Neoadjuvant therapy has become the standard treatment for locally advanced resectable esophageal cancer, significantly improving long-term survival compared to surgery alone. Neoadjuvant therapy has evolved to include various strategies, such as concurrent chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted combination therapy. This enriches clinical treatment options and provides a more personalized and scientific treatment approach for patients. This article aims to comprehensively summarize current academic research hot topics, review the rationale and evaluation measures of neoadjuvant therapy, discuss challenges in restaging methods after neoadjuvant therapy, and identify the advantages and disadvantages of various neoadjuvant therapeutic strategies.

Distinct from the complementary inhibition mechanism through binding to the target with three-dimensional conformation of small molecule inhibitors, targeted protein degradation technology takes tremendous advantage of endogenous protein degradation pathway inside cells to degrade plenty of “undruggable” target proteins, which provides a novel route for the treatment of many serious diseases, mainly including proteolysis-targeting chimeras, lysosome-targeting chimeras, autophagy-targeting chimeras, antibody-based proteolysis-targeting chimeras, etc. Unlike proteolysis-targeting chimeras first found in 2001, which rely on ubiquitin-proteasome system to mainly degrade intracellular proteins of interest, lysosome-targeting chimeras identified in 2020, which was act as the fastly developing technology, utilize cellular lysosomal pathway through endocytosis mediated by lysosome-targeting receptor to degrade both extracellular and membrane proteins. As an emerging biomedical technology, nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras utilize nucleic acids as certain components of chimera molecule to replace with ligand to lysosome-targeting receptor or protein of interest, exhibiting broad application prospects and potential clinical value in disease treatment and drug development. This review mainly introduced present progress of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras technology, including its basic composition, its advantages compared with antibody or glycopeptide-based lysosome-targeting chimeras, and focused on its chief application, in terms of the type of lysosome-targeting receptors. Most research about the development of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras focused on those which utilized cation-independent mannose-6-phosphonate receptor as the lysosome-targeting receptor. Both mannose-6-phosphonate-modified glycopeptide and nucleic aptamer targeting cation-independent mannose-6-phosphonate receptor, even double-stranded DNA molecule moiety can be taken advantage as the ligand to lysosome-targeting receptor. The same as classical lysosome-targeting chimeras, asialoglycoprotein receptor can also be used for advance of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras. Another new-found lysosome-targeting receptor, scavenger receptor, can bind dendritic DNA molecules to mediate cellular internalization of complex and lysosomal degradation of target protein, suggesting the successful application of scavenger receptor-mediated nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras. In addition, this review briefly overviewed the history of lysosome-targeting chimeras, including first-generation and second-generation lysosome-targeting chimeras through cation-independent mannose-6-phosphonate receptor-mediated and asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated endocytosis respectively, so that a clear timeline can be presented for the advance of chimera technique. Meantime, current deficiency and challenge of lysosome-targeting chimeras was also mentioned to give some direction for deep progress of lysosome-targeting chimeras. Finally, according to faulty lysosomal degradation efficiency, more cellular mechanism where lysosome-targeting chimeras perform degradation of protein of interest need to be deeply explored. In view of current progress and direction of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras, we discussed its current challenges and development direction in the future. Stability of natural nucleic acid molecule and optimized chimera construction have a great influence on the biological function of lysosome-targeting chimeras. Discovery of novel lysosome-targeting receptors and nucleic aptamer with higher affinity to the target will greatly facilitate profound advance of chimera technique. In summary, nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras have many superiorities, such as lower immunogenicity, expedient synthesis of chimera molecules and so on, in contrast to classical lysosome-targeting chimeras, making it more valuable. Also, the chimera technology provides new ideas and methods for biomedical research, drug development and clinical treatment, and can be used more widely through further research and optimization.

