Objectives:Analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) progressing to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Explore the risk factors for the progression from PAPS to SLE.Methods:The clinical data of 262 patients with PAPS enrolled in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from February 2005 to September 2021 were evaluated. Assessments included demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests (serum levels of complement, anti-nuclear antibodies, anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies), treatment, and outcomes. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate the prevalence of SLE in patients with PAPS. Univariate Cox regression analysis was employed to identify the risk factors for PAPS progressing to SLE.Results:Among 262 patients with PAPS, 249 had PAPS (PAPS group) and 13 progressed to SLE (5.0%) (PAPS-SLE group). Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that cardiac valve disease ( HR=6.360), positive anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies ( HR=7.203), low level of complement C3 ( HR=25.715), and low level of complement C4 ( HR=10.466) were risk factors for the progression of PAPS to SLE, whereas arterial thrombotic events ( HR=0.109) were protective factors ( P<0.05 for all). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the prevalence of SLE in patients suffering from PAPS with a disease course>10 years was 9%-15%. Hydroxychloroquine treatment had no effect on the occurrence of SLE in patients with PAPS ( HR=0.753, 95% CI 0.231-2.450, P=0.638). Patients with≥2 risk factors had a significantly higher prevalence of SLE compared with those with no or one risk factor (13-year cumulative prevalence of SLE 48.7% vs. 0 vs. 6.2%, P<0.001 for both). Conclusions:PAPS may progress to SLE in some patients. Early onset, cardiac-valve disease, positive anti-dsDNA antibody, and low levels of complement are risk factors for the progression of PAPS to SLE (especially in patients with≥2 risk factors). Whether application of hydroxychloroquine can delay this transition has yet to be demonstrated.

Objective This study explores the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of combining rhCYGB with 5-FU to target hypoxia-induced treatment resistance in liver cancer.The aim is to develop a novel combinato-rial therapy strategy for improving outcomes in patients with refractory liver cancer.Methods The half-maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)of drugs on liver cancer cells under normoxia and hypoxia was determined,and dose-response curves were generated to assess sensitivity to 5-FU.The combined effects of rhCYGB and 5-FU were analyzed withCompuSyn and SynergyFinder 3.0.Tumor stem cell sphere formation assays and flow cytometry for CD133-positive cells were conducted to evaluate the impact on cancer stemness.Wound healing assays assessed the effects on migration.Results The IC50 values under hypoxia exhibited a significant fold change compared to normoxia(P<0.05),specifically a 15.27-fold,4.25-fold,and 2.34-fold increase for Hep3B,Huh7,and HepG2 cells respectively.Assessment of drug combination effects demonstrated a synergistic interaction between 5-FU and rhCYGB.Compared to the 5-FU monotherapy group,the combination of 5-FU and rhCYGB exerted an inhibitory effect on the formation of liver cancer stem cell spheres(P<0.05)and significantly downregulated the proportion of CD133-positive subpopulations in Hep3B cells(P<0.05).Wound healing assay results revealed a synergistic inhibitory effect on the migration of Hep3B cells after 48 hours of treatment with rhCYGB combined with 5-FU undernormoxia(P<0.05).Conclusions The combination of rhCYGB and 5-FU demonstrates syner-gistic effects in liver cancer.The underlying mechanism may involve the modulation of stemness and cell migration capacity.

OBJECTIVE To provide ideas and reference for the treatment and pharmaceutical care of infective endocarditis （IE） caused by Micrococcus luteus complicated with severe pneumonia. METHODS The clinical pharmacist participated in the treatment of a patient with IE caused by M. luteus complicated with severe pneumonia； all anti-infective treatment plans were agreed upon after the doctor invited the clinical pharmacist for consultation. After the implementation of the plan， the clinical pharmacist conducted pharmaceutical care of effectiveness and safety for the plan， including adopting suitable drug， adjusting the dose of vancomycin by using parameters such as steady-state valley concentration and creatinine clearance rate， monitoring renal function and adverse drug reactions. RESULTS IE caused by M. luteus was cured after surgery and full treatment with anti-bacterial drugs， the severe pneumonia was improved， and the decline of renal function caused by drugs and the primary disease were recovered； clinical pharmacists had ensured the effect of anti-infection treatment by assisting in the formulation of treatment plans and the implementation of pharmaceutical care， avoiding further renal damage and solving the problem of cefoperazone sulbactam- related drug fever. CONCLUSIONS IE caused by M. luteus is relatively serious， and the treatment drug can be vancomycin and rifampicin. During the treatment， it is necessary to monitor the renal function， and adjust the dose of vancomycin or change other drugs； anti-infection pharmaceutical care provided by clinical pharmacists can guarantee the effectiveness and safety of anti- infection plan， and avoid the occurrence of severe adverse drug reactions.

Objective:To learn about the iodine nutritional status and thyroid function of pregnant women in the areas of oral lipiodol pills in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang).Methods:In October 2019, using the probability proportionate to size sampling (PPS sampling) method, Aksu Prefecture (Aksu) of Xinjiang was divided into 5 sampling areas according to the directions of east, west, south, north and middle. One county was selected from each area, one township was selected from each county according to the directions of east, west, south, north and middle, and 20 pregnant women were selected from each township. The general demographic data of pregnant women were collected by questionnaires, and 24-hour urine samples, household salt samples and drinking water samples were collected for iodine detection, and serum samples were collected for thyroid function index detection.Results:A total of 555 pregnant women were investigated, including 121, 234 and 200 women in the early, middle and late pregnancy, with an average age of 26 years. Among them, the median of urinary iodine of women in early, middle and late pregnancy was 209.53, 204.27 and 225.29 μg/L, respectively, which was all in the appropriate state. The median of salt iodine was 24.70, 26.00 and 26.20 mg/kg, respectively, and the median of water iodine was 4.85, 3.30 and 4.85 μg/L, respectively. There were no significant difference in urinary iodine, salt iodine and water iodine during different pregnancy ( H= 1.61, 4.38, 2.63, P > 0.05). The prevalence rate of subclinical hypothyroidism, subclinical hyperthyroidism and hyperthyroidism in pregnant women was 4.32% (24/555), 0.54% (3/555) and 0.36% (2/555), respectively; and the highest prevalence rate was in the middle pregnancy, which was 7.26% (17/234), 1.28% (3/234) and 0.85% (2/234), respectively. The positive rate of autospecific antibody in pregnant women with normal thyroid function was 13.15% (73/555). The positive rate of thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) and thyroglobulin (TgAb) was 11.35% (63/555), 8.11% (45/555), respectively. After excluding the pregnant women with positive thyroid autospecific antibody, the range ( P2.5- P97.5) of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in different pregnancy were close to or slightly higher than the recommended reference value in the "Guideline on Diagnosis and Management of Thyroid Diseases During Pregnancy and Postpartum (2nd ed)". Except that the P2.5 value of free thyroxine (FT 4) in early pregnancy was lower than the reference value, the FT 4 range in other pregnancy showed the same trend as that of TSH. The results of Spearman correlation analysis showed that free triiodothyronine (FT 3) and FT 4, TPOAb and TgAb, TgAb and FT 4 were positively correlated ( r= 0.497, 0.504, 0.216, P < 0.05), and TSH and FT 3 was negatively correlated ( r = - 0.194, P < 0.05) in the early pregnancy; FT 3 and FT 4, TPOAb and TgAb were positively correlated in the middle and late pregnancy ( r = 0.188, 0.527, 0.177, 0.623, P < 0.05); TSH was negatively correlated with FT 3 in the late pregnancy ( r = - 0.165, P < 0.05); there was no correlation between urinary iodine and thyroid function indexes ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:The water iodine in the outer environment of the oral lipiodol pills area Aksu in Xinjiang is low, and the iodine nutrition level of pregnant women is appropriate. Except that the P2.5 value of FT 4 in the early pregnancy is lower than the reference value, the TSH range close to or of women during each pregnancy and the FT 4 range of women in the middle and late pregnancy are slightly higher than the reference value, which still need continuous monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has become the standard treatment for patients with non-oncogenic advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). While lung cancer is most prevalent in elderly patients, these patients are rarely included in pivotal clinical trial studies. We aimed to describe the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy for elderly patients in the "real-world". METHODS: The data of older NSCLC patients and younger patients who received immunotherapy between July 2018 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and the objective response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS) in different age groups (less than 60 years old was defined as the young group, 60 years-74 years old was the young old group, 75 years old and above was the old old group) were compared. And the impact of different clinical characteristics on treatment response and prognosis were analyzed in each age subgroup. RESULTS: A total of 21 young patients, 70 young old patients and 15 old old patients were included in this study, with ORR of 33.3%, 52.8% and 53.3%, respectively, without statistically significant difference (P=0.284). The median PFS was 9.1 mon, 7.6 mon and 10.9 mon, respectively, without statistically significant difference (P=0.654). Further analysis of the predictors of immunotherapy in each subgroup revealed that patients in the young old group and young group who received immunotherapy in the first line had a longer PFS. The difference of the incidence of adverse events was not statistically significant among the three groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS The efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in elderly patients were similar to those in younger patients, and PFS was superior in the first-line immunotherapy. Further prospective studies are still needed to explore predictors of immunotherapy in elderly NSCLC patients.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Immunotherapy/adverse effects* ; Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor(G-CSF) on neonatal rats after hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD)and its effect on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Methods: According to the random number table, a total of 54 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats aged 7 days were divided into 3 groups(18 rats in each group): Sham group, HIBD group and G-CSF group, and the improved Rice method was used to establish a neonatal rat model of HIBD.A dose of 50 μg/kg of G-CSF was administered intraperitoneally 1 hour after HIBD (G-CSF group), while the rats in HIBD group and Sham group received saline only.At 24 hours of HIBD, pups were euthanized to quantify brain infarct volume by using 2, 3, 5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride.Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the changes of brain structure.Neuronal cell death was determined by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL). Then the expressions of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 12 (Caspase-12), CCAAT/enhancer binding-protein homologous protein (CHOP) were assessed by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Results: Twenty-four hours after operation, HE staining showed that no significant neuronal damage was observed in Sham group.The brain tissue structure of rats in the HIBD group was significantly damaged, while some improvement was observed in the G-CSF group.The infarction volume in HIBD group[(25.40±5.15)%] increased compared with that in the Sham group[(0.31±0.15)%] and the G-CSF group[(16.36±4.97)%], and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05). There was increased positive expression of GRP78 protein in HIBD group, compared with that in the Sham group and the G-CSF group[(49.38±10.06)% vs.(9.12±4.50)%, (30.61±6.35)%], and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The percentage of apoptosis in the hippocampal CA1 region and conex in HIBD group [(44.84±11.54)%, (48.23±14.07)%] were higher than those in the G-CSF group [(17.87±7.20)%, (26.18±9.96)%], and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The expression of GRP78, CHOP and Caspase-12 in the HIBD group (0.63±0.24, 0.72±0.21, 0.68±0.25) were higher than those in the Sham group (0.20±0.08, 0.28±0.08, 0.23±0.07), and the G-CSF group (0.39±0.13, 0.51±0.18, 0.48±0.16), and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions G-CSF exerts neuroprotective effect on the neonatal rats after HIBD.G-CSF may be an effective treatment of HIBD by reducing ER stress-induced neuronal apoptosis.

Objective To elucidate whether metformin could regulate the mRNA expression level of estrogen synthetase and ER in human uterine leiomyoma tissues. Methods (1) Seventeen pairs of uterine leiomyoma tissues and adjacent myometrium (>2 cm) were collected from patients underwent hysterectomy in Peking University First Hospital between December 2016 and January 2017. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression level of estrogen synthetase [including cytochrome P450 cholesterol side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), cytochrome P450 17 α-hydroxylase (P450c17), 3-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (3β-HSD-2), 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (17β-HSD-1) and aromatase cytochrome P450 (P450arom)] and ER (including ERα and ERβ) in the uterine leiomyoma tissues and adjacent myometrium. (2) Uterine leiomyoma cells derived from uterine leiomyoma tissues were identified by immunocytochemistry method and cultured to the third generation. The treatment groups were cultured with different concentrations of metformin (10, 50 and 100 μmol/L) for 48 hours, and the control group was cultured with deionized water for 48 hours. The mRNA expression level of estrogen synthetase and estrogen receptor subtypes were measured by real-time PCR. Results (1) P450scc, P450c17, 3β-HSD-2, 17β-HSD-1, P450arom mRNA median expression levels were 112, 4, 13, 42 and 194 in the uterine leiomyoma tissues, and were respectively 114, 5, 11, 32 and 6 in the myometrium. Compared to those of the myometrium, 3β-HSD-2 and P450arom mRNA expression levels in the uterine leiomyoma tissue were significantly higher (P<0.05), while there were no significant change of mRNA expression levels among P450scc, P450c17 and 17β-HSD-1 (P>0.05). ERα and ERβ mRNA median expression levels were 208 and 116 in the uterine leiomyoma tissues, and were 24 and 95 in the myometrium. Compared to that of the myometrium, ERα mRNA level in the uterine leiomyoma tissue was significantly higher (P=0.001), while there were no significant change of ERβ mRNA level (P=0.193). (2) After cultured with different concentrations of metformin (10, 50 and 100 μmol/L), the P450arom mRNA levels in the uterine leiomyoma tissues were 9 ± 4, 8 ± 5 and 8 ± 3 respectively in the treatment groups and was 16 ± 5 in the control group. Compared to that of the control group, P450arom mRNA expression levels in the treatment groups were significantly declined (P<0.05). There were no significant different change of mRNA expression levels among 3β-HSD-2, ERα and ERβ between the treatment groups and the control group (P>0.05). Conclusions Metformin could down-regulate the mRNA expression level of aromatase in the uterine leiomyoma cells. These results indicate that metformin may inhibit the local estrogen synthesis and therefore suppress the development of uterine leiomyoma.

Objective: To investigate the role of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on the regulation of inflammatory cytokines in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD) rat model, and to explore the possible mechanism involved in G-CSF neuroprotective effect via the mammalian target of Rapamycin/p70 ribosomal S6 protein kinase (mTOR/p70S6K) signaling pathway. Methods: A group of postnatal day 7 (P7) Sprague-Dawley rat pups (90 cases) were randomly divided into sham-operated group, hypoxia-ischemia(HI) group, G-CSF group, Rapamycin (RAP) group and control group, and the improved Rice method was used to establish a neonatal rat model of HIBD.One hour before HI induction, Rapamycin was administered intraperitoneally with a dose of 250 μg/kg, and the control group was given equal volume of ethanol injected intraperitoneally.One hour after HI, a dose of 50 μg/kg of G-CSF was injected intraperitoneally into the G-CSF group, Rapamycin group and control group.The same volume of normal saline was injected intraperitoneally into HI group and sham-operated group.Forty-eight hours after HI, Western blot was used to detect the protein levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, and the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway in brain tissue.Neuron injury of the hippocampal CA1 region and the cortex was assessed by Nissl staining, and infarct volume detected by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Results: The G-CSF group and control group were associated with significantly reduced infarction volume compared to the HI group [(12.87±1.54)%, (11.90±1.31)% vs.(24.21±3.28)%], and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). There was an increased positive neuron cell number in the ipsilateral hemispheres of the hippocampal CA1 region in the G-CSF group and the control group [(61.00±4.90) cell/field and (61.67±6.40) cell/field] and cortex [(92.67±6.68) cell/field and (90.17±4.45) cell/field] compared with those in HI group [(42.62±4.46) cell/field and (70.83±6.97) cell/field], and the differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). The expression levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were significantly decreased in the G-CSF group and the control group, compared with those in HI group(TNF-α: 0.67±0.07, 0.55±0.05 vs.0.86±0.05; IL-1β: 0.65±0.06, 0.52±0.10 vs.0.86±0.06), and the differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). There was increased expression levels of IL-10, p-mTOR/mTOR and p-p70S6K/p70S6K in the G-CSF group and the control group, compared with those in HI group (IL-10: 0.68±0.04, 0.62±0.05 vs.0.34±0.02; p-mTOR/mTOR: 0.53±0.02, 0.51±0.01 vs.0.26±0.01; p-p70S6K/p70S6K: 0.89±0.03, 0.90±0.03 vs.0.55±0.02), and the differences were all statistically significant(all P<0.05). There was an increased infarct volume in Rapamycin group [(25.70±1.50)%], compared with the G-CSF group and the control group, and there were decreased number of positive neuron cell count in the hippocampal CA1 region [(40.67±3.50) cell/field] and cortex [(68.33±8.17) cell/field], increased expression levels of TNF-α and IL-1β (0.97±0.06 and 0.98±0.10, respectively), decreased expression levels of IL-10, p-mTOR/mTOR and p-p70S6K/p70S6K (0.21±0.02, 0.30±0.01 and 0.55±0.01, respectively) in the Rapamycin group, and the differences were all statistically significant (all P<0.05). Conclusions G-CSF may inhibit inflammatory responses after HIBD by up-regulating the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway in neonatal HI encephalopathy.

Granulocyte colony -stimulating factor, as a growth factor that stimulates bone marrow hematopoiesis, is clinically used to treat neutropenia caused by various causes. However, more and more in vitro and in vivo research experiments and clinical trials have shown that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor exerts neuroprotective effects in nervous system injury diseases by activating multiple signal transduction pathways, including mobilizing peripheral stem cells to migrate to the nervous system, reducing nerves apoptosis, balancing inflammatory responses, and promoting neural stem cell regeneration and angiogenesis, but there is also some controversy. Currently, the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy in stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injury has entered clinical trials, and its efficacy has also been confirmed in a neonatal animal model of hypoxic-ischemic brain damage. The neuro-protective effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and the safety and efficacy of clinical trials are reviewed.

Objective To investigate the effects of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on neuronal apoptosis after hypoxia-ischemia brain damage (HIBD) and the possible role of the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway in neonatal rats.Methods Ninety seven-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned into 5 equal groups (n=18):sham group,HIBD group,G-CSF group,rapamycin group and ethanol group by random number table method.Pups were subjected to unilateral carotid artery ligation followed by 2hrs hypoxia or sham surgery.HIBD animals received normal saline,G-CSF (50 μg/kg),G-CSF combined with rapamycin (250 μg/kg) or ethanol (vehicle for rapamycin).Pups were euthanized 48hrs post-HIBD to quantify the percentage of brain infraction area.The pathomorphologic changes in the hippocampal CA 1 area and cortex were observed by Nissl staining.Neuronal cell death was determined using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL).mTOR,activated mTOR (p-mTOR),p70S6K,activated p70S6K (p-p70S6K),Cleaved Caspase-3 (CC3),Bax,and Bcl-2 were quantified using Western blot analysis.Results G-CSF treatment resulted in significantly reduced percentage of brain infraction area (P＜0.05) and neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampal CA1 area and cortex (P＜0.05) after HIBD in neonatal rats.However,rapamycin administration reversed the neuroprotective effect of G-CSF.G-CSF administration ameliorated the pathomorphologic damage in the ipsilateral hemisphere.Compared with the HIBD group,the Nissl stained neurons significantly increased in the G-CSF group (P＜0.05).Furthermore,G-CSF increased the expression ofp-mTOR,p-p70S6K and Bcl-2 but decreased the expression levels of CC3 and Bax in the ipsilateral hemisphere,which were all significantly reversed by rapamycin (P＜0.05).Conclusion G-CSF may attenuate caspase activation and reduce neuronal apoptosis by up-regulating the activity of mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway after experimental HIBD in rat pups.