Objective To systematically review the sex differences in efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Methods We conducted a computer search of Medline, The Cochrane Library, and EMbase from inception to November 2022 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of ICIs in patients with NSCLC. A meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software. Results Finally 16 RCTs with a total of 9 653 patients were included, and the modified Jadad scale score was≥4 points. Meta-analysis results showed that in female NSCLC patients receiving immune therapy, the median overall survival (OS) [HR=0.72, 95%CI (0.61, 0.85), P<0.001] was longer than that in males [HR=0.73, 95%CI (0.69, 0.78), P<0.001]. Males [HR=0.64, 95%CI (0.58, 0.71), P<0.001] had an advantage over females [HR=0.76, 95%CI (0.57, 1.03), P=0.760] in median progression-free survival (PFS). Conclusion Females receiving ICIs have an advantage over males in terms of median OS. However, males tend to derive greater benefit from ICIs in terms of median PFS.

The plants of the genus Caragana Fabr. are desert plants of the Leguminosae family, which are widely used in traditional ethnomedicine, with the effects of nourishing Yin and nourishing blood, dispelling wind and removing dampness, clearing heat and detoxifying toxins. The anti-inflammatory effect of Caragana Fabr. has attracted much attention, the research on the related mechanism has made some progress, but it lacks systematic collation. By summarising the anti-inflammatory effects of the active ingredients of Caragana Fabr., the authors found that they have good anti-inflammatory activities on different inflammatory cell models in vitro, and have good improvement effects on rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, complex nephritis, and acute lung injury and other disease models. The anti-inflammatory effects of the active components of this genus mainly include the reduction of the levels of a variety of pro-inflammatory factors, and the signalling pathways involved mainly include TLR4/NF-κB, TLR4/MAPK, TLR4/NF-κB/IRF3, JAK/STAT-1, ERK/STAT-1 and so on. Therefore, the paper mainly reviews the research progress on the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms of the Caragana Fabr. plants and their active components according to disease types, with a view to providing reference for the in-depth study of their anti-inflammatory activities and the development of new products with related functions.

Objective To comprehensively excavate and analyze the research status,research hotspots and future trends of the literature related to the field of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for pain treatment in the CNKI database.Methods We searched the CNKI database from its establishment to June 2022,and scientifically analyzed the authors,keywords,and institutions of the included literature of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for pain treatment through specific algorithms of Citespace to generate a visual knowledge map.Results A total of 319 documents were included for statistical analysis,the number of publications in the field of acupoint catgut embedding therapy for the treatment of pain was generally on the rise,the number of publications by various authors was on the low side,and there was a lack of co-operation between the research teams,with the main institutions being the Guang'anmen Hospital,Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences,Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical Universities of Nationalities and the Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine,forming a 10-keyword clustering,and the hotspots of diseases under study were mainly mixed haemorrhoids,postoperative pain,low back and leg pain and dysmenorrhoea,etc..The main interventions were pure acupoint catgut embedding therapy and the combination of acupoint catgut embedding therapy and other acupuncture therapies,and the main research method was clinical research.Conclusion Acupoint catgut embedding therapy for the treatment of pain has a good development prospect,the future needs to deepen the clinical research,strengthen the mechanism research,pay attention to the joint use of acupoint catgut embedding therapy and other traditional Chinese medicine methods,and pay attention to the research of different thread materials.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic relapsing intestinal inflammation and encompasses ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). IBD has emerged as a global healthcare problem. Clinically efficacious therapeutic agents are deficient. This study concentrates on models of ulcerative colitis with the objective of discovering novel therapeutic strategies. Previous investigations have established that schisandrin A demonstrates anti-inflammatory effects in vitro, concurrently enhancing the transcriptional activity of farnesoid X receptor (FXR). FXR inversely modulates the transcriptional activity of NF-κB, which has an important role in regulating inflammatory responses. Consequently, the current study was to explore the safeguarding influence of schisandrin A on ulcerative colitis and delineate the mechanism by which it regulates this effect through the FXR signaling pathway. The effect of schisandrin A on the mRNA levels of inflammatory factors was evaluated in RAW264.7 cells. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the relationship between schisandrin A and FXR targeting. The animal experiments were performed in accordance with the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval No. PZSHUTCM2304250005). Acute ulcerative colitis was induced in wild-type or FXR knockout C57BL/6 mice by drinking 3% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) for 7 days, and schisandrin A was administered via gavage for a continuous treatment period of 7 days. The body weight and faecal were monitored daily. The mRNA levels of inflammatory factors in colon tissue and FXR target genes were measured by RT-qPCR. The findings revealed that schisandrin A, in vitro, impeded the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced elevation in mRNA levels of inflammatory factors and schisandrin A could augment transcriptional activity of FXR. In wild-type mice, schisandrin A significantly improved weight loss, colon shortening, loose stools and blood in stools in mice with acute ulcerative colitis, and schisandrin A significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory factors genes and significantly increased the expression of FXR target genes in colon tissues. In FXR knockout mice, the administration of schisandrin A failed to yield ameliorative effect on acute ulcerative colitis in mice. In conclusion, schisandrin A can reduce intestinal inflammation through the FXR signaling pathway to alleviate acute ulcerative colitis in mice. Implications arise that Schisandra lignans could serve as lead compounds for drug development aimed at inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunoassays are widely used in medicine, food, environment and other fields due to having the advantages of simpleness, rapidness and accuracy. Combining immunoassays with nanomaterials can improve the performance of immunoassays. Compared with traditional nanomaterials, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have excellent optical properties such as good photostability, long luminescence lifetime and narrow and tunable emission bands, which can significantly reduce background noise and improve analytical sensitivity when combined with immunoassay. This paper briefly introduces the luminescence mechanism of UCNPs, summarizes the synthesis and surface modification methods of UCNPs. And then 5 UCNPs-based immunoassay techniques, namely, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, inner filter effect, magnetic separation technique, upconversion-linked immunosorbent assay and upconversion immunochromatography, are discussed in detail. These sensing protocols of UCNPs-based immunoassays have been successfully utilized to detect various targets, including small molecules, macromolecules, and pathogens, all of which closely related to food safety, human health, and environmental pollution. Finally, the challenges and prospects of this technique are summarized and prospected. Although the UCNPs immunoassays based on antibodies and antigens have made great progress, most of the research is still in the stage of laboratory, and there is a long way to go to realize its social applications. There is a series of challenges need to be overcome. (1) Designing excellent water soluble and dispersive upconversion nanomaterials is needed. Hydrophilic ligands are bound to smaller upconversion nanoparticles and removing hydrophobic surface ligands are the most widely used methods to improve solubility and dispersity. (2) Multi-detection technology platforms and multi-mode simultaneous detection platforms have great potential, which will improve the efficiency of point of care detection. (3) The researchers also need to focus on some important problems. For examples, the upconversion luminescence efficiency of UCNPs is difficult to maintain, the synthesis method is complex, and the surface modification degree and functionalization are difficult to control.

