Objective: This study aimed to compare outcomes and adverse events of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with cisplatin single-agent chemotherapy vs. CCRT with cisplatin combined with paclitaxel dualagent therapy. The primary outcomes are overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence (LR), distant metastasis (DM) and the occurrence of adverse events. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with FIGO 2009 stage IB1-IVA cervical squamous cell carcinoma undergoing radical CCRT. Patients were divided into groups A and B, treatment outcomes were compared between the two groups after 1:1 proportional propensity score matching. Results: Medical records of 1,203 patients were reviewed and 572 patients were finally included for propensity score matching. After propensity score matching, 121 pairs of patients were selected for analysis. The OS, PFS, LR and DM rates were 78.5% and 83.5% (p=0.417), 73.3% and 78.5% (p=0.312), 6.6% and 2.5% (p=0.123), 19% and 15.7% (p=0.497) for groups A and B, respectively. Further subgroup analysis according to stage and lymph node metastatic status showed no difference in survival between the two groups. The incidence of grade 3–4 acute haematological toxicities was different between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion Cisplatin combined with paclitaxel CCRT couldn’t improve the survival rates of patients with LACC. However, the hematological toxicity of combination chemotherapy is more severe but controllable. Cisplatin single-agent therapy remains the first choice for CCRT. Further prospective studies are indicated to provide evidence for the efficacy of cisplatin plus paclitaxel in dual-agent concurrent therapy.

Objective: This study aimed to compare outcomes and adverse events of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with cisplatin single-agent chemotherapy vs. CCRT with cisplatin combined with paclitaxel dualagent therapy. The primary outcomes are overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence (LR), distant metastasis (DM) and the occurrence of adverse events. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with FIGO 2009 stage IB1-IVA cervical squamous cell carcinoma undergoing radical CCRT. Patients were divided into groups A and B, treatment outcomes were compared between the two groups after 1:1 proportional propensity score matching. Results: Medical records of 1,203 patients were reviewed and 572 patients were finally included for propensity score matching. After propensity score matching, 121 pairs of patients were selected for analysis. The OS, PFS, LR and DM rates were 78.5% and 83.5% (p=0.417), 73.3% and 78.5% (p=0.312), 6.6% and 2.5% (p=0.123), 19% and 15.7% (p=0.497) for groups A and B, respectively. Further subgroup analysis according to stage and lymph node metastatic status showed no difference in survival between the two groups. The incidence of grade 3–4 acute haematological toxicities was different between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion Cisplatin combined with paclitaxel CCRT couldn’t improve the survival rates of patients with LACC. However, the hematological toxicity of combination chemotherapy is more severe but controllable. Cisplatin single-agent therapy remains the first choice for CCRT. Further prospective studies are indicated to provide evidence for the efficacy of cisplatin plus paclitaxel in dual-agent concurrent therapy.

Objective: This study aimed to compare outcomes and adverse events of patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) with cisplatin single-agent chemotherapy vs. CCRT with cisplatin combined with paclitaxel dualagent therapy. The primary outcomes are overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence (LR), distant metastasis (DM) and the occurrence of adverse events. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients with FIGO 2009 stage IB1-IVA cervical squamous cell carcinoma undergoing radical CCRT. Patients were divided into groups A and B, treatment outcomes were compared between the two groups after 1:1 proportional propensity score matching. Results: Medical records of 1,203 patients were reviewed and 572 patients were finally included for propensity score matching. After propensity score matching, 121 pairs of patients were selected for analysis. The OS, PFS, LR and DM rates were 78.5% and 83.5% (p=0.417), 73.3% and 78.5% (p=0.312), 6.6% and 2.5% (p=0.123), 19% and 15.7% (p=0.497) for groups A and B, respectively. Further subgroup analysis according to stage and lymph node metastatic status showed no difference in survival between the two groups. The incidence of grade 3–4 acute haematological toxicities was different between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion Cisplatin combined with paclitaxel CCRT couldn’t improve the survival rates of patients with LACC. However, the hematological toxicity of combination chemotherapy is more severe but controllable. Cisplatin single-agent therapy remains the first choice for CCRT. Further prospective studies are indicated to provide evidence for the efficacy of cisplatin plus paclitaxel in dual-agent concurrent therapy.

