BACKGROUND:β-Caryophyllene has a variety of pharmacological activities such as antioxidant,anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic,which may have a better therapeutic effect on osteoarthritis.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect and mechanism of β-caryophyllene on mouse osteoarthritis.METHODS:Forty C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham group,model group,low-dose β-caryophyllene group and high-dose β-caryophyllene group,with 10 mice in each group.Hulth method was used to construct an osteoarthritis model in the latter three groups.Four weeks after modeling,70 and 140 mg/kg/d β-caryophyllene was intragastrically given in the low-and high-dose β-caryophyllene groups,respectively,and normal saline was given by gavage in the sham group and the model group,once a day,for 4 weeks.After administration,knee joint morphological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining,serum levels of inflammatory factors(tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1β,interleukin-6,and interleukin-10)were detected by ELISA,and oxidative stress indexes(glutathione peroxidase,superoxide dismutase,and malondialdehyde)were detected by chemiluminescence.The expression levels of key proteins in the Sonic hedgehog(Shh)/glioma associated oncogene homolog 1(Gli1)signaling pathway were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with the sham group,a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated in the knee joint of mice in the model group,cartilage tissue was seriously damaged,serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1β,interleukin-6,interleukin-10 and malondialdehyde were significantly increased(P＜0.01),the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and the relative expression levels of Shh and Gli1 in the knee joint were significantly increased(P＜0.01).(2)Compared with the model group,in the low-and high-dose β-caryophyllene groups,inflammatory cell infiltration in the mouse knee joint was decreased,cartilage tissue injury was alleviated,serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1 β,interleukin-6 and malondialdehyde were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were significantly increased(P＜0.01),and the expression levels of Shh and Gli1 in the knee joint were significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The above-mentioned improvements were more significant in the high-dose β-caryophyllene group than the low-dose β-caryophyllene group.To conclude,β-caryophyllene can improve osteoarthritis,and its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammation and oxidative stress damage by regulating the Shh/Gli1 signaling pathway.

ObjectivePancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits a limited response to current treatments due to its dense fibrotic stroma and highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In recent years, advancements in cellular immunotherapy, particularly chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapy, have offered new hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. Although CAR-M therapy demonstrates dual potential in directly killing tumor cells and remodeling the immune microenvironment, it still faces challenges such as complex in vitro preparation processes and low in vivo targeting and delivery efficiency. Therefore, developing strategies for efficient and targeted in vivo delivery of CAR genes has become crucial for overcoming current therapeutic limitations. This study aims to develop an orally administrable nano-gene delivery system for the targeted delivery of CAR genes to pancreatic tumor sites. MethodsCore nano-gene particles (PNP/pCAR) were constructed by loading plasmid DNA encoding CAR (pCAR) with cationic polypeptides (PNP). Subsequently, PNP/pCAR was surface-modified with β-glucan to prepare the targeted nanoparticles (βGlus-PNP/pCAR). The loading efficiency of PNP for pCAR was quantitatively assessed by gel retardation assay. The particle size, Zeta potential, morphology, and storage stability of PNP/pCAR were characterized using a Malvern particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. At the cellular level, RAW 264.7 macrophages were selected. The cytotoxicity of PNP/pCAR was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. The cellular uptake efficiency and lysosomal escape ability of the nanoparticles were assessed via flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Transfection efficiency was quantitatively evaluated by detecting the expression of the reporter gene GFP using flow cytometry. At the in vivo level, an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model was established. Cy7-labeled βGlus-PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were administered orally, and the fluorescence distribution in mice was dynamically monitored at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 h post-administration using a small animal in vivo imaging system. Forty-eight hours after oral gavage, the mice were euthanized, and pancreatic tumor tissues were collected for further analysis of intratumoral fluorescence signals using the imaging system. Additionally, βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP nanoparticles loaded with the reporter gene (GFP) were administered orally. Forty-eight hours post-administration, pancreatic tumor tissues were harvested to prepare frozen sections, and GFP expression was observed and analyzed under a fluorescence microscope. ResultsThe PNP carrier exhibited a high loading capacity for pCAR. The successfully prepared PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were regular spheres with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately (120±10) nm and a Zeta potential of about +(6±1) mV. They maintained good structural stability after incubation in PBS buffer for 7 d. Cell experiments demonstrated that PNP/pCAR exhibited no significant cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells while being efficiently internalized and effectively escaping lysosomal degradation. The transfection positive rate of PNP/pCAR-GFP in RAW 264.7 cells reached (25±3)%, surpassing that of Lipofectamine 2000-loaded pCAR-GFP (Lipo/pCAR-GFP), which was (20±1)%.In vivo experiments revealed that, compared to unmodified PNP/pCAR, βGlus-PNP/pCAR exhibited strongerin situ pancreatic tumor targeting ability after oral administration. Furthermore, oral administration of βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP resulted in significant GFP protein expression detectable within pancreatic tumor tissues. ConclusionThis study successfully constructed and validated an orally administrable, pancreatic cancer-targeting polypeptide-based nano-gene delivery system. It provides an important technological foundation in delivery systems and experimental basis for the subsequent development of in situ CAR-M-based therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.

ObjectivePancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits a limited response to current treatments due to its dense fibrotic stroma and highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. In recent years, advancements in cellular immunotherapy, particularly chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapy, have offered new hope for pancreatic cancer treatment. Although CAR-M therapy demonstrates dual potential in directly killing tumor cells and remodeling the immune microenvironment, it still faces challenges such as complex in vitro preparation processes and low in vivo targeting and delivery efficiency. Therefore, developing strategies for efficient and targeted in vivo delivery of CAR genes has become crucial for overcoming current therapeutic limitations. This study aims to develop an orally administrable nano-gene delivery system for the targeted delivery of CAR genes to pancreatic tumor sites. MethodsCore nano-gene particles (PNP/pCAR) were constructed by loading plasmid DNA encoding CAR (pCAR) with cationic polypeptides (PNP). Subsequently, PNP/pCAR was surface-modified with β-glucan to prepare the targeted nanoparticles (βGlus-PNP/pCAR). The loading efficiency of PNP for pCAR was quantitatively assessed by gel retardation assay. The particle size, Zeta potential, morphology, and storage stability of PNP/pCAR were characterized using a Malvern particle size analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. At the cellular level, RAW 264.7 macrophages were selected. The cytotoxicity of PNP/pCAR was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay. The cellular uptake efficiency and lysosomal escape ability of the nanoparticles were assessed via flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Transfection efficiency was quantitatively evaluated by detecting the expression of the reporter gene GFP using flow cytometry. At the in vivo level, an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model was established. Cy7-labeled βGlus-PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were administered orally, and the fluorescence distribution in mice was dynamically monitored at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 h post-administration using a small animal in vivo imaging system. Forty-eight hours after oral gavage, the mice were euthanized, and pancreatic tumor tissues were collected for further analysis of intratumoral fluorescence signals using the imaging system. Additionally, βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP nanoparticles loaded with the reporter gene (GFP) were administered orally. Forty-eight hours post-administration, pancreatic tumor tissues were harvested to prepare frozen sections, and GFP expression was observed and analyzed under a fluorescence microscope. ResultsThe PNP carrier exhibited a high loading capacity for pCAR. The successfully prepared PNP/pCAR nanoparticles were regular spheres with a hydrodynamic diameter of approximately (120±10) nm and a Zeta potential of about +(6±1) mV. They maintained good structural stability after incubation in PBS buffer for 7 d. Cell experiments demonstrated that PNP/pCAR exhibited no significant cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells while being efficiently internalized and effectively escaping lysosomal degradation. The transfection positive rate of PNP/pCAR-GFP in RAW 264.7 cells reached (25±3)%, surpassing that of Lipofectamine 2000-loaded pCAR-GFP (Lipo/pCAR-GFP), which was (20±1)%.In vivo experiments revealed that, compared to unmodified PNP/pCAR, βGlus-PNP/pCAR exhibited strongerin situ pancreatic tumor targeting ability after oral administration. Furthermore, oral administration of βGlus-PNP/pCAR-GFP resulted in significant GFP protein expression detectable within pancreatic tumor tissues. ConclusionThis study successfully constructed and validated an orally administrable, pancreatic cancer-targeting polypeptide-based nano-gene delivery system. It provides an important technological foundation in delivery systems and experimental basis for the subsequent development of in situ CAR-M-based therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND:β-Caryophyllene has a variety of pharmacological activities such as antioxidant,anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic,which may have a better therapeutic effect on osteoarthritis.