Objective To elucidate the changes in the gut microbiota and molecular mechanism of huaier in enhancing the efficacy of oxaliplatin (OXA) chemotherapy in gastric cancer (GC). Methods The effects of huaier on the gut microbiota structure and intestinal barrier function in MKN45-bearing mice were analyzed by using 16S rRNA sequencing, RT-qPCR, and IHC. UPLC-MS and network pharmacology, as well as in vivo experimental approaches, were employed to investigate the key bioactive constituents of huaier systematically and elucidate the underlying mechanisms by which huaier exerts therapeutic effects against GC. The expression of the PI3K/AKT/SREBP pathway was detected in cancer cells and tissues via Western blot analysis. The safety profile of huaier combined with OXA was verified through serum biochemistry and HE-stained tissue section analyses. Results Huaier inhibited the PI3K/AKT/SREBP pathway by increasing the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, reduced lipid droplet deposition, and ultimately enhanced the sensitivity to OXA in the treatment of GC. Conclusion This study demonstrates the value of huaier in gastric cancer treatment by enhancing chemosensitivity and provides novel insights into its systemic therapeutic effects through molecular mechanisms and gut microbiota modulation.

Abstract: To explore the relationship between the replication-associated bromodomain protein 4 ( BRD4)and human papillomavirus (HPV) 16(HPV16) viral load in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and CIN Ⅰ tissues , confirm the effects of BRD4 degradation agent MZ1 on viral load . Methods : Thirty HPV16-positive cervi- cal cancer specimens and 30 non-cervical cancer specimens were collected , and the viral load of the samples was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR , and the expression of BRD4 was analyzed by immunohisto- chemistry and Western blot. Results : The viral load was higher in the samples of cervical cancer group than in the samples of non-cancer group , the difference is statistically significant ( P < 0. 01) . Immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression of BRD4 were significantly higher in cervical cancer specimens than in noncancerous specimens , the difference is statistically significant (P < 0. 05) . BRD4 expression was significantly and positively correlated with high viral loads , the difference is statistically significant (P < 0. 001) . the BRD4 degradation agent MZ1 significantly reduced the viral load , the difference is statistically significant (P < 0. 01) . Conclusion BRD4 may be involved in the replication of HPV16 virus , and BRD4 degradation agent MZ1 can inhibit the replication of HPV16 virus .

Objective The clinical characteristics of 21 cases of nocardiosis were reviewed and antimicrobial resistance of Nocardia strains was analyzed in order to improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis and treatment of nocardiosis.Methods Clinical data of patients diagnosed with nocardiosis in Zhoukou Central Hospital from 2019-2023 and the corresponding results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing were retrospectively analyzed to summarize the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients.Results Overall,the 21 cases of nocardiosis included 9 males and 12 females,aged 2-91 years.Underlying disease was reported in 15 patients.Most common type of nocardiosis was pulmonary nocardiosis in 15 cases,followed by skin and soft tissue infection,pleurisy,lymphadenitis,and disseminated nocardiosis.Laboratory tests showed increased levels of WBC,neutrophils percentage,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,C-reactive protein,and procalcitonin.The 21 strains of Nocardia included 4 strains of Nocardia cyriacigeorgica,2 strains each of Nocardia brasiliensis,Nocardia abscessus,Nocardia asiatica,Nocardia otitidiscaviarum and Nocardia beijingensis,and 1 strain each of Nocardia puris,Nocardia asteroides,Nocardia farcinica,Nocardia pneumoniae,Nocardia amamiensis,and 2 strains of unclassified Nocardia.All of the Nocardia strains(100％)were susceptible to linezolid,amikacin,and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,followed by various levels of susceptibility to cefotaxime,moxifloxacin,imipenem and ceftriaxone,and lower susceptibility rate to cefepime,minocycline,ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin.Antimicrobial susceptibility of Nocardia strains varied with different Nocardia species.Of the 21 patients,two were referred to other hospitals,another two died,two patients received unknown treatment,and the remaining 15 patients were improved after antibiotic treatment,including sulfonamides combined with other antibiotics in 11 cases,other antibiotics in 4 cases.Conclusions Immunocompromised patients or those with underlying diseases are more susceptible to nocardiosis.The clinical features are complex and diverse.Antimicrobial susceptibility of Nocardia strains varied with different Nocardia species.Accurate identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test are essential for prescribing effective antibiotic treatment.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the inhibitory effect of multimerin-2 (MMRN2) overexpression on growth and metastasis of cutaneous melanoma cells. METHODS: Clinical data of patients with cutaneous melanoma were obtained from the GEO database to compare MMRN2 expressions between normal and tumor tissues. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and the intersecting genes from GEPIA2.0 were subjected to GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. The prognostic relevance of MMRN2 expression level was assessed using Cox regression and "timeROC". The correlations of MMRN2 expression level with immune infiltration and angiogenesis-related genes were analyzed using GSCA database and the ssGSEA algorithm. Colony-forming assay, Transwell assay, and wound healing assay were used to examine the changes in proliferation and migration of cultured cutaneous melanoma cells following MMRN2 knockdown. In a mouse model bearing cutaneous melanoma xenograft, the effect of MMRN2 knockdown on vital organ pathologies, survival of the mice and GM-CSF, CXCL9, and TGF‑β1 protein expressions were analyzed. RESULTS: MMRN2 was significantly upregulated in metastatic cutaneous melanoma (P<0.001). Protein interaction network analysis identified 15 intersecting genes, which were enriched in endothelium development and cell-cell junctions. In patients with cutaneous melanoma, a high MMRN2 expression was correlated with a poor prognosis, an advanced T stage, a greater Breslow depth, and ulceration (P<0.05). MMRN2 expression level was strongly correlated with 24 immune cell types (P<0.001), fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and expressions of the pro-angiogenic genes (KCNJ8, SLCO2A1, NRP1, and COL3A1; P<0.001). In cultured B16F10 cells, MMRN2 knockdown significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion and caused remo-deling of the immunosuppressive microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS MMRN2 overexpression drives progression of cutaneous melanoma by enhancing tumor metastasis, angiogenesis and immune evasion, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for melanomas.
Humans ; Melanoma/metabolism* ; Animals ; Cell Movement ; Prognosis ; Skin Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Mice ; Cell Proliferation ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Protein Interaction Maps

