1.Distribution characteristics of bacterial communities in central air-conditioning ventilation systems of a Grade 3A hospital in Shanghai based on 16S rRNA sequencing
Jun NI ; Haiyun ZHANG ; Jian CHEN ; Lijun ZHANG ; Yongping LIU ; Xiaojing LI ; Yiming ZHENG ; Liping ZHANG
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(6):732-739
Background A diverse cohort of patients and susceptible individuals congregate in healthcare facilities, where exposure to pathogenic microorganisms associated with respiratory infectious diseases constitutes a significant risk factor for cross-infection. Central air-conditioning ventilation systems improve some indoor environment indicators while exacerbating the risk of transmission of respiratory infectious diseases. Objective To investigate the distribution characteristics of microbial communities in the central air-conditioning ventilation systems of hospitals, providing a scientific basis for the selection of microbial indicators in hygiene standards for hospital central air-conditioning ventilation systems and for hospital risk early warning systems. Methods In October 2023, two central air-conditioning ventilation systems were selected from a Grade 3A hospital in Shanghai: one was an all-air air-conditioning system serving the waiting area on the ground floor, and the other was a fan coil plus fresh air system serving the outpatient area on the third floor. Samples from four different components of the ventilation systems—air outlets, filters, surface coolers, and condensate trays—were collected for high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to analyze bacterial communities. Alpha-diversity and beta-diversity analyses were performed to investigate the microbial community composition and diversity characteristics of the hospital central air-conditioning ventilation systems. Functional analysis was conducted to determine the relative abundance of bacterial functions in these systems.Results A total of 528 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified, encompassing 20 bacterial phyla, 37 classes, 79 orders, 123 families, and 240 genera. The analysis revealed that the bacterial community was predominantly composed of Proteobacteria, Gemmatimonadates, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. The diversity analysis indicated that bacterial community richness and diversity were highest in the condensate trays, while no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in the bacterial community composition among the air outlets, filters, and surface coolers. The functional analysis showed that the bacterial communities in the central air-conditioning ventilation systems primarily exhibited chemoheterotrophic, oxidative energy-dependent heterotrophic, and ureolytic functional characteristics. Conclusion The dominance of Proteobacteria suggests that this phylum exhibits strong adaptability in the central air-conditioning ventilation systems, possibly related to its ability to survive and reproduce under varying environmental conditions. The diversity analysis indicates that the condensate tray is a critical area for bacterial proliferation in the central air-conditioning ventilation systems. The similarity in environmental conditions among the air outlets, filters, and surface coolers result in similar bacterial community structures. The functional analysis reveals that the bacterial communities possess robust energy conversion and metabolic capabilities, potentially contributing to processes such as organic matter decomposition and nitrogen cycling within the central air-conditioning ventilation systems.
2.Immune cells in the B-cell lymphoma microenvironment: From basic research to clinical applications
Wenli ZHANG ; Mengmeng LIU ; Wei LI ; Yongping SONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(7):776-790
B-cell lymphoma is a group of hematological malignancies characterized by variable genetic and biological features and clinical behaviors. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex network in tumors, which consists of surrounding blood vessels, extracellular matrix, immune and non-immune cells, and signaling molecules. Increasing evidence has shown that the TME, especially immune cells within, is a double-edged sword, acting either as a tumor killer or as a promoter of tumor progression. These pro-tumor activities are driven by subpopulations of immune cells that express typical markers but have unique transcriptional characteristics, making tumor-associated immune cells good targets for human anti-cancer therapy by ablating immunosuppressive cells or enhancing immune-activated cells. Thus, exploring the role of immune cells in the TME provides distinct insights for immunotherapy in B-cell lymphoma. In this review, we elucidated the interaction between immune cells and tumor cells and their function in the initiation, progression, and prognosis of B-cell lymphoma, from preclinical experiments to clinical trials. Furthermore, we outlined potential therapeutic approaches and discussed the potential clinical value and future perspectives of targeting immune cells in patients with B-cell lymphoma.
