OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets

OBJECTIVES: To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application. Methods and. RESULTS: Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion, and consensus was reached following expert consultation. The consensus recommendations are comprehensive, covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation, surgical operation process, postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning. The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain, reduced the use of opioid drugs, and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients. Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications. CONCLUSIONS The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy. The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Cancer Pain/therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Pain Management/methods* ; China

OBJECTIVE: To explore and evaluate the efficacy and safety of a modified thiotepa-based conditioning regimen combined with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for the treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). METHODS: In a retrospective, single center, single arm study, we collected data of 28 patients with PCNSL who underwent high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDC-ASCT) at our center from March 2021 to December 2024. The clinical characteristics of the patients, the conditioning regimen details, treatment-related toxicities and adverse reactions, post-transplant disease remission status, and survival outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients were included. Among them, 19 patients received ASCT as first-line consolidation therapy in complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) status, and 9 patients with relapsed/refractory disease underwent salvage ASCT. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 9 days (range: 5-11 days), and the median time to platelet engraftment was 10 days (range: 6-13 days). All patients achieved CR at the initial efficacy evaluation post-ASCT. The main complications during the transplantation period were febrile neutropenia (26 cases) and grade 3 diarrhea (9 cases). No transplantation-related mortality occurred. Post-ASCT, 19 patients received maintenance therapy, which was demonstrated to be safe and effective. Three patients relapse, and one patient died. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients were not reached. The estimated 1-year and 2-year cumulative PFS rates were 88.4% and 66.3%, respectively, while the 1-year and 2-year OS rates were both 94.1%. CONCLUSION The modified thiotepa-based conditioning regimen combined with ASCT is safe and effective for the treatment of PCNSL.
Humans ; Thiotepa/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Autologous ; Transplantation Conditioning/methods* ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms/therapy* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Lymphoma/therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Aged

A primary hallmark of pathological cardiac hypertrophy is excess protein synthesis due to enhanced translational activity. However, regulatory mechanisms at the translational level under cardiac stress remain poorly understood. Here we examined the translational regulations in a mouse cardiac hypertrophy model induced by transaortic constriction (TAC) and explored the conservative networks versus the translatome pattern in human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The results showed that the heart weight to body weight ratio was significantly elevated, and the ejection fraction and fractional shortening significantly decreased 8 weeks after TAC. Puromycin incorporation assay showed that TAC significantly increased protein synthesis rate in the left ventricle. RNA-seq revealed 1,632 differentially expressed genes showing functional enrichment in pathways including extracellular matrix remodeling, metabolic processes, and signaling cascades associated with pathological cardiomyocyte growth. When combined with ribosome profiling analysis, we revealed that translation efficiency (TE) of 1,495 genes was enhanced, while the TE of 933 genes was inhibited following TAC. In DCM patients, 1,354 genes were upregulated versus 1,213 genes were downregulated at the translation level. Although the majority of the genes were not shared between mouse and human, we identified 93 genes, including Nos3, Kcnj8, Adcy4, Itpr1, Fasn, Scd1, etc., with highly conserved translational regulations. These genes were remarkably associated with myocardial function, signal transduction, and energy metabolism, particularly related to cGMP-PKG signaling and fatty acid metabolism. Motif analysis revealed enriched regulatory elements in the 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs) of transcripts with differential TE, which exhibited strong cross-species sequence conservation. Our study revealed novel regulatory mechanisms at the translational level in cardiac hypertrophy and identified conserved translation-sensitive targets with potential applications to treat cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in the clinic.
Animals ; Humans ; Cardiomegaly/physiopathology* ; Ribosomes/physiology* ; Protein Biosynthesis/physiology* ; Mice ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/genetics* ; Ribosome Profiling

