1.A photodynamic nanohybrid system reverses hypoxia and augment anti-primary and metastatic tumor efficacy of immunotherapy.
Haitao YUAN ; Xiaoxian WANG ; Xin SUN ; Di GU ; Jinan GUO ; Wei HUANG ; Jingbo MA ; Chunjin FU ; Da YIN ; Guohua ZENG ; Ying LONG ; Jigang WANG ; Zhijie LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(6):3243-3258
Photodynamic immunotherapy is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the dysfunctional tumor vasculature results in tumor hypoxia and the low efficiency of drug delivery, which in turn restricts the anticancer effect of photodynamic immunotherapy. In this study, we designed photosensitive lipid nanoparticles. The synthesized PFBT@Rox Lip nanoparticles could produce type I/II reactive oxygen species (ROS) by electron or energy transfer through PFBT under light irradiation. Moreover, this nanosystem could alleviate tumor hypoxia and promote vascular normalization through Roxadustat. Upon irradiation with white light, the ROS produced by PFBT@Rox Lip nanoparticles in situ dysregulated calcium homeostasis and triggered endoplasmic reticulum stress, which further promoted the release of damage-associated molecular patterns, enhanced antigen presentation, and stimulated an effective adaptive immune response, ultimately priming the tumor microenvironment (TME) together with the hypoxia alleviation and vessel normalization by Roxadustat. Indeed, in vivo results indicated that PFBT@Rox Lip nanoparticles promoted M1 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages, recruited more natural killer cells, and augmented infiltration of T cells, thereby leading to efficient photodynamic immunotherapy and potentiating the anti-primary and metastatic tumor efficacy of PD-1 antibody. Collectively, photodynamic immunotherapy with PFBT@Rox Lip nanoparticles efficiently program TME through the induction of immunogenicity and oxygenation, and effectively suppress tumor growth through immunogenic cell death and enhanced anti-tumor immunity.
2.Efficacy and safety comparison of dupilumab versus thalidomide in the treatment of refractory prurigo nodularis in adults
Jianbo ZHANG ; Lei HU ; Hegui HUANG ; Yangcong LIU ; Xiaoxian WANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(21):2687-2691
OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of dupilumab versus thalidomide in the treatment of refractory prurigo nodularis (PN) in adults. METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 123 adult patients with refractory PN admitted to Wuhan First Hospital from May 2021 to June 2024. Among them, 63 patients who received dupilumab comprised the observation group and 60 patients who received thalidomide comprised the control group. Clinical efficacy indicators [Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) score, Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (P-NRS) score, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) score, and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score], allergic biomarkers [eosinophil (EOS) count in peripheral blood and serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) level], psychological scores [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)] before and after treatment, as well as the occurrence of adverse drug reaction during treatment, were compared between the two groups. RESULTS Before treatment, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in above clinical efficacy indicators, allergic biomarkers, or psychological scores (P>0.05). At 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after treatment, both groups showed significant decreases in IGA score (except for the control group 4 weeks after treatment), IGA activity score (except for the control group 4 weeks after treatment), P-NRS score, POEM score, DLQI score (except for the control group 4 weeks after treatment), serum EOS count, and serum total IgE level compared with baseline (P<0.05); at 12 and 16 weeks after treatment, scores on both the HADS-anxiety subscale and HADS-depression subscale were also significantly lower than baseline in both groups (P<0.05); the observation group was significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). The overall incidence of adverse events was 12.70% in the observation group, which was significantly lower than 28.33% in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Dupilumab treatment in adults with refractory PN demonstrates superior efficacy compared with thalidomide in improving skin lesions, relieving pruritus, reducing peripheral EOS counts and serum total IgE, and improving quality of life and psychological status, while showing a more favorable safety profile.
