OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical characteristics of aplastic anemia （AA）/pure red cell aplasia （PRCA） induced by pembrolizumab， and provide reference for clinical safe drug use. METHODS Using search terms as “pembrolizumab”， “keytruda”， “anemia” and “aplastic anemia” in both Chinese and English， the literature related to AA/PRCA induced by pembrolizumab were retrieved from PubMed， Embase， CNKI， Wanfang and VIP databases， and then analyzed descriptively and statistically. RESULTS A total of 10 patients were included from 10 literature； among these 10 patients， there were 5 males and 5 females， with 5 patients being aged 65 or above. The primary disease was mainly metastatic melanoma （4 cases）. AA/PRCA occurred 13 d-3 years after the first dose of pembrolizumab. The main clinical manifestations included fatigue， dyspnea， oral/nasal bleeding， diffuse purpura， etc.； 8 cases developed moderate anemia and 2 cases developed severe anemia. After discontinuation and receiving supportive therapy， 5 cases improved， 1 case worsened in anemia， and 4 cases died. CONCLUSIONS When using pembrolizumab in clinical practice， blood routine should be regularly monitored. When AA/PRCA and other related symptoms occur， pembrolizumab should be stopped in time and a therapy regimen should be formulated according to the patient’ condition， to ensure the safety of medication.

BACKGROUND: The primary limitation to kidney transplantation is organ shortage. Recent progress in gene editing and immunosuppressive regimens has made xenotransplantation with porcine organs a possibility. However, evidence in pig-to-human xenotransplantation remains scarce, and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is a major obstacle to clinical applications of xenotransplantation. METHODS: We conducted a kidney xenotransplantation in a brain-dead human recipient using a porcine kidney with five gene edits (5GE) on March 25, 2024 at Xijing Hospital, China. Clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens were employed, and the observation period lasted 22 days. We collected and analyzed the xenograft function, ultrasound findings, sequential protocol biopsies, and immune surveillance of the recipient during the observation. RESULTS: The combination of 5GE in the porcine kidney and clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens prevented hyperacute rejection. The xenograft kidney underwent delayed graft function in the first week, but urine output increased later and the single xenograft kidney maintained electrolyte and pH homeostasis from postoperative day (POD) 12 to 19. We observed AMR at 24 h post-transplantation, due to the presence of pre-existing anti-porcine antibodies and cytotoxicity before transplantation; this AMR persisted throughout the observation period. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment mitigated the AMR. We observed activation of latent porcine cytomegalovirus toward the end of the study, which might have contributed to coagulation disorder in the recipient. CONCLUSIONS 5GE and clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens were sufficient to prevent hyperacute rejection during pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation. Pre-existing anti-porcine antibodies predisposed the xenograft to AMR. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin were safe and effective in the treatment of AMR after kidney xenotransplantation.
Transplantation, Heterologous/methods* ; Kidney Transplantation/methods* ; Heterografts/pathology* ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/administration & dosage* ; Graft Survival/immunology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Sus scrofa ; Graft Rejection/prevention & control* ; Kidney/pathology* ; Gene Editing ; Species Specificity ; Immunosuppression Therapy/methods* ; Plasma Exchange ; Brain Death ; Biopsy ; Male ; Aged

