ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Scutellariae Radix combined with epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors （EGFR-TKIs） on cell proliferation， apoptosis， cancer stem cell （CSC） marker expression， and metabolism in non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） cells. MethodsThe anti-tumor effects of Scutellariae Radix and EGFR-TKIs （gefitinib or osimertinib） in NSCLC cells were evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） and Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide （PI） double staining apoptosis assay. The activity of Scutellariae Radix and EGFR-TKIs in three-dimensional （3D） cultures of NSCLC cells was assessed using the CellTiter-Glo® 3D cell viability assay. The mRNA and protein expression levels of CSC markers， sex determining region y box protein 2 （SOX2） and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 （ALDH1A1）， were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. Changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species （ROS） levels were detected by ROS staining， and the redox ratio was detected by femtosecond laser labeling free imaging （FLI）. ResultsUnder both two-dimensional （2D） and 3D culture conditions， compared with the blank group and EGFR-TKI group， the combination group showed significantly reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis rate （P<0.05）. Compared with the EGFR-TKI group， the mRNA and protein levels of CSC markers were significantly downregulated in the combination group （P<0.05）. Additionally， the redox ratio was significantly elevated （P<0.05）， and ROS levels were also increased in the combination group compared with the EGFR-TKI group. ConclusionIn NSCLC cells， Scutellariae Radix enhances the redox ratio and increases ROS levels， thereby inhibiting the expression of CSC markers and strengthening the anti-tumor effects of EGFR-TKIs. This provides a novel molecular mechanism by which Scutellariae Radix may enhance the sensitivity of targeted therapies.

Objective To investigate the clinical application of three-dimensional intracavitary/free-hand interstitial brachytherapy technique in radical radiotherapy for cervical cancer. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data of patients with cervical cancer who underwent radical radiotherapy using CT-guided three-dimensional intracavitary/free-hand interstitial brachytherapy technique in The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from April 2019 to September 2021. The short-term efficacy and adverse reactions were analyzed, and the independent predictors affecting short-term efficacy were evaluated by logistic risk regression model. Results A total of 182 patients were included, and all patients successfully completed the treatment. Clinical efficacy assessment performed 3 months after treatment revealed an overall response rate of 90.65%; the incidence of grade 3 and 4 adverse reactions in the lower gastrointestinal tract was 4.4% during treatment. After reclassifying stage IIIC patients according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009 staging system and including factors affecting the stage, it was found that the tumor volume before brachytherapy was the main factor affecting the clinical efficacy of patients at this stage (P = 0.004). Conclusion As a key method in radical radiotherapy for cervical cancer, three-dimensional intracavitary/free-hand interstitial brachytherapy technique is safe and effective and can be quickly popularized in primary hospitals beyond regional cancer centers for cervical cancer brachytherapy.

Objective:To investigate the distribution and clinical characteristics of pathogenic bacteria following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), as well as to provide a preliminary research foundation for key microbial monitoring, and clinical diagnosis and treatment of infections after HSCT in hematological patients.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 190 patients who tested positive for microbial testing [G-bacteria blood culture and/or carbapenem-resistant organism (CRO) screening of perianal swabs] at our center from January 2018 to December 2022. Patients were divided into blood culture positive, perianal swab positive, and double positive groups based on the testing results. The three patient groups underwent statistical analysis and comparison.Results:The top four pathogenic bacteria isolated from sixty-three patients with G-bacteria bloodstream infection (BSI) were Escherichia coli (28 strains, 43.75% ), Klebsiella pneumonia (26 strains, 40.63% ), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3 strains, 4.69% ), and Enterobacter cloacae (3 strains, 4.69% ). The top three pathogenic bacteria isolated from 147 patients with CRO perianal colonization were carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (58 strains, 32.58% ), carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (49 strains, 27.53% ), and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (20 strains, 11.24% ). The 3-year disease-free survival (DFS ) and overall survival (OS) of double positive group patients were significantly lower compared to those in the blood culture and perianal swab positive groups (DFS: 35.6% vs 53.7% vs 68.6%, P=0.001; OS: 44.4% vs 62.4% vs 76.9%, P<0.001), while non-relapse mortality (NRM) was significantly higher (50.0% vs 34.9% vs 10.6%, P<0.001). Failed engraftment of platelets and BSI are independent risk factors for NRM ( P<0.001). Using polymyxin and/or ceftazidime-avibactam for more than 7 days is an independent protective factor for NRM ( P=0.035) . Conclusion:This study suggests that the occurrence of BSI significantly increases the NRM after HSCT in patients with hematological diseases; CRO colonization into the bloodstream has a significant impact on the DFS and OS of HSCT patients.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of epilepsy in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) and the effect of PFO closure on seizures. Patients diagnosed with PFO were recruited and underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging, electrocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography with right ventriculography. In patients with epilepsy, electroencephalography was performed. A total of 110 patients completed the assessment. A chief complaint of chest tightness or palpitations was proportionately higher in patients aged<18 years, whereas headaches and seizures were higher in patients aged≥18 years ( χ2=4.69 ,P<0.05). Comorbid epilepsy was observed in 20.9% of patients with PFO. The age at admission in the epileptic group (14-66(27±14)years) was significantly lower than that in the non-epileptic group (16-81(38±21)years) and that in patients with headache as the chief complaint (16-68(39±12)years) ( t=3.29, P<0.05). The multivariate analysis found no risk factors related to the prognosis of epilepsy. The incidence of epilepsy was significantly higher in patients with PFO than in the general population.

