Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

ObjectiveTo study the effect of Qizhu Kang'ai prescription （QZAP） on the gluconeogenesis enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 （PCK1） in the liver of mouse model of liver cancer induced by diethylnitrosamine （DEN） combined with carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） and Huh7 cells of human liver cancer， so as to explore the mechanism on regulating metabolic reprogramming and inhibiting cell proliferation of liver cancer cells. MethodDEN combined with CCl₄ was used to construct a mouse model of liver cancer via intraperitoneal injection. A normal group， a model group， and a QZAP group were set up， in which QZAP （3.51 g·kg^-1） or an equal volume of normal saline was administered daily by gavage， respectively. Serum and liver samples were collected after eight weeks of intervention. Serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， γ-glutamyltransferase （γ-GT）， and alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） in mice were detected to evaluate liver function changes of mice in each group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Sirius red staining were used to observe pathological changes in liver tissue. In the cell experiment， Huh7 cells were divided into blank group， QZAP low， medium， and high dose groups and/or PCK1 inhibitor （SKF-34288 hydrochloride） group， and Sorafenib group. The corresponding drug-containing serum and drug treatment were given， respectively. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method， colony formation experiment， Edu fluorescent labeling detection， intracellular adenosine triphosphate （ATP） content detection， and cell cycle flow cytometry detection were used to evaluate the proliferation ability， energy metabolism changes， and change in the cell cycle of Huh7 cells in each group. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of PCK1， serine/threonine kinase （Akt）， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and cell cycle-dependent protein kinase inhibitor 1A （p21）. ResultCompared with the model group， the pathological changes such as cell atypia， necrosis， and collagen fiber deposition in liver cancer tissue of mice in the QZAP group were alleviated， and the number of liver tumors was reduced （P<0.01）. The serum ALT， AST， γ-GT， and AFP levels were reduced （P<0.01）. At the cell level， compared with the blank group， low， medium， and high-dose groups of QZAP-containing serum and the Sorafenib group could significantly reduce the survival rate of Huh7 cells （P<0.01） and the number of positive cells with Edu labeling （P<0.01） and inhibit clonal proliferation ability （P<0.01）. The QZAP groups could also reduce the intracellular ATP content （P<0.05） and increase the distribution ratio of the G₀/G₁ phase of the cell cycle （P<0.05） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the model group and blank group， PCK1 and p21 protein levels of mouse liver cancer tissue and Huh7 cells in the QZAP groups were significantly reduced （P<0.05，P<0.01）， and the p-Akt protein level was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the blank group， the ATP content and cell survival rate of Huh7 cells in the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group were significantly increased （P<0.05）， but there was no statistical difference in the ratio of Edu-positive cells and the proportion of G₀/G₁ phase distribution. Compared with the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group， the QZAP combined with the SKF-34288 hydrochloride group significantly reduced the ATP content， cell survival rate， and Edu-positive cell ratio of Huh7 cells （P<0.05） and significantly increased the G₀/G₁ phase distribution proportion （P<0.05）. ConclusionQZAP may induce the metabolic reprogramming of liver cancer cells by activating PCK1 to promote Akt/p21-mediated tumor suppression， thereby exerting an anti-hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation mechanism.

The assessment of adverse drug events is an important basis for clinical safety evaluation and post-marketing risk control of drugs,and its causality assessment is gaining increasing attention.The existing methods for assessing the causal relationship between drugs and the occurrence of adverse reactions can be broadly classified into three categories:global introspective methods,standardized methods,and probabilistic methods.At present,there is no systematic introduction of the operational details of the various methods in the domestic literature.This paper compares representative causality assessment methods in terms of definition and concept,methodological steps,industry evaluation and advantages and disadvantages,clarifies the basic process of determining the causality of adverse drug reactions,and discusses how to further improve the adverse drug reaction monitoring and evaluation system,with a view to providing a reference for drug development and pharmacovigilance work in China.

