Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and functional impairment. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathological progression of RA with dysfunction of endothelial cells to promote synovial inflammation, sustain pannus formation, subsequently leading to joint damage. Colquhounia Root Tablets (CRT), a Chinese patent drug, has shown a satisfying clinical efficacy in treating RA, while the underlying mechanism by which CRT inhibits RA-associated angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we applied a research approach combining transcriptomic data analysis, bio-network mapping, and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanisms of CRT in suppressing angiogenesis in RA. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (ratification number: IBTCMCACMS21-2307-06). Network analysis identified that key genes such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) significantly enriched in pathways related to NOD-like receptor signaling and VEGF signaling, indicating that CRT may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating vascular endothelial cell function with modulating angiogenesis-related pathways. In vivo data showed that CRT significantly reduced the positive expression of CD31 and VEGF in the ankle joint of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. In vitro data further confirmed that CRT effectively inhibited VEGF-induced migration, invasion, and tube formation in HUVECs, while significantly reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF/CD31/Ang-1, as well as the positive expression of VEGF and CD31 in HUVECs. Furthermore, CRT markedly decreased the protein expression of NOD2, VEGFA, and SMAD3. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CRT may inhibit the RA-related angiogenesis by targeting the NOD2/SMAD3/VEGF signaling axis to improve endothelial cell function, enriching the scientific connotation of CRT in inhibiting pathological angiogenesis in RA and also offer new insights for clinical prevention and treatment of RA.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy and adverse reactions of CAG regimen combined with venetoclax, chidamide, and azacitidine in the treatment of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: 15 elderly AML patients aged≥60 years old who were admitted to the Hematology Department of our hospital from May 2022 to October 2023 were treated with the CAG regimen combined with venetoclax, chidamide and azacitidine, and the efficacy, treatment-related adverse events, overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were analyzed. RESULTS: After one course of treatment, 11 out of 15 patients achieved complete response (CR), 3 patients achieved CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), and 1 patient died due to prior infection before efficacy evaluation, and the overall response rate (ORR) was 93.3% (14/15). The median follow-up time was 131 (19-275) days, with median OS and EFS both remaining unreached. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis showed that among the 15 patients, 13 were detected with gene mutations, and there were 7 genes with mutation frequencies of more than 10%, including ASXL1 (4 cases), RUNX1 (4 cases), BCOR (3 cases), DNMT3A (3 cases), STAG2 (2 cases), IDH1/2 (2 cases), and TET (2 cases). Among the 13 patients with detectable mutations, 12 patients achieved composite response (CR+CRi). The average recovery time of white blood cell count was 14.6 days after chemotherapy, and the average recovery time of platelets was 7.7 days after chemotherapy. The main adverse event was myelosuppression, with 10 patients accompanied by infection. Except for 1 patient who died due to septic shock during chemotherapy, no patients experienced serious complications such as heart, liver, or kidney damage during the treatment process. CONCLUSION The CACAG+V regimen, which combines the CAG regimen with venetoclax, chidamide, and azacitidine, can be applied in the treatment of elderly AML patients, demonstrating good safety and induction remission rate.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy* ; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/therapeutic use* ; Sulfonamides/therapeutic use* ; Aminopyridines/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Azacitidine/therapeutic use* ; Aged ; Benzamides/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Treatment Outcome ; Middle Aged ; Cytarabine ; Aclarubicin ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between Ig class switch recombination (CSR) and mismatch repair (MMR) protein, microsatellite phenotype in extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma). METHODS: Forty cases of MALT lymphoma archived in the Department of Pathology, Jiading District Central Hospital, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences were selected as the observation group, and twenty cases of benign lymphoid tissue hyperplasia were as the control group. The expressions of IgG, IgM, IgD, and IgA in both groups were detected by immunohistochemical double staining, and MMR proteins including MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 in both groups were detected by immunohistochemistry. Multiplex fluorescence PCR capillary electrophoresis was used to detect microsatellite phenotype in tumor and adjacent tissues of the experimental group. RESULTS: In the observation group, the proportions of single Ig heavy chain expression (modeⅠ), negative expression (modeⅡ), and multiple expression (mode Ⅲ) were 65% (26/40), 27.5% (11/40), and 7.5% (3/40), respectively, while in the control group were 0 (0/20), 5% (1/20), and 95% (19/20). The proportion of Ig heavy chain expression mode Ⅰ+Ⅱ in the observation group was 92.5%, which was significantly higher than 5% in the control group (P < 0.01). In the observation group, partial deletion of MMR protein was observed in 3 cases (7.5%), including 2 cases of MSH6 deletion and 1 case of both MSH6 and PMS2 deletion. In the control group, there was 1 case (5%) with PMS2 deletion. There was no significant difference in the deletion rate of MMR protein between the two groups ( P >0.05). A total of 5 cases of microsatellite instability (MSI) were detected in the observation group, including 1 case of low-frequency MSI (MSI-L), 4 cases of high-frequency MSI (MSI-H), and 2 cases of MSI-H with MSH6 deletion. When the loss expression of MSI-H or MMR protein was counted as a positive result, the MSI-H rate detected by PCR capillary electrophoresis was 10% (4/40), which was slightly higher than the MMR protein deletion rate detected by immunohistochemistry (7.5%, 3/40), but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P >0.05). The MMR protein deletion rates among the Ig heavy chain protein expression mode Ⅰ, mode Ⅱ, and mode Ⅲ groups were 0 (0/26), 18.2% (2/11), and 33.3% (1/3), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the constituent ratios among the three groups (P < 0.05). The MMR protein deletion rates among the MSS, MSI-L, and MSI-H groups were 2.9% (1/35), 0 (0/1), and 50% (2/4), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the constituent ratios among the three groups (P < 0.05). MMR protein deficiency was positively correlated with Ig heavy chain expression pattern and MSI ( r =0.41, P < 0.05; r =0.48, P < 0.05), but Ig heavy chain expression pattern was not correlated with MSI ( r =0.02, P >0.05). CONCLUSION Ig heavy chain CSR detection is helpful for the differential diagnosis of MALT lymphoma. Low frequency MMR protein deletion and MSI-H phenotype exist in MALT lymphoma, which may be of certain value for the study of its occurrence, development and clinical treatment.
Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/genetics* ; DNA Mismatch Repair ; Immunoglobulin Class Switching ; DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; MutS Homolog 2 Protein ; Microsatellite Repeats ; Phenotype ; MutL Protein Homolog 1 ; Mismatch Repair Endonuclease PMS2 ; Male

