Background Visualizing the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 and predicting future disease burdens at global, regional, and national levels can help health policymakers develop evidence-based ischemic stroke (IS) prevention and cure strategies. Methods We stratify epidemiological parameters by sex, age, the World Bank’s classification of economies, and sociodemographic index (SDI) levels. We use frontier analysis to assess whether the burden of ischemic stroke (IS) in each country aligns with its level of economic development. We apply the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model and the Bayesian age-period-cohort (BAPC) model to predict the burden of IS over the next 15 years. Results Here we show that IS accounts for 69.9 million prevalent cases, 7.8 million incident cases, 3.6 million deaths, and 70.4 million DALYs in 2021. In men, the global DALY rate of IS increases up to age 90–94 years and then decreases; however, for women, the rate increases up to the oldest age group (≥95 years). Regionally, we find that the association between the SDI and the age-standardized DALY rate of IS starts relatively flat, with a small peak up to a sociodemographic index of about 0.7, and then declines rapidly. Factors contributing most to the DALY rates for IS are high systolic blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and air pollution. Conclusions The disease burden of IS in medium-high SDI countries is still high, which means we could not meet the Sustainable Development Goal targets by 2030. Countries should formulate prevention and control measures suitable for their national conditions based on risk factors.
In this study, we present an oncolytic virus (OV) evaluation system established using microfluidic organ-on-a-chip (OOC) systems and patient-derived organoids (PDOs), which was used in the development of a novel oncolytic virus, AD4-GHPE. An OV offers advantages such as good targeting ability and minimal side effects, and it has achieved significant breakthroughs when combined with immunotherapy in recent clinical trials. The development of OVs has become an emerging research focus. PDOs can preserve the heterogeneity of in situ tumor tissues, whereas microfluidic OOC systems can automate and standardize various experimental procedures. These systems have been applied in cutting-edge drug screening and cell therapy experiments; however, their use in functionally complex oncolytic viruses remains to be explored. In this study, we constructed a novel recombinant oncolytic adenovirus, AD4-GHPE, and evaluated OOC systems and PDOs through various functional validations in hypopharyngeal and breast cancer organoids. The results confirmed that AD4-GHPE exhibits three antitumor mechanisms, namely, tumor-specific cytotoxicity, a reduction in programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor cells to increase CD8+ T-cell activity, and granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) secretion. The evaluation system combining OOC systems and PDOs was efficient and reliable, providing personalized OV treatment recommendations for patients and offering industrialized and standardized research ideas for the development of OVs.
Background: Breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features includes neuroendocrine neoplasm of the breast and invasive breast cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of this disease according to the fifth edition of the World Health Organization classification of breast tumors. Materials and Methods: A total of 87 patients with breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features treated in the First Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2001 to January 2022 were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Results: More than half of the patients were postmenopausal patients, especially those with neuroendocrine neoplasm (62.96%). There were more patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative and hormone receptor positive tumors, and most of them were Luminal B type (71.26%). The multivariate analysis showed that diabetes and stage IV disease were related to the progression-free survival of breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features patients (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: Breast carcinoma with neuroendocrine features tended to be human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative and hormone receptor positive tumors, most of them were Luminal B type, and the related factors of progression-free survival were diabetes and stage IV disease.
How to maintain the efficacy of blood coagulation while minimizing thermal damage has been a significant challenge in the optimization of clinical electrosurgical units (ESUs). Recent studies have reported that reactive species produced by low-temperature plasma (LTP) can promote blood coagulation. In this study, two forms of home-made atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) were compared to argon plasma coagulation (APC) and utilized in three different porcine bleeding models. The results indicated that APPJ can effectively generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), including OH radicals, excited nitrogen molecules and O atoms. Although no significant differences in coagulation rates were observed among the three devices, APPJs exhibited lower maximum operating temperatures. The results of H&E staining revealed that APPJs resulted in reduced thermal damage as well. In conclusion, two self-developed APPJs demonstrated reliable coagulation efficacy with reduced thermal damage in comparison to APC. The study provides valuable insights and empirical support for the future optimization of ESUs.
13 March 2025 in Clinical and Experimental Medicine
Background Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), a standard surgical procedure for clinically axillary-negative breast cancer patients, significantly reduces complications compared with axillary lymph node dissection, but it is still a relatively invasive procedure with some complications, affecting patient’s quality of life. To identify patients who might benefit from avoiding SLNB, this study aimed to develop a nomogram for predicting sentinel lymph node metastasis (SLNM) in breast cancer patients using the SEER database. Methods: We identified breast cancer patients whose 1–5 lymph nodes were examined in the SEER database as those who underwent SLNB. Patients were randomly assigned to the training and validation cohorts at a 3:1 ratio. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to evaluate the relationships between SLNM and patients' clinicopathological characteristics. A nomogram was constructed, and its performance was validated via ROC curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis. Results: Age, race, primary site, T stage, M stage, histological grade, pathological type, estrogen receptor status, and progesterone receptor status are independent predictive factors for SLNM in patients with breast cancer. We successfully developed a predictive nomogram for sentinel lymph node status, with AUC values of 0.711 and 0.700 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Conclusion: Our study successfully established an SLNM nomogram that provides richer predictive information. The model exhibits good clinical efficacy and serves as a reference value for populations potentially exempt from SLNB.
Adipose tissue engineering offers a promising approach for breast reconstruction, yet achieving efficient adipose regeneration remains challenging due to poor cell survival and tissue integration. Hence, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) electrospun collagen nanofiber scaffold integrated with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs), designed to enhance adipose tissue regeneration by providing a biomimetic extracellular matrix environment. The incorporation of collagen nanofibers enhances cell adhesion and extracellular matrix remodeling, further promoting adipogenic differentiation. Compared to conventional two-dimensional (2D) culture, ADSCs seeded on the scaffold exhibit significantly improved viability and lipid accumulation. In vivo implantation in a rat model demonstrated that the COL-ADSCs composite scaffold increased subcutaneous fat thickness from 2.69 ± 0.10 mm to 3.37 ± 0.11 mm over four weeks, while also promoting collagen remodeling and angiogenesis, as confirmed by CD31-positive staining. Despite these promising outcomes, this study is limited to a small animal model, and further validation in large animal models and clinical settings is necessary. These findings indicate that the COL-ADSCs composite scaffold provides a biomimetic microenvironment that supports ADSC adhesion, differentiation, and tissue remodeling, highlighting its potential as a clinically applicable biomaterial for breast reconstruction.