Immune checkpoints include a series of receptor-ligand pairs that play a key role in the proliferation, activation, and immune regulatory responses of immune cells. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), such as programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) have achieved good therapeutic effects in clinical practice, some patients still experience ineffective treatment and immune resistance. A large amount of evidence has shown that immune checkpoint proteins are related to cell metabolism during immune regulation. On the one hand, immune checkpoints connect to alter the metabolic reprogramming of tumor cells to compete for nutrients required by immune cells. On the other hand, immune checkpoints regulate the metabolic pathways of immune cells, such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/AKT/mTOR) to affect the activation of immune cells. Based on a review of the literature, this article reviews the mechanisms by which PD-1, CTLA-4, T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM-3), cluster of differentiation 47 (CD47), and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) regulate cell metabolic reprogramming, and looks forward to whether targeting the ligand-receptor pairs of immune checkpoints in a "dual regulation" manner and inhibiting metabolic pathways can effectively solve the problem of tumor immune resistance.
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Humans ; Neoplasms/genetics* ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways/immunology* ; Animals ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/pharmacology*

Amoenucles A-F (1-6), six previously undescribed nucleoside derivatives, and two known analogs (7 and 8) were isolated from the culture of Aspergillus amoenus TJ507. Their structures were elucidated through spectroscopic analysis, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, and chemical reactions. Notably, 3 and 4 represent the first reported instances of nucleosides with an attached pyrrole moiety. Of particular significance, the absolute configuration of the sugar moiety of 1-4 was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electric circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, and a hydrolysis reaction, presenting a potentially valuable method for confirming nucleoside structures. Furthermore, 1, 2, and 5-8 exhibited potential tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) inhibitory activities, which may provide a novel chemical template for the development of agents targeting autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Aspergillus/chemistry* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Molecular Structure ; Nucleosides/isolation & purification* ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

(±)-Talapyrones A-F (1-6), six pairs of dimeric polyketide enantiomers featuring unusual 6/6/6 and 6/6/6/5 ring systems, were isolated from the fungus Talaromyces adpressus. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic analysis and HR-ESI-MS data, and their absolute configurations were elucidated using a modified Mosher's method and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. (±)-Talapyrones A-F (1-6) possess a 6/6/6 tricyclic skeleton, presumably formed through a Michael addition reaction between one molecule of α-pyrone derivative and one molecule of C₈ poly-β-keto chain. In addition, compounds 2/3 and 4/5 are two pairs of C-18 epimers, respectively. Putative biosynthetic pathways of 1-6 were discussed.
Polyketides/isolation & purification* ; Talaromyces/chemistry* ; Stereoisomerism ; Molecular Structure ; Circular Dichroism ; Pyrones/chemistry*

From the perspectives of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） information knowledge base and assisted decision-making knowledge base， the construction status， quality evaluation status and existing problems of current TCM knowledge bases have been sorted out. And based on the quality evaluation strategies and dimensions of know-ledge bases in other disciplines， the evaluation indexes for TCM knowledge base is discussed， and the evaluation framework is initially formed， providing ideas for the improvement of the TCM knowledge base evaluation system. In terms of the evaluation indexes， there are basic evaluation dimensions which include data sources， data collection， and data application. The specific evaluation dimension of the information-based knowledge base is data quality， while that of the assisted decision-making knowledge base is data matching. Except for the data application dimension which counts the valid data items in the database for calculation， other indexes are scored based on the qualitative evaluation of "yes"， "no" or "unknown". The basic evaluation score and the specific evaluation score are added to obtain the total score. The knowledge base is graded according to the score， and the results are presented in the form of grade plus number.

