1.COLEC12high tumor-associated macrophages orchestrate lenvatinib resistance and cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma via paracrine NRG1-HER2/HER3 signaling
Jianxing ZHANG ; Liang QIAO ; Zongfeng WU ; Dinglan ZUO ; Shanshan HUANG ; Shaoru LIU ; Zhenkun HUANG ; Yi ZENG ; Yu LI ; Yichuan YUAN ; Chenwei WANG ; Wei HE ; Jiliang QIU ; Yunfei YUAN ; Yi NIU ; Binkui LI
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2026;32(2):772-786
Background/Aims:
Lenvatinib resistance remains a critical barrier in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapy. However, the underlying mechanisms and strategies for reversing resistance remain incompletely understood.
Methods:
Integrated transcriptomics of lenvatinib-resistant patient tumors and an acquired-resistance murine model identified a novel macrophage subpopulation. Functional validation employed CRISPR-SAM screening, conditioned medium (CM) assays, subcutaneous/orthotopic xenografts, patient-derived organoids (PDOs), and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Mechanistic studies included ChIP-qPCR, co-immunoprecipitation, and pharmacologic targeting. Clinical relevance was assessed in a retrospective cohort.
Results:
Resistant HCC exhibited significant enrichment of a COLEC12high TAM subset , which correlated with poor survival and treatment response. These TAMs secreted neuregulin-1 (NRG1) , activating HER2/HER3-AKT signaling in tumor cells to drive cancer stemness and lenvatinib resistance. Mechanistically, in TAMs COLEC12 sequestered STAT1 in the cytoplasm, preventing its phosphorylation, and thereby derepressing STAT3-mediated NRG1 transcription. Depletion of NRG1 reversed the stemness phenotypes and resensitized tumors to lenvatinib both in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, high NRG1 expression predicted an inferior lenvatinib response and shorter survival. Crucially, the bispecific anti-HER2/HER3 antibody zenocutuzumab restored lenvatinib efficacy in PDOs, PDXs, and murine models.
Conclusions
Our work establishes the COLEC12high TAM/NRG1 axis as a master regulator of therapeutic resistance and identifies NRG1 as a predictive biomarker, providing a clinically actionable strategy to overcome lenvatinib resistance in HCC.
2.Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Transition-to-Residency Curriculum for Surgical Residents
Tong NIU ; Jingcheng ZHANG ; Xuehan GAO ; Runzhu LIU ; Xiaoning SUN ; Yang SONG ; Lu PING ; Jie YI ; Chao GUO ; Xisheng WENG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(5):1256-1264
This study aimed to systematically construct a transitional curriculum for newly recruited surgical residents and to evaluate its preliminary application outcomes through pre and postimplementation assessments, so as to provide practical references for the design and dissemination of such curricula. A singlecenter historical controlled design was adopted. Residents admitted in 2020 served as the traditional teaching group (preimplementation), while those admitted in 2024 served as the teaching reform group (postimplementation). Both groups completed selfadministered surveys three months after admission. Following Kern's sixstep approach, the transitional curriculum for surgical residents was developed based on needs assessment results, comprising 18 theoretical lectures and 3 practical skill training sessions, all delivered within the first three months after admission. Selfadministered questionnaires were used to assess clinical readiness and teaching satisfaction in both groups at three months postadmission. Betweengroup comparisons were performed using independent samples ttests, with Cohen's d effect sizes calculated, along with sensitivity analyses and power analyses. The teaching reform group ( The transitional curriculum developed in this study provides a systematized framework of theoretical instruction and foundational skills training for newly admitted surgical residents, and its feasibility has been preliminarily validated. Its effectiveness, however, warrants further confirmation through largersample, prospective studies with objective outcome measures.
