1.Differences in HER2-0 and HER2-low Breast Cancer: Androgen Receptor and Programmed Death Ligand 1 as Predictive Factors
Xiaoqi ZHANG ; Ciqiu YANG ; Yitian CHEN ; Junsheng ZHANG ; Peiyong LI ; Na HUANG ; Yilin CHEN ; Minting LIANG ; Weiming LV ; Zhongyu YUAN ; Jie LI ; Kun WANG
Journal of Breast Cancer 2025;28(1):23-36
Purpose:
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast cancer has the potential to emerge as a distinct subtype. Several studies have compared the differences between HER2-low and HER2-0 breast cancers, but no consensus has been reached.Additionally, a biomarker to predict pathological complete response (pCR) rates in patients with HER2-low breast cancer remains to be identified.
Methods:
We collected data from 777 patients across three centers, stratifying them into HER2-low and HER2-0 groups. We compared differences in survival and pCR rates between the two groups and investigated potential biomarkers that could reliably predict pCR.
Results:
The study found that patients with HER2-0 breast cancer had higher pCR rates compared to patients with HER2-low tumors (289 patients [30.1%] vs. 475 patients [18.1%], p < 0.0001). Survival analysis showed no significant advantage for HER2-low tumors over HER2-0 breast cancers. Binary logistic analysis revealed that androgen receptor (AR) expression predicts poorer pCR rates in both the overall patient group and the HER2-0 breast cancer group (overall patients: odds ratio [OR], 0.479; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.250–0.917; p = 0.026 and HER2-0 patients: OR, 0.267; 95% CI, 0.080–0.892; p = 0.032). In contrast, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was associated with more favorable pCR rates in the overall patient group (OR, 3.199; 95% CI, 1.020–10.037; p = 0.046).
Conclusion
There is currently insufficient evidence to classify HER2-low breast cancer as a distinct subtype. Our study revealed that AR expression, along with negative PD-L1 expression, contributes to lower pCR rates.
2.Differences in HER2-0 and HER2-low Breast Cancer: Androgen Receptor and Programmed Death Ligand 1 as Predictive Factors
Xiaoqi ZHANG ; Ciqiu YANG ; Yitian CHEN ; Junsheng ZHANG ; Peiyong LI ; Na HUANG ; Yilin CHEN ; Minting LIANG ; Weiming LV ; Zhongyu YUAN ; Jie LI ; Kun WANG
Journal of Breast Cancer 2025;28(1):23-36
Purpose:
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast cancer has the potential to emerge as a distinct subtype. Several studies have compared the differences between HER2-low and HER2-0 breast cancers, but no consensus has been reached.Additionally, a biomarker to predict pathological complete response (pCR) rates in patients with HER2-low breast cancer remains to be identified.
Methods:
We collected data from 777 patients across three centers, stratifying them into HER2-low and HER2-0 groups. We compared differences in survival and pCR rates between the two groups and investigated potential biomarkers that could reliably predict pCR.
Results:
The study found that patients with HER2-0 breast cancer had higher pCR rates compared to patients with HER2-low tumors (289 patients [30.1%] vs. 475 patients [18.1%], p < 0.0001). Survival analysis showed no significant advantage for HER2-low tumors over HER2-0 breast cancers. Binary logistic analysis revealed that androgen receptor (AR) expression predicts poorer pCR rates in both the overall patient group and the HER2-0 breast cancer group (overall patients: odds ratio [OR], 0.479; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.250–0.917; p = 0.026 and HER2-0 patients: OR, 0.267; 95% CI, 0.080–0.892; p = 0.032). In contrast, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was associated with more favorable pCR rates in the overall patient group (OR, 3.199; 95% CI, 1.020–10.037; p = 0.046).
Conclusion
There is currently insufficient evidence to classify HER2-low breast cancer as a distinct subtype. Our study revealed that AR expression, along with negative PD-L1 expression, contributes to lower pCR rates.
