In-depth study of the components of polymyxins is the key to controlling the quality of this class of antibiotics. Similarities and variations of components present significant analytical challenges. A two-dimensional (2D) liquid chromatography-mass spectrometr (LC-MS) method was established for screening and comprehensive profiling of compositions of the antibiotic colistimethate sodium (CMS). A high concentration of phosphate buffer mobile phase was used in the first-dimensional LC system to get the components well separated. For efficient and high-accuracy screening of CMS, a targeted method based on a self-constructed high resolution (HR) mass spectrum database of CMS components was established. The database was built based on the commercial MassHunter Personal Compound Database and Library (PCDL) software and its accuracy of the compound matching result was verified with six known components before being applied to genuine sample screening. On this basis, the unknown peaks in the CMS chromatograms were deduced and assigned. The molecular formula, group composition, and origins of a total of 99 compounds, of which the combined area percentage accounted for more than 95% of CMS components, were deduced by this 2D-LC-MS method combined with the MassHunter PCDL. This profiling method was highly efficient and could distinguish hundreds of components within 3 h, providing reliable results for quality control of this kind of complex drugs.

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that vascular factors have an important impact on the occurrence of diabetic foot.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the important role of angiopoietin-like protein 4 in the formation of diabetic foot.METHODS:(1)Bioinformatics analysis was performed on the gene expression profile data of diabetic foot patients to find the key genes.The skin samples of diabetic foot patients and healthy people were collected for hematoxylin-eosin staining,immunohistochemical staining,and qRT-PCR experiments to detect the expression of angiopoietin-like protein 4.(2)The immortalized human skin fibroblast cell line and primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells were cultured.The two kinds of cells were divided into control group and exogenous angiopoietin-like protein 4 supplemented group.The migration ability and proliferation ability of fibroblasts were detected by scratch assay and CCK-8 assay.The proliferation ability of endothelial cells was detected by Ki67 assay.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Bioinformatics analysis results showed that the down-regulation of angiopoietin-like protein 4 gene might be the key gene leading to the formation of diabetic foot.(2)Hematoxylin-eosin staining exhibited that compared with normal skin,angiopoietin-like protein 4 was weakly expressed in diabetic foot skin,and the mRNA level was decreased(P＜0.01).(3)Scratch assay results demonstrated that compared with the control group,fibroblast migration ability was significantly enhanced in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group.CCK-8 assay showed that the absorbance value of fibroblasts in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group was higher than that of the control group at 24 and 48 hours(P＜0.01,P＜0.001).It is suggested that angiopoietin-like protein 4 can enhance the migration and proliferation of fibroblasts.(4)Ki67 assay results demonstrated that the number of Ki67 positive cells in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group was significantly more than that in the control group.CCK-8 assay results showed that the absorbance value of endothelial cells in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group was higher than that of the control group at 24 and 48 hours(P＜0.05,P＜0.001).(5)All findings suggest that angiopoietin-like protein 4 can enhance the proliferation of endothelial cells treated with high glucose.

Poly(lactic-co-glycolide)(PLGA)is a key excipient in long-acting sustained-release preparations,and its degradation properties directly affect the drug release behavior.In this study,PLGA microspheres were prepared by microfluidic techniques,and the morphology changes of the microspheres were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).In alkaline environment,due to the accelerated hydrolysis of ester bonds,the surface of the microspheres was rapidly dissolved and eroded,and the degradation rate was significantly higher than that in acidic environment.High temperature accelerated the degradation of PLGA microspheres.Under neutral and alkaline conditions,the microspheres showed aggregation and adhesion.Under acidic conditions,the microspheres gradually decomposed into irregular fragments.The high ionic strength further promoted the surface corrosion of the microspheres,especially under extreme pH conditions.Simultaneously,PLGA microspheres encapsulating coumarin were prepared to simulate the microsphere formulation.The release rate of coumarin after degradation of the microspheres under different conditions was observed by measuring the absorbance with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry.The results were consistent with those of the blank microspheres.This study revealed that the degradation of PLGA microspheres was significantly pH-dependent,temperature sensitive and ion strength responsive.These findings not only helped to understand and optimize the long-term stability and controlled release performance of drug-carrying microspheres,but also provided a theoretical basis for further improvement of PLGA-based drug carrier design.

