In recent years， the incidence of pulmonary nodules has kept rising. To give full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of pulmonary nodules and identify the breakthrough points of integrating TCM with Western medicine， the China Association of Chinese Medicine organized medical experts in TCM and western medicine to carry out in-depth discussion regarding this disease. The discussion encompassed the modern medical advances， TCM theories of etiology and pathogenesis， the role and advantages of TCM in the whole course management of pulmonary nodules， contents and methods of research on pulmonary nodules， and science popularization work， aiming to provide a reference for clinical practice and scientific research. After discussion， the experts concluded that the occurrence of pulmonary nodules was rooted in the deficiency of the lung and spleen and triggered by phlegm dampness， blood stasis， and Qi stagnation. TCM can treat pulmonary nodules by controlling and reducing nodules， improving physical constitution， ameliorating multi-system nodular diseases， reducing anxiety and avoiding excessive diagnosis and treatment， and serving as an alternative for patients who are unwilling or unfit for surgical treatment. At present， the optimal diagnosis and treatment strategy for pulmonary nodules has not been formed， which needs to be further studied from multiple perspectives such as clinical epidemiology， biology， and evidence-based medicine. The primary task of current research is to find out the advantages， effective prescriptions， and target populations and determine the effective outcomes of TCM in the treatment of pulmonary nodules. At the same time， basic research should be carried out to explore the etiology and biological behaviors of pulmonary nodules. The expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules with integrated TCM and Western medicine needs to be continuously revised to guide clinicians to conduct standardized， scientific， and accurate effective diagnosis and treatment.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of Sini San Formula in the treatment of ulcerative colitis and depression through"homotherapy for heteropathy"based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.Methods The TCMSP database was used to obtain the potential active components and their related targets;GeneCards,CTD,and TTD databases were used to screen the disease-related targets of ulcerative colitis and depression;the intersection of the predicted targets of the active components and the disease-related targets was used to obtain the potential targets(shared targets)for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and depression by Sini San Formula,and Cytoscape 3.7.2 software to construct a"Chinese medicinals-active components-diseases-common targets"network to analyze the core components;importing the common targets into the STRING database,constructing a common protein-protein interaction(PPI)network.The GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment of the shared targets were analyzed by DAVID database,and molecular docking between the core components and the key targets was verified.Results A total of 136 active components of Sini San Formula were obtained,and 220 potential targets of action(shared targets)for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and depression by Sini San Formula,involving 657 biological processes,70 cellular components,147 molecular functions and 133 signaling pathways.The screening yielded core active compounds such as quercetin,kaempferol,lignans,naringenin,7-methoxy-2-methylisoflavone,key target proteins such as JUN,MAPK3,STAT3,AKT1,and MAPK1,as well as signaling pathways such as TNF,IL-17,Th17 cellular differentiation,HIF-1,and Toll-like receptor.Five potential key targets have strong binding activity to quercetin,kaempferol,lignans and naringenin.Conclusion Sini San Formula may act on key targets such as JUN,MAPK3,STAT3,AKT1,MAPK1,etc.through active components such as quercetin,kaempferol,lignocerotonin,naringenin,etc.,and play the role of"homotherapy for heteropathy"for ulcerative colitis and depression through the signaling pathways such as TNF,IL-17,HIF-1,Toll-like receptor and Th17 cell differentiation.