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect and mechanism of β-caryophyllene on mouse osteoarthritis.METHODS:Forty C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham group,model group,low-dose β-caryophyllene group and high-dose β-caryophyllene group,with 10 mice in each group.Hulth method was used to construct an osteoarthritis model in the latter three groups.Four weeks after modeling,70 and 140 mg/kg/d β-caryophyllene was intragastrically given in the low-and high-dose β-caryophyllene groups,respectively,and normal saline was given by gavage in the sham group and the model group,once a day,for 4 weeks.After administration,knee joint morphological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining,serum levels of inflammatory factors(tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1β,interleukin-6,and interleukin-10)were detected by ELISA,and oxidative stress indexes(glutathione peroxidase,superoxide dismutase,and malondialdehyde)were detected by chemiluminescence.The expression levels of key proteins in the Sonic hedgehog(Shh)/glioma associated oncogene homolog 1(Gli1)signaling pathway were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blot.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Compared with the sham group,a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrated in the knee joint of mice in the model group,cartilage tissue was seriously damaged,serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1β,interleukin-6,interleukin-10 and malondialdehyde were significantly increased(P＜0.01),the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and the relative expression levels of Shh and Gli1 in the knee joint were significantly increased(P＜0.01).(2)Compared with the model group,in the low-and high-dose β-caryophyllene groups,inflammatory cell infiltration in the mouse knee joint was decreased,cartilage tissue injury was alleviated,serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α,interleukin-1 β,interleukin-6 and malondialdehyde were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were significantly increased(P＜0.01),and the expression levels of Shh and Gli1 in the knee joint were significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The above-mentioned improvements were more significant in the high-dose β-caryophyllene group than the low-dose β-caryophyllene group.To conclude,β-caryophyllene can improve osteoarthritis,and its mechanism may be related to reducing inflammation and oxidative stress damage by regulating the Shh/Gli1 signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To clarify the current development status of clinical pharmacist training bases and the pharmacist workforce in China， and to provide evidence for standardizing base construction and promoting the high-quality development of hospital pharmacy. METHODS Questionnaires were distributed to all clinical pharmacist training bases for urgently-needed health professionals and clinical pharmacist training bases under the Chinese Hospital Association that had been approved by the end of 2023 to collect data including base profiles and pharmacist staffing conditions. Expert teams carried out field investigations to verify the collected data. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted on the quantity， type and regional distribution of training bases， and the influencing factors of pharmacist staffing in the bases were analyzed. RESULTS Field surveys were completed covering 297 training bases across 31 provincial-level administrative regions. Among the base hospitals， 87.88% were Grade A tertiary general hospitals， and 65.32% were located in provincial capitals. The eastern region had the largest number of bases （136， accounting for 45.79%）， followed by the western region （79， 26.60%）. Great disparities existed among provinces in terms of base quantity and hospital scale. The median proportion of pharmaceutical technical personnel in base hospitals was 4.05%， and the median number of clinical pharmacists per 100 hospital beds was 0.53. Both indicators reached the highest in the eastern region （0.57， 4.43%） and the lowest in the northeastern region （0.45， 3.01%）. A total of 3 627 full-time clinical pharmacists were employed in all surveyed bases， among whom 83.68% held clinical pharmacist training certificates， 35.43% possessed senior professional titles， and 78.19% had postgraduate or higher educational background. The total annual training capacity of the surveyed bases was 4 291 trainees， with obvious differences in annual training capacity across regions and provinces. Training specialties covered 19 specialized disciplines plus one general discipline， and no province could deliver training for all 20 specialties simultaneously. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that geographic region exerte d a significant impact on the proportion of pharmaceutical technical personnel （≥4%） （ P ＜0.05）， while the approval time of training bases and hospital scale had significant effects on the number of clinical pharmacists per 100 beds （≥0.6） （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS China’s clinical pharmacist training system has basically matured and taken initial shape. The distribution of clinical pharmacist training resources is generally consistent with regional population and economic development levels. However， the allocation of pharmaceutical staff and clinical pharmacists has not yet met national standards and clinical service demands.

