Objective:To understand the current status of financial toxicity in patients with heart failure and the factors affecting it, and to provide ideas for making personalized and informed decisions.Methods:Using a scoping review methodological framework, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed Databases were searched and screened for relevant literature on financial toxicity in patients with heart failure, with a timeframe of January 1, 2014-October 31, 2023, respectively. Relevant literature was identified based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data were extracted, collected, summarized, and the findings were reported.Results:Ten literatures that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. The results showed 5 cross-sectional surveys, 2 qualitative studies, and 1 each of reviews, mixed studies and commentaries. Heart failure patients generally faced high levels of financial toxicity, the incidence and severity of patient financial toxicity varied somewhat between study outcomes. Factors influencing financial toxicity in heart failure patients included age, education level, family income level, discussion of medical costs with physicians, type of insurance the patient had, and occupational status.Conclusions:In the future, we can develop and apply a specialized assessment tool for financial toxicity in heart failure patients in China, further explore the factors affecting financial toxicity in heart failure patients, and formulate personalized treatment plans and financial support strategies for patients according to the influencing factors, so as to reduce the impact of financial toxicity on heart failure patients.

ObjectiveTo explore the association between social support， parent-child relationships， and depression， anxiety， and loneliness among adolescents， in order to provide a reference for improving mental health in youth. MethodsA total of 11，596 middle school students from two districts of Shanghai were investigated with the stratified random cluster sampling method. The Chinese version of Patient Health Questionnaire （PHQ-2-C）， Generalized Anxiety Disorder （GAD-7）， UCLA Loneliness Scale （ULS-6）， Perceived Social Support Scale and Parent-child Cohesion Questionnaire were used in the survey. Statistical inferences were made using t-test， ANOVA， and logistic regression analysis. ResultsGirls， non-graduates， students ranking in the top 25%， adolescents living with parents and with higher socioeconomic status had higher scores of social support and parent-child cohesion than boys， graduates， students ranking in the middle or in the bottom 25%， adolescents not living with parents and with lower socioeconomic status （P<0.05）. Adolescents' parent-child cohesion and social support were negatively correlated with all kinds of emotions. Parent-child cohesion was an associated factor of depression （OR=0.93， 95%CI：0.91‒0.94）， loneliness （OR=0.94， 95%CI：0.94‒0.95） and anxiety （OR_mild=0.98， 95%CI： 0.98‒0.99； OR_{moderate or severe}=0.96， 95%CI： 0.95‒0.98）， but there were differences in the correlation between emotions and social support in different dimensions. ConclusionSocial support and parent-child relationship are significantly associated with depression， anxiety and loneliness in adolescent students. Paying more attention to youth with different characteristics， taking targeted measures to improve the level of social support and establishing a good family relationship are conducive to promoting the mental health of adolescents.

Cancer cell membrane (CCM) derived nanotechnology functionalizes nanoparticles (NPs) to recognize homologous cells, exhibiting translational potential in accurate tumor therapy. However, these nanoplatforms are majorly generated from fixed cell lines and are typically evaluated in cell line-derived subcutaneous-xenografts (CDX), ignoring the tumor heterogeneity and differentiation from inter- and intra- individuals and microenvironments between heterotopic- and orthotopic-tumors, limiting the therapeutic efficiency of such nanoplatforms. Herein, various biomimetic nanoplatforms (CCM-modified gold@Carbon, i.e., Au@C-CCM) were fabricated by coating CCMs of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines and patient-derived cells on the surface of Au@C NP. The generated Au@C-CCMs were evaluated on corresponding CDX, tongue orthotopic xenograft (TOX), immune-competent primary and distant tumor models, and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. The Au@C-CCM generates a photothermal conversion efficiency up to 44.2% for primary HNSCC therapy and induced immunotherapy to inhibit metastasis via photothermal therapy-induced immunogenic cell death. The homologous CCM endowed the nanoplatforms with optimal targeting properties for the highest therapeutic efficiency, far above those with mismatched CCMs, resulting in distinct tumor ablation and tumor growth inhibition in all four models. This work reinforces the feasibility of biomimetic NPs combining modular designed CMs and functional cores for customized treatment of HNSCC, can be further extended to other malignant tumors therapy.
Animals ; Humans ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck/therapy* ; Heterografts ; Photothermal Therapy ; Biomimetics ; Disease Models, Animal ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/therapy* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Tumor Microenvironment

