1.Immunodynamic changes in a mouse model of malignant pleural effusion
Xiao-Lei WEI ; Xu GUO ; Chuang-Xin ZHANG ; Qi WANG ; Xiao-Fan LIU ; Ming-Ming SHAO ; Huan-Zhong SHI ; Kan ZHAI
Laboratory Animal Research 2026;42(1):59-67
Background:
Malignant pleural effusion (MPE), a common complication of advanced cancers, is associated with poor prognosis and reduced quality of life. Although host–tumor interactions are known to drive MPE development, the associated immune dynamics during disease progression remain unclear. Using a Lewis lung carcinoma-induced MPE model in C57BL/6JNidfc mice, we systematically evaluated general parameters and immune cell changes at two-day intervals throughout disease progression.
Results:
The day of Lewis lung carcinoma cell injection into the pleural space was designated as day 0. By day 10 post-injection (p.i.), MPE-bearing mice exhibited ~ 10% body weight loss, marking the experimental endpoint. Pleural tumor mass and pleural effusion volume were minimal up to day 4 p.i. but increased sharply from day 6 onward.CD45⁺ immune cell counts rose over time, and days 6, 8, and 10 p.i. marked key stages of MPE progression. On day 6, B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells, but not macrophages and neutrophils, increased significantly compared to earlier timepoints. By day 8, all immune cell subsets except T cells exceeded day 6 levels, and at day 10, natural killer cell numbers declined while others continued to increase. Besides, the numbers of CD8⁺ T cells, Th1 cells, regulatory T cells, and M2 macrophages progressively increased from day 6 to 10. Based on these data, days 6 and 10 were defined as early and advanced MPE stages, respectively, with distinct immune phenotypes. In advanced MPE, CD8⁺ T cells displayed reduced IFN-γ, TNF-α, Granzyme B, Perforin, FasL, and Ki-67, but upregulated PD-1 and CTLA-4 relative to early stage. Similarly, Th1 cells showed decreased IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 production along with reduced Ki-67 expression. Advanced-stage M2 macrophages exhibited lower MHC-II levels and impaired phagocytosis, but higher PD-L1 and IL-10 production, while neutrophils showed reduced TNF-α release and phagocytic activity.
Conclusions
Our findings characterize the temporal immune dynamics associated with MPE progression in a mouse model, revealing a transition from an early immunostimulatory state to a late immunosuppressive state. This study enhances our understanding of MPE immunopathogenesis and provides a foundation for developing precise, stagespecific therapeutic strategies.
2.Radiomics in the era of big data and artificial intelligence:a new paradigm in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney tumor
Journal of Modern Urology 2026;31(3):288-293
In recent years, the integration of radiomics and artificial intelligence has brought revolutionary breakthroughs to the precise diagnosis and treatment of kidney tumors. This article systematically reviews the latest advances of radiomics in preoperative diagnosis, surgical planning, evaluation of postoperative prognosis, and prediction of treatment responses. Our findings show that radiomics models based on machine learning and deep learning can effectively distinguish benign and malignant kidney tumors, predict pathological classifications and nuclear gradings, and provide anatomical basis for the development of surgical plans. In addition, the rise of radiogenomics has revealed the association between radiomics features and molecular markers, opening up a new direction for the development of non-invasive biomarkers. However, there are still challenges such as insufficient data standardization, small sample size and model interpretability. In the future, multi-center collaboration can be achieved through federated learning, combined with multimodal data to construct dynamic prediction systems and develop interpretable artificial intelligence technology. This will promote the transformation of radiomics from scientific research to clinical applications, thus achieving precision and individualization of the entire process of diagnosis and treatment of renal tumors.
