Objectives:To investigate the physical growth status of pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and analyze the effects of treatment-related and socioeconomic factors on physical growth.Methods:Based on the specialized thalassemia database from gene therapy clinical research at the Institute of Hematology & Hospital of Blood Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, we collected data on height and weight development, family economic status, and medical records of 338 pediatric patients with TDT from October 2023 to May 2024. The length/height-for-age and body mass index (BMI) -for-age were classified based on the Growth Standard for Children under 7 Years of Age, Standard for Height Level Classification among Children and Adolescents Aged 7-18 Years, and Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the effects of family economic status and disease-related treatment on length/height-for-age and BMI-for-age.Results:Among the 338 patients, 118 were children and 220 were adolescents (192 males and 146 females), with a median age of 12 years (range: 0.8-18) and a median diagnosis duration of 10.3 years (range: 0.5-17.9). Subtypes included α-thalassemia [21 cases (6.2%) ], β-thalassemia [288 cases (85.2%) ], and combined αβ-thalassemia[29 cases (8.6%) ]. The monthly household income of patients was concentrated in 3 000-5 000 yuan (39.9%) and 5 001-10 000 yuan (34.9%), whereas 67.2% of the families had monthly medical expenses of <3 000 yuan. Of the patients, 75.5% received their first transfusion before 1 year of age. The proportions of children and adolescents with pretransfusion hemoglobin (HGB) of ≤70 g/L were 4.2% and 6.4%, respectively. Adolescents demonstrated significantly higher rates of transfusion frequency of <4 weeks/session, monthly red blood cell infusion of >2 U, serum ferritin (SF) of ≥5 000 μg/L, iron chelation therapy, and splenectomy compared with children (all P<0.05). Of the 338 patients, 26.0%, 22.8%, and 8.9% demonstrated stunted growth, underweight, and concurrent stunted growth with underweight, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the stunted growth rates between children (22.9%) and adolescents (27.7%) ( P=0.402). However, the underweight rate in adolescents (26.8%) was significantly higher than that in children (15.3%) ( P=0.023). The multivariate analysis determined the following risk factors for stunted growth: monthly household income of <10 000 yuan (5 001-10 000 yuan: OR=5.49, 95% CI: 1.48-35.76; 3 000-5 000 yuan: OR=6.87, 95% CI: 1.88-44.60; <3 000 yuan: OR=9.29, 95% CI: 2.20-64.77), pretransfusion HGB of ≤70 g/L ( OR=3.25, 95% CI: 1.07-10.18), and SF of ≥5 000 μg/L ( OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.20-7.70). Longer diagnostic duration was associated with underweight ( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20) . Conclusions:Children and adolescents with TDT with pretransfusion SF of ≥5 000 μg/L, HGB of ≤70 g/L, low monthly household income, or longer diagnosis duration were significantly more likely to experience delayed physical growth.

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor, ranking fifth in incidence and mortality among all malignancies globally. The lack of early symptoms or the non-specific nature of symptoms means that most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. The unique high heterogeneity of gastric cancer largely limits the effectiveness of traditional therapies, resulting in poor prognosis for patients. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a new treatment option for advanced gastric cancer. The immunotherapy era has driven gastric cancer treatment towards more personalized and precise directions. There have been many new research advances in the fields of immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, and cancer vaccines. However, there are also many challenges and difficulties. It is hoped that this review will provide ideas and suggestions for the in-depth exploration of immunotherapy for gastric cancer.

Objective:To investigate the impact of neoadjuvant immunotherapy on intra-treatment complications, postoperative complications,and short-term efficacy in patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. Clinical and pathological data were collected from 103 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant therapy and subsequent surgical treatment at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology,between January 2021 and December 2024. Among the patients,70 were male and 33 were female;the age was (58±10)years(range: 29 to 79 years). Patients were divided into two groups based on the neoadjuvant treatment regimen: the chemotherapy-alone group (56 patients) and the immunotherapy plus chemotherapy group(47 patients). There was no statistical significance in the differences of age, gender distribution, tumor location and abdominal surgery history between the two groups (all P>0.05). Comparisons between the two groups were performed using Welch′s t-test, χ 2 test or Fisher′s exact probability test,respectively. Results:No statistically significant differences were observed in the incidence of adverse events during neoadjuvant therapy between the two groups (44.7%(21/47) vs. 60.7% (34/56), P>0.05). There were also no statistically significant differences in R0 resection rates (97.9%(46/47) vs. 91.1%(51/56)) and hospitalization costs for surgery((91 759±24 572) yuan vs. (96 873±17 367) yuan) between the two groups (both P>0.05). Additionally,the overall postoperative complication rates between the two groups were not significantly different (29.8%(14/47) vs. 26.8%(15/56) , χ2=0.114， P>0.05).In terms of short-term efficacy,the proportion of responders(tumor regression grade 0 and 1) was significantly higher in the immunotherapy plus chemotherapy group compared to the chemotherapy-alone group (36.2%(17/47) vs. 14.3%(8/56), χ 2=6.658, P=0.010). Conclusions:Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy does not increase the incidence of adverse events,surgical resection difficulty,or postoperative complications compared to chemotherapy alone. In terms of short-term efficacy,the addition of immunotherapy shows better performance in tumor regression grade compared to chemotherapy alone.

Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)on the behaviors of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced depression-like mice and explore the potential molecular mechanism of the antidepressant effect of EA using transcriptomics sequencing technology.Methods Thirty-six male specific pathogen-free-grade C57BL/6J mice were divided into the normal,the model,and the EA groups using the random number table method,with 12 mice per group.The EA group received a daily 20-minute EA at the"Baihui"and"Yintang"acupoints for 7 days.After 7 days of EA treatment,1.5 mg/kg LPS was injected intraperitoneally into the model and EA groups,whereas the normal group received an injection of an equal volume of saline solution.Depressive behaviors were assessed using the open-field test,tail-suspension test,and other relevant tests.Pathologic morphology of the hippocampus tissue was determined using hematoxylin-eosin staining.Transcriptomics technology was used to identify differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus,and bioinformatics analysis was performed.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expressions of hematopoietic cell kinase(Hck),adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E1(Adgre1),Toll-like receptor 2(Tlr2),and Gm49037 in the hippocampus.Results Compared to the normal group,mice in the model group exhibited a decrease in total travel distance,central travel distance,center area time(P＜0.01),as well as an increase in tail-suspension immobility time(P＜0.05).Hippocampal neurons were loosely arranged,and some neurons had blurred boundaries.Compared to the model group,mice in the EA group showed an increase in open-field total travel distance,central travel distance,center area time(P＜0.05),as well as a decrease in tail-suspension immobility time(P＜0.01);Additionally,hippocampal neurons were more tightly arranged,exhibiting clearer morphology and structure.Transcriptomic analysis revealed that 779 differentially expressed genes were identified in the model group compared to the normal group,whereas 172 genes differed between the EA and model groups.Nineteen genes were upregulated in the model group but downregulated in the EA group,and ten genes were down-regulated in the model group but up-regulated in the EA group.Gene Ontology Functional Analysis indicated that these genes primarily function in immune responses,Toll-like receptor activity,cell surface receptor signaling pathways,and interleukin-10 production.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed enrichment in inflammation-related pathways,including Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway.Compared to the normal group,Hck,Adgre1,and Tlr2 mRNA expressions were elevated in the model group(P＜0.01),whereas there was a decrease tendency for Gm49037 mRNA expression and there was no significant difference(P＞0.05);compared to the model group,Hck,Adgre1,and Tlr2 mRNA expressions were decreased in the EA group(P＜0.05),whereas there was an increase tendency for Gm49037 mRNA expression and there was no significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion EA alleviated depressive-like behavior and pathological damage in the hippocampus in LPS-induced mice,which may be related to attenuating hippocampal inflammatory pathways,and Hck,Adgre1,and Tlr2 genes may be the potential targets for its effect.

Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture(EA)on the behaviors of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced depression-like mice and explore the potential molecular mechanism of the antidepressant effect of EA using transcriptomics sequencing technology.Methods Thirty-six male specific pathogen-free-grade C57BL/6J mice were divided into the normal,the model,and the EA groups using the random number table method,with 12 mice per group.The EA group received a daily 20-minute EA at the"Baihui"and"Yintang"acupoints for 7 days.After 7 days of EA treatment,1.5 mg/kg LPS was injected intraperitoneally into the model and EA groups,whereas the normal group received an injection of an equal volume of saline solution.Depressive behaviors were assessed using the open-field test,tail-suspension test,and other relevant tests.Pathologic morphology of the hippocampus tissue was determined using hematoxylin-eosin staining.Transcriptomics technology was used to identify differentially expressed genes in the hippocampus,and bioinformatics analysis was performed.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was performed to detect the mRNA expressions of hematopoietic cell kinase(Hck),adhesion G protein-coupled receptor E1(Adgre1),Toll-like receptor 2(Tlr2),and Gm49037 in the hippocampus.Results Compared to the normal group,mice in the model group exhibited a decrease in total travel distance,central travel distance,center area time(P＜0.01),as well as an increase in tail-suspension immobility time(P＜0.05).Hippocampal neurons were loosely arranged,and some neurons had blurred boundaries.Compared to the model group,mice in the EA group showed an increase in open-field total travel distance,central travel distance,center area time(P＜0.05),as well as a decrease in tail-suspension immobility time(P＜0.01);Additionally,hippocampal neurons were more tightly arranged,exhibiting clearer morphology and structure.Transcriptomic analysis revealed that 779 differentially expressed genes were identified in the model group compared to the normal group,whereas 172 genes differed between the EA and model groups.Nineteen genes were upregulated in the model group but downregulated in the EA group,and ten genes were down-regulated in the model group but up-regulated in the EA group.Gene Ontology Functional Analysis indicated that these genes primarily function in immune responses,Toll-like receptor activity,cell surface receptor signaling pathways,and interleukin-10 production.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis revealed enrichment in inflammation-related pathways,including Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway.Compared to the normal group,Hck,Adgre1,and Tlr2 mRNA expressions were elevated in the model group(P＜0.01),whereas there was a decrease tendency for Gm49037 mRNA expression and there was no significant difference(P＞0.05);compared to the model group,Hck,Adgre1,and Tlr2 mRNA expressions were decreased in the EA group(P＜0.05),whereas there was an increase tendency for Gm49037 mRNA expression and there was no significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion EA alleviated depressive-like behavior and pathological damage in the hippocampus in LPS-induced mice,which may be related to attenuating hippocampal inflammatory pathways,and Hck,Adgre1,and Tlr2 genes may be the potential targets for its effect.

Objectives:To investigate the physical growth status of pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) and analyze the effects of treatment-related and socioeconomic factors on physical growth.Methods:Based on the specialized thalassemia database from gene therapy clinical research at the Institute of Hematology & Hospital of Blood Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, we collected data on height and weight development, family economic status, and medical records of 338 pediatric patients with TDT from October 2023 to May 2024. The length/height-for-age and body mass index (BMI) -for-age were classified based on the Growth Standard for Children under 7 Years of Age, Standard for Height Level Classification among Children and Adolescents Aged 7-18 Years, and Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the effects of family economic status and disease-related treatment on length/height-for-age and BMI-for-age.Results:Among the 338 patients, 118 were children and 220 were adolescents (192 males and 146 females), with a median age of 12 years (range: 0.8-18) and a median diagnosis duration of 10.3 years (range: 0.5-17.9). Subtypes included α-thalassemia [21 cases (6.2%) ], β-thalassemia [288 cases (85.2%) ], and combined αβ-thalassemia[29 cases (8.6%) ]. The monthly household income of patients was concentrated in 3 000-5 000 yuan (39.9%) and 5 001-10 000 yuan (34.9%), whereas 67.2% of the families had monthly medical expenses of <3 000 yuan. Of the patients, 75.5% received their first transfusion before 1 year of age. The proportions of children and adolescents with pretransfusion hemoglobin (HGB) of ≤70 g/L were 4.2% and 6.4%, respectively. Adolescents demonstrated significantly higher rates of transfusion frequency of <4 weeks/session, monthly red blood cell infusion of >2 U, serum ferritin (SF) of ≥5 000 μg/L, iron chelation therapy, and splenectomy compared with children (all P<0.05). Of the 338 patients, 26.0%, 22.8%, and 8.9% demonstrated stunted growth, underweight, and concurrent stunted growth with underweight, respectively. No significant difference was observed in the stunted growth rates between children (22.9%) and adolescents (27.7%) ( P=0.402). However, the underweight rate in adolescents (26.8%) was significantly higher than that in children (15.3%) ( P=0.023). The multivariate analysis determined the following risk factors for stunted growth: monthly household income of <10 000 yuan (5 001-10 000 yuan: OR=5.49, 95% CI: 1.48-35.76; 3 000-5 000 yuan: OR=6.87, 95% CI: 1.88-44.60; <3 000 yuan: OR=9.29, 95% CI: 2.20-64.77), pretransfusion HGB of ≤70 g/L ( OR=3.25, 95% CI: 1.07-10.18), and SF of ≥5 000 μg/L ( OR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.20-7.70). Longer diagnostic duration was associated with underweight ( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.20) . Conclusions:Children and adolescents with TDT with pretransfusion SF of ≥5 000 μg/L, HGB of ≤70 g/L, low monthly household income, or longer diagnosis duration were significantly more likely to experience delayed physical growth.

Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor, ranking fifth in incidence and mortality among all malignancies globally. The lack of early symptoms or the non-specific nature of symptoms means that most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage. The unique high heterogeneity of gastric cancer largely limits the effectiveness of traditional therapies, resulting in poor prognosis for patients. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a new treatment option for advanced gastric cancer. The immunotherapy era has driven gastric cancer treatment towards more personalized and precise directions. There have been many new research advances in the fields of immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, and cancer vaccines. However, there are also many challenges and difficulties. It is hoped that this review will provide ideas and suggestions for the in-depth exploration of immunotherapy for gastric cancer.

Objective:To investigate the impact of neoadjuvant immunotherapy on intra-treatment complications, postoperative complications,and short-term efficacy in patients with advanced gastric cancer.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. Clinical and pathological data were collected from 103 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent neoadjuvant therapy and subsequent surgical treatment at the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology,between January 2021 and December 2024. Among the patients,70 were male and 33 were female;the age was (58±10)years(range: 29 to 79 years). Patients were divided into two groups based on the neoadjuvant treatment regimen: the chemotherapy-alone group (56 patients) and the immunotherapy plus chemotherapy group(47 patients). There was no statistical significance in the differences of age, gender distribution, tumor location and abdominal surgery history between the two groups (all P>0.05). Comparisons between the two groups were performed using Welch′s t-test, χ 2 test or Fisher′s exact probability test,respectively. Results:No statistically significant differences were observed in the incidence of adverse events during neoadjuvant therapy between the two groups (44.7%(21/47) vs. 60.7% (34/56), P>0.05). There were also no statistically significant differences in R0 resection rates (97.9%(46/47) vs. 91.1%(51/56)) and hospitalization costs for surgery((91 759±24 572) yuan vs. (96 873±17 367) yuan) between the two groups (both P>0.05). Additionally,the overall postoperative complication rates between the two groups were not significantly different (29.8%(14/47) vs. 26.8%(15/56) , χ2=0.114， P>0.05).In terms of short-term efficacy,the proportion of responders(tumor regression grade 0 and 1) was significantly higher in the immunotherapy plus chemotherapy group compared to the chemotherapy-alone group (36.2%(17/47) vs. 14.3%(8/56), χ 2=6.658, P=0.010). Conclusions:Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy does not increase the incidence of adverse events,surgical resection difficulty,or postoperative complications compared to chemotherapy alone. In terms of short-term efficacy,the addition of immunotherapy shows better performance in tumor regression grade compared to chemotherapy alone.

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum interleukin-2 receptor(IL-2R),CD4+/CD8+ and disease activity in patients with lupus nephritis(LN).Methods A total of 38 patients with LN who were treated in Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University from March 2021 to December 2022 were enrolled in LN group,and 40 healthy persons who underwent physical examination in the hospital during the same period were included in healthy control group.General clinical data,systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index(SLEDAI)and pathological classification were collected.LN patients were divided into active group and inactive group according to SLEDAI score,and the difference of clinical indicators between two groups was compared.Results The hemoglobin(Hb),platelet count,albumin(ALB),complement C3 and C4 in LN group were significantly lower than those in healthy control group,the positive rates of antinuclear antibody and anti-double strand DNA antibody(anti-ds-DNA antibody),serum creatinine(SCr)and C-reactive protein were significantly higher than those in healthy control group(P<0.05).The ALB of active group was significantly lower than that of inactive group,and IL-2R,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,24h urinary protein quantity and anti-ds-DNA antibody positive rate were significantly higher than those of inactive group(P<0.05).Serum IL-2R levels in LN patients were positively correlated with SLEDAI,SCr,blood urea nitrogen and 24h urinary protein quantity,and negatively correlated with Hb and complement C3(P<0.05).Conclusion Serum IL-2R can be used as an indicator to judge the degree of LN activity and provide a basis for the judgment of clinical disease activity.