Reflections on COPD comorbidities

To the Editor:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD)is a common disease among the elderly,affecting over one-third of the elderly population worldwide.The progressive decline in lung function characteristic of COPD significantly impacts the quality of life and employability of affected individuals,resulting in a substantial direct and indirect socioeconomic burden.COPD frequently has comorbidities involving other organ systems.Virtually all elderly COPD patients present with one or more comorbid conditions,collectively exacerbating health and economic burdens.While viral and bacterial infections remain the most common triggers for COPD exacerbations(ECOPD).

Remote ischemic conditioning-induced hyperacute and acute responses of plasma proteome in healthy young male adults:a quantitative proteomic analysis

Background: Long-term remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has been proven to be beneficial in multiple diseases, such as cerebral and cardiovascular diseases. However, the hyperacute and acute effects of a single RIC stimulus are still not clear. Quantitative proteomic analyses of plasma proteins following RIC application have been conducted in preclinical and clinical studies but exhibit high heterogeneity in results due to wide variations in experimental setups and sampling procedures. Hence, this study aimed to explore the immediate effects of RIC on plasma proteome in healthy young adults to exclude confounding factors of disease entity, such as medications and gender. Methods: Young healthy male participants were enrolled after a systematic physical examination and 6-month lifestyle observation. Individual RIC sessions included five cycles of alternative ischemia and reperfusion, each lasting for 5 min in bilateral forearms. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 5 min after RIC, and 2 h after RIC, and then samples were processed for proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Results: Proteins related to lipid metabolism (e.g., Apolipoprotein F), coagulation factors (hepatocyte growth factor activator preproprotein), members of complement cascades (mannan-binding lectin serine protease 1 isoform 2 precursor), and inflammatory responses (carboxypeptidase N catalytic chain precursor) were differentially altered at their serum levels following the RIC intervention. The most enriched pathways were protein glycosylation and complement/coagulation cascades. Conclusions: One-time RIC stimulus may induce instant cellular responses like anti-inflammation, coagulation, and fibrinolysis balancing, and lipid metabolism regulation which are protective in different perspectives. Protective effects of single RIC in hyperacute and acute phases may be exploited in clinical emergency settings due to apparently beneficial alterations in plasma proteome profile. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of long-term (repeated) RIC interventions in preventing chronic cardiovascular diseases among general populations can also be expected based on our study findings.

Non-small cell lung cancer in China

In China,lung cancer is a primary cancer type with high incidence and mortality.Risk factors for lung cancer include tobacco use,family history,radiation exposure,and the presence of chronic lung diseases.Most early-stage non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients miss the optimal timing for treatment due to the lack of clinical presentations.Population-based nationwide screening programs are of significant help in increasing the early detection and survival rates of NSCLC in China.The understanding of molecular carcinogenesis and the identification of oncogenic drivers dramatically facilitate the development of targeted therapy for NSCLC,thus prolonging survival in patients with positive drivers.In the exploration of immune escape mechanisms,programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1)inhibitor monotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy have become a standard of care for advanced NSCLC in China.In the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology’s guidelines for NSCLC,maintenance immunotherapy is recommended for locally advanced NSCLC after chemoradiotherapy.Adjuvant immunotherapy and neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy will be approved for resectable NSCLC.In this review,we summarized recent advances in NSCLC in China in terms of epidemiology,biology,molecular pathology,pathogenesis,screening,diagnosis,targeted therapy,and immunotherapy。

Quadrapyrgites from the lower Cambrian of South China:growth pattern,post-embryonic development,and affinity

Quadrapyrgites is a microfossil reported with embryonic and post-embryonic stages from the lower Cambrian small shelly fauna of South China,and is closely related to Olivooides.Their development mode and systematic positions are hot topics in palaeoembryology and evolutionary biology in recent years,but are still under debate.Here,we present a description on the growth pattern and post-embryonic development of Quadrapyrgites quadratacris recovered from the lower Cambrian of South China.The growth zone of Q.quadratacris is situated at the oral end,and new terminal lobes are generated within the oral aperture.The terminal lobes are first in control of the opening and closure of the tubes,and later transferred to be crests,thus elongating the tubes.The post-embryonic development is characterized by a one-by-one addition of crests on the post-embryonic tissue,and an ontogenetic sequence with crest number from 1 to 17 is reconstructed.During the ontogeny,the embryonic tissue remains stable in size and morphology.The oral aperture is the only opening of the tubes,while a possible anus on the apical end does not occur.Quadrapyrgites was proposed to be the sister group of Olivooides,and now this is strengthened by the identical growth pattern and post-embryonic development.The comprehensive data from anatomy,growth pattern and post-embryonic development reject the stemlineage cycloneuralian affinity for Quadrapyrgites and Olivooides,and instead support a coronate scyphozoan hypothesis.

Phosphatized rare star-like mouth disc of Punctatus and its functional morphology from the earliest Cambrian of the South Shaanxi China

The Meishucun stage is the prelude in decipher-ing the Cambrian Explosion.In this prominent stage,rapid radioactive evolution and body-plan innovation have taken place and different associations of organism have been shaped.In this paper we report several 3D-preserved rare star-like fossils with finely preserved soft tissues which were recovered from the Kuanchuanpu Member of the Dengying Formation in South Shaanxi,China in 2003.By studying on functional morphology and analogy with mouthpart of Punctatus,there are evidences that this star-like organism approaches the coelenterates in systematic classification and the centre of star-like organism is its mouth.The appearance of coelenterates marks the real beginning of metazoan evolution.Therefore,it has the prominent position in the origin and evolutionary history of organisms.Perhaps the star-like organism represents the early types of coelenterate with original tentacles.These new materials provide new evidence for the origin,evolution and the functional evolution of the metazoan during the early stage of the Cambrian Explosion.