3.Research Advances on Probiotics-assisted Therapy for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease
Jia XIONG ; Jia ZENG ; Xiaoxian ZHOU ; Xin XU ; Yanjiao WANG ; Zhishuang WU ; Jianzhong YIN ; Fei MI
Journal of Kunming Medical University 2025;46(7):163-174
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease(MASLD)is a chronic liver condition intricately linked to metabolic abnormalities such as obesity,type 2 diabetes,dyslipidemia,and hypertension.The global prevalence of MASLD continues to rise,posing a significant public health challenge.The pathogenesis of MASLD is multifactorial,with the"multiple-hit"hypothesis suggesting that hepatic lipid accumulation,insulin resistance,oxidative stress,gut microbiota dysbiosis,and genetic factors collectively drive disease progression.Currently,clinical management primarily relies on lifestyle interventions;however,there is a lack of targeted pharmacological interventions,and there is an urgent need to investigate novel adjunctive therapeutic strategies.In recent years,probiotics have demonstrated potential value in MASLD treatment due to their capacity to modulate gut microbiota,enhance insulin sensitivity,and reduce liver inflammation.This review systematically examines the pathogenesis of MASLD and the limitations of existing therapeutic approaches,synthesizing the latest evidence of probiotics-assisted therapy for MASLD from the perspectives of animal studies and clinical trials.By analyzing the target mechanisms and molecular pathways of different strains(e.g.,Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus),this review explores the translational potential of probiotics in MASLD treatment,aiming to provide a theoretical foundation and future research directions.
4.Exploring the Application of Terahertz Technology for Defensive Qi Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Hengwei YUAN ; Xingyu YAO ; Xiaoxian LU ; Yifan ZHANG ; Wenjie ZHANG ; Jiaxin LI ; Wang XI
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;42(10):2584-2588
Terahertz(THz)technology,as an emerging tool for characterizing biomacromolecules,has rapidly developed over the past few decades,demonstrating significant application potential in multiple fields.Defensive qi is a vital energy in the human body,responsible for defense functions by warming the skin,regulating the opening and closing of the striae and interstices,and resisting the invasion of external pathogens.Defensive qi is one of the core concepts for disease prevention and health maintenance in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).However,due to the high abstraction and complexity of TCM theory,the scientific connotation and mechanism of action of defensive qi remained incompletely elucidated.THz waves have the unique physical properties of molecular vibration sensitivity,penetrability,and thermal radiation effects,and are highly sensitive to biological tissues,which make THz technology a promising tool for defensive qi research.By analyzing the characteristics of THz waves,this paper explores the feasibility of applying THz technology to investigate the circulation patterns of defensive qi,the prevention and treatment of disorders related defensive qi,the pathological essence of defensive qi diseases,the material basis of defensive qi,the screening of defensive qi disorders,and the development of novel drugs targeting defensive qi disorders.This approach provides a new perspective and methodology for the research of TCM fundamental theory.
5.Preliminary study on the construction of an echocardiogram image quality control system based on artificial intelligence
Zhanru QI ; Hanlin CHENG ; Chunjie SHAN ; Ruiyang CHEN ; Hexiang WENG ; Yue DU ; Guanjun GUO ; Xiaoxian WANG ; Jing YAO ; Shouhua LUO ; Aijuan FANG ; Hui CHEN ; Zhongqing SHI
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2025;34(2):107-113
Object:To explore the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for quality control of echocardiographic images.Methods:Retrospectively,5 000 two-dimensional echocardiographic video images within the period from 2021 to 2023 were randomly retrieved from the echocardiography database of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital,Affiliated Hospital of Medical School,Nanjing University. Among these selected images,1 559 of them were apical views. The physician team formulated the scoring rules,which specifically included four scoring criteria:gain,scaling ratio,cardiac axis angle,and structure. Subsequently,the data were labeled with view classification and image quality scores. The labeled data were further partitioned into the training set( n = 643),the validation set( n = 276),and the test set( n = 640). The training and validation sets were utilized for constructing the models for view classification and quality assessment,while the test set was employed to verify the models' effectiveness. The view classification module was implemented using the SlowFast model,and the quality assessment module involved algorithms such as ResNet,Video Swin Transformer,SSD,and U-Net. Results:The average accuracy,precision,recall rate and F1 score of the classification model in identifying each apical view were 0.987 1,0.983 0,0.987 1 and 0.984 9 respectively,and the inference time was(333.4 ± 105.4)ms. The average accuracies of the quality assessment module in terms of gain,scaling ratio,cardiac axis angle and display of main structures were 0.915 1,0.928 2,0.938 7 and 0.965 6 respectively,and the overall scoring accuracy was 0.912 7.Conclusions:The echocardiogram quality control system developed in this research can effectively classify and evaluate the quality of two-dimensional images of the apical views in echocardiograms. Moreover,it guarantees the objectivity,timeliness and high-efficiency of quality control,which has reference value for the establishment of the echocardiogram quality control system.
