Objective: To analyze the results of national external quality assessment (EQA) for transfusion compatibility test from 2018 to 2023, with the aim of providing references for improving laboratory testing quality and ensuring the safety of clinical blood transfusion. Methods: Three EQA programs were conducted annually, each distributing 22 quality assessment samples. Participating transfusion laboratories were required to complete testing within specified deadlines and to submit results along with documentation of testing methodologies, reagents, and equipment used. National Center for Clinical Laboratories (NCCL) conducted statistical analysis of laboratory results, evaluated testing outcomes and related circumstances, and provided feedback to participating laboratories. EQA data from transfusion laboratories across China from 2018 to 2023 were collected and systematically analyzed. Results: From 2018 to 2023, the qualification rates for all five items (ABO forward typing, ABO reverse typing, Rh blood group typing, antibody screening, and cross-matching) were 67.59%, 77.11%, 77.38%, 72.78%, 79.96%, and 85.16%, respectively. The mean qualification rates for ABO forward typing, ABO reverse typing, RhD blood group typing, antibody screening, and cross-matching over the past six years were 96.25%±0.59%, 90.45%±4.52%, 96.05%±0.71%, 90.88%±2.86%, and 88.34%±3.48%, respectively. The qualification rates in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023 all showed a stable trend of "blood stations>tertiary hospitals>secondary hospitals". The mean qualification rate of laboratories in secondary hospitals from 2018 to 2023 was significantly lower than those of laboratories in tertiary hospitals and blood stations (P<0.05), while no significant difference was observed between laboratories in tertiary hospitals and blood stations (P>0.05). The micro column agglutination method was the most widely used in all five tests. In the four test items, namely ABO forward typing, ABO reverse typing, antibody screening, and cross-matching, there was a statistically significant difference in the qualification rate of micro column agglutination method compared to other methods (P<0.05). There was a statistical difference in the qualification rate between manual and automated detection using micro column agglutination method in the cross-matching tests (P<0.05), whereas no significant difference was noted for the other test items (P>0.05). Conclusion: From 2018 to 2023, the number of laboratories participating in EQA activities has been increasing year by year, and the qualification rate has shown an overall upward trend. The type of laboratory is a key factor affecting the qualification rate, and the testing capabilities of some laboratories still need to be improved. The micro column agglutination method is widely used in transfusion compatibility tests. The established EQA program effectively monitors quality issues in laboratories, drives continuous improvement, and ensures sustained enhancement of testing standards to safeguard clinical blood safety.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis(C.pseudotuberculosis)is a group of intracellular Gram-positive bacteria that can cause zoonotic diseases.This study investigated the mechanisms of inflammatory mediator secretion and the phagocytic and bactericidal functions of mouse peritoneal macrophages following C.pseudotuberculosis infection.Initially,transcriptomic sequencing was em-ployed to identify genes critical for C.pseudotuberculosis infection in macrophages.Subsequently,gene knockout mice were utilized to assess the impact of these key genes on inflammatory media-tor secretion,activation of inflammatory signaling pathways,and the phagocytic and bactericidal functions of macrophages infected with C.pseudotuberculosis.Techniques such as ELISA,Western blot,and immunofluorescence were employed in this analysis.Further,transcriptomic sequencing was conducted to identify key downstream genes.Following C.pseudotuberculosis infection,GO enrichment analysis was performed,and TLR2 was identified as the focal point of the study.Perito-neal macrophages from C57BL/6J and TLR2 knockout(TLR2-/-)mice were infected with C.pseudotuberculosis.ELISA results revealed that the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-10 were signifi-cantly downregulated in TLR2-/-macrophages compared to C57BL/6J macrophages post-infec-tion.Western blot demonstrated that the absence of TLR2 led to a marked decrease in M APK(p38 and ERK)signaling pathway phosphorylation following C.pseudotuberculosis infection.Immuno-fluorescence results indicated that the phagocytic rate of TLR2-/-macrophages was significantly higher than that of C57BL/6J macrophages after infection.Subsequently,transcriptomic analysis of C57BL/6J and TLR2-/-macrophages infected with C.pseudotuberculosis was performed,followed by GO enrichment analysis of differential genes.IL-36a,Cx3cr1,TLR1,and TLR2 were identified as key differential genes.TLR2 plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response induced by C.pseudotuberculosis infection in mice,influencing the progression of the inflammatory response and host outcomes through the secretion of inflammatory mediators,activation of signaling pathways,and modulation of phagocytic and bactericidal functions.IL-36a and Cx3cr1 were identified as key downstream factors in this process.

