BACKGROUND: China has made significant progress in medical accessibility and quality over the past decades, and quality improvements in gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy have been consistent. The study aimed to describe the status quo of gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy in the Chinese mainland based on the data from the National Clinical Improvement System (NCIS) and the Hospital Quality Monitoring System (HQMS). METHODS: Data were extracted from the NCIS and the HQMS. Data analysis included general information from the Department of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy centers, management of inpatients and outpatients, and annual volume and quality indicators of digestive endoscopy. Acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, and cirrhosis were identified as priority diseases and were subjected to detailed analysis. RESULTS: Data from 4620 and 7074 hospitals were extracted from the NCIS and HQMS, respectively. In 2023, 9.6 gastroenterologists, 6.7 endoscopists, and 37.3 gastroenterology beds per hospital nationwide were observed, achieving 19,252.4 outpatient visits, 1615.2 hospitalizations (97.0 for acute pancreatitis, 146.1 for gastrointestinal bleeding, 40.2 for inflammatory bowel disease, and 111.4 for cirrhosis), and 9432.7 digestive endoscopic procedures per hospital. Overall, the quality of practice improved significantly. The proportion of early cancer among gastrointestinal cancers increased from 11.1% in 2015 to 23.4% in 2023, and the adenoma detection rate during colonoscopy increased from 19.3% in 2019 to 26.9% in 2023. Regarding priority diseases, hospitalizations increased, and 31-day unplanned readmission rates decreased between 2019 and 2023. The median hospitalization costs and median proportion of medication costs decreased for acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and cirrhosis. However, it increased for inflammatory bowel disease. CONCLUSION This report evaluates the status quo and development of gastroenterology and digestive endoscopy in the Chinese mainland, providing guidance for future quality improvements.
Humans ; China ; Gastroenterology/statistics & numerical data* ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal/statistics & numerical data* ; Endoscopy, Digestive System/statistics & numerical data*

Cuproptosis, a recently identified form of regulated cell death triggered by excess intracellular copper, has emerged as a promising cytotoxic strategy for cancer therapy. However, the therapeutic efficacy of copper ionophores such as elesclomol (ES) is often hindered by cellular copper homeostasis mechanisms that limit copper influx and cuproptosis induction. To address this challenge, we developed a nanoagent utilizing outer membrane vesicle (OMV) derived from Akkermansia muciniphila (Akk) for co-delivery of antioxidant 1 copper chaperone (Atox1)-targeting siRNA and ES (siAtox1/ES@OMV) to tumors. In vitro, we demonstrated that Atox1 knockdown via siRNA significantly disrupted copper export mechanisms, resulting in elevated intracellular copper levels. Simultaneously, ES facilitated efficient copper influx and mitochondrial transport, leading to Fe-S cluster depletion, increased proteotoxic stress, and robust cuproptosis. In vivo, siAtox1/ES@OMV achieved targeted tumor delivery and induced pronounced cuproptosis. Furthermore, leveraging the immunomodulatory properties of OMVs, siAtox1/ES@OMV promoted T-cell infiltration and the activation of tumor-reactive cytotoxic T cells, enhancing tumor immune responses. The combination of siAtox1/ES-induced cuproptosis and immunogenic cell death synergistically suppressed tumor growth in both subcutaneous breast cancer and orthotopic rectal cancer mouse models. This study highlights the potential of integrating copper homeostasis disruption with a copper ionophore using an immunomodulatory OMV-based vector, offering a promising combinatorial strategy for cancer therapy.

Objective To explore the method for grading the degree of uterine adhesion in a rat model.Methods A rat model of uterine adhesion was established using the double-injury method.Paraffin sections were observed using HE staining and Masson staining to compare morphological changes in the uterus,endometrial thickness,gland and vessel counts,uterine cavity area,and adhesion severity.Rat sections were classified into three grades based on uterine cavity area for comparative analysis.Results The average uterine cavity area and uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area were smaller in rats in the model group compared with the blank group(P＜0.01).The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio was categorized into grades Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ,with a significant difference among the grades(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio may reflect the grading difference in the degree of uterine adhesion in rats with uterine adhesions.This ratio may thus be used as a grading-evaluation criterion in the rat model of uterine adhesion,with implications for diagnostic grading in this model.

Objective To explore the method for grading the degree of uterine adhesion in a rat model.Methods A rat model of uterine adhesion was established using the double-injury method.Paraffin sections were observed using HE staining and Masson staining to compare morphological changes in the uterus,endometrial thickness,gland and vessel counts,uterine cavity area,and adhesion severity.Rat sections were classified into three grades based on uterine cavity area for comparative analysis.Results The average uterine cavity area and uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area were smaller in rats in the model group compared with the blank group(P＜0.01).The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio was categorized into grades Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ,with a significant difference among the grades(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusions The uterine cavity area/endometrial layer area ratio may reflect the grading difference in the degree of uterine adhesion in rats with uterine adhesions.This ratio may thus be used as a grading-evaluation criterion in the rat model of uterine adhesion,with implications for diagnostic grading in this model.

