Radiation-induced intestinal injury is caused by high dose of radiation in the abdomen and pelvis. The disease is characterized by complicated pathological mechanisms and poses significant challenges to clinical treatment, seriously affecting the quality of life and health of patients. Current treatments in modern medicine offer limited efficacy and are often associated with adverse side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine monomers inhibit inflammatory factors (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β) and regulate the antioxidant enzyme system (e.g., improving the activity of superoxide dismutase) to effectively reduce the symptoms of radiation-induced intestinal injury with minimal side effects. Through targeted delivery of nanoparticles, nanotechnology can accurately deliver the active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine to damaged intestinal tissues, thus improving their bioavailability and therapeutic effects. This paper reviews the mechanisms of Chinese medicine monomers in the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced intestinal injury and the application of nanotechnology for enhanced efficiency. The paper also discusses the clinical potential of these approaches. These results provide a reference for future research and clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Toxoplasma gondii is a single-celled parasite that infects nearly all warm-blooded animals, including humans (Montoya and Liesenfeld, 2004). It occurs worldwide and can persist for a lifetime in mammals. Humans get infected by eating undercooked meat of animals containing the tissue cysts of this parasite. In immune-competent individuals, T. gondii infection usually does not cause significant clinical symptoms, whereas in pregnant or immunocompromised individuals, T. gondii infection (toxoplasmosis) can cause more serious problems like abortion and even death (Dunn et al., 1999; Wang et al., 2017). A combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is usually used to treat toxoplasmosis, although it is generally inefficient and causes side effects (Alday and Doggett, 2017). Worse still, there is a lack of vaccines to prevent T. gondii infection in humans or animals.
Toxoplasma/enzymology* ; Animals ; Humans ; Toxoplasmosis ; Mitochondria/enzymology* ; Protozoan Proteins/metabolism*

Abnormal amino acid metabolism promotes tumor progression by inducing malignant behaviors in tumor cells and altering the immune landscape within the tumor microenvironment. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we constructed colorectal cancer (CRC) organoids and patient-derived tumor xenograft (PDX) models, performing multifaceted validation to confirm that T-complex protein 1 subunit epsilon (CCT5), mediates the biosynthesis of aspartate and enhances sensitivity to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy. Mechanistically, CCT5 directly binds to asparagine synthetase (ASNS) and promotes the synthesis of aspartate (Asn). The Asn-mTORC1 axis facilitates tumor cell proliferation while upregulating PD-L1 expression, which leads to a reduction in the number of effector CD8⁺ T cells. Treatment with l-asparaginase (ASNase) combined with anti-PD-L1 therapy effectively reverses the growth of CRC characterized by high CCT5 expression. In summary, we identify CCT5 as a potential biomarker to guide the combined use of ASNase and anti-PD-L1 antibodies in CRC treatment.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Under the new national initiative to rigorously rectify corruption in the medical field,the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Children's Hospital,Zhejiang University School of Medicine has adopted a multidisciplinary team(MDT)supervision model.Drawing on multidisciplinary administrative practices,the hospital has developed a strategy centered around the establishment of integrity-focused departments and the conduct of work style inspections.This approach is designed to promote the fulfillment of the Party committee's primary responsibility in building a clean and disciplined Party,as well as the supervisory responsibilities of the discipline inspection commission.The model employs a full-process closed-loop management system,which involves identifying issues,urging for corrective actions,and refining systems to ensure accountability and trans-parency.Significant achievements have been made in strengthening the responsibility system,preventing corruption,bolstering work style construction,and delivering targeted anti-corruption education.