Objective To compare the three methods in intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)dose verification using PTW Detector729.Methods A total of 50 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer,lung cancer,breast cancer,cervical cancer and whole brain radiation therapy who completed radiation treatment at some hospital from January to December 2022 were selected retrospectively.Two-dimensional(zero and actual gantry angles)and three-dimensional dose verifications were carried out for the IMRT plans using PTW Detector729 2D ionization chamber matrix combined with PTW RW3 solid water and PTW Ocavius 4D rotation unit.The dose assessment threshold was set to 10％,and the γ pass rates of the three verification methods were counted under four assessment criteria,namely 3％/1 mm,2％/2 mm,3％/2 mm and 3％/3 mm.SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results Under the 10％dose assessment threshold criterion,zero-gantry-angle 2D dose verification had the highest γ pass rate,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05);actual-gantry-angle 2D dose verification had the γ pass rate higher than that of 3D verification,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The γ pass rates of the three verification methods gradually increased under four criteria,namely,3％/1 mm,2％/2 mm,3％/2 mm and 3％/3 mm,and exceeded 90％under the 3％/2 mm criterion,and the results met the requirements of clinical radiotherapy.Conclusion The results of the three verification methods satisfy the requirements of the IMRT dose verification practice guidelines,and the selection of appropriate verification methods is of great significance to ensure the implementation of the treatment plan.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(5):56-59]

