Persistent left superior vena cava is a rare venous variant that is often combined with cardiovascular malformations. In thoracic surgery, especially mediastinal tumor resection, neglect of this variant may make the surgery difficult and risky, and careful preoperative imaging interpretation and adequate preoperative evaluation play an important role in the perioperative safety of the patient. In this paper, we reported a case of a 17-year-old female patient with a persistent left superior vena cava combined with mediastinal tumors. She was successfully discharged 5 days after thoracoscopic surgery, and after 3 years of postoperative follow-up, no tumor recurrence was observed.

Objective:To investigate the effect of PIK3CA mutations on the tumor immune microenvironment in Luminal breast cancer and evaluate the potential of Alpelisib-loaded pH-responsive polymer micelles in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment.Methods:PIK3CA mutations in breast cancer were analyzed using bioinformatics tools.A mouse xenograft model of Luminal breast cancer harboring a PIK3CA mutation was established,and alterations in the tumor immune microenvironment were examined using mass cytometry(CyTOF).During the period from August 2004 to December 2008 in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital,tissue biopsies of 62 Luminal breast cancer patients in the BRCA cohort were collected Study the relationship between PIK3CA mutations and tumor immune microenvironment at the organizational level.Alpelisib-loaded polymer micelles(Alpelisib@MSPM)were synthesized,characterized,and evaluated for thera-peutic efficacy in Luminal breast cancer with PIK3CA mutations.Results:PIK3CA is one of the most frequently mutated genes in breast can-cer,with the highest prevalence in Luminal subtypes.CyTOF analysis demonstrated that PIK3CA mutations contribute to a tumor immun-osuppressive microenvironment in xenografts.Multiplex fluorescence immunohistochemistry revealed that PIK3CA-mutated tumors exhib-ited more infiltration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs)and less infiltration of CD8? T cells.The synthesized Alpelisib-loaded pH-re-sponsive polymer micelles had an average size of approximately 127 nm.Treatment with Alpelisib and Alpelisib@MSPM reduced tumor growth in mice with PIK3CA-mutated Luminal breast cancer.Notably,the proportion of MDSCs decreased,whereas CD8? T cell infiltration in-creased significantly,with the more pronounced effect observed in the Alpelisib@MSPM treatment group.Conclusions:PIK3CA mutations drive the formation of a tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment in Luminal breast cancer.Targeted Alpelisib delivery via pH-respons-ive polymer micelles significantly enhances therapeutic efficacy in PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer.

AIM:To investigate the protective ef-fect of osthole(Ost)on APAP-induced liver injury in mice and its molecular mechanism.METHODS:We established the APAP-induced liver injury model in mice,and Ost was used to intervene.The expres-sion of AST,ALT,SOD,ROS,MDA,LDH,GSH-PX in mice plasma were detected by biochemical meth-od.HE staining was used to observe the changes of liver tissue structure.Immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the expression of Tif1γ and Smad4 in liver tissue.The mRNA expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,Smad4,and Tif1γ were detected by qRT-PCR.Western blot was applied to assess the protein expression of Smad2/3 and pSmad2/3 in liver tissue.RESULTS:Compared with the control group,the liver structure destruction and hepato-cyte death was increased,ALT,AST,ROS,MDA and LDH were increased,while SOD and GSH-PX were decreased,and the mRNA expressions of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α were increased in the model group.Compared with the model group,the Ost interven-tion group had improved liver structure and de-creased liver cell death;decreased ALT,AST,ROS,MDA and LDH,increased SOD and GSH-PX,and de-creased expression of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA.Compared with the control group,liver tissues of model mice showed increased expression of pS-mad2/3,Smad4 protein and Smad4 mRNA,and de-creased Tif1γ protein and mRNA.Compared with the model group,the liver tissues of the Ost inter-vention group showed decreased expression of pS-mad2/3,Smad4 protein and Smad4 mRNA,and in-creased expression of Tif1γ protein and mRNA.CONCLUSION:Ost can improve liver function,re-duce oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction,and protect hepatocyte damage induced by APAP in mice,which may be related to the up-regulation of Tif1γ and inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway.