3.Effect of standardized rehabilitation unit on traumatic brain injury
Qianqian CHI ; Xiaonian ZHANG ; Xiaomin ZHU ; Wanyue SUN ; Xin ZHANG ; Jin ZHOU ; Hongwei BU ; Lei ZHAI ; Xin ZHANG ; Zirui LING ; Hongyu CHEN
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2026;32(9):1033-1040
ObjectiveTo establish three standardized rehabilitation unit models covering acute, critical and comprehensive recovery stages for traumatic brain injury (TBI) that fit the whole-course characteristics, clarify their multidisciplinary collaborative framework, standardized procedures, and information management system, and verify the clinical effectiveness of this staged rehabilitation unit on long-term functional prognosis and in-hospital complications of TBI patients. MethodsThis study was conducted at two stages: model construction and efficacy verification. At the first stage, TBI rehabilitation units for acute, critical and recovery stages were established in the Department of Neurosurgery, Intensive Care Unit and Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, respectively, with unified multidisciplinary team configuration, standardized assessment and treatment protocols, collaborative workflows, and a dedicated information management system. At the second stage, 324 TBI patients admitted to the newly built rehabilitation units from July, 2023 to July, 2025 were enrolled as the observation group, and 167 TBI patients receiving traditional management from January, 2018 to December, 2022 were retrospectively selected as the control group. The primary outcomes were 1-year post-injury Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) scores. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of in-hospital complications and the mean indwelling time of tracheal intubation, gastric tube and urinary catheter. ResultsThe 1-year GOS score was significantly higher (t = -7.836, P < 0.001), and the DRS score was significantly lower (t = -6.742, P < 0.001) in the observation group than in the control group. The overall incidence of complications was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (χ2 = 18.762, P < 0.001). The incidences of pulmonary infection, urinary tract infection, pressure ulcer, lower extremity venous thrombosis and joint contracture deformity were all significantly reduced (χ2 > 4.328, P < 0.05). The indwelling time of tracheal intubation, gastric tube and urinary catheter was significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group (t > 10.276, P < 0.001). ConclusionThe acute-critical-comprehensive three-stage standardized TBI rehabilitation unit could significantly improve the long-term functional outcomes of TBI patients, reduce the incidence of complications, and shorten the indwelling time of invasive tubes through multidisciplinary collaboration, whole-course standardized management and information-based quality control. This model conforms to the pathological and functional laws of TBI, realizes seamless whole-course connection from acute treatment to recovery rehabilitation, and has good clinical feasibility and promotion value. It can provide evidence-based evidence and practical reference for the homogenized and standardized development of TBI rehabilitation in China.
4.Epigenetic changes and exercise regulation:mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle aging and improvement
Rao FAN ; Jianda KONG ; Lin LI ; Teng ZHAI ; Zirou YANG ; Lei ZHU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(2):419-429
BACKGROUND:Muscle aging is closely related to various epigenetic changes,and exercise has a certain regulatory effect on these epigenetic changes.However,the specific mechanism is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE:To review the epigenetic mechanisms of skeletal muscle and how exercise can improve skeletal muscle aging and promote adaptive changes in muscle through these epigenetic mechanisms,aiming to provide a more comprehensive understanding of skeletal muscle aging and disease mechanisms. METHODS:During the period from June 1st to August 1st,2023,literature searches were conducted for relevant literature published from database inception to August 2023 in databases including Web of Science,PubMed,CNKI,WanFang,and VIP.The search terms used included"skeletal muscle,""muscle,""aging,""older adult,""aging,""exercise,""physical exercise,""epigenetic,"and"epigenetics"in Chinese as well as"skeletal muscle,muscle,aging,older adult,senescence,age,exercise,sports,physical activity,epigenetic,epigenetics"in English.Boolean logic operators were used to connect the search terms for retrieval,and corresponding strategies were developed.According to the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria,70 eligible articles were selected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Epigenetics refers to the phenomenon where gene expression and function are regulated without changes in gene sequence,and epigenetic changes in skeletal muscle are an important field.The epigenetic mechanisms of skeletal muscle play an important role in muscle aging,mainly involving DNA methylation,histone modification,regulation of non-coding RNAs,chromatin remodeling,changes in mitochondrial function and expression changes of aging-related genes.Exercise significantly regulates the epigenetics of skeletal muscle,including promoting DNA methylation,muscle histone modification,regulating miRNA expression,and regulating lncRNA expression,regulating muscle factors(such as interleukin-6),regulating mitochondrial function(such as peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors γ co-activator 1α).Future studies are recommended for long-term,cross-diverse population-based exercise interventions;the application of multi-omics techniques such as proteomics and metabolomics;strengthening the understanding of epigenetic changes at the single-cell level;cross-species comparative studies as well as human clinical trials for the translation of animal model findings to humans;strategies for combining exercise and pharmacological interventions to assess their synergistic effects;and epigenetic studies of crosstalk interactions between skeletal muscle and different organs.