Aristolochic acids (AAs) have long been considered as a potent carcinogen due to its nephrotoxicity. Aristolochic acid I (AAI) reacts with DNA to form covalent aristolactam (AL)-DNA adducts, leading to subsequent A to T transversion mutation, commonly referred as AA mutational signature. Previous research inferred that AAs were widely implicated in liver cancer throughout Asia. In this study, we explored whether AAs exposure was the main cause of liver cancer in the context of HBV infection in mainland China. Totally 1256 liver cancer samples were randomly retrieved from 3 medical centers and a refined bioanalytical method was used to detect AAI-DNA adducts. 5.10% of these samples could be identified as AAI positive exposure. Whole genome sequencing suggested 8.41% of 107 liver cancer patients exhibited the dominant AA mutational signature, indicating a relatively low overall AAI exposure rate. In animal models, long-term administration of AAI barely increased liver tumorigenesis in adult mice, opposite from its tumor-inducing role when subjected to infant mice. Furthermore, AAI induced dose-dependent accumulation of AA-DNA adduct in target organs in adult mice, with the most detected in kidney instead of liver. Taken together, our data indicate that AA exposure was not the major threat of liver cancer in adulthood.

Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer. Combination of systemic chemotherapy and immune checkpoint blockade is effective but of limited benefit due to insufficient intratumoral infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and the accumulation of immunosuppressive cells. Herein, we designed a lenvatinib- and vadimezan-loaded synthetic high-density lipoprotein (LV-sHDL) for combinational immunochemotherapy of metastatic TNBC. The LV-sHDL targeted scavenger receptor class B type 1-overexpressing 4T1 cells in the tumor after intravenous injection. The multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) lenvatinib induced immunogenic cell death of the cancer cells, and the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist vadimezan triggered local inflammation to facilitate dendritic cell maturation and antitumor macrophage differentiation, which synergistically improved the intratumoral infiltration of total and active CTLs by 33- and 13-fold, respectively. LV-sHDL inhibited the growth of orthotopic 4T1 tumors, reduced pulmonary metastasis, and prolonged the survival of animals. The efficacy could be further improved when LV-sHDL was used in combination with antibody against programmed cell death ligand 1. This study highlights the combination use of multitargeted TKI and STING agonist a promising treatment for metastatic TNBC.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of individual and family factors on anxiety and loneliness of middle school students during quarantine in the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide reference for discussing the possible effective intervention paths in the stress process of public health emergencies. Methods: A total of 11 596 students from junior and high schools in Shanghai were selected to complete the questionnaire with the stratified random cluster sampling method. Generalized Anxiety Disorder(GAD-7) and UCLA Loneliness Scale, University of California at Los Angeles(ULS-6) were used for the survey. Results: The prevalence of anxiety and loneliness were 34.78% and 52.44% respectively. The rate of anxiety and loneliness in girls (36.13%, 54.62%) was higher than that of boys (33.44%, 50.28%)(χ 2=17.03, 21.82, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that graduates (OR=1.34, 95%CI=1.18-1.52), students ranking in the middle (OR=1.25, 95%CI=1.08-1.45) or in the bottom 25% (OR=1.76, 95%CI=1.50-2.05), non only children in the family (OR=1.25, 95%CI=1.09-1.43) and low socioeconomic status (OR=1.42, 95%CI=1.23-1.65) were associated with increased risk of moderate and severe level of anxiety(P<0.05). Girls(OR=1.20, 95%CI=1.12-1.30), graduates(OR=1.13, 95%CI=1.04-1.24), non residents(OR=1.20, 95%CI=1.09-1.33), lower level of grades(OR=1.72, 95%CI=1.55-1.91) and not living with parents(OR=1.32, 95%CI=1.18-1.48) were associated with increased risk of loneliness(P<0.05). Conclusion During the quarantine period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, negative emotions such as anxiety and loneliness among adolescents need attention, especially females, graduates, only children and students with low rankings or low socioeconomic status.

Objective: To explore the clinical therapeutic method and effect of the thumb-tack needle for subcutaneous embedding therapy on treating insomnia with insufficiency of heart and spleen among breast cancer patients. Methods: Totally 80 breast cancer patients with insomnia with insufficiency of heart and spleen treated in department of oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiao Tong University from March 2018 till November 2018 were selected and assigned into an experiment group and a control group by random number table, 40 cases in each one. The experiment group applied thumb-tack needle for subcutaneous embedding therapy, selecting Shenmen, Sanyinjiao, Zusanli, Anmian as major acupoint and Taibai as assistant acupoint. The control group used fake needles at the same places. After four-week treatment, we evaluated the therapeutic effect using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and observed side effects. Results: Before treatment, no significantly statistical differences were observed between the two groups on global and each dimension′s PSQI scores (P>0.05). After treatment, the PSQI scores and PSQI global score of the experiment group on sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction were (1.58±0.53), (1.72±0.33), (1.57±0.64), (1.61±0.68), (1.05±0.42), (1.27±0.53), (8.91±2.73) points respectively, which were (1.86±0.71), (1.90±0.41), (1.85±0.47), (1.97±0.83), (1.42±0.91), (1.56±0.45), (10.86±4.53) points respectively in the control group. There was significant difference between the two groups on PSQI global scores (t=1.998-2.637, P<0.05). The number of patients in the experiment group assessed as clinical cure, obviously effective, effective and noneffective were 8, 13, 9, 10 respectively, which were 1, 5, 12, 22 in the control group respectively. The clinical efficacy showed significant difference between the two groups (χ²=27.68, P<0.01). No side effects, such as infection, needle drop-off and etc. were observed. Conclusions The thumb-tack needle for subcutaneous embedding therapy could improve sleep quality of breast cancer patients with insomnia with insufficiency of heart and spleen, and it′s easy to operate, safe with little side effects.

