Objective To investigate the temporal changes in pathological damage and macrophage polarization in liver and spleen tissues of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and to preliminarily unravel the peripheral immune responses during the early stage of A. cantonensis infection. Methods Forty female BALB/c mice at ages of 6 to 8 weeks were randomly divided into four groups, including the control group and 7-, 14-, and 21-day infection groups, with 10 mice in each group. Each mouse in the infection groups was inoculated with 30 third-stage (L3) larvae of A. cantonensis by oral gavage, and five mice were randomly selected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, while mice in the control group were given the same volume of physiological saline and five mice were randomly selected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled. The histopathological changes of mouse liver and spleen tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and the percentage of positive staining area and the co-localization positive rates of the macrophage surface antigens F4/80, CD86, and CD206 were quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining. In addition, five mice were collected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, and five mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled for detection of macrophage markers CD86 and CD206 and macrophage phenotyping using flow cytometry, and the expression of M1 macrophage markers, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and M2 markers, including arginase 1 (Arg1), mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1) and chitinase-like protein 3 (Chil3) was quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay. Results Proliferative lesions of the hepatocyte were observed in mouse liver tissues and the follicular structures of the mouse spleen white pulp were disrupted 21 days post-infection with A. cantonensis. Immunohistochemical staining showed that there were significant differences in the percentages of F4/80, CD86 and CD206 positive staining areas in the liver and spleen tissues among the four groups of mice (F = 242.40, 197.14, 183.19, 157.65, 242.35 and 146.24; all P values < 0.001), and the percentages of positive staining in the liver and spleen tissues of mice in the 14-day infection group [(4.45 ± 0.51)%, (3.74 ± 0.67)%, (8.32 ± 0.72)%, (16.56 ± 1.14)%, (11.62 ± 0.52)%, and (8.29 ± 0.72)%, respectively] and the 21-day infection group [(3.70 ± 0.11)%, (3.22 ± 0.43)%, (11.53 ± 1.03)%, (12.59 ± 1.05)%, (9.02 ± 0.83)%, and (11.67 ± 1.10)%, respectively] were higher than in the control group [(0.35 ± 0.16)%, (0.40 ± 0.02)%, (0.93 ± 0.05)%, (2.78 ± 0.26)%, (2.33 ± 0.20)%, and (1.85 ± 0.20)%, respectively] (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed significant differences in the positive rates of F4/80 co-localization with CD86 and CD206 in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 24.42, 25.28, 54.51 and 130.55; all P values < 0.001). Flow cytometry detected significant differences in the proportions of CD86⁺ and CD206⁺ macrophages in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 67.98, 18.41, 29.77, 172.80; all P values < 0.001), and the proportions of CD206⁺ macrophages in the liver and spleen of the 21-day infection group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(9.25 ± 2.55)% vs (3.83 ± 0.72)%, and (4.22 ± 0.56)% vs (0.47 ± 0.18)%, respectively] (both P values < 0.05). In addition, RT-qPCR assay quantified significant differences in the relative mRNA expression of M1 macrophage markers (IL-1β, TNF-α and Nos2) and M2 macrophage markers (Arg1, Chil3 and Mrc1) in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 41.30, 31.82, 199.33, 19.96, 62.01, 119.76, 23.67, 95.90, 72.27, 82.59, 123.41 and 29.75; all P values < 0.05). Conclusions A. cantonensis infection may cause progressive pathological damage in mouse liver and spleen tissues, accompanied by dynamic temporal changes in macrophage polarization. M1 macrophage polarization predominates at the early stage of A. cantonensis infection and shifts towards M2 polarization at the later stages, suggesting that M2 polarization may participate in immune regulation at late stages of A. cantonensis infection by suppressing excessive inflammatory responses and promoting tissue repair.

Objective To understand the awareness and willingness of primary medical staff in Songjiang District, Shanghai towards human papillomavirus (HPV) and its vaccines, and to provide references for improving the vaccination willingness of HPV vaccine and primary prevention of cervical cancer. Methods From July to August 2023, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the in-service medical staff in 17 community health service centers in Songjiang District, Shanghai, using the random sampling method. Descriptive analysis, χ² test and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Results A total of 951 valid questionnaires were collected during the survey. The awareness rate of HPV among medical staff was 92.74%, and the awareness rate of HPV vaccine was 93.38%. The maximum score for HPV knowledge was 6 points, with an average score of (3.99±1.34) points. The maximum score for HPV vaccine knowledge was 10 points, with an average score of (5.63±1.61) points. 881 (92.64%) medical staff were willing to receive or recommend HPV vaccination. Multivariate analysis showed that concerns about being infected with HPV (OR=2.648, 95% CI: 1.459-4.806), qualified score on HPV vaccine knowledge (OR=1.717, 95% CI: 1.012-2.912), high price burden of HPV vaccine (OR=0.343, 95% CI: 0.157-0.746), and concerns about side effects of vaccination (OR=0.443, 95% CI: 0.243-0.805) were the influencing factors for medical staff's willingness to vaccinate. Conclusion There is insufficient knowledge of HPV and its vaccines among primary medical personnel in Songjiang District, Shanghai. It is necessary to strengthen the continuing education of medical personnel through multiple channels, supplement the HPV-related knowledge system, and eliminate their concerns about vaccines.