[Objective] To explore the clinical features of IgG4-related urinary diseases so as to provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of such diseases. [Methods] The clinical data of 4 cases of IgG4-related urinary system diseases diagnosed and treated in Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University during Aug.2019 and Dec.2023 were retrospectively collected.Here, we report on the diagnosis and treatment of these patients, analysing their symptoms, serology, imaging and pathology as well as their treatment and outcomes. [Results] The patients included 2 male and 2 female.The lesions were involved with the retroperitoneum and urinary system.Three patients had symptoms of lumbar pain.The imaging manifestations were complex, including retroperitoneal mass involving urinary system organs in 2 cases, tabdense shadow of the right kidney in 1 case, and simple cystic mass of kidney in 1 case.Serum IgG4 value was not detected before surgery.All patients underwent radical surgical treatment.Postoperative pathology showed fibrous tissue hyperplasia with a large number of plasma cells, lymphocytes, a few neutrophil infiltrates, and lymphoid follicles and obliterated vasculitis in some specimens.The number of IgG4⁺ plasma cells was more than 10 in all tissues under high power microscope.After surgery, 3 patients had symptoms improved, and serum IgG4 value was within the normal range; 1 patient (patem 3) had elevated IgG4 value during follow-up, received subsequent hormone therapy, and the serum IgG 4 level remained stable. [Conclusion] The symptoms of IgG4-related diseases involving the urinary system are non-specific, and the imaging findings are various, easily confused with other diseases.Early detection of serum IgG4 and biopsy pathology can help clinicians make correct diagnosis in the early stage.

Objective To investigate the impact of two different surgical methods, orthotopic kidney transplantation and abdominal heterotopic kidney transplantation, on the surgical outcomes of pig-to-pig kidney transplantation and the short-term survival of recipient pigs after surgery. Methods Twenty-four Bama miniature pigs were divided into two groups, with 12 pigs in each group, and underwent orthotopic kidney transplantation and abdominal heterotopic kidney transplantation, respectively. The perioperative indicators of the recipient pigs, renal blood perfusion, the overall incidence rate of complications and survival rate were compared between the two surgical methods. Results The total surgical time, renal artery anastomosis time, renal vein anastomosis time, cold ischemia time and total ischemia time were all shorter in the abdominal heterotopic kidney transplantation group than in the orthotopic kidney transplantation group, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). The number of satisfactory renal perfusion cases was higher in the abdominal heterotopic kidney transplantation group than in the orthotopic kidney transplantation group (83% vs. 75%), but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The total incidence of postoperative complications was 33% in the heterotopic kidney transplantation group, with a survival rate of 92%, and the cause of death was rupture of the vascular anastomosis. The total incidence of postoperative complications was 50% in the orthotopic kidney transplantation group, with a survival rate of 83%, and the causes of death were renal vein thrombosis and renal artery thrombosis. There were no statistically significant differences in the total incidence of postoperative complications and survival rates between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions Compared with orthotopic kidney transplantation, abdominal heterotopic kidney transplantation showes better surgical outcomes in pig-to-pig kidney transplantation and is more beneficial for the short-term survival of recipient pigs after surgery. This provides experience for improving the stability of pig-to-non-human primate kidney xenotransplantation models in the future.

Animal models combining disease and syndrome are important research tools to explore the nature of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes. At present, the construction and evaluation methods of animal models have preliminarily established the foundation for standardized development. Qi-yin deficiency syndrome is a common type of TCM syndrome in cardiovascular diseases. It is an important pathogenic factor causing the onset, pathological damage, and chronic nature of cardiovascular diseases, as well as triggering other illnesses. The establishment of an animal model of cardiovascular disease with the characteristics of Qi-yin deficiency, along with an objective and standardized evaluation system, has become an important part of modern cardiovascular disease research. In recent years, research on the construction and evaluation of animal models of heart Qi-yin deficiency syndrome has increased, but the construction methods and evaluation criteria vary. Compared with other animal models, the literature is limited, lacking statistics and overall analysis. Therefore, based on the scientific connotation of heart Qi-yin deficiency syndrome, this article systematically reviews the evaluation system of its animal model, covering multidimensional methods such as macroscopic characterization assessment, physicochemical indicators and objective evaluation, and syndrome differentiation based on prescriptions. The specific model construction strategies are described, including single-factor induction methods (sleep deprivation, chronic intermittent hypoxia, arterial occlusion, high-salt feeding) and the compound-factor induction methods (sleep deprivation combined with drug method, chronic intermittent hypoxia combined with drug method, exhaustive swimming combined with drug method). Meanwhile, application examples of each model in the research are listed, the existing problems in the current model construction and evaluation are analyzed, and optimization directions are proposed, such as promoting the compound factor induction strategy and improving the objectivity of the evaluation criteria. This article aims to provide theoretical references for constructing an animal model of heart Qi-yin deficiency syndrome that conforms to TCM characteristics, and thereby laying a scientific foundation for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases with TCM.