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of adult AML patients with NUP98::HOXA9 fusion gene. METHODS: From May 2017 to October 2023， among 2 113 AML patients who visited the Hematology Department of our hospital, patients with NUP98 rearrangements were screened. The clinical characteristics, chromosome karyotypes, immunophenotypes, gene mutations, treatment efficacy and prognosis of the patients with NUP98::HOXA9 positive were analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 2 113 AML patients, there were 18 cases with NUP98 rearrangement, including 14 NUP98::HOXA9 positive cases, with a detection rate of 0.66% (14/2 113). The median age of the NUP98::HOXA9 positive patients was 42.5 (23-64) years old. The most common chromosome karyotype was t(7; 11)(p15; p15). The immunophenotypes of all patients expressed CD13, CD33, CD117 and CD38, and most patients expressed CD34 and cMPO, while only a few expressed HLA-DR. Second-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed to detect genetic mutations associated with leukemia in all 14 patients, and the genes exhibiting a high frequency of mutation were WT1 (10/14), TET2 (7/14), and FLT3-ITD (6/14). Additionally, mutations were also observed in KRAS/NRAS, IDH1, and KIT. Of the 13 patients who received treatment, 9 achieved complete remission (CR), and all 3 patients who received azacytidine(AZA)+ venetoclax (VEN) regimen achieved CR after the first course of treatment. Within this cohort, 6 patients were classified as relapsed/refractory (6/13). 4 patients underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), of which two achieved long-term survival. The median follow-up time was 12 (2.1-65.0) months, while the median overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) were recorded as 11.4 months and 9.6 months, respectively. CONCLUSION The most common type of NUP98 rearrangement in adults AML patients is NUP98::HOXA9 , which is often accompanied by somatic mutations in WT1, TET2, and FLT3-ITD. These patients are prone to relapse, have short survival time, and generally face poor prognoses. Hopefully, utilization of the AZA+VEN regimen is anticipated to enhance the rate of induced remission in the patients, and some patients may prolong their survival through allo-HSCT. However, more effective treatment methods are still needed to improve the overall prognosis of these patients.
Humans ; Adult ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins/genetics* ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics* ; Mutation ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Homeodomain Proteins/genetics*

