ObjectiveTo investigate the expression level of HBV cccDNA in patients in the convalescence stage of hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF） and its correlation with HBV markers and liver histopathological changes. MethodsA total of 30 patients in the convalescence stage of HBV-ACL who were hospitalized in The Ninth Hospital of Nanchang from January 2015 to October 2023 were enrolled as liver failure group， and 9 patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB）， matched for sex and age， were enrolled as control group. The content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue was measured， and its correlation with clinical data and laboratory markers was analyzed. The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and a one-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups； the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. A Spearman correlation analysis was performed. ResultsThe liver failure group had a significantly lower content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue than the control group （-0.92±0.70 log₁₀ copies/cell vs -0.13±0.91 log₁₀ copies/cell， t=2.761， P=0.009）. In the liver failure group， there was no significant difference in the content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue between the HBeAg-positive patients and the HBeAg-negative patients （P>0.05）； there was no significant difference in the content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue between the patients with different grades （G0-G2， G3， and G4） of liver inflammatory activity （P>0.05）； there was no significant difference in the content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue between the patients with different stages （S0-S2， S3， and S4） of liver fibrosis （P>0.05）； there was no significant difference in the content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue between the patients with negative HBV DNA and those with positive HBV DNA （P>0.05）. For the liver failure group， the content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue was positively correlated with the content of HBV DNA in liver tissue （r=0.426， P=0.043） and was not significantly correlated with the content of HBV DNA in serum （P>0.05）. ConclusionThere is a significant reduction in the content of HBV cccDNA in liver tissue in the convalescence stage of HBV-ACLF. HBV cccDNA exists continuously and stably in liver tissue and can better reflect the persistent infection and replication of HBV than HBV DNA in serum and liver tissue.

Fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution (FAPD) is a newly recognized entity of primary lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia with clinical and histopathological characteristics of both androgenetic alopecia and lichen planopilaris. Currently, there is still a lack of full understanding of and standardized treatment protocols for FAPD, which is prone to be clinically underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. This review systematically summarizes the research progress in FAPD in terms of clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment, in order to facilitate its clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) N-glycans in male patients with different subtypes and severity grades of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) .Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on male patients diagnosed with male-pattern hair loss (MPHL) or female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) who attended the Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University between June and December 2022. Clinical data were collected, and serum IgG N-glycans were quantitatively analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) . The content of serum IgG N-glycan structures was compared between patients with different AGA subtypes and among patients with different severity grades of MPHL or FPHL, while derived traits were compared between patients with different AGA subtypes. Point-biserial correlation analysis was conducted to assess associations between serum IgG N-glycans and hair loss severity.Results:A total of 85 male patients with AGA were included, comprising 44 MPHL patients and 41 FPHL patients. No significant differences were observed between the two subgroups in terms of age, age at onset, or serum levels of testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, uric acid, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (all P > 0.05) . UPLC showed 23 serum IgG glycans and 5 derived glycan traits (afucosylation, fucosylation, bisecting GlcNAc, terminal galactosylation, and terminal sialylation) . Compared with the MPHL patients, the FPHL patients exhibited significantly increased levels of N-glycans GP5, GP11, GP17, and GP20 (all P < 0.05) , significantly elevated levels of afucosylated IgG N-glycans ( P = 0.047) , but significantly reduced core fucosylated IgG N-glycans ( P = 0.047) . No significant differences in serum IgG N-glycan composition were observed among patients with varying severity grades of MPHL (all P > 0.05) . In the FPHL patients, the levels of N-glycans GP10 ( r = 0.32, P = 0.039) and GP22 ( r = -0.32, P = 0.045) were significantly positively and negatively correlated with hair loss severity respectively; receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that both GP10 and GP22 had moderate diagnostic value for predicting hair loss severity, with the area under the curve values being 0.69 (95% CI: 0.52 - 0.86) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55 - 0.86) , respectively. Conclusion:Serum IgG N-glycan profiles differed among male patients with different AGA subtypes, and N-glycans GP10 and GP22 may serve as potential biomarkers for early assessment of hair loss severity in male FPHL patients.

Oral minoxidil has been used to treat various hair loss disorders, including alopecia areata, though its efficacy as a monotherapy remains unclear. In recent years, oral minoxidil has increasingly been applied as an adjuvant treatment alongside other agents such as Janus kinase inhibitors for alopecia areata. This review summarizes the current application of oral minoxidil in the treatment of alopecia areata.

