Volume 138  ·   Issue 07  ·  2025

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, which exhibits significant heterogeneity in clinical symptoms, severity, and treatment outcomes, thus posing a serious threat to public health.^[1]Results from the China Pulmonary Health (CPH) study indicate that the prevalence of asthma among Chinese individuals aged ≥20 years is 4.2%.^[2]The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) emphasizes that the treatment goal for asthma is to achieve "overall control of asthma", meaning both achieving current symptom control and reducing the risk of future attacks.^[3]However, the current asthma control approach worldwide is unsatisfactory, with severe asthma accounting for 5-10% of all asthma cases, imposing a significant economic burden on healthcare systems.^[4]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with unknown etiology. The cause of IBD is widely considered multifactorial, with prevailing hypotheses suggesting that the microbiome and various environmental factors contribute to inappropriate activation of the mucosal immune system in genetically susceptible individuals. Although the incidence of IBD has stabilized in Western countries, it is rapidly increasing in newly industrialized countries, particularly China, making IBD a global disease. Significant changes in multiple biomarkers before IBD diagnosis during the preclinical phase provide opportunities for earlier diagnosis and intervention. Advances in technology have driven the development of telemonitoring tools, such as home-testing kits for fecal calprotectin, serum cytokines, and therapeutic drug concentrations, as well as wearable devices for testing sweat cytokines and heart rate variability. These tools enable real-time disease activity assessment and timely treatment strategy adjustments. A wide range of novel drugs for IBD, including interleukin-23 inhibitors (mirikizumab, risankizumab, and guselkumab) and small-molecule drugs (etrasimod and upadacitinib), have been introduced in the past few years. Despite these advancements, approximately one-third of patients remain primary non-responders to the initial treatment, and half eventually lose response over time. Precision medicine integrating multi-omics data, advanced combination therapy, and complementary approaches, including stem cell transplantation, psychological therapies, neuromodulation, and gut microbiome modulation therapy, may offer solutions to break through the therapeutic ceiling.

In recent years, the roles of mitochondrial RNA and its associated human diseases have been reported to increase significantly. Treatments based on mtRNA metabolic processes and nuclear gene mutations are thus discussed. The mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation process is affected by mtRNA metabolism, including mtRNA production, maturation, stabilization, and degradation, which leads to a variety of inherited human mitochondrial diseases. Moreover, mitochondrial diseases are caused by mitochondrial messenger RNA, mitochondrial transfer RNA, and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene mutations. This review presents the molecular mechanisms of human mtRNA metabolism and pathological mutations in mtRNA metabolism-related nuclear-encoded/nonencoded genes and mitochondrial DNA mutations to highlight the importance of mitochondrial RNA-related diseases and treatments.

The high failure rates in clinical drug development based on animal models highlight the urgent need for more representative human models in biomedical research. In response to this demand, organoids and organ chips were integrated for greater physiological relevance and dynamic, controlled experimental conditions. This innovative platform—the organoids-on-a-chip technology—shows great promise in disease modeling, drug discovery, and personalized medicine, attracting interest from researchers, clinicians, regulatory authorities, and industry stakeholders. This review traces the evolution from organoids to organoids-on-a-chip, driven by the necessity for advanced biological models. We summarize the applications of organoids-on-a-chip in simulating physiological and pathological phenotypes and therapeutic evaluation of this technology. This section highlights how integrating technologies from organ chips, such as microfluidic systems, mechanical stimulation, and sensor integration, optimizes organoid cell types, spatial structure, and physiological functions, thereby expanding their biomedical applications. We conclude by addressing the current challenges in the development of organoids-on-a-chip and offering insights into the prospects. The advancement of organoids-on-a-chip is poised to enhance fidelity, standardization, and scalability. Furthermore, the integration of cutting-edge technologies and interdisciplinary collaborations will be crucial for the progression of organoids-on-a-chip technology.

Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising therapeutic approach treating tumors, where oncolytic viruses (OVs) can selectively infect and lyse tumor cells through replication, while also triggering long-lasting anti-tumor immune responses. Vaccinia virus (VV) has emerged as a leading candidate for use as an OV due to its broad cytophilicity and robust capacity to express exogenous genes. Consequently, oncolytic vaccinia virus (OVV) has entered clinical trials. This review provides an overview of the key strategies used in the development of OVV, summarizes the findings from clinical trials, and addresses the challenges that must be overcome in the advancement of OVV-based therapies. Furthermore, it explores potential future strategies for enhancing the development and clinical application of OVV, intending to improve tumor treatment outcomes. The review aims to facilitate the further development and clinical adoption of OVV, thereby advancing tumor therapies.

Fibrosis of the connective tissue in the vaginal wall predominates in pelvic organ prolapse (POP), which is characterized by excessive fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and abnormal deposition of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Our study aimed to investigate the effect of ECM stiffness on vaginal fibroblasts and to explore the role of methyltransferase 3 (METTL3) in the development of POP.

