected by flow cytometry. ATP production was measured by the luminometric method and the presence of Bcl2 of GC2 was detected by WB. Results. Sucla2 is highly expressed in all germ cells but not in interstitial cells. Coarse Sucla2 signals are found in spermatocytes in stages VII–XII of mouse spermatogenesis. In GC2 cells, knockdown of Sucla2 decreased cell viability and MMP, induced apoptosis of GC2 cells, decreased ATP production, and Bcl2 expression, and increased ROS levels. Conclusions. Sucla2 is related to the developmental stages of mouse spermatogenesis. Knockdown of Sucla2 decreases the viability of mouse spermatocytes by inducing apoptosis via decreased mitochondrial function of the cells

Progress in Probe-Based Sensing Techniques for In Vivo Diagnosis

Advancements in robotic surgery help to improve the endoluminal diagnosis and treatment with minimally invasive or non-invasive intervention in a precise and safe manner. Miniaturized probe-based sensors can be used to obtain information about endoluminal anatomy, and they can be integrated with medical robots to augment the convenience of robotic operations. The tremendous benefit of having this physiological information during the intervention has led to the development of a variety of in vivo sensing technologies over the past decades. In this paper, we review the probe-based sensing techniques for the in vivo physical and biochemical sensing in China in recent years, especially on in vivo force sensing, temperature sensing, optical coherence tomography/photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging, chemical sensing, and biomarker sensing

Familial multinodular goiter syndrome with papillary thyroid carcinomas: mutational analysis of the associated genes in 5 cases from 1 Chinese family

Background: Familial papillary thyroid cancer (fPTC) is recognized as a distinct entity only recently and no fPTC predisposing genes have been identified. Several potential regions and susceptibility loci for sporadic PTC have been reported. We aimed to evaluate the role of the reported susceptibility loci and potential risk genomic region in a Chinese familial multinodular goiter (fMNG) with PTC family. Methods: We sequenced the related risk genomic regions and analyzed the known PTC susceptibility loci in the Chinese family members who consented to join the study. These loci included (1) the point mutations of the BRAF and RET; (2) the possible susceptibility loci to sporadic PTC; and (3) the suggested potential fMNG syndrome with PTC risk region. Results: The members showed no mutations in the common susceptible BRAF and RET genomic region, although contained several different heterozygous alleles in the RET introns. All the members were homozygous for PTC risk alleles of rs966423 (C) at chromosome 2q35, rs2910164 (C) at chromosome 5q24 and rs2439302 (G) at chromosome 8p12; while carried no risk allele of rs4733616 (T) at chromosome 8q24, rs965513 (A) or rs1867277 (A) at chromosome 9q22 which were associated with radiation-related PTC. The frequency of the risk allele of rs944289 (T) but not that of rs116909374 (T) at chromosome 14q13 was increased in the MNG or PTC family members. Conclusions: Our work provided additional evidence to the genetic predisposition to a Chinese familial form of MNG with PTC. The family members carried quite a few risk alleles found in sporadic PTC; particularly, homozygous rs944289 (T) at chromosome 14q13 which was previously shown to be linked to a form of fMNG with PTC. Moreover, the genetic determinants of radiation-related PTC were not presented in this family

Tetraodon nigroviridis as a nonlethal model of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) infection

AbstractInfectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) is the type species of the genus Megalocytivirus, family Iridoviridae. We have previously established a high mortality ISKNV infection model of zebrafish (Danio rerio). In this study, a nonlethal Tetraodon nigroviridis model of ISKNV infection was established. ISKNV infection did not cause lethal disease in Tetraodon but could infect almost all the organs of this species. Electron microscopy showed ISKNV particles were present in infected tissues. Immunofluorescence and quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that nearly all the virions and infected cells were cleared at 14d postinfection. The expression profiles of interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α gene in response to ISKNV infection were significantly different in Tetraodon and zebrafish. The establishment of the nonlethal Tetraodon model of ISKNV infection can offer a valuable tool complementary to the zebrafish infection model for studying megalocytivirus disease, fish immune systems, and viral tropism

