BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of iron overload on the expression of programmed death-1 (PD-1) on the surface of T lymphocyte in mice, in order to analyze the mechanism of iron overload inhibiting T cell function. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to detect the labile iron pool (LIP), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression of PD-1 in peripheral blood T cells in mice with iron overload. RESULTS: The mean fluorescence intensity of calcein in T cells of mice in iron overload group was 2 492±311.1, which was significantly lower than 3 136±537.3 in the control group ( P <0.01), suggesting that increased LIP in iron overload group. Compared with the control group, the ratio of CD4/CD8 of peripheral blood T cells was normal or increased in iron overload group. The level of ROS in T cells was 2 452±393.3 in iron overload group, which was significantly increased compared to 1 874±121.8 in the control group ( P <0.001). The expression of PD-1 on the surface of T cells was significantly increased. The percentage of PD-1⁺ cells in CD8⁺T cells was (12.97±6.92)% and (6.18±2.95)% in iron overload group and control group, respectively ( P <0.05), and that in CD8^-T cells was (33.55±15.69)% and (12.51±4.11)% ( P <0.001). CONCLUSION The expression of PD-1 on peripheral blood T cells in mice with iron overload is significantly increased, which may be involved in inhibiting T cell effector function.
Animals ; Mice ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism* ; Iron Overload/metabolism* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Flow Cytometry ; Iron ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: High-altitude hypoxia exposure often damages hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. Nogo-A is an important axonal growth inhibitory factor. However, its function in high-altitude hypoxia and its mechanism of action remain unclear. METHODS: In an in vivo study, a low-pressure oxygen chamber was used to simulate high-altitude hypoxia, and genetic or pharmacological intervention was used to block the Nogo-A/NgR1 signaling pathway. Contextual fear conditioning and Morris water maze behavioral tests were used to assess learning and memory in rats, and synaptic damage in the hippocampus and changes in oxidative stress levels were observed. In vitro, SH-SY5Y cells were used to assess oxidative stress and mitochondrial function with or without Nogo-A knockdown in Oxygen Glucose-Deprivation/Reperfusion (OGD/R) models. RESULTS: Exposure to acute high-altitude hypoxia for 3 or 7 days impaired learning and memory in rats, triggered oxidative stress in the hippocampal tissue, and reduced the dendritic spine density of hippocampal neurons. Blocking the Nogo-A/NgR1 pathway ameliorated oxidative stress, synaptic damage, and the learning and memory impairment induced by high-altitude exposure. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate the detrimental role of Nogo-A protein in mediating learning and memory impairment under high-altitude hypoxia and suggest the potential of the Nogo-A/NgR1 signaling pathway as a crucial therapeutic target for alleviating learning and memory dysfunction induced by high-altitude exposure. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT available in www.besjournal.com.
Animals ; Oxidative Stress ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Rats ; Nogo Proteins/genetics* ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hypoxia/metabolism* ; Altitude ; Synapses ; Humans ; Altitude Sickness/metabolism*

