In recent years, growing evidence indicates that the nervous system plays an indispensable role in tumor development and metastasis. Elucidating crosstalk between the nervous system and tumor progression has thrived as a hot topic and a new direction for understanding cancer pathogenesis. Notably, many novel discoveries have suggested that neurotransmitter receptors (NRs) are not only widely expressed in cancer cells, but also play key roles in regulating cancer initiation and progression by diverse approaches. In this review, we summarized the latest advance in cancer neuroscience, especially emphasizing the important roles of different NRs in cancer development and prevention. The exemplary studies presented herein illustrate the emerging view that NRs are profoundly influential, manifested in tumor growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, resistance to drugs, and participate in the formation of neural-cancer interactions. In addition, NRs also regulate cellular metabolic processes and tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling. More importantly, numerous basic and clinical studies have suggested that NRs may be potential targets for cancer treatments, and corresponding agonists or antagonists have been identified effectively in controlling tumor growth and metastasis. In conclusion, NRs are emerging as novel targets for anti-cancer drug exploration and clinical cancer treatments, while trying to uncover deeper mechanisms and connections between NRs and cancer is of high clinical significance and translational value.
Humans ; Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Receptors, Neurotransmitter/physiology* ; Animals ; Tumor Microenvironment/physiology*

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), has already brought, and will continue to bring, revolutionary changes to our daily production and life, as well as create new opportunities and challenges for diagnostic and therapeutic practices in the medical field. Haihe Hospital of Tianjin University collaborates with the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, Tianjin University, and other institutions to carry out research in areas such as smart healthcare, smart services, and smart management. We have conducted research and development of a full-process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system based on GenAI in the field of smart healthcare. The development of this project is of great significance. The first goal is to upgrade and transform the hospital's information center, organically integrate it with existing information systems, and provide the necessary computing power storage support for intelligent services within the hospital. We have implemented the localized deployment of three models: Tianhe "Tianyuan", WiNGPT, and DeepSeek. The second is to create a digital avatar of the chief physician/chief physician's voice and image by integrating multimodal intelligent interaction technology. With generative intelligence as the core, this solution provides patients with a visual medical interaction solution. The third is to achieve deep adaptation between generative intelligence and the entire process of patient medical treatment. In this project, we have developed assistant tools such as intelligent inquiry, intelligent diagnosis and recognition, intelligent treatment plan generation, and intelligent assisted medical record generation to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of the diagnosis and treatment process. This study introduces the content of a full-process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system, aiming to provide references and insights for the digital transformation of the healthcare industry.
Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Delivery of Health Care ; Generative Artificial Intelligence

