Metastatic dissemination is the major cause of death from breast-cancer (BC). Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.n) is widely enriched in BC and has recently been identified as one of the high-risk factors for promoting BC metastasis. Here, with an experimental model, we demonstrated that intratumoral F.n induced BC aggressiveness by transcriptionally activating Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated genes. Therefore, the F.n may be a potential target to prevent metastasis. Given the fact that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in BC and located near blood vessels, we report an optogenetic system that drives CAF to in situ produce human antibacterial peptide LL37, with the characteristics of biosafety and freely intercellular trafficking, for depleting intratumoral F.n, leading to a 72.1% reduction in lung metastatic nodules number without affecting the balance of the systemic flora. Notably, mild photothermal treatment was found that could normalize CAF, contributing to synergistically inhibiting BC metastasis. In addition, the system can also simultaneously encode a gene of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand to suppress the primary tumor. Together, our study highlights the potential of local elimination of tumor pathogenic bacteria to prevent BC metastasis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of HBV infection on pre- and postpartum health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in pregnant women. METHODS: A prospective matched cohort consisting of 70 HBV-infected and 70 healthy pregnant women was recruited from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between April 17 and September 25, 2023. HRQoL of the participants was assessed at 16-24 weeks of gestation, between 32 weeks and delivery, and 5-13 weeks postpartum. Mixed linear models were used for evaluating temporal trends of HRQoL changes, and univariate ANOVA with multiple linear regression was used to identify the predictors of HRQoL. RESULTS: Compared with healthy pregnant women, HBV-infected pregnant women had consistently lower total HRQoL scores across all the 3 intervals, with the lowest scores observed between 32 weeks of gestation and delivery, during which these women had significantly reduced mental component scores (74.27±13.43 vs 80.21±12.9, P=0.009) and postpartum mental (76.52±16.19 vs 85.02±6.51, P<0.001) and physical component scale scores (77.17±14.71 vs 83.09±10.1, P=0.009). HBV infection was identified as an independent risk factor affecting HRQoL during late pregnancy and postpartum periods. Additional independent risk factors for postpartum HRQoL reduction included self-pay medical expenses, spouse's neutral attitude toward the current pregnancy, and preexisting comorbidities (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS HRQoL of pregnant women deteriorates progressively in late pregnancy, and HBV infection exacerbates reductions of physical function and role emotion in late pregnancy and after delivery, suggesting the importance of targeted interventions for financial burdens, partner support and comorbid conditions to improve HRQoL of pregnant women with HBV infection.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Quality of Life ; Prospective Studies ; Postpartum Period ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/psychology* ; Adult ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious

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Protein polypeptides are a class of bioactive substances that play a crucial role in maintaining the stability of various functions of the organism.Rapid and accurate detection of their levels could help in the diagnosis of diseases,the monitoring of drug therapy and the research and development of medicines,which is of great significance in the fields of clinical medicine,biology and pharmacy.Conventional protein polypeptides detection methods,such as Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,still have problems like low sensitivity or difficulty in determining more than 1 analyte simultaneously.Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)has the advantages of specificity,sensitivity and high throughput.However,low ionization efficiency of macromolecules and strong biological matrix effects limit the feasibility of direct detection of protein polypeptides by LC-MS,which has led to the development of signal conversion and amplification strategies based on LC-MS technology.In this review,we summarized the research progress of sample pretreatment methods and signal conversion and amplification strategies for quantification of protein polypeptides in vivo based on LC-MS in recent years,providing a reference for developing specific high-sensitivity detection methods for low-abundance protein polypeptides in complex samples based on LC-MS technology.

