Objective To investigate the role of bufalin(BU)in inhibiting M2-type macrophage-mediated colorec-tal cancer metastasis.Methods Human acute leukemia mononuclear cells(THP-1)were differentiated into M0 macrophages using phorbol ester induction(PMA)for 48 hours.The M0 macrophages were then treated with IL-4 and IL-13 medium.Surface markers and morphological changes were observed through ELISA,morphology,and RT-qPCR experiments.RT-PCR and ELISA experiments were conducted to detect the surface markers TGF-β and IL-10 of M2 macrophages.The secretion level of IL-6 in the supernatant of M2 macrophages and colorectal cancer cells HCT116 was compared using ELISA.Additionally,the effect of conditioned medium on colorectal cancer cell HCT116 was assessed through Transwell,Wound healing,RT-qPCR,and Western blot experiments.Subsequent-ly,bufalin was added to the conditioned medium and the changes in AKT/PI3K protein,migration,and epithelial-mesenchymal transition ability in HCT116 were observed using Western blot,Transwell,Wound healing and RT-qPCR experiments.Results THP-1 were successfully differentiated into M2 macrophages.The activation of AKT/PI3K protein in HCT116 cells was induced by the secretion of IL-6 from M2 macrophages,which in turn promoted the migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition ability of the HCT116 cells.The migration and epithelial-mes-enchymal transition mediated by M2 macrophages in HCT116 cells were effectively inhibited by Bufalin.Conclu-sion The release of IL-6 from M2 macrophages activates the AKT/PI3K signaling pathway in colorectal cancer cells,thereby promoting their migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition capacity.Moreover,bufalin exhibits inhibitory effects on this effect.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with antibodies against contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2).Methods:The clinical data of 24 patients with anti-CASPR2 encephalitis diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the age of first onset, the patients were divided into early onset group (10 cases, onset age<45 years) and late onset group (14 cases, onset age≥45 years). The clinical data including clinical manifestations, auxiliary examinations, and treatment response between these 2 groups were compared.Results:Among the 24 patients, there were 13 cases with epilepsy, 13 cases with cognitive decline, 13 cases with mental disorders, 14 cases with autonomic dysfunction, 8 cases with peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, 5 cases with Morvan syndrome, 5 cases with unstable walking, and 8 cases with sleep disorders. Among the 10 cases of the early onset group, 7 cases are females, and 8 cases showed epilepsy. The incidence rate of epilepsy in the early onset group was higher than that in the late onset group (5/14, Fisher exact probability, P=0.047). Among the 14 cases of the late onset group, 6 cases are females, 9 cases showed cognitive impairment and 8 cases presented with mental disorders. There were 6 cases with abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The cerebrospinal fluid protein of the late onset group [0.37 (0.29, 0.58) g/L] was higher than that in the early onset group [0.22 (0.16, 0.30) g/L; Z=-2.667, P=0.008]. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores before and after treatment were 3.29±0.83 and 1.50 (0.75, 2.25), which were higher than those in the early onset group [mRS scores before and after treatment were 2.10±0.99 and 0 (0, 1.00), t=-3.188, P=0.004; Z=-2.335, P=0.020]. Conclusions:There are various symptoms in patients with anti-CASPR2 encephalitis. The early onset patients are common in women, with a higher incidence of epilepsy. The late onset patients are common in males, with prominent manifestations of cognitive impairment and mental disorders, which have a greater impact on daily living abilities. And abnormal MRI findings are common, and the cerebrospinal fluid protein is higher in late onset patients. Anti-CASPR2 antibody may cause more severe immune damage to the nervous system in elderly patients.

Objective:To analyze the correlation between serum antibody titers of anti-contactin associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2) antibody and clinical features and prognosis in encephalitis.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 31 patients diagnosed with anti-CASPR2 antibody encephalitis at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to April 2024. Patients were divided into low titer group (≤1∶32) and high titer group (>1∶32) based on serum anti-CASPR2 antibody titers, and their clinical characteristics, auxiliary examination results, and prognosis were compared between the two groups.Results:Among the 31 patients with anti CASPR2 antibody encephalitis (male∶female=1∶1.4), there were 16 cases in the low titer group and 15 cases in the high titer group; The age of patients in the high titer group was (33.9±17.9)years, which was lower than that of patients in the low titer group [(52.9±17.9)years], and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.006). The proportion of patients with prodromal infection in the high titer group (6/15) was higher than that in the low titer group (1/16, P=0.037). There was no statistically significant difference in the cerebrospinal fluid related test results, imaging examination of intracranial abnormal lesions, abnormal electroencephalogram, serum abnormal tumor markers, and serum abnormal rheumatic immune indicators between the two groups of patients (all P>0.05). During hospitalization, one patient in the high titer group died; During the follow-up period, one patient died and three patients relapsed, all of whom were in the high titer group. During follow-up, the mRS scores of 6 patients ranged from 3 to 5 points (indicating functional impairment), with 4 cases in the high titer group and 2 cases in the low titer group. The proportion of patients with poor prognosis in the high titer group (9/15) was higher than that in the low titer group (2/16), and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.021). Conclusions:Patients with high serum anti-CASPR2 antibody titers and encephalitis have a lower age of onset and are prone to pre infection triggers. High antibody titers may be associated with a higher risk of disease recurrence and poor prognosis for patients.