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of dedifferentiated endometrial carcinoma/undifferentiated endometrial carcinoma (DDEC/UDEC) with loss of expression of SMARCA4.Methods:A total of 10 cases with loss of expression of SMARCA4 were diagnosed at Fujian Cancer Hospital between January 2019 and December 2023. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical characteristics, morphology, immunophenotype, molecular classification, and prognosis.Results:(1) Clinical characteristics: among 10 cases of DDEC/UDEC with loss of expression of SMARCA4, the patients′ age ranged from 48 to 65 years, with a median age of 56 years.Five cases were classified as International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages Ⅰ-Ⅱ, while the remaining five were categorized as stages Ⅲ-Ⅳ. (2) Pathological features: tumor cells exhibited poor cell adhesion, with common intravascular tumor emboli (8/10), occasional vacuolated nuclei (6/10), rhabdoid cells (4/10), and starry sky phenomenon formed by tissue cell phagocytosis apoptosis bodies or fragments (4/10). Six cases (6/10) showed loss of mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression, two cases (2/10) exhibited p53 mutant expression, and five cases (5/10) tested positive for programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). (3) Molecular subtyping: molecular subtyping revealed POLEmut in 1 case (1/10), mismatch repair deficient (MMR-d) in 5 cases (5/10), p53 abn in 1 case (1/10), and no specific molecular profile (NSMP) in 3 cases (3/10). (4) Prognosis: the follow-up period ranged from 7 to 42 months, with a median of 20 months. Five patients succumbed to the tumor, whereas the remaining five exhibited no recurrence during subsequent postoperative evaluations. The 2-year progression-free survival rates and overall survival rates were 58.3% and 52.5%, respectively.Conclusions:Loss of expression of SMARCA4 occurs in approximately 1/5 of DDEC/UDEC, which presents with an aggressive clinical course and a poor prognosis. About half of them show MMR protein loss expression and PD-L1 positive expression, suggesting that there might be benefit from treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Objective:To investigate the potential source of infection for a cluster outbreak of human brucellosis in Yantai City, Shandong Province.Methods:The information of a human brucellosis cluster outbreak case in Yantai City, Shandong Province in 2022 was collected, the strains were isolated and cultured, and DNA was extracted. BCSP31-PCR was used for species identification, and AMOS-PCR was used for species type identification. Multiple locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA)-16 was used for clustering analysis, and the results were compared with the public database MLVAbank and the monitoring data of Brucella in Shandong Province in 2022. At the same time, whole genome single nucleotide polymorphism (wgSNP) typing was used to analyze the 53 Brucella strains that had completed whole genome sequencing in Shandong Province in 2022, and the wgSNP phylogenetic tree was constructed. Results:According to BCSP31-PCR and AMOS-PCR identification, the three strains related to the cluster outbreak of brucellosis in Yantai City, Shandong Province in 2022 were all Brucella melitensis biotype. The results of MLVA-16 typing showed that the MLVA-16 typing of the three isolated strains was completely consistent, with 16 tandem repeat loci of 1-5-3-13-2-2-3-2-4-41-8-4-4-3-6-5, belonging to the Eastern Mediterranean clade. Compared with MLVAbank, the MLVA-16 typing of two strains isolated from Kazakhstan was consistent with the results of this study. Compared with the monitoring data of Brucella in Shandong Province in 2022, it was found that the MLVA-16 typing of 11 isolated strains was consistent with the results of this study, which were isolated from Zaozhuang, Linyi, Taian, Yantai, and Weifang cities, respectively. The results of wgSNP typing showed that the distance between the 11 strains and the strains of the current outbreak was less than 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms, and the strains were isolated from Taian, Zibo, Linyi, Binzhou, Jinan, Jining, Yantai and Weihai cities, respectively. Conclusion:After tracing the source of a human brucellosis cluster outbreak in Yantai City, Shandong Province in 2022, it is speculated that the strains of Brucella melitensis isolated from Linyi, Taian and Yantai cities are closely related, indicating that sheep in these areas have homology.