In view of the few studies on the influence of Armillaria spp. infection on the content of the chemical components in different parts of Polyporus umbellatus sclerotia, this study determined the biomass of P. umbellatus sclerotia and the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia and the uninfected part of the sclerotia in different harvesting years under the conditions of A. gallica and A. mellea infection respectively. According to the difference of content and dynamic changes of the polysaccharide and the steroid substances, the superior Armillaria sp. was screened to obtain the best harvest years of P. umbellatus. Using HPLC and UV-VIS spectrophotometry methods, the contents of ergosterol, polyporusterone A, polyporusterone B and polysaccharide in P. umbellatus sclerotia infected by the two Armillaria spp. in different years were determined. In addition, the differentially expressed genes related to P. umbellatus polysaccharide synthesis were screened according to the transcriptomic data of different parts of P. umbellatus after A. mellea infection. With the increase of years, the biomass of sclerotia infected by different Armillaria spp. had significant differences, and there were significant differences in the four components of sclerotia. The four components of the separated cavity wall of the sclerotia were significantly higher than those of the uninfected part. The best harvest time was the third year after cultivation. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the infection of Armillaria spp. could significantly promote polysaccharide synthesis, which provided a basis for polysaccharide content determination at the molecular level. The study clarified the influence of different Armillaria spp. infection on the accumulation of chemical components of P. umbellatus sclerotia, laying a foundation for exploring the symbiosis mechanism and provided a scientific clue for screening superior Armillaria sp. and guiding the artificial cultivation of P. umbellatus sclerotia.

Through network pharmacology and molecular docking technology, combined with in vitro experiment verification, we explored the mechanism of action of Porana racemosa Roxb. (PRA) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and provided a modern pharmacological basis for the treatment of RA by PRA. The potential target of chemical components in the analyzed moth rattan was predicted by Swiss Target Prediction database; OMIM, GeneCards, TTD and Disgenet databases were used to search the disease targets of RA; the protein interaction (PPI) network and medicine-composition-target network were constructed using STRING database and Cytoscape software; GO (gene ontology) functional enrichment and KEGG (kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes) pathway analysis were carried out using DAVID database, and molecular docking software was used to dock the potentially active ingredients of PRA and core targets; finally, MH7A cells were selected for cell viability, scratch healing and mRNA expression level analysis of key genes to explore the effects of PRA and their potentially active ingredients on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of MH7A cells. In this study, a total of 628 potentially active ingredient targets, 1 890 RA targets and 235 intersection targets were identified. It was screened that the potentially active ingredients of RA treatment by PRA were ethylcaffeate, N-p-coumaroyltyramine, 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester and so on, and the core targets involved tumor necrosis factor (TNF), matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and so on. 1 200 GO entries and 166 KEGG pathway entries were obtained from the enrichment analysis; molecular docking results showed that N-p-coumaroyltyramine and ethylcaffeate had good binding activity with TNF, MMP9, cysteine-aspartate protease 3 (CASP3), PTGS2, B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) proteins. In vitro experiments showed that PRA, ethylcaffeate and N-p-coumaroyltyramine could inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of MH7A cells, up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related gene CASP3 mRNA, and down-regulate the expression of MMP9, PTGS2 and BCL2 mRNA, and it can also down-regulate the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase B (AKT) mRNA and PI3K and p-AKT proteins. This study preliminarily revealed that the treatment of RA by PRA may be related to proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and regulation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