Container CT scanner: a solution for modular emergency radiology department during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period, container computed tomography (CT) scanners were developed and used for the first time in China to perform CT examinations for patients with clinically mild to moderate COVID-19 who did not need to be hospitalized for comprehensive treatment, but needed to be isolated in Fangcang shelter hospitals (also known as makeshift hospitals) to receive some supportive treatment. The container CT is a multidetector CT scanner installed within a radiation-protected stand-alone container (a detachable lead shielding room) that is deployed outside the makeshift hospital buildings. The container CT approach provided various medical institutions with the solution not only for rapid CT installation and high adaptability to site environments, but also for significantly minimizing the risk of cross-infection between radiological personnel and patients during CT examination in the pandemic. In this article, we described the typical setup of a container CT and how it worked for chest CT examinations in Wuhan city, the epicenter of COVID-19 outbreak

Changes in sleep quality of children with epilepsy and anxiety of their caregivers after COVID-19 infection: a case-series report

ObjectiveTo study the changes in epileptic seizures and sleep quality in children with epilepsy (CWE) and the changes in anxiety of their caregivers after infection with COVID-19.MethodsOutpatients and inpatients of CWEs were selected as subjects and a questionnaire survey was used to carry out this case-series study. The demographic information of the CWEs and their caregivers, information about epilepsy, and information about the vaccination, infection, and treatment of COVID-19 were collected. The changes in sleep quality of CWEs and the changes in anxiety of their caregivers were assessed by the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Caregiver Anxiety Scale (CAS). Risk factors affecting sleep habits in CWEs and caregiver anxiety were further analyzed by one-way analysis of variance.ResultsA total of 312 children were included in the study. Among them, 134 patients (42.9%) were female. The average age of the children was 9.30 ± 3.88 years, and the duration of epilepsy was 4.59 ± 3.36 years. A total of 221 of the 312 children were infected with COVID-19, and all the infected children developed fever, which lasted for 1.71 ± 1.13 days. 10 children were satisfied with controlled seizures for more than 1 year and relapsed after COVID-19 infection (4.2%), 4 cases (3.6%) with increased seizures, and 8 children with reduced seizures (7.7%), 17 children (7.7%) had no change in seizures, and 182 children (82.3%) remained seizure-free after the COVID-19 infection. The average sleep time of the CWEs was 9.25 ± 1.04 h and the average total score of the CSHQ was 37.25 ± 5.19, among which 44 cases (14.1%) had more than 41 points. As the result of the CAS, 16 of them (5.13%) scored above 50 and the average total score was 31.49 ± 8.09. The control of seizures, age of onset, types of anti-seizure medicines (ASMs), and seizure duration were risk factors affecting sleep quality. Accordingly, the score of CAS was significantly lower when there was more than one caregiver who cared for the CWE.ConclusionsCOVID-19 infection did not cause an increase in seizures in CWEs, nor did it worsen their sleep quality of them or aggravate the anxiety of their caregivers

Integrated analysis of two-lncRNA signature as a potential prognostic biomarker in cervical cancer: a study based on public database