Objective:To construct and validate a machine learning model for preoperative prediction of perineural invasion (PNI) status in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).Methods:Clincial data of 329 patients, including 245 admitted to Zhengzhou University People's Hospital from January 2018 to June 2023 and 84 admitted to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into a training set ( n=231) and a validation set ( n=98). Clinicopathological data including age, gender, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status were collected. Predictive variables were determined using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis. Six machine learning algorithms including random forest (RF), logistic regression, and linear kernel-based support vector machine were selected to construct the preoperative prediction model for PNI in ICC. Performance metrics of the model were calculated using a confusion matrix, and the final model was selected. The model performance was evaluated in the validation set. Calibration curves were plotted to evaluate the final model, and a Pareto chart was used to visualize the importance of predictive variables. Results:LASSO regression identified nine predictive variables included in the prediction model, including carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), HBV infection status, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, prothrombin time, total bilirubin, albumin, neutrophil times gamma-glutamyl transferase to lymphocyte ratio, and tumor burden score. Among the trained six models, the area under the curve (AUC) of the RF model was 0.909, with a sensitivity of 0.842 and an accuracy of 0.870. Compared with the AUC of the RF model, the AUCs of the other 5 models were lower (all P<0.05). The AUC of the RF model for predicting PNI in ICC in validation set was 0.736. Calibration curves showed good fit of the RF model's prediction of PNI in ICC in both training and validation sets. The Pareto chart showed that CA19-9 was the most important predictive variable in the model, followed by HBV infection status. Conclusion:The machine learning model based on the RF algorithm has a high accuracy in preoperative prediction of PNI status in ICC.

Objective To explore the correlation between serum forkhead box protein O1(FOXO1)and myeloid cell leukemia protein 1(MCL1)in patients with acute ischemic stroke(AIS)and the severity and short-term prognosis of the disease.Methods A total of 359 AIS patients admitted to the hospital from Feb-ruary 2020 to February 2023 were regarded as the study subjects.According to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)scores at admission,359 patients were grouped into mild group(131 cases),moderate group(156 cases),and severe group(72 cases),and the patients were separated into a good progno-sis group(263 cases)and a poor prognosis group(96 cases)based on the modified Rankin Scale(mRS)score after 90 days of onset.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR)was applied to detect serum FOXO1 mRNA expression level.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to detect the expression level of serum MCL1.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis method was applied to analyze the factors that affected the short-term prognosis of AIS patients.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum FOXO1 mRNA and MCL1 expression for short-term prognosis of AIS patients.Results Compared with the mild group,the serum FOXO1 mRNA level in the moderate and severe groups was obviously reduced(P<0.05),while the MCL1 level was obviously increased(P<0.05).The FOXO1 mRNA level in the severe group was lower than that in the moderate group(P<0.05),and the MCL1 level was higher than that in the moderate group(P<0.05).Compared with the good prognosis group,the serum FOXO1 mRNA level was significantly lower in the poor prognosis group,and the level of MCL1,C-reactive protein(CRP),age,NIHSS score,and proportion of diabetes were significantly higher than those in the poor prognosis group(t/χ2=11.328,7.617,5.344,2.314,16.788,4.459,all P<0.05).The re-sults of multivariate Logistic analysis showed that FOXO1 mRNA was a protective factor for the short-term prognosis of AIS patients(OR=0.726,P<0.05),while MCL1,CRP,and NIHSS score were independent risk factors affecting the short-term prognosis of AIS patients(OR=1.334,1.319,1.442,P<0.05).The results of ROC curve showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of serum FOXO1 mRNA level for predicting poor short-term prognosis of AIS patients was 0.807,with sensitivity and specificity of 69.79%and 85.93%re-spectively.The AUC of serum MCL1 level for predicting poor short-term prognosis of AIS patients was 0.824,with sensitivity and specificity of 71.87%and 84.79%,respectively.The AUC of the combination of serum FOXO1 mRNA and MCL1 for predicting poor short-term prognosis of AIS patients was 0.886,with sensitivity and specificity of 85.42%and 81.37%,respectively.Conclusion The expression of FOXO1 mRNA and MCL1 is abnormal in AIS patients,they are related to the severity of AIS and have high predictive value for the short-term prognosis of AIS.