Endometriosis(EMs)is a chronic inflammatory disease.It has been proved that inflammatory microenvironment is the key role in EMs occurance and development.Chinese medicine posits that the theory of"same disease of blood and water",which generally refers to"intermingling dampness and blood stasis",serves as a crucial pathogenesis in EMs.The inflammatory microenvironment is the main manifestation of dampness and blood stasis in EMs,while the insufficiency of vital qi results in endogenous dampness.The stagnation of blood stasis serves as the foundation for the formation of intermingling dampness and blood stasis.Based on contemporary theories in molecular biology,the macrophage-mediated inflammatory microenvironment serves as the foundation for the formation of dampness,while the participation of macrophages in angiogenesis is crucial for the formation of blood stasis.Investigating the intrinsic connection between the inflammatory microenvironment in EMs and the theory of"same disease of blood and water"can contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of EMs from a novel perspective.Remodeling of the inflammatory microenvironment in endometriosis by targeting macrophages may provide a new strategy for EMs treatment.

Bronchial asthma （asthma for short） is a common clinical respiratory disease mainly characterized by chronic airway inflammation， with complicated pathogenesis and a long treatment cycle. It is lingering and difficult to be cured， and lack specific drugs. Oxidative stress is a new focus in the research on the pathogenesis of asthma and a potential key target for the treatment. Under physiological conditions， the oxidative and antioxidative systems in the body are in a dynamic balance， and the two antagonize each other to maintain normal life activities. In the case of asthma attack， oxidation products such as reactive oxygen species （ROS）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and nitric oxide （NO） are produced excessively， while the content of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase （SOD）， catalase （CAT）， and glutathione （GSH） is reduced. As a result， the oxidation exceeds the removal of oxidation products， which aggravates oxidative stress. In addition， the overproduction of ROS activates oxidative stress-related signaling pathways to produce pro-inflammatory factors， exacerbating inflammation， which leads to lung and airway tissue damage. In recent years， traditional Chinese medicine has garnering increasing attention because of the unique advantages in the treatment of asthma， especially in regulating redox balance， alleviating oxidative stress in asthma patients， and reducing inflammation. On the one hand， by inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） and transcription factor （NF）-κB signaling pathways， traditional Chinese medicine can reduce the content of oxidation products and pro-inflammatory factors from the source. On the other hand， by activating the nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 （NrF2） signaling pathway， traditional Chinese medicine can elevate the levels of antioxidant enzymes and enhance the antioxidant system to neutralize the excessive accumulation of oxidation products. Therefore， the adjustment of redox balance state by traditional Chinese medicine may be a new means and a new direction for the prevention and treatment of asthma in the future. This paper summarizes the oxidative stress-related pathways in the pathogenesis of asthma and reviews the latest research progress in the regulation of oxidative stress-related pathways by Chinese medicine extracts and prescriptions in the treatment of asthma， with a view to providing a fuller， more solid， and more scientific theoretical basis for the clinical and basic research on the prevention and treatment of asthma by traditional Chinese medicine.

