The success of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells therapy for hematologic malignancies has sparked interest in potential applications for solid tumors. However, unlike the homogeneous, dynamic, and nutrient-rich hematologic environment, CAR-T cells must overcome the complex tumor microenvironment. Ensuring efficient contact with tumor cells remains a primary challenge to enhance the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy. Abnormal tumor angiogenesis, disordered chemokine production, dense extracellular matrix, and stromal cells all act as biological barriers that hinder contact of CAR-T cells with tumor cells. This review summarizes specific strategies to promote vascular normalization, modulate chemokine production, target physical barriers, combine different therapeutic approaches, and innovative cell delivery methods to enhance infiltration of CAR-T cells into solid tumors. These strategies will help to overcome current limitations and enhance the effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To explore, identify, and develop novel blood-based indicators using machine learning algorithms for accurate preoperative assessment and effective prediction of postoperative complication risks in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted including RA patients who underwent unilateral TKA between January 2019 and December 2024. Inpatient and 30-day postoperative outpatient follow-up data were collected. Six machine learning algorithms, including decision tree, random forest, logistic regression, support vector machine, extreme gradient boosting, and light gradient boosting machine, were used to construct predictive models. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), F1-score, accuracy, precision, and recall. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) values were employed to interpret and rank the importance of individual variables. RESULTS: According to the inclusion criteria, a total of 1 548 patients were enrolled. Ultimately, 18 preoperative indicators were identified as effective predictive features, and 8 postoperative complications were defined as prediction labels for inclusion in the study. Within 30 days after surgery, 453 patients (29.2%) developed one or more complications. Considering overall accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, the random forest model [AUC=0.930, 95% CI (0.910, 0.950)] and the extreme gradient boosting model [AUC=0.909, 95% CI (0.880, 0.938)] demonstrated the best predictive performance. SHAP analysis revealed that anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, C-reactive protein, rheumatoid factor, interleukin-6, body mass index, age, and smoking status made significant contributions to the overall prediction of postoperative complications. CONCLUSION Machine learning-based models enable accurate prediction of postoperative complication risks among RA patients undergoing TKA. Inflammatory and immune-related blood biomarkers, such as anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, C-reactive protein, and rheumatoid factor, interleukin-6, play key predictive roles, highlighting their potential value in perioperative risk stratification and individualized management.
Humans ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/adverse effects* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood* ; Machine Learning ; Postoperative Complications/blood* ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Risk Factors ; Preoperative Period ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis* ; Risk Assessment

Radiochemotherapy-induced oral mucositis (OM) is a common oral complication in patients with tumors following head and neck radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Erosion and ulcers are the main features of OM that seriously affect the quality of life of patients and even the progress of tumor treatment. To date, differences in clinical prevention and treatment plans for OM have been noted among doctors of various specialties, which has increased the uncertainty of treatment effects. On the basis of current research evidence, this expert consensus outlines risk factors, clinical manifestations, clinical grading, ancillary examinations, diagnostic basis, prevention and treatment strategies and efficacy indicators for OM. In addition to strategies such as basic oral care, anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents, anti-infective agents, pro-healing agents, and photobiotherapy recommended in previous guidelines, we also emphasize the role of traditional Chinese medicine in OM prevention and treatment. This expert consensus aims to provide references and guidance for dental physicians and oncologists in formulating strategies for OM prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, standardizing clinical practice, reducing OM occurrence, promoting healing, and improving the quality of life of patients.
Humans ; Chemoradiotherapy/adverse effects* ; Consensus ; Risk Factors ; Stomatitis/etiology*

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of fire needling in treating lumbar disc herniation(LDH)of cold-damp type under the guidance of meridian sinew theory.Methods A total of 70 cases of patients with LDH of cold-damp type were randomly divided into observation group and control group,35 cases in each group,the control group was given conventional acupuncture treatment,and the observation group was treated with fire needling under the guidance of meridian sinew theory on the basis of the treatment of the control group,and the course of treatment covered three courses,one week as a course.After three courses of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes in the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)scores of pain,the Japanese Orthopedic Association(JOA)scores,and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores of patients in the two groups before and after treatment were observed.Results(1)During the study,there were three cases in the observation group and five cases in the control group were failed to follow-up.Finally,32 cases in the observation group and 30 cases in the control group were included in the efficacy statistics.(2)The total effective rate was 93.75%(30/32)in the observation group and 86.67%(26/30)in the control group.The clinical efficacy of the observation group was superior to that of the control group,and the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(3)After treatment,the VAS and JOA scores of patients in the two groups improved significantly(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).(4)After treatment,the TCM scores of the two groups of patients improved significantly(P<0.05),and the improvement in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the difference being statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Under the guidance of the meridian sinew theory,fire needling in treating LDH of cold-damp type can significantly reduce the degree of pain,improve the lumbar function,alleviate LDH-related symptoms,so as to improve the patients'quality of life.

Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase (TNIK) is closely related to the cancer occurrence, development, and prognosis. TNIK plays an important role in regulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway, thus becoming a potential target for cancer treatment. Various small-molecule TNIK inhibitors with diverse structures and potent in vitro activities have been developed to treat tumors. However, no TNIK inhibitor has entered clinical phase mainly due to poor selectivity, toxicity, and unsatisfied in vivo anti-tumor efficiency. This review summarizes the research progress of small molecule inhibitors targeting TNIK, with the aim of giving some guidance for future research and development of small-molecule inhibitors.

Postoperative pain seriously affects the recovery process of patients, resulting in prolonged hospital stay and increased care costs. Appropriate application of patient-controlled analgesia devices can effectively relieve perioperative acute pain. In 1994 patient-controlled analgesia began to be used in Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and the Acute Pain Service Working Group was established in 2004. With the cooperation of anesthesiologists and specialist nurses, the group jointly has implemented the whole process and standardized management based on patient-controlled analgesia, and constantly improved and innovated working methods, laying a solid foundation for the development of postoperative pain management. This paper systematically reviews and summarizes the work from the aspects of clinical focus, nursing management experience, promotion and dissemination of pain treatment concepts, and development of acute pain service model under the new situation, with the hope of providing valuable reference for comprehensively strengthening pain management in the process of diagnosis and treatment, and enhancing patients' satisfaction with perioperative analgesia services.

  Objective  To identify the risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in surgical patients undergoing patient controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA).  Methods  Our study was a retrospective cohort study, including patients who underwent surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from July 1 to October 31, 2023 and received PCIA after surgery. Patient characteristics, medical history, surgical information, intraoperative medication information, postoperative analgesia follow-up information were obtained through the electronic medical record system. The patients were divided into PCIA-PONV group and non-PCIA-PONV group, depending on the occurrence of PONV during PCIA, and all patients were also divided into PCIA-POV group and non-PCIA-POV according to whether postoperative vomiting (POV) occurred. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for PCIA-PONV and PCIA-POV.  Results  A total of 1373 patients were included in this study, with 676 cases in PCIA-PONV group. The incidence of PCIA-PONV was 49.2%. There were 285 patients in PCIA-POV group, and the incidence of PCIA-POV was 20.8%. The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that female (OR=2.134, 95% CI: 1.590-2.865, P < 0.001) and abdominal surgery (OR=1.655, 95% CI: 1.253-2.186, P < 0.001) were risk factors for PCIA-PONV, whereas the increase of age (OR=0.990, 95% CI: 0.982-0.998, P=0.019) and the increase of BMI (OR=0.961, 95% CI: 0.932-0.991, P=0.012) were protective factors for PCIA-PONV. Female (OR=2.646, 95% CI: 1.754-3.992, P < 0.001), history of general anesthesia (OR=1.372, 95% CI: 1.042-1.806, P=0.024), and intraoperative use of high-dose opioids (OR=1.607, 95% CI: 1.206-2.142, P=0.001) were risk factors for PCIA-POV, whereas no intraoperative use of neuromuscular blocking antagonists (OR=0.393, 95% CI: 0.237-0.651, P < 0.001) was protective factor for PCIA-POV.  Conclusions  Our study reveals the risk factors for PONV in surgical patients undergoing PCIA, and shows that comprehensive preoperative assessment and reasonable perioperative management strategies are significant in the prevention of PCIA-PONV.

Postoperative pain, a common problem in perioperative management, has negative impact on patients' experience and functional recovery. The development of postoperative pain is not only related to direct surgical trauma, but also a series of preventable perioperative risk factors, among which perioperative sleep quality should not be neglected. In recent years, more and more researches have indicated that poor perioperative sleep quality is a risk factor for both acute and chronic postoperative pain, and some researches have even pointed out that sleep quality can directly influence patients' pain threshold. Therefore, this review aims to summarize current research progress on the influence of perioperative sleep quality on postoperative pain, hoping to provide reference for improving the perioperative pain management for patients.