1.Traditional Chinese Medicine Treats Acute Lung Injury by Modulating NLRP3 Inflammasome: A Review
Jiaojiao MENG ; Lei LIU ; Yuqi FU ; Hui SUN ; Guangli YAN ; Ling KONG ; Ying HAN ; Xijun WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(6):292-301
Acute lung injury (ALI) is one of the most common and critical diseases in clinical practice, with extremely high morbidity and mortality, seriously threatening human life and health. The pathogenesis of ALI is complex, in which the inflammatory response is a key factor. Studies have shown that NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes are involved in ALI through mechanisms such as inflammation induction, increased microvascular permeability, recruitment of neutrophils, oxidative stress, and pyroptosis, playing a key role in the occurrence and progression of ALI. Therefore, regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes and inhibiting the release of inflammatory factors can alleviate the damage in ALI. At present, ALI is mainly treated by mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy, which have problems such as high costs and poor prognosis. In recent years, studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can reduce the inflammatory response and the occurrence of oxidative stress and pyroptosis by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome, thus alleviating the damage and decreasing the mortality of ALI. Based on the relevant literature in recent years, this article reviews the research progress in TCM treatment of ALI by regulating NLRP3 inflammasomes, discusses how NLRP3 inflammasomes participate in ALI, and summarizes the active ingredients, extracts, and compound prescriptions of TCM that regulate NLRP3 inflammasomes, aiming to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of ALI and the development of relevant drugs.
2.Clinical application of an artificial intelligence system in predicting benign or malignant pulmonary nodules and pathological subtypes
Zhuowen YANG ; Zhizhong ZHENG ; Bin LI ; Yiming HUI ; Mingzhi LIN ; Jiying DANG ; Suiyang LI ; Chunjiao ZHANG ; Long YANG ; Liang SI ; Tieniu SONG ; Yuqi MENG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;32(08):1086-1095
Objective To evaluate the predictive ability and clinical application value of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the benign and malignant differentiation and pathological type of pulmonary nodules, and to summarize clinical application experience. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients with pulmonary nodules admitted to the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, from February 2016 to February 2025. Firstly, pulmonary nodules were divided into benign and non-benign groups, and the discriminative abilities of AI systems and clinicians were compared. Subsequently, lung nodules reported as precursor glandular lesions (PGL), microinvasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in postoperative pathological results were analyzed, comparing the efficacy of AI systems and clinicians in predicting the pathological type of pulmonary nodules. Results In the analysis of benign/non-benign pulmonary nodules, clinical data from a total of 638 patients with pulmonary nodules were included, of which there were 257 males (10 patients and 1 patient of double and triple primary lesions, respectively) and 381 females (18 patients and 1 patient of double and triple primary lesions, respectively), with a median age of 55.0 (47.0, 61.0) years. Different lesions in the same patient were analyzed as independent samples. Univariate analysis of the two groups of variables showed that, except for nodule location, the differences in the remaining variables were statistically significant (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, nodule type (subsolid pulmonary nodule), average density, spicule sign, and vascular convergence sign were independent influencing factors for non-benign pulmonary nodules, among which age, nodule type (subsolid pulmonary nodule), spicule sign, and vascular convergence sign were positively correlated with non-benign pulmonary nodules, while average density was negatively correlated with the occurrence of non-benign pulmonary nodules. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the malignancy risk value given by the AI system in predicting non-benign pulmonary nodules was 0.811, slightly lower than the 0.898 predicted by clinicians. In the PGL/MIA/IAC analysis, clinical data from a total of 411 patients with pulmonary nodules were included, of which there were 149 males (8 patients of double primary lesions) and 262 females (17 patients of double primary lesions), with a median age of 56.0 (50.0, 61.0) years. Different lesions in the same patient were analyzed as independent samples. Univariate analysis results showed that, except for gender, nodule location, and vascular convergence sign, the differences in the remaining variables among the three groups of PGL, MIA, and IAC patients were statistically significant (P<0.05). Multinomial multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the differences between the parameters in the PGL group and the MIA group were not statistically significant (P>0.05), and the maximum diameter and average density of the nodules were statistically different between the PGL and IAC groups (P<0.05), and were positively correlated with the occurrence of IAC as independent risk factors. The average AUC value, accuracy, recall rate, and F1 score of the AI system in predicting lung nodule pathological type were 0.807, 74.3%, 73.2%, and 68.5%, respectively, all better than the clinical physicians’ prediction of lung nodule pathological type indicators (0.782, 70.9%, 66.2%, and 63.7% respectively). The AUC value of the AI system in predicting IAC was 0.853, and the sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cutoff value were 0.643, 0.943, and 50.0%, respectively. Conclusion This AI system has demonstrated high clinical value in predicting the benign and malignant nature and pathological type of lung nodules, especially in predicting lung nodule pathological type, its ability has surpassed that of clinical physicians. With the optimization of algorithms and the adequate integration of multimodal data, it can better assist clinical physicians in formulating individualized diagnostic and treatment plans for patients with lung nodules.
