OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of NUF2 expression with tumor prognosis and its regulatory role in tumor microenvironment. METHODS: We analyzed NUF2 expression, its prognostic value, and is immune-related functions across different cancer types using datasets from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), TCGA, GTEx, CCLE, and TIMER. RT-qPCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were used to detect NUF2 expression in liver cancer cell lines and tissue and blood samples from patients with liver cancer. GO, KEGG, and GSEA analyses were conducted to explore the molecular mechanisms of NUF2 and its related genes, and a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network for NUF2 in liver cancer was constructed. RESULTS: NUF2 expression was upregulated in the tumor tissues of 27 cancers and was associated with clinical stages in several cancers. High NUF2 expressions were correlated with poor overall survival, disease-specific survival, progression-free survival, and disease-free survival of cancer patients. NUF2 expression levels were positively correlated with tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, infiltrating immune cells, immune cell marker genes and immune checkpoint genes in different cancers. RT-qPCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry confirmed that NUF2 expression was upregulated in liver cancer cell lines and tumor tissues and blood samples of liver cancer patients, and was decreased significantly after operation. GO, KEGG and GSEA analyses indicated that NUF2 was involved in chromosome segregation and cell cycle and was associated with glycine, serine and threonine metabolism. CONCLUSIONS NUF2 expression is upregulated in 27 cancers and is associated with clinical stage and poor prognosis in some malignancies. NUF2 expression is closely correlated with immune cell infiltration in different cancers, suggesting its potential value for predicting immunotherapy response in these cancers.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Immunotherapy ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Neoplasms/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics*

ObjectiveTo analyze the changes in CD4⁺T lymphocyte (CD4 cells) levels and influencing factors in patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) before and after highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in Xining City, Qinghai Province, so as to provide a scientific basis for formulating corresponding follow-up intervention strategies. MethodsFrom February to July, 2023, 468 HIV/AIDS patients who received HAART in Xining, Qinghai Province were selected using a convenient sampling method for a questionnaire survey. Venous blood was collected and CD4 cell levels were detected by flow cytometry. SPSS 22.0 was used for t-test, analysis of variance and χ²⁃test, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the level of CD4 cells and its main influencing factors in HIV/AIDS population after HAART. ResultsUnivariate analysis showed significant differences in baseline CD4 cell levels among people of different ages, nationalities, residential types and annual income (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in the most recent CD4 cell levels among people of different nationalities, different marital statuses, with or without regular physical exercise, with or without hypertension, different baseline CD4 cell count, different years since HIV diagnosis, different years of HAART treatment, and different treatment programs (P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the baseline CD4 cell count was 350‒499 (t=7.40) and ≥500 (t=6.69), the number of years of HAART treatment was 5‒9 (t=3.59) and ≥10 (t=4.54), the number of years of HIV diagnosis was ≥10 (t=-2.58), the number of people receiving second-line treatment (t=-2.49) and the latest CD4 cell levels after HAART were statistically correlated (P<0.05). ConclusionThe CD4 cell levels of HIV/AIDS population in Xining city of Qinghai Province are affected by many factors. Comprehensive health intervention should be carried out for this population, the implementation of early detection and treatment strategy should be strengthened, relevant physiological and biochemical indicators should be monitored regularly, and health education should be carried out, so as to encourage this population group to choose a healthy lifestyle, improving their quality of life from multiple dimensions.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of ectopic bronchogenic cysts in children.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data including the clinical characteristics, auxiliary examination and treatment of 21 children with ectopic bronchogenic cysts diagnosed pathologically at Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University from July 2015 to December 2023. There were 16 males and 5 females, with a male-female ratio of 3.2∶1, and the age ranged from 4 days to 8 years old (median age 2 years and 8 months).Results:Among the 21 cases of ectopic bronchogenic cysts, 11 cases were found in the pharynx, with symptoms including dyspnea (4 cases), snoring during sleep (3 cases), and choking on milk(4 cases).Ten cases were found in the head, neck or anterior chest, 5 of these cases had infection history, and 5 showed progressive mass growth.Imaging and endoscopy showed 9 patients underwent preoperative color ultrasonography revealed cystic masses with well-defined boundaries. CT examination was performed on 13 patients, which showed round or nearly round masses with homogeneous density, smooth margins, and regular cyst walls. CT attenuation values ranged from 2 to 52 Hounsfield Units (HU). Four cystic lesions were assessed via MRI, 3 cases demonstrated long T1 and long T2 signals, while 1 case had a slight short T1 and long T2 signal, with high signal intensity on fat-suppressed images. Eleven cases of pharyngopharyngeal cysts were examined by electronic nasopharyngoscopy. The cysts appeared as spherical or ovoid masses with smooth surfaces, close to or slightly light in color with the surrounding tissue, with one cyst presenting with a bluish blue in the oropharynx. All 11 pharyngeal cysts were excised using low-temperature plasma under general anesthesia and intubation assisted by a nasal endoscope. The cysts were pulled and excised as completely as possible.Ten cases of neck and anterior chest cysts were completely excised. Postoperative histopathology confirmed bronchogenic cyst. Twenty-one children were followed up postoperatively for 4 months to 7 years without recurrence, except for 1 patient who was lost to follow-up.Conclusions:Ectopic bronchogenic cysts are uncommon and lack of typical imaging and clinical features.Combination of ultrasonography, CT and MRI is recommended for cases occuered in neck and anterior chest, while electronic nasopharyngoscopy complements pharyngeal evaluations. Surgical intervention is the preferred treatment choice for this disease.

