Objective: To investigate the predictive value of EZH2 expression for malignant transformation in oral leukoplakia (OLK) and to provide a reference for clinical practice. Methods: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. A total of 114 patients diagnosed with OLK by pathological examination and treated at our hospital between November 2020 and July 2022 were initially enrolled. After excluding those with incomplete data or follow-up, 105 participants were included in the final analysis, comprising 14 in the high EZH2 expression group and 91 in the low EZH2 expression group. Histopathological examination of oral mucosa and immunohistochemical detection of EZH2 protein expression were performed. The follow-up period was 30 months; participants were followed until malignant transformation occurred or until the end of follow-up, at which point they were withdrawn from the study. The exposure factor was the level of EZH2 protein expression, and the outcome was the malignant transformation rate of OLK. Differences in EZH2 expression levels and transformation outcomes were analyzed. Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the high and low EZH2 expression groups in terms of age, sex, history of systemic disease, lifestyle habits, psychological status, diet, and sleep conditions (P > 0.05). Lesions in the high EZH2 expression group were mainly located on the ventral tongue, while in the low EZH2 expression group, they were more commonly found on the dorsal tongue and buccal mucosa. The malignant transformation rate was 28.6% (4/14) in the high expression group and 8.8% (8/91) in the low expression group; these differences were not statistically significant (P=0.053). In univariate Cox regression analysis, the risk of malignant transformation in the high EZH2 expression group was 3.647 times that of the low EZH2 expression group (HR = 3.647, 95% CI: 1.097-12.120, P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that over the 30-month follow-up period, the cancer-free survival rate in the high EZH2 expression group was 19.8% lower than in the low expression group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, only moderate and severe epithelial dysplasia were identified as independent risk factors for malignant transformation. The risk of malignant transformation in the moderate and severe dysplasia groups was 10.695 and 13.623 times higher, respectively, than in the mild dysplasia group (HR = 10.695, 95% CI: 2.270-50.396, P<0.05; HR=13.623, 95% CI: 1.918-96.774, P<0.05). EZH2 high expression was not an independent risk factor in the multivariate model (HR= 2.528, 95% CI: 0.752-8.500, P = 0.134). Conclusion High EZH2 protein expression is a risk factor for the malignant transformation of OLK but does not have independent predictive value.

BACKGROUND:As tissue engineering brings new hope to the worldwide problem of articular cartilage repair,the construction of light-curing 3D printed hydrogel scaffolds with biomimetic composition is of great significance for cartilage tissue engineering. OBJECTIVE:To construct a biomimetic methacryloylated hyaluronic acid/acellular Wharton's jelly composite hydrogel scaffold by digital light processing 3D printing technology,and to evaluate its biocompatibility. METHODS:Wharton's jelly was isolated and extracted from human umbilical cord,then decellulated,freeze-dried,ground into powder,and dissolved in PBS to prepare 50 g/L acellular Wharton's jelly solution.Methylallylated hyaluronic acid was prepared,lyophilized and dissolved in PBS to prepare 50 g/L methylallylated hyaluronic acid solution.Acellular Wharton's jelly solution was mixed with methacrylyacylated hyaluronic acid solution at a volume ratio of 1:1,and was used as bio-ink after adding photoinitiator.Methylacrylylated hyaluronic acid hydrogel scaffolds(labeled as HAMA hydrogel scaffolds)and methylacrylylated hyaluronic acid/acellular Wharton's jelly gel scaffolds(labeled as HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffolds)were prepared by digital light processing 3D printing technology,and the microstructure,swelling performance,biocompatibility,and cartilage differentiation performance of the scaffolds were characterized. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Under scanning electron microscope,the two groups of scaffolds showed a three-dimensional network structure,and the fiber connection of HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffold was more uniform.Both groups achieved swelling equilibrium within 10 hours,and the equilibrium swelling ratio of HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffold was lower than that of HAMA hydrogel scaffold(P＜0.05).(2)CCK-8 assay showed that HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffold could promote the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells compared with HAMA hydrogel scaffold.Dead/live staining showed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells grew well on the two groups of scaffolds,and the cells on the HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffolds were evenly distributed and more cells were found.Phalloidine staining showed better adhesion and spread of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffold than in HAMA.(3)Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were inoculated into the two groups for chondrogenic induction culture.The results of qRT-PCR showed that the mRNA expressions of agglutinoglycan,SOX9 and type Ⅱ collagen in the HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffold group were higher than those in the HAMA hydrogel scaffold group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).(4)These findings indicate that the digital light processing 3D bioprinting HAMA/WJ hydrogel scaffold can promote the proliferation,adhesion,and chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