Objective:To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of 23 children with pathogenic ACAN gene variants, enhance the understanding of this disorder, and explore possible regulatory mechanisms. Methods:A retrospective case series summary.The clinical characteristics and genetic analysis results of 23 children with ACAN gene variants treated in the Department of Endocrinology, Genetics and Metabolism, Children′s Hospital of Soochow University from January 2016 and September 2024 were analyzed retrospectively.Transcriptome sequencing was performed on peripheral blood samples from 3 of affected children and 3 age-matched healthy children as controls.Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the peripheral blood transcriptome profiles were identified.Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted to explore the potential signaling pathways involved. Results:Among the 23 cases, there were 13 males and 10 females, aged from 2 years and 8 months to 12 years old, with 11 cases presenting advanced bone age.Thirteen cases were treated with growth hormone (GH), including 6 cases who received concomitant gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue therapy.The treatment duration ranged from 3 to 70 months, resulting in varying degrees of height improvement in all treated patients.Transcriptomic analysis identified 811 DEGs, with 516 up-regulated and 295 down-regulated.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the heterozygous ACAN variants were significantly associated with FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway, the intestinal immune network for IgA production, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus signaling pathways. Conclusions:The predominant clinical manifestations of patients with ACAN gene variants are short stature and advanced bone age.Although GH provocation tests may indicate normal GH levels, GH therapy can be effective in improving height.Immune-related factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

AIM:To investigate the protective ef-fect of osthole(Ost)on APAP-induced liver injury in mice and its molecular mechanism.METHODS:We established the APAP-induced liver injury model in mice,and Ost was used to intervene.The expres-sion of AST,ALT,SOD,ROS,MDA,LDH,GSH-PX in mice plasma were detected by biochemical meth-od.HE staining was used to observe the changes of liver tissue structure.Immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the expression of Tif1γ and Smad4 in liver tissue.The mRNA expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,Smad4,and Tif1γ were detected by qRT-PCR.Western blot was applied to assess the protein expression of Smad2/3 and pSmad2/3 in liver tissue.RESULTS:Compared with the control group,the liver structure destruction and hepato-cyte death was increased,ALT,AST,ROS,MDA and LDH were increased,while SOD and GSH-PX were decreased,and the mRNA expressions of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α were increased in the model group.Compared with the model group,the Ost interven-tion group had improved liver structure and de-creased liver cell death;decreased ALT,AST,ROS,MDA and LDH,increased SOD and GSH-PX,and de-creased expression of IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA.Compared with the control group,liver tissues of model mice showed increased expression of pS-mad2/3,Smad4 protein and Smad4 mRNA,and de-creased Tif1γ protein and mRNA.Compared with the model group,the liver tissues of the Ost inter-vention group showed decreased expression of pS-mad2/3,Smad4 protein and Smad4 mRNA,and in-creased expression of Tif1γ protein and mRNA.CONCLUSION:Ost can improve liver function,re-duce oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction,and protect hepatocyte damage induced by APAP in mice,which may be related to the up-regulation of Tif1γ and inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway.

Objective:To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of 23 children with pathogenic ACAN gene variants, enhance the understanding of this disorder, and explore possible regulatory mechanisms. Methods:A retrospective case series summary.The clinical characteristics and genetic analysis results of 23 children with ACAN gene variants treated in the Department of Endocrinology, Genetics and Metabolism, Children′s Hospital of Soochow University from January 2016 and September 2024 were analyzed retrospectively.Transcriptome sequencing was performed on peripheral blood samples from 3 of affected children and 3 age-matched healthy children as controls.Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the peripheral blood transcriptome profiles were identified.Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted to explore the potential signaling pathways involved. Results:Among the 23 cases, there were 13 males and 10 females, aged from 2 years and 8 months to 12 years old, with 11 cases presenting advanced bone age.Thirteen cases were treated with growth hormone (GH), including 6 cases who received concomitant gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue therapy.The treatment duration ranged from 3 to 70 months, resulting in varying degrees of height improvement in all treated patients.Transcriptomic analysis identified 811 DEGs, with 516 up-regulated and 295 down-regulated.GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the heterozygous ACAN variants were significantly associated with FcγR-mediated phagocytosis, nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway, the intestinal immune network for IgA production, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus signaling pathways. Conclusions:The predominant clinical manifestations of patients with ACAN gene variants are short stature and advanced bone age.Although GH provocation tests may indicate normal GH levels, GH therapy can be effective in improving height.Immune-related factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disorder.

