ObjectiveTo investigate the inhibitory effect of gingerol， an active component of ginger， on Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） infection， and to preliminarily explore its mechanism related to extracellular vesicles （EVs）. MethodsS.aureus infection models were established in human umbilical vein endothelial cell （HUVECs）， Vero E6 cells， and C57BL/6 mice. Experimental groups included control， infection， and gingerol-treated groups. Bacterial load and VE-cadherin protein expression were detected using immunofluorescence and Western blot. EVs were isolated by size exclusion chromatography and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. miRNA sequencing was performed on EVs. ResultsGingerol treatment significantly reduced the bacterial load in both in vitro and in vivo infection models and upregulated VE-cadherin expression. miRNA sequencing of EVs revealed that S. aureus infection upregulated the expression of hsa-miR-320c， while gingerol treatment reversed this abnormal expression. Bioinformatic analysis further predicted that the target genes of hsa-miR-320c were significantly enriched in cell junction-related pathways. ConclusionGingerol exhibits clear antibacterial and host-protective effects， by regulating hsa-miR-320c in EVs to maintain endothelial barrier integrity.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

Functional dyspepsia (FD), characterized by persistent or recurrent dyspeptic symptoms without identifiable organic, systemic or metabolic causes, is an increasingly recognized global health issue. The objective of this guideline is to equip clinicians and nursing professionals with evidence-based strategies for the management and treatment of adult patients with FD using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Guideline Development Group consulted existing TCM consensus documents on FD and convened a panel of 35 clinicians to generate initial clinical queries. To address these queries, a systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, China Biology Medicine (SinoMed) Database, Wanfang Database, Traditional Medicine Research Data Expanded (TMRDE), and the Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS). The evidence from the literature was critically appraised using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. The strength of the recommendations was ascertained through a consensus-building process involving TCM and allopathic medicine experts, methodologists, pharmacologists, nursing specialists, and health economists, leveraging their collective expertise and empirical knowledge. The guideline comprises a total of 43 evidence-informed recommendations that span a range of clinical aspects, including the pathogenesis according to TCM, diagnostic approaches, therapeutic interventions, efficacy assessments, and prognostic considerations. Please cite this article as: Zhang SS, Zhao LQ, Hou XH, Bian ZX, Zheng JH, Tian HH, Yang GH, Hong WS, He YY, Liu L, Shen H, Li YP, Xie S, Shu J, Zeng BF, Li JX, Liu Z, Xiao ZH, Xiao JD, Zheng PY, Huang SG, Chen SL, Fei GJ. International clinical practice guideline on the use of traditional Chinese medicine for functional dyspepsia (2025). J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):502-518.
Dyspepsia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*

Objective:To analyze the clinicopathological factors affecting the prognosis of patients after curative resection of lung metastases (LMs) from colorectal cancer (CRC) and to construct a clinical risk scoring (CRS) model.Methods:This study retrospectively collected clinicopathological data and follow-up information on 132 patients who underwent radical resection of LMs from CRC at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2010 and December 2020. We analyzed the clinicopathological factors influencing patient prognosis using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models, and we developed a risk stratification model for prognostic prediction.Results:The median follow-up duration for the cohort of 132 patients was 54.2 months. During this period, 61 patients (46.2%) experienced recurrence or distant metastasis, resulting in a 5-year DFS rate of 54.1%. Additionally, 33 patients (25.0%) died, corresponding to a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of 76.7%. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis indicated that ten clinicopathological factors were significantly associated with OS (all P＜0.05). These factors include the total number of lymph nodes (LNs) dissected from the primary tumor (PT) <16, the number of negative LNs from the PT <13, pN(+) of the PT, logarithmic odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) of the PT ≥-1.1, lymph nodes ratio (LNR) of the PT ≥0.02, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level before LMs resection ≥10 ng/ml, the presence of hilar/mediastinal LN metastasis, the number of LMs ≥2, the maximum diameter of LMs ≥2.5 cm, and the necessity for hilar/mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified the number of negative LNs <13 ( HR=3.01, 95% CI: 1.28-7.03, P=0.011), pN(+) of the PT ( HR=5.04, 95% CI: 1.51-16.84, P=0.009), preoperative CEA level before LMs resection ≥10 ng/ml ( HR=5.39, 95% CI: 1.80-16.19, P=0.003), the number of LMs ≥2 ( HR=2.47, 95% CI: 1.09-5.60, P=0.030), and the necessity for hilar/mediastinal lymphadenectomy ( HR=2.74, 95% CI: 1.15-6.52, P=0.023) as independent prognostic risk factors. Patients were categorized based on independent risk factors, revealing statistically significant differences in OS across the groups with CRS scores of ≤2, 3～4, and ≥5 ( P＜0.001). Conclusions:Independent risk factors associated with LMs from CRC patients include the number of negative LNs <13, pN(+) of the PT, preoperative CEA level before LMs resection ≥10 ng/ml, the number of LMs ≥2, and the necessity for hilar/mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Patients scoring 3 or higher on the CRS model may warrant cautious assessment for the appropriateness of direct surgical treatment.

