The Astragalus Membranaceus Herb Attenuates Leukemia by Inhibiting the FLI1 Oncogene and Enhancing Anti-Tumor Immunity.

Astragalus membranaceus (AM) herb is a component of traditional Chinese medicine used to treat various cancers. Herein, we demonstrate a strong anti-leukemic effect of AM injected (Ai) into the mouse model of erythroleukemia induced by Friend virus. Chemical analysis combined with mass spectrometry of AM/Ai identified the compounds Betulinic acid, Kaempferol, Hederagenin, and formononetin, all major mediators of leukemia inhibition in culture and in vivo.

Integrated single-cell analysis reveals distinct epigenetic-regulated cancer cell states and a heterogeneity-guided core signature in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer.

Background: Inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity is considered a significant factor contributing to the development of endocrine resistance in breast cancer. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell ATAC sequencing (scATAC-seq) allow us to explore inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity at single-cell resolution. However, such integrated single-cell analysis has not yet been demonstrated to characterize the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility in breast cancer endocrine resistance.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response Mediator IRE-1α Promotes Host Dendritic Cells in Graft-versus-Host Disease Development.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is an effective treatment for hematologic malignancies, but the complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can limit its benefit. The conditioning regimens before transplant, including chemotherapy or irradiation, can trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress. IRE-1α is a major endoplasmic reticulum stress mediator that can further activate both spliced XBP-1 (XBP-1s) and regulated IRE-1-dependent decay (RIDD).

Risk factors and management of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with or without antiplatelet and anticoagulation therapy: a multicenter real-world prospective study.

Background: Antiplatelet and anticoagulation drugs complicate acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) patients. Limited data about the risk factors and patient management has been presented. This study explored the association between previous antiplatelet or anticoagulant drug usage and clinical outcomes in GIB patients to improve awareness further and optimize treatment.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Thyroid Nodules Among 52,003 Chinese 'Healthy' Individuals in Beijing: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The prevalence of thyroid nodules has been increasing, and there are few research data on the risk factors of thyroid nodules in the Chinese population. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of thyroid nodules by retrospectively investigating the physical examination records of a cohort of "healthy" individuals in Beijing, China.

Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study.

A novel predictor of unsustained return of spontaneous circulation in cardiac arrest patients through a combination of capnography and pulse oximetry: a multicenter observational study.

Background: Unsustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is a critical barrier to survival in cardiac arrest patients. This study examined whether end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO) and pulse oximetry photoplethysmogram (POP) parameters can be used to identify unsustained ROSC.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter observational prospective cohort study of consecutive patients with cardiac arrest from 2013 to 2014.

Relationship between glucocorticoids and viral load during the Omicron wave in mainland China.

Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a major public health problem that cannot be ignored. As a widely used drug in the treatment of COVID-19, whether glucocorticoids may accelerate the clearance of COVID-19 is still not clear, and the glucocorticoids may improve the prognosis of patients is also controversial. Therefore, to explore the relationship between COVID-19 viral load and the use of glucocorticoids we designed this study.

Tipping the GVH/GVL balance by targeting HIF1α.

Promoting GVL activity while eliminating GVHD is the utmost goal to treat hematological malignancies with allo-HCT. Bailey et al. demonstrate that targeting HIF1α can favor GVL activity while limiting GVHD after allo-HCT even in combination with immune checkpoint inhibition.

The effect of prophylactic antibiotics in acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding patients in the emergency department.

Background: Currently, prophylactic antibiotics are recommended only for cirrhotic patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (AUGIB); however, the benefit for other AUGIB patients remains undetermined. We aimed to compare the clinical outcomes between patients with AUGIB with and without prophylactic antibiotics to identify the population that requires this therapy.

Methods: Patients with AUGIB admitted between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021 in the Emergency Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled.

ER stress: an emerging regulator in GVHD development.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a promising therapeutic option for hematologic malignancies. However, the clinical benefits of allo-HCT are limited by the development of complications including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Conditioning regimens, such as chemotherapy and irradiation, which are administered to the patients prior to allo-HCT, can disrupt the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis, and induce ER stress in the recipient's cells.

[Effect of fraction of inspired oxygen baseline level on the mask ventilation time before intubation in emergency patients by monitoring of expiratory oxygen concentration].