3.Effect and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant therapy of resectable non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of single-group rate
Haitian LI ; Qing LIU ; Bin LI ; Yuzhen CHEN ; Yuqi MENG ; Zhizhong ZHENG ; Yiming HUI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;31(08):1198-1205
Objective To systematically evaluate the effect and safety of neoadjuvant PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy for resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang data were searched by computer to identify relevant studies on anti PD-1 /PD-L1 combined with chemotherapy for resectable NSCLC from inception to March 2023. Two authors independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the risk of bias in the included studies. The single-arm study was evaluated for quality using the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.4 software. Results Twenty-six studies with 965 patients were included in this meta-analysis. MINORS scores of single-arm studies were ≥12 points. The meta-analysis results showed that the pooled pathologic complete response, major pathologic response, and objective response rates as well as partial response, surgical rate and R0 surgical resection rate of neoadjuvant PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy were 39% [RD=0.39, 95%CI (0.31, 0.47) ], 59% [RD=0.59, 95%CI (0.53, 0.65) ], 72% [RD=0.72, 95%CI (0.65, 0.80) ], 62% [RD=0.62, 95%CI (0.56, 0.69) ], 86% [RD=0.86, 95%CI (0.81, 0.92) ], and 94% [RD=0.94, 95%CI (0.92, 0.97) ], respectively. In terms of safety, the rate of adverse events (AEs) was 65% [RD=0.65, 95%CI (0.52, 0.78) ], and the rate of grade 3 to 5 AEs was 16% [RD=0.16, 95%CI (0.10, 0.23) ]. Conclusion The combination of neoadjuvant PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with chemotherapy has good efficacy and safety in the treatment of patients with resectable NSCLC.
4.Patient-reported outcomes of locally advanced gastric cancer undergoing robotic versus laparoscopic gastrectomy: a randomized controlled study
Qingrui WANG ; Shougen CAO ; Cheng MENG ; Xiaodong LIU ; Zequn LI ; Yulong TIAN ; Jianfei XU ; Yuqi SUN ; Gan LIU ; Xingqi ZHANG ; Zhuoyu JIA ; Hao ZHONG ; Hao YANG ; Zhaojian NIU ; Yanbing ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2024;62(1):57-64
Objective:To compare the patient-reported outcomes and short-term clinical outcomes between robotic-assisted and laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer.Methods:This single-center prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from October 2020 to August 2022. Patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who were to undergo radical gastrectomy were selected and randomly divided into two groups according to 1∶1, and received robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery, respectively. Patient-reported outcomes and short-term clinical outcomes (including postoperative complications, surgical quality and postoperative short-term recovery) were compared between the two groups by independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated ANOVA, generalized estimating equation, χ2 test and Fisher′s exact test. Results:A total of 237 patients were enrolled for modified intention-to-treat analysis (120 patients in the robotic group, 117 patients in the laparoscopic group). There were 180 males and 59 females, aged (63.0±10.2) years (range: 30 to 85 years). The incidence of postoperative complications was similar between the robotic group and laparoscopic group (16.7% (20/120) vs. 15.4% (18/117), χ2=0.072, P=0.788). The robotic group had higher patient-reported outcomes scores in general health status, emotional, and social domains compared to the laparoscopic group, differences in time effect, intervention effect, and interaction effect were statistically significant (general health status: χ2 value were 275.68, 3.91, 6.38, P value were <0.01, 0.048, 0.041; emotional: χ2 value were 77.79, 6.04, 6.15, P value were <0.01, 0.014, 0.046; social: χ2 value were 148.00, 7.57, 5.98, P value were <0.01, 0.006, 0.048). However, the financial burden of the robotic group was higher, the differences in time effect, intervention effect and interaction effect were statistically significant ( χ2 value were 156.24, 4.08, 36.56, P value were <0.01, 0.043,<0.01). Conclusion:Compared to the laparoscopic group, the robotic group could more effectively relieve postoperative negative emotions and improve recovery of social function in patients.
