In recent years, research on stem cell therapy in the field of lung transplantation has gradually increased, demonstrating its potential in improving the outcomes of lung transplantation. As a treatment option for end-stage lung diseases, lung transplantation faces challenges such as scarcity of donor organs, postoperative complications and rejection. Stem cells, with their self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation capabilities, have emerged as strong candidates for alternative or adjunctive treatments. Current studies show that embryonic stem cells and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells play significant roles in lung tissue regeneration and immune regulation. However, stem cell therapy still needs to overcome issues such as the selection of cell sources, low survival rates after transplantation and unclear long-term efficacy in clinical applications. Future research should focus on exploring new stem cell sources, improving transplantation techniques and establishing efficacy evaluation systems.

BACKGROUND: Owing to the high prevalence of antibiotic resistance in Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) in China, bismuth-containing quadruple therapies have been recommended for H. pylori eradication. This study compared the efficacy and safety of quadruple regimens containing vonoprazan vs . esomeprazole for H. pylori eradication in a patient population in China. METHODS: This was a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study. Patients with confirmed H. pylori infection were randomized 1:1 to receive quadruple therapy for 14 days: amoxicillin 1000 mg and clarithromycin 500 mg after meals, bismuth potassium citrate 600 mg before meals, plus either vonoprazan 20 mg or esomeprazole 20 mg before meals, all twice daily. The primary outcome was the eradication rate of H. pylori , evaluated using a 13 C urea breath test at 4 weeks after treatment. The non-inferiority margin was at 10%. RESULTS: The study included 510 patients, 506 of whom completed the follow-up assessment. The primary analysis revealed eradication rates of 86.8% (210/242) and 86.7% (208/240) for vonoprazan and esomeprazole therapy, respectively (treatment difference: 0.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.95, 6.17; non-inferiority P  = 0.0009). Per-protocol analysis showed eradication rates of 87.4% for vonoprazan and 86.3% for esomeprazole (treatment difference: 1.2%; 95% CI: -5.03, 7.36; non-inferiority P  = 0.0004). Vonoprazan and esomeprazole were well tolerated, with similar safety profiles. CONCLUSION: Vonoprazan was found to be well-tolerated and non-inferior to esomeprazole for eradicating H. pylori in patients from China. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04198363.
Humans ; Esomeprazole/therapeutic use* ; Double-Blind Method ; Helicobacter Infections/drug therapy* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Helicobacter pylori/pathogenicity* ; Pyrroles/therapeutic use* ; Sulfonamides/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Clarithromycin/therapeutic use* ; Amoxicillin/therapeutic use* ; Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Pyrrolidines/therapeutic use* ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/therapeutic use*

Objective:To develop and validate a novel PET tracer, N-cyclohexyl-4-((2, 4-dichlorophenyl)(4-(fluoro- 18F)phenyl)methyl)piperazine-1-carboxamide ( 18F-SQKJ-2), targeting cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptors for diagnosing psychiatric disorders associated with fear memory. Methods:18F-SQKJ-2 was prepared using a nucleophilic substitution radiochemical synthesis method. For the CB1 receptor blocking experiment, 7 ICR mice were divided into blocking group ( n=4; rimonabant for blocking treatment) and control group 1 ( n=3; no rimonabant blocking treatment). The affinity and specificity of 18F-SQKJ-2 for CB1 receptors were analyzed based on the differences in 18F-SQKJ-2 uptake (percentage injected dose per gram of tissue, %ID/g) by various organs between two groups. The metabolic stability of 18F-SQKJ-2 in vitro was studied using animal tissue homogenates. Ten C57 mice were used to establish fear memory mouse models (fear group, n=6; control group 2, n=4), and the percentage of freezing time was compared between 2 groups. MicroPET scans were used to detect the intracranial distribution of 18F-SQKJ-2, and the relative uptake in each brain region compared to total brain uptake was calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted to compare the differences in CB1 receptor relative total brain uptake in fear-related brain regions between 2 groups. Independent-sample t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Results:18F-SQKJ-2 was successfully synthesized with a radiochemical purity ≥98.0% and a corrected radioactive yield of (12.3±6.0)%( n=4). In vitro metabolic stability experiments showed that 18F-SQKJ-2 was basically stable in the liver, blood, and brain within 60min. The CB1 receptor blocking experiment demonstrated that the uptake of 18F-SQKJ-2 in the brains of mice in blocking group was significantly lower than that in control group 1 ((0.95±0.28) vs (3.44±1.16) %ID/g; t=-3.57, P=0.023). The percentage of freezing time in fear group was significantly higher than that in control group 2 (43.28%(39.46%, 52.93%) vs 2.74%(1.52%, 4.85%); Z=-2.45, P=0.010). 18F-SQKJ-2 microPET imaging showed that the uptake of 18F-SQKJ-2 in the cerebral cortex of mice in fear group was significantly increased compared with that in control group 2 ((5.83±0.47)% vs (5.00±0.52)%; t=2.42, P=0.046). Conclusion:18F-SQKJ-2 is successfully prepared with acceptable radiochemical purity and metabolic stability, demonstrating potential for visualizing and quantifying fear memory.

