The interaction of gut microbiota and its metabolites with the host not only plays an important role in maintaining gut homeostasis and host health, but also is a key link in responding to pathogen infections. A thorough understanding of the changes in gut microbiota and its metabolites during infection, as well as their role and mechanism in host defense against infection, is helpful to guide anti-infection treatment. This review focuses on the role of gut microbiota and their metabolites in host defense against bacterial, fungal, and viral infections, and reveals that they can exert anti-infection effects through resistance mechanisms (inducing antimicrobial substances, training immunity, inhibiting pathogen respiration, directly neutralizing pathogens, immune regulation) and tolerance mechanisms (altering energy metabolism patterns of microbiota, cell proliferation and tissue damage repair, maintaining physiological signal transduction in extraintestinal organs, inflammation regulation, maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier), and also summarizes measures to regulate gut microbiota against pathogen infections, in order to provide more ideas for novel anti-infection prevention and treatment strategies targeting gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Objective:To detect the expression level of tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD in the serum of breast cancer patients and to explore its effect on the function of breast cancer cells.Methods:The serums of 57 breast cancer patients, 39 breast benign tumor patients and 40 normal physical examination patients in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April to August in 2022 were collected. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR) to detect the expression level of tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD in breast cancer cell lines and serum of breast cancer patients. Cell invasion assay, migration assay and CCK-8 proliferation assay were used to analyze the effect of tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD on breast cancer cell function. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD in serum in breast cancer. The chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation between tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD and clinical features.Results:The expression levels of tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD in breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 (0.50±0.22 vs 1.00±0.01), T-47D (0.33±0.02 vs 1.00±0.01) and MCF-7 (0.50±0.02 vs 1.00±0.01) were significantly lower than those in normal mammary epithelial cell lines (1.00±0.01), and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). The expression level of tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD in the serum of breast cancer patients (1.35±1.25) was lower than that in the serum of patients with normal physical examination (6.42±3.13) and patients with benign breast tumors (9.57±2.11), and the difference was statistically significant (both P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the invasiveness of overexpressing tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD T-47D (86.67±12.22 vs 532.00±22.68, P<0.001) and MDA-MB-231 (535.33±99.12 vs 1 055.67±24.00, P=0.002) was weaker, and that of T-47D (442.67±81.79 vs 1 210.67±115.02, P=0.002) and MDA-MB-231 (278.67±108.40 vs 571.33±95.37, P=0.015) had weaker migration ability, and T-47D and MDA-MB-231 had weaker proliferative ability (all P<0.05). The area under the curve of serum tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD for the diagnostic efficacy of breast cancer was 0.743 (95% CI 0.644-0.842), and the sensitivity and specificity were 89.50% and 53.10%, respectively. Conclusion:tRF-31-PER8YP9LON4VD is low expressed in the serum of breast cancer patients, and it may inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.

Objective:To establish a 14-day prognosis model for emergency patients with acute ischemic cerebral stroke and evaluate its predictive efficacy.Methods:A prospective cohort study was conducted. Patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the emergency department of Beijing Bo’ai Hospital within 72 hours of onset from October 2018 to December 2020 were enrolled. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to screen the risk factors of poor prognosis. The ROC curve was drawn to determine the cut-off value of continuous variables and discretise data with reference to clinical practice. The corresponding scores were set up according to the β regression coefficient of each variable, and the clinical scale prediction model of short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction was established. Patients with ischemic stroke in the hospital from January to December 2021 were selected as the internal validation, to verify the constructed predictive model.Results:A total of 321 patients were included in the study, including 223 in the training set and 98 in the internal validation set. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, hypersensitive C-reactive protein, prealbumin (PA), infarct volume, Frailty Screening Questionnaire (FSQ) and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were independent risk factors for poor short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction. The total score of the clinical prediction scoring system for short-term prognosis of acute cerebral infarction in the emergency department was 15 points, including age ≥74 years (1 point), PA ≤373 mg/L (2 points), large artery atherosclerosis (1 point), cardiogenic embolism (2 points), infarct volume ≥ 2.18 cm 3 (2 points), FSQ ≥3 points (1 point), NIHSS ≥4 points (6 points); The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the scoring system for predicting short-term poor prognosis of acute cerebral infarction was 0.927 (95% CI: 0.894-0.960). The optimal cut-off value was ≥5 points, and the sensitivity and specificity were 0.770 and 0.976, respectively. In the internal validation set, the scoring system had similar predictive value for poor outcomes (AUC=0.892, 95% CI:0.827-0.957). Conclusion:The scoring system for short-term prognosis prediction of acute ischemic cerebral infarction has good diagnostic efficacy, and could guide clinicians to judge the prognosis of emergency patients in the early stage.

