Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, is characterized by high mortality and recurrence rates. Common treatments include hepatectomy, liver transplantation, ablation therapy, interventional therapy, radiotherapy, systemic therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). While exhibiting specific advantages, these approaches are associated with varying degrees of adverse effects. To alleviate patients' suffering and burdens, it is crucial to explore additional treatments and elucidate the pathogenesis of HCC, laying a foundation for the development of new TCM-based drugs. With emerging research on gut microbiota, it has been revealed that microbiota plays a vital role in the development of HCC by influencing intestinal barrier function, microbial metabolites, and immune regulation. TCM, with its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics, has been increasingly recognized as a vital therapeutic treatment for HCC, particularly in patients at intermediate or advanced stages, by prolonging survival and improving quality of life. Recent global studies demonstrate that TCM exerts anti-HCC effects by modulating gut microbiota, restoring intestinal barrier function, regulating microbial composition and its metabolites, suppressing inflammation, and enhancing immune responses, thereby inhibiting the malignant phenotype of HCC. This review aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which gut microbiota contributes to the development and progression of HCC and highlight the regulatory effects of TCM, addressing the current gap in systematic understanding of the "TCM-gut microbiota-HCC" axis. The findings provide theoretical support for integrating TCM with western medicine in HCC treatment and promote the transition from basic research to precision clinical therapy through microbiota-targeted drug development and TCM-based interventions.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/microbiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/microbiology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an anthracycline drug widely applied in various malignancies. However, the fatal cardiotoxicity induced by Dox limits its clinical application. Post-transcriptional protein modification via ubiquitination/deubiquitination in cardiomyocytes mediates the pathophysiological process in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC). In this study, we aimed to clarify the regulatory role and mechanism of a deubiquitinating enzyme, ubiquitin-specific peptidase 13 (USP13), in DIC. RNA-seq analysis and experimental examinations identified that cardiomyocyte-derived USP13 positively correlated with DIC. Mice with cardiac-specific deletion of USP13 were subjected to Dox modeling. Adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) carrying cTNT promoter was constructed to overexpress USP13 in mouse heart tissues. Cardiomyocyte-specific knockout of USP13 exacerbated DIC, while its overexpression mitigated DIC in mice. Mechanistically, USP13 deubiquitinates the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and promotes the autolysosome-related degradation of STING, subsequently alleviating cardiomyocyte inflammation and death. Our study suggests that USP13 serves a cardioprotective role in DIC and indicates USP13 as a potential therapeutic target for DIC treatment.

Foodborne illnesses caused by Salmonella pose significant threats to worldwide public health safety.In this study,a rapid method for screening viable Salmonella in oyster sauce and milk was developed by utilizing an electronic microbial growth analyzer(EMGA).Target food samples were diluted 10-fold with RVS broth and loaded into test tubes.Test tubes were positioned in the EMGA to determine the bacterial growth curves and the time required to reach the maximum growth rate(Tmgr).Using Salmonella typhimurium(S.typhimurium)asan model species,there was linear relationship between the logarithmic value of viable bacterial concentration(lgC)and Tmgr over the range of 5×101-5×106 CFU/mL,with a detection limit of 10 CFU/mL.For oyster sauce,the regression equation was Tmgr(min)=-80.775lg[C/(CFU/mL)]+754.96(R2=0.9907),and the recovery rates of S.typhimurium ranged from 95.2%to 119.8%,with relative standard deviations(RSD)ranging from 3.5%to 16.3%.For milk,the regression equation was Tmgr(min)=-71.922 lg[C/(CFU/mL)]+618.65(R2=0.9985),with recovery rates ranging from 98.4%to 110.6%and RSD ranging from 6.4%to 12.8%.The EMGA method required only one portable instrument,and involving only three manual steps,i.e.,dilution,transfer,and insertion.When S.typhimurium contamination reached 106 CFU/mL,the total time consumption,from the unwrapping of samples to the readout of bacterial concentration,was no more than 7 h.When applied to detection of actual oyster sauce and milk samples,the new method demonstrated strong consistency with plate counting results in positive detection rates.This method was superior to the plate counting method,which was generally considered as a gold standard,in terms of accuracy,precision,simplicity and efficiency,representing a promising alternative for the on-site screening and quantification of viable Salmonella in oyster sauce and milk products.

