OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the efficacy and mechanisms of Qingjie Fuzheng Granules (QFG) in inhibiting colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) development via RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) correlation analysis. METHODS: CAC was induced in BALB/c mice using azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and QFG was administered orally to the treatment group. The effects of QFG on CAC were evaluated using disease index, histology, and serum T-cell ratios. RNA-seq and 16S rRNA analysis assessed the transcriptome and microbiome change. Key pharmacodynamic pathways were identified by integrating these data and confirmed via Western blotting and immunofluorescence. The link between microbiota and CAC-related markers was explored using linear discriminant analysis effect size and Spearman correlation analysis. RESULTS: Long-term treatment with QFG prevented AOM/DSS-induced CAC formation, reduced levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, and interferon γ (IFN-γ), and increased CD3⁺ and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cells ratio, without causing hepatic or renal toxicity. A 16S rRNA analysis revealed that QFG rebalanced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and mitigated AOM/DSS-induced microbiota disturbances. Transcriptomics and Western blotting analysis identified the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway as key for QFG's treatment against CAC. Furthermore, QFG decreased the abundance of Bacilli, Bacillales, Staphylococcaceae, Staphylococcus, Lactobacillales, Aerococcus, Alloprevotella, and Akkermansia, while increasing Clostridiales, Lachnospiraceae, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Ruminococcaceae, and Muribaculaceae, which were highly correlated with CAC-related markers or NOD2/NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSION By mapping the relationships between CAC, immune responses, microbiota, and key pathways, this study clarifies the mechanism of QFG in inhibiting CAC, highlighting its potential for clinical use as preventive therapy.

Objective To screen for ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes(DEGs)of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs)resistance in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods The gene sequencing dataset GSE117846 of NSCLC EGFR-TKIs resistant cells was se-lected from the Gene Expression Omnibus data base(GEO)and screened for DEGs with P＜0.05 and | log2 FC |1.Ferroptosis-related genes were collected using the FerrDb database and jvenn was used to intersected the DEGs screened from GSE117846 dataset with the ferroptosis-related genes obtained from FerrDb database.GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of intersection genes were performed,and protein-pro-tein interaction(PPI)network was drawn.The score of intersection genes was calculated by using Cytohubba plug-in in Cytoscape software,and the top 10 genes were used for Hub genes screening.ULCAN and GEPIA2 databases were used to analyze the expression of Hub genes in NSCLC and its effect on the survival prognosis of patients.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR)was used to detect the relative expression levels of Hub gene mRNA in NSCLC patients'cancer tissues,adjacent tissues and in vitro cells to verify the results of bioinformatics analysis.Results A total of 60 ferroptosis-related DEGs of EGFR-TKIs resistance in NSCLC were screened out,including 30 up-regulated genes and 30 down-regulated genes.The 60 genes were mainly enriched in P53 signaling pathway,ferroptosis pathway and FoxO signaling pathway.There were 57 nodes and 99 edges in the PPI network,with an average clustering coefficient of 0.377 and PPI enrichment P＜0.01.The Hub gene screened out by Cytohubba plug-in was tumor protein P63(TP63).ULCAN and GE-PIA2 database analysis showed that the expression of TP63 in lung adenocarcinoma tissue was significantly lower than that in normal tissue,while the expression of TP63 in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue was sig-nificantly higher than that in normal tissue,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).In pa-tients with lung adenocarcinoma,there was no significant difference in the survival prognosis between TP63 high and low expression groups(P＞0.05),while in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma,the survival prognosis of TP63 low expression group was better,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).QPCR showed that TP63 mRNA highly expressed in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissue and lowly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissue compared with adjacent tissues(P＜0.05).The expression of TP63 mRNA was down-regulated in gefitinib-resistant PC9/GR cells(P＜0.05),which was consistent with the re-sults of bioinformatics analysis.Conclusion TP63 may be an important gene linking NSCLC EGFR-TKIs re-sistance to ferroptosis.

