ObjectiveTo evaluate pharmacological effects of Shengmai injection（SMI）on cerebral ischemia and study its neuroprotective mechanism. MethodsMale specific pathogen-free （SPF） Sprague-Dawley （SD） rats were randomly divided into a sham group， a model group， a low-dose SMI group（3 mL·kg^-1）， a middle-dose SMI group（6 mL·kg^-1）， a high-dose SMI group（12 mL·kg^-1）， and a Ginaton group（4 mL·kg^-1）according to the random number table method， with 12 rats in each group. The rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion（MCAO/R）was prepared via the suture method. The administration groups were intraperitoneally injected with corresponding concentrations of SMI or Ginaton injection after reperfusion， which was conducted for 3 consecutive days. The sham group and model group were administered the equivalent volume of physiological saline. The pharmacological effects of SMI on brain injury in MCAO/R rats were evaluated by neurological function scores， cerebral infarction area， hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， Nissl staining， terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling （TUNEL） staining， and Western blot. The dominant link and key protein of SMI treating cerebral injury were explored using proteomic analysis. The related mechanisms of SMI were further validated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， Western blot， and chloride ion fluorescence probe with oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation（OGD/R）-treated PC12 cells and MCAO/R rats. ResultsCompared with the sham group， the model group showed significantly increased neurological function scores， cerebral infarction area， neuronal apoptosis rate， and expression levels of apoptosis related proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）and significantly decreased density of Nissl bodies and neurons（P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the SMI groups exhibited significantly decreased neurological function scores， cerebral infarction area， neuronal apoptosis rate， and expression levels of apoptosis related proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）and significantly increased density of Nissl bodies and neurons （P<0.05）. The proteomic analysis results showed that oxidative stress and inflammatory response were important processes of SMI intervening in MCAO/R injury， and the chloride intracellular channel protein 1 （CLIC1） was one of key proteins in its action network. The levels of representative indicators of oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the MCAO/R rats of the SMI groups were significantly reduced， compared with those in the model group（P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the expression levels of CLIC1 and downstream NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） decreased （P<0.01）. In addition， the experimental results based on the OGD/R PC12 cells showed that SMI significantly increased the cell survival rate（P<0.01） and significantly decreased the intracellular chloride ion concentration（P<0.05）. ConclusionSMI has neuroprotective effects. Oxidative stress and inflammatory response are key processes of SMI intervening in MCAO/R injury. The potential mechanism is closely related to the regulation of CLIC1.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in alleviating doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. METHODS: (1) Cell experiments: rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes were divided into control group (CON group), null adenovirus transfection group (NC group), TERT overexpression adenovirus transfection group (TERT group), DOX group (treated with 1 μmol/L DOX for 12 hours), DOX+NC group, and DOX+TERT group (null adenovirus or TERT overexpression adenovirus were transfected for 24 hours and then treated with 1 μmol/L DOX for 12 hours). The mRNA expression of TERT in cardiomyocytes was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The level of mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by immunofluorescence. The expression levels of intracellular Bax, Bcl-2, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and p62 were detected by Western blotting. (2) Animal experiments: male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a sham operation group (Sham group), DOX group (acute cardiotoxicity model was constructed by intraperitoneal injection of DOX 15 mg/kg), DOX+NC group and DOX+TERT group (modeled after transfection with airborne adenovirus or TERT overexpression adenovirus for 7 days). After 7 days of modeling, the area of myocardial fibrosis was detected by Sirius scarlet staining, and cardiac function was detected by echocardiography. RESULTS: (1) Cellular experiments: the mRNA expression level of TERT was significantly higher in the TERT group compared with the CON and NC groups. Compared with the CON group, the TERT mRNA expression level of cardiomyocytes in the DOX group and the DOX+NC group were significantly lower, the level of mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly lower, the protein expressions of Bax and LC3 were significantly increased, and the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and p62 were significantly decreased. No significant differences were found between the DOX group and DOX+NC group. Compared with the DOX group and DOX+NC group, the TERT mRNA expression level was increased in the DOX+TERT group (relative expression: 1.02±0.10 vs. 0.61±0.05, 0.54±0.03, both P < 0.05), the level of mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly increased (1.14±0.05 vs. 0.96±0.01, 0.96±0.01, both P < 0.05), the protein expressions of Bax and LC3 were significantly decreased, and the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and p62 were significantly increased (Bax/β-actin: 0.88±0.01 vs. 1.31±0.02, 1.26±0.01; LC3-II/I: 2.16±0.05 vs. 2.64±0.06, 2.58±0.02; Bcl-2/β-actin: 0.65±0.01 vs. 0.40±0.01, 0.41±0.01; p62/β-actin: 0.45±0.01 vs. 0.23±0.02, 0.29±0.01; all P < 0.05). (2) Animal experiments: compared with the Sham group, the percentage of myocardial fibrosis area was significantly increased and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (FS) were significantly decreased in the DOX group and DOX+NC group. Compared with the DOX group and DOX+NC group, the percentage of myocardial fibrotic area was significantly decreased in the DOX+TERT group (%: 2.33±0.06 vs. 3.76±0.07, 3.87±0.06, both P < 0.05), and the LVEF and FS were significantly increased [LVEF (%): 67.00±1.14 vs. 54.60±1.57, 53.40±2.18; FS (%): 38.60±0.51 vs. 30.60±1.10, 30.00±0.71; all P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION Up-regulation of TERT expression can inhibit DOX-induced cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis, attenuate DOX-induced myocardial fibrosis in mice, improve cardiac function, and thus alleviate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.
Animals ; Doxorubicin/toxicity* ; Telomerase/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Rats ; Male ; Cardiotoxicity ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Adenoviridae ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism* ; Transfection ; Apoptosis