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis(PM),and drug sensitivity of Streptococcus pneumoniae(SP)isolates in Chinese children.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical information,laboratory data,and microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children under 15 years old with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals across the country.Results Among the 160 children with PM,there were 103 males and 57 females.The age ranged from 15 days to 15 years,with 109 cases(68.1% )aged 3 months to under 3 years.SP strains were isolated from 95 cases(59.4% )in cerebrospinal fluid cultures and from 57 cases(35.6% )in blood cultures.The positive rates of SP detection by cerebrospinal fluid metagenomic next-generation sequencing and cerebrospinal fluid SP antigen testing were 40% (35/87)and 27% (21/78),respectively.Fifty-five cases(34.4% )had one or more risk factors for purulent meningitis,113 cases(70.6% )had one or more extra-cranial infectious foci,and 18 cases(11.3% )had underlying diseases.The most common clinical symptoms were fever(147 cases,91.9% ),followed by lethargy(98 cases,61.3% )and vomiting(61 cases,38.1% ).Sixty-nine cases(43.1% )experienced intracranial complications during hospitalization,with subdural effusion and/or empyema being the most common complication[43 cases(26.9% )],followed by hydrocephalus in 24 cases(15.0% ),brain abscess in 23 cases(14.4% ),and cerebral hemorrhage in 8 cases(5.0% ).Subdural effusion and/or empyema and hydrocephalus mainly occurred in children under 1 year old,with rates of 91% (39/43)and 83% (20/24),respectively.SP strains exhibited complete sensitivity to vancomycin(100% ,75/75),linezolid(100% ,56/56),and meropenem(100% ,6/6).High sensitivity rates were also observed for levofloxacin(81% ,22/27),moxifloxacin(82% ,14/17),rifampicin(96% ,25/26),and chloramphenicol(91% ,21/23).However,low sensitivity rates were found for penicillin(16% ,11/68)and clindamycin(6% ,1/17),and SP strains were completely resistant to erythromycin(100% ,31/31).The rates of discharge with cure and improvement were 22.5% (36/160)and 66.2% (106/160),respectively,while 18 cases(11.3% )had adverse outcomes.Conclusions Pediatric PM is more common in children aged 3 months to under 3 years.Intracranial complications are more frequently observed in children under 1 year old.Fever is the most common clinical manifestation of PM,and subdural effusion/emphysema and hydrocephalus are the most frequent complications.Non-culture detection methods for cerebrospinal fluid can improve pathogen detection rates.Adverse outcomes can be noted in more than 10% of PM cases.SP strains are high sensitivity to vancomycin,linezolid,meropenem,levofloxacin,moxifloxacin,rifampicin,and chloramphenicol.[Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics,2024,26(2):131-138]

Aim To investigate the impact of Cinobu-facini on the proliferation,invasion,and apoptosis of HepG2 cells and the underlying mechanism.Methods The proliferation of HepG2 cells was assessed using the CCK-8 method following treatment with Cinobufaci-ni.The invasion capability of HepG2 cells was evalua-ted through Transwell assay after exposure to Cinobufa-cini.The apoptosis rates of HepG2 cells post Cinobufa-cini intervention were measured using flow cytometry,and the expression levels of VEGF in the culture medi-um of HepG2 cells were determined using enzyme-linked immunoassay.Furthermore,qRT-PCR and Western blot analyses were conducted to assess the im-pact of Cinobufacini on mRNA and protein expression levels related to the CXCL5/FOXD1/VEGF pathway.The interaction between CXCL5 and FOXD1 was inves-tigated via co-immunoprecipitation.Results Cinobufa-cini treatment led to a gradual decrease in HepG2 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner compared to the control group(P＜0.05).Moreover,Cinobufacini sig-nificantly suppressed HepG2 cell invasion(P＜0.05)while enhancing cell apoptosis(P＜0.05).Notably,Cinobufacini exhibited inhibitory effects on the CX-CL5/FOXD1/VEGF pathway,as evidenced by re-duced expression of related mRNA and proteins(P＜0.05).FOXD1 was identified as the binding site of CXCL5.Overexpression of CXCL5 resulted in in-creased proliferation and VEGF secretion by HepG2 cells(P＜0.05),and increased expression of FOXD1 and VEGF(P＜0.05).However,Cinobufacini inter-vention effectively inhibited liver cancer cell prolifera-tion and invasion(P＜0.05),promoted apoptosis(P＜0.05),reduced VEGF secretion by HepG2 cells(P＜0.05),and downregulated the expression of CXCL5 and FOXD1 in HepG2 cells(P＜0.05);but com-pared with the unexpressed group of Cinobufacini,its ability to inhibit cell activity was weakened(P＜0.05),and its ability to inhibit the expression of CX-CL5,FOXD1,and VEGF was weakened(P＜0.05).Conclusion Cinobufacini may inhibit HepG2 cell pro-liferation and invasion and promote HepG2 cell apopto-sis by regulating the CXCL5/FOXD1/VEGF pathway.

