Objective To explore the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) for evaluating T3 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods The retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 733 patients diagnosed with T3 ESCC by preoperative EUS who were admitted to the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2003 to December 2015 were collected.All the patients underwent radical resection of ESCC.The postoperative pathological stage as a gold standard,the accuracy,overstaged and understaged rates of clinical staging by preoperative EUS were assessed.Observation indicators:(1) comparison between clinical T staging evaluated by preoperative EUS and postoperative pathological T staging;(2) follow-up and survival situations.Follow-up using outpatient examination and telephone interview was performed to detect patients' diseases and postoperative survival up to December 30,2016.Overall survival time was from operation time to death or last effective follow-up.Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as (x)±s.Measurement data with skewed distribution were described as M (range).Count data were represented as cases and percentage.The survival curve was drawn by the Kaplan-Meier method,and survival analysis was done using the Log-rank test.Results (1) Comparison between clinical T staging evaluated by preoperative EUS and postoperative pathological T staging:all the 733 patients were confirmed as T3 ESCC by preoperative EUS.Postoperative pathological diagnosis showed that 9 patients were detected in pT1b,87 in pT2,630 in pT3 and 7 in pT4a.The accuracy,overstaged and understaged rates of preoperative EUS in evaluating T3 ESCC were 85.95％(630/733),13.10％(96/733) and 0.95％(7/733),respectively.N0,N1,N2 and N3 of postoperative pathological N stage were respectively detected in 329,247,110 and 47 patients.Twenty-seven,323 and 383 patients were in stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ of TNM stage,respectively.The high-,moderate-and lowdifferentiated tumors were respectively detected in 125,403 and 205 patients.(2) Follow-up and survival situations:among 733 patients,639 were followed up for 1.0-153.0 months,with a median time of 29.0 months.The median survival time,1-,3-,5-year overall survival rates were 53.0 months (range,37.7-68.3 months),85.3％,58.1％ and 48.2％ in 733 patients,respectively.The 5-year overall survival rate was 75.2％ in 9 patients with pT1b,63.0％ in 87 patients with pT2,46.3％ in 630 patients with pT3 and 0 in 7 patients with pT4a,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (x2=24.089,P＜0.05).Conclusion There is a higher accuracy of EUS for evaluating T3 ESCC,however,the stage migration should be noted.

Objective To explore the relationship between alterations of neural network plasticity and spatial learning and memory functions in mouse models with depression-like behaviors.Methods C57Thy1-YFP/GAD67-GFP mice were randomized into control group(with no treatment)and chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)group(n=15)subjected to CUMS for 8 weeks.Depression-like behaviors of the mice were assessed using sucrose preference test,open field test,and forced swimming test,and their spatial learning and memory abilities were evaluated using Morris water maze test.The changes in the firing patterns of different neuronal subtypes were detected in the central nucleus of the amygdala(CeA)and the prelimbic cortex(PrL)using whole-cell patch-clamp technique.Results Compared with the control mice,CUMS mice showed significantly decreased sucrose preference,total distance moved,number of grid-crossings,entries into the central area,and time spent in the central area in the open field test(P<0.01).In the forced swimming test,CUMS mice exhibited obviously shortened time of struggling,swimming,and climbing with increased immobility time.In Morris water maze test,CUMS mice showed significantly increased escape latency and path length,decreased percentage of distance and swimming time within the target quadrant,and increased first entry latency into the target zone and swimming time within the opposite quadrant.Exposure to CUMS resulted in significantly enhanced energy barrier and increased absolute refractory period and inter-spike interval of glutamatergic neurons in the CeA and GABAergic neurons in the PrL,while the opposite changes were observed in GABAergic neurons in the CeA and glutamatergic neurons in the PrL.Conclusion CUMS-induced depression may lead to plastic changes in the excitatory and inhibitory neuronal networks within the CeA and PrL to cause impairment of spatial learning and memory abilities in mice.

