Food-derived bioactive peptides (FBPs), particularly those with ten or fewer amino acid residues and a molecular weight below 1300 Da, have gained increasing attention for their safe, diverse structures and specific biological activities. The development of FBP-based functional foods and potential medications depends on understanding their structure‒activity relationships (SARs), stability, and bioavailability properties. In this review, we provide an in-depth overview of the roles of FBPs in treating various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, liver diseases, and inflammatory bowel diseases, based on the literature from July 2017 to Mar. 2023. Subsequently, attention is directed toward elucidating the associations between the bioactivities and structural characteristics (e.g., molecular weight and the presence of specific amino acids within sequences and compositions) of FBPs. We also discuss in silico approaches for FBP screening and their limitations. Finally, we summarize recent advancements in formulation techniques to improve the bioavailability of FBPs in the food industry, thereby contributing to healthcare applications.
Humans ; Peptides/therapeutic use* ; Structure-Activity Relationship ; Functional Food ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Biological Availability ; Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy* ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/drug therapy* ; Hypertension/drug therapy* ; Liver Diseases/drug therapy* ; Bioactive Peptides, Dietary

Objective To investigate the effects of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with 6 MV and 10 MV X-ray photon energies in patients with cervical cancer. Methods From March 2019 to May 2020, 24 patients with cervical cancer who underwent radiation therapy in the Oncology Radiotherapy Department of our hospital were selected. VMAT plans with 6 MV and 10 MV photon energies were re-designed for each patient. The target parameters (D_98%, D_2%, D_mean), conformal index, and homogeneity index of the two groups were compared. The radiation doses received by the bladder, rectum, small intestine, left femoral head, right femoral head, and normal tissue other than planning target volume (Body-PTV), as well as monitor units and estimated total delivery time, were also compared. Results D_2%, D_mean, homogeneity index, and monitor units were significantly lower in the 10 MV group than in the 6 MV group (50.78 ± 0.33 Gy vs. 50.35 ± 0.29 Gy; 49.05 ± 0.2 Gy vs. 48.93 ± 0.17 Gy; 0.08 ± 0.01 vs. 0.07 ± 0.01; 1179.26 ± 110.55 vs. 1099.3 ± 80.9). Comparison of organs at risk showed that compared with the 10 MV group, the 6 MV group demonstrated significantly lower V_40Gy of the bladder, D_5% of the right femoral head, and D_2% and V_5Gy of Body-PTV (60.37 ± 13.66 vs. 60.84 ± 13.88; 37.09 ± 5.43 Gy vs. 38.03 ± 5.68 Gy; 41.71 ± 1.39 Gy vs. 42.16 ± 1.31 Gy; 47.88 ± 9.75 vs. 48.23 ± 9.74). There were no significant differences in other parameters between the two groups. Conclusion The VMAT plans with 6 MV and 10 MV X-ray photon energies both meet the clinical needs of cervical cancer radiotherapy. The cervical cancer VMAT plan with 6 MV photon energy is recommended due to better protection of the organs at risk.

Objective To investigate the effects of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with 6 MV and 10 MV X-ray photon energies in patients with cervical cancer. Methods From March 2019 to May 2020, 24 patients with cervical cancer who underwent radiation therapy in the Oncology Radiotherapy Department of our hospital were selected. VMAT plans with 6 MV and 10 MV photon energies were re-designed for each patient. The target parameters (D_98%, D_2%, D_mean), conformal index, and homogeneity index of the two groups were compared. The radiation doses received by the bladder, rectum, small intestine, left femoral head, right femoral head, and normal tissue other than planning target volume (Body-PTV), as well as monitor units and estimated total delivery time, were also compared. Results D_2%, D_mean, homogeneity index, and monitor units were significantly lower in the 10 MV group than in the 6 MV group (50.78 ± 0.33 Gy vs. 50.35 ± 0.29 Gy; 49.05 ± 0.2 Gy vs. 48.93 ± 0.17 Gy; 0.08 ± 0.01 vs. 0.07 ± 0.01; 1179.26 ± 110.55 vs. 1099.3 ± 80.9). Comparison of organs at risk showed that compared with the 10 MV group, the 6 MV group demonstrated significantly lower V_40Gy of the bladder, D_5% of the right femoral head, and D_2% and V_5Gy of Body-PTV (60.37 ± 13.66 vs. 60.84 ± 13.88; 37.09 ± 5.43 Gy vs. 38.03 ± 5.68 Gy; 41.71 ± 1.39 Gy vs. 42.16 ± 1.31 Gy; 47.88 ± 9.75 vs. 48.23 ± 9.74). There were no significant differences in other parameters between the two groups. Conclusion The VMAT plans with 6 MV and 10 MV X-ray photon energies both meet the clinical needs of cervical cancer radiotherapy. The cervical cancer VMAT plan with 6 MV photon energy is recommended due to better protection of the organs at risk.

