BACKGROUND:The specific molecular mechanisms underlying common degenerative bone diseases,such as osteoarthritis,osteoporosis,and intervertebral disc degeneration,are currently unclear and may involve endoplasmic reticulum stress.At present,research on the systematic role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the pathogenesis of these common skeletal diseases and related therapeutic progress is relatively limited. OBJECTIVE:To review the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress in common degenerative bone diseases,explore the molecular mechanisms of these diseases in depth,and provide new ideas and perspectives for prevention and treatment of these diseases. METHODS:Relevant literature from 2000 to 2024 was searched in CNKI,WanFang,VIP,PubMed and Web of Science databases using the search terms of"endoplasmic reticulum stress,bone disease,unfolded protein response,osteoarthritis,osteoporosis,intervertebral disc degeneration,autophagy,apoptosis,ferroptosis,pyroptosis"in Chinese and English.After removal of duplicates and older literature,a total of 115 articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Endoplasmic reticulum stress has a dual effect in regulating cell physiology.Mild endoplasmic reticulum stress promotes osteogenic differentiation and extracellular matrix synthesis;however,persistent excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress leads to cell death.Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced cell autophagy and apoptosis are closely related to osteoarthritis,osteoporosis,and intervertebral disc degeneration.Aging,drug side effects,metabolic disorders,calcium imbalance,poor lifestyle habits and other reasons may lead to long-term activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress,which causes bone remodeling disorders,cartilage damage,nucleus pulposus cell death and other pathological manifestations,ultimately leading to the occurrence of osteoarthritis,osteoporosis and intervertebral disc degeneration.Intervention in the relevant mechanisms triggering endoplasmic reticulum stress is expected to play a role in the prevention and treatment of common degenerative bone diseases,such as osteoarthritis,osteoporosis and intervertebral disc degeneration.

During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Cancer Association, articles published in Cancer Research and Treatment from 2004 to 2023 were assessed based on the subject and design of each study. Based on this analysis, trends in domestic cancer research were inferred and directions were suggested for the future development of Cancer Research and Treatment.

During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Cancer Association, articles published in Cancer Research and Treatment from 2004 to 2023 were assessed based on the subject and design of each study. Based on this analysis, trends in domestic cancer research were inferred and directions were suggested for the future development of Cancer Research and Treatment.

During the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Korean Cancer Association, articles published in Cancer Research and Treatment from 2004 to 2023 were assessed based on the subject and design of each study. Based on this analysis, trends in domestic cancer research were inferred and directions were suggested for the future development of Cancer Research and Treatment.

Objective: To design HBV DNA proficiency testing and system comparison samples with different concentration gradients, analyze their detection results in PCR detection systems, evaluate the nucleic acid detection capabilities of laboratories and differences between detection systems, and put forward suggestions for continuous quality improvement to participating laboratories. Methods: Three groups of randomly numbered proficiency testing samples (with HBV DNA reference concentrations of <2, 7.5, and 30 IU/mL respectively) were taken as the detection objects. Using nucleic acid test data from 11 provincial blood station laboratories as the source, the samples were grouped by detection system and laboratory successively, and statistical analysis was conducted. Results: Statistical analysis of the detection data of the three groups of samples based on detection systems and laboratories showed that from low to high concentration, the coincidence rate between the detection results of different detection systems and laboratories and the expected results showed an increasing trend: 38.89%, 85.90%, and 100.00%; the same system exhibited certain differences in performance among different laboratories. Conclusion: Through this proficiency testing and system comparison, it is found that there are certain differences in the detection capabilities of different laboratories and different nucleic acid test systems. Blood station laboratories should standardize processes, strengthen quality management and data analysis on the basis of being familiar with the detection performance of their detection systems, and at the same time strengthen the control of laboratory interference factors to continuously improve the nucleic acid detection capabilities of blood station laboratories.

Total-body PET/CT, with its long axial field of view and high sensitivity detector, has shown potential for reducing the dose of radiopharmaceuticals. However, pediatric patients are significantly more sensitive to radiation and have a higher long-term cancer risk than adults, posing fundamental challenges for dose management in PET/CT examinations for these patients. In this article, the technical characteristics of total-body PET/CT and its radiation exposure status in children were systematically analyzed. The radiation exposure could be controlled by the following optimization strategies: adjusting the CT exposure parameters, optimizing the scanning mode, adding reconstruction algorithm, and reducing the injected dose of radioactive tracer. By addressing both external and internal radiation during the PET/CT scanning process, the overall radiation dose received by pediatric patients can be reduced within a certain range. In addition, this article also discusses the technical differences between “total-body” and “whole-body” concepts, and emphasizes that the future optimization of radiation dose in pediatric PET/CT should be realized by integration of personalized scanning protocols. Through reasonable management of scanning protocols and processes, low-dose and high-quality PET/CT imaging can be achieved in clinical environments, thus maximizing protection of pediatric patient health while minimizing the risks associated with ionizing radiation exposure.

