BACKGROUND: Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance is a significant challenge in treating glioblastoma (GBM). Collagen remodeling has been shown to be a critical factor for therapy resistance in other cancers. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of TMZ chemoresistance by GBM cells reprogramming collagens. METHODS: Key extracellular matrix components, including collagens, were examined in paired primary and recurrent GBM samples as well as in TMZ-treated spontaneous and grafted GBM murine models. Human GBM cell lines (U251, TS667) and mouse primary GBM cells were used for in vitro studies. RNA-sequencing analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation, immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to explore the mechanisms involved in collagen accumulation. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were designed to assess the role of the collagen regulators prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 1 (P4HA1) and yes-associated protein (YAP) in sensitizing GBM cells to TMZ. RESULTS: This study revealed that TMZ exposure significantly elevated collagen type I (COL I) expression in both GBM patients and murine models. Collagen accumulation sustained GBM cell survival under TMZ-induced stress, contributing to enhanced TMZ resistance. Mechanistically, P4HA1 directly binded to and hydroxylated YAP, preventing ubiquitination-mediated YAP degradation. Stabilized YAP robustly drove collagen type I alpha 1 ( COL1A1) transcription, leading to increased collagen deposition. Disruption of the P4HA1-YAP axis effectively reduced COL I deposition, sensitized GBM cells to TMZ, and significantly improved mouse survival. CONCLUSION P4HA1 maintained YAP-mediated COL1A1 transcription, leading to collagen accumulation and promoting chemoresistance in GBM.
Temozolomide ; Humans ; Glioblastoma/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics* ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Hydroxylation ; Dacarbazine/pharmacology* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Collagen/biosynthesis* ; Collagen Type I/metabolism* ; Prolyl Hydroxylases/metabolism* ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/therapeutic use*

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an inherited disease caused by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA). Lentivirus-modified autologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy (HSCGT) has recently been approved for clinical use in pre and early symptomatic children with MLD to increase ARSA activity. Unfortunately, this advanced therapy is not available for most patients with MLD who have progressed to more advanced symptomatic stages at diagnosis. Patients with late-onset juvenile MLD typically present with a slower neurological progression of symptoms and represent a significant burden to the economy and healthcare system, whereas those with early onset infantile MLD die within a few years of symptom onset. We conducted a pilot study to determine the safety and benefit of HSCGT in patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD and report preliminary results. The safety profile of HSCGT was favorable in this long-term follow-up over 9 years. The most common adverse events (AEs) within 2 months of HSCGT were related to busulfan conditioning, and all AEs resolved. No HSCGT-related AEs and no evidence of distorted hematopoietic differentiation during long-term follow-up for up to 9.6 years. Importantly, to date, patients have maintained remarkably improved ARSA activity with a stable disease state, including increased Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score and decreased magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) lesion score. This long-term follow-up pilot study suggests that HSCGT is safe and provides clinical benefit to patients with postsymptomatic juvenile MLD.
Humans ; Leukodystrophy, Metachromatic/genetics* ; Pilot Projects ; Genetic Therapy/methods* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Follow-Up Studies ; Female ; Lentivirus/genetics* ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Cerebroside-Sulfatase/metabolism* ; Adolescent

OBJECTIVE: CRISPR-Cas protects bacteria from exogenous DNA invasion and is associated with bacterial biofilm formation and pathogenicity. METHODS: We analyzed the type I-F CRISPR-Cas system of Legionella pneumophila WX48, including Cas1, Cas2-Cas3, Csy1, Csy2, Csy3, and Cas6f, along with downstream CRISPR arrays. We explored the effects of the CRISPR-Cas system on the in vitro growth, biofilm-forming ability, and pathogenicity of L. pneumophila through constructing gene deletion mutants. RESULTS: The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system did not affect the in vitro growth of wild-type or mutant strains. The biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation of the mutant strains were weaker than those of the wild type owing to the regulation of type IV pili and Dot/Icm type IV secretion systems. In particular, Cas6f deletion strongly inhibited these processes. CONCLUSION The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system may reduce biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation in L. pneumophila.