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic variants of two children with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A lyase deficiency (HMGCLD).Methods:Two children with HMGCLD diagnosed at Henan Provincial Children′s Hospital respectively in December 2019 and June 2022 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data and results of laboratory testing were analyzed retrospectively.Results:Both children had manifested with repeated convulsions, severe hypoglycemia, metabolic acidosis and liver dysfunction. Blood amino acids and acylcarnitine analysis showed increased 3-hydroxy-isovalyl carnitine (C5OH) and 3-hydroxy-isovalyl carnitine/capryloyl carnitine ratio (C5OH/C8), and urinary organic acid analysis showed increased 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl glutaric acid, 3-methyl glutaric acid, 3-methyl glutacoic acid, 3-hydroxyisoglycine and 3-methylprotarylglycine. Child 1 was found to harbor homozygous c. 722C>T variants of the HMGCL gene, which was rated as uncertain significance(PM2_Supporting+ PP3). Child 2 was found to harbor homozygous c. 121C>T variants of the HMGCL gene, which was rated as pathogenic(PVS1+ PM2_Supporting+ PP4). Conclusion:Acute episode of HMGCLD is usually characterized by metabolic disorders such as hypoglycemia and metabolic acidosis, and elevated organic acids in urine may can facilitate the differential diagnosis, though definite diagnosis will rely on genetic testing.

Objective:To explore the clinical features and genetic variants in three children suspected for β-ketothiolase deficiency (BKTD).Methods:Clinical manifestations, laboratory examination and genetic testing of three children suspected for BKTD at Henan Children′s Hospital between January 2018 and October 2022 were collected, and their clinical and genetic variants were retrospectively analyzed.Results:The children were all males with a age from 7 to 11 months. Their clinical manifestations have included poor spirit, shortness of breath, vomiting, convulsions after traumatic stress and/or infection. All of them had severe metabolic acidosis, elevated ketone bodies in blood and urine, hypoglycemia, with increased isoprenyl-carnitine and 3-hydroxyisovalyl-carnitine in the blood, and 2-methyl-3-hydroxybutyrate and methylprotaroyl glycine in the urine. All of them were found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the ACAT1 gene, including c. 1183G>T and a large fragment deletion (11q22.3-11q23.1) in child 1, c. 121-3C>G and c. 826+ 5_826+ 9delGTGTT in child 2, and c. 928G>C and c. 1142T>C in child 3. The variants harbored by children 2 and 3 were known to be pathogenic or likely pathogenic. The heterozygous c. 1183G>T variant in child 1 was unreported previously and rated as a variant of unknown significance (PM2_Supporting+ PP3+ PP4) based on guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. The large segment deletion in 11q22.3-11q23.1 has not been included in the DGV Database and was rated as a pathogenic copy number variation. Conclusion:The variants of the ACAT1 gene probably underlay the pathogenesis of BKTD in these three children.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic variants in three children with late-onset Multiple acyl-Coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD type Ⅲ).Methods:Clinical data of three children diagnosed with late-onset MADD at the Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between March 2020 and March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. All children were subjected to whole exome sequencing (WES), and candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing. All children had received improved metabolic therapy and followed up for 1 ~ 3 years.Results:The children had included 2 males and 1 female, and aged from 2 months to 11 years and 7 months. Child 1 had intermittent vomiting, child 2 had weakness in lower limbs, while child 3 had no symptom except abnormal neonatal screening. Tandem mass spectrometry of the three children showed elevation of multiple acylcarnitines with short, medium and long chains. Children 1 and 2 showed increased glutaric acid and multiple dicarboxylic acids by urine Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. All children were found to harbor compound heterozygous variants of the ETFDH gene, including a paternal c. 1211T>C (p.M404T) and a maternal c. 488-22T>G variant in child 1, a paternal c. 1717C>T (p.Q573X) and a maternal c. 250G>A (p.A84T) variant in child 2, and a paternal c. 1285+ 1G>A and maternal c. 629A>G (p.S210N) variant in child 3. As for the treatment, high-dose vitamin B2, levocarnitine and coenzyme Q 10 were given to improve the metabolism, in addition with a low fat, hypoproteinic and high carbohydrate diet. All children showed a stable condition with normal growth and development during the follow-up. Conclusion:The compound heterozygous variants of the ETFDH gene probably underlay the muscle weakness, remittent vomiting, elevated short, medium, and long chain acylcarnitine, as well as elevated glutaric acid and various dicarboxylic acids in the three children with type Ⅲ MADD.