5.The role of histone deacetylase 3 in diabetes and its complications, and the research progress on histone deacetylase 3 inhibitors
Jia-yu ZHAI ; Cun-yu FENG ; Xue-feng GAO ; Li-ran LEI ; Lei LEI ; Yi HUAN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):1-11
Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) is an epigenetic modification enzyme that plays a crucial role in the development and progression of diabetes and its complications. Studies have reported that increased HDAC3 activity is associated with pancreatic
6.Comparative analysis of fine needle aspiration cytology and histopathology in axil-lary lymph nodes
Boya ZHAI ; Zhendong HUANG ; Jinxing ZHOU ; Yan WU ; Lei XI ; Cong WANG ; Zhihong ZHANG ; Rong RONG
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(4):469-473
Purpose To investigate the role of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology(US-FNAC)in the diagnosis of breast cancer.Methods Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC)samples of 203 patients with breast cancer were selected and prepared by liquid-based cytology.The results of histopathology after neoadjuvant therapy were used as the gold standard to compare with the diagnostic results of FNAC samples,and then evaluated the diagnos-tic coincidence rate of FNAC samples.Results Of 203 axillary lymph node FNAC samples,111 cases were diagnosed as positive,38 cases were diagnosed as suspicious for positivity,and 54 cases were diagnosed as negative.The diag-nostic accuracy of FNAC was 85.2%,the sensitivity of FNAC was 98.0%,and the specificity of FNAC was 90.0%.Conclusion FNAC has high sensitivity and accuracy in the diagnosis of axillary lymph node metastasis.Sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for patients with negative FNAC but clinically and radiographically suspected lymph node metastasis.
7.Preoperative short-course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy and PD-1 inhibitor administration for locally advanced rectal cancer: the initial results of a randomized controlled clinical trial (STELLAR II)
Haoyue LI ; Haitao ZHOU ; Lichun WEI ; Yinggang CHEN ; Wenjue ZHANG ; Feiyan DENG ; Ning LI ; Zheng JIANG ; Zheng LIU ; Jianwei LIANG ; Zhaoxu ZHENG ; Xianyu MENG ; Yufei LU ; Zifa LEI ; Xiaoge SUN ; Gong LI ; Yingjie WANG ; Yongwen SONG ; Shunan QI ; Hao JING ; Yirui ZHAI ; Shulian WANG ; Yexiong LI ; Yuan TANG ; Jing JIN
Chinese Journal of Oncology 2025;47(9):913-921
Objectives:To explore whether short-course radiotherapy (SCRT)-based total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) combined with PD-1 inhibitors could further promote tumor regression and improve the prognosis.Methods:This is a prospective, multicenter, two-arm randomized controlled, seamless phase Ⅱ/Ⅲ trial for proficient mismatch repair or microsatellite stable (pMMR/MSS) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the iTNT (TNT+PD-1) group or the TNT group. Patients in the TNT group received SCRT (5 Gy×5) followed by 4 cycles of CAPOX or 6 cycles of mFOLFOX chemotherapy, with the iTNT group receiving SCRT followed by the same regime in combination with 4 cycles of Sintilimab. Total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery or watch and wait (W&W) was performed after neoadjuvant therapy and then 2 cycles of same regimen as before were recommended. The primary endpoints are the complete response (CR) rate for phase Ⅱ trial and 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) for phase Ⅲ trial. A total of 588 patients will be enrolled for the phase Ⅱ/Ⅲ trial. Short-term efficacy and safety data from the initial 100 treated patients were analyzed as planned.Results:From 2022-8-31 to 2023-5-24 the initial 100 patients were enrolled from 10 hospitals in China, 76.0%(76/100) patients were male, and the median age was 61 years (21-74 years). More patients had tumors located in the lower rectum (78.0%, 