Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive, with high recurrence rates and poor prognosis. Paclitaxel (PTX) remains a key chemotherapeutic agent for TNBC, but its efficacy diminishes due to the emergence of drug resistance, largely driven by cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is highly expressed in TNBC, and is a potential target for TNBC treatment. In this study, we developed a biomimetic codelivery system using albumin nanoparticles (termed S/P NP) to co-encapsulate PTX and shikonin (SHK), a natural inhibitor of PKM2. By inhibiting PKM2, SHK suppressed β-Catenin signaling, thereby reversing CSC stemness and preventing VM formation. The S/P NP system exhibited tumor-targeting delivery effect and significantly inhibited TNBC growth and lung metastasis. Mechanistically, the treatment reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stem-like properties of TNBC cells, suppressed VM formation, and remodeled the TIME. It reduced immunosuppressive cells (M2 macrophages, MDSCs) while promoting anti-tumor immunity (M1 macrophages, dendritic cells, cytotoxic T cells, and memory T cells). This dual-action strategy holds promise for improving TNBC therapy by targeting CSCs, VM, and the immune microenvironment, and for overcoming PTX resistance and reducing metastasis.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application. Methods and. RESULTS: Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion, and consensus was reached following expert consultation. The consensus recommendations are comprehensive, covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation, surgical operation process, postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning. The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain, reduced the use of opioid drugs, and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients. Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications. CONCLUSIONS The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy. The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Cancer Pain/therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Pain Management/methods* ; China

Objective To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application.Methods and Results Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion,and consensus was reached following expert consultation.The consensus recommendations are comprehensive,covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation,surgical operation process,postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning.The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain,reduced the use of opioid drugs,and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients.Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications.Conclusion The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy.The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hereditary dentin dysplasia type II (DD-II) due to variant of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) gene. METHODS: A child diagnosed with DD- II at the Third Clinical Division of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology in December 2021 and her family members were selected as study subjects. Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Saliva samples were collected from the proband, her parents and sister for genomic DNA extraction. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and TOPO-TA cloning sequencing. The candidate variant was also subjected to bioinformatics analysis using Mutation Taster v2021. Secondary and tertiary structures of the wild-type and variant DSPP proteins were predicted with psipred v4.0 and PyMOL v2.3 software, respectively. The pathogenicity of the variant was classified based on the guidelines from American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology (Ethics No.: PKUSSIRB-202162021). RESULTS: The proband and her mother and sister had all exhibited typical clinical manifestations of hereditary DD-II. The primary dentition of the proband displayed yellowish brown discoloration, wear, and obliteration in the chamber and root canal, while the permanent teeth of the proband's sister and mother appeared nearly normal in both color and appearance, though with obliteration in the chamber and root canal. Her father showed normal dentition. WES identified a heterozygous c.1915_1918delAAGT, p.(Lys639Glnfs*674) frameshift variant in the DSPP gene. Sanger sequencing and TOPO-TA cloning sequencing confirmed the presence of this variant in the proband, the proband's sister, and the mother, while the proband's father was negative for the variant, indicating an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The variant was predicted to be pathogenic by Mutation Taster v2021. Prediction of the secondary structure of the DSPP protein showed that the variant has changed it from coil to helix. The tertiary structure prediction of the DSPP protein showed change of the spatial structure of the variant DSPP, with the loops in the variant region replaced by helices at multiple sites. Based on the guidelines from the ACMG, the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP1+PP4). CONCLUSION Phenotypic analysis and genetic testing of this family has clarified the clinical diagnosis of hereditary DD- II. The c.1915_1918delAAGT variant probably underlay the pathogenesis of DD-II in this family. Above results have expanded the phenotypic spectrum of the disease and may contribute to further clinical and genetic research on this disease.
Humans ; Pedigree ; Female ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins/chemistry* ; Male ; Sialoglycoproteins/chemistry* ; Dentin Dysplasia/genetics* ; Asian People/genetics* ; Phosphoproteins/chemistry* ; Child ; Mutation ; China ; Exome Sequencing ; Adult ; East Asian People

Objective To analyze the factors affecting the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)in patients with chronic hepatitis B-associated cirrhosis(CHB-Cir)complicated by essential hypertension(EH)and explore the impact of EH on HCC risk in patients with CHB-Cir.Methods This study was conducted among the patients with CHB-Cir with or without EH received antiviral therapy in the Infectious Disease Department,Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from January,2017 to January,2024.The cases with insufficient follow-up time or missing data were excluded.The patients were subjected to propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio to form an EH group and a non-EH group.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the cumulative incidence of HCC between the two groups,and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the risk of HCC and the factors affecting HCC risk.Results A total of 390 CHB-Cir patients(274 male and 116 female patients)were enrolled in this study,including 195 with EH and 195 without EH.In these patients,EH was significantly correlated with the occurrence of HCC(HR=1.69,P=0.002).Multivariate analysis suggested that the male gender(HR=1.73,P=0.005),a family history of liver cancer(HR=2.23,P<0.001),elevated alpha-fetoprotein(HR=2.83,P=0.001),elevated glutathione reductase(HR=1.53,P=0.046),reduced high-density lipoprotein(HR=1.46,P=0.027),and elevated low-density lipoprotein(HR=2.29,P=0.003)were all significantly correlated with HCC occurrence,while elevated triglycerides(HR=0.37,P<0.001)was a protective factor against HCC.In the EH group,treatment with non-RASIs drugs(HR=2.77,P=0.021)and no treatment/diuretic treatment(HR=7.18,P<0.001)were significantly correlated with HCC occurrence.Conclusion Hypertension increases the risk of HCC in patients with CHB-Cir,suggesting the importance of controlling hypertension in these patients.

OBJECTIVE To conduct a rapid qualitative study on the chemical constituents of the methanol extract in Thamnolia subuliformis (Ehrh.) W.Culb. by UHPLC-Q-Exactive Focus-MS/MS. METHODS The chromatographic separation was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18(2.1 mm×50 mm, 1.7 μm) column with acetonitrile(A)-0.1% formic acid aqueous solution(B) as mobile phase for gradient elution, the flow rate was 0.3 mL·min–1 and the column temperature was 30 ℃. Mass spectrometry was performed using an electrospray ionization and data was collected in negative ion modes, and the detection range was m/z 80−1 200. The chemical constituents in Thamnolia subuliformis (Ehrh.) W.Culb. were identified rapidly and comprehensively based on the accurate relative molecular and combined with literature data and reference substances. RESULTS A total of 39 chemical constituents were speculatively identified, including 9 mono-substituted phenyl rings, 11 depsides, 5 depsidones, 2 dibenzofuran, 10 lipids, and 2 others. CONCLUSION The chemical constituents in the Thamnolia subuliformis (Ehrh.) W.Culb. can be identified accurately and rapidly by this method. Among them, 3 compounds(β-resorcylic acid, usnic acid, atranorin) are unambiguously identified by comparing with reference standards, 19 compounds are found from Thamnolia subuliformis (Ehrh.) W.Culb. for the first time. This paper can provide the important basis for study on pharmacodynamic material and substitute development of Thamnolia subuliformis (Ehrh.) W.Culb..

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To explore the correlation between HPLC fingerprint and analgesic efficacy of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma, and to screen out the material basis of analgesic effect of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma.METHODS Established HPLC fingerprint of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma and dysmenorrhea model in rats. The weight loss rate, writhing response, serum malondialdehyde(MDA), estradiol(E2), prostaglandin E2(PGE2) and prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α) levels were used as the evaluation indexes of analgesic efficacy. Combined with chemometrics, the main active components of analgesic effect of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma and the important components with great contribution to the content were screened.RESULTS The fingerprints of different batches of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma were established, and nine components were identified; compared with the blank group, the weight loss rate, writhing reaction, MDA, E2 and PGF2α levels in the model group were significantly increased. Compared with the model group, the above indexs in the administration group was decreased. Compared with the blank group, the PGE2 level in the model group was significantly decreased. Compared with the model group, the PGE2 level in the administration group was significantly increased. The vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma produced in Zhejiang had a good analgesic effect, and the main active components of its analgesic effect were protopine, palmatine hydrochloride, and dehydrocorydaline. The important components with greater contribution to the content were tetrahydropalmatine, protopine, palmatine hydrochloride and stylopine.CONCLUSION The efficacy of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma is the result of the combined action of multiple components, and each component has a strong correlation with the pharmacodynamic indexes. This study provides a reference for the screening of analgesic material basis of Zhejiang vinegar Corydalis Rhizoma.

Objective:To determine the prognostic factors in elderly patients with sepsis and to establish a prognostic model for predicting short-term mortality based on nutrition risk screening scores(NRS-2002).Methods:Demographic details,clinical information,data on biological marker of 426 elderly patients with sepsis were collected and NRS-2002 score were calculated within the first 24 hours of hospital admission.In a 7∶3 ratio,these patients were randomly divided into the training group and the validation group.The Lasso regression model was used to reduce data dimensions and select features.Cox regression analysis was conducted to analyze prognostic signature,based on which a nomogram was developed,and its predictive accuracy was evaluated.Results:Lasso regression analysis and multiple Cox regression analysis showed that albumin,urea nitrogen,lactic acid,and NRS-2002 score were independent risk factors that affected the 30-day prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis(P＜0.05).The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of the nomogram in the training and validation groups were 0.772(95%CI:0.734-0.812)and 0.730(95%CI:0.695-0.766),respectively.The calibration curves were fitted well in the two groups.Conclusion:The construction of prognostic nomogram based on NRS score can help clinicians timely assess the early risk of death in elderly patients with sepsis and accordingly take proactive measures.

