OBJECTIVE To investigate the improvement effects and mechanism of astragaloside Ⅳ （AS- Ⅳ ） on lipopolysaccharide （LPS）-induced neuroinflammation. METHODS BV2 cells were divided into control group， LPS group， AS-Ⅳ groups at concentrations of 20 and 40 μmol/L， and dexamethasone group （2 μmol/L）. Except for control group， neuroinflammation model was established with LPS （1 μg/mL） in other groups after medication. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and nitric oxide （NO）] in cell supernatant were measured in each group. Mice were randomly divided into normal group， model group， positive control group （Aspirin enteric-coated tablet， 20 mg/kg）， AS-Ⅳ low- and high-dose groups （10， 20 mg/kg）， with 6 mice in each group. Mice in each group were administered the corresponding drug/normal saline via gavage/intraperitoneal injection， once a day， for 14 consecutive days. Except for normal group， other groups were intraperitoneally injected with LPS （250 μg/kg） 1 hour after daily administration of the drug/normal saline to establish neuroinflammation model. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were measured 2 h after the last medication； histopathological morphology of cerebral tissue in mice were observed； the co-localization of inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）/ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 （Iba1） and CD206/Iba1 in the cerebral cortex region of mice was observed； the expressions of proteins related to the nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）/mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway in brain tissue of mice were also determined， including NF-κB p65， phosphorylated NF-κB p65（p-NF-κB p65）， p38 MAPK， phosphorylated p38 MAPK （p-p38 MAPK）， extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， and phosphorylated ERK （p-ERK）. RESULTS In the cell experiments， compared with control group， the levels of IL-6， TNF- α and NO in the cell supernatant of the LPS group were increased significantly （P＜0.05）； compared with LPS group， the levels of IL-6， TNF-α and NO were decreased significantly in the administration groups （P＜0.05）. In the animal experiments， compared with the normal group， the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF- α， the number of iNOS/Iba1 co-localization positive cells in the cerebral cortex， and the phosphorylation levels of p38 MAPK， NF- κB p65 and ERK proteins in brain tissue were all significantly increased/elevated in model group （P＜0.05）； the number of CD206/ Iba1 co-localization positive cells in the cerebral cortex region significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. The neurons in the cerebral cortex and the CA3 region of the hippocampus displayed a disordered arrangement. Compared with model group， above quantitative indexes of mice were all reversed significantly in administration groups （P＜0.05）； the neuronal cells in the cerebral cortex and the CA3 region of the hippocampus exhibited a relatively orderly arrangement. CONCLUSIONS AS-Ⅳ may inhibit the activation of the NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathway， promote the M2-type polarization of microglia， and thereby suppress neuroinflammatory responses.

To investigate the changes in peripheral blood immune cells before and after the onset of septic shock in patients with malignant tumors, and to analyze the relationship between these immune cells and patient prognosis.

To analyze the treatment strategy for a 78-year-old female patient with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) gastric cancer who achieved long-term survival. After third-line chemotherapy failed, gene testing showed ARID1A p.Gln748fs, c.2733-1G＞T variation, with PD-L1 TPS 30%, CPS 60%. The nivolumab was employed, and two weeks later, the best response was partial response (PR). During the fourth-line immunotherapy maintenance treatment, progression of left adrenal metastasis was observed. The expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) was positive, and the antibody drug conjugate disitamab vedotin (RC48) was chosen for treatment. After 10 months of treatment with nivolumab combined with RC48, the best efficacy was assessed as stable disease (SD), with a progression free survival (PFS) of up to 12 months. Radiotherapy was employed, and immunotherapy was maintained, allowing the patient to achieve a PFS of 18 months again. During immunotherapy, a clinical pharmacist developed a personalized pharmaceutical care plan for this patient. At the last follow-up, this patient achieved 78 months of long-term survival.