Dysregulated RNA splicing events produce transcripts that facilitate esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) progression, but how this splicing process is abnormally regulated remains elusive. Here, we unveiled a novel alternative splicing axis of BOLA3 transcripts and its regulator HNRNPC in ESCC. The long-form BOLA3 (BOLA3-L) containing exon 3 exhibited high expression levels in ESCC and was associated with poor prognosis. Functional assays demonstrated the protumorigenic function of BOLA3-L in ESCC cells. Additionally, HNRNPC bound to BOLA3 mRNA and promoted BOLA3 exon 3 inclusion forming BOLA3-L. High HNRNPC expression was positively correlated with the presence of BOLA3-L and associated with an unfavorable prognosis. HNRNPC knockdown effectively suppressed the malignant biological behavior of ESCC cells, which were significantly rescued by BOLA3-L overexpression. Moreover, BOLA3-L played a significant role in mitochondrial structural and functional stability. E2F7 acted as a key transcription factor that promoted the upregulation of HNRNPC and inclusion of BOLA3 exon 3. Our findings provided novel insights into how alternative splicing contributes to ESCC progression.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Alternative Splicing ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Disease Progression ; Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/pathology* ; Exons/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group C/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Animals

Objective:To investigate the activation patterns of the default mode network (DMN), executive central network (ECN), salience network (SN), and frontoparietal network (FPN) in depressed patients under psychosocial stress processing, and the gender differences.Methods:A prospective study was conducted to collect clinical data, behavior data, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data under psychosocial stress tasks from first-episode, unmedicated depressed patients (depression group,124 cases) who visited the outpatient department of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 2017 to September 2019, including 48 males, aged ( M ( Q1, Q3)) 25 (21, 28) years, and 76 females, aged 26(19, 31) years. At the same period, behavioral data and fMRI data under psychosocial stress tasks were prospectively collected from healthy controls (control group,243 cases) from universities and communities in Changsha, including 106 males, aged 21(19, 21) years, and 137 females, aged 21(20, 21) years. Independent component analysis was used to detect the DMN, ECN, SN, and FPN activation values in each group under psychosocial stress tasks. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to detect the between-group differences in the activation values of the networks of interest. Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the depression group exhibited significantly reduced activation of the SN under stress tasks (activation value: 0.01±0.01vs 0.03±0.01; F=6.50, P=0.011). The brain activation pattern of the FPN showed a significant diagnostic and gender interaction effect ( F=4.30, P=0.039). Simple effect analysis revealed that only the female depression group exhibited significantly reduced negative activation of the FPN under stress tasks compared with the corresponding gender healthy control group (activation value:-0.42±0.06 vs -0.62±0.05; PBonferroni-corrected=0.015, 95%CI=0.038-0.352). Conclusion:Depressed patients exhibit gender-consistent and gender-specific brain network activity patterns during stress processing.

Objective A comparison of different routes for the administration of clodronate disodium liposomes to determine the most effective method of rat endometrial macrophage clearance.Methods Female 8-week-old SD rats were randomly divided into a unilateral control group(injected with 100 μL PBS liposomes into the left uterine cavity),unilateral clearance group(injected with 100 μL clodronate liposomes into the right uterine cavity),bilateral control group(injected with 100 μL PBS liposomes into the bilateral intrauterine),bilateral clearance group(injected with 100 μL clodronate liposomes into the bilateral intrauterine),whole-body control group(injected with 500 μL PBS liposomes into the caudal vein),and whole-body clearance group(injected with 500 μL clodronate liposomes into the caudal vein).Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to observe the morphology and structures of uterine and ovarian tissues,immunohistochemistry was used to observe the presence of macrophages in uterine and ovarian tissues,and flow cytometry was used to detect changes to macrophage cell counts in uterine and ovarian tissues.Results There were no significant differences in the structures or morphology of the uterus and ovary among the groups.Immunohistochemical staining showed that,compared to the control group,the unilateral and bilateral uterine clearance groups'population of terine macrophages was significantly decreased(P＜0.001),but there was no difference in the accumulation of macrophages in the ovary(P＞0.05).The number of macrophages in both uterine and ovarian tissues decreased in the whole-body clearance group(P＜0.01,P＜0.01).Compared with the unilateral and bilateral clearance groups,the whole-body clearance group had more macrophages in the ovarian tissues(P＜0.05).Flow cytometry showed that,compared with the control group,each clearance group's percentages of macrophages in the uterine tissue were significantly reduced(P＜0.001,P＜0.001,P＜0.05).Compared to the whole-body clearance group,the unilateral and bilateral clearance groups'endometrial macrophages had superior clearance activity(P＜0.05,P＜0.05).In addition,the number of macrophages in ovarian tissue decreased in all clearance groups compared to the control group.The decrease in macrophage number was most pronounced in the whole-body clearance group(P＜0.05),and there was no significant difference in numbers between the unilateral and bilateral clearance groups and the control group(P＞0.05).Conclusions Local injection of clodronate liposomes was more effective than caudal injection for clearing uterine macrophages,and the impact on ovarian macrophages was largely avoided.Thus local clodronate liposome injection is an improved method for establishing a local uterine macrophage clearance model.

