Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by overwhelmed lipid oxidation, and it has emerged as a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Enhanced ferroptosis could overcome the limitations of conventional therapeutic modalities, particularly in difficult-to-treat tumors. In this study, we developed a dual-modality therapy in nanomedicine by combining paclitaxel (PTX) chemotherapy and pyropheophorbide-a (Ppa) phototherapy. Heparin (HP) was grafted with poly(N-(2'-hydroxy) propyl methacrylamide) (pHPMA) using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization to form HP-pHPMA (HH), which was utilized to deliver Ppa and PTX, yielding HP-pHPMA-Ppa (HH-Ppa) and HP-pHPMA-PTX (HH-PTX), respectively. The prodrug-based combinational nanomedicine (HH-PP) was formed by co-assembly of HH-PTX and HH-Ppa. It was found that HH-PP treatment significantly disrupted lipid metabolism in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, induced extensive lipid oxidation, and promoted ferroptosis. In vivo, HH-PP intervention achieved a tumor growth inhibition rate of 86.63% and activated adaptive immunity with an elevated CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cell infiltration level. This combinational nanomedicine offers a promising platform for co-delivery of multiple therapeutic agents. It exerts a promising anti-tumor effect via enhanced ferroptosis and ferroptosis-induced immune activation by disrupting lipid metabolism in TNBC cancer cells.

Background Chronic excessive exposure to fluoride can cause damage to the central nervous system and a certain degree of learning and memory impairment. However, the associated mechanism is not yet clear and further exploration is needed. Objective Using 4D unlabelled quantitative proteomics techniques to explore differentially expressed proteins and their potential mechanisms of action in chronic excessive fluoride exposure induced brain injury. Methods Twenty-four SPF-grade adult SD rats, half male and half male, were selected and divided into a control group and a fluoride group by random number table method, with 12 rats in each group. Among them, the control group drank tap water (fluorine content<1 mg·L⁻¹), the fluoride group drank sodium fluoride solution (fluorine content 10 mg·L⁻¹), and both groups were fed with ordinary mouse feed (fluoride content<0.6 mg·kg⁻¹). After 180 d of feeding, the SD rats were weighed, and then part of the brain tissue was sampled for pathological examination by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining. The rest of the brain tissue was frozen and stored at −80 ℃. Three brain tissue samples from each group were randomly selected for proteomics detection. Differentially expressed proteins were screened and subcellular localization analysis was performed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, cluster analysis, and protein-protein interaction analysis. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of key proteins extracted from the brain tissue samples. Results After 180 d of feeding, the average weight of the rats in the fluoride group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The brain tissue stained with HE showed no significant morphological changes in the cerebral cortex of the fluoride treated rats, and neuron loss, irregular arrangement of neurons, eosinophilic changes, and cell body pyknosis were observed in the hippocampus. The Nissl staining results showed that the staining of neurons in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats exposed to fluoride decreased (Nissl bodies decreased). The proteomics results showed that a total of 6927 proteins were identified. After screening, 206 differentially expressed proteins were obtained between the control group and the fluoride group, including 96 up-regulated proteins and 110 down-regulated proteins. The differential proteins were mainly located in cytoplasm (30.6%), nucleus (27.2%), mitochondria (13.6%), plasma membrane (13.6%), and extracellular domain (11.7%). The GO analysis results showed that differentially expressed proteins mainly participated in biological processes such as iron ion transport, regulation of dopamine neuron differentiation, and negative regulation of respiratory burst in inflammatory response, exercised molecular functions such as ferrous binding, iron oxidase activity, and cytokine activity, and were located in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum membrane, fixed components of the membrane, chloride channel complexes, and other cellular components. The KEGG significantly enriched pathways included biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments. The results of differential protein-protein interaction analysis showed that the highest connectivity was found in glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi). The expression level of Gpi in the brain tissue of the rats in the fluoride group was lower than that in the control group by Western blotting (P<0.05). Conclusion Multiple differentially expressed proteins are present in the brain tissue of rats with chronic fluorosis, and their functions are related to biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, carbon metabolism, and microbial metabolism in diverse environments; Gpi may be involved in cerebral neurological damage caused by chronic overdose fluoride exposure.