Proteases are important molecules that are involved in many physiological and pathological processes of the human body, such as growth, apoptosis and metastasis cancer cells. They are potential targets in cancer diagnosis and biotherapy. In this study, we analyzed the salivary protease spectrum of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), oral benign masses and chronic periodontitis, as well as that of health, using human protease array kits, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blot and immunofluorescence. The salivary protease spectrum was found to be associated with oral diseases. For example, the saliva of patients with OSCC contained increased numbers of proteases than those of other oral diseases and health. The levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-2, MMP-10, MMP-12, A disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM)9, A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 13 motifs (ADAMST13), cathepsin V and kallikrein 5 in the saliva of patients with OSCC were significantly increased compared with those of other groups. Taking MMP-1, cathepsin V, kallikrein 5 and ADAM9 as biomarkers of OSCC, cutoff values were199, 11.34, 9.29 and 202.55 pg·mL, respectively. From the area under the curve, sensitivity and specificity, the combination of cathepsin V/kallikrein5/ADAM9 was an optimal biomarker for diagnosing OSCC. Thus, analysis of the salivary protease spectrum may be an innovative and cost-efficient approach to evaluating the health status of the oral cavity. Specifically, increases in cathepsin V, kallikrein 5 and ADAM9 may be useful biomarkers in the screening and diagnosis of OSCC.
ADAM Proteins ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; analysis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; analysis ; Membrane Proteins ; Mouth Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Saliva ; chemistry

Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and diagnostic strategies of early hydatidiform mole. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 526 women with hydatidiform mole who underwent suction curettage and were confirmed by histopathology in Dalian Maternal and ChildHealth Care Hospital from Feb. 2013 to Feb. 2018, including 484 women with gestational age less than or equal to 12 weeks (the early group) and 42 women with gestational age greater than 12 weeks (the late group). The clinical characteristics between the two groups were compared, and the pathological diagnosis and pre-evacuation ultrasound examination of the early group were further discussed. Results: Compared with the late group, the clinical characteristics of the early group tended to be atypical, and the incidence of vaginal bleeding, excessive uterine size, theca lutein cysts (>6 cm) and pregnancy complications decreased significantly (all P<0.05). The serum level of β-hCG in the early group was significantly lower than that in the late group (Z=-2.382, P=0.017). While there was no significant difference in the pre-evacuation ultrasound detection rate between the two groups (53.5% vs 66.7%; χ²=2.697, P=0.101). Five hundred and fifteen patients completed the follow-up, and 38 patients with post-mole neoplasia were all cured. There was no significant difference in the malignant transformation rate of hydatidiform mole between the two groups (7.0% vs 11.9%; χ²=0.745, P=0.388). In the early group, 302 cases of complete hydatidiform mole (CHM), 179 cases of partial hydatidiform mole (PHM) and 3 cases of unclassified hydatidiform mole (UHM) were histologically diagnosed, according to pathological morphology combined with p57^KIP2 immunohistochemical staining. Compared with pathological diagnosis, the overall pre-evacuation ultrasound detection rate in the early hydatidiform mole was 53.5% (259/484), which was significantly better for complete (78.1%, 236/302) versus partial (11.7%, 21/179) hydatidiform moles (χ²=199.224, P<0.01). There was significantly weak negative correlation between the overall ultrasound detection rate and gestational age of hydatidiform mole (r=-0.211, P<0.01). The gestational age of early PHM was significantly longer than that of CHM (68.0 vs 58.5 days; Z=-8.048, P<0.01). Conclusions The clinical presentations of early hydatidiform mole are not typical. Although ultrasound examination identifies only about half of hydatidiform moles, ultrasonography is still an important auxiliary examination method. Morphological examination combined with p57^KIP2 immunohistochemical staining could effectively diagnose early hydatidiform mole, so as to reduce the missed diagnosis of hydatidiform mole.