Objective To construct mice hepatocellular carcinoma models with different tumor immune microenvironments(TIME)and explore the differences.Methods H22 and hepa1-6 were used to construct subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of C57 mice as homologous hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines(denoted as H22 group and hepal-6 group,each n=8),and the differences of TIME were evaluated.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect and quantify the infiltration of T cells,CD4+T cells,CD8+T cells,regulatory T cells and B cells in TIME.Flow cytometry was performed to detect the differences of composition of immune cell subpopulations in peripheral blood and tumor parenchyma.Gene expression profile characteristics of tumor tissue were analyzed based on high-throughput transcriptome sequencing technology,and enrichment analyses of immune-related signaling pathways were evaluated combined with gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG).Results H22 group showed cold and hepa1-6 group showed hot TIME characteristics.The number of T cells,CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells in tumor tissue of H22 group were all lower,while the proportion of T cells,CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells in peripheral blood were all higher than those of hepa1-6 group(all P＜0.05).Compared with H22 group,up-regulated genes of tumor tissue in hepa1-6 group expressed significantly enriched in tumor immune activation-related signaling pathways.Conclusion H22 and hepa1-6 hepatocellular carcinoma models showed distinct TIME characteristics of cold and hot tumors,respectively,and the amount of immune cells in tumor tissue of the former were significantly lower than those in the latter.

Objective To construct mice hepatocellular carcinoma models with different tumor immune microenvironments(TIME)and explore the differences.Methods H22 and hepa1-6 were used to construct subcutaneous transplantation tumor model of C57 mice as homologous hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines(denoted as H22 group and hepal-6 group,each n=8),and the differences of TIME were evaluated.Immunohistochemistry was used to detect and quantify the infiltration of T cells,CD4+T cells,CD8+T cells,regulatory T cells and B cells in TIME.Flow cytometry was performed to detect the differences of composition of immune cell subpopulations in peripheral blood and tumor parenchyma.Gene expression profile characteristics of tumor tissue were analyzed based on high-throughput transcriptome sequencing technology,and enrichment analyses of immune-related signaling pathways were evaluated combined with gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG).Results H22 group showed cold and hepa1-6 group showed hot TIME characteristics.The number of T cells,CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells in tumor tissue of H22 group were all lower,while the proportion of T cells,CD4+T cells and CD8+T cells in peripheral blood were all higher than those of hepa1-6 group(all P＜0.05).Compared with H22 group,up-regulated genes of tumor tissue in hepa1-6 group expressed significantly enriched in tumor immune activation-related signaling pathways.Conclusion H22 and hepa1-6 hepatocellular carcinoma models showed distinct TIME characteristics of cold and hot tumors,respectively,and the amount of immune cells in tumor tissue of the former were significantly lower than those in the latter.

Bacterial biofilms gave rise to persistent infections and multi-organ failure, thereby posing a serious threat to human health. Biofilms were formed by cross-linking of hydrophobic extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as proteins, polysaccharides, and eDNA, which were synthesized by bacteria themselves after adhesion and colonization on biological surfaces. They had the characteristics of dense structure, high adhesiveness and low drug permeability, and had been found in many human organs or tissues, such as the brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skeleton. By releasing pro-inflammatory bacterial metabolites including endotoxins, exotoxins and interleukin, biofilms stimulated the body’s immune system to secrete inflammatory factors. These factors triggered local inflammation and chronic infections. Those were the key reason for the failure of traditional clinical drug therapy for infectious diseases.In order to cope with the increasingly severe drug-resistant infections, it was urgent to develop new therapeutic strategies for bacterial-biofilm eradication and anti-bacterial infections. Based on the nanoscale structure and biocompatible activity, nanobiomaterials had the advantages of specific targeting, intelligent delivery, high drug loading and low toxicity, which could realize efficient intervention and precise treatment of drug-resistant bacterial biofilms. This paper highlighted multiple strategies of biofilms eradication based on nanobiomaterials. For example, nanobiomaterials combined with EPS degrading enzymes could be used for targeted hydrolysis of bacterial biofilms, and effectively increased the drug enrichment within biofilms. By loading quorum sensing inhibitors, nanotechnology was also an effective strategy for eradicating bacterial biofilms and recovering the infectious symptoms. Nanobiomaterials could intervene the bacterial metabolism and break the bacterial survival homeostasis by blocking the uptake of nutrients. Moreover, energy-driven micro-nano robotics had shown excellent performance in active delivery and biofilm eradication. Micro-nano robots could penetrate physiological barriers by exogenous or endogenous driving modes such as by biological or chemical methods, ultrasound, and magnetic field, and deliver drugs to the infection sites accurately. Achieving this using conventional drugs was difficult. Overall, the paper described the biological properties and drug-resistant molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilms, and highlighted therapeutic strategies from different perspectives by nanobiomaterials, such as dispersing bacterial mature biofilms, blocking quorum sensing, inhibiting bacterial metabolism, and energy driving penetration. In addition, we presented the key challenges still faced by nanobiomaterials in combating bacterial biofilm infections. Firstly, the dense structure of EPS caused biofilms spatial heterogeneity and metabolic heterogeneity, which created exacting requirements for the design, construction and preparation process of nanobiomaterials. Secondly, biofilm disruption carried the risk of spread and infection the pathogenic bacteria, which might lead to other infections. Finally, we emphasized the role of nanobiomaterials in the development trends and translational prospects in biofilm treatment.

Diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, collectively referred to the " Three Highs, " represent increasingly prevalent metabolic risk factors in China. Many individuals experience all three conditions concurrently, significantly heightening the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Although the National Metabolic Management Center(MMC) has been established for over eight years and has its unique features, the awareness, treatment, and control rates of these diseases in China remain low, and the efficiency of community management is insufficient. According to the previous two editions of management guidelines and the most recent domestic and international diagnostic and treatment guidelines, this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the operational experience and management strategies of the MMC. Its aim is to improve the efficiency of grassroots MMC mode management for " Three Highs" patients and ensure that patients receive more standardized management.

Diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, collectively referred to the " Three Highs, " represent increasingly prevalent metabolic risk factors in China. Many individuals experience all three conditions concurrently, significantly heightening the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Although the National Metabolic Management Center(MMC) has been established for over eight years and has its unique features, the awareness, treatment, and control rates of these diseases in China remain low, and the efficiency of community management is insufficient. According to the previous two editions of management guidelines and the most recent domestic and international diagnostic and treatment guidelines, this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the operational experience and management strategies of the MMC. Its aim is to improve the efficiency of grassroots MMC mode management for " Three Highs" patients and ensure that patients receive more standardized management.

AIM: To investigate the risk factors associated with neovascular glaucoma(NVG)after pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)for proliferative diabetic retinopathy(PDR).METHODS: The PDR patients who received 23G PPV treatment at Shenyang He Eye Specialist Hospital from October 2015 to September 2020 and were followed up for at least 12mo with complete data were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of NVG during follow-up. The preoperative and intraoperative variables between two groups were compared. The cumulative hazard ratio for NVG was evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 151 PDR patients(169 eyes)with a mean follow-up of 18.07±12.55(1～79)mo were included, of which 30(17.8%)eyes developed NVG, the mean time of occurrence was 6.27±4.01(1～17)mo, and 50%(15 eyes)of NVG occurred within 5mo after vitrectomy. The cumulative hazard ratios of NVG at postoperative 3, 6 and 12mo were 4.8%, 12.6% and 18.1%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative best corrected visual acuity(OR=3.077, 95%CI: 1.203～7.869, P=0.019), preoperative iris rubeosis(OR=7.897, 95%CI: 1.313～47.498, P=0.024), and contralateral NVG(OR=22.108, 95%CI: 1.562～312.861, P=0.022)were risk factors with the occurrence of NVG, while the number of intraoperative retinal laser photocoagulation(OR=0.772, 95%CI: 0.666～0.893, P=0.001)was the protective factor with the occurrence of NVG.CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of NVG in PDR eyes after PPV was 17.8%, of which 50% occurred within 5mo after surgery. PDR eyes with poor baseline visual acuity, iris rubeosis, and contralateral NVG are prone to postoperative NVG, and sufficient intraoperative retinal laser photocoagulation has a certain protective effect. PDR eyes after PPV should be closely followed up for 1a.

The latest epidemiological data suggests that the situation of adult diabetes in China is severe, and metabolic diseases have become significant chronic illnesses that have a serious impact on public health and social development. After more than six years of practice, the National Metabolic Management Center(MMC) has developed distinctive approaches to manage metabolic patients and has achieved a series of positive outcomes, continuously advancing the standardized diagnosis and treatment model. In order to further improve the efficiency, based on the first edition, the second edition guideline was composed by incorporating experience of the past six years in conjunction with the latest international and domestic guidelines.

