ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between the polymorphisms of the solute carrier family7 member11 （SLC7A11） gene and the risk of non-cardia gastric cancer （NCGC） as well as the infection of Helicobacter pylori （H.pylori）. MethodsA total of 435 patients with NCGC and 479 healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations were included. The polymorphisms of the SLC7A11 gene （rs7674870， rs11734488， rs12506138， rs10022036） were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism （PCR-RFLP） technique. The influence of each locus on H. pylori infection and the occurrence of NCGC was analyzed. ResultsNo significant associations were found among SNP rs7674870， rs11734488， and rs12506138 and H. pylori infection （P>0.05）. The CT genotype and CC genotype of rs12506138， when in a codominant model， reduced the risk of developing NCGC compared to the TT genotype； the A-C-C and A-T-C haplotypes constructed by SLC7A11 rs7674870， rs11734488， rs12506138 were associated with a reduced risk of NCGC； the A-T-T and G-C-C haplotypes were associated with an increased risk of NCGC. ConclusionSLC7A11 rs7674870 and rs11734488 are not pivotal genetic loci for H. pylori infection and the pathogenesis of NCGC. SLC7A11 rs12506138 acts as a protective genetic locus for NCGC and antagonizes its oncogenic progression. The haplotype composed of the above three loci participates in regulating the overall genetic susceptibility to NCGC.

Background and aims The mechanism of cholestatic liver injury (CLI) is unclear, and effective therapies are lacking. While peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonists show potential hepatoprotective effect and pyroptosis is implicated in hepatocellular damage, how PPARα activation mitigates lithocholic acid (LCA)-induced pyroptosis remains unknown. Methods The hepatoprotective effect of PPARα agonists was evaluated in a mouse model of intrahepatic cholestasis induced by LCA. Liver injury was assessed via serum biochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin and TUNEL staining, and electron microscopy. Pyroptosis pathways were analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and co-immunoprecipitation. Results Combined morphological, histopathological, and biochemical analyses confirmed that PPARα activation protects against CLI. Compared with LCA treatment alone, PPARα activation significantly attenuated the elevation of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the increased TUNEL-positive cells, and the formation of hepatocyte membrane pores. Mechanistically, PPARα activation suppressed both NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and apoptosis protease-activating factor-1 (APAF-1)/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis. Furthermore, PPARα agonist pretreatment inhibited activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) signaling pathways. Conclusions PPARα protects against LCA-induced CLI by inhibiting both NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis associated with NF-κB and APAF-1/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis associated with the FOXO1 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the functional role and underlying molecular mechanisms of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase （FAH） in the progression of glioblastoma （GBM）. MethodsDifferential expression analysis was performed on the TCGA-GBM， GSE4290， and GSE116520 datasets. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） was used to identify key modules， and Cox regression and risk modeling were used to screen prognostic genes. Immune infiltration analysis of prognostic genes was carried out by using single-cell RNA sequencing panels. The clinical expression signature of FAH in GBM was analyzed in the TCGA and HPA databases. The functional role of FAH was validated by in vitro and in vivo experiments， and pathway analysis was performed to explore the underlying mechanisms. ResultsA total of 152 overlapping genes were identified across the three GBM datasets （P<0.05）. WGCNA revealed that the turquoise module was most strongly associated with tumor purity， stromal score， immune score， and ESTIMATE score （P<0.001）. Compared with normal tissues， three prognostic genes （CTSD， FAH， and THBD） were upregulated in GBM and correlated with immune infiltration （P<0.05）. FAH mRNA and protein levels were elevated in GBM tissues relative to normal tissues， and its expression was significantly associated with age stratification and TP53 mutation （P<0.05）. CCK-8 assay results showed that， compared with the shNC group， the proliferative activity of GBM cells in the shFAH group was reduced （P<0.001）. Transwell migration and invasion assays demonstrated that， relative to the shNC group， the numbers of migrated and invaded cells in the shFAH group decreased （P<0.05）. Western blot analysis revealed that the protein expression levels of PI3K， p-AKT， and p-mTOR in the shFAH group decreased compared with those in the shNC group （P<0.05）. In vivo subcutaneous xenograft experiments further confirmed that tumor volume and weight significantly decreased in the shFAH group compared with the shNC group （P<0.001）. ConclusionFAH promotes GBM progression by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and may serve as a potential therapeutic target for GBM.