Objective To analyze the factors affecting the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)in patients with chronic hepatitis B-associated cirrhosis(CHB-Cir)complicated by essential hypertension(EH)and explore the impact of EH on HCC risk in patients with CHB-Cir.Methods This study was conducted among the patients with CHB-Cir with or without EH received antiviral therapy in the Infectious Disease Department,Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University from January,2017 to January,2024.The cases with insufficient follow-up time or missing data were excluded.The patients were subjected to propensity score matching in a 1:1 ratio to form an EH group and a non-EH group.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare the cumulative incidence of HCC between the two groups,and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the risk of HCC and the factors affecting HCC risk.Results A total of 390 CHB-Cir patients(274 male and 116 female patients)were enrolled in this study,including 195 with EH and 195 without EH.In these patients,EH was significantly correlated with the occurrence of HCC(HR=1.69,P=0.002).Multivariate analysis suggested that the male gender(HR=1.73,P=0.005),a family history of liver cancer(HR=2.23,P<0.001),elevated alpha-fetoprotein(HR=2.83,P=0.001),elevated glutathione reductase(HR=1.53,P=0.046),reduced high-density lipoprotein(HR=1.46,P=0.027),and elevated low-density lipoprotein(HR=2.29,P=0.003)were all significantly correlated with HCC occurrence,while elevated triglycerides(HR=0.37,P<0.001)was a protective factor against HCC.In the EH group,treatment with non-RASIs drugs(HR=2.77,P=0.021)and no treatment/diuretic treatment(HR=7.18,P<0.001)were significantly correlated with HCC occurrence.Conclusion Hypertension increases the risk of HCC in patients with CHB-Cir,suggesting the importance of controlling hypertension in these patients.

Objective:To study lncRNA MEG3 expression and its relationship with Th17/CD4+T cells in patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)with different pleural effusion severity and prognosis.Methods:A total of 104 NSCLC malignant pleural effusion patients admitted to Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University from January 2020 to December 2022 were selected as research subjects,and divided into three groups based on amount of pleural effusion,including small amount of pleural effusion group(35 cases),moderate amount of pleural effusion group(42 cases)and large amount of pleural effusion group(27 cases).According to actual development and prognosis of patient's disease,they were divided into good prognosis group(29 cases without recurrence and metastasis)and poor prognosis group(75 cases with recurrence and metastasis).Another 60 patients with benign pleural effusion due to pneumonia who were treated in Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University at same time were selected as control group.MEG3 expression in pleural effusion of two groups was detected by real-time fluorescent quantita-tive PCR,and peripheral venous blood of subjects was collected.Th17 cell and CD4+T cell ratios of peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry,and Th17/CD4+T was calculated.lncRNA MEG3 and peripheral blood Th17 and CD4+T levels in each group of patients compared.Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze pleural effusion and prognostic factors in NSCLC.Results:lncRNA MEG3 expression and CD4+T percentage in pleural effusion in NSCLC group were lower than control group,while Th17 percentage and Th17/CD4+T were higher than control group(P<0.05).lncRNA MEG3 expression and CD4+T percentage in large pleural effusion group were lower than small and moderate pleural effusion groups.lncRNA MEG3 expression and CD4+T percentage in modarate pleural effusion group were lower than small pleural effusion group,while Th17 percentage and Th17/CD4+T in large pleural effusion group were higher than small and moderate pleural effusion groups.Th17/CD4+T was higher in small amount pleural effusion group(P<0.05).lncRNA MEG3 expression and CD4+T percentage in poor prognosis group were lower than those in good prognosis group,while Th17 percentage and Th17/CD4+T were higher than good prognosis group(P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that lncRNA MEG3 was a protective factor for NSCLC pleural effusion,and Th17/CD4+T was a risk factor(P<0.05),lncRNA MEG3 was a protective factor of NSCLC prognosis,and Th17/CD4+T was a risk factor(P<0.05).Conclusion:lncRNA MEG3 expression and Th17/CD4+T in NSCLC patients with different pleural effusion severity and prognosis is not same.lncRNA MEG3 is a risk factor for NSCLC pleural effusion and prognosis,while Th17/CD4+T is a risk factor,which can be used as an effective biomarker for pleural effusion severity and progno-sis diagnosis.