To compare the clinical efficacy of intralesional corticosteroid injection combined with topical corticosteroids versus topical corticosteroids alone in patients with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM).

Dental stem cells (DSCs), a distinct subset of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are isolated from dental tissues, such as dental pulp, exfoliated deciduous teeth, periodontal ligament, and apical papilla. They have emerged as a promising source of stem cell therapy for tissue regeneration and autoimmune disorders. The main types of DSCs include dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED), periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), and stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP). Each type exhibits distinct advantages: easy access via minimally invasive procedures, multi-lineage differentiation potential, and excellent ethical acceptability. DSCs have demonstrated outstanding clinical efficacy in oral and maxillofacial regeneration, and their long-term safety has been verified. In oral tissue regeneration, DSCs are highly effective in oral tissue regeneration for critical applications such as the restoration of dental pulp vitality and periodontal tissue repair. A defining advantage of DSCs lies in their ability to integrate with host tissues and promote physiological regeneration, which render them a better option for oral tissue regenerative therapies. Beyond oral applications, DSCs also exhibit promising potential in the treatment of systemic diseases, including type Ⅱ diabetes and autoimmune diseases due to their immunomodulatory effects. Moreover, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from DSCs act as critical mediators for DSCs' paracrine functions. Possessing regulatory properties similar to their parental cells, EVs are extensively utilized in research targeting tissue repair, immunomodulation, and regenerative therapy-offering a "cell-free" strategy to mitigate the limitations associated with cell-based therapies. Despite these advancements, standardizing large-scale manufacturing, maintaining strict quality control, and clarifying the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction of DSCs and their EVs with recipient tissues remain major obstacles to the clinical translation of these treatments into broad clinical use. Addressing these barriers will be critical to enhancing their clinical applicability and therapeutic efficacy. In conclusion, DSCs and their EVs represent a transformative approach in regenerative medicine, and increasing clinical evidence supports their application in oral and systemic diseases. Continuous innovation remains essential to unlocking the widespread clinical potential of DSCs.
Humans ; Dental Pulp/cytology* ; Translational Research, Biomedical ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Periodontal Ligament/cytology* ; Stem Cells/cytology* ; Regeneration ; Tooth, Deciduous/cytology* ; Cell Differentiation ; Tissue Engineering/methods* ; Regenerative Medicine

Intestinal fibrosis is a significant clinical challenge in inflammatory bowel diseases, but no effective anti-fibrotic therapy is currently available. Glucagon receptor (GCGR) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) are both peptide hormone receptors involved in energy metabolism of epithelial cells. However, their role in intestinal fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Herein GCGR and GLP1R were found to be reduced in the stenotic ileum of patients with Crohn's disease as well as in the fibrotic colon of mice with chronic colitis. The downregulation of GCGR and GLP1R led to the accumulation of the metabolic byproduct lactate, resulting in histone H3K9 lactylation and exacerbated intestinal fibrosis through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Dual activating GCGR and GLP1R by peptide 1907B reduced the H3K9 lactylation in epithelial cells and ameliorated intestinal fibrosis in vivo. We uncovered the role of GCGR/GLP1R in regulating EMT involved in intestinal fibrosis via histone lactylation. Simultaneously activating GCGR/GLP1R with the novel dual agonist peptide 1907B holds promise as a treatment strategy for alleviating intestinal fibrosis.

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is a widely utilized therapeutic approach for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, the clinical implementation is constrained by the stringent preparation conditions of radioembolization agents. Herein, we incorporated the superstable homogeneous iodinated formulation technology (SHIFT), simultaneously utilizing an enhanced solvent form in a carbon dioxide supercritical fluid environment, to encapsulate radionuclides (such as ¹³¹I,¹⁷⁷Lu, or ¹⁸F) with lipiodol for the preparation of radiolipiodol. The resulting radiolipiodol exhibited exceptional stability and ultra-high labeling efficiency (≥99%) and displayed notable intratumoral radionuclide retention and in vivo stability more than 2 weeks following locoregional injection in subcutaneous tumors in mice and orthotopic liver tumors in rats and rabbits. Given these encouraging findings, ¹⁸F was authorized as a radiotracer in radiolipiodol for clinical trials in HCC patients, and showed a favorable tumor accumulation, with a tumor-to-liver uptake ratio of ≥50 and minimal radionuclide leakage, confirming the feasibility of SHIFT for TARE applications. In the context of transforming from preclinical to clinical screening, the preparation of radiolipiodol by SHIFT represents an innovative physical strategy for radionuclide encapsulation. Hence, this work offers a reliable and efficient approach for TARE in HCC, showing considerable promise for clinical application (ChiCTR2400087731).

OBJECTIVE: To examine the mechanistic of organochlorine-associated changes in lung function. METHODS: This study investigated 76 healthy older adults in Jinan, Shandong Province, over a five-month period. Personal exposure to organochlorines was quantified using wearable passive samplers, while inflammatory factors and thyroid hormones were analyzed from blood samples. Participants' lung function was evaluated. After stratifying participants according to their thyroid hormone levels, we analyzed the differential effects of organochlorine exposure on lung function and inflammatory factors across the low and high thyroid hormone groups. Mediation analysis was further conducted to elucidate the relationships among organochlorine exposures, inflammatory factors, and lung function. RESULTS: Bis (2-chloro-1-methylethyl) ether (BCIE), was negatively associated with forced vital capacity (FVC, -2.05%, 95% CI: -3.11% to -0.97%), and associated with changes in inflammatory factors such as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-7, IL-8, and IL-13 in the low thyroid hormone group. The mediation analysis indicated a mediating effect of IL-2 (15.63%, 95% CI: 0.91% to 44.64%) and IL-13 (13.94%, 95% CI: 0.52% to 41.07%) in the association between BCIE exposure and FVC. CONCLUSION Lung function and inflammatory factors exhibited an increased sensitivity to organochlorine exposure at lower thyroid hormone levels, with inflammatory factors potentially mediating the adverse effects of organochlorines on lung function.
Environmental Exposure ; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/metabolism* ; China ; Ethyl Ethers/metabolism* ; Environmental Monitoring ; Thyroid Hormones/blood* ; Lung/physiology* ; Inhalation Exposure/statistics & numerical data* ; Air Pollution/statistics & numerical data* ; Air Pollutants/metabolism* ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Objective : To evaluate the coverage and spatial clustering of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine(PCV13) among the 2017—2023 birth cohorts in Anhui Province. Methods : Obtained vaccination data of PCV13 for children born in 2017—2023 from the Anhui Immunization Information Management System.We estimated coverage levels and described characteristics of coverage.The spatial autocorrelation analysis of coverage was conducted. Results : Cumulative coverage,cumulative primary immunization coverage and cumulative full-series coverage of PCV13 were 17.19%,12.12% and 9.09% among the 2017—2023 birth cohort in Anhui Province.The coverage of PCV13 increased from 1.14% in the 2017 birth cohort to 41.59% in the 2022 birth cohort.The first dose of PCV13 at ages under 3,3—6,7—11,12—23 and not less than 24 months were 45.35%,29.84%,5.52%,10.75% and 8.53%,respectively.There were significant differences in the ages of the first dose between children of different years of born and kinds of PCV13(P<0.001).Significant differences were also observed in the cumulative coverage,cumulative primary immunization coverage,cumulative full-series coverage of PCV13 and ages of the first dose among children from various residence regions(P<0.001).From 2018 to 2023 birth cohort,the coverage of PCV13 in Anhui Province showed obvious positive spatial autocorrelation.Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the "high-high" agglomeration areas were concentrated in the central area of Anhui. Conclusion The coverage of PCV13 was low in Anhui Province with significant regional differences.

