Biallelic ATP8B3 variants cause male infertility and fertilization failure in humans.
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Letter↗
Biomedical subjects
Ying Shen
Publications and source records attributed to Ying Shen.
High-frequency contralesional dorsal premotor cortex and low-frequency contralesional primary motor cortex rTMS in subacute stroke with severe upper limb impairment: comparable motor outcomes and differential regional degree centrality changes.
BACKGROUND: The contralesional dorsal premotor cortex has been proposed as a potential neuromodulatory target for patients with severe upper limb impairment due to subacute ischemic stroke. This proof-of-concept study aimed to compare behavioral outcomes and resting-state neuroimaging findings between high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the contralesional dorsal premotor cortex and guideline-supported low-frequency stimulation over the contralesional primary motor cortex. METHODS: In this randomized trial, 46 patients with severe upper limb impairment in the subacute stage after ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to receive either high-frequency rTMS over the contralesional dorsal premotor cortex or low-frequency rTMS over the contralesional primary motor cortex. Low-frequency stimulation over the contralesional primary motor cortex served as an evidence-supported active comparator for poststroke upper limb motor recovery. Stimulation was administered five times per week for two weeks using magnetic resonance imaging-guided neuronavigation. All participants received concurrent standard rehabilitation therapy. The primary outcome was the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity. Secondary outcomes included the Arm Subscore of the Motricity Index, the Hong Kong version of the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity, the Modified Barthel Index, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging-derived degree centrality. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant improvements in the primary and secondary behavioral measures (p < 0.01), with no significant between-group differences in the magnitude of change (p > 0.05). In neuroimaging analyses, patients receiving high-frequency rTMS over the contralesional dorsal premotor cortex showed significantly greater degree centrality changes in the ipsilesional middle occipital gyrus, contralesional medial superior frontal gyrus, and contralesional middle frontal gyrus than those receiving low-frequency rTMS over the contralesional primary motor cortex (p < 0.05). Within the high-frequency stimulation group, degree centrality changes in the ipsilesional middle occipital gyrus were positively correlated with improvements in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (r = 0.619, false discovery rate-corrected p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: High-frequency rTMS over the contralesional dorsal premotor cortex produced behavioral improvements comparable to guideline-supported low-frequency rTMS over the contralesional primary motor cortex, without establishing superiority or formal non-inferiority. Exploratory neuroimaging analyses showed greater degree centrality changes in the ipsilesional middle occipital gyrus after high-frequency premotor stimulation, and these changes correlated with upper-limb motor improvement. These findings support further investigation of contralesional dorsal premotor cortex-targeted high-frequency rTMS for severe subacute post-stroke upper limb impairment. REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn; Unique identifier: ChiCTR2000038049.
Humans↗
Biallelic Variants in ATP1A4 Are Associated with Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and Male Infertility.
Male infertility, often caused by structural and functional sperm defects, remains genetically unexplained in a substantial proportion of cases. ATP1A4 encodes a testis-specific isoform of the Na+, K+-ATPase, a membrane enzyme crucial for maintaining cellular ionic homeostasis. Previous studies on Atp1a4 knockout mice have demonstrated severe defects in sperm motility and flagellar architecture; however, the contribution of ATP1A4 variants to human male reproduction remains to be elucidated. In this study, we identified compound biallelic variants in ATP1A4, a missense variant (c.2578 T>A, p.Tyr860Asn) and a frameshift variant (c.2582del, p.Gly861Aspfs*5), in a patient presenting with severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Both variants markedly affected ATP1A4 protein expression. Morphological analyses revealed coiled and folded flagella, disrupted mitochondrial sheaths, and irregular head morphology in the patient's spermatozoa. Expression profiling revealed that ATP1A4 was highly enriched in post-meiotic spermatids and localized along the entire flagellum of mature sperm in both humans and mice, indicating a critical role in flagellar assembly and structural integrity. Notably, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in this patient resulted in low fertilization efficiency and failed implantation, suggesting a potential adverse impact of ATP1A4 deficiency on sperm functional competence beyond motility. These findings broaden the genetic spectrum of oligoasthenoteratozoospermia and highlight ATP1A4 as a potential gene associated with human male infertility.
Male↗
Inter- and intraspecific hybridization shaped the high genetic diversity and low genetic load of Neilingding Island macaques.
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Letter↗
Real-world data of fracture rates and musculoskeletal disorders for patients living with osteogenesis imperfecta.
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease characterized by bone fragility and recurrent fractures. Fracture rate has been advocated as an important endpoint for evaluating investigative therapies in OI, but real-world data on fracture burden in the OI population are lacking. This retrospective US claims database study aimed to quantify fracture rate and the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders among patients with OI of all ages and in a subgroup of patients who were treated with ≥1 off-label therapies. 5722 patients with OI were identified in the IQVIA PharMetrics Plus database and 2095 (55.7% female; 35.1% peds; 20% with OI-related treatments; 87.1% commercial-insured) met eligibility criteria and were included in analyses. About 40% of patients with OI and 37% of those with off-label treatments had a fracture within 1 yr of diagnosis (index date for all OI) or treatment (index date for OI-treated). The annual average fracture rates of these groups were 0.84 and 0.98, respectively. Matched non-OI comparators had 3% fracture occurrence and a 0.03 annual fracture rate. Among patients with ≥1 fracture episode, the annualized median fracture rate was 2 per year for both OI and OI-treated cohorts and 1 for the non-OI cohort. Pediatric patients had the highest fracture occurrence and fracture rate, both among patients with OI and the subgroup of treated OI patients. Musculoskeletal disorders and diagnosed pain were more frequent in OI patients compared with the non-OI cohort, especially among pediatric age groups and adults 18-<45 yr. Pain and musculoskeletal disorders occurred frequently among OI patients, regardless of fracture occurrence, demonstrating impacts of OI beyond those that can be attributed to fractures. Together, these results highlight a high burden of fracture and other musculoskeletal disorders in a commercially insured population of OI patients, which are not effectively managed by current management strategies or off-label treatments.
bone and mineral diseases-other↗
NQO1 polymorphism and susceptibility to ischemic stroke in a Chinese population.
BACKGROUND: Ischemic stroke (IS) is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Genetic factors are important risk factors for the development of IS. The quinone oxidoreductase 1 gene (NQO1) has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties. Thus, in this study, we investigated the relationship between NQO1 gene polymorphism and the risk of IS. METHODS: Peripheral blood was collected from 143 patients with IS and 124 the control groups in Yunnan, China, and NQO1 rs2917673, rs689455, and rs1800566 were genotyped. Logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the three NQO1 loci and IS susceptibility. The difference in the expression levels of NQO1 between the control groups and IS groups was verified using public databases and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The rs2917673 locus increased the risk of IS by 2.375 times in TT genotype carriers under the co-dominance model compared with CC carriers and was statistically associated with the risk of IS (OR = 2.375, 95% CI = 1.017-5.546, P = 0.046). In the recessive model, TT genotype carriers increased IS risk by 2.407 times compared with CC/CT carriers and were statistically associated with the risk of IS (OR = 2.407, 95% CI = 1.073-5.396, P = 0.033). CONCLUSIONS: NQO1 rs2917673 polymorphism is significantly associated with IS. Mutant TT carriers are risk factors for IS.
Aged↗