Objective To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of 3,3′-diindolelmethane(DIM),a natural plant compound in cruciferous vegetables,in the prevention and treatment of gastric cancer,and then provide experimental evidence for the application of dietary plant nutrition in the prevention of gastric cancer.Methods After human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823 was treated with dif-ferent concentrations of DIM,including 0,20,40,60,80,100,and 120 μmol/L,for 24 hours,the cell survival rate was determined by the tetramethylazolium blue(MTT)method.Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of Calpain,activating transcrip-tion factor 4(ATF4)and CAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein(CHOP).The changes of intracellular calcium ion con-centration were detected by a calcium ion fluorescent probe.After ATF4 in BGC-823 cells was specifically knocked down using the small interfering RNA(siRNA)of ATF4,the expression levels of ATF4 and CHOP were detected by Western blot and the cell survival rate was determined by the MTT method.After the BGC-823 cells were pretreated with the calcium ion chelator BAPTA-AM,the ex-pression levels of calpain,ATF4 and CHOP proteins were measured by Western blot and the changes in cell proliferation activity were determined by the MTT method.Results The detection results of the MTT,Western blot,and calcium ion fluorescent probe methods showed that with the increase of DIM concentration,the proliferation ability of BGC-823 cells significantly decreased(P<0.05).Mean-while,the expressions of Calpain,ATF4,and CHOP proteins were up-regulated(P<0.05)and the fluorescence intensity of intracellu-lar calcium ion increased.After transfection with the siRNA of ATF4,the expression level of ATF4 in BGC-823 cells was decreased(F=16.17,P<0.05).Compared with the DIM+si-NC group,the cell survival rate in the DIM+si-ATF4 group was increased(F=74.46,P<0.05).After the intracellular calcium ions were chelated by BAPTA-AM,the expression levels of Calpain,ATF4,and CHOP proteins in the DIM+BAPTA-AM group were significantly lower than that in the DIM group(F=24.58,34.93,and 24.45,re-spectively,P<0.05),while the cell survival rate was the opposite(F=31.13,P<0.05).Conclusion DIM can increase the concen-tration of intracellular calcium ions and up-regulate the expressions of Calpain,ATF4 and CHOP proteins,thereby inducing the endo-plasmic reticulum stress in gastric cancer cells and inhibiting their proliferation.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of volatile oil of Ligusticum chuanxiong on the transdermal properties and cytotoxicity of triptolide in vitro. METHODS The chemical constituents of the volatile oil of L. chuanxiong were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The lower abdominal skin of KM mice was separated and divided into triptolide group， triptolide in compatibility with volatile oil of L. chuanxiong groups at 1∶10， 1∶50， 1∶100 （hereinafter referred to as “compatibility 1∶10”“compatibility 1∶50”“compatibility 1∶100” groups）. After the skin of mice in each group was fully exposed to 0.2 g of the corresponding cream for 24 h， the cumulative transdermal dose （Qn） of triptolide in the receiving solution of each group was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography， and the transdermal absorption rate （Jss） was calculated. Human immortalized keratinocytes （HaCat） were used as a model， the CCK-8 method was used to detect the cell survival rate of different concentrations of the volatile oil of L. chuanxiong and triptolide before and after compatibility. RESULTS A total of 62 chemical constituents of the volatile oil of L. chuanxiong were identified， including Z-ligustilide， senkyunolide， and β-selinene. The Qn （P＜ 0.01） and Jss of triptolide increased within 24 h in the compatibility 1∶10 and 1∶50 groups， while the Qn （P＜0.05） and Jss decreased in the compatibility 1∶100 group as compared with the triptolide group. Compared with the triptolide group， the cell survival rate of HaCat was significantly increased in the compatibility 1∶10 and 1∶50 groups when the triptolide concentrations were 36， 72 and 144 ng/mL （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； while the cell survival rate of HaCat was decreased in the compatibility 1∶100 group， but the difference was not statistically significant （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS When the compatibility ratio of triptolide and volatile oil of L. chuanxiong was 1∶10 or 1∶50， it can promote the transdermal absorption of triptolide and reduce the cytotoxicity of triptolide to HaCat.

Objective:To investigate the role of speckle-type POZ(pox virus and zinc finger protein) protein (SPOP) in enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection.Methods:Immunoprecipitation analysis was employed to examine the impact of SPOP on the ubiquitin level of EV71 non-structural protein 2A protease (2A pro), while the phosphorylation level of IFR3 protein was assessed through Western blot. Cells were either overexpressed or knockdown of SPOP, followed by infection with EV71. RT-qPCR was utilized to analyze the transcription level of IFN-β, and the transcription level and protein level of EV71 structural protein VP1 were determined using RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. Results:The inhibition of EV71 infection in RD cells was observed following transfection with HA-SPOP. Additionally, it was found that the ubiquitin level of EV71-2A pro increased in a gradient-dependent manner. Subsequent transfection with shSPOP plasmid for endogenous SPOP knockdown resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the levels of melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5), mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS), and p-IRF3. Conversely, transfection with HA-SPOP plasmid led to a dose-dependent increase in the levels of MDA5, MAVS, and p-IRF3. The expression of SPOP, whether high or low, had an impact on the expression of IFN-β in cells. Additionally, the levels of VP1 mRNA or protein were found to be inhibited or increased. Conclusions:SPOP plays a role in increasing the ubiquitination level of EV71-2A pro, which in turn promotes the phosphorylation level of IRF3 and secretion of IFN-β. This effect is achieved by inhibiting the cleavage of 2A pro against key molecules MAVS and MDA5 in the RLR signaling pathway, ultimately leading to the inhibition of EV71 replication.

