ObjectiveTo investigate the distribution characteristics and correlation of paired oral and esophageal microbiota in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）. MethodsA total of 46 pathologically confirmed ESCC patients were enrolled， and oral swabs and cancerous tissue samples were collected. The microbial composition was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing， and bioinformatics methods were employed to compare the microbiota diversity， compositional differences， and correlations between the two sites. ResultsThe Alpha diversity of the oral microbiota in ESCC patients was significantly higher than that of their esophageal microbiota， though the overall community structure was similar between the two sites. LEfSe analysis revealed that Spirochaetes， Prevotella， Catonella， Enterococcus， Fusobacterium periodonticum， Veillonella parvula， Capnocytophaga sputigena， and Neisseria subflava were significantly enriched in ESCC tumor tissues. In contrast， Actinobacteria， Proteobacteria， Streptococcus， Neisseria， Haemophilus， Streptococcus mitis， Haemophilus parainfluenzae， Porphyromonas gingivalis， Haemophilus haemolyticus， and Prevotella tannerae were significantly enriched in the oral cavity. Correlation analysis demonstrated significant associations between the two sites at taxonomic levels such as Spirochaetes， Treponema， Granulicatella elegans， Neisseria macacae， Treponema amylovorum， Fusobacterium periodonticum， and Neisseria meningitidis （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe oral and esophageal microbiota in ESCC patients exhibit both distinct differences and similarities. Oral microbiota may influence the esophageal microenvironment through migration or local immune modulation.

Objective:To evaluate the survival benefit of surgical treatment for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:This study is conducted based on the hepatobiliary tumor registry database. From May 2009 to December 2022,a total of 704 patients who were initially diagnosed with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and underwent liver resection were consecutively enrolled at the Hepatobiliary Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. Among them,there were 380 males and 324 females,aged ( M(IQR)) 61(15) years(range:27 to 88 years). Twenty-six (3.7%) patients received neoadjuvant therapy before surgery. The overall survival(OS) and disease-free survival(DFS) rates were estimated by life table method, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were plotted. Log-rank test was used to compare the survival difference among tumor-node-metastasis(TNM) staging or three periods. The OS and DFS differences among lymph node groups or adjuvant treatment groups were quantified as HR with 95% CI estimated using Cox proportional-hazards model with adjustment for prognostic factors. Results:Among the 704 patients,349 cases(49.6%) underwent major hepatectomy (≥3 segments),331(47.0%) had lymph node resection during surgery,and 524 cases(74.4%) achieved R0 resection. The morbidity of Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅲ or higher complications was 16.5%(116/704),with a mortality rate of 3.0%(21/704) within 30 days post-surgery. The median OS time was 27.1 months, and the OS rates at 1-,3-,5- and 10-year were 69.1%, 42.4%,34.1% and 24.5%,respectively. The median DFS time was 10.5 months,and the corresponding DFS rates were 46.0%,25.4%,21.9% and 16.9%,respectively. According to the 8 th edition of AJCC staging system, the 5-year survival rates for ⅠA,ⅠB,Ⅱ,ⅢA,ⅢB and Ⅳ were 68.4%, 43.2%, 30.3%,32.2%,14.0% and 0,respectively. The corresponding DFS rates were 55.8%, 28.1%,13.8%,21.2%,3.3% and 0,respectively. There were no statistically significant differences of OS or DFS between stage ⅠB and Ⅱ, stage ⅠB and ⅢA, or between stage Ⅱ and ⅢA(Log-rank test:all P>0.05),while there were significant differences of OS and DFS among other stages(Log-rank test:all P<0.05). Using Cox model with adjustment for prognostic factors, there were no statistically significant differences of OS and DFS between non-lymphadenectomy group or the biopsy-N0 group and dissection-N0 group(both P>0.05). However,the overall and disease-free survival of the biopsy-N1 group or dissection-N1 group were worse than those of dissection-N0 group(both P<0.05),with overall survival being better in dissection-N1 group than biopsy-N1 group( P=0.017). Overall survival in the period from 2019 to 2022 were significantly superior to that during the periods from 2009 to 2013 and 2014 to 2018(both P<0.01). Adjusting for prognostic factors, the disease-free and overall survival of the postoperative adjuvant therapy group were significantly better than those of the observation group in the period 2019 to 2022(both P<0.01). Conclusions:Surgery remains a milestone for achieving long-term survival for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Regional lymph node dissection is required for patients with lymph node metastasis. Adjuvant therapy can significantly reduce tumor recurrence and prolong overall survival.

