Background::Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.Methods::A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.Results::All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex. Conclusions::The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.

Objective:To discuss the postoperative survival of the gastric cancer patients with different expression levels of myeloid ecotropic viral integration site 1(MEIS1),and to analyze the predictive value of MEIS1 expression in the prognosis evaluation of gastric cancer.Methods:In a gastric cancer survival cohort,215 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy were selected.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression levels of MEIS1 in both gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues.The relationship between expression level of MEIS1 and the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients were analyzed by x2 test or Fisher's exact probability method;survival curves were plotted by Kaplan-Meier method;the differences in survival of the patients between MEIS1 high expression group and MEIS1 low expression group were compared by Log-rank test;multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratios(HR)and 95％confidence intervals(CI)to assess the relationship between MEIS1 expression level and the survival of the gastric cancer patients.Results:The immunohistochemical staining result showed that the expression level of MEIS1 in gastric cancer tissue was decreased.The univariate analysis results showed that the patients with high MEIS1 expression had a longer overall survival than those with low expression(P=0.049),and had a better prognosis.The multivariate Cox proprotional hazards regression analysis results showed that the low MEIS1 expression and high TNM stage were the independent risk factors for poor prognosis of the patients with gastric cancer(HR=1.577,95％CI:1.011-2.460,P=0.045;HR=2.709,95％CI:1.708-4.297,P＜0.001).Conclusion:The gastric cancer patients with low expression of ME1S1 have a shorter postoperative overall survival;MEIS1 is a promising biomarker for prognosis assessment of the patients after radical gastrectomy.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in some regions of China. Methods Serum samples were collected from 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection in 10 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions of China from March 2021 to June 2022, and anti-HDV IgG ELISA was used for the detection of all serum samples. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used to detect HDV RNA in anti-HDV IgG-positive samples, and the nRT-PCR amplification products of HDV RNA-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to determine HDV genotype. The clinical features of anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of anti-HDV IgG in the 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection was 0.70% (22/3 131), and that in the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, and Hunan Province was 1.81% (16/886), 0.88% (2/226), 0.28% (2/708), and 1.00% (2/200), respectively; the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had a significantly higher positive rate of anti-HDV IgG than those in Beijing ( P =0.004), and there was no significant difference between the other regions ( P > 0.05). Clinical features of the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region showed that compared with the anti-HDV IgG-negative group, the anti-HDV IgG-positive group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with Mongol nationality ( P =0.001), abnormal alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.007), or antiviral treatment ( P =0.029), as well as a significantly lower median HBV DNA level ( P =0.030). A total of 19 HDV RNA-positive samples were identified, all of which had HDV genotype 1. Conclusion The prevalence rate of HDV varies greatly across different regions of China, with a higher prevalence rate of HDV in patients with chronic HBV infection from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. HDV genotype 1 is the predominant genotype in some provinces and cities of northern China.

Liposomes have made remarkable achievements as drug delivery vehicles in the clinic. Liposomal products mostly benefited from remote drug loading techniques that succeeded in amphipathic and/or ionizable drugs, but seemed impracticable for nonionizable and poorly water-soluble therapeutic agents, thereby impeding extensive promising drugs to hitchhike liposomal vehicles for disease therapy. In this study, a series of weak acid drug derivatives were designed by a simplistic one step synthesis, which could be remotely loaded into liposomes by pH gradient method. Cabazitaxel (CTX) weak acid derivatives were selected to evaluate regarding its safety profiles, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetics. CTX weak acid derivative liposomes were superior to Jevtana® in terms of safety profiles, including systemic toxicity, hematological toxicity, and potential central nerve toxicity. Specifically, it was demonstrated that liposomes had capacity to weaken potential toxicity of CTX on cortex and hippocampus neurons. Significant advantages of CTX weak acid derivative-loaded liposomes were achieved in prostate cancer and metastatic cancer therapy resulting from higher safety and elevated tolerated doses.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the expressions of JMJD3, matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in invasive ductal breast carcinoma, their association with the clinicopathological features of the patients and the effect of JMJD3 overexpression on proliferation and MMP-2 and VEGF expressions in breast cancer cells. METHODS: The protein and mRNA expressions of JMJD3, MMP-2, and VEGF in invasive ductal breast carcinoma and paired adjacent tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, respectively, and their correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients was analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate the correlation of JMJD3, MMP-2 and VEGF expression levels with the survival of the patients. In breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells transfected with a JMJD3-expression plasmid, the expression of Ki67 was examined immunohistochemically, the cell proliferation was assessed with CCK8 assay, and the mRNA expressions of MMP-2 and VEGF were detected with RT-PCR. RESULTS: Breast cancer tissues had significantly lower JMJD3 expression and higher MMP-2 and VEGF expressions at both the mRNA and protein levels than the adjacent tissue ( CONCLUSIONS The expressions of JMJD3, MMP-2 and VEGF in invasive ductal breast carcinoma are closely correlated to tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis and prognosis and can be used for prognostic evaluation of breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/genetics* ; Humans ; Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; Prognosis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Background: In China, secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCR) has been widely used in ovarian cancer (OC) over the past two decades. Although Gynecologic Oncology Group-0213 trial did not show its overall survival benefit in first relapsed patients, the questions on patient selection and effect of subsequent targeting therapy are still open. The preliminary data from our pre-SOC1 phase II study showed that selected patients with second relapse who never received SCR at recurrence may still benefit from surgery. Moreover, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) maintenance now has been a standard care for platinum sensitive relapsed OC. To our knowledge, no published or ongoing trial is trying to answer the question if patient can benefit from a potentially complete resection combined with PARPi maintenance in OC patients with secondary recurrence. Methods SOC-3 is a multi-center, open, randomized, controlled, phase II trial of SCR followed by chemotherapy and niraparib maintenance vs chemotherapy and niraparib maintenance in patients with platinum-sensitive second relapsed OC who never received SCR at recurrence. To guarantee surgical quality, if the sites had no experience of participating in any OC-related surgical trials, the number of recurrent lesions evaluated by central-reviewed positron emission tomography–computed tomography image shouldn't be more than 3. Eligible patients are randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either SCR followed by 6 cyclesof platinum-based chemotherapy and niraparib maintenance or 6 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy and niraparib maintenance alone. Patients who undergo at least 4 cycles of chemotherapy and must be, in the opinion of the investigator, without disease progression, will be assigned niraparib maintenance. Major inclusion criteria are secondary relapsed OC with a platinum-free interval of no less than 6 months and a possibly complete resection. Major exclusion criteria are borderline tumors and non-epithelial ovarian malignancies, received debulking surgery at recurrence and impossible to complete resection. The sample size is 96 patients. Primary endpoint is 12-month non-progression rate.

