OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL). METHODS: The clinical data of 17 patients with PPL admitted to Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2013 to June 2023 were collected, and their clinical characteristics and prognosis were retrospectively analyzed and summarized. RESULTS: The median age of the 17 patients was 56 (29-73) years old. There were 8 males and 9 females. According to Ann Arbor staging system, there were 9 patients with stage I-II and 8 patients with stage III-IV. There were 14 patients with IPI score of 0-2 and 3 patients with IPI score of 3-4. All 17 patients had symptoms at the initial diagnosis, most of the first symptoms were cough, and 6 patients had B symptoms.Among the 17 patients, there were 8 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 5 cases of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, 1 case of gray zone lymphoma (GZL), and 3 cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). 15 patients received chemotherapy, of which 3 cases received autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(ASCT) and 3 cases received radiotherapy; 2 patients did not receive treatment. The median number of chemotherapy courses was 6(2-8). The short-term efficacy was evaluated, 12 patients achieved complete remission (CR) and 3 patients achieved partial remission (PR). The age, pathological subtype, sex, Ann Arbor stage, β₂-microglobulin(β₂-MG) level, lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) level were not correlated with CR rate (P >0.05), while IPI score was correlated with recent CR rate (P < 0.05 ). The median follow-up time was 31(2-102) months. One of the 12 CR patients died of COVID-19, and the rest survived. Among the 3 patients who did not reach CR, 1 died after disease progression, while the other 2 survived. One of the 2 untreated patients died one year after diagnosis. Both the median progression-free survival (PFS) time and overall survival (OS) time of the 17 patients were both 31 (2-102) months. CONCLUSION The incidence of PPL is low, and the disease has no specific clinical manifestations, which is easily missed and misdiagnosed. The pathological subtypes are mainly MALT lymphoma and DLBCL, and the treatment is mainly combined chemotherapy. The IPI score is related to the treatment efficacy.
Humans ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Staging ; Lymphoma/therapy* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on immune mediators dysregulation in severe infection after chemotherapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Bone marrow or peripheral blood samples of 36 AML patients with severe infection (AML-SI) and 29 AML patients without infection (AML-NI) after chemotherapy were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University from August 2022 to June 2023. In addition, the peripheral blood of 21 healthy subjects from the same period in our hospital was selected as the control group. The mRNA expressions of CXCL12, CXCR4 and CXCR7 were detected by RT-qPCR technology, and the levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were detected by ELISA. Leukemia-derived THP-1 cells were selected and constructed as AML disease model. At the same time, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) from AML-SI patients were co-cultured with THP-1 cells and divided into Mono group and Co-culture group. THP-1 cells were treated with different concentration gradients of HCQ. The cell proliferation activity was subsequently detected by CCK-8 method and apoptosis was detected by Annexin V/PI double staining flow cytometry. ELISA was used to detect the changes of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels in the supernatant of the cell co-culture system, RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression changes of the core members of the CXCL12-CXCR4/7 regulatory axis, and Western blot was used to detect the expressions of apoptosis regulatory molecules and related signaling pathway proteins. RESULTS: CXCL12, CXCR4, CXCR7, as well as IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were all abnormally increased in AML patients, and the increases were more significant in AML-SI patients (P <0.01). Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences between AML-NI patients and AML-SI patients (all P <0.05). HCQ could inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of THP-1 cells, but the low concentration of HCQ had no significant effect on the killing of THP-1 cells. When THP-1 cells were co-cultured with BM-MSCs of AML patients, the levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α in the supernatance of Co-culture group were significantly higher than those of Mono group (all P <0.01). After HCQ intervention, the levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α in cell culture supernatant of Mono group were significantly decreased compared with those before intervention (all P <0.01). Similarly, those of Co-culture group were also significantly decreased (all P <0.001). However, the expression of the core members of the CXCL12-CXCR4/7 regulatory axis was weakly affected by HCQ. HCQ could up-regulate the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax, down-regulate the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, as well as simultaneously promote the hydrolytic activation of Caspase-3 when inhibiting the activation level of TLR4/NF-κB pathway, then induce the programmed death of THP-1 cells after intervention. CONCLUSION The core members of CXCL12-CXCR4/7 axis and related cytokines may be important mediators of severe infectious immune disorders in AML patients. HCQ can inhibit cytokine levels to reverse immune mediators dysregulation and suppress malignant biological characteristics of leukemia cells. The mechanisms may be related to regulating the expression of Bcl-2 family proteins, hydrolytically activating Caspase-3 and inhibiting the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/immunology* ; Hydroxychloroquine/pharmacology* ; Receptors, CXCR4/metabolism* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Chemokine CXCL12/metabolism* ; Interleukin-8/metabolism* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Receptors, CXCR/metabolism* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells ; THP-1 Cells

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

Objective Visual electrophysiology and optical correlation tomography angiography(OCTA)were used to investigate differences in preoperative retinal function in patients with type 2 diabetic cataract(DC)without obvious retinopathy(NDR)and to determine the clinical application of whole-process blood glucose man-agement(WBGM)for improving postoperative vision in DC patients.Methods This study investigated the preop-erative and postoperative visual electrophysiology(N75,P100,photopic FERG,and scotopic FERG),peripapil-lary retinal nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)and peripapillary capillary vessel density(ppVD)data,as well as trends in these data changes during blood glucose management intervention.Results As the course of T2DM progressed,FBG and HbA1c increased,the N75 and P100 lategraduancy periods of patients gradually lengthened,and the photopic FERG,scotopic FERG,pRNFL,and ppVD values decreased at each postoperative time point.At the same time,the best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of patients after surgery gradually decreased(P<0.05).Compared with that at 1 week after surgery,the BCVA of Group A(without whole-process blood glucose manage-ment)gradually increased at 1 month and 3 months after surgery but showed a downward trend at 1 year after sur-gery.The BCVA of Group B(with whole-process blood glucose management)gradually stabilized at 1 month after surgery,and at all time points after surgery,the BCVA of Group B was better than that of Group A.The results showed that N75 and P100 in Group A were greater than those in Group B,while the photopic and scotopic FERG,pRNFL,and ppVD(%)in Group A were lower than those in Group B.In addition,N75 and P100 in Group A showed a gradual prolongation trend at various time points after surgery,while photopic FERG,scotopic FERG,pRNFL,and ppVD(%)showed a gradually decreasing trend.However,the above data in Group B gradu-ally stabilized at 3 months after DC surgery,approaching the preoperative level of the group(P<0.05).In the state of whole blood glucose management,although N75 and P100 both reached their longest durations at 1 week af-ter surgery,N75,P100,photopic FERG,scotopic FERG,and pRNFL showed a gradually decreasing trend at 1 month and 3 months after surgery,while ppVD(%)gradually increased(P<0.05).At various time points from 3 months to 1 year after surgery,the overall trend of the above indicators remained stable and close to the preoperative values(P>0.05).Conclusion According to the results of the quantitative analysis of visual electrophysiology and OCTA,in DC patients without obvious retinopathy and with the worsening of diabetes,retinal function decreased,but whole-process blood glucose management effectively restored retinal function and improved visual quality after surgery.