3.Research and prospect of Traditional Chinese Medicine in navigation and diving medicine
Yingdong WANG ; Mingxing ZHANG ; Yi YU ; Xin NIU ; Xin CHEN ; Jiwen QIU ; Yi GUO
Space Medicine & Medical Engineering 2025;36(4):312-316
The health problems of operators who are not adapted to the special environment of sailing and diving.Ships and submarines are far away from the coast,medical resources are limited,at present the main use of drugs to prevent and control related diseases,but the actual application of the effect is not ideal,many drugs in the treatment of disease at the same time,it will make the operating personnel to produce drowsiness,decreased concentration or drug allergies and other adverse reactions,affecting the implementation of the mission of long-distance voyage.Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on the overall concept,can mobilize the body's self-repair ability,the ability to adapt to the external environment,in the prevention and treatment of disease at the same time,can regulate the body's internal organs function,safeguard the body's function,to ensure the effectiveness of the operator's work,and many of the interventions of traditional Chinese medicine is simple and easy to carry out,is not confined to the environmental limitations of the navigation and diving medicine has a very strong applicability.In this paper,we discuss the mechanism of Traditional Chinese medicine in the body under the environment of navigation and diving,summarize the current status of the application of Traditional Chinese medicine in navigation and diving medicine,and look forward to the future direction of the application of Traditional Chinese medicine,in order to provide a new way of thinking for the research of navigation and diving medicine with Chinese characteristics.
4.The research on effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on muscle strength reserve of calf muscles
Guoning HAN ; Yawen TAO ; Zheng ZHU ; Yingdong WANG ; Mingxing ZHANG ; Qiang XI ; Dan ZHOU ; Yi GUO ; Peng ZHOU ; Xin NIU ; Lin ZHANG ; Jiwen QIU
Space Medicine & Medical Engineering 2025;36(4):356-361
Objective To investigate whether transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation(TEAS)can improve the muscle strength,endurance and work efficiency of calf muscles in healthy young men,aiming to explore a new method for preventing and combating microgravity-induced muscle atrophy in space environments.Methods 40 healthy young men aged 18-35 years were randomly divided into a Control group(Pseudo Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation)and a Experimental group(Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation)in a 1∶1 ratio,with 20 participants in each group.In the Control group,the indicator light of the stimulator was covered,and the device was turned on,but the electrodes did not contact the skin,The device automatically turned offafter 3 seconds.In the Experimental group,the TEAS device was connected to the current and TEAS intervention was performed.The electrical stimulation waveform was a sperse-dense wave with a frequency of 4/20 Hz,and the intensity was determined by patient tolerance.The acupoints selected for electrical stimulation in both groups were bilateral Zusanli(ST36)、Liangqiu(ST34),Taixi(KI3),and Fuliu(KI7).Zusanli and Liangqiu were paired,and Taixi and Fuliu were paired.The intervention frequency was 30 min/time,1 time/day,6 days/week,for 2 weeks.The relative peak torque at 60°/s,relative peak torque at 180°/s,and average power at 180°/s of the bilateral calf muscles were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer at 0th,7th,and 14d day of the experiment.Results After 1 week of TEAS,compared with Control group,there were no significant changes in the relative peak torque at 60°/s,relative peak torque at 180°/s and average power at 180°/s of the bilateral anterior calf muscles in the Experimental group(all P>0.05);however,compared with Control group,the relative peak torque at 60°/s and the relative peak torque at 180°/s of the bilateral posterior calf muscles in the Experimental group were significantly increased(all P<0.05).After 2 weeks TEAS;compared with the Control group,there were no significant changes in the relative peak torque at 60°/s,relative peak torque at 180°/s and average power at 180°/s of the bilateral anterior calf muscles in the Experimental group(all P>0.05);however,the relative peak torque at 60°/s,relative peak torque at 180°/s,and average power at 180°/s of the bilateral posterior calf muscles were significantly increased in the Experimental group(all P<0.05).Conclusion TEAS of Zusanli,Liangqiu,Fuliu and Taixi acupoints on the lower limbs for 2 weeks can effectively improve the maximum muscle strength,endurance and work efficiency of the posterior calf muscles in healthy young men.
5.Association of digit ratio with polymorphisms at three loci of matrix metalloproteinase 9 gene in Ningxia Han youths
Meng-Yi YANG ; Jin ZHANG ; Shi-Bo NIU ; Jie DANG ; Zhan-Bing MA ; Hong LU ; Zheng-Hao HUO ; Yu XU ; Dan SHEN
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2025;56(1):74-79
Objective To investigate the association of digit ratio with single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)at three loci(rs17576,rs3918249,rs9509)of matrix metallopeptidase 9(MMP-9)gene.Methods A total of 804 Ningxia Han youths(399 males and 405 females)were used as the study subjects.A digital camera was used to take frontal photographs of the hands,and image analysis software was used to mark the anatomical points and measure the lengths of each finger of both hands(2D,3D,4D,5D);Multiplexed PCR was used to detect the three polymorphic sites of the MMP-9 gene,SPSS 25.0 and R Studio software were used for data analysis and plotting.Results The 2D/3D(P<0.05)and 2D/4D(left,P<0.01,right,P<0.05)of both hands,2D/5D(P<0.01),3D/5D,4D/5D(P<0.05)of the right hand,and 3D/4D(P<0.05)of the left hand in female youths of Ningxia Han were significantly higher than those in males,Differences in genotypes and allele frequencies at all 3 loci of the MMP-9 gene were not statistically significant between genders(P>0.05).Right hand 2D/4D was significantly associated with genotypes at the rs17576 and rs3918249 loci in male youths(P<0.05).Conclusion MMP-9 gene SNPs(rs17576 and rs3918249)may be associated with the formation of 2D/4D of Ningxia Han male youths.
