Although cancer immunotherapy has made great strides in the clinic, it is still hindered by the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway which can modulate TIME effectively has emerged as a promising therapeutic recently. However, the delivery of most STING agonists, specifically cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), is performed intratumorally due to their insufficient pharmacological properties, such as weak permeability across cell membranes and vulnerability to nuclease degradation. To expand the clinical applicability of CDNs, a novel pH-sensitive polycationic polymer-modified lipid nanoparticle (LNP-B) system was developed for intravenous delivery of CDNs. LNP-B significantly extended the circulation of CDNs and enhanced the accumulation of CDNs within the tumor, spleen, and tumor-draining lymph nodes compared with free CDNs thereby triggering the STING pathway of dendritic cells and repolarizing pro-tumor macrophages. These events subsequently gave rise to potent anti-tumor immune reactions and substantial inhibition of tumors in CT26 colon cancer-bearing mouse models. In addition, due to the acid-sensitive property of the polycationic polymer, the delivery system of LNP-B was more biocompatible and safer compared with lipid nanoparticles formulated with an indissociable cationic DOTAP (LNP-D). These findings suggest that LNP-B has great potential in the intravenous delivery of CDNs for tumor immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the timing of weaning extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and analyze the risk factors that affect survival outcomes before weaning. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted. Patients who received ECMO treatment and were weaned according to physicians' orders at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2020 to June 2024 were enrolled as the study subjects. The general information, underlying diseases, indications and processes of ECMO, vital signs and arterial blood gas analysis 1 hour before weaning test, and biochemical indicators 24 hours before weaning test were collected through the hospital electronic medical record system. The primary outcome measure was the hospital mortality. The variables with P < 0.1 in univariate analysis and correlation analysis were included into binary Logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors. A nomogram model was constructed to predict the risk of weaning death in patients with ECMO, and receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) and calibration curve were drawn to evaluate the model. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical net benefit rate of the model. RESULTS: A total of 32 ECMO patients were included, among whom 10 received veno-arterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) and 22 received veno-venous ECMO (VV-ECMO). During the hospitalization period, 23 patients survived, while 9 died. The time from mechanical ventilation to ECMO activation in the death group was significantly longer than that in the survival group, and the time from ECMO cessation to discharge was significantly shorter than that in the survival group. The levels of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and albumin (Alb) before weaning were significantly lower than those in the survival group, and the level of procalcitonin (PCT) was significantly higher than that in the survival group (all P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that DBP, PCT, Alb, and thrombin time (TT) were correlated with the weaning outcomes of ECMO patients (r values were -0.450, 0.373, -0.376, -0.346, all P < 0.1). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the final indicators entering the regression equation included DBP [odds ratio (OR) = 0.864, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.756-0.982], PCT (OR = 1.157, 95%CI was 0.679-1.973), and TT (OR = 0.852, 95%CI was 0.693-1.049), and a nomogram model was constructed to predict the weaning outcomes of ECMO patients. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the nomogram model for predicting the weaning outcome of ECMO patients was 0.831, with a sensitivity of 77.8% and a specificity of 65.2%. Its predictive value was better than that of single indicators DBP, PCT, and TT (AUC of 0.787, 0.739, and 0.722, respectively). The calibration curve showed that the prediction probability of the model was in good consistency with the actual observed results, the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed that, χ ² = 8.3521, P = 0.400, indicating that the model fits well. DCA showed that across risk threshold of 0-0.8, the net benefit rate was greater than 0, which was significantly better than that of single indicator. CONCLUSIONS The nomogram model constructed with DBP, PCT, and TT has certain predictive value for the weaning outcomes of ECMO patients and can be used as a screening indicator for ECMO weaning timing.
