Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T _NANC), time to symptom improvement (T _SI), and time of hospital stay (T _HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T _NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.

Cardiac fibrosis is characterized by an elevated amount of extracellular matrix (ECM) within the heart. However, the persistence of cardiac fibrosis ultimately diminishes contractility and precipitates cardiac dysfunction. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as important regulators of cardiac fibrosis. Here, we elucidate the functional role of a specific circular RNA CELF1 in cardiac fibrosis and delineate a novel feedback loop mechanism. Functionally, circ-CELF1 was involved in enhancing fibrosis-related markers' expression and promoting the proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), thereby exacerbating cardiac fibrosis. Mechanistically, circ-CELF1 reduced the ubiquitination-degradation rate of BRPF3, leading to an elevation of BRPF3 protein levels. Additionally, BRPF3 acted as a modular scaffold for the recruitment of histone acetyltransferase KAT7 to facilitate the induction of H3K14 acetylation within the promoters of the Celf1 gene. Thus, the transcription of Celf1 was dramatically activated, thereby inhibiting the subsequent response of their downstream target gene Smad7 expression to promote cardiac fibrosis. Moreover, Celf1 further promoted Celf1 pre-mRNA transcription and back-splicing, thereby establishing a feedback loop for circ-CELF1 production. Consequently, a novel feedback loop involving CELF1/circ-CELF1/BRPF3/KAT7 was established, suggesting that circ-CELF1 may serve as a potential novel therapeutic target for cardiac fibrosis.

Pathogenic microorganisms are direct causative agents of zoonotic infectious diseases,po-sing severe threats to the livestock industry by inducing massive animal mortality,economic losses in livestock products,and significant risks to human health.The CRISPR/Cas system has been widely adopted in nucleic acid detection of pathogenic microorganisms due to its unique trans-cleavage activity.By leveraging the superior optical properties of nanomaterials,researchers have integrated them with CRISPR/Cas systems to develop numerous visual biosensors,which not only significantly enhance signal output but also substantially reduce detection time and cost.This re-view focuses on five nanomaterials-graphene oxide(GO),gold nanoparticles(AuNPs),MoS2 nanosheets,metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),and quantum dots(QDs)—that have been exten-sively integrated with CRISPR/Cas systems in recent years.We systematically summarize their distinct physical characteristics and specific applications in CRISPR/Cas-based pathogen detection,followed by a concise comparison of the advantages and limitations of different methodologies.Fi-nally,we discuss the prospects for nanomaterials in CRISPR/Cas detection systems,aiming to pro-vide a valuable reference for advancing molecular diagnostics of pathogenic microorganisms.

Connective tissue disease in children is a systemic multi-system damage caused by chronic inflammation of systemic connective tissue and blood vessels.Lung is often the first organ invaded by the disease, and interstitial lesions are an important manifestation of lung damage, with an increasing incidence.Initial clinical manifestations of this disease are often insidious and lack specificity.When its clinical symptoms are detectable, lung lesions often have progressed and the lung tissue structure remodeling has occurred.Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improve its prognosis.In this article, the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease in children were reviewed, in order to help improve its diagnosis and treatment.

Pathogenic microorganisms are direct causative agents of zoonotic infectious diseases,po-sing severe threats to the livestock industry by inducing massive animal mortality,economic losses in livestock products,and significant risks to human health.The CRISPR/Cas system has been widely adopted in nucleic acid detection of pathogenic microorganisms due to its unique trans-cleavage activity.By leveraging the superior optical properties of nanomaterials,researchers have integrated them with CRISPR/Cas systems to develop numerous visual biosensors,which not only significantly enhance signal output but also substantially reduce detection time and cost.This re-view focuses on five nanomaterials-graphene oxide(GO),gold nanoparticles(AuNPs),MoS2 nanosheets,metal-organic frameworks(MOFs),and quantum dots(QDs)—that have been exten-sively integrated with CRISPR/Cas systems in recent years.We systematically summarize their distinct physical characteristics and specific applications in CRISPR/Cas-based pathogen detection,followed by a concise comparison of the advantages and limitations of different methodologies.Fi-nally,we discuss the prospects for nanomaterials in CRISPR/Cas detection systems,aiming to pro-vide a valuable reference for advancing molecular diagnostics of pathogenic microorganisms.

Connective tissue disease in children is a systemic multi-system damage caused by chronic inflammation of systemic connective tissue and blood vessels.Lung is often the first organ invaded by the disease, and interstitial lesions are an important manifestation of lung damage, with an increasing incidence.Initial clinical manifestations of this disease are often insidious and lack specificity.When its clinical symptoms are detectable, lung lesions often have progressed and the lung tissue structure remodeling has occurred.Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improve its prognosis.In this article, the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease in children were reviewed, in order to help improve its diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of tirofiban versus argatroban in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study. Sixty-eight patients with acute ischemic stroke who were continuously admitted to Department of Neurology of The Third People's Hospital of Hubei Province from August 2022 to September 2023 were divided into tirofiban group ( n = 33) and argatroban group ( n = 35) according to the treatment regimen. Both groups were treated according to their respective treatment protocols for 7 days. Clinical outcomes were assessed based on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores. The excellent clinical outcome (mRS score 0-1 points), good clinical outcome (mRS score 0-2 points), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and mortality rates were compared between the two groups at 90 days post-treatment. Results:In the tirofiban group, the proportion of excellent clinical outcomes was 30.3% (10/33), which was significantly lower than the 65.7% (23/35) in the argatroban group (χ2 = 8.53, P = 0.003). However, the difference in the proportion of good clinical outcomes between the two groups was not statistically significant [54.5% (18/33) vs. 74.3% (26/35), χ2 = 2.90, P = 0.089]. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality rates (both P > 0.05). Conclusion:For patients with acute ischemic stroke, the use of tirofiban or argatroban is effective and safe. Patients treated with argatroban are more likely to achieve excellent clinical outcomes; however, larger randomized controlled trials are needed for further confirmation.