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) .Methods:This retrospective study included 52 patients with PCNSL treated in Peking University Third Hospital between January 2013 and December 2023. An analysis was conducted on the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors of the patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine factors associated with progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) .Results:In the overall cohort, the median age at diagnosis was 57 (range, 23-87) years, with a male/female ratio of 1.08:1. Neurological dysfunction (71.2%) and intracranial hypertension (57.7%) were common clinical manifestations. The tumors involved the deep brain tissue and presented as multifocal lesions. Treatment efficacy was evaluable in 49 patients, with a median follow-up of 23 (95% CI: 8.6-37.4) months. The 2- and 5-year PFS rates were 56.4% (95% CI: 42.2%-68.3%) and 36.3% (95% CI: 17.3%-53.4%), respectively, whereas the OS rates were 75.5% (95% CI: 61.7%-87.2%) and 66.0% (95% CI: 43.9%-78.3%), respectively. By univariate Cox regression analysis, age >60 years ( HR=3.436, 95% CI: 1.008-11.710, P=0.049) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center grade 3 tumor ( HR=22.10, 95% CI: 4.736 - 103.400, P< 0.001) were prognostic factors for worse OS, whereas auto-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as consolidation therapy was significantly associated with longer OS ( HR=0.223, 95% CI: 0.077-0.643, P=0.006). By multivariate Cox regression analysis, high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy ( HR=0.082, 95% CI: 0.008-0.873, P=0.038) and auto-HSCT ( HR=0.151, 95% CI: 0.030-0.747, P= 0.020) were independent predictors of prolonged OS. Conclusion:The prognosis was poor in patients with PCNSL who are elderly and those at high risk according to risk stratification. Adopting treatment regimens containing high-dose methotrexate and performing auto-HSCT can improve survival in patients with PCNSL.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) .Methods:This retrospective study included 52 patients with PCNSL treated in Peking University Third Hospital between January 2013 and December 2023. An analysis was conducted on the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors of the patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine factors associated with progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) .Results:In the overall cohort, the median age at diagnosis was 57 (range, 23-87) years, with a male/female ratio of 1.08:1. Neurological dysfunction (71.2%) and intracranial hypertension (57.7%) were common clinical manifestations. The tumors involved the deep brain tissue and presented as multifocal lesions. Treatment efficacy was evaluable in 49 patients, with a median follow-up of 23 (95% CI: 8.6-37.4) months. The 2- and 5-year PFS rates were 56.4% (95% CI: 42.2%-68.3%) and 36.3% (95% CI: 17.3%-53.4%), respectively, whereas the OS rates were 75.5% (95% CI: 61.7%-87.2%) and 66.0% (95% CI: 43.9%-78.3%), respectively. By univariate Cox regression analysis, age >60 years ( HR=3.436, 95% CI: 1.008-11.710, P=0.049) and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center grade 3 tumor ( HR=22.10, 95% CI: 4.736 - 103.400, P< 0.001) were prognostic factors for worse OS, whereas auto-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as consolidation therapy was significantly associated with longer OS ( HR=0.223, 95% CI: 0.077-0.643, P=0.006). By multivariate Cox regression analysis, high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy ( HR=0.082, 95% CI: 0.008-0.873, P=0.038) and auto-HSCT ( HR=0.151, 95% CI: 0.030-0.747, P= 0.020) were independent predictors of prolonged OS. Conclusion:The prognosis was poor in patients with PCNSL who are elderly and those at high risk according to risk stratification. Adopting treatment regimens containing high-dose methotrexate and performing auto-HSCT can improve survival in patients with PCNSL.

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are cells that dissociate from the tumor tissue and enter the lymphatic system or bloodstream with close association with tumor metastasis and recurrence.CTCs contain complete pathological information,which can be extracted by isolation,enrichment,and analysis of the CTCs to guide cancer diagnosis and treatment,thereby significantly improving the monitoring efficiency and prognosis of cancer.Compared with tissue biopsy,liquid biopsy with CTCs as a biomarker enables specific and dynamic detection of tumor growth with a less painful experience.For detection of CTCs,the cells must be captured from body fluids,followed then by their release and enrichment.This review summaries the latest research progress in responsive isolation of CTCs(e.g.with light,dielectrophoresis,acoustophoresis and magnetophoresis),chemical isolation(specific molecules and topological structure)and responsive release(e.g.,light,electric,thermal,pH,enzyme responsiveness,and substrates break).Responsive isolation utilizes the differences in physical properties between CTCs and blood cells,while chemical isolation utilizes specific recognition mechanisms to capture the CTCs.These techniques result in low cell damage with a high specificity to facilitate further analysis.Currently,CTC detection has been applied for early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of multiple cancers including lung cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,and prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Radix Sanguisorbae (RS, Diyu) could restore intestinal barrier function following sepsis using a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic rat model and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged IEC-6 cell model, respectively. METHODS: Totally 224 rats were divided into 4 groups including a control, sham, CLP and RS group according to a random number table. The rats in the control group were administrated with Ringer's lactate solution (30 mL/kg) with additional dopamine [10 µ g/(kg·min)] and given intramuscular injections of cefuroxime sodium (10 mg/kg) 12 h following CLP. The rats in the RS group were administrated with RS (10 mg/kg) through tail vein 1 h before CLP and treated with RS (10 mg/kg) 12 h following CLP. The rats in the sham group were only performed abdominal surgery without CLP. The rats in the CLP group were performed with CLP without any treatment. The other steps were same as control group. The effects of RS on intestinal barrier function, mesenteric microvessels barrier function, multi-organ function indicators, inflammatory response and 72 h survival window following sepsis were observed. In vitro, the effects of RS on LPS-challenged IEC-6 cell viability, the expressions of zona occludens-1 (ZO-1) and ferroptosis index were evaluated by cell counting kit-8, immunofluorescence and Western blot analysis. Bioinformatic tools were applied to investigate the pharmacological network of RS in sepsis to predict the active compounds and potential protein targets and pathways. RESULTS: The sepsis caused severe intestinal barrier dysfunction, multi-organ injury, lipid peroxidation accumulation, and ferroptosis in vivo. RS treatment significantly prolonged the survival time to 56 h and increased 72-h survival rate to 7/16 (43.75%). RS also improved intestinal barrier function and relieved intestinal inflammation. Moreover, RS significantly decreased lipid peroxidation and inhibited ferroptosis (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Administration of RS significantly worked better than Ringer's solution used alone. Using network pharmacology prediction, we found that ferroptosis and hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1 α) signaling pathways might be involved in RS effects on sepsis. Subsequent Western blot, ferrous iron measurements, and FerroOrange fluorescence of ferrous iron verified the network pharmacology predictions. CONCLUSION RS improved the intestinal barrier function and alleviated intestinal injury by inhibiting ferroptosis, which was related in part to HIF-1 α/heme oxygenase-1/Fe²⁺ axis.
Animals ; Sepsis/complications* ; Male ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Sanguisorba/chemistry* ; Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism* ; Iron/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Disease Models, Animal ; Lipopolysaccharides