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and prognosis of primary renal dedifferentiated liposarcoma.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 10 patients diagnosed with renal dedifferentiated liposarcoma in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2017 to December 2023. The cohort consisted of 8 males and 2 females, with a mean age of (59.0±6.8) years. Tumors were located in the left kidney in 8 cases and in the right kidney in 2 cases. Presentations included flank or abdominal masses in 4 patients, back pain in 3 patients, and asymptomatic in 3 patients. Imaging studies revealed solitary lesions in 9 cases and multiple lesions in 1 case. The maximum tumor diameter ranged from 95 to 178 mm, with a median of 119.5 mm. CT showed tumors within the renal parenchyma with unclear boundaries and displayed a "slow in, slow out" pattern of gradual enhancement. Clinical staging revealed T 2N 0M 0 in 3 cases, T 3N 0M 0 in 4 cases, T 4N 0M 0 in 3 cases, and T 2N 1M 0 in 1 case. Nine patients underwent radical nephrectomy, including 4 laparoscopic surgeries, 4 open surgeries, and 1 robotic-assisted with thrombectomy. One patient, presenting with multiple lymph node metastases confirmed by PET-CT, underwent a diagnostic biopsy. Postoperative pathological features, follow-up and prognosis were analyzed. Results:Pathological specimens appeared grayish-red, grayish-yellow or grayish-white cut surfaces with soft to moderate texture. Microscopically, tumor cells were ovoid or short spindle-shaped with significant atypia and cytoplasmic vacuoles, with visible pathological mitoses. Six cases showed only dedifferentiated components with tumor giant cells and multinucleated giant cells resembling pleomorphic undifferentiated sarcoma, with focal tumor necrosis. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed MDM2 gene amplification in all cases. All cases were diagnosed as primary renal dedifferentiated liposarcoma. Pathological staging showed 4 cases as pT 2N 0M 0, 3 cases as pT 3N 0M 0, 2 cases as pT 4N 0M 0, and 1 case lacked pathological staging due to biopsy only. Five patients received postoperative adjuvant therapy, including two pT 2N 0M 0 cases who received immunotherapy and apatinib treatment respectively, with no recurrence. One pT 3N 0M 0 case received anlotinib treatment, with local recurrence after 12 months, followed by radiofrequency ablation combined with chemotherapy. Two pT 4N 0M 0 cases received ifosfamide combined with epirubicin and pirarubicin combined with lobaplatin respectively, with one case showing no progression at 11 months follow-up, and another case developing splenic metastasis 3 months post-surgery, followed by chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy, surviving for 20 months. Among the 4 cases without adjuvant therapy, two pT 2N 0M 0 cases developed multiple metastases within 1 month post-surgery and received immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy and/or chemotherapy, surviving 4-5 months.One of the two pT 3N 0M 0 cases developed local recurrence 2 months post-surgery and received chemotherapy, surviving 6 months, and another pT 3N 0M 0 case developed gluteal subcutaneous metastasis 1 month post-surgery and received immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy, surviving 8 months.One non-surgical pT 2N 1M 0 patient received chemotherapy and survived for 15 months. All patients were followed up for 4-52 months, with a median follow-up time of 11 months. At the last follow-up, 6 patients died and 4 survived. Conclusions:Primary renal dedifferentiated liposarcoma is clinically rare, with atypical symptoms and difficult preoperative diagnosis, relying on pathology for confirmation. Radical nephrectomy is the main treatment method, but surgery alone has poor prognosis with high recurrence and metastasis rates. Adjuvant therapy based on surgery may improve patient prognosis.Larger sample studies are needed for confirmation.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

Objective:To investigate the short-term efficacy of transverse osteotomy of the first metatarsal and fixation with Kirschner wires for mild to moderate hallux valgus (HV).Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. A total of 44 patients (55 feet) with HV who underwent surgical treatment in the Foot and Ankle Ward Two, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University from March 2022 to June 2023 were enrolled, including 41 females and 3 males. Based on the different surgical methods, they were divided into a transverse osteotomy group and Scarf group. The transverse osteotomy group was treated with transverse osteotomy of the first metatarsal and fixation with two Kirschner wires, and the Scarf group was treated with "Z" osteotomy and screw fixation. The transverse osteotomy group consisted of 20 patients (25 feet), all female, with an average age of 54.56±3.13 years (range, 50-62 years), including 12 left feet and 13 right feet. Among them, 7 feet had mild HV, and 18 feet had moderate HV. The Scarf osteotomy group included 24 patients (30 feet), 3 males and 21 females, with an average age of 52.43±5.46 years (range, 39-60 years), including 15 left feet and 15 right feet. Among them, 3 feet had mild HV and 27 feet had moderate HV. Observation indicators: (1) The imaging indicators of the two groups were compared before operation and at the last follow-up. These indicators included hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA). (2) The clinical efficacy of the two groups was compared, including American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) forefoot score and visual analogue scale (VAS), as well as postoperative complications. (3) The operation time of the two groups was recorded respectively.Results:Both groups were followed up for an average duration of 6-18 months (13.28±4.42 months). There were no significant differences in preoperative baseline characteristics between the transverse osteotomy group and the Scarf group ( P>0.05). The mean operation time was 28.96±4.10 min for the transverse osteotomy group and 45.37±4.72 min for the Scarf group, with a statistically significant difference ( t=13.612, P<0.001). In the transverse osteotomy, the preoperative HVA was 32.48°±3.9°and decreased to 8.59°±3.06° at the last follow-up, while IMA reduced from 14.53°±1.89° before surgery to 5.07°±1.74° at the last follow-up with statistical significance ( P<0.05). Similarly, in the Scarf group, preoperative HVA was 32.83°±2.33° and decreased to 9.87°±2.66° at the last follow-up, whereas IMA decreased from 13.7°±2.03° before surgery to 5.73°±1.74° at the last follow-up with statistical significance ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in HVA and IMA between the two groups before surgery and the last follow-up ( P>0.05). In the transverse osteotomy, the preoperative VAS score was 6.0(5.5, 7.0), and at the last follow-up, it improved to 2.0(1.0, 2.0). The preoperative AOFAS score was 48.40±6.04 and increased significantly to 87.36±5.02 at the last follow-up ( P<0.05). In the Scarf group, the preoperative VAS score was 6.0(5.0, 6.0), which decreased to 2.0(2.0, 2.0) at the last follow-up assessment. The preoperative AOFAS score was 50.70±7.31 and showed a significant improvement with a mean of 84.43±3.45 at the final evaluation ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in preoperative VAS scores between the two groups; however, at the last follow-up assessment, patients in the transverse osteotomy group had higher scores compared to those in the Scarf group, indicating better outcomes ( t=2.610, P=0.012). Postoperatively, only 1 foot in the transverse osteotomy group developed metastatic metatarsal pain, with a complication rate of 4% (1/25). In the Scarf osteotomy group, 1 foot developed superficial wound infection, 1 foot developed metastatic metatarsal pain, and 6 feet experienced joint stiffness, with a complication rate of 27%(8/30). Conclusions:Transverse osteotomy of the first metatarsal and fixation with Kirschner wires is simple, effective, and fast. It can effectively relieve pain, quickly restore function, shorten operation time, reduce soft tissue trauma, and minimize complications, demonstrating good clinical efficacy in the short term.

AIM To explore the effects of Dahuang Lingxian Recipe on Th1/Th2 cell immune imbalance in a rat model of cholestatic liver fibrosis(CLF).METHODS 20 SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group,the model group,the ursodeoxycholic acid group(0.063 g/kg)and the Dahuang Lingxian Recipe group(4.8 g/kg),with 5 rats in each group.Except for those of the normal group,the rats of all other groups had open surgery of common bile duct ligation,followed by the gavage of corresponding drug two days later,and the procurement of the samples after gavage in the third week.The rats had their degree of liver fibrosis observed by HE and Masson stainings;their levels of serum total bile acid(TBA),alkaline phosphatase(AKP),γ-glutamyltransferase(γ-GT),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and total bilirubin(TBil)measured by the kit;their hepatic percentage of TGF-β1,p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 positive cells detected by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining;their.hepatic expressions of TGF-β1,Smad4,NF-κB p65,Collagen Ⅰ and Collagen Ⅲ protein and mRNA detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR;their levels of helper T cell 1(Th1)and helper T cell 2(Th2)in peripheral blood detected by flow cytometry,and their ratio of Th1/Th2 calculated as well.