In-depth study of the components of polymyxins is the key to controlling the quality of this class of antibiotics.Similarities and variations of components present significant analytical challenges.A two-dimensional(2D)liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)method was established for screening and comprehensive profiling of compositions of the antibiotic colistimethate sodium(CMS).A high concentration of phosphate buffer mobile phase was used in the first-dimensional LC system to get the components well separated.For efficient and high-accuracy screening of CMS,a targeted method based on a self-constructed high resolution(HR)mass spectrum database of CMS components was established.The database was built based on the commercial MassHunter Personal Compound Database and Library(PCDL)software and its accuracy of the compound matching result was verified with six known components before being applied to genuine sample screening.On this basis,the unknown peaks in the CMS chromatograms were deduced and assigned.The molecular formula,group composition,and origins of a total of 99 compounds,of which the combined area percentage accounted for more than 95％of CMS components,were deduced by this 2D-LC-MS method combined with the MassHunter PCDL.This profiling method was highly efficient and could distinguish hundreds of components within 3 h,providing reliable results for quality control of this kind of complex drugs.

Objective:To investigate the completion rate of tumor evaluation at initial assessment and after neoadjuvant therapy for mid and low rectal cancer patients in the national multicenter real-world database.Methods:The prospective real-world study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 1 074 patients who underwent surgical treatment for mid and low rectal cancer in 47 national medical institutions, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital et al, from May 12,2023 to May 11,2024 were collected. Observation indicators: (1) clinical characteristics of patients with mid and low rectal cancer; (2) initial colonoscopy and pathologic evaluation of tumors in patients with mid and low rectal cancer; (3) initial imaging evaluation of patients with mid and low rectal cancer; (4) imaging evaluation after neoadjuvant therapy for patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3). Count data were described as absoluter numbers and/or percentages. Results:(1) Clinical characteristics of patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 1 074 patients, there were 713 males and 361 females, aged 63(56,70)years. The body mass index of 1 074 patients was 24(21,26)kg/m 2.For American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, there were 147 cases of stage Ⅰ, 641 cases of stage Ⅱ, 157 cases of stage Ⅲ, 2 cases of stage Ⅳ, and there were 127 cases missing data. (2) Initial colonoscopy and pathologic evaluation of tumors in patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 1 074 patients, there were 787 cases (73.28%) undergoing complete colonoscopy, and there were only 197 cases (18.34%) undergoing immunohistochemical evaluation of all four mismatch repair proteins. (3) Initial imaging evaluation of patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 1 074 patients, there were 842(78.40%) patients completing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound evaluation, and there were 914(85.10%) patients completing chest, abdomen, and pelvis enhanced computed tomography (CT) evaluation. In the 149 patients completing rectal ultrasound evaluation, there were 122 cases (81.88%) comple-ting T staging evaluation, and there were 81 cases (54.36%) completing N staging evaluation. In the 808 patients completing rectal MRI evaluation, there were 708 cases (87.62%) completing T staging evaluation, and there were 590 cases (73.02%) completing N staging evaluation. (4) Imaging evalua-tion after neoadjuvant therapy for patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 388 patients with neoadjuvant therapy, there were 332 patients (85.57%) completing MRI or ultrasound evaluation, and there were 327 patients (84.28%) completing chest, abdomen, and pelvis enhanced CT evalua-tion. In the 70 patients completing rectal ultrasound evaluation, there were 65 cases (92.86%) com-pleting T staging evaluation, and there were 49 cases (70.00%) completing N staging evaluation. In the 327 patients completing rectal MRI evaluation, there were 246 cases (75.23%) completing T staging, and there were 228 cases (69.72%) completing N staging evaluation. Conclusion:The com-pletion rate of tumor imaging evaluation at initial assessment and after neoadjuvant therapy for mid and low rectal cancer patients on a national scale is relatively good.

BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that vascular factors have an important impact on the occurrence of diabetic foot.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the important role of angiopoietin-like protein 4 in the formation of diabetic foot.METHODS:(1)Bioinformatics analysis was performed on the gene expression profile data of diabetic foot patients to find the key genes.The skin samples of diabetic foot patients and healthy people were collected for hematoxylin-eosin staining,immunohistochemical staining,and qRT-PCR experiments to detect the expression of angiopoietin-like protein 4.(2)The immortalized human skin fibroblast cell line and primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells were cultured.The two kinds of cells were divided into control group and exogenous angiopoietin-like protein 4 supplemented group.The migration ability and proliferation ability of fibroblasts were detected by scratch assay and CCK-8 assay.The proliferation ability of endothelial cells was detected by Ki67 assay.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Bioinformatics analysis results showed that the down-regulation of angiopoietin-like protein 4 gene might be the key gene leading to the formation of diabetic foot.(2)Hematoxylin-eosin staining exhibited that compared with normal skin,angiopoietin-like protein 4 was weakly expressed in diabetic foot skin,and the mRNA level was decreased(P＜0.01).(3)Scratch assay results demonstrated that compared with the control group,fibroblast migration ability was significantly enhanced in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group.CCK-8 assay showed that the absorbance value of fibroblasts in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group was higher than that of the control group at 24 and 48 hours(P＜0.01,P＜0.001).It is suggested that angiopoietin-like protein 4 can enhance the migration and proliferation of fibroblasts.(4)Ki67 assay results demonstrated that the number of Ki67 positive cells in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group was significantly more than that in the control group.CCK-8 assay results showed that the absorbance value of endothelial cells in the angiopoietin-like protein 4 group was higher than that of the control group at 24 and 48 hours(P＜0.05,P＜0.001).(5)All findings suggest that angiopoietin-like protein 4 can enhance the proliferation of endothelial cells treated with high glucose.

Objective:To investigate the completion rate of tumor evaluation at initial assessment and after neoadjuvant therapy for mid and low rectal cancer patients in the national multicenter real-world database.Methods:The prospective real-world study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 1 074 patients who underwent surgical treatment for mid and low rectal cancer in 47 national medical institutions, including Peking Union Medical College Hospital et al, from May 12,2023 to May 11,2024 were collected. Observation indicators: (1) clinical characteristics of patients with mid and low rectal cancer; (2) initial colonoscopy and pathologic evaluation of tumors in patients with mid and low rectal cancer; (3) initial imaging evaluation of patients with mid and low rectal cancer; (4) imaging evaluation after neoadjuvant therapy for patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3). Count data were described as absoluter numbers and/or percentages. Results:(1) Clinical characteristics of patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 1 074 patients, there were 713 males and 361 females, aged 63(56,70)years. The body mass index of 1 074 patients was 24(21,26)kg/m 2.For American Society of Anesthesiologists classification, there were 147 cases of stage Ⅰ, 641 cases of stage Ⅱ, 157 cases of stage Ⅲ, 2 cases of stage Ⅳ, and there were 127 cases missing data. (2) Initial colonoscopy and pathologic evaluation of tumors in patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 1 074 patients, there were 787 cases (73.28%) undergoing complete colonoscopy, and there were only 197 cases (18.34%) undergoing immunohistochemical evaluation of all four mismatch repair proteins. (3) Initial imaging evaluation of patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 1 074 patients, there were 842(78.40%) patients completing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound evaluation, and there were 914(85.10%) patients completing chest, abdomen, and pelvis enhanced computed tomography (CT) evaluation. In the 149 patients completing rectal ultrasound evaluation, there were 122 cases (81.88%) comple-ting T staging evaluation, and there were 81 cases (54.36%) completing N staging evaluation. In the 808 patients completing rectal MRI evaluation, there were 708 cases (87.62%) completing T staging evaluation, and there were 590 cases (73.02%) completing N staging evaluation. (4) Imaging evalua-tion after neoadjuvant therapy for patients with mid and low rectal cancer. Of the 388 patients with neoadjuvant therapy, there were 332 patients (85.57%) completing MRI or ultrasound evaluation, and there were 327 patients (84.28%) completing chest, abdomen, and pelvis enhanced CT evalua-tion. In the 70 patients completing rectal ultrasound evaluation, there were 65 cases (92.86%) com-pleting T staging evaluation, and there were 49 cases (70.00%) completing N staging evaluation. In the 327 patients completing rectal MRI evaluation, there were 246 cases (75.23%) completing T staging, and there were 228 cases (69.72%) completing N staging evaluation. Conclusion:The com-pletion rate of tumor imaging evaluation at initial assessment and after neoadjuvant therapy for mid and low rectal cancer patients on a national scale is relatively good.