Polyacrylamide hydrogels were applied to create an ECM microenvironment with variable stiffness to evaluate the effects of ECM stiffness on the proliferation, differentiation, and expression of ECM components in vaginal fibroblasts. METTL3 small interfering RNA and an overexpression vector were transfected into vaginal fibroblasts to evaluate the effects of METTL3 silencing and overexpression on matrix stiffness-induced vaginal fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and abnormal modulation of the ECM. Both procedures were detected by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, Western blotting (WB), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR), and immunofluorescence (IF).

Vaginal fibroblasts from POP patients exhibited increased proliferation ability, increased expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), decreased expression of collagen I/III, and significantly decreased expression of tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in the stiff matrix (P <0.05). Compared with those from non-POP patients, vaginal wall tissues from POP patients demonstrated a significant increase in METTL3 content (P <0.05). However, silencing METTL3 expression in vaginal fibroblasts with high ECM stiffness resulted in decreased proliferation ability, decreased α-SMA expression, an increased ratio of collagen I/III, and increased TIMP1 and TIMP2 expression. Conversely, METTL3 overexpression significantly promoted the process of increased proliferation ability, increased α-SMA expression, decreased ratio of collagen I/III and decreased TIMP1 and TIMP2 expression in the soft matrix (P <0.05).

Elevated ECM stiffness can promote excessive proliferation, differentiation, and abnormal ECM modulation, and the expression of METTL3 plays an important role in alleviating or aggravating matrix stiffness-induced vaginal fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and abnormal ECM modulation.

Molecular subtyping is an essential complementarity after pathological analyses for targeted therapy. This study aimed to investigate the consistency of next-generation sequencing (NGS) results between circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based and tissue-based in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and identify the patient characteristics that favor ctDNA testing.

Patients who diagnosed with NSCLC and received both ctDNA- and cancer tissue-based NGS before surgery or systemic treatment in Lung Cancer Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital between December 2017 and August 2022 were enrolled. A 425-cancer panel with a HiSeq 4000 NGS platform was used for NGS. The unweighted Cohen’s kappa coefficient was employed to discriminate the high-concordance group from the low-concordance group with a cutoff value of 0.6. Six machine learning models were used to identify patient characteristics that relate to high concordance between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS.

A total of 85 patients were enrolled, of which 22.4% (19/85) had stage III disease and 56.5% (48/85) had stage IV disease. Forty-four patients (51.8%) showed consistent gene mutation types between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS, while one patient (1.2%) tested negative in both approaches. Patients with advanced diseases and metastases to other organs would be suitable for the ctDNA-based NGS, and the generalized linear model showed that T stage, M stage, and tumor mutation burden were the critical discriminators to predict the consistency of results between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS.

ctDNA-based NGS showed comparable detection performance in the targeted gene mutations compared with tissue-based NGS, and it could be considered in advanced or metastatic NSCLC.

The transcription factor POU2F1 regulates the expression levels of microRNAs in neoplasia. However, the miR-29b1/a cluster modulated by POU2F1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown.

Gene expression in GC cells was evaluated using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RNA in situ hybridization. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to evaluate protein interactions. Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to investigate the biological behavior of GC cells. MiR-29b1/a cluster promoter analysis and luciferase activity assay for the 3′-UTR study were performed in GC cells. In vivo tumor metastasis was evaluated in nude mice.

POU2F1 is overexpressed in GC cell lines and binds to the miR-29b1/a cluster promoter. POU2F1 is upregulated, whereas mature miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p are downregulated in GC tissues. POU2F1 promotes GC metastasis by inhibiting miR-29b-3p or miR-29a-3p expression in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, PIK3R1 and/or PIK3R3 are direct targets of miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p, and the ectopic expression of PIK3R1 or PIK3R3 reverses the suppressive effect of mature miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p on GC cell metastasis and invasion. Additionally, the interaction of PIK3R1 with PIK3R3 promotes migration and invasion, and miR-29b-3p, miR-29a-3p, PIK3R1, and PIK3R3 regulate migration and invasion via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway in GC cells. In addition, POU2F1, PIK3R1, and PIK3R3 expression levels negatively correlated with miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p expression levels in GC tissue samples.

The POU2F1-miR-29b-3p/miR-29a-3p-PIK3R1/PIK3R1 signaling axis regulates tumor progression and may be a promising therapeutic target for GC.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is the predominant form of chronic liver disease worldwide. This study was designed to investigate the proportion and characteristics of MAFLD within the general Chinese population and to identify the contributory risk factors for liver fibrosis among MAFLD individuals.

The participants were recruited from a cohort undergoing routine health evaluations at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University between May 2019 and March 2023. The diagnosis of MAFLD was based on the established clinical practice guidelines. The fibrosis-4 index score (FIB-4) was employed to evaluate hepatic fibrosis, with a FIB-4 score of ≥1.3 indicating significant fibrosis. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to determine risk factors associated with significant hepatic fibrosis in MAFLD.