Objective To investigate the changes in eosinophil counts and the activation of microglial cells in the brain tissues of mice at different stages of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, and to examine the role of microglia in regulating the progression of angiostrongyliasis and unravel the possible molecular mechanisms. Methods Fifty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-day and 25-d infection groups, of 10 mice in each group. All mice in infection groups were infected with 30 stage III A. cantonensis larvae by gavage, and animals in the control group was given an equal amount of physiological saline. Five mice were collected from each of infection groups on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. The general and focal functional impairment was scored using the Clark scoring method to assess the degree of mouse neurological impairment. Five mice from each of infection groups were sacrificed on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice from the control group were sacrificed on the day of oral gavage. Mouse brain tissues were sampled, and the pathological changes of brain tissues were dynamically observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Immunofluorescence staining with eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) was used to assess the degree of eosinophil infiltration and the counts of microglial cells in mouse brain tissues in each group, and the morphological parameters of microglial cells (skeleton analysis and fractal analysis) were quantified by using Image J software to determine the morphological changes of microglial cells. In addition, the expression of M1 microglia markers Fcγ receptor III (Fcgr3), Fcγ receptor IIb (Fcgr2b) and CD86 antigen (Cd86), M2 microglia markers Arginase 1 (Arg1), macrophage mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1), chitinase-like 3 (Chil3), and phagocytosis genes myeloid cell triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2), CD68 antigen (Cd68), and apolipoprotein E (Apoe) was quantified using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay in the mouse cerebral cortex of mice post-infection. Results A large number of A. cantonensis larvae were seen on the mouse meninges surface post-infection, and many neuronal nuclei were crumpled and deeply stained, with a large number of bleeding points in the meninges. The median Clark scores of mouse general functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 0 (interquartile range, 0.5), 6 (interquartile range, 1.0), 14 (interquartile range, 8.5) points and 20 (interquartile range, 9.0) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.45, P < 0.01), and the median Clark scores of mouse focal functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 2 (interquartile range, 2.5), 7 (interquartile range, 3.0), 18 (interquartile range, 5.0) points and 25 (interquartile range, 6.5) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.72, P < 0.01). The mean scores of mice general and focal functional impairment were all higher in the infection groups than in the control group (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed a significant difference in the eosinophil counts in mouse brain tissues among the five groups (F = 40.05, P < 0.000 1), and the eosinophil counts were significantly higher in mouse brain tissues in the 14-d (3.08 ± 0.78) and 21-d infection groups (5.97 ± 1.37) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.28) (both P values < 0.05). Semi-quantitative analysis of microglia immunofluorescence showed a significant difference in the counts of microglial cells among the five groups (F = 17.66, P < 0.000 1), and higher Iba1 levels were detected in mouse brain tissues in 14-d (5.75 ± 1.28), 21-d (6.23 ± 1.89) and 25-d infection groups (3.70 ± 1.30) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.30) (all P values < 0.05). Skeleton and fractal analyses showed that the branch length [(162.04 ± 34.10) μm vs. (395.37 ± 64.11) μm; t = 5.566, P < 0.05] and fractal dimension of microglial cells (1.30 ± 0.01 vs. 1.41 ± 0.03; t = 5.266, P < 0.05) were reduced in mouse brain tissues in the 21-d infection group relative to the control group. In addition, there were significant differences among the 5 groups in terms of M1 and M2 microglia markers Fcgr3 (F = 48.34, P < 0.05), Fcgr2b (F = 55.46, P < 0.05), Cd86 (F = 24.44, P < 0.05), Arg1 (F = 31.18, P < 0.05), Mrc1 (F = 15.42, P < 0.05) and Chil3 (F = 24.41, P < 0.05), as well as phagocytosis markers Trem2 (F = 21.19, P < 0.05), Cd68 (F = 43.95, P < 0.05) and Apoe (F = 7.12, P < 0.05) in mice brain tissues. Conclusions A. cantonensis infections may induce severe pathological injuries in mouse brain tissues that are characterized by massive eosinophil infiltration and persistent activation of microglia cells, thereby resulting in progressive deterioration of neurological functions.

