Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal cancer with high morbidity rates worldwide. It is a major threat to public health in China, due to the combination of known and new risk factors, such as endemic hepatitis B virus (HBV), dietary aflatoxin exposure, and the occurrence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Although many methods for surveillance and multimodal therapies, such as surgery, local ablation, transarterial therapy, and new systemic agents, have been available, the survival rates of HCC remains poor. They have very limited durable responses, long post-treatment recurrence rates, and high resistance to treatment. This reflects an imperfect picture of the biological cause of the disease and a need for new mechanistic or targeted techniques. A significant characteristic of HCC, in common with other aggressive cancers, is the presence of reprogrammed, hyperactive cell metabolism. Tumor cells hijack metabolic pathways to promote their uncontrolled growth, stress survival, invasion and metastasis. While classical mechanisms such as the Warburg effect, lipid metabolism and glutamine utilization have been understood, the lysosome, which was once viewed as a static “waste disposal unit” to remove old organelles and proteins, is instead a dynamic signaling and metabolic core. The lysosomes incorporate nutrients, energy and stress signals by master regulators such as mTORC1 (activated on its surface) that balance anabolic growth and catabolic recycling to the cellular demands. In HCC, lysosomes are not passive, but are highly active and dysregulated. HCC cells upregulate lysosomes, which scavenge intracellular components via enhanced autophagy and engulf extracellular proteins via macropinocytosis, crucial for survival in the nutrient-poor, hypoxic tumor microenvironment. In addition to metabolism, lysosomes exhibit pro-invasive functions by secreting hydrolases to remodel the extracellular matrix, promote angiogenesis, and suppress stromal immune cells to foster a pro-tumor microenvironment. In a clinical context, lysosomes play an important role in therapeutic resistance: they sequester and inactivate chemotherapeutics via lysosomal sequestration, and enhanced autophagic flux protects the cell from therapy-induced damage, contributing to relapse, as lysosomal dysfunction is a key cause of treatment failure. This makes lysosomes promising yet challenging therapeutic targets in HCC. Recent preclinical and early clinical studies investigate multiple strategies to exploit the susceptibility of lysosomes: lysosome-specific agents, alkalinizing the lysosome lumen or inducing membrane permeabilization and lysosome-dependent cell death; pharmacological inhibition of key lysosomal enzymes or autophagy to impair nutrient recycling and stress adaptation; smart nanotherapeutic agents or antibody-drug conjugates, specifically activated in the acidic lysosomal environment or utilizing lysosomal pathways for efficient intracellular drug release; and combination strategies of lysosome-targeting agents with tyrosine kinase inhibitors or immunotherapy to overcome resistance and achieve synergistic antitumor effects. In summary, our review systematically presents the role of lysosomes in HCC, from metabolic reprogramming and microenvironmental adaptation to therapeutic resistance. By synthesizing the latest mechanistic insights and preclinical advances, this review highlights the indispensable role of lysosomes in the complex HCC biological network, emphasizing that an in-depth understanding of this dynamic organelle holds great promise for developing innovative, targeted therapies, offering new hope for improving the poor prognosis of global HCC patients.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of Qihuang needle therapy for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children with sleep disorder. METHODS: A total of 60 ASD children with sleep disorder were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. Both groups were treated with structured education intervention, 60 min each time, once a day, 6 times a week. Qihuang needle therapy was applied at Yintang (GV24⁺), Baihui (GV20) and bilateral Jueyinshu (BL14), Xinshu (BL15) in the observation group, multi-direction needling was delivered and without needle retaining. The treatment was given 2 times a week, each treatment was delivered at interval of 2 days at least. Behavioral intervention was adopted in the control group. Treatment for consecutive 12 weeks was required in both groups. Before and after treatment, the scores of children's sleep habits questionnaire (CSHQ), the autism behavior checklist (ABC), the childhood autism rating scale (CARS), and the childhood autism behavior scale (CABS) were observed in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of CSHQ, ABC, CARS and CABS were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), and the above scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Qihuang needle therapy can effectively treat ASD with sleep disorder, improve the core symptoms of ASD and the sleep quality.
Humans ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/physiopathology* ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Sleep Wake Disorders/physiopathology* ; Child, Preschool ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Sleep ; Needles

