Objective To explore the function and molecular mechanisms of matrix metalloproteinase 19(MMP-19)in colorectal cancer(CRC)and liver metastasis of CRC(CRLM).Methods This study comprehen-sively analyzed transcriptomic data,single-cell data,and clinical information of CRC and CRLM patients retrieved from public databases,namely The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO).RNA sequencing analysis was carried out to identify biological functions associated with MMP-19 expression.The differ-ential expression of MMP-19 between primary lesions and liver metastatic lesions was evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR),Western blotting,and immunohistochemistry.In vitro functional assays were performed to validate the impact of MMP-19 on the proliferation,invasion,and migration of colorectal cancer cells.Results MMP-19 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in both CRC and CRLM patients.Sequencing results and functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that MMP-19 is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition,amino acid and protein transport,cell proliferation,extracellular matrix organization,and the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway.Single-cell analysis revealed that the expression of MMP-19 in macrophages and dendritic cells was higher in both CRC primary tumors and liver metastases compared to normal tissues.In vitro experiments confirmed that MMP-19 enhances the proliferation,invasion,and migration capabilities of colorectal cancer cells.Conclusion MMP-19 has been shown to play a crucial role in promoting the development and progression of CRC.It increases the risk of postoperative recurrence and liver metastasis through inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and remodeling the immune microenvironment.Given these findings,MMP-19 emerges as a promising novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of both CRC and CRLM.

Fungal keratitis represents a significant cause of blindness, with current therapeutic approaches yielding limited success. The disease's onset and progression are primarily driven by fungal virulence factors and the host's immune response. The innate immune system is the first to respond, with neutrophils playing a pivotal role in the antifungal defense. Although neutrophils are critical for pathogen clearance, their excessive or abnormal activation can lead to tissue damage, exacerbating the disease. Thus, elucidating the mechanisms underlying neutrophil activity in fungal keratitis is crucial for refining treatment strategies. This article aims to systematically review the principal antimicrobial mechanisms employed by neutrophils, including phagocytosis, degranulation, and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs). Furthermore, it explores the crosstalk between neutrophils and macrophages, alongside their collective impact and underlying mechanisms in the context of fungal keratitis. Exploration of the mechanisms of fungal keratitis facilitates precise intervention and enhances the efficacy of treatment.

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between corneal biomechanical parameters and Schlemm canal (SC) and trabecular meshwork (TM) in patients with myopia.Methods:Eighty-one consecutive patients who underwent refractive surgery at Wuhan EyeGood Ophthalmology Hospital from May to December 2021 were enrolled.Patients were divided into two groups according to spherical equivalent (SE) and axial length (AL), including 39 patients with 39 eyes in low to moderate myopia group (SE: -0.5 to -6.0 D, AL<26 mm) and 42 patients with 42 eyes in high myopia group (SE≤-6.0 D, AL≥26 mm).Another 20 cases (20 eyes) from the same period of health examinations were included as a healthy control group, with 10 males and 10 females.All subjects' right eye data were included for analysis.The corneal biomechanical parameters were measured with Corvis ST.The morphology of the SC and TM was observed with Zeiss Cirrus HD-OCT 5000.The differences in corneal biomechanical parameters, nasal SC (SC-N) area, temporal SC (SC-T) area, nasal TM (TM-N) width and thickness and temporal TM (TM-T) width were compared between the two groups.Correlations between corneal biomechanical parameters and SC, TM and biomechanically corrected intraocular pressure (bIOP) in myopic patients were analyzed using Pearson linear correlation analysis.The study followed the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuhan EyeGood Ophthalmology Hospital (No.AGQGSS-06).All patients were aware of the purpose and significance of this study and voluntarily signed the informed consent form.Results:The distance between the two peaks of the cornea at highest concavity (PD) was (5.49±0.28)mm in high myopia group, which was higher than (5.36±0.28)mm in low to moderate myopia and (5.05±0.29)mm in healthy control group, and the radius of curvature at highest concavity (HCR) and the stress-strain index (SSI) values in high myopia group were lower than those in low to moderate myopia and healthy control groups, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05).The SC-T area and SC-N area were significantly higher and TM-T thickness was lower in high myopia group than those in low to moderate myopia and healthy control groups (all P<0.05).PD was positively correlated with SC-N area in myopic patients ( r=0.26, P=0.02).bIOP was negatively correlated with PD, the amount of corneal displacement at highest degree of concavity (DA), inverse concave radius (IR) and deformation amplitude ratio (DA ratio) ( r=-0.79, -0.81, -0.45, -0.50; all P=0.00) and positively correlated with stiffness parameters at applanation 1 (SP-A1) and SSI ( r=0.45, 0.46; all P=0.00). Conclusions:PD values are greater in myopic patients.The greater the PD, the greater the SC-N area.The greater the refractive error, the longer the AL, and the thinner the TM thickness.

Objective:This study aims to investigate the therapeutic efficacy of staged endoscopic surgery for Shin-Ⅲ stage external auditory canal cholesteatoma. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 25 patients diagnosed with Shin-Ⅲ cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal, who were admitted to the Otology Center of the First People's Hospital of Foshan City from May 2020 to October 2024. All patients initially underwent endoscopic cholesteatoma removal. Based on the outcomes of the first-stage postoperative follow-up, patients were categorized into two groups: the repair type and the non-repair type. The non-repair type was further subdivided into simple and complex types. Of the total cases, 10 patients were of the repair type, with 9 requiring no further surgical intervention. The non-repair type comprised 15 patients, of which 8 were classified as simple type and underwent either tympanoplasty type Ⅰ or external auditory canal wall reconstruction during the second stage. The remaining 7 patients, identified as complex type, received open mastoidectomy or tympanotomy in the second stage, with or without ossicular chain reconstruction. Results:All patients were monitored for a minimum of six months postoperatively. The incidence of dry ear was observed in 22 patients, corresponding to a dry ear rate of 88.0%. Four cases experienced primary complications. Conclusion:Endoscopic phased operation for managing Shin-Ⅲ stage cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal can ensure that the surgical options match the severity of the lesions, reducing unnecessary surgical trauma and achieving good efficacy.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Ear Canal/surgery* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Cholesteatoma/surgery* ; Male ; Tympanoplasty ; Female ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear/surgery* ; Mastoidectomy

Postoperative stress symptoms are caused by surgical trauma,and now still lack active intervention methods to promote the recovery of body function in the field of western medicine.Professor Cai Bingqin analyzed the etiology and pathogenesis of stress symptoms after abdominal surgery,which usually manifested as abnormal sweating,sleep disorders,emotional disorders,and gastrointestinal dysfunction,and then put forward the concept of postoperative stress syndrome for the perioperative period.Professor Cai Bingqin believes that surgical stimulation,as the important etiological factor responsible for postoperative stress symptoms,can cause excessive stress in the body,which results in a series of symptoms affecting the recovery of patients.Liver plays a defensive and adaptive role in postoperative stress by regulating qi movement,blood circulation and emotions.The symptoms of abnormal sweating,sleep disorders and emotional disorders are related with the function of the liver in governing emotions,housing the ethereal soul,and ensuring the free movement of qi,while the gastrointestinal dysfunction manifestations of poor appetite,abdominal distention and constipation are due to the disharmony of liver and spleen.For the treatment of postoperative stress syndrome,Professor Cai proposes the principle of treating disease from the perspective of liver,and the methods of soothing liver and alleviating depression,and warming and activating qi movement are adopted.Sini San(Sini Powder for Soothing Liver and Regulating Qi)is commonly used as the basic prescription to ensure the normal function of liver and to ensure the free movement of qi,and then the harmony of qi and blood and the unobstruction of blood vessels will be achieved.Additionally,the assistance of therapy for invigorating spleen to dissolve dampness,and replenishing qi to consolidate superficies can adjust zang-fu organs'dysfunction,and will restore the balance of qi-blood and yin-yang.The proposal of"postoperative stress syndrome"will provide an approach to the management of perioperative period with traditional Chinese medicine,and will become the beneficial supplement to the existing fast-track surgery system.

