Objective: To investigate the effects of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) on the size of subcutaneous transplanted tumors, related genes and signaling pathways of cervical cancer in mice. Methods: Forty female C57BL/6 mice were subcutaneously inoculated with mouse cervical carcinoma U14 cells in the lateral axilla to establish a mouse subcutaneous transplanted tumor model. These mice were randomly divided into a high-dose group (500 mg/kg), a medium-dose group (100 mg/kg), a low-dose group (20 mg/kg) and a control group (corn oil), and were exposed to BDE-209 or corn oil by gavage. Subcutaneous transplanted tumor tissue was taken after 21 days of BDE-209 poisoning, and the differentially expressed genes in the subcutaneous transplanted tumors of cervical cancer among the four groups were analyzed by high-throughput transcriptome sequencing and were subjected to Gene Ontology (GO) annotations and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Protein-protein interactions (PPI) were analyzed using the STRING database, and the mRNA expression of hub genes was determined by real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction. Results: Compared with the control group, low-dose group and medium-dose group, the mass of subcutaneous transplanted tumors in the high-dose group was decreased (all P<0.05). Transcriptome sequencing results showed that compared with the control group, 2 011 genes were up-regulated and 1 165 genes were down-regulated in the high-dose group; 960 genes were up-regulated and 357 genes were down-regulated in the medium-dose group; 537 genes were up-regulated and 262 genes were down-regulated in the low-dose group (all P<0.05). GO and KEGG analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes in the high-dose group were mainly involved in cell chemotaxis and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway; the differentially expressed genes in the medium-dose group were mainly involved in cell chemotaxis and cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions; and the differentially expressed genes in the medium-dose group were mainly involved in processing and presentation of antigens, and the signaling pathways of the complement and coagulation cascades. Compared with the control group, the mRNA expression of TLR2, MMP9, IL-6, Fos, and TNF was up-regulated in the high-dose group (all P<0.05). Conclusion High-dose BDE-209 may affect Toll-like receptors, NOD-like receptors, and other immune and inflammatory-related signaling pathways and cancer-related genes, leading to a decrease in the mass of subcutaneous transplanted cervical cancer tumors in mice.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a complex pulmonary vascular disease characterized by pro-gressive elevation of mean pulmonary artery pressure resulted from the pathological feature of pulmonary vascular re-modeling.Without medical intervention,PAH can eventually lead to right heart failure and death of patients.Up to the present,there are few treatment options for PAH are still mainly function through pulmonary vasodilation.Although these treatments can alleviate symptoms,the prognosis remains poor.In recent years,breakthroughs have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of PAH,thus support the development of new treatment strategies tar-geting at dysregulation of signaling pathways in PAH.This review focuses on five critical pathways and the relevant drugs those entered phase Ⅱ clinical trials and discusses their therapeutic potential,so to provide a basis for future research on targeting therapies for PAH patients.

Purpose To investigate the value of high frame rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound(H-CEUS)in the qualitative diagnosis of focal liver lesions(FLLs).Materials and Methods Seventy-two patients with FLLs who visited Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from August 2021 to August 2022 were retrospectively enrolled in this study.All patients were diagnosed by conventional ultrasound,followed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)and H-CEUS.The diagnostic value of CEUS and H-CEUS in FLLs was evaluated by comparing the initial enhancement time,enhancement direction,vascular morphology,peak intensity and enhancement uniformity displayed by the two methods.Results Compared with CEUS,H-CEUS could more clearly show the direction of arterial phase enhancement,vascular morphology and uniformity after enhancement of the lesion.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,and negative predictive value of CEUS and H-CEUS for the diagnosis of 72 FLLs were 87.10％,96.77％;85.37％,87.80％;86.11％,91.67％;81.82％,85.71％and 89.74％,97.30％,respectively.The area under the curve of CEUS and H-CEUS for the diagnosis of FLLs was 0.862 and 0.923,respectively.Conclusion Compared with CEUS,H-CEUS can more clearly show the characteristic manifestations of the arterial phase of lesions,providing richer and more reliable information for the qualitative diagnosis of FLLs.H-CEUS has a high diagnostic efficacy for FLLs.

Objective    To investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment of primary mediastinal yolk sac tumor (PMYST). Methods    We collected the clinical data of PMYST patients who were admitted to the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from September 2000 to September 2020. The clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment and prognosis of PMYST patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results     Finally 18 patients were enrolled, including 17 males and 1 female with a median age of 22.0 (16.6, 26.2) years. Patients had increased level of alpha fetoprotein (AFP). The pathological type can be single yolk sac tumor or combined with other mediastinal germ cell tumors. Chemotherapy and radical surgery were the main treatment methods. Extensive resection was feasible for patients with tumor invasion of other organs. Seven patients developed lung or pleural metastasis after operation, and 3 of them had extrapleural metastasis. One patient recurred within 1 year after surgery. All patients were followed up by telephone or outpatient department. At the last follow-up, 5 patients survived, 9 died, and 4 were lost to follow up, with a median survival of 16.8 months. The median disease-free survival was 14.9 months. The survival rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 73.3%, 28.6% and 11.8%, respectively. Conclusion    PMYST often occurs in young-middle aged male patients. Preoperative puncture can provide an effective diagnostic basis. R0 resection, AFP returning to normal after treatment and no metastasis may be potential indicators of good prognosis. The overall prognosis of PMYST is poor, and some patients can achieve long-term survival after treatment.