Objective To explore the impact of artificial intelligence(AI)-assisted computing systems on the success rate of surgery,stereoscopic vision,and quality of life in patients with intermittent exotropia.Methods A total of 108 children(216 eyes)with intermittent exotropia who visited Ziyang Hospital of West China Hospital,Sichuan University from March 2021 to April 2023 were collected and randomly divided into Group A and Group B,with 54 children(108 eyes)in each group.Group A used the traditional calculation method,while Group B used the AI-assisted calculation method to determine the surgical volume of strabismus in children by the angles of strabismus at 6m and 33 cm.The success rate of surgery,postoperative angle of strabismus,stereoscopic visual function,horizontal and vertical perceptual eye positions,and quality of life[Child Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire(CIXTQ)score]were compared between the two groups at 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery.Results At 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the success rate of surgery in Group B was significantly higher than that in Group A(all P＜0.05).Compared with the val-ues at 1 day after surgery,the angles of strabismus at 6 m and 33 cm in the two groups were significantly reduced at 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery(all P＜0.05);Group B had significantly lower angles of strabismus at 6 m and 33 cm than Group A at 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery(all P＜0.05).At 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the central and far stereoscopic visions of children in the two groups gradually increased,with the increase rate in Group B being significantly higher than that in Group A(Finter-group=76.59,P＜0.05);the proportion of children without stereoscopic vision in both groups gradually decreased,with a decrease rate in Group B being significantly higher than that in Group A(Finter-group=137.74,P＜0.05).At 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the horizon-tal and vertical perceptual eye positions in Group B showed a significant descend range compared with those in Group A(all P＜0.05).At 1 day,1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the exotropia displacement of children in both groups gradually increased,and the displacement of children in Group B was significantly smaller than that in Group A at 1 month,3 months and 6 months postoperatively(all P＜0.05).At 1 month,3 months and 6 months after surgery,the CIX-TQ scores of children in the two groups increased gradually,with CIXTQ scores in Group B being significantly higher than those of Group A(all P＜0.05).Conclusion AI-assisted computing systems can effectively improve the success rate of intermittent exotropia surgery,enhance the establishment of stereoscopic visual function,improve visual quality,and sig-nificantly improve the quality of life of children.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic nutritional index(PNI),controlling nutritional status(CONUT)and fibrinogen/albumin ratio(FAR)levels in elderly patients with multiple myeloma(MM)and their prognostic impact.Methods:The clinical data of 74 elderly MM patients diagnosed in Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.The optimal cut-off values for PNI,CONUT score and FAR were obtained by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,which were used for grouping patients.The correlation of above three indexes with clinical parameters such as sex,serum calcium(Ca),β2-microglobulin(β2-MG),serum creatinine(Cr)in elderly MM patients were analyzed.The survival rates of patients with different levels of each index were compared.Univariate and multivariate analysis of the impact of clinical indicators on the prognosis of patients were performed.Results:The optimal cut-off values for PNI,CONUT score and FAR were 39.775,3.5 and 0.175,respectively,according to which the patients were divided into high and low group.Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in albumin level among different groups(all P＜0.05).In addition,there was a significant difference in hemoglobin between high-PNI group and low-PNI group(P＜0.05),while in sex distribution between high-FAR and low-FAR group(P＜0.05).The survival rate of elderly MM patients with increased PNI,decreased CONUT score and FAR was higher(all P＜0.05).Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that β2-MG,Cr,PNI,CONUT score and FAR were independent prognostic factors for elderly MM patients.Conclusion:PNI,CONUT score and FAR are related to some clinical indicators of elderly MM patients,and have an impact on the prognosis.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and occurrence of thrombotic/bleeding events of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm(MPN),and explore the main influencing factors,and create a risk prediction.Methods:The clinical data of 126 MPN patients with BCR-ABL fusion gene negative in the Department of Hematology of Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2016 to September 2021 were collected,and their clinical characteristics,occurrence of thrombotic/bleeding events and main influencing factors were analyzed and summarized retrospectively.Then,a risk prediction model for thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients was constructed.Results:Among 126 MPN patients,50 patients(39.7％)had experienced thrombotic/bleeding events,including 44 patients(34.9％)with thrombotic events and 6 patients(4.8％)with bleeding events.Among thrombotic diseases,cerebral thrombosis was the most common(23/44,52.3％),followed by 9 cases of limb artery thrombosis mainly characterized by finger and toe tip artery ischemia,occlusion and gangrene(9/44,20.5％).Bleeding events included intracerebral hemorrhage and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.Univariate analysis showed that hypertension,hyperhomocysteinemia,white blood cell(WBC)≥10 × 109/L,hematocrit(HCT)≥49％,platelet(PLT)≥600 × 109/L and JAK2V617F gene mutation were risk factors for thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients,while CALR gene mutation was a protective factor.Multivariate analysis showed that hypertension and PLT ≥ 600 × 109/L were independent risk factors for thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients.The goodness of fit of the constructed risk prediction model was 0.872,and the area under the ROC curve was 0.838.The model was validated with clinical data,the sensitivity,specificity and accuracy was 78.85％,87.83％and 84.13％,respectively.Conclusion:The risk of thrombotic/bleeding events in MPN patients with high WBC count,hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia is higher.Controlling hypertension and hyperhomocysteinemia and reducing WBC and PLT counts are helpful to prevent thrombotic/bleeding events and improve the life quality of patients.

