To address the growing challenge of an increasing number of elderly lung cancer patients amidst China's aging population and to fill the gap in quality control standards for surgical treatment in this special population, this study aimed to develop a standardized surgical evaluation system for elderly lung cancer patients tailored to China's national conditions. The system was established through a literature review, integrated the pathophysiological characteristics of elderly patients, and was constructed following review, feedback, and revision by experts from multiple thoracic surgery centers. Employing a 100-point scoring system, it comprises three primary domains: physical infrastructure and geriatric adaptability foundational conditions (10 points); management level and perioperative care models (20 points); and technical proficiency and clinical outcomes (70 points). The system places a strong emphasis on geriatric adaptability, proposing specific, quantifiable indicators for age-friendly facility modifications, control of elderly-specific complications, multidisciplinary collaboration, and standardized perioperative management. It provides a convenient and measurable assessment tool for quality control in the surgical treatment of elderly lung cancer in China, which is expected to promote the standardization and homogenization of diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To estimate the burden of influenza-associated outpatient consultations in China from 2011 to 2021 surveillance years to provide a reference for developing influenza prevention, control strategies, and vaccination policies.Methods:Data on influenza-like illness (ILI) and virological confirmation of sentinel specimens from 2011 to 2021 surveillance years were extracted from China's national sentinel surveillance system. Generalized additive models were fitted to estimate influenza-associated excess ILI outpatient burden, accounting for seasonal baselines and meteorological factors.Results:Influenza was associated with an average of 1.66 (95% CI: 1.51-1.80) excess ILI consultations per 1 000 person-years (py) in China each year from 2011 to 2021 surveillance years. The influenza-associated outpatient burden was similar across different virus types/subtypes. Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 led to a higher rate of influenza- associated ILI consultations [0.65 (95% CI: 0.53-0.76) per 1 000 py] compared to other types/subtypes. The age groups with the highest burdens were children aged 0-4 years and 5-14 years, with excess outpatient consultation rates of 15.23 (95% CI: 13.73-16.73) per 1 000 py and 13.53 (95% CI: 12.49-14.52) per 1 000 py, respectively. Conclusions:Influenza caused many outpatient consultations in China, particularly among children aged 0-14. Continuous influenza monitoring and disease burden assessment should be conducted, and close attention should be paid to the changing trends of various influenza virus types/subtypes. When formulating vaccination strategies, priority should be given to recommending vaccination for high-risk populations, such as children.

Objective:To understand the pathogenic composition and epidemiological characteristics of febrile respiratory syndrome (FRS) in elderly people aged 60 and above in China, and to provide a reference basis for the scientific and precise prevention and control of FRS in the elderly.Methods:Based on FRS cases surveillance data from information management system of National Technical Platform for Infectious Disease Surveillance, National Science and Technology Major Project of China, the surveillance pathogens included 8 viruses, including influenza virus (IFV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus (HAdV), parainfluenza virus (HPIV), metapneumovirus (HMPV), coronavirus (HCoV), bocavirus and rhinovirus (HRV); 7 bacterias, namely Streptococcus pneumoniae ( S.pneumoniae), Staphylococcus aureus ( S.aureus), Klebsiella pneumoniae ( K.pneumoniae), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P.aeruginosa), Group A Streptococcus ( GAS), Haemophilus influenzae ( H.influenzae) and Legionella pneumophila ( L. pneumophila), in addition to Chlamydia pneumoniae ( C. pneumoniae) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae ( M. pneumoniae). A descriptive epidemiological approach was used to analyze the pathogenic composition and major epidemiological characteristics of FRS cases aged 60 years and older nationwide from 2009 to 2021. Results:The predominant viruses of FRS cases aged≥60 years accounted for 87.93% of the pathogen spectrum in China, including IFV (42.42%), HRV (16.71%), HPIV (11.53%), HCoV (9.52%), and RSV (7.75%), while the pathogen spectrum of the major bacteria accounted for 94.60%, including S. pneumoniae (25.71%), P. aeruginosa (24.97%), K. pneumoniae (22.47%), H. influenzae (12.23%), and S. aureus (9.22%). Influenza viruses have always been at the top of the viral