OBJECTIVE To set up normal ranges for indexes in embryo-fetal development toxicity studies in Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats and to establish a background database to provide reference for the embryo-fetal development toxicity evaluation of drugs.METHODS The data on embryonic develop-ment and fetal growth from embryo-fetal development toxicity studies(11 items)conducted by our center between 2013 and 2022 was statistically analyzed,involving 205 pregnant rats and 3037 fetuses in total,with the mean and standard deviation,coefficient of variation and 95%confidence interval calculated.The indexes included body mass,body mass gain and food consumption during pregnancy,pregnancy outcomes(pregnancy rate,average corpora lutea,average Implant sites,average live conceptuses,live conceptuse rate,resorption rate and dead conceptuse rate),fetal growth and development(fetal mass,placental mass and sex ratio),appearance abnormality rate,visceral abnormality rate,and skeletal abnormality rate.RESULTS The mass of pregnant rats trended up during gestation,with significant increases in the late period.Food consumption increased along with gestation.Caesarean section was conducted on gestation day 20,and the pregnancy rate was 93.2%.The average corpora lutea,Implant sites and live conceptuses were 18.0±3.2,15.9±2.8 and 14.8±3.0,respectively.The live conceptuse rate was 93.4%while the total dead embryo rate was 6.6%.The average mass of fetuses and placenta were respectively 3.6±0.3 and(0.6±0.3)g,and the fetal sex ratio(male/female)was 0.94.The incidence of fetal appearance abnormalities was about 0.2%,and that of soft tissue abnormalities was approximately 0.8%.The rate of skeletal abnormalities was about 1.2%,with higher incidence of non-ossification and incomplete ossification mostly identified on sternum and hyoid bone.The numbers of ossifications of metacarpal bones,metatarsal bones and sacrococcygeal vertebrae were 7.0±0.7,8.0±0.1 and 7.4±0.5,respectively.The rate of ossification of sternumⅠtoⅣwas higher,with an average of about 98.6%-99.9%.The ossification rates of sternum Ⅴ and Ⅵ were(68.0±28.4)%and(82.8±23.9)%.CONCLUSION The background database of indexes in the embryo-fetal development toxicity study on SD rats is established for our GLP laboratory,which provides reference for reproductive toxicity studies.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of auricular needle-embedding therapy for treating primary insomnia. Methods:A total of 63 patients were randomly divided into a conventional acupuncture group and an auricular needle-embedding group.The conventional acupuncture group received acupuncture at meridian points,while the auricular needle-embedding group received acupuncture at auricular points.Treatments were given once a day for 6 consecutive days,followed by a 1-day break,as a course of treatment.Both groups were treated for 2 courses.Before treatment,and after 1 course and 2 courses of treatment,the Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI)score was assessed,and the efficacy was evaluated. Results:The cured and markedly effective rate and total effective rate of the auricular needle-embedding group were higher than those of the conventional acupuncture group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05).After 1 course of treatment,the PSQI global score and the scores of subjective sleep quality,sleep latency,sleep duration,habitual sleep efficiency,and daytime dysfunction of both groups decreased compared with those before treatment(P<0.01);there was no statistical significance in comparing the PSQI global score and individual component scores between the two groups(P>0.05).After 2 courses of treatment,the PSQI global score and the scores of sleep latency and habitual sleep efficiency of the auricular needle-embedding group decreased compared with those after 1 course of treatment(P<0.01 or P<0.05),while only the score of sleep latency of the conventional acupuncture group decreased compared with that after 1 course of treatment(P<0.05);the PSQI global score and the scores of subjective sleep quality and sleep latency of the auricular needle-embedding group were lower than those of the conventional acupuncture group(P<0.05). Conclusion:Both therapies can improve insomnia.Compared to conventional acupuncture,auricular needle-embedding therapy demonstrates a therapeutic advantage in improving sleep latency and sleep quality,making it worthy of clinical promotion.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of the Modified Tongmai Anshen Formula （通脉安神方加减， MTAF） in the treatment of stable angina pectoris （SAP） with sleep disorders. MethodsA total of 148 patients suffering from SAP with sleep disorder were included and randomly divided into control group and treatment group， with 74 patients in each group. The control group received conventional western medicine， and the treatment group additionally received MTAF （1 dose per day）， both for 4 weeks. The changes in angina pectoris symptoms， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， sleep quality， quality of life， serological indicators including serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1） and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1）， brain-derived nerve growth factor （BDNF） and tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） were compared between groups before and after treatment， and the safety was evaluated. ResultsIn the treatment group and the control group， the total effective rates of TCM syndromes（82.43% vs 52.70%）， angina pectoris （79.73% vs 64.86%） and sleep （89.19% vs 68.92%） showing significant difference （P＜0.001）. After treatment， the total TCM syndrome score， primary symptom score， secondary symptom score， and secondary symptoms sleeplessness， restlessness， tiredness and fatigue individual score， angina pectoris score， PSQI total score and each item score were all significantly reduced in both groups， while the SF-36 single item score significantly increased （P＜0.05）. The total TCM syndromes and primary symptom scores， secon-dary symptoms sleeplessness， restlessness， tiredness and fatigue individual score， angina pectoris score， time to fall asleep， sleep quality， hypnotic medication， sleep disturbance， daytime dysfunction score and PSQI total score were significantly lower in the treatment group than those in the control group after treatment （P＜0.05）， while the somatic pain， general health status， social functioning， emotional functioning， mental health， and health change were significantly higher in the treatment group （P＜0.05）. After treatment， ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 level significantly decreased （P＜0.05）， and BDNF and TrkB levels increased （P＜0.05） in the treatment group， while BDNF level significantly decreased in the control group （P＜0.05）. The TrkB level was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the control group after treatment （P＜0.05）. A total of four adverse events occurred during the treatment， none of which were considered to be related to this study. ConclusionMTAF can significantly improve angina pectoris symptoms， TCM syndromes， sleep quality and quality of life in patients suffering from SAP with sleep disorders， the mechanism of which may be related to the protection of vascular endothelial function and central neurons.