Objective To investigate the independent risk factors for postoperative deep vein thrombosis in lung cancer patients and to construct a risk prediction model.Methods Clinical data of 354 inpatients who underwent thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer in Department of Thoracic Surgery of First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University between May 2019 and May 2023 were retrospectively collected and analyzed.LASSO regression was used to screen potential factors,followed by multivariate logistic regression to identify risk factors,and then a nomogram prediction model was constructed.Calibration curves,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,and decision curves were drawn to evaluate the model's calibration,discrimination,sensitivity,specificity,and clinical utility.The net reclassification improvement(NRI)and integrated discrimination improvement(IDI)indices were employed to compare the predictive performance of the constructed model with the Caprini score for outcome events.Results LASSO regression identified 17 potential influencing factors.Multivariate regression analysis showed that D-dimer,central venous catheter(CVC)placement,and lower extremity varicose veins were independent risk factors for postoperative DVT in lung cancer patients(P＜0.05).Calibration curve analysis showed the model had good agreement between the predicted and observed values.ROC curve analysis indicated that the sensitivity and specificity of the model was 0.812 and 0.963,respectively,with an area under the curve(AUC)value of 0.912(95％CI:0.840～0.983).In comparison,the Caprini model had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.625 and 0.860,respectively,with an AUC value of 0.752(95％CI:0.657～0.846).The NRI and IDI for the model group compared to the Caprini model were 0.709 and 0.431,respectively.Decision curve analysis showed that the net benefit of applying the model from this study was higher than that of the Caprini model.Conclusion D-dimer,CVC,and varicose veins of lower extremities are independent risk factors for DVT after thoracoscopic surgery in patients with lung cancer.Our constructed nomogram model can effectively predict the risk of DVT after thoracoscopic surgery in patients with lung cancer.

Cardiac-resident macrophages (CRMs) play important roles in homeostasis, cardiac function, and remodeling. Although CRMs play critical roles in cardiac regeneration of neonatal mice, their roles are yet to be fully elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of CRMs during cardiac ontogeny and analyze the phenotypic and functional properties of CRMs in the promotion of cardiac regeneration. During mouse cardiac ontogeny, four CRM subsets exist successively: CX₃CR1⁺CCR2^-Ly6C^-MHCII^- (MP1), CX₃CR1^lowCCR2^lowLy6C^-MHCII^- (MP2), CX₃CR1^-CCR2⁺Ly6C⁺MHCII^- (MP3), and CX₃CR1⁺CCR2^-Ly6C^-MHCII⁺ (MP4). MP1 cluster has different derivations (yolk sac, fetal liver, and bone marrow) and multiple functions population. Embryonic and neonatal-derived-MP1 directly promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation through Jagged-1-Notch1 axis and significantly ameliorated cardiac injury following myocardial infarction. MP2/3 subsets could survive throughout adulthood. MP4, the main population in adult mouse hearts, contributed to inflammation. During ontogeny, MP1 can convert into MP4 triggered by changes in the cellular redox state. These findings delineate the evolutionary dynamics of CRMs under physiological conditions and found direct evidence that embryonic and neonatal-derived CRMs regulate cardiomyocyte proliferation. Our findings also shed light on cardiac repair following injury.

Nonselective β-receptor blockers (NSBBs) are first-line drugs for the prevention and treatment of complications in cirrhotic patients with portal hypertension and are widely used in the primary and secondary prevention of esophagogastric variceal bleeding. In recent years, studies have shown that in patients with clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH), NSBBs can used to prevent liver decompensation events besides variceal bleeding, such as ascites and hepatic encephalopathy. However, in patients without CSPH, current research evidence does not support the use of NSBBs. Although reliable data currently support the use of NSBBs in end-stage liver cirrhosis, there are still drug safety issues in patients with refractory ascites and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and further studies are needed to explore the dose and timing of administration. This article reviews the clinical research advances in the use of NSBBs (especially carvedilol) in patients with liver cirrhosis and summarizes the therapeutic window used reasonably in the whole-course management of liver cirrhosis, so as to provide a basis for clinical decision-making.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ for improving renal function and pathology in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy and analyze its therapeutic mechanism for renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease using network pharmacology combined with molecular docking. METHODS: Forty male SD rats were randomized into two groups to receive two-staged 5/6 nephrectomy (n=30) or sham operation (n=10), and 2 weeks after the final operation, serum creatinine level of the rats was measured. The rats with nephrectomy were further randomized into Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ group, losartan group and model group for daily treatment with the corresponding drugs via gavage starting at 1 week after 5/6 nephrectomy. After 16 weeks of treatment, serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels of the rats were measured, and HE staining and Western blotting were used to examine the changes in renal pathology and fibrosis-related factors. Network pharmacology combined with molecular docking study was performed to explore the therapeutic mechanism Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ against renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease, and Western blotting was used to verify the expressions of the core targets. RESULTS: Compared with those in the model group, the rats receiving 5/6 nephrectomy and Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ treatment showed significantly reduced serum creatinine and urea nitrogen levels, lessened renal pathologies, and improvement of the changes in epithelial mesenchymal transition-related proteins. Network pharmacological analysis showed that the main active ingredients of Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ were acacetin, apigenin, eupatilin, quercetin, kaempferol and luteolin, and the key targets included STAT3, SRC, CTNNB1, PIK3R1 and AKT1. Molecular docking study revealed that the active ingredients of Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ had good binding activity to the key targets. Western blotting showed that in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy, treatment with Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ obviously restored the protein expression of STAT3, PI3K, and AKT in renal tissue. CONCLUSION Shenbing Decoction Ⅲ can reduce renal injury induced by 5/6 nephrectomy in rats, and its therapeutic effects are mediated possibly by its main pharmacologically active ingredients that alleviate renal fibrosis via modulating multiple targets including STAT3, PIK3R1, and AKT1.
Male ; Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Creatinine ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/drug therapy* ; Fibrosis ; Urea

Amblyopia is a visual development deficit caused by abnormal visual experience in early life, mainly manifesting as defected visual acuity and binocular visual impairment, which is considered to reflect abnormal development of the brain rather than organic lesions of the eye. Previous studies have reported abnormal spontaneous brain activity in patients with amblyopia. However, the location of abnormal spontaneous activity in patients with amblyopia and the association between abnormal brain function activity and clinical deficits remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to analyze spontaneous brain functional activity abnormalities in patients with amblyopia and their associations with clinical defects using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. In this study, 31 patients with amblyopia and 31 healthy controls were enrolled for resting-state fMRI scanning. The results showed that spontaneous activity in the right angular gyrus, left posterior cerebellum, and left cingulate gyrus were significantly lower in patients with amblyopia than in controls, and spontaneous activity in the right middle temporal gyrus was significantly higher in patients with amblyopia. In addition, the spontaneous activity of the left cerebellum in patients with amblyopia was negatively associated with the best-corrected visual acuity of the amblyopic eye, and the spontaneous activity of the right middle temporal gyrus was positively associated with the stereoacuity. This study found that adult patients with amblyopia showed abnormal spontaneous activity in the angular gyrus, cerebellum, middle temporal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus. Furthermore, the functional abnormalities in the cerebellum and middle temporal gyrus may be associated with visual acuity defects and stereopsis deficiency in patients with amblyopia. These findings help explain the neural mechanism of amblyopia, thus promoting the improvement of the treatment strategy for amblyopia.
Adult ; Amblyopia/pathology* ; Brain ; Brain Mapping ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; Visual Acuity

This study briefly introduces the basic theory of sterilization, the characteristics of ethylene oxide sterilization for medical devices and the key factors about sterilization effectiveness, analyzes and compares three methods used in the product release of medical devices sterilized by ethylene oxide: test for sterility, traditional release and parametric release, and focuses on the theoretical basis, feasibility, validation requirements, advantages and disadvantages of parametric release.
Ethylene Oxide ; Sterilization/methods*

Multi-modal therapeutics are emerging for simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Polymeric carriers are often employed for loading multiple drugs due to their versatility and controlled release of these drugs in response to a tumor specific microenvironment. A theranostic nanomedicine was designed and prepared by complexing a small gadolinium chelate, conjugating a chemotherapeutic drug PTX through a cathepsin B-responsive linker and covalently bonding a fluorescent probe pheophorbide a (Ppa) with a branched glycopolymer. The branched prodrug-based nanosystem was degradable in the tumor microenvironment with overexpressed cathepsin B, and PTX was simultaneously released to exert its therapeutic effect. The theranostic nanomedicine, branched glycopolymer-PTX-DOTA-Gd, had an extended circulation time, enhanced accumulation in tumors, and excellent biocompatibility with significantly reduced gadolinium ion (Gd

Objective:To explore the mechanism of B10 cell involved in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy following myocarditis, and to develop potential therapeutic strategies.Methods:BALB/c mice infected with Coxsackie virus B3 induced viral myocarditis model. The expression of angiotensin (ANG)Ⅱ and its receptor in myocarditis mice was detected. The changes of B10 cells in the hearts of control mice and myocarditis mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. After losartan was administered to myocarditis mice, the degree of myocardial inflammation was detected by HE staining, the expression of inflammatory factors was detected by ELISA, the myocardial hypertrophy was detected by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining, and the changes of B10 cells in the heart were analyzed by flow cytometry. The levels of cardiac troponin T (C-TNT) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein in neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes treated with ANGⅡ and ANGⅡ+ IL-10 were detected. Cardiomyocytes were treated with ANGⅡ, ANGⅡ+ B10 cells, ANGⅡ+ B10 cells + IL-10 receptor antibody and ANGⅡ+ B cells to detect C-TNT protein levels, and Annexin-V/PI was used to detect the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes were treated with oxidized HMGB1, reduced HMGB1 and disulfide HMGB1, and C-TNT expression was detected.Results:Coxsackievirus B3 infection caused cardiac hypertrophy, high expression of ANGⅡ and its receptor, and transient increase of B10 cells in mice. Losartan treatment blocked the angiotensin receptor, reduced expansion of B10 cells. B10 cells alleviated apoptosis of cardiomyocytes and inhibited the production of HMGB1 induced by ANGⅡ patch by producing IL-10, thus alleviating viral myocarditis and cardiac hypertrophy.Conclusions:B10 cells may play an important role in myocardial protection in myocarditis.