As non-invasive drug delivery systems,transdermal patches can deliver drugs through the intact skin at a fixed dose and a adjustable rate in order to product a systemic or local therapeutic effect.Focused on the key quality attributes of transdermal patches,the article illustrated the testing methods and how to control key points.It also briefly described the testing methods and standards of some other characteristics referring to pharmacopoeia,current policies and regulations in various countries,which provided a reference for pharmaceutical industries and relevant departments to improve the quality control methods and standards.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

The core of theory of visceral manifestation of spleen is about'spleen in charge of transportation and transformation,spleen qi dispersing the essence'.Middle-jiao spleen-earth has the functions of digesting food and transporting food essence,and maintaining the homeostasis of glucose and lipid metabolism in the body.'Spleen in charge of transportation and transformation,spleen qi dispersing the essence'functions like the glucose and lipid metabolism at physiological state.The deficiency of spleen results in the dysfunction of food in-take and digestion and the susceptibility to external pathogens;qi deficiency and blood stasis lead to the interior damp-heat,and the long-term accumulation of damp-heat develops into stasis and then turns into toxins,which eventually induces inflammation-to-tumor transition.The pathogenesis of'spleen deficiency being the root cause and stasis blended with toxins'is correlated with the pathological changes of inflammation-to-tumor transition.The therapy of strengthening the spleen,dispersing essence and removing turbidity is effective on improving the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism,and the therapy of strengthening the spleen,resolving stasis and removing toxin is effective on restraining the process of inflammation-to-tumor transition in the stomach.It has become a new direction in the field of spleen-stomach research to expound the scientific connotation of the essence of spleen function of'spleen in charge of transportation and transformation,spleen qi dispersing the essence'from the perspective of glucose and lipid metabolism,to focus on the inflammation-to-tumor transition process of major diseases of digestive system,to explore the evolution of the traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of inflammatory diseases and precancerous lesions of the digestive tract,and to reveal the pharmacological mechanism of treatment from the perspective of spleen,which will enrich the scientific connotation of theory of visceral manifestation of spleen and promote the modernization and internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To establish an acute exposure model of extreme plateau hypobaric hypoxia environment and explore transcriptomic changes related to learning and memory impairment in rats.Methods Healthy male SD rats aged 6-weeks,200-250 g,were selected and divided into control group and plateau group.The control group was treated with normal pressure and oxygen(19 rats),and the plateau group was placed in a hypobaric hypoxia chamber(19 rats)at a simulated altitude of 8000 meters and treated for 72 hours.Behavioral changes were detected with 16 animals from each group using contextual fear conditioning and Morris water maze(8 rats each).Three hippocampal tissues were extracted from each group for transcriptomic sequencing,and the molecular mechanism of learning and memory impairment induced by extreme plateau environment was analyzed by Gene Ontology(GO),Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)enrichment.Results The behavioral result showed that compared with the control group,the fear memory and spatial learning memory abilities of rats in plateau group were decreased.GO and KEGG analyses showed that the extreme altitude environment reshaped the hippocampal microenvironment and affected the intercellular signal transmission,while GSEA analysis showed that the extreme altitude environment up-regulated the gene set related to the plasma membrane and extracellular matrix.Conclusion The extreme plateau environment at an altitude of 8000 meters could affect the microenvironment of rat hippocampus,destroy intercellular connections and impair intercellular communication and then induce learning and memory impairment.

Objective:To explore the use of near-infrared autofluorescence probe (NIRAF-P) and its application in identifying parathyroid glands during surgery.Methods:A total of 68 patients undergoing thyroid surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and Beijing Longfu Hospital between Dec. 2023 and Jun. 2024 were selected. During the operation, the near-infrared parathyroid gland detector was used to identify the parathyroid gland tissue to be tested, and histopathological examination was performed. The positive predictive value and accuracy of the near-infrared parathyroid gland detector were analyzed.Results:A total of 111 parathyroid glands were identified in 68 patients, and the positive predictive value and accuracy of the NIRAF-P were 95.5% and 94.6%, respectively.Conclusions:The NIRAF-P has high accuracy in identifying parathyroid glands. The standardized application of the NIRAF-P can help improve the efficiency of identifying parathyroid glands during surgery.