Objective To assess vitamin D levels in eastern China by a standard measurement. Methods The data were from a 2014 Survey on the Prevalence in East China for Metabolic Diseases and Risk Factors-China data base. There were 12662 subjects included in this cross-sectional study from February 2014 to June 2016. We assessed the vitamin D levels of natural population by a standard classification in which serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OHD)<50 nmol/ L was defined as vitamin D deficiency. Results The average serum 25-OHD level was (40. 5 ± 12. 5)nmol/ L, and there were 80. 3% subjects who would be classified as vitamin D deficiency; The average serum 25-OHD level of women was significantly lower than that of men (P< 0. 05); The serum 25-OHD concentrations of the <30, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, ≥70 age groups were 37. 81(31. 98-43. 52)nmol/ L, 39. 46(33. 87-45. 72) nmol/ L, 41. 17(34. 10-48. 65) nmol/ L, 40. 67(34. 20-49. 02) nmol/ L, 44. 00 (35. 67-53. 93) nmol/ L, 44. 14 (34. 61-55. 85)nmol/ L for males, and 36. 86 (30. 52-43. 75) nmol/ L, 37. 11 (31. 68-43. 23) nmol/ L, 36. 94 (30. 72-43. 71) nmol/ L, 38. 42(32. 08-46. 41) nmol/ L, 38. 58(31. 04-46. 21) nmol/ L, 37. 31(29. 34-47. 17) nmol/ L for females in corresponding subgroups. Conclusion The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency of natural population in eastern China was common, the levels of vitamin D in women were lower than those of men. However, the vitamin D levels were tended to be increasing with the advance of age.

Objective:To explore the formula and preparation technology parameters of Shengmai dispersible tablets. Methods:With the granulation status, disintegration time, friability, taste and and so on as the testing indices, the formula and preparation tech-nology of Shengmai dispersion tablets were optimized by uniform design. Results:The optimized formula of Shengmai dispersible tab-lets was as follows:25% extract powder, 58% MCC, 8% CCMC-Na, 4% CMS-Na, 2% L-HPC, 2% magnesium stearate and 1%sweetener. L-HPC and magnesium stearate were added after the granulation, and the tablet hardness was controlled at 25N. The opti-mized dispersible tablets could disintegrate uniformly within 3 min. Conclusion: The optimization of the prescription and preparation process parameters of Shengmai dispersing tablets is stable and reliable, and has good repeatability, and the process is feasible.

OBJECTIVE:To optimize enzymatic extraction technology of polysaccharide from Schisandra chinensis. METH-ODS:Using pH value of enzymatic extraction solution,the amount of enzyme,extraction temperature as response factor,S. chi-nensis polysaccharide as response value,on the basis of single-factor experiments,3-factor,5-level central composite experimental design was adopted for the experiment. Validation test was also conducted. RESULTS:The optimal extraction technology was as pH value of 5.7,enzyme dosage of 1.3%,extraction temperature of 53 ℃. In validation test,the extraction rate of S. chinensis polysaccharide was 14.30%(RSD=1.84%,n=6). CONCLUSIONS:The optimized extraction technology is simple,reasonable and stable,and can be used for the extraction of polysaccharide from S. chinensis.