[Objective] To explore the feasibility of using whole blood as a source of NK cells for allogeneic CAR NK cell therapy and activated NK cell reinfusion therapy, and initially construct a technical system for the separation and purification of NK cells from whole blood. [Methods] All peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were enriched from 400 mL of whole blood by manual separation and machine separation, respectively. The erythrocyte loss rate, PBMCs number, NK cell purity of the two methods were compared. NK cells were sorted from PBMCs by three separation and enrichment methods as immunomagnetic bead negative selection method, platelet lysate culture expansion and PERCOLL density gradient separation method, and the purity and yield of NK cells, the activity of NK cells and the tumor-killing ability of the three separation and enrichment methods were compared. [Results] The proportion of NK cells in the lymphocyte population was higher in the manual separation method than in the machine separation method[(13.16±5.16)% vs (8.56±3.92)%, P<0.05]; the number PBMCs was lower in the manual separation method than in the machine separation method[(4.09±1.80)×10⁸vs (6.49±2.16)×10⁸, P<0.05], and there was no difference in the red blood cell loss between the two methods (P>0.05). The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched from PBMCs by manual separation method using immunomagnetic was (96.77±2.31)%; the yield was (56.27±10.47)%; the inhibition of tumor proliferation was (38.67±14.05)%; and the tumor killing rate was (19.90±8.05)%. The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched from PBMCs by manual separation method using platelet lysis culture expansion method was the highest at day 7, which was (54.84±15.80)%; the cell expansion multiple could reach 16.92±6.28 at day 7; the in vitro tumor killing rate of NK cells was (15.83±5.5)%; the tumor inhibition rate was (44.33±13.5)%; and there was no difference in the toxicity and activity of NK cells between the two methods (P>0.05). The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched by PERCOLL density gradient separation method was (15.83±5.82)%, and the yield was (14±6.25)%, which was significantly lower than the other two methods. [Conclusion] PBMCs isolated from whole blood by manual separation and NK cells enriched by negative selection with immunomagnetic beads have the potential to provide NK cell materials for CAR-NK cell therapy, and NK cells enriched by platelet lysate-conditioned medium have the potential to provide NK cells for large-scale NK cell activation reinfusion therapy.

BACKGROUND: Both medication and non-medication therapies are effective approaches to control blood pressure (BP) in hypertension patients. However, the association of joint changes in antihypertensive medication use and healthy lifestyle index (HLI) with BP control among hypertension patients is seldom reported, which needs to provide more evidence by prospective intervention studies. We examined the association of antihypertensive medication use and HLI with BP control among employees with hypertension in China based on a workplace-based multicomponent intervention program. METHODS: Between January 2013 and December 2014, a cluster randomized clinical trial of a workplace-based multicomponent intervention program was conducted in 60 workplaces across 20 urban areas in China. Workplaces were randomly divided into intervention (n = 40) and control (n = 20) groups. Basic information on employees at each workplace was collected by trained professionals, including sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, family history, lifestyle behaviors, medication status and physical measurements. After baseline, the intervention group received a 2-year intervention to achieve BP control, which included: (1) a workplace wellness program for all employees; (2) a guidelines-oriented hypertension management protocol. HLI including nonsmoking, nondrinking, adequate physical activity, weight within reference range and balanced diet, were coded on a 5-point scale (range: 0-5, with higher score indicating a healthier lifestyle). Antihypertensive medication use was defined as taking drug within the last 2 weeks. Changes in HLI, antihypertensive medication use and BP control from baseline to 24 months were measured after the intervention. RESULTS: Overall, 4655 employees were included (age: 46.3 ± 7.6 years, men: 3547 (82.3%)). After 24 months of the intervention, there was a significant improvement in lifestyle [smoking (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43-0.99; P = 0.045), drinking (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.40-0.68; P < 0.001), regular exercise (OR = 3.10, 95% CI: 2.53-3.78; P < 0.001), excessive intake of fatty food (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.06-0.52; P = 0.002), restrictive use of salt (OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.56; P = 0.001)]. Compare to employees with a deteriorating lifestyle after the intervention, those with an improved lifestyle had a higher BP control. In the intervention group, compared with employees not using antihypertensive medication, those who consistent used (OR = 2.34; 95% CI: 1.16-4.72; P = 0.017) or changed from not using to using antihypertensive medication (OR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.08-4.62; P = 0.030) had higher BP control. Compared with those having lower HLI, participants with a same (OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 0.99-1.93; P = 0.056) or high (OR = 1.79; 95% CI: 1.27~2.53; P < 0.001) HLI had higher BP control. Those who used antihypertensive medication and had a high HLI had the highest BP control (OR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.32-2.67, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis also showed the consistent effect as the above. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that adherence to antihypertensive medication treatment and healthy lifestyle were associated with a significant improvement in BP control among employees with hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection's effect on gestational liver function, pregnancy and delivery complications, and neonatal development. METHODS: A total of 157 HCV antibody-positive (anti-HCV[+]) and HCV RNA(+) patients (Group C) and 121 anti-HCV(+) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group B) were included as study participants, while 142 anti-HCV(-) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group A) were the control group. Data on biochemical indices during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, delivery-related information, and neonatal complications were also collected. RESULTS: Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) rates in Group C during early, middle, and late pregnancy were 59.87%, 43.95%, and 42.04%, respectively-significantly higher than Groups B (26.45%, 15.70%, 10.74%) and A (23.94%, 19.01%, 6.34%) ( P < 0.05). Median ALT levels in Group C were significantly higher than in Groups A and B at all pregnancy stages ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in neonatal malformation rates across groups ( P > 0.05). However, neonatal jaundice incidence was significantly greater in Group C (75.16%) compared to Groups A (42.25%) and B (57.02%) ( χ ² = 33.552, P < 0.001). HCV RNA positivity during pregnancy was an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice ( OR = 2.111, 95% CI 1.242-3.588, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS Chronic HCV infection can affect the liver function of pregnant women, but does not increase the pregnancy or delivery complication risks. HCV RNA(+) is an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Infant, Newborn ; Viremia/virology* ; Hepatitis C ; Hepacivirus/physiology* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/virology* ; Young Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