3.Differences in HER2-0 and HER2-low Breast Cancer: Androgen Receptor and Programmed Death Ligand 1 as Predictive Factors
Xiaoqi ZHANG ; Ciqiu YANG ; Yitian CHEN ; Junsheng ZHANG ; Peiyong LI ; Na HUANG ; Yilin CHEN ; Minting LIANG ; Weiming LV ; Zhongyu YUAN ; Jie LI ; Kun WANG
Journal of Breast Cancer 2025;28(1):23-36
Purpose:
Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-low breast cancer has the potential to emerge as a distinct subtype. Several studies have compared the differences between HER2-low and HER2-0 breast cancers, but no consensus has been reached.Additionally, a biomarker to predict pathological complete response (pCR) rates in patients with HER2-low breast cancer remains to be identified.
Methods:
We collected data from 777 patients across three centers, stratifying them into HER2-low and HER2-0 groups. We compared differences in survival and pCR rates between the two groups and investigated potential biomarkers that could reliably predict pCR.
Results:
The study found that patients with HER2-0 breast cancer had higher pCR rates compared to patients with HER2-low tumors (289 patients [30.1%] vs. 475 patients [18.1%], p < 0.0001). Survival analysis showed no significant advantage for HER2-low tumors over HER2-0 breast cancers. Binary logistic analysis revealed that androgen receptor (AR) expression predicts poorer pCR rates in both the overall patient group and the HER2-0 breast cancer group (overall patients: odds ratio [OR], 0.479; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.250–0.917; p = 0.026 and HER2-0 patients: OR, 0.267; 95% CI, 0.080–0.892; p = 0.032). In contrast, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression was associated with more favorable pCR rates in the overall patient group (OR, 3.199; 95% CI, 1.020–10.037; p = 0.046).
Conclusion
There is currently insufficient evidence to classify HER2-low breast cancer as a distinct subtype. Our study revealed that AR expression, along with negative PD-L1 expression, contributes to lower pCR rates.
4.Reliability and validity analysis of a maternal psychological status assessment scale
Manman CHEN ; Qu LU ; Xian XIA ; Xinli ZHU ; Junsheng LIU ; Yu JIANG ; Xiaotian LI ; Qiongjie ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Perinatal Medicine 2025;28(6):488-496
Objective:To develop a maternal assessment scale integrating both positive (affirmation, optimism, self-confidence) and negative psychological states (fear, anxiety, depression) throughout the entire pregnancy cycle and evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods:In December 2020, the scale items were preliminarily identified through a literature review, forming a 55-item questionnaire for pilot survey and expert interviews. A pilot survey was conducted among registered pregnant women at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from April to May 2021. The feasibility and reliability of the questionnaire was validated through reliability and validity analysis, and revisions were made based on the feedback. The finalized version comprised 43 items, categorized into four key event dimensions (pregnancy, childbirth, transition to motherhood, and complications) and six psychological state dimensions (affirmation, fear, anxiety, depression, optimism, and self-confidence). Among these psychological states, affirmation, self-confidence, and optimism represent positive states, while fear, anxiety, and depression reflect negative states. A formal survey was conducted from December 2021 to November 2022. The normality, multicollinearity, reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of each item were analyzed.Results:(1) General information: A total of 625 participants were involved in the pilot survey. For the formal survey, 8 045 questionnaires were distributed, with 6 273 valid responses (78.0%). Among the valid questionnaires, 5 694 (90.8%) reported positive psychological states and 579 (9.2%) negative states. All of the psychological state dimensions were correlated (all P<0.01), with no multicollinearity detected [variance inflation factor (VIF)<10]. The four key event dimensions were also correlated (all P<0.01), with no multicollinearity (VIF<10). (2) Reliability: The overall Cronbach's α coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.830, and removing any single item resulted in the value remaining>0.6. Cronbach's α coefficient values for affirmation, fear, anxiety, depression, optimism, and self-confidence were 0.772, 0.724, 0.648, 0.551, 0.257, and 0.740, respectively. The values for the key event dimensions were as follows: 0.722 for pregnancy, 0.554 for childbirth, 0.621 for transition to motherhood, and 0.568 for complications. (3) Model fit: For the psychological states, the Chi-square to degrees of freedom ratio ( χ2/df) was 19.979 (>3), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.055 (<0.08). The model of key event dimensions had a χ2/df of 48.557, RMSEA of 0.087, comparative fit index of 0.400 (<0.9), and incremental fit index of 0.400 (<0.9). (4) Convergent and discriminant validity: The average variance extraction (AVE) values for affirmation, fear, anxiety, depression, optimism, and self-confidence were 0.407, 0.099, 0.188, 0.223, 0.419, and 0.362, with composite reliability (CR) values of 0.822, 0.730, 0.655, 0.584, 0.627, and 0.786, respectively. In the model of key event dimensions, the AVE values for pregnancy, childbirth, transition to motherhood, and complications were 0.167, 0.287, 0.328, and 0.166, with CR values of 0.555, 0.832, 0.746, and 0.633, respectively. Significant correlations were observed between all psychological dimensions except optimism-depression and self-confidence-anxiety pairs (all P<0.05). All four key event dimensions were significantly correlated (all P<0.05). Conclusions:This study preliminarily develops a maternal psychological status assessment scale with satisfactory reliability and validity. This scale can be used to evaluate the comprehensive psychological states of pregnant women during critical pregnancy-related events.
