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The modification of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) endowing T cells with tumor‐specific cytotoxicity induces antitumor immunity. However, the structural characteristics of solid tumors, the loss of specific antigens, and the strong immunosuppressive environment are challenges to treat solid tumors with CAR‐T therapy. The purpose of our study was to find and verify the potentials of CAR‐T therapies for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). First, we selected MUC1 as our research target and verified its differential expression in cancer tissues and adjacent non‐neoplastic tissues (ANNT). Next, we constructed a second‐generation CAR and validated the cytotoxic function in vitro. In our study, we found that exogenous addition human IL22 recombinant protein could increase the MUC1 expression and enhance the function of T cells. In addition, we constructed a fourth‐generation CAR that secretes IL22. Finally, we verified the antitumor function of two different CAR‐T cells in vitro and in vivo, respectively. CAR‐MUC1‐IL22 T cells were found to have a stronger and more effective cytotoxic function against MUC1 + HNSCC cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential effectiveness of CAR‐T in the treatment of patients with HNSCC and provide evidence‐based of MUC1 + CAR‐T therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To analyze the clinical features and long-term prognosis of uveitis in tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome in a cohort of Chinese patients. Methods: A total of 32 patients with TINU syndrome between 2000 - 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Mild anterior inflammation was observed in all cases. Ultra-wide-field fluorescence angiography (UWFA) was conducted on 13 patients, and peripheral vascular leakage was observed in 22/26 eyes (84.62%) compared with active anterior chamber inflammation in 13/26 eyes (50%). Three patients received increased corticosteroid dosage therapy on their first episode of uveitis guided by UWFA had stopped steroids without recurrence. Conclusion: The uveitis in TINU syndrome was mild. Corticosteroids were efficient in most cases, but a slower tapering and long-term treatment were required. UWFA is sensitive in detecting the activity of uveitis and might be useful in monitoring disease progression. Complete withdrawal of medication was difficult to achieve in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Detecting normal-sized metastatic pelvic lymph nodes (LNs) in cervical cancers, although difficult, is of vital importance.Purpose: To investigate the value of diffusion-weighted-imaging (DWI), tumor size, and LN shape in predicting metastases in normal-sized pelvic LNs in cervical cancers.Material and Methods: Pathology confirmed cervical cancer patients with complete magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were documented from 2011 to 2016. A total of 121 cervical cancer patients showed small pelvic LNs (<5 mm) and 92 showed normal-sized (5-10 mm) pelvic LNs (39 patients with 55 nodes that were histologically metastatic, 53 patients with 71 nodes that were histologically benign). Preoperative clinical and MRI variables were analyzed and compared between the metastatic and benign groups.Results: LN apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and short-to-long axis ratios were not significantly different between metastatic and benign normal-sized LNs (0.98 ± 0.15 × 10-3 vs. 1.00 ± 0.18 × 10-3 mm2/s, P = 0.45; 0.65 ± 0.16 vs. 0.64 ± 0.16, P = 0.60, respectively). Tumor ADC value of the metastatic LNs was significantly lower than the benign LNs (0.98 ± 0.12 × 10-3 vs. 1.07 ± 0.21 × 10-3 mm2/s, P = 0.01). Tumor size (height) was significantly higher in the metastatic LN group (27.59 ± 9.18 mm vs. 21.36 ± 10.40 mm, P < 0.00). Spiculated border rate was higher in the metastatic LN group (9 [16.4%] vs. 3 [4.2%], P = 0.03). Tumor (height) combined with tumor ADC value showed the highest area under the curve of 0.702 ( P < 0.00) in detecting metastatic pelvic nodes, with a sensitivity of 59.1% and specificity of 78.8%.Conclusions: Tumor DWI combined with tumor height were superior to LN DWI and shape in predicting the metastatic state of normal-sized pelvic LNs in cervical cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A synthetic biology approach using a robust reconstitution system in Escherichia coli enables the identification of plant ubiquitin-like proteases responsible for removing the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) post-translational modifications from specific protein substrates., (© 2025 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Objective: To examine the associations between maternal education and household income during early childhood with asthma-related outcomes in children aged 9-12 years in the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, the USA and Canada., Methods: Data on 31 210 children were obtained from 7 prospective birth cohort studies across six countries. Asthma-related outcomes included ever asthma, wheezing/asthma attacks and medication control for asthma. Relative social inequalities were estimated using pooled risk ratios (RRs) adjusted for potential confounders (child age, sex, mother ethnic background and maternal age) for maternal education and household income. The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) was calculated for each cohort to evaluate absolute social inequalities., Results: Ever asthma prevalence ranged from 8.3% (Netherlands) to 29.1% (Australia). Wheezing/asthma attacks prevalence ranged from 3.9% (Quebec) to 16.8% (USA). Pooled RRs for low (vs high) maternal education and low (vs high) household income were: ever asthma (education 1.24, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.37; income 1.28, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.43), wheezing/asthma attacks (education 1.14, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.35; income 1.22, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.44) and asthma with medication control (education 1.16, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.40; income 1.25, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.55). SIIs supported the lower risk for children with more highly educated mothers and those from higher-income households in most cohorts, with few exceptions., Conclusions: Social inequalities by household income on the risk of ever asthma, wheezing/asthma attacks, and medication control for asthma were evident; the associations were attenuated for maternal education. These findings support the need for prevention policies to address the relatively high risks of respiratory morbidity in children in families with low socioeconomic status., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Background: Existing epidemiological data indicated a correlation between thyroid cancer (THCA) and the risk of secondary primary malignancies (SPMs). However, the correlation does not always imply causality., Methods: The Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed to investigate the causal relationships between THCA and SPMs based on international multicenter data. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was used to explore potential mechanisms shared by THCA and bladder cancer (BLCA)., Results: Summary datasets of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on 30 types of cancers were obtained from the United Kingdom Biobank (UKB) and FinnGen database. Meta-analysis of the UKB and FinnGen results revealed that THCA was significantly positively correlated with BLCA (OR = 1.140; 95% CI, 1.072-1.212; P < 0.001). Four genes, including WNT3, FAM171A2, MLLT11, and ULBP1, were identified as key genes shared by both TCHA and BLCA. Correlation analysis indicated that THCA may increase the risk of secondary BLCA through augmentation of N2 neutrophil infiltration., Conclusions: This study showed that THCA was causally related to BLCA. It is recommended to conduct more rigorous screenings for BLCA during the follow-up of THCA patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Rixiati, Jia, Xu, Yin, Huang, Dai and Zhang.)