1.Mechanisms and Molecular Networks of Hypoxia-regulated Tumor Cell Dormancy
Mao ZHAO ; Jin-Qiu FENG ; Ze-Qi GAO ; Ping WANG ; Jia FU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2267-2279
Dormant tumor cells constitute a population of cancer cells that reside in a non-proliferative or low-proliferative state, typically arrested in the G0/G1 phase and exhibiting minimal mitotic activity. These cells are commonly observed across multiple cancer types, including breast, lung, and ovarian cancers, and represent a central cellular component of minimal residual disease (MRD) following surgical resection of the primary tumor. Dormant cells are closely associated with long-term clinical latency and late-stage relapse. Due to their quiescent nature, dormant cells are intrinsically resistant to conventional therapies—such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy—that preferentially target rapidly dividing cells. In addition, they display enhanced anti-apoptotic capacity and immune evasion, rendering them particularly difficult to eradicate. More critically, in response to microenvironmental changes or activation of specific signaling pathways, dormant cells can re-enter the cell cycle and initiate metastatic outgrowth or tumor recurrence. This ability to escape dormancy underscores their clinical threat and positions their effective detection and elimination as a major challenge in contemporary cancer treatment. Hypoxia, a hallmark of the solid tumor microenvironment, has been widely recognized as a potent inducer of tumor cell dormancy. However, the molecular mechanisms by which tumor cells sense and respond to hypoxic stress—initiating the transition into dormancy—remain poorly defined. In particular, the lack of a systems-level understanding of the dynamic and multifactorial regulatory landscape has impeded the identification of actionable targets and constrained the development of effective therapeutic strategies. Accumulating evidence indicates that hypoxia-induced dormancy tumor cells are accompanied by a suite of adaptive phenotypes, including cell cycle arrest, global suppression of protein synthesis, metabolic reprogramming, autophagy activation, resistance to apoptosis, immune evasion, and therapy tolerance. These changes are orchestrated by multiple converging signaling pathways—such as PI3K-AKT-mTOR, Ras-Raf-MEK-ERK, and AMPK—that together constitute a highly dynamic and interconnected regulatory network. While individual pathways have been studied in depth, most investigations remain reductionist and fail to capture the temporal progression and network-level coordination underlying dormancy transitions. Systems biology offers a powerful framework to address this complexity. By integrating high-throughput multi-omics data—such as transcriptomics and proteomics—researchers can reconstruct global regulatory networks encompassing the key signaling axes involved in dormancy regulation. These networks facilitate the identification of core regulatory modules and elucidate functional interactions among key effectors. When combined with dynamic modeling approaches—such as ordinary differential equations—these frameworks enable the simulation of temporal behaviors of critical signaling nodes, including phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK), phosphorylated S6 (p-S6), and the p38/ERK activity ratio, providing insights into how their dynamic changes govern transitions between proliferation and dormancy. Beyond mapping trajectories from proliferation to dormancy and from shallow to deep dormancy, such dynamic regulatory models support topological analyses to identify central hubs and molecular switches. Key factors—such as NR2F1, mTORC1, ULK1, HIF-1α, and DYRK1A—have emerged as pivotal nodes within these networks and represent promising therapeutic targets. Constructing an integrative, systems-level regulatory framework—anchored in multi-pathway coordination, omics-layer integration, and dynamic modeling—is thus essential for decoding the architecture and progression of tumor dormancy. Such a framework not only advances mechanistic understanding but also lays the foundation for precision therapies targeting dormant tumor cells during the MRD phase, addressing a critical unmet need in cancer management.
