Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To investigate the role of lncRNA SNHG1 in homocysteine-induced pyroptosis of podocyte.Methods Cbs+/-mice were randomly divided into two groups:a normal diet group(ND)and a high me-thionine diet group(HMD).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of Caspase-1,Cleaved Caspase-1,and NLRP3.Mouse renal glomerular podocytes were cultured in vitro,and then assigned into a control group(Control,0 μmol/L Hcy)and a homocysteine intervention group(Hcy,80 μmol/L Hcy).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of Caspase-1,Cleaved Caspase-1,and NLRP3.Mouse renal glomerular podocyion group(OE-NC + Hcy)and the lncSNHG1 overexpression + homocysteine intervention group(OE-SNHG1 + Hcy)were also established.After 48 hours of intervention,Real-time fluorescence quantita-tive PCR was used to detect the expression of lncSNHG1 in podocytes after Hcy intervention.Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Caspase-1,Cleaved Caspase-3 and NLRP3.Immunofluorescence was used to de-tect the expression levels of GSDMD and GSDMD-N.ELISA was used to detect the contents of IL-1β and IL-18.Results(1)In the animal experiments,the expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins Caspase-1,Cleaved Caspase-1,NLRP3,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N were all increased in the HMD group compared with the ND group.(2)In the cellular experiments,the expression levels of Caspase-1,Cleaved Caspase-1,NLRP3,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N were all increased in the Hcy group compared with the Control group,and the contents of pyroptosis-mediated inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-18 were increased as well.(3)In the cellular experiments,the expres-sion of lncSNHG1 was increased in the Hcy group compared with the control group.After transduction with lnc-SNHG1 lentivirus,the expression of lncSNHG1 was increased in the OE-SNHG1 group,compared with the control group and the OE-NC group.(4)In the cellular experiments,the expressions of pyroptosis-related proteins Cas-pase-1,Cleaved Caspase-1,NLRP3,GSDMD,and GSDMD-N were increased compared with the OE-NC+Hcy group,and the contents of pyroptosis-mediated inflammatory factors IL-1β and IL-18 were increased in the OE-SNHG1+Hcy group.Conclusion These results indicate that lncSNHG1 may play a role in promoting Hcy induced podocytepyroptosis.

The incidence of knee osteoarthritis(KOA)is in-creasing year by year,seriously affecting patients'health.Mes-enchymal stem cells are multipotent cells with multiple differen-tiation functions.The extracellular vesicles released by these cells can carry various"cargo"to corresponding cells and tis-sues,exerting biological functions.They have shown great clini-cal potential in the treatment of KOA.This study reviews the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of extracellular vesicles se-creted by mesenchymal stem cells from different tissues such as bone marrow,adipose tissue,and synovium in KOA.It is found that miRNA is an important biological component in exerting therapeutic effects.The study also discusses the research pro-gress of engineered extracellular vesicles in KOA,pointing out the current challenges in clinical application,such as standard-ized acquisition of extracellular vesicles and difficulties in targe-ted action,aiming to provide a certain reference for the basic re-search and clinical application of extracellular vesicle therapy for KOA.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with CD5+diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL).Methods:The clinical data of 161 newly treated DLBCL patients in Gansu Provincial Hospital from January 2013 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.According to CD5 expression,the patients were divided into CD5+group and CD5-group.The clinical characteristics and prognosis of the two groups were statistically analyzed.Results:The median age of patients in CD5+group was 62 years,which was higher than 56 years in CD5-group(P=0.048).The proportion of women in CD5+group was 62.96％,which was significantly higher than 41.79％in CD5-group(P=0.043).The proportion of patients with IPI score＞2 in CD5+group was 62.96％,which was higher than 40.30％in CD5-group(P=0.031).Survival analysis showed that the median overall survival and progression-free survival time of patients in CD5+group were 27(3-77)and 31(3-76)months,respectively,which were both shorter than 30(5-84)and 32.5(4-83)months in CD5-group(P=0.047,P=0.026).Univariate analysis showed that advanced age,positive CD5 expression,triple or double hit at initial diagnosis,high IPI score and no use of rituximab during chemotherapy were risk factors for the prognosis of DLBCL patients.Further Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that these factors were also independent risk factors except for advanced age.Conclusion:CD5+DLBCL patients have a worse prognosis than CD5-DLBCL patients.Such patients are more common in females,with advanced age and high IPI score,which is a special subtype of DLBCL.