Objective:To explore the effect of miR-1249-5p on the proliferation, metastasis and cell cycle of PC-3 cell in prostate cancer.Methods:The relationship between the expression level of miR-1249-5p and the overall survival of prostate cancer patients was analyzed using OncoMir Cancer Database (OMCD). The human prostate cancer cell line PC-3 was divided into two groups: miR-1249-5p group and negative control group. Mediated by Lipofectamine 2000, miR-1249-5p mimics liposome complex or negative miRNA liposome complex were transfected into PC-3 cell at logarithmic growth stage. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-1249-5p in PC-3 cell of two groups. Colony formation assay was used to detect the changes of the proliferation ability of PC-3 cell in the two groups. Transwell experiment was used to detect the changes of PC-3 cell invasion in the two groups, and the cell cycle changes of the two groups of PC-3 were detected by flow cytometry. The miRNA prediction software miRGator was used to predict the target gene of miR-1249-5p. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the target gene expression of miR-1249-5p. Measurement data were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( ± s), and t-test was used for comparison between two groups. Results:Compared with prostate cancer patients with low miR-1249-5p expression, prostate cancer patients with higher miR-1249-5p expression had longer overall survival, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The expression level of miR-1249-5p in the miR-1249-5p group (10.74±1.19) was significantly higher than that of the negative control group (1.56±0.27), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The number of colonies formed in the miR-1249-5p group (35.86±6.94) was significantly less than that in the negative control group (88.94±11.66), and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The number of transmembrane cells [(25.01±6.83)/high power field of view] in the miR-1249-5p group was significantly less than that of the negative control group [(82.76±8.35)/high power field of view], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). The proportion of cells in the G 0-G 1 phase in the miR-1249-5p group [(50.79±6.61)%] was significantly higher than that in the negative control group [(27.09±2.30)%], the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01), and PC-3 cell were inhibited in the G 0-G 1 phase. Neural precursor cell expressed developmentally down-regulated 9 ( NEDD9) may be the target gene of miR-1249-5p. Compared with the negative control group, the NEDD9 gene expression in the miR-1249-5p group was significantly lower than that of the negative control group, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.01). Conclusion:miR-1249-5p can inhibit the proliferation, metastasis and cell cycle of PC-3 cell in prostate cancer, which may be achieved by negatively regulating the expression of proto-oncogene NEDD9.

Objective:To explore the clinical effect and safety of intrinsic-nourishing exercise and oral Chinese medicine combined with conventional western medicine therapy in the treatment of perimenopause with insomnia.Methods:Prospective cohort study. A total of 60 perimenopause with insomnia visiting the Hebei Medical Qigong Hospital were enrolled as the research objects between June 2019 and June 2021. According to random number table method, they were divided into the control group and the observation group, 30 in each group. The control group was treated with oral estazolam tablets, while the observation group was treated with intrinsic-nourishing exercise combined with oral Chinese medicine on basis of the control group. All the patients were treated for 4 weeks as a course, and totally 2 courses. The levels of serum estradiol (E 2), FSH, and LH were detected by automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer. Pittsburgh sleep quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality, and the quality of life was evaluated by the MOS 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). And the responsive rates, sleep quality, scores of TCM symptoms, and adverse reactions were compared before and after treatment. Results:The total response rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (90.0% vs. 66.7%; χ2=4.81, P<0.05). After treatment, PSQI scores of sleep quality, time to fall asleep, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of hypnotics, and daytime function in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t=14.11, 12.49, 9.88, 13.54, 9.47, 14.11, 17.91, P<0.01). After treatment, the TCM symptom scores of insomnia with more dreams, waist and knee soreness, five upsets, fatigue and forgetfulness in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t=9.51, 13.08, 16.17, 12.81, P<0.01). After treatment, the E 2 [(35.16±3.61) mmol/L vs. (31.06±3.12) mmol/L, t=4.71] in the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( P<0.01), while the FSH [(69.61±6.04) U/L vs. (73.26±7.41) U/L, t=2.09], and LH [(32.21±3.35) U/L vs. (36.04±3.49) U/L, t=4.34] in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01). At 4 and 8 week after treatment, the SF-36 scores in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t=6.30, 4.36, P<0.01). During treatment, 16.7% (5/30) adverse reaction happened in the observation group, while 10.0% (3/30) in the control group, but there was no statistical significant difference between two groups ( χ2=0.56， P=0.448). Conclusion:The intrinsic-nourishing exercise and oral Chinese medicine combined with conventional western medicine therapy can significantly improve clinical curative effect, improve sleep quality and TCM symptoms, regulate hormones and quality of life in perimenopause with insomnia.