Non-infectious chronic diseases in human including diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), atherosclerosis (AS), neurodegenerative diseases, osteoporosis, as well as malignant tumors may have some common pathogenic mechanisms such as non-resolved inflammation (NRI), gut microbiota dysfunction, endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondria dysfunction, and abnormality of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. These pathogenic mechanisms could be the basis for "homotherapy for heteropathy" in clinic. Some commonly used clinical drugs, such as metformin, berberine, aspirin, statins, and rapamycin may execute therapeutic effect on their targeted diseases,and also have the effect of "homotherapy for heteropathy". The mechanisms of the above drugs may include anti-inflammation, modulation of gut microbiota, suppression of endoplasmic reticulum stress, improvement of mitochondria function, and inhibition of mTOR. For virus infectious diseases, as some viruses need certain commonly used replicases, the inhibitors of the replicases become examples of "homotherapy for heteropathy" for antiviral therapy in clinic (for example tenofovir for both AIDS and HBV infection). Especially, in case of outbreak of new emerging viruses, these viral enzyme inhibitors such as azvudine and sofibuvir, could be rapidly used in controlling viral epidemic or pandemic, based on the principle of "homotherapy for heteropathy". In this review article, we show the research progress of the biological basis for "homotherapy for heteropathy" and the possible mechanisms of some well-known drugs, in order to provide insights and new references for innovative drug R&D.

Background ¹³⁷Cs in atmospheric aerosol is the product of past nuclear weapon tests and nuclear accidents. When ¹³⁷Cs is released into the atmosphere, it will deposit in dry land and marine environment, causing pollution of soil surface, water, agricultural products, and animal byproducts, and affecting public health. Objective To identify the variation pattern of ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in aerosol and its correlation with dust concentration in Beijing area from 2017 to 2020. Methods A total of 958 aerosol samples were collected from November 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 in Beijing with a high volume air sampler at a sampling flow rate about 600 m³·h⁻¹ and a collection time for each sample about 24 h. The activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in the aerosol samples was determined with a low-background high-purity germanium γ spectrometer. The dust concentration was calculated using the difference in the mass of the aerosol filter before and after sampling. The detection rate of ¹³⁷Cs and dust concentration in different seasons were compared. Spearman rank correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration and dust concentration. Results From 2017 to 2020, the ¹³⁷Cs activity concentrations of 33 from 958 aerosol samples in Beijing were above the minimum detectable activityconcentration, the overall detection rate of ¹³⁷Cs was 3.4%, and the activity concentration ranged from 1.86 to 45.53 μBq·m⁻³, with a median value of 4.85 μBq·m⁻³. The detection rate of ¹³⁷Cs was highest in spring, followed by autumn, and lowest in winter and summer (8.4%, 3.0%, 1.1%, and 0.5%, respectively). The dust concentration ranged from 0.03 to 1.55 mg·m⁻³, with an average value of 0.18 mg·m⁻³. There was a statistically significant difference in the dust concentrations in spring, summer, autumn, and winter (F=45.51, P<0.05), and the highest value was 0.24 mg·m⁻³ in spring (P<0.05). The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration was positively correlated with the dust concentration (P<0.05). Conclusion The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration in aerosol in Beijing from 2017 to 2020 fluctuates within the range of background level, and its activity concentration is highest in spring, followed autumn, and lowest in summer and winter.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with invasive fungal sinusitis (invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, IFR) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and explored the risk factors for IFR after allo-HSCT.Methods:Nineteen patients with IFR after allo-HSCT at Peking University People’s Hospital from January 2012 to December 2021 were selected as the study group, and 95 patients without IFR after allo-HSCT during this period were randomly selected as the control group (1:5 ratio) .Results:Nineteen patients, including 10 males and 9 females, had IFR after allo-HSCT. The median age was 36 (10–59) years. The median IFR onset time was 68 (9–880) days after allo-HSCT. There were seven patients with acute myeloid leukemia, five with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, two with myelodysplastic syndrome, two with chronic myeloid leukemia, one with acute mixed-cell leukemia, one with multiple myeloma, and one with T-lymphoblastic lymph node tumor. There were 13 confirmed cases and 6 clinically diagnosed cases. The responsible fungus was Mucor in two cases, Rhizopus in four, Aspergillus in four, and Candida in three. Five patients received combined treatment comprising amphotericin B and posaconazole, one patient received combined treatment comprising voriconazole and posaconazole, nine patients received voriconazole, and four patients received amphotericin B. In addition to antifungal treatment, 10 patients underwent surgery. After antifungal treatment and surgery, 15 patients achieved a response, including 13 patients with a complete response and 2 patients with a partial response. Multivariate analysis revealed that neutropenia before transplantation ( P=0.021) , hemorrhagic cystitis after transplantation ( P=0.012) , delayed platelet engraftment ( P=0.008) , and lower transplant mononuclear cell count ( P=0.012) were independent risk factors for IFR after allo-HSCT. The 5-year overall survival rates in the IFR and control groups after transplantation were 29.00%±0.12% and 91.00%±0.03%, respectively ( P<0.01) . Conclusion:Although IFR is rare, it is associated with poor outcomes in patients undergoing allo-HSCT. The combination of antifungal treatment and surgery might be effective.

Objectives:To determine the effect of glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency on patients’ complications and prognosis following allogeneic stem cell hematopoietic transplantation (allo-HSCT) .Methods:7 patients with G6PD deficiency (study group) who underwent allo-HSCT at Peking University People's Hospital from March 2015 to January 2021 were selected as the study group, and thirty-five patients who underwent allo-HSCT during the same period but did not have G6PD deficiency were randomly selected as the control group in a 1∶5 ratio. Gender, age, underlying diseases, and donors were balanced between the two groups. Collect clinical data from two patient groups and perform a retrospective nested case-control study.Results:The study group consisted of six male patients and one female patient, with a median age of 37 (range, 2-45) years old. The underlying hematologic diseases included acute myeloid leukemia ( n=3), acute lymphocytic leukemia ( n=2), and severe aplastic anemia ( n=2). All 7 G6PD deficiency patients achieved engraftment of neutrophils within 28 days of allo-HSCT, while the engraftment rate of neutrophils was 94.5% in the control group. The median days of platelet engraftment were 21 (6–64) d and 14 (7–70) d ( P=0.113). The incidence rates of secondary poor graft function in the study group and control group were 42.9% (3/7) and 8.6% (3/35), respectively ( P=0.036). The CMV infection rates were 71.4% (5/7) and 31.4% (11/35), respectively ( P=0.049). The incidence rates of hemorrhagic cystitis were 57.1% (4/7) and 8.6% (3/35), respectively ( P=0.005), while the bacterial infection rates were 100% (7/7) and 77.1% (27/35), respectively ( P=0.070). The infection rates of EBV were 14.3% (1/7) and 14.3% (5/35), respectively ( P=1.000), while the incidence of fungal infection was 14.3% (1/7) and 25.7% (9/35), respectively ( P=0.497). The rates of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) were 0% and 5.7%, respectively ( P=0.387) . Conclusions:The findings of this study indicate that blood disease patients with G6PD deficiency can tolerate conventional allo-HSCT pretreatment regimens, and granulocytes and platelets can be implanted successfully. However, after transplantation, patients should exercise caution to avoid viral infection, complications of hemorrhagic cystitis, and secondary poor graft function.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of Zishen Jianpi Quyu Formula in treating patients with migraine without aura in the postmenstrual period of kidney deficiency and blood stasis type.Methods A total of 104 patients with migraine without aura of kidney deficiency and blood stasis type were randomly divided into the control group and the trial group,with 52 cases in each group.The control group was treated with Flunarizine Hydrochloride Capsules,and the trial group was treated with Zishen Jianpi Quyu Formula on the basis of treatment for the control group.One menstrual cycle constituted a course of treatment,and the treatment covered a total of two courses(eight weeks).The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome score,migraine attack frequency,duration of migraine headaches,visual analogue scale(VAS)score of migraine headache intensity,Headache Impact Test-6(HIT-6)score and hemorheology indexes in the two groups before and after treatment were observed.Moreover,the efficacy for TCM syndrome and clinical safety in the two groups were evaluated.Results(1)After two courses of treatment,the total effective rate of the trial group was 90.38%(47/52),and that of the control group was 69.23%(36/52),the intergroup comparison(by chi-square test)showed that the efficacy for TCM syndrome in the trial group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of the patients in both groups were significantly lower than those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the reduction of TCM syndrome score in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(3)After treatment,the migraine attack frequency,duration of migraine headaches,VAS scores of migraine headache intensity in the two groups of patients were significantly improved compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the improvement of migraine headache parameters in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(4)After treatment,the HIT-6 score in the two groups was decreased significantly compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the decrease of HIT-6 score in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(5)After treatment,hemorheology indexes(including plasma viscosity,whole blood high-shear viscosity,whole blood low-shear viscosity,fibrinogen,and hematocrit)in the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),and the improvement of each of hemorheology indexes in the trial group was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.05).(6)During treatment,no serious adverse events occurred in the two groups,which was of high safety.Conclusion Zishen Jianpi Quyu Formula exerts remarkable clinical efficacy in treating patients of migraine without aura in the postmenstrual period of kidney deficiency and blood stasis type.The formula is effective on improving the TCM syndromes and migraine attacks of the patients,achieving the efficacy of milder headache,lower attack frequency and shorter duration,more stability hemorheology indexes and higher safety.

Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Simendan/therapeutic use* ; Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction ; Heart Failure/drug therapy* ; Peptide Fragments ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Biomarkers ; Prognosis

The mechanisms underlying autophagic defects in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remain largely unknown. We aimed to elucidate the roles of hepatic cyclooxygenase 1 (COX1) in autophagy and the pathogenesis of diet-induced steatohepatitis in mice. Human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) liver samples were used to examine the protein expression of COX1 and the level of autophagy. Cox1^Δhepa mice and their wildtype littermates were generated and fed with 3 different NASH models. We found that hepatic COX1 expression was increased in patients with NASH and diet-induced NASH mice models accompanied by impaired autophagy. COX1 was required for basal autophagy in hepatocytes and liver specific COX1 deletion exacerbated steatohepatitis by inhibiting autophagy. Mechanistically, COX1 directly interacted with WD repeat domain, phosphoinositide interacting 2 (WIPI2), which was crucial for autophagosome maturation. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated rescue of WIPI2 reversed the impaired autophagic flux and improved NASH phenotypes in Cox1^Δhepa mice, indicating that COX1 deletion-mediated steatohepatitis was partially dependent on WIPI2-mediated autophagy. In conclusion, we demonstrated a novel role of COX1 in hepatic autophagy that protected against NASH by interacting with WIPI2. Targeting the COX1-WIPI2 axis may be a novel therapeutic strategy for NASH.

Sclerostin, a protein secreted from osteocytes, negatively regulates the WNT signaling pathway by binding to the LRP5/6 co-receptors and further inhibits bone formation and promotes bone resorption. Sclerostin contributes to musculoskeletal system-related diseases, making it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of WNT-related bone diseases. Additionally, emerging evidence indicates that sclerostin contributes to the development of cancers, obesity, and diabetes, suggesting that it may be a promising therapeutic target for these diseases. Notably, cardiovascular diseases are related to the protective role of sclerostin. In this review, we summarize three distinct types of inhibitors targeting sclerostin, monoclonal antibodies, aptamers, and small-molecule inhibitors, from which monoclonal antibodies have been developed. As the first-in-class sclerostin inhibitor approved by the U.S. FDA, the monoclonal antibody romosozumab has demonstrated excellent effectiveness in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; however, it conferred high cardiovascular risk in clinical trials. Furthermore, romosozumab could only be administered by injection, which may cause compliance issues for patients who prefer oral therapy. Considering these above safety and compliance concerns, we therefore present relevant discussion and offer perspectives on the development of next-generation sclerostin inhibitors by following several ways, such as concomitant medication, artificial intelligence-based strategy, druggable modification, and bispecific inhibitors strategy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between drug treatment and outcomes in patients with late-onset severe pneumonia (LOSP) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the effects of the initiation time of treatment drugs, especially antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids on the clinical outcomes in 82 patients between January 2016 and August 2021 who developed LOSP after allo-SCT in Peking University People's Hospital. Univariate analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney U test and χ² test, and multivariate analysis was performed by Logistic regression. When multiple groups (n>2) were involved in the χ² test, Bonferroni correction was used for the level of significance test. RESULTS: Of all 82 patients in this study, the median onset time of LOSP was 220 d (93-813 d) after transplantation, and the 60-day survival rate was 58.5% (48/82). The median improvement time of the survival patients was 18 d (7-44 d), while the median death time of the died patients was 22 d (2-53 d). Multivariate analysis showed that the initiation time of antiviral drugs from the onset of LOSP (< 10 d vs. ≥10 d, P=0.012), and the initiation time of glucocorticoids from antiviral drugs (< 10 d vs. ≥10 d, P=0.027) were the factors affecting the final outcome of the patients with LOSP at the end of 60 d. According to the above results, LOSP patients were divided into four subgroups: group A (antiviral drugs < 10 d, glucocorticoids ≥10 d), group B (antiviral drugs < 10 d, glucocorticoids < 10 d), group C (antiviral drugs ≥10 d, glucocorticoids ≥10 d) and group D (antiviral drugs ≥10 d, glucocorticoids < 10 d), the 60-day survival rates were 91.7%, 56.8%, 50.0% and 21.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that in patients who developed LOSP after allo-SCT, the initiation time of antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids were associated with the prognosis of LOSP, and the survival rate was highest in patients who received antiviral drugs early and glucocorticoids later. It suggested that for patients with LOSP of unknown etiology should be highly suspicious of the possibility of a secondary hyperimmune response to viral infection.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods* ; Humans ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects*

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.