Changes in hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) can affect scalp aging and hair growth. With increasing age, HFSCs exhibit a decrease in quiescence maintenance and self-renewal capacity, as well as differentiation potential, leading to shortened hair growth cycles and even hair loss. This review summarizes recent research advances in the multifactorial interactions underlying hair loss, including the regulatory mechanisms of HFSC quiescence, the impact of aging on HFSC function, and aging of the stem cell microenvironment. Additionally, this review discusses the relationship between stem cells and hair shafts, and the mechanisms of action of stem cells in scalp aging, including alterations in signaling pathways, chromatin remodeling, and epigenetic regulation, etc. Furthermore, stem cell-based therapeutic strategies are summarized, such as the use of stem cells or their secreting exosomes, modulation of the stem cell microenvironment, and pharmacological interventions.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in humans, characterized by the patterned miniaturization of scalp hair follicles and shortened anagen phases. Recent studies have revealed a significant association between AGA and metabolic syndrome (MetS) . The hallmarks of MetS include abdominal obesity, impaired glucose metabolism, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. This commentary evaluates the epidemiological association between AGA and MetS, explores the underlying concurrent mechanisms, and discusses current and potential therapeutic strategies.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic and therapeutic value of single-use mother-baby choledochoscope-assisted endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy in the treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 39 patients with acute uncomplicated appendicitis who underwent single-use mother-baby choledochoscope-assisted endoscopic retrograde appendicitis treatment at the Endoscopy center of the hospital from September 2022 to September 2024.Observe the endoscopic manifestations,the rate of maternal and child basket stone removal,the rate of appendiceal stent implantation,the technical success rate,the clinical success rate,the operation time,the hospital stay,the incidence of complications,the visual analogue scale(VAS)score 6 hours after the operation,and the inflammatory indicators 24 hours after the operation.Results In 28 cases(71.8%),congestion and edema could be seen at the opening of the appendix under colonoscopy.In 10 cases(25.6%),pus could be seen flowing out of the opening of the appendix under colonoscopy.In 32 cases(82.1%),a large amount of pus could be seen in the lumen of the appendix under subscopy.In 20 cases(51.3%),appendiceal fecalith could be seen in the lumen of the appendix under subscopy.The technical success rate of single-use mother-baby choledochoscope-assisted endoscopic retrograde appendicitis treatment was 100.0%(39/39).The operation time was(21.08±7.49)min;Hospital stay:(3.97±2.08)days;Eight cases(20.5%)of patients underwent endoscopic maternal basket stone removal.Appendiceal stent implantation was performed in 14 cases(35.9%)of patients.The clinical success rate is 97.4%(38/39).One patient's clinical symptoms and inflammatory indicators did not improve after the operation,and was transferred to the surgery department for appendectomy.The VAS score of 38 patients was less than 3 points 6 hours after the operation,and the abdominal pain symptoms were significantly relieved.The white blood cell count and the percentage of neutrophils 24 hours after the operation decreased significantly compared with those before the operation,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).None of the 39 patients had complications.The postoperative follow-up was(5.94±4.03)months,and recurrence occurred in 3 cases(7.7%).Conclusion single-use mother-baby choledocoscope-assisted endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy is safe and effective in the diagnosis and treatment of acute uncomplicated appendicitis,which is worthy of further promotion and popularization in clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) N-glycans in male patients with different subtypes and severity grades of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) .Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on male patients diagnosed with male-pattern hair loss (MPHL) or female-pattern hair loss (FPHL) who attended the Department of Dermatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University between June and December 2022. Clinical data were collected, and serum IgG N-glycans were quantitatively analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) . The content of serum IgG N-glycan structures was compared between patients with different AGA subtypes and among patients with different severity grades of MPHL or FPHL, while derived traits were compared between patients with different AGA subtypes. Point-biserial correlation analysis was conducted to assess associations between serum IgG N-glycans and hair loss severity.Results:A total of 85 male patients with AGA were included, comprising 44 MPHL patients and 41 FPHL patients. No significant differences were observed between the two subgroups in terms of age, age at onset, or serum levels of testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, uric acid, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (all P > 0.05) . UPLC showed 23 serum IgG glycans and 5 derived glycan traits (afucosylation, fucosylation, bisecting GlcNAc, terminal galactosylation, and terminal sialylation) . Compared with the MPHL patients, the FPHL patients exhibited significantly increased levels of N-glycans GP5, GP11, GP17, and GP20 (all P < 0.05) , significantly elevated levels of afucosylated IgG N-glycans ( P = 0.047) , but significantly reduced core fucosylated IgG N-glycans ( P = 0.047) . No significant differences in serum IgG N-glycan composition were observed among patients with varying severity grades of MPHL (all P > 0.05) . In the FPHL patients, the levels of N-glycans GP10 ( r = 0.32, P = 0.039) and GP22 ( r = -0.32, P = 0.045) were significantly positively and negatively correlated with hair loss severity respectively; receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that both GP10 and GP22 had moderate diagnostic value for predicting hair loss severity, with the area under the curve values being 0.69 (95% CI: 0.52 - 0.86) and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.55 - 0.86) , respectively. Conclusion:Serum IgG N-glycan profiles differed among male patients with different AGA subtypes, and N-glycans GP10 and GP22 may serve as potential biomarkers for early assessment of hair loss severity in male FPHL patients.

Oral minoxidil has been used to treat various hair loss disorders, including alopecia areata, though its efficacy as a monotherapy remains unclear. In recent years, oral minoxidil has increasingly been applied as an adjuvant treatment alongside other agents such as Janus kinase inhibitors for alopecia areata. This review summarizes the current application of oral minoxidil in the treatment of alopecia areata.

Changes in hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) can affect scalp aging and hair growth. With increasing age, HFSCs exhibit a decrease in quiescence maintenance and self-renewal capacity, as well as differentiation potential, leading to shortened hair growth cycles and even hair loss. This review summarizes recent research advances in the multifactorial interactions underlying hair loss, including the regulatory mechanisms of HFSC quiescence, the impact of aging on HFSC function, and aging of the stem cell microenvironment. Additionally, this review discusses the relationship between stem cells and hair shafts, and the mechanisms of action of stem cells in scalp aging, including alterations in signaling pathways, chromatin remodeling, and epigenetic regulation, etc. Furthermore, stem cell-based therapeutic strategies are summarized, such as the use of stem cells or their secreting exosomes, modulation of the stem cell microenvironment, and pharmacological interventions.