Objective:To assess the current situation, advantages, and difficulties of standardized management in Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials (IIT).Methods:This article summarized the requirements and policies for clinical research management, the development of clinical research domestically and internationally, the achievements and advantages of clinical research management development in China, and the main problems and difficulties with the standardized IIT management in China, and compiled the experiences and models of several medical institutions in IIT management.Results:While China has a large number of clinical medical publications and is ranked high in the world, the quality of the publications needs to be further improved. Domestic management requirements for IIT were gradually improving, providing a basis for medical institutions to implement standardized management throughout the lifecycle of IIT, and achieve certain progress. However, there were still challenges in the departmental divisions, the unification of management standards, whole-process management and quality control, the scientific review, high-risk project management, and registration.Conclusions:Drawing on the excellent experience of domestic medical institutions, measures including identifying a primary responsible department, establishing unified supervision and inspection standards, and implementing a whole life cycle management may help overcome the challenges in IIT management and improve the quality and efficiency of IIT management.

Objectives:To evaluate the clinical value of the Paris system for reporting urinary cytology (TPS) in the diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma (UC).Methods:A total of 1 744 cytological diagnostic records (from 751 cases) were collected retrospectively. All specimens were voided urines and histopathology as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of urinary cytological diagnosis of UC and risk of high grade malignant (ROHM) in each diagnostic category were compared.Results:There were 360 cases with histopathology. The percentage of negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (NHGUC) was 30.1% (226/751), atypical urothelial cells (AUC) was 29.8% (224/751), suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC) was 16.8% (126/751), high grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) was 21.2% (159/751), and non-urothelial malignancy (NUM) was 2.1% (16/751). The histpathologic ROHM corresponding to each cytological diagnosis category were 27.3% for NHGUC, 32.7% for AUC, 74.7% for SHGUC, 96.6% for HGUC and 100.0% for NUM, respectively. ROHM of SHGUC was significantly higher than that of AUC group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P＜0.001). ROHM of HGUC group was significantly higher than that of SHGUC group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P＜0.001). With SHGUC as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of cytological diagnosis of HGUC were 76.7% (165/215) and 85.7% (18/21), and with HGUC as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of cytological diagnosis of HGUC were 53.0% (114/215) and 100.0% (21/21), respectively. Conclusions:Urine cytology has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of HGUC. The malignant risk of TPS varies with different diagnosis category. The high malignant risk population in cancer hospital leads to the relatively high malignant proportion and ROHM in each diagnosis category. Urinary cytology TPS reporting system is helpful to clinical management and has good clinical application value.

Objective: To investigate the effects of acupotomy on skeletal muscle fibrosis and collagen deposition in a rabbit knee osteoarthritis (KOA) model. Methods: Rabbits (n = 18) were randomly divided into control, KOA, and KOA + acupotomy (Apo) groups (n = 6). The rabbits in the KOA and Apo groups were modeled using the modified Videman's method for 6 weeks. After modeling, the Apo group was subjected to acupotomy once a week for 3 weeks on the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and anserine bursa tendons around the knee. The behavior of all animals was recorded, rectus femoris tissue was obtained, and histomorphological changes were observed using Masson staining and transmission electron microscopy. The expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Smad 3, Smad 7, fibrillar collagen types I (Col-I) and III (Col-III) was detected using Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Histological analysis revealed that acupotomy improved the microstructure and reduced the collagen volume fraction of rectus femoris, compared with the KOA group (P = .034). Acupotomy inhibited abnormal collagen deposition by modulating the expression of fibrosis-related proteins and mRNA, thus preventing skeletal muscle fibrosis. Western blot and RT-PCR analysis revealed that in the Apo group, Col-I, and Col-III protein levels were significantly lower than those in the KOA group (both P < .01), same as Col-I and Col-III mRNA levels (P = .0031; P = .0046). Compared with the KOA group, the protein levels of TGF-β1 and Smad 3 were significantly reduced (both P < .01), as were the mRNA levels of TGF-β1 and Smad 3 (P = .0007; P = .0011). Conversely, the levels of protein and mRNA of Smad 7 were significantly higher than that in the KOA group (P < .01; P = .0271). Conclusion Acupotomy could alleviate skeletal muscle fibrosis and delay KOA progress by inhibiting collagen deposition through the TGF-β/Smad pathway in the skeletal muscle of KOA rabbits.