Objective:To conduct a nationwide physician survey to better understand clinicians’ disease awareness, treatment patterns, and experience of Waldenstr?m macroglobulinemia (WM) in China.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2022 to July 2022 by recruiting clinicians with WM treatment experience from hematology, hematology-oncology, and oncology departments throughout China. Quantitative surveys were designed based on the qualitative interviews.Results:The study included 415 clinicians from 219 hospitals spread across thirty-three cities and twenty-two provinces. As for diagnosis, the laboratory tests prescribed by physicians for suspected WM patients were relatively consistent (92% -99% recommendation for laboratory, 79% -95% recommendation for pathology, 96% recommendation for gene testing, and 63% -83% recommendation for imaging examination). However, from a physician's perspective, there was 22% misdiagnosis occurred in clinical practice. The rate of misdiagnosis was higher in lower-level hospitals than in tertiary grade A hospitals (29% vs 21%, P<0.001). The main reasons for misdiagnosis were that WM was easily confused with other diseases, and physicians lacked the necessary knowledge to make an accurate diagnosis. In terms of gene testing in clinical practice, 96% of participating physicians believed that WM patients would require gene testing for MYD88 and CXCR4 mutations because the results of gene testing would aid in confirming diagnosis and treatment options. In terms of treatment, 55% of physicians thought that the most important goal was to achieve remission, while 54% and 51% of physicians wanted to improve laboratory and/or examination results and extend overall survival time, respectively. Among patients with treatment indications, physicians estimated that approximately 21% of them refused to receive treatment, mainly owing to a lack of affordable care and disease awareness. When selecting the most appropriate treatment regimens, physicians would consider patient affordability (63% ), comorbidity (61% ), and risk level (54% ). Regimens containing Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi) were most widely recommended for both treatment-na?ve and relapsed/refractory patients (94% for all patients, 95% for treatment-na?ve patients, and 75% for relapsed/refractory patients), and most physicians recommended Ibrutinib (84% ). For those patients who received treatment, physicians reported that approximately 23% of patients did not comply with the treatment regimen due to a lack of affordability and disease awareness. Furthermore, 66% of physicians believe that in the future, increasing disease awareness and improving diagnosis rates is critical. Conclusions:This study is the first national physician survey of WM conducted in China. It systematically describes the issues that exist in WM diagnosis and treatment in China, such as a high rate of misdiagnosis, limited access to gene testing and new drugs, and poor patient adherence to treatment. Chinese doctors believe that improving doctors’ and patients’ understanding of WM is one of the most urgent issues that must be addressed right now.