Legionella pneumophila/pathogenicity* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Biofilms/growth & development* ; Phenotype ; Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Deletion

Psoriasis is a refractory disease mainly co-acted by immune,genetic and environment.Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-related biologics have brought the landmark advances in the treatment of psoriasis;however,the anti-TNF-α therapy has the adverse response,its limitation may be related to the different bio-logical functions exerted by activation of TNF-α different receptors.Tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) is one of the key receptors for TNF-α,and after binding to TNF-α,it can activate multiple signaling pathways such as NF-κB,PI3K/Akt,MAPK,STAT3,etc.,which are involved in the regulation of inflamma-tion,epidermal homeostasis,cellular apoptosis,cellular proliferation,cellular autophagy and other biological processes.It is suggested that TNFR2 is closely related to the occurrence and development of psoriasis.Previ-ous studies have often overlooked the role of TNFR2 in anti-TNF-α therapies;therefore,this article reviews the structure and signaling pathways of TNFR2,research advances in the disease,and its relationship with psoriasis to provide new references for exploring the pathogenesis and treatment of psoriasis.

Objective To investigate the effect and its mechanism of Guanxinning tablet on carotid atherosclerotic plaque in a rat model.Methods The rats were randomly divided into control group,model group(to construct carot-id atherosclerosis plaque model),Guanxinning groups with low,medium and high dose of Guanxinning tablet(150,300 and 600 mg/kg),atorvastatin group(2 mg/kg),lithiumchloridemonohydrate(LiCl)(Wnt/β-catenin pathway activator)group(15 mg/kg),and Guanxinning plus LiCl group(600 mg/kg Guanxinning tablets+15 mg/kg LiCl),with 12 rats in each group.The intervention began at the third week and was administered once a day for 8 weeks.Olympus Au2700 automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect the level of total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),low density lipoprotein(LDL)and high-density lipoprotein(HDL)in rat serum;ELISA was applied to detect the level of monocyte chemotactic protein(MCP-1)and hyper-sensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)in rat se-rum;the level of oxidized low density lipoprotein(ox-LDL)and malondialdehyde(MDA)in rat serum were detected by spectrophotometry;HE staining was applied to find pathological changes in the common carotid artery of rats;Western blot was applied to detect the expression of Wnt3a,matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and β-catenin in rat common carotid artery.Results Compared with the control group,the level of TG,TC,LDL,MCP-1,hs-CRP,ox-LDL,protein expression of MDA,MMP-9,Wnt3a,β-catenin and total plaque area/total arterial area ratio in-creased,the HDL level decreased in model group(P＜0.05);compared with the model group,the level of TG,TC,LDL,MCP-1,hs-CRP,ox-LDL,MDA,expression of MMP-9,Wnt3a,β-catenin protein and total plaque area/total arterial area ratio in the low,medium,and high dose groups of Guanxinning tablets decreased,the HDL level in-creased.The effect of Guanxinning tablets was dose-dependent,and the change trend of corresponding indicators in the LiCl group was opposite to the above(P＜0.05);compared with the high dose group of Guanxinning tablets,the TG,TC,LDL,MCP-1,hs-CRP,ox-LDL,MDA levels,MMP-9,Wnt3a,β-catenin protein expression,and total plaque area/total arterial area ratio in the high dose+LiCl group of Guanxinning tablets increased,the HDL level de-creased(P＜0.05).Conclusions Guanxinning tablet can inhibit the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in rats and the mechanismis potentially related to the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Objectives:To compare the HbA 1c results on capillary electrophoresis (CE), cation exchange-high performance liquid chromatography (CE-HPLC), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Methods:902 normal samples without hemoglobin variants and 83 samples with hemoglobin variants were collected in 2020. The variants were divided into α-chain, β-chain, γ-chain, and δ-chain variants. The 902 samples without hemoglobin variants were measured by CE, CE-HPLC, and MALDI-TOF MS. Three methods were used for measuring α-chain, β-chain, and γ-chain compared with the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) reference method. According to the EP9-A3 guideline, Passing-Bablok regression and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) were performed for correlation and consistency, respectively. The imprecision was assessed by coefficient of variance (CV). The mean relative bias was calculated and compared with the lowest biological