Objective To explore the role of CC chemokine ligand-18 (CCL18) positive tumor-associated macrophages in immune escape of gastric cancer and their impact on the tumor microenvironment. Methods Three gastric cancer patient cohorts were included in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University (449 cases in the radical surgery cohort, 46 cases in the palliative treatment cohort, and 48 cases in the flow cytometry analysis cohort), and one group of patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were included. The CCL18⁺ tumor-associated macrophage gene signature was obtained from the TCGA database, and differential gene expression in the TCGA cohort was analyzed based on this signature. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the infiltration of CCL18⁺ tumor-associated macrophages in tissue microarrays of patients from two treatment cohorts. The association between CCL18⁺ tumor-associated macrophages and clinical outcomes as well as related gene expression was examined. Using single-cell suspensions derived from tumor tissues, flow cytometry was employed to evaluate the immunophenotype of CCL18⁺ tumor-associated macrophages; the potential therapeutic effects of blocking CCL18 in gastric cancer were assessed through in vitro culture. Results In curative surgery cohort, patients with high infiltration of CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages had shorter overall survival and disease-free survival compared to those with low infiltration (P＜0.01). In palliative cohort, patients with high infiltration of CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages exhibited shorter progression-free survival compared to those with low infiltration (P＝0.015). The proportion of exhausted CD8^＋T cells was significantly increased in the cancer tissues with high infiltration of CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages compared to those with low infiltration (P＜0.001). Tumors with high CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages gene signature expressed significantly higher level of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β）than those with low CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages gene signature in TCGA queue (P＜0.001). The expression levels of PD-L1 and TGF-β were higher in CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages than those in CCL18^－tumor-associated macrophages (P＜0.05). After CCL18 intervention, the proportions of cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells and apoptotic epithelial cells (Annexin Ⅴ^＋) were increased (P＜0.05), while the proportion of proliferating epithelial cells (Ki67^＋) was decreased (P＜0.001). Conclusion CCL18^＋tumor-associated macrophages infiltration is associated with prognoses in patients with gastric cancer, and might promote an immunosuppressive microenvironment in gastric cancer by expressing PD-L1 and TGF-β, and blockade of CCL18 might be a new direction for gastric cancer treatment.

This article reports the diagnosis and treatment process of a case of iron deficiency anemia in a patient with Crohn's disease who has a poor response to iron supplementation therapy. It reviews relevant literature reports to enhance clinicians' understanding of iron deficiency anemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have a poor response to iron supplementation therapy, and to provide timely effective treatment and regular follow-up and monitoring for the patient after analyzing the causes of anemia.

Cap polyposis is a rare benign gastrointestinal disorder characterized by distinctive endoscopic and pathological manifestions. It primarily affects the rectum and sigmoid colon, with diverse clinical manifestations that often lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. This article reports a case of cap polyposis successfully treated with infliximab. Through the literature review, we aim to enhance clinicians' understanding and capabilities of diagnosis and treatmet for this rare disease.

Five previously undescribed diterpenoids, named succipenoids D‒H (1‒5), along with four undescribed lignans, named succignans A‒D (6‒9), were isolated from the dichloromethane extract of Chinese medicinal succinum. Compounds 1‒5 were characterized as nor-abietane diterpenoids, while compounds 6‒9 were identified as lignans polymerized from two groups of phenylpropanoid units. The structures of these novel compounds, including their absolute configurations, were determined through spectroscopic and computational methods. Biological assessments of renal fibrosis demonstrated that compounds 6 and 7 effectively reduce the expression of proteins associated with renal fibrosis, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and fibronectin in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induced normal rat kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells (NRK-52e).
Animals ; Rats ; Lignans/isolation & purification* ; Diterpenes/isolation & purification* ; Fibrosis/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Molecular Structure ; Cell Line ; Kidney Diseases/pathology* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/genetics* ; Kidney/metabolism* ; Actins/genetics* ; Fibronectins/genetics* ; Collagen Type I/genetics* ; Epithelial Cells/metabolism*

This article reports the diagnosis and treatment process of a case of iron deficiency anemia in a patient with Crohn's disease who has a poor response to iron supplementation therapy. It reviews relevant literature reports to enhance clinicians' understanding of iron deficiency anemia in patients with inflammatory bowel disease who have a poor response to iron supplementation therapy, and to provide timely effective treatment and regular follow-up and monitoring for the patient after analyzing the causes of anemia.

Cap polyposis is a rare benign gastrointestinal disorder characterized by distinctive endoscopic and pathological manifestions. It primarily affects the rectum and sigmoid colon, with diverse clinical manifestations that often lead to misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. This article reports a case of cap polyposis successfully treated with infliximab. Through the literature review, we aim to enhance clinicians' understanding and capabilities of diagnosis and treatmet for this rare disease.