Objective:To unveil the pathological changes associated with demyelination in schizophre-nia(SZ)and its consequential impact on interstitial fluid(ISF)drainage,and to investigate the thera-peutic efficacy of ursolic acid(UA)in treating demyelination and the ensuing abnormalities in ISF drainage in SZ.Methods:Female C57BL/6J mice,aged 6-8 weeks and weighing(20±2)g,were randomly divided into three groups:control,SZ model,and UA treatment.The control group received intraperitoneal injection(ip)of physiological saline and intragastric administration(ig)of 1％carboxy-methylcellulose sodium(CMC-Na).The SZ model group was subjected to ip injection of 2 mg/kg dizo-cilpine maleate(MK-801)and ig administration of 1％CMC-Na.The UA treatment group underwent ig administration of 25 mg/kg UA and ip injection of 2 mg/kg MK-801.The treatment group received UA pretreatment via ig administration for one week,followed by a two-week drug intervention for all the three groups.Behavioral assessments,including the open field test and prepulse inhibition experiment,were conducted post-modeling.Subsequently,changes in the ISF partition drainage were investigated through fluorescent tracer injection into specific brain regions.Immunofluorescence analysis was employed to examine alterations in aquaporin 4(AQP4)polarity distribution in the brain and changes in protein expres-sion.Myelin reflex imaging using Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy(LSCM)was utilized to study modifications in myelin within the mouse brain.Quantitative data underwent one-way ANOVA,followed by TukeyHSD for post hoc pairwise comparisons between the groups.Results:The open field test re-vealed a significantly longer total distance[(7 949.39±1 140.55)cm vs.(2 831.01±1 212.72)cm,P＜0.001]and increased central area duration[(88.43±22.06)s vs.(56.85±18.58)s,P=0.011]for the SZ model group compared with the controls.The UA treatment group exhibited signifi-cantly reduced total distance[(2 415.80±646.95)cm vs.(7 949.39±1 140.55)cm,P＜0.001]and increased central area duration[(54.78±11.66)s vs.(88.43±22.06)s,P=0.007]compared with the model group.Prepulse inhibition test results demonstrated a markedly lower inhibition rate of the star-tle reflex in the model group relative to the controls(P＜0.001 for both),with the treatment group dis-playing significant improvement(P＜0.001 for both).Myelin sheath analysis indicated significant demy-elination in the model group,while UA treatment reversed this effect.Fluorescence tracing exhibited a significantly larger tracer diffusion area towards the rostral cortex and reflux area towards the caudal thala-mus in the model group relative to the controls[(13.93±3.35)mm2 vs.(2.79±0.94)mm2,P＜0.001 for diffusion area;(2.48±0.38)mm2 vs.(0.05±0.12)mm2,P＜0.001 for reflux area],with sig-nificant impairment of drainage in brain regions.The treatment group demonstrated significantly reduced tracer diffusion and reflux areas[(7.93±2.48)mm2 vs.(13.93±3.35)mm2,P＜0.001 for diffusion area;(0.50±0.30)mm2 vs.(2.48±0.38)mm2,P＜0.001 for reflux area].Immunofluorescence staining revealed disrupted AQP4 polarity distribution and reduced AQP4 protein expression in the model group compared with the controls[(3 663.88±733.77)μm2 vs.(13 354.92±4 054.05)μm2,P＜0.001].The treatment group exhibited restored AQP4 polarity distribution and elevated AQP4 protein expression[(11 104.68±3 200.04)μm2 vs.(3 663.88±733.77)μm2,P＜0.001].Conclusion:UA intervention ameliorates behavioral performance in SZ mice,Thus alleviating hyperactivity and anxiety symptoms and restoring sensorimotor gating function.The underlying mechanism may involve the improve-ment of demyelination and ISF drainage dysregulation in SZ mice.

Objective:To investigate the application of patient-based real-time quality control (PBRTQC) using exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) method in internal quality control (IQC) procedures of thyroid function tests.Methods:The serum thyroid function test results of outpatients and inpatients in the Second Hospital of Shandong University from December 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023 were collected. Based on the PBRTQC professional intelligent software system, normality correction, parameter setting, program preparation and real-time operation of test data were carried out. The results of all patients who underwent thyroid function testing between May 1, 2023 and August 31, 2023 were used as the validation dataset. The estimated EWMA value of thyroid function test results and the cumulative coefficient of variation ( CV) over 4 months were calculated. The cumulative CV was compared with the criteria of precision quality standard (1/3TEa) and the CV of IQC. Westgard 2-2s and 1-3s rules were used for alarm setting. The early warning information of the EWMA quality control program were recorded and the potential causes of performance changes were analyzed. DxLab Mind software was used to conduct normal distribution statistics for all data, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed on the test results. Results:The items related to serum thyroid function of the patients were all positively skewed. After data correction by Box-Cox method, the PBRTQC data of free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) were normally distributed, and their cumulative precisions ( CV) of EWMA within 4 months were 6.26% and 2.86%, respectively, both of which were lower than the precision quality target of 8.33%. However, the data of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) were still positive skewed after modification. The EWMA cumulative CV of TSH, TPOAb and TgAb were 13.16%, 15.31% and 16.77%, which were higher than the precision quality targets of 8.33%, 10% and 10%, respectively. The EWMA QC program can detect different out-of-control alarms, including FT4 false alarms due to sample source concentration and TSH result bias caused by changes in reagent performance. In addition, the EWMA QC program can also detect differences in FT3 results between different DXI800 fully automated chemiluminescence instrument instruments. Conclusions:The EWMA program based on PBRTQC professional intelligent software tools can monitor the patient data of the detection system in real time and continuously, dynamically identify and monitor the errors generated during the analysis process and give early warning. It can be used as a useful supplement for the daily IQC of thyroid function items, especially FT3 and FT4, and has good clinical application value.