3.Chimeric antigen receptor-immune cells against solid tumors: Structures, mechanisms, recent advances, and future developments
Xudong LI ; Wei LI ; Linping XU ; Yongping SONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(11):1285-1302
The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapies has led to breakthroughs in the treatment of hematological malignancies. However, their success in treating solid tumors has been limited. CAR-natural killer (NK) cells have several advantages over CAR-T cells because NK cells can be made from pre-existing cell lines or allogeneic NK cells with a mismatched major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which means they are more likely to become an "off-the-shelf" product. Moreover, they can kill cancer cells via CAR-dependent/independent pathways and have limited toxicity. Macrophages are the most malleable immune cells in the body. These cells can efficiently infiltrate into tumors and are present in large numbers in tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Importantly, CAR-macrophages (CAR-Ms) have recently yielded exciting preclinical results in several solid tumors. Nevertheless, CAR-T, CAR-NK, and CAR-M all have their own advantages and limitations. In this review, we systematically discuss the current status, progress, and the major hurdles of CAR-T cells, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-M as they relate to five aspects: CAR structure, therapeutic mechanisms, the latest research progress, current challenges and solutions, and comparison according to the existing research in order to provide a reasonable option for treating solid tumors in the future.
4.Identification of potential immune-related mechanisms related to the development of multiple myeloma
Yaomei WANG ; Wenli ZHANG ; Tiandong LI ; Mengmeng LIU ; Mengya GAO ; Xinqing LI ; Yufei CHEN ; Yongping SONG ; Wei LI ; Chunyan DU ; Fang WANG ; Lina LIU
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(13):1603-1613
Background::Although significant advances have been made in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), leading to unprecedented response and survival rates among patients, the majority eventually relapse, and a cure remains elusive. This situation is closely related to an incomplete understanding of the immune microenvironment, especially monocytes/macrophages in patients with treatment-na?ve MM. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the immune microenvironment, especially monocytes/macrophages, in patients with treatment-na?ve MM.Methods::This study used the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of both patients with MM and heathy donors to identify immune cells, including natural killer (NK) cells, T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and monocytes/macrophages. Transcriptomic data and flow cytometry analysis of monocytes/macrophages were used to further examine the effect of monocytes/macrophages in treatment-na?ve MM patients.Results::A significant difference was observed between the bone marrow (BM) immune cells of the healthy controls and treatment-na?ve MM patients through scRNA-seq. It is noteworthy that, through an scRNA-seq data analysis, this study found that interferon (IFN)-induced NK/T cells, terminally differentiated effector memory (TEMRA) cells, T-helper cells characterized by expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISG +Th cells), IFN-responding exhausted T cells, mannose receptor C-type 1 (MRC1) + DCs, IFN-responding DCs, MHCII + DCs, and immunosuppressive monocytes/macrophages were enriched in patients with treatment-na?ve MM. Significantly, transcriptomic data of monocytes/macrophages demonstrated that "don’t eat me" -related genes and IFN-induced genes increase in treatment-na?ve MM patients. Furthermore, scRNA-seq, transcriptomic data, and flow cytometry also showed an increased proportion of CD16 + monocytes/macrophages and expression level of CD16. Cell-cell communication analysis indicated that monocytes/macrophages, whose related important signaling pathways include migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and interleukin 16 (IL-16) signaling pathway, are key players in treatment-na?ve MM patients. Conclusions::Our findings provide a comprehensive and in-depth molecular characterization of BM immune cell census in MM patients, especially for monocytes/macrophages. Targeting macrophages may be a novel treatment strategy for patients with MM.
