Objective:To explore the influencing factors for pneumonia occurrence within three months in patients undergoing partial laryngectomy combined with radiotherapy, and to construct a nomogram prediction model for the risk of pneumonia occurrence.Methods:A total of 165 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent partial laryngectomy combined with postoperative radiotherapy in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2017 to 2023 were divided into three groups: a group without pneumonia, a low risk pneumonia group, and a medium to high risk pneumonia group according to the occurrence of pneumonia. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cutoff values of the mean dose to the larynx (Larynx-Dmean) and the mean dose to the pharyngeal constrictor muscles (PCM-Dmean) for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the influencing factors of pneumonia within three months after partial laryngectomy combined with radiotherapy, and a nomogram prediction model was constructed.Results:Among the 165 patients, 59 were in the group without pneumonia, 60 were in the group with a low risk of pneumonia, and 46 were in the group with a medium to high risk of pneumonia. The overall incidence of pneumonia was 64.2% (106/165). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the Larynx-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia was 0.876, and the optimal cutoff value was 60.8 Gy. When the Larynx-Dmean was >60.8 Gy, the incidence of pneumonia was 96.7%. The AUC of the PCM-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia was 0.747, and the optimal cutoff value was 54.6 Gy. When the PCM-Dmean was >54.6 Gy, the incidence of pneumonia was 74.7%. The AUC of the Larynx-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 0.987, and the optimal cutoff value was 68.2 Gy. When the Larynx-Dmean was >68.2 Gy, the incidence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 100.0%. The AUC of the PCM-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 0.850, and the optimal cutoff value was 58.7 Gy. When the PCM-Dmean was >58.7 Gy, the incidence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 85.2%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the incidence of pneumonia was higher in patients with a history of smoking ( OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.02-1.74), a higher smoking index ( OR=2.43, 95% CI: 1.16-7.59), a higher Larynx-Dmean ( OR=3.79, 95% CI: 1.25-6.49), and a higher PCM-Dmean ( OR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.53-3.16). A nomogram prediction model for the risk of pneumonia and medium to high risk pneumonia within three months after partial laryngectomy combined with radiotherapy was successfully constructed, with C indices of 0.78 and 0.98, respectively, which had good predictive performance and clinical efficacy. Conclusions:When the Larynx-Dmean was >60.8 Gy and the PCM-Dmean was >54.6 Gy for postoperative radiotherapy after partial laryngectomy, the possibility of pneumonia occurrence in patients within three months increased significantly. Smoking history, smoking index, Larynx-Dmean, and PCM-Dmean were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of pneumonia. The nomogram prediction model constructed based on this can guide clinicians to take intervention measures to prevent the occurrence of pneumonia in patients with laryngeal cancer.

Objective:To explore the influencing factors for pneumonia occurrence within three months in patients undergoing partial laryngectomy combined with radiotherapy, and to construct a nomogram prediction model for the risk of pneumonia occurrence.Methods:A total of 165 patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent partial laryngectomy combined with postoperative radiotherapy in the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2017 to 2023 were divided into three groups: a group without pneumonia, a low risk pneumonia group, and a medium to high risk pneumonia group according to the occurrence of pneumonia. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cutoff values of the mean dose to the larynx (Larynx-Dmean) and the mean dose to the pharyngeal constrictor muscles (PCM-Dmean) for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia. Logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the influencing factors of pneumonia within three months after partial laryngectomy combined with radiotherapy, and a nomogram prediction model was constructed.Results:Among the 165 patients, 59 were in the group without pneumonia, 60 were in the group with a low risk of pneumonia, and 46 were in the group with a medium to high risk of pneumonia. The overall incidence of pneumonia was 64.2% (106/165). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the Larynx-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia was 0.876, and the optimal cutoff value was 60.8 Gy. When the Larynx-Dmean was >60.8 Gy, the incidence of pneumonia was 96.7%. The AUC of the PCM-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of pneumonia was 0.747, and the optimal cutoff value was 54.6 Gy. When the PCM-Dmean was >54.6 Gy, the incidence of pneumonia was 74.7%. The AUC of the Larynx-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 0.987, and the optimal cutoff value was 68.2 Gy. When the Larynx-Dmean was >68.2 Gy, the incidence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 100.0%. The AUC of the PCM-Dmean for predicting the occurrence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 0.850, and the optimal cutoff value was 58.7 Gy. When the PCM-Dmean was >58.7 Gy, the incidence of medium to high risk pneumonia was 85.2%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the incidence of pneumonia was higher in patients with a history of smoking ( OR=1.54, 95% CI: 1.02-1.74), a higher smoking index ( OR=2.43, 95% CI: 1.16-7.59), a higher Larynx-Dmean ( OR=3.79, 95% CI: 1.25-6.49), and a higher PCM-Dmean ( OR=2.44, 95% CI: 1.53-3.16). A nomogram prediction model for the risk of pneumonia and medium to high risk pneumonia within three months after partial laryngectomy combined with radiotherapy was successfully constructed, with C indices of 0.78 and 0.98, respectively, which had good predictive performance and clinical efficacy. Conclusions:When the Larynx-Dmean was >60.8 Gy and the PCM-Dmean was >54.6 Gy for postoperative radiotherapy after partial laryngectomy, the possibility of pneumonia occurrence in patients within three months increased significantly. Smoking history, smoking index, Larynx-Dmean, and PCM-Dmean were independent influencing factors for the occurrence of pneumonia. The nomogram prediction model constructed based on this can guide clinicians to take intervention measures to prevent the occurrence of pneumonia in patients with laryngeal cancer.

Objective: To investigate the changes of microorganisms and metabolites in joint effusion of patients with Rheumatoid arthritis(RA), Osteoarthritis(OA) and Urarthritis(UA). To provide new ideas for the study of the effect of microbiota on the pathogenesis of arthritis. Methods: Joint effusion samples were collected from 20 patients with RA, 20 patients with OA, and 20 patients with UA. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted ultra-high performance Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) were used to explore the differences in microorganisms and metabolites among the three groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to detect the correlation between effusion microbiota and metabolites. Results: There were differences in microbial diversity and microbiota composition among the three groups. Combined with VIP>1 from OPLS-DA andP<0.05 from two-tailed Students t-test, 45 differential metabolites(Between RA and OA groups), 38 differential metabolites(Between UA and OA groups) and 16 differential metabolites(Between RA and UA groups), were identified. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed that the differential metabolic pathways among the three groups were mainly concentrated in citric acid cycle(TCA cycle), nucleotide metabolism, amino acid metabolism and glycolysis pathway. Correlation analysis of joint effusion microbiota and metabolites suggested that bacteria enriched in the three groups of joint effusion, such asPrevotella,Clostridium ruminosus,Prevotellaceae＿UCG-001, were related to many key metabolites such as lysozyme, uric acid, glucose, and L-glutamine. Conclusion This study shows that there are a variety of bacterial flora in joint cavity effusion of RA, OA, and UA patients, and the differential metabolites produced by them are involved in the pathogenesis of the three types of arthritis by affecting a variety of metabolic pathways.