Objective:To explore the prevalence and independent associated factors of vascular calcification (VC) in non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients of stage 3-5.Methods:It was a single-center cross-sectional observational study. Non-dialysis stage 3-5 CKD patients ≥18 years old who were admitted to the Department of Nephrology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from May 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022 with VC evaluation were enrolled. The patients' general information, laboratory examination and imaging data were collected. Coronary artery calcification (CAC), thoracic aorta calcification (TAC), abdominal aorta calcification (AAC), carotid artery calcification and aortic valve calcification (AVC) were evaluated by cardiac-gated electron-beam CT (EBCT) scans, lateral lumbar x-ray, cervical macrovascular ultrasound and echocardiography, respectively. The differences in clinical data and the prevalence of VC at different sites of patients with different CKD stages were compared, and the prevalence of VC at different sites of patients in different age groups [youth group (18-44 years old), middle-aged group (45-64 years old) and elderly group (≥65 years old)] and patients with or without diabetes were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the independent associated factors of VC for different areas.Results:A total of 206 patients aged (51±14) years were included, including 129 (62.6%) males. There were 44 patients with CKD stage 3 (21.4%), 51 patients with CKD stage 4 (24.8%), and 111 patients with CKD stage 5 (53.9%). CKD was caused by chronic glomerulonephritis [104 cases (50.5%)], diabetic kidney damage [35 cases (17.0%)], hypertensive kidney damage [29 cases (14.1%)] and others [38 cases (18.4%)]. Among 206 patients, 131 (63.6%) exhibited cardiovascular calcification, and the prevalence of CAC, TAC, AAC, carotid artery calcification, and AVC was 37.9%, 43.7%, 37.9%, 35.9% and 9.7%, respectively. The overall prevalence of VC in young, middle-aged and elderly patients was 24.6%, 73.6% and 97.4%, respectively. With the increase of age, the prevalence of VC in each site gradually increased, and the increasing trend was statistically significant (all P<0.001). The overall prevalence of VC in CKD patients with diabetes was 92.5% (62/67), and the prevalence of VC at each site in the patients with diabetes was significantly higher than that in the patients without diabetes (all P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (every 10 years increase, OR=2.51, 95% CI 1.77-3.56, P<0.001), hypertension ( OR=5.88, 95% CI 1.57-22.10, P=0.009), and diabetes ( OR=4.66, 95% CI 2.10-10.35, P<0.001) were independently correlated with CAC; Age (every 10 years increase, OR=6.43, 95% CI 3.64-11.36, P<0.001) and hypertension ( OR=6.09, 95% CI 1.33-27.84, P=0.020) were independently correlated with TAC; Female ( OR=0.23, 95% CI 0.07-0.72, P=0.011), age (every 10 years increase, OR=3.90, 95% CI 2.42-6.29, P<0.001), diabetes ( OR=5.37, 95% CI 2.19-13.19, P<0.001) and serum magnesium ( OR=0.01,95% CI 0-0.35, P=0.014) were independently correlated with AAC. Moreover, age and diabetes were independently correlated with carotid artery calcification, AVC and overall VC Conclusions:The prevalence of VC in non-dialysis CKD patients of stage 3-5 is 63.59%, of which CAC reaches 37.9%, TAC is the most common one (43.7%), while AVC is the least one (9.7%). Age and diabetes are the independent associated factors for VC of all sites except TAC, while hypertension is an independent associated factor for both CAC and TAC.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, its applications in medical imaging have become increasingly extensive. This review aimed to analyze the current development status and future direction of intelligent imaging technology by investigating its application in various medical departments. To achieve this, we conducted a comprehensive search of various data sources up to 2024, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, based on the principle of comprehensive search. A total of 332 articles were screened, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 56 articles were selected for this study. According to the findings, intelligent imaging technology exhibits robust image recognition capabilities, making it applicable across diverse medical imaging modalities within hospital departments. This technology offers an efficient solution for the analysis of various medical images by extracting and accurately identifying complex features. Consequently, it significantly aids in the detection and diagnosis of clinical diseases. Its high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity render it an indispensable tool in clinical diagnostics and related tasks, thereby enhancing the overall quality of healthcare services. The application of intelligent imaging technology in healthcare significantly enhances the efficiency of clinical diagnostics, resulting in more accurate and timely patient assessments. This advanced technology offers a faster and more precise diagnostic approach, ultimately improving patient care and outcomes. This review analyzed the socioeconomic changes brought about by intelligent imaging technology to provide a more comprehensive evaluation. Also, we systematically analyzed the current shortcomings of intelligent imaging technology and its future development directions, to enable future research.
Humans ; Artificial Intelligence ; Diagnostic Imaging/methods* ; Hospitals