Humans ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Case-Control Studies ; Hospital Mortality ; Male ; Female ; Nomograms ; Logistic Models ; ROC Curve ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Ventilator Weaning ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors related to the timing of patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) initiation and construct a risk prediction model for ECMO initiation timing. METHODS: Patients who received ECMO admitted to the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2020 to January 2024 were retrospectively collected. The case data mainly included physiological and biochemical indicators 1 hour before ECMO initiation. According to the outcome of the patients, they were divided into survival group and death group. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the predictors of mortality risk in patients with ECMO, and a nomogram prediction model was constructed. The discrimination, calibration accuracy, and goodness of the model were evaluated by the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve), calibration curve, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, respectively. Decision curve analysis (DCA) evaluated the clinical net benefit rate of the model. RESULTS: A total of 81 ECMO patients were included, including 59 males and 22 females; age range from 16 to 61 years old, with a median age of 56.0 (39.5, 61.5) years old; 20 patients received veno-arterial (V-A) ECMO, and 61 patients received veno-venous (V-V) ECMO; 23 patients ultimately survived and 58 patients died. Univariate analysis showed that age, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, D-dimer, arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure, and prothrombin time of the death group were all higher than those of the survival group, while albumin was slightly lower than that of the survival group. There was a statistically significant difference in the direct cause of ECMO initiation between the two groups. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.069, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.015-1.125, P = 0.012], direct cause of ECMO initiation [with heart failure as the reference, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after cardiopulmonary support (OR = 30.672, 95%CI was 1.265-743.638, P = 0.035), novel coronavirus infection (OR = 8.666, 95%CI was 0.818-91.761, P = 0.073), other severe pneumonia (OR = 4.997, 95%CI was 0.558-44.765, P = 0.150)], pre-ECMO serum creatinine (OR = 1.008, 95%CI was 1.000-1.016, P = 0.044), prothrombin time (OR = 1.078, 95%CI was 0.948-1.226, P = 0.252), and D-dimer (OR = 1.135, 95%CI was 1.047-1.231, P = 0.002) were entered into the final regression equation. A nomogram prediction model was developed based on these five factors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the model was 0.889 (95%CI was 0.819-0.959), higher than the AUC of the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA; AUC = 0.604, 95%CI was 0.467-0.742). The calibration curve showed good consistency between the model predictions and the observed results. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed that χ ² = 4.668, P = 0.792. DCA analysis showed that when the risk threshold was 0-0.8, the net benefit rate was greater than 0, which was significantly better than that of SOFA score. CONCLUSIONS The risk prediction model for the timing of ECMO initiation, constructed using five factors (age, direct cause of ECMO initiation, thrombin time, serum creatinine, and D-dimer), demonstrated good discrimination and calibration. It can serve as a pre-initiation assessment tool to identify and predict post-initiation mortality risk in ECMO patients.
Humans ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Logistic Models ; Nomograms ; ROC Curve ; Time Factors ; Risk Assessment

To explore screening tools for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which are convenient for primary hospitals, it can provide basic data for formulating ASD prevention policies. This was a cross-sectional study by cluster sampling. Huyi District and Xincheng District were extracted for investigation in Xi′an City. From July 2021 to September 2022, all children aged from 3 months to 36 months who live in the two districts were subjected to primary screening. The child care physician used the routine screening tool "warning signs checklist for screening psychological, behavioral and developmental problems of children" and cartoon pictures of "early high-risk warning signs of autism", the children who were positive in the initial screening were referred to the district level maternal and child health hospital for re-screening, and those who were positive in the re-screening were referred to Xi ′an Children′s Hospital for diagnosis. The results showed that a total of 17 905 children aged from 3 months to 36 months were initially screened in the two districts, including 10 588 children aged from 18 months to 36 months, 50 children who were positive in the initial screening and 50 children who were re-screened. 23 children (18 boys and 5 girls) were diagnosed with ASD. The prevalence rate of ASD in children was 2.17‰ (95% confidence interval:1.29‰-3.06‰). 