Objective:To systematically integrate the work experience of medical and nursing staff in the remote home palliative care model, so as to provide a reference for improving remote home palliative care services.Methods:Qualitative studies on medical and nursing staff providing remote home palliative care were electronically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest, CINAHL, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, and China Biology Medicine disc. The search period was from database establishment to April 30, 2024. Literature quality evaluation was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute Center for Evidence-Based Health Care Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research. The aggregative integration method was used to synthesize the findings.Results:Researchers repeatedly read, analyzed, and interpreted the 17 included literature, extracting 56 themes and summarizing eight new categories, and further synthesized three integrated results, namely, remote home palliative care provided patients with comprehensive physical, psychological, and mental care, as well as guidance and support for family members; remote home care helped to achieve full coverage of palliative care services; equipment limitations, information security risks, and incomplete processes restricted the development of remote palliative care.Conclusions:Remote home palliative care has improved patient care and family support capabilities, expanded service coverage, and promoted interdisciplinary collaboration. However, there are still issues such as equipment limitations, information security risks, and incomplete processes. Optimizing processes, improving safety mechanisms, and strengthening collaboration platforms will contribute to sustainable development.

Objective:To systematically integrate the work experience of medical and nursing staff in the remote home palliative care model, so as to provide a reference for improving remote home palliative care services.Methods:Qualitative studies on medical and nursing staff providing remote home palliative care were electronically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest, CINAHL, PsycINFO, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP, and China Biology Medicine disc. The search period was from database establishment to April 30, 2024. Literature quality evaluation was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute Center for Evidence-Based Health Care Quality Assessment Criteria for Qualitative Research. The aggregative integration method was used to synthesize the findings.Results:Researchers repeatedly read, analyzed, and interpreted the 17 included literature, extracting 56 themes and summarizing eight new categories, and further synthesized three integrated results, namely, remote home palliative care provided patients with comprehensive physical, psychological, and mental care, as well as guidance and support for family members; remote home care helped to achieve full coverage of palliative care services; equipment limitations, information security risks, and incomplete processes restricted the development of remote palliative care.Conclusions:Remote home palliative care has improved patient care and family support capabilities, expanded service coverage, and promoted interdisciplinary collaboration. However, there are still issues such as equipment limitations, information security risks, and incomplete processes. Optimizing processes, improving safety mechanisms, and strengthening collaboration platforms will contribute to sustainable development.

Background and purpose:Immune checkpoint blockade(ICB)has become a promising strategy for treating cervical cancer(CC),but terminal T cell depletion still limits the therapeutic efficacy of ICB.The deletion of sorting nexin-9(SNX9)can inhibit thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box protein(TOX),alleviate T cell exhaustion,and provide new ideas for preventing T cell exhaustion and enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.Therefore,this study aimed to explore the immune escape mechanism mediated by the depletion of CD8+T cells induced by the SNX9/TOX signaling pathway in the CC microenvironment.Methods:Fifty-four peripheral blood samples were collected,including 18 from CC patients,18 from patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions(HSIL)and 18 from subjects with normal cervix.In addition,the study collected 153 pairs of CC and adjacent tissues from patients who received operation in our hospital for the first time.Clinicopathological features,tumor stages,follow-up records and other relevant clinicopathological data of CC patients were obtained from hospital records.The research was approved by the ethics committee of Changsha Fourth Hospital(approval number:20220206).A total of 24 mice were randomly assigned to the following four groups:immunoglobulin G(IgG)group,Anti-SNX9 group,Anti-programmed death-1(PD-1)group and Anti-SNX9+Anti-PD-1 group,with 6 mice in each group.Each group received intraperitoneal injection of blocking antibody and isotype control treatment respectively.ELISpot was used to detect the ability of CD8+T cells to secrete tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interferon-γ(IFN-γ).The expressions of TOX and SNX9 in cervical cancer tissues were detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry.Results:The expressions of SNX9 and TOX mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC)of CC patients were higher compared with HSIL and normal controls(P＜0.05).The positive cell level of SNX9 and TOX immunohistochemical score were higher in CC tissue than in adjacent tissues(t=18.63,21.10,P＜0.001).The high expression of SNX9 in CC was related to low differentiation/undifferentiation,tumor size,parauterine infiltration,vaginal infiltration,late FIGO stage and pelvic lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).Compared with the low expression group of SNX9,the overall survival time of CC patients in the high expression group of SNX9 was shorter(P＜0.05).The percentage of CD8+SNX9+T cells was significantly higher in CC patients than in normal controls and HSIL patients(P＜0.05).The ability of CD8+SNX9+T cells to secrete cytokines(TNF-α and IFN-γ)was significantly lower compared with CD8+SNX9-T cells(P＜0.05).Compared with the Anti-SNX9 group,the growth and proliferation of cervical tumor,the expression of SNX9 and TOX protein in tumor tissue in the Anti-SNX9+Anti-PD-1 group further decreased(P＜0.05),and the level of infiltrating CD8+T lymphocytes in tumor tissue and the ability of CD8+T lymphocytes to secrete functional factors TNF-α and IFN-γ further increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:SNX9/TOX signaling pathway exhibits enhanced activity in patients with cervical cancer and mouse models,and is related to immunosuppression.Targeting SNX9/TOX signaling pathway may be a potential therapeutic strategy for CC.

To address the problem of data silos in dental specialties caused by equipment heterogeneity, this study developed an Intelligent Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled dental chair platform (hereinafter referred to as the intelligent platform) based on the concept of medical-engineering integration. The platform adopts a three-tier chair-domain interconnection architecture: the bottom tier integrates multi-source sensors and standardized interfaces for automated data acquisition and linkage with hospital information systems; the middle tier provides clinic-level management and remote teaching collaboration; and the top tier employs a blockchain-based secure cloud database for resource allocation and data management. Clinical validation at The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University demonstrated that, compared with a control group from the same period in 2023, the trial group achieved a 38.0% increase in average daily patient visits (80.6±6.8 vs. 58.4±5.2, t=15.16, P<0.001), a 24.6% reduction in average treatment time [(36.1±6.3) min vs. (47.9±8.5) min, t=7.72, P<0.001], a 39.2% reduction in waiting time [23.3 (16.5, 30.1) min vs. 38.3 (28.3, 48.3) min, U=32.00, P<0.001], a 30.4% reduction in equipment idle rate [8.7% (5.1%, 12.3%) vs. 12.5% (7.4%, 17.6%), U=251.00, P=0.003], and an increase in patient satisfaction from 88.2% (1 519/1 723) to 94.3% (2 186/2 318) ( t=7.26, P<0.001). User research confirmed that the functions most favored by clinicians and patients were "dental chair parameter updating and clinical data integration" [74.7% (80/107)] and "chairside display of diagnostic images" [76.8% (119/155)], respectively. Looking forward, the intelligent platform has the potential to integrate artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and 5G-enabled multicenter collaboration to further expand its clinical applications and accelerate the digital transformation of dental healthcare.