Circulating tumor cells(CTCs)are cells that dissociate from the tumor tissue and enter the lymphatic system or bloodstream with close association with tumor metastasis and recurrence.CTCs contain complete pathological information,which can be extracted by isolation,enrichment,and analysis of the CTCs to guide cancer diagnosis and treatment,thereby significantly improving the monitoring efficiency and prognosis of cancer.Compared with tissue biopsy,liquid biopsy with CTCs as a biomarker enables specific and dynamic detection of tumor growth with a less painful experience.For detection of CTCs,the cells must be captured from body fluids,followed then by their release and enrichment.This review summaries the latest research progress in responsive isolation of CTCs(e.g.with light,dielectrophoresis,acoustophoresis and magnetophoresis),chemical isolation(specific molecules and topological structure)and responsive release(e.g.,light,electric,thermal,pH,enzyme responsiveness,and substrates break).Responsive isolation utilizes the differences in physical properties between CTCs and blood cells,while chemical isolation utilizes specific recognition mechanisms to capture the CTCs.These techniques result in low cell damage with a high specificity to facilitate further analysis.Currently,CTC detection has been applied for early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of multiple cancers including lung cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,and prostate cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of changes in nasal tip protrusion on the sense of upper lip protrusion in different populations and to provide a reference for the improvement of soft tissue beauty. Methods : Informed consent and portrait authorization were obtained from the model. A female model whose face met the criteria was selected, and a 3D model of her was obtained using a 3D stereo camera. Based on the original model, ZBRUSH2019 software was used to simulate changes in nose tip protrusion. Then, 9 segments of facial dynamic rotation videos were produced, and an electronic questionnaire was created through a questionnaire website to evaluate the effect of different nose tip protrusions on perceived upper lip protrusion. Randomly selected orthodontic patients, orthodontics professionals and general adults completed the electronic questionnaire. In the questionnaire, a Visual Analog Scale was used to evaluate the perceived degree of protrusion of the upper lip. The higher the score, the more prominent the upper lip of the model in the image. The questionnaire data were statistically analyzed using a generalized linear mixed model. Results : As the nasal tip position became progressively more retracted, the subjects' upper lip protrusion scores increased. Among male subjects, the results showed that the general population thought that the upper lip protrusion was higher than the patients did when the nasal tip protrusion was +6 mm and +4.5 mm (P = 0.023, P = 0.047). When the nasal tip protrusion was +6 mm, the scores of the general population were higher than those of the orthodontics professionals (P = 0.023). However, when the nasal tip variable was -6 mm, their score was lower than that of the patients (P = 0.003), and there was no significant difference in other retest distances between groups (P>0.05). Conclusion When the protrusion of the nasal tip decreased, the three groups experienced a visual illusion of upper lip protrusion. When the nasal tip protrusion is too large, the general population perceived the visual illusion of the upper lip protrusion as being more obvious.