2.Investigation on vehicle occupant dummy applicability for under-foot impact loading conditions
Teng-Fei TIAN ; Fu-Hao MO ; Hao-Yang SU ; Can HUANG ; Hui ZHAO ; Jun LIU ; Bo SHANG ; Kui LI ; Jin-Long QIU
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2024;27(4):235-241
Purpose::Under-foot impact loadings can cause serious lower limb injuries in many activities, such as automobile collisions and underbody explosions to military vehicles. The present study aims to compare the biomechanical responses of the mainstream vehicle occupant dummies with the human body lower limb model and analyze their robustness and applicability for assessing lower limb injury risk in underfoot impact loading environments.Methods::The Hybrid III model, the test device for human occupant restraint (THOR) model, and a hybrid human body model with the human active lower limb model were adopted for under-foot impact analysis regarding different impact velocities and initial lower limb postures.Results::The results show that the 2 dummy models have larger peak tibial axial force and higher sensitivity to the impact velocities and initial postures than the human lower limb model. In particular, the Hybrid III dummy model presented extremely larger peak tibial axial forces than the human lower limb model. In the case of minimal difference in tibial axial force, Hybrid III's tibial axial force (7.5 KN) is still 312.5% that of human active lower limb's (2.4 KN). Even with closer peak tibial axial force values, the biomechanical response curve shapes of the THOR model show significant differences from the human lower limb model.Conclusion::Based on the present results, the Hybrid III dummy cannot be used to evaluate the lower limb injury risk in under-foot loading environments. In contrast, potential improvement in ankle biofidelity and related soft tissues of the THOR dummy can be implemented in the future for better applicability.
3.Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (version 2024)
Junyu WANG ; Hai JIN ; Danfeng ZHANG ; Rutong YU ; Mingkun YU ; Yijie MA ; Yue MA ; Ning WANG ; Chunhong WANG ; Chunhui WANG ; Qing WANG ; Xinyu WANG ; Xinjun WANG ; Hengli TIAN ; Xinhua TIAN ; Yijun BAO ; Hua FENG ; Wa DA ; Liquan LYU ; Haijun REN ; Jinfang LIU ; Guodong LIU ; Chunhui LIU ; Junwen GUAN ; Rongcai JIANG ; Yiming LI ; Lihong LI ; Zhenxing LI ; Jinglian LI ; Jun YANG ; Chaohua YANG ; Xiao BU ; Xuehai WU ; Li BIE ; Binghui QIU ; Yongming ZHANG ; Qingjiu ZHANG ; Bo ZHANG ; Xiangtong ZHANG ; Rongbin CHEN ; Chao LIN ; Hu JIN ; Weiming ZHENG ; Mingliang ZHAO ; Liang ZHAO ; Rong HU ; Jixin DUAN ; Jiemin YAO ; Hechun XIA ; Ye GU ; Tao QIAN ; Suokai QIAN ; Tao XU ; Guoyi GAO ; Xiaoping TANG ; Qibing HUANG ; Rong FU ; Jun KANG ; Guobiao LIANG ; Kaiwei HAN ; Zhenmin HAN ; Shuo HAN ; Jun PU ; Lijun HENG ; Junji WEI ; Lijun HOU
Chinese Journal of Trauma 2024;40(5):385-396
Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.
4.Eligibility of C-BIOPRED severe asthma cohort for type-2 biologic therapies.
Zhenan DENG ; Meiling JIN ; Changxing OU ; Wei JIANG ; Jianping ZHAO ; Xiaoxia LIU ; Shenghua SUN ; Huaping TANG ; Bei HE ; Shaoxi CAI ; Ping CHEN ; Penghui WU ; Yujing LIU ; Jian KANG ; Yunhui ZHANG ; Mao HUANG ; Jinfu XU ; Kewu HUANG ; Qiang LI ; Xiangyan ZHANG ; Xiuhua FU ; Changzheng WANG ; Huahao SHEN ; Lei ZHU ; Guochao SHI ; Zhongmin QIU ; Zhongguang WEN ; Xiaoyang WEI ; Wei GU ; Chunhua WEI ; Guangfa WANG ; Ping CHEN ; Lixin XIE ; Jiangtao LIN ; Yuling TANG ; Zhihai HAN ; Kian Fan CHUNG ; Qingling ZHANG ; Nanshan ZHONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2023;136(2):230-232
5.Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in acute leukemia patients with the SET-NUP214 fusion gene: Efficacy and survival analysis.