Objective:To compare the clinical value of CTA and CDU in perforator flap of peroneal artery.Methods:From February 2013 to October 2016, 47 patients who suffered with soft tissue defects and were hospitalised in the Department of Orthopaedics, the 920th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese PLA were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated. All the defects were reconstructed by the perforator flap of peroneal artery. All patients received preoperative CTA and CDU scans before surgery. Appropriate perforator vessels were selected and the locating points in body surface and external diameters of the perforator vessels were recorded and compared with intraoperative findings. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for data analysis. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:The intraoperative coincidence rate of the proposed perforator vessels was 97.87% for CDU and 95.74% for CTA, with no significant difference between the 2 groups( P>0.05). It was found that the preoperative CTA and CDU measurements were consistent with the actual intraoperative measurements, and there was no significant difference between the 2 groups( P>0.05). For CTA combined with CDU, an intraoperative coincidence rate was 100% in the location of peroneal perforating vessels. All flaps were followed-up for 1 to 18(mean 13.5) months. All the flaps survived well with good texture and appearance without complication. Conclusion:CDU and CTA are reliable and useful in preoperative vascular evaluation of peroneal perforator flap, and both can be used in a complementary or combined manner.

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) has the characteristics of biocompatibility, biodegradability, modifiability, and slow release, which has attracted extensive attention in the treatment of gynecological diseases. This paper summarizes the relevant literature reports at home and abroad in recent years, expounds the research situation of PLGA nanoparticles as drug carriers in gynecological diseases such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and endometriosis, and looks forward to its great potential in clinical application in gynecological diseases, providing guidance for its prevention and treatment in gynecological diseases.

A large spontaneous mass on the dorsal abdomen near the hip joint was found in an aged female Tupaia belangeri subsp. yaoshanensis after 5 years of routine feeding. The tumor in the diseased tree shrew was huge, with an intact surface and no ulceration; however, it caused inconvenience in movement while maintaining a good mental state. After inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane (2%-4%), the tree shrew was euthanized after the tree shrew entered deep anesthesia. Anatomical dissection of the tumor, the tumor boundary was unclear and infiltrated into surrounding tissues. HE staining showed that small focal pleomorphism and large areas of adipocytes were seen in the tumor tissue. The pleomorphic sarcoma area was mainly composed of atypical epithelioid cells with easily visible nuclear divisions. The size of the adipocytes was significantly different, and more pleomorphic adipocytes were seen. The cell volume was large, the nucleus was deeply stained and deformed, the edge was impressed, and the cytoplasm was seen with multiple vesicular lipid droplets. Immunohistochemical results showed that the tumor cells were positive for Vimentin, the small focal polymorphic adipocyte nucleus was positive for S-100, and Ki-67 exhibited a higher proportion of positivity. Combined with HE staining and immunohistochemical results, the spontaneous tumor in this tree shrew was comprehensively diagnosed as pleomorphic liposarcoma.