The role of glial scar after intracerebral hemorrhage(ICH)remains unclear.This study aimed to inves-tigate whether microglia-astrocyte interaction affects glial scar formation and explore the specific function of glial scar.We used a pharmacologic approach to induce microglial depletion during different ICH stages and examine how ablating microglia affects astrocytic scar formation.Spatial transcriptomics(ST)analysis was performed to explore the potential ligand-receptor pair in the modulation of microglia-astrocyte interaction and to verify the functional changes of astrocytic scars at different periods.During the early stage,sustained microglial depletion induced disorganized astrocytic scar,enhanced neutrophil infiltration,and impaired tissue repair.ST analysis indicated that microglia-derived insulin like growth factor 1(IGF1)modulated astrocytic scar formation via mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR)signaling activation.Moreover,repopulating microglia(RM)more strongly activated mTOR signaling,facilitating a more protective scar formation.The combination of IGF1 and osteopontin(OPN)was necessary and sufficient for RM function,rather than IGF1 or OPN alone.At the chronic stage of ICH,the overall net effect of astrocytic scar changed from protective to destructive and delayed microglial depletion could partly reverse this.The vital insight gleaned from our data is that sustained microglial depletion may not be a reasonable treatment strategy for early-stage ICH.Inversely,early-stage IGF1/OPN treatment combined with late-stage PLX3397 treatment is a promising therapeutic strategy.This prompts us to consider the complex temporal dynamics and overall net effect of microglia and astrocytes,and develop elaborate treatment strategies at precise time points after ICH.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of early gastroscopy for patients with hypopharyngeal cancer.Methods:A total of 231 cases of hypopharyngeal cancer diagnosed and treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2010 to December 2014 were included in the retrospective analysis. The 5-year survival rate of hypopharyngeal cancer and patients accompanied with synchronous esophageal cancer (including early and advanced esophageal cancer), as well as the detection rate of synchronous esophageal cancer by gastroscopy and systemic PET-CT examination were statistically analyzed.Results:The 5-year survival rate of hypopharyngeal cancer was 38.96% (90/231). The 5-year survival rates of 62 patients accompanied with synchronous esophageal cancer and 169 patients without were 27.42% (17/62) and 43.20% (73/169), respectively, with statistic difference ( χ2=4.747, P=0.029). The 5-year survival rate of 49 patients accompanied with synchronous early esophageal cancer was 30.69% (17/49). Among the 13 patients with synchronous progressive esophageal cancer, none had a survival period of 5 years, which was significantly different compared with the patients with synchronous early esophageal cancer ( P=0.013). The detection rates of synchronous esophageal carcinoma by gastroscopy and by systemic PET-CT were 26.84% (62/231) and 14.29% (33/231), respectively, with statistic difference ( χ2=11.14, P<0.01). The detection rates of synchronous early esophageal carcinoma by gastroscopy and by systemic PET-CT were 21.21% (49/231) and 8.66% (20/231), respectively, and the difference was also statistically significant ( χ2=14.328, P<0.01). Conclusion:Hypopharyngeal cancer accompanied with synchronous esophageal cancer is of high risk, which affects the survival rate of patients. Early gastroscopy in hypopharyngeal cancer patients can significantly improve the detection rate of synchronous esophageal cancer, which helps to design individualized regimen to improve the survival rate of patients.

Objective:To study the efficacy of dental floss traction-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for gastric angle mucosal lesions.Methods:Data of 127 patients with gastric angle mucosal lesions admitted to the endoscopic center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2015 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the surgical methods, patients were divided into the dental floss traction-assisted ESD group (the traction group, n=51) and the traditional ESD group (the traditional group, n=76). The 41 fibrosis cases were further divided into the traction group (n=23) and the traditional group (n=18). The operation time, en block resection rate, curative resection rate and the incidence of adverse events such as bleeding, muscle layer injury and perforation were compared between the two groups.Results:There was no significant difference in age, sex, lesion size or morphology between the traction group and the traditional group ( P > 0.05). The operation time of the traction group was significantly shorter than that of the traditional group (65.4±36.5 min VS 103.5±43.2 min, P=0.012). The en block resection rate was higher in the traction group [100.00% (51/51) VS 90.79% (69/76), P=0.026], and the curative resection rate was higher too [94.12% (48/51) VS 81.58% (62/76), P=0.042]. The incidences of muscular layer damage [5.88% (3/51) VS 25.00% (19/76), P=0.010] and intraoperative bleeding [47.06% (24/51)VS 82.89% (63/76), P=0.010] were lower in the traction group. Perforation occurred in two patients (2.63%) of fibrosis in the traditional group; no perforation occurred in the traction group. There was no significant difference in the perforation incidence ( P=0.243). In the cases of fibrosis, the operation time of the traction group was significantly shorter compared with that of the traditional group (81.4±29.3 min VS 119.3±37.6 min, P=0.010). The en block resection rate and curative resection rate were also higher in the traction group [100.00% (23/23) VS 72.22% (13/18), P=0.007; 95.65% (22/23) VS 72.22% (13/18), P=0.035]. The incidences of muscular layer damage [8.70% (2/23) VS 72.22% (13/18), P=0.001] and intraoperative bleeding [78.26% (18/23) VS 100.00% (18/18), P=0.035] were lower in the traction group. Conclusion:The dental floss traction-assisted ESD is safe and effective for gastric angle mucosal lesions and fibrotic lesions, with shorter operation time, higher curative resection rate and lower incidence of adverse events.