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological features of rectal neuroendocrine tumor (R-NET) G2, identify prognostic factors, and summarize treatment experience.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with R-NET G2 by pathological diagnosis admitted to Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2003 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to analyze the association between pathological features and prognosis.Results:A total of 22 patients were enrolled in this study and 21 patients were followed up for a period of 6-98 months with a median follow-up time of 42 months. 5 patients died due to tumor progression during the follow-up period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) of the whole group were 100.0%, 92.9%, and 69.6%, respectively. Of the 22 patients, 20 underwent surgical treatment, of which 15 underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy; 2 underwent medical treatment for liver and bone multiple metastases. The 5-year survival rates of patients with tumours ≥2 cm in length, T2-3 stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (57.1%, 68.8%, 66.7%, and 63.6%, respectively) were shorter than those of patients with tumours <2 cm in length, T1 stage, no lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis (all 100.0%, P＜0.001). In addition, patients with liver metastases had larger primary tumor diameters and higher T-stages compared with those without distant metastasis ( P＜0.05). Conclusions:R-NET G2 has a high degree of malignancy compared with G1 and a high propensity for metastasis. Clinicians should formulate appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies based on factors such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, presence of distant metastasis, and the location and extent of distant metastasis.

Objective To isolate pathogenic bacteria from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs, and perform bacterial identification, traceability analysis, and pathogenicity studies to provide a new approach for the diagnosis of pathogens in nude mice with squamous skin scurfs. MethodsSkin swab samples were collected from a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs for nucleic acid testing, bacterial isolation and culture, biochemical identification, 16S rDNA gene amplification and sequencing, and whole genome sequencing to construct a phylogenetic tree. Fifteen BALB/c nude mice were randomized into a saline-treated control group, a high-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁸ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension, and a low-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁷ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension. Pathogenicity was assessed by animal infection experiments and observation of histopathological changes in skin tissue using HE staining. Results The nucleic acid test for Corynebacterium bovis was negative, excluding infection by this organism. The pathogen isolated on mannitol salt agar and blood agar, combined with Gram staining, suggested a Gram-positive Staphylococcus species. The isolated strain was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and a fully automated microbial identification system as Staphylococcus xylosus. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on whole genome sequencing showed that the strain was most closely related to an isolate from leafy vegetables in South Korea (GenBank GCA_00207825.1). In the high-concentration group, squamous skin scurfs appeared on the head, neck, and back of nude mice on the 17th day post-infection, while in the low concentration group, similar symptoms appeared on the 20th day post-infection and gradually spread to other areas. The scaling symptoms were transient, lasting for 7 days in the high-concentration group and 3 days in the low-concentration group, after which the skin returned to normal. The infection rate was 33.33% in both the high- and low-concentration groups. No significant pathological changes were observed in the skin tissues of infected mice compared to the control group, indicating marked individual differences in the pathogenicity of the strain in nude mice. Conclusion A strain of Staphylococcus xylosus was isolated from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs. The strain is an opportunistic pathogen that causes transient squamous skin scurfs without significant histopathological changes, and there are individual differences in the sensitivity of nude mice to this strain. These findings can provide valuable data for pathogen identification in immunodeficient or gene knockout mice.

Objective To isolate pathogenic bacteria from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs, and perform bacterial identification, traceability analysis, and pathogenicity studies to provide a new approach for the diagnosis of pathogens in nude mice with squamous skin scurfs. MethodsSkin swab samples were collected from a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs for nucleic acid testing, bacterial isolation and culture, biochemical identification, 16S rDNA gene amplification and sequencing, and whole genome sequencing to construct a phylogenetic tree. Fifteen BALB/c nude mice were randomized into a saline-treated control group, a high-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁸ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension, and a low-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁷ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension. Pathogenicity was assessed by animal infection experiments and observation of histopathological changes in skin tissue using HE staining. Results The nucleic acid test for Corynebacterium bovis was negative, excluding infection by this organism. The pathogen isolated on mannitol salt agar and blood agar, combined with Gram staining, suggested a Gram-positive Staphylococcus species. The isolated strain was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and a fully automated microbial identification system as Staphylococcus xylosus. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on whole genome sequencing showed that the strain was most closely related to an isolate from leafy vegetables in South Korea (GenBank GCA_00207825.1). In the high-concentration group, squamous skin scurfs appeared on the head, neck, and back of nude mice on the 17th day post-infection, while in the low concentration group, similar symptoms appeared on the 20th day post-infection and gradually spread to other areas. The scaling symptoms were transient, lasting for 7 days in the high-concentration group and 3 days in the low-concentration group, after which the skin returned to normal. The infection rate was 33.33% in both the high- and low-concentration groups. No significant pathological changes were observed in the skin tissues of infected mice compared to the control group, indicating marked individual differences in the pathogenicity of the strain in nude mice. Conclusion A strain of Staphylococcus xylosus was isolated from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs. The strain is an opportunistic pathogen that causes transient squamous skin scurfs without significant histopathological changes, and there are individual differences in the sensitivity of nude mice to this strain. These findings can provide valuable data for pathogen identification in immunodeficient or gene knockout mice.

