Olfactory receptors (ORs) form the largest superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Traditionally recognized for their role in the nasal olfactory epithelium, where they mediate the sense of smell, accumulating evidence has firmly established their ectopic expression in non-olfactory tissues, including the intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The intestine, as the primary site for nutrient digestion and absorption, harbors a highly complex chemical environment. To adapt to this environment, the gut employs a sophisticated network of “chemosensors” to monitor luminal contents and maintain homeostasis. Among these sensors, intestinal ORs have emerged as crucial functional components, serving as a molecular bridge that connects environmental chemical signals—such as food-derived odorants—to specific physiological responses. This discovery has significantly deepened our understanding of how dietary flavors and compounds influence intestinal physiology at the molecular level. This review systematically summarizes the expression profiles, ligand classification, and biological functions of ORs within the gastrointestinal tract. Studies indicate that intestinal ORs exhibit distinct spatial distribution patterns across different gut segments and display cell-type specificity, particularly within enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells. These receptors function as versatile sensors capable of recognizing a wide variety of ligands, including exogenous dietary components, gut microbiota metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, and endogenous small molecules like azelaic acid. Upon activation by specific ligands, intestinal ORs trigger intracellular signaling cascades, primarily involving the AC-cAMP-PKA pathway or calcium influx channels. A major focus of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors regulate the secretion of gut hormones. Activation of specific ORs in enteroendocrine cells has been shown to stimulate the release of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and serotonin (5-HT), thereby modulating systemic energy metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and gastrointestinal motility. Furthermore, the review addresses the critical roles of ORs in immune regulation and pathology. Evidence suggests that specific ORs contribute to the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis and may offer protection against inflammation. Beyond their involvement in inflammatory responses, ORs such as Olfr78 have been shown to regulate the differentiation and function of intestinal endocrine cells. Similarly, Olfr544 has been demonstrated to alleviate intestinal inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings collectively suggest that specific ORs hold promise as therapeutic targets for mitigating intestinal inflammation and maintaining gut homeostasis. Additionally, the review explores the emerging role of ORs in cancer. Although OR expression is often downregulated in tumor tissues compared to normal mucosa, activation of specific ORs by certain ligands can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis via pathways such as MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK. Conversely, other receptors, such as OR7C1, may serve as biomarkers for cancer-initiating cells. In conclusion, intestinal ORs represent a vital component of the gut’s sensory network. The review also discusses the translational potential of these findings. By elucidating the precise pairing relationships between dietary components and specific ORs, novel therapeutic strategies could be developed. Intestinal ORs may thus emerge as promising targets for nutritional and pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

ObjectiveTo clarify whether METTL14 mediates the core role of acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) in promoting myelination and improving behavior in young autistic rats through gene intervention technology. MethodsThe ASD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) in pregnant rats. Male offspring were intracerebroventricularly injected with adenovirus-packaged METTL14 shRNA (sh-METTL14) or its control (sh-NC) on postnatal day 1, with a model group set as well. Subsequently, the juvenile rats were divided into model group, acupuncture group, acupuncture+sh-NC group, and acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) from postnatal day 7, once daily for 21 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral changes were evaluated by behavioral tests; METTL14 knockdown efficiency and the expression of METTL14, METTL3, and PTEN were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB); PTEN m⁶A levels were measured by RNA immunoprecipitation-qPCR (RIP-qPCR); myelin ultrastructure, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofascin 155 (NF155), and dendritic spine density were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and primary neuron culture. ResultsBehaviorally, knockdown of METTL14 significantly counteracted the beneficial effects of acupuncture in improving self-grooming, open field exploration, three-chamber social interaction, and Morris water maze learning and memory (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the acupuncture+sh-NC group, the acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of hippocampal METTL14 (P<0.01), and the upregulating effects of acupuncture on METTL3 and PTEN expression were reversed (P<0.01). Meanwhile, knockdown of METTL14 significantly inhibited the acupuncture-induced increase in PTEN m⁶A levels (P<0.01). Morphologically, knockdown of METTL14 attenuated the improvement of myelin structure by acupuncture, reversed the downregulation of MBP and upregulation of NF155 induced by acupuncture, and blocked the increase in dendritic spine density (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionMETTL14 is a key molecule mediating the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Neiguan. Acupuncture at Neiguan upregulates METTL14, thereby enhancing m⁶A methylation modification of PTEN mRNA to stabilize its expression, ultimately promoting myelin development and improving behavioral symptoms in ASD juvenile rats. This preliminarily reveals the modern biological connotation of “opening Xuanfu and dredging myelin”.

