Objective: To explore the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and its influencing factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 385 patients with ILD admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine) from January 2018 to June 2022. Data on sex, age, body mass index, smoking history, respiratory rate, hospitalization time, treatment cost, whether velcro rales can be heard, comorbidities with rheumatic immune diseases, TCM four examination information, and clinical examination results, including CT imaging, D-dimer level, and lung function-related indicators, were collected. The distribution pattern of TCM syndromes in patients with ILD and the association between TCM syndromes and clinical indicators were analyzed using the cluster analysis and binary Logistic regression analysis. Results: Among the 385 patients with ILD, sticky phlegm (59.74%) and shortness of breath (56.10%) were common symptoms, while greasy tongue coating (55.32%), red tongue (52.73%), and slippery and rapid pulse (25.71%) were common tongue and pulse manifestations. The patients were divided into five syndromes using cluster analysis: syndrome of phlegm-heat stagnation in the lung (36.62%), syndrome of turbid phlegm obstructing lung (29.35%), syndrome of deficiency of both qi and yin (12.99%), syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney (11.95%), and syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung (9.09%). The D-dimer level was lower in patients with syndrome of phlegm-heat stagnation in the lung, syndrome of turbid phlegm obstructing lung, syndrome of deficiency of both qi and yin, and syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney than in those with syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung (P<0.05). The percentage of predicted forced vital capacity (FVC%pred) of patients with syndrome of phlegm-heat stagnation in the lung, syndrome of turbid phlegm obstructing lung, syndrome of deficiency of both qi and yin, and syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung was higher than in those with syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney (P<0.05). Among patients aged 60 and above, those with syndrome of phlegm-heat stagnation in the lung, syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung, and syndrome of deficiency of both qi and yin containing dual pathogenic syndrome elements were more likely to experience moderate to severe pulmonary diffusion impairment than those with syndrome of turbid phlegm obstructing lung and syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney containing single pathogenic syndrome elements (P<0.05). The Logistic regression showed that the FVC%pred was an influential factor for syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) between FVC%pred and the formation of syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney was 0.676 (95%CI: 0.598-0.755), P=0.002. The sensitivity was 0.431, the specificity was 0.966, and the best threshold on the ROC curve of 0.397 was 79.1%. The D-dimer level was an influential factor in the formation of syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung. The AUC between D-dimer level and the formation of syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung was 0.729 (95%CI: 0.655-0.802), P<0.001. The sensitivity was 0.914, the specificity was 0.523, and the best threshold on the ROC curve of 0.437 was 0.675 mg/L. Conclusion syndrome of phlegm-heat stagnation in the lung and syndrome of turbid phlegm obstructing lung are common among patients with ILD. Complex pathological syndromes are more likely to exacerbate pulmonary diffusion dysfunction. The FVC%pred can assist in differentiating syndrome of qi deficiency of lung and kidney, whereas the D-dimer level can assist in differentiating syndrome of phlegm and blood stasis obstructing lung.

Microbial communities such as those residing in the human gut are highly diverse and complex, and many with important implications for health and diseases. The effects and functions of these microbial communities are determined not only by their species compositions and diversities but also by the dynamic intra- and inter-cellular states at the transcriptional level. Powerful and scalable technologies capable of acquiring single-microbe-resolution RNA sequencing information in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of complex microbial communities together with their hosts are therefore utterly needed. Here we report the development and utilization of a droplet-based smRNA-seq (single-microbe RNA sequencing) method capable of identifying large species varieties in human samples, which we name smRandom-seq2. Together with a triple-module computational pipeline designed for the bacteria and bacteriophage sequencing data by smRandom-seq2 in four human gut samples, we established a single-cell level bacterial transcriptional landscape of human gut microbiome, which included 29,742 single microbes and 329 unique species. Distinct adaptive response states among species in Prevotella and Roseburia genera and intrinsic adaptive strategy heterogeneity in Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens were uncovered. Additionally, we identified hundreds of novel host-phage transcriptional activity associations in the human gut microbiome. Our results indicated that smRandom-seq2 is a high-throughput and high-resolution smRNA-seq technique that is highly adaptable to complex microbial communities in real-world situations and promises new perspectives in the understanding of human microbiomes.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; Bacteriophages/physiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods* ; Bacteria/virology*

