Background/Aims: Natural killer (NK) cell function is generally considered dampened in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection; however, the NK cell pool exhibits phenotypic and functional heterogeneity, and the antibody--mediated effect of NK cells remains less characterized. This study evaluated the dynamic changes in antibody-mediated NK cell responses and the involvement of distinct NK subsets across disease stages and during antiviral treatment. Methods: A T-cell receptor-like antibody specific for the HBV core 18–27 peptide (cTCRL-Ab) was used to determine the antibody-mediated effect of NK cells, and an array of NK cell surface markers were analyzed in cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts of patients with chronic HBV infection. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed to identify the heterogeneity of NK subsets. Results: The cTCRL-Ab enabled the detection of NK cell cytolytic activity and IFNγ production. Notably, cTCRL-Ab-mediated NK cell responses were compromised in chronically HBV-infected patients, particularly in those receiving pegylated interferon-α (Peg-IFNα), which was associated with the downregulation of CD16 expression. Correspondingly, Peg-IFNα inhibited cTCRL-Ab-mediated NK cell function by reducing CD16 expression in vitro. scRNA-seq revealed that CD16 downregulation occurred mainly within a dysfunctional CD16hi NK subset exhibiting exhaustion properties. In contrast, an activated CD16hiNK subpopulation (CX3CR1⁺KLRC2–CD16hi) with high cytotoxicity was enriched in patients who experienced favorable treatment responses. Furthermore, the intrahepatic CX3CR1+KLRC2–CD16hi subset tended to exhibit functional restoration in HBsAg-loss individuals. Conclusions Our data contribute to the understanding of antibody-mediated responses of NK cells in chronic HBV infection, and highlight a previously unappreciated functional CX3CR1+KLRC2–CD16hiNK subset as a potential therapeutic target.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in the fibrosis of human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs).Methods:A total of 30 nasal primary pterygium tissues from patients who underwent pterygium excision surgery and 30 nasal normal conjunctival tissues from patients who underwent strabismus correction surgery were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January 2022 and March 2023, serving as the pterygium group and normal control group, respectively.LRG1 protein expression in both groups was detected by immunofluorescence staining.The mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot.Primary HPFs were cultured from excised pterygium tissues using tissue block adhesion method, and cell morphology was observed.Vmentin and cytokeratin were identified by immunofluorescence staining.HPFs were divided into recombinant human LRG1 (rhLRG1) group and blank control group treated with or without 10 μg/ml rhLRG1 for 24 hours, respectively, and cell migration was evaluated via scratch assay.Additionally, HPFs were divided into blank control group, LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group.HPFs in LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group were transfected with LRG1 overexpression plasmids and small interfering RNA for 24 hours, respectively.TGF-β1 mRNA level was evaluated by qRT-PCR and expression of TGF-β1, fibronectin (FN), type Ⅲ collagen (COL3), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) proteins were evaluated by Western blot.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (No.2022IIT026).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:HPFs were successfully isolated, exhibiting spindle-shaped morphology with whorled arrangement, positive identification for vimentin, and negative immunofluorescence staining for cytokeratin.The migration rate of the rhLRG1 group was (83.01±2.56)%, significantly higher than (50.32±4.97)% of the blank control group ( t=9.59, P<0.001).Immunofluorescence staining results showed that compared with normal conjunctival tissue, LRG1 protein was significantly higher expressed in pterygium tissue and was widely distributed in fibrous connective tissue and epithelial layer.Both mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and TGF-β1 were significantly higher in the pterygium group than in the normal control group (mRNA: t=10.18, 6.15, both P<0.05.protein: t=6.83, 8.79, both P<0.05).In the LRG1 overexpression group, mRNA level of TGF-β1, and protein levels of FN, COL3 and α-SMA were significantly increased compared with the blank control and LRG1 knockdown groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:LRG1 promotes fibrosis and enhances the migration ability in HPFs, and its mechanism may be associated with the upregulation of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in the fibrosis of human pterygium fibroblasts (HPFs).Methods:A total of 30 nasal primary pterygium tissues from patients who underwent pterygium excision surgery and 30 nasal normal conjunctival tissues from patients who underwent strabismus correction surgery were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between January 2022 and March 2023, serving as the pterygium group and normal control group, respectively.LRG1 protein expression in both groups was detected by immunofluorescence staining.The mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot.Primary HPFs were cultured from excised pterygium tissues using tissue block adhesion method, and cell morphology was observed.Vmentin and cytokeratin were identified by immunofluorescence staining.HPFs were divided into recombinant human LRG1 (rhLRG1) group and blank control group treated with or without 10 μg/ml rhLRG1 for 24 hours, respectively, and cell migration was evaluated via scratch assay.Additionally, HPFs were divided into blank control group, LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group.HPFs in LRG1 overexpression group and LRG1 knockdown group were transfected with LRG1 overexpression plasmids and small interfering RNA for 24 hours, respectively.TGF-β1 mRNA level was evaluated by qRT-PCR and expression of TGF-β1, fibronectin (FN), type Ⅲ collagen (COL3), and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) proteins were evaluated by Western blot.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University (No.2022IIT026).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:HPFs were successfully isolated, exhibiting spindle-shaped morphology with whorled arrangement, positive identification for vimentin, and negative immunofluorescence staining for cytokeratin.The migration rate of the rhLRG1 group was (83.01±2.56)%, significantly higher than (50.32±4.97)% of the blank control group ( t=9.59, P<0.001).Immunofluorescence staining results showed that compared with normal conjunctival tissue, LRG1 protein was significantly higher expressed in pterygium tissue and was widely distributed in fibrous connective tissue and epithelial layer.Both mRNA and protein levels of LRG1 and TGF-β1 were significantly higher in the pterygium group than in the normal control group (mRNA: t=10.18, 6.15, both P<0.05.protein: t=6.83, 8.79, both P<0.05).In the LRG1 overexpression group, mRNA level of TGF-β1, and protein levels of FN, COL3 and α-SMA were significantly increased compared with the blank control and LRG1 knockdown groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:LRG1 promotes fibrosis and enhances the migration ability in HPFs, and its mechanism may be associated with the upregulation of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway.