Objective To explore the relationship between triglyceride-glucose(TyG)index and hypertension in patients with cerebral hemorrhage.Methods A total of 1718 patients with cere-bral hemorrhage admitted to our hospital from January,2013 to May,2023 were enrolled in this study.According to the TyG index quartile,437 cases were assigned into Q1 group(≤8.375),424 cases into Q2 group(TyG index 8.376～8.737),429 cases into Q3 group(TyG index 8.738～9.087),and 428 cases into Q4 group(≥9.088).The general clinical data were compared in the four groups.Logistic regression analysis was used to study the correlation between TyG index and hy-pertension.Results There were significant differences among the four groups in terms of age,hy-pertension,diabetes,SBP,DBP,TC,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C,FBG,glycated hemoglobin and TyG in-dex(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Logistic regression analysis showed that when the TyG index was a con-tinuous variable,it was significantly correlated with the risk of hypertension(OR=1.999,95％CI:1.393-2.869,P=0.001).When the index was used as a categorical variable,with Q1as a ref-erence,TyG index in Q3 and Q4 was associated with an increase in OR of hypertension(OR=1.869,95％CI:1.220-2.865,P=0.004;OR=1.844,95％CI:1.125-3.020,P=0.015).After ad-justing cofounders,the association of TyG index and risk of hypertension was stronger in the fe-males(OR=2.618,95％CI:1.312-5.221,P=0.006)than the males(OR=1.783,95％CI:1.151-2.761,P=0.010),and in the patients ≥65 years old(OR=3.277,95％CI:1.600-6.741,P=0.001)than those＜65 years old(OR=1.782,95％CI:1.076-2.949,P=0.025).Conclusion TyG index is closely associated with hypertension in patients with cerebral hemorrhage,especially in women and elderly.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),which is essentially primary liver cancer,is closely related to CD8+T cell immune infiltration and immune suppression.We constructed a CD8+T cells related risk score model to pre-dict the prognosis of HCC patients and provided therapeutic guidance based on the risk score.Using integrated bulk RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)and single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)datasets,we identified stable CD8+T cell signatures.Based on these signatures,a 3-gene risk score model,comprised of KLRB1,RGS2,and TN-FRSF1B was constructed.The risk score model was well validated through an independent external validation co-hort.We divided patients into high-risk and low-risk groups according to the risk score and compared the differ-ences in immune microenvironment between these two groups.Compared with low-risk patients,high-risk patients have higher M2-type macrophage content(P＜0.0001)and lower CD8+T cells infiltration(P＜0.0001).High-risk patients predict worse response to immunotherapy treatment than low-risk patients(P＜0.01).Drug sensitivity a-nalysis shows that PI3K-β inhibitor AZD6482 and TGFβRII inhibitor SB505124 may be suitable therapies for high-risk patients,while the IGF-1R inhibitor BMS-754807 or the novel pyrimidine-based anti-tumor metabolic drug Gemcitabine could be potential therapeutic choices for low-risk patients.Moreover,expression of these 3-gene mod-el was verified by immunohistochemistry.In summary,the establishment and validation of a CD8+T cell-derived risk model can more accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients and guide the construction of personalized treatment plans.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),which is essentially primary liver cancer,is closely related to CD8+T cell immune infiltration and immune suppression.We constructed a CD8+T cells related risk score model to pre-dict the prognosis of HCC patients and provided therapeutic guidance based on the risk score.Using integrated bulk RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)and single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)datasets,we identified stable CD8+T cell signatures.Based on these signatures,a 3-gene risk score model,comprised of KLRB1,RGS2,and TN-FRSF1B was constructed.The risk score model was well validated through an independent external validation co-hort.We divided patients into high-risk and low-risk groups according to the risk score and compared the differ-ences in immune microenvironment between these two groups.Compared with low-risk patients,high-risk patients have higher M2-type macrophage content(P＜0.0001)and lower CD8+T cells infiltration(P＜0.0001).High-risk patients predict worse response to immunotherapy treatment than low-risk patients(P＜0.01).Drug sensitivity a-nalysis shows that PI3K-β inhibitor AZD6482 and TGFβRII inhibitor SB505124 may be suitable therapies for high-risk patients,while the IGF-1R inhibitor BMS-754807 or the novel pyrimidine-based anti-tumor metabolic drug Gemcitabine could be potential therapeutic choices for low-risk patients.Moreover,expression of these 3-gene mod-el was verified by immunohistochemistry.In summary,the establishment and validation of a CD8+T cell-derived risk model can more accurately predict the prognosis of HCC patients and guide the construction of personalized treatment plans.

Objective To explore the relationship between triglyceride-glucose(TyG)index and hypertension in patients with cerebral hemorrhage.Methods A total of 1718 patients with cere-bral hemorrhage admitted to our hospital from January,2013 to May,2023 were enrolled in this study.According to the TyG index quartile,437 cases were assigned into Q1 group(≤8.375),424 cases into Q2 group(TyG index 8.376～8.737),429 cases into Q3 group(TyG index 8.738～9.087),and 428 cases into Q4 group(≥9.088).The general clinical data were compared in the four groups.Logistic regression analysis was used to study the correlation between TyG index and hy-pertension.Results There were significant differences among the four groups in terms of age,hy-pertension,diabetes,SBP,DBP,TC,TG,HDL-C,LDL-C,FBG,glycated hemoglobin and TyG in-dex(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Logistic regression analysis showed that when the TyG index was a con-tinuous variable,it was significantly correlated with the risk of hypertension(OR=1.999,95％CI:1.393-2.869,P=0.001).When the index was used as a categorical variable,with Q1as a ref-erence,TyG index in Q3 and Q4 was associated with an increase in OR of hypertension(OR=1.869,95％CI:1.220-2.865,P=0.004;OR=1.844,95％CI:1.125-3.020,P=0.015).After ad-justing cofounders,the association of TyG index and risk of hypertension was stronger in the fe-males(OR=2.618,95％CI:1.312-5.221,P=0.006)than the males(OR=1.783,95％CI:1.151-2.761,P=0.010),and in the patients ≥65 years old(OR=3.277,95％CI:1.600-6.741,P=0.001)than those＜65 years old(OR=1.782,95％CI:1.076-2.949,P=0.025).Conclusion TyG index is closely associated with hypertension in patients with cerebral hemorrhage,especially in women and elderly.