78/100), staged T3-4 (97.0%, 97/100) and N1-2 (93.0%, 93/100), and about half of the tumors invaded the mesorectal fascia (52.0%, 52/100) and with extramural vascular invasion (51.0%, 51/100). Analyses were performed according to the per-protocal (PP) set. All patients in the iTNT group ( n=52) and the TNT group ( n=48) completed SCRT; The 4-cycle chemotherapy±Sintilimab completion rates were 86.5% and 100.0% in the iTNT and TNT groups, respectively. In the iTNT group, 82.7% (43/52), 11.5% (6/52), and 5.8% (3/52) of the patients received 4, 3, and 2 cycles of PD-1 inhibitor. After TNT, 68 patients underwent radical surgery and 15 patients achieved cCR and adopted W&W. The pathological complete response (pCR) rates were 48.5% (16/33) and 17.1% (6/35) in the iTNT and TNT groups, with CR rates of 50.0% (25/50) and 26.1% (12/46), respectively. The incidence of treatment-related grade 3-4 adverse events was 26.9% (14/52, iTNT group) and 18.8% (9/48, TNT group), with thrombocytopenia and leukopenia being the most common. Among patients receiving immunotherapy, grade 3 immunotherapy-related adverse events occurred in 2 (3.8%, 2/52) patients: one case was pancreatitis, another case was hepatitis combined with myositis and myocarditis. Conclusion:The preliminary results show that SCRT-based TNT combined with PD-1 inhibitors could further improve the CR rate for LARC without unexpected serious adverse events.
8.Survey on the current practice and training needs of nasogastric tube care among nurses in the emergency departments of 47 tertiary hospitals in Beijing
Li MA ; Wenhui ZHAI ; Jiaqi XU ; Guohong ZHANG ; Yanni LEI ; Youhuan QI ; Lei WANG
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(15):2059-2064
Objective:To investigate the current practice of nasogastric tube care and the training needs among nurses in the emergency departments of tertiary hospitals in Beijing, to provide a basis for further standardizing nasogastric tube care practices.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to select head nurses and nurses from the emergency departments of 47 tertiary hospitals in Beijing in June 2024. A self-designed questionnaire on the current practice of nasogastric tube care and training needs was administered to the participants.Results:A total of 47 emergency departments from tertiary hospitals in Beijing were surveyed, of which only 25 departments implemented nasogastric tube techniques. In the key practices of nasogastric tube care, nine hospitals met the overall implementation standards, while 16 hospitals had substandard implementation. The key practices with poor standardization included the frequency of changing the nasogastric tube dressing, blind insertion (spiral nasogastric tube) through the pylorus, the recommended temperature for enteral nutrition liquids, and the timing for flushing the nasogastric tube. There were statistically significant differences ( P<0.05) in the presence of specialized nasogastric tube care teams and the use of case discussions or workshops for department training between hospitals with good and poor implementation. Moreover, 89.5% (496/554) of the nurses indicated a need for training related to nasogastric tube maintenance, and 91.9% (509/554) expressed willingness to participate in technical training or seminars. Statistically significant differences ( P<0.05) were found between emergency specialized nurses and non-specialized nurses in terms of preferred training frequency, duration, format, and content (sharing of the latest research and advancements) . Conclusions:Nasogastric tube techniques have not been widely implemented in the emergency departments of tertiary hospitals in Beijing. The standardization of nasogastric tube care needs further improvement, and there is a significant demand for training among emergency nurses, indicating an urgent need for specialized nasogastric tube training programs.