BACKGROUND: The effects of acupuncture have varied in different randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and there are many factors that influence treatment effect of acupuncture in different outcomes, with conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors and their impact on the treatment effect of acupuncture in different outcomes. METHODS: Acupuncture RCTs were searched from 7 databases including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and China Biology Medicine disc between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2019. Eligible studies must compare acupuncture to no acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waiting lists, and report at least 1 patient-important outcome. A multi-level meta-regression was conducted using a 3-level robust mixed model and univariate analyses were performed for all independent variables, even those excluded from the multivariable model due to collinearities. We used thresholds of 0.2 and 0.4 for the difference of standardized mean differences (SMDs), categorising them as small (<0.2), moderate (0.2-0.4), or large (>0.4) effects. RESULTS: The pain construct analysis involved 211 effect estimates from 153 studies and 14 independent variables. High-frequency acupuncture treatment sessions produced larger effects compared to low-frequency sessions [large magnitude, the difference of adjusted SMDs 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 to 0.84; P=0.02]. The non-pain symptoms construct analysis comprised 323 effect estimates from 231 studies and 15 independent variables. Penetrating acupuncture showed moderately larger effects when compared to non-penetrating acupuncture (0.30, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.53; P=0.01). The function construct analysis included 495 effect estimates from 274 studies and 14 independent variables. Penetrating acupuncture and the flexible acupuncture regimen showed moderately larger effects, compared to non-penetrating acupuncture and fixed regimen, respectively (0.40, 95% CI 0 to 0.80; P=0.05; 0.29, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.53; P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS High-frequency acupuncture sessions appear to be a more effective approach to managing painful symptoms. Penetrating acupuncture demonstrated greater effect in relieving non-painful symptoms. Both penetrating acupuncture type and flexible acupuncture regimen were linked to significant treatment effects in function outcomes. Future studies should consider the factors that are significantly associated with the effects of acupuncture in patient-important outcomes.
Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Pain ; Pain Management ; China

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Chaihu Shugansan combined with Xuanfu Daizhetang （CHSG-XFDZ） in the management of Barrett's esophagus （BE） with liver-stomach disharmony. MethodA randomized， parallel， controlled， double-blind clinical trial was conducted. BE patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into an observation group and a control group， with 34 patients in each group. The observation group was treated with CHSG-XFDZ combined with omeprazole capsules， and the control group was treated with CHSG-XFDZ mimetic combined with omeprazole capsules. Both groups were treated for 12 weeks. The traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom scores， response rate， BE lesion area， BE pathological changes， and bile acid profile were taken as the indicators to jointly evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the two groups. ResultA total of 62 patients who completed the trial were included for statistical analysis， including 32 in the observation group and 30 in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline demographics or disease characteristics between two groups， which suggested that the two groups were comparable. The total response rate in the observation group was 93.7% （30/32）， which was higher than that （60.0%， 18/30） in the control group （χ²=24.766， P<0.05）. After treatment， the response rate regarding the pathological changes in the observation group was 62.5% （20/32）， which was higher than that （23.3%， 7/30） in the control group （χ²=10.270， P<0.05）. The response rate regarding the BE lesion area change in the observation group was 21.9% （7/32）， which had no statistically significant difference from that （6.7%， 2/30） in the control group， which indicated that the advantages of the two regimens were not obvious in terms of reducing the area of BE lesions. Compared with the control group after treatment， the observation group regulated the bile acid profile， which pointed out the direction for further exploring the mechanism of CHSG-XFDZ in treating BE. Neither group showcased adverse reactions with clinical significance during the treatment period. ConclusionCHSG-XFDZ outperformed the control group in terms of alleviating TCM symptoms， ameliorating pathological changes， and improving the bile acid profile in the BE patients with liver-stomach disharmony. It demonstrates certain potential in reducing the lesion area. This formula is safe and effective in treating BE patients with liver-stomach disharmony and deserves further clinical research and widespread application.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Ruyi Zhenbaowan（RYZBW）in the treatment of initial and early knee osteoarthritis （KOA） through a prospective multicenter，randomized，double-blind，and placebo-parallel controlled trial. MethodFrom October 13^th， 2021 to December 25^th， 2021， 240 KOA subjects meeting the acceptance criteria were enrolled in 15 sub-centers including Wangjing Hospital， Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences， and they were randomly divided into observation group and control group， with 120 cases in each group. The intervention measures for the observation group were RYZBW + health education， and the intervention measures for the control group were RYZBW placebo + health education. The intervention period in both groups was four weeks， and they were followed up for four weeks after the intervention. The primary outcome measure was the total score of Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index score （WOMAC score）， and the secondary outcome measures were the response rate of visual scale （VAS） pain score， WOMAC sub item scores （joint pain， joint stiffness， and joint function）， quality of life （SF-12） score， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome score. Result（1） Efficacy evaluation. The marginal model results showed that the observation group was better than the control group in improving the WOMAC total score and WOMAC pain score in the treatment of KOA with RYZBW， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. There was no significant difference between the two groups in improving VAS score response rate， WOMAC function score， WOMAC stiffness score， SF12-PCS （quality of life-physical health） score， SF12-MCS （quality of life-mental health） score， and TCM syndrome score. （2） Subgroup analysis. ① In terms of VAS score response rate， the response rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group for subjects with baseline VAS score of （4， 5］， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. ② In terms of TCM syndrome score， for subjects aged ［56， 60］ and ［61， 65］， the decrease in total TCM syndrome score in the observation group was better than that in the control group， and the difference was statistically significant （P<0.05）. ConclusionTibetan medicine RYZBW has good clinical efficacy in improving WOMAC total score， VAS score response rate， WOMAC pain score， WOMAC function score， and TCM syndrome score for patients with initial and early KOA， which can fill the lack of Tibetan medicine RYZBW in the treatment of KOA and make a demonstration study for the inheritance and development of ethnic medicine.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between the course of antibiotics during perioperative period and postoperative infection in pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS) undergoing cesarean section, and to guide the rational use of antibiotics in clinical practice. METHODS A total of 53 cesarean section women in the hospital from January 2014 to September 2022 were chosen as research objects. According to the course of antibiotics, the puerperae were divided into two groups. The treatment course of antibiotics in the study group(n=31) was >24 h and ≤48 h, and the control group(n=22) was ≤24 h. The postoperative wound healing, inflammatory indexes, postoperative infection rate, and postoperative hospital stay were observed. RESULTS There was no significant difference in postoperative body temperature, white blood cell count, neutrophil ratio, C-reactive protein, postoperative hospital stay, wound healing grade and postoperative infection rate between the study group and the control group. CONCLUSION Antibiotics for HIV/AIDS patients during perioperative period of cesarean section for <24 h may play a better role in preventing postoperative infection.

Objective To explore the relationship and internal path between activities of daily living(ADL),sleep quality and mental health of community elderly people in Shanghai.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among community residents aged 60 years and older seeing doctors in community health care center of five streets in Shanghai during Sept to Dec,2021 using convenience sampling.Activities of Daily Living(ADL),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)and 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale(K10)were adopted in the survey.Single factor analysis,correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data.The effect relationship between the variables was tested using Bootstrap's mediated effects test.Results A total of 1 864 participants were included in the study.The average score was 15.53±4.47 for ADL,5.60±3.71 for PSQI and 15.50±6.28 for K10.The rate of ADL impairment,poor sleep quality,poor and very poor mental health of the elderly were 23.6%,27.3%,11.9%and 4.9%,respectively.ADL and sleep quality were all positively correlated with mental health(r=0.321,P＜0.001;r=0.466,P＜0.001);ADL was positively correlated with sleep quality(r=0.294,P＜0.001).Multiple linear results of factors influencing mental health showed that ADL(β= 0.457,95%CI:0.341-0.573),sleep quality(β =0.667,95%CI:0.598-0.737)and mental health were positively correlated(P＜0.001).Sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between ADL and mental health(95%CI:0.078-0.124)with an effect size of 33.0%.Conclusion Sleep quality is a mediator between ADL and mental health among community elderly people.Improving ADL and sleep quality may improve mental health in the population.