Objective:To investigate the association between peripheral immune function status and lung cancer metastasis,and to identify peripheral blood immune biomarkers for'Deficiency of Vital Qi'assessment in lung cancer metastasis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on peripheral blood immune markers collected before treatment from lung cancer patients admitted into Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,between March 2023 and April 2025.Patients were categorized into the non-metastatic and the metastatic groups based on the presence of distant metastasis,and the differences in the expressions of immune cells and cytokines between groups were compared.Peripheral blood immune markers with P<0.05 in univariate analysis were incorporated into a multivariate binary logistic regression model to identify independent predictors of lung cancer metastasis.Results:A total of 193 lung cancer patients were included(101 in the non-metastatic group and 92 in the metastatic group).There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender,age,smoking history,drinking history,or pathological type(all P>0.05).Univariate analysis revealed significant differences in multiple immune markers between the non-metastatic and metastatic groups(all P<0.05),including:lymphocyte count,CD3+,CD4+,and CD8+T,CD19+B cells,absolute counts of CD3-CD16+CD56+NK cells,percentages of Treg cells,CD8+CD28+Treg cells,G-MDSC,and CD3-CD16+CD56+dim NK cells,and levels of cytokine IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-10.Binary logistic regression analysis of differential indicators suggested that the percentage of Treg cells and CD8+CD28+Treg cells in peripheral blood were independent predictors of distant metastasis in lung cancer(OR=1.193,95%CI[1.047,1.36],P<0.01;OR=0.978,95%CI[0.957,0.999],P<0.05).Conclusion:Peripheral blood immune dysfunction is the biological basis for'qi deficiency'in lung cancer metastasis.This study quantitatively demonstrates the correlation between peripheral immune function status and lung cancer metastasis,providing empirical evidence for the theories of'qi deficiency and hidden toxicity'and'metastatic state of tumors'.

AIM To explore the clinical effects of Cangfu Daotan Pills combined with abdominal acupuncture on patients with obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome.METHODS Ninety-eight patients were randomly assigned into control group(49 cases)for 3-month intervention of Metformin Hydrochloride Enteric-coated Tablets,and observation group(49 cases)for 3-month intervention of both Cangfu Daotan Pills and abdominal acupuncture.The changes in FPG,FINS,HOMA-IR,IL-6,TNF-α,MCP-1,FSH,LH,AMH,AFC,E2 and incidence of adverse reactions were detected.RESULTS After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased FPG,FINS,HOMA-IR,IL-6,TNF-α,MCP-1,FSH,LH,AMH,AFC(P＜0.05),and increased E2(P＜0.05),especially for the observation group(P＜0.05).No significant difference in incidence of adverse reactions was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).CONCLUSION For the patients with obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome,Cangfu Daotan Pills combined with abdominal acupuncture can safely and effectively restore ovarian functions,which may contribute to the improvement of insulin resistance and reduction of inflammatory factor levels.

Objectives To explore the feasibility of temporary veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(VV-ECMO)technology for early on-site treatment,through establishing an animal model of severe blast lung injury in goats by free-field chemical explosion experiments in high-altitude regions.Methods A total of 16 adult goats were selected,and divided into the control group and the treatment group according to the random number table method,with 8 goats in each group.A model of severe blast lung injury was established at an altitude of 4 600 meters above sea level,then the goats in the control group were given respiratory support and the goats in the treatment group were given temporary VV-ECMO treatment.The survival status of the goats 15 minutes after injury was recorded,the vital signs[including body temperature,respiration rate,heart rate,and mean arterial pressure(MAP)]and arterial blood gas analysis indicators[including pH,arterial partial pressure of oxygen(PO2),arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide(PCO2),oxygen saturation(SaO2),lactate(LAC),calcium(Ca2+),hematocrit(HCT),and hemoglobin(Hb)]before injury and 1 hour,2 hours,3 hours after injury were compared in the two groups.The post-mortem examination was performed on all dead goats and sacrificed goats after treatment,the severity of lung injury was assessed by organ injury scaling(OIS),and the lung injury score was evaluated by abbreviated injury scale(AIS).The wet-to-dry weight ratio(W/D)and lung coefficient were calculated.Results Within 15 minutes after the explosion,4 goats in the control group died and 4 goats survived;and 5 goats in the treatment group died and 3 goats survived.There was no statistically significant difference in the body temperature,respiration rate,heart rate,or MAP before and after injury between the two groups(P>0.05).The PaO2 and SaO2 1 hour,2 hours,and 3 hours after injury in the treatment group were superior than those in the control group(P<0.05),the Ca2+ 2 hours after injury was significantly higher than that in the control group(P<0.05),and there was no statistically significant difference in the pH,PCO2,LAC,HCT or Hb at different time points after injury between the two groups(P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the OIS,AIS or lung coefficient between the two groups(P>0.05),but the W/D of the lung tissue in the control group was lower than that in the treatment group(P<0.05).Conclusion We have established a novel,feasible,and stable treatment effect temporary VV-ECMO animal treatment strategy for the first time in the high-altitude regions,which can provide animal experiment evidence for the early on-site VV-ECMO treatment of severe blast lung injury in high-altitude regions.