Carrimycin is a newly synthesized macrolide antibiotic with good antibacterial effect. Exploratory experiments found its function in regulating cell physiology, proliferation and immunity, suggesting its potential anti-tumor capacity. The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-tumor effect of carrimycin against human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells (HN30/HN6/Cal27/HB96 cell lines) were treated with gradient concentration of carrimycin. Cell proliferation, colony formation and migration ability were analyzed. Cell cycle and apoptosis were assessed by flow cytometry. The effect of carrimycin on OSCC in vivo was investigated in tumor xenograft models. Immunohistochemistry, western blot assay and TUNEL assays of tissue samples from xenografts were performed. The key proteins in PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and MAPK pathway were examined by western blot. As the concentration of carrimycin increased, the proliferation, colony formation and migration ability of OSCC cells were inhibited. After treating with carrimycin, cell cycle was arrested in G0/G1 phase and cell apoptosis was promoted. The tumor growth of xenografts was significantly suppressed. Furthermore, the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-S6K, p-4EBP1, p-ERK and p-p38 were down-regulated in vitro and in vivo. Carrimycin can inhibit the biological activities of OSCC cells in vitro and in vivo, and regulate the PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MAPK pathways.

Asthma and cognitive dysfunction represent significant public health challenges. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between asthma and cognitive dysfunction in adults aged ≥ 60 years, and explore the role of systemic immune inflammation index (SII) in asthma - cognitive dysfunction link. The retrospective cross-sectional study included 2,579 participants aged ≥ 60 years from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles. Asthma diagnosis was confirmed using the MCQ010 questionnaire, cognitive function assessed through the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). SII was calculated using the formula: (platelet count × neutrophil count)/lymphocyte count. Controlling for demographic variables including sex, age, race and/ethnicity, poverty-to-income ratio (PIR) and education level, a negative association was found between asthma and DSST scores (β = -1.75, 95% CI: -3.38, -0.120, P = 0.037). This association persisted even after further adjustments for body mass index (BMI) and diabetes (β = -1.72, 95% CI: -3.38, -0.057, P = 0.043). Moreover, subgroup analysis showed no significant association of sex, age, race/ethnicity, BMI or diabetes with the relationship between asthma and cognitive function. Mediation analysis indicated SII was a mediator of asthma-induced cognitive impairment, a notable Average Causal Mediated Effect (ACME) (P = 0.004) between SII and cognitive dysfunction. Our investigation indicated that elderly asthma (aged ≥ 60 years) was predisposed to cognitive dysfunction, independent of sex, age, race/ethnicity, BMI and diabetes. Furthermore, mediation analysis suggested that asthma might contribute to cognitive dysfunction through the involvement of SII.

Introduction: The present work describes the green synthesis and characterization and cytotoxicity, antioxidant, and anti-human lung cancer activities of silver nanoparticles containing Curcumae kwangsiensis folium leaf aqueous extract.Material and methods: Ag nanoparticles were produced by mixing the AgNO3 solution with aqueous C. kwangsiensis folium leaf extract. Characterization of Ag nanoparticles was done by FE-SEM, FT-IR, TEM, and UV-Vis. FE-SEM and TEM images revealed an average diameter of 15-21 nm for the nanoparticles. MTT assay was used on common human lung cancer cell lines, i.e., lung well-differentiated bronchogenic adenocarcinoma (HLC-1), lung moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (LC-2/ad), and lung poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (PC-14) cell lines, to survey the cytotoxicity and anti-human lung cancer effects of Ag nanoparticles.Results: They had very low cell viability and high anti-human lung cancer activities dose-dependently against HLC-1, LC-2/ad, and PC-14 cell lines without any cytotoxicity towards the normal cell line (HUVEC). The IC50 values of Ag nanoparticles were 249, 187, and 152 µg/ml against HLC-1, LC-2/ad, and PC-14 cell lines, respectively. The best results of cytotoxicity and anti-human lung cancer properties were seen at the concentration of 1000 µg/ml. Ag nanoparticles inhibited half of the DPPH molecules in the concentration of 135 µg/ml. Maybe significant anti-human lung cancer potentials of Ag nanoparticles synthesized by C. kwangsiensis folium leaf aqueous extract against common human lung cancer cell lines are linked to their antioxidant activities.Conclusions: After confirming the above results in the clinical trial research, this formulation can be administered to treat human lung cancers in humans.

