The prevalence of Class III malocclusion varies among different countries and regions. The populations from Southeast Asian countries (Chinese and Malaysian) showed the highest prevalence rate of 15.8%, which can seriously affect oral function, facial appearance, and mental health. As anterior crossbite tends to worsen with growth, early orthodontic treatment can harness growth potential to normalize maxillofacial development or reduce skeletal malformation severity, thereby reducing the difficulty and shortening the treatment cycle of later-stage treatment. This is beneficial for the physical and mental growth of children. Therefore, early orthodontic treatment for Class III malocclusion is particularly important. Determining the optimal timing for early orthodontic treatment requires a comprehensive assessment of clinical manifestations, dental age, and skeletal age, and can lead to better results with less effort. Currently, standardized treatment guidelines for early orthodontic treatment of Class III malocclusion are lacking. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the etiology, clinical manifestations, classification, and early orthodontic techniques for Class III malocclusion, along with systematic discussions on selecting early treatment plans. The purpose of this expert consensus is to standardize clinical practices and improve the treatment outcomes of Class III malocclusion through early orthodontic treatment.
Humans ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III/classification* ; Orthodontics, Corrective/methods* ; Consensus ; Child

Objective Studies on the relationship between iodine,vitamin A(VA),and vitamin D(VD)and thyroid function are limited.This study aimed to analyze iodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)status and their possible relationships with VA,VD,and other factors in postpartum women. Methods A total of 1,311 mothers(896 lactating and 415 non-lactating)from Hebei,Zhejiang,and Guangxi provinces were included in this study.The urinary iodine concentration(UIC),TSH,VA,and VD were measured. Results The median UIC of total and lactating participants were 142.00 μg/L and 139.95 μg/L,respectively.The median TSH,VA,and VD levels in all the participants were 1.89 mIU/L,0.44 μg/mL,and 24.04 ng/mL,respectively.No differences in the UIC were found between lactating and non-lactating mothers.UIC and TSH levels were significantly different among the three provinces.The rural UIC was higher than the urban UIC.Obese mothers had a higher UIC and a higher prevalence of excessive TSH.Higher UICs and TSHs levels were observed in both the VD deficiency and insufficiency groups than in the VD-sufficient group.After adjustment,no linear correlation was observed between UIC and VA/VD.No interaction was found between vitamins A/D and UIC on TSH levels. Conclusion The mothers in the present study had no iodine deficiency.Region,area type,BMI,and VD may be related to the iodine status or TSH levels.

Objective To investigate the correlation analysis of serum autotaxin(ATX),tenascin-C(TN-C)and ventricular remodeling indexes in elderly patients with dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM)with heart fail-ure(HF)and their effects on prognosis.Methods 153 elderly patients with DCM with HF who were admit-ted to the 904th Hospital of the Joint Logistic Support Force from January 2020 to January 2022 were selected as DCM with HF group,and 100 elderly patients with simple DCM in the same hospital during the same peri-od were selected as DCM group and 100 healthy elderly individuals who underwent physical examination were selectedas control group.Serum ATX and TN-C levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and ventricular remodeling indexes[left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),left ventricular end-sys-tolic diameter(LVESD),and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)]were detected by echocardiography.The correlation between serum ATX,TN-C levels and ventricular remodeling indexes in elderly patients with DCM with HF were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis.Elderly patients with DCM with HF were fol-lowed up for 1 year,patients were divided into poor prognosis group and good prognosis group according to the prognosis.The influencing factors of poor prognosis in elderly patients with DCM with HF were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis,the predictive value of serum ATX and TN-C levels for poor prognosis in elderly patients with DCM with HF was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The serum levels of ATX and TN-C in DCM combined HF group were higher than those in DCM group and control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Serum ATX and TN-C levels in DCM group were higher than those in control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).LVEDD and LVESD in DCM with HF group were higher than those in DCM group and control group,and LVEF was lower than those in DCM group and control group,the difference was statis-tically