Perineural invasion (PNI) by tumor cells is a key phenotype of highly-invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Since Schwann cells (SCs) and fibroblasts maintain the physiological homeostasis of the peripheral nervous system, and we have focused on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) for decades, it's imperative to elucidate the impact of CAFs on SCs in PNI⁺ OSCCs. We describe a disease progression-driven shift of PNI^- towards PNI⁺ during the progression of early-stage OSCC (31%, n = 125) to late-stage OSCC (53%, n = 97), characterized by abundant CAFs and nerve demyelination. CAFs inhibited SC proliferation/migration and reduced neurotrophic factors and myelin in vitro, and this involved up-regulated ER stress and decreased MAPK signals. Moreover, CAFs also aggravated the paralysis of the hind limb and PNI in vivo. Unexpectedly, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was exclusively expressed on CAFs and up-regulated in metastatic OSCC. The LIF inhibitor EC330 restored CAF-induced SC inactivation. Thus, OSCC-derived CAFs inactivate SCs to aggravate nerve injury and PNI development.
Schwann Cells/metabolism* ; Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Humans ; Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts/metabolism* ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness/pathology* ; Male ; Female ; Mice ; Cell Movement/physiology* ; Cell Proliferation/physiology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Leukemia Inhibitory Factor/metabolism* ; Middle Aged

Radiation-induced thrombocytopenia (RIT) faces a perplexing challenge in the clinical treatment of cancer patients, and current therapeutic approaches are inadequate in the clinical settings. In this research, oxymatrine, a new molecule capable of healing RIT was screened out, and the underlying regulatory mechanism associated with magakaryocyte (MK) differentiation and thrombopoiesis was demonstrated. The capacity of oxymatrine to induce MK differentiation was verified in K-562 and Meg-01 cells in vitro. The ability to induce thrombopoiesis was subsequently demonstrated in Tg (cd41:enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)) zebrafish and RIT model mice. In addition, we carried out network pharmacological prediction, drug affinity responsive target stability assay (DARTS) and cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) analyses to explore the potential targets of oxymatrine. Moreover, the pathway underlying the effects of oxymatrine was determined by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses, Western blot (WB), and immunofluorescence. Oxymatrine markedly promoted MK differentiation and maturation in vitro. Moreover, oxymatrine induced thrombopoiesis in Tg (cd41:eGFP) zebrafish and accelerated thrombopoiesis and platelet function recovery in RIT model mice. Mechanistically, oxymatrine directly binds to toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and further regulates the downstream pathway stimulator of interferon genes (STING)/nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), which can be blocked by C29 and C-176, which are specific inhibitors of TLR2 and STING, respectively. Taken together, we demonstrated that oxymatrine, a novel TLR2 agonist, plays a critical role in accelerating MK differentiation and thrombopoiesis via the STING/NF-κB axis, suggesting that oxymatrine is a promising candidate for RIT therapy.

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) with increasing global prevalence lacks effective therapeutic targets to halt or reverse its progression. Therapeutic targets supported by causal genetic evidence are more likely to succeed in randomized clinical trials. In this study, we integrated large-scale plasma proteomics, genetic-driven causal inference, and experimental validation to identify prioritized targets for DKD using the UK Biobank (UKB) and FinnGen cohorts. Among 2844 diabetic patients (528 with DKD), we identified 37 targets significantly associated with incident DKD, supported by both observational and causal evidence. Of these, 22% (8/37) of the potential targets are currently under investigation for DKD or other diseases. Our prospective study confirmed that higher levels of three prioritized targets-insulin-like growth factor binding protein 4 (IGFBP4), family with sequence similarity 3 member C (FAM3C), and prostaglandin D2 synthase (PTGDS)-were associated with a 4.35, 3.51, and 3.57-fold increased likelihood of developing DKD, respectively. In addition, population-level protein-altering variants (PAVs) analysis and in vitro experiments cross-validated FAM3C and IGFBP4 as potential new target candidates for DKD, through the classic NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3)-caspase-1-gasdermin D (GSDMD) apoptotic axis. Our results demonstrate that integrating omics data mining with causal inference may be a promising strategy for prioritizing therapeutic targets.

Objective: To assess the presence of vector-borne pathogens [including Zika virus (ZIKV), dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Plasmodium (PLAS)] among voluntary blood donors in Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (referred to as Wenshan), so as to provide a basis for formulating blood safety-related strategies. Methods: Blood samples from voluntary blood donors in Wenshan from June to August 2022 to 2024 were selected. Real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to test 20 426 samples for ZIKV RNA, DENV RNA, and CHIKV RNA; and 19 765 samples were tested for PLAS DNA. Results: All 20 426 samples tested for ZIKV RNA, DENV RNA, and CHIKV RNA were negative; similarly, all 19 765 samples tested for PLAS DNA were negative. Conclusion: The risk of ZIKV, DENV, CHIKV, and PLAS infection among voluntary blood donors in Wenshan is relatively low. Routine surveillance for these pathogens as endemic diseases is not currently warranted. It is recommended to adjust the screening strategy based on the dynamic situation of local epidemiology control and prevention.