Objective To explore TCM syndrome distribution law in patients with overlapping non-erosive reflux disease(NERD)and epigastric pain syndrome(EPS)gastrointestinal symptoms.Methods A multi-center,cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the general information of 800 patients with overlapping NERD and EPS gastrointestinal symptoms in four hospitals,such as gender,age,body mass index(BMI)and four diagnostic information of TCM.Descriptive frequency analysis,factor analysis and clustering analysis were used to summarize the TCM syndrome types and distribution characteristics.Results The average age of 800 patients with overlapping NERD and EPS gastrointestinal symptoms was(44.50±14.43)years old,the average BMI was(23.17±4.80)kg/m2,and the male to female ratio was 3:5.Frequency of 95 TCM symptoms/signs≥20%.18 common factor variables were obtained based on factor analysis,and the cumulative contribution rate was 67.11%.The first three syndrome elements of disease location were liver,stomach and spleen,and the disease nature syndrome elements were qi stagnation,qi deficiency and yin deficiency.Based on the clustering analysis of 18 common factor variables,combined with expert discussion,four main TCM syndrome types were obtained,which were liver-stomach stagnation heat syndrome(213 cases,26.63%),spleen-stomach damp heat syndrome(209 cases,26.13%),spleen-stomach deficiency and cold qi stagnation syndrome(190 cases,23.75%)and qi-phlegm stagnation syndrome(188 cases,23.50%).There was no significant difference in the distribution of TCM syndrome types among patients with different genders,ages and BMI values(P>0.05).Patients with a course of disease≥2 years and those residing long-term north of the Qinling-Huaihe Line showed a significantly higher prevalence of spleen-stomach dampness-heat syndrome(P<0.05).Conclusion The syndrome elements of disease location of overlapping NERD and EPS gastrointestinal symptoms are mainly liver,stomach and spleen.The TCM syndrome types are liver-stomach stagnation heat syndrome,spleen-stomach damp heat syndrome,spleen-stomach deficiency cold qi stagnation syndrome and qi-phlegm stagnation syndrome.The course of disease and the regional differences between north and south may be the influencing factors of the distribution of syndrome types.

To address the problem of data silos in dental specialties caused by equipment heterogeneity, this study developed an Intelligent Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled dental chair platform (hereinafter referred to as the intelligent platform) based on the concept of medical-engineering integration. The platform adopts a three-tier chair-domain interconnection architecture: the bottom tier integrates multi-source sensors and standardized interfaces for automated data acquisition and linkage with hospital information systems; the middle tier provides clinic-level management and remote teaching collaboration; and the top tier employs a blockchain-based secure cloud database for resource allocation and data management. Clinical validation at The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing Medical University demonstrated that, compared with a control group from the same period in 2023, the trial group achieved a 38.0% increase in average daily patient visits (80.6±6.8 vs. 58.4±5.2, t=15.16, P<0.001), a 24.6% reduction in average treatment time [(36.1±6.3) min vs. (47.9±8.5) min, t=7.72, P<0.001], a 39.2% reduction in waiting time [23.3 (16.5, 30.1) min vs. 38.3 (28.3, 48.3) min, U=32.00, P<0.001], a 30.4% reduction in equipment idle rate [8.7% (5.1%, 12.3%) vs. 12.5% (7.4%, 17.6%), U=251.00, P=0.003], and an increase in patient satisfaction from 88.2% (1 519/1 723) to 94.3% (2 186/2 318) ( t=7.26, P<0.001). User research confirmed that the functions most favored by clinicians and patients were "dental chair parameter updating and clinical data integration" [74.7% (80/107)] and "chairside display of diagnostic images" [76.8% (119/155)], respectively. Looking forward, the intelligent platform has the potential to integrate artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis and 5G-enabled multicenter collaboration to further expand its clinical applications and accelerate the digital transformation of dental healthcare.

