Conventional tumor culture models include two-dimensional tumor cell cultures and xenograft models. The former has disadvantages including lack of tumor heterogeneity and poor clinical relevance, while the latter are limited by the slow growth, low engraftment successful rate, and high cost. In recent years, in vitro three-dimensional (3D) tumor models have emerged as the tool to better recapitulate the spatial structure and the in vivo environment of tumors. In addition, they preserve the pathological and genetic features of tumor cells and reflect the complex intracellular and extracellular interactions of tumors, which have become a powerful tool for investigating the tumor mechanism, drug screening, and personalized cancer treatment. 3D tumor model technologies such as spheroids, organoids, and microfluidic devices are maturing. Application of new technologies such as co-culture, 3D bioprinting, and air-liquid interface has further improved the clinical relevance of the models. Some models recapitulate the tumor microenvironment, and some can even reconstitute endogenous immune components and microvasculature. In recent years, some scholars have combined xenograft models with organoid technology to develop matched in vivo/in vitro model biobanks, giving full play to the advantages of the two technologies, and providing an ideal research platform for individualized precision therapy for specific molecular targets in certain subtypes of tumors. So far, the above technologies have been widely applied in the field of colorectal cancer research. Our research team is currently studying upon the application of patient-derived tumor cell-like clusters, a self-assembly 3D tumor model, in guiding the selection of postoperative chemotherapy regimens for colorectal cancer. A high modeling success rate and satisfactory results in the drug screening experiments have been achieved. There is no doubt that with the advancement of related technologies, 3D tumor models will play an increasingly important role in the research and clinical practice of colorectal cancer.
Humans ; Organoids/pathology* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Colorectal Neoplasms/pathology* ; Tumor Microenvironment

Objective: To analyze the impact of the sinonasal anatomic changes after endonasal endoscopic anterior skull base surgery on the nasal airflow and heating and humidification by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and to explore the correlation between the postoperative CFD parameters and the subjective symptoms of the patients. Methods: The clinical data in the Rhinology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2016 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients received the endoscopic resection of the anterior skull base tumor were selected as the case group, and the adults whose CT scans had no sinonasal abnormalities were chosen as the control group. The CFD simulation was performed on the sinonasal models after reconstructed from the patients' sinus CT images during the post-surgical follow-up. All the patients were asked to complete the Empty Nose Syndrome 6-Item Questionnaire (ENS6Q) to assess the subjective symptoms. The comparison between two independent groups and the correlation analysis were carried out by using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Spearman correlation test in the SPSS 26.0 software. Results: Nineteen patients (including 8 males and 11 females, from 22 to 67 years old) in the case group and 2 patients (a male of 38 years old and a female of 45 years old) in the control group were enrolled in this study. After the anterior skull base surgery, the high-speed airflow moved to the upper part of the nasal cavity, and the lowest temperature shifted upwards on the choana. Comparing with the control group, the ratio of nasal mucosal surface area to nasal ventilation volume in the case group decreased [0.41 (0.40, 0.41) mm^-1 vs 0.32 (0.30, 0.38) mm^-1; Z=-2.04, P=0.041], the air flow in the upper and middle part of the nasal cavity increased [61.14 (59.78, 62.51)% vs 78.07 (76.22, 94.43)%; Z=-2.28, P=0.023], the nasal resistance decreased [0.024 (0.022, 0.026) Pa·s/ml vs 0.016 (0.009, 0.018) Pa·s/ml; Z=-2.29, P=0.022], the lowest temperature in the middle of the nasal cavity decreased [28.29 (27.23, 29.35)℃ vs 25.06 (24.07, 25.50)℃; Z=-2.28, P=0.023], the nasal heating efficiency decreased [98.74 (97.95, 99.52)% vs 82.16 (80.24, 86.91)%; Z=-2.28, P=0.023], the lowest relative humidity decreased [(79.62 (76.55, 82.69)% vs 73.28 (71.27, 75.05)%; Z=-2.28, P=0.023], and the nasal humidification efficiency decreased [99.50 (97.69, 101.30)% vs 86.09 (79.33, 87.16)%; Z=-2.28, P=0.023]. The ENS6Q total scores of all patients in the case group were less than 11 points. There was a moderate negative correlation between the proportion of the inferior airflow in the post-surgical nasal cavity negatively and the ENS6Q total scores (r_s=-0.50, P=0.029). Conclusions: The sinonasal anatomic changes after the endoscopic anterior skull base surgery alter the nasal airflow patterns, reducing the efficiency of nasal heating and humidification. However, the post-surgical occurrence tendency of the empty nose syndrome is weak.
Adult ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Hydrodynamics ; Air Conditioning ; Nose ; Nasal Cavity ; Skull Base/surgery*