Objective:To analyze clinical, immunoserological, and therapeutic features of patients with anti-p200 pemphigoid.Methods:Clinical data were collected from patients with confirmed anti-p200 pemphigoid at the Hospital of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2015 to February 2024. Their clinical, immunoserological, and therapeutic characteristics were retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 35 patients were included, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.5∶1 (25 males and 10 females) and ages of 57.74 ± 17.12 years. Two (5.71%) patients were accompanied by psoriasis. In these patients, anti-p200 pemphigoid exhibited heterogeneous clinical phenotypes, mimicking classic bullous pemphigoid (20 cases, 57.14%), linear IgA bullous dermatosis (8 cases, 22.86%), or eczema (4 cases, 11.43%). The positive rates of direct immunofluorescence (DIF), indirect immunofluorescence on salt-split skin (ss-IIF), Western blot analysis with dermal extracts as substrates, and Western blot analysis with laminin γ1 C-terminal region (Lnγ1C) as substrates were 100% (24/24), 82.86% (29/35), 100% (35/35), and 80.64% (25/31), respectively. Among the 35 patients, treatment and follow-up information was available for analysis in 33. Six patients (18.18%) received non-glucocorticoid systemic therapy and topical glucocorticoid therapy, with a follow-up period ( M [ Q1, Q3]) of 19.50 (6.50, 69.25) months, and 1 withdrew the drugs. Sixteen patients received systemic glucocorticoids combined with traditional anti-inflammatory drugs, with a follow-up period of 13.50 (4.25, 18.00) months, the initial dose of glucocorticoids was equivalent to 0.30 - 0.50 mg·kg -1·d -1 of prednisone, and the time to disease control was 15.31 ± 5.23 days; among the 16 patients, 3 experienced fluctuations in disease condition which were alleviated by adding dapsone, and 1 discontinued glucocorticoids. Five patients (15.15%) received systemic glucocorticoids combined with immunosuppressants, with a follow-up period of 26.00 (14.00, 90.00) months, the initial dose of glucocorticoids was equivalent to 0.50 - 0.75 mg·kg -1·d -1 of prednisone, and the time to disease control was 10.20 ± 3.27 days; among the 5 patients, 2 received maintenance treatment with glucocorticoids (5 - 10 mg/d prednisone), 2 withdrew the drugs, and 1 relapsed after discontinuing glucocorticoids. One patient (3.03%) received systemic glucocorticoids combined with rituximab therapy, with a follow-up period of 53 months, and discontinued glucocorticoids thereafter. One patient (3.03%) received systemic glucocorticoids combined with dupilumab therapy, which proved to be effective. Four patients (12.12%) received systemic glucocorticoids combined with Janus kinase inhibitors, and 3 responded well. Conclusions:Anti-p200 pemphigoid presented a heterogeneous clinical profile in this series of patients, but scarring and milia were rare. Some patients showed negative results in Western blot analysis with Lnγ1C as substrates. The prognosis of anti-p200 pemphigoid was usually favorable, and most patients could achieve complete remission and ultimately discontinue medication.