6.Current status and risk factors for hospital-acquired rhinosinusitis in Neurocritical Care Unit patients
Qiong CHEN ; Qindi ZHANG ; Dongmei WANG ; Man YANG ; Linyan LAI ; Daihong CHENG ; Xiaoxian HUANG ; Xiaoyan LIAO
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(16):2231-2235
Objective:To explore the current status of hospital-acquired rhinosinusitis (HAR) in Neurocritical Care Unit (NCU) patients and to analyze its risk factors.Methods:From January 2021 to December 2022, 819 NCU patients of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University were selected by whole population sampling method, of which 125 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for analysis. Patients were categorized into HAR group ( n=69) and non-HAR group ( n=56) based on the occurrence of HAR. Differences in demographic and clinical data of the two groups of patients were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for the HAR in patients. Results:HAR occurred in 69 NCU patients, with an incidence of 55.2% (69/125) . There were statistically significant differences in gender, smoking history, Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission, whether or not there was pneumonia, whether or not a nasogastric tube was indwelt before the occurrence of HAR, whether or not tracheal intubation was performed before the occurrence of HAR, whether or not mechanical ventilation was conducted before the occurrence of HAR, whether or not tracheotomy was performed, and the length of NCU stay between patients in HAR group and non-HAR group ( P<0.05) . Logistic regression analysis showed that indwelling nasogastric tube before the occurrence of HAR, failure to quit smoking before admission, and prolonged NCU stay were risk factors for HAR ( OR=6.291, 3.976, 1.089; P<0.05) . Conclusions:NCU patients have a high incidence of HAR, and indwelling nasogastric tube, failure to quit smoking before admission, and prolonged NCU stay are risk factors for HAR in NCU patients.
7.Quantitative evaluation of left ventricular remodeling in left bundle branch block induced cardiomyopathy by multimodal imaging
Xiaoxian WANG ; Changqing MIAO ; Beibei GE ; Mingxia LI ; Fen CHEN ; Fang XU ; Ning ZHANG ; Guanjun GUO ; Wei XU ; Wenzhi SHEN ; Yingming ZHAO ; Jing YAO
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2025;34(1):26-32
Objective:To quantitatively evaluate the effects of left bundle branch block(LBBB)on left ventricular structure,function and myocardial perfusion using left ventricular pressure-strain loop and single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT),and to investigate the relationship between myocardial work,myocardial perfusion and pathological changes of left ventricular remodeling in left bundle branch block induced cardiomyopathy(LBBB-CM).Methods:Fourteen male beagle dogs were selected,and the main trunk of the left bundle branch was ablated to create an LBBB dog model. Electrocardiogram(ECG),transesophageal echocardiography and arterial blood pressure data of LBBB dogs were collected before and 12 months after the ablation of left bundle branch trunk. Global and segmental myocardial work parameters were obtained by left ventricular pressure-strain loop. The differences of above parameters between baseline and 12 months after the ablation of left bundle branch were compared. SPECT was performed in LBBB dogs 12 months after the creation of LBBB. The hearts were harvested for anatomy observation and histopathological analysis in LBBB dogs and another 7 male beagle dogs(normal control group)matched by age and weight. The correlation between myocardial perfusion(percentage of regional tracer uptake)and myocardial work parameters,myocardial fibrosis in LBBB dogs were analyzed.Results:Compared with baseline,the left ventricular end-diastolic volume of 12 months after the ablation increased[(20.78 ± 5.32)ml vs(26.71 ± 7.94)ml, P = 0.003],left ventricular ejection fraction decreased[(59.17 ± 5.67)% vs(47.69 ± 5.45)%, P<0.001];left ventricular global/segmental longitudinal strain,global/segmental constructive work and global/segmental work efficiency decreased(all P<0.05),left ventricular global/segmental wasted work increased(all P<0.001). Heterogenous perfusion defect was observed in LBBB dogs by SPECT,compared with lateral wall segments,the percentage of regional tracer uptake of septum was decreased(all P<0.05). Gross anatomical and myocardial pathological changes were manifested as cardiomegaly,flaky or focal grayish thickening of endocardium,cardiomyocyte degeneration and fibrosis. Compared with normal control group,the collagen fiber volume fraction(CVF)in all segmental endocardium and partial segmental myocardium of LBBB dogs were significantly increased(all P<0.05). Percentage of regional tracer uptake was positively correlated with segmental myocardial work(SMW)and segmental myocardial efficiency(SWE)( r s = 0.49,0.31;both P<0.001),and negatively correlated with CVF and segmental wasted work(SWW)( r s = -0.51,-0.49;both P<0.001). Conclusions:Isolated LBBB is not benign,which can result in left ventricular remodeling,decreased cardiac constructive function,abnormal myocardial perfusion,endocardial fibrosis and myocardial fibrosis.The parameters of myocardial work assecsed by echocardiograpgy and myocardial perfusion,as non-invasive examination,can to some extent reflect the degree of left ventricular remodeling in LBBB-CM.
