Organ transplantation is an effective alternative treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure. However, the shortage of donor organs has limited the widespread application of clinical transplantation. In recent years, breakthroughs in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology have overcome the barrier of hyperacute rejection in xenotransplantation, offering a potential solution to the organ shortage crisis. Rejection remains a critical factor affecting graft survival. Antigen-presenting cells play a vital role in the initiation and progression of rejection and immune regulation in xenotransplantation. Therefore, in-depth investigation into the role of antigen-presenting cells in xenotransplantation is of great significance. This article summarizes the roles and therapeutic strategies of professional antigen-presenting cells, including macrophages, dendritic cells and B cells in xenotransplantation, aiming to provide insights for future research on immune regulation mechanisms in this field.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy of successive trigger needling combined with conventional acupuncture for cervical spondylosis of qi stagnation and blood stasis. METHODS: A total of 40 patients with cervical spondylosis of qi stagnation and blood stasis were selected, and successive trigger needling at ashi points combined with conventional acupuncture at Baihui (GV20) and bilateral C₃-C₇ Jiaji (EX-B2), Jiquan (HT1), etc. were delivered, once a day, 5 times a week as one course, and 2 courses were required totally. Before treatment and after 1, 2 weeks of treatment, the pain visual analogue scale (VAS) score was observed, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated after treatment. RESULTS: After 1, 2 weeks of treatment, the VAS scores were decreased compared with that before treatment (P<0.001). After treatment, the total effective rate was 97.5% (39/40). CONCLUSION Successive trigger needling combined with conventional acupuncture can effectively treat the cervical spondylosis of qi stagnation and blood stasis, reduce pain and improve the clinical symptoms and signs.
Humans ; Spondylosis/physiopathology* ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Qi ; Aged ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Combined Modality Therapy

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 tumor proportion score in predicting the safety and efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter, observational study enrolled adult patients who received PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapy in China and met the following criteria: (1) had pathologically confirmed, unresectable stage III-IV NSCLC; (2) had a baseline PD-L1 tumor proportion score (TPS); and (3) had confirmed efficacy evaluation results after PD-1/PD-L1 treatment. Logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox regression were used to assess the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) as appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 409 patients, 65.0% ( n = 266) with a positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) and 32.8% ( n = 134) with PD-L1 TPS ≥50%, were included in this study. Cox regression confirmed that patients with a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% had significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.747, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.573-0.975, P = 0.032). A total of 160 (39.1%) patients experienced 206 irAEs, and 27 (6.6%) patients experienced 31 grade 3-5 irAEs. The organs most frequently associated with irAEs were the skin (52/409, 12.7%), thyroid (40/409, 9.8%), and lung (34/409, 8.3%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a PD-L1 TPS ≥1% (odds ratio [OR] 1.713, 95% CI 1.054-2.784, P = 0.030) was an independent risk factor for irAEs. Other risk factors for irAEs included pretreatment absolute lymphocyte count >2.5 × 10 9 /L (OR 3.772, 95% CI 1.377-10.329, P = 0.010) and pretreatment absolute eosinophil count >0.2 × 10 9 /L (OR 2.006, 95% CI 1.219-3.302, P = 0.006). Moreover, patients who developed irAEs demonstrated improved PFS (13.7 months vs. 8.4 months, P <0.001) and OS (28.0 months vs. 18.0 months, P = 0.007) compared with patients without irAEs. CONCLUSIONS A positive PD-L1 TPS (≥1%) was associated with improved PFS and an increased risk of irAEs in a real-world setting. The onset of irAEs was associated with improved PFS and OS in patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1/PD-L1-based therapy.