5.Clinical characteristics of warfarin-related nephropathy: a retrospective case series study
Nana CHEN ; Wenqi LIU ; Junsheng LI ; Dequn GUO ; Guiling SUN ; Zhengrong LI
Adverse Drug Reactions Journal 2025;27(11):681-685
Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of warfarin-related nephropathy (WRN).Methods:Medical records of patients with WRN admitted to Linyi People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong Second Medical University from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2024 were collected. The patients′ basic information (gender, age), warfarin medication details (indications, dosage, frequency, etc.), comorbidities, concomitant medication usage, international normalized ratio (INR) and serum creatinine (Scr) test results before and after the occurrence of WRN, as well as the clinical manifestations, interventions, and outcomes of WRN were extracted. The causal relationship between warfarin and renal dysfunction was evaluated according to the Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting and Monitoring Manual. The clinical data of patients were descriptively and statistically analyzed. Results:A total of 11 patients were entered in the analysis, including 7 males and 4 females; the age ranged from 49 to 85 years, with a median age of 70 years, and 9 cases were older than 60 years. The causality evaluation showed that 3 patients were definite and 8 patients were probable. All the 11 patients had at least one comorbidity, including 6 cases of heart failure, 6 cases of hypoproteinemia, 4 cases of chronic kidney disease, 3 cases of hypertension, 3 cases of pulmonary infection, and 1 case of diabetes. Seven patients were treated with warfarin combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics, 6 combined with diuretics, and 3 combined with renin angiotensin system blockers. The time from the highest INR to the highest Scr level was 0-6 days, with a median time of 2 days, and it was ≤2 days in 9 patients. Six patients had bleeding manifestations such as microscopic hematuria, melena, epistaxis, hematochezia, and skin ecchymosis. Among the 11 patients, 10 stopped warfarin immediately and 1 reduced dosage. All patients received different doses of vitamin K 1 according to the INR level. Among the 6 patients of bleeding, 4 received symptomatic treatments such as omeprazole, tranexamic acid, somatostatin, thrombin powder and octreotide, and 2 patients received hemodialysis due to high Scr level. One patient with severe anemia received blood transfusion. After 1-5 days of treatments (with a median time of 2 days), the INR in all patients decreased to <3.00, of which 5 patients continued to take warfarin, 1 changed warfarin to rivaroxaban, and 5 did not continue anticoagulation therapy. After 2 to 14 days of treatments, Scr in 8 patients recovered to the reference value range, and Scr in 3 patients was still at a high level, of which 1 patient died of unexplained cardiac arrest. Conclusions:WRN is a common adverse reaction of warfarin, with or without bleeding. After the occurrence of WRN, the drug should be stopped as soon as possible and symptomatic treatment should be given. The prognosis is generally good, but it may also lead to chronic kidney disease.