8.Current status and risk factors for hospital-acquired rhinosinusitis in Neurocritical Care Unit patients
Qiong CHEN ; Qindi ZHANG ; Dongmei WANG ; Man YANG ; Linyan LAI ; Daihong CHENG ; Xiaoxian HUANG ; Xiaoyan LIAO
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(16):2231-2235
Objective:To explore the current status of hospital-acquired rhinosinusitis (HAR) in Neurocritical Care Unit (NCU) patients and to analyze its risk factors.Methods:From January 2021 to December 2022, 819 NCU patients of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University were selected by whole population sampling method, of which 125 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for analysis. Patients were categorized into HAR group ( n=69) and non-HAR group ( n=56) based on the occurrence of HAR. Differences in demographic and clinical data of the two groups of patients were compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the risk factors for the HAR in patients. Results:HAR occurred in 69 NCU patients, with an incidence of 55.2% (69/125) . There were statistically significant differences in gender, smoking history, Glasgow Coma Scale score on admission, whether or not there was pneumonia, whether or not a nasogastric tube was indwelt before the occurrence of HAR, whether or not tracheal intubation was performed before the occurrence of HAR, whether or not mechanical ventilation was conducted before the occurrence of HAR, whether or not tracheotomy was performed, and the length of NCU stay between patients in HAR group and non-HAR group ( P<0.05) . Logistic regression analysis showed that indwelling nasogastric tube before the occurrence of HAR, failure to quit smoking before admission, and prolonged NCU stay were risk factors for HAR ( OR=6.291, 3.976, 1.089; P<0.05) . Conclusions:NCU patients have a high incidence of HAR, and indwelling nasogastric tube, failure to quit smoking before admission, and prolonged NCU stay are risk factors for HAR in NCU patients.
9.Preliminary study on the construction of an echocardiogram image quality control system based on artificial intelligence
Zhanru QI ; Hanlin CHENG ; Chunjie SHAN ; Ruiyang CHEN ; Hexiang WENG ; Yue DU ; Guanjun GUO ; Xiaoxian WANG ; Jing YAO ; Shouhua LUO ; Aijuan FANG ; Hui CHEN ; Zhongqing SHI
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2025;34(2):107-113
Object:To explore the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for quality control of echocardiographic images.Methods:Retrospectively,5 000 two-dimensional echocardiographic video images within the period from 2021 to 2023 were randomly retrieved from the echocardiography database of Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital,Affiliated Hospital of Medical School,Nanjing University. Among these selected images,1 559 of them were apical views. The physician team formulated the scoring rules,which specifically included four scoring criteria:gain,scaling ratio,cardiac axis angle,and structure. Subsequently,the data were labeled with view classification and image quality scores. The labeled data were further partitioned into the training set( n = 643),the validation set( n = 276),and the test set( n = 640). The training and validation sets were utilized for constructing the models for view classification and quality assessment,while the test set was employed to verify the models' effectiveness. The view classification module was implemented using the SlowFast model,and the quality assessment module involved algorithms such as ResNet,Video Swin Transformer,SSD,and U-Net. Results:The average accuracy,precision,recall rate and F1 score of the classification model in identifying each apical view were 0.987 1,0.983 0,0.987 1 and 0.984 9 respectively,and the inference time was(333.4 ± 105.4)ms. The average accuracies of the quality assessment module in terms of gain,scaling ratio,cardiac axis angle and display of main structures were 0.915 1,0.928 2,0.938 7 and 0.965 6 respectively,and the overall scoring accuracy was 0.912 7.Conclusions:The echocardiogram quality control system developed in this research can effectively classify and evaluate the quality of two-dimensional images of the apical views in echocardiograms. Moreover,it guarantees the objectivity,timeliness and high-efficiency of quality control,which has reference value for the establishment of the echocardiogram quality control system.
