Numerous research conducted in recent years has revealed that gut microbial dysbiosis, such as modifications in composition and activity, might influence lung tissue homeostasis through specific pathways, thereby promoting susceptibility to lung diseases. The development and progression of lung cancer, as well as the effectiveness of immunotherapy are closely associated with gut flora and metabolites, which influence immunological and inflammatory responses. During abnormal proliferation, non-small cell lung cancer cells acquire more substances and energy by altering their own metabolic pathways. Glucose and amino acid metabolism reprogramming provide tumor cells with abundant ATP, carbon, and nitrogen sources, respectively, providing optimal conditions for tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and immune escape. This article reviews the relationship of immune response with gut flora and metabolic reprogramming in non-small cell lung cancer, and discusses the potential mechanisms by which gut flora and metabolic reprogramming affect the occurrence, development, and immunotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer, in order to provide new ideas for precision treatment of lung cancer patients.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/immunology* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Immunotherapy ; Metabolic Reprogramming

This study investigates the effect and underlying mechanism of Guizhi Tongluo Tablets(GZTL) in treating atherosclerosis(AS) in a mouse model. Apolipoprotein E-knockout(ApoE~(-/-)) mice were randomly assigned to the following groups: model, high-, medium-, and low-dose GZTL, and atorvastatin(ATV), and age-matched C57BL/6J mice were selected as the control group. ApoE~(-/-) mice in other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat diet for the modeling of AS and administrated with corresponding drugs via gavage for 8 weeks. General conditions, signs of blood stasis, and body mass of mice were monitored. Aortic plaques and their stability were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, and oil red O staining. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) were measured by biochemical assays, and those of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-6(IL-6) were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apoptosis was assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling(TUNEL). Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq) was employed to analyze the differential expression of CD72hi macrophages(CD72hi-Mφ) in the aortas of AS patients and mice. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to visualize CD72hi-Mφ expression in mouse aortic plaques, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was utilized to determine the mRNA levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the aorta. The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, the model group exhibited significant increases in body mass, aortic plaque area proportion, necrotic core area proportion, and lipid deposition, a notable decrease in collagen fiber content, and an increase in apoptosis. Additionally, the model group showcased elevated serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, alongside marked upregulations in the mRNA levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the aorta. In comparison with the model group, the GZTL groups and the ATV group showed a reduction in body mass, and the medium-and high-dose GZTL groups and the ATV group demonstrated reductions in aortic plaque area proportion, necrotic core area proportion, and lipid deposition, an increase in collagen fiber content, and a decrease in apoptosis. Furthermore, the treatment goups showcased lowered serum levels of TC, TG, LDL-C, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6. The data of scRNA-seq revealed significantly elevated CD72hi-Mφ signaling in carotid plaques of AS patients compared with that in the normal arterial tissue. Animal experiments confirmed that CD72hi-Mφ expression, along with several pro-inflammatory cytokines, was significantly upregulated in the aortas of AS mice, which were downregulated by GZTL treatment. In conclusion, GZTL may alleviate AS by inhibiting CD72hi-Mφ activity.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Atherosclerosis/immunology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Macrophages/immunology* ; Male ; Humans ; Apolipoproteins E/genetics* ; Tablets ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; Interleukin-6/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Knockout