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) in the angiogenesis of pancreatic cancer.Methods:The experimental study was conducted. The human PSCs and PCCs and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in vitro. HUVECs was treated with PSCs/PCCs supernatants and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor of different types and concentrations. As controls, HUVECs treated with complete endoprime medium (C/E) and DMEM/Ham's F12 medium (D/F) were set as the C/E group and the D/F group, respectively. Observation indicators: (1) proliferation of HUVECs under different conditions; (2) tube formation of HUVECs under different conditions; (3) migration of HUVECs under different conditions; (4) expression of MMP-2 in the supernatants of PSCs and PCCs; (5) effect of MMP inhibitor GM6001 on migration of HUVECs. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, comparison among groups was conducted using the one way ANOVA and comparison between groups was conducted using the LSD- t test. Results:(1) Proliferation of HUVECs under different conditions. Results of HUVECs proliferation assay using 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) labeling showed that the binding rate of EdU in the HUVECs of D/F group and HUVECs treated with supernatants of different concentration (25%, 50%, 75%, 95%) of PSCs was 12.4%±1.0%, 24.5%±2.9%, 25.3%±3.0%, 22.8%±2.0%, 22.9%±2.8%, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( F=8.60, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the binding rate of EdU between HUVECs in the D/F group and HUVECs treated with supernatants of different concentration (25%, 50%, 75%, 95%) of PSCs, respectively ( P<0.05). The binding rate of EdU between HUVECs in the D/F group and HUVECs treated with supernatants of different concentration (25%, 50%, 75%, 95%) of PCCs was 12.4%±1.0%, 30.0%±3.2%, 32.1%±1.0%, 32.3%±3.5%, 26.2%±5.6%, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( F=11.93, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the binding rate of EdU between HUVECs in the D/F group and HUVECs treated with supernatants of different concentration (25%, 50%, 75%, 95%) of PSCs, respectively ( P<0.05). (2) Tube formation of HUVECs under different conditions. Number of tube formation, length of tube in the HUVECs of D/F group and HUVECs treated with PSCs supernatants was 15.2±2.3, (12.1±1.5)mm and 49.7±3.2, (39.8±2.3)mm, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups of HUVECs ( P<0.05). (3) Migration of HUVECs under different conditions. Results of single cell tracing experiment showed that the migration rate of HUVECs treated with supernatants of different ratio of PSCs and PCCs was faster than that of HUVECs in the D/F group, and the enhancement effect of supernatants of PSCs and PCCs was dose-dependent. The migration rate of HUVECs treated with mix supernatants of different concentration of PSCs and PCCs and supernatants of co-cultured PSCs and PCCs was faster than that of HUVECs in the D/F group. The migration rate of HUVECs treated supernatants of co-cultured PSCs and PCCs was faster than that of HUVECs treated with mix supernatants of different concentration of PSCs and PCCs, showing a synergistic effect in the HUVECs treated supernatants of co-cultured PSCs and PCCs. (4) Expression of MMP-2 in the supernatants of PSCs and PCCs. Results of gelatine zymography showed that the MMP-2 expression levels decreased sequentially in super-natants of co-cultured PSCs and PCCs, supernatants of PSCs, mix supernatants of PSCs and PCCs and supernatants PCCs. (5) Effect of MMP inhibitor GM6001 on migration of HUVECs. Results of single cell tracing experiment showed that the migration rate of HUVECs treated with PSCs supernatants combined with different concentration of GM6001 (0, 1, 10, 25 μmol/L) was (25.70±2.06)μm/h, (18.37±1.61)μm/h, (16.20±0.26)μm/h, (15.99±0.58)μm/h, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( F=11.39, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the migration rate between HUVECs treated with PSCs supernatants combined with 1, 10, 25 μmol/L GM6001 and HUVECs treated with PSCs supernatants ( P<0.05). The migration rate of HUVECs treated with mix super-natants of PSCs and PCCs combined with different concentration of GM6001 (0, 1, 10, 25 μmol/L) was (30.06±3.70)μm/h, (22.76±1.56)μm/h, (23.87±2.84)μm/h, (22.10±2.35)μm/h, respectively, showing a significant difference among them ( F=4.06, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the migration rate between HUVECs treated with mix supernatants of PSCs and PCCs combined with 1, 10, 25 μmol/L GM6001 and HUVECs treated with mix supernatants of PSCs and PCCs ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Both PSCs and PCCs can promote the proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of HUVECs in vitro experiment. Releasing of MMP-2 by interaction between PSCs and PCCs is an important factor to stimulate endothelial cell migration, which increases the stimulating activity of angiogenesis, especially the migration ability of HUVECs.