6.Correlations of CALLY index in early pregnancy with the onset and severity of preeclampsia
Yanhua NIU ; Ximei WANG ; Yi LIU ; Yumeng WANG ; Jinghan ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2025;29(4):97-102
Objective To investigate the correlations of CALLY index in early pregnancy with the onset and severity of preeclampsia.Methods A total of 987 pregnant women were prospectively en-rolled as study subjects,with 42 lost during follow-up,resulting in a final inclusion of 945 subjects.Based on the occurrence and severity of preeclampsia during follow-up,the pregnant women were di-vided into preeclampsia group(n=47),severe preeclampsia group(n=49),and normal group(n=849).General information and laboratory test results were collected from all pregnant women,and the CALLY index was calculated.The Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation be-tween CALLY index and severity of preeclampsia(mean arterial pressure);the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted to analyze the predictive efficacy of each indicator for pre-eclampsia;Cox regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors for the onset of preeclamp-sia.Results The mean arterial pressure and 24-hour urine protein levels were higher in the severe pre-eclampsia group than those in the preeclampsia group and normal group,and higher in the preeclampsia group than those in the normal group(P<0.05).The CALLY index was lower in the severe preeclamp-sia group than in the preeclampsia group and normal group,and lower in the preeclampsia group than in the normal group(P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between CALLY index and mean arterial pressure(r=-0.571,P<0.001).The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of CALLY index for predicting preeclampsia was 0.941(95%CI,0.900 to 0.981).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that an increased CALLY index was an independent protective factor for the onset of preeclampsia(HR=0.185,95%CI,0.092 to 0.374,P<0.001).Conclusion The CALLY index is negatively correlated with the severity of preeclampsia and is an independent influencing factor for the onset of preeclampsia,which can be used as an auxiliary indicator to assess the onset and severity of preeclampsia in pregnant women.
7.Application of shockwave balloon in the treatment of TASCⅡ C/D femoropopliteal atherosclerosis obliterans
Yi HE ; Hongyu WU ; Shanshan DING ; Yanqing QI ; Fei WU ; Xiaoyang NIU ; Yanling WANG ; Weilong LU ; Bing WANG
Chinese Journal of Radiology 2025;59(5):572-576
Objective:To evaluate the short-and medium-term therapeutic efficacy of shockwave balloon therapy for TASCⅡ C/D femoropopliteal artery atherosclerosis obliteration.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 25 patients who received shockwave balloon therapy in five vascular centers from August 2022 to June 2023. All patients were diagnosed with TASC Ⅱ C/D femoropopliteal arteriosclerosis obliterans (13 cases of type C and 12 cases of type D), and underwent intravascular shock wave lithotripsy (IVL) to treat calcified lesions. The immediate effectiveness (residual stenosis<30% and no flow-limiting dissection), safety (whether there were adverse vascular events during the operation) and the rate of salvage stent implantation were recorded. The observation indexes of patients before operation, early postoperative period (immediately after operation or before discharge) and postoperative follow-up period (3, 6, 12 months after operation) were collected. The observation indexes included ankle-brachial index (ABI), Rutherford classification, and minimum lumen diameter (MLD). Repeated measures ANOVA was used to evaluate the changes of observation indexes in the early postoperative and follow-up stages compared with those before operation; Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the one-stage patency rate at follow-up and the target lesion revascularization rate free from clinical drive.Results:The immediate effectiveness of surgery was 100% in all patients, with no vascular related adverse events occurred, and no remedial stent implantation was performed. The ABI, Rutherford grade and MLD of the patients in the early postoperative period and each follow-up stage were improved compared with those before operation, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the primary patency rate at 12 months after surgery was 0.78 (95% CI 0.64-0.84), and the revascularization rate of target lesions free from clinical drive was 0.87 (95% CI 0.85-0.95). Conclusion:Shockwave balloon therapy for complex calcified femoropopliteal artery lesions is safe and reliable, with satisfactory short-and medium-term efficacy.