Objective To explore the effect of management model of clinical pharmacists participating in multidisciplinary collaborative diagnosis and treatment(MDT)for new anti-tumor drugs in the national medical insurance drug negotiation(hereinafter referred to as"national negotiation"),including efficacy,safe-ty,economy and rationality.Methods The medical records of 326 cases using novel anti-tumor drugs by na-tional negotiation and conforming to the including and excluding standards in this hospital from July 2018 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into the MDT group(n=122)and non-MDT group(n=204).The patients diagnosed as non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)in the two groups were extracted and defined as the MDT-NSCLC subgroup(n=41)and non-MDT-NSCLC subgroup(n=77).The progression-free survival(PFS),overall survival(OS),disease control rate(DCR)and the indexes such as survival quality and medical quality control were compared between the groups.Results The median PFS in the two groups was 12.7 months and 8.0 months,the median OS was 75.2 months and 56.3 months,DCR was 96.72％and 81.86％respectively,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The COX multivariate regression analysis indicated that the HR value of clinical pharmacists participating in MDT was higher than the other influencing factors.The median PFS time in the MDT-NSCLC subgroup and non-MDT-NSCLC subgroup was 10.5 months and 6.7 months,DCR was 97.30％and 75.64％respectively,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05),the median OS time was 55.1 months and 40.3 months respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P＞0.05).The COX multivariate regression anal-ysis indicated that the HR value with clinical pharmacists participating in MDT was higher than the other in-fluencing factors;The adverse reaction occurrence rate in the MDT group and non-MDT group was 45.9％and 58.3％respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The KPS score after treatment in the MDT group was higher than that in the non-MDT group,and the difference was statistically significant;in the aspect of medical quality control,the average drug proportion in the MDT group and non-MDT group was 63.93％and 64.54％respectively,the rational drug rate of comments on prescription was 98.36％and 88.73％respectively,the patient satisfaction average value was 90.69 points and 87.36 points respectively and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Clinical pharmacists participating in MDT related to novel anti-tumor drugs by national negotiation is beneficial to improve the therapeutic effects,living quality and patient satisfaction,also benefit to management and control of off-label drug use and medical quality control indexes.

Objective Under the guidance of the Social Ecosystems Theory(SET)framework,this study explores the experience of social isolation among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD),providing a basis for the development of targeted clinical interventions.Methods This study employed purposeful sampling methods.Semi-structured interviews were conducted from April to July 2024 with patients diagnosed with COPD at a tertiary hospital in Shanxi Province,China,who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method and NVivo 12.0 software.Results This study involved in-depth interviews with 15 patients suffering from COPD,totaling approximately 405 minutes of interview time and yielding over 40,000 words in transcribed text.Totally 3 main themes and 9 sub-themes were distilled,among which the microsystem level reflects the intricate interplay of individual experiences(physical functional limitations,severe negative emotions,heightened emotional imbalance,and weakened social roles);the mesosystem level pertains to the support and challenges from family and social networks(intense need for familial emotional support,widening social gaps in interactions with friends and relatives,and pronounced interpersonal communication barriers);the macrosystem level involves the integrated influence of societal and policy environments(restricted living conditions and urgent demands for policy support and service accessibility).Conclusion The social isolation experienced by patients with COPD manifests in multiple dimensions of experience.It is necessary to develop interdisciplinary and multi-level comprehensive intervention strategies for the future,to create more social opportunities and emotional connections for patients,thereby improving their quality of life.

Objective Under the guidance of the Social Ecosystems Theory(SET)framework,this study explores the experience of social isolation among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD),providing a basis for the development of targeted clinical interventions.Methods This study employed purposeful sampling methods.Semi-structured interviews were conducted from April to July 2024 with patients diagnosed with COPD at a tertiary hospital in Shanxi Province,China,who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method and NVivo 12.0 software.Results This study involved in-depth interviews with 15 patients suffering from COPD,totaling approximately 405 minutes of interview time and yielding over 40,000 words in transcribed text.Totally 3 main themes and 9 sub-themes were distilled,among which the microsystem level reflects the intricate interplay of individual experiences(physical functional limitations,severe negative emotions,heightened emotional imbalance,and weakened social roles);the mesosystem level pertains to the support and challenges from family and social networks(intense need for familial emotional support,widening social gaps in interactions with friends and relatives,and pronounced interpersonal communication barriers);the macrosystem level involves the integrated influence of societal and policy environments(restricted living conditions and urgent demands for policy support and service accessibility).Conclusion The social isolation experienced by patients with COPD manifests in multiple dimensions of experience.It is necessary to develop interdisciplinary and multi-level comprehensive intervention strategies for the future,to create more social opportunities and emotional connections for patients,thereby improving their quality of life.

Objective:To investigate the effect of progression of disease within 24 months(POD24)on overall survival(OS)in patients with mantle cell lymphoma(MCL),and compare the clinical characteristics between POD24 and non-POD24 patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 50 MCL patients with treatment indications and regular treatment who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2010 to August 2020.According to the occurrence of POD24,the patients were grouped for prognostic evaluation and clinical characteristics comparison.Results:Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that POD24,PLT,albumin,MIPI score,ECOG PS score,LDH were the factors influencing OS in newly diagnosed MCL patients(all P＜0.05).The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that POD24[HR=16.797(95％CI:3.671-76.861),P＜0.001],albumin＜40 g/L[HR=3.238(95％CI:1.095-9.572),P=0.034]and ECOG PS score≥2[HR=4.005(95％CI:1.033-15.521),P=0.045]were independent risk factors influencing OS in MCL patients.The incidence of PLT＜100 × 109/L(33.3％vs 5.9％,P=0.033)and ECOG PS score≥2(45.5％vs 5.9％,P=0.040)were significantly higher in POD24 patients than those in non-POD24 patients.Conclusion:POD24 is an independent poor prognostic factor affecting the OS of MCL patients,and the patients with PLT＜100 × 109/L and ECOG PS score ≥2 at diagnosis have a higher probability of POD24.

