ObjectiveThis study leverages structural data from antigen-antibody complexes of the influenza A virus neuraminidase (NA) protein to investigate the spatial recognition relationship between the antigenic epitopes and antibody paratopes. MethodsStructural data on NA protein antigen-antibody complexes were comprehensively collected from the SAbDab database, and processed to obtain the amino acid sequences and spatial distribution information on antigenic epitopes and corresponding antibody paratopes. Statistical analysis was conducted on the antibody sequences, frequency of use of genes, amino acid preferences, and the lengths of complementarity determining regions (CDR). Epitope hotspots for antibody binding were analyzed, and the spatial structural similarity of antibody paratopes was calculated and subjected to clustering, which allowed for a comprehensively exploration of the spatial recognition relationship between antigenic epitopes and antibodies. The specificity of antibodies targeting different antigenic epitope clusters was further validated through bio-layer interferometry (BLI) experiments. ResultsThe collected data revealed that the antigen-antibody complex structure data of influenza A virus NA protein in SAbDab database were mainly from H3N2, H7N9 and H1N1 subtypes. The hotspot regions of antigen epitopes were primarily located around the catalytic active site. The antibodies used for structural analysis were primarily derived from human and murine sources. Among murine antibodies, the most frequently used V-J gene combination was IGHV1-12*01/IGHJ2*01, while for human antibodies, the most common combination was IGHV1-69*01/IGHJ6*01. There were significant differences in the lengths and usage preferences of heavy chain CDR amino acids between antibodies that bind within the catalytic active site and those that bind to regions outside the catalytic active site. The results revealed that structurally similar antibodies could recognize the same epitopes, indicating a specific spatial recognition between antibody and antigen epitopes. Structural overlap in the binding regions was observed for antibodies with similar paratope structures, and the competitive binding of these antibodies to the epitope was confirmed through BLI experiments. ConclusionThe antigen epitopes of NA protein mainly ditributed around the catalytic active site and its surrounding loops. Spatial complementarity and electrostatic interactions play crucial roles in the recognition and binding of antibodies to antigenic epitopes in the catalytic region. There existed a spatial recognition relationship between antigens and antibodies that was independent of the uniqueness of antibody sequences, which means that antibodies with different sequences could potentially form similar local spatial structures and recognize the same epitopes.

AIM: To explore the relationship between hyperopia reserve and ocular biometric parameters in 4-14 year-old Uyghur students from Hotan County, Xinjiang, and to provide scientific evidence for myopia prevention.METHODS: From September 1 to October 31, 2023, a stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 3 264 students(3 264 eyes)from 6 schools in Hotan County. Participants underwent uncorrected distance visual acuity testing, cycloplegic refraction, and ocular biometric measurements. The correlation between spherical equivalent(SE)and ocular biometric parameters was analyzed by multiple linear regression.RESULTS: A total of 1 998 non-myopic students(1 998 eyes)were included in the study, with 1 354 students(67.77%)showing insufficient hyperopia reserve. The detection rate of insufficient hyperopia reserve decreased with age, from 94.12% at age 4 to 18.13% at age 14(P<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that in the group with sufficient hyperopia reserve, age, gender, uncorrected distance visual acuity, axial length(AL), and keratometry(K)explained 66.5% of the variance in SE; while in the group with insufficient hyperopia reserve, these factors explained only 28.0% of the SE variance.CONCLUSION: In non-myopic Uyghur students aged 4-14 in Hotan County, Xinjiang, the detection rate of insufficient hyperopia reserve was 67.77%. In the group with insufficient hyperopia reserve, age, gender, AL, and K explained only a small portion of the SE variance, suggesting that the refractive status of this population may be influenced by more complex factors.

