Objective:To explore the diagnostic value of serum C-C chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) in assessing the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).Methods:71 MAFLD patients who visited the Department of Integrated Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, and underwent liver biopsy histopathology examinations between October 2021 and June 2023 were selected for diagnostic testing. Simultaneously, 71 healthy subjects who underwent physical examinations at the physical examination center of the hospital were selected as the control group. Serum CCL5 levels were detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Routine blood tests, liver and kidney function tests, and other tests were conducted to analyze the expression level of CCL5 and its correlation with the above indicators. The aspartate aminotransferase/platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis 4 index (FIB-4) were calculated. SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of CCL5 for the degree of liver fibrosis in MAFLD. The combined diagnostic efficacy of APRI and FIB-4 was further analyzed for the degree of liver fibrosis in MAFLD.Results:The expression level of serum CCL5 gradually increased with the increase in liver fibrosis stage in patients with MAFLD, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). The AUC value of serum CCL5 for diagnosing significant liver fibrosis in MAFLD patients was 0.775, with a sensitivity of 65.7%, a specificity of 80.6%, and an optimal cutoff value of 49.845 ng/ml. The CCL5 and FIB-4 combination had the highest diagnostic value for significant liver fibrosis in patients with MAFLD, with an AUC of 0.802, a sensitivity of 91.4%, and a specificity of 61.1%. Conclusion:CCL5 has a high diagnostic value for significant liver fibrosis in MAFLD patients. Therefore, it is expected to become a non-invasive diagnostic marker for assessing the degree of liver fibrosis in MAFLD patients.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with programmed death-1 (PD-1) antibody in operable, borderline or potentially resectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) in the real world. Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed 28 patients with operable or potentially resectable locally advanced ESCC patients treated with preoperative chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitor in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from April 2020 to March 2021. According to the clinical TNM staging system of the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer, there were 1, 15, 10, 1 and 1 case of stage Ⅱ, Ⅲ, ⅣA, ⅣB and unknown stage respectively. The treatment was two cycle of dual drug chemotherapy regimen including taxane plus platinum or fluorouracil combined with PD-1 antibody followed by tumor response assessment and surgery if the patient was eligible for resection. Results: Of the 28 patients, 1, 2, 3 and 4 cycles of chemotherapy combined with PD-1 antibody treatment completed in 1, 21, 5, and 1 patient, respectively. Objective response rate (ORR) was 71.4% (20/28), and disease control rate (DCR) was 100% (28/28). The incidence of adverse events exceeding grade 3 levels was 21.4% (6/28), including 3 neutropenia, 1 leukopenia, 1 thrombocytopenia and 1 immune hepatitis. There was no treatment-related death. Of the 23 patients underwent surgery, R0 resection rate was 87.0% (20/23), 13 patients had down staged to the T1-2N0M0 I stage, the pCR rate was 17.3% (4/23), and the pCR rate of primary tumor was 21.7% (5/23). Four patients received definitive chemoradiotherapy. One patient rejected surgery and other treatment after achieved PR response. Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined PD-1 inhibitor is safe and has high efficacy in operable, borderline or potentially resectable locally advanced ESCC, and it is a promising regimen.
Humans ; Antibodies/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/surgery* ; Cisplatin ; Esophageal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/drug therapy* ; Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Aim To investigate the expression of Foxos in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)with insulin resistance(IR)induced by high glucose and high fat(HG/HF)stress and its significance.Methods First, the IR model of endothelial cells was established by HG /HF stress.The differential expression of Foxos gene in normal(Ctrl )group and HG /HF group was observed, and the subtypes with the most significant changes in Foxos were screened out, such as Foxo6.Next, Foxo6 was silenced to observe its role in endothelial cell with IR.Finally, whether the mechanism of Foxo6-mediated IR was related to the interaction of NF-κB signaling was investigated.Results The expression increase of Foxo6 was the most significant among Foxos under the IR condition induced by HG/HF.Using a small RNA interference and plasmid transfection technique, we found that the silence effect of the siRNA3 fragments targeting Foxo6 was the most significant among the siRNAs.Moreover, the further study showed that silencing the Foxo6 gene could significantly reverse the endothelial IR induced by HG/HF, and the mechanism of the reversal effect was related to the interaction between the Foxo6 and NF-κB signal.Conclusions Foxo6 mediates the endothelial cell IR induced by the HG /HF stress.The underlying mechanism is that Foxo6 can interact with NF-κBp65 and activate NF-κB signaling pathway.Silencing Foxo6 can improve the IR of vascular endothelial cells induced by HG /HF stress.