With the increasing proportion of human papilloma virus(HPV)infection in the pathogenic factors of oro-pharyngeal cancer,a series of changes have occurred in the surgical treatment.While the treatment mode has been im-proved,there are still many problems,including the inconsistency between diagnosis and treatment modes,the lack of popularization of reconstruction technology,the imperfect post-treatment rehabilitation system,and the lack of effective preventive measures.Especially in terms of treatment mode for early oropharyngeal cancer,there is no unified conclu-sion whether it is surgery alone or radiotherapy alone,and whether robotic minimally invasive surgery has better func-tional protection than radiotherapy.For advanced oropharyngeal cancer,there is greater controversy over the treatment mode.It is still unclear whether to adopt a non-surgical treatment mode of synchronous chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy combined with synchronous chemoradiotherapy,or a treatment mode of surgery combined with postopera-tive chemoradiotherapy.In order to standardize the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in China and clarify the indications for surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,this expert consensus,based on the characteristics and treat-ment status of oropharyngeal cancer in China and combined with the international latest theories and practices,forms consensus opinions in multiple aspects of preoperative evaluation,surgical indication determination,primary tumor re-section,neck lymph node dissection,postoperative defect repair,postoperative complication management prognosis and follow-up of oropharyngeal cancer patients.The key points include:① Before the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,the expression of P16 protein should be detected to clarify HPV status;② Perform enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the maxillofacial region before surgery to evaluate the invasion of oropharyngeal cancer and guide precise surgical resec-tion of oropharyngeal cancer.Evaluating mouth opening and airway status is crucial for surgical approach decisions and postoperative risk prediction;③ For oropharyngeal cancer patients who have to undergo major surgery and cannot eat for one to two months,it is recommended to undergo percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy before surgery to effectively improve their nutritional intake during treatment;④ Early-stage oropharyngeal cancer patients may opt for either sur-gery alone or radiation therapy alone.For intermediate and advanced stages,HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer general-ly prioritizes radiation therapy,with concurrent chemotherapy considered based on tumor staging.Surgical treatment is recommended as the first choice for HPV unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(including primary and re-current)and recurrent HPV related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy;⑤ For primary exogenous T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer,direct surgery through the oral approach or da Vinci robotic sur-gery is preferred.For T3-4 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer,it is recommended to use temporary mandibu-lectomy approach and lateral pharyngotomy approach for surgery as appropriate;⑥ For cT1-2N0 oropharyngeal cancer patients with tumor invasion depth＞3 mm and cT3-4N0 HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,selective neck dissection of levels ⅠB to Ⅳ is recommended.For cN+HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,therapeutic neck dissection in regions Ⅰ-Ⅴ is advised;⑦ If PET-CT scan at 12 or more weeks after completion of radiation shows intense FDG uptake in any node,or imaging suggests continuous enlargement of lymph nodes,the patient should undergo neck dissection;⑧ For patients with suspected extracapsular invasion preoperatively,lymph node dissection should include removal of surrounding muscle and adipose connective tissue;⑨ The reconstruction of oropharyngeal cancer defects should follow the principle of reconstruction steps,with priority given to adjacent flaps,followed by distal pedicled flaps,and finally free flaps.The anterolateral thigh flap with abundant tissue can be used as the preferred flap for large-scale postoperative defects.

AIM:This study investigates the effect of fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21)long-acting ana-logue PF-05231023 on promoting the"browning"of white adipose tissue(WAT)by inhibiting mitophagy in WAT and the molecular mechanisms involved.METHODS:Using a high-fat diet(HFD)to replicate an obesity model in mice,18 C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups:normal control(NC)group,HFD group,and PF-05231023 intervention(PF+HFD)group,each consisting of 6 mice.After 12 weeks of feeding,the mice were anaesthetized,their eyeballs were removed to collect blood samples,and serum was separated to measure levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)、alanine aminotransferase(ALT),and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)in mouse serum.The inguinal WAT(iWAT),epididymal WAT(eWAT)and liver were collected.Part of the tis-sues were used for Western blot experiments to measure the protein levels of"browning"related markers uncoupling pro-tein-1(Ucp-1)and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α),as well as mitophagy-related markers PTEN-induced kinase 1(Pink1),parkin,beclin-1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-Ⅱ(LC3-Ⅱ).Another part of the tissues was fixed in paraformaldehyde for subsequent HE and immunohistochemical staining.3T3-L1 cells were induced to mature adipocytes using the classic"cocktail"method.The CCK-8 assay was used to assess the impact of different concentrations of PF-05231023 intervention on cell viability.After 48 h of PF-05231023 intervention,the 3T3-L1 cell clumps were collected for Western blot experiments to measure the expression levels of"browning"related markers Ucp-1 and PGC-1α,as well as mitochondrial autophagy-related markers Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ proteins.Oil red O staining was performed to detect cell accumulation,and immunofluorescence staining was used to mea-sure Ucp-1 protein content.Subsequently,3T3-L1 cells were divided into the normal group,PF-05231023 intervention group,Pink1 agonist MTK458 intervention group,and MTK458+PF-05231023 intervention group.Cell clumps were col-lected for Western blot experiments to measure the markers as mentioned above.RESULTS:The key findings of our study indicate that the PF-05231023 intervention did not affect energy intake in mice but significantly reduced the weight,liver weight,and fat weight of mice induced by a high-fat diet(P<0.05).The intervention also decreased lipid accumula-tion(TC,TG、LDL-C)and liver damage(ALT,AST)and alleviated hepatocyte vacuolization and adipocyte size(P<0.05).Compared with the HFD group,the PF-05231023 intervention increased the levels of Ucp-1 and PGC-1α protein expression in iWAT and eWAT(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical staining showed higher Ucp-1 protein content in the PF-05231023 intervention group than in the HFD group.The PF-05231023 intervention dose-dependently increased Ucp-1 and PGC-1α protein expression levels in mature 3T3-L1 cells(P<0.01),reduced cellular lipid accumulation,and immu-nofluorescence staining showed increased Ucp-1 protein content in mature 3T3-L1 cells after PF-05231023 intervention.The PF-05231023 intervention inhibited mitochondrial autophagy-related indicators Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ protein expression levels in iWAT,eWAT,and induced mature 3T3-L1 cells(P<0.05).The MTK intervention increased Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ protein expression levels,increased Ucp-1 protein expression level,compared with the MTK intervention group,after MTK and PF-05231023 co-intervention,partially decreased Pink1,parkin,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ protein expression levels,and partially restored Ucp-1 protein expression level(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:(1)Intervention with PF-05231023 can improve obesity and related metabolic disorders induced by a high-fat diet in mice;(2)PF-05231023 intervention can inhibit white adipose tissue(WAT)and induce mature 3T3-L1 cell mitochondria autophagy,promoting"browning"by inhibiting mitochondrial autophagy;(3)Its mechanism may be related to the inhibi-tion of the Pink1-parkin signalling pathway.

