Although cancer immunotherapy has made great strides in the clinic, it is still hindered by the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway which can modulate TIME effectively has emerged as a promising therapeutic recently. However, the delivery of most STING agonists, specifically cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), is performed intratumorally due to their insufficient pharmacological properties, such as weak permeability across cell membranes and vulnerability to nuclease degradation. To expand the clinical applicability of CDNs, a novel pH-sensitive polycationic polymer-modified lipid nanoparticle (LNP-B) system was developed for intravenous delivery of CDNs. LNP-B significantly extended the circulation of CDNs and enhanced the accumulation of CDNs within the tumor, spleen, and tumor-draining lymph nodes compared with free CDNs thereby triggering the STING pathway of dendritic cells and repolarizing pro-tumor macrophages. These events subsequently gave rise to potent anti-tumor immune reactions and substantial inhibition of tumors in CT26 colon cancer-bearing mouse models. In addition, due to the acid-sensitive property of the polycationic polymer, the delivery system of LNP-B was more biocompatible and safer compared with lipid nanoparticles formulated with an indissociable cationic DOTAP (LNP-D). These findings suggest that LNP-B has great potential in the intravenous delivery of CDNs for tumor immunotherapy.

Cold tumors have a poor response to tumor immunotherapy due to low immune cell infiltration and the ability to evade immune attacks. Converting cold tumors into hot tumors can enhance the clinical effectiveness of anti-tumor immunotherapy. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) as a non-invasive treatment can damage tumors through mechanical effects, but there is a lack of research on its cytotoxic mechanisms at the cellular level and its role in inducing anti-immune responses. In this study, the role of HIFU in triggering tumor ferroptosis by disrupting the GSH/GSSG balance through mechanochemical action and the associated anti-tumor immune priming effect were investigated. The use of a nano-enhancer loaded with PFOB combined with HIFU could enhance ferroptosis in triple-negative breast cancer at a specific stage of tumor growth (UTGR = 0) while promoting the conversion of a cold tumor into a hot tumor, thereby improving the immune response. Overall, this provides valuable guidance for the clinical application of HIFU in tumor immunotherapy.

Objective To explore the relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and re-fractive error in preschool children.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the visual acuity of 2,915 preschool children aged 3 to 6 years using a questionnaire.Results After adjusting for potential confounding factors such as parental education level,premature birth,birth weight,family structure,only-child status,screen-watching,outdoor activity time,and sleep time u-sing a Logistic regression equation,compared with a breastfeeding duration of less than 6 months,a breastfeeding duration of 6 to 12 months(OR=0.683,95％CI:0.516 to 0.903)and＞12 months(OR=0.628,95％CI:0.451 to 0.874)were found to be protective factors against refractive error.Further stratified analysis revealed that a breastfeeding duration of 6 to 12 months(OR=0.640,95％CI:0.459 to 0.892)and＞12 months(OR=0.519,95％CI:0.347 to 0.777)had a protective effect on the visual acuity of preschool children aged 3 to 4 years.Conclusion The duration of breastfeed-ing is a protective factor against refractive error in preschool children aged 3 to 4 years,and prolonging the duration of breastfeeding is beneficial for reducing the occurrence of refractive error.