Intervention in chronically activated microglia-mediated neuroinflammation is a novel approach to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD). The low permeability of the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) and non-selective distribution in the brain severely restrict AD drugs' disease-modifying efficacy. Here, an immunosuppressant TREM2-lowing antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and resveratrol co-loaded cationic liposome is developed as an immune reprogramming nanomodulator modified by acid-cleavable BBB-targeting peptide and microglia-targeting peptide (Res@TcMNP/ASO) for AD management. Res@TcMNP/ASO can enter brain endothelial cells via D-T7 peptides. Then D-T7 undergoes an acid-responsive cleavage, facilitating the escape of Res@MNP/ASO from endo/lysosomes to cross the BBB. The detached Res@MNP/ASO specifically targets M1-phenotype microglia via exposed MG1 peptides to prompt the simultaneous delivery of two drugs into activated microglia. This nanomodulator can not only restore the immune function of microglia through TREM2-lowing ASO but also mitigate the immune stimulation to microglia caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) through resveratrol, thereby synergistically inhibiting the chronic activation of microglia to alleviate neuroinflammation in AD. Our results indicate that this combination treatment can achieve significant behavioral and cognitive improvements in late APP/PS1 mice.

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

Objective To analyze the research status of in situ simulation in the medical field and explore its hotspots and trends. Methods Relevant literature was searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science core collection from the inception to February 2024.CiteSpace 6.3.R1 was used to analyze the authors,institutions,and keywords and draw visual knowledge maps. Results A total of 25 Chinese articles and 438 English articles were included.Only 14 English articles were from China.In Chinese articles,the authors with the largest number of articles were Dai Hengmao and Liu Shangkun,and the institution with the largest number of articles was Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology.There was little cooperation between the authors and institutions.In English articles,the author and institution with the largest number of articles was Auerbach Marc and Yale University,respectively,and the cooperation between authors and institutions was close.Emergency medicine,emergency event handling,and on-the-job training were the keywords with high frequency in Chinese articles.Patient safety,medical education,and cardiac arrest were the keywords with high frequency in English articles.A total of 4 clusters were generated for Chinese keywords and 13 clusters for English keywords. Conclusions The application of in situ simulation in the medical field is still in the initial stage,and the development is not balanced at home and abroad.The number of articles published and the cooperation between authors and institutions in China obviously lags behind those abroad.Treatment and care of emergency critical patients,emergency event handling and skill training,identification of latent safety threats,improvement of readiness,and promotion of medical quality improvement are the future research hotspots and research trends in this field.
Bibliometrics ; Humans ; China ; Simulation Training ; Education, Medical ; Emergency Medicine/education*

Objective To explore the relationship between serum ferritin levels and body fat distribution in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 151 patients with T2DM who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from June to November 2020,and all the patients were divided into high serum ferritin(n=50)and normal serum ferritin(n=101)groups according to their serum ferritin levels.The visceral fat area(VFA),subcutaneous fat area(SFA),liver fat,height,weight and waist circumference(WC)were measured,as well as blood glucose,lipid indexes,body mass index(BMI)and visceral adiposity index(VAI)were also calculated.t-test or nonparametric test was used to compare the differences between the two groups,and the relationship between serum ferritin levels and body fat distribution was analyzed by Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis,multiple linear regression and logistic regression.Results The VAI and WC were significantly higher in high serum ferritin group[3.13(2.16,4.58)and(96.66±7.78)cm]than in normal serum ferritin group[2.66(1.66,3.81)and(91.96±9.75)cm,P<0.05].The prevalence of central obesity and dyslipidemia was higher in high serum ferritin group(88.0%and 90.0%)than in normal serum ferritin group(68.3%and 75.2%);and the composition ratios of poor glycemic control and insulin resistance(96.0%and 62.0%)were also higher than in normal serum ferritin group(78.2%and 40.6%)(P<0.05),there were no statistically significant differences in BMI,VFA,and SFA levels,as well as antidiabetic drug use and chronic complications of diabetes mellitus between the two groups(P>0.05).Serum ferritin levels in T2DM patients were positively correlated with VAI,WC,triglyceride(TG),fasting blood glucose(FPG),HbA1c,dyslipidemia and serum creatinine(r=0.171,0.207,0.187,0.243,0.270,0.162,0.162;P<0.05),and negatively correlated with age,sex and diabetes course(r=-0.191,-0.434,-0.352;P<0.05).Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that in male T2DM patients,duration of diabetes and FPG were risk factors for increased levels of serum ferritin.However,WC and VAI did not significantly affect serum ferritin levels.In female patients with T2DM,the course of diabetes,TG and VAI were the factors influencing serum ferritin(P<0.05).Conclusion Dyslipidemia and visceral fat accumulation are risk factors for elevated serum ferritin levels in female T 2DM patients.