9.Applicaiton effect of blunt dissection for myotomy of incision in single-port thoracoscopic lung wedge resection
Yi-fei GONG ; Jian-bin ZHAI ; Xue-lei LU ; Liang ZHAO
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2025;34(5):440-443
Objective To analyze the application effect of blunt dissection for myotomy of incision in single-port thoracoscopic lung wedge resection.Methods Patients who underwent single-port thoracoscopic lung wedge resection in our hospital from January to June 2024 were selected and divided into the observation group(32 cases,received blunt dissection for myotomy of incision during the surgery)and the control group(35 cases,received electrosurgical knife for myotomy of incision during the surgery)according to random number table method.The anesthesia time,operation time,intraoperative blood loss,the earliest time to get out of bed after the operation,the dosage of dezocine,and the resting and cough visual analogue scale(VAS)scores in each postoperative period of patients in the two groups were compared.Results There was no significant difference in terms of anesthesia time,operation time,intraoperative blood loss,or dosage of dezocine of patients between the two groups(P>0.05).The earliest time to get out of bed after operation of patients in the observation group was shorter than that in the control group,with significant difference(P<0.05).No significant difference was observed in resting VAS scores 6 hours or 12 hours after operation of patients in both two groups(P>0.05),but significant differences were found in resting VAS scores 24 hours and 48 hours after operation between the two groups(P<0.05).No significant difference was found in cough VAS scores 6 hours after operation of patients between the two groups(P>0.05),but significant differences were observed in cough VAS scores 12 hours,24 hours,and 48 hours after operation between the two groups(P<0.05).Conclusion Compared with electrosurgical knife for myotomy of incision,blunt dissection for myotomy of incision in single-port thoracoscopic lung wedge resection can reduce postoperative pain,promote postoperative ambulation for patients,which is beneficial to postoperative recovery.
10.Impact of hydroxy-safflower yellow A on regeneration and repair capabilities of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells
Yu-kang SUN ; Yan-zhe DUAN ; Jian-lin HUA ; Wei-hao JIA ; Jie-zhong YU ; Cun-gen MA ; Lei JIA ; Rui-ping ZHANG ; Xiao-yan ZHAI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(9):1643-1650
Aim To investigate the effects of hydroxyl-safflor yellow A(HSYA)on the regenerative and re-pair functions of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs).Methods hUC-MSCs were mechanically isolated,and their morphology was ob-served.Cell surface marker expression was analyzed u-sing flow cytometry.Osteogenic differentiation was used to confirm the multipotency of the cells.The cells were treated with various concentrations of HSYA(0,100,200,400,600 μmol·L-1),and the optimal con-centration and duration of treatment were determined u-sing the CCK-8 assay.Cells were divided into four groups:control,100,200,and 400 μmol·L-1.The proliferative capacity of hUC-MSCs was assessed by EdU incorporation.Vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BD-NF)levels in the culture supernatant were measured u-sing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Cell migra-tion ability was evaluated by Scratch assays.The ex-pression levels of VEGF,BDNF,and fibroblast growth factor 2(FGF2)were detected by Western blotting.Results The isolated cells exhibited characteristics consistent with stem cell surface markers and demon-strated osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation poten-tial.After 48 hours of treatment,no cytotoxicity was observed at concentrations of 100,200,and 400 μmol·L-1compared to the control group.HSYA signifi-cantly increased the number of EdU-positive cells and cell migration rate,with the most pronounced effect was achieved at 200 μmol·L-1(P<0.01).VEGF and BDNF levels in the supernatant were elevated,with the highest expression observed at 200 μmol·L-1(P<0.01).Similarly,the expression levels of BDNF,VEGF,and FGF2 were significantly upregulated in the HSYA groups,with the highest levels at 200 μmol·L-1(P<0.01).Conclusion HSYA promotes the proliferation,migration and angiogenesis of hUC-MSCs,with an optimal concentration of 200 μmol·L-1.

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