Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) refers to the accumulation of pleural fluid caused by metastasis from primary pleural malignancies or tumors originating elsewhere. It is associated with a poor prognosis. Current treatment strategies primarily include systemic anti-tumor therapy and local management of MPE based on the primary tumor. Numerous studies have documented diverse approaches for the local control of MPE. This review summarizes recent advances in local treatment strategies for primary tumor-related MPE, highlighting emerging pharmacological agents and innovative techniques.
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Humans ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant/drug therapy*

Microglial functions are linked to Ca²⁺ signaling, with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium stores playing a crucial role. Microglial abnormality is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but how ER Ca²⁺ receptors regulate microglial functions under physiological and AD conditions remains unclear. We found reduced ryanodine receptor 2 (Ryr2) expression in microglia from an AD mouse model. Modulation of RyR2 using S107, a RyR-Calstabin stabilizer, blunted spontaneous Ca²⁺ transients in controls and normalized Ca²⁺ transients in AD mice. S107 enhanced ATP-induced migration and phagocytosis while reducing ramification in control microglia; however, these effects were absent in AD microglia. Our findings indicate that RyR2 stabilization promotes an activation state shift in control microglia, a mechanism impaired in AD. These results highlight the role of ER Ca²⁺ receptors in both homeostatic and AD microglia, providing insights into microglial Ca²⁺ malfunctions in AD.
Animals ; Microglia/pathology* ; Alzheimer Disease/pathology* ; Phagocytosis/drug effects* ; Ryanodine Receptor Calcium Release Channel/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Calcium Signaling/physiology* ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Male ; Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism*

Purpose::Intramedullary nailing is the preferred internal fixation technique for the treatment of subtrochanteric fractures because of its biomechanical advantages. However, no definitive conclusion has been reached regarding whether combined cable cerclage is required during intramedullary nailing treatment. This study is performed to compare the clinical effects of intramedullary nailing with cerclage and non-cerclage wiring in the treatment of irreducible spiral subtrochanteric fractures.Methods::Patients with subtrochanteric fractures admitted to our center from January 2013 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were enrolled in the case-control study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and divided into the non-cerclage group and the cerclage group. The patients' clinical data, including the operative time, intraoperative blood loss, hospital stay, reoperation rate, fracture union time, and Harris hip score, were compared between these 2 groups. Categorical variables were compared using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables with normal distribution were presented as mean ± standard deviation and analyzed with Student's t-test. Nonnormally distributed variables were expressed as median (Q 1, Q 3) and assessed using the Mann-Whitney test. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results::In total, 69 patients were included in the study (35 patients in the non-cerclage group and 34 patients in the cerclage group). The baseline data of the 2 groups were comparable. There were no significant difference in the length of hospital stay (z = -0.391, p = 0.696), operative time (z = -1.289, p = 0.197), or intraoperative blood loss (z = -1.321, p = 0.186). However, compared with non-cerclage group, the fracture union time was shorter (z = -5.587, p < 0.001), the rate of nonunion was lower (χ 2= 6.030, p = 0.03), the anatomical reduction rate was higher (χ 2= 5.449, p = 0.03), and the Harris hip score was higher (z =-2.99, p = 0.003) in the cerclage group, all with statistically significant differences. Conclusions::Intramedullary nailing combined with cable cerclage wiring is a safe and reliable technique for the treatment of irreducible subtrochanteric fractures. This technique can improve the reduction effect, increase the stability of fracture fixation, shorten the fracture union time, reduce the occurrence of nonunion, and contribute to the recovery of hip joint function.

Objective To investigate the patterns of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome differentiation and treatment for dengue fever by using R language data visualization technology,so as to provide reference for TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment of dengue fever.Methods The related literature of dengue fever treated by Chinese medicine was retrieved from CNKI,Wanfang Data,and VIP.R-Studio software was used to conduct descriptive statistical analysis of the TCM syndromes,treatment methods,prescriptions and Chinese medicine in the literature of dengue fever treated by oral use of Chinese medicine.Based on Apriori algorithm,association rule mining and cluster analysis were carried out to explore the TCM syndrome and treatment patters of dengue fever.Results A total of 176 prescriptions for effective cases were extracted,and the included literature involved 29 syndromes,73 TCM treatment methods,56 classical prescriptions and 35 self-formulated prescriptions,and 179 Chinese medicinals.The syndrome of comorbidity of defense phase and qi phase and the syndrome of blazing of both qi phase and nutrient phase were the high-frequency syndromes of dengue fever treated by oral use of Chinese medicine.The high-frequency treatment methods covered heat-clearing therapy,toxin-removing therapy,blood-cooling therapy and dampness-resolving therapy.Qingwen Baidu Decoction was the most frequently-used prescription.Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,Forsythiae Fructus,Scutellariae Radix,Gypsum Fibrosum,and Lonicerae Japonicae Flos were the frequently-used Chinese medinals.There were three drug combinations containing Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Moutan Cortex,and Rehmanniae Radix,and their correlation of association rules was the highest.Bubali Cornu,Moutan Cortex,Paeoniae Radix Rubra,Rehmanniae Radix,Lonicerae Japonicae Flos,Forsythiae Fructus,Gypsum Fibrosum,Scutellariae Radix,Anemarrhenae Rhizoma,and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma were the core Chinese medicinals for the treatment of dengue fever.Conclusion The TCM syndromes of dengue fever are predominated by the syndrome of comorbidity of defense phase and qi phase and the syndrome of blazing of both qi phase and nutrient phase.The treatment of dengue fever with TCM is based on the principle of clearing heat toxin from the qi phase,cooling the nutrient-blood excess heat,resolving pathogenic dampness,and nourishing qi and yin.The treatment focuses on clearing qi phase and blood phase,and the application of removing stasis in febrile diseases should be stressed,thus to block the progression of the disease in time.

Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy(CSR)is a condition caused by the degeneration of cervical intervertebral discs and facet joints,primarily manifesting as the pain,sensory abnormalities,and motor dysfunction in the cervical nerve innervation area of neck,shoulder,and upper limb.For the treatment of CSR,tendon-bone syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine often faces the issues of conceptual confusion and non-standard syndrome differentiation.Based on the traditional tendon-bone syndrome differentiation and by integrating modern anatomical insights,Professor LIN Ding-Kun,an esteemed scholar of Traditional Chinese Medicine,proposed a classification system for the cervical spine that includes the categories of tendons,joints,bones and marrow.This paper explored the thoughts of Professor LIN for the tendon-bone syndrome differentiation of CSR,summarized the targets of manual therapy,and proposed the four kinds of pathological changes such as tendon overstrain,joint dislocation,bone lesion,and marrow injury,as well as the four techniques of traditional Chinese medicine manipulations,i.e.relaxation of tendons,reduction of joints,protection of marrow,and treatment of bones.The aim is to improve the syndrome-differentiation and treatment for CSR with orthopedic and traumatologic manipulations,and to provide reference for clinical practice.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with initial surgical resection.Methods:The retro-spective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 847 GIST patients who under-went initial surgical resection in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute & Hospital from January 2011 to December 2020 were collected. There were 405 males and 442 females, aged (60±10)years. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the nonparameter rank sum test. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival rates. Univariate analysis was conducted using the Log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using the COX regression model. Results:(1) Clinicopatholo-gical characteristics. Of 847 patients, the tumor primary location was stomach in 585 cases, jejunum and ileum in 142 cases, duodenum in 76 cases, colorectum in 10 cases, esophagus in 3 cases, and extra-gastrointestinal in 31 cases. There were 13 cases with liver metastasis and 22 cases with abdominal metastasis. The tumor maximum diameter was (7±5)cm, and the number of nuclear divisions was 4(range, 0-60) cells/50 high-power field or 5 mm 2. According to risk classification of National Institutes of Health (NIH), 31 cases were of extremely low risk, 238 cases were of low risk, 213 cases were of moderate risk, 365 cases were of high risk. There were 839 of 847 patients positive for CD117, 788 cases positive for Dog-1, 710 cases positive for CD34, respectively. There were 272 cases with Ki-67 <5%, 214 cases with Ki-67 of 5%- 9%, 198 cases with Ki-67 ≥10%, 163 cases with missing data. R 0 resection was in 814 cases and non-R 0 resection was in 33 cases. (2) Gene testing and postoperative adjuvant therapy of GIST patients. ① Gene testing. Of 847 patients, 424 underwent genetic testing. The proportion of genetic testing was 1.89%(1/53) in 2011, 9.76%(8/82) in 2012, 8.45%(6/71) in 2013, 15.66%(13/83) in 2014, 50.00%(40/80) in 2015, 55.26%(42/76) in 2016, 73.86%(65/88) in 2017, 68.27%(71/104) in 2018, 80.65%(75/93) in 2019, 88.03%(103/117) in 2020, respectively. Of 424 with genetic testing, 338 cases had KIT mutation, 31 cases had PDGFRA mutation, 55 cases were wild type. ② Adjuvant therapy. Of 847 patients, 253 patients underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy. The proportions of postoperative adjuvant therapy were 8.82%(21/238), 41.78%(89/213), 39.18%(143/365) in patients of low risk, moderate risk, high risk. Of 578 patients with moderate to high risk, the proportion of postoperative adjuvant therapy was 15.15%(5/33) in 2011, 14.71%(10/68)in 2012, 22.45%(11/49) in 2013, 29.09%(16/55) in 2014, 41.38%(24/58) in 2015, 46.15%(24/52) in 2016, 32.81%(21/64)in 2017, 60.00%(45/75) in 2018, 60.42%(29/48) in 2019, 61.84%(47/76) in 2020, respectively. Of 253 patients underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy, 247 cases received imatinib had 6 cases received sunitinib. (3) Comparison of clinicopathological characteristics of GIST with non-gastric origin and gastric origin. Of 847 patients, 262 cases had non-gastric origin and 585 cases had gastric origin. There were significant differences in gender, the number of tumor, tumor maximum diameter, Ki-67 index, risk classification of NIH, and R 0 resection between the two groups ( χ2=8.62, 8.40, 12.97, 6.57, Z=-6.15, χ2=17.19, P<0.05). (4) Analysis of influencing factors for recurrence-free survival rate in GIST patients. Results of multivariate analysis showed that the year of initial diagnosis, primary site, tumor maximum diameter, mitotic image, risk classification of NIH, R 0 resection, genetic testing and postoperative adjuvant therapy were independent factors influencing recurrence-free survival rate in GIST patients with initial surgical resection ( hazard ratio=0.58, 0.61, 2.00, 1.71, 5.81, 2.56, 0.65, 0.38, 95% confidence interval as 0.39-0.85, 0.45-0.83, 1.46-2.74, 1.24-2.35, 3.16-10.69, 1.63-4.02, 0.46-0.94, 0.25-0.56, P<0.05). Conclusions:GIST with initial surgical resection is common located in stomach, with high positive rate in CD117 and Dog-1. The number of people undergoing genetic testing and targeted therapy for GIST is increasing year by year. There are significant differ-ences in clinicopathological characteristics between GIST with non-gastric origin and gastric origin. The year of initial diagnosis, primary site, tumor maximum diameter, mitotic image, risk classifica-tion of NIH, R 0 resection, genetic testing and postoperative adjuvant therapy are independent factors influencing recurrence-free survival rate in GIST patients with initial surgical resection.

Objective To compare the effects of two arc(TA)and dual arc(DA)techniques on the dose distribution to the planning target volume(PTV)and organs at risk(OAR)in volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT)for lower mid-thoracic esophageal cancer.Methods Ten patients with lower mid-thoracic esophageal cancer who received radiation therapy at some hospital from July 2020 to June 2022 were selected retrospectively.A TA radiation therapy plan and a DA radiation therapy plan were developed for each patient using the Ray Arc module of RayStation 4.7.5.4 planning system,and the two kinds of radiation plans were compared in terms of dosimetric parameters including D2,D5,D50,D95,D98,homogeneity index(HI),conformity index(CI),beam-on time and total monitor unit for PTV and lung V5,V10,V20,V30 and Dmean and heartV30,V40 and Dmean and spine cord Dmax for OAR.SPSS 22.0 was used for statistical analysis.Results TA and DA radiation therapy plans had no significant differences in PTV CI,HI,D2,D5,D50,D95 and beam-on time(P＞0.05),and DA plan had D98 and total monitor unit higher obviously than those of TA plan(P＜0.05).In terms of OARs protection,DA plan had heart V30,V40 and Dmean slightly lower than those of TA plan with non-significantly differences(P＞0.05),while lung V5,V30 and Dmean and spine cordDmax significantly lower(P＜0.05).Conclusion DA technique gains advantages over TA technique in PTV dose distribution and dose to OAR,and the involvement of DA technique in preparing the VMAT plan for esophageal cancer contributes to enhancing the treatment efficacy.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):62-66]

Currently, clinically used drugs for the treatment of gout inflammation, such as colchicine, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and glucocorticoids, can only relieve the pain of joint inflammation and have severe hepatorenal toxicity and multiple organ adverse reactions. The NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a key complex that induces the onset of gout inflammation and has become a crucial target in the development of anti-gout drugs. This article reviews the research progress of anti-gout small molecules targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome and their bioactivity evaluation methods in the past five years, in order to provide information for the development of specific drugs for the treatment of gout inflammation.

The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a serious impact on global public health and the economy. SARS-CoV-2 infiltrates host cells via its surface spike protein, which binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 on the host cell membrane. As a result, small molecules targeting spike protein have emerged as a hotspot in anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug research. Activity screening is an important step in seeking small molecule drugs. Therefore, this article aims to review the biological activity evaluation methods of small molecule inhibitors targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, with the goal of laying the foundation for the discovery of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

Antiviral drug research and development is an important research direction in the current and future biomedical field. The research and development of antiviral drugs not only requires the application of new strategies and new technologies, but also requires the complementary advantages and close cooperation of project teams. Based on the latest progress in this field and the author's drug research practice, this paper summarizes the underlying logic, innovative thinking and research paradigm of antiviral medicinal chemistry.