Cancer pain is one of the most common symptoms in patients with advanced cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of the Mas-related gene C (MrgC) receptors on bone cancer pain. Mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were measured after the inoculation of Walker 256 mammary gland carcinoma cells into the tibia of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. The effects of MrgC receptor agonist bovine adrenal medulla 8-22 (BAM8-22) on nociceptive behaviors were investigated after intrathecal injection on days 16 and 17. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells in the spinal dorsal cord, and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP)-, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)- and IL-1β-positive neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were examined by immunofluorescence staining. The expression of nNOS and IL-1β proteins in the spinal dorsal horn and the DRG was examined by Western blotting after treatment with (Tyr6)-γ2-MSH-6-12 (MSH), which was another MrgC receptor agonist. The results showed that intrathecal injection of BAM8-22 (30 nmol) attenuated mechanical allodynia in a rat model of bone cancer pain and the effects could last for about 60 min, and single administration of BAM8-22 for two consecutive days reduced mechanical allodynia by about half on the third day. Moreover, the number of GFAP-positive cells in the spinal dorsal horn, and the number of CGRP-, nNOS- and IL-1β-positive neurons in the DRG were decreased. Similarly, intrathecal administration of MSH (15 nmol) reduced the expression of nNOS and IL-1β in the spinal dorsal horn and the DRG. In conclusion, activation of MrgC receptors suppresses the activation of astrocytes in the spinal dorsal cord and the expression of CGRP, nNOS, and IL-1β in the spinal dorsal cord and/or DRG, which may underlie the inhibition of bone cancer pain. These findings provide a novel strategy for the treatment of bone cancer pain.
Animals ; Cancer Pain/drug therapy* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Bone Neoplasms/complications* ; Ganglia, Spinal/metabolism* ; Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn/metabolism* ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics* ; Female ; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/genetics* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Peptide Fragments/metabolism* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal

AIM To prepare bergenin nanostructured lipid carriers,and to investigate their in vivo pharmacokinetics.METHODS The nanostructured lipid carriers were prepared by melting method.With solid lipid type,liquid lipid type,solid-liquid lipid ratio,lipid-drug ratio and poloxamer 188 concentration as influecing factors,encapsulation efficiency,drug loading and particle size as evaluation indices,the formulation was optimized by single factor test,after which the in vitro drug release was investigated,the stability was determined,and crystalline form analysis was performed.Eighteen rats were randomly assigned into three groups and given intragastric administration of the 0.5%CMC-Na suspensions of bergenin,physical mixture and bergenin solid dispersions(60 mg/kg),respectively,after which blood collection was made at 0.25,0.5,1,2,3,4,5,6,8,10,12 h,HPLC was adopted in the plasma concentration determination of bergenin,and main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated.RESULTS The optimal formulation was determined to be glyceryl behenate as solid lipid,oleic acid as liquid lipid,4 ∶ 1 for solid-liquid lipid ratio,10 ∶ 1 as lipid-drug ratio 2.0%for poloxamer 188 concentration,the average concentration,drug loading,particle size and Zeta potential were(84.16±1.57)%,(7.73±0.27)%and(215.53±18.04)nm and-(37.56±2.03)mV,respectively.The nanostructured lipid carriers demonstrated the accumulative release rate of less than 50%within 240 min in simulated gastric fluid,which was 71.04%within 36 h in simulated intestinal fluid,along with good stability within 12 h in the latter.Bergenin existed in the nanostructured lipid carriers in an amorphous state.Compared with raw medicine and physical mixture,the nanostructured lipid carriers displayed prolonged tmax and t1/2(P<0.01),and increased Cmax,AUC0-t,AUC0-∞(P<0.01),whose relative bioavailability was enhanced to 6.08 times as compared with that of raw medicine.CONCLUSION Nanostructured lipid carriers can improve the stability and oral bioavailability of bergenin.