ObjectiveThe malaria parasites remodel the host erythrocyte structure by exporting parasite proteins that interact with the membrane skeleton proteins of red blood cells (RBCs), facilitating their intracellular survival and pathogenicity. Skeleton-binding protein 1 (SBP1) is a conserved exported protein across Plasmodium species. In Plasmodium falciparum, SBP1 has been reported to interact with erythrocyte membrane skeleton proteins 4.1R and spectrin, while its contribution to erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence in Plasmodium berghei (Pb) remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether PbSBP1 associates with the host cytoskeletal protein 4.1R and to investigate its role in the remodeling of host RBCs and the pathogenicity of Plasmodium berghei. MethodsIn Plasmodium berghei, the relationship between PbSBP1 and the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R was examined using co-immunoprecipitation. A Pbsbp1 gene knockout mutant of Plasmodium berghei (Pbsbp1∆) was generated based on the principle of double crossover homologous recombination. The deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was assessed using microfluidic methods. Microchannels with an array of cylindrical pillars were used to detect modifications in infected RBC deformability. The infected RBCs were squashed between the rows and recovered between the columns and the transit velocity (μm/s) of infected RBCs travelling through the microchannel was recorded. The component of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton junctional complex, tropomodulin (TMOD), was fluorescently labeled, and the cytoskeletal network of infected erythrocytes was imaged using super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to analyze ultrastructural changes in the cytoskeleton of wild-type (WT) and Pbsbp1∆-infected erythrocytes. Actin-based junctional complexes were displayed as individual clusters by the labeled TMOD in the STORM images, and the cluster densities and distances between adjacent clusters of infected RBCs were calculated. Additionally, rodent malaria models (BALB/c mice) and experimental cerebral malaria models (C57BL/6 mice) were employed to monitor the growth of Pbsbp1∆ and WT parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage and their capacity to induce cerebral malaria in mice. ResultsPbSBP1 may participate in the remodeling of infected erythrocytes through direct or indirect interaction with the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R. Microfluidic assays revealed that the deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was significantly enhanced compared to those infected with WT parasites. STORM imaging further demonstrated that the ultrastructure of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton in Pbsbp1∆-infected cells was altered relative to that in WT-infected erythrocytes. The distances between nearest neighbors of clusters had a tendency to increase while the cluster densities were decreased in Pbsbp1∆-infected RBCs compared to WT-infected RBCs. Subsequent phenotypic analysis indicated that the growth rate of Pbsbp1∆ parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage was significantly slower than that of WT parasites, and their ability to induce cerebral malaria in mice was also attenuated. These findings suggest that PbSBP1 is involved in the remodeling of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton, likely through its direct or indirect interaction with protein 4.1R, thereby regulating the deformability of infected erythrocytes and influencing the pathogenicity of the blood-stage parasites. ConclusionThis study establishes a role for PbSBP1 in host erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence, providing new research strategies for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Background: In acute and chronic renal inflammatory diseases, the activation of inflammatory cells is involved in the defect of erythropoietin (EPO) production. Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein-4 (RasGRP4) promotes renal inflammatory injury in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of RasGRP4 in the production of renal EPO in diabetes. Methods: The degree of tissue injury was observed by pathological staining. Inflammatory cell infiltration was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Serum EPO levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and EPO production and renal interstitial fibrosis were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of key inflammatory factors and the activation of signaling pathways. In vitro, the interaction between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and C3H10T1/2 cells was investigated via cell coculture experiments. Results: RasGRP4 decreased the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF2A) via the ubiquitination–proteasome degradation pathway and promoted myofibroblastic transformation by activating critical inflammatory pathways, consequently reducing the production of EPO in T2DM mice. Conclusion RasGRP4 participates in the production of renal EPO in diabetic mice by affecting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in PBMCs, degrading HIF2A, and promoting the myofibroblastic transformation of C3H10T1/2 cells.

OBJECTIVE: Huachansu injection (HCSI), a promising anti-cancer Chinese medicine injection, has been reported to have the potential for reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy and improving the quality of life for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. The objective of this study is to explore the synergistic and detoxifying effects of HCSI when used in combination with irinotecan (CPT-11). METHODS: To investigate the effect of HCSI on anti-CRC efficacy and intestinal toxicity of CPT-11, we measured changes in the biological behavior of LoVo cells in vitro, and anti-tumor effects in LoVo cell xenograft nude mice models in vivo. Meanwhile, the effect of HCSI on intestinal toxicity and the uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) expression was investigated in the CPT-11-induced colitis mouse model. Subsequently, we measured the effect of HCSI and its 13 constituent bufadienolides on the expression of UGT1A1 and organic anion transporting polypeptides 1B3 (OATP1B3) in HepG2 cells. RESULTS: The combination index (CI) results showed that the combination of HCSI and CPT-11 exhibited a synergistic effect (CI < 1), which significantly suppressing the LoVo cell migration, enhancing G2/M and S phase arrest, and inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. Additionally, the damage to intestinal tissues was attenuated by HCSI in CPT-11-induced colitis model, while the increased expression of UGT1A1 in HepG2 cells and in mouse was observed. CONCLUSION The co-therapy with HCSI alleviated the intestinal toxicity induced by CPT-11 and exerted an enhanced anti-CRC effect. The detoxifying mechanism may be related to the increased expression of UGT1A1 and OATP1B3 by HCSI and its bufadienolides components. The findings of this study may serve as a theoretical insights and strategies to improve CRC patient outcomes. Please cite this article as: Jiang B, Meng ZY, Hu YJ, Chen JJ, Zong L, Xu LY, Zhang XQ, Zhang JX, Han YL. Huachansu injection enhances anti-colorectal cancer efficacy of irinotecan and alleviates its induced intestinal toxicity through upregulating UGT1A1-OATP1B3 expression in vitro and in vivo. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):576-590.
Irinotecan/therapeutic use* ; Animals ; Glucuronosyltransferase/genetics* ; Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Up-Regulation/drug effects* ; Male ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Hep G2 Cells ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Intestines/drug effects* ; Amphibian Venoms

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of the multidisciplinary team （MDT） management model in improving the prognosis of patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension. MethodsA total of 86 patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension who were admitted to Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital from May 2022 to July 2024 were enrolled， and according to whether the MDT treatment regimen was implemented， they were divided into execution group with 51 patients and non-execution group with 35 patients. Baseline clinical data were collected， and the patients were observed in terms of gastrointestinal bleeding， hepatic encephalopathy， liver cancer， and death from admission to the end of follow-up （January 2025）. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves for the cumulative incidence rates of endpoint events （gastrointestinal bleeding， hepatic encephalopathy， liver cancer， and death）， and the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. The Cox proportional-hazards regression model analysis was used to investigate the effect of MDT management on the prognosis of patients. ResultsThere were significant differences between the execution group and the non-execution group in diameter of the portal vein （t=1.216， P=0.017） and ascites （χ²=4.515， P=0.034） at baseline. The patients were followed up for 14.6±6.2 months， and the survival curve analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the cumulative incidence rate of gastrointestinal bleeding between the two groups （χ²=4.573， P=0.024）， while there were no significant differences in the incidence rates of other outcome events between the two groups （all P>0.05）. The Cox regression analysis showed that the execution group had a reduced risk of gastrointestinal bleeding （hazard ratio=0.262， 95% confidence interval： 0.110 — 0.630， P=0.003）. ConclusionImplementation of the MDT treatment regimen can significantly reduce the short-term risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension， while its long-term benefits require further follow-up verification.

Background: In acute and chronic renal inflammatory diseases, the activation of inflammatory cells is involved in the defect of erythropoietin (EPO) production. Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein-4 (RasGRP4) promotes renal inflammatory injury in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of RasGRP4 in the production of renal EPO in diabetes. Methods: The degree of tissue injury was observed by pathological staining. Inflammatory cell infiltration was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Serum EPO levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and EPO production and renal interstitial fibrosis were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of key inflammatory factors and the activation of signaling pathways. In vitro, the interaction between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and C3H10T1/2 cells was investigated via cell coculture experiments. Results: RasGRP4 decreased the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF2A) via the ubiquitination–proteasome degradation pathway and promoted myofibroblastic transformation by activating critical inflammatory pathways, consequently reducing the production of EPO in T2DM mice. Conclusion RasGRP4 participates in the production of renal EPO in diabetic mice by affecting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in PBMCs, degrading HIF2A, and promoting the myofibroblastic transformation of C3H10T1/2 cells.

Background: In acute and chronic renal inflammatory diseases, the activation of inflammatory cells is involved in the defect of erythropoietin (EPO) production. Ras guanine nucleotide-releasing protein-4 (RasGRP4) promotes renal inflammatory injury in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Our study aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of RasGRP4 in the production of renal EPO in diabetes. Methods: The degree of tissue injury was observed by pathological staining. Inflammatory cell infiltration was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. Serum EPO levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and EPO production and renal interstitial fibrosis were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of key inflammatory factors and the activation of signaling pathways. In vitro, the interaction between peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and C3H10T1/2 cells was investigated via cell coculture experiments. Results: RasGRP4 decreased the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF2A) via the ubiquitination–proteasome degradation pathway and promoted myofibroblastic transformation by activating critical inflammatory pathways, consequently reducing the production of EPO in T2DM mice. Conclusion RasGRP4 participates in the production of renal EPO in diabetic mice by affecting the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in PBMCs, degrading HIF2A, and promoting the myofibroblastic transformation of C3H10T1/2 cells.

Medical engineering in TCM medical institutions in Guizhou Province was described in terms of its development status and problems in functional positioning,professional title appraisal,unbalanced staff composition and discipline foun-dation.Some suggestions were put forward including determining the functional positioning and management mode of medical engineering institutions,promoting the professional title system for medical engineering staffs,strengthening medical engineering team and enhancing medical engineering discipline.References were provided for the development of medical engineering in TCM medical institutions in Guizhou Province.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(5):84-90]

Objective:To develop and assess a deep learning-based model for automatic segmentation of organs at risk (OARs) in postoperative brachytherapy for endometrial carcinoma (EC).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on the computed tomography (CT) images of 108 EC patients who received high-dose-rate (HDR) 192Ir intracavitary vaginal-cuff brachytherapy (VCB) at the Peking University Third Hospital from November 2021 to October 2022. Then, the rectum, colon, small intestine, and bladder in these images were manually segmented. These patients were randomly divided into two groups using a random number table: 90 cases for training the 3D no-new-U-Net (nnU-Net) segmentation model and 18 cases for model testing. The precision and clinical applicability of the automatic segmentation model were assessed using geometric indexes including Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), Hausdorff distance (HD), and mean surface distance (MSD), as well as dose-volume parameters (DVPs) including the minimum dose to 0.1, 1.0, and 2.0 cm 3 of OARs that received the highest irradiation doses ( D0.1 cm 3, D1.0 cm 3, and D2.0 cm 3). Results:The 3D nnU-Net model yielded mean DSC values of 0.90, 0.85, 0.88, and 0.95, respectively for the segmentations of the rectum, colon, small bowel, and bladder, all of which were better than those of the 3D U-Net and V-Net models. The differences among the three models were statistically significant ( F = 21.78, 24.33, 36.00, 20.11, P < 0.001). The 3D nnU-Net exhibited statistically significant differences in HD values for the colon, small intestine, and bladder segmentations among the three method ( F = 17.33, 24.11, 6.33, P < 0.05). The 3D nnU-Net model yielded lower MSD values for the segmentations of all organs compared to the control model, with statistically significant differences ( F = 29.78, 27.11, 27.11, 14.78, P < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was found in all DVPs between the 3D nnU-Net model-based and manual segmentations ( P > 0.05). Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated great consistency between the 3D nnU-Net and manual segmentations. Conclusions:The 3D nnU-Net-based model exhibits high geometric accuracy and dosimetric consistency with manual segmentation of OARs in brachytherapy, holding potential to improve clinical efficiency.