Objective To observe the value of multimodal models established combined 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics with clinical data for evaluating response of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(LA-HNSCC)to neoadjuvant immuno-chemotherapy.Methods Totally 213 LA-HNSCC patients were retrospectively enrolled and randomized into training set(n=170)and test set(n=43)at the ratio of 8∶2.Radiomics features of tumors on 18F-FDG PET/CT were extracted and selected from training set,and the independent clinical predictors were screened with sequential univariate and multivariate logistic regressions.Radiomics models,clinical models and combined multimodal models were constructed using different algorithms,including adaptive boosting(AdaBoost),decision tree,naive Bayes,random forest(RF),support vector machine(SVM)and extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost),respectively.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were drawn,and the area under the curves(AUC)were calculated to assess the efficacy of each model for predicting the response of LA-HNSCC to neoadjuvant immuno-chemotherapy,and the decision curve analysis(DCA)was performed to explore the net benefit of each model.Results Totally 110 radiomics features were selected,and CD4/CD8 ratio was the independent clinical predictor of the response of LA-HNSCC to neoadjuvant immuno-chemotherapy.Models based on AdaBoost and XGBoost algorithms had high and stable efficacy for predicting tumor response to neoadjuvant immuno-chemotherapy,among which the multimodal models had better performance(AUC=0.943,0.930)than radiomics models(AUC=0.939,0.925)and clinical models(AUC=0.903,0.910)in test set(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Multimodal models established combined 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics with CD4/CD8 ratio were more effective for predicting response of LA-HNSCC to neoadjuvant immuno-chemotherapy than any single model.

Objective:To investigate the dosimetric factors associated with acute nausea and vomiting (RINV) during intensity modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods:General clinical data and organs at risk (OAR) doses from 130 newly diagnosed early nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who received radiation therapy alone in Henan Cancer Hospital from February 2018 to February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Dosimetric parameters were recorded, and the correlation between the parameters and the degree of nausea and vomiting was statistically analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.Results:All 130 patients had symptoms of ≥ grade 1 nausea and vomiting. In the comparison of dosimetric parameters between patients with < grade 2 and ≥ grade 2 nausea, except the brainstem V 20 Gy, all parameters showed statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). The inner ear D max, and D max, D mean, V 10 Gy, V 20 Gy, V 30 Gy of the throat, oral cavity, pharyngeal constrictor, dorsal vagal complex (DVC) showed statistically significant differences between patients with grade 1 and grade 2 nausea (all P<0.05). The results of multivariate regression analysis showed that DVC V 30 Gy was a significant influencing factor in predicting the severity of nausea ( OR=73.95, 95% CI: 4.66-1172.60, P<0.001), and there was a significant correlation between oral V 30 Gy and the severity of vomiting ( OR=37.69, 95% CI: 1.26-1125.42, P=0.04). Conclusions:Even if OAR are exposed to lower doses of radiation, nausea or vomiting symptoms can still occur. The occurrence of RINV is significantly associated with DVC and oral radiation doses.

Objective:To investigate the prognosis and influencing factors of different treatment strategies in T 3-T 4 nasal sinus adenocarcinoma. Methods:The data of 93 cases of T 3-T 4 stage nasal sinus adenocarcinoma diagnosed from 2006 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into combined operation group and non-operation group. The survival status and failure mode after corresponding treatment were analyzed. The enumeration data were analyzed by Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis was conducted by log-rank test. Multivariate prognostic analysis was performed by Cox model. Results:The average follow-up time in the whole cohort was 81.3 months (18-156 months). By the end of follow-up, a total of 38.7% (36/93) of patients had local recurrence, 14.0% (13/93) had distant metastasis, 17.2% (16/93) had local recurrence complicated with distant metastasis, and 28.0% (26/93) were stable. The overall 2-, 5-, and 10-year overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) rates were 83.5%, 59.3%, 31.8% and 73.6%, 40.7% and 25.3%, respectively. In univariate analysis, the PFS and OS of patients aged 46-64 years old (all P<0.001), male ( P=0.022, P=0.001), patients with lesions located in the maxillary sinus ( P=0.001, P<0.001), adenoid cystic carcinoma ( P=0.001, P<0.001), non-invasion of orbital / clivus ( P=0.041, P<0.001), GTV P dose>64 Gy ( P=0.003, P=0.006) and N 1 stage ( P=0.014, P=0.014) were statistically different among different treatment modes. Multivariate analysis showed that age ≥65 years old ( P=0.012, P=0.005), orbital / clival invasion ( P<0.001, P=0.005), and GTV p dose ≤64 Gy ( P<0.001, P=0.011) were the independent adverse prognostic factors affecting PFS and OS in T 3-T 4 stage nasal sinus adenocarcinoma. Conclusions:The local failure rate of T 3-T 4 stage nasal sinus adenocarcinoma is high after treatment. Age, orbital / clival invasion, and GTV p dosage are the independent adverse prognostic factors. Surgery based intervention is superior to other treatment strategies.