Objectives:To evaluate the clinical value of the Paris system for reporting urinary cytology (TPS) in the diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma (UC).Methods:A total of 1 744 cytological diagnostic records (from 751 cases) were collected retrospectively. All specimens were voided urines and histopathology as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity of urinary cytological diagnosis of UC and risk of high grade malignant (ROHM) in each diagnostic category were compared.Results:There were 360 cases with histopathology. The percentage of negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (NHGUC) was 30.1% (226/751), atypical urothelial cells (AUC) was 29.8% (224/751), suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC) was 16.8% (126/751), high grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) was 21.2% (159/751), and non-urothelial malignancy (NUM) was 2.1% (16/751). The histpathologic ROHM corresponding to each cytological diagnosis category were 27.3% for NHGUC, 32.7% for AUC, 74.7% for SHGUC, 96.6% for HGUC and 100.0% for NUM, respectively. ROHM of SHGUC was significantly higher than that of AUC group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant ( P＜0.001). ROHM of HGUC group was significantly higher than that of SHGUC group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P＜0.001). With SHGUC as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of cytological diagnosis of HGUC were 76.7% (165/215) and 85.7% (18/21), and with HGUC as the cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity of cytological diagnosis of HGUC were 53.0% (114/215) and 100.0% (21/21), respectively. Conclusions:Urine cytology has high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of HGUC. The malignant risk of TPS varies with different diagnosis category. The high malignant risk population in cancer hospital leads to the relatively high malignant proportion and ROHM in each diagnosis category. Urinary cytology TPS reporting system is helpful to clinical management and has good clinical application value.

The effect of porcine SIRT5 on replication of foot and mouth disease virus type O(FMDV-O)and the underlying regulatory mechanism were investigated.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were employed to monitor expression of endoge-nous SIRT5 in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O.Three pairs of SIRT5-specific siRNAs were synthesized.Changes to SIRT5 and FMDV-O protein and transcript levels,in addition to virus copy numbers,were measured by western blot and RT-qPCR analyses.PK-15 cells were transfected with a eukaryotic SIRT5 expression plasmid.Western blot and RT-qPCR analyses were used to explore the impact of SIRT5 overexpression on FMDV-O replication.Meanwhile,RT-qPCR analysis was used to detect the effect of SIRT5 overexpression on the mRNA expression levels of type I interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.The results showed that expression of SIRT5 was up-regulated in PK-15 cells infected with FMDV-O and siRNA interfered with SIRT5 to inhibit FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 overexpression promoted FMDV-O replication.SIRT5 over-expression decreased mRNA expression levels of interferon-stimulated genes induced by SeV and FMDV-O.These results suggest that FMDV-O infection stimulated expression of SIRT5 in PK-15 cells,while SIRT5 promoted FMDV-O rep-lication by inhibiting production of type I interferon-stimula-ted genes.These findings provide a reference to further ex-plore the mechanism underlying the ability of porcine SIRT5 to promote FMDV-O replication.

Microplastics(MPs)have attracted growing attention worldwide as an increasingly prevalent environmental pollutant.In addition,chicken meat is currently the most widely consumed kind of poultry in the global market.Consumer demand for chicken is on the rise both at home and abroad.As a result,the safety of chicken raising has also received significant attention.The lungs play an essential role in the physiological activities of chickens,and they are also the most vulnerable organs.Lung injury is difficult to repair after the accumulation of contaminants,and the mortality rate is high,which brings huge economic losses to farmers.The research on the toxicity of MPs has mainly focused on the marine ecosystem,while the mechanisms of toxicity and lung damage in chickens have been poorly studied.Thus,this study explored the effects of exposure to polystyrene microplastics(PS-MPs)at various concentrations for 42 d on chicken lungs.PS-MPs could cause lung pathologies and ultrastructural abnormalities,such as endoplasmic reticulum(ER)swelling,inflammatory cell infiltration,chromatin agglutination,and plasma membrane rupture.Simultaneously,PS-MPs increased the expression of genes related to the heat shock protein family(Hsp60,Hsp70,and Hsp90),ER stress signaling(activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase(PERK),and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit α(eIF2α)),pyroptosis-related genes(NOD-,LRR-and pyrin domain-containing protein 3(NLRP3),apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain(ASC),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase 1(Caspase1),and gasdermin-D(GSDMD)),and the inflammatory signaling pathway(nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB),inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),and cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2)).The above results showed that PS-MP exposure could result in lung stress,ER stress,pyroptosis,and inflammation in broilers.Our findings provide new scientific clues for further research on the mechanisms of physical health and toxicology regarding MPs.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of camrelizumab monoclonal antibody combined with molecular-targeted therapy in elderly patients with unresectable or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the patients with unresectable/advanced HCC who attended six hospitals from January 1,2019 to March 31,2021,and all patients received camrelizumab monoclonal antibody treatment,among whom 84.8%also received targeted therapy.According to the age of the patients,they were divided into elderly group(≥65 years)and non-elderly group(＜65 years).The two groups were assessed in terms of overall survival(OS),progression-free survival(PFS),objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),and immune-related adverse events(irAE).The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups;the independent samples t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data,and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis,and the log-rank test was used for comparison of survival curves.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to determine the independent influencing factors for PFS and DCR at 6 months.Results A total of 99 HCC patients were enrolled,with 27 in the elderly group and 72 in the non-elderly group.The elderly group had an OS rate of 67.8%,an ORR of 44.4%,and a DCR of 74.1%at 12 months and a median PFS of 6.4(95%confidence interval[CI]:3.0-12.4)months,with no significant differences compared with the non-elderly group(all P＞0.05).The median OS was unavailable for the elderly group,while the non-elderly group had an OS of 18.9(95%CI:13.0-24.8)months;there was no significant difference between the two groups(P=0.485).The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that major vascular invasion(MVI)was an independent risk factor for PFS(hazard ratio[HR]=2.603,95%CI:1.136-5.964,P=0.024)and DCR(HR=3.963,95%CI:1.671-9.397,P=0.002)at 6 months,while age,sex,etiology of HBV infection,presence of extrahepatic metastasis,Child-Pugh class B,and alpha-fetoprotein＞400 ng/mL were not associated with PFS or DCR at 6 months.For the elderly group,the incidence rates of any irAE and grade 3/4 irAE were 51.9%and 25.9%,respectively,with no significant differences compared with the non-elderly group(P＞0.05),and skin disease was the most common irAE in both groups(39.4%).Conclusion Camrelizumab monoclonal antibody combined with molecular-targeted therapy has similar efficacy and safety in patients with unresectable/advanced HCC aged≥65 years and those aged＜65 years.MVI is associated with suboptimal response to immunotherapy and poor prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of frailty among elders aged ≥60 years in the Beijing community and analyze the risk factors of frailty.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 1936 older persons in Baizhifang Community in Beijing were included between May and September 2023. Their frailty was evaluated by Fried Frailty Phenotype Scale. Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were used to evaluate nutritional status, physical function, and depression, respectively. The prevalence and risk factors of frailty among the elderly in the community were analyzed.Results:A total of 168 individuals met the criteria for frailty, and the prevalence of frailty was 8.7%. Compared to the non-frail group, the frail group was predominantly female (71.4% vs 62.2%; χ 2=5.59, P=0.018), older [(72.1±6.6) vs (69.9±6.0) ages; t=-5.25, P<0.001], unmarried (1.8% vs 0.8%; χ 2=8.60, P=0.014), with lower education levels (10.7% vs 3.5%; χ 2=23.38, P<0.001), poorer self-assessed health (22.6% vs 6.5%; χ 2=69.80, P<0.001), lower MNA-SF scores [(12.2±2.2) vs (13.0±1.4) scores; t=6.29, P<0.001], lower SPPB scores [(8.4±1.9) vs (10.2±1.6) scores; t=14.62, P<0.001], higher GDS scores [(4.0±3.8) vs (1.9±2.1) scores; t=-11.48, P<0.001], and worse vision, hearing, and olfactory functions (48.2% vs 34.1%, 36.9% vs 23.0%, 9.5% vs 3.0%; χ 2=13.37, 16.11, 40.58, all P<0.001). They were also more likely to suffer from hypertension (70.8% vs 56.7%; χ 2=12.52, P<0.001), diabetes (42.3% vs 29.4%; χ 2=12.06, P<0.001), osteoarthritis (46.4% vs 30.3%; χ 2=18.39, P<0.001) and stroke (19.0% vs 13.3%; χ 2=4.28, P=0.039). Logistic regression analysis showed that frailty was independently associated with nutritional status ( OR=0.8, 95% CI: 0.7-0.9, P<0.001), depressive symptoms ( OR=1.1, 95% CI: 1.1-1.2, P<0.001), olfactory function ( OR=2.1, 95% CI: 1.4-3.0, P<0.001; OR=2.9, 95% CI: 1.4-5.9, P=0.003), and physical function ( OR=0.6, 95% CI: 0.6-0.7, P<0.001) after adjusting for covariates. Conclusions:The prevalence of frailty among elderly people in community is relatively high. Frailty in community elders is associated with physical function, psychological function, nutritional status, and olfactory function decline.