Objective:To analyze the risk factors for postoperative pathological upgrade of prostate cancer patients with single core positive biopsy,and to attempt to build a mathematical model for predic-ting postoperative pathological upgrade in these cancer patients with single core positive biopsy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 349 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer and undergoing radical prostatectomy at Peking University First Hospital from January 2015 to August 2020.The pa-tients'age,body mass index,clinical stage,prostate imaging reporting and data system(PI-RADS)scores,prostate volume in magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),Gleason score of biopsy,serum prostate specific antigen(PSA)before biopsy and operation,surgical method and pathological stage were inclu-ded in the analysis.The variables with P＜0.1 in univariate analysis were included to construct multi-variate Logistic regression and the nomogram was drawn.The model was evaluated using the receiver operating curve.Results:A total of 71 patients were included in this research,with 34 patients in the upgraded group and 37 patients in the non-upgraded group.There were no significant differences in the pa-tients'age(P=0.585),body mass index(P=0.165),operation method(P=0.08),prostate volume in MRI(P=0.067),clinical stage(P=0.678),PI-RADS score(P=0.203),difference of PSA density(P=0.063),Gleason score in biopsy(P=0.068),PSA before puncture(P=0.359)and operation(P=0.739)between the two groups.However,there were significant differences in the proportion of tumor tissue(P=0.007),postoperative pathological stage(P＜0.001)and postoperative Gleason score(P＜0.001)between the two groups.The preoperative variables with a P value of less than 0.1(prostate volume in MRI,difference of PSA density,proportion of tumor tissue and Gleason score in biopsy)in univariate analysis were included in the Logistic regression,and the nomogram was drawn.Only the prostate volume in MRI had a P value of less than 0.05.The area under the curve of the model was 0.773.Conclusion:In patients with sin-gle core positive biopsy,if the prostate volume is small or the proportion of tumor in positive core is small,clinicians should be alert to the possibility of postoperative pathology upgrading,preoperative risk stratifica-tion should be carefully considered for patients with possible pathological upgrading.This model can be used to predict the pathological upgrade of patients with single core positive biopsy.

Background/Aims: Roxadustat, an oral medication for treating renal anemia, is a hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor used for regulating iron metabolism and promoting erythropoiesis. To investigate the efficacy and safety of roxadustat in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness. Methods: Single-center, retrospective study, 81 PD patients (with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness) were divided into the roxadustat group (n = 61) and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) group (n = 20). Hemoglobin (Hb), total cholesterol, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), related indicators of cardiac function and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were collected. Additionally, adverse events were also recorded. The follow-up period was 16 weeks. Results: The two groups exhibited similar baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. At baseline, the roxadustat group had a mean Hb level of 89.8 ± 18.9 g/L, while the ESAs group had a mean Hb level of 95.2 ± 16.0 g/L. By week 16, the Hb levels had increased to 118 ± 19.8 g/L (p < 0.05) in the roxadustat group and 101 ± 19.3 g/L (p > 0.05) in the ESAs group. The efficacy of roxadustat in improving anemia was not influenced by baseline levels of hs-CRP and iPTH. Cholesterol was decreased in the roxadustat group without statin use. An increase in left ventricular ejection fraction and stabilization of BNP were observed in the roxadustat group. Conclusions For PD patients with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness, roxadustat can significantly improve renal anemia. The efficacy of roxadustat in improving renal anemia was not affected by baseline levels of hs-CRP0 and iPTH.

