Apart from sharing common ancestry with chordates, sea cucumbers exhibit a unique morphology and exceptional regenerative capacity. Here we present the complete genome sequence of an economically important sea cucumber, A. japonicus, generated using Illumina and PacBio platforms, to achieve an assembly of approximately 805 Mb (contig N50 of 190 Kb and scaffold N50 of 486 Kb), with 30,350 protein-coding genes and high continuity. We used this resource to explore key genetic mechanisms behind the unique biological characters of sea cucumbers. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses revealed the presence of marker genes associated with notochord and gill slits, suggesting that these chordate features were present in ancestral echinoderms. The unique shape and weak mineralization of the sea cucumber adult body were also preliminarily explained by the contraction of biomineralization genes. Genome, transcriptome, and proteome analyses of organ regrowth after induced evisceration provided insight into the molecular underpinnings of visceral regeneration, including a specific tandem-duplicated prostatic secretory protein of 94 amino acids (PSP94)-like gene family and a significantly expanded fibrinogen-related protein (FREP) gene family. This high-quality genome resource will provide a useful framework for future research into biological processes and evolution in deuterostomes, including remarkable regenerative abilities that could have medical applications. Moreover, the multiomics data will be of prime value for commercial sea cucumber breeding programs.

Liposarcoma of the spermatic cord (LSC) is a rare condition characterized by a painless inguinal or scrotal mass. To our knowledge, only about 200 cases have been previously reported in the literature. These tumors are often mistaken for common scrotal swellings, such as hydroceles and hernias. We present a LSC case in which a definitive diagnosis was obtained upon histological examination. We also provide a literature review of other cases that have been reported.

Ca-activated Cl channels play a crucial role in various physiological processes. However, the role of TMEM16A in vascular endothelial dysfunction during hypertension is unclear. In this study, we investigated the specific involvement of TMEM16A in regulating endothelial function and blood pressure and the underlying mechanism. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, coimmunoprecipitation, confocal imaging, patch-clamp recordings, and TMEM16A endothelial-specific transgenic and knockout mice were used. We found that TMEM16A was expressed abundantly and functioned as a Ca-activated Cl channel in endothelial cells. Angiotensin II induced endothelial dysfunction with an increase in TMEM16A expression. The knockout of endothelial-specific TMEM16A significantly lowered the blood pressure and ameliorated endothelial dysfunction in angiotensin II-induced hypertension, whereas the overexpression of endothelial-specific TMEM16A resulted in the opposite effects. These results were related to the increased reactive oxygen species production, Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase activation, and Nox2 and p22phox protein expression that were facilitated by TMEM16A on angiotensin II-induced hypertensive challenge. Moreover, TMEM16A directly bound with Nox2 and reduced the degradation of Nox2 through the proteasome-dependent degradation pathway. Therefore, TMEM16A is a positive regulator of endothelial reactive oxygen species generation via Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase, which induces endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. Modification of TMEM16A may be a novel therapeutic strategy for endothelial dysfunction-associated diseases.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible role of the microRNA (miRNA or miR) miR-137 in ischemic stroke. miRNAs are very stable in the blood and may serve as potential diagnostic and therapeutic markers. Wild-type, Src-/and miR-137-/mice were treated with p38 siRNA or Erk2 siRNA to identify their roles in the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, neuronal injury and cognitive impairment in brain tissues of mice following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) operation. We evaluated several factors including; inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, viability and apoptosis of astrocytes in order to identify the functions of miR-137 and Src in ischemic stroke. miR-137 alleviated the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, neuronal injury and cognitive impairment, and restricted apoptosis via targeting Src and inactivating the MAPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, up-regulation of miR-137 or inhibition of Src inhibited the secretion of inflammatory factors, suppressed oxidative stress, and reduced apoptosis of astrocytes. In conclusion, our work suggests that, in mice, miR-137 confers neuroprotective effects against ischemic stroke via attenuation of oxidative, apoptotic, and inflammatory pathways through inhibiting Src-dependent MAPK signaling pathway.

Aphallia is a rare urogenital anomaly with an estimated incidence of 1 in 10-30 million. We report a case of aphallia in a male, who had two well-developed testicles, but lacked a penis. Digital rectal examination revealed the urethral meatus was opening to the anterior wall of the rectum posterior to the sphincter. Magnetic resonance imaging showed complete absence of penile development with normal testis and scrotum, as well as the urethra running posterior to the prostatic apex and corpus spongiosum in sagittal and coronal T2-weighted images. Chromosome karyotype confirmed 46,XY, and the polymerase chain reaction method tested no azoospermic factor (AZF) or sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene deletion. Taking into account the physical and psychosocial conditions, seeking a female without sexual desire as his wife was recommended.