SWOT-PEST model was used to analyze the internal advantages and disadvantages,external,opportunities and challenges of tertiary public pediatric hospitals.Based on stakeholder theory,through the literature review method,policy analysis method,combined with the actual work,and summarize its main role and demands.Put forward the development strategy of three-level public pediatric specialty hospital.Through the analysis of interest demands of stakeholders of tertiary public pediat-ric specialty hospitals,the overall development is good at present,but there are still problems that need to be solved urgently.From the perspective of internal and external stakeholders,the optimization strategy involving multiple levels,multiple angles and multiple subjects is proposed to promote the comprehensive development of tertiary public pediatric specialty hospitals.

Renal cell carcinoma is one of the significant diseases endangering human health. Recent findings have shown that the human microbiome plays an important role in the occurrence and development of renal cell carcinoma, influencing its regression and treatment outcome. At present, microecological research on renal cell carcinoma are still in their initial stages, and their regulatory roles and specific mechanisms still need to be further explored. This article reviews the relationship between the human microbiome and renal cell carcinoma occurrence and development, as well as its role in diagnosis and therapies.

Objective: To optimize the determination of pentachlorophenol in wooden chopping boards through pretreatment of miniaturized samples. Methods: The pretreated wooden chopping board samples were subjected to ultrasound extraction (1 mL of 0.5 mol/L K2CO3 added in 5 mL extraction solution) in 8 mL acetone and 2 mL water, followed by derivatization with 0.3 mL acetic anhydride, extraction with n-hexane and separation with DB-5ms column (30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm). Gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was performed in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode with quantitative analysis using the internal standard method. Results: The GC-MS/MS assay showed a good linear relationship within the range of 0.01 to 0.2 µg/mL (R2>0.999), with a 0.003 mg/kg limit of detection and 0.01 mg/kg limit of quantitation. The mean recovery rates were 84.2% to 96.7% at spiked concentrations of 0.003, 0.01 and 0.03 mg/kg, with relative standard deviation of 2.2% to 6.1%. Conclusions The established GC-MS/MS assay is easy to perform, environment-friendly, highly accurate and sensitivity, which is feasible for determination of pentachlorophenol in wooden chopping boards.

Objective:To analyze the clinical and pathological characteristics of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and not receiving antiviral therapy.Methods:This study retrospectively included CHB patients diagnosed by liver biopsy at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2008 to December 2022. According to the HBV DNA and HBeAg status of "immune tolerance period and immune control period", these patients were divided into three groups: chronic HBV carrier group, inactive HBsAg carrier group and indeterminate group including the patients that did not meet the inclusion criteria of the above two groups. Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups. Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data and ordered categorical data between two groups. Chi-square test or Fisher′s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results:A total of 284 CHB patients with normal ALT were enrolled. There were 64, 88 and 132 cases in the chronic HBV carrier group, inactive HBsAg carrier group and indeterminate group, respectively. Histopathological analysis revealed that there were 182 (64.08%) cases with pathological inflammation grade (G) and/or fibrosis stage (S)≥2, 155 (54.58%) with S≥2 and 120 (42.25%) with G≥2. The proportion of patients with G and/or S≥2 in the indeterminate group [70.45% (93/132)] was higher than that in the chronic HBV carrier group [48.44% (31/64)] and inactive HBsAg carrier group [65.91% (58/88)] (both P<0.05). Patient′s age and the ratio of patients with S≥2 in the chronic HBV carrier group [33 years old, 39.06% (25/64)] were smaller than those in the inactive HBsAg carrier group [39 years old, 56.82% (50/88)] and the indeterminate group [39 years old, 60.61% (80/132)] (all P<0.05). Patients in the inactive HBsAg carrier group (19 U/L) had lower ALT levels than those in the chronic HBV carrier group (26 U/L) and the indeterminate group (23 U/L) (both P<0.05). The proportion of patients with cytoplasmic/cytoplasmic nuclear-type HBcAg was higher in patients with G and/or S≥2 than in patients with G and S<2 [73.08% (57/78) vs 32.08% (17/53), P<0.05], and the proportion of patients with cytoplasmic/cytoplasmic nuclear-type HBcAg increased gradually with age. The proportion of patients with cytoplasmic/cytoplasmic nuclear-type HBcAg was higher in patients with G and/or S≥2 than in patients with G and S<2 in the chronic HBV carrier status and indeterminate groups [93.33% (28/30) vs 43.33%(13/30), P<0.05; 59.46% (22/37) vs 12.50% (2/16); both P<0.05]. There was a statistically significant difference in the incidence of significant liver injury between patients≤ 30 years old and >30 years old [52.7% (39/74) vs 68.1% (143/210), P<0.05]. Conclusions:Significant liver injury occurred in 64.08% (182/284) of CHB patients with normal ALT not receiving antiviral therapy, which required the attention of clinicians. Among CHB patients with normal ALT, the expression site of HBcAg in hepatocytes was related to the occurrence of significant liver injury and could be expected to serve as an important indicator for predicting the patient′s status and the necessity of antiviral treatment. CHB patients with positive HBV DNA who were older than 30 years required antiviral treatment, and CHB patients≤30 years with normal ALT and significant hepatic tissue damage also required antiviral treatment.