Objective　To investigate the expression of neutrophil elastase (ELANE) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) under different infection states of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), and analyze the feasibility of ELANE as a diagnostic marker for MTB infection. Methods　PBMCs were isolated from peripheral blood of active tuberculosis patients (ATB), latent infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (LTBI) and healthy control (HC) Luanzhou People's Hospital, Hebei Province, February-November 2023 and cell RNA was extracted. After reversing into cDNA, the difference of ELANE mRNA level in PBMCs in each group was detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR. The whole cell lysate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv was used to stimulate PBMCs in each group, and total RNA was extracted. Fluorescence quantitative PCR was also used to detect the expression differences of ELANE gene before and after cell stimulation in each group; these expression differences were analyzed for identifying the feasibility of ATB. Results　The expression of ELANE gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ATB patients was significantly higher than that of LTBI and healthy individuals (t=4.550, P<0.001; t=4.540, P<0.001). ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve for ELANE differential diagnosis of ATB and LTBI, ATB and HC were 0.802 and 0.805, respectively. H37Rv whole cell lysate can upregulate the expression of ELANE gene in PBMCs of ATB patients, with a significant difference before and after stimulation (t=4.717, P<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in ELANE gene expression in PBMCs of LTBI and HC populations before and after H37Rv bacterial lysate stimulation. Conclusion 　Compared with LTBI and healthy individuals, the expression level of ELANE mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ATB was significantly upregulated; After stimulation with MTB whole cell lysate antigen, the expression level of ELANE in PBMCs of ATB population significantly increased. ELANE can serve as a diagnostic biomarker for active pulmonary tuberculosis to differentiate ATB from LTBI and healthy individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture based on the "head qijie" theory combined with endovascular intervention in the treatment of ischemic stroke (IS). METHODS: Sixty-six IS patients were randomly divided into an experimental group (33 cases, 3 cases dropped out) and a control group (33 cases, 3 cases dropped out). The control group received endovascular intervention. On the basis of the treatment in the control group, the experimental group received acupuncture based on the "head qijie" theory starting from the second day after surgery, Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Fengchi (GB20), Tianzhu (BL10), etc. were selected, once a day, 6 times a week for 2 weeks. Before and after treatment, the scores of National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS), modified Barthel index (MBI) and modified Rankin scale (mRS) were observed in the two groups, the clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: After treatment, the NIHSS and mRS scores were decreased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), the NIHSS and mRS scores in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the MBI scores were increased compared with those before treatment in both groups (P<0.01), the MBI score in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the experimental group was 86.7% (26/30), which was higher than 66.7% (20/30) in the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse events in the experimental group was 6.7% (2/30), which was lower than 13.3% (4/30) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture based on the "head qijie" theory combined with endovascular intervention in treating IS has good efficacy, improves neurological function, and enhances daily living ability.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Ischemic Stroke/therapy* ; Acupuncture Points ; Endovascular Procedures ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; Combined Modality Therapy

BACKGROUND: Peripheral helper T (T PH ) cells are uniquely positioned within pathologically inflamed non-lymphoid tissues to stimulate B-cell responses and antibody production. However, the phenotype, function, and clinical relevance of T PH cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are currently unknown. METHODS: Blood, tumor, and peritumoral liver tissue samples from 39 HCC patients (Sep 2016-Aug 2017) and 101 HCC patients (Sep 2011-Dec 2012) at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were used. Flow cytometry was used to quantify the expression, phenotype, and function of T PH cells. Log-rank tests were performed to evaluate disease-free survival and overall survival in samples from 39 patients and 101 patients with HCC. T PH cells, CD19 + B cells, and T follicular helper (T FH ) cells were cultured separately in vitro or isolated from C57/B6L mice in vivo for functional assays. RESULTS: T PH cells highly infiltrated tumor tissues, which was correlated with tumor size, early recurrence, and shorter survival time. The tumor-infiltrated T PH cells showed a unique ICOS hi CXCL13 + IL-21 - MAF + BCL-6 - phenotype and triggered naïve B-cell differentiation into regulatory B cells. Triggering programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) induced the production of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) by T PH cells, which then suppressed tumor-specific immunity and promoted disease progression. CONCLUSION Our study reveals a novel regulatory mechanism of T PH cell-regulatory B-cell-mediated immunosuppression and provides an important perspective for determining the balance between the differentiation of protumorigenic T PH cells and that of antitumorigenic T FH cells in the HCC microenvironment.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism* ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mice ; Male ; Female ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Middle Aged ; B-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism* ; Flow Cytometry ; Interleukin-21 ; Aged ; Chemokine CXCL13/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: Pre-transplant exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) significantly increases the risk of allograft rejection after liver transplantation (LT); however, whether ICI-related rejection leads to increased graft loss remains controversial. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between ICI-related allograft rejection and perioperative graft loss. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of adult liver transplant recipients with early biopsy-proven T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR) at Liver Transplantation Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from June 2019 to September 2024. The pathological features, clinical characteristics, and perioperative graft survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight patients who underwent early TCMR between June 2019 and September 2024 were included. Based on pre-LT ICI exposure, recipients were categorized into ICI-related TCMR (irTCMR, n = 12) and conventional TCMR (cTCMR, n = 16) groups. Recipients with irTCMR had a higher median Banff rejection activity index (RAI) (6 vs . 5, P = 0.012) and more aggressive tissue damage and inflammation. Recipients with irTCMR showed higher proportion of treatment resistance, achieving a complete resolution rate of only 8/12 compared to 16/16 for cTCMR. Graft loss occurred in 5/12 of irTCMR recipients within 90 days after LT, with no graft loss in cTCMRs recipients. Cox analysis demonstrated that irTCMR with an ICI washout period of <30 days was an independent risk factor for perioperative graft loss (hazard ratio [HR], 6.540; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.067-40.067, P = 0.042). CONCLUSION IrTCMR is associated with severe pathological features, increased resistance to treatment, and higher graft loss in adult liver transplant recipients.
Humans ; Liver Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Graft Rejection/immunology* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; T-Lymphocytes/drug effects* ; Graft Survival/immunology* ; Aged