Prognostic value of immuno-inflammatory biomarkers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients receiving immunotherapy combined with chemoradiotherapy and its association with immuno-genomic landscape.

Background: The clinical significance of immuno-inflammatory indicators and the underlying biological basis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who receive chemoradiotherapy (CRT) combined with immunotherapy remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of immuno-inflammatory biomarkers, develop a prognostic model, and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: This study included 212 ESCC patients who received CRT and anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis Facilitates Susceptibility to Bloodstream Infection.

To study the role of intestinal flora in the development of bloodstream infections (BSIs). 42 patients and 19 healthy controls (HCs) were screened into the study and their intestinal flora was measured by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bacterial diversity was significantly lower in the BSI group compared with that in the HCs (P < 0.

Global, regional, and national burden of gout in elderly 1990-2021: an analysis for the global burden of disease study 2021.

Background: Gout, an inflammatory arthritis, disproportionately affects the elderly due to hyperuricemia, leading to significant health-related quality of life impairments and escalating healthcare costs. However, a comprehensive global analysis focusing on the elderly population is needed to inform effective interventions.

Methods: Utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, this study assessed the prevalence, incidence, and Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) of gout among individuals aged ≥ 55 years in 204 countries from 1990 to 2021.

Comparing the in-hospital outcomes of patients with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Secondary Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) differs from primary TTS in terms of clinical characteristics, management, and prognosis. COPD exacerbation has been recognized as a physical trigger for TTS, but its prognostic implications for secondary TTS are poorly understood.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of COPD on in-hospital outcomes in TTS patients.

Combination of rituximab and low-dose glucocorticoids for idiopathic refractory nephrotic syndrome with MCD/FSGS: a single-center prospective cohort study.

Background: The treatment of idiopathic refractory nephrotic syndrome (IRNS) remains a difficult problem in clinical practice. This study aims to determine the efficacy and safety of combining low-dose glucocorticoids with rituximab in IRNS treatment.

Methods: This prospective, single-center cohort study enrolled 60 patients who were diagnosed with refractory IRNS with minimal change disease (MCD) or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and treated at First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

Discrimination of thrombus types in ischemic stroke using Dual-Energy CT.

Objective: This study explores the clinical utility of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) in discriminating thrombus types in ischemic stroke.

Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent brain DECT non-contrast scanning and brain CT perfusion (CTP) before thrombectomy were included, and the thrombus composition was analyzed by postoperative pathology. DECT data was conducted to reconstruct polychromatic images and effective atomic number images.

Nanoparticle-mediated Klotho gene therapy prevents acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease transition through regulating PPARα signaling in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Klotho is an anti-aging protein produced primarily by tubular epithelial cells (TECs). Down-regulated expression of Klotho in injured TECs plays a key pathogenic role in promoting acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) transition, yet therapeutic approaches targeting the restoration of renal Klotho levels remain challenging for clinical application. Here, we synthesize polydopamine-polyethylenimine-l-serine-Klotho plasmid nanoparticles (PPSK NPs), which can safely and selectively deliver the Klotho gene to the injured TECs through binding kidney injury molecule-1 and maintain the expression of Klotho protein.

Non-invasive assessment of programmed cell death ligand-1 expression using F-FDG PET-CT imaging in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is an ideal checkpoint for immunohistochemical detection. The method of obtaining PD-L1 expression through biopsy can impact the accurate assessment of PD-L1 expression due to the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of tumors. Because of the limited sample size, biopsies often give only a localized picture of the tumor.

A bibliometric analysis of bladder cancer and microRNA research: Trends and advances from 2008 to 2022.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a significant global health issue with high incidence and mortality rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in regulating gene expression and have been found to be dysregulated in BC. Understanding the role of miRNAs in BC development could lead to targeted therapies and improved patient management.