5.The clinical value of visual evoked potential in assessing visual pathway of visual hallucinations in Parkinson disease
Xiang LI ; Qilin ZHANG ; Fei CHEN ; Hao GUI ; Yongping DAI
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 2024;50(5):257-262
Objective This research was to evaluate the integrity of visual pathways in patients with Parkinson disease(PD)by visual evoked potential(VEP),especially those with visual hallucinations.Methods A total of 76 PD patients were enrolled in this study.According to the presence or absence of visual hallucinations,they were divided into two groups:24 patients with visual hallucinations and 52 patients without visual hallucinations.At the same time,22 sex-and age-matched healthy controls were selected.All subjects underwent VEP test,and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS),Hoehn&Yahr stage(H-Y stage)and Mini-mental State Examination(MMSE)were performed for PD patients.Results The latencies of N75,P100 and N135(88.26±10.47)ms,(118.48±8.53)ms,(144.71±9.48)ms were significantly longer in PD patients with visual hallucinations than in those without visual hallucinations[(79.00±6.96)ms,(108.60±7.01)ms,(135.95±8.21)ms](P<0.001).However,the amplitudes of N75-P100 and N135-P100[4.35(2.73,7.30)μV]、[6.40(4.15,9.90)μV]were significantly lower in PD patients with visual hallucinations than in those without visual hallucinations[7.10(5.28,9.98)μV]、[9.05(6.30,12.60)μV](P<0.001,P=0.037).Correlation analysis showed that P100 latency was positively correlated with H-Y stage,UPDRS-I,UPDRS-II,and UPDRS-III scores(r=0.537,P=0.007),(r=0.635,P=0.001),(r=0.594,P=0.004)and(r=0.558,P=0.005)in PD visual hallucinations group.Conclusion The integrity of the visual pathway is impaired in PD patients with visual hallucinations.As the progression of the disease,the impairment of visual pathway may be further deteriorated,which may extend beyond the upper pathways of visual pathway to the brain.
6.LIMK1 promotes the progression of cervical cancer by up-regulating the ROS/Src pathway
Yajing JIA ; Naiyi DU ; Wei ZHAO ; Yongping LI ; Yakun LIU
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2024;34(5):92-99
Objective To explore the effect of LIMK1 on the progression of cervical cancer(CC).Methods HeLa and C-33A human cervical cancer cells overexpressing LIMK1 were established and injected subcutaneously into nude mice.The tumor volume was measured and expression of NOX2,NOX4,p-Src,p-RUNX3,RUNX3,and MMP-9 proteins in tumor cells was detected by Western blot assays.LIMK1-overexpressing HeLa and C-33A cells were cultured in 5%O2 with antioxidants.The protein expression of LIMK1,NOX4,p-Src,p-RUNX3,RUNX3 and MMP-9 in the cells was detected by Western blot assays.Cell migration was assessed by a scratch assay.Transwell assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion.A monoclonal proliferation assay was used to assess cell proliferation.Results The tumor volume in nude mice injected with LIMK1-overexpressing HeLa cells was increased significantly,and NOX2,NOX4,p-Src,p-RUNX3 and MMP-9 protein levels were increased,while RUNX3 protein expression was decreased.In LIMK1-overexpressing HeLa and C-33A cells,the protein expression of LIMK1,NOX4,p-Src,p-RUNX3,and MMP-9 was increased,RUNX3 protein expression was decreased,and cell migration,invasion,and proliferation were increased.However,after adding antioxidants,the expression levels of NOX4,p-Src,p-RUNX3,RUNX3 and MMP-9 proteins,and cell migration,invasion,and proliferation were not different from those of control cells.Conclusions LIMK1 promotes the progression of cervical cancer by enhancing the ROS/Src pathway,thereby promoting the migration,invasion,and proliferation of cervical cancer cells.