Objective:To analyze mobility limitation condition and its relationship with cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1 935 older adults aged≥60 years were recruited from May to September 2023 in Beijing Baizhifang Community Health Service Center and its five subordinate health service stations (Baizhifang Hutong health service station, Nancaiyuan community health service station, Youanmen community health service station, Younei West Street health service station and Shuanghuaili community health service station). The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) was used to assess the mobility capacity of the elderly, and the elderly were divided into two groups with SPPB, the elderly with a SPPB≤9 points were grouped into mobility limitation group (645 cases), and the ones with a SPPB≥10 points were considered with normal mobility capacity (1 290 cases). The cognitive function of the older adults was assessed with the mini-mental state examination; and the gender, age, calf circumference, history of chronic disease, frailty status, cognitive function, nutritional status, depression status, hearing and vision condition of the two groups were compared with χ2 test or Mann-Whitney U non-parametric test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the mobility limitation and its relationship with cognitive function in the older adults. Results:Mobility limitation was found in 33.33% (645/1 935) of community-dwelling older adults. The proportions of advanced age, female, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, frailty, depression, cognitive impairment, hearing decline, and vision decline in the mobility limitation group were all significantly higher than those in the normal mobility capacity group (31.32% vs 13.41%, 69.92% vs 59.61%, 65.27% vs 54.03%, 33.80% vs 28.60%, 27.91% vs 19.53%, 17.83% vs 11.47%, 10.54% vs 7.36%, 13.18% vs 2.02%, 18.45% vs 6.59%, 14.73% vs 7.75%, 30.54% vs 20.31%, 45.58% vs 30.39%) (all P<0.05). Advanced age ( OR=2.542, 95% CI: 1.977-3.269), female ( OR=1.736, 95% CI: 1.390-2.167), stroke ( OR=1.426, 95% CI: 1.065-1.911), depression ( OR=2.292, 95% CI: 1.656-3.174), cognitive impairment ( OR=1.601, 95% CI: 1.154-2.220), frailty ( OR=5.199, 95% CI: 3.219-8.397) and vision decline ( OR=1.405, 95% CI: 1.124-1.756) were all positively correlated with the mobility limitation in the community-dwelling older adults (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The older adults in the community have a higher risk of mobility limitation, mobility limitation is a positive correlation factor of cognitive impairment.

Platelets are reprogrammed by cancer via a process called education, which favors cancer development. The transcriptional profile of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) is skewed and therefore practicable for cancer detection. This intercontinental, hospital-based, diagnostic study included 761 treatment-naïve inpatients with histologically confirmed adnexal masses and 167 healthy controls from nine medical centers (China, n = 3; Netherlands, n = 5; Poland, n = 1) between September 2016 and May 2019. The main outcomes were the performance of TEPs and their combination with CA125 in two Chinese (VC1 and VC2) and the European (VC3) validation cohorts collectively and independently. Exploratory outcome was the value of TEPs in public pan-cancer platelet transcriptome datasets. The AUCs for TEPs in the combined validation cohort, VC1, VC2, and VC3 were 0.918 (95% CI 0.889-0.948), 0.923 (0.855-0.990), 0.918 (0.872-0.963), and 0.887 (0.813-0.960), respectively. Combination of TEPs and CA125 demonstrated an AUC of 0.922 (0.889-0.955) in the combined validation cohort; 0.955 (0.912-0.997) in VC1; 0.939 (0.901-0.977) in VC2; 0.917 (0.824-1.000) in VC3. For subgroup analysis, TEPs exhibited an AUC of 0.858, 0.859, and 0.920 to detect early-stage, borderline, non-epithelial diseases and 0.899 to discriminate ovarian cancer from endometriosis. TEPs had robustness, compatibility, and universality for preoperative diagnosis of ovarian cancer since it withstood validations in populations of different ethnicities, heterogeneous histological subtypes, and early-stage ovarian cancer. However, these observations warrant prospective validations in a larger population before clinical utilities.
Humans ; Female ; Blood Platelets/pathology* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology* ; China