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanisms of Qingre Lidan Jiedu Recipe (QLJR) for improving cognitive dysfunction in rats with high copper load. METHODS: Seventy-five male SD rats were randomized into normal control group, model group, QLJR group, penicillamine (PCA) group, and QLJR+ PCA group. Except for those in the control group, all the rats were fed a high-copper diet for 12 weeks. The effects of the treatments on cognitive function of the rats were assessed using the Barnes maze and passive avoidance tests. Hippocampal expressions of NIX, FUNDC1 and LC3 of the rats were detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining, and changes in mitochondrial morphology were observed with transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Behavioral tests showed prolonged target hole latency, shortened latency to enter the dark chamber, and increased error counts of the rats in the model group, which were significantly improved in QLJR+PCA group; the error counts were significantly lower in QLJR+PCA group than in either QLJR or PCA group. Among all the groups, the hippocampal expressions of NIX and FUNDC1 were the lowest and LC3 I/II expression the highest in the model group; NIX and FUNDC1 expressions were significantly higher and LC3 I expression was lower in QLJR+PCA group than in QLJR group and PCA group. Immunofluorescence staining revealed weakened NIX and FUNDC1 expressions and enhanced LC3 expression in the hippocampus of the rats in the model group as compared with those in the normal control and QLJR+PCA groups, but their expressions did not differ significantly between QLJR and PCA groups. The rats in the model group showed obvious structural disarray of the mitochondria, which were improved in all the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS QLJR improves cognitive dysfunction in rats with high copper load possibly by regulating mitophagy.
Animals ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Copper/toxicity* ; Mitophagy/drug effects* ; Hippocampus/drug effects* ; Cognition Disorders/drug therapy* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/chemically induced*

Objective:To explore the effectiveness of shared decision-making intervention with nurses as "decision coaches" in perioperative decision management of bladder cancer patients.Methods:From March 2023 to February 2024, 152 bladder cancer patients in the Department of Urology Surgery of Xinxiang Central Hospital for surgical treatment were selected by convenience sampling. The patients were divided into control group and observation group of 76 cases each using the randomized numerical table method. Control group implemented conventional bladder cancer surgical decision management, and observation group implemented a shared decision-making intervention with nurses as "decision coaches" on this basis, and the intervention period was one week before surgery. Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), Preparation Decision Making (PrepDM), Patients Satisfaction with Participation in Medical Decision-making Scale, and Decision Regret Scale (DRS) scores were compared between the two groups of patients before and after intervention.Results:Finally 74 patients in control group and 75 patients in observation group completed the study. After the intervention, the DCS scores of observation group were lower than those of control group and before the intervention, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). After the intervention, the PrepDM scores of observation group were higher than those of control group and before the intervention, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). One week after surgery, observation group had higher decision-making participation satisfaction scores and lower DRS scores than control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05) . Conclusions:Preoperative shared decision-making interventions with nurses as "decision coaches" in bladder cancer patients can effectively reduce preoperative decision conflicts, increase preoperative decision readiness and participation satisfaction with decision-making, and decrease patients' postoperative decision regret.

Objective To verify the performance of an non competitive immune sandwich method(candidate method)in detecting 25(OH)D,and evaluate the measurement agreement of candidate method with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS,reference method).Methods According to the comparison of documents such as China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment(CNAS)-GL037,the precision,linear interval,lower limit of quantitation(LOQ)and accuracy of the method for detecting 25(OH)D were verified.1 073 residual serum samples were collected from March to July 2021 and 25(OH)D was detected by the two methods.Passing-bablok regression,concordance correlation coefficient(CCC),Bland altman plots and Kappa test were used to analyze the consistency and bias.Weighted Kappa test was conducted to evaluate the consistency of two methods for clinical assessment of vitamin D nutritional status.Results The performance of candidate method:the within-run CV was lower than 5%and the in laboratory CV were lower than 10%;test results between 2.88～52.45 ng/ml showed good linear relationship;the lower limit of quantitation was 2.26 ng/ml,the bias of candidate method measuring standard reference materials were within±6%and within 15%measuring vitamin D external quality assessment scheme(DEQAS)samples.The comparison method and the reference method showed good correlation(r=0.965,CCC=0.946)with an average deviation of-1.54 ng/ml(-7.42%).The two methods coincidence rate in judging vitamin D status was 85.96%(918/1 068),and the weighted kappa value was 0.801.Conclusions The candidate method measurement performance met the clinical requirements,and showed good correlation and consistency with the reference method.