【Objective】 To investigate the expression of optineurin (OPTN) in multiple myeloma (MM) and explore the mechanism and clinical value of OPTN gene in the occurrence and development of MM. 【Methods】 In this study, three gene expression omnibus (GEO) data sets were used to analyze the expression level of OPTN in MM. Clinical bone marrow samples of MM patients were collected. qRT-PCR was used to further verify the expression of OPTN in MM patients. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to analyze the value of OPTN in the prognosis and diagnosis of MM. At the same time, MM transcriptome data were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. According to the median boundary of OPTN mRNA expression level, the MM patients were divided into OPTN high- and low-expression groups. In order to investigate the possible molecular mechanisms of OPTN in MM, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was made after the differentially expressed genes were filtered using the limma package of the R language. 【Results】 The expression level of OPTN was significantly lower in MM tissues than in normal tissues (P<0.05). OPTN expression level was significantly correlated with International Staging System (ISS) in MM patients (P<0.05). ROC results showed that the expression level of OPTN could distinguish between normal and MM patients. Survival analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) of patients with low OPTN expression was significantly lower than that of patients with high OPTN expression (P<0.05). GO, KEGG and GSEA enrichment analyses indicated that OPTN might affect apoptosis and autophagy, and regulate cellular immune response by regulating Nod-like receptors, NF-κB, TNF and RAS/MAPK pathways. 【Conclusion】 Low expression of OPTN in MM is associated with poor prognosis of patients, and thus may be an important potential biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of MM.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the central foveal thickness(CFT),ellipsoid zone(EZ)interruption ratio and best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membranes(iERM).Methods A retrospective case-control study was conducted.The cluster sampling method was used to select 336 iERM patients(500 eyes)who underwent physical examinations in 9 community hospitals of the Kailuan Group from 2014 to 2018.Among them,215 were male(64.0％)and 121 were female(36.0％),with an average age of 31-89(66.4±8.8)years.According to the gass classification,these patients were divided into three groups:gass 0 group(201 patients,305 eyes),gass 1 group(75 patients,101 eyes),and gass 2 group(60 patients,94 eyes).Pearson correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between BCVA(converted to logMAR visual acuity)and gass classification,EZ interruption ratio,CFT.Results The average BCVA(logMAR)and CFT of 500 eyes were 0.45±0.28 and(337.6±101.8)μm,re-spectively,with EZ interruption in 86 eyes(17.2％).There were statistically significant differences in BCVA(logMAR)(0.62±0.29,0.48±0.23,0.26±0.32),CFT[(283.20±79.30)μm,(335.50±84.50)μm,(394.00±135.60)μm],and EZ interruption ratio(2.6％,20.8％,60.6％)among gass 0,gass 1 and gass 2 groups(all P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was no correlation between age and BCVA among different groups(r2=0.021,P=0.314);BCVA was positively correlated with CFT(r2=0.531,P=0.000),EZ interruption ratio(r2=0.304,P=0.000),and gass classification(r2=0.587,P=0.000).Conclusion The EZ interruption may occur in the early stage of iERM.BCVA is correlated with CFT,EZ interruption ratio and gass classification;the incidence of EZ interruption in gass 2 iERM signifi-cantly increases.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of fruquintinib combined with sintilimab in the treatment of advanced microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer. Methods A retrospective study of 44 patients with MSS colorectal cancer treated with fruquintinib and sintilimab was conducted.The patients were divided into the fruquintinib alone (n=22) and fruquintinib combined with sintilimab (n=22) groups.The treatment regimen was as follows: The patients in the fruquintinib alone group consumed oral fruquintinib capsules at 5 mg/d once for three consecutive weeks with a one week stop in 28 day cycles.The patients in the fruquintinib combined sintilimab group were injected intravenously with sintilimab (200 mg) once per three weeks, and fruquintinib was used in the same manner as the fruquintinib alone group. Results The objective response rate (ORR) of the fruquintinib alone group was 9.09%, the disease control rate (DCR) of the fruquintinib alone group was 45.45%.The ORR of the fruquintinib combined with sintilimab group was 18.18%, and the DCR was 63.64%.The median PFS of the fruquintinib alone and fruquintinib combined with sintilimab groups were 4.4 months (IQR: 2.1-8.2) and 6.7 months (IQR: 3.9-12.6), respectively (χ²=4.372, P=0.037).Most of the adverse reactions during the treatment of the two groups were grades 1-2.In addition, no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions was found between two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion Compared with fruquintinib alone, fruquintinib combined with sintilimab in the treatment of patients with MSS colorectal cancer after the failure of standard treatment has better clinical efficacy, and adverse drug reactions can be controlled.

