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.

Objective This study aims to achieve high-yield functional expression of the human voltage-gated potassium channel K_V3.1 using an Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system, thereby providing a novel synthetic approach for drug screening, structural analysis and functional characterization of K_V3.1. Methods K_V3.1 was expressed in an Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system for 10 hours in the presence of peptide surfactant A₆K. The secondary structure of K_V3.1 was analyzed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The potassium channel activity of the recombinant protein liposome K_V3.1-A₆K was investigated using fluorescent dyes Oxonol VI as indicators, which are capable of reflecting alterations in membrane potential. Results Soluble K_V3.1 protein was successfully synthesized, achieving a purified yield of up to 1.2 mg/mL via an Escherichia coli cell-free protein synthesis system. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that K_V3.1 exhibited characteristic α-helical secondary structures. Membrane potential fluorescence assays demonstrated that the K_V3.1-A₆K proteoliposomes, which were reconstructed with surfactant peptide A₆K, exhibited remarkable potassium ion permeability. Conclusion This study successfully achieved high-yield expression of human K_V3.1 with activity using an Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis system. This innovative method not only significantly enhances the expression yield of K_V3.1, but also maintains its functional activity, thereby establishing a novel and efficient synthetic platform for drug screening and advancing our understanding of structure-function relationships in K_V3.1 research.
Humans ; Escherichia coli/metabolism* ; Shaw Potassium Channels/biosynthesis* ; Cell-Free System ; Circular Dichroism ; Protein Biosynthesis ; Recombinant Proteins/metabolism* ; Membrane Potentials ; Shab Potassium Channels

Background: s/Aims: Anti-mitochondrial M2 antibody (AMA-M2) is a specific marker for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and it could be also present in non-PBC individuals. Methods: A total of 72,173 Chinese health check-up individuals tested AMA-M2, of which non-PBC AMA-M2 positive individuals were performed follow-up. Baseline data of both clinical characteristics and laboratory examinations were collected in all AMA-M2-positive individuals. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to investigate the potential variables for developing PBC. Results: A total of 2,333 individuals were positive with AMA-M2. Eighty-two individuals had a medical history of PBC or fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of PBC at baseline, and 2,076 individuals were non-PBC. After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, 0.6% developed PBC, with an accumulative 5-year incidence rate of 0.5%. LASSO regression showed that levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), immunoglobulin M (IgM), eosinophilia proportion (EOS%), gamma globulin percentage, and hemoglobin (HGB) were potential variables for developing PBC. Multivariate Cox regression is used to construct a predictive model based on 7 selected variables, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve of the prediction model at 3, 5, and 10 years were, respectively, 1.000, 0.875, and 0.917. Conclusions This study offers insights into the onset of PBC among individuals who tested positive for AMA-M2 during routine health check-ups. The prediction model based on ALP, GGT, IgM, EOS%, gamma globulin percentage, HGB, and sex has a certain predictive ability for the occurrence of PBC in this population.

Objective:To identify factors influencing treatment-free remission (TFR) outcomes in children and adolescent patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) after imatinib (IM) discontinuation.Methods:This multicenter retrospective study analyzed 36 children and adolescent patients with CML from eight hematology centers in China (December 1, 2016, to September 27, 2024) who discontinued IM therapy with documented post-cessation outcomes. Clinical characteristics and molecular response dynamics were assessed. Univariate analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to assess factors associated with TFR outcomes.Results:A total of 36 patients were documented, comprising 17 males and 19 females. The median ages at CML diagnosis and IM discontinuation were 11 years ( IQR: 5,16) and 20 years ( IQR: 14,25), respectively. The median time from IM initiation to first deep molecular response (DMR) was 21 months ( IQR: 13, 38). Pre-discontinuation, patients received IM for a median duration of 96 months ( IQR: 84, 121) and maintained DMR for 74 months ( IQR: 63, 89). With a median post-discontinuation follow-up of 38 months ( IQR: 15, 68), cumulative TFR rates at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months were 74.1%, 60.7%, 60.7%, and 56.0%, respectively, generating an overall TFR rate of 58.3%. Fifteen patients lost major molecular response at a median of 5 months post-discontinuation ( IQR: 3, 11). All 15 patients resumed tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, comprising 13 who restarted IM and 2 who switched to dasatinib. By the last follow-up, 13 (86.7% ) patients regained DMR after a median treatment duration of 5 months ( IQR: 3, 17), and no disease progression occurred in any patient. Withdrawal syndrome occurred in 2 (5.6% ) patients. Univariate analysis revealed significantly higher TFR rates in patients with pre-discontinuation IM duration of ≥100 months vs <100 months (82.4% vs 36.8%, P=0.017) and pre-discontinuation DMR duration of ≥72 months vs <72 months (84.2% vs 29.4%, P=0.003). Multivariate Cox analysis identified pre-discontinuation DMR duration as an independent protective factor for TFR ( HR=5.419, 95% CI: 1.524–19.272, P=0.009) . Conclusion:DMR duration was identified as an independent protective factor influencing TFR outcomes in children and adolescent patients with CML after IM discontinuation. Patients who maintained DMR for ≥72 months before IM discontinuation demonstrated a significantly higher TFR rate.

