Objective To analyze trends in the disease burden of esophageal cancer attributable to high body mass index (BMI) in the Chinese and United States populations from 1990 to 2019 and predict deaths over the next 10 years. Methods This study used Global Burden of Disease 2019 data to obtain mortality and disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) data by year, gender, and age for the disease burden of esophageal cancer attributable to high BMI in China and the United States from 1990 to 2019. Joinpoint regression analysis was conducted to analyze long-term trends. Bayesian age–period–cohort analysis was used to predict age-standardized mortality attributable to esophageal cancer in 2020–2030. Results From 1990 to 2019, the age-standardized mortality rate for esophageal cancer attributable to high BMI in China increased from 1.44/10⁵ to 1.80/10⁵ and the age-standardized DALY rate increased from 34.17/10⁵ to 40.79/10⁵. From the perspective of gender, the number of deaths, DALYs, and the corresponding age-standardized rate of males in China and the United States increased from 1990 to 2019. The age-standardized mortality and DALY rates of Chinese women showed a downward trend, decreasing by 21.36/10⁵ and 29.71/10⁵, respectively. Joinpoint analysis results revealed that the average annual percentage changes (AAPCs) in mortality attributable to esophageal cancer in the total population and men in China from 1990 to 2019 increased by 0.78% (95%CI: 0.71-0.84) and 1.52% (95%CI: 1.44-1.60), respectively, and that in females decreased by 0.88% (95%CI: −0.96-−0.80). AAPC in women in the United States rose at a slow rate of 0.07% (95%CI: 0.02-0.09). The burden of esophageal cancer deaths attributable to high BMI is predicted to continue to rise in China and the United States in 2020–2030. Conclusion The disease burden of esophageal cancer attributable to high BMI significantly increased in China from 1990 to 2019. The disease burden of esophageal cancer caused by high BMI in China is expected to increase from 2020 to 2030.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard treatment for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) . However, TACE has some limitations, TACE combined with systemic therapy may be more beneficial to patients with BCLC stage B/C HCC. To explore the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with molecular targeted therapy, immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy + immunotherapy in the treatment of B/C stage HCC of BCLC will provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of HCC.

In recent decades, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have ushered in a new era in oncology treatment. Despite the remarkable efficacy of ICIs, there are still many patients who do not benefit from immunotherapy alone. Combination therapy is currently the main research direction in China and abroad. Metformin can enhance the number and function of T cells, affect macrophage polarization, promote natural killer cell activation and regulate immune checkpoint expression. A large number of preclinical and clinical studies are exploring the efficacy and safety of ICIs in combination with metformin in different tumors.

Head and neck tumors often have complex anatomical structures and are adjacent to important organs. Radiation injury caused by conventional radiotherapy technology is the main dose-limiting factor. Carbon ion beam has become the most ideal radiation to replace photon due to its excellent relative biological effect and Bragg peak. By 2019, 32 000 people worldwide have received carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT). Despite the efficient tumor killing ability of this technology, radiation injury cannot be avoided. This article reviews the types and incidence of moderate to severe radiation injury caused by CIRT in head and neck cancer to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks in CIRT.

