Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

AIM To explore the effect of Heidihuang Pills on renal fibrosis in a rat model of chronic renal failure(CRF)and its mechanism.METHODS Wistar rats were randomly divided into the blank group for normal feeding and the model group for the establishment of CRF rat models by 5/6 nephrectomy.Subsequently,the successfully established rat models were randomly divided into the model group,the Heidihuang Pills group(10.43 g/kg),and the Heidihuang Pills+IGF-1R blocker(JB1)group for a regimen of 7-day subcutaneous injection of 18 μg/kg JB1 followed by gavage of 10.43 g/kg Heidihuang Pills.Eight weeks after the administration,the rats had their serum levels of Scr and BUN detected;their pathological changes of renal tissue observed by HE and Masson staining;their renal protein expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α and α-SMA detected by immunohistochemistry;their renal protein expressions of IGF-1R and TGF-β detected by Western blot;and their renal mRNA expressions of IGF-1R and TGF-β detected by RT-qPCR.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,the model group displayed increased serum levels of Scr and BUN(P＜0.05);increased,degree of renal fibrosis,and renal fibrosis area(P＜0.05);increased renal expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α,α-SMA proteins and TGF-β mRNA(P＜0.05);and decreased expressions of IGF-1R mRNA and protein(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,the Heidihuang Pills group displayed decreased serum Scr and BUN levels(P＜0.05);decreased inflammatory cells in renal interstitium and the fibrosis degree(P＜0.05);decreased renal expressions of TGF-β,HIF-1α,α-SMA proteins and TGF-β mRNA(P＜0.05);and increased expressions of IGF-1R mRNA and protein(P＜0.05).However,the administration of JB1 could weaken the improvement effect of Heidihuang Pills on renal fibrosis in CRF rats(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Heidihuang Pills can inhibit the renal fibrosis in CRF rats,and the inhibition process is related to up-regulated IGF-1 expression and promoted combination of IGF-1 and IGF-1R.

Background and purpose:For patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer,trastuzumab treatment can prolong the overall survival and significantly improve the prognosis of patients.However,the reference original research trastuzumab(Herceptin?)is more expensive.Biosimilars have comparable efficacy and safety profiles while increasing patient access to treatment.This clinical trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy,pharmacokinetics,safety and immunogenicity of the trastuzumab biosimilar AK-HER2 compared to trastuzumab(Herceptin?)in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.Methods:This multi-center,randomised,double-blind phase Ⅲ clinical trial was conducted in 43 subcenters in China.This study complied with the research protocol,the ethical principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki and the quality management standards for drug clinical trials.It was approved by the hospital's medical ethics committee.The clinical trial registration agency is the State Food and Drug Administration(clinical trial approval number:2015L04224;clinical trial registration number:CTR20170516).Written informed consent was obtained from subjects before enrollment.Enrolled patients were randomly assigned to the AK-HER2 group and the control group,respectively receiving AK-HER2 or trastuzumab(initial loading dose 8 mg/kg,maintenance dose 6 mg/kg,every 3 weeks as a treatment cycle,total treatment time is 16 cycles)in combination with docetaxel(75 mg/m2,treatment duration is at least 9 cycles).The primary endpoint of this clinical trial was the objective response rate(ORR9)between the AK-HER2 group and the control group in the 9th cycle.Secondary efficacy endpoints included ORR16,disease control rate(DCR),clinical benefit rate(CBR),progression-free survival(PFS)and 1-year survival rate.In this study,100 subjects(AK-HER2 group to control group=1:1)were randomly selected for blood sample collection after the 6th cycle of medication,The collection time points were 45 minutes after infusion(the end of administration),4,8,24,72,120,168,336,and 504 hours after the end of administration.After collection,blood samples were analyzed by PK parameter set(PKPS).Other evaluation parameters included safety and immunogenicity assessment.Results:A total of 550 patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer were enrolled in this clinical trial between Sep.2017 and Mar.2021.In the AK-HER2 group(n=237),129 subjects in the experimental group achieved complete response(CR)or partial response(PR),and the ORR9 was 54.4%.There were 134 subjects in the control group(n=241)who achieved CR or PR,and the ORR9 was 55.6%.The ORR9 ratio between the AK-HER2 group and the control group was 97.9%[90%confidence interval(CI):85.4%-112.2%,P=0.784],which was not statistically significant.In all secondary efficacy endpoints,no statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups.We conducted a mean ratio analysis of pharmacokinetics(PK)parameters between the AK-HER2 group and the control group,and the results suggested that the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the two drugs are similar.The incidence of treatment emergent adverse event(TEAE)leading to drug reduction or suspension during trastuzumab treatment was 3.6%(10 cases)in the AK-HER2 group and 8.1%(22 cases)in the control group.There was statistically significant difference between the two groups(P=0.027).The incidence rate was significantly lower in the AK-HER2 group than in the control group,and there was no statistically significant difference among the other groups.The differences in the positive rates of anti-drug antibodies(ADA)and neutralizing antibodies(NAB)between groups were of no statistical significance(P=0.385 and P=0.752).Conclusion:In patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer,AK-HER2 was comparable to the trastuzumab(Herceptin?)in terms of drug efficacy,pharmacokinetics,safety and immunogenicity.

Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease.Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha.However,it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT).Recent research,encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques,contributes to our understanding of the root canal system's anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT.Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients,infection severity,root canal anatomy,and treatment techniques.Therefore,improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions.The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions,tooth conditions,root canal configuration,and root canal needing retreatment,and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes.The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT.These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.