ObjectiveTo clarify whether METTL14 mediates the core role of acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) in promoting myelination and improving behavior in young autistic rats through gene intervention technology. MethodsThe ASD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) in pregnant rats. Male offspring were intracerebroventricularly injected with adenovirus-packaged METTL14 shRNA (sh-METTL14) or its control (sh-NC) on postnatal day 1, with a model group set as well. Subsequently, the juvenile rats were divided into model group, acupuncture group, acupuncture+sh-NC group, and acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) from postnatal day 7, once daily for 21 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral changes were evaluated by behavioral tests; METTL14 knockdown efficiency and the expression of METTL14, METTL3, and PTEN were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB); PTEN m⁶A levels were measured by RNA immunoprecipitation-qPCR (RIP-qPCR); myelin ultrastructure, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofascin 155 (NF155), and dendritic spine density were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and primary neuron culture. ResultsBehaviorally, knockdown of METTL14 significantly counteracted the beneficial effects of acupuncture in improving self-grooming, open field exploration, three-chamber social interaction, and Morris water maze learning and memory (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the acupuncture+sh-NC group, the acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of hippocampal METTL14 (P<0.01), and the upregulating effects of acupuncture on METTL3 and PTEN expression were reversed (P<0.01). Meanwhile, knockdown of METTL14 significantly inhibited the acupuncture-induced increase in PTEN m⁶A levels (P<0.01). Morphologically, knockdown of METTL14 attenuated the improvement of myelin structure by acupuncture, reversed the downregulation of MBP and upregulation of NF155 induced by acupuncture, and blocked the increase in dendritic spine density (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionMETTL14 is a key molecule mediating the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Neiguan. Acupuncture at Neiguan upregulates METTL14, thereby enhancing m⁶A methylation modification of PTEN mRNA to stabilize its expression, ultimately promoting myelin development and improving behavioral symptoms in ASD juvenile rats. This preliminarily reveals the modern biological connotation of “opening Xuanfu and dredging myelin”.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) on survival outcomes in breast cancer (BC) patients who have already undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by surgery. Materials and Methods: Data from a population-based cohort (2010-2020) were analyzed for BC patients treated with NAC and surgery. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression identified prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), and a nomogram was developed and validated. Personalized scores from the nomogram were used for risk stratification to assess the effect of postoperative AC. Results: A total of 15,921 BC patients were analyzed, with 11,144 in the training cohort and 4,777 in the validation cohort. The key prognostic indicators for OS included age, race, marital status, histological grade, BC subtype, T category, N category, type of surgery, and response to NAC (all p < 0.05). The nomogram effectively predicted individualized OS rates and stratified patients into various risk categories. Postoperative AC was found to significantly enhance OS in the high-risk subgroup (p=0.011 in the training cohort, p=0.012 in the overall population). However, for the low-risk subgroup, there was no significant survival benefit from postoperative AC (p=0.130 for the training cohort, p=0.588 for the overall population), suggesting that some patients might safely forgo unnecessary postoperative AC. Conclusion This study efficiently differentiates between varying levels of risk, enabling clinicians to identify patients unlikely to benefit from postoperative AC and thus reduce the likelihood of overtreatment.