8.Clinical application of compound cold and heat ablation system in adrenal functional tumors
Zhaoxia ZHANG ; Qianqian LYU ; Chao LI ; Jie WANG ; Wenjin YI ; Wenjuan YANG ; Lizhi NIU ; Ying XING
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2025;19(4):558-562
The preferred treatment for adrenal functional tumors is laparoscopic surgical resection. However, in recent years, various ablation techniques have gradually been applied in the treatment of adrenal tumors. This report presents the successful diagnosis and treatment experience of 4 aldosterone-producing adenomas and 1 cortisol-secreting adenoma treated with a combined cold and hot ablation system at Xi’an Daxing Hospital from Dec. 2023 to Dec. 2024, providing a new treatment approach for clinical exploration.
9.Mendelian randomization reveals the effect of plasma lipidomics on pan-creatitis
Qi-rong JIANG ; Zhe-yu NIU ; Fa-ji YANG ; Yi-jie HAO ; Shi-zhe ZHANG ; Jun LU
Chinese Journal of Current Advances in General Surgery 2025;28(6):436-443
Objective:To investigate the causal effects of plasma lipidomics on pancreatitis using Mendelian ran-domization(MR)and evaluate the roles of intra-pancreatic fat deposition(IPFD)and gallstone disease in this relation-ship.Methods:A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted,with 179 plasma lipids as exposures and acute pancreati-tis(AP)and chronic pancreatitis(CP)as outcomes.Data were sourced from genome-wide association studies(GWAS),the UK Biobank,and the FinnGen project.Two-step Mendelian randomization(TSMR)and multivariable Mendelian ran-domization(MVMR)analyses were applied to assess the mediating roles of IPFD and gallstone disease in the associa-tion between plasma lipids and pancreatitis.Results:MR analysis identified two sterols negatively associated with AP(P<0.05)and seven sterols negatively associated with CP(P<0.05).One phospholipid showed a positive association with CP(P<0.05).IPFD was positively associated with both AP and CP.Gallstone disease was confirmed as a risk fac-tor for AP.However,TSMR analysis indicated that neither IPFD nor gallstone disease mediated the relationship be-tween plasma lipids and pancreatitis.Conclusion:The causal relationship exists among plasma lipomics and AP/CP,also between IPFD,cholelithiasis and pancreatitis.These findings highlight novel risk factors and potential biomarkers to support early diagnosis and intervention for pancreatitis.
10.Mendelian randomization reveals the effect of plasma lipidomics on pan-creatitis
Qi-rong JIANG ; Zhe-yu NIU ; Fa-ji YANG ; Yi-jie HAO ; Shi-zhe ZHANG ; Jun LU
Chinese Journal of Current Advances in General Surgery 2025;28(6):436-443
Objective:To investigate the causal effects of plasma lipidomics on pancreatitis using Mendelian ran-domization(MR)and evaluate the roles of intra-pancreatic fat deposition(IPFD)and gallstone disease in this relation-ship.Methods:A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted,with 179 plasma lipids as exposures and acute pancreati-tis(AP)and chronic pancreatitis(CP)as outcomes.Data were sourced from genome-wide association studies(GWAS),the UK Biobank,and the FinnGen project.Two-step Mendelian randomization(TSMR)and multivariable Mendelian ran-domization(MVMR)analyses were applied to assess the mediating roles of IPFD and gallstone disease in the associa-tion between plasma lipids and pancreatitis.Results:MR analysis identified two sterols negatively associated with AP(P<0.05)and seven sterols negatively associated with CP(P<0.05).One phospholipid showed a positive association with CP(P<0.05).IPFD was positively associated with both AP and CP.Gallstone disease was confirmed as a risk fac-tor for AP.However,TSMR analysis indicated that neither IPFD nor gallstone disease mediated the relationship be-tween plasma lipids and pancreatitis.Conclusion:The causal relationship exists among plasma lipomics and AP/CP,also between IPFD,cholelithiasis and pancreatitis.These findings highlight novel risk factors and potential biomarkers to support early diagnosis and intervention for pancreatitis.

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