Objective To investigate the inhibitory effect of Tongsai Granules(TSG)on macrophage-mediated inflammatory response to alleviate acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD)in rats and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods Twenty-four rats were divided into control group,AECOPD model group,TSG treatment group,and moxifloxacin+salbutamol(MXF+STL)treatment group.In the rat models of COPD,AECOPD was induced by nasal instillation of Klebsiella pneumoniae on day 3 of week 9 after modeling,and saline,TSG or MXF+STL were administered via gavage on days 1 and 2 and days 4 to 7 of week 9.After the treatments,lung tissues were collected for examining for pathologies and expressions of inflammatory markers,MMP2,and MMP9.In cultured macrophage MH-S cells with LPS stimulation,the effect of TSG-medicated serum on IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,COX-2,and iNOS expressions and phosphorylation levels of p38,p-p62,LC3,FoxO3a,and mTOR were evaluated.Results TSG significantly improved lung pathologies and lung function in AECOPD rats by reducing bronchial wall thickness and mean alveolar linear intercept,increasing alveolar numbers,and reducing pulmonary expression of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MMP2 and MMP9.In MH-S cells,TSG significantly suppressed LPS-induced expressions of inflammatory cytokines,COX-2 and iNOS.Serum pharmacology coupled with network pharmacology identified 10 chemical components in TSG-medicated serum,and functional analysis of their 466 targets suggested that the therapeutic effect of TSG on AECOPD was mediated primarily by luteolin and quercetin,which regulate the MAPK,mTOR,FoxO,and autophagy pathways.In MH-S cells,luteolin significantly inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory responses and expressions of p-p38,FoxO3a,mTOR,p-p62 and LC3.Conclusion TSG reduces macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses to alleviate AECOPD in rats possibly by modulating p38,mTOR,and FoxO3a pathways and inhibiting autophagy.

Background::Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer associated with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The androgen receptor (AR) has emerged as a potential therapeutic target for luminal androgen receptor (LAR) TNBC. However, multiple studies have claimed that anti-androgen therapy for AR-positive TNBC only has limited clinical benefits. This study aimed to investigate the role of AR in TNBC and its detailed mechanism.Methods::Immunohistochemistry and TNBC tissue sections were applied to investigate AR and nectin cell adhesion molecule 4 (NECTIN4) expression in TNBC tissues. Then, in vitro and in vivo assays were used to explore the function of AR and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in TNBC. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), molecular docking method, and luciferase reporter assay were performed to identify key molecules that affect the function of AR. Results::Based on the TNBC tissue array analysis, we revealed that ERβ and AR were positive in 21.92% (32/146) and 24.66% (36/146) of 146 TNBC samples, respectively, and about 13.70% (20/146) of TNBC patients were ERβ positive and AR positive. We further demonstrated the pro-tumoral effects of AR on TNBC cells, however, the oncogenic biology was significantly suppressed when ERβ transfection in LAR TNBC cell lines but not in AR-negative TNBC. Mechanistically, we identified that NECTIN4 promoter –42 bp to –28 bp was an AR response element, and that ERβ interacted with AR thus impeding the AR-mediated NECTIN4 transcription which promoted epithelial–mesenchymal transition in tumor progression. Conclusions::This study suggests that ERβ functions as a suppressor mediating the effect of AR in TNBC prognosis and cell proliferation. Therefore, our current research facilitates a better understanding of the role and mechanisms of AR in TNBC carcinogenesis.

Objective:To study the current status of longitudinal extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) in extremely preterm infants (EPIs) and to develop a prediction model based on clinical data from multiple NICUs.Methods:From January 2017 to December 2018, EPIs admitted to 32 NICUs in North China were retrospectively studied. Their general conditions, nutritional support, complications during hospitalization and weight changes were reviewed. Weight loss between birth and discharge > 1SD was defined as longitudinal EUGR. The EPIs were assigned into longitudinal EUGR group and non-EUGR group and their nutritional support and weight changes were compared. The EPIs were randomly assigned into the training dataset and the validation dataset with a ratio of 7∶3. Univariate Cox regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were used in the training dataset to select the independent predictive factors. The best-fitting Nomogram model predicting longitudinal EUGR was established based on Akaike Information Criterion. The model was evaluated for discrimination efficacy, calibration and clinical decision curve analysis.Results:A total of 436 EPIs were included in this study, with a mean gestational age of (26.9±0.9) weeks and a birth weight of (989±171) g. The incidence of longitudinal EUGR was 82.3%(359/436). Seven variables (birth weight Z-score, weight loss, weight growth velocity, the proportion of breast milk ≥75% within 3 d before discharge, invasive mechanical ventilation ≥7 d, maternal antenatal corticosteroids use and bronchopulmonary dysplasia) were selected to establish the prediction model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the training dataset and the validation dataset were 0.870 (95% CI 0.820-0.920) and 0.879 (95% CI 0.815-0.942), suggesting good discrimination efficacy. The calibration curve indicated a good fit of the model ( P>0.05). The decision curve analysis showed positive net benefits at all thresholds. Conclusions:Currently, EPIs have a high incidence of longitudinal EUGR. The prediction model is helpful for early identification and intervention for EPIs with higher risks of longitudinal EUGR. It is necessary to expand the sample size and conduct prospective studies to optimize and validate the prediction model in the future.