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of pertussis in Baoshan District, Shanghai from 2017 to 2024, so as to provide an evidence-based reference for optimizing prevention and control strategies. MethodsData on pertussis cases were collected from the China Disease Prevention and Control Information System, Shanghai Integrated Management and Immunization Service Information System, and follow-up epidemiological investigations. Descriptive epidemiological analyses were performed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and vaccine effectiveness. Joinpoint regression analyses were used to examine the temporal trends in incidence rates, and a Poisson model was constructed for spatiotemporal scan analyses. ResultsA total of 1 634 pertussis cases were reported in Baoshan District from 2017 to 2024, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.08∶1. More cases were observed in males than in females, with the age ranged from 20 days to 81 years. Among them, 59.92% were in the 6‒<11 years age group, and 63.34% were students. Low-level sporadic incidence persisted during 2017‒2023, followed by a sharp increase in 2024 (71.37/100 000). Starting in January 2024, the incidence rate showed an upward trend, peaking in May before declining. The majority of cases occurred between April and June. The trend in reported pertussis incidence rates in Baoshan District from 2017 to 2023 showed no statistically significant change (APC=10.039%, t=2.586, P=0.150). Incidence rate rose from January 2024, peaked in May (APC=133.641%, t=3.841, P=0.006), then declined significantly (APC=-47.816%, t=2.586, P<0.001). The 12 subdistricts of Baoshan District were divided into low, medium, and high population density areas, with an average annual reported incidence rate of 6.09/100 000, 8.19/100 000 and 11.96/100 000, respectively. The reported incidence rate increased with an increase in population density. Spatiotemporal scan analyses showed that cases clustered in the southwest and northeast of Baoshan District. Epidemiological follow-up investigations of 1 520 cases revealed that the main clinical symptoms were cough (97.63%) and sputum production (41.58%), and 98.13% of the cases were confirmed by positive nucleic-acid test results. Among the 1 475 cases with immunization records, 83.53% had completed the four-dose pertussis vaccine before onset. The complication incidence rates, from high to low, were in the 0-dose vaccination group, 1‒3-dose vaccination group and 4-dose vaccination group. The duration of cough, from long to short, was observed in the the 0-dose vaccination group, 1‒3-dose vaccination group and 4-dose vaccination group, correspondingly. ConclusionIt is recommended to improve the pertussis surveillance system in medical institutions and establish an active monitoring network, prioritizing deployment in school settings and areas with high population density. Enhancing diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccination coverage among 6-year-old children and further optimizing the pertussis immunization strategies are essential to prevent and reduce the risk of pertussis among school-aged children.

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (PACC) is a rare exocrine tumor of the pancreas with distinct clinical and pathological features. In recent years, advancements in molecular biology techniques have led to a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying PACC. Progress in imaging, endoscopic, and molecular diagnostic technologies has improved the early detection rate of PACC. The primary treatment modalities for PACC include surgical resection, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy; however, the therapeutic efficacy still requires further improvement. This article reviews the current research status of PACC, covering its epidemiology, pathological characteristics, molecular alterations, diagnostic methods, and treatment strategies, and discusses the controversies and future directions in PACC research.