BACKGROUND: Changes in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels may not fully translate into patient-reported health status in patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to evaluate the correlation between NT-proBNP levels and patient-reported health status changes at one month after discharge of patients, and their associations with risk of death and rehospitalization in patients with acute HF. METHODS: We used data from the China Patient-centered Evaluative Assessment of Cardiac Events Prospective Heart Failure Study (PEACE 5p-HF Study). Patient-reported health status was measured by the 12-item Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-12). Patients who were hospitalized for HF and completed the KCCQ-12 and NT-proBNP tests before and one month after discharge were eligible in our study. We stratified patients into different groups based on NT-proBNP levels (i.e., improved, stable, and deteriorated) and KCCQ-12 scores (i.e., not deteriorated and deteriorated). We also examined the associations of the joint NT-proBNP and KCCQ-12 change with the risk of one-year and four-year clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 2461 patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 64.06 ± 13.51 years, and 36.37% (895/2461) of the study population were female. Among patients with improved NT-proBNP levels, 115 (10.95%) patients had deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores. The correlation between the change in the KCCQ-12 score and NT-proBNP level was weak ( r2 = 0.002, P = 0.013). Stratification by changes in the KCCQ-12 score revealed subgroups with distinctive risks, such that patients with deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores in any of the NT-proBNP change groups exhibited an increased risk of one-year all-cause death than participants with not deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores in any of the NT-proBNP change groups. Patients with improved NT-proBNP levels and deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores presented greater risks of one-year all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34-4.48) than patients with stable NT-proBNP levels and not deteriorated KCCQ-12 scores (HR [95% CI], 1.77 [1.25-2.53]). CONCLUSIONS: A discrepancy between changes in NT-proBNP levels and KCCQ-12 scores was common. The change in NT-proBNP levels was not sufficient to characterize critical aspects related to HF during one month after discharge of patients. Changes in the KCCQ-12 score exhibit complementary information to NT-proBNP levels for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with acute HF. REGISTRATION www.clinicaltrials.gov (No. NCT02878811).
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Health Status ; Heart Failure/metabolism* ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/metabolism* ; Peptide Fragments/metabolism* ; Prospective Studies

Tumor metastasis is the leading cause of high mortality in most cancers, and numerous studies have demonstrated that the malignant crosstalk of multiple components in the tumor microenvironment (TME) together promotes tumor metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the major stromal cells and crosstalk centers in the TME of various kinds of tumors, such as breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. Recently, the CAF-induced pro-tumor metastatic TME has gained wide attention, being considered as one of the effective targets for tumor therapy. With in-depth research, CAFs have been found to promote tumor metastasis through multiple mechanisms, such as inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor cells, remodeling the extracellular matrix, protecting circulating tumor cells, and facilitating the formation of a pre-metastatic niche. To enhance the anti-tumor metastasis effect, therapeutic strategies designed by combining nano-drug delivery systems with CAF modulation are undoubtedly a desirable choice, as evidenced by the research over the past decades. Herein, we introduce the physiological properties of CAFs, detail the possible mechanisms whereby CAFs promote tumor metastasis, categorize CAFs-based nano-drug delivery strategies according to their anti-metastasis functions and discuss the current challenges, possible solutions, as well as the future directions in order to provide a theoretical basis and reference for the utilization of CAFs-based nano-drug delivery strategies to promote tumor metastasis therapy.

The persistent high prevalence and poor survival outcomes of lung cancer underscore the urgent need for innovative therapeutic modalities. Here, we present a novel multifunctional delivery platform for the synergistic treatment of lung malignancies, combining in situ-triggerable photodynamic therapy (PDT) with radiotherapy. The new platform CLL was developed by loading a new reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggerable photosensitizer, luminol-conjugated chlorin e6 (Ce6), into liposomes. CLL can be activated through the bioluminescence resonance energy transfer effect under oxidative stress, thereby producing singlet oxygen for targeted tumor treatment without external irradiation. In vitro studies showed significant cytotoxic effects of CLL in both 4T1 and A549 tumor cells. Furthermore, a PDT-radiopharmaceutical combination nanotherapy CLL-¹⁷⁷Lu was engineered by incorporating the radionuclide ¹⁷⁷Lu into CLL. CLL-¹⁷⁷Lu demonstrated synergistic antitumor effects in 4T1 and A549 tumor cells, as well as in mouse models of 4T1 breast cancer lung metastasis or A549 tumor xenografts. Mechanistically, CLL-¹⁷⁷Lu can induce singlet oxygen/ROS generation, enhance tumor cell apoptosis, and promote M1 macrophage-mediated immunotherapy. Preliminary assessments showed a favorable profile for CLL-¹⁷⁷Lu, highlighting its potential as a promising nanotherapy for cancer treatment. Additionally, CLL can serve as a versatile platform for delivering a range of therapies to achieve synergistic antitumor effects.

Objective To explore the risk factors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the patients with cervical incompetence(CI),and to establish a risk warning model of adverse pregnancy outcomes in CI pa-tients based on decision tree model.Methods The clinical data of 159 patients with CI admitted and treated in this hospital from February 2022 to April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed,and the risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes were screened and the decision tree model for postoperative adverse pregnancy outcomes was constructed.The internal verification method was 5-fold cross-validation.Results The incidence rate of adverse pregnancy outcome was 22.64%.The pregnant weeks of cervical cerclage,amniotic cystocele,multiple cervical cerclage,preoperative cervical length and amniotic fluid sediment were all influential factors for ad-verse pregnancy outcome occurrence(P＜0.05).The amniotic fluid sediment was the most important factor affecting the postoperative adverse pregnancy outcome in CI patients,and the preoperative cervical length had little influence on the postoperative adverse pregnancy outcomes in CI patients.The area under the curve(AUC)value of logistic regression model was slightly higher than that of the decision tree model.The accura-cy rate of the 5-fold cross-validation model was 78.3%.Conclusion During clinical treatment,the above two models can be combined to find the influencing factors of postoperative adverse pregnancy outcomes in CI pa-tients from different aspects,and provide references for clinical medical staff to evaluate the disease condition of CI patients and formulate the intervention plans.