Objective:To study the methylation level of miR-5194 promoter in bladder cancer tissues, and explore the effects of miR-5194 on the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells by targeting p21-activated protein kinase 2 (PAK2).Methods:The methylation level of miR-5194 promoter in bladder cancer tissues was analyzed using MethHC database. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of miR-5194 in bladder cancer MGH-U3, EJ, J82, and UMUC3 cells. 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) was used to treat bladder cancer cell lines, and RT-qPCR was used to detect the changes in the expression of miR-5194 in bladder cancer cell lines after 5-Aza-CdR treatment. UMUC3 cells were divided into miR-5194 group and NC group, and miR-5194 or miR-NC were transfected into UMUC3 cells, respectively. Colony formation assay and scratch assay were used to detect the effect of overexpression of miR-5194 on the proliferation and migration of UMUC3 cells. The bioinformatics tool miRGator and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments verified the targeting relationship between miR-5194 and PAK2. The effect of overexpression of miR-5194 on the expression of PAK2 mRNA in UMUC3 cells was detected by RT-qPCR. The effect of overexpression of miR-5194 on the expression of PAK2 protein, proliferation-related proteins (CDK1, Cyclin B) and migration-related proteins (FOXC2, E47) in UMUC3 cells was detected by Western blotting. The measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), the independent sample t-test was used for comparison between two groups, and one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison among multiple groups. Results:The methylation level of miR-5194 promoter in bladder cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues ( P<0.01). Compared with the immortalized bladder epithelial cells SV-HUC-1, the expression of miR-5194 in bladder cancer cells was significantly down-regulated ( P<0.01). After 5-Aza-CdR treatment, the expression of miR-5194 in bladder cancer cells was significantly increased ( P<0.01). The number of colonies in miR-5194 group and NC group were 31.30 ± 8.09 and 99.98 ± 10.53, respectively, and the proliferation ability of UMUC3 cells in miR-5194 group was weakened ( P<0.01). The migration rates of UMUC3 cells in miR-5194 group and NC group were (31.50 ± 7.17)% and (76.06 ± 4.86)%, respectively, and the migration ability of UMUC3 cells in miR-5194 group was weakened ( P<0.01). miR-5194 can target bind PAK2 gene ( P<0.01). The relative expression of PAK2 mRNA in UMUC3 cells of miR-5194 group and NC group were 1.02 ± 0.34 and 5.43 ± 0.76, respectively, and miR-5194 could negatively regulate the expression of PAK2 mRNA ( P<0.01). Compared with the NC group, the expression of PAK2 protein, the expression of proliferation-related proteins CDK1 and Cyclin B, and the expression of migration-related proteins FOXC2 and E47 were down-regulated in UMUC3 cells with miR-5194 overexpression. Conclusion:The methylation level of miR-5194 promoter in bladder cancer tissue was significantly increased, and miR-5194 inhibited the proliferation and migration of bladder cancer cells by targeting down-regulation of PAK2 expression in bladder cancer UMUC3 cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the application value of pediatric sepsis-induced coagulation (pSIC) score and mean platelet volume/platelet count (MPV/PLT) ratio in the diagnosis of pediatric sepsis and the determination of critical pediatric sepsis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, selecting 112 children with sepsis (sepsis group) admitted to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Liaocheng Second People's Hospital from January 2020 to December 2023 as the study objects, and 50 children without sepsis admitted to the pediatric surgery department of our hospital during the same period for elective surgery due to inguinal hernia as the control (control group). The children with sepsis were divided into two groups according to the pediatric critical case score (PCIS). The children with PCIS score of ≤ 80 were classified as critically ill group, and those with PCIS score of > 80 was classified as non-critically ill group. pSIC score, coagulation indicators [prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and fibrinogen (FIB)], and platelet related indicators (PLT, MPV, and MPV/PLT ratio) were collected. Pearson correlation method was used to analyze the correlation between pSIC score and MPV/PLT ratio as well as their correlation with coagulation indicators. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the independent risk factors for pediatric sepsis and critical pediatric sepsis. Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was drawn to evaluate the application value of the above independent risk factors on the diagnosis of pediatric sepsis and the determination of critical pediatric sepsis. RESULTS: 112 children with sepsis and 50 children without sepsis were enrolled in the final analysis. pSIC score, PT, INR, APTT, FIB, MPV, and MPV/PLT ratio in the sepsis group were significantly higher than those in the control group [pSIC score: 0.93±0.10 vs. 0.06±0.03, PT (s): 14.76±0.38 vs. 12.23±0.15, INR: 1.26±0.03 vs. 1.06±0.01, APTT (s): 40.08±0.94 vs. 32.47±0.54, FIB (g/L): 3.51±0.11 vs. 2.31±0.06, MPV (fL): 8.86±0.14 vs. 7.62±0.11, MPV/PLT ratio: 0.037±0.003 vs. 0.022±0.001, all P < 0.01], and PLT was slightly lower than that in the control group (×10⁹/L: 306.00±11.01 vs. 345.90±10.57, P > 0.05). Among 112 children with sepsis, 46 were critically ill and 66 were non-critically ill. pSIC score, PT, INR, APTT, MPV, and MPV/PLT ratio in the critically ill group were significantly higher than those in the non-critically ill group [pSIC score: 1.74±0.17 vs. 0.36±0.07, PT (s): 16.55±0.80 vs. 13.52±0.23, INR: 1.39±0.07 vs. 1.17±0.02, APTT (s): 43.83±1.72 vs. 37.77±0.95, MPV (fL): 9.31±0.23 vs. 8.55±0.16, MPV/PLT ratio: 0.051±0.006 vs. 0.027±0.001, all P < 0.05], PLT was significantly lower than that in the non-critically ill group (×10⁹/L: 260.50±18.89 vs. 337.70±11.90, P < 0.01), and FIB was slightly lower than that in the non-critically ill group (g/L: 3.28±0.19 vs. 3.67±0.14, P > 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that pSIC score was significantly positively correlated with MPV/PLT ratio and coagulation indicators including PT, APTT and INR in pediatric sepsis (r value was 0.583, 0.571, 0.296 and 0.518, respectively, all P < 0.01), and MPV/PLT ratio was also significantly positively correlated with PT, APTT and INR (r value was 0.300, 0.203 and 0.307, respectively, all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that pSIC score and MPV/PLT ratio were independent risk factors for pediatric sepsis and critical pediatric sepsis [pediatric sepsis: odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for pSIC score was 14.117 (4.190-47.555), and the OR value and 95%CI for MPV/PLT ratio was 1.128 (1.059-1.202), both P < 0.01; critical pediatric sepsis: the OR value and 95%CI for pSIC score was 8.142 (3.672-18.050), and the OR value and 95%CI for MPV/PLT ratio was 1.068 (1.028-1.109), all P < 0.01]. ROC curve analysis showed that pSIC score and MPV/PLT ratio had certain application value in the diagnosis of pediatric sepsis [area under the ROC curve (AUC) and 95%CI was 0.754 (0.700-0.808) and 0.720 (0.643-0.798), respectively] and the determination of critical pediatric sepsis [AUC and 95%CI was 0.849 (0.778-0.919) and 0.731 (0.632-0.830)], and the combined AUC of the two indictors was 0.815 (95%CI was 0.751-0.879) and 0.872 (95%CI was 0.806-0.938), respectively. CONCLUSIONS pSIC score and MPV/PLT ratio have potential application value in the diagnosis of pediatric sepsis and the determination of critical pediatric sepsis, and the combined application of both is more valuable.
Humans ; Sepsis/complications* ; Platelet Count ; Mean Platelet Volume ; Retrospective Studies ; Child ; Blood Coagulation Disorders/diagnosis* ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Male ; Female ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Child, Preschool ; Blood Coagulation ; International Normalized Ratio ; Infant

Objective:To understand the characteristics of faculty in high-level public health schools in China, and analyze the differences in age, area and school level.Methods:Based on the internet information, the faculty information of 18 high-level public health schools was collected for a descriptive analysis on faculty characteristics.Results:There were 1 642 faculty members in the schools of public health in China, in whom 51.8% were women, 92.8% had doctorate, 32.4% had postdoctoral experience and 56.8% were former students staying to teach. The average age of the faculty members was (45.6±9.8) years. Meanwhile the top three study subjects were epidemiology and health statistics (31.0%), occupational health and environmental sanitation (16.5%), and health toxicology (16.3%). In the faculty members aged >40 years, 90.2% had doctorate, 62.6% were former students staying to teach, and 24.7% had no educational background of public health. The proportions of faculty members aged ≤40 years in the three groups mentioned above were 98.2%, 45.8% and 39.1% respectively. In terms of study subject, big data study were mainly conducted in the schools with top subject ranking and the schools in developed areas.Conclusions:The public health faculty was characterized by cross education background and high capability. The study subjects and sub-disciplines varied with schools and areas.