Objective This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials(RCTs)assessing the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for chronic stable angina(CSA).Methods PubMed,The Cochrane Library,Embase,CNKI,VIP,WanFang Data,CBM databases,ClinicalTrial.gov and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were electronically searched to collect randomized controlled trials(RCTs)of acupuncture for CSA and only RCTs that included acupuncture as the sole or combination of acupuncture in the treatment of CSA.The retrieval period was from the establishment of the database to May 19,2022.The primary outcome measure was the frequency of angina attacks,and the secondary outcome measures were angina efficacy,total effective rate of ECG improvement,nitroglycerin use after treatment,patient-perceived overall effectiveness,performance on the Six-Minute Walk Test(6-MWT),depression as measured by the anxiety as measured by the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS),adverse effects.Results Twelve studies with a total of 1605 case subjects were included and grade quality of evidence reviews had 1 outcomes as medium quality evidence,5 outcomes as low quality evidence and 4 outcomes as very low quality evidence.Acupuncture treatment resulted in significantly greater reductions in angina attacks,visual analog scale(VAS),6-minute walk test,angina efficacy,electrocardiogram improvement rate,angina efficacy,total clinical response rate.Conclusion The efficacy of acupuncture combined with western medicine in treating CSA is better than that of Western medicine alone,thanks to restricted by the number and quality of included researchs,higher quality studies are required to prove above conclusions.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To study the effect of berberine(BBR) on autophagy of human breast cancer HCC1937 cells under hypoxia condition. METHODS Cultured human breast cancer HCC1937 cells, CCK-8 method was used to determine the effects of different concentrations of BBR(0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μmol·L-1) on cell viability under normoxia and hypoxia conditions, and select the drug concentration for further experiments. Cultured HCC1937 cells were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, 20 μmol·L-1 BBR group, hypoxia group, hypoxia+20 μmol·L-1 BBR group. LIVE/DEAD cell viability/cytotoxicity kits were used to measure the cell death rate. The expressions of autophagy related proteins Beclin1, LC3 and P62 in each group were determined by Western blotting. The cells were infected with mCherry-GFP-LC3 adenovirus, and the number of autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes in each group were counted by laser confocal microscopy to determine the effect of BBR on the autophagy flow of HCC1937 cells. RESULTS BBR decreased the cell viability of human breast cancer HCC1937 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. After hypoxia treatment, the cell death rate of HCC1937 cells was not significantly changed, and the intracellular Beclin1, LC3-II and LC3-II/LC3-I ratio were significantly increased, while P62 without significant changes, and the autophagy flow was increased. BBR significantly increased cell death rate, decreased Beclin1 and LC3II/LC3-I ratio, increased intracellular P62, significantly reduced the number of autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes, and inhibited the formation and clearance of autophagosomes under both normal and hypoxia conditions. CONCLUSION BBR increases the death rate of human breast cancer HCC1937 cells under hypoxia condition, and its effect is related to the inhibitory effect of berberine on autophagy under hypoxia condition.

Objective:To explore the accuracy of mpMRI combined with Partin table, MSKCC nomogram and CAPRA score in predicting extracapsular extension and seminal vesicle invasion of prostate cancer.Methods:From January 2016 to June 2021, a total of 178 patients who underwent laparoscopic radical prostatectomy were selected. The average age of patients was (68.3±3.5) years, the average preoperative PSA level was (24.5±7.1)ng/ml, and the average percentage of positive cores in biopsy was 44.3%. The clinical T 1c stage was determined in 67 cases (37.6%), T 2a in 69 cases (38.8%) and T 2b-2c in 42 cases(23.6%). Biopsy Gleason score of 3+ 3=6 was found in 45 cases(25.3%), 3+ 4=7 in 41 cases(23.0%), 4+ 3=7 in 26 cases(14.6%), 8 with different combinations in 36 cases(20.2%), and 9 or 10 in 30 cases(16.9%). According to preoperative PSA level, biopsy Gleason score, clinical stage, age, total biopsy cores and positive cores, the posibility of extracapsular extension and seminal vesicle invasion were predicted using 2012-version Partin table and MSKCC nomogram. CAPRA score of each patient was calculated. The prediction schemes were built as follows: ①mpMRI alone, ②mpMRI combined with Partin scale, ③mpMRI combined with MSKCC nomogram, ④mpMRI combined with CAPRA score. The results of each prediction scheme were compared with postoperative pathological reports. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between predictive results and postoperative pathological outcomes. The receiver operating characteristic curve of each prediction scheme was drawn. The area under curve was used to compare the predictive accuracy of each combination scheme for the pathological results of prostate cancer. The decision analysis curve of each prediction scheme was drawn. The clinical benefits of each scheme were analyzed by comparing the net return under different risk thresholds. Results:mpMRI predicted extracapsular extension in 21 cases(11.8%) and seminal vesicle invasion in 16 cases(9.0%). The postoperative pathological results reported extracapsular extension in 27 cases(15.2%) and seminal vesicle invasion in 39 cases(21.9%). Logistic regression analysis showed that mpMRI and clinical scales were predictors related to the pathological results of prostate cancer( P<0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve of each scheme showed that the area under curve for predicting extracapsular extension by using mpMRI, mpMRI combined with Partin table, mpMRI combined with MSKCC nomogram and mpMRI combined with CAPRA score were 0.599, 0.652, 0.763 and 0.780, respectively, and the area under curve for predicting seminal vesicle invasion were 0.607, 0.817, 0.826 and 0.820, respectively. Compared with simple application of mpMRI, except that the scheme of mpMRI combined with Partin table had no obvious advantage in predicting extracapsular extension( P=0.117), any other combined scheme had higher prediction accuracy( P<0.01). mpMRI combined with MSKCC nomogram or CAPRA score was better than mpMRI combined with Partin table in predicting extracapsular invasion ( P<0.01). There was no significant difference in predicting seminal vesicle invasion among these three combination schemes ( P>0.05). The net income of the combined prediction scheme was higher than that of using mpMRI alone under any risk threshold. The scheme of using mpMRI combined with MSKCC nomogram had the highest net income. Conclusions:mpMRI combined with clinical scales has good accuracy in predicting pathological characteristics of prostate cancer in Chinese population. Compared with other schemes in this study, the combination scheme of mpMRI combined with MSKCC nomogram has the highest prediction accuracy.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with unknown etiology and limited therapeutic options. Activation of fibroblasts is a prominent feature of pulmonary fibrosis. Here we report that lncRNA DACH1 (dachshund homolog 1) is downregulated in the lungs of IPF patients and in an experimental mouse model of lung fibrosis. LncDACH1 knockout mice develop spontaneous pulmonary fibrosis, whereas overexpression of LncDACH1 attenuated TGF-β1-induced aberrant activation, collagen deposition and differentiation of mouse lung fibroblasts. Similarly, forced expression of LncDACH1 not only prevented bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis, but also reversed established lung fibrosis in a BLM model. Mechanistically, LncDACH1 binding to the serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) protein decreases its activity and inhibits the accumulation of Ctnnb1. Enhanced expression of SRSF1 blocked the anti-fibrotic effect of LncDACH1 in lung fibroblasts. Furthermore, loss of LncDACH1 promoted proliferation, differentiation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in mouse lung fibroblasts, whereas such effects were abolished by silencing of Ctnnb1. In addition, a conserved fragment of LncDACH1 alleviated hyperproliferation, ECM deposition and differentiation of MRC-5 cells driven by TGF-β1. Collectively, LncDACH1 inhibits lung fibrosis by interacting with SRSF1 to suppress CTNNB1 accumulation, suggesting that LncDACH1 might be a potential therapeutic target for pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective:To evaluate the risk factors of clinical cure and biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy (RP).Methods:The clinical data of 896 patients who underwent RP at Peking University First Hospital from April 2001 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Average age was (65.90±6.3) years, median preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) was 10.75 (0.36-264.20) ng/ml, median prostate volume was 40.0 (12.0-220.9) ml, median PSA density (PSAD) was 0.27 (0.02-3.42) ng/(ml·g). Clinical staging: 432 cases in T 1c stage, 333 cases in T 2a/bstage, 76 cases in T 2c stage, and 55 cases in ≥T 3 stage. Preoperative Gleason score of biopsy: 193 cases in 3+ 3, 315 cases in 3+ 4, 162 cases in 4+ 3, 226 cases in ≥8. The RP surgery was operated by open or laparoscopic or robot-assisted approach. Clinical cure and BCR were used as the end points for analysis. Clinical cure was defined as a decrease in serum PSA level below 0.03 ng/ml 6 weeks after surgery. BCR was defined as the 2 consecutive serum PSA >0.2ng/ml during the follow-up after RP. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the independent risk factors of clinical cure. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the biochemical recurrence-free survival curve, the log-rank method was used for univariate analysis of BCR, and the Cox regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. Results:All 896 patients were followed-up for 58 (5-241) months, 678 cases (75.7%) achieved clinical cure. Based on univariate analysis and multivariate analysis, among the preoperative indicators, whether the proportion of positive biopsy needles ≥33% ( P=0.007) and preoperative Gleason score of biopsy ( P=0.041) were independent risk factors of clinical cure. A total of 890 cases were included in the analysis of risk factors of BCR, of whom 172 cases (19.3%) had BCR. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year biochemical recurrence-free survival(BFS)rates were 98.1%, 83.1% and 68.4% respectively. The median BFS has not been reached, and the average BFS was 181 months (95% CI 172-189). The results of univariate and multivariate analysis showed that whether achieved clinical cure ( P=0.001) and postoperative pathological staging ( P<0.001) were independent risk factors of BCR. Conclusions:Whether the proportion of positive biopsy needles≥33% and preoperative Gleason score of biopsy were independent risk factors of clinical cure. Postoperative pathological staging and whether achieved clinical cure may be independent risk factors of BCR.

Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology* ; Antibodies, Viral/immunology* ; COVID-19/virology* ; COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology* ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity* ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology* ; Vaccines, Inactivated/immunology*