OBJECTIVE To clarify the current development status of clinical pharmacist training bases and the pharmacist workforce in China， and to provide evidence for standardizing base construction and promoting the high-quality development of hospital pharmacy. METHODS Questionnaires were distributed to all clinical pharmacist training bases for urgently-needed health professionals and clinical pharmacist training bases under the Chinese Hospital Association that had been approved by the end of 2023 to collect data including base profiles and pharmacist staffing conditions. Expert teams carried out field investigations to verify the collected data. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted on the quantity， type and regional distribution of training bases， and the influencing factors of pharmacist staffing in the bases were analyzed. RESULTS Field surveys were completed covering 297 training bases across 31 provincial-level administrative regions. Among the base hospitals， 87.88% were Grade A tertiary general hospitals， and 65.32% were located in provincial capitals. The eastern region had the largest number of bases （136， accounting for 45.79%）， followed by the western region （79， 26.60%）. Great disparities existed among provinces in terms of base quantity and hospital scale. The median proportion of pharmaceutical technical personnel in base hospitals was 4.05%， and the median number of clinical pharmacists per 100 hospital beds was 0.53. Both indicators reached the highest in the eastern region （0.57， 4.43%） and the lowest in the northeastern region （0.45， 3.01%）. A total of 3 627 full-time clinical pharmacists were employed in all surveyed bases， among whom 83.68% held clinical pharmacist training certificates， 35.43% possessed senior professional titles， and 78.19% had postgraduate or higher educational background. The total annual training capacity of the surveyed bases was 4 291 trainees， with obvious differences in annual training capacity across regions and provinces. Training specialties covered 19 specialized disciplines plus one general discipline， and no province could deliver training for all 20 specialties simultaneously. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that geographic region exerte d a significant impact on the proportion of pharmaceutical technical personnel （≥4%） （ P ＜0.05）， while the approval time of training bases and hospital scale had significant effects on the number of clinical pharmacists per 100 beds （≥0.6） （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS China’s clinical pharmacist training system has basically matured and taken initial shape. The distribution of clinical pharmacist training resources is generally consistent with regional population and economic development levels. However， the allocation of pharmaceutical staff and clinical pharmacists has not yet met national standards and clinical service demands.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the current status of quality management in clinical pharmacist training bases in China， and to provide references for the standardized development and improvement of these bases. METHODS A combined approach of questionnaire survey and on-site investigation was adopted， targeting the healthcare highly sought-after talent （clinical pharmacist） training bases in 31 provinces of China as well as the clinical pharmacist training bases affiliated with the Chinese Hospital Association. A training quality management evaluation index system consisting of 25 tertiary indicators was established. Investigations were conducted from two dimensions： structural quality of training and quality management of training processes. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. RESULTS On-site investigations were completed for 297 clinical pharmacist training bases across the 31 provinces， among which 284 were affiliated with the Chinese Hospital Association and 271 were healthcare highly sought-after talent （clinical pharmacist） training bases. In terms of structural quality， the core indicator compliance rate for hospital-level training systems exceeded 80%， the rate of special fund utilization for designated purposes reached 80.13%， and the overall compliance rate for software and hardware facilities surpassed 88%. A total of 1 348 preceptors were employed across the training bases， among whom those with senior professional titles and full-time specialist clinical pharmacists as lead preceptors accounted for 62.91% and 94.36%， respectively. Regarding process quality， the compliance rate for “establishment of clinical practice teaching groups in accordance with regulations during clinical department rotations” was 85.19%， and 79.80% and 76.09% of the bases were found to implement strict confidentiality in theoretical examinations and meet the required scale of assessment cases， respectively. However， formal documents of corresponding training management regulations were formulated in only 57.91% of the bases， and the completeness and standardization rate of training manual completion was merely 47.47%. In addition， considerable disparities in quality management levels were observed among provinces， with issues in training process quality being particularly prominent. CONCLUSIONS The management system， hardware facilities， and preceptor staffing of clinical pharmacist training bases in China are relatively well-established， yet notable variations in quality management exist among training bases across different provinces.