Objective:To investigate the value of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA) and pediatric critical illness score (PCIS) in predicting mortality of pediatric sepsis in pediatric intensive care units (PICU) from Southwest China.Methods:This was a prospective multicenter observational study. A total of 447 children with sepsis admitted to 12 PICU in Southwest China from April 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. Based on the prognosis, the patients were divided into survival group and non-survival group. The physiological parameters of SIRS, pSOFA and PCIS were recorded and scored within 24 h after PICU admission. The general clinical data and some laboratory results were recorded. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to compare the predictive value of SIRS, pSOFA and PCIS in mortality of pediatric sepsis.Results:Amongst 447 children with sepsis, 260 patients were male and 187 patients were female, aged 2.5 (0.8, 7.0) years, 405 patients were in the survival group and 42 patients were in the non-survival group. 418 patients (93.5%) met the criteria of SIRS, and 440 patients (98.4%) met the criteria of pSOFA≥2. There was no significant difference in the number of items meeting the SIRS criteria between the survival group and the non-survival group (3(2, 4) vs. 3(3, 4) points, Z=1.30, P=0.192). The pSOFA score of the non-survival group was significantly higher than that of the survival group (9(6, 12) vs. 4(3, 7) points, Z=6.56, P<0.001), and the PCIS score was significantly lower than that of the survival group (72(68, 81) vs. 82(76, 88) points, Z=5.90, P<0.001). The predictive value of pSOFA (AUC=0.82) and PCIS (AUC=0.78) for sepsis mortality was significantly higher than that of SIRS (AUC=0.56) ( Z=6.59, 4.23, both P<0.001). There was no significant difference between pSOFA and PCIS ( Z=1.35, P=0.176). Platelet count, procalcitonin, lactic acid, albumin, creatinine, total bilirubin, activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and international normalized ratio were all able to predict mortality of sepsis to a certain degree (AUC=0.64, 0.68, 0.80, 0.64, 0.68, 0.60, 0.77, 0.75, 0.76, all P<0.05). Conclusion:Compared with SIRS, both pSOFA and PCIS had better predictive value in the mortality of pediatric sepsis in PICU.

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.

Formaldehyde is a prevalent organic solvent in industrial and indoor environment,which can seriously harm human health,so it is of great significance to develop highly sensitive formaldehyde sensors with fast response,low detection limit and long life.In this study,the NiO-In2O3 composite structure was prepared using indium-based metal organic framework(In-MOF)as the precursor,and the formaldehyde gas sensor was constructed with In2O3 and NiO-In2O3 composite structure as the sensitive material.The results demonstrated that the In2O3 material had a microflower-like structure,while the NiO-In2O3 composite structure was composed of NiO nanoparticles attached to the surface of In2O3.The sensor exhibited excellent detection performance for formaldehyde in the environment of relative humidity of 33%and 75%,especially the response characteristic of the NiO-In2O3 composite structure sensor to formaldehyde was considerably better than that of the In2O3 sensor under the same test conditions,which was closely related to the catalytic effect of NiO and the heterogeneous structure formed between NiO and In2O3.The NiO-In2O3 composite structure sensor had a response value of 21.3 and 12.6 to 10 μL/L formaldehyde when the relative humidity was 33%and 75%at 200℃.The response/recovery time was 4/6 s and 7/10 s,and the limit of detection(LOD)was 1.2×10-7 μL/L and 4.1×10-5 μL/L respectively.Meanwhile,the sensor had excellent selectivity and long-term stability.This sensor showed a wide application prospect in the field of high-performance detection of low concentration of formaldehyde gas.

Purpose To explore the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)in the differential diagnosis of gallbladder polypoid lesions(GPLs)(diameter≥10 mm).Materials and Methods A prospective enrollment of 229 patients with GPLs who underwent cholecystectomy in 17 hospitals from December 1 2021 to June 30 2024 was conducted to analyze the relationship between general data,conventional ultrasound,CEUS characteristics and the nature of GPLs.Multivariate Logistic regression was employed to identify independent risk factors for neoplastic polyps,the differential diagnostic value of different indicators was compared.Results Among 229 patients with GPLs,there were 108 cases of cholesterol polyps,102 cases of adenoma and 19 cases of gallbladder cancer.Age(Z=-4.476,P<0.001),polyp number(χ2=15.561,P<0.001),diameter(Z=-8.149,P<0.001),echogenicity(χ2=9.241,P=0.010),vascularity(χ2=23.107,P<0.001),enhancement intensity(χ2=47.610,P<0.001),enhancement pattern(χ2=6.468,P=0.011),vascular type(χ2=84.470,P<0.001),integrity of gallbladder wall(χ2=7.662,P=0.006)and stalk width(Z=-9.831,P<0.001)between cholesterol polyps and neoplastic polyps were statistically significant.Age,location,diameter,echogenicity,enhancement pattern,vascular type and stalk width between adenoma and gallbladder cancer were statistically significant(Z=-4.333,-3.902,-5.042,all P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that hyper-enhancement,branched vascular type and stalk width were independent risk factors for neoplastic polyps(OR=4.563,5.770,3.075,all P<0.001).The combination of independent risk factors was better than single factor and diameter in the differential diagnosis of cholesterol polyps and neoplastic polyps(all P<0.01).Conclusion CEUS can effectively identify the nature of GPLs and provide a valuable imaging reference for the selection of treatment methods.