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/metabolism* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Aged ; B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism* ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVE To investigate the renal protective effect and mechanism of Shenbining granule on IgA nephropathy （IgAN） rats by regulating the CXC chemokine motif ligand 12 （CXCL12）/CXC chemokine receptor 4 （CXCR4）/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 （STAT3） signaling pathway. METHODS A total of 60 rats were randomly assigned into blank group （n＝12） and modeling group （n＝48）. IgAN model of modeling group was induced by using bovine serum albumin， carbon tetrachloride and lipopolysaccharide， followed by model validation. Ultimately， a total of 55 rats （9 in the blank group， 46 in the modeling group） were included in the subsequent study. The rats in the modeling group were randomly divided into model group （n＝10）， prednisone acetate group [positive control group， 6.25 mg/（kg·d）， n＝12]， Shenbining granule low- and high-dose groups [4.17， 8.33 g/（kg·d）， n＝12]. They were given relevant medicine/distilled water intragastrically， once a day， for 4 consecutive weeks. After the last medication， biochemical indicators in the urine and serum of rats were measured， and pathological morphological changes in the renal tissues of rats were observed. IgA deposition in the renal tissues， as well as the mRNA expression levels of CXCL12， CXCR4 and STAT3， and the protein expression levels of CXCL12， CXCR4， STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3 （p-STAT3） were detected. Additionally， the level of interleukin-6 （IL-6） in the renal tissue was measured. RESULTS Compared with the model group， the low-dose and high-dose Shenbining granule groups showed significantly decreased urinary red blood cell count， 24 h total urinary protein， blood urea nitrogen， serum creatinine， and alanine amino-transferase， along with increased Alb levels （P＜0.05）. Pathological damage in the renal tissues was alleviated， with reduced IgA deposition in the mesangial region （P＜0.05）； protein and mRNA expressions of CXCL12， CXCR4 and STAT3， as well as phosphorylation level of STAT3 protein and the IL-6 level， were significantly decreased in renal tissue （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Shenbining granule may exert its renal protective effects in IgAN rats by inhibiting the activation of the CXCL12/ CXCR4/STAT3 signaling pathway， downregulating the expression of inflammatory factors such as IL-6， alleviating renal inflammation， and thereby improving renal pathological damage.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism of Shenqi Buzhong (SQBZ) Formula for alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in light of the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway. METHODS: Fifty male SD rat models of COPD, established by intratracheal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) instillation, exposure to cigarette smoke, and gavage of Senna leaf infusion, were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) for treatment with saline (model group), SQBZ Formula at low, moderate and high doses (3.08, 6.16 and 12.32 g/kg, respectively), or aminophylline (0.024 g/kg) by gavage for 4 weeks, with another 10 untreated rats as the control group. Pulmonary function of the rats were tested, and pathologies and ultrastructural changes of the lung tissues were examined using HE staining and transmission electron microscopy. The levels of SOD, ATP, MDA, and mitochondrial membrane potential in the lungs were detected using WST-1, colorimetric assay, TBA, and JC-1 methods. Flow cytometry was used to analyze ROS level in the lung tissues, and the protein expression levels of P-AMPKα, AMPKα, SIRTI, and PGC-1α were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The rat models of COPD showed significantly decreased lung function, severe histopathological injuries of the lungs, decreased pulmonary levels of SOD activity, ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential, increased levels of MDA and ROS, and decreased pulmonary expressions of P-AMPKα, SIRTI, and PGC-1α proteins. All these changes were significantly alleviated by treatment with SQBZ Formula and aminophylline, and the efficacy was comparable between high-dose SQBZ Formula group and aminophylline group. CONCLUSIONS SQBZ Formula ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction in COPD rats possibly by activating the AMPK/SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway.
Animals ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Sirtuin 1/metabolism* ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Rats ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

Walking downstairs and running are common actions in daily life;however,older adults with functional decline are prone to falls or injuries.To cope with various situations and avoid falls,the first neuroprotective motor mechanism activated by the body is the regulation of lower limb stiffness.Hence,this study retrieved and collected relevant research results from databases such as China Knowledge,Wanfang,Google Scholar,and Web of Science,using key words such as elderly and lower limb stiffness,and summarized the similarities and differences in changes in lower limb stiffness in different action tasks.The findings show that interventions on controllable factors can improve changes in lower limb stiffness to prevent falls in older adults.However,owing to the small number of related studies,it is necessary to further investigate the effects of action interventions on lower limb stiffness in older adults to obtain reliable regularity features and references.