Objective This study aims to investigate the feasibility and safety of Da Vinci robotic-assisted thoracoscopy for resecting mediastinal tumors in pediatric patients.Methods From November 2020 to June 2023,a total of 80 pediatric patients undergoing mediastinal tumor resection at Wuhan Children's Hospital were randomly assigned into two groups,with each group consisting of 40 participants.The control group underwent conventional thoracoscopy,while the observation group underwent Da Vinci robotic-assisted thoracoscopy.This study aimed to compare perioperative indicators between the two groups and establish learning curves based on surgical duration and intraoperative blood loss.Additionally,it assessed levels of pain mediators and stress response markers before surgery and at 24 hours post-surgery,as well as postoperative complications.Inflammatory marker levels were evaluated one month after surgery,and the children's quality of life was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory(PedsQL)Generic Core Scales before surgery and one month post-surgery.Results The surgical duration for the observation group and the control group was(1.76±0.33)hours and(2.82±0.62)hours,respectively,and the intraoperative blood loss was(49.83±6.39)mL and(71.55±8.19)mL,respectively.Furthermore,the post-operative drainage time,drainage volume,and hospital stay for the observation group were all lower than those for the control group(P<0.05).After surgery,the levels of BK,5-HT,NPY,and PGE2 in the observation group were(8.06±1.06)mg/L,(170.20±13.21)ng/L,(201.82±13.52)mg/L,and(241.82±15.32)ng/L,respectively,indicating lower levels of pain mediators,stress response markers,and inflammatory factors compared to the control group(P<0.05).he overall incidence of complications was 2.50%in the observation group as opposed to 20.00%in the control group.Moreover,there was a statistically significant improvement in quality of life after surgery within the observation group when compared to that within the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion Da Vinci robotic-assisted thoracoscopy demonstrates enhanced feasibility and safety in pediatric mediastinal tumor resection,thereby justifying its clinical promotion.

Objective To explore the correlations between triglyceride glucose index(TyG)and its derivatives TyG-body mass index(BMI)and TyG-alanine transaminase(ALT)with the risk of lean metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods A total of 207 patients diagnosed with lean MAFLD and 100 lean healthy controls who received annual health examination in Health Management Center of our hospital from Jul.to Dec.2023 were enrolled.Plasma lipids,blood glucose,liver function,TyG,TyG-BMI and TyG-ALT were compared between the 2 groups.The influencing factors of lean MAFLD were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.All subjects were divided into 4 subgroups(Q1-Q4)according to the quartile of TyG and its derivatives,and the prevalence of lean MAFLD in each subgroup was observed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves of TyG,TyG-BMI and TyG-ALT for lean MAFLD were plotted to evaluate the prediction efficiency.Results Of the 8 764 health examination cases included,2 350(26.8％)had MAFLD,of which 207 were lean MAFLD(8.8％,207/2 350).Compared with the lean healthy controls,the patients in the lean MAFLD group were older,with more male and high BMI,and their fasting blood glucose,total cholesterol,triglyceride,low density lipoprotein-cholesterol,ALT,aspartate transaminase,γ-glutamyl transpeptidase,alkaline phosphatase,total bilirubin,TyG,TyG-BMI and TyG-ALT were significantly increased,while high density lipoprotein-cholesterol was significantly decreased(all P＜0.01).Logistic regression analysis showed that age,male,and elevated ALT level were independent risk factors for lean MAFLD.The prevalence of lean MAFLD in the Q4 subgroup of TyG was significantly higher than that in the Q1 and Q2 subgroups(34.3％[71/207]vs 10.6％[22/207]and 24.2％[50/207],both P＜0.05).The prevalence rates of lean MAFLD in the Q4 subgroup of TyG-BMI and the Q4 subgroup of TyG-ALT were significantly higher than those in the corresponding Q1,Q2,and Q3 subgroups(35.3％[73/207]vs 8.2％[17/207],24.6％[51/207],and 31.9％[66/207];33.8％[70/207]vs 14.0％[29/207],23.2％[48/207],and 29.0％[60/207];all P＜0.05).The area under curve(AUC)of TyG-BMI in predicting lean MAFLD was 0.869 0(95％confidence interval[CI]0.825 5-0.912 6,P＜0.001),which was higher than that of TyG(AUC=0.818 8[95％CI 0.768 0-0.869 6,P＜0.001])and TyG-ALT(AUC=0.772 5[95％CI 0.718 7-0.826 2,P＜0.001]).Conclusion TyG,TyG-BMI,and TyG-ALT are associated with lean MAFLD,and have predictive value for lean MAFLD.TyG and its derivatives are easy to calculate and cheap,and can be used for preliminary clinical assessment of lean MAFLD.

