Objective To isolate pathogenic bacteria from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs, and perform bacterial identification, traceability analysis, and pathogenicity studies to provide a new approach for the diagnosis of pathogens in nude mice with squamous skin scurfs. MethodsSkin swab samples were collected from a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs for nucleic acid testing, bacterial isolation and culture, biochemical identification, 16S rDNA gene amplification and sequencing, and whole genome sequencing to construct a phylogenetic tree. Fifteen BALB/c nude mice were randomized into a saline-treated control group, a high-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁸ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension, and a low-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁷ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension. Pathogenicity was assessed by animal infection experiments and observation of histopathological changes in skin tissue using HE staining. Results The nucleic acid test for Corynebacterium bovis was negative, excluding infection by this organism. The pathogen isolated on mannitol salt agar and blood agar, combined with Gram staining, suggested a Gram-positive Staphylococcus species. The isolated strain was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and a fully automated microbial identification system as Staphylococcus xylosus. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on whole genome sequencing showed that the strain was most closely related to an isolate from leafy vegetables in South Korea (GenBank GCA_00207825.1). In the high-concentration group, squamous skin scurfs appeared on the head, neck, and back of nude mice on the 17th day post-infection, while in the low concentration group, similar symptoms appeared on the 20th day post-infection and gradually spread to other areas. The scaling symptoms were transient, lasting for 7 days in the high-concentration group and 3 days in the low-concentration group, after which the skin returned to normal. The infection rate was 33.33% in both the high- and low-concentration groups. No significant pathological changes were observed in the skin tissues of infected mice compared to the control group, indicating marked individual differences in the pathogenicity of the strain in nude mice. Conclusion A strain of Staphylococcus xylosus was isolated from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs. The strain is an opportunistic pathogen that causes transient squamous skin scurfs without significant histopathological changes, and there are individual differences in the sensitivity of nude mice to this strain. These findings can provide valuable data for pathogen identification in immunodeficient or gene knockout mice.

Objective To isolate pathogenic bacteria from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs, and perform bacterial identification, traceability analysis, and pathogenicity studies to provide a new approach for the diagnosis of pathogens in nude mice with squamous skin scurfs. MethodsSkin swab samples were collected from a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs for nucleic acid testing, bacterial isolation and culture, biochemical identification, 16S rDNA gene amplification and sequencing, and whole genome sequencing to construct a phylogenetic tree. Fifteen BALB/c nude mice were randomized into a saline-treated control group, a high-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁸ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension, and a low-concentration group treated with 1.8×10⁷ CFU/mL of the isolated bacterial suspension. Pathogenicity was assessed by animal infection experiments and observation of histopathological changes in skin tissue using HE staining. Results The nucleic acid test for Corynebacterium bovis was negative, excluding infection by this organism. The pathogen isolated on mannitol salt agar and blood agar, combined with Gram staining, suggested a Gram-positive Staphylococcus species. The isolated strain was identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and a fully automated microbial identification system as Staphylococcus xylosus. Phylogenetic tree analysis based on whole genome sequencing showed that the strain was most closely related to an isolate from leafy vegetables in South Korea (GenBank GCA_00207825.1). In the high-concentration group, squamous skin scurfs appeared on the head, neck, and back of nude mice on the 17th day post-infection, while in the low concentration group, similar symptoms appeared on the 20th day post-infection and gradually spread to other areas. The scaling symptoms were transient, lasting for 7 days in the high-concentration group and 3 days in the low-concentration group, after which the skin returned to normal. The infection rate was 33.33% in both the high- and low-concentration groups. No significant pathological changes were observed in the skin tissues of infected mice compared to the control group, indicating marked individual differences in the pathogenicity of the strain in nude mice. Conclusion A strain of Staphylococcus xylosus was isolated from the skin of a nude mouse exhibiting squamous skin scurfs. The strain is an opportunistic pathogen that causes transient squamous skin scurfs without significant histopathological changes, and there are individual differences in the sensitivity of nude mice to this strain. These findings can provide valuable data for pathogen identification in immunodeficient or gene knockout mice.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a risk prediction model for the transformation of chronic atrophic gastritis to high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGIN) based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome patterns. METHODS: Clinical data of 201 chronic atrophic gastritis patients who visited the Second People's Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Dong'erhuan Branch between January 2022 and March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including 32 patients with HGIN (HGIN group) and 169 patients with moderate and severe chronic atrophic gastritis (non-HGIN group). The information of demographic characteristics, dietary habits, lifestyle factors, social and psychosocial factors, family history of tumors, medical history and comorbidities, long-term medication, endoscopic findings, histopathological examination results, as well as TCM syndrome types were collected. Potential HGIN risk factors were screened using LASSO regression, and the significant risk factors for establishing an HGIN risk prediction model were identified using logistic regression analysis. The final model was visually presented using a nomogram, and its diagnostic performance was evaluated through receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: Spleen-stomach Qi deficiency was the most common TCM syndrome in both HGIN and non-HGIN groups. LASSO-logistic regression model analysis showed that heavy alcohol consumption (X1), syndrome of static blood in stomach collaterals (X2), low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (X3), high-salt diet (X4), and age (X5) were independent risk factors related to the occurrence of HGIN, and the predictive model was ln［P/(1－P)］=2.159X1+2.230X2+1.664X3+2.070X4+0.122X5- 11.096. The model demonstrated good discriminative ability, calibration, and goodness-of-fit, with area under the curve values of 0.940 and 0.891 in the training and validation sets, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The TCM syndrome of static blood in stomach collaterals shows correlation with the transformation from chronic atrophic gastritis to HGIN. The HGIN prediction model based on TCM syndrome patterns developed in the study demonstrates potential value in clinical application.
Humans ; Gastritis, Atrophic/diagnosis* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Carcinoma in Situ/diagnosis* ; Aged ; Nomograms ; Chronic Disease ; Logistic Models

OBJECTIVE: To explore the function of LIM and calponin homology domains 1 (LIMCH1) in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), along with their potential clinical applications. METHODS: By utilizing transcriptome sequencing data from two groups of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients, along with bioinformatics analytical techniques such as Gene Ontology (GO) and gene co-expression networks, we identified genes that might play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. We employed real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting to validate the expression patterns of these genes across twelve patient tissue samples. Furthermore, we conducted CCK-8 assays, flow cytometry analyses, and scratch wound healing assays to assess the impact of key genes on the biological behaviors of both the Cal27 oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line and the potentially malignant DOK oral lesion cell line. Additionally, we examined correlations between these key genes and clinical disease parameters in 214 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data; gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis results were also incorporated to enhance our findings from real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting regarding potential mechanisms underlying the action of these key genes. RESULTS: The integrated analysis of sequencing data and bioinformatics revealed that LIMCH1 exhibited significantly reduced mRNA (P < 0.001) and protein levels (P < 0.01) in the oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues compared with normal control tissues. In the Cal27 cells, the low LIMCH1 level group demonstrated a larger wound healing area within 24 hours than the control group (P < 0.01), enhanced proliferation capacity over 72 hours relative to the control group (P < 0.01), and an increased apoptosis rate within 24 hours compared with the high expression group (P < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between the low and high level groups in DOK cells. Furthermore, it was determined that low LIMCH1 level correlated with poor prognosis in the patients (P=0.013) and a higher lymph node metastasis rate (P < 0.05). Investigations into the potential mechanisms of action indicated that LIMCH1 did not influence the onset or progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma via the epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway. CONCLUSION LIMCH1 level may function as a promising biomarker to aid in the prognostic assessment of oral squamous cell carcinoma; however, its precise mechanistic role requires further investigation.
Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism* ; LIM Domain Proteins/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Male ; Female

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of sintilimab combined with paclitaxel and docetaxel in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:Prospective cohort study was performed. A total of 90 patients with advanced NSCLC receiving second-line treatment in Baotou Cancer Hospital from October 2019 to October 2022 were prospectively selected. All patients were divided into the study group (sintilimab combined with paclitaxel and docetaxel as second-line treatment, 45 cases) and the control group (paclitaxel or docetaxel alone, 45 cases) according to random number table method. The short-term efficacy, serum cytokine levels, quality of life and T-cell subsets of the two groups were compared. The survival of patients within 6 months was followed up. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) of both groups, and log-rank test was used to make comparison among groups.Results:There were 25 males (55.56%) in the study group with the age of (63±5) years and 28 males (62.22%) in the control group with the age of (65±6) years. There were no statistically significant differences in the gender, age, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group scores, the body mass (all P>0.05). The total effective rate was 88.89% (40/45) in the study group and 71.11% (32/45) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 4.44, P = 0.035). The levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) of both groups after treatment were lower than those before treatment (all P<0.001); the levels of VEGF and CA125 in the study group after treatment were lower than those in the control group [VEGF: (223±15) pg/ml vs. (289±15) pg/ml, t=20.82, P<0.001;CA125: (23±6) ng/ml vs. (75±4) ng/ml, t=51.28, P<0.001].Quality of life scale score, Karnofsky score of both groups after treatment were higher than those before treatment (all P<0.05); quality of life scale score and Karnofsky score in the study group after treatment were higher than those in the control group [quality of life scale score: (63±6) scores vs. (51±5) scores, t=10.29, P<0.001; Karnofsky score: (80.5±5.7) scores vs.(78.8±3.7) scores, t=1.70, P=0.041]. T-cell subsets indicators of both groups after treatment were higher than those before treatment (all P<0.001). T-cell subsets indicators in the study group after treatment were higher than those in the control group [CD3 + cell proportion: (68±5)% vs. (65±5)%, t=2.52, P = 0.014; CD4 + cell proportion:(42.5±1.7)% vs. (36.5±3.7)%, t=9.91, P<0.001;CD4 +/CD8 +: 1.78±0.54 vs. 1.46±0.27, t=3.56, P<0.001]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups [11.11% (5/45) vs. 15.55% (7/45), χ2=0.39, P=0.534]. The follow-up time was 6 months. The OS in the study group was better than that in the control group ( χ2=3.86, P = 0.044). Conclusions:Sintilimab combined with taxoid chemotherapy drugs is effective in the second-line treatment of advanced NSCLC, and it improves immune function and shows a favorable safety.

Objective: To investigate the association between 24 h movement behaviors (physical activity, sleep, and screen time) and fundamental motor skills (FMS) in preschool children, in order to provide the reference and basis for ensuring the longterm development of childrens motor skills. Methods: A total of 607 children aged 3 to 5 years old were selected from 6 kindergartens of 6 urban districts in Taiyuan in March 2022, through a combination of convenient sampling and stratified cluster random sampling method, and the baseline test was conducted to collect data on the childrens 24 h movement behaviors and FMS; the followup test after one year was carried out in March 2023 to collect FMS data. The test of gross motor development-3rd was used to assess the childrens FMS levels. Physical activity and sleep duration were measured using ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers, while screen time was reported by parents. Pearson correlation analysis, hierarchial and binary Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the association of 24 h movement behavior with FMS. Results: The results of baseline showed that total of physical activity (TPA) at baseline was positively associated with manipulation skills, mobility skills and total score of TGMD-3 (β=0.40, 3.87, 4.27, P<0.01). The followup results after one year indicated that lowintensity physical activity (LPA) and screen time at baseline were negatively associated with increased TGMD-3 scores one year later (β=-1.93, -0.79, P<0.01). Conversely, baseline moderatetovigorousintensity physical activity (MVPA), TPA and sleep duration were positively associated with increased TGMD-3 scores after one year (β=4.62, 4.51, 3.19, P<0.01). The followup results showed that meeting 2 or 3 items of the 24 h movement behavior guidelines was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of achieving motor skill proficiency (OR=2.31, 3.32, P<0.01) compared to not meeting any 24 h movement behavior guideline after one year. Conclusions MVPA and enough sleep could positively affect FMS improvement, whereas LPA and long screen time could negatively affect FMS improvement at one year followup. Schools and families should ensure that preschool children meet the recommended standards of the 24 h movement behavioral guidelines to promote longterm development of FMS.

Objective: To explore the factors affecting the prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) among HIV/AIDS patients, so as to provide insights into developing HAND prevention measures. Methods: HIV/AIDS patients aged 18 years and above in the Infection Department of Nanjing Second Hospital were selected.Demographic data, treatment regimen and blood biochemical indicators were collected. Depression was evaluated using Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale, frailty was evaluated using Chinese version of Tilburg Frailty Indicator, and HAND was evaluated by Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale. Factors affecting HAND were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 440 questionnaires were allocated and 426 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective rate of 96.82%. The median age of patients investigated was 33.00 (interquartile range, 10.00) year. There were 407 males, accounting for 95.54%; 232 patients with bachelor degree or above, accounting for 54.46%; 171 patients with HAND, accounting for 40.14%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that educational level (bachelor degree or above, OR=0.291, 95%CI: 0.157-0.541), depression (OR=2.499, 95%CI: 1.530-4.083), frailty (OR=2.121, 95%CI: 1.307-3.441) and treatment regimen including efavirenz (OR=2.223, 95%CI: 1.367-3.615) were the influencing factors for HAND among HIV/AIDS patients. Conclusion Educational level, depression, frailty and use of efavirenz may be associated with HAND risk.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the most common type of primary liver cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths,and it is a serious threat to human health and has become a clinical problem that needs to be solved urgently.Extracellular vesicles(EV)are membrane vesicles containing multiple components and play an important role in the development and progression of HCC.This article summarizes the effect of EVs of different origins on HCC and analyzes the mechanism of action of EV on HCC,so as to provide new perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.

Treatment resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is an important factor restricting its treatment outcome.Autophagy is a process involving multiple steps and targets and is closely associated with the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells.At the same time,there is significant crosstalk between autophagy and tumor treatment resistance.Therefore,autophagy may be one of the key factors hindering tumor cell death after medical intervention.Transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β),epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),and long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)are important factors leading to drug resistance of HCC.This article discusses the possible mechanism of TGF-β,EMT,and lncRNA mediating complex molecular networks and inducing drug resistance of HCC,in order to provide new ideas for improving the sensitivity of HCC treatment.