significant(P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum ATX and TNC levels in elderly patients with DCM with HF were positively correlated with LVEDD and LVESD,and negatively correlated with LVEF(P＜0.05).Univariate analysis showed that HF disease course,NYHA cardiac function grade,NT-proBNP,ATX and TN-C were the influential factors for poor prognosis in elderly patients with DCM with HF(P＜0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the independent risk factors for poor prognosis in elderly patients with DCM with HF were NYHA cardiac function grade≥Ⅲ and the increase of NT-proBNP,ATX and TN-C(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve and 95％CI of serum ATX and TNC alone and combined for poor prognosis in elderly patients with DCM with HF were 0.743(0.576-0.911),0.721(0.551-0.911)and 0.808(0.690-0.912),respectively.Conclusion The elevated levels of serum ATX and TN-C in elderly patients with DCM with HF may be relat-ed to ventricular remodeling and poor prognosis,and have certain predictive value for the prognosis of elderly patients with DCM with HF.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of whole-brain low-dose radiotherapy(LDRT)combined with PD-1 inhibitor sin-tilimab and intrathecal pemetrexed(IP)for the treatment of refractory non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)with leptomeningeal metastases(LM).Methods:Retrospective analysies were was performed on eight NSCLC patients with LM at the West China Hospital of Sichuan Uni-versity from December 2022 to May 2024.Among the eight patients,there were four were males and four were females,with a median age of 49 years(rangeing,between 34 to 58 years).All patients were treated with whole-brain LDRT combined with immune checkpoint inhibit-or(ICI)and intrathecal chemotherapy regimens,and the therapeutic efficacy was evaluated according to the Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology(RANO)criteria and the Karnofsky physical status(KPS)score.Adverse reactions were assessed according to the Common Criteria for the Evaluation of Adverse Events(CTCAE version 5.0).Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method.The classification proportion of cerebrospinal fluid subsets before and after treatment was analyzed using by single-cell sequencing,and the differential ana-lysis of gene expression in parallel cells was performed.Results:The best clinical treatment effects in eight patients were were evaluated us-ing the RANO criteria:five patients(62.5%)were evaluated as improved and three(37.5%)as stable.The median KPS score of the eight pa-tients was 30(20-50)before treatment,which was significantly improved to 60(40-90)after treatment(P=0.000 9).The remission rate of neurological symptoms was 100%(8/8)in eight patients.The median neurological progression-free survival(NPFS)was 12 months.The res-ults of single-cell sequencing in CSF of patientss(P1)showed that the proportion of T cells in the patient samples after whole-brain LDRT treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment(6.08%vs.68.87%),and the proportion of tumor cells was significantly lower(12.92%vs.0.6%).The differential analysis of gene expression showed that CCL5 and CXCL13 were significantly upregulated in T cells of CSF after WB-LDRT treatment.Conclusions:The combination of whole-brain LDRT with ICI and IP in the treatment of NSCLC with LM can signific-antly alleviate neurological symptoms,improve quality of life and prolong the NPFS of patients,which is a safe and effective treatment.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignant tumor often leading to liver metastasis and mortality. Despite some success with PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, the response rate for colon cancer patients remains relatively low. This is closely related to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment mediated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Our previous work identified that a phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) allosteric inhibitor, HKB99, exerts a range of anti-tumor activities in lung cancer. Here, we found that upregulation of PGAM1 correlates with increased levels of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in human colon cancer samples, particularly in liver metastatic tissues. HKB99 suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in cell culture and syngeneic tumor models. M2-polarization, induced by colon cancer cell co-culture, was reversed by HKB99. Conversely, the increased migration of colon cancer cells by M2-TAMs was remarkably restrained by HKB99. Notably, a decrease in TAM infiltration was required for the HKB99-mediated anti-tumor effect, along with an increase in CD8⁺ T cell infiltration. Moreover, HKB99 improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment in syngeneic tumors. Overall, this study highlights HKB99's inhibitory activity in TAM-mediated colon cancer progression. Targeting PGAM1 could lead to novel therapeutic strategies and enhance the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies for colon cancer.