Background::Findings on the association of genetic factors and colorectal cancer (CRC) survival are limited and inconsistent, and revealing the mechanism underlying their prognostic roles is of great importance. This study aimed to explore the relationship between functional genetic variations and the prognosis of CRC and further reveal the possible mechanism.Methods::We first systematically performed expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Then, the Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to filter out the survival-related eQTL target genes of CRC patients in two public datasets (TCGA and GSE39582 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus database). The seven most potentially functional eQTL single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with six survival-related eQTL target genes were genotyped in 907 Chinese CRC patients with clinical prognosis data. The regulatory mechanism of the survival-related SNP was further confirmed by functional experiments.Results::The rs71630754 regulating the expression of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 ( ERAP1) was significantly associated with the prognosis of CRC (additive model, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.88, P = 0.012). The results of dual-luciferase reporter assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the A allele of the rs71630754 could increase the binding of transcription factor 3 (TCF3) and subsequently reduce the expression of ERAP1. The results of bioinformatic analysis showed that lower expression of ERAP1 could affect the tumor immune microenvironment and was significantly associated with severe survival outcomes. Conclusion::The rs71630754 could influence the prognosis of CRC patients by regulating the expression of the immune-related gene ERAP1. Trial Registration::No. NCT00454519 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/)

Objective To explore the effect and possible pharmacological mechanism of Bufei Tongbi Decoction in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus interstitial lung disease (SLE-ILD).Methods The effective components and related targets of Bufei Tongbi Decoction were obtained using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and Uniprot database. Key genes for SLE-ILD were screened based on DrugBank,DisGeNET,GeneCards,PharmGKB,OMIM,and GEO databases. Using Cytoscape software,a drug active ingredient-target-disease relationship network diagram was constructed to obtain the effective active ingredients and possible mechanisms of action of Bufei Tongbi Decoction in the treatment of SLE-ILD. Gene ontology (GO) function enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were used to reveal related target genes and pathway functions. Taking C57BL/6 mice as normal group,MRL/lpr mice were injected with bleomycin 5mg/kg in the nasal cavity. According to the random number table method,the mice were divided into model group,Bufei Tongbi Decoction low-dose group (10.4 g/(kg·d)),Bufei Tongbi Decoction medium-dose group (20.8 g/(kg·d)),Bufei Tongbi Decoction high-dose group (41.6 g/(kg·d)) and prednisone group (3 mg/(kg·d)). The intervention lasted for 28 days. Hematein eosin and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of mouse lung tissue,the expressions of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and collagen type Ⅲ (Col-Ⅲ) in lung tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry,and the expressions of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in serum were detected by ELISA. The mRNA expressions of matrix metallopeptidase 1(MMP-1),hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α),retinoid-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt ) and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) in lung tissue were analyzed by RT-PCR,the protein expressions of HIF-1α and MMP-1 in lung tissue were detected by Western blotting,and the expressions of T helper 17 cells (Th17) and regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in blood were detected by cytometry.Results A total of 163 effective ingredients,259 targets,1729 SLE-ILD disease targets,958 SLE-ILD differential genes and 40 drug-disease interaction targets were obtained by screening. GO functional enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment showed that IL-17 signaling pathway activated by IL-1β and MMP-1,and Th17 cell differentiation activated by IL-1β and HIF-1α were the main pathways. Animal experiments showed that Bufei Tongbi Decoction could effectively improve the degree of lung interstitial lesion and reduce the expressions of TGF-β1 and Col-Ⅲ in SLE-ILD mice (P<0.01). The expressions of IL-1β,HIF-1α and IL-17 were decreased (P<0.01). Medium and high doses of Bufei Tongbi Decoction decreased the expressions of MMP-1 and RORγt mRNA (P<0.01),and increased the expressions of IL-10 and FOXP3 mRNA (P<0.01). Bufei Tongbi Decoction could reduce the proportion of Th17 cells,increase the proportion of Treg cells,downregulate the balance of Th17/Treg (P<0.05),and improve the immune disorder. Conclusion Bufei Tongbi Decoction has the characteristics of multi-target and multi-pathway in treating SLE-ILD,and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of Th17/Treg cell balance.