ADC189 is a novel drug of cap-dependent endonuclease inhibitor. In our study, its antiviral efficacy was evaluated in vitro and in vivo, and compared with baloxavir marboxil and oseltamivir. A first-in-human phase I study in healthy volunteers included single ascending dose (SAD) and food effect (FE) parts. In the preclinical study, ADC189 showed potent antiviral activity against various types of influenza viruses, including H1N1, H3N2, influenza B virus, and highly pathogenic avian influenza, comparable to baloxavir marboxil. Additionally, ADC189 exhibited much better antiviral efficacy than oseltamivir in H1N1 infected mice. In the phase I study, ADC189 was rapidly metabolized to ADC189-I07, and its exposure increased proportionally with the dose. The terminal elimination half-life (T_1/2) ranged from 76.69 to 98.28 hours. Of note, food had no effect on the concentration, clearance, and exposure of ADC189. It was well tolerated, with few treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) reported and no serious adverse events (SAEs). ADC189 demonstrated excellent antiviral efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. It was safe, well-tolerated, and had favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics in healthy volunteers, supporting its potential for single oral dosing in clinical practice.
Humans ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Animals ; Male ; Adult ; Mice ; Female ; Endonucleases/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Influenza, Human/drug therapy* ; Young Adult ; Dibenzothiepins/pharmacology* ; Oseltamivir/pharmacology* ; Middle Aged ; Triazines/pharmacology* ; Thiepins/pharmacology* ; Influenza B virus/drug effects* ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype/drug effects* ; Pyridines/pharmacology* ; Morpholines ; Pyridones

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg^-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg^-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D₃03)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) among < 5-year-old children in three provinces of China during 2020-2024 via a propensity score-matched test-negative case-control study. METHODS: Electronic health records and immunization information systems were used to obtain data on acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases tested for rotavirus (RV) infection. RV-positive cases were propensity score matched with RV-negative controls for age, visit month, and province. RESULTS: The study included 27,472 children with AGE aged 8 weeks to 4 years at the time of AGE diagnosis; 7.98% (2,192) were RV-positive. The VE (95% confidence interval, CI) of 1-2 and 3 doses of RV5 against any medically attended RV infection (inpatient or outpatient) was 57.6% (39.8%, 70.2%) and 67.2% (60.3%, 72.9%), respectively. Among children who received the 3rd dose before turning 5 months of age, 3-dose VE decreased from 70.4% (53.9%, 81.1%) (< 5 months since the 3rd dose) to 63.0% (49.1%, 73.0%) (≥ 1 year since the 3rd dose). The three-dose VE rate was 69.4% (41.3%, 84.0%) for RVGE hospitalization and 57.5% (38.9%, 70.5%) for outpatient-only medically attended RVGE. CONCLUSION Three-dose RV5 VE against rotavirus gastroenteritis (RVGE) in children aged < 5 years was higher than 1-2-dose VE. Three-dose VE decreased with time since the 3rd dose in children who received the 3rd dose before turning five months of age, but remained above 60% for at least one year. VE was higher for RVGE hospitalizations than for medically attended outpatient visits.
Humans ; Rotavirus Vaccines/immunology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Rotavirus Infections/epidemiology* ; Male ; Propensity Score ; Female ; Vaccine Efficacy ; Gastroenteritis/virology* ; Vaccines, Attenuated ; Rotavirus

Traditional Chinese medicine formula (TCMF) represents a fundamental component of Chinese medical practice, incorporating medical knowledge and practices from both Han Chinese and various ethnic minorities, while providing comprehensive insights into health and disease. The foundation of TCMF lies in its holistic approach, manifested through herbal compatibility theory, which has emerged from extensive clinical experience and evolved into a highly refined knowledge system. Within this framework, Chinese herbal medicines exhibit intricated characteristics, including multi-component interactions, diverse target sites, and varied biological pathways. These complexities pose significant challenges for understanding their molecular mechanisms. Contemporary advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping research in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), offering immense potential to transform our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying TCMFs. This review explores the application of AI in uncovering these mechanisms, highlighting its role in compound absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) prediction, molecular target identification, compound and target synergy recognition, pharmacological mechanisms exploration, and herbal formula optimization. Furthermore, the review discusses the challenges and opportunities in AI-assisted research on TCMF molecular mechanisms, promoting the modernization and globalization of TCM.
Artificial Intelligence ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Animals