Objective: To investigate the association between the time of neutrophils to the lowest and prognosis of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with non-operative therapy. Methods: The clinical data of 325 non-operative treated ESCC patients were collected in this study. The X-title software was applied to establish optimal threshold of neutrophil reduction to the lowest value. According to the optimal threshold, the patients were divided into early group (115 cases) and late group (210 cases). The clinical features and survival time of the two groups were compared, and the factors of prognosis were analyzed by Cox regression model with univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The X-title software demonstrated the optimal cutoff values for the time of neutrophils to the lowest was 39 days. The median overall survival time was 21.0 months in the early group which was significantly higher than that in the late group (16.0 months). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the treatment methods and the time of neutrophils to the lowest were independent factors for overall survival of patients with ESCC treated by non-surgical therapy. Compared with radiotherapy alone, concurrent chemoradiation could benefit the survival (HR=0.64, P=0.026). The prognosis of patients in the late group of neutrophils to the lowest (HR=1.38, P=0.038) was poor compared with the early group. Furthermore, stratified by treatment methods, the overall survival of two groups showed statistically significant difference only in patients received concurrent chemoradiation. The mortality risk in the late group was higher than that in the early group (HR=3.53, P=0.010). Conclusion The time of neutrophils to the lowest is an independent prognosis factor for non-operative treated ESCC patients. The prognosis of patients in the early group is better than that in the late group.

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and hemoglobinto-white blood cell ratio (HWR) prior to treatment in prognosis of non-operative esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients.Methods From October 2009 to November 2014,a total of 362 non-operative ESCC patients were enrolled in this prospective study.x2 test was used to analyze the relationship between NLR,HWR and general clinical features;Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between variables and prognosis of non-operative ESCC patients.Results The optimal cutoff level of 1.23 for NLR and 24.92 for HWR were identified by X-title software.x2 test indicated NLR was significantly associated with gender,tumor length,T stage,TNM stage and fasting blood glucose level.Moreover,univariate and multivariate analyses showed that high NLR and high HWR were all associated with a poor prognosis in non-operative ESCC.However,when patients were specifically stratified by treatment modus,subset analysis showed that NLR was only predictive of prognosis in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group (HR =4.080,95％ CI:1.074-15.497,P =0.039),whereas the influence of HWR on prognosis was just existed in the sequential chemoradiotherapy group (HR =2.625,95％ CI:1.311-5.254,P =0.006).Conclusions In this investigation,we found that high NLR and high HWR were associated with poor prognosis in non-operative ESCC.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an immunosuppressive regimen without steroids after liver transplantation (LT) for hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Sixty-six HCC patients who underwent an immunosuppressive regimen without steroids after LT were enrolled in the steroid-free group. The preoperative characteristics and postoperative outcomes of these patients were compared with those of 132 HCC recipients who were placed on an immunosuppressive regimen using steroids (steroid group). The incidence of acute rejection, HBV recurrence, infection, and new-onset diabetes mellitus and the overall and tumor-free survival rates were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Differences were not observed in the 1-year (83.3% vs 97.0%, p=0.067), 3-year (65.4% vs 75.8%, p=0.067) or 5-year (56.3% vs 70.7%, p=0.067) patient survival rates or in the 1-year (62.1% vs 