Jing XIA ; Ye ZHAO ; Feng CHEN ; Miao MIAO ; Hui Ying QIU ; Xiao MA ; Xiao Wen TANG ; Ying WANG ; Xiao Jin WU ; Zheng Zheng FU ; De Pei WU ; Su Ning CHEN
Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine 2023;62(4):410-415
Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for patients with acute leukemia who are positive for the SET-NUP214 fusion gene (SET-NUP214+AL). Methods: This was a retrospective case series study. Clinical data of 18 patients with SET-NUP214+AL who received allo-HSCT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and Soochow Hongci Hematology Hospital from December 2014 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed to investigate treatment efficacy and prognosis. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. Results: Of the 18 patients, 12 were male and 6 were female, and the median age was 29 years (range, 13-55 years). There were six cases of mixed phenotype acute leukemia (three cases of myeloid/T, two cases of B/T, one case of myeloid/B/T), nine cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (one case of B-ALL and eight cases of T-ALL), and three cases of acute myeloid leukemia. All patients received induction chemotherapy after diagnosis, and 17 patients achieved complete remission (CR) after chemotherapy. All patients subsequently received allo-HSCT. Pre-transplantation status: 15 patients were in the first CR, 1 patient was in the second CR, 1 was in partial remission, and 1 patient did not reach CR. All patients were successfully implanted with stem cells. The median time of granulocyte and platelet reconstitution was +12 and +13 days, respectively. With a median follow-up of 23 (4-80) months, 15 patients survived, while 3 patients died. The cause of death was recurrence of SET-NUP214+AL after transplantation. After allo-HSCT, 5 patients relapsed. The estimated 3-year overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) rates were 83.3%±15.2% and 55.4%±20.7%, respectively. Among the 15 patients who achieved CR before transplantation, there was no significant difference in OS and RFS between haploidentical HSCT and matched sibling donor HSCT (all P>0.05). Conclusions: Allo-HSCT can improve the prognosis and long-term survival rate of patients with SET-NUP214+AL. Disease recurrence is the most important factor affecting long-term survival.
Male
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods*
;
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy*
;
Survival Analysis
;
Remission Induction
;
Acute Disease
;
Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/therapy*
;
Recurrence
;
Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins
6.Efficacy and safefy of Polymyxin B treatment for neutropenic patients suffering from refractory Gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infection.
Meng ZHOU ; Hui Zhu KANG ; Cheng Yuan GU ; Yue Jun LIU ; Ying WANG ; Miao MIAO ; Jian Hong FU ; Xiao Wen TANG ; Hui Ying QIU ; Cheng Cheng FU ; Zheng Ming JIN ; Cai Xia LI ; Su Ning CHEN ; Ai Ning SUN ; De Pei WU ; Yue HAN
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2023;44(6):484-489
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of polymyxin B in neutropenic patients with hematologic disorders who had refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infection. Methods: From August 2021 to July 2022, we retrospectively analyzed neutropenic patients with refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infection who were treated with polymyxin B in the Department of Hematology of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Soochow University between August 2021 to July 2022. The cumulative response rate was then computed. Results: The study included 27 neutropenic patients with refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infections. Polymyxin B therapy was effective in 22 of 27 patients. The median time between the onset of fever and the delivery of polymyxin B was 3 days [interquartile range (IQR) : 2-5]. The median duration of polymyxin B treatment was 7 days (IQR: 5-11). Polymyxin B therapy had a median antipyretic time of 37 h (IQR: 32-70). The incidence of acute renal dysfunction was 14.8% (four out of 27 cases), all classified as "injury" according to RIFLE criteria. The incidence of hyperpigmentation was 59.3%. Conclusion: Polymyxin B is a viable treatment option for granulocytopenia patients with refractory gram-negative bacterial bloodstream infections.
Humans
;
Polymyxin B/adverse effects*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/complications*
;
Fever/drug therapy*
;
Sepsis/drug therapy*
;
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use*
;
Bacteremia/complications*
7.Urinary Creatinine Concentrations and Its Explanatory Variables in General Chinese Population: Implications for Creatinine Limits and Creatinine Adjustment.
