ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） triple therapy in the treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis （SBP） with damp-heat stagnation and toxin-blood stasis syndrome in liver cirrhosis patients， and to explore its potential mechanisms of action. MethodsEighty-six patients were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group， with 43 patients in each group. Both groups received standard western medicine treatment， while the experimental group additionally received TCM triple therapy， including oral Qingre Liangxue Jiedu Decoction （清热凉血解毒汤）， retention enema with Dachengi Decoction （大承气汤）， and abdominal application of Qingre Zhitong Lishui Fomulation （清热止痛利水方） with lotus leaf. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. Before and after treatment， various indicators were measured， such as TCM syndrome scores， ascites volume measured by abdominal ultrasound， liver function indicators including total bilirubin （TBIL）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and albumin （ALB）， infection markers， including neutrophil percentage （NEUT%）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， and procalcitonin （PCT）， inflammatory factors， such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-ɑ）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10）， intestinal mucosal barrier function markers， including endotoxin （ET）， diamine oxidase （DAO）， D-lactic acid （D-Lac）， occludin， and zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and peritoneal polymorphonuclear （PMN） cell counts at 72 hours post-treatment. ResultsA total of 82 patients were included in the final analysis， with 41 patients in each group. The total effective rate for TCM syndrome in the experimental group was 92.68% （38/41）， which was significantly higher than the 80.49% （33/41） in the control group （P＜0.05）. Compared with pre-treatment values， both groups showed significant reductions in TCM syndrome scores， ascites volume， TBIL， ALT， AST， NEUT%， CRP， PCT， TNF-α， IL-6， ET， DAO， D-Lac， Occludin， and ZO-1， with an increase in IL-10 levels and a decrease in PMN count in ascites 72 hours post-treatment （P＜0.05）. Furthermore， the experimental group outperformed the control group in all the above indicators after treatment （P＜0.05）. The disappearance time of fever and abdominal pain was shorter in the experimental group than in the control group （P＜0.01）. There were no significant changes in routine urine and stool tests， renal function， electrolytes， or electrocardiogram in either group compared with pre-treatment values. ConclusionTCM triple therapy in addition to western medicine routine treatment could significantly improves clinical symptoms in patients with liver cirrhosis and SBP with damp-heat stagnation and toxin-blood stasis syndrome， alleviates liver inflammation， improves liver function， accelerates the resolution of ascites， and increases clinical efficacy. The potential mechanism may be related to the regulation of the inflammatory response and the promotion of intestinal mucosal barrier repair.

Objective To explore the drug selection, usage, dosage and effect of clinical pharmacists in the treatment of secondary Candida bloodstream infection in patients with digestive tract perforation, and provide reference for rational clinical use of such anti-infection therapy. Methods During the treatment of Candida infection, anti-infection specialist clinical pharmacists suggested replacing fluconazole for anti-infection treatment, and adjusted the usage and dosage of caspofungin to ensure the application of full treatment course. Results The patient’s Candida bloodstream infection was effectively controlled. Conclusion Echininocandins such as caspofungin are the first choice for Candida infection. The maintenance dose should be reduced to 35 mg qd in patient with moderate liver function injury, and the anti-infection treatment should be done at least 14 days after the blood culture being negative. Clinical pharmacists participate in clinical pharmaceutical care practices such as clinical ward rounds, and actively assist doctors to develop individualized anti-infection programs, which could improve the level of clinical drug use and the clinical outcome of diseases.

OBJECTIVE To explore the improvement effect and mechanism of salidroside on radiation-induced parotid gland injury in rats. METHODS Rats were randomly assigned into normal group， radiation group， salidroside low-dose （salidroside-L， 50 mg/kg） group， salidroside high-dose （salidroside-H， 100 mg/kg） group， and salidroside-H+inhibitor （100 mg/kg salidroside+0.1 µmol/kg H-89） group， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the normal group， rats in the other groups were subjected to radiation exposure to establish a model of radiation-induced parotid gland injury. Rats in each group were intraperitoneally injected with the corresponding drug or normal saline， once a day， for 40 consecutive days. After the last administration， the levels of reactive oxygen species （ROS）， cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and amylase in serum were detected； the pathological changes of parotid gland tissue were observed； the apoptosis rate of parotid gland tissue cells， the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2） and its associated X protein （Bax）， mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 （IL- 6） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， the protein expression levels of type Ⅲ collagen （Col Ⅲ）， vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， and the phosphorylation level of protein kinase A （PKA） in parotid gland tissue were determined. RESULTS Compared with normal group， the levels of ROS， amylase， apoptosis rate， Bax expression level， mRNA expression levels of IL-6 and TNF- α， and protein expression level of Col Ⅲ in the radiation group were significantly increased， while the levels of cAMP， SOD， Bcl-2 expression level， VIP protein expression level and PKA phosphorylation level were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with radiation group， the above indicators in the salidroside-L group and salidroside-H group were significantly improved （P＜0.05）， and the improvement in the salidroside-H group was more significant （P＜0.05）； inhibitor H-89 significantly reversed the changes in the above indicators of the salidroside-H group （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Salidroside can effectively alleviate radiation-induced parotid gland injury in rats， and its mechanism may be related to the activation of the VIP-cAMP pathway.