10.Quantitative evaluation of left ventricular remodeling in left bundle branch block induced cardiomyopathy by multimodal imaging
Xiaoxian WANG ; Changqing MIAO ; Beibei GE ; Mingxia LI ; Fen CHEN ; Fang XU ; Ning ZHANG ; Guanjun GUO ; Wei XU ; Wenzhi SHEN ; Yingming ZHAO ; Jing YAO
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2025;34(1):26-32
Objective:To quantitatively evaluate the effects of left bundle branch block(LBBB)on left ventricular structure,function and myocardial perfusion using left ventricular pressure-strain loop and single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT),and to investigate the relationship between myocardial work,myocardial perfusion and pathological changes of left ventricular remodeling in left bundle branch block induced cardiomyopathy(LBBB-CM).Methods:Fourteen male beagle dogs were selected,and the main trunk of the left bundle branch was ablated to create an LBBB dog model. Electrocardiogram(ECG),transesophageal echocardiography and arterial blood pressure data of LBBB dogs were collected before and 12 months after the ablation of left bundle branch trunk. Global and segmental myocardial work parameters were obtained by left ventricular pressure-strain loop. The differences of above parameters between baseline and 12 months after the ablation of left bundle branch were compared. SPECT was performed in LBBB dogs 12 months after the creation of LBBB. The hearts were harvested for anatomy observation and histopathological analysis in LBBB dogs and another 7 male beagle dogs(normal control group)matched by age and weight. The correlation between myocardial perfusion(percentage of regional tracer uptake)and myocardial work parameters,myocardial fibrosis in LBBB dogs were analyzed.Results:Compared with baseline,the left ventricular end-diastolic volume of 12 months after the ablation increased[(20.78 ± 5.32)ml vs(26.71 ± 7.94)ml, P = 0.003],left ventricular ejection fraction decreased[(59.17 ± 5.67)% vs(47.69 ± 5.45)%, P<0.001];left ventricular global/segmental longitudinal strain,global/segmental constructive work and global/segmental work efficiency decreased(all P<0.05),left ventricular global/segmental wasted work increased(all P<0.001). Heterogenous perfusion defect was observed in LBBB dogs by SPECT,compared with lateral wall segments,the percentage of regional tracer uptake of septum was decreased(all P<0.05). Gross anatomical and myocardial pathological changes were manifested as cardiomegaly,flaky or focal grayish thickening of endocardium,cardiomyocyte degeneration and fibrosis. Compared with normal control group,the collagen fiber volume fraction(CVF)in all segmental endocardium and partial segmental myocardium of LBBB dogs were significantly increased(all P<0.05). Percentage of regional tracer uptake was positively correlated with segmental myocardial work(SMW)and segmental myocardial efficiency(SWE)( r s = 0.49,0.31;both P<0.001),and negatively correlated with CVF and segmental wasted work(SWW)( r s = -0.51,-0.49;both P<0.001). Conclusions:Isolated LBBB is not benign,which can result in left ventricular remodeling,decreased cardiac constructive function,abnormal myocardial perfusion,endocardial fibrosis and myocardial fibrosis.The parameters of myocardial work assecsed by echocardiograpgy and myocardial perfusion,as non-invasive examination,can to some extent reflect the degree of left ventricular remodeling in LBBB-CM.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail