Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

ObjectiveTo investigate the dynamic trajectories of prognostic scores and key clinical indicators in hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure （HBV-ACLF） patients without liver cirrhosis， to clarify their association with outcomes， and to provide new evidence for individualized prognostic assessment. MethodsA prospective study was conducted for the data of 154 non-cirrhotic HBV-ACLF patients who attended Beijing YouAn Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2016 to December 2023， including prognostic scores and key biochemical indicators on Days 3， 7， 14， 21， and 28 of the disease course. According to the outcome of patients at 1 year， they were divided into death/liver transplantation group with 43 patients， liver cirrhosis group with 23 patients， and non-liver cirrhosis group with 88 patients， and the trajectory heterogeneity of different outcome subgroups was analyzed. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data among the three groups； the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data among the three groups； the Wilcoxon test was used between two groups. the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The mean and its 95% confidence interval （CI） were calculated for each indicator at difference time points； the linear interpolation method was used to connect the means at adjacent time points and construct the group-specific longitudinal trend curve； the 95%CI was visualized using the semi-transparent ribbon area， with the transparency parameter （α=0.2） optimized to enhance the visual discrimination of overlapping intervals across multiple groups. A linear mixed-effects model was used to compare the longitudinal changing trend of each indicator between the patients with different outcomes； likelihood ratio was used to evaluate the significance of the interaction effect between time and group， and in case of the significant interaction effect， the slope based on the estimated marginal mean was used for comparison between two groups. ResultsThere were significant differences between the three groups in the incidence rates of ascites and grade Ⅲ — Ⅳ hepatic encephalopathy， MELD score， MELD-Na score， CLIF-C ACLF score， COSSH-ACLF Ⅱ score， total bilirubin （TBil）， international normalized ratio （INR）， alpha-fetoprotein， blood sodium， alanine aminotransferase， and procalcitonin at the baseline（all P0.05）. The analysis of dynamic trajectories showed that the death/liver transplantation group had high levels of prognostic scores and the biochemical parameters of TBil and INR （TBil400 μmol/L， INR2.5）， as well as a low level of platelet count （PLT） （100×10⁹/L）. The non-liver cirrhosis group had rapid improvements in indicators， with TBil200 μmol/L， INR1.5， and PLT100×10⁹/L by day 28， while the liver cirrhosis group showed a trend of recovery， with TBil200 μmol/L， INR2.0， and PLT 100×10⁹/L on day 28， with significant global heterogeneity in the temporal trends of the above indicators across the three groups （all P0.01）. ConclusionDynamic monitoring of prognostic scores and key clinical indicators can effectively stratify the 1-year outcomes of non-cirrhotic patients with HBV-ACLF. Patients with poor prognosis were typically characterized by INR 2.5 and TBil 400 μmol/L. Among those who survived beyond 1 year， individuals who subsequently progressed to cirrhosis were frequently identified by the presence of INR 1.5， TBil 200 μmol/L， and PLT 100×10⁹/L at day 28.

Objective To observe the reliability of regional 4D flow and whole heart 4D flow cardiac MRI(CMRI)for measuring hemodynamic parameters of left ventricle.Methods Heart ultrasonography and CMRI were prospectively obtained in 31 healthy subjects.Hemodynamic parameters of left ventricle were measured using heart ultrasound,3-chamber 4D flow CMRI(based on inflow and outflow channel of left ventricle)and whole heart 4D flow CMRI,respectively.Intra-class correlation coefficient(ICC)was performed to evaluate the consistencies of the measured left ventricle hemodynamic parameters among the above 3 methods.Results Good consistencies of peak systolic velocity in aortic supravalvular/subvalvular,E peak diastolic velocity of mitral valve,supravalvular/subvalvular aortic pressure and aortic valve pressure gradient(all ICC＞0.75),while moderate consistency of A peak diastolic velocity of mitral valve(ICC=0.718)were found between heart ultrasound and 3-chamber 4D flow CMRI.Good consistencies of peak systolic velocity in aortic supravalvular/subvalvular,A peak diastolic velocity of mitral valve and supravalvular/subvalvular aortic pressure(all ICC＞0.75),while moderate consistencies of E peak diastolic velocity of mitral valve and aortic valve pressure gradient(ICC=0.600,0.628)were found between heart ultrasound and whole heart 4D flow CMRI.Meanwhile,good consistencies of the above parameters were found between 3-chamber 4D flow CMRI and whole heart 4D flow CMRI(all ICC＞0.75).Conclusion Measuring left ventricular hemodynamic parameters using local regional 4D flow and whole heart 4D flow CMRI were reliable,with good consistency with cardiac ultrasound.