ObjectiveFunctional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a novel non-invasive technique for monitoring cerebral activity, can be integrated with upper limb rehabilitation robots to facilitate the real-time assessment of neurological rehabilitation outcomes. The rehabilitation robot is designed with 3 training modes: passive, active, and resistance. Among these, the resistance mode has been demonstrated to yield superior rehabilitative outcomes for patients with a certain level of muscle strength. The control modes in the resistance mode can be categorized into dynamic and static control. However, the effects of different control modes in the resistance mode on the motor function of patients with upper limb hemiplegia in stroke remain unclear. Furthermore, the effects of force, an important parameter of different control modes, on the activation of brain regions have rarely been reported. This study investigates the effects of dynamic and static resistance modes under varying resistance levels on cerebral functional alterations during motor rehabilitation in post-stroke patients. MethodsA cohort of 20 stroke patients with upper limb dysfunction was enrolled in the study, completing preparatory adaptive training followed by 3 intensity-level tasks across 2 motor paradigms. The bilateral prefrontal cortices (PFC), bilateral primary motor cortices (M1), bilateral primary somatosensory cortices (S1), and bilateral premotor and supplementary motor cortices (PM) were examined in both the resting and motor training states. The lateralization index (LI), phase locking value (PLV), network metrics were employed to examine cortical activation patterns and topological properties of brain connectivity. ResultsThe data indicated that both dynamic and static modes resulted in significantly greater activation of the contralateral M1 area and the ipsilateral PM area when compared to the resting state. The static patterns demonstrated a more pronounced activation in the contralateral M1 in comparison to the dynamic patterns. The results of brain network analysis revealed significant differences between the dynamic and resting states in the contralateral PFC area and contralateral M1 area (F=4.709, P=0.038), as well as in the contralateral PM area and ipsilateral M1 area (F=4.218, P=0.049). Moreover, the findings indicated a positive correlation between the activation of the M1 region and the increase in force in the dynamic mode, which was reversed in the static mode. ConclusionBoth dynamic and static resistance training modes have been demonstrated to activate the corresponding brain functional regions. Dynamic resistance modes elicit greater oxygen changes and connectivity to the region of interest (ROI) than static resistance modes. Furthermore, the effects of increasing force differ between the two modes. In patients who have suffered a stroke, dynamic modes may have a more pronounced effect on the activation of exercise-related functional brain regions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Danmu Extract Syrup (DMS) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice and explore the mechanism. METHODS: Seventy-two male Balb/C mice were randomly divided into 6 groups according to a random number table (n=12), including control (normal saline), LPS (5 mg/kg), LPS+DMS 2.5 mL/kg, LPS+DMS 5 mL/kg, LPS+DMS 10 mL/kg, and LPS+Dexamethasone (DXM, 5 mg/kg) groups. After pretreatment with DMS and DXM, the ALI mice model was induced by LPS, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected to determine protein concentration, cell counts and inflammatory cytokines. The lung tissues of mice were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, and the wet/dry weight ratio (W/D) of lung tissue was calculated. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1 β in BALF of mice were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The expression levels of Claudin-5, vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), phospho-protein kinase B (p-Akt) and Akt were detected by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: DMS pre-treatment significantly ameliorated lung histopathological changes. Compared with the LPS group, the W/D ratio and protein contents in BALF were obviously reduced after DMS pretreatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The number of cells in BALF and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity decreased significantly after DMS pretreatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DMS pre-treatment decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1 β (P<0.01). Meanwhile, DMS activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) pathway and reversed the expressions of Claudin-5, VE-cadherin and VEGF (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS DMS attenuated LPS-induced ALI in mice through repairing endothelial barrier. It might be a potential therapeutic drug for LPS-induced lung injury.
Mice ; Male ; Animals ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Interleukin-1beta/metabolism* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Claudin-5/metabolism* ; Acute Lung Injury/chemically induced* ; Lung/pathology* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal

Objective: To explore of executive function in obese adolescents, so as to provide a reference for executive function enhancement intervention in obese adolescents. Methods: A convenience sample of 1 227 adolescents aged 13-18 years was selected from 2 secondary schools in Taiyuan City during March-April 2023. The Flanker task, N-back task and More odd shifting task was used to compare the different subfunctions of executive function (refreshing function, shifting function, inhibiting function) of 61 obese adolescents and 70 normal weight adolescents. Independent samples t-tests was used for between group comparisons and Cohen s d -tests was used to calculate between group differences in executive function between the two groups of adolescents. Results: Compared with the group of normal weight, time responses of the inhibitory function [(29.73±19.55)ms], the refreshing function [1-back: (1 088.75±275.76)ms, 2-back:( 1 285.44± 355.16)ms] and the shifting function [(380.34±153.18) ms] in the obese group were significantly longer than those in the normal weight group [(14.86±20.27, 888.38±286.57, 1 126.20± 287.43 , 323.12±134.71) ms] ( t =4.26, 4.06, 1.92,2.26, P < 0.05 ); inhibitory function (0.91±0.09) and 1-back (0.73±0.24) were also significantly less correct than in the normal weight group (0.94±0.05, 0.83±0.21) ( t =-2.04, -2.04, P <0.05). Obese adolescents showed moderate adverse effect sizes in the inhibition function ( d =0.746,0.712) and the refresh function 1-back, and smaller adverse effect sizes in the refresh function 2-back and the conversion function( d =0.497,0.398). Conclusion Obese adolescents have significant executive function deficits, but the degree of adverse varies across sub-functions, with inhibitory function being the core deficit component of executive function in obese adolescents.

Abstract Executive function is an advanced cognitive process aimed at the flexible coordination, optimization, and control of the cognitive processes of task solving in order to accomplish a specific task, ensuring that the individual produces effective behaviors, including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Given the sensitivities and specificities that characterize an individual s physical and mental development during adolescence, this period is critical for the development of executive function in adolescents. In the paper, the influencing factors of adolescents executive function development are systematically described from three dimensions, namely, biology, environment and lifestyle; by analyzing the mechanisms and differences in the effects of different influencing factors, this editorial provides a scientific basis for adolescents executive function improvement and intervention.