Objective:To evaluate the value of ultrasound radiomics combined with machine learning for early diagnosis of seronegative Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (SN-HT) .Methods:This retrospective study included 164 patients from Liaoning Provincial People’s Hospital , Lixin County People’s Hospital, Linghai Dalinghe Hospital, Fengcheng Phoenix Hospital, who underwent thyroidectomy for solitary nodules with normal thyroid function between Nov. 2016 and Jan. 2024. Postoperative pathology confirmed Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in some cases, who were further categorized into antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups based on serum antibody status. Patients without Hashimoto’s thyroiditis served as the control group. A total of 298 ultrasound images were analyzed. Radiomics features were extracted from hypoechoic non-nodular areas within 0.5 cm surrounding the tumor. Two senior pathologists and two senior ultrasound physicians independently assessed lymphocytic infiltration, eosinophilic changes of follicular epithelium, and the proportion of hypoechoic areas in pathology and ultrasound images, respectively. A machine learning model, CCH-NET, was developed using linear regression and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) techniques. The dataset was divided into a training set (80%) and a validation set (20%) to compare the diagnostic accuracy of CCH-NET with that of senior ultrasound physicians. Results:In internal validation, CCH-NET achieved a diagnostic accuracy of 88.89% for both antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups, significantly higher than the 66.67% accuracy of senior ultrasound physicians ( P<0.01). In external validation, CCH-NET achieved 75.00% and 66.67% accuracy for the two groups, compared to 50.00% by senior ultrasound physicians. For the control group, both methods achieved 93.33% accuracy. The AUC of CCH-NET was 0.848, outperforming senior ultrasound physicians (0.681) ,demonstrating superior diagnostic performance. Conclusion:The radiomics-based CCH-NET model, using non-nodular hypoechoic areas as a specific indicator, can accurately identify early SN-HT in euthyroid patients. It significantly outperforms senior ultrasound physicians, improving diagnostic accuracy and reducing missed diagnoses.

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2(EZH2)is a histone methyltransferase It mediates trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3,thereby facilitating the epigenetic silencing of downstream genes.In conjunc-tion with SUZ12,EED,and other components,it constitutes the polycomb repressive complex 2(PRC2)complex.While EZH2 is intricately involved in cellular proliferation and cardiac development,the chan-ges in its expression during cardiac terminal differentiation remain elusive.In this study,we employed differential gene expression analysis of embryonic and adult myocardial cells using the GEO database,and found that EZH2 is highly expressed in embryonic myocardium,but is present at very low levels in adult myocardium(P＜0.0001).Conversely,the expression changes of PRC2 members SUZ12 and EED are not as pronounced.Online analysis through the Tabula Muris database indicates that under physiological conditions,various cell subpopulations in the adult mouse heart exhibit negligible expression of EZH2.Immunohistochemical staining of mouse cardiac tissues shows that EZH2 is highly expressed in embryonic and neonatal myocardium but declines progressively from the first day after birth(P＜0.0001),becoming almost undetectable by the third day.Western blotting further confirms the rapid disappearance of EZH2 expression post-birth(P＜0.05),with EZH1 compensating for the downregulation of EZH2 to maintain H3K27me3 modification levels.Additionally,using the P19 teratocarcinoma stem cell model for cardio-myocyte differentiation,it is observed that EZH2 is significantly upregulated during the transition from cardiac progenitor cells to spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes,correlating with the expression of the cardiomyocyte transcription factor Gata4(P＜0.01).Targeted degradation of EZH2 using the small mole-cule drug MS1943 significantly inhibits the proliferation of induced cardiomyocytes,as evidenced by 5-e-thynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU)incorporation assays(P＜0.01),and RT-qPCR reveals a marked in-crease in the expression of the proliferation inhibitor CDKN1A(P＜0.01).In summary,the high expres-sion of EZH2 in embryonic myocardial cells is associated with enhanced cell proliferation.The rapid loss of EZH2 expression postnatally correlates with the loss of proliferative capacity in cardiomyocytes,mark-ing it as a key indicator of cardiac terminal differentiation.