Objective:To assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of Omalizumab for treating pediatric allergic asthma in real world in China.Methods:The clinical data of children aged 6 to 11 years with allergic asthma who received Omalizumab treatment in 17 hospitals in China between July 6, 2018 and September 30, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.Such information as the demographic characteristics, allergic history, family history, total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, specific IgE levels, skin prick test, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels, eosinophil (EOS) counts, and comorbidities at baseline were collected.Descriptive analysis of the Omalizumab treatment mode was made, and the difference in the first dose, injection frequency and course of treatment between the Omalizumab treatment mode and the mode recommended in the instruction was investigated.Global Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness (GETE) analysis was made after Omalizumab treatment.The moderate-to-severe asthma exacerbation rate, inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) dose, lung functions were compared before and after Omalizumab treatment.Changes in the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) and Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) results from baseline to 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, and 52 weeks after Omalizumab treatment were studied.The commodity improvement was assessed.The adverse event (AE) and serious adverse event (SAE) were analyzed for the evaluation of Omalizumab treatment safety.The difference in the annual rate of moderate-to-severe asthma exacerbation and ICS reduction was investigated by using t test.The significance level was set to 0.05.Other parameters were all subject to descriptive analysis.A total of 200 allergic asthma patients were enrolled, including 75.5% ( n=151) males and 24.5% ( n=49) females.The patients aged (8.20±1.81) years. Results:The median total IgE level of the 200 patients was 513.5 (24.4-11 600.0) IU/mL.Their median treatment time with Omalizumab was 112 (1-666) days.Their first dose of Omalizumab was 300 (150-600) mg.Of the 200 cases, 114 cases (57.0%) followed the first Omalizumab dosage recommended in the instruction.After 4-6 months of Omalizumab treatment, 88.5% of the patients enrolled ( n=117) responded to Omalizumab.After 4 weeks of treatment with Omalizumab, asthma was well-controlled, with an increased C-ACT score [from (22.70±3.70) points to (18.90±3.74) points at baseline]. Four-six months after Omalizumab administration, the annual rate of moderate-to-severe asthma exacerbation had a reduction of (2.00±5.68) per patient year( t=4.702 5, P<0.001), the median ICS daily dose was lowered [0 (0-240) μg vs. 160 (50-4 000) μg at baseline] ( P<0.001), the PAQLQ score was improved [(154.90±8.57) points vs. (122.80±27.15) points at baseline], and the forced expiratory volume in one second % predicted (FEV 1%pred) was increased [(92.80±10.50)% vs. (89.70±18.17)% at baseline]. In patients with available evaluations for comorbidities, including allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis or eczema, urticaria, allergic conjunctivitis and sinusitis, 92.8%-100.0% showed improved symptoms.A total of 124 AE were reported in 58 (29.0%) of the 200 patients, and the annual incidence was 0(0-15.1) per patient year.In 53 patients who suffered AE, 44 patients (83.0%) and 9 patients (17.0%) reported mild and moderate AE, respectively.No severe AE were observed in patients.The annual incidence of SAE was 0(0-1.9) per patient year.Most common drug-related AE were abdominal pain (2 patients, 1.0%) and fever (2 patients, 1.0%). No patient withdrew Omalizumab due to AE. Conclusions:Omalizumab shows good effectiveness and safety for the treatment of asthma in children.It can reduce the moderate-to-severe asthma exacerbation rate, reduce the ICS dose, improve asthma control levels, and improve lung functions and quality of life of patients.