Objective To observe the value of Node-RADS based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI(DCE-MRI)for assessing axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer.Methods A total of 308 patients with breast cancer were retrospectively enrolled and divided into metastasis group(n=153)and non-metastasis group(n=155)based on the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis or not.Two radiologists independently scored the axillary lymph nodes shown on DCE-MRI according to Node-RADS criteria.Inter-observer scores was assessed using Kappa test.Taken pathological result as the gold standard,receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of Node-RADS scores for diagnosing axillary lymph node metastasis.Results Good inter-observer consistency of Node-RADS scores was observed.When Node-RADS score＞2,the highest AUC of 2 radiologists was 0.928 and 0.921,respectively,being not significantly different(P＞0.05).Conclusion Node-RADS based on DCE-MRI had good efficacy for evaluating axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer.Node-RADS score higher than 2 strongly indicated possibility of lymph node metastasis.

Objective To observe the value of Node-RADS based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI(DCE-MRI)for assessing axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer.Methods A total of 308 patients with breast cancer were retrospectively enrolled and divided into metastasis group(n=153)and non-metastasis group(n=155)based on the presence of axillary lymph node metastasis or not.Two radiologists independently scored the axillary lymph nodes shown on DCE-MRI according to Node-RADS criteria.Inter-observer scores was assessed using Kappa test.Taken pathological result as the gold standard,receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted,and the area under the curve(AUC)was calculated to evaluate the efficacy of Node-RADS scores for diagnosing axillary lymph node metastasis.Results Good inter-observer consistency of Node-RADS scores was observed.When Node-RADS score＞2,the highest AUC of 2 radiologists was 0.928 and 0.921,respectively,being not significantly different(P＞0.05).Conclusion Node-RADS based on DCE-MRI had good efficacy for evaluating axillary lymph node metastasis of breast cancer.Node-RADS score higher than 2 strongly indicated possibility of lymph node metastasis.

Epidural labor analgesia aims to provide effective medical services to alleviate labor pain in parturients, while adhering to the principles of voluntary participation and clinical safety. In 2018, Peking Union Medical College Hospital(PUMCH)became one of the first pilot units for labor analgesia in China, and has achieved satisfactory results in high-quality development of labor analgesia. This article mainly introduces the achievements and experience of labor analgesia at PUMCH, including: (1) prioritizing maternal and infant safety, arranging personnel rationally, and developing standardized treatment processes through multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure safe and comfortable childbirth; (2) leveraging the hospital's comprehensive capabilities in emergency treatment, and improving collaborative rescue plans for critically ill parturients and newborns; (3) implementing advanced teaching methods to effectively train and conduct simulated drills for labor analgesia and rescue of critically ill parturients; (4) conducting patient education and informative lectures to help parturients acquire a scientific understanding of labor analgesia. We hope that this experience can provide reference and inspiration for other hospitals.