Objective To systematically review the value of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) for diagnosing pulmonary and mediastinal lesions with endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS). Methods PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases were searched by computer to collect the studies of ROSE and EBUS in the diagnosis of pulmonary and mediastinal lesions from inception to August 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies. Meta-analysis was implemented by RevMan 5.4 and Stata 12.0 software. Results A total of 15 studies (9 retrospective studies and 6 prospective studies) with 3 577 patients were included. The meta-analysis results of main outcomes showed that the adequacy of the sample (RD=0.10, 95%CI 0.05 to 0.15, P<0.000 1), overall diagnosis rate (RD=0.07, 95%CI 0.04 to 0.10, P<0.000 1) and the diagnosis rate of the malignant lesion (RD=0.06, 95%CI 0.02 to 0.09, P=0.004) of the ROSE combined with EBUS group were significantly higher than those of the EBUS group. Subgroup analysis showed that the diagnosis rates of pulmonary lesions (RD=0.12, 95%CI 0.08 to 0.17, P<0.000 01) and mediastinal lesions (RD=0.06, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.12, P=0.02) in the ROSE group was significantly higher than those in the EBUS group. The overall diagnosis rate and malignant diagnosis rate of ROSE combined with EBUS were 90% and 92%. The meta-analysis results of secondary outcomes showed that the number of lesions punctures (MD=–1.16, 95%CI –1.89 to –0.43, P=0.002) in the ROSE combined with EBUS group were significantly less than that in the EBUS group; there was no statistical difference in operation time (MD=0.09, 95%CI –5.22 to 5.39, P=0.97) or incidence of complications (RD=–0.06, 95%CI –0.13 to 0.01, P=0.1) between the two groups. Conclusion ROSE can improve the diagnostic efficiency of EBUS in pulmonary and mediastinal lesions, and has the value of the clinical application.

Background::Bladder cancer, characterized by a high potential of tumor recurrence, has high lifelong monitoring and treatment costs. To date, tumor cells with intrinsic softness have been identified to function as cancer stem cells in several cancer types. Nonetheless, the existence of soft tumor cells in bladder tumors remains elusive. Thus, our study aimed to develop a microbarrier microfluidic chip to efficiently isolate deformable tumor cells from distinct types of bladder cancer cells.Methods::The stiffness of bladder cancer cells was determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The modified microfluidic chip was utilized to separate soft cells, and the 3D Matrigel culture system was to maintain the softness of tumor cells. Expression patterns of integrin β8 (ITGB8), protein kinase B (AKT), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) were determined by Western blotting. Double immunostaining was conducted to examine the interaction between F-actin and tripartite motif containing 59 (TRIM59). The stem-cell-like characteristics of soft cells were explored by colony formation assay and in vivo studies upon xenografted tumor models. Results::Using our newly designed microfluidic approach, we identified a small fraction of soft tumor cells in bladder cancer cells. More importantly, the existence of soft tumor cells was confirmed in clinical human bladder cancer specimens, in which the number of soft tumor cells was associated with tumor relapse. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the biomechanical stimuli arising from 3D Matrigel activated the F-actin/ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis pathways to enhance the softness and tumorigenic capacity of tumor cells. Simultaneously, we detected a remarkable up-regulation in ITGB8, TRIM59, and phospho-AKT in clinical bladder recurrent tumors compared with their non-recurrent counterparts.Conclusions::The ITGB8/TRIM59/AKT/mTOR/glycolysis axis plays a crucial role in modulating tumor softness and stemness. Meanwhile, the soft tumor cells become more sensitive to chemotherapy after stiffening, that offers new insights for hampering tumor progression and recurrence.

