Objective To explore the effects and mechanisms of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (HUC-MSC)-derived exosomes (Exo) pretreated with Huangkui capsules on renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Methods HUC-MSCs were cultured in media containing different concentrations of Huangkui capsules for 24 hours to determine cell viability and select an appropriate concentration for subsequent experiments. HUC-MSCs were pretreated with 50 μg/mL Huangkui capsules for 24 hours, and Exo were extracted using an exosome extraction kit. The morphology was observed under a transmission electron microscope, particle size was measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis, and the expression of exosomal membrane surface marker proteins was detected by Western blot. Human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) were randomly divided into hypoxia/reoxygenation group (M group), hypoxia/reoxygenation + Exo group (E group), and hypoxia/reoxygenation + Huangkui capsules pretreated Exo group (H group). Western blotting was used to measure the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-related proteins, and real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of ERS-related gene messenger RNA (mRNA). Mice were randomly divided into sham operation group (Sham group), ischemia-reperfusion group (I/R group), ischemia-reperfusion + Exo group (E group), and ischemia-reperfusion + Huangkui capsules pretreated Exo group (H group). Renal histological assessment, serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) measurement and inflammatory factor detection were performed 24 hours later. Results Both Exo and Huangkui capsules prereated Exo had a bilayer membrane structure and a cup-shaped morphology; their average particle sizes were 116.8 nm and 81.3 nm, respectively. Both expressed CD9, CD63, TSG101. Compared with the M group, the E group had decreased relative expression of transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) proteins, increased mRNA relative expression, increased relative expression of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) protein, and decreased mRNA relative expression. Compared with the E group, the H group had decreased relative expression of ATF6, PERK, CHOP proteins, and decreased mRNA relative expression of ATF6 and PERK (all P<0.05). Animal experimental results showed that compared with the Sham group, the I/R group had increased renal tubular injury scores, Scr, BUN, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, IL-18, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels. Compared with the I/R group, the E and H groups had decreased renal tubular injury scores and Scr, BUN, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α levels. Compared with the E group, the H group had decreased renal tubular injury scores and Scr, BUN, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, TNF-α levels (all P<0.05). Conclusions Huangkui capsules pretreatment HUC-MSC-derived Exo may alleviate renal IRI by inhibiting ERS.

Objective To analyze the proportion and clinicopathological characteristics of HER2-positive breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants, and their response to neoadjuvant anti-HER2 targeted therapy. Methods The clinicopathological data of 531 breast cancer patients with germline BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants (201 with BRCA1 variants and 330 with BRCA2 variants) were analyzed. Results Among the 201 BRCA1 and 330 BRCA2 variants, 17 (8.5%) and 42 (12.7%) HER2-positive breast cancer cases were identified, respectively, accounting for 11.1% of all BRCA1/2-mutated breast cancers. Compared with BRCA1/2-mutated HR-positive/HER2-negative patients, HER2-positive patients did not present any significant differences in clinicopathological features; however, compared with triple-negative breast cancer patients, HER2-positive patients had a later onset age and lower tumor grade. Among the 17 patients who received neoadjuvant anti-HER2 targeted therapy, 10 cases achieved pCR (58.8%), whereas 7 cases did not (41.2%). Conclusion HER2-positive breast cancer accounts for more than 10% of BRCA1/2-mutated patients. Approximately 40% of these patients fail to achieve pCR after neoadjuvant targeted therapy. This phenomenon highlights the possibility of combining anti-HER2 targeted agents with poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: Senescent human skin primary fibroblast (FB) models have been established for studying aging-related, proliferative, and inflammatory skin diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the transcriptome characteristics of human primary dermal FBs from children and the elderly with four senescence models. METHODS: Human skin primary FBs were obtained from healthy children (FB-C) and elderly donors (FB-E). Senescence models were generated by ultraviolet B irradiation (FB-UVB), D-galactose stimulation (FB-D-gal), atazanavir treatment (FB-ATV), and replication exhaustion induction (FB-P30). Flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, co-culturing with immune cells, and bulk RNA sequencing were used for systematic comparisons of the models. RESULTS: In comparison with FB-C, FB-E showed elevated expression of senescence-related genes related to the skin barrier and extracellular matrix, proinflammatory factors, chemokines, oxidative stress, and complement factors. In comparison with FB-E, FB-UVB and FB-ATV showed higher levels of senescence and expression of the genes related to the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and their shaped immune microenvironment highly facilitated the activation of downstream immune cells, including T cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells. FB-P30 was most similar to FB-E in terms of general transcriptome features, such as FB migration and proliferation, and aging-related characteristics. FB-D-gal showed the lowest expression levels of senescence-related genes. In comparisons with the single-cell RNA sequencing results, FB-E showed almost complete simulation of the transcriptional spectrum of FBs in elderly patients with atopic dermatitis, followed by FB-P30 and FB-UVB. FB-E and FB-P30 showed higher similarity with the FBs in keloids. CONCLUSIONS Each senescent FB model exhibited different characteristics. In addition to showing upregulated expression of natural senescence features, FB-UVB and FB-ATV showed high expression levels of senescence-related genes, including those involved in the SASP, and FB-P30 showed the greatest similarity with FB-E. However, D-galactose-stimulated FBs did not clearly present aging characteristics.
Humans ; Fibroblasts/drug effects* ; Cellular Senescence/physiology* ; Skin/metabolism* ; Child ; Transcriptome/genetics* ; Aged ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Cells, Cultured ; Galactose/pharmacology*

BACKGROUND: Bile acids (BAs) facilitate the progression of gastric intestinal metaplasia (GIM). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) dysregulation was observed along with the initiation of gastric cancer. However, how lncRNAs function in GIM remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role and mechanism of lncRNA PVT1 in GIM, and provide a potential therapeutic target for GIM treatment. METHODS: We employed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to screen dysregulated lncRNAs in gastric epithelial cells after BA treatment. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to reveal the regulatory mechanism. PVT1 expression was detected in 21 paired biopsies obtained under endoscopy. Overexpressed and knockdown cell models were established to explore gene functions in GIM. Molecular interactions were validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (Ch-IP). The levels of relative molecular expression were detected in GIM tissues. RESULTS: We confirmed that lncRNA PVT1 was upregulated in BA-induced GIM model. PVT1 promoted the expression of intestinal markers such as CDX2 , KLF4 , and HNF4α . Bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-34b-5p was a putative target of PVT1 . miR-34b-5p mimics increased CDX2 , KLF4 , and HNF4α levels. Restoration of miR-34b-5p decreased the pro-metaplastic effect of PVT1 . The interactions between PVT1 , miR-34b-5p, and the downstream target HNF4α were validated. Moreover, HNF4α could transcriptionally activated PVT1 , sustaining the GIM phenotype. Finally, the activation of the PVT1 /miR-34b-5p/ HNF4α loop was detected in GIM tissues. CONCLUSIONS BAs facilitate GIM partially via a PVT1/miR-34b-5p/HNF4α positive feedback loop. PVT1 may become a novel target for blocking the continuous development of GIM and preventing the initiation of gastric cancer in patients with bile reflux.
Humans ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4/genetics* ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Kruppel-Like Factor 4 ; Metaplasia/metabolism*

Objective To compare the screening efficacy of the Water Swallow Test and the Standard-ized Swallowing Assessment for identifying swallowing disorder risk in elderly inpatients,providing reference for selecting appropriate clinical screening tools.Methods Using convenience sampling,240 elderly inpatients admitted from March to November 2023 were enrolled.Swallowing function was evaluated using the Water Swallow Test,Standardized Swallowing Assessment,and the Eating Assessment Tool.With the Eating As-sessment Tool as the diagnostic standard,Bayes discriminant analysis and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were employed to compare the screening capabilities of the Water Swallow Test and Standard-ized Swallowing Assessment for swallowing disorder risk in elderly hospitalized patients.Results A total of 240 questionnaires were distributed,and 226 valid questionnaires were recovered,with an effective recovery rate of 94.17%.The incidence of swallowing disorders in elderly patients was screened using Water Swallow Test,Standardized Swallowing Assessment,and The Eating Assessment Tool,with rates of 6.2%,31.0%,and 14.2%,respectively;The Kappa values for consistency between Water Swallow Test and The Eating As-sessment Tool,and between Standardized Swallowing Assessment and The Eating Assessment Tool were 0.381 and 0.392,respectively(both P<0.01);The areas under the ROC curves for Water Swallow Test and Standardized Swallowing Assessment were 0.839(95%CI:0.784 to 0.884)and 0.821(95%CI:0.765 to 0.869),respectively,with no statistically significant difference(Z=0.326,P=0.744);The cross validation accuracy of risk prediction for swallowing disorders was 88.5%and 77.9%,respectively;The cutoff values were 1.5 grades and 18.5 points,respectively;The sensitivity was 0.875 and 0.813,the specificity was 0.737 and 0.773,and the Youden index was 0.612 and 0.586,respectively.Conclusion Water Swallow Test and Standardized Swallowing Assessment have average ability to screen for the risk of swallowing disorders in eld-erly patients;Water Swallow Test has higher predictive efficiency for the risk of swallowing disorders,making it more suitable for screening the risk of swallowing disorders in elderly patients.

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.