Objective:To explore the effect of breast feeding versus mixed feeding on fecal metabolites of infants delivered by cesarean section.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study.Fecal samples were collected from 23 healthy 1-month-old infants delivered by cesarean section from autumn 2021 and winter 2022 in two maternal and infant care facilities in the North and South of Xi′an city.The samples were divided into the breast feeding group (11 cases) and mixed feeding group (12 cases). Fecal metabolites were analyzed by the non-targeted metabolomic approach and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry coupling, and differentially expressed fecal metabolites between groups were screened using the non-parametric Mann- Whitney U test.Metabolic pathways enriched in them were further analyzed. Results:A total of 155 metabolites were characterized, including 57 sugars and sugar derivatives, 34 fatty acids, 25 organic acids, 22 amino acids, 8 esters, 4 nucleosides, 3 vitamins and 2 other substances.The relative contents of the differentially expressed fecal metabolites were measured, and it was found that some types of sugars and sugar derivatives were highly expressed in the fecal samples of breast feeding group, while amino acids, organic acids and fatty acids were highly expressed in those of the mixed feeding group.A total of 28 metabolic pathways enriched in differentially expressed fecal metabolites were obtained.Among them, alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine metabolism, arginine metabolism and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle influenced infant health.Conclusions:Feeding methods have an effect on the fecal metabolites in infants delivered by cesarean section born infants, and mixed feeding may speed up the process of TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism in the intestine of infants delivered by cesarean section to a certain extent.

To investigate the formation of polystyrene nanoplastic-plant protein corona and its potential impact on plants, three differently modified polystyrene nanoplastics with an average particle size of 200 nm were taken to interact with the leaf proteins of Impatiens hawkeri for 2 h, 4 h, 8 h, 16 h, 24 h, and 36 h, respectively. The morphological changes were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the surface roughness was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), the hydrated particle size and zeta potential were determined by nanoparticle size and zeta potential analyzer, and the protein composition of the protein corona was identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The proteins were classified in terms of biological processes, cellular components, and molecular functions to study the adsorption selection of nanoplastics to proteins, investigate the formation and characteristics of polystyrene nanoplastic-plant protein corona and predict the potential impact of protein corona on plants. The results showed that the morphological changes of the nanoplastics became clearer as the reaction time extends, as evidenced by the increase in size and roughness and the enhancement of stability, thus demonstrating the formation of protein corona. In addition, the transformation rate from soft to hard protein corona was basically the same for the three polystyrene nanoplastics in the formation of protein corona with leaf proteins under the same protein concentration conditions. Moreover, in the reaction with leaf proteins, the selective adsorption of the three nanoplastics to proteins with different isoelectric points and molecular weights differed, and the particle size and stability of the final formed protein corona also differed. Since a large portion of the protein fraction in protein corona is involved in photosynthesis, it is hypothesized that the formation of the protein corona may affect photosynthesis in I. hawkeri.