Objective: To summarize the clinical manifestations of IgG4-related diseases in the head and neck, explore treatment methods. Methods : The clinical data of 21 patients diagnosed with IgG4-related diseases were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical data and the results of glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive therapy were studied retrospectively. Results: All patients had swollen sclerotic masses, and CT showed irregular high-density masses with uniform enhancement in the enlarged glands. Some patients had mucosal thickening and mass-like changes in theoral cavity, nose, sinuses, throat and other tissues, and most of the patients had cervical lymphadenopathy and elevated serum IgG4 levels (≥ 1.35 g/L). Histopathological examination of affected exosine glands and affected mucosa and lymph nodes in all patients showed infiltration of lymphocytes, plasma cells and IgG4+ plasma cells. In 21 patients, the mass in the affected glands and mucosa (including head, neck and other tissues) disappeared, and the clinical symptoms were relieved after the application of glucocorticoids. However, with a reduction in glucocorticoids, the mass recurred or even worsened. Conclusion For patients with a single mass in the submandibular gland, parotid gland and other salivary glands, as well as lymph node enlargement, CT is the first choice to identify the nature of gland neoplasms. Combined with pathological examination, related auxiliary examination and peripheral blood examination are also needed to obtain a definitive diagnosis. Glucocorticoid therapy is used to achieve a good prognosis, and long-term follow-up and timely adjustment of medication regimens are required.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors

Objective: To explore the safety and effectiveness of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for oligometastases from colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: This is a prospective, single-arm phase Ⅱ trial. Patients who had histologically proven CRC, 1 to 5 detectable liver or lung metastatic lesions with maximum diameter of any metastases ≤5 cm were eligible. SBRT was delivered to all lesions. The primary endpoint was 3-year local control (LC). The secondary endpoints were treatment-related acute toxicities of grade 3 and above, 1-year and 3-year overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Log rank test. Results: Petients from 2016 to 2019 who were treated in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College. Forty-eight patients with 60 lesions were enrolled, including 37 liver lesions and 23 lung lesions. Forty-six patients had 1 or 2 lesions, with median diameter of 1.3 cm, the median biologically effective dose (BED(10)) was 100.0 Gy. The median follow-up was 19.5 months for all lesions. Twenty-five lesions developed local failure, the median local progression free survival was 15 months. The 1-year LC, OS and PFS was 70.2% (95% CI, 63.7%~76.7%), 89.0% (95% CI, 84.3%~93.7%) and 40.4% (95%CI, 33.0%~47.8%). The univariate analysis revealed that planning target volume (PTV) and total dose were independent prognostic factors of LC (P<0.05). For liver and lung lesions, the 1-year LC, OS and PFS was 58.7% and 89.4% (P=0.015), 89.3% and 86.5% (P=0.732), 30.5% and 65.6% (P=0.024), respectively. No patients developed acute toxicity of grade 3 and above. Conclusion: SBRT is safe and effective treatment method for oligometastases from CRC under precise respiratory motion management and robust quality assurance.
Colorectal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Liver/pathology* ; Lung/pathology* ; Prospective Studies ; Radiosurgery/methods*

Objective: Several COVID-19 patients have overlapping comorbidities. The independent role of each component contributing to the risk of COVID-19 is unknown, and how some non-cardiometabolic comorbidities affect the risk of COVID-19 remains unclear. Methods: A retrospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 1,160 laboratory-confirmed patients were enrolled from nine provinces in China. Data on comorbidities were obtained from the patients' medical records. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio ( Results: Overall, 158 (13.6%) patients were diagnosed with severe illness and 32 (2.7%) had unfavorable outcomes. Hypertension (2.87, 1.30-6.32), type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (3.57, 2.32-5.49), cardiovascular disease (CVD) (3.78, 1.81-7.89), fatty liver disease (7.53, 1.96-28.96), hyperlipidemia (2.15, 1.26-3.67), other lung diseases (6.00, 3.01-11.96), and electrolyte imbalance (10.40, 3.00-26.10) were independently linked to increased odds of being severely ill. T2DM (6.07, 2.89-12.75), CVD (8.47, 6.03-11.89), and electrolyte imbalance (19.44, 11.47-32.96) were also strong predictors of unfavorable outcomes. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease on admission (5.46, 3.25-9.19), while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes (6.58, 1.46-29.64) within two weeks. Conclusion Besides hypertension, diabetes, and CVD, fatty liver disease, hyperlipidemia, other lung diseases, and electrolyte imbalance were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity and poor treatment outcome. Women with comorbidities were more likely to have severe disease, while men with comorbidities were more likely to have unfavorable treatment outcomes.
Adult ; Aged ; COVID-19/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: This study aims to explore the relationships of family functioning, general well-being, and exercise with psychological distress.Furthermore, we investigated the special roles of general well-being and exercise on the association between family functioningand psychological distress. Methods: Of 769 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients participated in the cross-sectional study which consisted of the 12-item GeneralHealth Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Family APGAR Scales, and the General Well-Being Schedule. The collected data were analyzedusing multiple linear regression analysis and path analysis. Results: The prevalence of psychological distress was 72.3%. Family functioning, general well-being and exercise were associated factorsof psychological distress (p<0.05). The indirect effect of family functioning on psychological distress was partially mediated by generalwell-being (Effect=-0.08, 95% CI=-0.11, -0.04). In addition, the effect of family functioning on general well-being was moderated byexercise (Index=-0.092, SE=0.033, 95% CI=-0.159, -0.029). Conclusion The prevalence of psychological distress among ESRD patients was high. Family functioning, general well-being and exercisewere associated with psychological distress. Family functioning could affect psychological distress partially by affecting general wellbeing.Furthermore, exercise had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between family functioning and general well-being.Psychiatry Investig 2020;17(4):356-365