The patient is a male neonate born at term. He was admitted 16 minutes after birth due to stridor and inspiratory respiratory distress. Physical examination revealed a cleft palate, and a grade II systolic ejection murmur was audible at the left sternal border. Whole exome sequencing identified a heterozygous variant in the SON gene, c.5753-5756del (p.Val1918GlufsTer87), which was absent in either parent, indicating a de novo mutation. According to the guidelines of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, this was classified as a "pathogenic variant" leading to a diagnosis of Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim (ZTTK) syndrome. Upon admission, symptomatic supportive treatment was provided. Follow-up at the age of 8 months revealed persistent stridor; the infant could only consume small amounts of milk and was unable to sit steadily. This patient represents the youngest reported case to date, and his symptoms expand the clinical spectrum of the disease, providing valuable insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens/genetics* ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics* ; Rare Diseases/genetics* ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical features of children with STAT gene mutations, and to explore corresponding immunotherapy strategies. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 10 children with STAT gene mutations who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, from October 2015 to October 2024. Exploratory immunotherapy was implemented in some refractory cases, and the changes in symptoms, imaging manifestations, and cytokine levels were assessed after treatment. RESULTS: For the 10 children, the main clinical manifestations were recurrent rash since birth (7/10), cough (8/10), wheezing (5/10), expectoration (4/10), and purulent nasal discharge (4/10). Genotyping results showed that there was one child with heterozygous loss-of-function (LOF) mutation in the STAT1 gene, four children with heterozygous LOF mutation in the STAT3 gene, and five children with heterozygous gain-of-function (GOF) mutation in the STAT3 gene. Two children with LOF mutation in the STAT3 gene showed decreased interleukin-6 levels and improved clinical symptoms and imaging findings after omalizumab treatment. Three children with GOF mutation in the STAT3 gene achieved effective disease control after treatment with methylprednisolone (0.5 mg/kg per day). Two children with GOF mutation in the STAT3 gene received treatment with JAK inhibitor and then showed some improvement in symptoms. CONCLUSIONS STAT gene mutation screening should be considered for children with recurrent rash and purulent respiratory tract infections. Targeted immunotherapy may improve prognosis in patients with no response to conventional treatment.
Humans ; Male ; Immunotherapy ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Gain of Function Mutation ; Retrospective Studies ; Infant ; Loss of Function Mutation ; STAT Transcription Factors/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of shockwave therapy, acupuncture, hyperthermia, biofeedback therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, magnetotherapy and ultrasound therapy in the treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome(CP/CPPS), and to provide evidence-based support for clinical decision-making. METHODS: Two researchers independently searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases for randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on the effects of different interventions on CP/CPPS from the establishment of the databases to August 2024. We evaluated the quality of the included literature and extracted the relevant data according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, followed by network meta-analysis using Revman 5.3, R 4.33 and Stata17 software. RESULTS: A total of 25 RCTs involving 1 794 cases were included. The results of network meta-analysis showed that electrical nerve stimulation, shockwave therapy, biofeedback therapy, magnetotherapy, ultrasound therapy and acupuncture were significantly superior to conventional medication and placebo in the total NIH-CPSI scores(P< 0.05), and so were electrical nerve stimulation and shockwave therapy to acupuncture and hyperthermia(P< 0.05), magnetic therapy to hyperthermia, and ultrasound therapy to placebo(P< 0.05). Shockwave therapy, biofeedback therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, magnetotherapy and ultrasound therapy achieved remarkably better clinical efficacy than conventional medication and placebo in the treatment of CP/CPPS, and so did shockwave therapy than electrical nerve stimulation, hyperthermia, ultrasonic therapy, magnetotherapy and acupuncture. CONCLUSION For the treatment of CP/CPPS, electrical nerve stimulation is advantageous over the other interventions in improving total NIH-CPSI scores, and shockwave therapy is advantageous in relieving pain symptoms and clinical efficacy. This conclusion, however, needs to be further verified by more high-quality clinical studies.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Biofeedback, Psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy ; Magnetic Field Therapy ; Pelvic Pain/therapy* ; Prostatitis/therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Ultrasonic Therapy

Ambient air pollution is increasingly being recognized as a risk factor for heart failure; however, its effects on cardiac biomarkers remain unclear. This scoping review assessed the existing evidence on the association between air pollution and cardiac biomarkers in heart failure, described the key concepts, synthesized data, and identified research gaps. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI databases were searched for studies on air pollution, heart failure, and biomarkers. A total of 765 records were screened, and 81 full texts were assessed for eligibility, resulting in 15 studies. The results showed that the exposure to particulate matter was associated with elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and troponin levels. Several studies have linked particulate matter exposure to a higher cardiovascular risk and heart failure biomarkers. Inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were consistently elevated across studies, supporting the biological relevance of these associations. However, few studies have focused specifically on populations with heart failure or clinically relevant biomarkers, and the evidence for gaseous pollutants remains inconclusive. These findings highlight the need to integrate environmental risk assessment into heart failure care and inform policy efforts to reduce the pollution-related cardiovascular burden. Further research should address these gaps through improved exposure assessments and the integration of mechanistic evidence.
Heart Failure/epidemiology* ; Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Humans ; Air Pollution/adverse effects* ; Air Pollutants/adverse effects* ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects* ; Environmental Exposure ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/blood* ; Oxidative Stress ; Troponin/blood*

Naturally derived metabolites are valuable resources for drug research and development, and play an important role in the treatment of diseases. As the "second genome" of the body, gut microbiota is rich in metabolic enzymes, which interacts with external substances such as drugs, thus affecting the progression of diseases. This article summarizes the interaction between gut microbiota-producing enzymes and natural medicines, and focuses on the impact of this interaction on disease progression, hoping to provide new ideas for the development and pharmacological mechanism of natural medicines.