Background and purpose:Immune checkpoint blockade(ICB)has become a promising strategy for treating cervical cancer(CC),but terminal T cell depletion still limits the therapeutic efficacy of ICB.The deletion of sorting nexin-9(SNX9)can inhibit thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box protein(TOX),alleviate T cell exhaustion,and provide new ideas for preventing T cell exhaustion and enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.Therefore,this study aimed to explore the immune escape mechanism mediated by the depletion of CD8+T cells induced by the SNX9/TOX signaling pathway in the CC microenvironment.Methods:Fifty-four peripheral blood samples were collected,including 18 from CC patients,18 from patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions(HSIL)and 18 from subjects with normal cervix.In addition,the study collected 153 pairs of CC and adjacent tissues from patients who received operation in our hospital for the first time.Clinicopathological features,tumor stages,follow-up records and other relevant clinicopathological data of CC patients were obtained from hospital records.The research was approved by the ethics committee of Changsha Fourth Hospital(approval number:20220206).A total of 24 mice were randomly assigned to the following four groups:immunoglobulin G(IgG)group,Anti-SNX9 group,Anti-programmed death-1(PD-1)group and Anti-SNX9+Anti-PD-1 group,with 6 mice in each group.Each group received intraperitoneal injection of blocking antibody and isotype control treatment respectively.ELISpot was used to detect the ability of CD8+T cells to secrete tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interferon-γ(IFN-γ).The expressions of TOX and SNX9 in cervical cancer tissues were detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry.Results:The expressions of SNX9 and TOX mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cell(PBMC)of CC patients were higher compared with HSIL and normal controls(P＜0.05).The positive cell level of SNX9 and TOX immunohistochemical score were higher in CC tissue than in adjacent tissues(t=18.63,21.10,P＜0.001).The high expression of SNX9 in CC was related to low differentiation/undifferentiation,tumor size,parauterine infiltration,vaginal infiltration,late FIGO stage and pelvic lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05).Compared with the low expression group of SNX9,the overall survival time of CC patients in the high expression group of SNX9 was shorter(P＜0.05).The percentage of CD8+SNX9+T cells was significantly higher in CC patients than in normal controls and HSIL patients(P＜0.05).The ability of CD8+SNX9+T cells to secrete cytokines(TNF-α and IFN-γ)was significantly lower compared with CD8+SNX9-T cells(P＜0.05).Compared with the Anti-SNX9 group,the growth and proliferation of cervical tumor,the expression of SNX9 and TOX protein in tumor tissue in the Anti-SNX9+Anti-PD-1 group further decreased(P＜0.05),and the level of infiltrating CD8+T lymphocytes in tumor tissue and the ability of CD8+T lymphocytes to secrete functional factors TNF-α and IFN-γ further increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion:SNX9/TOX signaling pathway exhibits enhanced activity in patients with cervical cancer and mouse models,and is related to immunosuppression.Targeting SNX9/TOX signaling pathway may be a potential therapeutic strategy for CC.

Objective To explore TCM syndrome distribution law in patients with overlapping non-erosive reflux disease(NERD)and epigastric pain syndrome(EPS)gastrointestinal symptoms.Methods A multi-center,cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the general information of 800 patients with overlapping NERD and EPS gastrointestinal symptoms in four hospitals,such as gender,age,body mass index(BMI)and four diagnostic information of TCM.Descriptive frequency analysis,factor analysis and clustering analysis were used to summarize the TCM syndrome types and distribution characteristics.Results The average age of 800 patients with overlapping NERD and EPS gastrointestinal symptoms was(44.50±14.43)years old,the average BMI was(23.17±4.80)kg/m2,and the male to female ratio was 3:5.Frequency of 95 TCM symptoms/signs≥20%.18 common factor variables were obtained based on factor analysis,and the cumulative contribution rate was 67.11%.The first three syndrome elements of disease location were liver,stomach and spleen,and the disease nature syndrome elements were qi stagnation,qi deficiency and yin deficiency.Based on the clustering analysis of 18 common factor variables,combined with expert discussion,four main TCM syndrome types were obtained,which were liver-stomach stagnation heat syndrome(213 cases,26.63%),spleen-stomach damp heat syndrome(209 cases,26.13%),spleen-stomach deficiency and cold qi stagnation syndrome(190 cases,23.75%)and qi-phlegm stagnation syndrome(188 cases,23.50%).There was no significant difference in the distribution of TCM syndrome types among patients with different genders,ages and BMI values(P>0.05).Patients with a course of disease≥2 years and those residing long-term north of the Qinling-Huaihe Line showed a significantly higher prevalence of spleen-stomach dampness-heat syndrome(P<0.05).Conclusion The syndrome elements of disease location of overlapping NERD and EPS gastrointestinal symptoms are mainly liver,stomach and spleen.The TCM syndrome types are liver-stomach stagnation heat syndrome,spleen-stomach damp heat syndrome,spleen-stomach deficiency cold qi stagnation syndrome and qi-phlegm stagnation syndrome.The course of disease and the regional differences between north and south may be the influencing factors of the distribution of syndrome types.