A total of 22,970 participants who underwent comprehensive medical examinations were included in the analysis. The overall proportion of MAFLD was 28.77% (6608/22,970), with 16.87% (1115/6608) of these patients showing significant fibrosis as assessed using FIB-4. Independent risk factors for significant liver fibrosis in MAFLD patients were male (odds ratio [OR] = 0.676, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.558–0.821), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity (OR = 2.611, 95% CI: 1.557–4.379), body mass index ≥23.00 kg/m² (OR = 0.632, 95% CI: 0.470–0.851), blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg (OR = 1.885, 95% CI: 1.564–2.272), and plasma glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L (OR = 1.815, 95% CI: 1.507–2.186) (all P <0.001).

The proportion of MAFLD in an urban Chinese population is 28.77%. About 16.87% of MAFLD patients presented with significant liver fibrosis. Independent risk factors for significant liver fibrosis in MAFLD patients should be noticed.

Physical activity, sedentary behavior (SB), and sleep duration are associated with brain health. Effects of those on developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) are poorly investigated. This study aimed to examine the independent and joint associations of physical activity, SB, sleep with PD risk.

We analyzed data on 401,697 participants from the UK Biobank cohort, which was enrolled in 2006–2010. Physical activities were measured based on a questionnaire. Sleep and SB time were defined through self-reported total number of hours. Models fitted with restricted cubic spline were conducted to test for linear and non-linear shapes of each association. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association of three modifiable behaviors.

Our analytic sample included 401,697 participants with 3030 identified cases of PD (mean age, 63 years; 62.9% male). PD risk was 18% lower in the high total physical activity group (95% CI, 0.75–0.90), 22% lower in the high leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) group (95% CI, 0.71–0.86) compared with the low level and 14% higher in the high sleep duration group (95% CI, 1.05–1.24) compared to moderate group. Total SB time was irrelevant with PD risk, while high TV viewing showed a 12% increase of PD risk compared to the low group (95% CI, 1.02–1.22). Low computer use (0 h/day) was associated with a 14% higher risk compared to 1 h/day use (95% CI, 1.04–1.26). Those associations were independent. A combination of 7 h/day sleep, moderate-to-high computer use, and moderate-to-vigorous intensity of LTPA showed lowest PD risk (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.57–0.85).

Physical activity, SB, and sleep were associated with PD risks separately. Our findings emphasize the possibility for changing these three daily activities concurrently to lower the risk of PD. These findings may promote an active lifestyle for PD prevention.

As an effective treatment for end-stage knee osteoarthritis, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been extensively performed globally over the past years. Despite its effectiveness, patients who undergo TKA are at risk of a series of complications, from infection to thromboembolism,^[1]and substantial blood loss, which remains a concern among orthopedic surgeons, causing increased possibility for blood transfusion, prolonged hospitalization, and higher cost.^[2,3]

To the Editor: Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a serious complication in critically ill patients, associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV), extended ICU stays, increased hospitalization costs, and higher mortality rates. Current research suggests that protein may be the most crucial substrate for maintaining muscle mass and physical function in critically ill patients and improving clinical outcomes.^[1]

To the Editor: Previous studies have reported the increased frequency of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles in patients with hematological diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), and aplastic anemia (AA).^[1]However, there is currently a lack of large-sample research analyzing HLA blocks and haplotypes in relation to hematological diseases. HLA is inherited in the form of haplotypes, and there is a strong linkage disequilibrium between adjacent HLA loci on chromosomes. HLA-A is located within the alpha block; HLA-B and C are located within the beta block; HLA-DRB1, DQB1, DRB3/4/5, and DQA1 are located within the delta block; and HLA-DPA1 and DPB1 are located within the epsilon block. When the frequencies of HLA alleles increase, the alleles at other loci linked within the same block or haplotype may also exhibit increased frequencies. This study aimed to analyze whether alleles with increased frequency are located within the same block or haplotype, and to investigate whether HLA block analysis or haplotype analysis is more meaningful for association studies of hematological diseases.

To the Editor: Mycoplasma pneumoniae(M. pneumoniae), an atypical pathogen lacking a cell wall, is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia in children; it primarily affects school-age children.^[1]The community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin, an adenosine diphosphate-ribosylating and vacuolating exotoxin unique toM. pneumoniae, induces cell swelling and vacuolization.^[2]Thus far, the precise functional characteristics of the CARDS toxin have not been fully elucidated.

To the Editor: In China, multiple myeloma (MM) has a crude prevalence of 7 per 100,000 population and an incidence of 1.6 per 100,000 population.^[1]The term "1q21 abnormality" refers to genetic alterations including deletions, duplications, and amplifications in the 1q21 region of chromosome 1. Gain or amplification of 1q21 (1q21+), which refers to an additional copy or multiple copies of genetic material in the long arm of chromosome 1 at position 21, is a well-documented abnormality that correlates with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with MM and has been demonstrated to be associated with poor prognosis, drug resistance, and disease progression in newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) and relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM).^[2]However, treatment options specifically for 1q21+ patients have seldom been recommended in guidelines due to the lack of clinical data, except for the 2018 Mayo Stratification of Myeloma and Risk-adapted Therapy (mSMART) 3.0, which makes recommendations for transplant-eligible NDMM patients. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment regimens for RRMM with 1q21+ and to review relevant studies.