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of changes in peripheral NKT cells and tumor abnormal proteins (TAPs) in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) before and after radiotherapy. Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed using the data of 101 HNSCC patients, who were confirmed from January 2019 to December 2021 and treated with radical and postoperative radiotherapy. Flow cytometry and the agglutination method were used to determine the proportion of NKT cells in peripheral blood and the TAP coagulation area, respectively before and after radiotherapy. The relationships of clinical features and the cellular features such as changes in NKT cells and ATPs with local recurrence and long-term survival were analyzed. The χ2 test or Fisher′s exact test was employed for intergroup comparison. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox model were utilized for univariate and multivariate survival prognosis analyses, respectively. The bivariate Pearson linear correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between NKT and TAP. Results:The median follow-up time of the whole group was 25 months. Regarding the 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates, the local-regional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS) rates were 76.2%, 67.3%, and 64.4%, respectively, the distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates 91.1%, 90.1%, and 89.1%, respectively, and the progression-free survival (PFS) rates 69.3%, 59.4%, and 55.4%, respectively. The 3-year overall survival (OS) rate was influenced by age, surgery, N stage, TNM stage, NKT cell ratio, and TAP, while the 3-year PFS rate was affected by TAP, sex, N stage, and TNM stage. Multivariate analysis suggests that independent adverse prognostic factors for HNSCC included sex, age, N stage, NKT cells, and TAP ( HR=3.00, 2.35, 2.27, 2.02, 2.56, P<0.05). The correlation analysis indicates a positive correlation between NKT cells and TAP ( r=0.26, P=0.009). Conclusions:Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ B HNSCC treated with radical and postoperative radiotherapy is subjected to a high recurrence rate. Further research is required for the expression levels of NKT cells and TAP in peripheral blood, as well as the influence of their changes during radiotherapy on the 3-year OS, PFS, and LRRFS rates of locally advanced HNSCC.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of vildagliptin tablets (the generic drug) manufactured by Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and vildagliptin tablets (the original drug) manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in third round of national centralized volume-based procurement.Methods:The study design was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. The study subjects were T2DM patients treated with vildagliptin tablets at the Outpatient Department of Zhuhai People′s Hospital, Zhongshan City People′s Hospital, Jiangmen Central Hospital, and General Hospital of Southern Theater Command of PLA from January 2020 to December 2021. Using the hospital electronic medical record system, medical records in outpatients who met the inclusion criteria were collected, and relevant clinical data were extracted. The patients were divided into generic drug group and original drug group. To exclude the interference of confounding factors, the propensity score matching method was used. The efficacy evaluation index was the magnitude of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) reductions within one year after administration. Generalized linear regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for the magnitude of HbA1c and FPG reduction. The safety evaluation index was the incidence of adverse events within one year of drug use.Results:A total of 4 511 patients with T2DM who were treated with vildagliptin tablets were collected from 4 hospitals, including 3 039 in the generic drug group and 1 472 in the original drug group. After treatment, the HbA1c and FPG in patients of the 2 groups decreased compared with those before treatment. The magnitude of HbA1c and FPG reductions in patients of the generic drug group were not significantly different from those in the original drug group [0.50 (0.05, 2.30)% vs. 0.90 (-0.10, 1.70)%, Z=0.235, P=0.814; 0.59 (-0.40, 2.20) mmol/L vs. 1.00 (-0.61, 2.32) mmol/L, Z=0.421, P=0.674]. The results of generalized linear regression model analysis showed that the therapeutic drugs did not affect the magnitude of HbA1c and FPG reductions ( P=0.627, P=0.478). Compared with the original drug group, the incidences of adverse events and hypoglycemia in the generic drug group were not statistically significant [1.6‰ (5/3 039) vs. 2.7‰ (4/1 472), P=0.721; 0.7 ‰ (2/3 039) vs. 0.7 ‰ (1/1 472), P=1.000]. Conclusion:The efficacy and safety of generic vildagliptin tablets manufactured by Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. were generally consistent with those of the original drug in the treatment of T2DM.