Objective:To explore the clinical and endoscopic features of patients with autoimmune gastritis (AIG) and to improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis of AIG.Methods:From January 3, 2020 to November 25, 2021, the general information (gender, age), laboratory examination indicators and endoscopic findings of 179 AIG patients diagnosed at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. The laboratory examination indicators included hemoglobin, gastrin-17, pepsinogen (PG), anemia combination indicators (ferritin, vitamin B 12), thyroid function indicators (thyroid-stimulating hormone, thyroglobulin antibody and thyroid peroxidase antibody), Helicobacter pylori, and anti-parietal cell antibody and anti-intrinsic factor antibody. Descriptive methods were used for statistical analysis. Results:Among the 179 AIG patients, there were 42 males (23.5%) and 137 females (76.5%), with an average age of (55.23±12.04) years old. The gastrin-17 level of AIG patients was 195.31 ng/L (143.64 ng/L, 273.61 ng/L), PG Ⅰ level and PG Ⅰ/PG Ⅱ ratio were 12.40 μg/L (7.65 μg/L, 19.40 μg/L) and 1.03 (0.66, 1.52), respectively. There were 15.3% (18/118) of the AIG patients with iron deficiency anemia, and 16.1% (19/118) with megaloblastic anemia. The positive rate of anti-parietal cell antibody was 71.8% (51/71), and the positive rate of anti-intrinsic factor antibody was 25.4% (18/71). The serum thyroid-stimulating hormone level increased in 27.3% (15/55) of the patients, and the positive rates of thyroglobulin antibody and thyroid peroxidase antibody were 31.6% (12/38) and 47.4% (18/38), respectively. The positive rate of Helicobacter pylori was 29.7% (38/128). The endoscopic appearance of AIG indicated reverse atrophy, characterized by obvious atrophy in gastric fundus and gastric body mucosa, however the atrophy of gastric antrum was not obvious. Under endoscopy yellow-white turbid mucus, which was difficult to be washed, was found in 67.0% (120/179) of the patients, and under endoscopy the residual gastric fundus glands could be seen in 19.6% (35/179) of the patients. Among 179 AIG patients, 7 cases (3.9%) of neuroendocrine tumor (NET), 7 cases (3.9%) of early gastric adenocarcinoma (including 1 case of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma), 1 case (0.6%) of adenoma, and 14 cases (7.8%) of hyperplastic polyps were found. Except for the case of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma undergoing surgery, the others were treated with endoscopic resection. Conclusions:When unexplained iron deficiency anemia, megaloblastic anemia, or reverse atrophy is found, AIG should be considered. AIG patients are at high risk for gastric cancer and NET, and should be closely followed up, and active treatment should be given before anemia and neurological symptoms appear.

Despite considerable progresses in cancer treatment, tumor metastasis is still a thorny issue, which leads to majority of cancer-related deaths. In hematogenous metastasis, the concept of "seed and soil" suggests that the crosstalk between cancer cells (seeds) and premetastatic niche (soil) facilitates tumor metastasis. Considerable efforts have been dedicated to inhibit the tumor metastatic cascade, which is a highly complicated process involving various pathways and biological events. Nonetheless, satisfactory therapeutic outcomes are rarely observed, since it is a great challenge to thwart this multi-phase process. Recent advances in nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have shown great potential in the field of anti-metastasis, especially compared with conventional treatment methods, which are limited by serious side effects and poor efficacy. In this review, we summarized various factors involved in each phase of the metastatic cascade ranging from the metastasis initiation to colonization. Then we reviewed current approaches of targeting these factors to stifle the metastatic cascade, including modulating primary tumor microenvironment, targeting circulating tumor cells, regulating premetastatic niche and eliminating established metastasis. Additionally, we highlighted the multi-phase targeted drug delivery systems, which hold a better chance to inhibit metastasis. Besides, we demonstrated the limitation and future perspectives of nanomedicine-based anti-metastasis strategies.

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) is an important intracellular transcription factor, which regulates the expression of many genes including inflammation and apoptosis and is widely distributed in placenta. In this review, we introduced the relationship between placental NF-κB and pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, HELLP syndromne and premature rupture of membranes. The role of placental NF-κB in the development of the pregnancy complications and the progress of the treatment of related diseases through the NF-κB pathway was summarized. This review will lay the foundation for the further study of placental related diseases and provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy complications.

Objective:To find clues potentially valuable for fighting against infection with human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), the differentially expressed genes in HEp-2 cells infected with HRSV were analyzed.Methods:Gene expression profiles of HEp-2 cells infected with HRSV were collected from the public gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes following HRSV infection at each time point of 4, 8, 12, and 15 hours were found using R language. The differentially expressed genes were analyzed by gene ontology (GO), KEGG pathway and protein-protein interaction network (PPI). Genes with relatively high protein interaction in PPI were randomly selected for quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) verification at the transcription level from HEp-2 cells after HRSV infection at 4 hours.Results:A total of 101 differentially expressed genes were determined, including 92 upregulated genes and 9 downregulated genes. Function enrichment analysis revealed that HRSV infection could cause significant changes in multiple signaling pathways such as immune response in HEp-2 cells. The results of qRT-PCR were consistent with the trend of transcriptome data.Conclusions:The differentially expressed genes and the change of signaling pathways in HRSV-infected HEp-2 cells is of great significance to the studies on pathogenic mechanism and prevention of HRSV infection.