Exosomes are ubiquitous in all types of body fluids, exhibiting a high degree of abundance and diversity. Given their distinctive structure and function, exosomes are involved in a range of life activities, including intercellular communication, material transport, and immune regulation. An increasing number of studies have identified exosomes as a source of diagnostic markers for diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, exosomes represent a novel avenue for therapeutic intervention, with promising clinical applications. This paper examines the diagnostic and therapeutic mechanisms of exosomes in diabetic retinopathy, reviews the advancements in exosomes-based diagnostics and therapeutics for diabetic retinopathy, and aims to enhance the precision and efficiency of clinical diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

Tumor drug resistance is an important problem in the failure of chemotherapy and targeted drug therapy, which is a complex process involving chromatin remodeling. SWI/SNF is one of the most studied ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes in tumorigenesis, which plays an important role in the coordination of chromatin structural stability, gene expression, and post-translation modification. However, its mechanism in tumor drug resistance has not been systematically combed. SWI/SNF can be divided into 3 types according to its subunit composition: BAF, PBAF, and ncBAF. These 3 subtypes all contain two mutually exclusive ATPase catalytic subunits (SMARCA2 or SMARCA4), core subunits (SMARCC1 and SMARCD1), and regulatory subunits (ARID1A, PBRM1, and ACTB, etc.), which can control gene expression by regulating chromatin structure. The change of SWI/SNF complex subunits is one of the important factors of tumor drug resistance and progress. SMARCA4 and ARID1A are the most widely studied subunits in tumor drug resistance. Low expression of SMARCA4 can lead to the deletion of the transcription inhibitor of the BCL2L1 gene in mantle cell lymphoma, which will result in transcription up-regulation and significant resistance to the combination therapy of ibrutinib and venetoclax. Low expression of SMARCA4 and high expression of SMARCA2 can activate the FGFR1-pERK1/2 signaling pathway in ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma cells, which induces the overexpression of anti-apoptosis gene BCL2 and results in carboplatin resistance. SMARCA4 deletion can up-regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by activating YAP1 gene expression in triple-negative breast cancer. It can also reduce the expression of Ca²⁺ channel IP3R3 in ovarian and lung cancer, resulting in the transfer of Ca²⁺ needed to induce apoptosis from endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria damage. Thus, these two tumors are resistant to cisplatin. It has been found that verteporfin can overcome the drug resistance induced by SMARCA4 deletion. However, this inhibitor has not been applied in clinical practice. Therefore, it is a promising research direction to develop SWI/SNF ATPase targeted drugs with high oral bioavailability to treat patients with tumor resistance induced by low expression or deletion of SMARCA4. ARID1A deletion can activate the expression of ANXA1 protein in HER2+ breast cancer cells or down-regulate the expression of progesterone receptor B protein in endometrial cancer cells. The drug resistance of these two tumor cells to trastuzumab or progesterone is induced by activating AKT pathway. ARID1A deletion in ovarian cancer can increase the expression of MRP2 protein and make it resistant to carboplatin and paclitaxel. ARID1A deletion also can up-regulate the phosphorylation levels of EGFR, ErbB2, and RAF1 oncogene proteins.The ErbB and VEGF pathway are activated and EMT is increased. As a result, lung adenocarcinoma is resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). Although great progress has been made in the research on the mechanism of SWI/SNF complex inducing tumor drug resistance, most of the research is still at the protein level. It is necessary to comprehensively and deeply explore the detailed mechanism of drug resistance from gene, transcription, protein, and metabolite levels by using multi-omics techniques, which can provide sufficient theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of poor tumor prognosis caused by mutation or abnormal expression of SWI/SNF subunits in clinical practice.

