OBJECTIVE To explore the mechanism of Huayu jiedu formula in regulating inflammatory injury in chronic kidney disease （CKD）. METHODS Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into a sham surgery group （10 rats） and a modeling group （40 rats）. The CKD model was replicated in the modeling group by unilateral ureteral obstruction surgery. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into model group， esaxerenone group （positive control）， and TCM low- and high-dose groups， with 10 rats in each group. The Esaxerenone group was given 1 mg/kg of esaxerenone， while the TCM low- and high-dose groups were given 13.7 and 27.4 g/kg of Huayu jiedu formula respectively， the sham surgery group and model group were given an equal volume of physiological saline， all groups were intervened continuously for 14 days. Hematoxylin eosin and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes in rat kidney tissue. Conventional biochemical methods were used to detect serum urea （SUr）， serum creatinine （SCr）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） levels； enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the levels of serum interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）； immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α（PGC-1α） ， mitochondrial transcription factor A （TFAM）， absent in melanoma 2（AIM2）， caspase-1， gasdermin D （GSDMD）， IL-1β and IL-18 in renal tissue； real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of AIM2. RESULTS Compared with the sham surgery group， the renal tissue of the model group showed pathological changes such as glomerular deformation and destruction， severe tubular dilation， and increased deposition of blue fibrin； the levels of SUr， SCr， MDA， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α，the protein expression of AIM2， GSDMD， caspase-1， IL-1β， IL-18 ， and the mRNA expression of AIM2 were significantly increased or up-regulated （P＜0.01）； the levels of SOD， the protein expression of PGC-1α， TFAM were significantly reduced or down-regulated （P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed improvement in the above symptoms and most indicators in rats. CONCLUSIONS Huayu jiedu formula may improve renal function， alleviate renal inflammatory damage and pyroptosis， and exert renal protective effects by regulating the AIM2 pyroptosis pathway.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been included in various neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) regimens for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, due to the relatively short period for the use of ICIs in NAT, patients' clinical outcomes with different regimens are uncertain. Our study aims to examine the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy (NAIT) for NSCLC patients and compare the overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) of patients receiving different NAT regimens. METHODS: This study retrospectively included 308 NSCLC patients treated with different NAT regimens and subsequent surgery in National Cancer Center between August 1, 2016 and July 31, 2022. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were conducted to evaluate the prognosis of patients. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 27.5 months, the 1-year OS rates were 98.8% and 96.2%, and the 2-year OS rates were 96.6% and 85.8% in patients of the NAIT and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) group, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.339; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.160-0.720; P = 0.003). The 1-year EFS rates were 96.0% and 88.0%, and the 2-year EFS rates were 92.0% and 77.7% for patients in the NAIT and NACT groups, respectively (HR, 0.438; 95% CI, 0.276-0.846; P = 0.010). For patients who did not achieve pathological complete response (pCR), significantly longer OS ( P = 0.012) and EFS ( P = 0.019) were observed in patients receiving NAIT than those receiving NACT. Different NAT regimens had little effect on surgery and the postoperative length of stay (6 [4, 7] days vs . 6 [4, 7] days, Z = -0.227, P = 0.820). CONCLUSIONS NAIT exhibited superior efficacy to NACT for NSCLC, resulting in longer OS and EFS. The OS and EFS benefits were also observed among patients in the NAIT group who did not achieve pCR.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/mortality* ; Male ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/mortality* ; Middle Aged ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged ; Adult ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Treatment Outcome ; Immunotherapy/methods*