BACKGROUND: The transcription factor POU2F1 regulates the expression levels of microRNAs in neoplasia. However, the miR-29b1/a cluster modulated by POU2F1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. METHODS: Gene expression in GC cells was evaluated using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RNA in situ hybridization. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to evaluate protein interactions. Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to investigate the biological behavior of GC cells. MiR-29b1/a cluster promoter analysis and luciferase activity assay for the 3'-UTR study were performed in GC cells. In vivo tumor metastasis was evaluated in nude mice. RESULTS: POU2F1 is overexpressed in GC cell lines and binds to the miR-29b1/a cluster promoter. POU2F1 is upregulated, whereas mature miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p are downregulated in GC tissues. POU2F1 promotes GC metastasis by inhibiting miR-29b-3p or miR-29a-3p expression in vitro and in vivo . Furthermore, PIK3R1 and/or PIK3R3 are direct targets of miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p , and the ectopic expression of PIK3R1 or PIK3R3 reverses the suppressive effect of mature miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p on GC cell metastasis and invasion. Additionally, the interaction of PIK3R1 with PIK3R3 promotes migration and invasion, and miR-29b-3p , miR-29a-3p , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 regulate migration and invasion via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway in GC cells. In addition, POU2F1 , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 expression levels negatively correlated with miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p expression levels in GC tissue samples. CONCLUSIONS The POU2F1 - miR-29b-3p / miR-29a-3p-PIK3R1 / PIK3R1 signaling axis regulates tumor progression and may be a promising therapeutic target for GC.
MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement/physiology* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Animals ; Mice ; Octamer Transcription Factor-1/metabolism* ; Mice, Nude ; Class Ia Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics* ; Male ; Immunohistochemistry ; Female

With the extended survival period of breast cancer patients and the increasing health demands, the concomitant diseases of breast cancer have gradually attracted the attention of both doctors and patients, and it is imperative to conduct comprehensive management of these diseases, in which the general practitioners, as the more comprehensive and complex medical talents, have not yet played their due roles. In this article, we report two cases of comprehensive management of concomitant diseases of breast cancer through collaboration of general practitioners and specialists (integrated general and specialist care). The role and function of general practitioners in this process were deeply analyzed, and the establishment of a consultation-liaison general practice model to further promote the role of integrated general and specialist care in integrated oncology care was advocated.

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological features of rectal neuroendocrine tumor (R-NET) G2, identify prognostic factors, and summarize treatment experience.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with R-NET G2 by pathological diagnosis admitted to Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2003 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to analyze the association between pathological features and prognosis.Results:A total of 22 patients were enrolled in this study and 21 patients were followed up for a period of 6-98 months with a median follow-up time of 42 months. 5 patients died due to tumor progression during the follow-up period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) of the whole group were 100.0%, 92.9%, and 69.6%, respectively. Of the 22 patients, 20 underwent surgical treatment, of which 15 underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy; 2 underwent medical treatment for liver and bone multiple metastases. The 5-year survival rates of patients with tumours ≥2 cm in length, T2-3 stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (57.1%, 68.8%, 66.7%, and 63.6%, respectively) were shorter than those of patients with tumours <2 cm in length, T1 stage, no lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis (all 100.0%, P＜0.001). In addition, patients with liver metastases had larger primary tumor diameters and higher T-stages compared with those without distant metastasis ( P＜0.05). Conclusions:R-NET G2 has a high degree of malignancy compared with G1 and a high propensity for metastasis. Clinicians should formulate appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies based on factors such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, presence of distant metastasis, and the location and extent of distant metastasis.

With the extended survival period of breast cancer patients and the increasing health demands, the concomitant diseases of breast cancer have gradually attracted the attention of both doctors and patients, and it is imperative to conduct comprehensive management of these diseases, in which the general practitioners, as the more comprehensive and complex medical talents, have not yet played their due roles. In this article, we report two cases of comprehensive management of concomitant diseases of breast cancer through collaboration of general practitioners and specialists (integrated general and specialist care). The role and function of general practitioners in this process were deeply analyzed, and the establishment of a consultation-liaison general practice model to further promote the role of integrated general and specialist care in integrated oncology care was advocated.