Objective:To evaluate the correlation between corneal biomechanical parameters and Schlemm canal (SC) and trabecular meshwork (TM) in patients with myopia.Methods:Eighty-one consecutive patients who underwent refractive surgery at Wuhan EyeGood Ophthalmology Hospital from May to December 2021 were enrolled.Patients were divided into two groups according to spherical equivalent (SE) and axial length (AL), including 39 patients with 39 eyes in low to moderate myopia group (SE: -0.5 to -6.0 D, AL<26 mm) and 42 patients with 42 eyes in high myopia group (SE≤-6.0 D, AL≥26 mm).Another 20 cases (20 eyes) from the same period of health examinations were included as a healthy control group, with 10 males and 10 females.All subjects' right eye data were included for analysis.The corneal biomechanical parameters were measured with Corvis ST.The morphology of the SC and TM was observed with Zeiss Cirrus HD-OCT 5000.The differences in corneal biomechanical parameters, nasal SC (SC-N) area, temporal SC (SC-T) area, nasal TM (TM-N) width and thickness and temporal TM (TM-T) width were compared between the two groups.Correlations between corneal biomechanical parameters and SC, TM and biomechanically corrected intraocular pressure (bIOP) in myopic patients were analyzed using Pearson linear correlation analysis.The study followed the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wuhan EyeGood Ophthalmology Hospital (No.AGQGSS-06).All patients were aware of the purpose and significance of this study and voluntarily signed the informed consent form.Results:The distance between the two peaks of the cornea at highest concavity (PD) was (5.49±0.28)mm in high myopia group, which was higher than (5.36±0.28)mm in low to moderate myopia and (5.05±0.29)mm in healthy control group, and the radius of curvature at highest concavity (HCR) and the stress-strain index (SSI) values in high myopia group were lower than those in low to moderate myopia and healthy control groups, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05).The SC-T area and SC-N area were significantly higher and TM-T thickness was lower in high myopia group than those in low to moderate myopia and healthy control groups (all P<0.05).PD was positively correlated with SC-N area in myopic patients ( r=0.26, P=0.02).bIOP was negatively correlated with PD, the amount of corneal displacement at highest degree of concavity (DA), inverse concave radius (IR) and deformation amplitude ratio (DA ratio) ( r=-0.79, -0.81, -0.45, -0.50; all P=0.00) and positively correlated with stiffness parameters at applanation 1 (SP-A1) and SSI ( r=0.45, 0.46; all P=0.00). Conclusions:PD values are greater in myopic patients.The greater the PD, the greater the SC-N area.The greater the refractive error, the longer the AL, and the thinner the TM thickness.