As a potential vectored vaccine,Newcastle disease virus(NDV)has been subject to various studies for vaccine development,while relatively little research has outlined the immunomodulatory effect of the virus in antigen presentation.To elucidate the key inhibitory factor in regulating the interaction of infected dendritic cells(DCs)and T cells,DCs were pretreated with the NDV vaccine strain LaSota as an inhibitor and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)for further detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),flow cytometry,immunoblotting,and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).The results revealed that NDV infection resulted in the inhibition of interleukin(IL)-12p40 in DCs through a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)-dependent manner,thus inhibiting the synthesis of IL-12p70,leading to the reduction in T cell proliferation and the secretion of interferon-γ(IFN-γ),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and IL-6 induced by DCs.Consequently,downregulated cytokines accelerated the infection and viral transmission from DCs to T cells.Furthermore,several other strains of NDV also exhibited inhibitory activity.The current study reveals that NDV can modulate the intensity of the innate?adaptive immune cell crosstalk critically toward viral invasion improvement,highlighting a novel mechanism of virus-induced immunosuppression and providing new perspectives on the improvement of NDV-vectored vaccine.

As the key of colleges and universities and medical career,the affiliated hospital's clinical department is the core of its development.In the new era,strengthening the mechanism of party branch participating in the decision-making of clin-ical departments is an inevitable requirement for implementing the party's leadership and strengthening hospital management.The Party branch of the affiliated hospital of the university has the"dual"attribute,through the establishment of the"core group"of the party branch to participate in decision-making in the clinical business department,the establishment of an efficient decision-making platform,the construction mechanism of supporting rules of procedure and supervision measures to realize its function,the in-depth analysis of management challenges and the improvement of countermeasures,in order to create a new way and a new mechanism of the party branch decision-making,and promote the deep integration of party building and business.

Objective:To explore the impact of self-disclosure on demoralization syndrome in patients with permanent enterostomy for colorectal cancer, so as to provide reference for clinical nursing interventions for those patients.Methods:From January to May 2023, convenience sampling was used to select 207 patients with permanent enterostomy for colocrctal cancer of the Wound Ostomy Clinic of Laoshan Campus of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University as the research subjects. A survey was conducted on patients using the General Information Questionnaire, Distress Disclosure Index, Social Support Rating Scale, and the Demoralization Scale Mandarin Version.Results:Among 207 patients with permanent enterostomy for colorectal cancer, the scores of self-disclosure, social support, and demoralization syndrome were 35.00 (26.00, 47.00) , 32.00 (26.00, 39.00) , and 35.00 (23.00, 47.00) , respectively. A total of 128 patients (61.8%) were in moderate demoralization, and 37 patients (17.9%) were in severe demoralization. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that place of residence, self-care of stoma, self-disclosure, and social support were the influencing factors for demoralization syndrome in patients with permanent enterostomy for colorectal cancer ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Patients with permanent enterostomy for colorectal cancer have a high overall score of demoralization syndrome, and a high proportion of patients with moderate to severe demoralization. Medical and nursing staff should focus on patients in remote rural areas and those with poor self-care abilities to stomas, develop targeted intervention measures to improve patients' negative emotions, enhance their self-disclosure, and pay attention to strengthening social support to relieve their demoralization syndrome, thereby improving their quality of life.

