Poor wound healing in individuals with diabetes has long plagued clinicians, and immune cells play key roles in the inflammation, proliferation and remodeling that occur in wound healing. When skin integrity is damaged, immune cells migrate to the wound bed through the actions of chemokines and jointly restore tissue homeostasis and barrier function by exerting their respective biological functions. An imbalance of immune cells often leads to ineffective and disordered inflammatory responses. Due to the maladjusted microenvironment, the wound is unable to smoothly transition to the proliferation and remodeling stage, causing it to develop into a chronic refractory wound. However, chronic refractory wounds consistently lead to negative outcomes, such as long treatment cycles, high hospitalization rates, high medical costs, high disability rates, high mortality rates, and many adverse consequences. Therefore, strategies that promote the rational distribution and coordinated development of immune cells during wound healing are very important for the treatment of diabetic wounds (DW). Here, we explored the following aspects by performing a literature review: 1) the current situation of DW and an introduction to the biological functions of immune cells; 2) the role of immune cells in DW; and 3) existing (or undeveloped) therapies targeting immune cells to promote wound healing to provide new ideas for basic research, clinical treatment and nursing of DW.
1 November 2021 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most severe types of tumors, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 7%. The prognosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer are largely limited by the extent of tumor invasion and the presence of lymph node and distant metastases. Therefore, exploring the biological behavior of pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) is extremely important for the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Current studies have shown that pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) regulate the biological behavior of PCCs, such as their proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration, by remodeling the extracellular matrix. Though Hic-5 is an important gene in PSCs, no study has investigated the regulation of PCCs by Hic-5. Here, we demonstrate that Hic-5 expression is upregulated in pancreatic cancer and that siRNA transfection can effectively inhibit Hic-5 expression. Compared to the control group, Hic-5 inhibition significantly reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and reduced invasion and migration of PCCs. Moreover, the inhibition of Hic-5 expression simultaneously reduced matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression. Statistical analysis revealed that Hic-5 expression was higher among the pancreatic cancer group than among the normal group and was negatively correlated with postoperative survival time among patients with pancreatic cancer. These results have important clinical significance for further exploring the molecular mechanism involved in Hic-5-mediated invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer and ameliorating the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.
13 April 2022 in Clinical and Experimental Medicine
Purpose: To perform a bibliometric analysis of the 100 most-cited articles (T100 articles) on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy to characterize current trends. Methods: The data of the bibliometric analysis were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database on January 29, 2023, and the results were sorted in descending order by citations. Two researchers independently extracted the characteristics of the top 100 cited articles, including title, author, citations, publication year, institution, country, author keywords, Journal Cited Rank, and impact factor. Excel and VOSviewer were used to analyze the data. Results: The T100 articles ranged from 79 to 1125 citations, with a mean of 208.75. The T100 articles were contributed by 29 countries worldwide, of which the USA ranked first with 28 articles and 5417 citations. The T100 articles were published in 61 journals; the top three citations were VACCINES, NATURE MEDICINE, and EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, and the number of citations was 2690, 1712, and 1644, respectively. Professor Sallam, M(n=4) from Jordan, is the author who participated in the most published articles. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (n=8) had the most T100 articles. Conclusion: It is the first bibliometric analysis of the T100 articles in the field of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. We carefully analyzed and described the characteristics of these T100 articles, which provide ideas for further strengthening COVID-19 vaccination and fighting against the epidemic in the future.
2 January 2023 in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
Vaccination is an important tool for controlling the spread of coronavirus disease. Notably, it is important to achieve higher vaccine booster coverage across key groups – including front-line workers who could be exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and those who live and work in crowded places – to prevent or reduce the risk of severe infection and poor disease outcomes. The purpose of the study was to understand the COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy among key groups in Luzhou, China, to analyze its influencing factors, and to provide scientific basis and theoretical guidance for the implementation of targeted intervention. Guided by the “3Cs” model, a self-designed questionnaire was prepared through a literature search using the Delphi method. All questionnaires were completed online through a QR code. Among the 548 participants, 173 had vaccine hesitation, accounting for 31.6%. Indeed, the scores for perceived safety, expected vaccine effectiveness, and trust in the vaccine delivery system were all lower in the hesitance group than in the non-hesitance group. However, the scores for low necessity were higher in the hesitance group. The factors influencing booster hesitancy were examined, and the probability of hesitancy decreased by 72.2% and 62.5% for every 1-point increase in the confidence and safety scores, respectively. Meanwhile, the probability of hesitancy increased by 25.8% for every 1-point increase in the low necessity score. Although the COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy reported in the study was relatively low, a large gap remains in the willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination in China. Therefore, the state and relevant departments should take targeted measures to help reduce vaccine hesitancy among the public and enable smooth progress in the large-scale COVID-19 vaccine booster campaign in the future.