Objective:To investigate the effect of endothelial activation and stress index(EASIX)on the prognosis of patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma(AITL)and peripheral T-cell lymphoma,not otherwise specified(PTCL-NOS),and to compare the clinical characteristics of patients in the low EASIX and high EASIX groups.Methods:The clinical data of 59 newly diagnosed AITL and PTCL-NOS patients admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from January 2010 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.The optimal cut-off value of EASIX was determined by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve;The chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation between EASIX and clinical features of patients with AITL and PTCL-NOS;The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to analyze the overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)of the patients;Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed by using Cox proportional hazards model.Results:The optimal cut-off value of EASIX was 0.95,based on which the patients were divided into a low EASIX(＜0.95)group and a high EASIX(≥ 0.95)group.Compared with the low EASIX group,the high EASIX group had a higher proportion of patients with advanced Ann Arbor stage,higher risk according to IPI,elevated LDH,hypoproteinemia,anemia,B symptoms,extranodal involvement,and bone marrow involvement.Survival analysis showed that the OS and PFS of patients in the high EASIX group were significantly shorter than those in the lower EASIX group(P＜0.001).The multivariate analysis showed that EASIX was an independent risk factor for OS[HR=7.217(95％CI:1.959-26.587),P=0.003]and PFS[HR=2.718(95％CI:1.032-7.161),P=0.043]of PTCL patients.Conclusion:High EASIX in newly diagnosed patients with AITL and PTCL-NOS suggests a poor prognosis,and high EASIX is a risk factor affecting prognosis of the patients.

Objective To monitor the susceptibility of clinical isolates to antimicrobial agents in healthcare facilities in major regions of China in 2023.Methods Clinical isolates collected from 73 hospitals across China were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using a unified protocol based on disc diffusion method or automated testing systems.Results were interpreted using the 2023 Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoints.Results A total of 445199 clinical isolates were collected in 2023,of which 29.0％ were gram-positive and 71.0％ were gram-negative.The prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains in Staphylococcus aureus,Staphylococcus epidermidis and other coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (excluding Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Staphylococcus schleiferi) (MRSA,MRSE and MRCNS) was 29.6％,81.9％ and 78.5％,respectively.Methicillin-resistant strains showed significantly higher resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents than methicillin-susceptible strains (MSSA,MSSE and MSCNS).Overall,92.9％ of MRSA strains were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and 91.4％ of MRSE strains were susceptible to rifampicin.No vancomycin-resistant strains were found.Enterococcus faecalis had significantly lower resistance rates to most antimicrobial agents tested than Enterococcus faecium.A few vancomycin-resistant strains were identified in both E.faecalis and E.faecium.The prevalence of penicillin-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae was 93.1％ in the isolates from children and and 95.9％ in the isolates from adults.The resistance rate to carbapenems was lower than 15.0％ for most Enterobacterales species except for Klebsiella,22.5％ and 23.6％ of which were resistant to imipenem and meropenem,respectively .Most Enterobacterales isolates were highly susceptible to tigecycline,colistin and polymyxin B,with resistance rates ranging from 0.6％ to 10.0％.The resistance rate to imipenem and meropenem was 21.9％ and 17.4％ for Pseudomonas aeruginosa,respectively,and 67.5％ and 68.1％ for Acinetobacter baumannii,respectively.Conclusions Increasing resistance to the commonly used antimicrobial agents is still observed in clinical bacterial isolates.However,the prevalence of important crabapenem-resistant organisms such as crabapenem-resistant K.pneumoniae,P.aeruginosa,and A.baumannii showed a slightly decreasing trend.This finding suggests that strengthening bacterial resistance surveillance and multidisciplinary linkage are important for preventing the occurrence and development of bacterial resistance.

The identification of the components absorbed in serum of platycosides in total saponins fraction of Platycodonis Radix is great significance, but there are still great challenges. In this study, 8 types of 44 primordial components from Platycodon saponins were firstly identified using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography-linear ion trap electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) equipped with the software of Compound Discoverer 3.2 and Trace finder 2.1. Then, the platycosides and their deglycosylated metabolites were used as the template molecules to construct the intestinal microbiota mediated method to identify the primary components and the prototypes in serum. As results, 57 components originating from 44 prototypes of platycosides were identified from drug-containing plasma. Those compounds consist of 12 prototypes of platycosides and 45 metabolites, while the prototypes in serum are also deglycosylated metabolites of other platycosides. The results showed that the intestinal microbiota mediated method could be applied to identify the metabolites of platycosides in total saponins fraction of Platycodonis Radix; and reveal the potential existing forms of prototypes of platycosides in plasma; In addition, it could clearly illustrate the one to many and many to one network of the prototypes and metabolites of platycosides. All animal protocols were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (No.JZLLSC-202100322).