pathogen spectrum, and P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae and S. pneumoniae, ranked high in the bacterial pathogen spectrum. Among them, the proportions of HRV, HPIV, RSV, K. pneumoniae, and H. influenzae fluctuated and increased during the 13 years of observation. The positive rate of any pathogen in FRS cases was higher in out patient emergencies (32.83%) than in hospitalized cases (27.26%) ( χ2 =125.89, P<0.001). The positive rate of IFV was higher in cases aged 60-74 years (13.66%). The positive rate of P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae were higher in cases aged ≥90 years (10.71%, 9.40%) and in northern regions (8.32%, 7.30%). The positive rate of any pathogen in FRS cases was higher in winter (33.82%) than in other seasons ( χ2=212.03, P<0.001). The positive rate of IFV and HRV were higher in winter (22.87%) and autumn (5.98%) and the positive rate of P.aeruginosa (8.11%) and K.pneumoniae (8.30%) were higher in summer. Conclusions:IFV, HRV, HPIV, S. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae were respectively the top three pathogens in the viral and bacterial pathogen spectrum of FRS cases aged 60 years and above in China from 2009 to 2021, and the positive rate of these main pathogens showed differences between age groups, seasons, and geographic regions. In the future, the dynamic surveillance of various pathogens in the elderly with respiratory tract infections should be continuously strengthened.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2019.01.013.].

Azvudine and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) are recommended for COVID-19 treatment in China, but their safety and efficacy in the elderly population are not fully known. In this multicenter, retrospective, cohort study, we identified 5131 elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients from 32,864 COVID-19 patients admitted to nine hospitals in Henan Province, China, from December 5, 2022, to January 31, 2023. The primary outcome was all-cause death, and the secondary outcome was composite disease progression. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to control for confounding factors, including demographics, vaccination status, comorbidities, and laboratory tests. After 2:1 PSM, 1786 elderly patients receiving azvudine and 893 elderly patients receiving Paxlovid were included. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses revealed that compared with Paxlovid group, azvudine could significantly reduce the risk of all-cause death (log-rank P = 0.002; HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.573-0.883, P = 0.002), but there was no difference in composite disease progression (log-rank P = 0.52; HR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.877-1.260, P = 0.588). Four sensitivity analyses verified the robustness of above results. Subgroup analysis suggested that a greater benefit of azvudine over Paxlovid was observed in elderly patients with primary malignant tumors (P for interaction = 0.005, HR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.18-0.57) compared to patients without primary malignant tumors. Safety analysis revealed that azvudine treatment had a lower incidence of adverse events and higher lymphocyte levels than Paxlovid treatment. In conclusion, azvudine treatment is not inferior to Paxlovid treatment in terms of all-cause death, composite disease progression and adverse events in elderly hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

In recent decades, the prevalence of hyperuricemia and gout has increased dramatically due to lifestyle changes. The drugs currently recommended for hyperuricemia are associated with adverse reactions that limit their clinical use. In this study, we report that berberine (BBR) is an effective drug candidate for the treatment of hyperuricemia, with its mechanism potentially involving the modulation of gut microbiota and its metabolite, succinic acid. BBR has demonstrated good therapeutic effects in both acute and chronic animal models of hyperuricemia. In a clinical trial, oral administration of BBR for 6 months reduced blood uric acid levels in 22 participants by modulating the gut microbiota, which led to an increase in the abundance of Bacteroides and a decrease in Clostridium sensu stricto_1. Furthermore, Bacteroides fragilis was transplanted into ICR mice, and the results showed that Bacteroides fragilis exerted a therapeutic effect on uric acid similar to that of BBR. Notably, succinic acid, a metabolite of Bacteroides, significantly reduced uric acid levels. Subsequent cell and animal experiments revealed that the intestinal metabolite, succinic acid, regulated the upstream uric acid synthesis pathway in the liver by inhibiting adenosine monophosphate deaminase 2 (AMPD2), an enzyme responsible for converting adenosine monophosphate (AMP) to inosine monophosphate (IMP). This inhibition resulted in a decrease in IMP levels and an increase in phosphate levels. The reduction in IMP led to a decreased downstream production of hypoxanthine, xanthine, and uric acid. BBR also demonstrated excellent renoprotective effects, improving nephropathy associated with hyperuricemia. In summary, BBR has the potential to be an effective treatment for hyperuricemia through the gut-liver axis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the inhibitory effect of pirfenidone (PFD) on growth of bladder cancer xenograft and its regulatory effect on Treg cells in tumor-bearing mice. METHODS: Thirty-two C57BL/6 mice bearing ectopic bladder tumors were randomized into control and PFD groups (n=16). In PFD group, PFD was administered orally at the daily dose of 500 mg/kg, and tumor growth and survival of the mice were monitored. After treatment for 21 days, the tumors and vital organs were harvested for analysis. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess CD3, CD4, CD8, and FOXP3 expressions in the tumors. Flow cytometry and RT-qPCR were used to analyze the percentage of CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺ Treg cells and IL-2, IL-10, and IL-35 expressions in the tumors and spleens; organ damage of the mice was examined with HE staining. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the PFD-treated mice exhibited significantly lower tumor growth rate with smaller tumor volumes at day 21, along with improved survival at day 28. Immunohistochemistry revealed no significant differences in the infiltration of CD3⁺ and CD8⁺ cells between the two groups, but the percentages of CD4⁺ and FOXP3⁺ cells were significantly lower in the tumors of PFD-treated mice. Flow cytometric analysis confirmed a decrease in CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺ Treg cells in the tumors from PFD-treated mice, which also had reduced expression levels of IL-2, IL-10 and IL-35 mRNAs in the tumors. No significant differences were found in Treg cell populations or cytokine expressions in the spleen tissues between the two groups. HE staining showed obvious organ damage in neither of the groups. CONCLUSIONS PFD inhibits bladder cancer growth and enhances survival of tumor-bearing mice possibly by suppressing Treg cells in the tumor microenvironment.
Animals ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Interleukins/metabolism* ; Interleukin-10/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Interleukin-2/metabolism* ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Female

Objective:To investigate the effect of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) on acute lung injury in septic mice and its underlying molecular mechanism.Methods:Twenty SPF male C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks were randomly (random number) divided into the sham-operated group, sham-operated + IGF-1 group, sepsis group and sepsis + IGF-1 group, with 5 mice in each group. IGF-1 [60 μg/(kg·d)] was injected via the tail vein for 3 consecutive days in the sham-operated + IGF-1 group and sepsis + IGF-1 group, and mice in the sham-operated group and sepsis group were injected with an equal volume of saline. The tissue of the upper lobe of the right lung was taken to calculate the wet-to-dry ratio, and the upper lobe of the left lung was subjected to HE staining to analyze pathological changes and evaluate lung injury. The levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum of mice were detected by ELISA. The expression of p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT and AKT in lung tissues was determined via Western blotting. The quantitative data with a normal distribution and homogeneity of variance were compared between the two groups by two independent sample t test. Results:Lung volume was reduced in the sepsis group than in the sham-operated group, obvious surface congestion, dark red color, large bruises and hemorrhagic foci were observed under the pericardium, and the wet-to-dry ratio was significantly elevated ( P<0.05). Compared with the sepsis group, the sepsis + IGF-1 group had slightly increased lung volume, less congestion, darker red color, fewer bruises and hemorrhagic foci, and a lower wet-to-dry ratio ( P<0.05). There was no significant change in lung tissue morphology in the sham-operated + IGF-1 group compared with the sham-operated group. HE staining and lung histopathological scores showed that lung tissue was significantly damaged in the sepsis group than the sham-operated group ( P<0.001), and the pathological score of lung tissue was less damaged in the sepsis + IGF-1 group compared with the sepsis group ( P<0.01). The ELISA results demonstrated that the serum levels of IL-6 and IL-1β were markedly decreased in the sepsis + IGF-1 group than in the sepsis group [(26.22±1.60) pg/mL vs. (45.61±7.85) pg/mL, P<0.05; (87.99±11.80) pg/mL vs. (181.26±10.11) pg/mL, P<0.001]. Moreover, the IL-6 and IL-1β contents in