Background::Homoharringtonine (HHT) is an effective anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-tumor protein synthesis inhibitor that has been applied clinically. Here, we explored the therapeutic effects of HHT in a mouse heart transplant model.Methods::Healthy C57BL/6 mice were used to observe the toxicity of HHT in the liver, kidney, and hematology. A mouse heart transplantation model was constructed, and the potential mechanism of HHT prolonging allograft survival was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis, immunostaining, and bulk RNA sequencing analysis. The HHT-T cell crosstalk was modeled ex vivo to further verify the molecular mechanism of HHT-induced regulatory T cells (Tregs) differentiation. Results::HHT inhibited the activation and proliferation of T cells and promoted their apoptosis ex vivo. Treatment of 0.5 mg/kg HHT for 10 days significantly prolonged the mean graft survival time of the allografts from 7 days to 48 days ( P <0.001) without non-immune toxicity. The allografts had long-term survival after continuous HHT treatment for 28 days. HHT significantly reduced lymphocyte infiltration in the graft, and interferon-γ-secreting CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in the spleen ( P <0.01). HHT significantly increased the number of peripheral Tregs (about 20%, P <0.001) and serum interleukin (IL)-10 levels. HHT downregulated the expression of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway-related genes ( CD4, H2-Eb1, TRAT1, and CD74) and upregulated the expression of IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF) -β pathway-related genes and Treg signature genes ( CTLA4, Foxp3, CD74, and ICOS). HHT increased CD4 + Foxp3 + cells and Foxp3 expression ex vivo, and it enhanced the inhibitory function of inducible Tregs. Conclusions::HHT promotes Treg cell differentiation and enhances Treg suppressive function by attenuating the TCR signaling pathway and upregulating the expression of Treg signature genes and IL-10 levels, thereby promoting mouse heart allograft acceptance. These findings may have therapeutic implications for organ transplant recipients, particularly those with viral infections and malignancies, which require a more suitable anti-rejection medication.

Chemical cleaning and disinfection are crucial steps for eliminating infection in root canal treatment.However,irrigant selection or irrigation procedures are far from clear.The vapor lock effect in the apical region has yet to be solved,impeding irrigation efficacy and resulting in residual infections and compromised treatment outcomes.Additionally,ambiguous clinical indications for root canal medication and non-standardized dressing protocols must be clarified.Inappropriate intracanal medication may present side effects and jeopardize the therapeutic outcomes.Indeed,clinicians have been aware of these concerns for years.Based on the current evidence of studies,this article reviews the properties of various irrigants and intracanal medicaments and elucidates their effectiveness and interactions.The evolution of different kinetic irrigation methods,their effects,limitations,the paradigm shift,current indications,and effective operational procedures regarding intracanal medication are also discussed.This expert consensus aims to establish the clinical operation guidelines for root canal irrigation and a position statement on intracanal medication,thus facilitating a better understanding of infection control,standardizing clinical practice,and ultimately improving the success of endodontic therapy.

Objective:To analyze the fail mode of neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after long-term follow-up.Methods:Clinical data of consecutive 238 patients with locally advanced resectable ESCC who underwent neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from September 2012 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The failure mode in the whole cohort was analyzed after long-term follow-up. The overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. Survival differences were determined by log-rank test.Results:The pathological complete response (pCR) rate was 42.0% in 238 patients. After a median follow-up of 46.1 months, tumor progression occurred in 96 patients (40.3%), including 25 patients (10.5%) with local recurrence, 61 patients (25.6%) with distant metastases, and 10 patients (4.2%) with simultaneous local recurrence and distant metastases. The median OS and DFS were 64.7 months and 49.9 months. And the 3-, 5-, and 7-year OS and DFS rates were 70.0%, 52.8%, 36.4% and 63.5%, 42.5%, and 30.0%, respectively. The 3-, 5-, and 7-year locoregional recurrence-free survival rates and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 86.0%, 71.4%, 61.2% and 70.6%, 55.9%, 43.0%. Compared with non-pCR patients, the overall progression rate and distant metastasis rate of pCR patients were lower (26.0% vs. 50.7%, 16.0% vs. 32.6%, both P<0.05). And the 3-, 5-, and 7-year OS (83.0% vs. 60.2%, 69.7% vs. 41.7%, 50.4% vs. 27.7%, all P<0.001) and DFS rates (80.4% vs. 51.4%, 63.9% vs. 31.2%, 45.9% vs. 20.3%, all P<0.001) were significantly better in pCR patients. Conclusions:Distant metastasis is the main failure mode of patients with locally advanced ESCC after neoadjuvant therapy. Patients with postoperative pCR can achieve better long-term survival.