Objective:To investigate the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) in Jiangsu province during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in China from December 7, 2022 to January 27, 2023, and to analyze the influencing factors of all-cause death.Methods:It was a multi-center cross-sectional investigation. Structured questionnaire was used to collect patient information by medical staff of each hemodialysis center (room) as investigators. Part of the demography data and laboratory examination data came from the Jiangsu Province Hemodialysis Data Information System. MHD patients from hemodialysis centers (rooms) at all levels of medical institutions and independent hemodialysis institutions in Jiangsu province during the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, and the clinical characteristics and all-cause mortality of confirmed and suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were analyzed.Results:Questionnaire surveys and data analysis on 57 278 patients in 407 hemodialysis centers (rooms) were completed, accounting for 90.41% of the total number of MHD patients (63 357 cases) in Jiangsu province during the same period. There were 24 038 cases (41.97%) of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 14 805 cases (25.85%) of suspected infection, which were widely distributed in all dialysis centers in Jiangsu province. After clinical classification of 38 843 confirmed and suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, 3 662 cases were severe and critical cases, accounting for 9.43% of the infected and suspected cases. Among the patients who had completed the questionnaires, there were 1 812 all-cause deaths, with an all-cause mortality rate of 3.16%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elderly (taking ≤50 years as a reference, 51-59 years: OR=1.583, 95% CI 1.279-1.933, P=0.001; 60-69 years: OR=3.972, 95% CI 3.271-4.858, P<0.001; 70-79 years: OR=7.236, 95% CI 5.917-8.698, P<0.001; ≥80 years: OR=11.738, 95% CI 9.459-14.663, P<0.001), male ( OR=1.371, 95% CI 1.229-1.529, P<0.001), and co-infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) (positive serum HBV surface antigen, OR=0.629, 95% CI 0.484-0.817, P<0.001) were independent influencing factors for all cause mortality. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve for male, age and current HBV infection prediction of all-cause death was 0.529 ( P<0.001), 0.724 ( P<0.001) and 0.514 ( P=0.042), respectively, and the cut-off value for age prediction of all-cause death was 65.5 years old. Compared with patients without HBV infection, MHD patients with HBV infection significantly reduced the proportion of severe and critically ill patients, all-cause hospitalizations and all cause deaths when infected with SARS-CoV-2 (4.99% vs. 6.41%, χ2=6.136, P=0.013; 8.90% vs. 11.44%, χ2=11.662, P<0.001; 2.01% vs. 3.37%, χ2=10.713, P=0.001, respectively). Conclusion:The MHD patients in Jiangsu province are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Elderly age and male gender are independent risk factors for death in MHD patients during the epidemic, while the HBV infection may be a protective factor for death of MHD patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Background: and Purpose We investigated the causal relationships between the gut microbiota (GM), stroke, and potential metabolite mediators using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: We leveraged the summary statistics of GM (n=18,340 in the MiBioGen consortium), blood metabolites (n=115,078 in the UK Biobank), and stroke (cases n=60,176 and controls n=1,310,725 in the Global Biobank Meta-Analysis Initiative) from the largest genome-wide association studies to date. We performed bidirectional MR analyses to explore the causal relationships between the GM and stroke, and two mediation analyses, two-step MR and multivariable MR, to discover potential mediating metabolites. Results: Ten taxa were causally associated with stroke, and stroke led to changes in 27 taxa. In the two-step MR, Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family, Desulfovibrio genus, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), phospholipids in high-density lipoprotein (HDL_PL), and the ratio of apolipoprotein B to ApoA1 (ApoB/ApoA1) were causally associated with stroke (all P<0.044). The causal associations between Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family and stroke were validated using the weighted median method in an independent cohort. The three GM taxa were all positively associated with ApoA1 and HDL_PL, whereas Desulfovibrio genus was negatively associated with ApoB/ApoA1 (all P<0.010). Additionally, the causal associations between the three GM taxa and ApoA1 remained significant after correcting for the false discovery rate (all q-values <0.027). Multivariable MR showed that the associations between Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family and stroke were mediated by ApoA1 and HDL_PL, each accounting for 6.5% (P=0.028) and 4.6% (P=0.033); the association between Desulfovibrio genus and stroke was mediated by ApoA1, HDL_PL, and ApoB/ApoA1, with mediated proportions of 7.6% (P=0.019), 4.2% (P=0.035), and 9.1% (P=0.013), respectively. Conclusion The current MR study provides evidence supporting the causal relationships between several specific GM taxa and stroke and potential mediating metabolites.

End-stage patients experience unbearable pain because of refractory symptoms.Palliative sedation is a form of palliative care which relieves patients' agony by lowering their consciousness.Standard palliative sedation can help patients die with dignity.It is distinct from euthanasia and does not alter the survival of patients.Sufficient palliative care is the premise of palliative sedation.Repeated and detailed clinical evaluation,as well as multidisciplinary involvement,is necessary for the standardized implementation of palliative sedation.Here,we proposed the standard process and specifications of palliative sedation in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Furthermore,we reported a case of palliative sedation for an advanced cancer patient with refractory delirium and living pain to demonstrate its application in clinical practice.
Humans ; Anesthesia ; Pain ; Hospitals ; Palliative Care ; Universities