Esophageal cancer （EC） is a highly prevalent malignant tumor in China. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， as one of the key oncogenic pathways， can promote the cell cycle progression， proliferation， migration， and invasion， induce chemoresistance， and inhibit apoptosis and autophagy of EC cells. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， with the advantages of targeting multiple points with multiple components to delay cancer progression， can target the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway for EC treatment. This article preliminarily discusses the molecular mechanism and role of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC and elaborates on the specific targets and efficacy of TCM in treating EC through intervention in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the past five years. TCM materials and extracts inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC include Borneolum， spore powder of Ganoderma lucidum without spore coat， extract of Celastrus orbiculatus， root extract of Taraxacum， and Bruceae Fructus oil emulsion. TCM active ingredients exerting the effect include flavonoids， terpenoids， saponins， phenols， polysaccharides， alkaloids， and other compounds. TCM compound prescriptions with such effect include Qige San， Huqi San， Xuanfu Daizhetang， Tongyoutang and its decomposed prescriptions， Liujunzi Tang， and Xishenzhi Formula. In addition， TCM injections such as Compound Kushen Injection and Kang'ai injection also inhibit the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC. This paper summarizes the role of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in EC and the TCM interventions， aiming to provide reference for the research and clinical application of new drugs for EC.

Objective To explore the pathogenesis and prognostic factors of liposarcoma in the head and neck region, and simultaneously analyze the efficacy of different treatment regimens. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on all patients with primary untreated head and neck liposarcoma who were diagnosed and underwent surgical treatment at our hospital from January 2008 to January 2024. All patients were monitored during follow-up, and their prognoses were analyzed using SPSS software. Results A total of 30 patients were included in the study. Liposarcoma accounted for up to 60% of the cases in the orbit, while the remaining liposarcomas were primarily located in various interspaces of the neck. Dedifferentiated liposarcoma was the most common type, comprising 33%, while myxoid pleomorphic liposarcoma was the rarest at 4%. The tumor pathological type (P<0.001) and Ki67 (P=0.014) significantly affected the tumor control rate. However, an analysis of disease-specific survival rates revealed no significant differences across various factors (all P>0.05). Conclusion The prognosis of head and neck liposarcoma is better compared to that of liposarcomas in other parts of the body. However, myxoid pleomorphic liposarcoma, pleomorphic fat sarcoma, and high Ki67 levels are indicators of poor prognosis. Additionally, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy does not significantly enhance disease-specific survival rates.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.

Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans ; Dental Cementum/injuries* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Tooth Fractures/therapy*

Filamentous fungi represent an important group of eukaryotic microorganisms with diverse ecological functions and ubiquitous distribution in various ecosystems. Among them, many species are closely associated with agriculture, functioning as major plant pathogens that cause yield losses and produce mycotoxins to compromise both the quality and safety of agricultural products. In recent years, the CRISPR/Cas system has emerged as a powerful and programmable genome editing tool, and it has been extensively applied to the genetic study of plant pathogenic fungi. This technology has greatly facilitated the investigation of pathogenic mechanisms, mycotoxin biosynthetic pathways and key gene functions, antifungal resistance, and rapid pathogen detection. This review summarizes the development of CRISPR/Cas systems and the key strategies for their application in plant pathogenic fungi and makes an outlook on the practical deployment. With the continuous advancement of gene editing technologies, emerging fungal-adapted editing systems hold great promise for advancing functional genomics and enabling innovations in disease-resistant breeding and sustainable crop protection.
Gene Editing/methods* ; Fungi/pathogenicity* ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics* ; Plant Diseases/microbiology* ; Plants/microbiology* ; Genome, Fungal/genetics*