Objective To analyze clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies for patients with Trichosporon asahii(T.asahii)bloodstream infection(BSI),and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment for such disease.Methods Diagnosis and treatment process of a patient with T.asahii BSI were reported.China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang,PubMed,and Web of Science databases were retrieved using key-words:"Trichosporon asahii"and"bloodstream infection".Patients'age,gender,underlying diseases,immune status,treatment,and clinical outcome as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing results of T.asahii were ana-lyzed retrospectively.Results The leukemia patient developed T.asahii BSI during chemotherapy,and showed clinical improvement after treatment with fluconazole+flucytosine.A total of 44 cases(43 from literature plus this index case)were analyzed.Among these cases,28 were males,the median age was 54.5 years old.The underlying diseases were predominantly hematological diseases.Catheter,urinary tract,and skin were identified as concurrent culture-positive sites.Azoles exhibited good antimicrobial activity in vitro,with voriconazole showing the strongest activity and associated with significantly higher survival rates.Under the guidance of antimicrobial susceptibility tes-ting results,patients with fluconazole treatment had a higher survival rate.At minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs)of 4-8 μg/mL of fluconazole,fluconazole combined with other agents was predominantly required.Am-photericin B demonstrated good in vitro activity,but the overall survival rate of patients was low when amphotericin B was used as monotherapy without azoles.Catheters removal,surgical intervention,and neutrophil recovery were influencing factors for enhanced survival rates.Conclusion BSI caused by T.asahii primarily occurs in patients with hematological diseases,with neutropenia being a high-risk factor.Infection sites at catheter,urinary tract,and skin may be infection sources.Clearing the source of infection and promoting the recovery of neutrophils can help to improve survival rates of patients.For voriconazole-intolerant patients,fluconazole monotherapy or in combination with flucytosine/amphotericin B can be used alternatively based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

The cure rate of patients with classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL) has significantly improved and the mortality rate has decreased with the advancement of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, especially the application of combined radio-chemotherapy. However, some patients still face relapse or refractory issues, as well as the risk of death due to treatment-related adverse reaction. Treatment has fully entered the era of targeted therapy in recent years, with the deepening research on cHL. Novel drugs, represented by targeted CD30 antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors, have further improved the prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory cHL. This study aims to determine the mechanism of achieving comprehensive optimization management of cHL in the new era of drugs, improve patient prognosis, enhance therapeutic efficacy, and reduce the occurence of adverse reactions.

Cataract combined with retinopathy can seriously affect the vision of patients. Vitrectomy combined with one-stage implantation of multi-focal intraocular lens (MIOL) has been paid more and more attention. The application of MIOL shows potential in improving the visual quality of patients, but its effect is affected by many factors, and refractive drift is a key problem to be solved. At present, the research mainly focuses on cataract patients with high myopia, and further research on other types of retinopathy is needed. In the future, multi-center, large-sample, long-term clinical studies and interdisciplinary cooperation are needed to optimize surgical and management programs to enhance the application effect of MIOL in the treatment of retinopathy and improve the quality of life of patients.