Objective Cardio-cerebral infarction(CCI)is a severe clinical syndrome in which acute myocardial infarction(AMI)and acute ischemic stroke(AIS)occurs simultaneously(synchronous CCI,SCCI)or successively(metachronous CCI,MCCI).The study aims to explore its clinical profile,management and outcomes.Methods This is a single-center retrospective study of inpatients with CCI who presented to Xuanwu hospital from January 2014 to December 2021.The study collected and analyzed demographic informa-tion,clinical profile,management and outcomes(all-cause death,MACE events,mRS scores,bleeding events).Results Totally 137 patients with CCI were enrolled in the study,including 28 SCCI and 109 MCCI.Hypertension,smoking and diabetes were prominent risk factors for CCI.The heart function decreased significantly,including 42.9％suffered Killip Ⅲ-Ⅳ and 40.0％suffered decreased left ventricular ejection fraction.Large artery atherosclerosis was the most predominant etiology of AIS.The average NIHSS score was 11.24± 10.50.The rate of emergency reperfusion therapy was low(29.2％).Compared to the group that did not received emergence reperfusion therapy,the patients received emergency reperfusion therapy had a lower in-hospital mortality(P=0.042).All-cause mortality oc-curred in up to 27.0％,including 11.7％cardiovascular death.Heart failure(43.8％)was the most frequent MACE events.34.3％pa-tients had good neurological function(mRS 0-2)at discharge.27 patients(19.7％)experiencing major bleeding events,including 19 patients(13.9％)had the hemorrhagic transformation of AIS.Conclusion The CCI therapy still faces challenges,such as low reperfu-sion rate,differentiated antithrombotic options,and poor clinical prognosis.Large clinical research is need for promote the optimization of CCI treatment.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effects of glycyrrhizin （GL） on Helicobacter pylori （HP）-associated gastritis in rats and its mechanism. METHODS HP-associated gastritis rat model was induced by inoculating with 1×109 cfu/mL HP. The model rats were randomly divided into model group， positive control group （HP standard quadruple group）， GL low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups （5， 20， 50 mg/kg）， with 12 rats in each group. Another 12 healthy rats were selected as normal control group. Except the normal control group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intragastrically， the other groups were given corresponding drugs intragastrically， once a day， for 30 consecutive days. After administration， rats received 13C urea breath test， and delta-over-baseline （DOB） was recorded； the pathological and cellular morphological changes of gastric mucosa in rats were observed， and pathological scoring was performed； the levels of interleukin-8 （IL-8）， IL-1β， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， reactive oxygen species （ROS） and malondialdehyde （MDA） were detected in gastric mucosa of rats； mRNA expressions of high mobility group box-1 protein （HMGB1） and nuclear factor-κ-B （NF-κB）， relative expressions of nitric oxide synthases （iNOS） and HMGB1， the phosphorylation level of NF- κBp65 were also detected in rats. RESULTS Compared with normal control group， the DOB value， histopathological score of gastric mucosa， the levels of IL-8， IL-1β， TNF-α， ROS and MDA， relative expressions of HMGB1 and NF- κB mRNA， relative expressions of iNOS and HMGB1 protein and the phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 were all increased significantly in model group （P＜0.05）； the epithelial cells of gastric mucosa in rats were incomplete in structure and decreased in the number， with an increase in cell fragments and vacuoles， and significant cell pyknosis. Compared with model group， the changes of the above indexes in GL groups and positive control group were significantly reversed （P＜0.05）； the changes in the above indicators in the GL high-dose group were more significant than GL low-dose and medium-dose groups （P＜0.05）； the pathological changes of gastric mucosal cells in rats had all improved. CONCLUSIONS GL may inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress by inhibiting the activation of HMGB1/NF-κB pathway， thus relieving HP-induced gastric mucosal injury.