Artificial vascular graft(AVG)fistula is widely used for hemodialysis treatment in patients with renal failure.However,it has poor elasticity and compliance,leading to stenosis and thrombosis.The ideal artificial blood vessel for dialysis should replicate the structure and components of a real artery,which is primarily maintained by collagen in the extracellular matrix(ECM)of arterial cells.Studies have revealed that in hepatitis B virus(HBV)-induced liver fibrosis,hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)become hyperactive and produce excessive ECM fibers.Furthermore,mechanical stimulation can encourage ECM secretion and remodeling of a fiber structure.Based on the above factors,we transfected HSCs with the hepatitis B viral X(HBX)gene for simulating the process of HBV infection.Subsequently,these HBX-HSCs were implanted into a polycaprolactone-polyurethane(PCL-PU)bilayer scaffold in which the inner layer is dense and the outer layer consists of pores,which was mechanically stimulated to promote the secretion of collagen nanofiber from the HBX-HSCs and to facilitate crosslinking with the scaffold.We obtained an ECM-PCL-PU composite bionic blood vessel that could act as access for dialysis after decellularization.Then,the vessel scaffold was implanted into a rabbit's neck arteriovenous fistula model.It exhibited strong tensile strength and smooth blood flow and formed autologous blood vessels in the rabbit's body.Our study demonstrates the use of human cells to create biomimetic dialysis blood vessels,providing a novel approach for creating clinical vascular access for dialysis.

Objective:To investigate the surgical effect of various circulatory pathways on replantation of severed distal segments of digits.Methods:From June 2017 to June 2023, a total of 137 patients (162 digits) who received digit replantation surgery in the Department of Trauma Orthopaedics and Microsurgery of Guilin People's Hospital were retrospectively studied. The patients were 82 males (97 digits) and 55 females (65 digits) aged 11.0 months to 51.0 years old, with 31.7 years old in average. The injured digits were 36 thumbs, 43 index fingers, 32 middle fingers, 28 ring fingers and 23 little fingers. Causes of injury: 55 digits were of electric saw, 68 of sharp object cut, 26 of twisting crush and 13 of degloving injury. According to the circulatory pathways, 66 patients (88 digits) were assigned to a physiological replantation group (PRG), 50 patients (53 digits) to an arterio-venolisation group (AVG) and 21 patients (21 digits) to a nail bed bloodletting group (NBG). Functional recovery was evaluated according to the Evaluation Standard of Severed Finger Functional of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medical Association. Analysis of variance or chi-square test was employed to analyse the age, gender, time from injury to surgery, surgery time, incidence of vascular compromise of the replanted digit, survival rate, score of functional recovery of the affected digit at 6 months after surgery, and incidence of postoperative complications in each group. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:All patients were included in the 6-10 months of postoperative follow-up, with an average of 7.2 months. Regarding the score of functional recovery of affected digit according to the Evaluation Standard of Severed Finger Functional of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medical Association, PRG (86.3 points±7.9 points) was higher than that of NBG (78.3 points±11.2 points) and AVG (70.7 points±8.6 points), with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05 for both). In terms of the incidence of vascular compromise, PRG (3 digits for 3.4%) was lower than that of NBG (1 digit for 4.8%) and AVG (6 digits for 11.3%), with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05 for both). Of the survival rate, PRG (81 digits for 92.0%) was superior to that of NBG (18 digits for 85.7%) and AVG (42 digits 79.2%), with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05 for both). While of the incidence of postoperative complications, PRG (12.6%) was lower than that of AVG (17.1%) and NBG (21.2%), with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05 for both). Conclusion:For a severed distal segment of digit, the physiological replantation is preferred. For the digit with undetectable return veins, effective replantation can be achieved by the arterio-venolisation or nail bed exsanguination.