Objective Differentially-expressed lncRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among different races remain unclarified at present time. This study aimed to analyze the shared and specific differential expression profiles of lncRNAs in HCC patients of the yellow, white and black races in the TCGA database and predict their functions and regulatory mechanisms. Methods We screened differentially expressed lncRNAs in the cancer and paracancer tissues of the HCC patients of the yellow, white and black races, compared differential expression profiles of lncRNAs and identified the common differentially expressed lncRNAs among the three races. We performed COX regression survival analysis on the differentially expressed lncRNAs, constructed a ceRNA network, and predicted the target genes and their regulatory mechanisms by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses and prediction of the transcription factors. Results Totally 49 HCC-related lncRNAs were found in all the three races, with 21.5% overlapped in the white and black races, 7.8% in the white and yellow and 5.8% in the black and Asians. GO enrichment analysis showed that the target genes of LINC01224 in the all three races were related to DNA replication and transposition, gene expression regulation, epigenetics, silencing of miRNAs, and gene silencing after RNA transcription, while KEGG analysis revealed a correlation of LINC01224 with the cell cycle and DNA replication. Target genes were not predicted in the 11 survival-related lncRNAs in the patients of the white race. Of the 6 survival-related lncRNAs in the yellow patients, the target gene of AC093609.1 was shown to be involved in the activity of the ionic channel, regulation of cardiomyopathy- and cardiomyocyte adrenalin-related signaling pathways, various metabolic functions, fat degradation, ABC protein transportation, and amino acid metabolism. Conclusion HCC-related expression profiles of lncRNAs have a great similarity between the white and black races, but a high differentiality between the yellow and the white or black. LINC01224 may be involved in the relation of tumor growth in all the three races, while AC093609.1 and AC126118.1 specific of the yellow race play an important role in tumor metabolism.

Objective This study aimed to analyze the differences in the molecular characteristics of transcriptome between esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Methods We obtained transcriptomic data on ESCC and EAC from the TCGA database, screened differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs and miRNAs in cancer and the adjacent tissues, and constructed a network of ESCC- and EAC-related competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA). We predicted the target genes and performed gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses on important miRNAs, and compared the molecular features of the transcriptomes between ESCC and EAC. Results The ceRNA network analysis showed that PVT1, LINC00524, miR-204, miR-383, HOXC8 and NTRK2 played important regulatory roles in both ESCC and EAC. Totally, 13 227 regulatory target genes were predicted with miR-204-5p via miRWalk and 232 target genes screened from the miRDB database. GO analysis revealed 38 enrichments, mainly involved in the regulation of cell-matrix adhesion, morphogenesis of cell membrane projection, and β-catenin combination, KEGG analysis showed 4 relevant pathways: the hedgehog, life-regulating, estrogen and relaxin signaling pathways, and survival analysis manifested LINC00261, MLIP-IT1 and LINC00504 as survival-related differentially expressed lncRNAs, hsa-mir-338 as differentially expressed miRNA, but no mRNA in ESCC. Survival-related differentially expressed lncRNAs in EAC included CYP1B1-AS1 and HOTAIR, and differentially expressed mRNAs included IL11, NTRK2, ANGPT2 and PBK. Of the differentially expressed lncRNAs in both ESCC and EAC, 150 (15.4%) were up-regulated and 158 (26.8%) down-regulated; of the miRNAs, 22 (24.2%) up-regulated and 8 (27.6%) down-regulated; and of the mRNAs, 234 (20.5%) up-regulated and 418 (23.7%) down-regulated. Conclusion There are significant molecular differences between ESCC and EAC, and the differentially expressed lncRNA, miRNA and mRNA may provide some new targets and molecular markers for the treatment and prognosis of esophageal carcinoma.