Objective:To investigate efficacy and safety of topical sirolimus cream in the treatment of superficial vascular malformation in children.Methods:A single-center prospective study was carried out. Children with superficial vascular malformation were enrolled into this study from Vascular Anomalies Clinic, Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from September 2019 to September 2020, and treated with 0.1% sirolimus cream. The efficacy was evaluated according to an international four-level classification system through imaging examination, dermoscopy and subjective evaluation, and adverse reactions during the treatment were monitored. Statistical analysis was carried out by t test, univariate analysis of variance or Fisher′s exact test. Results:A total of 19 children with superficial vascular malformations were enrolled, including 12 males and 7 females, aged 1 - 11.5 years. Fourteen children were diagnosed with vascular and lymphatic malformations, 3 with lymphatic malformations, and 2 with venous malformations. Sixteen children presented with lesions on the lower extremities, 8 were accompanied by pain, 2 presented with ulceration, and 6 had previous treatment history. After 6-month treatment, 3 patients achieved improvement of level Ⅰ, 4 of level Ⅱ, 4 of level Ⅲ, and 8 of level Ⅳ; 16 achieved improvement, and 12 achieved marked improvement. Six patients showed significantly decreased length, thickness and width of lesions after 6 months of treatment (1.83 ± 0.84 cm, 1.00 ± 0.55 cm, 2.25 ± 1.25 cm, respectively) compared with those before treatment (2.40 ± 0.95 cm, 1.35 ± 0.61 cm, 2.50 ± 1.34 cm, t = 5.22, 10.25, 3.73, respectively, all P < 0.05) . Gender, age, medical history and pain sensation did not significantly affect the therapeutic effect (all P > 0.05) , while diagnostic classification of vascular malformations significantly affected the therapeutic effect ( P = 0.008) . Among the 19 children, 2 had mild local burning sensation after the treatment. After 1- and 6-month treatment, the blood concentrations of sirolimus were both below 1.0 ng/ml. Conclusion:Topical sirolimus is effective and safe in the treatment of superficial vascular malformation in children.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Attapulgite(ATP), as a fertilizer slow-release agent and soil conditioner, has shown remarkable effect in improving the utilization rate of fertilizer and the yield and quality of agricultural products and Chinese medicinal materials. This study aims to explore the effect of ATP on the growth and root quality of Angelica sinensis. To be specific, Mingui 1 was used, and through the pot(soil culture) experiment in the Dao-di producing area, the effects of conventional chemical fertilizer added with ATP on the morphology, photosynthesis, soil respiration, and content of ferulic acid and volatile oil in roots of Mingui 1 were detected. The underlying mechanism was discussed from the perspective of source-sink relationship. The results showed that ATP, via the fertilizer slow-release effect, could meet the needs of A. sinensis for nutrients at the root expansion stage, improve the net photosynthetic rate of leaves and aboveground biomass of plants, and promote the transfer and accumulation of nutrients from the aboveground part(source) to the underground root(sink) in advance during the dry matter accumulation period of roots, so as to improve the root weight per plant. ATP can increase the content of total ferulic acid(the sum of free ferulic acid and coniferyl ferulate), the main effective component of Angelicae Sinensis Radix, by promoting the synthesis of ferulic acid in the roots and the transformation to coniferyl ferulate. However, it had little effect on the content of volatile oil. ATP had certain influence on soil respiration, which needs to be further explored from root activity, rhizosphere microorganisms, and soil microorganisms. This study can lay a basis for soil remediation and improvement and ecological cultivation of A. sinensis.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Angelica sinensis/chemistry* ; Coumaric Acids ; Fertilizers/analysis* ; Magnesium Compounds ; Oils, Volatile/chemistry* ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Silicon Compounds ; Soil

Objective: The relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and glycemic indices, including plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postload glucose (2h-PG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), remains inconclusive. We aimed to explore the associations between glycemic indices and SUA levels in the general Chinese population. Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis using the first follow-up survey data from The China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. A total of 105,922 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 40 years underwent the oral glucose tolerance test and uric acid assessment. The nonlinear relationships between glycemic indices and SUA levels were explored using generalized additive models. Results: A total of 30,941 men and 62,361 women were eligible for the current analysis. Generalized additive models verified the inverted U-shaped association between glycemic indices and SUA levels, but with different inflection points in men and women. The thresholds for FPG, 2h-PG, and HbA1c for men and women were 6.5/8.0 mmol/L, 11.0/14.0 mmol/L, and 6.1/6.5, respectively (SUA levels increased with increasing glycemic indices before the inflection points and then eventually decreased with further increases in the glycemic indices). Conclusion An inverted U-shaped association was observed between major glycemic indices and uric acid levels in both sexes, while the inflection points were reached earlier in men than in women.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Glucose/analysis* ; China/epidemiology* ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus/blood* ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid/blood*

Objective::To establish differential metabolites between different varieties of Angelica sinensis, and provide reference for breeding, introduction, regional cultivation and ecological cultivation of new varieties of A. sinensis. Method::Comprehensive non-target metabonomics analysis was conducted for five new varieties of A. sinensis collected at the same time from the same origin: Mingui No. 1 (MG1), Mingui No. 2 (MG2), Mingui No. 4 (MG4), Mingui No. 5 (MG5), and Mingui No. 6 (MG6). The 50% methanol extract of each variety was taken, and then the differential metabolites among varieties were found by using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), software Progenesis QI, principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and non-targeted metabonomics analysis. Differential metabolites were identified based on precise molecular weight, secondary fragments, KEGG database, HMDE database and related literature information. Result::The results of UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and multivariate statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences in the metabolites of five Angelica varieties. As compared with MG1, the contents of chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, tryptophan and ferulic aldehyde were significantly lower in MG2, MG4, MG5 and MG6, while the contents of ligustilide, coumarin, bovine keratin, palmitin, protocatechualdehyde and linolenic acid were significantly higher (P<0.05). The results of multivariate statistical analysis showed that the metabolites of MG2 and MG5 were similar with those of MG6, but were significantly different from those of MG4.In addition, 38 distinct metabolites were identified, involving 7 potential targeted metabolic pathways. Different varieties of A. sinensis could regulate the synthesis of their metabolites through phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and sesquiterpene-like compounds metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, carotenoids, linolenic acid, linoleic acid and some other metabolic pathways. Conclusion::UPLC-Q-TOF-MS and Progenesis QI metabonomics techniques were used to compare the chemical constituents of different varieties of A. sinensis from the overall level. The differences and their regularities were found, which could provide reference for quality control, variety sorting, identification, breeding and ecological planting of A. sinensis.