Objective To explore the relationship between alterations of neural network plasticity and spatial learning and memory functions in mouse models with depression-like behaviors.Methods C57Thy1-YFP/GAD67-GFP mice were randomized into control group(with no treatment)and chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)group(n=15)subjected to CUMS for 8 weeks.Depression-like behaviors of the mice were assessed using sucrose preference test,open field test,and forced swimming test,and their spatial learning and memory abilities were evaluated using Morris water maze test.The changes in the firing patterns of different neuronal subtypes were detected in the central nucleus of the amygdala(CeA)and the prelimbic cortex(PrL)using whole-cell patch-clamp technique.Results Compared with the control mice,CUMS mice showed significantly decreased sucrose preference,total distance moved,number of grid-crossings,entries into the central area,and time spent in the central area in the open field test(P<0.01).In the forced swimming test,CUMS mice exhibited obviously shortened time of struggling,swimming,and climbing with increased immobility time.In Morris water maze test,CUMS mice showed significantly increased escape latency and path length,decreased percentage of distance and swimming time within the target quadrant,and increased first entry latency into the target zone and swimming time within the opposite quadrant.Exposure to CUMS resulted in significantly enhanced energy barrier and increased absolute refractory period and inter-spike interval of glutamatergic neurons in the CeA and GABAergic neurons in the PrL,while the opposite changes were observed in GABAergic neurons in the CeA and glutamatergic neurons in the PrL.Conclusion CUMS-induced depression may lead to plastic changes in the excitatory and inhibitory neuronal networks within the CeA and PrL to cause impairment of spatial learning and memory abilities in mice.

Carbon nanomaterials are one of the hotspots in the research of drug delivery systems for cancer. Compared with the traditional drug delivery systems for cancer treatment, carbon nanomaterials can be used as drug carriers after modification based on their advantages of large specific surface area and unique optical properties. They have the characteristics of high drug loading, good biocompatibility, tumor targeting and lasting action time, indicating great potential and development space. In this paper, the properties and functions of quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide and mesoporous carbon nanospheres are introduced in the order of dimensional quantum properties. The current research focus and existing problems of carbon nanomaterials are discussed in order to provide a reference for the safe and effective application of carbon nanomaterials in tumor therapy.

Background::The disease burdens for endometrial cancer (EC) vary across different countries and geographical regions and change every year. Herein, we reported the updated results of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 on EC with respect to age-standardized incidence and mortality from 1990 to 2019.Methods::The annual percentage change (APC) of incidence and mortality was evaluated using joinpoint regression analysis to examine the temporal trends during the same timeframe in terms of the global landscape, different sociodemographic indices (SDI), and geographic regions. The relationship between Human Development Index (HDI) and incidence and mortality was additionally explored.Results::The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) revealed a significant average global elevation by 0.5% per year (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3–0.7; P <0.001). The age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs), in contrast, fell by an average of 0.8% per year (95% CI, ?1.0 to ?0.7; P <0.001) worldwide. The ASIRs and ASMRs for EC varied across different SDIs and geographical regions. We noted four temporal trends and a significant reduction by 0.5% per year since 2010 in the ASIR, whereas we detected six consecutively decreasing temporal trends in ASMR during the entire period. Notably, the estimated APCs were significantly positively correlated with HDIs (ρ = 0.22; 95% CI, 0.07–0.35; P = 0.003) with regard to incident cases in 2019. Conclusions::Incidence rates for EC reflected a significant increase overall (although we observed a decline since 2010), and the death rates declined consecutively from 1990 to 2019. We posit that more precise strategies can be tailored and then implemented based on the distinct age-standardized incidence and mortality burden in different geographical areas.

AIM:To clarify the effect of macrophage PKM2 deficiency on mucosal repair in ulcerative colitis(UC).METHODS:The gene expression and metabolic profiles in UC patients were first analyzed based on the following databases:PXD001608,GSE193677,and GSE214695.Using the macrophage-specific PKM2 elimination mice(PKM2ΔMAC),the functions of PKM2 in dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced UC were clarified in vivo by analyzing the body weight,disease activity index(DAI)scores,HE staining,immunohistochemical staining,and expression of muco-sal barrier markers.The impact of PKM2 on macrophage polarization was also investigated by flow cytometry,RNA se-quencing and RT-qPCR in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs)and THP-1 cells in vitro.RESULTS:Bioinformatic analysis suggested that the intestinal tissues of UC patients preferred glycolysis.The expression of PKM was parallel to the severity of UC in patients,and the expression of PKM2,but not PKM1,was elevated in macrophages of UC mice.In the DSS-induced UC mice,macrophage-specific PKM2 elimination significantly alleviates the body weight loss,diarrhea,rectal bleeding,colonic shorten,as well as decreased DAI scores and mucosal tissue damage.The BMDMs de-rived from the PKM2ΔMAC mice preferred the M2 polarization upon LPS or IL-4 stimulation to that derived from the wild-type mice,as indicated by the F4/80+CD45+CD86+and F4/80+CD45+CD206+population,as well as the expression of Ocln,F11r and Tjp-1.The RNA sequencing results indicated significant gene differential expression in PKM2 knockout mouse macrophages,which was enriched in biological processes such as leukocyte migration,tissue remodeling,and cytokine in-teractions.Macrophage PKM2 deficiency promoted the expression of mucosal repair factors(Il8,Cxcl1,Ptgs2 and Wnt6),which was further validated in PKM2 knockout THP-1 cells.CONCLUSION:The PKM2 deficiency in macro-phages benifits the mucosal repair in UC status via facilitating the wound-healing macrophage polarization.