Objective Little is known about the association between whole-blood nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD+)levels and nabothian cysts.This study aimed to assess the association between NAD+levels and nabothian cysts in healthy Chinese women. Methods Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between NAD+levels and nabothian cysts. Results The mean age was 43.0±11.5 years,and the mean level of NAD+was 31.3±5.3 μmol/L.Nabothian cysts occurred in 184(27.7%)participants,with single and multiple cysts in 100(15.0%)and 84(12.6%)participants,respectively.The total nabothian cyst prevalence gradually decreased from 37.4%to 21.6%from Q1 to Q4 of NAD+and the prevalence of single and multiple nabothian cysts also decreased across the NAD+quartiles.As compared with the highest NAD+quartile(≥34.4 μmol/L),the adjusted odds ratios with 95%confidence interval of the NAD+Q1 was 1.89(1.14-3.14)for total nabothian cysts.The risk of total and single nabothian cysts linearly decreased with increasing NAD+levels,while the risk of multiple nabothian cysts decreased more rapidly at NAD+levels of 28.0 to 35.0 μmol/L. Conclusion:Low NAD+levels were associated with an increased risk of total and multiple nabothian cysts.

Aim To clarify the differential proteins of mammary tissues in Xihuang pills(XHP)against hy-perplasia of mammary glands(HMG)based on quanti-tative proteomics technology and validate them,and to explore the mechanism of action.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group and XHP group,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the blank group,estrogen and progesterone were injec-ted intramuscularly to establish a rat model of mamma-ry hyperplasia for 30 d.After XHP was administered for 14 d,the rats in each group were observed to have morphological changes in the apparent morphology of the mammary tissues,and pathological changes in the mammary tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE),and the differentially expressed pro-teins(DEPs)in the groups were screened by quantita-tive proteomics technology and subjected to bioinforma-tics analysis,and Western blot to verify the key DEPs.Results Compared with the model group,the appar-ent pathological morphology of the XHP group was sig-nificantly improved,the diameter of the nipple height of the rats was significantly reduced(P＜0.01),and the degree of histopathology was significantly allevia-ted.Quantitative proteomics identified 4,299 DEPs in mammary tissue,and bioinformatics analysis of 14 DEPs with consistent changes between the XHP group and the blank group relative to the model group re-vealed that they were related to the regulation of mus-cular systemic processes,regulation of muscle contrac-tion,DNA replication,and pre-initiation of DNA repli-cation.Western blot results showed that,compared with the model group,rat mammary tissue of the XHP group showed significantly lower levels of ACLY and ALDOC protein expression levels were significantly re-duced and BIN1 protein expression levels were signifi-cantly increased(P＜0.01).Conclusions XHP may exert its anti-mammary hyperplasia effect through the regulation of BIN1,ACLY and ALDOC protein lev-els,the regulation of DNA replication,the regulation of pre-initiation of DNA replication and muscular sys-temic processes,and the regulation of muscle contrac-tion.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, its deployment within the medical sector presents substantial ethical challenges. Consequently, it becomes crucial to create a standardized, transparent, and secure framework for processing medical data. This includes setting the ethical boundaries for medical artificial intelligence and safeguarding both patient rights and data integrity. This consensus governs every facet of medical data handling through artificial intelligence, encompassing data gathering, processing, storage, transmission, utilization, and sharing. Its purpose is to ensure the management of medical data adheres to ethical standards and legal requirements, while safeguarding patient privacy and data security. Concurrently, the principles of compliance with the law, patient privacy respect, patient interest protection, and safety and reliability are underscored. Key issues such as informed consent, data usage, intellectual property protection, conflict of interest, and benefit sharing are examined in depth. The enactment of this expert consensus is intended to foster the profound integration and sustainable advancement of artificial intelligence within the medical domain, while simultaneously ensuring that artificial intelligence adheres strictly to the relevant ethical norms and legal frameworks during the processing of medical data.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Computer Security/standards* ; Confidentiality/ethics* ; Informed Consent/ethics*