A total of 1 557 cases were included in the Febrile Respiratory Syndrome (FRS) surveillance conducted in Daxing District between 2018 and 2023. Twelve respiratory pathogens were investigated: human influenza virus (HIFV), human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV), human rhinovirus (HRV), human enterovirus (HEV), human adenovirus (HadV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human bocavirus (HBoV), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), Chlamydia pneumoniae (CP), human coronavirus (HCoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Results demonstrated an overall pathogen detection rate of 25.31% (394/1 557), with descending prevalence as follows: HIFV, SARS-CoV-2, HRV, HPIV, MP, HCoV, HRSV, HEV, HMPV, HadV, HBoV, and CP. Temporal analysis revealed detection rates of 26.98% (150/556) for 2018-2019, 15.81% (95/601) for 2020-2022, and 37.25% (149/400) for 2023, showing statistically significant interannual variation (χ2=59.703, P<0.001). Compared with 2018-2019, 2023 exhibited significantly elevated detection rates for HIFV and HMPV ( P<0.05), while HRV, MP, HEV, and HBoV demonstrated significantly reduced rates ( P<0.05). Age-stratified analysis identified HIFV, HRSV, and HadV as the predominant pathogens in individuals aged <15 years, whereas SARS-CoV-2, HIFV, and HRV predominated in those aged ≥60 years.

Objective To investigate the impact of immunohistochemical detection of omentin-1(omentin-1),secreted phosphoprotein 1(SPP1),and mismatch repair(MMR)protein expression status on the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of endometrial cancer(EC),in order to provide references for disease assessment,prognosis evaluation,and the development of molecular targeted therapies.Methods A total of 159 patients diagnosed with EC who were admitted to our hospital between December 2019 and December 2021 were enrolled as the study group.Additionally,152 samples of normal endometrial tissue were collected from patients undergoing hysterectomy due to benign uterine diseases and served as the control group.The expression levels of omentin-1,SPP1,and MMR proteins in endometrial tissues were compared among the study group,the control group,and EC patients with different clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic outcomes.Spearman correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlations among these biomarkers in EC tissues.The influencing factors of EC prognosis were analyzed through multivariate logistic regression.Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed to assess the association between the expression of these proteins and patient prognosis.Results The positive expression rate of SPP1 and the MMR deletion rate in endometrial tissues of the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05),while the positive expression rate of omentin-1 in endometrial tissues was significantly lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).In patients with EC exhibiting myometrial invasion≥1/2,the proportion of omentin-1 negativity was lower compared to omentin-1 positivity(P<0.05).Among EC patients with poorly differentiated tumors,the rates of SPP1 positivity and MMR deficiency were significantly increased(P<0.05).Spearman correlation analysis revealed that omentin-1 expression was negatively correlated with both MMR protein deletion and SPP1 overexpres-sion(P<0.05),whereas MMR deficiency was positively correlated with SPP1 overexpression(P<0.05).In the poor prognosis group,the positive expression rate of SPP1 and the deletion rate of MMR were elevated,while omentin-1 expression was reduced in endometrial tissues(P<0.05).The results of multivariate logistic analysis showed that omentin-1 negative,SPP1 positive,and MMR deletion were risk factors for the prognosis of EC patients(P<0.05).Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed based on follow-up data(Figures 1-3),indicating that patients with omentin-1 negativity,SPP1 positivity,and MMR deficiency had significantly worse prognoses(P<0.05).Conclusions With the development and progression of the clinicopathological features of EC,abnormalities were observed in the immunohistochemical expression of omentin-1,SPP1,and MMR proteins.Specifically,omentin-1 negativity,SPP1 positivity,and MMR protein deletion were associated with a poorer prognosis in EC patients.