To promote the development of extracellular vesicles of herbal medicine especially the establishment of standardization, led by the National Expert Committee on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles, research experts in the field of herbal medicine and extracellular vesicles were invited nationwide with the support of the Expert Committee on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles, Professional Committee on Extracellular Vesicle Research and Application, Chinese Society of Research Hospitals and the Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Chinese Herbal Vesicles. Based on the collation of relevant literature, we have adopted the Delphi method, the consensus meeting method combined with the nominal group method to form a discussion draft of "Consensus statement on research and application of Chinese herbal medicine derived extracellular vesicles-like particles (2023)". The first draft was discussed in online and offline meetings on October 12, 14, November 2, 2022 and April and May 2023 on the current status of research, nomenclature, isolation methods, quality standards and research applications of extracellular vesicles of Chinese herbal medicines, and 13 consensus opinions were finally formed. At the Third Academic Conference on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles, held on May 26, 2023, Kewei Zhao, convenor of the consensus, presented and read the consensus to the experts of the Expert Committee on Research and Application of Chinese Herbal Vesicles. The consensus highlights the characteristics and advantages of Chinese medicine, inherits the essence, and keeps the righteousness and innovation, aiming to provide a reference for colleagues engaged in research and application of Chinese herbal vesicles at home and abroad, decode the mystery behind Chinese herbal vesicles together, establish a safe, effective and controllable accurate Chinese herbal vesicle prevention and treatment system, and build a bridge for Chinese medicine to the world.

Objective:To investigate the pollution levels and influencing factors of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in household dust in five cities in northern China.Methods:Based on the "Chinese Indoor Environment and Health Surveillance" project carried out by the National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018-2019, during the warm season (April 2018 to September 2018) and the cold season (November 2018 to March 2019), Lanzhou in Northwest China, Shijiazhuang in North China, Panjin in Northeast China, Luoyang in Central China, and Qingdao in East China were selected as the research sites. A total of 87 families were recruited to study residences in real-life scenarios. At the same time, dust samples were collected to detect the concentration of PBDEs. The level of household environmental indicators was measured, and the residential building characteristics and family behavior habits were collected through questionnaires. A total of 142 valid dust samples and 140 valid questionnaires were obtained. The differences in PBDE concentrations across seasons, wind zones, residential building characteristics, and family habits were analyzed. The exploratory factor analysis was performed to investigate the possible sources of PBDEs, and multivariate linear regression was used to explore the factors influencing PBDEs in household dust.Results:The M ( Q1,Q3) of total PBDE concentrations in 142 household dust samples in five cities was 144.51 (106.61, 222.65) ng/g in the warm season and 145.10 (98.57, 180.65) ng/g in the cold season, respectively. There were seasonal differences in the concentration of ∑ 12PBDEs in Luoyang and Shijiazhuang ( P<0.01). The concentration of BDE-71 was highest among PBDE homologues, followed by BDE-66 and BDE-47. Three factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis in the warm season, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 67.90%. The multivariate linear regression showed that the house completion less than ten years [ β (95% CI): 0.186 (0.013, 0.359)], infrequent home cooking [ β (95% CI):-0.342 (-0.570, -0.114)], and increased residential PM 10 concentration [ β (95% CI): 0.001 (0.000, 0.002)] during the warm season, as well as the house far from driveway [ β (95% CI): 0.093 (0.013, 0.172)], house area less than 90 m 2 [ β (95% CI):-0.138 (-0.264, -0.013)], and lower residential xylene concentration [ β (95% CI):-0.006 (-0.011, -0.001)] during the cold season might be related to the elevated concentrations of ∑ 12PBDEs in household dust. Conclusion:The pollution of PBDEs in household dust in five northern cities is at a medium to high level. Years of house completion, frequency of cooking at home, residential PM 10 concentration, distance from house to driveway, house area, and residential xylene concentration may influence household PBDE concentrations.

Objective:To investigate the pollution levels and influencing factors of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in household dust in five cities in northern China.Methods:Based on the "Chinese Indoor Environment and Health Surveillance" project carried out by the National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018-2019, during the warm season (April 2018 to September 2018) and the cold season (November 2018 to March 2019), Lanzhou in Northwest China, Shijiazhuang in North China, Panjin in Northeast China, Luoyang in Central China, and Qingdao in East China were selected as the research sites. A total of 87 families were recruited to study residences in real-life scenarios. At the same time, dust samples were collected to detect the concentration of PBDEs. The level of household environmental indicators was measured, and the residential building characteristics and family behavior habits were collected through questionnaires. A total of 142 valid dust samples and 140 valid questionnaires were obtained. The differences in PBDE concentrations across seasons, wind zones, residential building characteristics, and family habits were analyzed. The exploratory factor analysis was performed to investigate the possible sources of PBDEs, and multivariate linear regression was used to explore the factors influencing PBDEs in household dust.Results:The M ( Q1,Q3) of total PBDE concentrations in 142 household dust samples in five cities was 144.51 (106.61, 222.65) ng/g in the warm season and 145.10 (98.57, 180.65) ng/g in the cold season, respectively. There were seasonal differences in the concentration of ∑ 12PBDEs in Luoyang and Shijiazhuang ( P<0.01). The concentration of BDE-71 was highest among PBDE homologues, followed by BDE-66 and BDE-47. Three factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis in the warm season, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 67.90%. The multivariate linear regression showed that the house completion less than ten years [ β (95% CI): 0.186 (0.013, 0.359)], infrequent home cooking [ β (95% CI):-0.342 (-0.570, -0.114)], and increased residential PM 10 concentration [ β (95% CI): 0.001 (0.000, 0.002)] during the warm season, as well as the house far from driveway [ β (95% CI): 0.093 (0.013, 0.172)], house area less than 90 m 2 [ β (95% CI):-0.138 (-0.264, -0.013)], and lower residential xylene concentration [ β (95% CI):-0.006 (-0.011, -0.001)] during the cold season might be related to the elevated concentrations of ∑ 12PBDEs in household dust. Conclusion:The pollution of PBDEs in household dust in five northern cities is at a medium to high level. Years of house completion, frequency of cooking at home, residential PM 10 concentration, distance from house to driveway, house area, and residential xylene concentration may influence household PBDE concentrations.

Objective To observe the clinical effect of ulinastatin (UTI) combined with thymosin alpha 1 (Tαl) in the treatment of septic shock. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 88 patients with septic shock admitted to our hospital from June 2021 to October 2023. The patients were divided into UTI group and UTI+Tα1 group according to different treatment methods, with 44 patients in each group. The treatment effects, clinical indicators, microcirculatory perfusion indicators[central venous oxygen saturation (S_cvO₂), lactate (LAC), capillary refill time (CRT), mean arterial pressure (MAP)], Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ) score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, immune indicators, plasma and serum inflammatory indicators[soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], and prognosis were compared between the two groups. Results After 7 days of treatment, the effective rate of treatment in the UTI+Tα1 group was higher than that in the UTI group (P < 0.05). The duration of vasoactive drug use, mechanical ventilation time, ICU stay, and hospital stay were shorter in the UTI+Tα1 group than those in the UTI group (P < 0.05). After 24 and 72 hours of treatment, S_cvO₂ and MAP gradually increased, LAC gradually decreased, and CRT gradually shortened in both groups (P < 0.05). After 24 hours of treatment, S_cvO₂ and MAP were higher, and CRT was shorter in the UTI+Tα1 group than those in the UTI group (P < 0.05). After 72 hours of treatment, CRT was shorter, and MAP was higher in the UTI+Tα1 group than those in the UTI group (P < 0.05). After 7 days of treatment, both APACHE Ⅱ and SOFA scores decreased in both groups compared to treatment before, and their scores were lower in the UTI+Tα1 group than those in the UTI group (P < 0.05). After 7 days of treatment, the levels of CD3 + and CD4⁺ T lymphocytes increased in both groups compared to treatment before, and the levels were higher in the UTI+Tα1 group than those in the UTI group (P < 0.05). After 7 days of treatment, the levels of sTREM-1, PCT, IL-6, and TNF-α decreased in both groups compared to treatment before, and the levels were lower in the UTI+Tα1 group than those in the UTI group (P < 0.05). After a 28-day follow-up, there was no statistically significant difference in mortality between the two groups (P=0.398). Conclusion UTI combined with Tαl can effectively promote the recovery of patients with septic shock, improve microcirculatory perfusion, reduce plasma sTREM-1 and serum PCT levels, inhibit inflammatory responses, and improve prognosis.

Alginate composite hydrogel is one of the research hotspots of tumor drug delivery system materials at present. Alginate hydrogel has good biocompatibility and regeneration properties. However, the natural alginate saline gel may not achieve the expected results in the body environment due to the slow degradation and instability of the gel. Alginate has found extensive application in cancer therapy through its combination with other materials and the utilization of ionic cross-linking, covalent cross-linking, and free radical polymerization to form hydrogels. Based on the composite system of alginate brine gel, this paper summarizes the structure and properties of alginate hydrogel, with a focus on recent research into alginate composite hydrogel in common cancer treatments application, summarizes the current research focus and discuss the existing problems of alginate composite hydrogel, so as to provide reference for further expanding the research of alginate composite hydrogel in clinical cancer treatment.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring owns important clinical value in diagnosis, prevention and rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease (CVD). With the rapid development of Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies, wearable ECG is playing an increasingly important role. With the aging process of the population, it is more and more urgent to upgrade the diagnostic mode of CVD. Using AI technology to assist the clinical analysis of long-term ECGs, and thus to improve the ability of early detection and prediction of CVD has become an important direction. Intelligent wearable ECG monitoring needs the collaboration between edge and cloud computing. Meanwhile, the clarity of medical scene is conducive for the precise implementation of wearable ECG monitoring. This paper first summarized the progress of AI-related ECG studies and the current technical orientation. Then three cases were depicted to illustrate how the AI in wearable ECG cooperate with the clinic. Finally, we demonstrated the two core issues-the reliability and worth of AI-related ECG technology and prospected the future opportunities and challenges.
Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Reproducibility of Results ; Electrocardiography ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Wearable Electronic Devices

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are usually thought to have no protein coding ability, are widely involved in cell proliferation, signal transduction and other biological activities. However, recent studies have suggested that short open reading frames (sORFs) of some lncRNAs can encode small functional peptides (micropeptides). These micropeptides appear to play important roles in calcium homeostasis, embryonic development and tumorigenesis, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers. Currently, bioinformatic tools as well as experimental methods such as ribosome mapping and in vitro translation are applied to predict the coding potential of lncRNAs. Furthermore, mass spectrometry, specific antibodies and epitope tags are used for validating the expression of micropeptides. Here, we review the physiological and pathological functions of recently identified micropeptides as well as research strategies for predicting the coding potential of lncRNAs to facilitate the further research of lncRNA encoded micropeptides.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Research Design ; Antibodies ; Carcinogenesis ; Micropeptides

Immunological evasion is one of the defining characteristics of cancers, as the immune modification of an immune checkpoint (IC) confers immune evasion capabilities to tumor cells. Multiple ICs, such as programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), can bind to their respective receptors and reduce tumor immunity in a variety of ways, including blocking immune cell activation signals. IC blockade (ICB) therapies targeting these checkpoint molecules have demonstrated significant clinical benefits. This is because antibody-based IC inhibitors and a variety of specific small molecule inhibitors can inhibit key oncogenic signaling pathways and induce durable tumor remission in patients with a variety of cancers. Deciphering the roles and regulatory mechanisms of these IC molecules will provide crucial theoretical guidance for clinical treatment. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the functional and regulatory mechanisms of these IC molecules at multiple levels, including epigenetic regulation, transcriptional regulation, and post-translational modifications. In addition, we provide a summary of the medications targeting various nodes in the regulatory pathway, and highlight the potential of newly identified IC molecules, focusing on their potential implications for cancer diagnostics and immunotherapy.
Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; CTLA-4 Antigen/therapeutic use* ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/therapeutic use*

Objective:To investigate the correlation between amide proton transfer-weighted (APTw) values and Ki-67 labeling index of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.Methods:From October 2017 to December 2018, 24 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma [International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ] were prospectively enrolled in Peking Union Medical College Hospital and underwent pelvic morphological MRI on a 3.0 T MR scanner, including three-dimensional turbo-spin-echo APTw imaging and DWI. The maximum diameters of the lesions, APTw values and ADC values on the slice with the maximum diameter of the lesion were independently measured by two radiologists. The ICC was computed to evaluate the inter-observer consistency. Ki-67 immunohistochemical expression status was assessed by one pathologist. The Pearson correlation analysis was performed between the APTw values, maximum diameters, ADC values and Ki-67 labeling index.Results:The APTw values of cervical squamous cell carcinoma were (2.9±0.5)%. Inter-observer ICC was 0.972 (95%CI 0.937-0.988). The APTw values were positively moderately correlated with Ki-67 labeling index [(61.9±18.7)%, r=0.532, P=0.008]. The maximum diameters of the lesions were (28.7±10.6) mm. The mean ADC values were (0.998±0.217)×10 -3 mm 2/s. No correlations were found between maximum diameters, ADC values and Ki-67 labeling index ( r=0.038, P=0.859; r=0.238, P=0.263). Conclusion:APTw values can partially reveal the proliferation status of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

【Objective】 To investigate the diagnostic value of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) specific antibodies IgM and IgG on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). 【Methods】 1) The test results of SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies and nucleic acid(NAT), which were tested by colloidal gold test and fluorescent quantitative PCR respectively, were collected from 145 febrile outpatients during early March, 2020, named Fever group, in which retrospective analysis and paired chi-square test were performed. 2) 612 cases of SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies test results, which were done on March 5, 2020, were collected. They were named COVID-19 group (Our hospital was provisionally assigned as a specialized hospital for COVID-19, and 1500 COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospital from February 12, 2020 to March 18, 2020). The SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG antibodies and NAT were respectively tested on the 30th and the 60th day after the date of discharge. The clinical application values of the antibodies was clarified by statistical analysis. 【Results】 1) In the fever group, the positive rate of SARS-CoV-2 IgM, IgG and IgM+ IgG antibodies were 26.21% (38/145), 54.48% (79/145) and 26.21% (38/145), respectively(P<0.01), and the positive rate of NAT was 4.14% (6/145), which was lower than that of antibody (P<0.01). One (1/145, 0.69%) positive NAT was implicated in initially negative IgM and IgG antibodies samples. 2) In the COVID-19 group, the positive rate of IgM antibody was low (5%) and IgG antibody was high (65%) during 2~14 days after infection, and stably increased during the 15~56 days [IgM 47.68%(277/581) vs IgG 94.15% (547/581) ], then both decreased after 57 days. The positive rates of IgM antibody and IgG antibody were 45.8% (280/612) and 93.1% (570/612) in 612 patients during hospitalization. 15 patients′ data after dischange were not collected as they were later transferred to Huoshenshan Hospital for treatment. The coronavirus NAT results of the rest 597 COVID-19 patients, tested on the 30th and 60th days after the date of discharge, were negative, and the positive rates of IgG antibody and IgM antibody were still ≥80% and ≥40% respectively at the second month after discharge. 【Conclusion】 IgM, IgG antibody against SARS-CoV-2 can be well detected by Colloidal gold method(Innovita), whose positive rate is higher than that of NAT. IgG antibody is produced earlier than IgM, and it keeps high positive rate and persists for a long time. The combination of colloidal gold antibody test and NAT can improve the diagnose rate of COVID-19 and the exclusion of suspected cases.