Objective To explore the pattern of early expression and secretion of tissue factor(TF)in vascular endothelial cells induced by heat stress.Methods Thirty SPF-rated C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into five groups:the control group and groups of indicated recovery time,including 0,3,6,and 9 h in room temperature after heat stress(n=6).Mice in the heat stress groups were exposed to an animal incubator to reach 42.5℃for core body temperature for heat stroke.We analyzed the histopathological changes in the liver,lung,and kidney tissues with HE staining.We measured the TF mRNA in mice tissues by RT-qPCR and the plasma concentration of TF in mice with a commercial ELISA kit.Human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)were placed in a culture incubator to build an in vitro heat stress model.HUVECs were divided into five groups,including a control group and groups of indicated recovery time,including 0,3,6,and 9 h after heat stress.We quantified the expression of TF mRNA and protein in HUVEC cells by RT-qPCR,Western blotting,and immunofluorescence and measured the secreted TF with a commercial ELISA kit.Results No significant pathological injury was observed in the tissues of the control group.Mice treated with heat stress had various degrees of structural injuries and hemorrhagic and inflammatory changes in multiple tissues.Compared to control group,the expression of TF mRNA significantly increased in the kidney of heat stress-treated mice with 0 and 3 h recovery time(1.719±0.018,1.241±0.178 vs.1.000±0.063),the lung with 3 h recovery time(2.444±0.511 vs.1.000±0.106)and the liver with 6 h recovery time(7.312±0.618 vs.1.000±0.147)(P<0.05).The concentration of TF in plasma also sustainedly elevated in mice with 0,3,6,and 9 h recovery time after heat stress as compared to control group[(132.426±17.920)pg/ml,(119.400±10.267)pg/ml,(107.374±13.495)pg/ml,(163.767±22.810)pg/ml vs.(75.479±13.831)pg/ml,respectively,P<0.01].The expression levels of TF mRNA were higher in heat stress HUVECs with 6 h and 9 h recovery time than the control cells(1.905±0.354,2.564±0.297 vs.1.000±0.097,P<0.01).Secreted TF in the supernatant from HUVECs treated with heat stress and different recovery time also increased significantly[(36.309±4.101)pg/ml,(38.425±5.484)pg/ml,(41.655±4.380)pg/ml,(43.586±4.718)pg/ml vs.(14.996±0.254)pg/ml,P<0.01].Conclusion Heat stress increased early expression and secretion of TF in vascular endothelial cells.Vascular endothelial cells may be a main source of circulating TF in heat stroke.

Management and treatment of terminal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains heavily debated. We sought to investigate the efficacy of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus anlotinib as a potential solution for terminal mCRPC and further evaluate the association of genomic characteristics with efficacy outcomes. We conducted a retrospective real-world study of 25 mCRPC patients who received PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib after the progression to standard treatments. The clinical information was extracted from the electronic medical records and 22 patients had targeted circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) next-generation sequencing. Statistical analysis showed that 6 (24.0%) patients experienced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and 11 (44.0%) patients experienced PSA reduction. The relationship between ctDNA findings and outcomes was also analyzed. DNA-damage repair (DDR) pathways and homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway defects indicated a comparatively longer PSA-progression-free survival (PSA-PFS; 2.5 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.027; 3.3 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.017; respectively). This study introduces the PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib as a late-line therapeutic strategy for terminal mCRPC. PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib may be a new treatment choice for terminal mCRPC patients with DDR or HRR pathway defects and requires further investigation.
Male ; Humans ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Treatment Outcome ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/drug therapy* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies

The dental operative microscope has been widely employed in the field of dentistry, particularly in endodontics and operative dentistry, resulting in significant advancements in the effectiveness of root canal therapy, endodontic surgery, and dental restoration. However, the improper use of this microscope continues to be common in clinical settings, primarily due to operators' insufficient understanding and proficiency in both the features and established operating procedures of this equipment. In October 2019, Professor Jingping Liang, Vice Chairman of the Society of Cariology and Endodontology, Chinese Stomatological Association, organized a consensus meeting with Chinese experts in endodontics and operative dentistry. The objective of this meeting was to establish a standard operation procedure for the dental operative microscope. Subsequently, a consensus was reached and officially issued. Over the span of about four years, the content of this consensus has been further developed and improved through practical experience.
Humans ; Dentistry, Operative ; Consensus ; Endodontics ; Root Canal Therapy ; Dental Care