Acupuncture treatment of chronic pain combined with depression (CPDC) is the result of a multi-target, multi-pathway approach. Acupuncture can treat CPDC by inhibiting the activation of glial cells, regulating the release of inflammatory mediators, regulating the expressions of neurotransmitters, changing the plasticity of neural synapses, regulating related epigenetic effects, regulating the microbiota-brain-gut axis, inhibiting nerve cell apoptosis, and antagonizing oxidative stress. The mechanism of its effect mainly involves anti-inflammatory related signaling pathways, regulation of neural synapse-related signaling pathways, and exerts its therapeutic effect through hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and amygdala.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of patients with hepatolenticular degeneration （HLD） aged above 35 years. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of the patients with HLD， aged above 35 years， who attended West China School of Public Health， Sichuan University， from April 2018 to April 2023， and according to their clinical symptoms， they were divided into mixed type group with 13 patients， liver type group with 12 patients， and brain type group with 5 patients. Related data were collected， including general information （sex， clinical manifestation， age at confirmed diagnosis， time from initial symptoms to confirmed diagnosis， and family history）， laboratory examination （routine blood test， liver and renal function， serum copper， serum ceruloplasmin， urinary copper， and coagulation function）， and radiological examination. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups， and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups； the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsFor the 30 patients with HLD， the male/female ratio was 3∶1， and the mean age was 46.13±5.88 years； the patients with positive Kayser-Fleischer ring of the cornea accounted for 43.33%， and the patients with liver cirrhosis accounted for 66.67%. There were significant differences between the three groups in globulin， albumin/globulin ratio， alanine aminotransferase， prothrombin time， international normalized ratio， and activated partial thromboplastin time （F=5.893， 4.513， 4.424， 5.029， 5.248， and 4.942， all P<0.05）. ConclusionMost patients are male among the patients diagnosed with HLD after 35 years of age， with the main clinical types of mixed type and liver type， and such patients tend to have poor liver and coagulation functions. For unexplained liver function abnormalities and liver cirrhosis in this age group， the indicators such as serum ceruloplasmin and urinary copper should be screened as early as possible， and liver and kidney function and coagulation function should be monitored.

OBJECTIVE To prepare and characterize curcumin nanomicelles （hereinafter referred to as Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles）， and to evaluate the in vitro hepatoprotective activity against alcohol liver disease （ALD）. METHODS Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles were prepared with the dialysis method using methoxy-poly（ethylene glycol）-poly（β-benzyl-L-aspartate） （mPEG-PLGA） as the carrier. The appearance and microscopic morphology of Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles were observed， and particle size， polydispersity index， Zeta potential， encapsulation efficiency and drug loading content were all detected. The in vitro release， pH stability， thermal stability， dilution stability， storage stability， plasma stability tests， and hemolysis experiments were all performed. The cell model of ALD was established with anhydrous ethanol intervention using human liver cancer cells and normal liver cells as objects， Cur reference solution as reference， to evaluate in vitro preventive and ameliorative effects of Cur/mPEG- PBLA micelles on ALD. RESULTS The prepared Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles exhibited a pale-yellow milky light， with a spherical shape and uniform distribution. The average particle size was about 140 nm， and the polydispersity index was less than 0.3. Zeta potential was （－8.15±0.05） mV； the encapsulation efficiency was （73.26±3.16）%， and the drug loading content was （4.87± 0.42）%. The cumulative release of Cur reference substance was close to 80% at 10 h； the cumulative release of Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles at 8 h was 28.94% and only 48.25% at 48 h. pH stability and thermal stability of Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles were better than those of Cur reference solution； Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles showed good dilution stability， storage stability and plasma stability， and would not cause hemolysis. Cur reference solution and Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles had varying degrees of in vitro preventive and ameliorative effects on ALD in two types of cells； after 48 h of application， the above effects of Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles were significantly better than those of Cur reference solution at the same mass concentration （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Cur/mPEG-PBLA micelles can improve pH stability and thermal stability of Cur， delayits degradation rate， and have better in vitro hepatoprotective activity against ALD.