72.7%, p=0.067), 3-year (49.8% vs 63.6%, p=0.067) or 5-year (48.6% vs 63.6%, p=0.067) tumor-free survival rates between the two groups, respectively. In the steroid-free group, the patients who fulfilled the Milan criteria had higher overall and tumor-free survival rates than those in the steroid group (p<0.001). The prevalence of HBV recurrence (3.0% vs 13.6%, p=0.02) was significantly lower in the steroid-free group compared with the steroid group. CONCLUSIONS: After LT, an immunosuppressive regimen without steroids could be a safe and feasible treatment for HBV-related HCC patients, thus resulting in the reduction of HBV recurrence. Based on the observed survival rates, patients who fulfill the Milan criteria may derive benefits from steroid-free immunosuppression.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Incidence ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Prevalence ; Recurrence ; Steroids ; Survival Rate

Objective To investigate the occurrence and influencing factors of early allograft dysfunction (EAD) in patients receiving donation after cardiac death (DCD) liver Transplantation.Methods Forty-five patients received orthotopic liver transplantation in our center during January 2016 and May 2016 were included in this study.Based on the occurrence of EAD,patients were divided into EAD group and non-EAD group.Perioperative data of donors and recipients were collected to analyze the risk factors of EAD and the effect of EAD on the short-term prognosis of patients.Results In 45 patients,the incidence of EAD was 57.8％ (26 cases).During the follow-up period,the mortality of recipients in EAD group and non-EAD group was 15.4％ and 15.8％ respectively,which showed no significant difference.Donor age,preoperative ALT and AST levels,cold ischemia time (CIT) were significantly increased in EAD group than in non-EAD group (43.7 ±2.5 and36.2±2.5,P=0.0409;64.2 ±13.2 and 31.0 ± 5.9,P=0.0407;87.3±16.2 and48.2±6.2,P=0.047 3;629.5 ± 35.2 and 484.6 ± 30.5,P =0.004 0,respectively).Perioperative CRP level in EAD group was significantly higher than in non-EAD group (22.6 ± 5.9 and 4.7 ± 1.1,P =0.012 1).What's more,postoperative platelet level was significantly lower in EAD group than in nonEAD group (73.7 ± 8.0 and 111.7 ±16.0,P =0.0439).However,pre-and post-operative neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in recipients showed no significant difference between EAD group and non-EAD groups.Conclusion Older donor age,high levels of preoperative ALT and AST,prolonged cold ischemic time,as well as high level of preoperative CRP and decrease of postoperative platelet level in recipients are risk factors for the occurrence of EAD after liver transplantation.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of patients with de novo digestive system malignancy after liver transplantation.Methods The clinical data of 10 patients with de novo digestive system malignancy out of 1 517 patients undergoing liver transplantation from January 2004 to December 2015 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University were collected.Immunosuppressive agents,type of de novo malignancy,process of treatment and prognosis were analyzed retrospectively.Results The incidence of de novo digestive system malignancy after liver transplantation was 0.7％ (10/1 517),including 3 cases of gastric cancer,3 cases of colon cancer,2 cases of liver cancer,2 cases of pancreatic cancer.All of the 10 patients received the corresponding treatment,and the dosage of immunosuppressive agents was reduced at the same time.The median time from liver transplantation to the diagnosis of de novo malignancy was 40.5 months (23 to 156 months).The median follow-up time was 10.5 months (3 to 61 months) after they had been diagnosed as malignancies,and 6 patients died of tumor progression.Conclusions The prognosis of patients with de novo digestive system malignancy after liver transplantation is poor,and early diagnosis and treatment is an important way to improve prognosis.Liver transplant recipients need to be closely followed up,especially in patients with high risk factors of digestive system malignancy.The modification of immunosuppressive drugs may be an effective way to prevent and improve prognosis.