Objective:To analyze the treatment-free remission (TFR) outcomes after discontinuation of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in children with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).Methods:In this retrospective cohort study, clinical data of 14 chronic phase CML children aged <18 years who had achieved stable deep molecular response (DMR) for ≥ 2 years after standardized treatment with TKI and had a strong desire to discontinue TKI at Henan Cancer Hospital from September 30, 2016 to January 30, 2022 were collected retrospectively. According to the different TFR outcomes after discontinuation of TKI, patients were divided into loss of major molecular response (MMR) group and without loss of MMR group, differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups of children were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher exact test. Results:Out of 14 children with TKI discontinuation, 7 were male and 7 were female. The age at diagnosis was 14.0 (4.8, 17.0) years, and the age at TKI discontinuation was 22.0 (12.5, 27.0) years. Among them, 8 children were treated with imatinib prior to TKI discontinuation and 6 children were treated with second-line substitution of the second-generation TKI nilotinib or dasatinib prior to TKI discontinuation. The follow-up time was 37.0 (27.8, 47.5) months, and 7 cases lost MMR at the time of discontinuation of 3.0 (2.0, 11.0) months. Eight children gained TFR at 6 months, 7 children gained TFR at 12 and 24 months. Amongst the 6 children who received second-generation TKI prior to TKI discontinuation, 2 children lost MMR at 3 and 11 months and 4 children gained TFR, among the 8 children who discontinued imatinib, 5 children lost MMR at the time 3.0 (2.0, 9.0) months and 3 children gained TFR. The age at diagnosis and TKI discontinuation, the time from TKI treatment to the acquisition of DMR, the duration of TKI treatment before TKI discontinuation, the duration of DMR before TKI discontinuation, and the number of children treated with second-generation TKI were not statistically different between the 7 children in the group that did not lose the MMR and the 7 children in the group that lost the MMR (all P>0.05) . All the 7 children with confirmed loss of MMR immediately restarted TKI therapy, and all regained DMR after 2.0 (2.0, 11.0) months of therapy. None of the children had disease progression. After TKI discontinued, only 1 child had mild bone pain, which could be relieved by oral antipyretic analgesic drugs. Conclusions:Children with CML who have achieved a durable stable DMR for≥2 years on TKI therapy can discontinue the TKI and obtain TFR. Both the longer duration of TKI therapy, the longer duration of DMR and the use of second-generation TKI therapy before TKI discontinuation, may allow more children with CML who are expecting TKI discontinuation to have access to TFR.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) with myogenic tumors.Methods:The clinical data of 2 children with DMD combined with myogenic tumors diagnosed in Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University in July 2021 and February 2022 were collected. The relevant literature was reviewed to summarize the clinical characteristics and explore the mechanism of the dystrophin ( DMD) gene in myogenic tumors. Results:A 6-year and 10-month-old boy with DMD (deletion of exon 45) and a 12-year-old boy with DMD (deletion of exon 51) were diagnosed with tumors. They were diagnosed with DMD for delayed motor development in the Department of Neurology of Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University. They presented with painless masses in the waist. Postoperative pathological diagnosis: the pathology and immunohistochemistry of case 1 showed an alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) and both myogenin and myogenic differentiation 1 positive; the pathology and immunohistochemistry of case 2 showed an alveolar soft part sarcoma(ASPS) and transcription factor enhancer 3 positive; both cases were myogenic tumors. Literature review (including this paper) showed that there were in total 14 cases with DMD combined with myogenic tumors including 13 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and 1 case of ASPS. All of them are male, and the age of onset of the tumors was 4-17 years. Pathological subtypes were described in 6 cases of ARMS and 5 cases of embryonal RMS, and were not described in 2 cases. The 9 cases described all had large deletions in the DMD gene which can change the reading frame of the DMD gene, and all gene mutations did not exceed exon 62. Conclusions:DMD gene with deletion may increase the risk of having myogenic tumors, and RMS is more common, which is manifested as painless mass in early stage. All DMD gene deletions do not exceed exon 62 and lead to change of the gene reading frame with severe clinical phenotype and degenerative changes in muscle function.