Neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and chemotherapy improve pulmonary ventilation and diffusion function in patients with lung cancer / 浙江大学学报·医学版

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate changes of pulmonary ventilation function and diffusion function in lung cancer patients after neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy combined with chemotherapy treatment.@*METHODS@#Patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer (Ⅱa-Ⅲb) admitted to Zhejiang Cancer Hospital from October 2021 to July 2022, who received ICIs combined with chemotherapy for more than two courses were enrolled. Patients underwent pulmonary ventilation function and diffusion function assessments before and after treatment. The demographic information, sizes and locations of cancer lesions, doses and duration of ICIs used, pulmonary function results before and after treatment, and the tumor regression were documented. The changes of pulmonary function parameters before and after the treatment were analyzed with paired t test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The factors influencing the pulmonary function changes were analyzed by multiple linear Lasso regression and ridge regression.@*RESULTS@#Among the 52 patients, 50 cases were males (96.15%) and 43 cases were squamous carcinoma (82.69%). The medium age of the patients was 67 years. After neoadjuvant therapy, 36 patients (69.23%) showed remission of tumor lesions. After treatment, the parameters of pulmonary ventilation inspiratory vital capacity (IVC) and the area under the expiratory flow-volume curve (AREAex), and the parameter of pulmonary diffusion total lung capacity increased compared with the baseline (all P<0.05). Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1) also showed an increasing trend. Multivariate linear Lasso regression and ridge regression showed that baseline IVC had a significant negative effect on IVC improvement (Beta=－0.435, t=－2.968, P<0.01), baseline TLC had a significant negative effect on the improvement of TLC (Beta=－0.266, t=－2.474, P<0.05), and the remission of obstructive pneumonia favored the improvement of TLC (Beta=0.308, t=2.443, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#After ICIs neoadjuvant treatment combined with chemotherapy, the lung ventilation and diffusion function can be improved in lung cancer patients, particularly for those with reduced baseline ventilation and diffusion function.

Hydrogen-rich saline alleviates early brain injury through regulating of ER stress and autophagy after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage

ABSTRACT Purpose: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a common complication of cerebral vascular disease. Hydrogen has been reported to alleviate early brain injury (EBI) through oxidative stress injury, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and autophagy. Autophagy is a programmed cell death mechanism that plays a vital role in neuronal cell death after SAH. However, the precise role of autophagy in hydrogen-mediated neuroprotection following SAH has not been confirmed. Methods: In the present study, the objective was to investigate the neuroprotective effects and potential molecular mechanisms of hydrogen-rich saline in SAH-induced EBI by regulating neural autophagy in the C57BL/6 mice model. Mortality, neurological score, brain water content, ROS, malondialdehyde (MDA), and neuronal death were evaluated. Results: The results show that hydrogen-rich saline treatment markedly increased the survival rate and neurological score, increased neuron survival, downregulated the autophagy protein expression of Beclin-1 and LC3, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. That indicates that hydrogen-rich saline-mediated inhibition of autophagy and ER stress ameliorate neuronal death after SAH. The neuroprotective capacity of hydrogen-rich saline is partly dependent on the ROS/Nrf2/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that hydrogen-rich saline improves neurological outcomes in mice and reduces neuronal death by protecting against neural autophagy and ER stress.

Onjisaponin B derived from Radix Polygalae enhances autophagy and accelerates the degradation of mutant α-Synuclein and Huntingtin in PC-12 cells / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To investigate the autophagic effect of the compounds from the Chinese medicinal herbs, Radix polygalae as a potential neuroprotective agent that enhances the clearance of mutant Huntingtin and α- synuclein in PC- 12 cells. METHODS Radix polygalae was extracted with 75% ethanol using refluxing method, and its quality was assayed by UHPLC-TOF-MS. The autophagic effect of Radix polygalae extract, and its major components including polygalacic acid, senegenin and onjisaponin B were investigated using the green fluorescent protein-light chain 3 (GFP-LC3) autophagy detection and Western blot platforms for detecting the autophagic markers, GFP-LC3 puncta formation and LC3 II expression. The degradation of A53T α- synuclein and the inhibition ofα-synuclein oligo merization related to the Parkinson disease were assayed using Western blot and flow cytometer analysis, respectively. While the cytotoxicity and the degradation of the mutant Huntingtin associated with the Huntingtin disease were investigated using MTT method and flow cytometer analysis. RESULTS Radix polygalae ethanol extract and onjisaponin B improved the GFP-LC3 puncta formation and expression of LC3Ⅱ with time and dose manner, and this induction was activated via AMPK-mTOR and Atg 7 gene pathway. Furthermore, the clearance of α-synuclein and mutant Huntingtin was enhanced via autophagy induction with the treatment of Radix polygalae ethanol extract and onjisaponin B. CONCLUSION Findings in the current study provide detailed insights into the protective mechanism of a novel autophagy inducer, onjisaponin B, which is valuable for further investigation as a new candidate agent for modulating neurodegenerative disorders through the reduction of toxicity and clearance of mutant proteins in the cellular level.

Study on subcretin in 8 minorities of Yunnan province / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate the prevalence of subcretins in 8 minorities of Yunnan province and to provide scientific basis for public health policy-making, as well as for prevention and control of iodine deficiency disorders.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Four thousand two hundred and twenty-two minority school children aged 8-12 years selected from 29 schools in 8 minority counties were measured by Combined Raven's Test in China (CRT-C(2)) and Jinyi Psychomotor test Battery (JPB).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Average of intelligence quotient (IQ) on 4,222 children was 91 +/- 19. Among 277 pupils with IQ between 55 - 69, 119 of them showed abnormal on JPB test and 5.4% of the children was found to have Goiter under ultrasonography. Median level of urinary iodine was 466.9 microg/L, and the qualified rate of iodized salt was 94.9%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The estimated prevalence rate of subcretin was 2.8%.</p>