Objective To compare the effect of serratus anterior plane block(SAPB)and thoracic para-vertebral block(TPVB)on acute and chronic pain and plasma tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)level after breast cancer modified radical operation.Methods A total of 99 patients with elective breast cancer modified radical operation,aged 35-70 years,American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status(ASA):grade Ⅰ-11,Body Mass Index(BMI):18-25 kg/m2,were randomly divided into three groups:the simple patient-con-trolled intravenous analgesia(PCIA)group(C group),PCIA combined with TPVB group(TC group)and PCI A combined witj SAPB group(SC group).TPVB and SAPB were performed before induction in the TC group and the SC group,and the relevant situation of regional blocking operation was recorded.The Visual Analogue Scales(VAS)scores in rest and activity at 2,4,8,12,24,48 h after operation,effective pressing times of analgesic pump and remedial analgesia situation after operation were recorded.The TNF-α levels be-fore anesthesia and at postoperative 12,48 h,in postoperative 3,6 months were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results Compared with the TC group,the block operation time in the SC group was shorter(P＜0.05).Compared with the C group,the VAS scores in the state of rest and activity at postoperative 2,4,8,12,24 h in the TC group and SC group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05),and the dosage of remifentanil during operation,incidence rates of postoperative nausea and vomiting,effective press-ing times of analgesic pump and rate of remedial analgesia were all decreased(P＜0.05).There was no statis-tical difference in the incidence rate of post-mastectomy pain syndrome(PMPS)among the three groups(P＞0.05).Compared with the C group,the levels of plasma TNF-α in the TC group and SC group were decreased at postoperative 12,48 h,in postoperative 3,6 months,moreover the VAS score in the patients with PMPS was lower(P＜0.05).Compared with the patients without PMPS occurrence,the levels of plasma TNF-α in postoperative 3,6 months in the patients with PMPS were significantly up-regulated(P＜0.05).Conclusion By blocking the afference of pain signals caused by peripheral injury and reducing plasma TNF-α level,SAPB or TPVB may relieve the acute and chronic pain degree in the patients with breast cancer modified radi-cal operation.

Objective To investigate the expression of circular ribonucleic acid carnitine palmitoyltrans-ferase 1A(circRNA CPT1A)in patients with diabetic retinopathy(DR)and its mechanism of action on neuropathy.Methods To-tally 80 patients(102 eyes)with type 2 diabetes admitted to our hospital from January 2019 to January 2022 were selected,including 22 patients(28 eyes)with no DR(NDR group),38 patients(48 eyes)with non-proliferative DR(NPDR group),and 20 patients(26 eyes)with proliferative DR(PDR group).Optical coherence tomography angiography was used to measure the thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer(pRNFL)and macular ganglion cell complex(GCC),the level of phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN)in peripheral blood was detected by Western blot,and the circRNA CPT1A level in peripheral blood was detected by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The levels of circRNA CPT1A and PTEN in peripheral blood,as well as the thickness of pRNFL and GCC,were compared among three groups,and Pearson correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between circRNA CPT1A and PTEN,pRNFL and GCC thickness.Results The circRNA CPT1A in the peripheral blood of the PDR group was higher than that in the NDR group and NPDR group;the PTEN in the peripheral blood of the PDR group was lower than that in the NDR group and NP-DR group(all P＜0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the expression of circRNA CPT1A and PTEN be-tween NDPR group and NDR group(all P＞0.05).The Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression level of cir-cRNA CPT1A in peripheral blood was negatively correlated with PTEN(P＜0.05).With the increase in disease severity,the thickness of pRNFL and GCC showed a decreasing trend;the thickness of pRNFL and GCC in the whole,upper and lower parts of eyes in the NDR group were higher than those in the NPDR group(all P＜0.05),while those in the NPDR group were higher than the PDR group(all P＜0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression level of cir-cRNA CPT1A in peripheral blood was negatively correlated with the thickness of pRNFL and GCC in the whole,upper and lower parts of the observed eyes(all P＜0.05).Conclusion With the increase in the severity of DR,circRNA CPT1A in the peripheral blood of DR patients shows an increasing trend and is negatively correlated with peripheral blood PTEN lev-el,as well as macular pRNFL and GCC thickness.The mechanism of action may be that circRNA CPT1A negatively regu-lates the expression of PTEN and thus participates in the occurrence and development of DR.