5.Comparison of Short-term Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy and Surgery Alone for Locally Advanced Resectable Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
LI HAITIAN ; LIU QING ; LI BIN ; CHEN YUZHEN ; LIN JUNPING ; MENG YUQI ; FENG HAIMING ; ZHENG ZHIZHONG ; HUI YIMING
Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer 2024;27(6):421-430
Background and objective Lung cancer is the cancer with the highest incidence and mortality rates in China,and non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)accounts for 80%-85%of all malignant lung tumors.Currently,surgical treat-ment remains the primary treatment modality for lung cancer.In recent years,the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibi-tors for NSCLC has become a consensus,and neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy(nICT)has shown promising efficacy and safety in early to intermediate stage NSCLC.However,there are fewer studies related to nICT for locally advanced NSCLC.This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nICT therapy in locally advanced resectable NSCLC.Methods 85 con-firmed resectable stage ⅢA and ⅢB patients treated in the Department of Thoracic Surgery,Second Hospital of Lanzhou University,from January 2021 to April 2024,were divided into the nICT group(n=32)and the surgery alone group(n=53).Clinical baseline data,perioperative indicators,postoperative complications,imaging response rate,pathological response rate,incidence of adverse events,and quality of life were compared between the two groups.Results There were no statisti-cally significant differences in clinical baseline data between the two groups(P>0.05).Incidence of choosing thoracotomy was higher in the nICT group than in the surgery alone group(P=0.002).There were no significant differences in surgical time,intraoperative blood loss,number of dissected lymph nodes,duration of chest tube placement,postoperative hospital stay,and R0 resection rate between the two groups(P>0.05).The overall incidence of postoperative complications was 31.25%in the nICT group and 22.64%in the surgery alone group,with no statistically significant difference(P=0.380).In the nICT group,the objective response rate(ORR)was 84.38%,with 5 cases of complete response(CR)(15.63%),22 cases of partial response(PR)(68.75%),15 cases of pathological response rate(pCR)(46.88%),and 11 cases of major pathological reaponse(MPR)(34.38%).During nICT treatment,12 cases(37.50%)experienced grade 3 treatment-related adverse events,no death induced by adverse events or immune related adverse events.Moreover,the symptoms of the patients were improved after nICT treat-ment.Conclusion Neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy shows promising efficacy in locally advanced resectable NSCLC,with manageable treatment-related adverse events.It is a safe and feasible neoadjuvant treatment modality for locally advanced resectable NSCLC.