Background Cervical cancer (CC) is a common gynecological malignancy in women worldwide. Evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be used as biomarkers in patients with CC. However, prognostic biomarkers for CC are still lacking. The aim of our study was to find lncRNA biomarkers which are able to predict prognosis in CC based on the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Methods The patients were divided into three groups according to FIGO stage. Differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified in CC tissue compared to adjacent normal tissues based on a fold change >2 and <0.5 at P < 0.05 for up- and downregulated lncRNA, respectively. The relationship between survival outcome and lncRNA expression was assessed with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. We constructed a risk score as a method to evaluate prognosis. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under curve (AUC) analyses to assess the diagnostic value of a two-lncRNA signature. We detected the expression levels of the two lncRNAs in 31 pairs of newly diagnosed CC specimens and paired adjacent non-cancerous tissue specimens, and also in CC cell lines. Finally, the results were statistically compared using t-tests. Results In total, 289 RNA sequencing profiles and accompanying clinical data were obtained. We identified 49 differentially expressed lncRNAs, of which two related to overall survival (OS) in CC patients. These two lncRNAs (ILF3-AS1 and RASA4CP) were found together as a single prognostic signature. Meanwhile, the prognosis of patients with low-risk CC was better and positively correlated with OS (P < 0.001). Further analysis showed that the combined two-lncRNA expression signature could be used as an independent biomarker to evaluate the prognosis in CC. qRT-PCR results were consistent with TCGA, confirming downregulated expression of both lncRNAs. Furthermore, upon ROC curve analysis, the AUC of the combined lncRNAs was greater than that of the single lncRNAs alone (0.723 vs 0.704 and 0.685), respectively; P < 0.05. Conclusions Our study showed that the two-lncRNA signature of ILF3-AS1 and RASA4CP can be used as an independent biomarker for the prognosis of CC, based on bioinformatic analysis

Corrosion in supercritical fluids

Integrated studies were carried out in the areas of corrosion, thermodynamic modeling, and electrochemistry under pressure and temperature conditions appropriate for potential applications of supercritical fluid (SCF) extractive metallurgy. Carbon dioxide and water were the primary fluids studied. Modifiers were used in some tests; these consisted of 1 wt% water and 10 wt% methanol for carbon dioxide and of sulfuric acid, sodium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, and ammonium nitrate at concentrations ranging from 0.00517 to 0.010 M for the aqueous fluids. The materials studied were Types 304 and 316 (UNS S30400 and S31600) stainless steel, iron, and AISI-SAE 1080 (UNS G10800) carbon steel. The thermodynamic modeling consisted of development of a personal computer-based program for generating Pourbaix diagrams at supercritical conditions in aqueous systems. As part of the model, a general method for extrapolating entropies and related thermodynamic properties from ambient to SCF conditions was developed. The experimental work was used as a tool to evaluate the predictions of the model for these systems. The model predicted a general loss of passivation in iron-based alloys at SCF conditions that was consistent with experimentally measured corrosion rates and open circuit potentials. For carbon-dioxide-based SCFs, measured corrosion rates were low, indicating that carbon steel would be suitable for use with unmodified carbon dioxide, while Type 304 stainless steel would be suitable for use with water or methanol as modifiers

Delineating the molecular and phenotypic spectrum of the SETD1B-related syndrome

Purpose Pathogenic variants in SETD1B have been associated with a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder including intellectual disability, language delay, and seizures. To date, clinical features have been described for 11 patients with (likely) pathogenic SETD1B sequence variants. This study aims to further delineate the spectrum of the SETD1B-related syndrome based on characterizing an expanded patient cohort. Methods We perform an in-depth clinical characterization of a cohort of 36 unpublished individuals with SETD1B sequence variants, describing their molecular and phenotypic spectrum. Selected variants were functionally tested using in vitro and genome-wide methylation assays. Results Our data present evidence for a loss-of-function mechanism of SETD1B variants, resulting in a core clinical phenotype of global developmental delay, language delay including regression, intellectual disability, autism and other behavioral issues, and variable epilepsy phenotypes. Developmental delay appeared to precede seizure onset, suggesting SETD1B dysfunction impacts physiological neurodevelopment even in the absence of epileptic activity. Males are significantly overrepresented and more severely affected, and we speculate that sex-linked traits could affect susceptibility to penetrance and the clinical spectrum of SETD1B variants. Conclusion Insights from this extensive cohort will facilitate the counseling regarding the molecular and phenotypic landscape of newly diagnosed patients with the SETD1B-related syndrome