AIM:To explore the correlation between trimethylamine-N-oxide(TMAO)and type 2 diabetic kidney disease(DKD),and to provide new ideas for the early clinical diagnosis of DKD.METHODS:A total 246 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)ad-mitted to the Department of Endocrinology of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 1,2020 to May 31,2020 were divided into diabetic kidney disease group(DKD group)and simple diabetes mellitus group(NDKD group).According to urinary albumin/creatinine ratio(UACR),the patients were divided into A1,A2 and A3 subgroups.According to the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),the patients were divided into G1,G2,G3 and G4-5 sub-groups.According to the Kidney Disease:Improving Global Outcomes(KDIGO)guidelines,the risk of progression of DKD was assessed(low,medium,high or very high risk).General clinical data and laboratory indicators were collected.TMAO level was measured by euzymelinked immunosorbent assay.SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis.RESULTS:In T2DM patients,TMAO level was positively correlated with UACR(r=0.515,P<0.01)and negatively correlated with eGFR(r=-0.409,P<0.01).TMAO is an indepen-dent risk factor for the onset and progression of DKD.In diagnostic model,the AUROC was 0.745 with op-timal cut-off value was 5.37μmol/L.CONCLUSION:TMAO is closely related to the occurrence and de-velopment of DKD,and it has certain clinical predictive value for DKD.Therefore,TMAO may become a po-tential target for the early diagnosis and treatment of DKD.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of electroacupuncture at acupoints of yangming meridians for sarcopenia. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with sarcopenia were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases in each group. In the control group, conventional nutrition intervention for sarcopenia was adopted. In the observation group, on the basis of the treatment in the control group, acupuncture was applied at bilateral Binao (LI 14), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc.,ipsilateral Quchi (LI 11) and Zusanli (ST 36) were connected to electroacupuncture, with discontinuous wave, 2 Hz in frequency, 1-10 mA in intensity, 2 times a week, with a interval of 3 days. A total of 12-week treatment was required in the two groups. Before and after treatment, the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), grip strength, 6 m-walking time, body fat percentage and body moisture percentage were observed in the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with those before treatment, after treatment, ASMI and grip strength were increased while 6 m-walking time was shortened in the two groups (P<0.05); body fat percentage was decreased while body moisture percentage was increased in the observation group (P<0.05). After treatment, in the observation group, ASMI, grip strength and body moisture percentage were increased (P<0.05), 6 m-walking time was shortened and body fat percentage was decreased (P<0.05) compared with those in the control group. CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture at acupoints of yangming meridians can effectively improve the skeletal muscle mass, muscle function, body fat percentage and body moisture percentage in patients with sarcopenia, and make the distribution of muscle and fat more reasonable.
Humans ; Meridians ; Acupuncture Points ; Electroacupuncture ; Sarcopenia/therapy* ; Acupuncture Therapy