INTRODUCTION: Lecanemab has shown promise in treating early Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its safety and efficacy in Chinese populations remain unexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and 6-month clinical outcomes of lecanemab in Chinese patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild AD. METHODS: In this single-arm, real-world study, participants with MCI due to AD or mild AD received biweekly intravenous lecanemab (10 mg/kg). The study was conducted at Hainan Branch, Ruijin Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Patient enrollment and baseline assessments commenced in November 2023. Safety assessments included monitoring for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) and other adverse events. Clinical and biomarker changes from baseline to 6 months were evaluated using cognitive scales (mini-mental state examination [MMSE], montreal cognitive assessment [MoCA], clinical dementia rating-sum of boxes [CDR-SB]), plasma biomarker analysis, and advanced neuroimaging. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were enrolled in this ongoing real-world study. Safety analysis revealed predominantly mild adverse events, with infusion-related reactions (20.3%, 13/64) being the most common. Of these, 69.2% (9/13) occurred during the initial infusion and 84.6% (11/13) did not recur. ARIA-H (microhemorrhages/superficial siderosis) and ARIA-E (edema/effusion) were observed in 9.4% (6/64) and 3.1% (2/64) of participants, respectively, with only two symptomatic cases (one ARIA-E presenting with headache and one ARIA-H with visual disturbances). After 6 months of treatment, cognitive scores remained stable compared to baseline (MMSE: 22.33 ± 5.58 vs . 21.27 ± 4.30, P = 0.733; MoCA: 16.38 ± 6.67 vs . 15.90 ± 4.78, P = 0.785; CDR-SB: 2.30 ± 1.65 vs . 3.16 ± 1.72, P = 0.357), while significantly increasing plasma amyloid-β 42 (Aβ42) (+21.42%) and Aβ40 (+23.53%) levels compared to baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Lecanemab demonstrated a favorable safety profile in Chinese patients with early AD. Cognitive stability and biomarker changes over 6 months suggest potential efficacy, though high dropout rates and absence of a control group warrant cautious interpretation. These findings provide preliminary real-world evidence for lecanemab's use in China, supporting further investigation in larger controlled studies. REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT07034222.
Humans ; Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy* ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Amyloid beta-Peptides/metabolism* ; Biomarkers ; East Asian People

Loss-of-function variants of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) can lead to reduced bone formation, culminating in diminished bone mass. Our previous study reported transcription factor osterix (SP7)‍-binding sites on the LRP5 promoter and its pivotal role in upregulating LRP5 expression during implant osseointegration. However, the potential role of SP7 in ameliorating LRP5-dependent osteoporosis remained unknown. In this study, we used mice with a conditional knockout (cKO) of LRP5 in mature osteoblasts, which presented decreased osteogenesis. The in vitro experimental results showed that SP7 could promote LRP5 expression, thereby upregulating the osteogenic markers such as alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), and β‍-catenin (P<0.05). For the in vivo experiment, the SP7 overexpression virus was injected into a bone defect model of LRP5 cKO mice, resulting in increased bone mineral density (BMD) (P<0.001) and volumetric density (bone volume (BV)/total volume (TV)) (P<0.001), and decreased trabecular separation (Tb.‍Sp) (P<0.05). These data suggested that SP7 could ameliorate bone defect healing in LRP5 cKO mice. Our study provides new insights into potential therapeutic opportunities for ameliorating LRP5-dependent osteoporosis.
Animals ; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-5/metabolism* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Sp7 Transcription Factor/physiology* ; Osteogenesis ; Bone Density ; Osteoblasts/metabolism* ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 1 Subunit/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; beta Catenin/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of age on the genetic variant spectrum and prognosis of patients with previously untreated Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and follow-up information of 254 previously untreated DLBCL patients from 14 hospitals in the Jiangsu Cooperative Lymphoma Group (JCLG) enrolled from July 2018 and July 2023. Following extraction of DNA from tumor tissue samples, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique was employed to analyze the genetic variant spectrum of the DLBCL patients, with an evaluation of the relationship between age and genetic variants as well as prognosis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University (Ethics No.: 2023-K048-01). RESULTS: The median age of the 254 DLBCL patients was 62 years old, with 55% of patients aged 60 years or above. Clinical evaluation showed that younger (< 60 years) patients had higher complete response (CR) (70% vs. 59%), and objective response rate (ORR) (88% vs. 79%) than older patients, though the difference between the two groups was not statistically. Survival analysis indicated that both the five-year overall survival (OS) (82.7% vs. 71.7%, P = 0.006) and progression-free survival (PFS) (70.6% vs. 50.2%, P < 0.05) rates were significantly higher in younger patients. NGS showed that 99.6% of the patients harbored genetic variants, with PIM1, KMT2D, TP53, MYD88, and CD79B being the most common genes. Age significantly affected the variant frequency of certain genes, with MYC variants serving an adverse prognostic factor for OS in younger patients (P = 0.002), while TP53 (P = 0.024) and BCL2 (P = 0.002) variants significantly impacted OS in older patients. Prognostic analysis identified age ≥ 60 years (HR = 3.439, 95%CI: 1.318~9.874), presence of B symptoms (HR = 2.871, 95%CI = 1.133~7.307), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (HR = 3.528, 95%CI = 1.231~10.66) as independent adverse prognostic factors. CONCLUSION Age, genetic variants, and clinical factors may significantly affect the prognosis of the DLBCL patients. Younger patients have better survival compared to older patients. Variants of the MYC, BCL2, and TP53 genes are closely associated with poor prognosis.
Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/diagnosis* ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Prognosis ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Genetic Variation

Objective:To assess the predictive performance of a nomogram model integrating endoscopic ultrasound（EUS）radiomic features with clinical variables for distinguishing early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma（ESCC）from non-cancerous lesions.Methods:Clinical and imaging data from 454 patients who underwent EUS for suspected esophageal malignancies were retrospectively collected in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University（training cohort， n = 323）and Dongyang People's Hospital（external validation cohort， n = 131）from January 2020 to November 2023. Independent clinical predictors of early ESCC were identified using univariable and multivariable Logistic regression analyses to establish a clinical model. Pearson correlation and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator（LASSO）algorithms were used to construct a radiomics model. A combined model integrating radiomics scores and clinical predictors was developed and visualized as a nomogram. The predictive performance of each model was assessed using the area under the ROC curve（AUC），and calibration curves were used to evaluate the model's fitting capability. Results:The training set and validation set indicated that there were statistically significant differences in age，smoking history and lesion location between the early ESCC group and the non-cancerous lesion change group（all P < 0.05）. According to univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis，age（ OR = 1.039，95% CI = 1.003–1.077， P = 0.036）and smoking（ OR = 2.358，95% CI = 1.270 - 4.376， P = 0.007）were identified as independent predictors and used to develop the clinical model，with AUCs of 0.608 and 0.694 in the training and validation cohorts，respectively. Fourteen optimal radiomic features were selected to construct the radiomics model，with AUCs of 0.881 and 0.807 in the training and validation cohorts，respectively. The combined nomogram model demonstrated superior predictive performance with AUCs of 0.893 and 0.830，sensitivities of 82.5% and 79.1%，and specificities of 82.2% and 81.3% in the training and validation cohorts，respectively. Conclusions:The EUS-based nomogram model demonstrates optimal predictive performance and can serve as a non-invasive tool to assist endoscopists in distinguishing early ESCC from non-cancerous lesions.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of elderly patients with stage Ⅰ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and analyze the factors associated with prognosis.Methods:A case series study was conducted by retrospectively collecting clinical data from patients aged over 60 years with newly diagnosed stage Ⅰ DLBCL across 20 medical centers in Jiangsu Province, China, between June 2010 and April 2023. The involved site, classification and treatment plan were summarized. The primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Statistical analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression model.Results:The study included 255 patients with a median age of 69 years, of whom 130 (51.0%) were male, 66 (25.9%) were aged ≥75 years and 26 (10.1%) had a high Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score of ≥2. Extranodal involvement was observed in 163 (63.9%) patients, with the stomach (37.4%, 61/163), intestine (19.0%, 31/163), testes (11.0%, 18/163), and breast (7.4%, 12/163) being the most frequently affected sites. The non-germinal center B-cell (non-GCB) subtype was prevalent in 63.7% of patients (142/223), with no significant difference between the nodal and extranodal groups ( P=0.681). Furthermore, 73.9% (184/249) and 11.7% (29/249) of patients received the R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) and R-miniCHOP regimen, respectively. The overall 3-year PFS rate was 81.5%, and the 3-year OS rate was 85.6%. Patients aged ≥75 years ( HR=2.910, 95% CI 1.565-5.408, P=0.001) and/or with a CCI score ≥2 ( HR=2.324, 95% CI 1.141-4.732, P=0.020) had a significantly poorer PFS. Incorporating age ≥75 years and CCI score ≥2 into the stage-modified international prognostic index (sm-IPI) can better stratify the prognosis of elderly patients with stage Ⅰ DLBCL. The 3-year PFS rate was 48.7% in the high-risk group versus 85.7% in the low-risk group ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Our findings show that the elderly patients with stage Ⅰ DLBCL were predominantly characterized by extranodal involvement (particularly in the stomach and intestinal tract) and non-GCB subtype. Age ≥75 years and CCI ≥2 were identified as independent prognostic factors. The newly established sm-IPI-75-CCI incorporating these factors demonstrated superior prognostic discrimination compared to conventional risk assessment systems.