After entering the body from the drug delivery site, antitumor nanomedicines need to cross a series of physiopathological barriers to reach the target site of action to effectively exert antitumor therapeutic effects. The ligand modification strategy is a classic method to enhance the efficiency of nanomedicine delivery in vivo, but the contradiction between the single ligand modification strategy, which is characterized by unity and stage, and the in vivo delivery process, which is characterized by versatility and whole-process characteristics, determines that nanomedicines modified by a single ligand alone cannot satisfy the target efficacy requirements. Therefore, the use of multiligand combinatorial modification strategies by virtue of nanomedicine surface area advantages is key to advancing the next generation of smart nanomedicines. In this paper, on the basis of summarizing and classifying the commonly used functional ligands for in vivo delivery, the advantages and research progress of multiligand combination modification of antitumor nanomedicines are discussed with special focus, and the multiligand combination modification is classified as synergistic and complementary according to the combination of the ligands, which is of great significance to ensure that antitumor nanomedicines can overcome the multiple physiopathological barriers to achieve precise delivery.

Rare diseases still lack effective treatments, and the development of drugs for rare diseases (known as orphan drugs) is an urgent medical problem. As natural active ingredients in living organisms, some biomacromolecule drugs have good biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and high targeting. They have become one of the most promising fields in drug research and development in the 21st century. However, there are still many obstacles in terms of in vivo delivery. In view of the unique advantages of nanocarriers prepared from polymers, lipids, organic biomimetic and inorganic materials in drug delivery, researchers are committed to building an efficient delivery system with versatility and synergy to solve the bottleneck issues in treating rare diseases with biomacromolecule drugs. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress of nanocarrier delivering proteins, peptides and nucleic acids in the field of rare disease treatment in the past ten years, which provides ideas for researches on biomacromolecule drug nanosystems in the field of treatment of rare diseases.

Objective To investigate the implementation of surveillance,prevention and control measures for healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in maternal and child healthcare(MCH)institutions,and provide policy evi-dence for optimizing HAI prevention and control in MCH institutions.Methods Stratified sampling was conducted among the MCH institutions at provincial,municipal and county levels in 8 provinces/autonomous regions.A uni-fied questionnaire was designed and the online survey was conducted through"Questionnaire Star".Results The data from 123 MCH institutions were included in the analysis.90.24％of the MCH institutions carried out compre-hensive surveillance on HAI.The ratios of MCH institutions which implemented targeted surveillance on HAI in neonatal intensive care unit(NICU),surgical site infection,multidrug-resistant organisms(MDROs)and HAI in intensive care units(non-NICU excluded)were 89.66％,85.96％,80.77％,and 74.19％,respectively.51.22％MCH institutions adopted information surveillance system on HAI cases.94.31％MCH institutions carried out surveillance on hand hygiene compliance.Over 90％MCH institutions carried out surveillance on environment hy-giene in high-risk departments.71.54％MCH institutions conducted centralized cleaning,disinfection,sterilization and supply for reusable medical instruments in the central sterile supply department(CSSD).Over 90％MCH insti-tutions established three-level pre-examination triage systems.86.18％set up transitional wards.MCH institutions generally adopted a management model with established effective communication,full appointment visits,and sepa-rate visits for special medical groups,such as registered pregnant women,high-risk newborns,healthcare groups,and long-term rehabilitation patients.However,the ratio of institutions conducting on-line follow-up visits was less than 50％.Conclusion MCH institutions have generally carried out comprehensive and targeted surveillance on HAI.Information surveillance need to be facilitated.Hand hygiene and environmental hygiene surveillance has been popularized to a certain extent at all levels of MCH institutions.The cleaning,disinfection,sterilization,and supply processes of reusable medical devices in a few MCH institutions are not standardized.Special medical populations get effective management.On-line healthcare is to be further promoted.