Inducing the degradation of KRAS represents a novel strategy to combat cancers with KRAS mutation. In this study, we identify ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) as a novel deubiquitinating enzyme of KRAS in multiple myeloma (MM). Specifically, we demonstrate that gambogic acid (GA) forms a covalent bond with the cysteine 284 residue of USP2 through an allosteric pocket, inhibiting its deubiquitinating activity. Inactivation or knockdown of USP2 leads to the degradation of KRAS, resulting in the suppression of MM cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, overexpressing USP2 stabilizes KRAS and partially abrogates GA-induced apoptosis in MM cells. Furthermore, elevated USP2 levels may be associated with poorer prognoses in MM patients. These findings highlight the potential of the USP2/KRAS axis as a therapeutic target in MM, suggesting that strategically inducing KRAS degradation via USP2 inhibition could be a promising approach for treating cancers with KRAS mutations.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate whether the addition of pemetrexed is effective in improving progression-free survival (PFS) in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–mutated patients with or without concomitant alterations. Materials and Methods: This multicenter clinical trial was conducted in China from June 15, 2018, to May 31, 2019. A total of 92 non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring EGFR-sensitive mutations were included and divided into concomitant and non-concomitant groups. Patients in each group were randomly treated with EGFR–tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) monotherapy or EGFR-TKI combined with pemetrexed in a ratio of 1:1. PFS was recorded as the primary endpoint. Results: The overall median PFS of this cohort was 10.1 months. There were no significant differences in PFS between patients with and without concomitant and between patients received TKI monotherapy and TKI combined with pemetrexed (p=0.210 and p=0.085, respectively). Stratification analysis indicated that patients received TKI monotherapy had a significantly longer PFS in non-concomitant group than that in concomitant group (p=0.002). In concomitant group, patients received TKI combined with pemetrexed had a significantly longer PFS than patients received TKI monotherapy (p=0.013). Molecular dynamic analysis showed rapidly emerging EGFR T790M in patients received TKI monotherapy. EGFR mutation abundance decreased in patients received TKI combined chemotherapy, which supports better efficacy for a TKI combined chemotherapy as compared to TKI monotherapy. A good correlation between therapeutic efficacy and a change in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) status was found in 66% of patients, supporting the guiding role of ctDNA minimal residual disease (MRD) in NSCLC treatment. Conclusion EGFR-TKI monotherapy is applicable to EGFR-sensitive patients without concomitant alterations, while a TKI combined chemotherapy is applicable to EGFR-sensitive patients with concomitant alterations. CtDNA MRD may be a potential biomarker for predicting therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To explore the feasibility of quartz glass for radiotherapy dosimetry through the experimental study of the thermoluminescence characteristics of synthetic quartz glass. Methods The thermoluminescence glow curves of quartz glass under different annealing conditions were analyzed, the thermoluminescence characteristics of quartz glass were studied, and the measurement parameters were optimized. Using the Co-60 reference radiation field in the National Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory, the quartz glass samples under different annealing conditions were irradiated following the dose levels of radiotherapy, i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, and 10.0 Gy, respectively. According to the relationship between the absorbed dose of quartz glass and the relative thermoluminescence signal intensity, the linearity and dispersion of the dose response of quartz glass were obtained, and the feasibility of quartz glass for radiotherapy dosimetry was analyzed. Results The linear correlation coefficient of dose response of quartz glass under annealing condition of 430℃ for 10 min was 0.9984, and the dose response dispersion was 0.97% at the absorbed dose of 2 Gy. The linear correlation coefficient of dose response of quartz glass under annealing condition of 600℃ for 1 h was 0.9911, and the dose response dispersion was 1.4% at the absorbed dose of 2 Gy. Conclusion Preliminary results suggest that quartz glass with annealing condition of 430℃ for 10 min has the potential to be used for radiotherapy dosimetry.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to multiple vital tissues and target organs, and lupus nephritis (LN) is a serious complication of SLE involving the kidneys. The use of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants has been dominant in the treatment strategy of LN, while their adverse effects have also raised concerns. In recent years, the development and use of biologics have provided new ideas for the treatment of LN and have also achieved positive efficacy in several clinical trials in SLE and LN. Biologics can be divided into monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins, which exert therapeutic effects on SLE and LN through a variety of mechanisms at the cellular-molecular level. In this article, we review recent research advances in the treatment of SLE and LN from the perspective of the different mechanisms of action of biologics.

Existing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-related databases are still insufficient in data standardization, integrity and precision, and need to be updated urgently. Herein, an Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine version 2.0 (ETCM v2.0, http://www.tcmip.cn/ETCM2/front/#/) was constructed as the latest curated database hosting 48,442 TCM formulas recorded by ancient Chinese medical books, 9872 Chinese patent drugs, 2079 Chinese medicinal materials and 38,298 ingredients. To facilitate the mechanistic research and new drug discovery, we improved the target identification method based on a two-dimensional ligand similarity search module, which provides the confirmed and/or potential targets of each ingredient, as well as their binding activities. Importantly, five TCM formulas/Chinese patent drugs/herbs/ingredients with the highest Jaccard similarity scores to the submitted drugs are offered in ETCM v2.0, which may be of significance to identify prescriptions/herbs/ingredients with similar clinical efficacy, to summarize the rules of prescription use, and to find alternative drugs for endangered Chinese medicinal materials. Moreover, ETCM v2.0 provides an enhanced JavaScript-based network visualization tool for creating, modifying and exploring multi-scale biological networks. ETCM v2.0 may be a major data warehouse for the quality marker identification of TCMs, the TCM-derived drug discovery and repurposing, and the pharmacological mechanism investigation of TCMs against various human diseases.