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of bendamustine combined with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody in the first-line treatment of older patients with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-iNHL) .Methods:The clinical data of 159 patients with B-iNHL enrolled in 16 hospitals from Jiangsu Cooperative Lymphoma Group from December 1, 2019, to April 20, 2024, were analyzed for regimen efficacy and safety. Bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) and bendamustine plus obinutuzumab (BG) were administered to 139 (87.4% ) and 20 (12.6% ) patients, respectively.Results:Among the 159 patients, 101 (63.5% ) were male and 58 (36.5% ) were female, with a median age of 69 years (range: 60–84). Efficacy could be assessed in 138 (86.8% ) patients. The efficacy assessment demonstrated that the overall response rate was 92.0% with complete and partial remissions in 75 (54.3% ) and 52 (37.7% ) cases, respectively. With a median follow-up of 24 months (range: 4–64), the progression-free survival rate was (87.5 ± 3.0) % and the overall survival rate was (83.2 ± 3.3) %. Of the 27 patients who died, 6 (22.2% ) died due to disease progression. The mean applied dose of bendamustine per cycle was 73.0 (50.8–89.7) mg/m 2 per day, administered on days 1 and 2. Adverse events of grade 3 or higher were reported in 53 (33.3% ) patients, with infection (30 cases,18.9% ) and neutropenia (24 cases, 15.1% ) demonstrating the highest incidence. Conclusion:Bendamustine combined with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody demonstrated good efficacy and is well-tolerated in the first-line treatment of elderly patients with B-iNHL.

Objective:To explore the impact of age on the genetic variant spectrum and prognosis of patients with previously untreated Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data and follow-up information of 254 previously untreated DLBCL patients from 14 hospitals in the Jiangsu Cooperative Lymphoma Group (JCLG) enrolled from July 2018 and July 2023. Following extraction of DNA from tumor tissue samples, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique was employed to analyze the genetic variant spectrum of the DLBCL patients, with an evaluation of the relationship between age and genetic variants as well as prognosis. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University (Ethics No.: 2023-K048-01).Results:The median age of the 254 DLBCL patients was 62 years old, with 55% of patients aged 60 years or above. Clinical evaluation showed that younger (< 60 years) patients had higher complete response (CR) (70% vs. 59%), and objective response rate (ORR) (88% vs. 79%) than older patients, though the difference between the two groups was not statistically. Survival analysis indicated that both the five-year overall survival (OS) (82.7% vs. 71.7%, P=0.006) and progression-free survival (PFS) (70.6% vs. 50.2%, P<0.05) rates were significantly higher in younger patients. NGS showed that 99.6% of the patients harbored genetic variants, with PIM1, KMT2D, TP53, MYD88, and CD79B being the most common genes. Age significantly affected the variant frequency of certain genes, with MYC variants serving an adverse prognostic factor for OS in younger patients ( P=0.001), while TP53 ( P=0.024) and BCL2 ( P=0.002) variants significantly impacted OS in older patients. Prognostic analysis identified age ≥ 60 years ( HR=3.439, 95% CI=1.318~9.874), presence of B symptoms ( HR = 2.871, 95% CI=1.133~7.307), and elevated lactate dehydrogenase ( HR=3.528, 95% CI=1.231~10.66) as independent adverse prognostic factors. Conclusion:Age, genetic variants, and clinical factors may significantly affect the prognosis of the DLBCL patients. Younger patients have better survival compared to older patients. Variants of the MYC, BCL2, and TP53 genes are closely associated with poor prognosis.