Objective To explore the function and molecular mechanisms of matrix metalloproteinase 19(MMP-19)in colorectal cancer(CRC)and liver metastasis of CRC(CRLM).Methods This study comprehen-sively analyzed transcriptomic data,single-cell data,and clinical information of CRC and CRLM patients retrieved from public databases,namely The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO).RNA sequencing analysis was carried out to identify biological functions associated with MMP-19 expression.The differ-ential expression of MMP-19 between primary lesions and liver metastatic lesions was evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR),Western blotting,and immunohistochemistry.In vitro functional assays were performed to validate the impact of MMP-19 on the proliferation,invasion,and migration of colorectal cancer cells.Results MMP-19 was highly expressed in CRC tissues and was significantly correlated with poor prognosis in both CRC and CRLM patients.Sequencing results and functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that MMP-19 is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition,amino acid and protein transport,cell proliferation,extracellular matrix organization,and the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway.Single-cell analysis revealed that the expression of MMP-19 in macrophages and dendritic cells was higher in both CRC primary tumors and liver metastases compared to normal tissues.In vitro experiments confirmed that MMP-19 enhances the proliferation,invasion,and migration capabilities of colorectal cancer cells.Conclusion MMP-19 has been shown to play a crucial role in promoting the development and progression of CRC.It increases the risk of postoperative recurrence and liver metastasis through inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and remodeling the immune microenvironment.Given these findings,MMP-19 emerges as a promising novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of both CRC and CRLM.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown the correlation between lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters and natural absorption of lumbar disc herniation.However,the lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters included lumbar lordosis angle,lumbosacral joint angle,sacral inclination angle and many other parameters.The effects of each parameter on the natural absorption of the herniated disc were different.In addition,there are few studies on the reabsorption of a specific segment of intervertebral disc herniation at present,and most of the measured data are obtained from digital radiography or CT,while the correlation between lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters measured from MRI and reabsorption after L5/S1 intervertebral disc herniation is rarely reported. OBJECTIVE:To study the corresponding changes of lumbar sagittal plane parameters after L5/S1 intervertebral disc herniation reabsorption and to screen out the lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters with the most significant changes during intervertebral disc reabsorption. METHODS:Totally 57 patients with lumbar disc herniation who had complete MRI image data were selected and met the diagnostic criteria for lumbar disc herniation and only received non-surgical treatment for reabsorption of L5/S1 protrusion segments.MRI measured the protrusion area of the maximum protrusion plane in the coronal plane,lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters[lumbar curvature index,lumbar lordosis(α),L5/S1 disc angle(β),intervertebral height measurement,lumbosacral joint angle,sacral platform angle,sacral inclination angle,and lower lumbar lordosis angle].Besides,lumbosacral sagittal plane parameters were ranked in the importance of variables by random forest model in R software,and then significant variables were fitted with multiple linear regression.The changes between parameters before and after treatment were analyzed and compared by paired sample t-test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 57 patients with L5/S1 lumbar disc herniation were included in this study,and the symptoms and imaging features of the patients were significantly relieved to a large extent.(2)Before treatment,there were 4 cases of grade 1,29 cases of grade 2 and 24 cases of grade 3 according to the Classification of Michigan State University.After treatment,there were 48 cases of grade 1 and 9 cases of grade 2.(3)The random forest model suggested that intervertebral height,lumbar curve index,sacral inclination angle,and lower lumbar lordosis angle changed significantly in L5/S1 disc herniation reabsorption,and the order of their change significance was lumbar curve index>intervertebral space height>sacral inclination angle>lower lumbar lordosis angle.(4)Lumbar curve index,lumbar lordosis and sacral platform angle increased,with statistical significance(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in disc angle,intervertebral height,lower lumbar lordosis angle,sacral inclination angle or lumbosacral joint angle(P>0.05).(5)Lumbar curvature index was the most significant parameter of the lumbosacral sagittal plane in herniated disc reabsorption.In addition,lumbar curve index,sacral inclination angle,and lower lumbar lordosis angle are commonly used clinically to describe the change of lumbar curvature,suggesting that L5/S1 disc herniation reabsorption is correlated with the change of lumbar curvature.It is indicated that in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation,a clinical cure can be achieved by improving or restoring the disordered lumbar curvature.

Fungal keratitis is a serious blinding eye disease. The development of fungal infections depends primarily on the interaction of fungal virulence with host immune defense factors. The cornea is considered an immune-privileged organ, and resident macrophages are the main immune cells that respond to the heterogeneity exhibited by the microenvironment with their polarization. In the early stage of infection, macrophages polarize towards M1, which promotes inflammation and facilitates fungal clearance but produces a cellular storm that exacerbates immune damage; in the late stage of infection, macrophages polarize towards M2, which suppresses the inflammatory response and facilitates tissue repair, but may be immunosuppressed or even immune escape to the detriment of pathogen clearance. The balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses is key to maintaining the functional integrity of the cornea. Current antifungal drug therapy is limited, so it is particularly important to find a therapeutic target for the inflammatory response triggered by the immune response in addition to antifungal therapy. In this review, the functional and phenotypic characterization of macrophage subsets associated with fungal keratitis was reviewed, more in-depth research is needed to explore the specific mechanisms by which macrophage polarization and their impact on fungal keratitis. Targeted regulation of macrophage differentiation based on their phenotype and function could be an effective approach to treat and manage fungal keratitis in the future.

Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) are an ILC subset that is characterized by the expression of retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear receptor γt (RORγt) and interleukin 22 (IL-22). This review summarizes the role of ILC3 in coordinating innate immunity and adaptive immunity based on current research and elaborate the significance of ILC3 from the perspective of immune system evolution. In addition, based on immune-related functions, we propose a possible time when ILC3 appears in the evolution of the immune system. And then, the research limitations and prospects are discussed.
Immunity, Innate ; Lymphocytes ; Tretinoin