BACKGROUND: It is inaccurate to reflect the level of dust exposure through working years. Furthermore, identifying a predictive indicator for lung function decline is significant for coal miners. The study aimed to explored whether club cell secretory protein (CC16) levels can reflect early lung function changes. METHODS: The cumulative respiratory dust exposure (CDE) levels of 1,461 coal miners were retrospectively assessed by constructed a job-exposure matrix to replace working years. Important factors affecting lung function and CC16 were selected by establishing random forest models. Subsequently, the potential of CC16 to reflect lung injury was explored from multiple perspectives. First, restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to compare the trends of changes in lung function indicators and plasma CC16 levels after dust exposure. Then mediating analysis was performed to investigate the role of CC16 in the association between dust exposure and lung function decline. Finally, the association between baseline CC16 levels and follow-up lung function was explored. RESULTS: The median CDE were 35.13 mg/m³-years. RCS models revealed a rapid decline in forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁), and their percentages of predicted values when CDE exceeded 25 mg/m³-years. The dust exposure level (<5 mg/m³-years) causing significant changes in CC16 was much lower than the level (25 mg/m³-years) that caused changes in lung function indicators. CC16 mediated 11.1% to 26.0% of dust-related lung function decline. Additionally, workers with low baseline CC16 levels experienced greater reductions in lung function in the future. CONCLUSIONS CC16 levels are more sensitive than lung indicators in reflecting early lung function injury and plays mediating role in lung function decline induced by dust exposure. Low baseline CC16 levels predict poor future lung function.
Uteroglobin/blood* ; Humans ; Dust/analysis* ; Occupational Exposure/analysis* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Lung Injury/chemically induced* ; Coal Mining ; Biomarkers/blood* ; China/epidemiology* ; Air Pollutants, Occupational ; Female

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent malignant tumor among men, ranking first in incidence and second in mortality globally. Novel hormone therapies (NHT) targeting the androgen receptor (AR) pathway have become the standard of care for metastatic prostate cancer. This review offers a comprehensive overview of NHT, including abiraterone, enzalutamide, apalutamide, darolutamide, and rezvilutamide, which have demonstrated efficacy in delaying disease progression and improving patient survival and quality of life. Nevertheless, resistance to NHT remains a critical challenge. The mechanisms underlying resistance are complex, involving AR gene amplification, mutations, splice variants, increased intratumoral androgens, and AR-independent pathways such as the glucocorticoid receptor, neuroendocrine differentiation, DNA repair defects, autophagy, immune evasion, and activation of alternative signaling pathways. This review discusses these resistance mechanisms and examines strategies to counteract them, including sequential treatment with novel AR-targeted drugs, chemotherapy, poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitors, radionuclide therapy, bipolar androgen therapy, and approaches targeting specific resistance pathways. Future research should prioritize elucidating the molecular basis of NHT resistance, optimizing existing therapeutic strategies, and developing more effective combination regimens. Additionally, advanced sequencing technologies and resistance research models should be leveraged to identify novel therapeutic targets and improve drug delivery efficiencies. These advancements hold the potential to overcome NHT resistance and significantly enhance the management and prognosis of patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever in Shenzhen City in 2024, so as to provide insights into formulation of the preventive and control measures for dengue fever. Methods The epidemiological data of dengue cases reported in Shenzhen City in 2024 were extracted from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System and field epidemiological survey data of dengue fever in Shenzhen City, and the temporal, regional and population distributions of dengue fever cases, source of acquire dengue virus infections, disease diagnosis and treatment and outbreaks were analyzed. The dengue virus nucleic acid was tested and the serotypes of dengue virus were characterized using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay, and the dengue virus gene was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS). In addition, the surveillance on the density of Aedes albopictus was performed using Breteau index (BI) and mosquito oviposition index (MOI). Results A total of 1 735 dengue fever cases were reported in Shenzhen City in 2024, including 952 local cases and 783 imported cases. Most imported dengue fever cases acquired infections from eight cities of Foshan, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Dongguan, Zhaoqing, Huizhou, and Zhuhai in the Pearl River Delta region (664 cases, 84.8% of total imported cases) into Baoan, Longgang, and Nanshan districts. The epidemic exhibited an early onset and rapid progression, peaking during the period between September and November (1 632 cases, 94.1% of total cases), and dengue fever cases were distributed across 73 subdistricts in 10 districts, with most cases reported in densely populated central and western regions. The dengue fever cases had a male-to-female ratio of 1.9∶1.0, and a median age of 37 (21) years, with a higher median age among local cases than among imported cases [40 (20) years vs. 33(15) years; Z = -10.30, P < 0.05]. Housework, unemployment, workers, and business service were predominant occupations (1 405 cases, 81.0% of total cases), and there was a significant difference in the constituent ratio of occupations between local and imported cases (χ² = 92.30, P < 0.05). Among the 1 735 dengue fever cases, the median duration from onset to definitive diagnosis was 3.3 (2.9) days, and 1 686 cases (97.2%) were identified in healthcare facilities, with a low rate of hospitalization and isolation seen in 1 701 inpatients with available epidemiological data (485 cases, 28.5% of total inpatients). A total of 29 outbreaks of dengue fever occurred in Shenzhen City across 2024, which primarily in construction sites (27 outbreaks, 93.1% of total). Dengue virus type I was the dominant serotype causing dengue fever in Shenzhen City in 2024. Sequencing showed that the genomes of dengue virus from multiple dengue fever cases in Shenzhen City shared a high sequence homology with those from cities neighboring Shenzhen City, and there might be intra-city transmission of dengue virus among multiple construction sites in Shenzhen City. The Aedes albopictus density was significantly higher in Shenzhen City in 2024 than in 2023, peaking from May to September. The annual MOI values ranged from 0.9 to 14.0, and the BI values ranged from 0.6 to 6.0. Conclusions The overall epidemic of dengue fever was severe in Shenzhen City in 2024, which was greatly affected by case importation from neighboring cities, construction sites-centered local transmission, and the effectives of routine mosquito vector control was not satisfactory. Integrated dengue fever control measures should be implemented, focusing on regional joint prevention and control mechanisms, capacity building for mosquito vector control, addressing challenges in epidemic containment at construction sites, and strengthening case detection and management systems.

Abelmoschi Corolla, the dried corolla of Abelmoschus manihot, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-fibrosis activities. Its chemical constituents mainly include flavonoids, organic acids, steroids, and polysaccharides. This study reviewed the research progress in the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Abelmoschi Corolla in recent 20 years. According to the concept of quality marker(Q-marker), the Q-markers of Abelmoschi Corolla were predicted from plant phylogeny, chemical constituent specificity, traditional efficacy, chemical constituent measurability, and absorbed constituents. The primary Q-markers for Abelmoschi Corolla were anticipated to include quercetin-3'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, gossypetin-8-O-β-D-glucuronide, isoquercetin, myricetin,quercetin, and hyperoside, with the aim of providing reference data for improving the quality evaluation system of Abelmoschi Corolla.
Abelmoschus/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals ; Quality Control ; Flavonoids/chemistry*

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological features of rectal neuroendocrine tumor (R-NET) G2, identify prognostic factors, and summarize treatment experience.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with R-NET G2 by pathological diagnosis admitted to Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2003 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to analyze the association between pathological features and prognosis.Results:A total of 22 patients were enrolled in this study and 21 patients were followed up for a period of 6-98 months with a median follow-up time of 42 months. 5 patients died due to tumor progression during the follow-up period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) of the whole group were 100.0%, 92.9%, and 69.6%, respectively. Of the 22 patients, 20 underwent surgical treatment, of which 15 underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy; 2 underwent medical treatment for liver and bone multiple metastases. The 5-year survival rates of patients with tumours ≥2 cm in length, T2-3 stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (57.1%, 68.8%, 66.7%, and 63.6%, respectively) were shorter than those of patients with tumours <2 cm in length, T1 stage, no lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis (all 100.0%, P＜0.001). In addition, patients with liver metastases had larger primary tumor diameters and higher T-stages compared with those without distant metastasis ( P＜0.05). Conclusions:R-NET G2 has a high degree of malignancy compared with G1 and a high propensity for metastasis. Clinicians should formulate appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies based on factors such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, presence of distant metastasis, and the location and extent of distant metastasis.