Recent data suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor (VEGFRi) can enhance the anti-tumor activity of the anti-programmed cell death-1 (anti-PD-1) antibody in colorectal cancer (CRC) with microsatellite stability (MSS). However, the comparison between this combination and standard third-line VEGFRi treatment is not performed, and reliable biomarkers are still lacking. We retrospectively enrolled MSS CRC patients receiving anti-PD-1 antibody plus VEGFRi (combination group, n=54) or VEGFRi alone (VEGFRi group, n=32), and their efficacy and safety were evaluated. We additionally examined the immune characteristics of the MSS CRC tumor microenvironment (TME) through single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data, and an MSS CRC immune cell-related signature (MCICRS) that can be used to predict the clinical outcomes of MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy was developed and validated in our in-house cohort. Compared with VEGFRi alone, the combination of anti-PD-1 antibody and VEGFRi exhibited a prolonged survival benefit (median progression-free survival: 4.4 vs. 2.0 months, P=0.0024; median overall survival: 10.2 vs. 5.2 months, P=0.0038) and a similar adverse event incidence. Through single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analysis, we determined ten MSS CRC-enriched immune cell types and their spatial distribution, including naive CD4⁺ T, regulatory CD4⁺ T, CD4⁺ Th17, exhausted CD8⁺ T, cytotoxic CD8⁺ T, proliferated CD8⁺ T, natural killer (NK) cells, plasma, and classical and intermediate monocytes. Based on a systemic meta-analysis and ten machine learning algorithms, we obtained MCICRS, an independent risk factor for the prognosis of MSS CRC patients. Further analyses demonstrated that the low-MCICRS group presented a higher immune cell infiltration and immune-related pathway activation, and hence a significant relation with the superior efficacy of pan-cancer immunotherapy. More importantly, the predictive value of MCICRS in MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy was also validated with an in-house cohort. Anti-PD-1 antibody combined with VEGFRi presented an improved clinical benefit in MSS CRC with manageable toxicity. MCICRS could serve as a robust and promising tool to predict clinical outcomes for individual MSS CRC patients receiving immunotherapy.
Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Male ; Female ; Immunotherapy ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Tumor Microenvironment/immunology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Microsatellite Instability ; Transcriptome ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/immunology* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor/antagonists & inhibitors*

Targeting drug delivery systems mediated by nanoparticles has shown great potential in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. However, influences of different tumor progressions on the accumulation of nanoparticles, especially the ligand-modified active targeting nanoparticles are seldom exploited. In this work, the accumulation and penetration of RGD-modified gold nanoparticles (active AuNPs) with different sizes were investigated in orthotopic breast cancer with different tumor progressions. The results showed that the smallest active AuNPs had better accumulation and permeation effects in early tumor tissues with the relatively looser extracellular matrix, larger gaps, lower interstitial fluid pressure, and less receptor expression, which was due to size effects. However, the larger active AuNPs had better accumulation and penetration effects in late tumor tissues with highly expressed target receptors integrin α _v β ₃ because of the multivalent interactions between larger active nanoparticles and integrin α _v β ₃. In the midterm, tumor accumulation of active AuNPs was equally influenced by size effects and multivalent interactions. Therefore, RGD-modified nanoparticles with sizes of 7 and 90 nm accumulated more in tumors. This study will guide a rational design of active targeting nanoparticles for enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of tumors based on their progressions.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are a leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite advances in treatment, cancer relapse remains a significant challenge, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies. In this study, we engineered nanobody-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells targeting cadherin 17 (CDH17) for the treatment of GI tumors. In addition, to enhance the efficacy of CAR-NK cells, we also incorporated CV1, a CD47-SIRPα axis inhibitor, to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of this combination. We found that CDH17-CAR-NK cells effectively eliminated GI cancers cells in a CDH17-dependent manner. CDH17-CAR-NK cells also exhibit potent in vivo anti-tumor effects in cancer cell-derived xenograft and patient-derived xenograft mouse models. Additionally, the anti-tumor activity of CDH17-CAR-NK cells is synergistically enhanced by CD47-signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) axis inhibitor CV1, likely through augmented macrophages activation and an increase in M1-phenotype macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. Collectively, our findings suggest that CDH17-targeting CAR-NK cells are a promising strategy for GI cancers. The combination of CDH17-CAR-NK cells with CV1 emerges as a potential combinatorial approach to overcome the limitations of CAR-NK therapy. Further investigations are warranted to speed up the clinical translation of these findings.