variation bias of 2.3%.Results:All three methods met the acceptance of imprecision requirements (<2%). The R 2 and CCC for the normal samples were all above 0.95 between the pairwise comparison of CE, CE-HPLC, and MALDI-TOF MS. The mean relative bias between MALDI-TOF MS and CE-HPLC was higher than the lowest biological variation bias of 2.3%. The R 2 results between CE and LC-MS/MS results of α-chain, β-chain, γ-chain variants were>0.95, and the mean relative biases for γ-chain variants exceeded the lowest biological variation bias of 2.3%. A bad correlation ( R2=0.66) for β-chain variants was shown between CE-HPLC and LC-MS/MS and the mean relative biases of all variant samples exceeded 2.3%. MALDI-TOF MS showed good correlations with LC-MS/MS for three groups, and the mean relative biases for γ-chain variants were higher than 2.3%. Conclusion:MALDI-TOF MS and CE-HPLC with CE had good comparability in the measurement of HbA 1c in normal samples, butthe three methods showed interferences from different types of Hb variants and the CE method was affected with less interference.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignant tumor often leading to liver metastasis and mortality. Despite some success with PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy, the response rate for colon cancer patients remains relatively low. This is closely related to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment mediated by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Our previous work identified that a phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) allosteric inhibitor, HKB99, exerts a range of anti-tumor activities in lung cancer. Here, we found that upregulation of PGAM1 correlates with increased levels of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in human colon cancer samples, particularly in liver metastatic tissues. HKB99 suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in cell culture and syngeneic tumor models. M2-polarization, induced by colon cancer cell co-culture, was reversed by HKB99. Conversely, the increased migration of colon cancer cells by M2-TAMs was remarkably restrained by HKB99. Notably, a decrease in TAM infiltration was required for the HKB99-mediated anti-tumor effect, along with an increase in CD8⁺ T cell infiltration. Moreover, HKB99 improved the efficacy of anti-PD-1 treatment in syngeneic tumors. Overall, this study highlights HKB99's inhibitory activity in TAM-mediated colon cancer progression. Targeting PGAM1 could lead to novel therapeutic strategies and enhance the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies for colon cancer.

Objective: To investigate the etiology, complications, and prognostic factors of stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD5) in children. Methods: A case series study was conducted to retrospectively analyze the general situation, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, genetic testing, and follow-up data (until October 2022) of 174 children with CKD5 who were diagnosed and hospitalized at the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from April 2012 to April 2021. The characteristics of complications in the children were compared based on age, gender, and etiology. Based on the presence or absence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), patients were divided into LVH group and non LVH group for analyzing the influencing factors of cardiovascular disease. Patients were also divided into death group and survival group, peritoneal dialysis group and hemodialysis group based on the follow-up data for analyzing the prognostic factors. The chi-square test, independent sample t-test, Fisher exact probability test, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test were used to analyze data among different groups. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the prognostic factors. Results: A total of 174 children with CKD5 were enrolled in the study (96 boys and 78 girls), aged 11.2 (8.2, 13.0) years. Congenital kidney and urinary tract malformations (CAKUT) were the most common causes of the CKD5 (84 cases, 48.3%), followed by glomerular diseases (83 cases, 47.7%), and among which 28 cases (16.1%) were hereditary glomerular diseases. The common complications of CKD5 included anemia (98.2%, 165/168), mineral and bone disorder in chronic kidney disease (CKD-MBD) (97.7%, 170/174), lipid metabolism disorders (87.5%, 63/72), hypertension (81.4%, 127/156) and LVH (57.6%,57/99). The incidences of hypertension in primary glomerular disease were higher than that in CAKUT(93.8%(30/32) vs.73.7%(56/76),χ²=5.59,P<0.05). The incidences of hypertension in secondary glomerular disease were higher than that in CAKUT and that in hereditary kidney disease (100.0%(20/20) vs. 73.7%(56/76), 68.2%(15/22), both P<0.05). The incidence of