Retrograde adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are capable of infecting the axons of projection neurons and serve as a powerful tool for the anatomical and functional characterization of neural networks. However, few retrograde AAV capsids have been shown to offer access to cortical projection neurons across different species and enable the manipulation of neural function in non-human primates (NHPs). Here, we report the development of a novel retrograde AAV capsid, AAV-DJ8R, which efficiently labeled cortical projection neurons after local administration into the striatum of mice and macaques. In addition, intrastriatally injected AAV-DJ8R mediated opsin expression in the mouse motor cortex and induced robust behavioral alterations. Moreover, AAV-DJ8R markedly increased motor cortical neuron firing upon optogenetic light stimulation after viral delivery into the macaque putamen. These data demonstrate the usefulness of AAV-DJ8R as an efficient retrograde tracer for cortical projection neurons in rodents and NHPs and indicate its suitability for use in conducting functional interrogations.
Animals ; Haplorhini ; Axons ; Motor Neurons ; Interneurons ; Macaca ; Dependovirus/genetics* ; Genetic Vectors

Objective: To explore the influence of two voluntary counseling and testing(VCT) services on young students acquired immune deficiency syndrome(AIDS) related knowledge and behaviour, so as to provide a new idea for further improvement and promotion of VCT services. Methods: From April 2017 to December 2018, the sample size,selected from 12 patrol and fixed monitoring sites in colleges in Guangzhou, was calculated by non inferiority trial, and the students who received services at the same period were 1∶1 matched. A total of 113 students received conventional VCT and 186 recerived peer VCT services. The Chi square test was used to analyse the difference of AIDS related knowledge and behavior before and after intervention, and a survey was conducted on satisfaction. Results: After young students received conventional VCT services, the overall awareness rate of AIDS basic knowledge increased from 80.53% to 93.75%, and the frequency of condom use every time during heterosexual sexual activity in the past year increased by 29.17 percentage points ( χ 2=4.49,4.10, P <0.05). After young students received peer VCT services, the awareness rate of the Four Frees and One Care Policy increased from 34.95% to 58.26%, the rates of homosexual anal sex and more than or equal to 2 sexual partners in the past half a year decreased by 14.84 and 29.43 percentage points, respectively( χ 2=15.69, 4.82, 10.97, P <0.05). Conclusion After young students receive two modes of VCT services respectively, the AIDS related knowledge and behavior have been improved, and the influence of the two VCT services has different advantages. The combination of conventional VCT and peer education might be a more effective way of AIDS intervention.

Objective:To explore the economic applicability and safetyof the novel uterovaginal pubic comb suspension(UPCS)surgery with Mersilene tape in the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse(POP).Methods:A ret-rospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent UPCS surgery due to POP from January 1st,2021 to February 28,2023.They were divided to the UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape group(group A)and suspension surgery with Y-shaped mesh group(group B)respectively.The POP-Q indication points,sus-pension surgery duration,intraoperative bleeding volume,material expense,postoperative catheter retention time,anal exhaust time and hospitalization duration were recorded for both groupbefore and after surgery.Evaluate the severity of POP related symptoms in patients before and after surgery using the pelvic Floor Distress Invento-ry-short Form 20(PFDI-20)and Pelvic Organ Prolapsed/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12(PISQ-12),and follow up and observe the patients and analyze the complications.Results:A total of 17 POP patients were included in the study.There were 12 patients in group A while 5 patients in group B.The suspension material expense of group A was considerably lower than that of group B(P＜0.05).There was no significant difference between the two groups in preoperative PFDI-20 score,preoperative PISQ-12 score,UPCS surgery duration,intr-aoperative bleeding volume,postoperative urinary catheter retention time,postoperative anal exhaust time and hospitalization duration.All patients showed stable vital signs during the surgery and no severe complications were reported.Compared with the preoperative status,the positions of the Aa,Ba,and C indicatorpoint in group A and group B were all increased significantly(P＜0.05).The PFDl-20 and PISQ-12 scores of the two groups at the last follow-up after surgery showed significant improvement compared to those before surgery(P＜0.05).No signifi-cant difference was found in the PFDI-20 and PISQ-12 scores between the two groups after surgery(P＞0.05).There were no significant differences in the postoperative complications between the two groups(P＞0.05).Con-clusions:Compared with suspension surgery with Y-shaped mesh,UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape is safe and effective in the treatment of POP.The UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape showed better cost-effectiveness in the treatment of POP,and the surgical steps are relatively simple.Therefore,UPCS surgery with Mersilene tape was worthy of promotion in clinical practice.