Objective To understand the disease acceptance status and related factors in human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-infected/acquired immunodeficiency syndrom(AIDS)patients,so as to guide the clinical development of intervention measures,and to provide empirical evidence for improving clinical outcomes.Methods Convenience sampling method was used to select 555 HIV-infected/AIDS patients who received treatment in the designated AIDS treatment clinic of a hospital.General data,disease acceptance,disease self-management efficacy and clinical out-comes(such as quality of life,CD4+T lymphocyte count and HIV viral load)of the studied subjects were collected.Results The average disease acceptance of HIV-infected/AIDS patients was(26.08±5.34)points.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that religious belief and self-management efficacy were related factors affecting the di-sease acceptance of patients(both P＜0.05),which could explain the 30.4％variation in disease acceptance of HIV-infected/AIDS patients,and the disease acceptance of patients was closely related to their quality of life(P＜0.001).Conclusion HIV-infected/AIDS patients have a moderate level of disease acceptance.Medical staff should fully consider patients'religious beliefs and self-management efficacy,so as to formulate targeted intervention mea-sures to improve patients'acceptance of disease,and further promote patients'quality of life.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma incompatible pair with the Haizao Yuhutang （HYT） on oxidative stress in the liver of goiter rats under the condition of 2 times the dose limit of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China 2020. MethodA total of 128 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank group， a model group， a euthyrox group （20 μg·kg^-1）， a HYT group （12.06 g·kg^-1）， a HYT without Sargassum （HYT-H） group （9.90 g·kg^-1）， a HYT without Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma （HYT-G） group （10.26 g·kg^-1）， a HYT without Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma （HYT-HG） group （8.10 g·kg^-1）， and a Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma （HG） group （3.96 g·kg^-1）. The blank group was given deionized water by gavage， and the others were given propylthiouracil （PTU） to replicate the goiter pathological model. Euthyrox was taken as a positive control drug， and the rest of the Chinese medicine groups were given the corresponding decoction by gavage， the material was collected 12 hours after the last dose. The serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， and the contents of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， reactive oxygen species （ROS） in liver tissue were detected in each group. The pathological changes in the liver were observed via hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was utilized to detect the mRNA expressions of Kelch-like Ech-associated protein 1 （Keap1）， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）， heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1）， p53 and Caspase-3 in liver tissues. Western blot was adopted to detect the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in liver tissues in oxidative stress-related signaling pathways. ResultCompared with control group， the model group showed significantly increased serum ALT level and contents of MDA and ROS in liver tissues （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly reduced activities of SOD and GSH-Px in the liver （P<0.01）， significantly increased mRNA expression of Keap1 （P<0.01）， and significantly decreased mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the HYT group manifested significantly reduced serum levels of AST， ALT， and ALP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， significantly reduced contents of MDA and ROS in liver tissue （P<0.01）， significantly increased the activities of SOD and GSH-Px （P<0.01）， significantly decreased mRNA expressions of Keap1， p53， and Caspase-3 （P<0.01）， and significantly increased mRNA and protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionUnder the condition of 2 times the dose limit of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China 2020， Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma incompatible pair with the HYT on oxidative stress in the liver of goiter rats had different effects. The HYT that contains Sargassum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma has a protective effect on the liver of goiter rats， and the effect is better than that of the HG group， the euthyrox group， and the incomplete groups. Its mechanism may be related to activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway to alleviate liver oxidative stress and inhibiting the p53/Caspase-3 signaling pathway to reduce hepatocyte apoptosis.

Objective To observe the pharmacokinetic effect of amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium tablets on amoxicillin in Chinese healthy subjects under fasting and high fat and high calorie diet.Methods 71 healthy subjects were given a single dose of amoxicillin potassium clavulanate tablets(0.375 g)on fasting or high fat diet,and venous blood samples were collected at different time points.The concentrations of amoxicillin in human plasma were determined by HPLC-MS/MS method,and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by non-atrioventricular model using PhoenixWinNonlin 8.0 software.Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of amoxicillin potassium clavulanate tablets after fasting and high fat diet were(5 105.00±1 444.00),(4 593.00±1 327.00)ng·mL-1,and postprandial-fasting ratio 89.40％,90％confidence interval(79.55％-100.19％);t1/2 were(1.52±0.16),(1.39±0.22)h;AUC0-t were(12 969.00±1 841.00),(11 577.00±1 663.00)ng·mL-1·h,and postdietary/fasting ratio 89.20％,90％confidence interval(83.92％-94.28％);AUC0-∞ were(13 024.00±1 846.00),(11 532.00±1 545.00)ng·mL-1·h,and postprandial-fasting ratio 88.60％,90％confidence interval(83.48％-93.50％).The median Tmax(range)were 1.63(0.75,3.00)and 2.50(0.75,6.00)h,respectively,and the Tmax of postprandial medication was delayed(P＜0.01).Conclusion Compared with fasting condition,amoxicillin Tmax was significantly delayed after high fat diet,while Cmax,AUC0-t and AUC0-∞ were not significantly changed,indicating that food could delay the absorption of amoxicillin,but did not affect the degree of absorption.

Objective To explore characteristics of clinical parameters and cytokines in patients with drug-induced liver injury(DILI)caused by different drugs and their correlation with clinical indicators. Method The study was conducted on patients who were up to Review of Uncertainties in Confidence Assessment for Medical Tests(RUCAM)scoring criteria and clinically diagnosed with DILI.Based on Chinese herbal medicine,cardiovascular drugs,non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs),anti-infective drugs,and other drugs,patients were divided into five groups.Cytokines were measured by Luminex technology.Baseline characteristics of clinical biochemical indicators and cytokines in DILI patients and their correlation were analyzed. Results 73 patients were enrolled.Age among five groups was statistically different(P=0.032).Alanine aminotransferase(ALT)(P=0.033)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)(P=0.007)in NSAIDs group were higher than those in chinese herbal medicine group.Interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)in patients with Chinese herbal medicine(IL-6:P<0.001;TNF-α:P<0.001)and cardiovascular medicine(IL-6:P=0.020;TNF-α:P=0.001)were lower than those in NSAIDs group.There was a positive correlation between ALT(r=0.697,P=0.025),AST(r=0.721,P=0.019),and IL-6 in NSAIDs group. Conclusion Older age may be more prone to DILI.Patients with NSAIDs have more severe liver damage in early stages of DILI,TNF-α and IL-6 may partake the inflammatory process of DILI.