Organ shortage has become one of the major challenges hindering the development of organ transplantation. Xenotransplantation is one of the most valuable methods to resolve global organ shortage. In recent years, the development of genetic engineering technique and research and development of new immunosuppressant have provided novel theoretical basis for xenotransplantation. International scholars have successively carried out researches on xenotransplantation in genetically modified pigs to non-human primates or brain death recipients, making certain substantial progresses. However, most of the researches are still in the preclinical stage, far from clinical application. Therefore, according to the latest preclinical experimental research progress at home and abroad, the history of xenotransplantation, the development of gene modification technology, xenotransplantation rejection and immunosuppression regimens were reviewed, aiming to provide reference for subsequent research of xenotransplantation, promote clinical application of xenotransplantation and bring benefits to more patients with end-stage diseases.

Purpose: The unique chromosomal rearrangements of endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) make it possible to distinguish high-grade ESS (HGESS) and low-grade ESS (LGESS) from the molecular perspective. Analysis of ESS at the genomic and transcriptomic levels can help us achieve accurate diagnosis of ESS and provide potential therapy options for ESS patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 ESS patients who conducted DNA- and/or RNA-based next-generation sequencing were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The molecular characteristics of ESS at genomic and transcriptomic levels, including mutational spectrum, fusion profiles, gene expression and pathway enrichment analysis and features about immune microenvironment were comprehensively explored. Results: TP53 and DNMT3A mutations were the most frequent mutations. The classical fusions frequently found in HGESS (ZC3H7B-BCOR and NUTM2B-YWHAE) and LGESS (JAZF1-SUZ12) were detected in our cohort. CCND1 was significantly up-regulated in HGESS, while the expression of GPER1 and PGR encoding estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) did not differ significantly between HGESS and LGESS. Actionable mutations enriched in homologous recombination repair, cell cycle, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin pathways were detected in 60% of HGESS patients. Genes with up-regulated expression in HGESS were significantly enriched in five immune-related pathways. Most HGESS patients (85.7%) had positive predictors of immunotherapy efficacy. Moreover, immune microenvironment analysis showed that HGESS had relatively high immune infiltration. The degree of immune infiltration in HGESS patients with ZC3H7B-BCOR fusion was relatively higher than that of those with NUTM2B-YWHAE fusion. Conclusion This study investigated the molecular characteristics of ESS patients at the genomic and transcriptomic levels and revealed the potentially high sensitivity of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in a subset of HGESS with specific molecular features, providing a basis for guiding decision-making of treatment and the design of future clinical trials on precision therapy.

Objective:To study the influences of patients′ online medical service from willingness to behavior based on Anderson′s health service utilization model, and to provide reference for improving the utilization rate of internet medical services.Methods:A total of 66 270 patient data were selected from a self built internet medical platform of a tertiary hospital in Zhejiang province in 2021. Indicators such as time of visit, location of visit, doctor′s online activity, doctor′s title, doctor′s age, doctor′s gender, and disease type were subjected to chi-square test and logistic regression analysis to clarify the impact of different indicators on online medical treatment from willingness to behavior.Results:Of the 66 270 people having a willingness to seek online medical treatment, 39 996 people, accounting for 60.35%, achieved online diagnosis and treatment. Online medical services could break through the constraints of time and space and to promote the patient′s seeking medical treatment online from willingness to behavior in a limited way; Doctor′s title had a non-linear effect on patients′ online medical treatment from willingness to behavior; Doctor′s online activeness significantly promoted online medical treatment from willingness to behavior; Female doctors and middle-aged and young doctors promoted online medical treatment from willingness to behavior; Different types of diseases affected online medical treatment in different ways.Conclusions:Among the factors that affect the patient′s transformation from online medical willingness to behavior, the patient′s enabling resources have a facilitative effect, and need factors have a direct impact.