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with either ursodeoxycholic acid or Dahuang Lingxian Recipe displayed well-ordered liver cells,hepatic lobules and hepatic cords;a small amount of fatty degeneration;significantly reduced connective hyperplasia of hepatic fibers;significantly narrowed fibrous cords;a small amount of blue fibrous septa;greatly improved pathological injuries including inflammatory infiltration of central vein and portal area;decreased levels of serum TBA,TBil,AKP,γ-GT,ALT and AST(P＜0.05);decreased hepatic expressions of TGF-β1,p-Smad2 and p-Smad3(P＜0.05);decreased hepatic expressions of TGF-β1,Smad4,NF-κB p65,Collagen Ⅰ and Collagen Ⅲ protein and mRNA(P＜0.05);and increased counts of Th1 cells in peripheral blood,decreased counts of Th2 cells,resultsing increased Th1/Th2 ratio(P＜0.05).And an even better effect was observed in the Dahuang Lingxian Recipe group.CONCLUSION Dahuang Lingxian Recipe can reduce or reverse CLF by inhibiting hepatic stellate cell activation through maintaining Th1/Th2 cell immune balance via the NF-κB/TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the value of biparametric-MRI (bpMRI) based peritumoral radiomics for preoperative prediction of extraprostatic extension (EPE) in prostate cancer (PCa).Methods:In this cross-sectional study, consecutive bpMRI of patients undergoing prostatectomy for PCa were retrospectively collected from the First Medical Center (center 1) and the Third Medical Center (center 2) of Chinese PLA General Hospital. A total of 274 patients were finally enrolled. Patients at center 1 from January 2020 to December 2022 were randomly divided into a training set (149 cases) and an internal validation set (63 cases) by stratified random sampling. Patients at center 2 from January 2023 to March 2024 were assigned to the external test set (62 cases). Patients were categorized into EPE-positive group and EPE-negative group according to pathological assessment postoperatively. In the training set, there were 49 cases in EPE-positive group and 100 cases in EPE-negative group. In the internal validation set, there were 26 cases in EPE-positive group and 37 cases in EPE-negative group. In the external test set, there were 22 cases in EPE-positive group and 40 cases in EPE-negative group. Axial T 2WI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images were manually annotated to obtain index lesion regions of interest (ROIs), with the peritumoral ROIs subsequently delineated by semi-automatic segmentation technique. Radiomics features were extracted from intra-tumoral, peri-tumoral, and intra-tumoral plus peri-tumoral ROIs. The training set data was employed to select and optimize features to build the radiomics models. The logistic regression analysis was used to develop radiomics, clinical, and integrated models. The predictive performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the external test set, and compared by the DeLong test. The sensitivity and specificity were compared by the exact McNemar test. Results:In the external test set, the peri-tumoral radiomics model based on bpMRI showed the highest performance in evaluating EPE, with an AUC of 0.739 (95% CI 0.611-0.842), which was identified as the optimal radiomics model. EPE grade ( OR=6.151, 95% CI 3.371-11.226, P<0.001) was incorporated into the clinical model, with an AUC of 0.780 (95% CI 0.657-0.875) in the external test set. The integrated model had an AUC of 0.817 (95% CI 0.698-0.904) in the external test set. There was no statistically significant difference in comparisons of AUCs among the three models (all P>0.05). The sensitivity of the integrated model (68.2%) showed no significant difference from those of the clinical model and the optimal radiomics model (77.3% and 86.4%, respectively; P=0.500 and P=0.289). However, the specificity of the integrated model (85.0%) was significantly higher than those of the clinical model (67.5%, P=0.016) and the optimal radiomics model (50.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion:A bpMRI-based peritumoral radiomics integrating clinical model demonstrates high performance for preoperative prediction of EPE in PCa.

OBJECTIVE To determine the species,quantity,and dispersion patterns of airborne pollen in two districts and five counties of Handan City,Hebei Province.METHODS The gravity sedimentation method was employed from October 1,2023,to September 30,2024,for daily and consecutive pollen exposure slides in two districts(Congtai District and Yongnian District)and five counties(Qiu County,Daming County,Cheng'an County,Cixian County,and She County)of Handan City,Hebei Province.The types of pollen were counted and identified under an optical microscope,and the pollen data were statistically analyzed.RESULTS The annual pollen quantity in the two districts and five counties of Handan City ranged from 24 031 grains/1 000 mm2 to 85 131 grains/1 000 mm2.The dissemination of major allergenic pollen presented two peaks.The first peak occurred in spring(March to April),mainly composed of Platanus(25.15％),Broussonetia(13.61％),Pinus(8.48％);the second peak occurred in(August to September),mainly consisting of Humulus/Cannabis(13.71％)and Artemisia(8.44％).Pollen in spring was significantly higher than that in summer and autumn.CONCLUSION The major allergenic airborne pollen in the two districts and five counties of Handan City exhibited two peaks in spring and summer-autumn,with Platanus pollen,Broussonetia pollen,Pinus pollen,Humulus/Cannabis pollen,and Artemisia pollne being the dominant pollen types.Among them,Platanus pollen was the absolute dominant pollen in this region.