Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is a crucial risk factor influencing an unfavorable prognosis in specific cancers. Fundamental research illuminates our understanding of tumor behavior and identifies valuable therapeutic targets. Nevertheless, the exploration of fundamental theories and the validation of clinical therapies hinge on preclinical experiments. Preclinical models, in this context, serve as the conduit connecting fundamental theories to clinical outcomes. In vivo models established in animals offer a valuable platform for comprehensively observing interactions between tumor cells and organisms. Using various experimental animals, including mice, diverse methods, such as carcinogen-induced tumorigenesis, tumor cell line or human tumor transplantation, genetic engineering, and humanization, have been used effectively to construct numerous models for tumor LNM. Carcinogen-induced models simulate the entire process of tumorigenesis and metastasis. Transplantation models, using human tumor cell lines or patient-derived tumors, offer a research platform closely mirroring the histology and clinical behavior of human tumors. Genetically engineered models have been used to delve into the mechanisms of primary tumorigenesis within an intact microenvironment. Humanized models are used to overcome barriers between human and murine immune systems. Beyond mouse models, various other animal models have unique advantages and limitations, all contributing to exploring LNM. This review summarizes existing in vitro and animal preclinical models, identifies current bottlenecks in preclinical research, and offers an outlook on forthcoming preclinical models.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cell Line, Tumor

Acute kidney injury (AKI) has high morbidity and mortality, but effective clinical drugs and management are lacking. Previous studies have suggested that macrophages play a crucial role in the inflammatory response to AKI and may serve as potential therapeutic targets. Emerging evidence has highlighted the importance of forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) in mediating macrophage activation and polarization in various diseases, but the specific mechanisms by which FoxO1 regulates macrophages during AKI remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the role of FoxO1 in macrophages in the pathogenesis of AKI. We observed a significant upregulation of FoxO1 in kidney macrophages following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Additionally, our findings demonstrated that the administration of FoxO1 inhibitor AS1842856-encapsulated liposome (AS-Lipo), mainly acting on macrophages, effectively mitigated renal injury induced by I/R injury in mice. By generating myeloid-specific FoxO1-knockout mice, we further observed that the deficiency of FoxO1 in myeloid cells protected against I/R injury-induced AKI. Furthermore, our study provided evidence of FoxO1's pivotal role in macrophage chemotaxis, inflammation, and migration. Moreover, the impact of FoxO1 on the regulation of macrophage migration was mediated through RhoA guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (ARHGEF1), indicating that ARHGEF1 may serve as a potential intermediary between FoxO1 and the activity of the RhoA pathway. Consequently, our findings propose that FoxO1 plays a crucial role as a mediator and biomarker in the context of AKI. Targeting macrophage FoxO1 pharmacologically could potentially offer a promising therapeutic approach for AKI.

OBJECTIVES: To study the therapeutic mechanism of Tuihuang Mixture against cholestasis. METHODS: Forty-eight Wistar rats were randomized equally into blank group, model group, ursodeoxycholic acid group and Tuihuang Mixture group. Except for those in the blank group, all the rats were given α‑naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) to establish rat models of cholestasis, followed by treatments with indicated drugs or distilled water. Serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TBA and TBIL of the rats were determined, and hepatic expressions IL-1β, IL-18, FXR, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and GSDMD were detected using q-PCR, ELISA or Western blotting. Histopathological changes of the liver tissues were observed using HE staining. RESULTS: The rat models of cholestasis had significantly increased serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TBA and TBIL with increased mRNA and protein expressions of IL-1β and IL-18, decreased protein and mRNA expressions of FXR, and increased protein expressions of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 and mRNA expressions of NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and GSDMD in the liver tissue, showing also irregular arrangement of liver cells, proliferation of bile duct epithelial cells and inflammatory cells infiltration. Treatment of the rat models with Tuihuang Mixture significantly decreased serum levels of ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, TBA and TBIL, lowered IL-1β and IL-18 and increased FXR protein and mRNA expressions, and reduced NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 and GSDMD proteins and NLRP3, ASC and Caspase-1 mRNA expressions in the liver tissue. Tuihuang Mixture also significantly alleviated hepatocyte injury, bile duct epithelial cell proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration in the liver of the rat models. CONCLUSIONS Tuihuang Mixture can effectively improve cholestasis in rats possibly by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammatosome-mediated pyroptosis via regulating FXR.
Animals ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein ; Rats ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/metabolism* ; Cholestasis/drug therapy* ; Rats, Wistar ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; 1-Naphthylisothiocyanate ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Interleukin-18/metabolism* ; Caspase 1/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Liver/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE To construct an insulin-resistant(IR)small intestinal organoid model of mice and study the protective effect of flavanomarein(FM)on the intestinal mucosal barrier in the model.METHODS ①Small intestinal organoid models of C57BL/6J and db/db of mice were constructed.The expressions of Ki-67,E-cadherin(E-cad),lysozyme(Lyz)and mucin-2(Muc-2)in small intestinal organ-oids were detected by 3D immunofluorescence.RT-qPCR was used to detect the expressions of fibro-nectin(Fn),glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1)and peotide YY(PYY)mRNA while Western blotting was used to detect the expressions of Fn,GLP-1 and PYY protein.The Lyz secretion level was detected by ELISA.② Small intestinal organoids were divided into five groups:C57BL/6J mice 'small intestinal organ-oids as the normal control group,db/db mice' intestinal organoids as the IR model group,db/db mice small intestinal organoids with flavanomarein 25,50 and 100 μmol·L-1 intervention for 48 h as IR model+ FM groups.RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of Lyz mRNA while Western blotting was used to detect the expression of Lyz protein.RESULTS ① On the 6th day of small intestinal organoid culture,a ring structure with a clear luminal structure was formed and an IR mouse small intestinal organoid model was established.3D Immunofluorescence detection showed that the established small intestinal organoids all expressed Ki-67,E-cad,Lyz and MUC-2.Compared with the normal control group,the expres-sion of Fn mRNA in the IR model group was significantly increased(P<0.05)while the expressions of GLP-1 and PYY mRNA were significantly decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the normal control group,the expression of Fn protein in the IR model group was significantly decreased(P<0.05)while the expressions of GLP-1 and PYY protein were significantly increased(P<0.05).ELISA results showed that compared with the normal control group,the secretion levels of Lyz in the IR model group were signifi-cantly decreased(P<0.01).② RT-qPCR results showed that compared with the normal control group,the expression of Lyz mRNA in the IR model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the IR model group,the expression of Lyz mRNA in the IR model+FM 50 and 100 μmol·L-1 groups was significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Western blotting results showed that compared with the normal control group,the expression of Lyz protein in the IR model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the IR model group,the expression of Lyz protein in the IR model+FM 50 and 100 μmol·L-1 groups was significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).CONCLUSION The constructed IR mouse small intestinal organoid model provides a more complete in vitro research model for exploring the pathophysiological mechanism by which drug interventions help repair the intestinal mucosal barrier.FM may maintain the intestinal mucosal barrier by reversing the decrease in Lyz expression levels in IR mice,thereby improving IR.

Objective To investigate the influencing factors for slowly progressive brainstem infarction and rapidly progressive brainstem infarction in patients with severe stenosis or occlusion of basilar artery.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for 501 patients who attended Zhengzhou University People's Hospital from January 2013 to Decem-ber 2022 and were diagnosed with first-episode brainstem infarction after severe stenosis or occlusion of basilar artery by HR-MRI.The core volume of brainstem infarction was manually calculated,and the distribution of brainstem infarct vol-ume was analyzed.According to brainstem infarct volume and the time from stroke attack to imaging,the patients were di-vided into slowly progressive brainstem infarction group(0-<1 ml,6-24 hours)and rapidly progressive brainstem infarc-tion group(>5 ml,0-<6 hours),and the two groups were compared in terms of risk factors and collateral circula-tion.Results The 501 patients with severe stenosis or occlusion of basilar artery had a mean age of 66.14±10.37 years,among whom 39.13%were male patients.According to predefined thresholds,29 patients(16.29%)with severe stenosis or occlusion of basilar artery in the time window of 0-<6 hours were diagnosed with rapidly progressive brainstem infarc-tion,and 56 patients(17.34%)in the time window of 6-24 hours were diagnosed with slowly progressive brainstem infarc-tion.There were no significant differences between the two groups in the risk factors such as age,sex,NIHSS score,hy-pertension,diabetes,hyperlipidemia,and history of atrial fibrillation,coronary artery disease,and smoking.The Pear-son correlation analysis showed that collateral circulation in patients with severe stenosis or occlusion of the basilar artery was negatively correlated with rapidly progressive brainstem infarction(r=-0.619,P<0.001).Conclusions After se-vere stenosis or occlusion of the basilar artery,patients with good collateral circulation often have slowly progressive brain-stem infarction,while patients with poor collateral circulation often have rapidly progressive brainstem infarction.

Objective To determine the role of cathepsin D(CTSD)in cardiovascular events after acute ST-segment elevation myocar-dial infarction(STEMI).Methods A total of 96 patients with STEMI admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of Second Hospital Affiliated to Shenyang Medical College from November 2022 to July 2023 were selected as the STEMI group.In addition,20 patients with normal coronary angiography hospitalized during the same period were selected as the control group.Coronary blood was collected from both groups,and the relative expression levels of CTSD in the arterial blood were detected and compared using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The STEMI group was divided into low,medium,and high CTSD groups based on CTSD expression,and major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)that occurred within 6 months following percutaneous coronary interven-tion(PCI)were monitored.Results Arterial blood CTSD expression(1.31[1.03-1.75])in the STEMI group was higher than that in the control group(1.02[0.67-1.48])(P＜0.05).Statistically significant differences in platelet count as well as troponin T,N-terminal pro-B natriuretic peptide,and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were observed among the three groups(P＜0.05).The incidence of MACE was significantly higher in the low CTSD group(65％)than in the high CTSD group(10％,P＜0.05).Receiver operating cha-racteristic(ROC)curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve for predicting MACE within 6 months after PCI in patients with STEMI was 0.765(95％CI:0.658-0.872,P＜0.001).Conclusion Whole blood CTSD expression level is abnormal in STEMI patient.CTSD may be an indicator for predicting the prognosis of STEMI and,therefore,a drug target for preventing and treating STEMI.

Objective To analyze the clinical and imaging features of hemichorea associated with non-ketotic hyperglycemia(HC-NH)and to explore the perfusion of cerebral blood flow in the patients.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 23 HC-NH patients diagnosed in Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2023.The clinical manifesta-tions,imaging features and prognosis were collected and analyzed,and the correlation with cere-bral blood flow hypoperfusion was investigated.Results The symptoms were all lateral involun-tary movements,of which 4 cases presented only single upper limb(1 case was left upper limb,the other 3 cases were right upper limb),and 19 cases had both upper and lower limbs involved(10 cases were left limb,and 9 cases were right limb).After the onset of the symptoms,the blood glucose level was 19.72±4.72 mmol/L,glycated hemoglobin level was(13.60±3.68)％,but all of patients were negative to urine ketone bodies.Hyperdense lesions in the contralateral basal ganglia region on CT images were observed in 6 cases.Strip or patchy hyperintensity was seen on T1-weighted MR images.All patients had ipsilateral stenosis of the vessels and regional hypoperfu-sion of cerebral blood flow as shown by MR perfusion-weighted imaging.All symptoms were re-lieved after actively controlling blood glucose,improving blood circulation,and symptomatic man-agement.Conclusion HC-NH is quite rare in clinical practice,and its occurrence may be related to cerebral blood flow hypoperfusion triggered by basal nucleus degeneration.

Objective:To establish a set of artificial intelligence (AI) verification rules for blood routine analysis.Methods:Blood routine analysis data of 18 474 hospitalized patients from the First Hospital of Jilin University during August 1st to 31st, 2019, were collected as training group for establishment of the AI verification rules,and the corresponding patient age, microscopic examination results, and clinical diagnosis information were collected. 92 laboratory parameters, including blood analysis report parameters, research parameters and alarm information, were used as candidate conditions for AI audit rules; manual verification combining microscopy was considered as standard, marked whether it was passed or blocked. Using decision tree algorithm, AI audit rules are initially established through high-intensity, multi-round and five-fold cross-validation and AI verification rules were optimized by setting important mandatory cases. The performance of AI verification rules was evaluated by comparing the false negative rate, precision rate, recall rate, F1 score, and pass rate with that of the current autoverification rules using Chi-square test. Another cohort of blood routine analysis data of 12 475 hospitalized patients in the First Hospital of Jilin University during November 1sr to 31st, 2023, were collected as validation group for validation of AI verification rules, which underwent simulated verification via the preliminary AI rules, thus performance of AI rules were analyzed by the above indicators. Results:AI verification rules consist of 15 rules and 17 parameters and do distinguish numeric and morphological abnormalities. Compared with auto-verification rules, the true positive rate, the false positive rate, the true negative rate, the false negative rate, the pass rate, the accuracy, the precision rate, the recall rate and F1 score of AI rules in training group were 22.7%, 1.6%, 74.5%, 1.3%, 75.7%, 97.2%, 93.5%, 94.7%, 94.1, respectively.All of them were better than auto-verification rules, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.001), and with no important case missed. In validation group, the true positive rate, the false positive rate, the true negative rate, the false negative rate, the pass rate, the accuracy, the precision rate, the recall rate and F1 score were 19.2%, 8.2%, 70.1%, 2.5%, 72.6%, 89.2%, 70.0%, 88.3%, 78.1, respectively, Compared with the auto-verification rules, The false negative rate was lower, the false positive rate and the recall rate were slightly higher, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.001). Conclusion:A set of the AI verification rules are established and verified by using decision tree algorithm of machine learning, which can identify, intercept and prompt abnormal results stably, and is moresimple, highly efficient and more accurate in the report of blood analysis test results compared with auto-vefication.

In recent years, with the change of natural and social factors, such as climate warming, urbanization, land reclamation, human population growth, change of life customs, and convenient transportation, the human infectious diseases transmitted by insect vectors, well known as insect-borne infectious diseases, has increased significantly, causing a serious threat to public health. This paper focuses on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, especially laboratory diagnosis of insect-borne infectious diseases, and emphasizes that medical institutions should pay attention to the rapid and accurate laboratory diagnosis of insect-borne infectious diseases. Metagenomic next generation sequencing has potential value in the diagnosis of insect-borne infectious diseases with unknown causes.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show unique advantages in the treatment of lung cancer, making the treatment of lung cancer enter the era of immunotherapy, but ICIs will also have adverse reactions, and the incidence of immune-induced hematological toxicity is not very high. Immunotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia is a rare adverse event.We report one case of thrombocytopenia induced by ICIs and review the literature on thrombocytopenia associated with ICIs and discuss the clinical features, possible mechanisms, and optimal treatment. 
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Humans ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/drug therapy* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Thrombocytopenia/chemically induced* ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/adverse effects*