Objective:To analyze the medication law of Professor Li Fazhi in the prescriptions for the treatment of cough; To explore his academic thoughts.Methods:Medical cases of Professor Li about the treatment for cough from January 1, 2015 to October 31, 2022 were collected. Excel2016 and R language 4.2.1 were used to conduct multidimensional analysis on property and taste, and meridians of drugs. High-frequency efficacy classification was explored through factor analysis, clustering analysis was conducted to distinguish drug groups, and time-lapse analysis on proportion and meridian was conducted on high-frequency drugs.Results:4 746 prescriptions involved 270 kinds of Chinese materia medica, with a total frequency of 57 700 times. The most common property and taste was warm, followed by cold. Warm medicines were mainly pungent warm and cold warm, and cold medicines were mainly pungent cold, sweet cold and bitter cold, and the main meridians were lung, spleen, stomach, and liver meridians. The top 35 kinds of Chinese materia medica with frequency could be clustered into 9 groups. Group 1: Perillae Fructus, Armeniacae Semen Amarum and Ephedrae Herba; group 2: Magnoliae Flosmagnoliae Flos, Cicadae Periostracum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma; group 3: Peucedani Radix, Platycodonis Radix, Mori Cortex, Schizonepetae Herba, Saposhnikoviae Radix and Farfarae Flos; group 4: Angelicae Dahuricae Radix, Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Astragali Radix, Cimicifugae Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma; group 5: Coicis Semen, Phragmitis Rhizoma, Persicae Semen and Benincasae Semen; group 6: Perillae Folium; group 7: Bupleuri Radix, Mume Fructus, Aurantii Fructus Immaturus, Scutellariae Radix and Paeoniae Radix Alba; group 8: Asari Radix et Rhizoma, Cinnamomi Ramulus, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus and Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Alumine; group 9: Poria and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle. The time-lapse analysis showed that the proportion of drugs used in the past three years such as Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle, Poria and Aurantii Fructus was gradually increasing.Conclusions:Professor Li's treatment of cough focuses on the lungs, spleen, and stomach. Clinical medication emphasizes the combination of ascending and descending factors, as well as the use of cold and warm. In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on treating cough from the middle energizer.

Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.

Objective:To summarize experience of managing adult Langerhans cell histiocytosis(LCH) in hypothalamic-pituitary region(HPR) from Shanghai Huashan Hospital.Methods:Adult HPR-LCH patients diagnosed at oar endocrinology department from January 2013 to February 2022 were included. Clinical characteristics and treatment response were retrospectively analyzed.Results:A total of 27 adult HPR-LCH patients were included, with 14 cases involving the hypothalamus(H group) and 13 cases without(group NH). The common radiological findings included thickening of the pituitary stalk(25/27, 92.6%). At the time of diagnosis, 14 cases(51.9%) presented with panhypopituitarism, and 19 cases(70.4%) exhibited metabolic abnormalities. The group H had higher proportions of adrenal insufficiency, central hypothyroidism, panhypopituitarism, and diabetes compared to group NH(78.6% vs 23.1%; 78.6% vs 23.1%; 92.9% vs 30.8%, 35.7% vs 0%, respectively, all P<0.05). Hypothalamus syndrome was identified in 71.4%(10/14) of group H. The inital diagnosis rate was 79.2%(19/24), with 48.1% and 51.9% through biopsy of sellar and extrasellar lesions, respectively. Repeated biopsies confirmed the diagnosis in 25.9%(7/27) of cases. The peripheral lesions included bone, thyroid, lung, lymph node, thymus and liver. Out of 20 cases treated with chemotherapy, the objective response rate was 85% at 12 weeks. Four cases received local therapy, one case received traditional Chinese medicine treatment, one case abandoned treatment, and one case was lost to follow-up. The median follow-up time was 28(range 15 to 54) months. During this period, there were 3 deaths in group H and 1 death in group NH. Conclusion:Adult HPR-LCH patients presented with diabetes insipidus and high prevalences of hypopituitarism, hypothalamus syndrome and metabolic abnormalities. Typical imaging features were pituitary stalk thickening. A solitary mass in the HPR was usually very small, posing a great challenge for early diagnosis. Systemic evaluation would help to clarify the diagnosis. Patients with hypothalamus involvement had a higher mortality rate, suggesting the hypothalamus as a risk organ with poor prognosis.

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly desmoplastic tumor with poor prognosis even after curative resection. We investigated the associations between the composition of the ICC stroma and immune cell infiltration and aimed to develop a stromal-immune signature to predict prognosis in surgically treated ICC. Patients and methods: We recruited 359 ICC patients and performed immunohistochemistry to detect α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD3, CD4, CD8, Foxp3, CD68, and CD66b. Aniline was used to stain collagen deposition. Survival analyses were performed to detect prognostic values of these markers. Recursive partitioning for a discrete-time survival tree was applied to define a stromal-immune signature with distinct prognostic value. We delineated an integrated stromal-immune signature based on immune cell subpopulations and stromal composition to distinguish subgroups with different recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) time. Results: We defined four major patterns of ICC stroma composition according to the distributions of α-SMA and collagen: dormant (α-SMAlow/collagenhigh), fibrogenic (α-SMAhigh/collagenhigh), inert (α-SMAlow/collagenlow), and fibrolytic (α-SMAhigh/collagenlow). The stroma types were characterized by distinct patterns of infiltration by immune cells. We divided patients into six classes. Class I, characterized by high CD8 expression and dormant stroma, displayed the longest RFS and OS, whereas Class VI, characterized by low CD8 expression and high CD66b expression, displayed the shortest RFS and OS. The integrated stromal-immune signature was consolidated in a validation cohort. Conclusion We developed and validated a stromal-immune signature to predict prognosis in surgically treated ICC. These findings provide new insights into the stromal-immune response to ICC.