Autoimmune hepatitis （AIH） is an inflammatory disease caused by immune dysfunction， and its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. In recent years， a large number of studies have shown that iron homeostasis imbalance and ferroptosis are closely associated with the pathogenesis and progression of AIH. This article reviews the pathological mechanism and impact of iron overload and ferroptosis in AIH， in order to provide new insights and theoretical bases for research on the mechanism and clinical treatment of AIH.

Palliative and hospice care is an emerging medical care model for the development of modern medicine,and its emergence is not only a sign of social demand and the development of human civilization,but also an important manifestation of the change in the modern medical model.Hospice care is the final stage of palliative care,which is of great significance for the end-of-life treatment of incurable diseases.Palliative and hospice care has become an independent discipline in many countries,and its development has been rapid.However,the develop-ment of hospice and palliative care in China is not satisfactory,and the lack of money and human resources are the main reasons limiting its development.Many scholars have carried out a lot of useful practices in this regard.How to explore a road of hospice and palliative care development suitable for China′s national conditions is an urgent problem to be solved.By reviewing domestic and foreign literature,this paper summarizes the development mode and payment method of palliative and hospice care abroad,identifies the challenges encountered in the practice of hospice care in China,and draws on the development experience of palliative and hospice care in foreign countries.We aimed to identify pain points and difficulties faced in developing palliative and hospice care in China,so as to better serve patients at the end of life,gradually promote the concept of palliative and hospice care,and contribute to the sustainable development of palliative and hospice care in China.

Objective To explore the effects of electromagnetic field(EMF)on thechange of Ca2+ in osteolbast from the qualitative and quantitative perspectives,and try to identify the role of Ca2+in EMF regulation on osteoblast proliferation and differentiation.Methods A platform was established for generating sine EMF with a frequency of 38.7 Hz and a strength of 1.5 mT.The MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts were randomly divided into control group and experimental group(EMF intervention for 8 h per day).CCK8 was used to detect osteoblast proliferation,ALP staining to detect osteoblast differentiation,and Ca2+fluorescence probes and flow cytometer to detect the Ca2+concentration in osteoblasts.Results CCK8 result showed that EMF intervention for 48,72,96 and 120 h could significantly promote osteoblast proliferation.After 14 days of EMF intervention,the positive expression of ALP was significantly higher in EMF group than in control group.Ca2+fluorescent staining and flow cytometry results revealed that EMF intervention could increase the Ca2+in osteoblasts.Conclusion The EMF-induced upregulation of Ca2+ signal in osteoblasts may be closely related to the promotions of osteoblast proliferation and differentiation by EMF,but which Ca2+-related biosignaling pathways are involved in the EMF promoting osteoblast proliferation and differentiation remains to be further investigated.

In order to achieve the purpose of rapid detection of duck astrovirus type 1(DAstV-1),specific primers were designed based on the conservative region of ORF1a which belonged to DAstV-1(WF1202 strain).A real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(qPCR)detective method for DAstV-1 was established.Clinical samples were detected by the qPCR method and the positive samples were used for virus isolation and identification.Results showed that the detection limit of the established method was 4.64×103 copies/μL,which was 10 times higher than the normal RT-PCR method.In addition,no cross-reactions were found with other common infectious disease pathogens in poultry,indicating that the qPCR method had good specificity.What's more,the coef-ficient of variations(Cv)in intra-and inter-assays were 0.85％-2.85％and 0.21％-2.94％,re-spectively,both less than 3％,indicating that the qPCR method had a good repeatability.Using this method,35 tissue samples from different duck farms in 10 provinces from 2020 to 2022 were detected for DAstV-1.Results showed that the positive rate was 25.71％(9/35),and the coinci-dence rate was 94.29％when compared with the normal RT-PCR method.A positive sample ran-domly taken for the virus isolation through duck embryo passage,and the allantoic fluid was col-lected and then was verified by the qPCR method and inoculated with 1-day-old healthy ducklings for the animal regression experiment.The infected ducklings suffered from transient disease but did not die.The liver tissues were all positive with DAstV-1 when detected by qPCR.Meanwhile,autopsy showed that there were slight changes in the livers,and the histopathological observation showed that the liver cells were steatosis.These findings indicated that the isolated DAstV-1 strain had weak pathogenicity and might be a low virulent strain.To sum up,the qPCR detection method of DAstV-1 was successfully established in this work,and could provide technical support for clini-cal diagnosis,isolation and identification,and molecular epidemiology monitoring of DAstV-1.