Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common head and neck malignancy. Approximately 50% to 60% of patients with OSCC are diagnosed at a locally advanced stage (clinical staging III-IVa). Even with comprehensive and sequential treatment primarily based on surgery, the 5-year overall survival rate remains below 50%, and patients often suffer from postoperative functional impairments such as difficulties with speaking and swallowing. Programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitors are increasingly used in the neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced OSCC and have shown encouraging efficacy. However, clinical practice still faces key challenges, including the definition of indications, optimization of combination regimens, and standards for efficacy evaluation. Based on the latest research advances worldwide and the clinical experience of the expert group, this expert consensus systematically evaluates the application of PD-1 inhibitors in the neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced OSCC, covering combination strategies, treatment cycles and surgical timing, efficacy assessment, use of biomarkers, management of special populations and immune related adverse events, principles for immunotherapy rechallenge, and function preservation strategies. After multiple rounds of panel discussion and through anonymous voting using the Delphi method, the following consensus statements have been formulated: 1) Neoadjuvant therapy with PD-1 inhibitors can be used preoperatively in patients with locally advanced OSCC. The preferred regimen is a PD-1 inhibitor combined with platinum based chemotherapy, administered for 2-3 cycles. 2) During the efficacy evaluation of neoadjuvant therapy, radiographic assessment should follow the dual criteria of Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1 and immune RECIST (iRECIST). After surgery, systematic pathological evaluation of both the primary lesion and regional lymph nodes is required. For combination chemotherapy regimens, PD-L1 expression and combined positive score need not be used as mandatory inclusion or exclusion criteria. 3) For special populations such as the elderly (≥ 70 years), individuals with stable HIV viral load, and carriers of chronic HBV/HCV, PD-1 inhibitors may be used cautiously under the guidance of a multidisciplinary team (MDT), with close monitoring for adverse events. 4) For patients with a poor response to neoadjuvant therapy, continuation of the original treatment regimen is not recommended; the subsequent treatment plan should be adjusted promptly after MDT assessment. Organ transplant recipients and patients with active autoimmune diseases are not recommended to receive neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy due to the high risk of immune related activation. Rechallenge is generally not advised for patients who have experienced high risk immune related adverse events such as immune mediated myocarditis, neurotoxicity, or pneumonitis. 5) For patients with a good pathological response, individualized de escalation surgery and function preservation strategies can be explored. This consensus aims to promote the standardized, safe, and precise application of neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitor strategies in the management of locally advanced OSCC patients.

Objective: To investigate the damaging effects of red blood cell supernatant (RBC-S) stored for different durations (7 d, 14 d, and 28 d) on vascular endothelial cells, and to explore the underlying mechanisms using bioinformatics analysis, so as to provide references for optimizing red blood cell transfusion strategies. Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were co-cultured with RBC-S stored for 7, 14 and 28 days, designated as the 7 d group, 14 d group and 28 d group respectively, which were collectively defined as the experimental groups. Cell damage was evaluated by cell proliferation assay (Cell Counting Kit8, CCK8), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay, 4′, 6diamidino2phenylindole (DAPI) staining, and flow cytometry for apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. The damage degree of RBC-S on vascular endothelial cells was assessed by statistical analysis of damage data among different groups. Since the damage effect reached a plateau at all time points, the 28 d storage group was selected as the representative for further mechanistic studies. Transcriptomic analysis was performed to explore the role of frizzled class receptor 1 (FZD1) and Wnt signaling pathway in red blood cell storagerelated endothelial dysfunction. Results: Compared with the control group, the storage groups treated with 7 d, 14 d, and 28 d RBC-S showed significantly decreased cell proliferation rates [control group 100%, 7 d group (69.51±2.30)%, 14 d group (74.54±2.89)%, 28 d group (73.59±2.36)%, P<0.05], significantly reduced numbers of DAPI-stained cell nuclei [control group (213±12.5) per field, 7 d group (140.33±17.04) per field, 14 d group (152.00±23.72) per field, 28 d group (144.33±19.09) per field, P<0.05] and significantly increased LDH release [control group (1), 7 d group (8.33±1.41), 14 d group (9.23±0.83), 28 d group (9.16±0.60), P<0.05]. There was no significant difference in the degree of damage caused by RBC-S among different storage groups (P>0.05). With the prolongation of storage time, free hemoglobin (FHb) gradually increased [control group (not detected), 7 d (16.57±6.38) mg/L, 14 d (76.80±22.83) mg/L, 28 d (286.97±29.02) mg/L, P<0.05]. The apoptotic rate (20.53±2.94)% and ROS relative intensity (5.13±0.91) in the 28 d storage group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Transcriptomic analysis showed that FZD1 played a key role in vascular endothelial dysfunction induced by red blood cell storage and was closely related to the Wnt signaling regulatory network. Conclusion: RBC-S stored for 7 d, 14 d, or 28 d can all significantly damage vascular endothelial cells, and the damaging effect reaches a plateau at 7 d of storage. Mechanistic investigation of the 28 d group indicated that the downregulation of the FZD1/Wnt signaling pathway may play a critical role in vascular endothelial dysfunction induced by red blood cell storage, providing a theoretical basis for further optimizing red blood cell storage and transfusion strategies.