6.Patient-reported outcomes of locally advanced gastric cancer undergoing robotic versus laparoscopic gastrectomy: a randomized controlled study
Qingrui WANG ; Shougen CAO ; Cheng MENG ; Xiaodong LIU ; Zequn LI ; Yulong TIAN ; Jianfei XU ; Yuqi SUN ; Gan LIU ; Xingqi ZHANG ; Zhuoyu JIA ; Hao ZHONG ; Hao YANG ; Zhaojian NIU ; Yanbing ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2024;62(1):57-64
Objective:To compare the patient-reported outcomes and short-term clinical outcomes between robotic-assisted and laparoscopic-assisted radical gastrectomy for locally advanced gastric cancer.Methods:This single-center prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from October 2020 to August 2022. Patients with locally advanced gastric cancer who were to undergo radical gastrectomy were selected and randomly divided into two groups according to 1∶1, and received robotic surgery and laparoscopic surgery, respectively. Patient-reported outcomes and short-term clinical outcomes (including postoperative complications, surgical quality and postoperative short-term recovery) were compared between the two groups by independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated ANOVA, generalized estimating equation, χ2 test and Fisher′s exact test. Results:A total of 237 patients were enrolled for modified intention-to-treat analysis (120 patients in the robotic group, 117 patients in the laparoscopic group). There were 180 males and 59 females, aged (63.0±10.2) years (range: 30 to 85 years). The incidence of postoperative complications was similar between the robotic group and laparoscopic group (16.7% (20/120) vs. 15.4% (18/117), χ2=0.072, P=0.788). The robotic group had higher patient-reported outcomes scores in general health status, emotional, and social domains compared to the laparoscopic group, differences in time effect, intervention effect, and interaction effect were statistically significant (general health status: χ2 value were 275.68, 3.91, 6.38, P value were <0.01, 0.048, 0.041; emotional: χ2 value were 77.79, 6.04, 6.15, P value were <0.01, 0.014, 0.046; social: χ2 value were 148.00, 7.57, 5.98, P value were <0.01, 0.006, 0.048). However, the financial burden of the robotic group was higher, the differences in time effect, intervention effect and interaction effect were statistically significant ( χ2 value were 156.24, 4.08, 36.56, P value were <0.01, 0.043,<0.01). Conclusion:Compared to the laparoscopic group, the robotic group could more effectively relieve postoperative negative emotions and improve recovery of social function in patients.
7.Effect of chlorhexidine on drug resistance and pathogenicity of Enterococcus faecalis and its mechanism
Zhibo XU ; Xinmiao JIANG ; Yuqi ZHEN ; Quzhen MA BAI ; Mengyao SUN ; Xiuping MENG
Journal of Jilin University(Medicine Edition) 2024;50(3):676-681
Objective:To discuss the effect of long-term use of chlorhexidine on the resistance of Enterococcus faecalis(E.faecalis),and to clarify its mechanism.Methods:The standard strain of E.faecalis was repeatedly exposed to chlorhexidine for 10 generations,and the minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC)was recorded at each passage.The bacteria collected from the 10th generation with increased MIC values were designated as the E.faecalis chlorhexidine-resistant strains(E.faecalis-Cs).The growth curves of two strains were drawn;the morphology of two strains were observed by transmission electron microscope;the number of biofilm formation of two strains was detected by crystal violet staining;the bacterial hydrophobicities of two strains were detected by microbial adhesion to hydrocarbons(MATH)method;the expression levels of S-ribosylhomocysteine lyase(LuxS)mRNA in the bacterial biofilms of two strains were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)method.Results:From the 0th to the 10th generation,the MIC values of E.faecalis were gradually increased.The growth curves of E.faecalis and E.faecalis-Cs showed no significant differences.The transmission electron microscope observation results showed that both E.faecalis and E.faecalis-Cs appeared oval or diplococcal,with intact cell wall structures,smooth edges,and evenly distributed cytoplasm.There were no significant differences in the morphology,size,cell wall thickness,or integrity between two types of bacteria.The crystal violet staining results showed that compared with E.faecalis,the number of biofilm formation of E.faecalis-Cs was significantly increased(P<0.05).The MATH results showed tha the hydrophobicity of E.faecalis-Cs was significantly higher than that of E.faecalis(P<0.05).The RT-qPCR results showed that the expression level of LuxS mRNA in the biofilms of E.faecalis-Cs was significantly higher than that of E.faecalis(P<0.05).Conclusion:E.faecalis develops the resistance after repeated exposure to the chlorhexidine,and the pathogenicity of the resistant strain is enhanced.The high expressin of quorum sensing(QS)system LuxS gene and stronger biofilm forming ability of bacteria may be the potential mechanism for E.faecalis to tolerate the chlorhexidine.