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of vildagliptin tablets (the generic drug) manufactured by Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and vildagliptin tablets (the original drug) manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in third round of national centralized volume-based procurement.Methods:The study design was a multicenter retrospective cohort study. The study subjects were T2DM patients treated with vildagliptin tablets at the Outpatient Department of Zhuhai People′s Hospital, Zhongshan City People′s Hospital, Jiangmen Central Hospital, and General Hospital of Southern Theater Command of PLA from January 2020 to December 2021. Using the hospital electronic medical record system, medical records in outpatients who met the inclusion criteria were collected, and relevant clinical data were extracted. The patients were divided into generic drug group and original drug group. To exclude the interference of confounding factors, the propensity score matching method was used. The efficacy evaluation index was the magnitude of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) reductions within one year after administration. Generalized linear regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for the magnitude of HbA1c and FPG reduction. The safety evaluation index was the incidence of adverse events within one year of drug use.Results:A total of 4 511 patients with T2DM who were treated with vildagliptin tablets were collected from 4 hospitals, including 3 039 in the generic drug group and 1 472 in the original drug group. After treatment, the HbA1c and FPG in patients of the 2 groups decreased compared with those before treatment. The magnitude of HbA1c and FPG reductions in patients of the generic drug group were not significantly different from those in the original drug group [0.50 (0.05, 2.30)% vs. 0.90 (-0.10, 1.70)%, Z=0.235, P=0.814; 0.59 (-0.40, 2.20) mmol/L vs. 1.00 (-0.61, 2.32) mmol/L, Z=0.421, P=0.674]. The results of generalized linear regression model analysis showed that the therapeutic drugs did not affect the magnitude of HbA1c and FPG reductions ( P=0.627, P=0.478). Compared with the original drug group, the incidences of adverse events and hypoglycemia in the generic drug group were not statistically significant [1.6‰ (5/3 039) vs. 2.7‰ (4/1 472), P=0.721; 0.7 ‰ (2/3 039) vs. 0.7 ‰ (1/1 472), P=1.000]. Conclusion:The efficacy and safety of generic vildagliptin tablets manufactured by Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. were generally consistent with those of the original drug in the treatment of T2DM.

Stem/progenitor cells are important for salivary gland development, homeostasis maintenance, and regeneration following injury. Keratin-14⁺ (K14⁺) cells have been recognized as bona fide salivary gland stem/progenitor cells. However, K14 is also expressed in terminally differentiated myoepithelial cells; therefore, more accurate molecular markers for identifying salivary stem/progenitor cells are required. The intraflagellar transport (IFT) protein IFT140 is a core component of the IFT system that functions in signaling transduction through the primary cilia. It is reportedly expressed in mesenchymal stem cells and plays a role in bone formation. In this study, we demonstrated that IFT140 was intensively expressed in K14⁺ stem/progenitor cells during the developmental period and early regeneration stage following ligation-induced injuries in murine submandibular glands. In addition, we demonstrated that IFT140⁺/ K14⁺ could self-renew and differentiate into granular duct cells at the developmental stage in vivo. The conditional deletion of Ift140 from K14⁺ cells caused abnormal epithelial structure and function during salivary gland development and inhibited regeneration. IFT140 partly coordinated the function of K14⁺ stem/progenitor cells by modulating ciliary membrane trafficking. Our investigation identified a combined marker, IFT140⁺/K14⁺, for salivary gland stem/progenitor cells and elucidated the essential role of IFT140 and cilia in regulating salivary stem/progenitor cell differentiation and gland regeneration.
Animals ; Carrier Proteins/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Keratin-14/metabolism* ; Mice ; Osteogenesis ; Salivary Glands/metabolism* ; Stem Cells