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of pediatric sepsis-induced coagulopathy（pSIC），and to construct a nomogram prediction model for early prediction of pSIC.Methods:Using a cross-sectional retrospective cohort design，children with sepsis who were hospitalized in PICU of the Second People's Hospital of Liaocheng Subsidiary to Shandong First Medical University from January 2017 to December 2023 were selected as the study objects，and the diagnosis of sepsis met the diagnostic criteria for childhood sepsis of the 2015 edition.According to the diagnostic criteria of pSIC，the children with sepsis were divided into common sepsis group and pSIC group.The clinical data of both groups were compared，such as general condition，inflammatory indicators，coagulation indicators，sequential organ failure assessment（pSOFA），pSIC score，PICU duration，etc.The risk factors of pSIC were initially screened by Lasso regression analysis，and the independent risk factors were screened by multivariate Logistic regression analysis.R software was used to construct the risk prediction nomogram and evaluate the model.Results:A total of 150 children with sepsis were included in the study，including 121 in the common sepsis group and 29 in the pSIC group.Lasso regression and multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that pSOFA，prothrombin time（PT），alanine aminotransferase（ALT），blood urea nitrogen（BUN），mean platelet volume/platelet（MPV/PLT）and pediatric critical illness score(PCIS) were independent risk factors for pSIC（all P<0.05）.Since the sources of the pSIC score overlaped with those of pSOFA and PT, only four indicators including ALT，BUN，MPV/PLT and PCIS were used to construct a nomogram model for predicting pSIC.The consistency index of the nomogram model was 0.98，and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.975（95% CI 0.952-0.999）.The calibration curve was shown as a straight line with slope close to 1，indicating that the nomogram model had good accuracy in predicting pSIC.The clinical decision curve indicated that the nomogram model had good clinical applicability. Conclusion:pSOFA，PT，ALT，BUN，MPV/PLT and PCIS were all independent risk factors for pSIC.The risk prediction nomogram model of pSIC based on ALT，BUN，MPV/PLT and PCIS can predict the occurrence of pSIC，and provide reference for early clinical recognition and intervention.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of acute leukemia complicated with arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) in children, and to provide a reference for its diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.Methods:Case summary.This report presents three children with acute leukemia complicated with AIS admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April 2015 to August 2024, and reviews the relevant literature at home and abroad to analyze the clinical characteristics, pathogenesis, and treatment of the disease.Results:All three cases were female, aged 4-14 years; two had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and one had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Hemiparesis was the main presenting symptom in all cases, occurring during induction therapy.Symptoms resolved completely after anticoagulant and symptomatic treatment, with no sequelae and good prognoses.A literature search identified 8 reported cases of pediatric acute leukemia complicated with AIS.Combining these with our 3 cases yielded a total of 11 cases: 5 males and 6 females; median age 7 years (range 2-15 years); 8 with ALL and 3 with AML.Clinically, all presented with hemiparesis.Vascular imaging in 6 patients showed involvement of the middle cerebral artery.In 8 cases of ALL complicated with AIS, the event occurred during induction therapy, which was considered associated with the use of Asparaginase and intrathecal Cytarabine.Anticoagulation was the main treatment.Symptoms resolved in 10 cases, 3 had neurologic sequelae, and 1 died.Conclusions:AIS complicating acute leukemia in children is often the first clinical manifestation of hemiparesis, which mainly occurs in the process of induction therapy, and may be related to the adverse reactions of chemotherapy drugs such as hypercoagulable state of the blood caused by mendonuclease and insufficient cerebral perfusion caused by intrathecal injection of Cytarabine, etc.; once hemiplegic neurological symptoms appear in the process of induction therapy of children′s acute leukemia, it is highly suspicious of the concomitant AIS, and earlycranial magnetic resonance examination can help to clarify the diagnosis.Although most symptoms resolve with treatment, some patients may develop neurological sequelae.