[Objective] To explore the feasibility of using whole blood as a source of NK cells for allogeneic CAR NK cell therapy and activated NK cell reinfusion therapy, and initially construct a technical system for the separation and purification of NK cells from whole blood. [Methods] All peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were enriched from 400 mL of whole blood by manual separation and machine separation, respectively. The erythrocyte loss rate, PBMCs number, NK cell purity of the two methods were compared. NK cells were sorted from PBMCs by three separation and enrichment methods as immunomagnetic bead negative selection method, platelet lysate culture expansion and PERCOLL density gradient separation method, and the purity and yield of NK cells, the activity of NK cells and the tumor-killing ability of the three separation and enrichment methods were compared. [Results] The proportion of NK cells in the lymphocyte population was higher in the manual separation method than in the machine separation method[(13.16±5.16)% vs (8.56±3.92)%, P<0.05]; the number PBMCs was lower in the manual separation method than in the machine separation method[(4.09±1.80)×10⁸vs (6.49±2.16)×10⁸, P<0.05], and there was no difference in the red blood cell loss between the two methods (P>0.05). The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched from PBMCs by manual separation method using immunomagnetic was (96.77±2.31)%; the yield was (56.27±10.47)%; the inhibition of tumor proliferation was (38.67±14.05)%; and the tumor killing rate was (19.90±8.05)%. The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched from PBMCs by manual separation method using platelet lysis culture expansion method was the highest at day 7, which was (54.84±15.80)%; the cell expansion multiple could reach 16.92±6.28 at day 7; the in vitro tumor killing rate of NK cells was (15.83±5.5)%; the tumor inhibition rate was (44.33±13.5)%; and there was no difference in the toxicity and activity of NK cells between the two methods (P>0.05). The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched by PERCOLL density gradient separation method was (15.83±5.82)%, and the yield was (14±6.25)%, which was significantly lower than the other two methods. [Conclusion] PBMCs isolated from whole blood by manual separation and NK cells enriched by negative selection with immunomagnetic beads have the potential to provide NK cell materials for CAR-NK cell therapy, and NK cells enriched by platelet lysate-conditioned medium have the potential to provide NK cells for large-scale NK cell activation reinfusion therapy.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the contrast-enhanced ultrasound with Sonazoid (Sonazoid-CEUS) features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who underwent surgical resection and were histopathologically diagnosed with NAFLD or cirrhosis-related HCC were included. All patients received Sonazoid-CEUS examinations within 1 week prior to hepatic surgery. The enhancement patterns of HCC lesions were evaluated and compared between the two groups according to the current World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the correlations between Sonazoid-CEUS enhancement patterns and clinicopathologic characteristics. Results: From March 2022 to April 2023, a total of 151 patients with HCC were included, comprising 72 with NAFLD-related HCC and 79 with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis–related HCC. On Sonazoid-CEUS, more than half of the NAFLD-related HCCs exhibited relatively early and mild washout within 60 seconds (54.2%, 39/72), whereas most HBV cirrhosis–related HCCs displayed washout between 60 and 120 seconds (46.8%, 37/79) or after 120 seconds (39.2%, 31/79) (P<0.001). In the patients with NAFLD-related HCC, multivariate analysis revealed that international normalized ratio (odds ratio [OR], 0.002; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.000 to 0.899; P=0.046) and poor tumor differentiation (OR, 21.930; 95% CI, 1.960 to 245.319; P=0.012) were significantly associated with washout occurring within 60 seconds. Conclusion Characteristic Sonazoid-CEUS features are useful for diagnosing HCC in patients with NAFLD.