hypocalcemia in CAKUT, primary glomerular disease, and hereditary kidney disease was higher than that in secondary glomerular disease (82.1%(69/84), 88.2%(30/34), 89.3%(25/28) vs. 47.6%(10/21), χ²=10.21, 10.75, 10.80, all P=0.001); the incidence of secondary hyperparathyroidism in women was higher than that in men (80.0%(64/80) vs. 95.0%(57/60), χ²=6.58, P=0.010). The incidence of LVH in children aged 6-<12 was higher than that in children aged 12-18 (73.5%(25/34) vs. 43.1%(22/51), χ²=7.62, P=0.006). Among 113 follow-up children, the mortality rate was 39.8% (45/113). Compared to the survival group, the children in the death group had lower hemoglobin, higher blood pressure, lower albumin, lower alkaline phosphatase and higher left ventricular mass index ((67±19) vs. (75±20) g/L, 142 (126, 154) vs. 128(113, 145) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), (91±21) vs. (82±22) mmHg, 32 (26, 41) vs. 40 (31, 43) g/L, 151 (82, 214) vs. 215 (129, 37) U/L, 48 (38, 66) vs. 38(32, 50) g/m^2.7,t=2.03, Z=2.89, t=2.70, Z=2.49, 2.79, 2.29,all P<0.05), but no independent risk factors were identified (all P>0.05). The peritoneal dialysis group had better alleviation for anemia, low calcium, and high phosphorus than the hemodialysis group ((87±22) vs. (72±16) g/L, (1.9±0.5) vs. (1.7±0.4) mmol/L, (2.2±0.7) vs. (2.8±0.9) mmol/L, t=2.92, 2.29, 2.82, all P<0.05), and the survival rate of the peritoneal dialysis group was significantly higher than that of the hemodialysis group (77.8% (28/36) vs. 48.4% (30/62), χ²=8.14, P=0.004). Conclusions: CAKUT is the most common etiology in children with CKD 5, and anemia is the most common complication. The incidence of complications in children with CKD 5 varies with age, gender and etiology. Anemia, hypertension, hypoalbuminemia, reduced alkaline phosphatase and elevated LVMI may be the prognostic factors in children with CKD5. Peritoneal dialysis may be more beneficial for improving the long-term survival rate.
Male ; Humans ; Child ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Kidney Failure, Chronic/therapy* ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/therapy* ; Hypertension ; Risk Factors ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/etiology* ; Anemia/etiology*

Objective: To investigate the outcome of patients with esophagogastric junction cancer undergoing thoracoscopic laparoscopy-assisted Ivor-Lewis resection. Methods: Eighty-four patients who were diagnosed with esophagogastric junction cancer and underwent Ivor-Lewis resection assisted by thoracoscopic laparoscopy at the National Cancer Center from October 2019 to April 2022 were collected. The neoadjuvant treatment mode, surgical safety and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Results: Siewert type Ⅱ (92.8%) and adenocarcinoma (95.2%) were predominant in the cases. A total of 2 774 lymph nodes were dissected in 84 patients. The average number was 33 per case, and the median was 31. Lymph node metastasis was found in 45 patients, and the lymph node metastasis rate was 53.6% (45/84). The total number of lymph node metastasis was 294, and the degree of lymph node metastasis was 10.6%(294/2 774). Among them, abdominal lymph nodes (100%, 45/45) were more likely to metastasize than thoracic lymph nodes (13.3%, 6/45). Sixty-eight patients received neoadjuvant therapy before surgery, and nine patients achieved pathological complete remission (pCR) (13.2%, 9/68). Eighty-three patients had negative surgical margins and underwent R0 resection (98.8%, 83/84). One patient, the intraoperative frozen pathology suggested resection margin was negative, while vascular tumor thrombus was seen on the postoperative pathological margin, R1 resection was performed (1.2%, 1/84). The average operation time of the 84 patients was 234.5 (199.3, 275.0) minutes, and the intraoperative blood loss was 90 (80, 100) ml. One case of intraoperative blood transfusion, one case of postoperative transfer to ICU ward, two cases of postoperative anastomotic leakage, one case of pleural effusion requiring catheter drainage, one case of small intestinal hernia with 12mm poke hole, no postoperative intestinal obstruction, chyle leakage and other complications were observed. The number of deaths within 30 days after surgery was 0. Number of lymph nodes dissection, operation duration, and intraoperative blood loss were not related to whether neoadjuvant therapy was performed (P>0.05). Preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy or immunotherapy was not related to whether postoperative pathology achieved pCR (P>0.05). Conclusion: Laparoscopic-assisted Ivor-Lewis surgery for esophagogastric junction cancer has a low incidence of intraoperative and postoperative complications, high safety, wide range of lymph node dissection, and sufficient margin length, which is worthy of clinical promotion.
