OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To reveal the effects and potential mechanisms by which synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) influences the distribution of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the trans-Golgi network (TGN), endolysosomal system, and cell membranes and to reveal the effects of SV2A on APP amyloid degradation. METHODS: Colocalization analysis of APP with specific tagged proteins in the TGN, ensolysosomal system, and cell membrane was performed to explore the effects of SV2A on the intracellular transport of APP. APP, β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) expressions, and APP cleavage products levels were investigated to observe the effects of SV2A on APP amyloidogenic processing. RESULTS: APP localization was reduced in the TGN, early endosomes, late endosomes, and lysosomes, whereas it was increased in the recycling endosomes and cell membrane of SV2A-overexpressed neurons. Moreover, Arl5b (ADP-ribosylation factor 5b), a protein responsible for transporting APP from the TGN to early endosomes, was upregulated by SV2A. SV2A overexpression also decreased APP transport from the cell membrane to early endosomes by downregulating APP endocytosis. In addition, products of APP amyloid degradation, including sAPPβ, Aβ _1-42, and Aβ _1-40, were decreased in SV2A-overexpressed cells. CONCLUSION These results demonstrated that SV2A promotes APP transport from the TGN to early endosomes by upregulating Arl5b and promoting APP transport from early endosomes to recycling endosomes-cell membrane pathway, which slows APP amyloid degradation.
Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor/genetics* ; Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics* ; Animals ; Protein Transport ; Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics* ; Humans ; Mice ; Endosomes/metabolism* ; trans-Golgi Network/metabolism*

Objective:To investigate the risk factors for detecting clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPCa) in patients with Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) score≤3 on multi-parameter magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI).Methods:Retrospective analysis was performed on the case data of 335 patients with suspected prostate cancer and PI-RADS score ≤3 who were admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2013 to October 2022. All patients underwent 24-needle prostate biopsy. Clinical data such as age, body mass index, past medical history, serological laboratory indicators, and mpMRI imaging data were collected. The patients were grouped according to whether the puncture pathology was CSPCa or not, and the differences in clinical data between the two groups were analyzed by t-test, rank sum test and Chi-test. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was further used to determine independent risk factors for MRI invisible prostate cancer, and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were drawn. At the same time, further subgroup analysis was conducted based on whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was positive before puncture and PI-RADS score, respectively, and the same statistical method was used to further determine the influence of different serological indicators and PI-RADS score on the analysis results of risk factors. Results:Among all patients, 81 were CSPCa patients and 254 were non-CSPCa patients. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD) and PI-RADS score of 3 were independent risk factors for MRI invisible prostate cancer. At the same time, compared with suspected lesions located only in the transitional zone, the incidence of CSPCa in patients with suspected lesions located in the peripheral zone would increase, and the incidence of CSPCa would further increase when suspected lesions were found in both the transitional zone and the peripheral zone. In PSA-negative patients, only suspected lesion location was an independent risk factor for MRI invisible prostate cancer, while in PSA-positive patients, prostate volume, PSAD, and PI-RADS scores were independent risk factors. In subgroup analysis with different PI-RADS scores, suspicious lesions in both the transitional zone and peripheral zone indicate a higher likelihood of CSPCa. For patients with PI-RADS scores of 1 to 2, suspicious lesions in the peripheral zone alone may also indicated CSPCa, while for patients with PI-RADS scores of 3, the lower free prostate-specific antigen/total prostate-specific anti-principle was more accurate in predicting CSPCa.Conclusions:For patients who are clinically suspected of prostate cancer but whose PI-RADS score is less than or equal to 3 points indicated by mpMRI, it is necessary to further focus on the results of different serological indicators according to whether their PSA is positive and PI-RADS score respectively to judge whether patients should receive systemic prostate puncture, instead of using PSA level as a single indication for puncture. At the same time, clinicians should also pay full attention to the location of suspected lesions, when they are located in the peripheral zone, or there are suspected lesions in both the peripheral zone and the transitional zone, the possibility of CSPCa should be fully considered.

Objective : To evaluate the prognostic value of a radiomics model based on the peritumoral region of gli- oma． Methods : 138 patients with glioma were retrospectively analyzed ，medical imaging interaction toolkit ( MITK) software was used to obtain the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of peritumoral area 5 mm，10 mm and 20 mm from the tumor edge and extract texture features．The texture features were screened the radiomics model was established and the radiomic score was calculated．A clinical prediction model and a combined predic- tion model along with Rad-score and clinical risk factors were established．The combined prediction model was dis- played as a nomogram，and the predictive performance of the model for survival in glioma patients was evaluated. Results : In the validation set，the C-index value of the radiomics model based on the peritumoral region 10 mm a- way from the tumor edge based on T2 weighted image (T2WI) images was 0. 663 (95% CI = 0. 72－0. 78) ，resul- ting in the best prediction performance．On the training set and validation set，the C-index of the nomogram was 0. 770 and 0. 730，respectively，indicating that the prediction performance of nomogram was better than those of the radiomics model and clinical prediction model．The model had the highest prediction effect on the 3-year survival rate of glioma patients (training set area under curve (AUC) = 0. 93，95% CI = 0. 83 － 0. 98 ; validation set AUC = 0. 88，95% CI = 0. 76 －0. 99) ．The calibration curve showed that the joint prediction nomogram in both the training set and the validation set had good performance． Conclusion The combined prediction model based on the preoperative T2WI images in the peritumoral region 10 mm from the tumor edge and the clinicopathological risk factors can accurately predict the prognosis of glioma，providing the best effect of prediction on the 3-year survival rate of glioma.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is one of the main causes of visual impairment in middle-aged and elderly people,and the incidence of this disease is rising in our country.The imbalance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the main cause of nAMD.In addition,various growth factors other than VEGF,complement system activation,inflammatory factors,autophagy,and many other factors are involved in the pathogenesis of nAMD.Currently,intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs has become the first-line regimen for the treatment of nAMD,but there are still many shortcomings of the current anti-VEGF drugs,such as multiple potential risks of frequent injections,insensitive responses in some patients,and low compliance of the patients,etc.Therefore,the search for novel therapeutic agents has become urgent.This article provides a review of new developments in the study of novel drugs newly marketed and undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of nAMD,with the aim of seeking longer-lasting and better-acting therapeutic regimens,as well as exploring new therapeutic targets,to further inform the advancement of innovation and development of therapeutic strategies for nAMD.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus extended-release (Tac-ER) in the early stage after kidney transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 68 recipients undergoing kidney transplantation from 34 pairs of renal allografts were retrospectively analyzed. Two recipients who received bilateral kidneys from the same donor were treated with Tac-ER (Tac-ER group) and tacrolimus immediate-release (Tac-IR) (Tac-IR group) as one of the basic immunosuppressant. The changes of tacrolimus dosage and blood concentration, intra-patient variability (IPV), renal function, incidence of acute rejection, recipient and allograft survival rates and adverse events were statistically compared between two groups. Results The average daily dose of tacrolimus in the Tac-ER group was significantly higher than that in the Tac-IR group (F=8.386, P=0.005). In the Tac-ER group, the mean trough concentration at postoperative 4 d was (6.14±4.04) ng/mL, did not reach the target concentration, significantly lower than (9.41±5.47) ng/mL in the Tac-IR group (F=7.854, P=0.007). In the Tac-ER group, the IPV of trough concentration of tacrolimus within postoperative 1 month was significantly higher than that in the Tac-IR group (0.44±0.15 vs. 0.36±0.12, P=0.032). At postoperative 6 months, there was no significant difference in the renal function between two groups [serum creatinine level was (126±26) μmol/L vs. (120±28) μmol/L, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate was (56±13) mL/(min·1.73 m²) vs. (60±15) mL/(min·1.73 m²), both P > 0.05]. The allograft and recipient survival rates were 100% in both groups. The incidence of acute rejection within postoperative 1 month was 18% in the Tac-ER group and 3% in the Tac-IR group, with no significant difference (P > 0.05). The overall incidence of adverse events was 94% in the Tac-ER group and 97% in the Tac-IR group, with no significant difference (P > 0.05). Conclusions The efficacy and safety of Tac-ER are equivalent to those of Tac-IR, whereas a higher dose of Tac-ER should be orally given to reach the blood concentration similar to that of Tac-IR. During early-stage drug treatment, Tac-ER should be orally given before kidney transplantation or inittally with loading dose, aiming to increase the systemic exposure to tacrolimus early after kidney transplantation and prevent acute rejection caused by insufficient exposure.