42 children were positive for "warning signs checklist" at the preliminary screening, and 19 were confirmed as ASD. 27 children were positive for "cartoon pictures" in the preliminary screening, and 23 were confirmed with ASD. The "cartoon pictures" in the preliminary screening and diagnosis of consistent rate was higher than the "warning signs checklist", two kinds of screening methods comparison were statistically significant difference in the odds of consistent (χ 2=11.01, P=0.001). In conclusion, relying on the three-level network of maternal and child health care, it is conducive to the whole process management of screening and diagnosis of children with ASD, and to guide the formulation of prevention policies. The cartoon pictures of "early high-risk warning signs of autism" can assist the identification of children with ASD based on the "warning signs checklist", which is simple, effective and suitable for promotion in the community health care.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between serum leptin (LEP), adiponectin (ADP) levels and bone metabolism indexes in pregnant GDM women complicated with osteoporosis.Methods:A total of 120 GDM patients admitted to our hospital from Dec. 2020 to Dec. 2023 were included as the observation group, and 30 healthy pregnant women were chosen as the control group. The levels of serum LEP, ADP, bone metabolism indexes [parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, amino terminal and middle osteocalcin (N-MID) ] were compared. The relationship between serum LEP, ADP and PTH, ALP, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and N-MID was analyzed by Pearson correlation, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum LEP and ADP levels in gestational diabetes mellitus complicated with osteoporosis.Results:The observation group had higher LEP level, but lower ADP, PTH, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and N-MID level ( t=10.08, 7.19, 12.70, 15.05, 20.54, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in ALP between the two groups ( t=0.78, P>0.05) ; 25 had osteoporosis and 95 did not. LEP levels in the osteoporosis subgroup were significantly higher than those in the non-osteoporosis subgroup, and ADP, PTH, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and N-MID levels were significantly lower ( t=4.44, 3.06, 3.51, 3.18, 3.00, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ALP level between the two groups ( t=0.38, P>0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum LEP and ADP were significantly correlated with PTH, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and N-MID in pregnant GDM women ( P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of serum LEP, ADP and combined test in pregnant GDM women complicated with osteoporosis were 0.723, 0.650 and 0.755, respectively. Conclusion:Serum LEP level increases and ADP level decreases significantly in pregnant GDM women complicated with osteoporosis, which is closely related to bone metabolism indexes, and can assist in early diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus complicated with osteoporosis.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for aneurysm rupture and post-intervention complications in intracranial arterial stenosis patients with intracranial aneurysms.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed; 238 intracranial arterial stenosis patients with intracranial aneurysms (306 intracranial aneurysms) admitted to Cerebrovascular Disease Department, Neurosurgery Center, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University from January 2018 to August 2022 were chosen. Ruptured group and unruptured group were divided according to the rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Additionally, 139 patients who underwent interventional therapy and had complete follow-up data were divided into 2 groups according to occurrence of post-intervention complications. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors for aneurysm rupture and post-intervention complications.Results:(1) Of 238 patients, 269 unruptured aneurysms and 37 ruptured aneurysms were noted. Univariate regression analysis showed that significant difference was noted between the ruptured group and unruptured group in female ratio, aneurysm distribution, proportion of irregular shaped aneurysms, percentages of patients with increased white blood cell count, neutrophil count, total cholesterol and D-2 polymer, and percentage of patients with decreased blood lymphocyte count ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that irregular shaped aneurysms ( OR=12.393, 95% CI: 4.114-37.332, P<0.001), elevated neutrophil count ( OR=18.753, 95% CI: 6.555-53.648, P<0.001), and increased D-2 polymer ( OR=4.410, 95% CI: 1.758-11.065, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for aneurysm rupture in intracranial arterial stenosis patients with intracranial aneurysms. (2) Of the 139 patients, 57 had complications and 82 had no complications. Univariate regression analysis showed that the proportion of patients with hypertension history, distribution of arterial stenosis, and proportion of patients with elevated blood D-2 polymer were significantly different between patients with and without complications ( P<0.05); while multivariate Logistic regression analysis did not identify these 3 indexes as independent risk factors for post-intervention complications ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Patients with irregular shaped aneurysms, elevated blood neutrophil count and D-2 polymer trend to have aneurysm rupture; hypertension history, arterial stenosis, and elevated D-2 polymer have impact on postoperative complications in intracranial arterial stenosis patients with intracranial aneurysms.