Objective:To observe the effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1(UHRF1)and DNA methyltransferase 1(DNMT1)in ectopic endometrium of rats with endometriosis(EMS). Methods:Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group with 10 rats and a model-building group with 30 rats according to body mass.EMS rat models were established in the model-building group and then were divided into a model group,an acupuncture and moxibustion group,and a progesterone group,with 10 rats in each group.All rats were fixed by a fixator.The sham operation group and the model group were given normal saline by gavage.The acupuncture and moxibustion group received acupuncture at Xuehai(SP10)and Sanyinjiao(SP6),moxibustion at Guanyuan(CV4),and gavage of normal saline.The progesterone group was given the mixed liquid made of dydrogesterone and normal saline by gavage.After 28 d of treatments,the three diameters(length,width,and height)of EMS rats'ectopic cysts were measured,the cyst volumes were calculated,the volumes before intervention were subtracted,and the difference values were used to evaluate the growth of ectopic cysts.UHRF1 and DNMT1 mRNA and protein levels in normal endometrium,eutopic endometrium,and ectopic endometrium were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Results:There was no significant difference in the ectopic cyst volume difference between the acupuncture and moxibustion group and the progesterone group(P>0.05),but they were smaller than that of the model group(P<0.05).The levels of UHRF1 and DNMT1 mRNA and protein in the ectopic endometrium of the model group were lower than those in the normal endometrium(P<0.05).The levels of DNMT1 mRNA and UHRF1 protein in the eutopic endometrium of the model group were lower than those in the normal endometrium(P<0.05).The levels of UHRF1 mRNA and protein and the level of DNMT1 protein in the ectopic endometrium of the acupuncture and moxibustion group were higher than those in the model group(P<0.05),and the level of UHRF1 mRNA was higher than that in the progesterone group(P<0.05).The level of DNMT1 mRNA in the eutopic endometrium of the acupuncture and moxibustion group was higher than that in the model group(P<0.05).The levels of UHRF1 and DNMT1 mRNA and protein in the acupuncture and moxibustion group were insignificantly different from those in the normal endometrium(P>0.05). Conclusion:Acupuncture and moxibustion may up-regulate the levels of UHRF1 mRNA and UHRF1 and DNMT1 proteins in the ectopic endometrium to the normal level so as to reduce the volume of ectopic cysts and cure EMS in rats.

Objective:To investigate the effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplantationon(HSCT)survival outcomes in older patients with myeloid neoplasms.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the treatment outcomes of 54 patients aged≥55 years with myeloid neoplasms who underwent HSCT between January 2018 and May 2023 at Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University.Results:Among the 54 pa-tients,45 had acute myeloid leukemia(AML)and 9 had myelodysplastic syndrome.The median age of the patients was 57.5(55-68)years.Fifty-three patients underwent hematopoietic reconstitution,with a median time to neutrophil reconstitution of 13(8-24)days and median time to platelet reconstitution of 15(9-75)days.The cumulative incidence was 23.3%for acute graft-versus-host disease(GVHD)and 24.6%for 3-year chronic GVHD.With a median follow-up of 28.2 months,the 3-year cumulative relapse rate(CIR)was 18%and 3-year non-relapse mortality rate was 28.3%.The 3-year relapse-free survival(RFS)rate was 58.2%and 3-year overall survival(OS)rate was 56.5%.Conclu-sions:HSCT is an effective and safe therapy for achieving long-term survival in older patients with myeloid tumors.

Objective:To investigate the activation patterns of the default mode network (DMN), executive central network (ECN), salience network (SN), and frontoparietal network (FPN) in depressed patients under psychosocial stress processing, and the gender differences.Methods:A prospective study was conducted to collect clinical data, behavior data, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data under psychosocial stress tasks from first-episode, unmedicated depressed patients (depression group,124 cases) who visited the outpatient department of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 2017 to September 2019, including 48 males, aged ( M ( Q1, Q3)) 25 (21, 28) years, and 76 females, aged 26(19, 31) years. At the same period, behavioral data and fMRI data under psychosocial stress tasks were prospectively collected from healthy controls (control group,243 cases) from universities and communities in Changsha, including 106 males, aged 21(19, 21) years, and 137 females, aged 21(20, 21) years. Independent component analysis was used to detect the DMN, ECN, SN, and FPN activation values in each group under psychosocial stress tasks. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to detect the between-group differences in the activation values of the networks of interest. Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the depression group exhibited significantly reduced activation of the SN under stress tasks (activation value: 0.01±0.01vs 0.03±0.01; F=6.50, P=0.011). The brain activation pattern of the FPN showed a significant diagnostic and gender interaction effect ( F=4.30, P=0.039). Simple effect analysis revealed that only the female depression group exhibited significantly reduced negative activation of the FPN under stress tasks compared with the corresponding gender healthy control group (activation value:-0.42±0.06 vs -0.62±0.05; PBonferroni-corrected=0.015, 95%CI=0.038-0.352). Conclusion:Depressed patients exhibit gender-consistent and gender-specific brain network activity patterns during stress processing.