Objective To evaluate the effect of a multidisciplinary collaborative quality control management (hereinafter referred to as "QC management") on improving the performance of biological safety cabinets in hospital. Methods A total of 63 ClassⅡbiological safety cabinets in active use at Peking University Third Hospital were selected as the study subjects using the before-after study mode. Conventional management was implemented on the biological safety cabinets from 2018 to 2021. QC management was used in 2022. The compliance of biological safety cabinets management norm and performance differences under the two models were compared. Results The median and the 25th and 75th percentiles [M(P₂₅, P₇₅)] of the service life among these 63 biological safety cabinets were 3 (1,6) years. The overall performance pass rate and inflow velocity pass rate of biological safety cabinets were higher in the QC management than that in the conventional management (90.5% vs 65.1%, 96.8% vs 84.1%, both P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in downflow velocity, high-efficiency particulate air filter integrity, cleanliness, airflow smoke pattern, noise, and illumination pass rates of biosafety cabinets before and after the implementation of QC management (79.4% vs 88.9%, 90.5% vs 100.0%, 96.8% vs 100.0%, 85.7% vs 100.0%, 100.0% vs 100.0%, and 85.7% vs 96.8%, respectively; all P>0.05). Conclusion sQC management improves the standardization of biological safety cabinet management and key performance indicators in hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the inhibitory effect of Zheng GanDecoction (ZGF) on tumor progression in a rat model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Seventy SD rats were subjected to regular intraperitoneal injections of DEN (50 mg/kg) for 12 weeks to induce HCC tumorigenesis, with another 10 rats receiving saline injections as the normal control. After successful modeling, the rats were randomized into 5 groups (n=10) for daily treatment with distilled water ( model group), Huaier Granules (4 g/kg; positive control group), or ZGF at low, medium, and high doses (2, 4, and 8 g/kg, respectively) via gavage for 17 weeks. Body weight changes of the rats were monitored, and after completion of the treatments, the rats were euthanized for measurement of liver, spleen and thymus indices and morphological and histopathological examinations of the liver tissues using HE staining. The expressions of YAP, p-YAP, MST1, LATS1 and p-LATS1 in the liver tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the normal control rats, the rat models with DEN-induced HCC exhibited much poorer general condition with a significantly reduced survival rate, increased body weight and liver and spleen indices, and a lowered thymus index. ZGF treatment obviously reduced liver and spleen indices, increased the thymus index, and improved pathologies of the liver tissues of the rat models. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed a dose-dependent reduction of YAP expression and an increment of p-YAP expression in ZGF-treated rats, which also exhibited significantly upregulated hepatic expressions of MST1, LATS1 and p-LATS1. CONCLUSIONS ZGF inhibits DEN-induced HCC in rats by activating the Hippo/YAP pathway via upregulating MST1 and LATS1 expression, which promotes YAP phosphorylation and degradation to suppress proliferation and induce apoptosis of the tumor cells.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Diethylnitrosamine ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy* ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Hippo Signaling Pathway ; Male ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism*

Protrusive facial deformities, characterized by the forward displacement of the teeth and/or jaws beyond the normal range, affect a considerable portion of the population. The manifestations and morphological mechanisms of protrusive facial deformities are complex and diverse, requiring orthodontists to possess a high level of theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the relevant orthodontic field. To further optimize the correction of protrusive facial deformities, this consensus proposes that the morphological mechanisms and diagnosis of protrusive facial deformities should be analyzed and judged from multiple dimensions and factors to accurately formulate treatment plans. It emphasizes the use of orthodontic strategies, including jaw growth modification, tooth extraction or non-extraction for anterior teeth retraction, and maxillofacial vertical control. These strategies aim to reduce anterior teeth and lip protrusion, increase chin prominence, harmonize nasolabial and chin-lip relationships, and improve the facial profile of patients with protrusive facial deformities. For severe skeletal protrusive facial deformities, orthodontic-orthognathic combined treatment may be suggested. This consensus summarizes the theoretical knowledge and clinical experience of numerous renowned oral experts nationwide, offering reference strategies for the correction of protrusive facial deformities.
Humans ; Orthodontics, Corrective/methods* ; Consensus ; Malocclusion/therapy* ; Patient Care Planning ; Cephalometry

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common respiratory emergency, but current clinical treatment remains at the level of symptomatic support and there is a lack of effective targeted treatment measures. Our previous study confirmed that inhalation of hydrogen gas can reduce the acute lung injury of ARDS, but the application of hydrogen has flammable and explosive safety concerns. Drinking hydrogen-rich liquid or inhaling hydrogen gas has been shown to play an important role in scavenging reactive oxygen species and maintaining mitochondrial quality control balance, thus improving ARDS in patients and animal models. Coral calcium hydrogenation (CCH) is a new solid molecular hydrogen carrier prepared from coral calcium (CC). Whether and how CCH affects acute lung injury in ARDS remains unstudied. In this study, we observed the therapeutic effect of CCH on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced acute lung injury in ARDS mice. The survival rate of mice treated with CCH and hydrogen inhalation was found to be comparable, demonstrating a significant improvement compared to the untreated ARDS model group. CCH treatment significantly reduced pulmonary hemorrhage and edema, and improved pulmonary function and local microcirculation in ARDS mice. CCH promoted mitochondrial peripheral division in the early course of ARDS by activating mitochondrial thioredoxin 2 (Trx2), improved lung mitochondrial dysfunction induced by LPS, and reduced oxidative stress damage. The results indicate that CCH is a highly efficient hydrogen-rich agent that can attenuate acute lung injury of ARDS by improving the mitochondrial function through Trx2 activation.