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the contrast-enhanced ultrasound with Sonazoid (Sonazoid-CEUS) features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who underwent surgical resection and were histopathologically diagnosed with NAFLD or cirrhosis-related HCC were included. All patients received Sonazoid-CEUS examinations within 1 week prior to hepatic surgery. The enhancement patterns of HCC lesions were evaluated and compared between the two groups according to the current World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the correlations between Sonazoid-CEUS enhancement patterns and clinicopathologic characteristics. Results: From March 2022 to April 2023, a total of 151 patients with HCC were included, comprising 72 with NAFLD-related HCC and 79 with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis–related HCC. On Sonazoid-CEUS, more than half of the NAFLD-related HCCs exhibited relatively early and mild washout within 60 seconds (54.2%, 39/72), whereas most HBV cirrhosis–related HCCs displayed washout between 60 and 120 seconds (46.8%, 37/79) or after 120 seconds (39.2%, 31/79) (P<0.001). In the patients with NAFLD-related HCC, multivariate analysis revealed that international normalized ratio (odds ratio [OR], 0.002; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.000 to 0.899; P=0.046) and poor tumor differentiation (OR, 21.930; 95% CI, 1.960 to 245.319; P=0.012) were significantly associated with washout occurring within 60 seconds. Conclusion Characteristic Sonazoid-CEUS features are useful for diagnosing HCC in patients with NAFLD.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the contrast-enhanced ultrasound with Sonazoid (Sonazoid-CEUS) features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: In this retrospective study, patients who underwent surgical resection and were histopathologically diagnosed with NAFLD or cirrhosis-related HCC were included. All patients received Sonazoid-CEUS examinations within 1 week prior to hepatic surgery. The enhancement patterns of HCC lesions were evaluated and compared between the two groups according to the current World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the correlations between Sonazoid-CEUS enhancement patterns and clinicopathologic characteristics. Results: From March 2022 to April 2023, a total of 151 patients with HCC were included, comprising 72 with NAFLD-related HCC and 79 with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis–related HCC. On Sonazoid-CEUS, more than half of the NAFLD-related HCCs exhibited relatively early and mild washout within 60 seconds (54.2%, 39/72), whereas most HBV cirrhosis–related HCCs displayed washout between 60 and 120 seconds (46.8%, 37/79) or after 120 seconds (39.2%, 31/79) (P<0.001). In the patients with NAFLD-related HCC, multivariate analysis revealed that international normalized ratio (odds ratio [OR], 0.002; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.000 to 0.899; P=0.046) and poor tumor differentiation (OR, 21.930; 95% CI, 1.960 to 245.319; P=0.012) were significantly associated with washout occurring within 60 seconds. Conclusion Characteristic Sonazoid-CEUS features are useful for diagnosing HCC in patients with NAFLD.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a well-accepted therapy for atopic dermatitis (AD). However, there are currently no evidence-based guidelines integrating TCM and Western medicine for the treatment of AD, limiting the clinical application of such combined approaches. Therefore, the China Association of Chinese Medicine initiated the development of the current guideline, focusing on key issues related to the use of TCM in the treatment of AD. This guideline was developed in accordance with the principles of the guideline formulation manual published by the World Health Organization. A comprehensive review of the literature on the combined use of TCM and Western medicine to treat AD was conducted. The findings were extensively discussed by experts in dermatology and pharmacy with expertise in both TCM and Western medicine. This guideline comprises 23 recommendations across seven major areas, including TCM syndrome differentiation and classification of AD, principles and application scenarios of TCM combined with Western medicine for treating AD, outcome indicators for evaluating clinical efficacy of AD treatment, integration of TCM pattern classification and Western medicine across disease stages, daily management of AD, the use of internal TCM therapies and proprietary Chinese medicines, and TCM external treatments. Please cite this article as: Du XR, Wu MY, Tao MC, Lin Y, Gu CY, Wu MF, Cao Y, Chen DC, Li W, Wang HW, Wang Y, Wang Y, Lu HZ, Liu X, Su XF, Li FL. Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis with integrative traditional Chinese and Western medicine. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):641-653.