AIM:To establish a nomogram model to predict the effect of serum ferritin on diabetic retinopathy and evaluate the model.METHODS:A total of 21 variables, including ferritin, were screened by univariate and multivariate regression analysis to determine the risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. A nomogram prediction model was established for evaluation and calibration.RESULTS:Ferritin, duration of diabetes, hemoglobin, urine microalbumin, regularity of medication and body mass index were included in the nomogram model. The consistency index of the prediction model with serum ferritin was 0.813(95%CI: 0.748-0.879). The calibration curves of internal and external verification showed good performance, and the probability of the threshold suggested by the decision curve was in the range 10% to 90%. The model had a high net profit value.CONCLUSIONS:Serum ferritin is an important risk factor for diabetic retinopathy. A new nomogram model, which includes body mass index, duration of diabetes, ferritin, hemoglobin, urine microalbumin and regularity of medication, has a high predictive accuracy and could provide early prediction for clinicians.

Objective:To review the clinical status based on the best evidence of drug administration in patients with dysphagia, systematically analyze the obstacle factors and promoting factors in the process of evidence transformation, and formulate reform strategies.Methods:Based on the evidence-based nursing research method and the guidance of the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU), the review indicators were developed based on the best evidence. The current status of clinical practice behaviors of 223 patients and 75 nurses in the Neurology, Neurosurgery and Geriatric departments of the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University were reviewed from July to December 2021.Based on the results of the review, qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 potential adopters, and content analysis was used to assess the barriers and contributing factors to the clinical translation of evidence in three aspects: evidence-based change, potential adopters and practice environment, so as to develop effective strategies.Results:Based on the 22 best evidence selected, the evidence-based team developed 25 review indicators to carry out clinical review, showing that the compliance rate of 16 indicators were less than 60%. By analyzing and summarizing the interview results of potential adopters, the main obstacles leading to the low compliance rate of nurses were analyzed as follows: evidence-based reform changed the traditional work mode, and the application of evidence was not convenient; at the level of potential adopters, nurses had poor knowledge and practice, heavy work burden, and low awareness of patients and caregivers; at the level of practice environment, there was lack of nursing norms and procedures for clinical transformation of evidence, and the channels of multi-disciplinary collaboration and communication were not smooth. The main promoting factors were the perfect supervision mechanism of evidence-based nursing projects, the evidence-based group had rich experience in evidence transformation, the management was willing to change, and the practitioners were good at innovation.Conclusions:There is still a large gap between the clinical practice and the best evidence of drug administration in patients with dysphagia. The promoting factors should be fully utilized to overcome the obstacles and implement improvements to promote the effective transformation of evidence into clinical practice.

Type Ⅲ acute acquired concomitant esotropia(AACE)often occurs in myopic patients after adolescence.Its exact mechanism is unclear,but it may be related to myopia,convergence-divergence imbalance,overregulation,de-compensation of esotropia,abnormal anatomical structure,and visual center dysfunction.Currently,the main treatment methods include surgery,creotoxin injection,triple prism correction,and visual function training.This article provides a comprehensive review of the pathogenesis and treatment progress of type Ⅲ AACE.

A dose reconstruction algorithm for electrionic portal imaging device(EPID)based on calibration and calculation is developed.The raw data of EPID in continuous acquisition mode are corrected for dark field and gain,and the gray level features of bright field are used to determine the field boundary.Subsequently,MU calibration,off-axis calibration and field size calibration are performed on the EPID data,and dose reconstruction is carried out based on the calibrated superimposed flux and the Monte Carlo model of the linac head.Nine cases of IMRT plans are selected for verification and measurement using EPID and MapCheck separately,and the passing rates between the two tools are compared under different gamma criteria(3%/3 mm and 2%/2 mm).For a planned case,the average passing rates of multiple cases verified by MapCheck under the two criteria were 99.02%±1.28%and 90.84%±4.49%,and the average passing rates of the EPID reconstruction models were 98.86%±1.19%and 91.39%±4.80%.Compared with MapCheck,the EPID reconstruction algorithm based on calibration and calculation has no significant difference in the passing rate of IMRT plan verification(P＞0.05),which meets the clinical requirements of dose verification.