ObjectiveBased on response surface methodology combined with principal component analysis（PCA）， the optimal decocting process of Moringa oleifera leaf standard decoction was optimized， and its multi-index quality evaluation system was established， in order to provide scientific basis for the quality control of this standard decoction. MethodResponse surface methodology and PCA were used to optimize the decoction process by taking the relative peak areas of 8 characteristic peaks and dry extract yield as indexes. Based on this， the quality of 15 batches of the standard decoction was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） characteristic chromatogram， determination of major components（neochlorogenic acid， L-tryptophan， cryptochlorogenic acid， vicenin-2， isoquercetin， astragalin）， determination of active parts（total flavonoids， total organic acids， total polysaccharides， total α-amino acids， total sinapine）， dry extract yield， specific gravity and pH. ResultThe optimal decocting process was to soak M. oleifera leaves（100.00 g） for 30 min and decoct twice with the first decoction of 12 times the amount of water for 30 min and the second decoction of 10 times the amount of water for 20 min. Standard decoction containing 0.2 g·mL^-1 of crude drug was defined by x¯±30%， the specific gravity was 0.722-1.340， pH was 3.86-7.16， dry extract yield was 23.1%-42.9%， and the alcohol-soluble extract content was 8.26%-15.34%. Calculated according to the dried products of the standard decoction， the contents of neochlorogenic acid， L-tryptophan， cryptochlorogenic acid， vicenin-2， isoquercetin and astragalin were 1.99-3.69， 1.20-2.22， 1.44-2.67， 0.53-0.99， 2.45-4.55， 1.22-2.26 mg·g^-1， the relative transfer rates relative to the herbs were 34.37%-63.83%， 62.43%-115.94%， 64.65%-120.06%， 56.98%-105.82%， 37.46%-69.57%， 41.81%-77.64%， respectively. The contents of total flavonoids， total organic acids， total polysaccharides， total α-amino acids， total sinapine were 10.19-18.92， 11.82-21.96， 94.07-174.71， 42.69-79.27， 9.55-17.73 mg·g^-1， the relative transfer rates for herbs were 25.72%-47.77%， 41.78%-77.59%， 64.90%-120.54%， 42.30%-78.57%， 34.99%-64.99%， respectively. ConclusionThe optimized decocting technology of M. oleifera leaf standard decoction is stable and feasible， and the established multi-indicator quality evaluation system can lay the foundation for the quality control of this standard decoction.

Objective To improve the understanding of hypereosinophilic syndrome(HES)complicated with pe-ripheral arterial embolism through analyzing the clinical features and therapeutic effect.Methods Among 176 inpa-tients with peripheral arterial embolism in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from April 2012 to October 2021,13 patients complicated with HES were involved according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.All patients were diagnosed with peripheral arterial embolism by imaging examination.After gender and age matching,39 HES patients who were hospitalized in the same period but without peripheral arterial embolism were selected as the control with the ratio of 1:3.Clinical features,therapy response and prognosis were compared between the two groups.Results Eleven of the 13 patients were male.The main involved arteries included popliteal artery,dorsalis pedis artery,ulnar artery and radial artery.The proportion of peripheral nerve involvement in case group was significantly higher than in the control group(P＜0.05);and the proportion of gastrointestinal involvement(P＜0.05)and eosinophil level(P＜0.05)were significantly lower than that of control group.There were 92.3％,61.5％and 76.9％of the patients in case group received anticoagulant therapy,antiplatelet therapy and immunosuppressive therapy respectively,the percentages were significantly higher than that in control group(P＜0.01).According to eosinophil counts before and after therapy,84.6％and 56.5％of the patients in the case and control groups achieved complete remission and the partial remission rates were 15.4％and 25.6％re-spectively.Conclusions Patients with hypereosinophilia syndrome and peripheral arterial embolism commonly ex-perience involvement of the peripheral nerves and skin.Vascular embolism is mainly caused by arterial emboliza-tion of the extremities.After treatment with hormones,immunosuppressants,anticoagulants and/or antiplatelet therapy,this group of patients has a good prognosis.