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaf is a well-established traditional Chinese botanical and culinary resource. It has found widespread application in the management of diabetes. The bioactive constituents of mulberry leaf, specifically mulberry leaf flavonoids (MLFs), exhibit pronounced potential in the amelioration of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This potential is attributed to their ability to safeguard pancreatic β cells, enhance insulin resistance, and inhibit α-glucosidase activity. Our antecedent research findings underscore the substantial therapeutic efficacy of MLFs in treating T2D. However, the precise mechanistic underpinnings of MLF's anti-T2D effects remain the subject of inquiry. Activation of brown/beige adipocytes is a novel and promising strategy for T2D treatment. In the present study, our primary objective was to elucidate the impact of MLFs on adipose tissue browning in db/db mice and 3T3-L1 cells and elucidate its underlying mechanism. The results manifested that MLFs reduced body weight and food intake, alleviated hepatic steatosis, improved insulin sensitivity, and increased lipolysis and thermogenesis in db/db mice. Moreover, MLFs activated brown adipose tissue (BAT) and induced the browning of inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT) and 3T3-L1 adipocytes by increasing the expressions of brown adipocyte marker genes and proteins such as uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and beige adipocyte marker genes such as transmembrane protein 26 (Tmem26), thereby promoting mitochondrial biogenesis. Mechanistically, MLFs facilitated the activation of BAT and the induction of WAT browning to ameliorate T2D primarily through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) signaling pathway. These findings highlight the unique capacity of MLF to counteract T2D by enhancing BAT activation and inducing browning of IWAT, thereby ameliorating glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. As such, MLFs emerge as a prospective and innovative browning agent for the treatment of T2D.
Mice ; Animals ; Adipose Tissue, Brown ; Sirtuin 1/pharmacology* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism* ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Morus/metabolism* ; Flavonoids/metabolism* ; Prospective Studies ; Signal Transduction ; Adipose Tissue, White ; Plant Leaves ; Uncoupling Protein 1/metabolism* ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alpha/metabolism*

Objective To investigate the clinical and pathological features of children with glycogen storage disease (GSD). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for ten children with GSD who were admitted to the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University and The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2002 to January 2022, based on medical history, liver biochemistry, and liver biopsy, and population characteristics, clinical manifestations, biochemical parameters, and liver histopathological characteristics were compared and analyzed. Results All ten children had developmental retardation and a short stature, with the manifestations of abnormal liver function, mild weakness, poor appetite, yellow urine, and yellow eyes, and four children had hepatosplenomegaly. Among the ten children, six had the clinical manifestations of hypoglycemia, and one had bilateral gastrocnemius hypertrophy and positive Gower sign. Two children had positive CMV IgG. Liver histopathological manifestations included diffuse enlargement of hepatocytes, light cytoplasm, and small nucleus in the middle like plant cells, with or without fibrous tissue proliferation. Conclusion Most patients with GSD have developmental retardation and abnormal aminotransferases, and liver pathological examination shows specific pathological features.