Sai Sai JI ; Yue Bin LYU ; Ying Li QU ; Xiao Jian HU ; Yi Fu LU ; Jun Fang CAI ; Shi Xun SONG ; Xu ZHANG ; Ying Chun LIU ; Yan Wei YANG ; Wen Li ZHANG ; Ya Wei LI ; Ming Yuan ZHANG ; Chen CHEN ; Cheng Cheng LI ; Zheng LI ; Heng GU ; Ling LIU ; Jia Yi CAI ; Tian QIU ; Hui FU ; S John JI ; Feng ZHAO ; Ying ZHU ; Zhao Jin CAO ; Xiao Ming SHI
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2022;35(10):899-910
OBJECTIVE:
The study aimed to analyze the applicability of the World Health Organization's exclusionary guidelines for Urinary creatinine (Ucr) in the general Chinese population, and to identify Ucr related factors.
METHODS:
We conduct a cross-sectional study using baseline data from 21,167 participants in the China National Human Biomonitoring Program. Mixed linear models and restricted cubic splines (RCS) were used to analyze the associations between explanatory variables and Ucr concentration.
RESULTS:
The geometric mean and median concentrations of Ucr in the general Chinese population were 0.90 g/L and 1.01 g/L, respectively. And 9.36% samples were outside 0.3-3.0 g/L, including 7.83% below the lower limit and 1.53% above the upper limit. Middle age, male, obesity, smoking, higher frequency of red meat consumption and chronic kidney disease were associated significantly with higher concentrations of Ucr. Results of the RCS showed Ucr was positively and linearly associated with body mass index, inversely and linearly associated with systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglycerides level, and glomerular filtration rate, and were non-linearly associated with triiodothyronine.
CONCLUSION
The age- and gender-specific cut-off values of Ucr that determine the validity of urine samples in the general Chinese population were recommended. To avoid introducing bias into epidemiologic associations, the potential predictors of Ucr observed in the current study should be considered when using Ucr to adjust for variations in urine dilution.
Middle Aged
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Male
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Humans
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Creatinine
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Cross-Sectional Studies
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Asian People
;
Glomerular Filtration Rate
;
China
8.Application progress of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in precision medicine.
Jing Yi JIN ; Fu Rong QIU ; Yu ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2022;56(11):1675-1684
Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is an analytical method that combines high separation of liquid chromatography with high selectivity and sensitivity of mass spectrometry. In recent years, LC-MS/MS has been widely used in clinical practice, including screening of inherited disorders, determination of endogenous compounds and analysis of biomarkers. LC-MS/MS is of great value to the precision prevention, diagnosis and treatment of some diseases due to its accurate data. This article not only illustrates the advantages of LC-MS/MS in precision medicine, but also prospects the future trend of LC-MS/MS in clinical practice, which expects to promote the development of clinical LC-MS/MS in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
Humans
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Chromatography, Liquid/methods*
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Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods*
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Precision Medicine
;
Reproducibility of Results
9.Correlations between alterations of T-helper 17 cells and treatment efficacy after concurrent radiochemotherapy in locally advanced cervical cancer (stage IIB-IIIB): a 3-year prospective study.
Yi LIU ; Qiu-Fen GUO ; Jin-Long CHEN ; Xi-Rui LI ; Fei HOU ; Xiao-Yan LIU ; Wen-Jing ZHANG ; Yan ZHANG ; Fu-Feng GAO ; You-Zhong ZHANG ; Bao-Xia CUI ; Nai-Fu LIU
Chinese Medical Journal 2021;134(8):954-962
BACKGROUND:
Recently, T-helper 17 (Th17) cells have been proved to play an important role in promoting cervical cancer. But, till now, few study has been carried out to understand the involvement of these cells in efficacy of anti-tumor treatments. This study aimed to investigate the alterations in the percentage of circulating Th17 cells and related cytokines in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients before and after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) and to analyze the correlations between the alterations in Th17 cells and treatment efficacy.