The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) control natural killer (NK) cells development and cytotoxic functions, however, whether long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in this pathway remains unknown. We found that miR155HG was elevated in activated NK cells and promoted their proliferation and effector functions in both NK92 and induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived NK (iPSC-NK) cells, without reliance on its derived miR-155 and micropeptide P155. Mechanistically, miR155HG bound to miR-6756 and relieved its repression of JAK3 expression, thereby promoting the JAK-STAT pathway and enhancing NK cell proliferation and function. Further investigations disclosed that upon cytokine stimulation, STAT3 directly interacts with miR155HG promoter and induces miR155HG transcription. Collectively, we identify a miR155HG-mediated positive feedback loop of the JAK-STAT signaling. Our study will also provide a power target regarding miR155HG for improving NK cell generation and effector function in the field of NK cell adoptive transfer therapy against cancer, especially iPSC-derived NK cells.

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis(C.pseudotuberculosis)is a group of intracellular Gram-positive bacteria that can cause zoonotic diseases.This study investigated the mechanisms of inflammatory mediator secretion and the phagocytic and bactericidal functions of mouse peritoneal macrophages following C.pseudotuberculosis infection.Initially,transcriptomic sequencing was em-ployed to identify genes critical for C.pseudotuberculosis infection in macrophages.Subsequently,gene knockout mice were utilized to assess the impact of these key genes on inflammatory media-tor secretion,activation of inflammatory signaling pathways,and the phagocytic and bactericidal functions of macrophages infected with C.pseudotuberculosis.Techniques such as ELISA,Western blot,and immunofluorescence were employed in this analysis.Further,transcriptomic sequencing was conducted to identify key downstream genes.Following C.pseudotuberculosis infection,GO enrichment analysis was performed,and TLR2 was identified as the focal point of the study.Perito-neal macrophages from C57BL/6J and TLR2 knockout(TLR2-/-)mice were infected with C.pseudotuberculosis.ELISA results revealed that the levels of TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-10 were signifi-cantly downregulated in TLR2-/-macrophages compared to C57BL/6J macrophages post-infec-tion.Western blot demonstrated that the absence of TLR2 led to a marked decrease in M APK(p38 and ERK)signaling pathway phosphorylation following C.pseudotuberculosis infection.Immuno-fluorescence results indicated that the phagocytic rate of TLR2-/-macrophages was significantly higher than that of C57BL/6J macrophages after infection.Subsequently,transcriptomic analysis of C57BL/6J and TLR2-/-macrophages infected with C.pseudotuberculosis was performed,followed by GO enrichment analysis of differential genes.IL-36a,Cx3cr1,TLR1,and TLR2 were identified as key differential genes.TLR2 plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response induced by C.pseudotuberculosis infection in mice,influencing the progression of the inflammatory response and host outcomes through the secretion of inflammatory mediators,activation of signaling pathways,and modulation of phagocytic and bactericidal functions.IL-36a and Cx3cr1 were identified as key downstream factors in this process.

During the process of dairy farming,various factors such as physical injury and bacterial infection act upon body tissues or organs,leading to the disruption of skin or mucous tissue integ-rity and subsequent tissue injury and trauma.The healing of these injuries is a complex process that necessitates the coordinated efforts of different cells and involvement of diverse cytokines.A-mong them,the interaction between macrophages and myofibroblasts is indispensable for efficient tissue repair.Nod-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),a pattern recognition receptor in the innate im-mune system,may play a regulatory role in modulating this intricate process.In this study,cow myofibroblasts and M1 type bone marrow-derived macrophages were cultured in vitro,followed by collection of cell culture supernatant for co-culture analysis.Both cytokine secretion levels in M1 type bone marrow-derived macrophages as well as expression patterns levels of myofibroblast growth factor protein and mRNA were detected.The regulatory mechanism underlying NLRP3 in-volvement in mediating interactions between these two cell types was investigated using NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950.The results showed that an effective method for culturing cow muscle fibroblasts in vitro was successfully established and myofibroblast conditioned medium(MFbCM)could regulate M1 macrophage secretion profiles.Moreover,M1 macrophage conditioned medium(M1?CM)was found to influence myofibroblast growth factor expression levels.Our findings sug-gest that NLRP3 plays a significant regulatory role during crosstalk between myofibroblasts and M1-type pro-inflammatory macrophages.

Purpose: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare mesenchymal malignancy that occurs primarily in children and adolescents. The clinical and pathological features of IMT in adult patients are not well understood. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively searched for records of adult patients with IMT at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from 2006 to 2021. Clinicopathological data, treatments, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Results: Thirty adult patients with IMT, mostly women (60.0%), were included. The median age of the patients was 38 (21-77). The most common primary site was abdominopelvic region (53.3%), followed by lungs (20.0%). Seven patients had an abdominal epithelioid inflammatory myofibroblast sarcoma (EIMS). The positivity rate of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) was 81.5% (22/27). Sixteen patients with advanced ALK-positive disease received crizotinib, with an objective response rate (ORR) of 81.3% and a disease control rate of 87.5%. The median progression-free survival was 20.8 months. EIMS was associated with more aggressive behavior; however, the prognosis was similar to that of non-EIMS patients after treatment with an ALK inhibitor. At a median follow-up time of 30 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 13.6 to 46.4), the 5-year overall survival was 77% (95% CI, 66 to 88) in all patients. Conclusion Adult IMTs appeared more aggressive, with a higher incidence of recurrence and metastases, and patients with EIMS had more aggressive cases. Treatment with ALK inhibitors resulted in a high ORR and a durable response, which suggested that ALK inhibitors could be used as a first-line treatment option in adult patients with ALK-positive advanced IMT.

Purpose: Loss-of-function mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene are common in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the characteristic of APC specific mutations in mCRC is poorly understood. Here, we explored the clinical and molecular characteristics of N-terminal and C-terminal side APC mutations in Chinese patients with mCRC. Materials and Methods: Hybrid capture-based next-generation sequencing was performed on tumor tissues from 275 mCRC pati-ents to detect mutations in 639 tumor-associated genes. The prognostic value and gene-pathway difference between APC specific mutations in mCRC patients were analyzed. Results: APC mutations were highly clustered, accounting for 73% of all mCRC patients, and most of them were truncating mutations. The tumor mutation burden of the N-terminal side APC mutations group (n=76) was significantly lower than that of the C-terminal side group (n=123) (p < 0.001), further confirmed by the public database. Survival analysis showed that mCRC patients with N-terminus side APC mutations had longer overall survival than C-terminus side. Tumor gene pathway analysis showed that gene mutations in the RTK/RAS, Wnt and transforming growth factor β signaling pathways of the C-terminal group were significantly higher than those of the N-terminal group (p < 0.05). Additionally, KRAS, AMER1, TGFBR2, and ARID1A driver mutations were more common in patients with C-terminal side APC mutations. Conclusion APC specific mutations have potential function as mCRC prognostic biomarkers. There are obvious differences in the gene mutation patterns between the C-terminus and N-terminus APC mutations group, which may have certain guiding significance for the subsequent precise treatment of mCRC.