Objective·To measure the parameters of the uterine artery,umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery in a rat model of preeclampsia(PE)by Doppler ultrasound,and compare the pathological changes in placental blood vessels and pregnancy outcomes,in order to provide an effective method and reference for evaluating placental function in PE animal models.Methods·PE(n=8)and normal pregnancy(NP,n=8)groups in Sprague-Dawley(SD)rat models were established by intraperitoneal injections of N'-nitro-L-arginine methylesterhydrochloride(L-NAME)and 0.9%sodium chloride solution.Blood pressure and proteinuria indexes were detected to evaluate whether the model was successfully established.On gestational day 19(GD19),Doppler ultrasound was utilized to measure the parameters of the uterine artery,umbilical artery and the fetal middle cerebral artery in both the PE and NP groups.After termination of the pregnancies,placental function was evaluated through the pathology of placental blood vessels and the quality of the fetuses and placentas.Results·In the PE group,both blood pressure(GD15:P=0.001;GD19:P=0.001)and proteinuria(GD15:P=0.001;GD19:P=0.001)were significantly higher than those in the NP group.The pulsatility index(PI)of the umbilical artery and uterine artery was notably elevated in the PE group compared to the NP group(both P=0.000).Furthermore,the resistance index(RI)of the fetal middle cerebral artery was significantly lower than that in the PE group(P=0.000).While the number of fetal rats did not differ significantly,the quality of placental and fetal rats was notably lower in the PE group(P=0.006 and P=0.000,respectively).Immunohistochemical staining of placental tissue revealed that the number of placental micro vessel densities in the PE group was less than that in the NP group(P=0.001).Correlation analysis revealed that placental micro vessel density,fetal quality and placental quality were inversely related with the RI of the umbilical artery and the PI and RI of the uterine artery,and positively correlated with the S/D,PI and RI of the fetal middle cerebral artery(all P<0.05).Conculsion·Doppler ultrasound assessment of the uterine artery,umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery indices in L-NAME-induced PE rat models effectively reflects pregnancy outcomes and placental vascular pathology.This method is valuable for evaluating placental vascular perfusion in PE rat models,offering practicality and convenience for research involving animal models.

Objective:To understand the infection status and molecular types of rhinovirus (RV) among cases of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARIs) in Luohe City, Henan Province, from 2017 to 2022.Methods:From October 2017 to June 2022, clinical and epidemiological data were collected from 2 270 cases of ARIs at Luohe Central Hospital in Henan Province. Throat swab specimens were obtained from these cases. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to screen for RV-positive specimens. Subsequently, the positive samples were subjected to nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR) to amplify the full-length VP1 region. Using the MEGA software, along with 169 RV reference strains recommended by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to determine RV types.Results:Among the 2 270 cases of ARIs, there were 1 283 male cases (56.52%). The median age ( Q 1, Q 3) was 3 (1, 6) years, with the population under 5 years old accounting for 68.59% (1 557/2 270). RV was detected in 137 cases (6.04%), of which 68 cases (49.64%) showed co-detection with other viruses, with the most common being co-detection with enterovirus, accounting for 14.60% (20/137). The RV detection rates in the age groups of 0-4 years, 5-14 years, 15-59 years, and≥60 years were 6.42% (100/1 557), 4.69% (21/448), 3.80% (6/158), and 9.35% (10/107), respectively, with no statistically significant differences ( χ2=5.310, P=0.150). The overall detection rates of RV before (2017-2019) and during (2020-2022) the COVID-19 pandemic showed no statistically significant difference ( χ2=1.823, P=0.177). A total of 109 VP1 sequences were obtained, including 62 types. Among them, RV-A, RV-B, and RV-C had 42, 3, and 17 types respectively. Conclusion:RV is one of the predominant pathogens in ARIs cases in Luohe City, Henan Province, from 2017 to 2022. Multiple types of RV co-circulate without any apparent dominant type.