Objective:To develop a nomogram model for predicting the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in patients with mechanical ventilation (MV) and to validate the stability of the prediction performance of the model.Methods:The patients with MV admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from January 2019 to December 2022 were retrospectively selected according to the order of admission. The patients with MV were divided into the non-VAP group and the VAP group according to whether VAP occurred. The clinical data of the two groups, including general information, disease, medication, condition, and operation-related indicators were collected as candidate predictors of the model for comparison. Multivariate logistic stepwise forward regression analysis was used to screen the predictors that finally entered the model, and a nomogram model was constructed. The model discrimination was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the diagnostic test results of the model at the predicted threshold were calculated, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to evaluate the model fit, and the Bootstrap resampling was used 1 000 times for internal validation, and model calibration and clinical applicability were evaluated by calibration curve and decision analysis curve, respectively.Results:A total of 1 250 patients with MV were included, including 1 102 patients in the non-VAP group and 148 patients in the VAP group, and the prevalence of VAP was 11.8%. The detection of multidrug-resistant organisms, chronic kidney disease, brain injury, oxygenation index, the place of tracheal intubation, reintubation, use of bronchoscopy, use of antibiotics, and MV duration were model predictors of VAP. The AUC of the nomogram model was 0.917 (95% CI: 0.895-0.939), the maximum Youden index of 0.697 corresponded to a prediction threshold of 0.096. The model accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 0.836, 0.865, and 0.832, respectively. The positive predictive value and the negative predictive value were 0.409 and 0.979, respectively. The Hosmer- Lemeshow test indicated that the model fit well ( P=0.938). The results of the internal validation of the model showed that the predicted risk of the calibration curve was generally consistent with the actual risk, and the decision threshold probability of the decision analysis curve ranged from 2% to 90%. Conclusions:The nomogram model developed in this study is simple, convenient and has relatively stable prediction performance, which can be externally validated to evaluate the extrapolation of the model, and provide a basis for individualized clinical prediction of the risk of VAP in patients with MV.

BACKGROUND: Given the general unavailability, common adverse effects, and complicated administration of tetracycline, the clinical application of classic bismuth quadruple therapy (BQT) is greatly limited. Whether minocycline can replace tetracycline for Helicobacter pylori ( H . pylori ) eradication is unknown. We aimed to compare the eradication rate, safety, and compliance between minocycline- and tetracycline-containing BQT as first-line regimens. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted on 434 naïve patients with H . pylori infection. The participants were randomly assigned to 14-day minocycline-containing BQT group (bismuth potassium citrate 110 mg q.i.d., esomeprazole 20 mg b.i.d., metronidazole 400 mg q.i.d., and minocycline 100 mg b.i.d.) and tetracycline-containing BQT group (bismuth potassium citrate/esomeprazole/metronidazole with doses same as above and tetracycline 500 mg q.i.d.). Safety and compliance were assessed within 3 days after eradication. Urea breath test was performed at 4-8 weeks after eradication to evaluate outcome. We used a noninferiority test to compare the eradication rates of the two groups. The intergroup differences were evaluated using Pearson chi-squared or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and Student's t -test for continuous variables. RESULTS: As for the eradication rates of minocycline- and tetracycline-containing BQT, the results of both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses showed that the difference rate of lower limit of 95% confidence interval (CI) was >-10.0% (ITT analysis: 181/217 [83.4%] vs . 180/217 [82.9%], with a rate difference of 0.5% [-6.9% to 7.9%]; PP analysis: 177/193 [91.7%] vs . 176/191 [92.1%], with a rate difference of -0.4% [-5.6% to 6.4%]). Except for dizziness more common (35/215 [16.3%] vs . 13/214 [6.1%], P = 0.001) in minocycline-containing therapy groups, the incidences of adverse events (75/215 [34.9%] vs . 88/214 [41.1%]) and compliance (195/215 [90.7%] vs . 192/214 [89.7%]) were similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The eradication efficacy of minocycline-containing BQT was noninferior to tetracycline-containing BQT as first-line regimen for H . pylori eradication with similar safety and compliance. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR 1900023646.
Humans ; Bismuth/therapeutic use* ; Metronidazole/therapeutic use* ; Esomeprazole/pharmacology* ; Minocycline/pharmacology* ; Helicobacter pylori ; Potassium Citrate/therapeutic use* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Tetracycline/adverse effects* ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Amoxicillin