The anti-tumor effect of anti-PD-1 antibody has long been shown to be strongly related to the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). This study aimed to mechanistically assess whether Chang Wei Qing (CWQ) Decoction can enhance the anti-tumor effect of PD-1 inhibitor therapy. PD-1 inhibitor therapy showed the significant anti-tumor effect in patients with mismatch repair-deficient/microsatellite instability-high (dMMR/MSI-H) colorectal cancer (CRC), rather than those with mismatch repair-proficient/microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS) CRC. Hence, immunofluorescence double-label staining was utilized to explore the difference in the TIME between dMMR/MSI-H and pMMR/MSS CRC patients. Flow cytometry was used to analyze T-lymphocytes in tumors from mice. Western blot was used to measure the expression of PD-L1 protein in mouse tumors. The intestinal mucosal barrier of mice was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. 16S rRNA-gene sequencing was used to examine the structure of the gut microbiota in mice. Subsequently, Spearmanapos;s correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the gut microbiota and tumor-infiltrating T-lymphocytes. The results showed that dMMR/MSI-H CRC patients had more CD8⁺T cells and higher expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 proteins. In vivo, CWQ enhanced the anti-tumor effect of anti-PD-1 antibody and increased the infiltration of CD8⁺ and PD-1⁺CD8⁺ T cells in tumors. Additionally, the combination of CWQ with anti-PD-1 antibody resulted in lower inflammation in the intestinal mucosa than that induced by anti-PD-1 antibody alone. CWQ and anti-PD-1 antibody co-treatment upregulated PD-L1 protein and reduced the abundance of Bacteroides in the gut microbiota but increased the abundance of Akkermansia,Firmicutes, andActinobacteria. Additionally, the proportion of infiltrated CD8⁺PD-1⁺, CD8⁺, and CD3⁺ T cells were found to be positively correlated with the abundance of Akkermansia. Accordingly, CWQ may modulate the TIME by modifying the gut microbiota and consequently enhance the anti-tumor effect of PD-1 inhibitor therapy.
Animals ; Mice ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; B7-H1 Antigen ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Tumor Microenvironment

Articular cartilage (AC) injuries often lead to cartilage degeneration and may ultimately result in osteoarthritis (OA) due to the limited self-repair ability. To date, numerous intra-articular delivery systems carrying various therapeutic agents have been developed to improve therapeutic localization and retention, optimize controlled drug release profiles and target different pathological processes. Due to the complex and multifactorial characteristics of cartilage injury pathology and heterogeneity of the cartilage structure deposited within a dense matrix, delivery systems loaded with a single therapeutic agent are hindered from reaching multiple targets in a spatiotemporal matched manner and thus fail to mimic the natural processes of biosynthesis, compromising the goal of full cartilage regeneration. Emerging evidence highlights the importance of sequential delivery strategies targeting multiple pathological processes. In this review, we first summarize the current status and progress achieved in single-drug delivery strategies for the treatment of AC diseases. Subsequently, we focus mainly on advances in multiple drug delivery applications, including sequential release formulations targeting various pathological processes, synergistic targeting of the same pathological process, the spatial distribution in multiple tissues, and heterogeneous regeneration. We hope that this review will inspire the rational design of intra-articular drug delivery systems (DDSs) in the future.

