Integrated analysis of dermatomyositis reveals heterogeneous immune infiltration and interstitial lung disease-associated endotype.

Background: Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune disease with a high rate of disability and mortality especially in DM with concurrent interstitial lung disease (DM-ILD). Little is known about inflammatory signature and heterogeneous endotypes of DM.

Objective: We aimed to illustrate the systemic inflammatory signature of DM and define an ILD-associated endotype.

Aberrant Chitinase 3-Like 1 Expression in Basal Cells Contributes to Systemic Sclerosis Fibrosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease characterized by extensive skin and internal organ fibrosis. However, the mechanism underlying fibrosis remains unclear, and effective treatments for halting or reversing fibrosis are lacking. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing is used to obtain a comprehensive overview of skin cells from patients with SSc and healthy controls.

The treatment response evaluation through the combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and squamous cell carcinoma antigen in cervical cancer.

Background: The evaluation of the treatment response after concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CCRT) for locally advanced cervical cancer is closely related to the formulation of treatment strategies. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a recommended method for efficacy evaluation; however, a unified consensus has not yet been reached on its use, and it has its limitations. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of a combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) parameters and the squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) to establish another efficient and feasible examination method.

Linear morphea distributed along radial nerve with high incidence of neuromusculoskeletal disorders: A single-center case series.

Linear morphea is the most disabling subtype of morphea, which may cause a series of excutaneous manifestations and sequelae. To futher explore the clinical characteristics of linear morphea, we conducted a retrospective study of 22 patients diagnosed with linear morphea in our department during the past 2 years. Their baseline clinical information, skin manifestations, complications and therapeutic effect were analyzed.

Mesothelin-Mediated Paclitaxel Phase-Shifted Nanodelivery System for Molecular Ultrasound Imaging and Targeted Therapy Potential in Ovarian Cancer.

Background: Ovarian cancer presents a substantial risk to women's health and lives, with early detection and treatment proving challenging. Targeted nanodelivery systems are viewed as a promising approach to enhance the effectiveness of ovarian cancer treatment and ultrasonic imaging outcomes.

Objective: A phase-shifted nanodelivery system (NPs) loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) and further conjugated with avidin (Ab) was studied, with the goal of investigating the effects of targeted nanodelivery strategies on the in vitro therapeutic efficacy and ultrasonic imaging of ovarian cancer.

Radiogenomic analysis of ultrasound phenotypic features coupled to proteomes predicts metastatic risk in primary prostate cancer.

Background: Primary prostate cancer with metastasis has a poor prognosis, so assessing its risk of metastasis is essential.

Methods: This study combined comprehensive ultrasound features with tissue proteomic analysis to obtain biomarkers and practical diagnostic image features that signify prostate cancer metastasis.

Results: In this study, 17 ultrasound image features of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), primary prostate cancer without metastasis (PPCWOM), and primary prostate cancer with metastasis (PPCWM) were comprehensively analyzed and combined with the corresponding tissue proteome data to perform weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), which resulted in two modules highly correlated with the ultrasound phenotype.

A stretchable hardness sensor for the assessment of skin disease in systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To determine the validity of a hardness sensor to objectively assess skin induration in patients with systemic sclerosis, and to compare the hardness sensor with the modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS) and a durometer.

Methods: The skin induration was measured in two assessments: a Latin square experiment to examine the hardness sensor's intraobserver and interobserver reliability; and a longitudinal cohort to evaluate the distribution of hardness sensor measurements, the correlation between hardness sensor, durometer and MRSS, and the sensitivity to change in skin hardness. Other outcome data collected included the health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) disability index and Keitel function test (KTF) score.

A scoring diagnostic system based on biparametric ultrasound features for prostate cancer risk assessment.

Background: Ultrasound has advantages in prostate cancer (PCa) detection and biopsy guidance but lacks a comprehensive quantitative evaluation model with multiparametric features. We aimed to construct a biparametric ultrasound (BU) scoring system for PCa risk assessment and to provide an option for clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) detection.

Methods: From January 2015 to December 2020, 392 consecutive patients at Chongqing University Cancer Hospital who underwent BU (grayscale, Doppler flow imaging, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound) and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) before biopsy were retrospectively enrolled in the training set to construct the scoring system.

Cooperative phototherapy based on bimodal imaging guidance for the treatment of uveal melanoma.

Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) is adults' most common primary intraocular malignant tumor, prone to metastasis and high mortality. Eyeball enucleation commonly used in the clinic will lead to permanent blindness and mental disorders. Thus, new methods are urgently needed to diagnose and treat UM early to preserve patients' vision.

Antitumor therapy for breast cancer: Focus on tumor-associated macrophages and nanosized drug delivery systems.