8.CBCT and three-dimensional finite element analysis based on differences in dentin stress distribution before and after root canal preparation of mandibular first premolar teeth
Xinmiao JIANG ; Zhibo XU ; Yuqi ZHEN ; Quzhen BAIMA ; Xiuping MENG
Journal of Jilin University(Medicine Edition) 2024;50(5):1259-1265
Objective:To analyze the root canal diameter of the mandibular first premolar by using finite element analysis to simulate the stress distribution of dentin under three different preparation methods,and to provide the basis for clinical root canal preparation strategies of the mandibular first premolars.Methods:Twenty-one patients with complete cone beam computed tomography(CBCT)images were selected.The original DICOM format data from CBCT were imported into Mimics 21.0 software to measure the root canal diameter at 3,6,9,and 12 mm from the apex and the root canal taper was segmentally calculated.Based on this,three-dimensional finite element models of the dental and periodontal tissues were constructed.Control group,maximum diameter preparation group,uniform preparation group,and 0.06 taper instrument preparation group were designed.In ANSYS Workbench 17.0 finite element analysis software,a 200 N load was applied to the buccal,lingual,and occlusal surfaces in various groups,and the stresses on dentin in various groups were analyzed.Results:The analysis of root canal taper at 3-6 mm,6-9 mm,and 9-12 mm from the apex of mandibular first premolar teeth showed that the taper was similar in the mesial-distal direction at 3-6 mm from the apex.The average taper in the buccal-lingual direction at 6-9 mm from the apex was 0.29,which was greater than the taper in the apical 1/3 and coronal 1/3.Under the same load,the peak stress values in dentin of mandibular first premolar teech in various groups were increased sequentially:4.693 6,16.304 0,14.278 0,and 18.682 0 MPa.The stress in maximum diameter preparation group concentrated on the canal wall with the highest stress value.The stress in uniform preparation group concentrated on the root surface,and the stress values on each section were lower than those in maximum diameter preparation group.The stress in 0.06 taper instrument preparation group concentrated on the apical 1/3 of the root surface.Conclusion:The root canal of the mandibular first premolar has a unique elliptical taper shape,and there are significant differences in diameter and taper between the mesial-distal and buccal-lingual directions.Different preparation methods result in different stress distributions on the canal wall,and the uniform preparation is the best method for enlarging the canal.
9.The impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2023;30(04):635-640
Lung cancer is a complex disease with its own challenges, and is considered to be one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has exacerbated these challenges. The aim of this review is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the screening, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. We hope to provide some experience and help for the whole process management of lung cancer patients.
10.Relationship between DDX46 gene and invasion and metastasis behaviors of TE-1 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells
Junping LIN ; Yuqi MENG ; Bin LI ; Haiming FENG ; Zheng LI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2023;30(07):1030-1037
Objective To investigate the relationship between DDX46 genes and invasion and migration of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Methods Human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells TE-1 were transfected by fluorescent marker shRNA lentivirus (shDDX46 group), and an empty vector was transfected as a control (shCtrl group). The expression rate of green fluorescent protein under the microscope was used to evaluate the cell transfection efficiency. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) and Western blotting (WB) detected the knockdown efficiency of the target gene at the mRNA and protein expression levels. Wound healing, invasion assay and migration assay detected the changes of invasion and metastasis ability. Classical pathway analysis was used to explore signaling pathway changes and the possible mechanism of DDX46 in the invasion and metastasis was explored by detecting fibronectin expression. Results DDX46 gene at mRNA and protein levels was significantly inhibited after lentiviral transfection. Wound healing showed that after 8 h the cell mobility of TE-1 cells decreased significantly (P=0.001). Invasion assay showed that after 24 h the average cell metastasis rate of TE-1 cells was lower in the shDDX46 group than that in the shCtrl group (P<0.001). The cell metastasis rate in the shDDX46 group corresponding to observation points in the transwell assay was lower than that in the shCtrl group (P<0.001) after 24 h culture. The results of the classical pathway analysis showed that the integrin signaling pathway activity was inhibited, further exploration of the mechanism of action found that the expression of fibronectin associated with cell adhesion was decreased. Conclusion DDX46 gene is related to the invasion and migration ability of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Knockdown of DDX46 genes may reduce cell adhesion by downregulating the integrin pathway signaling.

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