Objective:To investigate the clinical and genetic features of patients with spastic paraplegia and psychomotor retardation with or without seizures (SPPRS) caused by HACE1 gene mutation. Methods:Clinical data, auxiliary examination and genetic test results of a child with SPPRS caused by HACE1 gene mutation who was admitted to Henan Children′s Hospital in April 2019 were collected. The clinical and genotypic characteristics of children with SPPRS were summarized by searching the relevant literature up to June 2024, retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang and PubMed databases with the terms of " HACE1" "SPPRS" "seizures" "spastic paraplegia". Results:The patient was a 11 months and 20 days old male, with a clinical phenotype including global developmental delay, leg spastic tremor, frequent epileptic seizures, obesity, and concurrent urethral malformation. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed enlarged bilateral ventricles, hypoplastic corpus callosum, delayed myelination. Genetic test results revealed compound heterozygous variants c.994C>T (p.R332 *) and c.1679-2A>G in the HACE1 gene (according to the transcript NM_020771), respectively inherited from his mother and father, with c.1679-2A>G being a newly reported variant. A total of 6 English literatures reported 21 SPPRS patients in 11 families, and HACE1 gene mutations were mainly characterized by nonsense mutations. The main clinical manifestations included global developmental delay (21 cases), movement disorders (21 cases), intellectual disabilities (18 cases), seizures (13 cases), obesity (13 cases), skeletal abnormalities (11 cases), microcephaly (9 cases), ocular abnormalities (9 cases), distinctive facial features (5 cases), sensorineural hearing loss (5 cases), and short stature (3 cases). MRI predominantly showed hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, ventricular dilation, paucity of white matter and cerebral atrophy. There were no clear genotype-phenotype correlations. A total of 13 HACE1 gene mutations were reported, including 9 nonsense mutations, 2 frameshift mutations, 1 in-frame mutation, and 1 missense mutation. Among the 11 families, only 2 families with 5 patients were caused by compound heterozygous mutations, c.1852_1853del (p.L832del) and c.454C>T (p.Q152 *), c.2242C>T (p.R748 *) and c.2019_2020insTTTAGGTATTTTTAGGTATT (p.P674fs). The other 16 patients in 9 families were caused by homozygous mutations of the remaining 9 mutations. Conclusions:SPPRS is rare and usually occurs in infancy. The main clinical manifestations include comprehensive developmental delay, movement disorders, epilepsy, etc. Currently, no clear genotype-phenotype correlation has been found. The c.1679-2A>G variant of the HACE1 gene is an unreported variant and enriches the mutation spectrum of the HACE1 gene.

Objective To evaluate the effect of donor age on short-term survival of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) after lung transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 235 IPF donors and recipients of lung transplantation were retrospectively analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were employed to analyze the correlation between donor age and short-term mortality rate of IPF patients after lung transplantation. Kaplan-Meier was used to draw the survival curve. Results Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that donor age was correlated with the 1-year fatality of IPF patients after lung transplantation. The 1-year fatality of recipients after lung transplantation was increased by 0.020 times if donor age was increased by 1 year (P=0.009). Oxygenation index of the donors, preoperative oxygenation index, preoperative lung allocation score, preoperative N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide, pattern of transplantation, pattern of intraoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and intraoperative blood transfusion volume of the recipients were correlated with 1-year fatality after lung transplantation (all P < 0.1). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that there was no correlation between donor age and 30-, 90-, 180-d and 1-year fatality of IPF patients after lung transplantation (all P > 0.05). Sensitivity analysis showed that there was no significant difference in 30-, 90-, 180-d and 1-year fatality after lung transplantation among donors aged < 18, 18-33, 34-49 and ≥50 years (all P > 0.05). Conclusions Donor age exerts no effect upon short-term survival of IPF patients after lung transplantation. Considering the mechanical ventilation time, oxygenation index, infection and other factors of donors, the age range of lung transplant donors may be expanded.