Objective:To investigate the necessity of adaptive re-planning during radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and its impact on dose improvement.Methods:Clinical data of 89 NPC patients admitted to Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from July 2014 to December 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received 25+7 rounds of adaptive re-planning during radiotherapy. Plan-A was defined as the initial CT scan-based 25-fraction radiotherapy plan, while plan-B was defined as the re-planned 7-fraction radiotherapy plan based on a subsequent CT scan. The changes in the target and parotid gland volumes were compared between plan-A and plan-B. Plan-I was a one-time simulation of plan-A extended to 32 fraction radiotherapy plan, and plan-II was generated through registration and fusion of the plan-A and plan-B for adaptive re-planning. The differences in dose metrics, homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI), and dose to organs at risk (OAR) were compared between plan-I and plan-II. Statistical analysis was performed by using paired t-test. Results:Compared with plan-A, the gross tumor volume of massive bleeding lesions (GTV nx) and parotid gland volume of plan-B were decreased by 13.14% and 11.12%, respectively (both P<0.001). While planning clinical target volume of metastatic lymph nodes (PCTV nd) of plan-B was increased by 7.75%( P<0.001). There were significant changes in the lymph nodes of plan-A and plan-B. The D mean, D 5%, D 95% of massive bleeding lesions planning target volume (PTV nx) and D 5% of high risk planning target volume (PTV1) in plan-II were all significantly higher than those in plan-I (all P<0.05). The CI of PTV nx and PTV1 in plan-II was closer to 1 than that in plan-I. In all assessed OAR, the D mean, D 50%, and D max of plan-II were significantly lower than those of plan-I (all P<0.05). Conclusions:During radiotherapy, NPC patients may experience varying degrees of primary tumor shrinkage, parotid gland atrophy, and lymph node changes. It is necessary to deliver re-planning and significantly improve the dose of target areas and OAR.

Background::Homoharringtonine (HHT) is an effective anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-tumor protein synthesis inhibitor that has been applied clinically. Here, we explored the therapeutic effects of HHT in a mouse heart transplant model.Methods::Healthy C57BL/6 mice were used to observe the toxicity of HHT in the liver, kidney, and hematology. A mouse heart transplantation model was constructed, and the potential mechanism of HHT prolonging allograft survival was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis, immunostaining, and bulk RNA sequencing analysis. The HHT-T cell crosstalk was modeled ex vivo to further verify the molecular mechanism of HHT-induced regulatory T cells (Tregs) differentiation. Results::HHT inhibited the activation and proliferation of T cells and promoted their apoptosis ex vivo. Treatment of 0.5 mg/kg HHT for 10 days significantly prolonged the mean graft survival time of the allografts from 7 days to 48 days ( P <0.001) without non-immune toxicity. The allografts had long-term survival after continuous HHT treatment for 28 days. HHT significantly reduced lymphocyte infiltration in the graft, and interferon-γ-secreting CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in the spleen ( P <0.01). HHT significantly increased the number of peripheral Tregs (about 20%, P <0.001) and serum interleukin (IL)-10 levels. HHT downregulated the expression of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway-related genes ( CD4, H2-Eb1, TRAT1, and CD74) and upregulated the expression of IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF) -β pathway-related genes and Treg signature genes ( CTLA4, Foxp3, CD74, and ICOS). HHT increased CD4 + Foxp3 + cells and Foxp3 expression ex vivo, and it enhanced the inhibitory function of inducible Tregs. Conclusions::HHT promotes Treg cell differentiation and enhances Treg suppressive function by attenuating the TCR signaling pathway and upregulating the expression of Treg signature genes and IL-10 levels, thereby promoting mouse heart allograft acceptance. These findings may have therapeutic implications for organ transplant recipients, particularly those with viral infections and malignancies, which require a more suitable anti-rejection medication.