the BALF of the sepsis + IGF-1 group were notably lower than those in the BALF of the sepsis group [(7.67±0.42) pg/mL vs. (20.25±0.43) pg/mL, P<0.001; (17.00±6.08) pg/mL vs. (108.61±5.18), pg/mL P <0.001]. Western blot analysis revealed that the expression of p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT and AKT in the lung tissues of mice in the sepsis+IGF-1 group were markedly lower than that in the sepsis group [(0.71±0.05) vs. (1.21±0.09), P<0.05; (0.57±0.08) vs. (1.24±0.22), P<0.01; (0.29±0.07) vs. (1.10±0.04), P<0.001; (0.65±0.17) vs. (1.19±0.07), P<0.01]. Conclusion:IGF-1 ameliorates sepsis-induced acute lung injury in mice, and its protective effect may be achieved by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Objective To investigate the expression levels of serum microRNA-21(miR-21)and microRNA-23a(miR-23a)in patients with Parkinson's disease(PD)and their correlations with cognitive function and inflammatory responses.Methods A total of 120 PD patients admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University between December 2019 and January 2022 were enrolled,along with 115 healthy controls from the same period.Serum miR-21 and miR-23a levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR,while serum levels of IL-6,CRP,and TNF-α were determined by ELISA.According to Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)scores,PD patients were classified into a cognitive impairment group(MMSE<26,n=72)and a normal cognition group(MMSE≥26,n=48).General characteristics in clinical and biochemical indicators levels were compared between the two groups.Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the relationships of miRNAs and MMSE scores.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify risk factors for cognitive impairment.The predictive value of miR-21 and miR-23a was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results Serum miR-21,miR-23a,IL-6,CRP,and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the PD group than in the control group(P<0.01).The cognitive impairment group showed higher levels of miR-21,miR-23a,and inflammatory factor than the cognitively normal group(P<0.01).Correlation analysis revealed that miR-21 and miR-23a levels were negatively correlated with MMSE scores(r=-0.472,-0.514;P<0.001)and positively correlated with IL-6,CRP,and TNF-α(P<0.001).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that high expression of miR-21,miR-23a,and a higher UPDRS score,were independent risk factors for cognitive impairment in PD patients(P<0.05).Combined detection of miR-21 and miR-23a showed higher predictive accuracy for cognitive impairment than either marker alone(P<0.05).Conclusion Serum expression levels of miR-21 and miR-23a was upregulated in PD patients,which were associated with cognitive function and inflammatory response.Combined detection shows good predictive value for cognitive impairment..

Objective: To investigate the potential therapeutic mechanisms of kaempferol , an active component in the traditional Chinese medicine gardenia , for lung cancer treatment using a network pharmacology approach . Methods: The main active ingredients and potential targets of Gardenia jasminoides were obtained through the Tra⁃ditional Chinese Medicine Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) , and combined with the lung cancer related target information collected from Gene Cards and OMIM databases , the intersection targets of Garde⁃nia jasminoides and lung cancer treatment were determined by drawing Venn diagrams . Further screening of core targets was conducted through PPI network analysis , and gene ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes ( KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the Metascape platform . Auto dock software was used to evaluate the binding affinity between the active ingredients of Gardenia jasminoides and target proteins . In terms of experiments , cell proliferation ability was evaluated through CCK⁃8 assay , cell migration and invasion ability were detected through cell scratch healing assay and Transwell assay , and the expression levels of epithelial mesenchymal transition ( EMT) protein and inflammatory factors were detected by Western blot and RT⁃qPCR . Results: The active ingredient kaempferol in Gardenia jasminoides exhibited significant binding ability invasion of lung cancer cells . The results of Western blot and RT⁃qPCR further confirmed that kaempferol could promote an increase in E ⁃cadherin , a decrease in N ⁃cadherin and Vimentin , and reduce the expression of inflam⁃matory factors . Conclusion The active ingredient of Gardenia jasminoides , kaempferol , inhibits the proliferation ,migration and invasion of lung cancer cells by targeting BCL⁃2 , while reversing EMT progression and suppressing the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines in lung cancer cells , thus preventing lung cancer progression .