Digestive system tumors are malignant tumors with high malignancy,easy metastasis,and poor prognosis,which are difficult to diagnose due to the insidious onset.Most of the patients have reached the middle and advanced stages at the time of diagnosis,so the effect of treatment is usually not good.Studies have shown that the long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)small nucleolar RNA host gene 6(SNHG6)is highly expressed in a variety of solid tumors,and can participate in malignant biological processes such as tumor proliferation,invasion and migration.SNHG6 is closely related to the emergence of chemotherapy drug resistance.This article reviews the biological function and clinical significance of SNHG6 in 6 different tumors of the digestive system,and discusses its mechanism of action in tumorigenesis and development,in the hope to search for effective early diagnosis and treatment targets and thereby improve the survival rate of cancer patients.

Objective This study aims to extract medical events from the ancient Chinese medical book"Treatise on Febrile Diseases"and explore their internal connections.By constructing an event evolution graph,this study visualizes the progression of diseases related to the three Yang and three Yin,provides new ideas for the digitization of ancient Chinese medical literature,and offers more intuitive learning and reference material for modern clinical practice and education in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods Taking the classic TCM literature"Treatise on Febrile Diseases"as the research subject,we initially used a combination of the BERT model and LSTM-CRF model to identify medical events and their argument constituents in the ancient text.Then,an improved SpERT model was employed to identify multi-event relationships.Finally,we constructed an event evolution graph of"Treatise on Febrile Diseases"with medical events as nodes and event relationships as edges,which represents the internal connections among medical events.Results The models mentioned above achieved a precision rate of 0.768,a recall rate of 0.761,and an F1 score of 0.772 for identifying medical events and their argument constituents.Additionally,achieving a precision rate of 0.736,a recall rate of 0.682,and an F1 score of 0.687 for recognizing complex event relationships.Through the above model,the text of Treatises of Febrile Diseases was extracted,and finally the theory graph was constructed by Neo4j,which contained 3518 medical events and 5294 event relationships.Conclusion The event evolution graph organizes medical events in a cohesive manner,facilitating understanding of the relationships among diseases,patterns,treatments,prescriptions,and outcomes.Therefore,it provides a multidimensional approach for learning and guiding clinical practice in TCM.

The retrieval and evaluation of evidence is the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines for Chinese patent medicine. As traditional Chinese medicine has a different development trajectory and utilization characteristics from modern medicine， there is certain differences in terms of evidence composition， retrieval and integration.This paper discussed multi-source body of evidence on Chinese patent medicine based on modern evidence-based medicine and ancient medical literature， and summarized the retrieval strategy as well as the possible problems and solving methods. For different types of evidence on Chinese patent medicine， the corresponding evaluation tools have been recommended， and the order to integrate the evidence based on the quality of the evidence from high to low is suggested. Finally， a multi-source based evidence retrieval-evaluation-integration scheme for Chinese patent medicine has been formed， which will provide a methodological reference for practitioners in the development of clinical practice guidelines for Chinese patent medicine.

Tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)is involved in the regulation of multiple biological processes such as the proliferation,invasion,migration,and chemotherapy resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)cells through TNF receptor-mediated signaling pathways.At the same time,TNF-α also plays a role in inducing the apoptosis of HCC cells.Some TNF-α inhibitors have been shown to inhibit the progression of HCC and prolong survival time.At present,the potential mechanism of action of TNF-α in HCC remains unclear,and exploration of the interaction between TNF-α and HCC can help to determine the potential therapeutic targets for HCC.This article summarizes the latest research advances in the mechanism of action of TNF-α in HCC and introduces the possibility of targeting TNF-α as a treatment method for HCC,in order to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer and drug research and development.

Objective:To analyze the incidence and mortality of malignant tumors in Gansu Province and their changing trends from 2015 to 2018. Methods:Collect relevant data of malignant tumors in Gansu Province from 2015 to 2018,and calculate statistical indicators such as crude rates,age-specific rates,age-standardized rates,and cumulative rates(0-74 years old)stratified by gender,area,and age groups. Results:From 2015 to 2018,the crude incidence rate of malignant tumors in tumor registration areas of Gansu Province was 282.08/100 000(320.56/100 000 for male and 242.03/100 000 for female),and the age-standardized incidence rate by Chinese standard population in 2000(ASIRC)and the age-standardized incidence rate by Segi's world standard population(ASIRW)were 216.75/100 000 and 216.63/100 000,respectively.The crude mortality rate was 171.78/100 000(212.02/100 000 for male and 129.53/100000 for female),and the age-standardized mortality rate by Chinese standard population in 2000(ASMRC)and age-standardized mortality rate by Segi's world standard population(ASMRW)were 133.77/100000 and 131.65/100 000,respectively.The incidence and mortality of malignant tumors began to increase rapidly in the age group of 60-64 years,reached the peak in the age group of 80-84 years,and then decreased in the age group of≥85 years.The top 5 malignant tumors were gastric cancer,lung cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,and esophageal cancer,with the top 10 malignant tumors accounting for 77.46%of all new cases;The top 5 deaths were gastric cancer,lung cancer,liver cancer,esophageal cancer,and colorectal cancer,with the top 10 malignant tumors accounting for 86.43%of all deaths. Conclusion:The burden of malignant in Gansu Province is still heavy.The incidence of tumors of the digestive systems,lung cancer and female breast cancer are still among the highest in Gansu Province.Primary prevention and secondary prevention approaches should be strengthened and cancer prevention and control models should be optimized according to the epidemological characteristics of malignant tumors,optimize cancer prevention and control models,in order to contribute to the implementation of healthy Gansu and healthy China strategies.

Objective This study aims to extract medical events from the ancient Chinese medical book"Treatise on Febrile Diseases"and explore their internal connections.By constructing an event evolution graph,this study visualizes the progression of diseases related to the three Yang and three Yin,provides new ideas for the digitization of ancient Chinese medical literature,and offers more intuitive learning and reference material for modern clinical practice and education in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).Methods Taking the classic TCM literature"Treatise on Febrile Diseases"as the research subject,we initially used a combination of the BERT model and LSTM-CRF model to identify medical events and their argument constituents in the ancient text.Then,an improved SpERT model was employed to identify multi-event relationships.Finally,we constructed an event evolution graph of"Treatise on Febrile Diseases"with medical events as nodes and event relationships as edges,which represents the internal connections among medical events.Results The models mentioned above achieved a precision rate of 0.768,a recall rate of 0.761,and an F1 score of 0.772 for identifying medical events and their argument constituents.Additionally,achieving a precision rate of 0.736,a recall rate of 0.682,and an F1 score of 0.687 for recognizing complex event relationships.Through the above model,the text of Treatises of Febrile Diseases was extracted,and finally the theory graph was constructed by Neo4j,which contained 3518 medical events and 5294 event relationships.Conclusion The event evolution graph organizes medical events in a cohesive manner,facilitating understanding of the relationships among diseases,patterns,treatments,prescriptions,and outcomes.Therefore,it provides a multidimensional approach for learning and guiding clinical practice in TCM.

Digestive system tumors are malignant tumors with high malignancy,easy metastasis,and poor prognosis,which are difficult to diagnose due to the insidious onset.Most of the patients have reached the middle and advanced stages at the time of diagnosis,so the effect of treatment is usually not good.Studies have shown that the long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)small nucleolar RNA host gene 6(SNHG6)is highly expressed in a variety of solid tumors,and can participate in malignant biological processes such as tumor proliferation,invasion and migration.SNHG6 is closely related to the emergence of chemotherapy drug resistance.This article reviews the biological function and clinical significance of SNHG6 in 6 different tumors of the digestive system,and discusses its mechanism of action in tumorigenesis and development,in the hope to search for effective early diagnosis and treatment targets and thereby improve the survival rate of cancer patients.