Objective To investigate the correlations of triglyceride glucose index(TyG)levels at different baselines with the risk of new-onset acute pancreatitis(AP)among the workers at Kailuan Group.Methods A total of 124 516 subjects were enrolled from 2006 to 2009 and followed up by health examinations of the workers in the group.The subjects with a history of AP or incomplete information on TG and FPG data were excluded.The cumulative incidence rate was determined by Log-Rank method.Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios(HR)for AP related to baseline TyG level after adjusting for the effects of multiple confunding factors.Results The subjects were divided into four groups(TyG≤6.59,6.597.46)according to the TyG levels,and the incidence of new-onset AP was observed in all the groups.For a follow-up of(12.59±0.98)years,399 cases of AP were observed.The corresponding incidence of AP in each tertile was 1.67,2.32,2.53,and 3.65 events per 10,000 person-years,respectively.After Cox analysis and correction of multiple confounding factors,the risk of AP incidence was increased in the TyG>7.46 group,with an HR of 1.94[(95%CI(1.42,2.65),P<0.01].Conclusion TyG at its baseline of above 7.46 can increase the risk of AP.

Objective:To explore the relationship between the vitamin D receptor ApaⅠ and BsmⅠ gene polymorphisms and the risk of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(BPPV).Methods:The 98 patients with BPPV admitted to the Neurology Clinic of our hospital from March 2020 to March 2021 were selected as vertigo group, and 100 healthy individuals were selected as a healthy control group.The gene polymorphism of ApaⅠ(rs7975232)and Bsm Ⅰ(rs1544410)were detected by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP). Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.Results:The serum levels of total cholesterol and uric acid were significantly higher in the BPPV group than in a healthy control group( P<0.05). The actual and predicted values of the ApaⅠ and BsmⅠ gene distribution were compared between the BPPV group and a healthy control group, and the difference was not statistically significant( P>0.05). The ApaⅠ and BsmⅠ genotypes of the BPPV group and the control group were stable and consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium law.The ApaⅠ gene rs7975232 and the BsmⅠ gene rs1544410 genotype and allele frequency distribution[n(%)]showed statistically significant difference(all P<0.05)between control vs BPPV groups.The locus genotype and allele frequency distribution[n(%)]showed statistically significant difference between control vs BPPV group( P<0.05). The total cholesterol, blood uric acid, rs7975232CC, rs7975232AA, rs1544410 CC, and rs1544410 CT were risk factors for the occurrence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Conclusions:Gentic polymorphisms at the cleavage sites of restriction endonuclease of vitamin D gene ApaⅠ rs7975232 and BsmⅠ gene rs1544410 have certain correlation with the occurrence of(BPPV)disease.Population with type CC and AA in ApaI rs7975232 and type CC and CT in BsmⅠ rs1544410 are more prone to BPPV.

【Objective】 To continuously improve the management of blood donors and ensure blood safety in the Yangtze River Delta(Zhejiang province, Jiangsu province, Anhui province and Shanghai city). 【Methods】 The information sharing system for donation interval query in the Yangtze River Delta was established in July 2020 to provide data and technical support to block blood donors who should not redonate due to insufficient intervals. 【Results】 Blood stations in the Yangtze River Delta unified the information sharing standard, developed the query service and realized the information sharing of donation interval query. 【Conclusion】 The establishment of this system could reduce the risk of blood donation from eligible donos with insufficient donation interval, and further improve the management of blood donors and blood safety in the Yangtze River Delta.