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of stent-assisted coil embolization in acute intracranial ruptured wide-necked aneurysms, and explore the safety of different antiplatelet drug regimens during perioperative period and the risk factors for prognoses.Methods:A perspective multicenter study was performed. A total of 417 patients with intracranial ruptured wide-necked aneurysms treated by stent-assisted coil embolization in Neurosurgery Departments of 4 hospitals (First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University [ n=41], Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University [ n=111], Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Military Medical University [ n=100], and Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University [ n=165]) from June 2017 to January 2020 were included. According to the different antiplatelet drugs regimens used in perioperative period, these patients were divided into loaded clopidogrel group ( n=87), loaded clopidogrel combined with aspirin group ( n=212), and tirofiban group ( n=118). Clinical data and perioperative complications of 3 groups were compared. Modified Rankin scale (mRS) was used to evaluate the prognoses of patients at discharge; differences of clinical data between the poor prognosis group and good prognosis group were compared. Independent risk factors for prognoses of patients with intracranial ruptured wide-necked aneurysms were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the predictive values of risk factors in poor prognosis. Results:Degrees of aneurysm embolization immediately after surgery: Raymond grading I was noted in 351 patients (84.2%), grading II in 44 patients (10.6%), and grading III in 22 patients (5.2%). Perioperative complications were noted in 44 patients (10.6%), and death was noted in 4 (1%). Intraoperative thrombosis incidence of the loaded clopidogrel group, loaded clopidogrel combined with aspirin group and tirofiban group was 5.7% (5/87), 5.7% (12/212) and 0.8% (1/118); that in tirofiban group was significantly lower than that in the loaded clopidogrel group and loaded clopidogrel combined with aspirin group ( P<0.05). At discharge, 360 patients (86.3%) had good prognosis and 57 patients (13.7%) had poor prognosis. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed age≥60 years ( OR=3.407, 95% CI: 1.620-7.166, P=0.001), preoperative Hunt-Hess grading 3 ( OR=11.445, 95% CI: 3.584-36.547, P<0.001), preoperative Hunt-Hess grading 4 ( OR=88.951, 95% CI: 14.519-544.948, P<0.001), preoperative Hunt-Hess grading 5 ( OR=64.949, 95% CI: 12.809-329.325, P<0.001), and multiple stenting ( OR=4.709, 95% CI: 1.215-18.248, P=0.025) were independent risk factors for poor prognosis of these patients. ROC curves showed that area under the curve of combination of age, number of implanted stents, and preoperative Hunt-Hess grading in predicting poor prognosis of these patients was 0.821, with optimal diagnostic threshold of 0.500, sensitivity of 0.667, and specificity of 0.833. Conclusion:Stent-assisted coil embolization is safe and effective in acute intracranial ruptured wide-necked aneurysms; tirofiban is safe as perioperative antiplatelet drug; patients with old age, preoperative Hunt-Hess grading≥3, and multiple stents are prone to have poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVE To observe the effects of chlorogenic acid on the activation of macrophage induced by lipopolysaccharide （LPS）， and to explore the role of triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 （TREM2） in the action. METHODS To find a suitable LPS concentration， the cells were cultured with 1， 10 and 100 ng/mL LPS for 24 h. The level of interleukin 6 （IL-6） in the cell culture supernatant and protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） in the cells were detected. To search for a suitable chlorogenic acid concentration， the cells were divided into control group， LPS group and three chlorogenic acid （0.01， 0.1 and 1 μmol/L）+LPS groups. The levels of tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α） and IL-1β in the cell culture supernatant， the protein expressions of iNOS and TREM2 in the cells and cell viability were detected. To observe the effects of TREM2 in chlorogenic acid alleviating macrophage activation， TREM2-small interfering RNA （TREM2-siRNA） was taken to intervene in TREM2 protein expression. The cells were divided into control group， LPS group， chlorogenic acid+LPS group， TREM2-siRNA+chlorogenic acid+LPS group and SC-siRNA+chlorogenic acid+LPS group. After 24 h incubation， the levels of TNF- α and IL-1β in the cell culture supernatant and protein expressions of TREM2， iNOS and nuclear factor κB p65 （NF-κB p65） in the cells were detected. RESULTS 10 ng/mL LPS promoted IL-6 release and increased iNOS protein expression， and 10 ng/mL LPS was taken in the next experiments. Compared with the LPS group， 0.1 μmol/L chlorogenic acid decreased TNF-α jiaji1981@126.com and IL-1β levels， and down-regulated iNOS expression，meanwhile increased TREM2 expression without effect on cell viability， and 0.1 μmol/L chlorogenic acid was taken in the next experiments. Compared with the control group， the protein expressions of iNOS and NF- κB p65 in the LPS group were significantly increased （P＜0.05）； compared with the LPS group， the protein expressions of iNOS and NF- κB p65 in the chlorogenic acid+LPS group were significantly decreased， the protein expressions of TREM2 was significantly increased （P＜ 0.05）； compared with the chlorogenic acid+LPS group， the protein expressions of iNOS and NF-κB p65 of TREM2-siRNA+ chlorogenic acid+LPS group were significantly increased， the protein expressions of TREM2 was significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. TREM2-siRNA could significantly reverse the above effects of chlorogenic acid， while SC-siRNA did not significantly affect the above anti-inflammatory effects of chlorogenic acid. CONCLUSIONS Chlorogenic acid can inhibit the LPS-induced macrophage activation， and its anti-inflammatory may be mediated by TREM2 protein.