Objective:To investigate the symptom groups and influencing factors in patients with tracheotomy after operation for head and neck cancer and to provide reference for developing accurate symptom management strategies.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 289 patients with head and neck cancer who received treatment or reexamination in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April 2020 to January 2023 were selected as the research objects. The patients were assessed with the general information questionnaire and M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head and Neck (MDASI-HN). Exploratory factor analysis was used to analyze the symptom groups of patients with head and neck cancer after tracheotomy, and single factor analysis and decision tree were used to construct the prediction model of each symptom group. A total of 289 questionnaires were sent out in this study, 18 invalid questionnaires were excluded, and 271 valid questionnaires were finally recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 93.8%.Results:Three symptom groups were extracted, including sleep-body symptom group, head and neck cancer radiotherapy-psychological symptom group and head and neck cancer specific symptom group. The decision tree prediction model showed that the core factors affecting the symptoms of patients with tracheotomy after head and neck cancer were disease stage and operation mode, followed by preoperative emotional problems, marital status and main caregivers. The overall correct percentages of the model were 61.6%, 67.2% and 62.0%, respectively, and the correct prediction rates of the non-occurrence candidate symptom groups were respectively 96.1%, 86.4% and 62.4%, indicating a good fitting effect.Conclusions:There are multiple symptom groups in patients with tracheotomy after head and neck cancer surgery. The disease stage and surgical method are the core influencing factors of each symptom group. The decision tree model is helpful for medical staff to effectively identify people with high incidence of various symptom groups and formulate precise intervention plans.

With the emergence of DNA nanotechnology in the 1980s, self-assembled DNA nanostructures have attracted considerable attention worldwide due to their inherent biocompatibility, unsurpassed programmability, and versatile functions. Especially promising nanostructures are tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs), first proposed by Turberfield with the use of a one-step annealing approach. Benefiting from their various merits, such as simple synthesis, high reproducibility, structural stability, cellular internalization, tissue permeability, and editable functionality, tFNAs have been widely applied in the biomedical field as three-dimensional DNA nanomaterials. Surprisingly, tFNAs exhibit positive effects on cellular biological behaviors and tissue regeneration, which may be used to treat inflammatory and degenerative diseases. According to their intended application and carrying capacity, tFNAs could carry functional nucleic acids or therapeutic molecules through extended sequences, sticky-end hybridization, intercalation, and encapsulation based on the Watson and Crick principle. Additionally, dynamic tFNAs also have potential applications in controlled and targeted therapies. This review summarized the latest progress in pure/modified/dynamic tFNAs and demonstrated their regenerative medicine applications. These applications include promoting the regeneration of the bone, cartilage, nerve, skin, vasculature, or muscle and treating diseases such as bone defects, neurological disorders, joint-related inflammatory diseases, periodontitis, and immune diseases.
Nucleic Acids/chemistry* ; Regenerative Medicine ; Consensus ; Reproducibility of Results ; DNA/chemistry*

Objective:To explore the effect of breathing exercises on motor, balance, respiration and ability in the activities of daily living (ADL) of patients with Parkinson′s disease.Methods:Sixty patients with idiopathic Parkinson′s disease who met the inclusion criteria were divided at random into a control group and a treatment group, each of 30. Both groups received routine drug therapy and 60 minute of rehabilitation training daily, including core muscle group control training, relaxation training, joint motion training, posture training, balance function training, gait training and facial muscle control training. There were 3 sessions a week for 24 weeks. The treatment group was also given breathing exercises, including training in abdominal breathing with the expiration time twice the inspiration time and inspiratory muscle training. The abdominal breathing training included 15 abdominal breaths, repeated twice after a 2-minute break; the inspiratory muscle training required 10 respirations and expirations at the maximum volume, repeated twice after an interval of 2 minutes. The training lasted 24 weeks, five times a week. The subjects′ motor functioning, balance, walking, respiration and daily living ability were evaluated before the treatment and after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment using the Parkinson′s Disease Rating Scale (part III) (UPDRS ⅲ), the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), walking distance and the modified Barthel Index (MBI). Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and their ratio (FEV 1%) were also observed. Results:After 12 weeks of treatment, significant improvement was observed in the average UPDRS iii, BBS, 6MWT, MBI, FEV 1, FVC and FEV 1% results of both groups, but the improvement in the treatment group was significantly greater on average. After another twelve week the average UPDRS iii, BBS, 6MWT, MBI, FEV 1, FVC and FEV 1% results of the treatment group had improved significantly more than those of the control group. Conclusion:Breathing exercises can significantly improve the motor function, balance, walking, respiratory function and ADL ability of persons with Parkinson′s disease.