Objective:To construct a nomogram model for differentiating gastric schwannoma (GS) from gastric stromal tumor (GST) (diameters 2 to 5 cm) based on CT imaging features before surgery.Methods:The clinical and imaging data of 49 patients with GS and 240 patients with GST in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University from July 2009 to April 2023 and Guangdong Provincial People′s Hospital from June 2017 to September 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. The independent factors for differentiating GS from GST were obtained by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. The nomogram model was constructed by R4.3.1 software. The efficacy of the nomogram model for differentiating GS from GST was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve, and calibration curve and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the predictive efficacy and clinical application value of the nomogram model.Results:There were no statistical differences in the clinical symptom rate, calcification rate, ulcer rate, tumor vessel rate, ratio of long diameter to short diameter and CT value difference during the arterial and nonenhanced phases (CTV A-N) between GS patients and GST patients ( P>0.05). The proportion of female, incidence of lesions located in central or lower part of stomach, extraluminal or mixed growth rate, tumor-associated lymph node rate, strong enhancement rate, CT value difference during the portal and nonenhanced phases (CTV P-N), CT value difference during the delayed and nonenhanced phases (CTV D-N), CT value difference during the portal and arterial phases (CTV P-A) and CT value difference during the delayed and portal phases (CTV D-P) in GS patients were significantly higher than those in GST patients: 75.51% (37/49) vs. 58.33% (140/240), 85.71% (42/49) vs. 54.17% (130/240), 75.51% (37/49) vs. 45.00% (108/240), 44.90% (22/49) vs. 5.42% (13/240), 51.02% (25/49) vs. 27.08% (65/240), 32.0 (26.0, 43.5) HU vs. 29.0 (22.0, 37.7) HU, (44.59 ± 13.46) HU vs. (32.94 ± 12.47) HU, 20.0 (11.5, 25.0) HU vs. 10.0 (5.0, 17.0) HU and 9.0 (6.0, 12.0) HU vs. 4.0 (-2.7, 7.0) HU, the age, irregular shape rate, cystic degeneration rate and heterogeneous enhancement rate were significantly lower than those in GST patients: (58.12 ± 12.59) years old vs. (62.05 ± 11.22) years old, 16.33% (8/49) vs. 38.33% (92/240), 18.37% (9/49) vs. 51.25% (123/240) and 34.69% (17/49) vs. 56.25% (135/240), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05 or<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis result showed that location, cystic degeneration, tumor-associated lymph node, CTV P-A and CTV D-P were the independent factors for differentiating GS from GST ( OR= 3.599, 0.201, 19.031, 1.124 and 1.160; 95% CI 1.184 to 10.938, 0.070 to 0.578, 6.159 to 58.809, 1.066 to 1.185 and 1.094 to 1.231; P<0.05 or<0.01). The nomogram model for differentiating GS from GST was constructed based on location, cystic degeneration, tumor-associated lymph node, CTV P-A and CTV D-P. The area under curve of the nomogram model for differentiating GS from GST was 0.924 (95% CI 0.887 to 0.951). The calibration curve analysis result showed that there was a good agreement between the predicted GS curve and the actual GS curve (the mean absolute error was 0.033). The result of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated that the calibration of the nomogram model was appropriate ( χ2 = 2.52, P = 0.961). The clinical decision curve analysis result showed that when the threshold for the nomogram model for differentiating the two tumors was>0.03, the nomogram yielded more net benefits than the "all patients treated as GS" or "all patients treated as GST" scenarios. Conclusions:The nomogram model based on CT imaging features can be used to differentiate GS from GST before surgery.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis and the factors that influence it in patients with non-gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) who are at low risk of recurrence.