Objective:To conduct comparative analysis of lung cancer incidence and mortality, as well as long-term trends in incidence and mortality rates and risk factors in China and the United States from 1990 to 2019 based on data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) .Methods:The GBD 2019 database was used to extract new lung cancer cases, deaths, and age-standardized rate data for the analysis of lung cancer incidence and deaths in China and the United States based on different sex and age groups from 1990 to 2019. Joinpoint software was used to calculate and analyze annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) of age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of lung cancer in China and the United States from 1990 to 2019, and to analyze the long-term trends. Risk factors associated with lung cancer mortality in China and the United States were analyzed using the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) .Results:New cases of lung cancer in China increased from 257 000 cases in 1990 to 832 900 cases in 2019, and ASIR increased from 30.20/100 000 in 1990 to 41.71/100 000 in 2019; deaths increased from 256 300 cases in 1990 to 757 200 cases in 2019, and ASMR increased from 31.18/100 000 in 1990 to 38.70/100 000 in 2019. ASIR and ASMR for lung cancer in the United States showed a decreasing trend from 1990 to 2019, with ASIR decreasing from 58.87/100 000 in 1990 to 45.13/100 000 in 2019, and ASMR decreasing from 49.35/100 000 in 1990 to 36.11/100 000 in 2019. In terms of gender, the disease burden of lung cancer in Chinese males was higher than that of females in 1990 and 2019, with new cases of lung cancer in males rising from 179 000 in 1990 to 576 200 in 2019, and ASIR rising from 44.29/100 000 in 1990 to 61.74/100 000 in 2019, mortality rising from 177 900 in 1990 to 523 200 in 2019, and ASMR rising from 46.33/100 000 in 1990 to 58.10/100 000 in 2019. The number of new cases of lung cancer in Chinese females rose from 78 100 in 1990 to 256 700 in 2019, and ASIR rose from 18.01/100 000 in 1990 to 24.76/100 000 in 2019; the number of deaths rose from 78 400 in 1990 to 234 000 in 2019, and ASMR rose from 18.63/100 000 in 1990 to 22.86/100 000 in 2019. In 2019, lung cancer incidence rates for males and females in China and the United States showed an increasing and then decreasing trend with age, with incidence rates of lung cancer in Chinese males and females peaking in the age group of 85-89 years old; and in the United States, incidence rates of lung cancer in males peaked in the age group of 85-89 years old, and incidence rates of females peaked in the age group of 80-84 years old. In 2019, it was shown that mortality rate of lung cancer among males in China increased and then decreased with age, reaching a peak in the age group of 85-89 years old, and mortality rate of lung cancer among females increased with age, reaching a peak in the age group of ≥95 years old. In the United States, lung cancer mortality rate for males and females showed an increasing and then decreasing trend with age, peaking in the 85-89 and 80-84 age groups, respectively. Incidence and mortality rates were higher for males than females in all age groups in China and the United States in 1990 and 2019. The analysis results of Joinpoint software showed that ASIR and ASMR of lung cancer in China showed an overall increasing trend from 1990 to 2019, with an AAPC of 1.16% (95% CI: 0.93%-1.38%, P<0.001) for ASIR and 0.78% (95% CI: 0.56%-1.01%, P<0.001) for ASMR, with the most obviously increasing trend in ASIR and ASMR from 1997 to 2004, the APC were 2.84% and 2.58%, respectively. Lung cancer ASIR and ASMR in the United States population showed a decreasing trend, with an AAPC of -1.08% (95% CI: -1.20%-0.96%, P<0.001) for ASIR and -1.05% (95% CI: -1.24%--0.87%, P<0.001) for ASMR. In 1990 and 2019, the major mortality-related risk factor for lung cancer in China and the United States was smoking, and the major mortality-related risk factor for lung cancer in Chinese females was environmental particulate matter pollution. Conclusion:ASIR and ASMR of lung cancer in China show an increasing trend from 1990 to 2019, and ASIR and ASMR of lung cancer in the United States show a decreasing trend. In 2019, incidence rate of lung cancer in males and females in China show an increasing and then decreasing trend with age, mortality rate of lung cancer for males show an increasing and then decreasing trend with age, and mortality rate of lung cancer for females show an increasing trend with age. Lung cancer incidence and mortality rates for males and females in the United States in 2019 show an increasing and then decreasing trend with age. In both 1990 and 2019, incidence rates and mortality rates are higher for males than for females in all age groups in both China and the United States. Smoking is the major mortality-related risk factor for lung cancer in China and the United States, and environmental particulate matter pollution is the major mortality-related risk factor for lung cancer in Chinese females.

Objective To investigate the interference of thyroglobulin antibodies ( TgAb ) on the measurement of thyroglobulin ( Tg) by 2 chemiluminescence immunoassays ( CLIAs) .Methods Data of 199 315 individuals with determined TgAb and Tg , including physical checkup subjects , differentiated thyroid carcinoma ( DTC) patients and patients with other diseases , were retrospectively collected in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from November 2012 to April 2015.The correlation between serum Tg level and serum TgAb concentration was analyzed and the positive rate of TgAb in physical checkup subjects was calculated.Furthermore, 290 serum samples with different TgAb concentration were applied in the recovery test by adding in confirmed serum Tg .The correlation between the recovery of confirmed serum Tg and TgAb concentrations was evaluated using Pearson correlation analysis .Results The serum Tg was all decreased with the elevated TgAb concentration in each group of subjects .The positive rate of TgAb was 10.84%(8 416/77 634) in physical checkup subjects .It was higher in females than in males and was increased with age.Recovery test showed that the average recoveries of confirmed serum Tg in TgAb-negative serum were 107.28%(86.30%-117.60%) and 107.94% (85.60%-124.10%) respectively in Roche and Beckman systems.But in TgAb-positive serum samples , the average recoveries in Roche and Beckman systems were 88.59% (35.85% -141.53%) and 95.77% (36.48% -131.78%) respectively, and 12.63%(24/190) and 13.68%(26/190) samples displayed a recovery less than 80%.The recovery rate of confirmed serum Tg showed a significantly negative correlation with elevated TgAb concentration , with r=-0.239 (P=0.001) in Roche and r=-0.251 (P<0.001) in Beckman.Conclusions TgAb-positive serum, especially with high concentration of TgAb , significantly interfered the measurement of Tg .Thus, serum TgAb should be determined together with serum Tg to explore whether there was an interference .To avoid misdiagnosis and inappropriate therapy , clinician should be informed once serum TgAb displayed positive.