METHODS:
A prospective study with 49 LACC (International federation of gynecology and obstetrics [FIGO] stage IIB-IIIB) patients and 23 controls was conducted. Patients received the same cCRT schedule and were followed up for 3 years. Circulating Th17 cells (CD3+CD8- interleukin [IL]-17+ T cells) and related cytokines IL-17, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), IL-10, IL-23, IL-6, and IL-22 were detected before and after cCRT. Correlations between alterations of circulating Th17 cells and treatment efficacy were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS).
RESULTS:
We found that 40 patients finished the entire cCRT schedule and met the endpoint of this study. The percentage of circulating Th17 cells in the LACC patients was higher than that in the controls, and it significantly decreased after cCRT (P < 0.05). After cCRT, patients were divided into two groups based on the average of the Th17 cells declined. The subgroup of patients with a prominent decrease in circulating Th17 cells after cCRT had a higher treatment efficacy and longer PFS and OS times. Compared with the control patients, LACC patients had higher IL-6, IL-10, IL-22, TGF-β levels and a lower IL-23 level (P < 0.05). After cCRT, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, IL-23 level significantly increased and TGF-β level significantly decreased compared with the levels before cCRT (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
Circulating Th17 cells in the LACC patients (FIGO stage IIB-IIIB) were higher than those in the controls, but they generally decreased after cCRT. A more pronounced decrease in circulating Th17 cells after cCRT was correlated with better therapeutic effect and longer PFS and OS times.
Chemoradiotherapy
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Disease-Free Survival
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Neoplasm Staging
;
Prospective Studies
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Th17 Cells
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/therapy*
10.A retrospective clinical study of patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer among multiple centers in China (CSBrS-008).
Yu-Chun JIN ; Jun-Xian DU ; Shao-Mei FU ; Qin CHEN ; Yi-Ran QIU ; An PEI ; Yi-Jing YAO ; Wei ZHU ; Ke-Jin WU
Chinese Medical Journal 2021;134(18):2186-2195
BACKGROUND:
Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is a special type of breast cancer that occurs during pregnancy and within 1 year after childbirth. With the rapid social development and the adjustment of reproductive policies in China, the average age of females at first childbirth is increasing, which is expected to lead to an increase in the incidence of PABC. This study aimed to accumulate clinical experience and to investigate and summarize the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of PABC based on large multicenter samples in China.
METHODS:
According to the Chinese Society of Breast Surgery, a total of 164 patients with PABC in 27 hospitals from January 2016 to December 2018 were identified. The pregnancy status, clinicopathological features, comprehensive treatment methods, and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method.
RESULTS:
A total of 164 patients of PABC accounted for 0.30% of the total number of cases in the same period; of which, 83 patients were diagnosed during pregnancy and 81 patients during lactation. The median age of PABC was 33 years (24-47 years). Stage I patients accounted for 9.1% (15/164), stage II 54.9% (90/164), stage III 24.4% (40/164), and stage IV 2.4% (4/164). About 9.1% (15/164) of patients were luminal A. Luminal B patients accounted the most (43.3% [71/164]). About 15.2% (25/164) of patients were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her-2) overexpression and 18.9% (31/164) of patients were triple-negative breast cancer. For pregnancy breast cancer, 36.1% (30/83) of patients received direct surgery and 20.5% (17/83) received chemotherapy during pregnancy. About 31.3% (26/83) chose abortion or induction of labor. The median follow-up time was 36 months (3-59 months); 11.0% (18/164) patients had local recurrence or distant metastasis and 3.0% (5/164) died.
CONCLUSIONS
It is safe and feasible to standardize surgery and chemotherapy for PABC.
Adult
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Breast Neoplasms/epidemiology*
;
China/epidemiology*
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Female
;
Humans
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Neoplasm Recurrence, Local
;
Pregnancy
;
Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic
;
Prognosis
;
Retrospective Studies

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