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. Clinicopathologic and prognostic data from patients with non-gastric GISTs and at low risk of recurrence (i.e., very low-risk or low-risk according to the 2008 version of the Modified NIH Risk Classification), who attended 18 medical centers in China between January 2000 and June 2023, were collected. We excluded patients with a history of prior malignancy, concurrent primary malignancy, multiple GISTs, and those who had received preoperative imatinib. The study cohort comprised 1,571 patients with GISTs, 370 (23.6%) of whom were at very low-risk and 1,201 (76.4%) at low-risk of recurrence. The cohort included 799 (50.9%) men and 772 (49.1%) women of median age 57 (16–93) years. Patients were followed up to July 2024. The prognosis and its influencing factors were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves for tumor diameter and Ki67 were established, and the sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC) and optimal cut-off value with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Propensity score matching was implemented using the 1:1 nearest neighbor matching method with a matching tolerance of 0.02.Results:With a median follow-up of 63 (12–267) months, the 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) rates of the 1,571 patients were 99.5% and 98.0%, respectively, and the 5- and 10-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 96.3% and 94.4%, respectively. During postoperative follow-up, 3.8% (60/1,571) patients had disease recurrence or metastasis, comprising 0.8% (3/370) in the very low-risk group and 4.7% (57/1,201) in the low-risk group. In the low-risk group, recurrence or metastasis occurred in 5.5% (25/457) of patients with duodenal GISTs, 3.9% (25/645) of those with small intestinal GISTs, 9.2% (6/65) of those with rectal GISTs, and 10.0% (1/10) of those with colonic GISTs. Among the 60 patients with metastases, 56.7% (34/60) of the metastases were located in the abdominal cavity, 53.3% (32/60) in the liver, and 3.3% (2/60) in bone. During the follow-up period, 13 patients (0.8%) died of disease. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted for tumor diameter and Ki67 and assessed using the Jordon index. This showed that the difference in DFS between the two groups was statistically significant when the cutoff value for tumor diameter was 3.5 cm (AUC 0.731, 95% CI: 0.670–0.793, sensitivity 77.7%, specificity 64.1%). Furthermore, the difference in DFS between the two groups was statistically significant when the cutoff value for Ki67 was 5% (AUC 0.693, 95% CI: 0.624–0.762, sensitivity 60.7%, specificity 65.3%). Multifactorial analysis revealed that tumor diameter ≥3.5 cm, Ki67 ≥5%, and R1 resection were independent risk factors for DFS in patients with non-gastric GISTs at low risk of recurrence (all P<0.05). Furthermore, age >57 years, Ki67 ≥5%, and R1 resection were also independent risk factors for OS in patients with non-gastric GISTs at low risk of recurrence (all P<0.05). We also grouped the patients according to whether they had received postoperative adjuvant treatment with imatinib for 1 or 3 years. This yielded 137 patients in the less than 1-year group, 139 in the 1-year plus group; and 44 in both the less than 3 years and 3-years plus group. After propensity score matching for age, tumor diameter, Ki67, and resection status, the differences in survival between the two groups were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). The 10-year DFS and OS were 87.5% and 95.5%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for less than 1 year and 88.5% and 97.8%, respectively, in the group treated for more than 1 year. The 10-year DFS and OS were 89.6% and 92.6%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for less than 3 years and 88.0% and 100.0%, respectively, in the group treated with imatinib for more than 3 years. Conclusion:The overall prognosis of primary, non-gastric, low recurrence risk GISTs is relatively favorable; however, recurrences and metastases do occur. Age, tumor diameter, Ki67, and R1 resection may affect the prognosis. For some patients with low risk GISTs, administration of adjuvant therapy with imatinib for an appropriate duration may help prevent recurrence and improve survival.