Objective To explore the effects of prucalopride(PRUC)on the intestinal function during the perioperative period of robot-assisted laparoscopic radical cystectomy(RARC)and urinary diversion.Methods A total of 75 patients undertaking RARC with urinary diversion(orthotopic neobladder or ileal bladder)in Nanjing Drum Hospital during Jan.and Dec.2021 were divided into PRUC group(n=28)and control group(n=47)according to whether they took PRUC or not.Postoperative intestinal ventilation time and defecation time,drainage tube retention time,tolerance time for first intake of semi-flow food,postoperative hospital stay,and incidence of complications were observed and recorded in the two groups.Postoperative C-reactive protein(CRP)and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio(NLR)were compared.Results The PRUC group had shorter intestinal ventilation time and defecation time[(47.14±16.31)h vs.(74.04±35.33)h,P＜0.01;(86.14±30.47)h vs.(123.57±79.12)h,P=0.02],smaller change of ΔCRP and ΔNLR[(79.99±29.71)mg/L vs.(127.75±56.98)mg/L;(9.24±6.43)vs.(16.11±9.90),P＜0.01].All complications were minor,the incidence of intestinal obstruction in PRUC group tended to decrease within 90 days after operation(P=0.38),and there was no significant difference in other complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion The perioperative use of PRUC in RARC with urinary diversion is safe and effective,which can promote the recovery of intestinal function after operation.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of tirofiban in stent-assisted coil(SAC)embolization for patients with acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms.Methods Patients with acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms who underwent SAC embolization were divided into the control group and the treatment group according to cohort method.The control group was treated with aspirin enteric-coated tablets(300 mg,qd)and clopidogrel bisulfate tablets(300 mg,qd,oral administration)at 2 h before surgery.The treatment group was treated with tirofiban hydrochloride and sodium chloride injection at 10 μg·kg-1 during surgery,which was administrated via intravenous injection at a constant speed within 10 min.Then,the injection rate was adjusted to 0.1 μg·kg-1·min-1 for 12-24 h.The two groups were compared on clinical efficacy,platelet activation function[platelet alpha granule membrane glucoprotein(CD62p)positive rate,platelet adhesion rate and platelet aggregation rate],and perioperative complications.The patients were followed up for 6 months after surgery.The Glasgow Outcome Scale(GOS)scores,recurrence rate and safety were recorded.Results Fifty-three cases and forty-seven cases were included in the treatment group and the control group,respectively.After treatment,the total effective rates of embolization in the treatment group and the control group were 91.49％(43 cases/47 cases)and 81.13％(43 cases/53 cases),without statistically significant difference(P＞0.05).On day 7 after surgery,CD62p positive rates were(56.31±7.41)％and(60.71±7.38)％;platelet adhesion rates were(37.56±3.64)％and(38.04±3.89)％;platelet aggregation rates were(27.03±3.39)％and(30.19±3.63)％.The differences in above indicators between the treatment group and the control group were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).During 6 months of follow-up,the good prognosis rates in the treatment group and the control group were 89.36％and 81.13％;recurrence rates were 4.26％and 9.43％.There were not statistically significant differences in above indicators between the treatment group and the control group(all P＞0.05).The perioperative complications in the two groups mainly included rerupture and bleeding of arterial aneurysms,subdermal ecchymosis,gingival bleeding,thrombotic events,etc.The total incidences of complications in the treatment group and the control group were 10.64％and 28.30％,with statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion Tirofiban hydrochloride and sodium chloride injection can effectively reduce the incidence of thrombotic events in patients with acutely ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms during perioperative period of SC A embolization,and improve platelet activation function.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of whole exome sequencing (WES), as a molecular diagnosis technique, for adult patients with genetic diseases.Methods:The present retrospective analysis included 445 adult patients (ages 18-80 years) with suspected genetic diseases who underwent whole exome sequencing (WES) from August 2021 to December 2022. The pathogenicity classification of each variant was assessed in accordance with the recommendations developed by the American Society of Medical Genetics and Genomics.Results:The overall positive rate of WES among adult patients with suspected genetic diseases was 28.08% (125/445). The highest positive rate was observed in the age group of 41-50 years (34.33%, 23/67). Among the diagnosed genetic diseases, those affecting the cardiovascular system (63.16%, 84/133), nervous system (18.05%, 24/133), and endocrine system (13.53%, 18/133) ranked as the top three. The most common genetic diseases identified through WES in adult patients were hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (18.80%, 25/133), dilated cardiomyopathy (16.54%, 22/133), Marfan syndrome (15.04%, 20/133), epilepsy (9.02%, 12/133), and familial hypercholesterolemia (4.51%, 6/133). The main causative genes identified included FBN1 (14.29%, 19/133), MYBPC3 (9.02%, 12/133), MYH7 (9.02%, 12/133), LDLR (3.76%, 5/133), TTN (3.76%, 5/133), and TNNI3 (3.01%, 4/133).Conclusion:Applying the WES technique in clinical practice can improve the diagnostic rate of adult genetic diseases, especially in adult patients with suspected genetic conditions involving the cardiovascular system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