Osteoarthritis(OA)is a common joint disease in clinical practice,and cartilage damage is a typical pathological change.The pathogenesis of OA is complex,and various adverse factors can lead to the occurrence of OA.Mitochondria are im-portant organelles within cells and play important roles in cellular physiological and pathological activ-ities.Mitochondrial quality control is an important regulatory mechanism in the body to maintain nor-mal mitochondrial structure and function,mainly including mitochondrial biogenesis,mitochondrial dynamics,mitochondrial autophagy,mitochondrial oxidative stress,and other forms.The imbalance of mitochondrial quality control in chondrocytes is closely related to the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis,and regulating the balance of mi-tochondrial quality control is a potential therapeu-tic point for osteoarthritis.The author reviewed rel-evant research literature in recent years to provide a review of the relationship between mitochondrial quality control and the occurrence and develop-ment of osteoarthritis,in order to provide new ideas and directions for the research and diagnosis and treatment strategies of osteoarthritis.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the major pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia in children, and macrolide antibiotics are the first choice for treating MP infections.However, since the discovery of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) by Japanese scholars at the beginning of the 21st century, the detection rate of MRMP strains has been increasing globally, and there have been numerous reports of MP resistance around the world.Studies on the mechanism of drug resistance have been conducted both at home and abroad.Meanwhile, the global infection status shows that there are significant regional differences in the proportion of MRMP infections, especially in the Western Pacific region, including China and Japan, where the proportion of infections is the highest.In order to improve the understanding of the current status of MRMP infections and drug resistance mechanisms, the latest progress in the study of the global infection status and drug resistance mechanisms of MRMP is reviewed, aiming to provide a scientific basis for clinical treatment and a reference for future research directions.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of crisaborole ointment 2% versus pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged 2 years or older.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial was conducted. A total of 120 pediatric patients aged 2 - 17 years with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were enrolled from departments of dermatology of 8 hospitals in China between March 2022 and February 2023. The participants were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to the crisaborole group and the pimecrolimus group, and received the treatment with crisaborole ointment 2% and pimecrolimus cream 1% respectively, twice a day for 4 weeks. Visits were scheduled at baseline/on day 1, as well as on days 8, 15, and 29. The primary efficacy outcome was the percentage of patients achieving the Investigator's Static Global Assessment (ISGA) success (defined as clear [0] or almost clear [1] on the ISGA scale, combined with ≥ 2‐grade improvement from baseline) on day 29. The secondary efficacy outcomes included changes in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) total scores from baseline to day 29, percentages of patients achieving ISGA improvement (defined as clear [0] or almost clear [1] on the ISGA scale), as well as changes in the Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) /Infants' Dermatology Life Quality Index (IDLQI) /Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) scores, and in the Dermatitis Family Impact (DFI) scores. Drug safety was evaluated according to the incidence of adverse events. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square test. Since measurement data did not follow a normal distribution, the rank sum test was used for comparisons of measurement data between groups.Results:A total of 106 children with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis were included in the per-protocol analysis set, with 52 in the crisaborole group (26 males and 26 females) and 54 in the pimecrolimus group (27 males and 27 females). There were no significant differences in age, disease duration, ISGA and EASI scores at baseline between the two groups (all P > 0.05). On day 29, 22 patients (42.31%) in the crisaborole group and 25 (46.30%) in the pimecrolimus group achieved ISGA success, with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.17, P = 0.68) ; 35 patients (67.31%) in the crisaborole group and 45 (83.33%) in the pimecrolimus group achieved ISGA improvement, also with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 3.68, P = 0.06) ; additionally, there were no significant differences in the EASI, pruritus NRS, DLQI/IDLQI/CDLQI, or DFI scores between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Adverse reactions to the two topical agents were mainly local reactions such as mild to moderate pain, itching, or worsening of itching, and no obvious systemic adverse reactions occurred. The incidence of drug-related adverse reactions was 46.15% (24 cases) in the crisaborole group and 37.04% (20 cases) in the pimecrolimus group, with no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2 = 0.91, P = 0.34) . Conclusion:The efficacy of crisaborole ointment 2% was comparable to that of pimecrolimus cream 1% in the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children aged ≥ 2 years, and it yielded early and rapid improvement in the quality of life of patients and their families, with good safety and tolerability profiles.