Objective To develop a risk assessment scale for immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-associated myocarditis based on multidisciplinary collaboration, and to evaluate its diagnostic performance. Methods Based on multidisciplinary cooperation, integrating clinical experience from oncology and cardiology, literature data, and patient conditions, a risk assessment scale for ICI-associated myocarditis was developed. A total of 101 patients with malignancies who received immunotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from October 2020 to October 2024 were included as the validation cohort. Patients were stratified into low-risk (0-1 point), medium-risk (2-4 points), and high-risk (≥5 points) groups based on their scale scores. The association between pretictive risk stratifications and actual assessment results was assessed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The predictive value of the scale for ICI-associated myocarditis was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Agreement between the scale scores and actual assessment results was assessed using Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. Results Based on the scale pretictive results, 28(27.7%), 8(7.9%), 65(64.4%) patients were at low risk, medium risk, and high risk for ICI-related myocarditis, respectively; however, 46(45.5%), 8(7.9%), 47(46.5%) were at low risk, medium risk, and high risk actually. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of ICI-related myocarditis in the high-risk group was significantly higher than that in the medium- and low-risk groups (P＜0.05). In the multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, the ICI-related myocarditis risk in high-risk group was about 4 times that in the low-risk group. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the average area under the curve (AUC) for predicting ICI-related myocarditis was 0.81, with an accuracy of 0.74. The Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was 0.55, indicating moderate agreement. In the actual high-risk group, no patient was predicted to be at low risk; in the actual low-risk group, 16 patients were predicted to be at high risk. Conclusions This risk assessment scale for ICI-associated myocarditis shows high predictive performance. It provides oncologists with a simple yet effective multidisciplinary diagnostic reference tool, potentially enhancing early identification of ICI-associated myocarditis.

Background and Aims:Microsatellite-stable(MSS)colorectal cancer(CRC)generally exhibits poor responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs),and effective immunotherapy strategies remain lacking.Anti-angiogenic agents such as bevacizumab(BEV)can improve the tumor immune microenvironment and act synergistically with ICIs.This multicenter real-world study compared the efficacy of different immunotherapy-based combination regimens in patients with MSS/MSI-L/pMMR advanced CRC,aiming to identify the optimal treatment strategy.Methods:A total of 100 patients with MSS/MSI-L/pMMR advanced CRC who received systemic treatment between November 2019 and February 2025 at four tertiary hospitals in Hunan,China,were retrospectively enrolled.Patients were classified into six treatment groups:chemotherapy alone,chemotherapy+targeted therapy,immunotherapy alone,immunotherapy+chemotherapy,immunotherapy+targeted therapy,and immunotherapy+chemotherapy+targeted therapy.The primary endpoints were overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS),while secondary endpoints were objective response rate(ORR)and disease control rate(DCR).Additionally,among patients receiving immunotherapy,subgroup analysis was performed according to BEV administration.Results:Among all 100 patients,the immunotherapy+chemotherapy+targeted therapy group achieved the highest ORR(32.0%)and DCR(76.0%)and was the only regimen yielding a complete response(CR).Compared with chemotherapy or immunotherapy alone,the triplet regimen significantly improved OS(P<0.05);although PFS improvement did not reach statistical significance,a clear late-stage separation of survival curves was observed.In the immunotherapy subgroup,BEV-containing regimens achieved markedly better outcomes than non-BEV regimens,with DCR of 75.0%vs.48.8%,median OS of 18.9 vs.11.5 months,and median PFS of 13.8 vs.7.2 months(all P<0.001).Cox regression analysis showed that compared with chemotherapy alone,the triplet regimen significantly reduced the risk of death(HR=0.11)and disease progression(HR=0.25)(both P=0.002).Vascular invasion was identified as an adverse prognostic factor for PFS(HR=3.0,P=0.007).Conclusion:This multicenter real-world study demonstrated that combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy and targeted therapy significantly improves DCR and survival outcomes in patients with MSS/MSI-L/pMMR advanced CRC,with BEV-containing triplet regimens providing the most pronounced benefit.BEV may enhance immune responsiveness by modulating the tumor microenvironment and promoting effector T-cell infiltration,offering a promising therapeutic direction for"immune-cold"CRC.Prospective randomized studies are warranted to further validate its clinical value and define appropriate patient populations.

The cure rate of patients with classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL) has significantly improved and the mortality rate has decreased with the advancement of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, especially the application of combined radio-chemotherapy. However, some patients still face relapse or refractory issues, as well as the risk of death due to treatment-related adverse reaction. Treatment has fully entered the era of targeted therapy in recent years, with the deepening research on cHL. Novel drugs, represented by targeted CD30 antibody-drug conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors, have further improved the prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory cHL. This study aims to determine the mechanism of achieving comprehensive optimization management of cHL in the new era of drugs, improve patient prognosis, enhance therapeutic efficacy, and reduce the occurence of adverse reactions.