Objective:To investigate the effect of PIK3CA mutations on the tumor immune microenvironment in Luminal breast cancer and evaluate the potential of Alpelisib-loaded pH-responsive polymer micelles in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment.Methods:PIK3CA mutations in breast cancer were analyzed using bioinformatics tools.A mouse xenograft model of Luminal breast cancer harboring a PIK3CA mutation was established,and alterations in the tumor immune microenvironment were examined using mass cytometry(CyTOF).During the period from August 2004 to December 2008 in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital,tissue biopsies of 62 Luminal breast cancer patients in the BRCA cohort were collected Study the relationship between PIK3CA mutations and tumor immune microenvironment at the organizational level.Alpelisib-loaded polymer micelles(Alpelisib@MSPM)were synthesized,characterized,and evaluated for thera-peutic efficacy in Luminal breast cancer with PIK3CA mutations.Results:PIK3CA is one of the most frequently mutated genes in breast can-cer,with the highest prevalence in Luminal subtypes.CyTOF analysis demonstrated that PIK3CA mutations contribute to a tumor immun-osuppressive microenvironment in xenografts.Multiplex fluorescence immunohistochemistry revealed that PIK3CA-mutated tumors exhib-ited more infiltration of myeloid-derived suppressor cells(MDSCs)and less infiltration of CD8? T cells.The synthesized Alpelisib-loaded pH-re-sponsive polymer micelles had an average size of approximately 127 nm.Treatment with Alpelisib and Alpelisib@MSPM reduced tumor growth in mice with PIK3CA-mutated Luminal breast cancer.Notably,the proportion of MDSCs decreased,whereas CD8? T cell infiltration in-creased significantly,with the more pronounced effect observed in the Alpelisib@MSPM treatment group.Conclusions:PIK3CA mutations drive the formation of a tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment in Luminal breast cancer.Targeted Alpelisib delivery via pH-respons-ive polymer micelles significantly enhances therapeutic efficacy in PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer.