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics of encephalocraniocutaneous lipomatosis (ECCL) in pediatric patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 2 ECCL cases admitted to Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between January 2024 and December 2024. Additionally, a review of relevant literature was performed to summarize the clinical features of this condition.Results:Case 1 is a male patient aged 2 years and 10 months, while case 2 is a female patient aged 8 months. Both patients presented with seizures and exhibited nevus psiloliparus on the scalp, non-scarring alopecia, nodular skin tags around the eyes, and ocular choristomas. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed leptomeningeal angiomatosis in both cases, with case 1 also demonstrating an intracranial lipoma and case 2 showing localized cerebral atrophy and an arachnoid cyst. Whole-exome sequencing of peripheral blood and copy number variation analysis in both cases did not identify any pathogenic variants. Additionally, no relevant pathogenic variants were detected in the scalp lesion tissue of case 2. A review of the literature revealed that, to date, there have been 5 reported domestic cases, 132 reported foreign cases in pediatric populations, totally 139 cases including 2 cases described in this article. Among these patients, 86 are male, 49 are female, and the gender of 4 cases remains unspecified. Clinical manifestations observed included seizures in 79.0% (64/81) of cases and developmental delay in 64.7% (57/88). Cutaneous lesions were characterized by non-scarring alopecia in 100% (97/97) of cases,non-hair-bearing fatty tissue nevi in 98.3% (58/59), nodular skin tags in 96.5% (56/58), and subcutaneous lipomas in 94.8% (73/77). Ocular lesions predominantly involved choristomas, occurring in 91.8% (90/98) of cases. Central nervous system abnormalities were identified as ventricular dilatation or hydrocephalus in 85.0% (68/80) of cases, intracranial lipomas in 82.1% (69/84), localized cerebral atrophy in 80.9% (34/42), intracranial vascular anomalies in 74.1% (23/31), and spinal lipomas in 66.6% (30/45).Conclusions:ECCL is an uncommon neurocutaneous disorder with the potential to impact various organ systems, notably the integumentary, ocular, and central nervous systems. Pediatric patients may exhibit symptoms such as seizures, developmental delays, and additional clinical manifestations, necessitating vigilant monitoring and management.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder in the treatment of breast hyperplasia using network pharmacology; To verify the mechanism of Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder in the treatment of breast hyperplasia through animal experiments.Methods:The active components and potential targets of Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder were searched in TCMSP and Uniprot databases. Breast hyperplasia genes were searched in GeneCards and OMIM databases. The intersection targets were obtained by online tool Venny, and the "drug-component-target" network was constructed by Cytoscape 3.8.2 software. The protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the String platform, and GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the DAVID annotation database. Molecular docking was performed using PDB, PubChem database, PyMOL 2.1 and AutoDockvina 1.2.5 software to predict the biological mechanism of Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder in the treatment of breast hyperplasia. Rats were divided into blank group, model group, tamoxifen group and Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder low-, medium- and high-dosage groups according to the random number table method, with 6 rats in each group. Except for the blank group, the other groups were prepared with the modified estrogen-progesterone-induced rat mammary hyperplasia model. Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder low-, medium- and high-dosage groups were intragastrically administered with Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder solution at 7.425 g/kg, 14.850 g/kg, and 29.700 g/kg respectively, while the tamoxifen group was intragastrically administered with 2.1 mg/kg tamoxifen. The blank group and the model group were intragastrically administered with the same volume of drinking water, once a day, for consecutive 28 d. The thickness of the mammary gland was measured by small animal ultrasound. The height and width of the nipples were measured by vernier calipers. The levels of serum E2 and P were detected by ELISA. The morphology of mammary tissue was observed by HE staining. The expressions of ERα, ERβ, SRC-1 and CBP/p300 proteins were detected by Western blot.Results:A total of 92 active components and 274 disease-drug intersection targets were screened out. GO functional enrichment analysis showed that Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder was closely related to positive regulation of gene expression, positive regulation of RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter transcription, signal transduction, negative regulation of apoptosis process, response to heterogeneous stimulation, and regulation of hormone levels. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the core targets might be related to NF-κB signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway, PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and regulating hormone levels. Molecular docking results showed that the core components had a good binding energy with the core target and a stable conformation. Compared with the model group, the thickness of the mammary gland in the tamoxifen group and Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder low-, medium- and high-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.01), the serum P level increased ( P<0.05), the expressions of ERα, SRC-1, and CBP/p300 proteins decreased ( P<0.01), and the expression of ERβ protein increased ( P<0.01); the height of the nipples in the Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder medium- and high-dosage groups and the tamoxifen group decreased ( P<0.01), and the serum E2 level increased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Shiwei Chaihu Shugan Powder may play a role in the treatment of breast hyperplasia by regulating the levels of estrogen and related proteins.

Background: s/Aims: Anti-mitochondrial M2 antibody (AMA-M2) is a specific marker for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and it could be also present in non-PBC individuals. Methods: A total of 72,173 Chinese health check-up individuals tested AMA-M2, of which non-PBC AMA-M2 positive individuals were performed follow-up. Baseline data of both clinical characteristics and laboratory examinations were collected in all AMA-M2-positive individuals. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to investigate the potential variables for developing PBC. Results: A total of 2,333 individuals were positive with AMA-M2. Eighty-two individuals had a medical history of PBC or fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of PBC at baseline, and 2,076 individuals were non-PBC. After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, 0.6% developed PBC, with an accumulative 5-year incidence rate of 0.5%. LASSO regression showed that levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), immunoglobulin M (IgM), eosinophilia proportion (EOS%), gamma globulin percentage, and hemoglobin (HGB) were potential variables for developing PBC. Multivariate Cox regression is used to construct a predictive model based on 7 selected variables, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve of the prediction model at 3, 5, and 10 years were, respectively, 1.000, 0.875, and 0.917. Conclusions This study offers insights into the onset of PBC among individuals who tested positive for AMA-M2 during routine health check-ups. The prediction model based on ALP, GGT, IgM, EOS%, gamma globulin percentage, HGB, and sex has a certain predictive ability for the occurrence of PBC in this population.

Background: s/Aims: Anti-mitochondrial M2 antibody (AMA-M2) is a specific marker for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and it could be also present in non-PBC individuals. Methods: A total of 72,173 Chinese health check-up individuals tested AMA-M2, of which non-PBC AMA-M2 positive individuals were performed follow-up. Baseline data of both clinical characteristics and laboratory examinations were collected in all AMA-M2-positive individuals. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was performed to investigate the potential variables for developing PBC. Results: A total of 2,333 individuals were positive with AMA-M2. Eighty-two individuals had a medical history of PBC or fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of PBC at baseline, and 2,076 individuals were non-PBC. After a median follow-up of 6.6 years, 0.6% developed PBC, with an accumulative 5-year incidence rate of 0.5%. LASSO regression showed that levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), immunoglobulin M (IgM), eosinophilia proportion (EOS%), gamma globulin percentage, and hemoglobin (HGB) were potential variables for developing PBC. Multivariate Cox regression is used to construct a predictive model based on 7 selected variables, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under the curve of the prediction model at 3, 5, and 10 years were, respectively, 1.000, 0.875, and 0.917. Conclusions This study offers insights into the onset of PBC among individuals who tested positive for AMA-M2 during routine health check-ups. The prediction model based on ALP, GGT, IgM, EOS%, gamma globulin percentage, HGB, and sex has a certain predictive ability for the occurrence of PBC in this population.