Lipid Droplets/metabolism* ; Bacteria ; Lipid Metabolism

Objective     To assess the safety and clinical outcomes of segmentectomy in one- or two-staged video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for bilateral lung cancer. Methods    We retrospectively enrolled 100 patients who underwent VATS segmentectomy for bilateral lung cancer at the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from December 2013 to May 2022. We divided the patients into two groups: a one-stage group (52 patients), including 17 males and 35 females with a mean age of 55.17±11.09 years, and a two-stage group (48 patients), including 16 males and 32 females with a mean age of 59.88±11.48 years. We analyzed multiple intraoperative variables and postoperative outcomes. Results     All 100 patients successfully completed bilateral VATS, and at least unilateral lung received anatomical segmentectomy. Patients in the one-stage group were younger (P=0.040), had lower rate of comorbidities (P=0.030), were less likely to have a family history of lung cancer (P=0.018), and had a shorter interval between diagnosis and surgery (P=0.000) compared with patients in the two-stage group. Wedge resection on the opposite side was more common in the one-stage group (P=0.000), while lobectomy was more common in the two-stage   group. The time to emerge from anesthesia in the one-stage group was longer than that in the first and second operations of the two-stage group (P=0.000, P=0.002). Duration of surgery and anesthesia were similar between two groups (P>0.05). Total number of lymph node stations for sampling and dissection (P=0.041) and lymph nodes involved (P=0.026) were less in the one-stage group. Intraoperative airway management was similar between two groups (P>0.05). The one-stage group was associated with lower activities of daily living (ADL) scores. Conclusion     Segmentectomy is safe in one- or two-staged VATS for bilateral lung cancer, including contralateral sublobectomy and lobectomy. Duration of surgery and perioperative complications are similar between two groups, but the one-stage group is associated with lower ADL scores. On the basis of comprehensive consideration in psychological factors, physical conditions and personal wishes of patients, one-staged sequential bilateral VATS can be the first choice.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of chronic Q fever.Methods:The epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory results, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of 12 patients with chronic Q fever admitted in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2008 to December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively.Results:Of the12 cases, there were 11 males and 1 female with a median age at diagnosis of 58 years (47-68). The median time interval between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis was 9.5 months (4.0-28.5). Ten patients had fever, and the common symptoms included weakness ( n=6), weight loss ( n=5) and shortness of breath ( n=3). Seven patients presented with hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Among the 12 patients, 1 patient suffered from cardiac valve and artery involvement at the same time, 8 patients suffered from infective endocarditis, and 1 patient suffered from aneurysm. No definite infection site was found in 2 patients. Seven of the 12 patients (58.3%) had elevated serum creatinine. Rheumatoid factors were detected in 8 patients, all of which were elevated. Nine patients were treated with doxycycline/minocycline plus hydroxylchloroquine and 3 patients were treated with doxycycline/minocycline. Patients were followed up for 3 months to 14 years, 7 patients stopped antibiotics after 12 to 30 months and were in stable condition. One patient died of heart failure 6 months after diagnosis and 1 patient lost follow-up. Three patients diagnosed in 2022 were still under treatment and in stable condition. Conclusions:The clinical manifestations of chronic Q fever lack of specificity and may involve multiple systems. Endocarditis and mycotic aneurysm are common complications. For long-term fever with new heart valve function damage or mycotic aneurysm patients, chronic Q fever should therefore be considered.

BACKGROUND: Intra-articular injection is a classic strategy for the treatment of early osteoarthritis (OA). However, the local delivery of traditional therapeutic agents has limited benefits for alleviating OA. Exosomes, an important type of extracellular nanovesicle, show great potential for suppressing cartilage destruction in OA to replace drugs and stem cellbased administration. METHODS: In this study, we developed a thermosensitive, injectable hydrogel by in situ crosslinking of Pluronic F-127 and hyaluronic acid, which can be used as a slow-release carrier to durably retain primary chondrocyte-derived exosomes at damaged cartilage sites to effectively magnify their reparative effect. RESULTS: It was found that the hydrogel can sustainedly release exosomes, positively regulate chondrocytes on the proliferation, migration and differentiation, as well as efficiently induce polarization of M1 to M2 macrophages. Intraarticular injection of this exosomes-incorporated hydrogel significantly prevented cartilage destruction by promoting cartilage matrix formation. This strategy also displayed a regenerative immune phenotype characterized by a higher infiltration of CD163+ regenerative M2 macrophages over CD86+ M1 macrophages in synovial and chondral tissue, with a concomitant reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1b, and IL-6) and increase in anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in synovial fluid. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrated that local sustained-release primary chondrocyte-derived exosomes may relieve OA by promoting the phenotypic transformation of macrophages from M1 to M2, which suggesting a great potential for the application in OA.

Pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (PIMT) is a rare lung tumor that is poorly understood by clinicians. Based on the data of patients with PIMT in our center, a comprehensive search and a brief summary analysis of previous reports of the disease were carried out in this article. PIMTs were more likely to be present in male patients and in the right lung, and their clinical and radiographic findings were heterogeneous. Surgery is the most important treatment method, and complete resection is of great significance to the prognosis of patients. Targeted therapy represented by crizotinib may be helpful for patients with positive ALK mutations.

Liquid band-aid is a new type of wound dressing that has emerged in recent years. Compared with traditional band-aid, it has the advantages of convenient use, natural shedding, good waterproof and breathable effect, and easy fitting for irregular wounds. It has brought a great convenience to the wound treatment in our daily life. This paper reviews the current research status of liquid band-aids at home and abroad and summarizes the research progress on film forming materials for liquid band-aids with the purpose to provide references for the further development and improvement of liquid band-aids.