7.A cross-sectional study of functional disability rate of anxiety disorder and risk factors in Chinese community adults
Yang LI ; Yueqin HUANG ; Zhaorui LIU ; Tingting ZHANG ; Chao MA ; Lingjiang LI ; Yifeng XU ; Tao LI ; Xiufeng XU ; Yaqin YU ; Yongping YAN ; Zhizhong WANG ; Xiangdong XU ; Limin WANG ; Qiang LI ; Guangming XU ; Shuiyuan XIAO
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2024;38(11):929-935
Objective:To describe functional disability rate of anxiety disorders in Chinese community adults and explore related risk factors of functional disability.Methods:To conduct in-depth data analysis on China Mental Health Survey(CMHS).The diagnostic tool for anxiety disorders was the Composite International Diagnostic Inter-view-3.0,according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition(DSM-Ⅳ).The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule,2nd edition,was the functional disability assessment standard for anxiety disorders.Weighted 12-month functional disability rate of DSM-Ⅳ anxiety disorder with co-morbidities and only anxiety disorder in population and those in patients,as well as days of partial disability were calculated.The effects of anxiety disorders comorbid other mental disorders and physical diseases and demographic factors on the severity and occurrence of functional disability were analyzed by multiple linear regression and logis-tic regression.Results:The functional disability rate of anxiety disorder with comorbidities in population was 1.7%,and 42.2%in patients,in which constituent rate of grade-four disability was the highest as 84.1%.The functional disability rate of only anxiety disorder in population was 0.3%,and 17.8%in patients.The medians of days of partial disability days in the past 30 days were from 0 to 14.42.Multiple linear regression showed a positive association between comorbid anxiety disorder with other mental disorders and physical diseases(β=0.24),comor-bid other mental disorders and physical diseases(β=0.21),physical diseases(β=0.18),comorbid anxiety disor-der and physical diseases(β=0.15),comorbid anxiety disorder with other mental disorders(β=0.08),other men-tal disorders(β=0.07),only anxiety disorder(β=0.06),lower education level(β=0.12),lower economic status(β=0.08),older age(β=0.06),non-marital status(β=0.06),male(β=0.02)and the severity of functional dis-ability.Logistic regression showed that comorbid anxiety with other mental disorders and physical diseases(OR=64.07),comorbid anxiety disorders with other mental disorders(OR=36.75),comorbid other mental disorders with physical diseases(OR=20.60),comorbid anxiety with physical diseases(OR=18.88),anxiety disorder(OR=9.20),other mental disorders(OR=6.65),physical diseases(OR=4.00),65 years old and over(OR=4.40),50 to 64 years old(OR=2.33),low economic status(OR=2.10),illiterate and below primary school educational level(OR=1.89),middle economic status(OR=1.70),elementary school educational level(OR=1.59),non-marital status(OR=1.47),male(OR=1.16)were the risk factors of the occurrence of functional disability.Conclusion:Comorbidity of anxiety disorders and other mental disorders,and physical diseases increases severity and occurrence of functional disability.Comorbidity,male,gender,older age,lower economic and educa-tional level and non-marital are risk factors of anxiety disorder functional disability.
8.A cross-sectional study of disability rate of dementia and risk factors in Chinese old people
Wenlei WU ; Yueqin HUANG ; Zhaorui LIU ; Tingting ZHANG ; Chao MA ; Yifeng XU ; Tao LI ; Xiufeng XU ; Yaqin YU ; Yongping YAN ; Zhizhong WANG ; Xiangdong XU ; Limin WANG ; Qiang LI ; Guangming XU ; Shuiyuan XIAO ; Lingjiang LI
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2024;38(11):936-942
Objective:To describe disability rates of dementia in community residents aged 65 years and over in China,and explore related risk factors of disability.Methods:This study conducted an in-depth data analysis of the China Mental Health Survey.World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0(WHODAS 2.0)was used to assess dementia disability,Community Screening Interview for Dementia(CSID)and Geriatric Mental Status Examination(GMS)were used for dementia screening and diagnosing.Univariate analysis was used to calcu-late the weighted disability rates of dementia in population and in patients,and their population distribution.Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of the occurrence of dementia disability and its severity.Results:The weighted disability rate of dementia was 2.1%in population,and 38.6%in pa-tients.The disability rates of comorbid dementia in population and in patients were higher than those of patients with only dementia.Female,older age,lower education level,lower economic status,and lower cognitive test scores in CSID had higher disability rates of dementia in population.Female and urban resident had higher disability rates of dementia in patients.Multiple linear regression showed economic status(β=0.11),gender(β=0.11),age(β=0.10),and treatment in the last 12 months(β=-0.20)were statistically associated with WHODAS 2.0 scores.Multiple logistic regression showed female(OR=2.81)and treatment in the last 12 months(OR=2.38)were statistically associated with disability.Conclusions:Persons with low economic status,female and elderly peo-ple are the high-risk groups for dementia disability.It should be paid attention to prevent dementia and its conse-quential disabilities.