Objective To investigate the influence of metabolism-related factors(overweight and/or obesity,hyperglycemia,hypertension and dyslipidemia)on the 90-day prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure(HBV-ACLF),and to establish a predictive model.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 365 patients with HBV-ACLF who were hospitalized in Department of Infectious Diseases,The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University,from June 2018 to June 2022,and according to the 90-day follow-up results,they were divided into survival group with 273 patients and death group with 92 patients.General information and related laboratory markers were collected from all patients.The t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups,and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distribution continuous data between groups;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.A Logistic regression analysis was used to determine whether metabolism-related factors were independent risk factors for the 90-day prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients,and the Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to investigate the correlation between metabolism-related factors and the 90-day survival rate of HBV-ALCF patients.The area under the ROC curve(AUC)was used to compare the value of different scoring models in predicting the 90-day prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients.Results The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that hypertension(odds ratio[OR]=4.698,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.904-11.593,P=0.001),alanine aminotransferase(OR=0.999,95%CI:0.999-1.000,P=0.010),triglyceride(TG)(OR=4.979,95%CI:2.433-10.189,P＜0.001),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(OR=0.258,95%CI:0.087-0.762,P=0.012),apolipoprotein B(OR=0.118,95%CI:0.026-0.547,P=0.006),and CLIF-C OF score(OR=2.275,95%CI:1.150-4.502,P＜0.001)were independent influencing factors for the short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF.The combined predictive model of metabolism-related factors had a larger AUC than the predictive model of a single factor,among which the predictive model of hypertension+TG+CLIF-C OF score had the largest AUC of 0.886.The patients with metabolism-related factors tended to have higher incidence rate of liver complications and 30-and 90-day mortality rates.Conclusion The presence of the metabolism-related factors such as hypertension and dyslipidemia can increase the severity of HBV-ACLF and the risk of short-term mortality,and the hypertension+TG+CLIF-C OF score predictive model has a good value in predicting the short-term prognosis of HBV-ACLF patients.