Objective:To analyze the occurrence and risk factors of moderate-to-severe pain after elective endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL).Methods:This was a single-center case-control study. The research subjects were selected from inpatients with liver cirrhosis who received elective EVL in the Department of Gastroenterology of Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from April 2015 to June 2022. Based on the medical records and nursing documents, the general information of the patients, operation records of EVL, laboratory tests and abdominal ultrasound examination results, dose of octreotide and occurrence of very early postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding, pain assessment records, etc. were collected; the preoperative liver function and the severity of gastroesophageal varices (GOV) in the patients were evaluated accordingly. The patients were divided into low (0.3 mg/12 h) and high (0.6 mg/12 h) dose groups according to the octreotide dosage, and the incidence of very early postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding in the 2 groups was compared. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on whether moderate-to-severe pain occurred after the operation. The clinical characteristics in the patients of the 2 groups were compared, and the independent risk factors of moderate-to-severe pain after the operation were analyzed by the multivariate logistic regression model.Results:A total of 252 patients were included in this study, 6 of which developed very early gastrointestinal bleeding after elective EVL with an incidence of 2.4%. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of very early bleeding between the low-dose and high-dose octreotide groups [2.5% (3/122) vs. 2.3% (3/130), P=1.000]. Moderate-to-severe pain occurred in 61 patients after elective EVL with an incidence of 24.2%. Compared with patients without moderate-to-severe pain, the proportions of females, and those with severe GOV, undergoing EVL for the first time, and using high-dose octreotide were relatively high in patients with moderate-to-severe pain, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being female[odds ratio ( OR)=2.603, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 1.377-4.923, P=0.003], with severe GOV ( OR=2.436, 95% CI: 1.098-5.405, P=0.029), using high-dose octreotide ( OR=2.205, 95% CI: 1.162-4.184, P=0.016), and undergoing EVL for the first time ( OR=2.070, 95% CI: 1.072-3.998, P=0.030) were independent risk factors for moderate-to-severe pain after EVL. Conclusions:The efficacy of octreotide at doses 0.3 and 0.6 mg/12 h was similar in preventing very early postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding after elective EVL. Females and patients with severe GOV, using high-dose octreotide, and undergoing EVL for the first time had a higher risk of moderate-to-severe pain after surgery. It is recommended to optimize the octreotide treatment plan to reduce the occurrence of moderate-to-severe pain after elective EVL.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the significance of the plasma cell percentage and immature plasma cells in the prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). METHODS: The clinical data of 126 newly diagnosed MM patients in Gansu Provincial Hospital from June 2017 to November 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The enrolled patients were divided into a higher plasma cell percentage group (group A) and a lower plasma cell percentage group (group B) according to the median plasma cell percentage (33.5%). The clinicopathological data of the two groups were compared, and the effect of plasma cell percentage on the prognosis of MM patients was analyzed using survival curves. On this basis, group A and group B were divided into subgroups with immature plasma cells (A1 group, B1 group) and subgroups without immature plasma cells (A2 group, B2 group), respectively, then the survival curves were used to analyze the effect of immature plasma cells on the prognosis of MM patients. RESULTS: Among the 126 patients with MM, the proportions of patients with ISS stage III, elevated β₂-microglobulin(β₂-MG) level, and immature plasma cells in Group A were significantly higher compared those in Group B ( P =0.015, P =0.028, P =0.010). The median overall survival(OS) and progression-free survival(PFS) of group A were 32 months and 10 months, respectively. The median OS of group B was not reached, and the median PFS was 32 months. The 3-year OS rates of patients in group A and group B were 46.7% and 62.2%, respectively ( P =0.021), and the 3-year PFS were 29.2% and 42.5%, respectively ( P =0.033). There were no significant differences in OS and PFS between group A1 and group A2, or between group B1 and group B2 ( P >0.05). Multivariate COX survival analysis showed that the plasma cell percentage ≥33.5%（HR=1.253, 95%CI : 0.580-2.889, P =0.018）, age ≥65 years (HR=2.206, 95%CI : 1.170-3.510, P =0.012), lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) ≥250 U/L (HR=1.180, 95%CI : 0.621-2.398, P =0.048) and β₂-MG ≥3.5 mg/L (HR=1.507, 95%CI : 0.823-3.657, P =0.036) were independent risk factors affecting OS in MM patients. CONCLUSION MM patients with a higher plasma cell percentage (≥33.5%) at the initial diagnosis have a later disease stage, poorer OS and PFS, compared to the patients with a lower percentage(<33.5%) of plasma cells. The presence or absence of immature plasma cells has no significant impact on the survival of MM patients.
Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Plasma Cells/cytology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Bone Marrow