Objective To analyze clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies for patients with Trichosporon asahii(T.asahii)bloodstream infection(BSI),and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment for such disease.Methods Diagnosis and treatment process of a patient with T.asahii BSI were reported.China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),Wanfang,PubMed,and Web of Science databases were retrieved using key-words:"Trichosporon asahii"and"bloodstream infection".Patients'age,gender,underlying diseases,immune status,treatment,and clinical outcome as well as antimicrobial susceptibility testing results of T.asahii were ana-lyzed retrospectively.Results The leukemia patient developed T.asahii BSI during chemotherapy,and showed clinical improvement after treatment with fluconazole+flucytosine.A total of 44 cases(43 from literature plus this index case)were analyzed.Among these cases,28 were males,the median age was 54.5 years old.The underlying diseases were predominantly hematological diseases.Catheter,urinary tract,and skin were identified as concurrent culture-positive sites.Azoles exhibited good antimicrobial activity in vitro,with voriconazole showing the strongest activity and associated with significantly higher survival rates.Under the guidance of antimicrobial susceptibility tes-ting results,patients with fluconazole treatment had a higher survival rate.At minimum inhibitory concentrations(MICs)of 4-8 μg/mL of fluconazole,fluconazole combined with other agents was predominantly required.Am-photericin B demonstrated good in vitro activity,but the overall survival rate of patients was low when amphotericin B was used as monotherapy without azoles.Catheters removal,surgical intervention,and neutrophil recovery were influencing factors for enhanced survival rates.Conclusion BSI caused by T.asahii primarily occurs in patients with hematological diseases,with neutropenia being a high-risk factor.Infection sites at catheter,urinary tract,and skin may be infection sources.Clearing the source of infection and promoting the recovery of neutrophils can help to improve survival rates of patients.For voriconazole-intolerant patients,fluconazole monotherapy or in combination with flucytosine/amphotericin B can be used alternatively based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

Background and Aims:Microsatellite-stable(MSS)colorectal cancer(CRC)generally exhibits poor responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs),and effective immunotherapy strategies remain lacking.Anti-angiogenic agents such as bevacizumab(BEV)can improve the tumor immune microenvironment and act synergistically with ICIs.This multicenter real-world study compared the efficacy of different immunotherapy-based combination regimens in patients with MSS/MSI-L/pMMR advanced CRC,aiming to identify the optimal treatment strategy.Methods:A total of 100 patients with MSS/MSI-L/pMMR advanced CRC who received systemic treatment between November 2019 and February 2025 at four tertiary hospitals in Hunan,China,were retrospectively enrolled.Patients were classified into six treatment groups:chemotherapy alone,chemotherapy+targeted therapy,immunotherapy alone,immunotherapy+chemotherapy,immunotherapy+targeted therapy,and immunotherapy+chemotherapy+targeted therapy.The primary endpoints were overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS),while secondary endpoints were objective response rate(ORR)and disease control rate(DCR).Additionally,among patients receiving immunotherapy,subgroup analysis was performed according to BEV administration.Results:Among all 100 patients,the immunotherapy+chemotherapy+targeted therapy group achieved the highest ORR(32.0%)and DCR(76.0%)and was the only regimen yielding a complete response(CR).Compared with chemotherapy or immunotherapy alone,the triplet regimen significantly improved OS(P<0.05);although PFS improvement did not reach statistical significance,a clear late-stage separation of survival curves was observed.In the immunotherapy subgroup,BEV-containing regimens achieved markedly better outcomes than non-BEV regimens,with DCR of 75.0%vs.48.8%,median OS of 18.9 vs.11.5 months,and median PFS of 13.8 vs.7.2 months(all P<0.001).Cox regression analysis showed that compared with chemotherapy alone,the triplet regimen significantly reduced the risk of death(HR=0.11)and disease progression(HR=0.25)(both P=0.002).Vascular invasion was identified as an adverse prognostic factor for PFS(HR=3.0,P=0.007).Conclusion:This multicenter real-world study demonstrated that combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy and targeted therapy significantly improves DCR and survival outcomes in patients with MSS/MSI-L/pMMR advanced CRC,with BEV-containing triplet regimens providing the most pronounced benefit.BEV may enhance immune responsiveness by modulating the tumor microenvironment and promoting effector T-cell infiltration,offering a promising therapeutic direction for"immune-cold"CRC.Prospective randomized studies are warranted to further validate its clinical value and define appropriate patient populations.