Objective:To construct and validate a prognostic prediction model for patients with ovarian metastases from colorectal cancer after radical resection.Methods:A retrospective case series analysis was conducted on the clinical and pathological data of 81 patients with colorectal cancer and ovarian metastases who underwent radical resection for ovarian metastases at the Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, between January 2014 and December 2023. The patients were all female, with an age ( M(IQR)) of 49(13) years (range: 22 to 79 years). The primary tumor was located in the colon in 60 cases (74.1%) and in the rectum in 21 cases (25.9%). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors affecting prognosis. A risk scoring system was constructed, and patients were assigned to high-risk and low-risk groups based on their risk scores. The predictive performance of the scoring system was assessed, and 5-fold cross-validation was performed to evaluate the model′s stability on the internal dataset. Results:Among the 81 patients with ovarian metastases, a high proportion had T4 stage (58 cases, 71.6%), lymph node positivity (68 cases, 84.0%), and colon cancer (60 cases, 74.1%). Preoperative imaging suggested unilateral ovarian metastasis in 15 patients (23.4%), but pathological examination after bilateral oophorectomy confirmed bilateral ovarian metastases. Among the 17 patients who initially underwent unilateral oophorectomy, 11 developed contralateral ovarian metastases at varying times postoperatively. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that positive lymph node ratio ( HR=2.68,95% CI:1.41 to 5.09, P=0.003), N stage ( HR=2.07,95% CI:1.08 to 3.95, P=0.028),maximum diameter of metastatic tumors ( HR=2.27,95% CI:1.04 to 4.96, P=0.040),and peritoneal metastasis or ascites at the time of ovarian metastasis ( HR=2.04,95% CI:1.02 to 4.08, P=0.043) were significantly associated with overall survival in patients with ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer. Multivariate regression analysis identified that positive lymph node ratio ( HR=3.34,95% CI:1.08 to 10.34, P=0.037) and maximum diameter of metastatic tumors ( HR=2.65,95% CI:1.19 to 5.88, P=0.017) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival following radical oophorectomy in patients with ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer. Based on the regression coefficients from the multivariate analysis for variables (ovarian metastatic tumor diameter ≥6 cm, positive lymph node ratio ≥0.3,and presence of peritoneal metastasis or ascites), a risk scoring system was developed. Using the optimal cutoff value (154 points) for the risk score,patients were divided into high-risk (19 cases) and low-risk (62 cases) groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that the high-risk group had significantly lower median overall survival (27 months) and median disease-free survival (22 months) compared to the low-risk group (median overall survival 90 months,median disease-free survival not reached; both P<0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC) for predicting 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival was 0.731(95% CI:0.563 to 0.899), 0.703(95% CI:0.573 to 0.833), and 0.776(95% CI: 0.657 to 0.894), respectively. The AUC for predicting 1-,3-, and 5-year disease-free survival was 0.724(95% CI:0.397 to 0.993),0.710(95% CI:0.514 to 0.906),and 0.688(95% CI:0.478 to 0.898),respectively,indicating good performance of the model.The decision curve analysis showed that the model has good clinical net benefit and the results of the 5-fold cross-validation showed that the model demonstrated stability in the internal dataset. Conclusions:When performing radical resection for ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer,bilateral oophorectomy should be considered to minimize the risk of postoperative recurrence. Patients with ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer,characterized by a metastatic tumor diameter ≥6 cm,a positive lymph node ratio ≥0.3,and the presence of peritoneal metastasis or ascites, tend to have a poorer prognosis. Based on these findings,a clinical prognostic scoring system for radical resection of ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer has been developed to stratify patients into different risk groups and may assist in postoperative risk assessment and management.

Coronary artery calcification often appears a variety of complex lesions,increasing coronary intervention of the difficulty of treatment,especially the severe calcification lesions,usually cannot be fully dilated,resulting in a reduced success rate of surgery,an increased rate of acute stent thrombosis and restenosis,and even a serious impact on the prognosis of patients.Intravascular lithotripsy(IVL)is increasingly used in calcified lesions.There is more and more evidence of using in stable angina pectoris and unstable angina pectoris,but its use in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is limited,and only a few cases have been reported abroad.Moreover,the consensus of Chinese experts in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery calcification in 2021 edition lists thrombotic lesions as contraindications of shock wave balloon.This case is the first time in China to report the use of shock wave balloon in patients with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction complicated with thrombus.In this case,the patient with acute ST elevation myocardial infarction complicated with thrombus was severely under expanded stent after stent implantation,and obtain good curative effect using shockwave balloon at selected time in hospital after intensive anticoagulant therapy.