Gypenosides, structurally analogous to ginsenosides and derived from a sustainable source, are recognized as the principal active compounds found in Gynostemma pentaphyllum, a Chinese medicinal plant used in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome. By bioactive tracking isolation of the plants collected from different regions across China, we obtained four new gypenosides (1-4), together with nine known gypenosides (5-13), from the methanol extract of the plant. The structures of new gypenosides were elucidated by one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra, complemented by chemical degradation experiments. Through comprehensive evaluation involving COL1A1 promoter assays and PP2Cα activity assays, we established a definitive structure-activity relationship for these dammarane-type triterpenoids, affirming the indispensability of the C-3 saccharide chain and C-17 lactone ring in effectively impeding extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition within hepatic stellate cells. Further in vivo study on the CCl₄-induced liver damage mouse model corroborated that compound 5 significantly ameliorated the process of hepatic fibrosis by oral administration. These results underscore the potential of dammarane-type triterpenoids as prospective anti-fibrotic leads and highlight their prevalence as key molecular frameworks in the therapeutic intervention of chronic hepatic disorders.
Animals ; Mice ; Gynostemma ; Liver Cirrhosis/drug therapy* ; Triterpenes/pharmacology* ; Ginsenosides ; Extracellular Matrix ; Dammaranes

Chimeric RNA is a fusion transcript composed of exons from two or more different genes and generated by chromosome rearrangement or RNA splicing. Chimeric RNAs have the potential to encode novel proteins or function as non-coding RNAs. Chimeric RNAs were ubiquitously expressed across different cancers and normal tissues. To date, mechanistic and functional studies of chimeric RNAs still remain unclear. Precise definition and terminology in the research field of chimeric RNA will be discussed in this review. The formation, classification and clinical significance of chimeric RNAs in cancer progression will be summarized. Previous studies showed that products of chimeric RNAs may play important roles in regulating cell proliferation, motility, invasion and apoptosis through encoded fusion proteins or long non-coding chimeric RNAs. In cancer, chimeric RNA and its encoded specific protein or non-coding RNA can regulate tumorigenesis by changing cell phenotypes or directly affecting gene expression or regulatory pathways, which have the potential to be important diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In recent years, more and more cancer-specific chimeric RNAs have been discovered from multiple types of cancers and used as therapeutic targets due to their vital roles in disease prognosis. Therefore, this review will focus on the functions and applications of chimeric RNAs in different tumors, which can shed a light on cancer diagnosis and therapeutics from the new perspective.

Objective: To examine the association of greenness exposure with waist circumference (WC) and central obesity in older adults in China. Methods: Based on the cross-sectional data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey in 2017-2018, 14 056 participants aged 65 years and over were included. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle, WC, and other information were collected through a questionnaire and physical examination. Based on the satellite monitoring data of moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) provided by NASA, the annual mean of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) within a radius of 1 000 meters was obtained as the measurement value of greenness exposure. Multivariate linear regression model, multivariate logistic regression model, and restricted cubic splines (RCS) model were used to analyze the association and dose-response relationship between greenness exposure and WC and central obesity in older adults in China. Results: A total of 14 056 participants were enrolled with a median age of 84.0 years [IQR: 75.0-94.0 years]. About 45.0% (6 330) of them were male and 48.6% (5 853) were illiterate. There were 10 964 (78.0%) participants from rural. The mean of WC was (84.4±10.8) cm. Central obesity accounted for 60.2% (8 465), and the NDVI range was (-0.06, 0.78). After adjusting for confounding factors, the multivariate linear regression model showed that the change value of WC in the urban group [β (95%CI):-0.49 (-0.93, -0.06)] was smaller than that in the rural [-0.78 (-0.98, -0.58)] for every 0.1 unit increase in NDVI (P_interaction=0.022). Compared with the Q₁ group in NDVI, WC of Q₂ and Q₃ groups in rural decreased, and the β (95%CI) values were-1.74 (-2.5, -0.98) and-2.78 (-3.55, -2.00), respectively. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of central obesity decreased for urban and rural older adults with an increase of 0.1 unit in NDVI, and the OR (95%CI) values were 0.87 (0.80, 0.95) and 0.86 (0.82, 0.89), respectively (P_interaction=0.284). Compared with the Q₁ group in NDVI, the risk of central obesity in the Q₂ and Q₃ groups in rural was lower, and the OR (95%CI) values were 0.68 (0.58, 0.80) and 0.57 (0.49, 0.68), respectively. The results of the multivariate regression model with RCS showed that there was a non-linear association of NDVI with WC (P_nonlinear=0.006) and central obesity (P_nonlinear=0.025). Conclusion: Greenness exposure is negatively associated with WC and central obesity in older adults in China.