Objective·To investigate the effect of ceria nanoparticles-polyethylene glycol(CeNP-PEG)on scavenging reactive oxygen species(ROS)and alleviating disease activity in dextran sulphate sodium(DSS)-induced colitis mice.Methods·CeNP was synthesized with the hydrates of cerium acetate,oleamine,and xylene,which was modified with polyethylene glycol-stearyl phosphatidylethanolamine(mPEG-DPSE)to obtain CeNP-PEG.Then CeNP-PEG was purified.The particle size and zeta potential of CeNP-PEG were measured by using transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and dynamic light scattering(DLS).Mouse macrophages(Raw264.7)were cultured in vitro and induced to a pro-inflammatory phenotype(M1 phenotype).M1 macrophages were treated with 0.5 μg/mL and 1.0 μg/mL CeNP-PEG,respectively,and then Western blotting was used to detect the expression changes of the proteins related with nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway.DSS-induced colitis mice models were constructed,and CeNP-PEG(1.0 mg/mL)was intravenously administrated for 3 times via tail vein during the modeling period.Meanwhile,the body weight,fecal characteristics,and frequency of rectal bleeding in mice were monitored in the normal control group(Normal group),the model group(DSS group),and the CeNP-PEG treatment group.The disease activity index(DAI)was calculated to evaluate the intestinal inflammation.The level of ROS in mouse intestinal tissues was detected by dihydroethidine(DHE)staining and the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines interferon-γ(Ifn-γ),interleukin-6(Il-6),Il-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α(Tnf-α)were detected by real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).Results·The hydrated particle size of synthesized CeNP-PEG was(6.96±0.27)nm,and the average zeta potential was(-6.02±1.31)mV.Western blotting results showed that the expression of p-P65 increased in the pro-inflammatory macrophages compared with the control group.The expression of NF-κB inhibitor-α(IκB-α)decreased,and their expressions tended to recover after the intervention of different concentrations of CeNP-PEG.In the DSS-induced colitis models,mice in the CeNP-PEG treatment group lost less weight than those in the DSS group(P= 0.000)and had lower DAI scores(P=0.000).The RT-qPCR results of intestinal tissues showed that the mRNA levels of Ifn-γ,Il-1β,Il-6 and Tnf-α in the DSS group were significantly up-regulated compared with those in the Normal group(P=0.000),and all of them significantly decreased in the CeNP-PEG treatment group.The results of DHE staining showed that the fluorescence intensity of intestinal tissues in the DSS group was significantly enhanced than that in the Normal group,and the fluorescence intensity decreased in the CeNP-PEG treatment group.Conclusion·CeNP-PEG can inhibit the expression of intestinal inflammatory factors and the activation of NF-κB-related inflammatory pathway of pro-inflammatory macrophages,eliminate intestinal ROS,improve the intestinal inflammatory microenvironment,and alleviate the disease activity of DSS-induced colitis in mice.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of changing lifestyle diet in the treatment of laryngeal reflux disease(LRPD).METHODS A total of 92 patients with LRPD who received outpatient treatment in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2022 to June 2023 were selected as the study control,divided into control group(46 cases)and treatment group(46 cases).The control group was treated with conventional acid suppression and gastric motogenic therapy.The treatment group was treated on the basis of the control group with giving guidance on lifestyle and diet.The changes of reflux symptom index scale(RSI)and reflux sign score scale(RFS)and the clinical efficacy of the two groups were compared 8 weeks and 12 weeks after treatment.RESULTS RSI total score was improved 8 weeks after treatment compared with before treatment in both RSI control group and treatment group(P＜0.05).The total RSI score of 12 weeks after treatment was improved compared with that of 8 weeks after treatment in both control and treatment groups(P＜0.05).The total RFS score at 8 weeks after treatment was improved in both control group and treatment group compared with before treatment(P＜0.05).Compared with 8 weeks after treatment,the total RFS score in both control group and treatment group was improved(P＜0.05).After 8 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate of the control group(60.9%)was compared with that of the treatment group(71.7%),and there was no significant difference between the two groups(χ2=1.335,P=0.513).After 12 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate of the control group(73.9%)was compared with the total effective rate of the treatment group(91.3%),and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(χ2=6.226,P=0.044).CONCLUSION The change of lifestyle and diet should become an important part of the treatment of LRPD.By adjusting the unhealthy lifestyle and diet,the symptoms of patients can be significantly reduced and better clinical efficacy can be obtained.

Developing new therapeutic agents for cancer immunotherapy is highly demanding due to the low response ratio of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in cancer patients. Here, we discovered that the novel immune checkpoint VISTA is highly expressed on a variety of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, especially myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and CD8⁺ T cells. Then, peptide C1 with binding affinity to VISTA was developed by phage displayed bio-panning technique, and its mutant peptide VS3 was obtained by molecular docking based mutation. Peptide VS3 could bind VISTA with high affinity and block its interaction with ligand PSGL-1 under acidic condition, and elicit anti-tumor activity in vivo. The peptide DVS3-Pal was further designed by d-amino acid substitution and fatty acid modification, which exhibited strong proteolytic stability and significant anti-tumor activity through enhancing CD8⁺ T cell function and decreasing MDSCs infiltration. This is the first study to develop peptides to block VISTA/PSGL-1 interaction, which could act as promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy.

Objective: To explore the relationship between maternal emotional symptoms and emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) of preschool offspring, and to provide reference for prevention and intervention of emotional and behavior problems in preschool children. Methods: A total of 4 100 preschool children aged 3-6 in Fuyang City were enrolled by stratified cluster sampling method in June 2021. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to investigate preschool children s EBPs and maternal emotional symptoms, respectively. Results: The detection rates of preschool children s emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer interaction problems, prosocial behavior and difficulty scores were 15.7%, 17.4%, 20.0%, 32.3%, 15.1% and 15.8%, respectively. The detection rates of mother s depression, anxiety and stress symptoms were 7.9%, 12.7% and 4.8%, respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with children of mothers with no depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, offspring of mothers reported depression, anxiety and stress symptoms had significantly higher risks of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems and total difficulties ( OR=1.76-6.35, P <0.01). Maternal emotional symptoms had the most significant effect on children s emotional symptoms, and there was no significant correlation between maternal stress symptoms and children s prosocial behavior ( OR=1.40, P >0.05). There was no significant gender difference in the relationship between maternal emotional symptoms and children s emotional and behavioral problems ( ROR=0.73-1.07, P >0.05). For only children whose mothers reported stress symptoms showed a higher risk of emotional and behavior problems than non singleton children ( ROR=2.03, P <0.05). Conclusion Maternal emotional symptoms are related to preschool children s emotional and behavioral problems. Early identification and intervention of mother s negative emotional symptoms, are beneficial to the prevention of preschool children s emotional and behavioral problems.