Polystyrenes/chemistry* ; Protein Corona/chemistry* ; Microplastics ; Plant Proteins ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Nanoparticles/chemistry*

Background Air pollutants PM_2.5 and its adsorbed metal elements are important factors affecting public health. Objective To explore the distribution characteristics and sources of metal elements in atmospheric PM_2.5 in Lanzhou from 2019 to 2020, and to assess the health risks of metal elements to different groups of residents through inhalation. Methods From January 2019 to December 2020 in two districts of Lanzhou City (Chengguan District and Xigu District), regular PM_2.5 and metal elements [antimony (Sb), aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), and thallium (Tl)] were regularly monitored, and their concentrations were described by the median (M) and 25^th and 75^th percentiles (P₂₅, P₇₅) as not following a normal distribution (because the detection rates of the five elements Be, Cr, Hg, Ni, and Se were less than 70%, the five elements were not included in subsequent analysis), and then compared with the secondary concentration limits in the Ambient Air Quality Standards (GB 3095-2012). The differences between the medians of the two groups were compared by the Mann-Whitney U rank sum test, and the differences among the medians of multiple groups were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test; the enrichment factor (EF) method and principal component analysis were used to evaluate the pollution degree of the metals and their sources; the health risks of five non-carcinogenic metals (Sb, Al, Pb, Mn, and Tl) and two carcinogenic metals (As and Cd) in PM_2.5 were evaluated by hazard index (HI) and hazard quotient (HQ) using the incremental lifetime cancer risk (LCR) model and the non-carcinogenic risk assessment model, respectively. Results The PM_2.5 concentrations [M (P₂₅, P₇₅)] in Lanzhou City were 38.50 (26.00, 65.00) and 41.00 (29.00, 63.10) μg·m⁻³ in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (Z=−0.989, P > 0.05). The average levels of the metal elements from high to low were: Al > Pb > Mn > As > Cd > Sb > Tl, and the annual average concentration of each metal element in 2019 was higher than that in 2020 (P<0.05). The M ( P₂₅, P₇₅) of PM_2.5 concentrations in Chengguan and Xigu districts were 52.98 (17.00, 61.00) and 55.40 (17.00, 67.00) μg·m⁻³, respectively, with no statistically significant differences (P<0.05); the concentrations of Sb and Al in Chengguan District were lower than those in Xigu District (P<0.05), and the concentrations of other metal elements were not different between the two areas (P>0.05). There were seasonal differences in the concentrations of PM_2.5 and seven metal elements in Lanzhou City (except P_Al=0.007, the other P_s < 0.001). The results of the enrichment factor method showed that the EF values of the six metals (Sb, Al, As, Cd, Pb and Tl) were all greater than 1. Among them, except As, the EF values of other metal elements were all greater than 10, and the EF values of Al and Cd were both greater than 100. The results of principal component analysis showed that the variance contributions of the three principal components were 45.61%, 24.22%, and 14.42%, and the cumulative contribution reached 84.25%. The principal component 1 included Pb, As, Cd, and Sb, the principal component 2 included Al and Mn, and the principal component 3 contained Tl. The non-carcinogenic risks of the five metals were, in descending order, Al > Mn > Pb > Tl > Sb, among which the HQ values of the remaining four metals were less than 1 for adults and children, except the HQ value of Al for adults, which was greater than 1. The ILC values of carcinogenic metal As for adult males, adult females, and children were 2.68×10⁻⁵, 2.51×10⁻⁵, and 1.45×10⁻⁵, respectively; the ILC values of carcinogenic metal Cd for adult males, adult females, and children were 1.53×10⁻⁶, 1.43×10⁻⁶, and 8.26×10⁻⁷, respectively. Conclusion There is pollution of atmospheric PM_2.5 and its adsorbed metal elements in Lanzhou. As and Cd elements may pose potential carcinogenic risks to the residents.

Sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs) are the key transcriptional regulators of lipid metabolism. The activation of SREBP requires translocation of the SREBP precursor from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi, where it is sequentially cleaved by site-1 protease (S1P) and site-2 protease and releases a nuclear form to modulate gene expression. To search for new genes regulating cholesterol metabolism, we perform a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screen and find that partner of site-1 protease (POST1), encoded by C12ORF49, is critically involved in the SREBP signaling. Ablation of POST1 decreases the generation of nuclear SREBP and reduces the expression of SREBP target genes. POST1 binds S1P, which is synthesized as an inactive protease (form A) and becomes fully mature via a two-step autocatalytic process involving forms B'/B and C'/C. POST1 promotes the generation of the functional S1P-C'/C from S1P-B'/B (canonical cleavage) and, notably, from S1P-A directly (non-canonical cleavage) as well. This POST1-mediated S1P activation is also essential for the cleavages of other S1P substrates including ATF6, CREB3 family members and the α/β-subunit precursor of N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase. Together, we demonstrate that POST1 is a cofactor controlling S1P maturation and plays important roles in lipid homeostasis, unfolded protein response, lipoprotein metabolism and lysosome biogenesis.