AIM:To investigate the effect of icari-in on renal fibrosis and injury in hypertension through Cx32-Nox4 signaling pathway.METHODS:Models of hypertensive nephropathy(HN)were es-tablished in spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHRs).The experiment was divided into 4 groups:normal control group(WKY rats),model group(SHR),icariin 10 mg·kg-1·d-1 group(icariin once dai-ly),icariin 30 mg·kg-1·d-1 group(icariin once daily),n=10.The expression of fibrosis-related proteins was detected in vivo.NRK-52E cells exposed to An-gⅡ were selected to observe the effects of icariin on kidney injury.Extracellular matrix(ECM)levels,including α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),collagenⅠ(Col-Ⅰ)and fibronectin(FN)expression were mea-sured by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.The expressions of oxidative stress markers includ-ing superoxide dismutase(SOD)and malondialde-hyde(MDA)were determined by the test kit.RE-SULTS:Icariin reduced renal fibrosis in SHR rats in vivo.Icariin down-regulated the expression of α-SMA,FN,and Col-Ⅰ and protected hypertension-damaged kidney tissue from progressive fibrosis(P＜0.05).Icariin increased the total SOD activity and decrease the MDA level in kidney and serum of SHR rats(P＜0.05).In addition,icariin increased the expression of Cx32 and decreased the expression of Nox4 in the kidneys of SHR rats(P＜0.05).Icariin had a protective effect on AngⅡ-mediated NRK-52E cell damage and fibrosis.CONCLUSION:Icariin can improve renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis and delay the progression of HN.Renal protection may be at-tributed to the regulation of oxidative stress medi-ated by the Cx32-Nox4 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the impacts of ionizing radiation on protein expression profiles in esophageal tissues of rats using quantitative proteomics, in order to reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the onset and development of radiation-induced esophagitis (RIE).Methods:A total of twenty-four male SD rats were divided by simple randomization into three groups: the control, 25 Gy irradiation, and 35 Gy irradiation groups, and their esophageal tissues were collected at 7 d post-irradiation to extract total protein. Then, changes in the protein expression profiles of the esophageal tissues in irradiated rats were investigated using tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics analysis. Additionally, the expressions of two key proteins, Hp and Ndufs4, were validated using immunohistochemistry and Western blot.Results:A comparison with the control group revealed a total of 847 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs; 483 up-regulated and 364 down-regulated) following 25 Gy irradiation and 699 DEPs (443 up-regulated and 256 down-regulated) following 35 Gy irradiation. Different radiation doses led to common 326 up-regulated proteins, which were mainly involved in biological processes and signaling pathways related to immune and inflammatory responses, and 210 down-regulated proteins, which were primarily involved in biological processes and signaling pathways related to energy production and metabolism. Furthermore, a total of 155 proteins were screened using a constructed protein protein interaction(PPI) network. Of these proteins, the up-regulated ones were most associated with three functional pathways, namely innate immune responses, complement and coagulation cascades, and innate immune system, while the down-regulated ones were most associated with energy acquisition via oxidizing organic compounds, oxidative phosphorylation, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and respiratory electron transfer. These functions were enriched with nine complement-related up-regulated and five mitochondria-related down-regulated proteins, respectively. Ionizing radiation significantly up-regulated Hp ( t = 27.94, 10.96, P<0.001) and down-regulated Ndufs4 ( t = 59.27, 54.07, P<0.001), consistent with the protein sequencing result. Conclusions:Ionizing radiation can change the protein expression profiles in the esophageal tissues of rats, and these DEPs are involved in multiple radiobiology-related functional pathways such as immune processes, inflammatory responses, and abnormal energy metabolism. Screening and validation of key proteins are helpful for identifying potential biomarkers of radiation-induced esophagitis.

Objective To explore the experience of patients with rheumatoid arthritis participating in the shared medical appointments(SMA),so as to provide references for medical staff to formulate targeted intervention strategies.Methods By the descriptive phenomenology research method in qualitative research,14 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who participated in the SMA in a tertiary A integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine hospital in Shanghai from August to October 2023 were selected for the in-depth interviews,and the data were analyzed and themes were extracted by Colaizzi 7-step analysis method.Results The experience of patients with rheumatoid arthritis participating in SMA can be summarized into 3 themes:①Driving factors of participation in SMA(seeking clarity and resolution,seeking support and hope);②Perceived benefits of participation in SMA(feelings of efficiency and convenience,reduced isolation,increased security,reduced stigma,increased self-efficacy,insights and experiences,lifestyle changes);(3)Barriers to participation in shared outpatient procedures(obscure medical terminology,inapplicability to some special groups,single content and form of sharing,worries and concerns about personal privacy disclosure,transportation inconvenience and time conflicts).Conclusion Medical staff should pay attention to the experience of patients with rheumatoid arthritis participating in the SMA,improve the training skills of medical staff,solve the obstacles in the process of participation in the SMA,and promote the continuous improvement and development of the SMA.

Antipsychotics, lithium preparations can cause a variety of renal side effects, most of which occur insidiously. The paper reports a 46-year-old female patient developing fatigue and soft paresis after taking lithium carbonate for 17 years. Laboratory tests showed hypokalemia, distal renal tubular acidosis (dRTA), and renal calculus. After discontinuation of lithium carbonate, partial remission of hypokalemia and dRTA were observed. Combined with literature review, in addition to dRTA, the renal side effects of lithium preparations also include acute toxic kidney injury, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus and various glomerulopathy.