Objective:To assess the clinical value of digital PCR (dPCR) for the prenatal diagnosis of common fetal aneuploidies.Methods:A dPCR-based assay was developed for detecting trisomies 21, 18, and 13. A retrospective analysis was carried out on 173 amniotic fluid samples collected by the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of Taizhou Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023. By using chromosomal karyotyping as the gold standard, the diagnostic performance of the multiplex dPCR system was evaluated in a double-blind manner. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Taizhou Hospital (Ethics No. K20250339).Results:Chromosomal karyotyping has identified 59 cases of trisomy 21, 5 cases of trisomy 18, 2 cases of trisomy 13, 6 cases with chromosomal structural abnormalities or mosaicisms, and 101 cases with a normal karyotype. The dPCR results ( Z-score cutoff = 4.0, CI = 99.997%) showed full concordance with karyotyping (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 100%, Kappa = 1). Among the 6 structurally abnormal or mosaicism samples, dPCR has accurately detected 4 cases, but mis-classified 2 cases of trisomy 21 with very low-level mosaicisms (3.3%, 6.9%, respectively) as normal. Conclusion:The established multiplex dPCR system demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for common chromosomal aneuploidies, with results available within 24 hours. It can serve as an efficient supplementary tool to conventional chromosomal karyotyping, providing reliable support for time-sensitive clinical decision-making in prenatal diagnosis.

The multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment (MDT) mode plays a positive role in diagnosing and treating difficult and complicated diseases, improving service quality, and promoting the construction of an integrated medical system. In March 2023, Zhejiang Provincial People′s Hospital had launched the " 6 New" MDT management practice to further improve the hospital′s inpatient MDT service level, including new concepts, new architectures, new standards, new processes, new models, and new quality control. This practice had improved the quality and efficiency of MDT management and promoted interdisciplinary integration by strengthening top-level design, establishing MDT leadership and quality control teams, developing relevant standards and specifications, enhancing the level of information management throughout the entire process, implementing diversified MDT models, and implementing quality control measures. As of July 2024, the hospital had established 80 MDT teams covering 30 clinical departments, conduct 120 MDT discussions for hospitalized cases per month, and with the continuous promotion of inpatient MDT work, the number of MDT teams and cases continued to increase. This practice had achieved good results and could provide references for other public hospitals in China to improve the level of inpatient MDT services.

Chronic limb-threatening ischemia(CLTI)is a serious peripheral arterial disease(PAD)characterized by reduced blood flow in the limbs,resulting in tissue damage and dysfunction.Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)have become a research hotspot in the field of CLTI treatment in recent years due to their unique regenerative ability and immunomodulatory properties.In the environment of hypoxia and tissue injury,MSCs can promote angiogenesis,reduce inflammation and promote tissue repair by secreting cytokines,cell differentiation and inter-cellular signal transduction,so as to improve the symptoms and prognosis of patients with CLTI,showing a broad clinical application prospect.

