Understanding endometriosis from an immunomicroenvironmental perspective / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Endometriosis, a heterogeneous, inflammatory, and estrogen-dependent gynecological disease defined by the presence and growth of endometrial tissues outside the lining of the uterus, affects approximately 5-10% of reproductive-age women, causing chronic pelvic pain and reduced fertility. Although the etiology of endometriosis is still elusive, emerging evidence supports the idea that immune dysregulation can promote the survival and growth of retrograde endometrial debris. Peritoneal macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells exhibit deficient cytotoxicity in the endometriotic microenvironment, leading to inefficient eradication of refluxed endometrial fragments. In addition, the imbalance of T-cell subtypes results in aberrant cytokine production and chronic inflammation, which contribute to endometriosis development. Although it remains uncertain whether immune dysregulation represents an initial cause or merely a secondary enhancer of endometriosis, therapies targeting altered immune pathways exhibit satisfactory effects in preventing disease onset and progression. Here, we summarize the phenotypic and functional alterations of immune cells in the endometriotic microenvironment, focusing on their interactions with microbiota and endocrine and nervous systems, and how these interactions contribute to the etiology and symptomology of endometriosis.

Chemical proteomics: terra incognita for novel drug target profiling / 癌症

The growing demand for new therapeutic strategies in the medical and pharmaceutic fields has resulted in a pressing need for novel druggable targets. Paradoxically, however, the targets of certain drugs that are already widely used in clinical practice have largely not been annotated. Because the pharmacologic effects of a drug can only be appreciated when its interactions with cellular components are clearly delineated, an integrated deconvolution of drug-target interactions for each drug is necessary. The emerging field of chemical proteomics represents a powerful mass spectrometry (MS)-based affinity chromatography approach for identifying proteome-wide small molecule-protein interactions and mapping these interactions to signaling and metabolic pathways. This technique could comprehensively characterize drug targets, profile the toxicity of known drugs, and identify possible off-target activities. With the use of this technique, candidate drug molecules could be optimized, and predictable side effects might consequently be avoided. Herein, we provide a holistic overview of the major chemical proteomic approaches and highlight recent advances in this area as well as its potential applications in drug discovery.

CT prediction of operative procedures for rectal cancer / 中华普通外科杂志

Objective To assess the value of 64-slice computer tomography used in the preoperative evaluation of rectal cancer to predict the operative procedures. Methods There were 51 pathologically proven rectal cancer patients recruited, undergoing multi-slice computer tomagraphy (MSCT) assessment preoperatively. Preoperative MSCT stage and predictive operative procedures were recorded to compare with postoperative pathological stage and practical operative procedures. Kappa Coefficient for Diagnosis Coherence and Spearman correlation analysis were performed. Results The overall accuracy of CT-TNM stages were 74.5% which led to high coherence to pathological TNM stage ( Kappa value = 0.658,P=0.000). The univariate analysis showed that distance from tumor to dentate line (F = 3.386, P =0.042 ) and tumor thickness (F = 4.542, P = 0.016) was a statistically risk factor for operative procedures. Moreover, the significant correlation between tumor thickness (cc =0.319, P =0.023 ), as well as CT-M stage (cc = 0.369, P = 0.008) and CT-TNM stage ( cc = 0.365, P = 0. 008), and operative procedures was observed, by means of conducting Spearman correlation. The possibility of developing palliative stoma was 75%, when sufficing both CT-MI stage and tumor thickness ≥20 mm; The possibility of performing sphincter sparing radical operation reached 86% when both CT-T stage < 4 and distance from tumor to dentate line were referred by MSCT. Conclusion The objective parameters influencing development of operative procedures, involving tumor thickness, CT-M stage and CT-T stage, can be rendered by MSCT preoperative assessment, which served as valuable reference for clinical decision of operative procedures in retal cancer.