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of stent-assisted coil embolization in treatment of acute intracranial rupture wide-necked aneurysms.Methods:A total of 249 patients with acute intracranial wide-necked aneurysms (301 aneurysms) treated with stent-assisted coil embolization in our hospital from January 2014 to December 2018 were chosen in our study; these patients were divided into ruptured group ( n=114) and non-ruptured group ( n=135). The differences in the prognoses (modified Rankin scale [mRS] scores) and perioperative complications, mortality, and aneurysm recurrence rate were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to screen the risk factors for perioperative complications and recurrence of aneurysms in patients from the ruptured group. Results:The incidence of perioperative complications in the ruptured group (10.5%) was slightly higher than that in the un-ruptured group (6.6%), and the recurrence rate of aneurysms in the un-ruptured group (12.8%) was slightly higher than that in the ruptured group (9.6%), but the differences were not statistically significant ( P>0.05); except for 2 patients in the ruptured group who died of postoperative recurrent hemorrhage, the prognosis of the rest patients in the 2 groups was good (mRS scores≤3). Univariate analysis showed that there was significant difference in the age distribution between the complication group and the non-complication group in the ruptured patients ( P<0.05), and the sizes and degrees of embolization between the ruptured group and un-ruptured group showed significant differences ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that ages at 40-60 years was independent risk factor for perioperative complication ( OR=17.819, 95%CI: 2.356-137.719, P=0.005), and aneurysm diameter>10 mm and aneurysm Raymond grading 3 embolization were independent risk factors for aneurysm recurrence ( OR=36.823, 95%CI: 0.862-768.308, P=0.000; OR=52.813, 95%CI: 2.967-938.152, P=0.007). Conclusion:Stent-assisted coil embolization in the treatment of acute intracranial rupture wide-necked aneurysms is safe and effective, but patients aged 40-60 years should be wary of high incidence of perioperative complications, and patients with large aneurysms and incomplete embolization should be wary of their high risk of aneurysm recurrence.

Objective:To make a new simple respirator and observe the oxygen therapy effect of the respirator on patients with severe and critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods:Based on the infectivity and hospital requirements of COVID-19, a new simple respirator was designed by the medical staff of the Department of Anesthesiology of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, which was applied on the 22 patients with severe and critical COVID-19 who needed oxygen therapy admitted to the Cancer Center of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from February 15th to March 15th in 2020. The new simple respirator contained two National Utility Model Patents (a respirator: ZL 2015 2 0410623.6, a fluid switch and oxygen suction device: ZL 2017 2 0873509.6), which was mainly composed of anesthesia mask and filter, L-shaped connecting tube, soft breathing bladder, connecting tube and elastic fixing belt. When in use, the anesthesia mask was fixed to the patient's mouth and nose with elastic straps, the connecting tube was inserted into the oxygen meter interface, the oxygen flow was adjusted to 6-10 L/min, and the L-shaped connecting tube was opened immediately after the soft breathing bag was full. The carbon dioxide and excess oxygen in the body was discharged from exhaust port. The oxygen flow was lowered to 2-3 L/min, the patient's respiratory rate (RR) was observed through the soft breathing bag fluctuations, and the oxygen flow was adjusted at any time. The changes of pulse oxygen saturation (SpO 2), RR and heart rate (HR) before and after application of new simple respirator were observed, and the blood gas test results of part of the patients were collected. Results:Twenty-two patients with severe and critical COVID-19 had significantly higher SpO 2 at 10 minutes after application of the new simple ventilator than before application (0.994±0.007 vs. 0.952±0.017, P < 0.01), and RR was significantly lower than that before application (times/min: 27.59±3.63 vs. 29.64±3.81, P < 0.01); after 1 day of application, each index was further improved. All 13 patients who received blood gas analysis indicated no carbon dioxide accumulation. Conclusions:The new simple respirator can significantly improve the oxygen therapy effect of patients with severe and critical COVID-19. At the same time, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) can be filtered through the filter to reduce the formation of aerosol and protect the medical staff and patients.