Objective To explore the neuroprotective effects and mechanisms of asiaticoside(AS)in rats with transient cerebral ischemia.Methods One hundred male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into five groups:sham-operated(Sham)group,transient middle cerebral artery occlusion(tMCAO)group,and low-,medium-,and high-dose AS(AS-L,AS-M,AS-H)groups,with 20 rats in each group.Except for the Sham group,rats in the other four groups under-went tMCAO surgery.Rats in the AS-L,AS-M,and AS-H groups received intragastric administration of 20,40 and 80 mg/kg AS respectively,once daily for 7 days starting 1 hour post-surgery.Rats in the Sham and tMCAO groups received equivalent volumes of saline.Neurological deficit score,brain water content,and TTC staining were used to evaluate neurological impairment,cerebral edema,and infarct volume.HE staining and Nissl staining wereused to assess histopathological changes and neu-ronal damage.Autophagy was detected via transmission electron microscopy.Immunofluorescence staining was usedto analyze the expression and localization of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3B(LC3B).TUNEL staining was used to evaluate apoptosis,and Western blot was used to measure protein expression.Results Compared with the Sham group,rats in the tMCAO group ex-hibited significantly increased neurological deficit score,brain water content,infarct volume,and histopathological damage,as well as significantly decreased Nissl body counts(P＜0.05).AS dose-dependently reduced neurological deficits,brain water content,infarct volume,and histopatho-logical damage while increased Nissl body numbers.The tMCAO group showed significantly higher numbers of autophagosomes,lysosomes,and LC3B-positive cells,along with significantly elevated LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ,Beclin-1,Bax,cleaved caspase-3 compared to the Sham group;in contrast,p-PI3K,p-Akt,and p-mTOR protein levels,intact mitochondria count and p62 and Bcl-2 protein levels were significantly lower inthe tMCAO group(P＜0.05).Compared with the tMCAO group,AS treatment dose-dependently significantly decreased autophagosomes,lysosomes,LC3B-positive cells,and the expression of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ,Beclin-1,Bax,cleaved caspase-3 while significantly increased p-PI3K,p-Akt,and p-mTOR protein,intact mitochondria and p62 and Bcl-2 levels(P＜0.05).Conclusion AS exerts neuroprotective effects by inhibiting excessive autophagy and apopto-sis in rats with transient cerebral ischemia via activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical value of digital PCR (dPCR) for the prenatal diagnosis of common fetal aneuploidies. METHODS: A dPCR-based assay was developed for detecting trisomies 21, 18, and 13. A retrospective analysis was carried out on 173 amniotic fluid samples collected by the Prenatal Diagnosis Center of Taizhou Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023. By using chromosomal karyotyping as the gold standard, the diagnostic performance of the multiplex dPCR system was evaluated in a double-blind manner. This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Taizhou Hospital (Ethics No. K20250339). RESULTS: Chromosomal karyotyping has identified 59 cases of trisomy 21, 5 cases of trisomy 18, 2 cases of trisomy 13, 6 cases with chromosomal structural abnormalities or mosaicisms, and 101 cases with a normal karyotype. The dPCR results (Z-score cutoff = 4.0, CI = 99.997%) showed full concordance with karyotyping (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 100%, Kappa = 1). Among the 6 structurally abnormal or mosaicism samples, dPCR has accurately detected 4 cases, but mis-classified 2 cases of trisomy 21 with very low-level mosaicisms (3.3%, 6.9%, respectively) as normal. CONCLUSION The established multiplex dPCR system demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for common chromosomal aneuploidies, with results available within 24 hours. It can serve as an efficient supplementary tool to conventional chromosomal karyotyping, providing reliable support for time-sensitive clinical decision-making in prenatal diagnosis.
Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Aneuploidy ; Prenatal Diagnosis/methods* ; Karyotyping ; Retrospective Studies ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; Chromosome Disorders/genetics* ; Adult ; Trisomy 13 Syndrome/diagnosis* ; Trisomy 18 Syndrome/genetics* ; Down Syndrome/genetics*

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Wendantang regulates the silent information regulator 3 （SIRT3）/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α （PGC-1α） pathway to influence energy metabolism and thereby prevent and treat myocardial ischemia （MI） in a rat model of hyperlipidemia （HL）. MethodsThirty SD rats were randomly assigned into five groups： control， model， low-dose （3.702 g·kg^-1·d^-1） Wendantang， high-dose （7.404 g·kg^-1·d^-1） Wendantang， and positive control （trimetazidine， 0.006 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， with six rats in each group. The control group was fed normally， while the other groups were fed with a high-fat diet for six weeks for the modeling of HL. Subsequently， the drug intervention groups were administrated with corresponding drugs by gavage， and the control and model groups received an equivalent volume of normal saline for 14 days. One hour after the last gavage， the other groups except the control group were injected intraperitoneally with posterior pituitary hormone （30 U·kg^-1） to induce MI. Electrocardiography （ECG） was employed to detect changes in the electrocardiogram. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to observe cardiac pathological changes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the serum levels of cardiac troponin I（cTnI）， myoglobin （MYO）， and creatine kinase-MB （CK-MB）. Colorimetry was used to determine the levels of total cholesterol （TC） and triglycerides （TG） in the serum and ATP， malondialdehyde （MDA）， and superoxide dismutase （SOD） in the myocardial tissue. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of SIRT3， PGC-1α， adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， and phosphorylated AMPK （p-AMPK） in the myocardial tissue. Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of SIRT3， PGC-1α， and AMPKα in the myocardial tissue. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed significant J-point deviation and elevation in the ECG image， increased heart rate， disarrangement of myocardial fibers with unclear boundaries， elevated levels of CK-MB， cTnI， MYO， TC， and TG （P<0.05， P<0.01）， declined levels of SOD and ATP （P<0.01）， down-regulated mRNA levels of SIRT3， PGC-1α， and AMPK （P<0.05）， and down-regulated protein levels of SIRT3， PGC-1α， and p-AMPK （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the low-dose and high-dose Wendantang groups and the trimetazidine group showed inhibited J-point deviation and elevation in the ECG image， slowed heart rate， reduced inflammatory cell infiltration， alleviated disarrangement of myocardial fibers， declined levels of CK-MB， cTnI， MYO， TC， and TG （P<0.05， P<0.01）， elevated level of SOD （P<0.01）， up-regulated mRNA levels of SIRT3， PGC-1α， and AMPK （P<0.05， P<0.01） and up-regulated protein levels of SIRT3， PGC-1α， and p-AMPK （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionWendantang can effectively intervene in HL-associated MI in rats by reducing oxidative stress in myocardial cells， alleviating lipid metabolism disorders， and improving myocardial energy metabolism via the SIRT3/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

Objective:To compare the efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy and pharmacotherapy alone in the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma(CSDH).Methods:Firstly, retrospective case series study was conducted. Thirty cases of CSDH that had received body posture combined with pharmacotherapy at Department of Neurosurgery, Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University from December 2016 to October 2020 were studied retrospectively. Twenty-seven patients were male, and 3 patients were female. The age of patients ( M(IQR)) was 66(16) years (range:28 to 84). Nineteen patients had unilateral hematoma, and 11 patients had bilateral hematoma. All patients received pharmacotherapy and body posture therapy that was to raise their lower limbs 20 to 30 cm with leg lift pad and get abdominal compressed with customized abdominal belt in supine position. Patients were required to maintain the body posture as much as possible, with the maximum to 16 to 18 hours per day. Patients with unilateral hematoma should tilt the head to the affected side and avoid tilting it to the opposite side. For patients with bilateral hematoma, there was no need for head lateralization. Patient were treated with oral dexamethasone and atorvastatin simultaneously. The preliminary efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy was determined by hematoma improvement rate which was analyzed by Clopper-Pearson method. Then, the multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial had carried out in 9 medical centers from August 2020 to November 2021. The stratified block randomization method was adopted. Patients were randomized in a ratio of 1∶1 to either receive pharmacotherapy alone(the control group) or body posture combined with pharmacotherapy(the experiment group) for 3 months and followed up for 6 months. Effective treatment was defined as complete absorption of hematoma, or the hematoma volume decreased by more than 10 ml and Markwalder grading scale score had improved by more than 1 point compared to the baseline. The efficacy rate and surgery conversion rate at 3 months and recurrence at 6 months were observed. Comparison between groups was performed with paired sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, χ2 test, corrected χ2 test, or Fisher exact probability method. Logistic regression was used to compare the effective rate and operation rate between the two groups. Results:In the respective study, 30 patients completed follow-up 13 to 353 days after treatment. At the last follow-up, the incidence of almost complete absorption or significantly absorption of hematoma (hematoma volume was significantly reduced accompanied by symptom improvement) was 93.3%. The 95% CI for the incidence that analyzed by the Clopper-Pearson method was 77.9% to 99.2%. One hundred and six patients were enrolled in the multicenter study. Fifty-five patients underwent body posture combined with pharmacotherapy. The age was 74(17) years (range:26 to 92). Thirty-nine patients were males and 16 were females. Fifty-one patients underwent pharmacotherapy alone. The age was 69(12) years (range:48 to 84). Thirty-seven patients were males and 14 were females. The length of body posture recorded in diary card was (15.7±2.3) hours(range:7.6 to 19.3 hours). The efficacy rate in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group and pharmacotherapy alone group were 83.6% (46/55) and 56.9% (29/51), respectively at 3 months. The result of the logistic regression analysis showed that the efficacy of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group was better than that of pharmacotherapy alone group ( OR=3.88,95% CI:1.57 to 9.58, P=0.003). Surgery rate in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group and pharmacotherapy alone group were 5.5% (3/55) and 21.6% (11/51) respectively. The result of Logistic regression showed that the pharmacotherapy alone group was more likely to be converted to surgery ( OR=0.21,95% CI:0.05 to 0.80, P=0.023). At the 6 months, no recurrence of cases was found in the body posture combined with pharmacotherapy group. However, the recurrence rate of pharmacotherapy alone group was 6.3% (3/48), there was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The effect of body posture combined with pharmacotherapy for chronic subdural hematoma is better than that of pharmacotherapy alone.