9.Analysis of the curative effect of combined treatment of renal calculi or upper ureteral calculi with double endoscopy
Jiahui CAI ; Guangren NONG ; Honghai LI ; Baode LU ; Yongping HUANG
China Modern Doctor 2024;62(32):34-37,81
Objective To investigate the efficacy of negative pressure combined ureteroscopy combined with flexible ureteroscopy holmium laser lithotripsy in the treatment of renal calculi or upper ureteral calculi with a maximum diameter of 2-4cm.Methods The data of patients with renal calculi or upper ureteral calculi with a maximum diameter of 2-4cm who were hospitalized inAffiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities from March 2023 to March 2024 were collected and divided into observation group(n=40)and control group(n=40).The observation group was treated with negative pressure combined ureteroscopy combined with flexible ureteroscopy for holmium laser lithotripsy,and control group was treated with nephroscope for percutaneous nephrolithotomy(PCNL).The operation time,postoperative hospital stay,changes of blood routine white blood cell(WBC)before and after operation,changes of urine routine WBC before and after operation,postoperative visual analogue score(VAS),one-stage stone clearance rate and postoperative complications were compared between two groups.Results The postoperative hospitalization time and VAS of observation group were significantly lower than those of control group(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in operation time,stone clearance rate,postoperative blood routine WBC and postoperative urine routine WBC between two groups(P>0.05).However,the blood routine WBC of two groups after operation was higher than that before operation(P<0.05).The overall stone clearance rate of two surgical methods was 86.25%,of which the stone clearance rate of observation group was 82.5%,and control group was 90%.There was no significant difference between two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion It is safe and effective to treat renal calculi;or upper ureteral calculi with a maximum diameter of 2-4cm by negative pressure combined ureteroscopy combined with flexible ureteroscopy holmium laser lithotripsy.It is expected to partially replace PCNL and become another safe and reliable operation for the treatment of renal calculi or upper ureteral calculi with a maximum diameter of 2-4cm.
10.Focusing on the application and challenges of artificial intelligence in uveal malignant melanoma
Chinese Journal of Experimental Ophthalmology 2024;42(12):1084-1089
Uveal malignant melanoma is one of the common primary intraocular malignancies in adults.Its high concealment and significant metastatic potential lead to a high risk of blindness and mortality.With advances in machine learning and deep learning techniques, artificial intelligence (AI) has shown increasing promise for application in the diagnosis, management, and prognosis evaluation of uveal malignant melanoma.AI can thoroughly analyze the multi-modal data, such as clinical images, pathological images, and genetic data, and assist clinicians in diagnosis and treatment planning.AI analyzes ophthalmic photography and radiological image to assist in differential diagnosis, and predicts side effects and outcomes of radiotherapy to optimize treatments.AI constructs the models for accurate prognosis based on clinical features and digital pathology images, and its accuracy is comparable to that of gene expression profiling tests.The clinical application of AI in uveal malignant melanoma faces the challenges of data availability, technology limitations, and effective human-machine collaboration.However, with ongoing research in both uveal malignant melanoma and AI, AI is expected to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis, management, and prognosis assessment, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

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