6.Research Progress on Apoptosis,Pyroptosis and Necroptosis in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
Shiping YU ; Nan ZHANG ; Weiyi SUN ; Qiang ZHI ; Junsheng SHA ; Shu CHEN ; Nan GAO
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(3):633-642
Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a malignant tumor formed in the colon or rectum,usually caused by uncontrolled growth and division of normal cells in the body.Cell apoptosis,pyroptosis,and necroptosis are key pathways of cell death in colorectal cancer.The comprehensive treatment strategy includes the synergistic effect of cell death inducers with chemotherapy,immunotherapy,and targeted therapy.Traditional Chinese medicine plays an important role as an adjuvant therapy in regulating cell death.The combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine has shown significant effects in precancerous lesions,improving efficacy,reducing adverse reactions,and reducing drug resistance.Although the research on the mechanism of cell death is not yet sufficient,emphasizing the unique characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine,clarifying the anti-tumor mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine,and achieving modern scientific internationalization of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment for colorectal cancer have become future research directions.This article will comprehensively review the molecular mechanisms of cell apoptosis,pyroptosis,and necroptosis from the perspective of combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine,as well as their regulatory role in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
7.Clinical characteristics of warfarin-related nephropathy: a retrospective case series study
Nana CHEN ; Wenqi LIU ; Junsheng LI ; Dequn GUO ; Guiling SUN ; Zhengrong LI
Adverse Drug Reactions Journal 2025;27(11):681-685
Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of warfarin-related nephropathy (WRN).Methods:Medical records of patients with WRN admitted to Linyi People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shandong Second Medical University from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2024 were collected. The patients′ basic information (gender, age), warfarin medication details (indications, dosage, frequency, etc.), comorbidities, concomitant medication usage, international normalized ratio (INR) and serum creatinine (Scr) test results before and after the occurrence of WRN, as well as the clinical manifestations, interventions, and outcomes of WRN were extracted. The causal relationship between warfarin and renal dysfunction was evaluated according to the Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting and Monitoring Manual. The clinical data of patients were descriptively and statistically analyzed. Results:A total of 11 patients were entered in the analysis, including 7 males and 4 females; the age ranged from 49 to 85 years, with a median age of 70 years, and 9 cases were older than 60 years. The causality evaluation showed that 3 patients were definite and 8 patients were probable. All the 11 patients had at least one comorbidity, including 6 cases of heart failure, 6 cases of hypoproteinemia, 4 cases of chronic kidney disease, 3 cases of hypertension, 3 cases of pulmonary infection, and 1 case of diabetes. Seven patients were treated with warfarin combined with broad-spectrum antibiotics, 6 combined with diuretics, and 3 combined with renin angiotensin system blockers. The time from the highest INR to the highest Scr level was 0-6 days, with a median time of 2 days, and it was ≤2 days in 9 patients. Six patients had bleeding manifestations such as microscopic hematuria, melena, epistaxis, hematochezia, and skin ecchymosis. Among the 11 patients, 10 stopped warfarin immediately and 1 reduced dosage. All patients received different doses of vitamin K 1 according to the INR level. Among the 6 patients of bleeding, 4 received symptomatic treatments such as omeprazole, tranexamic acid, somatostatin, thrombin powder and octreotide, and 2 patients received hemodialysis due to high Scr level. One patient with severe anemia received blood transfusion. After 1-5 days of treatments (with a median time of 2 days), the INR in all patients decreased to <3.00, of which 5 patients continued to take warfarin, 1 changed warfarin to rivaroxaban, and 5 did not continue anticoagulation therapy. After 2 to 14 days of treatments, Scr in 8 patients recovered to the reference value range, and Scr in 3 patients was still at a high level, of which 1 patient died of unexplained cardiac arrest. Conclusions:WRN is a common adverse reaction of warfarin, with or without bleeding. After the occurrence of WRN, the drug should be stopped as soon as possible and symptomatic treatment should be given. The prognosis is generally good, but it may also lead to chronic kidney disease.