Objective:We employ different regimens of induction therapy in living donor ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation(ABOi-KT) recipients to compare their clinical outcomes during 6 months post-KT.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted for the relevant clinical data of 41 ABOi-KT recipients from June 2018 to September 2022.Thirteen recipients on induction therapy of anti-human T lymphocyte porcine immunoglobin(pATG)were enrolled in pATG group; 19 recipients on induction therapy of basiliximab in basiliximab group; 9 recipients on induction therapy of rabbit anti-human thymocyte immunoglobulin(rATG)in rATG group.Differences in age, gender, body mass index(BMI), dialysis modality/duration, sideness of donor kidney, frequency of blood group antibody treatment, dose of rituximab, basic blood group antibody titers of IgG/IgM, and the gender and BMI of recipient's donor were compared for three groups.Immune status was assessed by comparing absolute lymphocyte count before pre-treatment and within 6 months post-KT in recipients under different induction regimens among 3 groups by one-way analysis of variance.Transplant kidney function was assessed by comparing the levels of serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)and serum urea nitrogen using one-way analysis of variance.The incidence of delayed graft function(DGF), acute rejection(AR)and infection was compared among three groups.Results:Regarding baseline profiles, except for donor age pATG group[(60.23±6.10)years]versus basiliximab group[(51.95±6.97)years]was statistically significant( P=0.002), the differences in the remaining parameters were not statistically significant among three groups(all P>0.05). At Day 1/3/7/10/14 post-KT, absolute lymphocyte counts were(0.17±0.07)×10 9/L, (0.27±0.14)×10 9/L, (0.85±0.40)×10 9/L, (1.05±0.56)×10 9/L and(1.10±0.56)×10 9/L in pATG group and(0.69±0.04)×10 9/L, (0.18±0.21)×10 9/L, (0.57±0.44)×10 9/L, (0.67±0.45)×10 9/L and(0.81±0.46)×10 9/L in rATG group respectively.They were all higher than those in basiliximab group[(0.46±0.18)×10 9/L, (0.67±0.26)×10 9/L, (1.29±0.48)×10 9/L, (1.56±0.49)×10 9/L, (1.75±0.53)×10 9/L]and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05). No statistically significant difference existed in absolute lymphocyte count among 3 groups before pre-treatment and after Day 21 post-KT(all P>0.05). At Week 1/2/4/12/24 post-KT, the differences in serum levels of creatinine and urea nitrogen were not statistically significant( P>0.05). At Month 1/3 post-KT, eGFR was(47.24±14.51)and(49.94±14.31)ml·min -1·(1.73 2) -1 in rATG group and they were lower than(67.36±21.60)and(65.00±14.67)ml·min -1·(1.73 2) -1 in basiliximab group with a statistically significant difference( P<0.05). However, at Week 1/2/24 post-KT, no statistically significant difference existed in eGFR among 3 groups( P>0.05). In ATG, basiliximab and rATG groups, DGF(1 case, 1 case, 1 case), AR(2 cases, 2 cases, 1 case)and infection(4 cases, 7 cases, 3 cases)occurred during 6 months post-KT. Conclusions:Through a limited sample of single centers, no statistically significant difference existed in graft function recovery for ABOi-KT recipients on induction therapies of pATG, basiliximab and rATG.And DGF, AR and infections occurred in all three groups.However, there were little inter-group differences.

Public exposure to radon has attracted increasing public concern. The newly issued "Standards for indoor air quality (GB/T 18883-2022)" has revised the radiological parameters of radon. This study analyzed and discussed the relevant technical contents about the derivation of radon limit, including the distribution level for indoor radon, exposure pathway, health effects, and the process for establishing the standard limits. Specific implementation and evaluation suggestions are also proposed.
Humans ; Radon/analysis* ; Air Pollution, Indoor ; China ; Housing

Public exposure to radon has attracted increasing public concern. The newly issued "Standards for indoor air quality (GB/T 18883-2022)" has revised the radiological parameters of radon. This study analyzed and discussed the relevant technical contents about the derivation of radon limit, including the distribution level for indoor radon, exposure pathway, health effects, and the process for establishing the standard limits. Specific implementation and evaluation suggestions are also proposed.
Humans ; Radon/analysis* ; Air Pollution, Indoor ; China ; Housing

OBJECTIVE: The individual cascades of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling pathway and the molecular mechanism of aging have not been fully clarified. In the current study, we explored the effect of DNA polymerase delta 1 (POLD1) on the IGF-1 signaling pathway in cell aging. METHODS: First, we analyzed the relationship between IGF-1 and POLD1 expression in aging. To investigate the effect of IGF-1 on POLD1 expression and aging, the 2BS cells were incubated with young-age or old-age human serum, IGF-1 protein, or linsitinib. Next, the effect of IGF-1 on aging was examined in the 2BS cells with increased or decreased POLD1 expression to clarify the molecular mechanism. RESULTS: In this study, we found that IGF-1 expression increased and POLD1 expression decreased with aging in human serum and hippocampal tissues of SAMP8 mice, and a negative relationship between IGF-1 and POLD1 expression was observed. Furthermore, the cells cultured with old-age human serum or IGF-1 showed lower POLD1 expression and more pronounced senescence characteristics, and the effect could be reversed by treatment with linsitinib or overexpression of POLD1, while the effect of linsitinib on cell aging could be reversed with the knockdown of POLD1. CONCLUSION Taken collectively, our findings demonstrate that IGF-1 promotes aging by binding to IGF-1R and inhibiting the expression of POLD1. These findings offer a new target for anti-aging strategies.
Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/pharmacology* ; Cellular Senescence ; Aging ; Hippocampus ; DNA Polymerase III