Objective To observe the effect of pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative ther-apeutic model in the treatment of patients with acute cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 67 pa-tients with acute cerebral infarction were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into observation group(n=37)and control group(n=30)according to the therapeutic model.The con-trol group was conducted with the traditional therapeutic model,while the observation group was con-ducted with the pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model.The time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis,early recovery of nerve function and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the time from onset to visit between the two groups(P＞0.05);the time from seeing a doctor to thrombolysis and the time from seeing a doctor to signing the informed consent for intravenous thrombolysis in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group(P＜0.05).On the hospital admission,there was no significant difference in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score be-tween the two groups(P＞0.05);at the time points of 7 days after admission and 90 days after thrombolysis,the NIHSS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the levels of serum glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)and malonaldehyde(MDA)between the two groups(P＞0.05);the level of serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).One patient died in the control group,with a mortality rate of 3.33％;no patient died in the observation group.Conclusion Pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model can effectively improve the time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis for patients with acute cerebral infarction,alleviate the neurological damage,and reduce degree of oxidative stress reaction and death risk.

Objective To observe the effect of pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative ther-apeutic model in the treatment of patients with acute cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 67 pa-tients with acute cerebral infarction were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into observation group(n=37)and control group(n=30)according to the therapeutic model.The con-trol group was conducted with the traditional therapeutic model,while the observation group was con-ducted with the pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model.The time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis,early recovery of nerve function and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the time from onset to visit between the two groups(P＞0.05);the time from seeing a doctor to thrombolysis and the time from seeing a doctor to signing the informed consent for intravenous thrombolysis in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group(P＜0.05).On the hospital admission,there was no significant difference in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score be-tween the two groups(P＞0.05);at the time points of 7 days after admission and 90 days after thrombolysis,the NIHSS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the levels of serum glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)and malonaldehyde(MDA)between the two groups(P＞0.05);the level of serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).One patient died in the control group,with a mortality rate of 3.33％;no patient died in the observation group.Conclusion Pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model can effectively improve the time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis for patients with acute cerebral infarction,alleviate the neurological damage,and reduce degree of oxidative stress reaction and death risk.

BACKGROUND:As current studies on isolation, culture andcryopreservation of human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) are relatively scattered, it is difficult to form a comprehensive and effective solution to meet the clinical needs of stem cells for transplantation in future.OBJECTIVE:To establish the technology of isolation, culture and cryopreservation of hAECs, and to study the biological characteristics of hAECs.METHODS:Orthogonal method was used to study the effects of different factors on the separation, culture and cryopreservation, and range method was adopted to analyze the data to optimize the separation, culture and cryopreservation. We performed cell primary and passage cultures, morphology observed by microscope, drawn cell growth curve and flow cytometry assay, immunofluorescence staining, hepatocyte like cell differentiation to study the biological characteristics of hAECs.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) The optimal hAECs separation conditions were as follows:trypsin digestions were conducted at a concentration of 0.25%, four times, once for 20 minutes digestion; optimal conditions of culture were 4×108/L cell seeding density, 10 μg/L epidermal growth factor, 5% serum; optimal conditions of cryopreservation were 1×1010/L cell cryopreservation density, 10% dimethyl sulfoxide, 80% serum. (2) The primary cells were adhered to the wall in 2-3 days, exhibiting irregular polygon, paving stone-like growth. Cell adherence and growth rate were accelerated after subculture, and the growth and proliferation ability of passage 2 cells were not significantly decreased after cryopreservation and resuscitation. (3) Immunofluorescence staining showed that the primary cells strongly expressed SSEA-4 and CK19, but did not express Vimentin, CD45 and HLA-DR. The immunophenotype statistics of the primary and passage 4 cells showed the epithelial mesenchymal transition of hAECs in culture process. (4) Immunofluorescence staining showed that the liver cell marker expression of ALB, CK18 was significantly increased after hAECs were induced to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells. Glycogen staining revealed glycogen synthesis in hAECs after 3 weeks of induction. To conclude, hAECs are easy to obtain and have strong proliferation ability in vitro, and express surface markers for undifferentiated embryonic stem cells.