Objective: To investigate the effect of different fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO) baseline levels before endotracheal intubation on the time of expiratory oxygen concentration (EtO) reaching the standard in emergency patients with the EtO as the monitoring index.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. The clinical data of patients receiving endotracheal intubation in the emergency department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1 to November 1 in 2021 were enrolled.

Management of regional citrate anticoagulation for continuous renal replacement therapy: guideline recommendations from Chinese emergency medical doctor consensus.

Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is widely used for treating critically-ill patients in the emergency department in China. Anticoagulant therapy is needed to prevent clotting in the extracorporeal circulation during CRRT. Regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) has been shown to potentially be safer and more effective and is now recommended as the preferred anticoagulant method for CRRT.

Targeting protein tyrosine phosphatases for CDK6-induced immunotherapy resistance.

Elucidating the mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapy and developing strategies to improve its efficacy are challenging goals. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrates that high CDK6 expression in melanoma is associated with poor progression-free survival of patients receiving single-agent immunotherapy. Depletion of CDK6 or cyclin D3 (but not of CDK4, cyclin D1, or D2) in cells of the tumor microenvironment inhibits tumor growth.

[Treatment and factors associated with prognosis of hyperkalemia in the emergency department].

Objective: To survey treatment and prognosis of hyperkalemia patients in the emergency department and to analyze factors associated with all-cause in-hospital mortality.

Methods: We implemented electronic hospital information system, extracted demographic characteristics, underlying diseases, laboratory findings, potassium lowering therapy and prognosis of hyperkalemia patients [age ≥ 18 years, serum potassium (K) concentration ≥ 5.5 mmol/L] in the emergency department of Peking Union hospital in Beijing between June 1st 2019 to May 31st 2020.

Predictive Values of ADAMTS13, TBIL, and D-D for Prognosis of Patients with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the levels of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13), total bilirubin (TBIL), and D-dimer (D-D) in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and their values for predicting the prognosis.

Methods: The clinical data of 89 TTP patients admitted from March 2018 to December 2021 were collected for retrospective analysis. They were assigned to remission group (n = 61) and death group (n = 28) according to clinical outcomes.

A Retrospective, Nested Case-Control Study to Develop a Biomarker-Based Model for ARDS Diagnostics.

Background: Several biomarkers could be intercalated with traditional measures to improve ARDS diagnostics.

Methods: There were 211 ICU patients enrolled in this retrospective, nested case-control study. Participants were divided into an ARDS (n = 79) and non-ARDS (n = 132) groups, according to the Berlin criteria.

The splanchnic mesenchyme is the tissue of origin for pancreatic fibroblasts during homeostasis and tumorigenesis.

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by abundant desmoplasia, a dense stroma composed of extra-cellular and cellular components, with cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) being the major cellular component. However, the tissue(s) of origin for CAFs remains controversial. Here we determine the tissue origin of pancreatic CAFs through comprehensive lineage tracing studies in mice.

The Absence of IL-12Rβ2 Expression on Recipient Nonhematopoietic Cells Diminishes Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease in the Gastrointestinal Tract.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a frequent target organ in acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), which can determine the morbidity and nonrelapse mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Donor T cells recognize allogeneic Ags presented by host APCs, proliferate, and differentiate into Th1 and Th17 cells that drive GVHD pathogenesis. IL-12 has been shown to play an important role in amplifying the allogeneic response in preclinical and clinical studies.

The druggable transcription factor Fli-1 regulates T cell immunity and tolerance in graft-versus-host disease.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), manifesting as either acute (aGVHD) or chronic (cGVHD), presents significant life-threatening complications following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Here, we investigated Friend virus leukemia integration 1 (Fli-1) in GVHD pathogenesis and validated Fli-1 as a therapeutic target. Using genetic approaches, we found that Fli-1 dynamically regulated different T cell subsets in allogeneic responses and pathogenicity in the development of aGVHD and cGVHD.

S1P/S1PR1 signaling differentially regulates the allogeneic response of CD4 and CD8 T cells by modulating mitochondrial fission.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) significantly contributes to patient morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) signaling is involved in the biogenetic processes of different immune cells. In the current study, we demonstrated that recipient sphingosine kinase 1 (Sphk1), but not Sphk2, was required for optimal S1PR1-dependent donor T-cell allogeneic responses by secreting S1P.