OBJECTIVE To establish a interview outline design process and quality control evaluation method based on grounded theory,providing ideas for qualitative research interview outline design in medical fields.METHODS A literature review was conducted to understand the current research status;a preliminary interview outline was developed around the research content.The triangulation method,group evaluation,expert review and pre-interview were adopted to execute the interview outline and conduct quality control.The evaluation indicators and target values were formulated(an average score for the overall quality evaluation of all indicators ≥4.5,and an average score for individual indicators ≥ 4.00)to evaluate the effect of the interview outline.Taking the research on the mechanism of physicians'prescribing behavior under the background of Diagnosis Related Groups(DRGs)payment as an example,the methodological contents of above interview outline were applied in practical research.RESULTS The interview outline included basic information and interview questions.The interview questions were divided into three parts:influencing factors survey,promoting and hindering factors of standardizing physician prescription behavior,and communication,with a total of 12 questions.After being reviewed by members of the research group,experts review and pre-interview,a total of 9 people participated in the quality control evaluation of the interview outline.The overall evaluation score was 4.94(＞4.50),and the average score of each indicator was greater than 4.00,indicating that the quality of the outline met the requirements for the interview and could be used for the formal interview.CONCLUSIONS The established interview outline design and quality control method based on grounded theory provides ideas for the qualitative research interview outline design in the medical field,and lays the foundation for further using grounded theory to study the influencing factors and mechanisms of physician prescription behavior under the DRG background.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the ameliorative effect and potential mechanism of imperatorin(IMP)on doxorubicin(DOX)resistance in breast cancer.METHODS The effects of maximum non-toxic concentration(100 μg/mL)of IMP combined with different concentrations of DOX(12.5,25,50,75,100 μg/mL)on the proliferation of MCF-7/DOX cells were determined by MTT method.MCF-7/DOX cells were divided into blank control group(1‰ dimethyl sulfoxide),DOX group(50 μg/mL),IMP+DOX group(100 μg/mL IMP+50 μg/mL DOX)and IMP group(100 μg/mL).mRNA and protein expressions of multidrug resistance protein 1(MDR1)and multidrug resistance-associated protein l in each group were measured.The relevant pathways and targets involved in the improvement of DOX resistance in breast cancer cells by IMP were screened and validated by using transcriptome sequencing technology,along with gene ontology(GO)enrichment analyses and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses.RESULTS Compared with DOX alone,the combination of IMP and DOX reduced the half inhibitory concentration of DOX on MCF-7/DOX cells from 81.965 μg/mL to 43.170 μg/mL,the reverse fold was 1.90,and the mRNA expression of MDR1 was significantly down-regulated(P＜0.05).The results of GO enrichment analyses and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses indicated that the reversal of DOX resistance in breast cancer by IMP was mainly associated with the regulation of biological processes such as detoxification,multiple biological processes,and cell killing.The main pathway involved was the p53 signaling pathway,and the key targets mainly included constitutively photomorphogenic protein 1(COP1),cyclin E1(CCNE1),growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 45A(GADD45A)and GADD45B.The results of the verification experiments showed that compared with DOX group,there was a trend of up-regulation of COP1 mRNA,and significant down-regulation of CCNE1,GADD45A,and GADD45B mRNA expression in IMP+DOX group(P＜0.05).CONCLUSIONS The effect of IMP in ameliorating DOX resistance in breast cancer is related to its regulation of COP1,CCNE1,GADD45A and GADD45B targets in the p53 signaling pathway.

The gradient field, one of the core magnetic fields in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, is generated by gradient coils and plays a critical role in spatial encoding and the generation of echo signals. The uniformity or linearity of the gradient field directly impacts the quality and distortion level of MRI images. However, traditional point measurement methods lack accuracy in assessing the linearity of gradient fields, making it difficult to provide effective parameters for image distortion correction. This paper introduced a spherical measurement-based method that involved measuring the magnetic field distribution on a sphere, followed by detailed magnetic field calculations and linearity analysis. This study, applied to assess the nonlinearity of asymmetric head gradient coils, demonstrated more comprehensive and precise results compared to point measurement methods. This advancement not only strengthens the scientific basis for the design of gradient coils but also provides more reliable parameters and methods for the accurate correction of MRI image distortions.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/instrumentation* ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Nonlinear Dynamics ; Magnetic Fields ; Algorithms ; Phantoms, Imaging