OBJECTIVE： To establish the method for simultaneous determination of four known related substances （olmesartan，olmesartan ester dimer ，olmesartan ester alkene ，benzothiadiazine impurity ，called impurity A ，B，C，D for short ）in Olmesartan medoxomil hydrochlorothiazide tablets. METHODS ：HPLC-principal component self-control with correction factor were adopted. The determination was performed on YMC-Triart C 8 column with mobile phase A consisted of acetonitrile- 0.015 mol/L potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution （pH adjusted to 2.8 with phosphoric acid ）（70 ∶ 30，V/V），mobile phase B consisted of acetonitrile-0.015 mol/L potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution （pH adjusted to 2.8 with phosphoric acid ）（15 ∶ 85，V/V）at the flow rate of 0.8 mL/min（gradient elution ）. The detection wavelength was set at 265 nm，and column temperature was 25 ℃. The temperature of injector was 4 ℃；the injection volume was 10 μL. RESULTS：The correction factors of impurity A ，B，C，D were 1.42，1.17，0.89，0.92，respectively. The linear range of olmesartan medoxomil ，hydrochlorothiazide and impurity A ，B，C，D were 0.252 7-7.580 0，1.152 1-4.562 9，0.244 0-18.299 0，0.244 7-3.670 8，0.265 2-3.978 3 and 0.149 9-4.497 3 μg/mL（r≥ 0.999 7），respectively. The limits of detection were 0.084 2，0.050 7，0.081 3，0.081 6，0.088 4，0.050 0 μg/mL，respectively. The quantitative limits were 0.252 7，0.152 1，0.244 0，0.244 7，0.265 2 and 0.149 9 μg/mL，respectively. The results of intermediate precision ，stability（24 h）and repeatability tests all met the relevant requirements. The average recovery rates were 104.00％-108.04％，102.00％-104.94％，100.99％-106.89％，92.00％-95.18％，102.00％-105.06％，103.90％-107.00％（n＝3）， respectively. The contents of impurity A ，B and D in 3 batches of Olmesartan medoxomil hydrochlorothiazide tablets were 0.90％ -1.00％ ，0-0.11％ ，0.16％ -0.24％ ，respectively. The impurity C and other impurities were not detected. There is no significant difference between the results measured by the established method and by the external standard method. CONCLUSIONS：The method has been proved to be highly sensitive and reproducible. It can be used to simultaneously determine four known substances in Olmesartan medoxomil hydrochlorothiazide tablets.

FU Qingzhu Nyuke·Zhongzi is a concentrated manifestation of Fu′s academic thoughts of promoting conception (Zhongzi), which affects the treatment of infertility in later generations. However, the Zhongzi chapter is named after "symptoms" and is not divided into chapters according to "syndromes, "limiting the clinical application of Fu′s thoughts of Zhongzi. The "qi circle in round" theory is the crystallization of HUANG Yuanyu′s academic thinking, advocating for qi transformation, emphasizing middle qi, and considering the four phenomena. This theory highlights the role of middle qi in the rise, fall, and circulation of disease development. The "qi cycle in round" theory, a comprehensive view of Fu′s Zhongzi chapter, reveals that FU Qingzhu emphasizes the transformation of visceral qi in diagnosing and treating infertility, focusing on the spleen, liver, and kidneys. His prescription aims to restore the overall qi mechanism of the body, highlighting the circulation of middle earth and the dredging of meridians, aligning perfectly with the theory of the "qi cycle in round." Therefore, this article argues from the perspective of the "qi cycle in round, "deconstructing the pathogenesis of Fu′s infertility based on the dereliction of spleen earth, stagnation of liver wood, and kidney yin and yang deficiency. It reorganizes Fu′s formula system of Zhongzi by mediating middle earth, soothing liver depression, and regulating kidney function, summarizing the characteristics of Fu′s thoughts of Zhongzi with the aid of qi around the waist and navel, simultaneous treatment of conqenital and acquired essence, and restriction and generation of five phases. Based on the "qi cycle in round" theory, this study explores Fu′s academic thoughts of Zhongzi to strengthen the organic integration of Fu′s academic thoughts of Zhongzi with the theory of "qi cycle in round, "providing new perspectives for the study and inheritance of Fu′s academic thoughts of Zhongzi.