Health insurance fund regulation (HIFR) is a vital issue in the modernization of healthcare security governance, with its importance as a primary task of the healthcare security department continually reinforced in policy practice. This study focused on the 22 specialized policies issued by the National Healthcare Security Administration from its establishment in 2018 to March 2024, deeply analyzed their issue characteristics, and summarized the evolutionary trends of policy changes, as well as the knowledge production patterns that existed in the series of policy formulation, implementation, and feedback processes. Our analysis revealed that the diverse issue characteristics had led to heterogeneous directions in HIFR policies. The policy development process presented distinct composite evolutionary trends, mainly manifested in four aspects: the integration of regulatory system and content, the convergence of professional and societal forces, the parallelism of special governance and regular supervision, and the complementarity of conventional and emerging methods. Additionally, the study demonstrated that the knowledge production embedded in policy evolution encompassed four different dimensions: problem rectification, norm setting, pilot experience, and technical absorption. Together with issue characteristics and policy evolution, they formed an integrated, dynamic, and open system of knowledge production, continuously promoting the renewal and iteration of regulation policies.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and prognostic influencing factors of multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC), and to construct a prognostic prediction model.Methods:The clinical data and prognostic information of MPLC patients diagnosed by pathological examination included in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from January 2010 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were randomly divided into training and validation sets according to a 7:3 ratio using R software. Survival curves were plotted by using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. The independent influencing factors of overall survival (OS) of MPLC patients in the training set were screened using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, and accordingly, the nomogram predicting the survival rate of patients at 3, 5 and 8 years were plotted. In the training and validation sets, using the actual survival as the gold standard, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the constructed models for predicting the patients' 3-, 5- and 8-year OS rates were plotted, the area under the curve (AUC) was obtained, and C-index of the model was analyzed by using R software. The calibration curves of 3-, 5- and 8-year OS rates predicted by the models and the actual OS rates were plotted.Results:A total of 5 495 MPLC patients were included, 3 846 in the training set and 1 649 in the validation set. The differences in the composition of patients of different ages and AJCC stages between the training and validation sets were statistically significant (both P < 0.05), and the differences in the comparison of other clinicopathological characteristics were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that males (compared with females, HR = 1.256, 95% CI: 1.144-1.379, P < 0.001), age ≥ 70 years old (compared with 50-59 years old, HR = 1.201, 95% CI: 1.030-1.400, P = 0.019), FPLC with pathological types of squamous cell carcinoma or other types (compared with adenocarcinoma, HR = 1.275, 95% CI: 1.137-1.431, P < 0.001; HR = 1.208, 95% CI: 1.041-1.403, P = 0.013), and SPLC with pathological types of squamous cell carcinoma, small cell lung carcinoma, or other types (compared with adenocarcinoma, HR = 1.270, 95% CI: 1.121-1.440, P < 0.001; HR = 1.978, 95% CI: 1.642-2.384, P < 0.001; HR = 1.246, 95% CI: 1.090-1.424, P = 0.001), and AJCC stage Ⅲ and Ⅳ (compared with stage Ⅰ, HR = 1.645, 95% CI: 1.447-1.869, P < 0.001; HR = 2.078, 95% CI: 1.669-2.587, P < 0.001), FPLC without operation (compared with operation, HR = 1.263, 95% CI: 1.038-1.536, P = 0.020), SPLC without operation (operation vs. no operation, HR = 0.680, 95% CI: 0.579-0.799, P < 0.001), FPLC without lymph node dissection or with clearance of 1-3 regional lymph nodes (compared with clearance of ≥4, HR = 1.225, 95% CI: 1.016-1.477, P = 0.034; HR = 1.314, 95% CI: 1.103-1.566, P = 0.002), FPLC with maximum diameter 3-5 cm or >5 cm (compared with <3 cm, HR = 1.181, 95% CI: 1.053-1.324, P = 0.005; HR = 1.232, 95% CI: 1.069-1.420, P = 0.004), and SPLC with maximum diameter 3-5 cm or >5 cm (compared with <3 cm, HR = 1.560, 95% CI: 1.362-1.786, P < 0.001; HR = 1.727, 95% CI: 1.451-2.054, P < 0.001), and FPLC without chemotherapy (chemotherapy vs. no chemotherapy or unknown, HR = 0.744, 95% CI: 0.655-0.845, P < 0.001) were the independent risk factors of patients' poor OS (all P < 0.05). The results of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the OS of patients with different gender, race, age, two tumor locations, AJCC staging, pathological type of two lung tumors, maximum diameter of two tumors, and whether two tumors were treated surgically or not, and whether two tumors were treated with chemotherapy or not in the training set were compared, and the differences were all statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Based on the independent factors affecting the OS of MPLC patients screened by the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis, nomogram predicting the 3-, 5- and 8-year OS rates of MPLC were plotted. The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the C-index of the training set's nomogram was 0.679 (95% CI: 0.649-0.701), and the AUC values for predicting the 3-, 5- and 8-year OS rates were 0.601, 0.595 and 0.586, respectively; the C-index of the validation set was 0.678 (95% CI: 0.633-0.720), and the AUC values for predicting 3-, 5- and 8-year OS rates were 0.643, 0.631 and 0.626, respectively. The calibration curves showed that the 3-, 5- and 8-year OS rates of patients predicted by the nomogram models in both the training and validation sets were in good agreement with the actual results with a high goodness-of-fit. Conclusions:The established prognostic model has good predictive value and can effectively assess the prognosis of patients.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and management status of children with Turner syndrome (TS) in China.Methods:As a cross-sectional study, 1 089 TS patients were included in the database of the National Collaborative Alliance for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Turner Syndrome from August 2019 to November 2023. Clinical characteristics (growth development, sexual development, organ anomalies, etc.), karyotypes, auxiliary examinations, and treatments were collected and analyzed.Results:Among the 1 089 TS cases, 809 were recorded karyotypes. The karyotype distribution was as follows: 45, X in 317 cases (39.2%), X chromosome structural variants (including partial deletions of p or q arm, ring chromosome, and marker chromosome) in 89 cases (11.0%), 45, X/46, XX mosaicism in 158 cases (19.5%), mosaicism with X chromosome structural variants in 209 cases (25.8%), and presence of Y chromosome material in 36 cases (4.4%). Among the 824 TS cases, the age of diagnosis was 9.7(6.4, 12.2) years, with a height standard deviation score (HtSDS) of -3.1±1.2. Five hundred and fifty three cases underwent growth hormone (GH) stimulation test, and 352 cases (63.7%) had GH peak values <10 μg/L and 75.9% (577/760) had low IGF1 levels, with IGF1 SDS ≤-2 accounting for 38.2% (290 cases). Among 471 cases aged ≥8 years, 132 cases (28.0%) showed spontaneous sexual development (mean bone age (11.0±1.7) years), 10 cases had spontaneous menarche (mean bone age (12.0±2.2) years), and 2 cases had regular menstrual cycles. Common physical features included cubitus valgus (311 cases (28.5%)), neck webbing (188 cases (17.2%)), low posterior hairline (185 cases (17.0%)), shield chest (153 cases (14.0%)), high arched palate (127 cases (11.6%)), short fourth metacarpal (43 cases (3.9%)), and spinal abnormalities (38 cases (3.5%)). Congenital cardiovascular and urogenital anomalies occurred in 91 cases (19.4%) and 66 cases (12.0%)respectively. Abdominal ultrasound in 33 cases (7.2%) indicated fatty liver, hepatomegaly, intrahepatic bile duct stones, and splenomegaly. Among 23 cases undergoing oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) test, 2 were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and 4 with impaired glucose tolerance. Following diagnosis, 669 cases (80.7%) received rhGH treatment at a chronological age of (9±4) years and bone age of (8.3±3.2) years. Additionally, 112 cases (19.4%) received sex hormone replacement therapy starting at the age of (14±4) years and bone age of (12.6±1.2) years.Conclusions:The karyotypes of 45, X and mosaicism were most common in Chinese children with TS. The clinical manifestations were mainly short stature and gonadal dysplasia. However, a few TS children could be in the normal range of height, and some cases among those aged of ≥8 years old had spontaneous sexual development. Some exhibited physical features, congenital cardiovascular and urogenital anomalies, and dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-IGF1 axis. Moreover, a few of them developed impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus. Following diagnosis, most of the patients received rhGH treatment, and a few of them received sex hormone replacement therapy.