Objective:To investigate the early clinical efficacy of arthroscopic suture and transoral tunnel Versalok anchor fixation in the treatment of acute posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) femoral avulsion fractures in adults.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 4 patients with acute PCL femoral insertion avulsion fracture who had been treated at Sports Medicine Center, Xi'an Honghui Hospital from January 2019 to June 2023. They were 1 male aged 49 years old and 3 females aged 39, 44, and 59 years old. Their time from injury to surgery was 3, 4, 9, and 12 days, respectively. All patients underwent arthroscopic suturing of the PCL femoral avulsion ligament junction. The sutures were pulled towards the medial femoral condyle through a bone tunnel created in the area of the medial femoral condyle ligament footprint and fixated with the Versalok anchor. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at 6 months postoperatively to assess union of the avulsion fracture and PCL continuity. The postoperative active knee flexion and extension, ligament tension, knee stability and knee functional recovery were recorded at the final follow-up.Results:One female patient sprained her knee while walking 6 months after surgery and then gradually developed knee pain and instability symptoms with a positive posterior drawer test (grade Ⅲ). She underwent PCL ligament reconstruction 7 months after surgery so that her follow-up was terminated. The remaining 3 patients were followed for 6, 12 and 13 months, respectively. Their active knee extension and flexion activities were comparable to those on the unaffected side and within the normal range at the last follow-up. Two patients had a negative posterior drawer test and 1 patient a positive posterior drawer test (grade I) but no symptoms of knee instability.Conclusion:Arthroscopic suture and bone tunnel Versalok anchor fixation technique in the treatment of acute femoral PCL avulsion fractures in adults is feasible and effective.

Objective:To investigate the early clinical efficacy of arthroscopic suture half-tie combined with Versalok anchor fixation in the treatment of avulsion fracture of the tibial insertion of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in adults.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of the 26 adult patients with avulsion fracture of the ACL tibial insertion who had been treated by arthroscopic suture half-tie combined with Versalok anchor fixation between June 2020 and December 2022 at Sports Medicine Center, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University. This cohort consisted of 12 males and 14 females with an age of (26.6±7.5) years. According to the Meyers-McKeever classification, there were 9 cases of type Ⅱ, 12 cases of type Ⅲ, and 3 cases of type Ⅳ. The time from injury to surgery was (9.3±6.8) days. Follow-up evaluations were conducted at postoperative 3 days, 3 months, and 12 months, including imaging assessments for fracture healing, clinical examinations of knee flexion and extension, anterior drawer and Lachman tests to assess the ACL tension. At the last follow-up, KT-2000 test was performed to quantify ACL laxity, and visual analogue scale (VAS) and Lysholm knee score were used to assess postoperative pain and functional recovery.Results:Primary wound healing was achieved in all the 26 patients. One patient required ACL reconstruction due to laxity and mild extension limitation at postoperative 6 months. The other 25 patients were followed for (15.4±3.2) months. At postoperative 12 months, X-rays showed good bone healing at the fracture site of the tibial intercondylar eminence, and both the Lachman and anterior drawer tests were negative. At postoperative 3 months and the last follow-up, the active knee extension and flexion were 128.8° (121.2°, 138.3°) and 52.7° (38.2°, 63.2°), respectively, significantly better than the preoperative value [52.7° (38.2°, 63.2°)] ( P<0.05), and the KT-2000 test showed that the disparity between the affected and healthy sides were 2.5 (1.2, 4.2) mm and 1.2 (0.8, 3.4) mm, respectively, significantly smaller than the preoperative value [7.1 (5.2, 11.2) mm] ( P<0.05). At postoperative 3 and 12 months, the VAS pain scores were significantly decreased and the knee Lysholm scores were significantly improved compared with the preoperative values ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the treatment of avulsion fracture of the ACL tibial insertion in adults, arthroscopic suture half-tie combined with Versalok anchor fixation is a minimally invasive, reliable, and straightforward technique, leading to excellent early clinical outcomes.