8.Simultaneous determination of six alkaloid components in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills by QAMS
Hongying BAO ; Yukun ZHOU ; Ziwei CHEN ; Zengyun JI ; He MENG ; Junsheng HAO ; Ying XIN
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(2):190-197
Objective:To establish a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker(QAMS)for the determination of 6 alkaloid components,which is benzoylmesaconine,benzoyl-hypaconine,benzoylaconine,mesaconitine,hypaconitine,and aconitine in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills,and prove the scientificity and feasibility of the method in the quality analysis.Methods:The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm)with gradient elution using 0.1 mol·L-1 ammonium acetate(0.5 mL of gla-cial acetic acid per 1 000 mL)(A)-acetonitrile:tetrahydrofuran(25∶15)(B),as the mobile phase(0-50 min,18%B-28%B),the detection wavelength was switched from 235 nm,the column temperature was kept at 40℃and the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1.The relative correction factors(fs/i)were established with the other 5 compo-nents to be measured using benzoylaconine as the internal reference,which were used to calculate the mass fraction of each component.At the same time,the mass fractions of the 6 effective constituents in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills were calculated by the external standard method(ESM).By comparing the content results of ESMand QAMS,the accura-cy of QAMS method were evaluated.Results:The relative correction factors(fs/i)of benzoylmesaconine,benzoylhyp-aconine,mesaconitine,hypaconitine,and aconitine in Mongolian medicine Zhachong Shisanwei Pills were reproduci-ble with good reproducibility,which were 0.680 4,0.450 6,0.850 8,0.676 1 and 0.757 0,the result obtained by QAMS approximated those obtained by external standard method(ESM).Conclusion:The method is simple,stable and reproducible,and can be used for the quality control of 6 alkaloid components in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills.
9.Research Progress on Apoptosis,Pyroptosis and Necroptosis in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
Shiping YU ; Nan ZHANG ; Weiyi SUN ; Qiang ZHI ; Junsheng SHA ; Shu CHEN ; Nan GAO
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(3):633-642
Colorectal cancer(CRC)is a malignant tumor formed in the colon or rectum,usually caused by uncontrolled growth and division of normal cells in the body.Cell apoptosis,pyroptosis,and necroptosis are key pathways of cell death in colorectal cancer.The comprehensive treatment strategy includes the synergistic effect of cell death inducers with chemotherapy,immunotherapy,and targeted therapy.Traditional Chinese medicine plays an important role as an adjuvant therapy in regulating cell death.The combination of traditional Chinese and western medicine has shown significant effects in precancerous lesions,improving efficacy,reducing adverse reactions,and reducing drug resistance.Although the research on the mechanism of cell death is not yet sufficient,emphasizing the unique characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine,clarifying the anti-tumor mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine,and achieving modern scientific internationalization of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine treatment for colorectal cancer have become future research directions.This article will comprehensively review the molecular mechanisms of cell apoptosis,pyroptosis,and necroptosis from the perspective of combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine,as well as their regulatory role in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
10.Simultaneous determination of six alkaloid components in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills by QAMS
Hongying BAO ; Yukun ZHOU ; Ziwei CHEN ; Zengyun JI ; He MENG ; Junsheng HAO ; Ying XIN
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(2):190-197
Objective:To establish a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker(QAMS)for the determination of 6 alkaloid components,which is benzoylmesaconine,benzoyl-hypaconine,benzoylaconine,mesaconitine,hypaconitine,and aconitine in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills,and prove the scientificity and feasibility of the method in the quality analysis.Methods:The chromatographic separation was performed on an Agilent Eclipse Plus C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm)with gradient elution using 0.1 mol·L-1 ammonium acetate(0.5 mL of gla-cial acetic acid per 1 000 mL)(A)-acetonitrile:tetrahydrofuran(25∶15)(B),as the mobile phase(0-50 min,18%B-28%B),the detection wavelength was switched from 235 nm,the column temperature was kept at 40℃and the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1.The relative correction factors(fs/i)were established with the other 5 compo-nents to be measured using benzoylaconine as the internal reference,which were used to calculate the mass fraction of each component.At the same time,the mass fractions of the 6 effective constituents in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills were calculated by the external standard method(ESM).By comparing the content results of ESMand QAMS,the accura-cy of QAMS method were evaluated.Results:The relative correction factors(fs/i)of benzoylmesaconine,benzoylhyp-aconine,mesaconitine,hypaconitine,and aconitine in Mongolian medicine Zhachong Shisanwei Pills were reproduci-ble with good reproducibility,which were 0.680 4,0.450 6,0.850 8,0.676 1 and 0.757 0,the result obtained by QAMS approximated those obtained by external standard method(ESM).Conclusion:The method is simple,stable and reproducible,and can be used for the quality control of 6 alkaloid components in Zhachong Shisanwei Pills.

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