Objective:To discuss the effect of sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin-15(Siglec15)derived from M2 tumor-associated macrophages(M2-TAMs)on promoting the malignant biological behavior of the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)through bioinformatics analysis,and to validate the findings through cell experiment.Methods:The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource(TIMER)online Database was used to analyze the expression differences and immune infiltration of Siglec15 in pan-cancer and adjacent normal tissues.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method was used to detect the expression levels of Siglec15 mRNA in M2-TAMs and ESCC EC109 and KYSE150 cells.Based on the non-contact co-culture of M2-TAMs and ESCC cells,the following groups were set up,such as EC109/KYSE150 group,EC109/KYSE150+si-NC group(transfected with si-NC sequence),and EC109/KYSE150+si-Siglec15 group(transfected with si-Siglec15#1 and si-Siglec15#2 sequences).CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation activities of the cells in various groups;wound healing assay was used to detect the wound healing rates of the cells in various groups;Transwell chamber assay was used to detect the numbers of migration and invasion cells in various groups;flow cytometry was used to detect the apoptotic rates of the cells in various groups.Results:The bioinformatics analysis results showed that compared with adjacent normal tissue,the expression levels of Siglec15 mRNA in pan-cancer tissues such as esophageal cancer,colon cancer,and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tissues were increased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01),and the expression level of Siglec15 mRNA in esophageal cancer tissue was significantly positively correlated with the infiltration of the macrophages(P＜0.05).Compared with the EC109 cells and KYSE150 cells,the expression level of Siglec15 mRNA in M2-TAMs was significantly increased(P＜0.01).There was no significant difference in the proliferation rate of the cells among EC109/KYSE150 group,EC109/KYSE150+si-NC group,and EC109/KYSE150+si-Siglec15 group(P＞0.05).Compared with EC109/KYSE150 group,after treated for 24 and 48 h,the wound healing rate of the cells in EC109/KYSE150+si-NC group was increased(P＜0.01),the numbers of migration and invasion cells were increased(P＜0.05),and the apoptotic rate was decreased(P＜0.01).Compared with EC109/KYSE150+si-NC group,the wound healing rates of the cells in EC109/KYSE150+si-Siglec15#1 group and EC109/KYSE150+si-Siglec15#2 group were decreased(P＜0.05),the numbers of migration and invasion cells were decreased(P＜0.05),and the apoptotic rates of the cells had no significant difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion:Siglec15 derived from M2-TAMs may be a key factor in promoting the migration and invasion of the ESCC cells.

A 26-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital with recurrent infection of the incision after resection of a back sebaceous cyst,and the pus culture showed Mycobacterium abscessus.Clinical pharmacists reviewed relevant guidelines and literature,analyzed and summarized drug selection,drug resistance,adverse drug reactions and coping strategies,sequential treatment plans and treatment courses,and assist physicians in formulating individualised anti-infective treatment plans.Initially imipenem,amikacin and azithromycin were given according to bacterial culture results.Secondly,according to the results of drug sensitivity,they were changed to tigecycline,amikacin and clarithromycin.Finally,due to the adverse drug reaction of tigecycline and the recurrence of sinus in the patient,and considering the possibility of imipenem and clarithromycin resistance,the anti-infection regimen was adjusted in time to cefoxitin,amikacin and azithromycin.During treatment,the clinical pharmacist monitors drug effectiveness and adverse reactions,combining pharmacy expertise with clinical practice.After the treatment,the patient improved and was discharged.After discharge,azithromycin and omacycline were successively given to continue anti-infection treatment,and the incision on the patient's back basically healed through follow-up.Clinical pharmacist involvement in Mycobacterium abscessus anti-infective drug selection can provide individualised drug regimens for patients,ensure the safety and effectiveness of medication for patients,and provide references for the treatment and management of similar patients.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in tertiary hospitals in major regions of China in 2022.Methods Clinical isolates from 58 hospitals in China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2022 Clinical &Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints.Results A total of 318 013 clinical isolates were collected from January 1,2022 to December 31,2022,of which 29.5％were gram-positive and 70.5％were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species(excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi)was 28.3％,76.7％and 77.9％,respectively.Overall,94.0％of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 90.8％of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis showed significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 94.2％in the isolates from children and 95.7％in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 13.1％in most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,21.7％-23.1％of which were resistant to carbapenems.Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.1％to 13.3％.The prevalence of meropenem-resistant strains decreased from 23.5％in 2019 to 18.0％in 2022 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and decreased from 79.0％in 2019 to 72.5％in 2022 in Acinetobacter baumannii.Conclusions The resistance of clinical isolates to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still increasing in tertiary hospitals.However,the prevalence of important carbapenem-resistant organisms such as carbapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a downward trend in recent years.This finding suggests that the strategy of combining antimicrobial resistance surveillance with multidisciplinary concerted action works well in curbing the spread of resistant bacteria.

Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of the common pathogens isolated from urine from 2015 to 2021 in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program.Methods The bacterial strains were isolated from urine and identified routinely in 51 hospitals across China in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Kirby-Bauer method,automatic microbiological analysis system and E-test according to the unified protocol.Results A total of 261 893 nonduplicate strains were isolated from urine specimen from 2015 to 2021,of which gram-positive bacteria accounted for 23.8％(62 219/261 893),and gram-negative bacteria 76.2％(199 674/261 893).The most common species were E.coli(46.7％),E.faecium(10.4％),K.pneumoniae(9.8％),E.faecalis(8.7％),P.mirabilis(3.5％),P.aeruginosa(3.4％),SS.agalactiae(2.6％),and E.cloacae(2.1％).The strains were more frequently isolated from inpatients versus outpatients and emergency patients,from females versus males,and from adults versus children.The prevalence of ESBLs-producing strains in E.coli,K.pneumoniae and P.mirabilis was 53.2％,52.8％and 37.0％,respectively.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant strains in E.coli,K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii was 1.7％,18.5％,16.4％,and 40.3％,respectively.Lower than 10％of the E.faecalis isolates were resistant to ampicillin,nitrofurantoin,linezolid,vancomycin,teicoplanin and fosfomycin.More than 90％of the E.faecium isolates were ressitant to ampicillin,levofloxacin and erythromycin.The percentage of strains resistant to vancomycin,linezolid or teicoplanin was＜2％.The E.coli,K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa and A.baumannii strains isolated from ICU inpatients showed significantly higher resistance rates than the corresponding strains isolated from outpatients and non-ICU inpatients.Conclusions E.coli,Enterococcus and K.pneumoniae are the most common pathogens in urinary tract infection.The bacterial species and antimicrobial resistance of urinary isolates vary with different populations.More attention should be paid to antimicrobial resistance surveillance and reduce the irrational use of antimicrobial agents.

Objective To understand the distribution and changing resistance profiles of clinical isolates of Enterococcus in hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for the clinical isolates of Enterococcus according to the unified protocol of CHINET program by automated systems,Kirby-Bauer method,or E-test strip.The results were interpreted according to the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)breakpoints in 2021.WHONET 5.6 software was used for statistical analysis.Results A total of 124 565 strains of Enterococcus were isolated during the 7-year period,mainly including Enterococcus faecalis(50.7％)and Enterococcus faecalis(41.5％).The strains were mainly isolated from urinary tract specimens(46.9％±2.6％),and primarily from the patients in the department of internal medicine,surgery and ICU.E.faecium and E.faecalis strains showed low level resistance rate to vancomycin,teicoplanin and linezolid(≤3.6％).The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant E.faecalis and E.faecium was 0.1％and 1.3％,respectively.The prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis increased from 0.7％in 2015 to 3.4％in 2021,while the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecium was 0.3％.Conclusions The clinical isolates of Enterococcus were still highly susceptible to vancomycin,teicoplanin,and linezolid,evidenced by a low resistance rate.However,the prevalence of linezolid-resistant E.faecalis was increasing during the 7-year period.It is necessary to strengthen antimicrobial resistance surveillance to effectively identify the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and curb the spread of resistant pathogens.