Background: In breast cancer (BC), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are an important component of the tumor microenvironment and are closely related to poor prognosis. A growing number of studies have focused on the role of TAMs in BC progression and therapeutic strategies targeting TAMs. As an emerging treatment, the application of nanosized drug delivery systems (NDDSs) in the treatment of BC by targeting TAMs has attracted much attention.

Mesoporous polydopamine-based nanoplatform for enhanced tumor chemodynamic therapy through the reducibility weakening strategy.

Polydopamine (PDA)-based Fenton agents attract increasing attention in tumor photothermal-enhanced chemodynamic therapy (CDT) due to their good biocompatibility and excellent loading capacity. However, PDA tends to eliminate the Fenton reaction-generated hydroxyl radical (∙OH) by its strong reducibility, which is an intractable hinder to the efficacy of CDT that need to be solved. Herein, a kind of mesoporous PDA-gold-manganese dioxide (MPDA-Au-MnO, MPAM) nanoplatform was constructed for photothermal-enhanced CDT against tumor through the reducibility weakening strategy.

MicroRNA-590-3p inhibits T helper 17 cells and ameliorates inflammation in lupus mice.

T helper 17 (Th17) cells have a pathogenic effect in many autoimmune diseases. Inhibition of Th17 cells can alleviate the inflammatory damage in autoimmune diseases. Our previous study found that microRNA-590-3p (miR-590-3p) was involved in the differentiation of Th17 cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

miRNAs Alter T Helper 17 Cell Fate in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Diseases.

T helper 17 (Th17) cells are characterized by the secretion of the IL-17 cytokine and are essential for the immune response against bacterial and fungal infections. Despite the beneficial roles of Th17 cells, unrestrained IL-17 production can contribute to immunopathology and inflammatory autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Although these diverse outcomes are directed by the activation of Th17 cells, the regulation of Th17 cells is incompletely understood.

Multimodal Ultrasound Model Based on the Left Gastric Vein in B-Viral Cirrhosis: Noninvasive Prediction of Esophageal Varices.

Objectives: To establish and verify a simple noninvasive model based on the left gastric vein (LGV) to predict the grade of esophageal varices (EV) and high-risk EV (HEV), to facilitate clinical follow-up and timely treatment.

Methods: We enrolled 320 patients with B-viral cirrhosis. All patients underwent endoscopy, laboratory tests, liver and spleen stiffness (SS), and ultrasonography.

Involvement of an ABI-like protein and a Ca2+-ATPase in drought tolerance as revealed by transcript profiling of a sweetpotato somatic hybrid and its parents Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. and I. triloba L.

Previously, we obtained the sweetpotato somatic hybrid KT1 from a cross between sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) cv.

[Surface modification of biodegradable polymer/TCP scaffolds and related research].

Under laboratory condition, the compound materials of Poly (DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid)/Tricalcium phosphate [PLGA/TCP(L), with component ratio of 7:3] were fabricated by combining the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) with solvent-casting particulate-leaching (SCPL) approach. On the other hand, rapid prototyping (RP) technique manufactured PLGA/TCP scaffolds [PLGA/TCP(RP)] were obtained. These two kinds of carriers were coated with collagen type I (Col I).

[The experimental study of biomimetic artificial cartilage fabrication in vitro and ectopic chondrogenesis in vivo].

Tri-dimensional poly (DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds were fabricated using a rapid prototyping (RP) technique and the gene of human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (hBMP-2) was transferred into rabbit bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) via recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors (rAAV-hBMP-2). Thirty-two PLGA scaffolds, size (4 mm X 4 mm X 4 mm), were coated with collagen type I and equally divided into 2 groups. In group A, each scaffold was loaded with 2 X 10(4) hBMP-2 (+) MSCs to establish a hBMP-2 (+) MSCs/PLGA composite.

[Morphology research of the rat sciatic nerve bridged by collage-heparin sulfate scaffold].

Objective: To observe the treating effect of collage-heparin sulfate after the 10 mm rat sciatic nerve defect was bridged by it.

Methods: A new kind of nervous tissue engineering scaffold was produced by freeze-drying technique from collagen-heparin sulfate. Thirty-two SD rats were randomly divided into A, B, C and D groups.

Reciprocal action between BMP-2 and BMP-3 in cultured fibroblast in vitro.

Objective: To explore reciprocal action between BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein-2) and BMP-3 for better understanding of the mechanism of BMP during bone fracture union.

Methods: rhBMP-2 was added into the cultured fibroblasts with the concentration of 1,200 ng/ml. The expression of BMP-3 in fibroblasts was detected by immunohistochemistry.