Ubiquitination modifications are a kind of post-translational modifications of proteins widely found in eukaryotes and involved in a variety of biological activities. E3 ubiquitin ligases are an important component of the ubiquitin system, with the function of specific recognition of substrate proteins and mediation of different types of ubiquitination modifications. They can regulate the function and life time of substrate proteins. Recent studies have shown that E3 ubiquitin ligases are widely involved in the regulation of the host innate immune response and can directly or indirectly influence viral infection. Moreover, viruses are able to encode or hijack E3 ubiquitin ligases in their long-term evolution, allowing them to play an important role in viral infection and replication cycle. This paper reviewed the progress in the mechanisms of E3 ubiquitin ligases in innate immune responses and viral infection in recent years.

Objectives Objectives To investigate how the imbalance of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs)in the peripheral blood of patients with lung adenocarcinoma affects the balance of downstream mononuclear macrophages and T helper (Th) cells, and to identify the impact of the imbalance of ILCs on the immune status and prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Methods The peripheral blood of 20 patients with lung adenocarcinoma and normal controls were collected. The percentage of ILCs, mononuclear macrophages and T lymphocyte in peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry. The characteristic cytokine secretion levels of various types of immune cells in peripheral blood were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Results Compared with the normal controls, the proportion of M2 mononuclear macrophages, ILC1 and ILC2 in patients with lung adenocarcinoma was up-regulated, while the proportion of M1 mononuclear macrophages, CD4⁺ T and CD8⁺ T was down-regulated. The mRNA expression of related cytokines of M1 mononuclear macrophages and ILC1 were decreased; while the mRNA expression of related cytokines of M2 mononuclear macrophages and ILC2 were increased. Along with the decreased CD4⁺T cells-associated cytokine T-bet mRNA expression, and the increased GATA3 mRNA expression. Moreover, the expression of PD-1 in CD8⁺ T cells was also up-regulated. Conclusion The imbalance of ILCs in peripheral blood of patients with lung adenocarcinoma promotes the imbalance of mononuclear macrophages and Th cells, which altogether maintains the immunosuppression in patients with lung adenocarcinoma, and promotes the development of lung adenocarcinoma.
Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Immunity, Innate ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung ; Immunosuppression Therapy ; RNA, Messenger

Objective:To investigate the risk factors of infection with polymyxin resistant and carbapenemase-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae（PR-CRKP）. Methods:A total of 170 patients with CRKP infection admitted in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from July 2020 to October 2023 were enrolled，including 123 cases of CRKP infection and 47 cases of PR-CRKP infection. The general conditions，exposure of antibacterial drugs 6 months before admission，laboratory test indicators at admission，antibacterial drug use when target bacteria were detected，length of hospital stay and time of invasive procedures in two groups were retrospectively analyzed. The risk factors of PR-CRKP infection were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression. SPSS 26.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results:Univariate analysis showed that compared with the CRKP group，the average age of patients in PR-CRKP group was older（ Z = -2.186， P = 0.029），the proportion of patients with exposure history to semisynthetic penicillins，carbapenems，polymyxins，and quinolones 6 months before admission was higher（ χ 2= 3.930，5.414，11.939，8.478，all P < 0.05），the proportion of infections diagnosed at admission and blood urea nitrogen levels（ χ 2= 7.268， Z = -2.406， P = 0.007 and 0.016）was higher，the hemoglobin level（ t = 2.641， P = 0.009）was lower，the length of hospital stay was longer，the rates of tracheal intubation，urinary catheter，and deep vein catheterization were higher（ Z = -4.243，-4.660，-5.341，-4.583，all P < 0.001），the duration of carbapenem and polymyxin B use was longer（ Z = -4.757，-7.554，both P < 0.001），the proportion of combined quinolone-resistant Escherichia coli（QREC）and carbapenem-resistant organism（CRO）infections and bloodstream infections，and the rate of admission to intensive care units was higher（ χ 2 = 33.737，42.041，5.426，12.991， P < 0.05 or < 0.01）. Multivariate analysis showed that time to polymyxin B use（ OR = 1.179， 95%CI 1.059-1.312， P = 0.003），combined QREC infection（ OR = 5.357， 95%CI 2.100-13.669， P < 0.001）and combined CRO infection（ OR = 3.302， 95%CI 1.146-9.514， P= 0.027）were independent risk factors for PR-CRKP. Conclusion:Prolonged use of polymyxin B is an independent risk factor for PR-CRKP，and mixed QREC and CRO infection can increase the risk of PR-CRKP.