With the development of precision medicine for lung cancer, targeted therapy has greatly improved the survival and prognosis of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the occurrence of acquired drug resistance ultimately leads to patients with no targeted drugs available and no standard treatment options for this group of patients afterwards. The emergence of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized the treatment of advanced NSCLC. However, due to the unique features of NSCLC with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, such as immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), single ICIs treatment has limited clinical benefits in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation, and the combination of ICIs with chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies is the trend. This review further discusses potential subpopulations with EGFR mutations that may benefit from ICIs treatment, and analyzes how decisions can be made in the era of combined immunotherapy to maximize the efficacy of ICIs treatment in EGFR mutation targeted therapy for NSCLC patients with drug resistance, with the aim of achieving individualized treatment.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/genetics* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors ; Lung Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation ; ErbB Receptors/genetics* ; Tumor Microenvironment

Objective:To investigate the effect of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) transplantation on bone metabolism and its mechanism in ovariectomized osteoporosis rats.Methods:Forty clean SD female rats aged 7 weeks were divided into 4 groups according to the random number table method: sham operation group, model group, the transplantation group, positive control group, in addition to control the rest of the group were performed bilateral oophorectomy build osteoporosis rats model, after 2 months of model establishment, rats in transplantation group were injected with 80 μl/kg PBS solution containing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through tail vein, rats in sham operation group and model group were injected with the same amount of PBS solution through tail vein, and rats in positive control group were given Xianlinggubao (0.5 g/100 g) by gavage every day. Serum and femur were collected 14 days after treatment. Hematoxylin and eosin staining (HE) was used to observe the histopathological changes of femur. Micro-CT was used to measure bone mineral density and bone parameters. The expression levels of osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin, alkaline phosphatase and insulin-like growth factor 1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The serum levels of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium were measured by spectrophotometer. The protein expressions of RANKL, OPG, TRAF6 and NF-KB1 in femur of each group were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the sham operation group, the bone mineral density (BMD) of the model group was decreased by (0.28±0.01) g/cm 3, bone volume fraction (BMD) was decreased by (0.28±0.01) g/cm 3. BV/TV) decreased by (19.73±2.02) %, trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) decreased by (0.082±0.008) mm, trabecular number (Tb.N) decreased by (1.60±0.17) mm -1 and trabecular separation/spacing (Tb.Sp) increased (0.273±0.024) mm, osteoprotegerin (489.49±55.29) ng/L, alkaline phosphatase (229.13±15.05) U/L, insulin-like growth factor-1 (236.64±14.32) μg/L, and osteocalcin were decreased (1.866±0.109) μg/L, calcium (11.98±1.09) mg/dl, phosphorus (6.85±0.68) mg/dl, and magnesium decreased (0.62±0.04) mg/dl) , the relative expression level of RANKL increased (1.05±0.09) , the relative expression level of OPG decreased (0.58±0.08) , the relative expression level of RANKL increased (0.74±0.10) , and the relative expression level of NF-kB1 increased (1.01±0.11) ( P<0.05) ; bone mineral density, bone mineral density, bone mineral density BMD (0.38±0.04 g/cm 3, BV/TV (26.73±2.74) %, Tb.Th (0.094±0.006) mm, Tb.N (2.67±0.09) mm-1 and Tb.Sp were decreased (0.241±0.026) mm) , osteoprotegerin (720.09±67.41) ng/L, alkaline phosphatase (269.48±14.15) U/L, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) decreased (335.95±24.13) μg/L, and osteocalcin increased (1.392±0.153) μg/L, calcium (7.12±0.53) mg/dl, phosphorus (4.54±0.32) mg/dl, magnesium (0.87±0.08) mg/dl. RANKL relative expression level increased (0.59±0.05) , OPG relative expression level decreased (0.97±0.10) , RANKL relative expression level increased (0.45±0.06) , NF-kB1 relative expression level increased (0.72±0.06) ( P<0.05) ;bone mineral density, bone mineral density, bone mineral density BMD (0.36±0.05) g/cm 3, BV/TV (28.72±3.20) %, Tb.Th (0.096±0.011) mm, Tb.N (2.85±0.24) mm -1 Tb.Sp was basically unchanged (0.241±0.027) mm, osteoprotegerin was decreased (716.78±36.90) ng/L, alkaline phosphatase was basically unchanged (270.65±18.59) U/L, and insulin-like growth factor 1 was decreased (336.94±17.50) μg/L, osteocalcin (1.377±0.101) μg/L, calcium (7.13±0.80) mg/dl, phosphorus (4.58±0.71) mg/dl, and magnesium (0.89±0.04) remained unchanged mg/dl, the relative expression level of RANKL increased (0.55±0.08) , the relative expression level of OPG decreased (0.98±0.13) , the relative expression level of RANKL was basically unchanged (0.40±0.05) , and the relative expression level of NF-kB1 increased (0.65±0.09) ( P<0.05) . Conclusion:Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation can improve osteoporosis in ovariectomized rats by regulating bone metabolism and serum levels of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, which may be related to RANKL/OPG/TRAF6 pathway.