Humans ; Melphalan/therapeutic use* ; Multiple Myeloma/therapy* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Transplantation Conditioning

Cinnabaris(α-HgS) is a mineral traditional Chinese material medica, as a tranquilizer and sedative, which is widely used in combination with herbs for the treatment of children high fever and convulsion.However, a large amount of mercury in Cinnabaris poses a potential risk to the immature central nervous system of children and probably causes severe memory disorders.Inthisstudy,three groups of juvenile rats were given low, medium, and high doses of Cinnabaris by oral gavage once a day for 14 continuous weeks, respectively.The blood mercury concentrations of the rats at different growth phases were monitored by atomic fluorescence spectrometry.The brain structural and functional changes related to the memory functions were investigated through HE staining and Morris water-maze test. Correlation analysis was conducted to clarify the dose- mercury exposure-toxic effect relationship of Cinnabaris and memory disorders.It was found thatthe blood mercury levels increased in both time- and dose-dependent manner.After the 14-week continuous administration of Cinnabaris, the pathological lesions in hippocampal neurons of rats in the high dose group were observed including pyknosis and disordered cell arrangement.In the Morris water-maze test, compared with the control group, rats in the high dose group exhibited the significantly prolonged latency to find the platform and the target quadrant, and the time spent in the target quadrant was obviously shortened. Thus, the significant correlations were established between Cinnabaris dose and mercury exposure,mercury exposure and memory disorders, respectively. In conclusion, the long-term and overdose administration of Cinnabaris in juvenile rats can increase the in-vivo mercury level, destroy the normal hippocampal morphological structure, and lead to memory disorders. This study provided scientific references for the potential mercury poisoning risks pharmacovigilance of Cinnabaris-containing paediatric formulations.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are promising in regenerative medicine. However, the pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) may form clumps of cancerous tissue, which is a major safety concern in PSCs therapies. Rapamycin is a safe and widely used immunosuppressive pharmaceutical that acts through heterodimerization of the FKBP12 and FRB fragment. Here, we aimed to insert a rapamycin inducible caspase 9 (riC9) gene in a safe harbor AAVS1 site to safeguard hiPSCs therapy by drug induced homodimerization. The donor vector containing an EF1α promoter, a FRB-FKBP-Caspase 9 (CARD domain) fusion protein and a puromycin resistant gene was constructed and co-transfected with sgRNA/Cas9 vector into hiPSCs. After one to two weeks screening with puromycin, single clones were collected for genotype and phenotype analysis. Finally, rapamycin was used to induce the homodimerization of caspase 9 to activate the apoptosis of the engineered cells. After transfection of hiPSCs followed by puromycin screening, five cell clones were collected. Genome amplification and sequencing showed that the donor DNA has been precisely knocked out at the endogenous AAVS1 site. The engineered hiPSCs showed normal pluripotency and proliferative capacity. Rapamycin induced caspase 9 activation, which led to the apoptosis of all engineered hiPSCs and its differentiated cells with different sensitivity to drugs. In conclusion, we generated a rapamycin-controllable hiPSCs survival by homodimerization of caspase 9 to turn on cell apoptosis. It provides a new strategy to guarantee the safety of the hiPSCs therapy.
Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Sirolimus/metabolism* ; Caspase 9/metabolism* ; RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Pluripotent Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Puromycin/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of moxibustion on the stem cell factor (SCF)/tyrosine kinase receptor (c-kit) signaling pathway and immune function in rats with diarrhea irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), and to explore the mechanism of moxibustion for IBS-D. METHODS: Among 52 young rats born from 6 healthy pregnant SPF rats, 12 rats were randomly selected into the normal group, and the remaining 40 rats were treated with the three-factor combination method of maternal separation, acetic acid enema and chronic restraint stress to establish the IBS-D rat model. Thirty-six rats with successful IBS-D model were randomly divided into a model group, a moxibustion group, and a medication group, 12 rats in each group. The rats in the moxibustion group were treated with suspension moxibustion at "Tianshu" (ST 25) and "Shangjuxu" (ST 37); the rats in the medication group were treated with intragastric administration of rifaximin suspension (150 mg/kg). All the treatments were given once a day for 7 consecutive days. The body mass, loose stool rate (LSR), the minimum volume threshold when abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scored 3 were measured before acetic acid enema (35 days old), after modeling (45 days old), and after intervention (53 days old). After intervention (53 days old), HE staining was used to observe the morphology of colon tissue, and spleen and thymus coefficients were measured; ELISA method was used to detect serum inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor a [TNF-a], interleukin [IL]-10, IL-8), T-lymphocyte subsets (CD⁺₄, CD⁺₈, CD⁺₄₅), value of CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈ and immune globulin (IgA, IgG, IgM); real-time PCR method and Western blot method was used to detect the expression of SCF, c-kit mRNA and protein in colon tissue; immunofluorescence staining method were used to detect positive expression of SCF and c-kit. RESULTS: After intervention, compared with the normal group, in the model group, the body mass and the minimum volume threshold when AWR scored 3 were decreased (P<0.01), LSR, spleen and thymus coefficients, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-8, CD⁺₄, CD⁺₄₅, CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈, IgA, IgG, IgM were increased (P<0.01), serum IL-10 level and protein and mRNA expression of SCF and c-kit in colon tissue were decreased (P<0.01), and the positive expression of SCF and c-kit was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the moxibustion group and the medication group, the body mass and the minimum volume threshold when AWR scored 3 were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), LSR, spleen and thymus coefficients, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-8, CD⁺₄, CD⁺₈, CD⁺₄₅, CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈, IgA, IgG, IgM were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), serum IL-10 level and protein and mRNA expression of SCF and c-kit in colon tissue were increased (P<0.01), and the positive expression of SCF and c-kit was increased (P<0.01). Compared with the medication group, in the moxibustion group, the level of serum CD⁺₄ was decreased (P<0.05), the value of CD⁺₄/CD⁺₈ was increased (P<0.01), and there was no significant difference in other indexes (P>0.05). The expression of SCF and c-kit mRNA was positively correlated with the minimum volume threshold when AWR scored 3 and IL-10 (P<0.01), and negatively correlated with remaining indexes (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION Moxibustion could reduce visceral hypersensitivity, improve symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea in IBS-D rats, and its mechanism may be related to up-regulation of the expression of SCF/c-kit signaling pathway and improvement of IBS-D immune function.
Rats ; Animals ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/therapy* ; Moxibustion/methods* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-8 ; Maternal Deprivation ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Diarrhea ; Signal Transduction ; Homeostasis ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Immunity ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin M

OBJECTIVE Corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. The variant of corona-virus first identified in India, known as Delta, has become the dominant strain in China. Unfortunately, more conta-gious and unknown variants are coming, leading to a number of close contacts under quarantine. Chinese medicine (TCM) has been recommended to prevention and treatment due to the satisfactory therapeutic effects. However, the effect of TCM to decrease positive rate in close contacts remains unknown. METHODS We conducted an retrospective cohort study in Yangzhou, China to assess the effect of Chinese medicine on decreasing positive rate in close contacts under quarantine. The primary observation outcome was positive rate of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs). The secondary observation outcome was a composite of viral load of positive NAATs, severity levels of confirmed cases (asymptomatic, mild, moderate, or severe), daily body temperature, and levels of close contact (primary or secondary). RESULTS A total of 1286 subjects were collected, of which 1016 (79.00％) in TCM group and 270 (21.00％) in control group with 55 participants tested positive. The incidence of the primary outcome, positive rate of NAATs was significantly lower in the Chinese medicine group than in the control group, occurring in male and age≥60 years subjects. Multi-varia-ble logistic regression (excluding NO viral load) indicated that the risk of testing positive was reduced by 0.547 times in TCM groupcompared to control group. CT value of TCM group was higher than that of control group in all subjects and female subjects, and the re-sult showed statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS In our study involving close contacts under quarantine, Chinese medicine resulted in lower positive rate of NAATs and viral load than control.