Objective To monitor the antifungal resistance of clinical isolates of Candida spp.in the East China region.Methods MALDI-TOF MS or molecular methods were used to re-identify the strains collected from January 2018 to December 2022.Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using the broth microdilution method.The susceptibility test results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of 2022 Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)documents M27 M44s-Ed3 and M57s-Ed4.Results A total of 3 026 strains of Candida were collected,65.33％of which were isolated from sterile body sites,mainly from blood(38.86％)and pleural effusion/ascites(10.21％).The predominant species of Candida were Candida albicans(44.51％),followed by Candida parapsilosis complex(19.46％),Candida tropicalis(13.98％),Candida glabrata(10.34％),and other Candida species(0.79％).Candida albicans showed overall high susceptibility rates to the 10 antifungal drugs tested(the lowest rate being 93.62％).Only 2.97％of the strains showed dose-dependent susceptibility(SDD)to fluconazole.Candida parapsilosis complex had a SDD rate of 2.61％and a resistance rate of 9.42％to fluconazole,and susceptibility rates above 90％to other drugs.Candida glabrata had a SDD rate of 92.01％and a resistance rate of 7.99％to fluconazole,resistance rates of 32.27％and 48.24％to posaconazole and voriconazole non-wild-type strains(NWT),respectively,and susceptibility rates above 90％to other drugs.Candida tropicalis had resistance rates of 29.55％and 26.24％to fluconazole and voriconazole,respectively,resistance rates of 76.60％and 21.99％to posaconazole and echinocandins non-wild-type strains(NWT),and a resistance rate of 2.36％to echinocandins.Conclusions The prevalence and species distribution of Candida spp.in the East China region are consistent with previous domestic and international reports.Candida glabrata exhibits certain degree of resistance to fluconazole,while Candida tropicalis demonstrates higher resistance to triazole drugs.Additionally,echinocandins resistance has emerged in Candida albicans,Candida glabrata,Candida tropicalis,and Candida parapsilosis.

Objective To investigate the effect of injection volume on clinical efficacy after minimally invasive puncture and drainage in the treatment of moderate basal ganglia cerebral hemorrhage underlying controlling the dosage of drugs in the elderly.Methods After successfully inserting the puncture needle into the center point in the largest layer long axis,the liquid hematoma was aspirated,and 40,000 units urokinase was injected into the hematoma cavity twice a day(2 mL in the small volume Group(SG),and 4 mL in the large volume group(LG),respectively).The needle were then adjusted and removed according to the hematoma clearance.The clearance rate of hematoma,intracranial pressure,edema volume,mortality,incidence of complications,neurological deficit score(NDS)and activities of daily living(ADL)were compared and analyzed.Results There were no significant differences in the first hematoma clearance rate,postoperative ICP and mortality between the two groups(P>0.05).Comparing to the SG,there was a relative higher postoperative hematoma clearance rate and lower volume of perihematoma edema in the LG(P<0.05).Meanwhile,the needle retention time,urokinase usage and cumulative complications at 28 days after operation were lower than in the SG(P<0.05).For two parameters representing long-term outcome,the NDS and ADL scores were much better in LG than in SG(P<0.05).Conclusion Large volume injection can effectively drain the hematoma,shorten the needle retention time,reduce the usage of urokinase,decrease the incidence of postoperative complications and improve the prognosis of patients,thereby providing effective and safe method in treating moderate basal ganglia cerebral hemorrhage in the elderly.