Dermatitis, Atopic/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Integrative Medicine ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Practice Guidelines as Topic

OBJECTIVE: Observational studies have found associations between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and the risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and vascular dementia (VD); however, these findings are inconsistent. It remains unclear whether these associations are causal. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis by systematically searching for observational studies on the association between IBD and dementia. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis based on summary genome-wide association studies (GWASs) was performed. Genetic correlation and Bayesian co-localization analyses were used to provide robust genetic evidence. RESULTS: Ten observational studies involving 80,565,688 participants were included in this meta-analysis. IBD was significantly associated with dementia (risk ratio [ RR] =1.36, 95% CI = 1.04-1.78; I ² = 84.8%) and VD ( RR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.18-5.70; only one study), but not with AD ( RR = 2.00, 95% CI = 0.96-4.13; I ² = 99.8%). MR analyses did not supported significant causal associations of IBD with dementia (dementia: odds ratio [ OR] = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.98-1.03; AD: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.95-1.01; VD: OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.97-1.07). In addition, genetic correlation and co-localization analyses did not reveal any genetic associations between IBD and dementia. CONCLUSION Our study did not provide genetic evidence for a causal association between IBD and dementia risk. The increased risk of dementia observed in observational studies may be attributed to unobserved confounding factors or detection bias.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/complications* ; Dementia/etiology* ; Observational Studies as Topic ; Genome-Wide Association Study

OBJECTIVE: To investigate chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection's effect on gestational liver function, pregnancy and delivery complications, and neonatal development. METHODS: A total of 157 HCV antibody-positive (anti-HCV[+]) and HCV RNA(+) patients (Group C) and 121 anti-HCV(+) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group B) were included as study participants, while 142 anti-HCV(-) and HCV RNA(-) patients (Group A) were the control group. Data on biochemical indices during pregnancy, pregnancy complications, delivery-related information, and neonatal complications were also collected. RESULTS: Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) rates in Group C during early, middle, and late pregnancy were 59.87%, 43.95%, and 42.04%, respectively-significantly higher than Groups B (26.45%, 15.70%, 10.74%) and A (23.94%, 19.01%, 6.34%) ( P < 0.05). Median ALT levels in Group C were significantly higher than in Groups A and B at all pregnancy stages ( P < 0.05). No significant differences were found in neonatal malformation rates across groups ( P > 0.05). However, neonatal jaundice incidence was significantly greater in Group C (75.16%) compared to Groups A (42.25%) and B (57.02%) ( χ ² = 33.552, P < 0.001). HCV RNA positivity during pregnancy was an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice ( OR = 2.111, 95% CI 1.242-3.588, P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS Chronic HCV infection can affect the liver function of pregnant women, but does not increase the pregnancy or delivery complication risks. HCV RNA(+) is an independent risk factor for neonatal jaundice.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Infant, Newborn ; Viremia/virology* ; Hepatitis C ; Hepacivirus/physiology* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/virology* ; Young Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/blood*

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HIV pretreatment drug resistance (PDR) and the transmission clusters associated with PDR-related mutations in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients between 2020 and 2023 in Dehong prefecture, Yunnan province, China. METHODS: Demographic information and plasma samples were collected from study participants. PDR was assessed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. The Tamura-Nei 93 model within HIV-TRACE was employed to compute pairwise matches with a genetic distance of 0.015 substitutions per site. RESULTS: Among 948 treatment-naive individuals with eligible sequences, 36 HIV subtypes were identified, with unique recombinant forms (URFs) being the most prevalent (18.8%, 178/948). The overall prevalence of PDR was 12.4% (118/948), and resistance to non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 10.7%, 1.3%, and 1.6%, respectively. A total of 91 clusters were identified, among which eight showed evidence of PDR strain transmission. The largest PDR-associated cluster consisted of six CRF01_AE drug-resistant strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations; five of these individuals had initial CD4+ cell counts < 200 cells/μL. CONCLUSION The distribution of HIV subtypes in Dehong is diverse and complex. PDR was moderately prevalent (12.4%) between 2020 and 2023. Evidence of transmission of CRF01_AE strains carrying K103N and V179T mutations was found. Routine surveillance of PDR and the strengthening of control measures are essential to limit the spread of drug-resistance HIV strains.
Humans ; HIV Infections/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Drug Resistance, Viral ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Middle Aged ; HIV-1/genetics* ; Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use* ; Myanmar/epidemiology* ; Young Adult ; Prevalence ; Adolescent ; Mutation