ObjectiveTo compare and observe the effect of Reduning injection （mainly clearing heat）， Shenfu injection （mainly warming Yang） combined with gefitinib on the proliferation， apoptosis， stemness characteristics and metabolism of lung cancer cells. MethodDifferent non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） cell lines were selected and intervened with gefitinib （5， 10， 20 μmol·L^-1）， Reduning injection （0.6%， 0.9%）， Shenfu injection （0.6%， 0.9%）， gefitinib combined with Reduning injection， and gefitinib combined with Shenfu injection. Cell proliferation in each group was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay， and cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expressions of lung cancer stem cell markers sex determining region Y-box 2 （Sox2） and aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1 member A1 （ALDH1A1） were determind by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. The redox ratio of lung cancer cells was observed by femtosecond label-free imaging （FLI） and energy metabolism instrument was used to determine the glycolysis level in cells. ResultCompared with the blank group， Reduning injection reduced the survival rate of lung cancer cells （P<0.05）， increased the apoptosis rate （P<0.05）， down-regulated the mRNA and protein expressions of Sox2 and ALDH1A1 （P<0.05）， and up-regulated the redox ratio of cells （P<0.05）， while Shenfu injection exerted no remarkable effect on the above indexes. In addition， compared with gefitinib alone， Reduning injection combined with gefitinib inhibited the survival rate of lung cancer cells （P<0.05）， promoted the cell apoptosis （P<0.05）， down-regulated the mRNA and protein expressions of Sox2 and ALDH1A1 （P<0.05）， up-regulated the redox ratio of cells （P<0.05）， and lowered the proton efflux rate of glycolysis （P<0.05）， while Shenfu injection combined with gefitinib failed to affect these indexes of lung cancer cells significantly. ConclusionReduning injection may inhibit stemness characteristics of tumor cells by regulating their metabolism to enhance the proliferation-inhibiting and pro-apoptotic effects of gefitinib on lung cancer cells， while Shenfu injection had no significant enhancing effect on gefitinib. This indicates that epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors （EGFR-TKIs） should be used in combination with heat-clearing Chinese medicines.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the long-term efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS), which has rarely been reported in China. METHODS: A 18-month-old boy and a 23-month-old girl undergoing alloHSCT for MPS VI and MPS IH Shanghai Children's Medical Center on March 30, 2006 and September 6, 2006 were selected as the study subjects. A busulfan-based myeloablative regimen was used as the conditioning regimen. Peripheral stem cells were respectively collected from a human leucocyte antigen (HLA) matched sibling carrier donor and a HLA 9/10 matched unrelated donor. Both patients were followed up for more than 15 years. The functions of internal organs before and after the transplantation were compared, and child 1 was also compared with his untreated brother and healthy brother. RESULTS: Both children have achieved full donor chimerism after the transplantation, and their enzymatic activities have remained stable. The enzymatic activity of the child 1 was slightly lower than normal but similar to that of his carrier donor, whilst that of the child 2 was normal. Both children have attended schools with good academic performance. Compared with his untreated brother, the respiratory function and hearing of child 1 have significantly improved. However, his orthopedic and cardiac disorders have still remained and required medical intervention. For child 2, her obstructive pulmonary disease was resolved and cognitive development was well preserved after the HSCT. Her heart disease has become stabilized and even improved with time, though her corneal clouding and skeletal malformation still required surgery. CONCLUSION MPS patients can sustain long-term and stable enzymatic activities after successful alloHSCT. Compared with untreated patients, their health can be significantly improved, along with considerably prolonged survival, though the long-term efficacy of HSCT for different organs may vary to a certain extent.
Humans ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Infant ; Child, Preschool ; Graft vs Host Disease/etiology* ; China ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Mucopolysaccharidoses/etiology* ; Busulfan ; Treatment Outcome

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (T N F) - α monoclonal antibody is a first-line treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, and its therapeutic response has attracted more and more attention. Although therapeutic drug monitoring and antidrug antibody monitoring have been widely used in clinic, however, there are no laboratory indicators that can predict the therapeutic response to anti-TNF-α before the drug treatment, so as to provide a guidance of selecting therapeutic drug. Studies have shown that some baseline biomarkers can predict the therapeutic response to anti-TNF-α. This article reviewed the progress of research on biomarkers in predicting efficacy of anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody in treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of active immunotherapy combined with endometrial local injury in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion( RSA) caused by negative-blocking antibodies.Methods 112 patients diagnosed RSA with negative -blocking antibodies were randomly divided into the treatment group (62 patients) and control group (50 patients).The patients in treatment group were treated by active immunotherapy combined with endometrial local injury.The patients in the control group were treated by active immunotherapy.The pregnancy outcomes were observed.Results The rate of pregnancy was 93.54%in treatment group,and 80.00%in the control group.The success pregnancy rate in the treatment group was significant higher than that in the control group (χ2 =4.65,P<0.05).The rate of abortion was 3.44% in the treatment group and 12.50% in the control group.It was significant lower than the control group(χ2 =4.90,P<0.05).After active immunotherapy,the pregnan-cy rate was 90.58%in positive-blocking antibodies group and 77.77%in negative-blocking antibodies group.The success pregnancy rate in positive-blocking antibodies group was significant higher than that in negative-blocking antibodies group (χ2 =4.27,P<0.05).The abortion rate in positive-blocking antibodies group was 2.60% and 19.05%in negative-blocking antibodies group.It was significant lower than that in negative-blocking antibodies group (χ2 =6.14,P<0.05).Conclusion It can significantly improve pregnant outcome and reduce the abortion rate with active immunotherapy combined with endometrial local injury in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion ( RSA) caused by negative-blocking antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sleep monitoring feature of the MSMS in elderly patients with OSAHS. METHOD: One hundred and ninety patients diagnosed with OSAHS were divided into elderly group and non elderly group according to age, then the results of MSMS were analyzed. RESULT: Majority elderly patients were with mild to moderate OSAHS. The nocturnal mean blood oxygen and the lowest oxygen were higher than non elderly group, coupled with higher percentage of the total oxygen saturation < 90% monitoring time (TS90). There was no significant difference in sleep structure between two groups, but the total sleep time of elderly group is lower than the non elderly group, the difference is statistically significant. CONCLUSION The elderly patients with OSAHS were less severe in nature, but the nocturnal hypoxia last longer in the elderly group. There is no significant difference in the sleep structure between the two groups. But the total sleep time decrease in elderly group. With smaller interference, the MSMS is closer to the natural sleep stustus of the subjects.
Aged ; Humans ; Hypoxia ; diagnosis ; Oxygen ; physiology ; Polysomnography ; Sleep ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; diagnosis