Humans ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology* ; Esophagectomy ; Esophageal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Lymph Node Excision ; Postoperative Complications/epidemiology* ; Laparoscopy ; Esophagogastric Junction/pathology*

Objective:To assess the efficacy of the newly constructed system for screening, managing and monitoring congenital heart disease (CHD) in neonates of Hainan Province, thus providing references for a further promotion.Methods:Clinical data of neonatal CHD in Hainan Province from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including screening, diagnosis and treatment, prognosis and follow-up.Relying on Hainan Women and Children′s Medical Center as the leading unit, a neonatal CHD screening, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring system was established.A dual-indicator method was adopted, that was, screening staffs in Hainan Province performed CHD screening in living neonates by cardiac auscultation and pulse oximetry (POX) within 6-72 h after birth.Echocardiographic examinations for the screened living neonates were performed in the 31 authorized diagnosis institutions.Evaluations, interventions and treatment of living neonates with CHD were performed in 6 authorized tertiary hospitals.Data of screening, diagnosis, evaluation and treatment were filled in, uploaded and managed online through the neonatal CHD screening information management system.The research team of our hospital was responsible for the data management and monitoring.Results:From January 1 st, 2019 to December 31 st, 2021, there were 329 387 living neonates in Hainan Province, and 321 447 (97.59%) were screened for CHD, and the annual screening rate increased year by year.The positive rate of CHD screening was 2.50%(8 032/321 447). The rate of cardiac ultrasound examination within 1 week of CHD positive screening was 94.66%(7 603/8 032). The referral rate of severe CHD was 100.00%(154/154). The overall prevalence of CHD in neonates of Hainan Province was 3.419‰ (1 099/321 447). Atrial septal defect was the most common CHD lesion, with a proportion of 38.40%(422/1 099). The sensitivity of cardiac auscultation, POX and their combination for CHD detection were 69.15%, 33.49% and 91.90%, respectively, and the specificity were 98.36%, 99.43% and 97.81%, respectively.At the initial screening, the ratio of dual-positive of cardiac auscultation and POX in neonates with severe CHD (serious and critical CHD) was significantly higher than that of a single positive indicator ( χ2=36.502, 46.214, respectively; all P<0.001). All neonates with CHD were evaluated.Fifteen neonates with severe CHD died.From 2019 to 2021, the standardized mortality rate of children aged 0-1 years with CHD in Hainan province was 4.67/100 000 (15/321 447). Conclusions:Dual-indicator screening for CHD (cardiac auscultation plus POX) is reliable, non-invasive, and simple, which is conducive to be clinically promoted.Introducing and promoting an appropriate technology for screening, diagnosis, and evaluation of neonatal CHD are extremely significant since they may have contributed to the timely diagnosis and treatment of CHD, especially severe CHD, thus lowering the mortality.