Objective:To investigate the real-world efficacy of osimertinib and icotinib in metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 151 newly-diagnosed patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -positive advanced NSCLC in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from March 2018 to May 2022. The patients were divided into osimertinib group ( n=53) and icotinib group ( n=98) according to treatment method. The objective response rate (ORR) , disease control rate (DCR) , progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two groups. The factors influencing prognosis were analyzed by using Cox regression models. Subgroup analysis was performed according to metastatic site and EGFR mutation type. Results:ORR was 56.6% (30/53) and 59.2% (58/98) for patients in the osimertinib group and icotinib group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.09, P=0.759) . DCR was 83.0% (44/53) and 91.8% (90/98) for patients in the osimertinib group and icotinib group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=2.68, P=0.102) . The median PFS was 11.7 months and 11.8 months for patients in the osimertinib group and icotinib group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.06, P=0.802) . The median OS was not reached for patients in both the osimertinib group and icotinib group, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2<0.01, P=0.969) . The results of multivariate analysis showed that adrenal metastases ( HR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.04-3.41, P=0.036) was an independent prognostic factor for PFS. Gender ( HR=2.22, 95% CI: 1.08-4.58, P=0.031) and adrenal metastases ( HR=4.87, 95% CI: 1.76-13.46, P=0.002) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The results of the subgroup analysis showed that in patients with pleural metastases (median PFS: 11.7 months vs. 9.3 months, median OS: not reached vs. not reached) , adrenal metastases (median PFS: 8.7 months vs. 5.6 months, median OS: 20.0 months vs. 15.3 months) , 19DEL mutations (median PFS: 14.5 months vs. 13.3 months, median OS: not reached vs. 40.7 months) , the osimertinib group tended to have better survival outcomes. Conversely, in patients with contralateral lung metastases (median PFS: 8.3 months vs. 11.2 months, median OS: not reached vs. 40.7 months) , bone metastases (median PFS: 11.7 months vs. 11.8 months, median OS: not reached vs. 34.5 months) , liver metastases (median PFS: 8.7 months vs. 9.1 months, median OS: not reached vs. 23.8 months) , brain metastases (median PFS: 11.7 months vs. 15.3 months, median OS: 22.4 months vs. 35.3 months) and 21L858R mutations (median PFS: 9.5 months vs. 10.0 months, median OS: 22.4 months vs. not reached) , the icotinib group tended to have better survival outcomes, but with no statistically significant differences (all P>0.05) . Conclusion:Both osimertinib and icotinib have good therapeutic efficacy in patients with EGFR-positive advanced NSCLC, thus can be used as first-line treatment options.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide and macrophage polarization plays an important role in its pathogenesis. However, which molecule regulates macrophage polarization in NAFLD remains unclear. Herein, we showed NAFLD mice exhibited increased 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 7 (17β-HSD7) expression in hepatic macrophages concomitantly with elevated M1 polarization. Single-cell RNA sequencing on hepatic non-parenchymal cells isolated from wild-type littermates and macrophage-17β-HSD7 knockout mice fed with high fat diet (HFD) for 6 weeks revealed that lipid metabolism pathways were notably changed. Furthermore, 17β-HSD7 deficiency in macrophages attenuated HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance and liver injury. Mechanistically, 17β-HSD7 triggered NLRP3 inflammasome activation by increasing free cholesterol content, thereby promoting M1 polarization of macrophages and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, to help demonstrate that 17β-HSD7 is a potential drug target for NAFLD, fenretinide was screened out from an FDA-approved drug library based on its 17β-HSD7 dehydrogenase inhibitory activity. Fenretinide dose-dependently abrogated macrophage polarization and pro-inflammatory cytokines production, and subsequently inhibited fat deposition in hepatocytes co-cultured with macrophages. In conclusion, our findings suggest that blockade of 17β-HSD7 signaling by fenretinide would be a drug repurposing strategy for NAFLD treatment.