In this study, two patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma and lymph node metastasis were treated by Dr. Shurong Wang’s team and are reported. The two patients refused surgery and underwent microwave ablation (MWA) of the thyroid and lymph node lesions. Ultrasound review 2 days after MWA revealed internal jugular vein thrombosis. Patient #1 received low molecular weight heparin calcium injection, Xueshuantong injection, Xiangdan injection, and rivaroxaban. Patient #2 was treated with enoxaparin sodium injection, Xueshuantong injection, urokinase, and warfarin sodium tablet. The thrombus was successfully managed in each patient using anticoagulant treatment. Such complication of MWA has not been reported in many cases before. According to the relevant literature, thrombosis after thyroid cancer ablation might be related to subclinical hypothyroidism, increased heme oxidase 1 (HO-1) levels in the blood of patients with papillary thyroid cancer, and increased platelet content and mean platelet volume in patients with thyroid cancer. No specific cause of thrombosis was identified in the two cases reported here. No recurrence was observed after 1 (patient #1) and 4 (#2) years of follow-up. In conclusion, patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma and lymph node metastasis should undergo color Doppler ultrasound of the neck after MWA of thyroid lesions and neck metastasis.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading global cause of death. “Medicine-food homology” (MFH), a fundamental principle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), emphasizes dual nutritional and therapeutic roles of natural substances, thereby attracting increasing attention in disease management. These substances exhibit synergistic effects through multiple targets and signaling pathways, demonstrating significant potential in the prevention, adjuvant therapy, and rehabilitation of CVD. This review presents the mechanisms underlying MFH substances (such as astragalus, codonopsis, and hawthorn) in targeting key pathways related to CVD, and summarizes findings from clinical randomized controlled trials (RCT). This review summarizes MFH substances’ role in CVD management, focusing on four core mechanisms (vascular defense, myocardial protection, gut-heart axis regulation, risk factor control) that mediate their multi-targeted, multi-pathway effects (e.g., anti-inflammation via Astragalus, myocardial repair via Ginseng). Clinical evidence confirms MFH substances enhance CVD therapeutic efficacy as adjuvant therapies, with mild adverse reactions, while highlighting the need for further research to advance translational application. Future research should prioritize large-scale multi-center trials, multi-omics integration, and standardized quality control to advance MFH from empirical use to precision medicine, providing new natural product-based strategies for comprehensive CVD prevention and treatment.

N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) is important for diagnosing and predicting heart failure or many other diseases. However, few studies have comprehensively assessed the factors correlated with NT-proBNP levels in people with cardiovascular health. We used data from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Machine learning was employed to assess 66 factors that associated with NT-proBNP levels, including demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, biochemical, blood, metabolic, and disease characteristics. The predictive power of the model was assessed using five-fold cross-validation. The optimal features predicting NT-proBNP levels were identified using univariate and step-forward multivariate models. Weighted least squares regression (WLS) was applied for supplementary analysis. Finally, the relationship between the corresponding features and NT-proBNP was validated using weighted and adjusted generalized additive models (GAM). We included 12, 526 participants without cardiovascular diseases. In the univariate model, age exhibited the highest association with NT-proBNP levels (the coefficient of determination (R²) = 36.91%). The multivariate models revealed that age, gender, red blood cell count, race/ethnicity, systolic blood pressure, and total protein level were the top six predictors of NT-proBNP. GAM demonstrated a noteworthy non-linear association between NT-proBNP and age, red blood cell count, systolic blood pressure, and total protein. Our study contributes to explaining the biological mechanisms of NT-proBNP and will facilitate the design of relevant cohort studies. We underscore the significance of assessing various population subgroups when employing NT-proBNP as a biomarker, and the need for developing innovative clinical algorithms to establish personalized levels.