Progress of rituximab in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with heterogeneous clinical manifestations, often leading to significant morbidity and mortality, particularly due to lupus nephritis (LN). The standard therapeutic approach involving mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, and glucocorticoids has shown limitations due to cumulative toxicity and side effects. The introduction of biologic agents, especially rituximab (RTX), a chimeric monoclonal antibody targeting CD20+ B cells, has revolutionized the treatment landscape.

Pregnancy-related intracranial venous sinus thrombosis secondary to cryptococcal meningoencephalitis: a case report and literature review.

Background: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a serious cerebrovascular and neurological emergency, is common in pregnant individuals and accounts for approximately 0.5-1.0% of all cerebrovascular diseases.

The association of triglyceride-glucose index and combined obesity indicators with chest pain and risk of cardiovascular disease in American population with pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Aim: To investigate the correlation of the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and its combined obesity indicators with chest pain and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the pre-diabetes and diabetes population.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation encompassed 6488 participants with diabetes and pre-diabetes who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2007 and 2016. The association of the TyG and combined obesity index with chest pain and CVD was investigated using weighted logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis.

Kidney Outcomes Following Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitor vs Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor/Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Therapy for Thrombotic Microangiopathy.

Importance: Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) on kidney biopsy is a pattern of endothelial injury commonly seen in malignant hypertension (mHTN), but treatment strategies are not well established.

Objective: To evaluate the kidney outcomes of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), specifically sacubitril/valsartan, vs angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) therapy for patients with mHTN-associated TMA.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This single-center cohort study enrolled consecutive patients in China diagnosed with mHTN-associated TMA through kidney biopsy from January 2008 to June 2023.

Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Treating Acute Kidney Injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a disease that is characterized by a rapid decline in renal function and has a relatively high incidence in hospitalized patients. Sepsis, renal hypoperfusion, and nephrotoxic drug exposure are the main causes of AKI. The major therapy measures currently include supportive treatment, symptomatic treatment, and kidney transplantation.

Individualized prediction of non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in Chinese breast cancer patients with ≥ 3 positive sentinel lymph nodes based on machine-learning algorithms.

Background: Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is a standard procedure for early-stage breast cancer (BC) patients with three or more positive sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). However, ALND can lead to significant postoperative complications without always providing additional clinical benefits. This study aims to develop machine-learning (ML) models to predict non-sentinel lymph node (non-SLN) metastasis in Chinese BC patients with three or more positive SLNs, potentially allowing the omission of ALND.

Predicting non-chemotherapy drug-induced agranulocytosis toxicity through ensemble machine learning approaches.

Agranulocytosis, induced by non-chemotherapy drugs, is a serious medical condition that presents a formidable challenge in predictive toxicology due to its idiosyncratic nature and complex mechanisms. In this study, we assembled a dataset of 759 compounds and applied a rigorous feature selection process prior to employing ensemble machine learning classifiers to forecast non-chemotherapy drug-induced agranulocytosis (NCDIA) toxicity. The balanced bagging classifier combined with a gradient boosting decision tree (BBC + GBDT), utilizing the combined descriptor set of DS and RDKit comprising 237 features, emerged as the top-performing model, with an external validation AUC of 0.

Hypoxia-induced Semaphorin 3A promotes the development of endometriosis through regulating macrophage polarization.

Background: Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) is a member of neural guidance factor family well-known for inducing the collapse of nerve cell growth cone and regulating nerve redistribution. It also has been characterized as an immunoregulatory and tumor promoting factor. Our previous study showed that Sema3A was involved in the regulation of sympathetic innervation and neuropathic pain of endometriosis.

Safety and effectiveness of tunneled peripherally inserted central catheters versus conventional PICC in adult cancer patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the safety and effectiveness of tunneled peripherally inserted central catheters (T-PICC) vs. conventional PICCs (C-PICC) in adult cancer patients.

Methods: A multicentre randomized controlled trial was conducted between April 2021 and January 2022 in seven hospitals in China.