Objective:To explore and analyze the incidence rate,influencing factors and impact on prognosis of pulmonary hypertension(PH)in patients with Philadelphia chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasms(Ph-MPNs).Methods:The clinical data of 271 patients with Ph-MPNs were retrospectively analyzed,and different disease subtypes were classified.Patients with different disease types were further divided into PH+and PH-groups according to whether HP occurred.Statistical methods were used to analyze the incidence rate,risk factors,and impact on prognosis of PH in Ph-MPNs patients.Results:The overall incidence rate of PH among 271 patients was 26.9％,and according to the classification of disease subtypes,it was found that the incidence rate of PH in patients with primary myelofibrosis(PMF)was significantly higher than those of patients with polycythemia vera and essential thrombocythemia(both P＜0.05).Multivariate regression analysis showed that advanced age,long disease course,JAK2 positive and increased hematocrit,lactate dehydrogenase,monocyte count,and uric acid level were independent risk factors for PH in Ph-MPNs patients(OR＞1,P＜0.05),and there were some differences in the independent risk factors between different disease subtypes.Survival analysis results showed that the overall survival(OS)rate of PH+patients was significantly lower than that of PH-patients in other types except for PMF(all P＜0.05).Conclusion:The incidence rate of PH in Ph-MPNs patients is high,and its risk factors are diverse.The OS rate of Ph-MPNs patients with PH is low.Therefore,we should be highly alert to the occurrence of PH in Ph-MPNs patients clinically.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and the risk factors of fungal sepsis in 25 neonatal intensive care units (NICU) among preterm infants in China, and to provide a basis for preventive strategies of fungal sepsis. Methods: This was a second-analysis of the data from the "reduction of infection in neonatal intensive care units using the evidence-based practice for improving quality" study. The current status of fungal sepsis of the 24 731 preterm infants with the gestational age of <34⁺⁰ weeks, who were admitted to 25 participating NICU within 7 days of birth between May 2015 and April 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. These preterm infants were divided into the fungal sepsis group and the without fungal sepsis group according to whether they developed fungal sepsis to analyze the incidences and the microbiology of fungal sepsis. Chi-square test was used to compare the incidences of fungal sepsis in preterm infants with different gestational ages and birth weights and in different NICU. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to study the outcomes of preterm infants with fungal sepsis, which were further compared with those of preterm infants without fungal sepsis. The 144 preterm infants in the fungal sepsis group were matched with 288 preterm infants in the non-fungal sepsis group by propensity score-matched method. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of fungal sepsis. Results: In all, 166 (0.7%) of the 24 731 preterm infants developed fungal sepsis, with the gestational age of (29.7±2.0) weeks and the birth weight of (1 300±293) g. The incidence of fungal sepsis increased with decreasing gestational age and birth weight (both P<0.001). The preterm infants with gestational age of <32 weeks accounted for 87.3% (145/166). The incidence of fungal sepsis was 1.0% (117/11 438) in very preterm infants and 2.0% (28/1 401) in extremely preterm infants, and was 1.3% (103/8 060) in very low birth weight infants and 1.7% (21/1 211) in extremely low birth weight infants, respectively. There was no fungal sepsis in 3 NICU, and the incidences in the other 22 NICU ranged from 0.7% (10/1 397) to 2.9% (21/724), with significant statistical difference (P<0.001). The pathogens were mainly Candida (150/166, 90.4%), including 59 cases of Candida albicans and 91 cases of non-Candida albicans, of which Candida parapsilosis was the most common (41 cases). Fungal sepsis was independently associated with increased risk of moderate to severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (adjusted OR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22, P=0.030) and severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (adjusted OR 2.55, 95%CI 1.12-5.80, P=0.025). Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure (adjusted OR=2.50, 95%CI 1.50-4.17, P<0.001), prolonged use of central line (adjusted OR=1.05, 95%CI 1.03-1.08, P<0.001) and previous total parenteral nutrition (TPN) duration (adjusted OR=1.04, 95%CI 1.02-1.06, P<0.001) were all independently associated with increasing risk of fungal sepsis. Conclusions: Candida albicans and Candida parapsilosis are the main pathogens of fungal sepsis among preterm infants in Chinese NICU. Preterm infants with fungal sepsis are at increased risk of moderate to severe BPD and severe ROP. Previous broad spectrum antibiotics exposure, prolonged use of central line and prolonged duration of TPN will increase the risk of fungal sepsis. Ongoing initiatives are needed to reduce fungal sepsis based on these risk factors.
Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Birth Weight ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Gestational Age ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Retinopathy of Prematurity/epidemiology* ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology*