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In order to investigate the burnt flavor substances of Nongxiangxing base baijiu, headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) was used to analyze the flavor components of base baijiu with normal and burnt flavor. The results showed that a total of 139 flavor substances were detected, of which 20 could be used to differentiate between the two types of base baijiu. Cluster heatmap analysis showed that nine flavor substances, 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol, ethyl laurate, butyl caproate, hexyl caprylate, heptyl heptanoate, pentyl caproate, hexyl caproate, caproic acid, and caprylic acid, were more predominant in burnt-flavor base baijiu. Sensory reconstitution, omission, and addition experiments revealed that the burnt flavor was not ascribed to a single compound but rather to the interaction of multiple compounds. 2,4-Di-tert-butylphenol and esters were found to be significantly associated with the burnt flavor of Nongxiangxing base baijiu.

BackgroundCancer's hallmark feature is its ability to evolve, leading to metastasis and recurrence. Although genetic mutations and epigenetic changes have been implicated, they don't fully explain the leukocytic traits that many cancers develop. Cell fusion between cancer and somatic cells, particularly macrophages, has been suggested as an alternative pathway for cancer cells to obtain new traits by acquiring exogenous genetic material.MethodsThis study aims to investigate the potential biological outcomes of tumor-myeloid cell fusion by generating tumor-macrophage hybrid cells. Two clones with markedly different tumorigenicity were selected, and RNA-seq was used to compare their RNA expressions with that of the control cells. Based on the results that the hybrid cells showed differential activation in several upstream regulator pathways that impact their biological behaviors, the hybrid cells' abilities to recruit stromal cells and establish angiogenesis as well as their cell cycle distributions were investigated through in vitro and in vivo studies.ResultsAlthough both hybrid clones demonstrated p53 activation and reduced growth rates, they exhibited distinct cell cycle distributions and ability to grow in vivo. Notably, while one clone was highly tumorigenic, the other showed little tumorigenicity. Despite these differences, both hybrid clones were potent environmental modifiers, exhibiting significant abilities to recruit stromal and immune cells and establish angiogenesis.ConclusionsThe study revealed that tumor-somatic cell fusion is a potent environmental modifier that can modulate tumor survival and evolution, despite its relatively low occurrence. These findings suggest that tumor-somatic cell fusion could be a promising target for developing new cancer therapies. Furthermore, this study provides an experimental animal platform to investigate cancer-myeloid fusion and highlights the potential role of tumor-somatic cell fusion in modulating the tumor environment.

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases which predominantly involve spine and/or peripheral joints. SpA can be disabling and seriously affect the quality of life and function of patients. With the increasing clinical use of targeted drug therapy, precise and standardized use becomes the focus. China's first Consensus on Targeted Drug Therapy for Spondyloarthritis was developed by National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases using international norms for consensus development. The consensus addresses 13 important clinical questions, ranging from principles, patient eligibility, pre-treatment screening, treatment initiation, drug selection and switch, co-medication, to adverse event monitoring of targeted drug therapy in SpA, and recommends treatment for specific patients, playing a key role in guiding clinical practices.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a ubiquitous human pathogen that can be cleared by host immunity. Nonetheless, a small percentage of the patients develop persistent infection with oncogenic HPV, which poses an increased risk of developing HPV-associated malignancy. Although cell-mediated immunity is a known systemic factor, local factors that influence persistent HPV infection have not been fully investigated. HPV-related head/neck cancers have a strong site preference for the oropharynx, suggesting the existence of unique local factors that promote HPV-induced oncogenesis. The human oropharynx often harbors anaerobic bacteria that produce a variety of byproducts, including butyrate. Because butyrate is a potent epigenetic modulator, it could be an environmental factor influencing the development of HPV-positive oropharyngeal malignancy. In this study, we showed that butyrate treatment changed the property of HPV16 E6/E7-immortalized keratinocytes. In vitro, the treatment increased the cells' migration ability, slowed the growth, and increased the genotoxic resistance. When implanted in the syngeneic mice, the treated keratinocytes survived longer and exhibited a different growth pattern. The survival advantage obtained after butyrate exposure may increase the susceptibility of HPV-infected oropharyngeal keratinocytes to further malignant transformation. These results suggest that fermentation products of tonsillar bacteria may play an important role in the long-term persistence of high-risk HPV infection, which is a critical risk factor for developing HPV-positive oropharyngeal malignancy.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease most prevalent in child-bearing young women. With the progress of treatment, the survival rate of SLE patients has been remarkably improved. Reproduction management of SLE patients has become one of the most important parts of SLE patients management. However, due to the complicated inter-reaction between SLE disease and the related concurrent problems, reproduction management of SLE patients remains a big challenge. Led and guided by the National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases, the National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chinese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Treatment and Research Group and Chinese Research Committee of Pregnancy and Reproduction in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases, the first guideline dedicated to the management of pregnancy and reproduction in patients with systemic lupus erythematous has been developed. This guideline is composed of 13 evidence-based recommendations, including pre-pregnant preparation (pre-pregnant consultation, risk assessment, indications and contraindications for pregnancy and the choices of assisted reproduction technology), monitoring and treatment strategy during pregnancy, monitoring and complications identification and management of the fetus, and recommendations for disease follow-up after delivery and feeding of the neonates. These recommendations, covering the whole process of pregnancy of SLE patients, are aimed to improve the success rate of pregnancy of SLE patients and decrease the morbidity and mortality of SLE patients and their fetus.

Objective To evaluate the training outcomes of refresher physicians in Department of Rheumatic Immunology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and to explore the standardized training mode. Methods In September 2021, twenty three intermediate-level refresher physicians from the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital participated in a comprehensive multi-scene training program including outpatient tutorials, case-based teaching of difficult and critical cases in wards, specialist lectures and multi-disciplinary lectures. After six months of training, the refresher physicians completed a questionnaire survey covering medical care, scientific research, teaching format, and advanced training duration, with 10 multiple-choice questions and 3 fill-in-the-blank questions. The results were analyzed descriptively. Results After six months of training in a multi-scene comprehensive training program, as shown by the results of the self-assessment by the trainees, the clinical skills and scientific research capacity improved by 55.7% and 50% respectively as compared to the pre-training period. The average improvement of standardized diagnosis and treatment was 60.9%, and the average improvement of diagnosis and treatment skills was 53.5%. The average improvement in the diagnosis and treatment level of difficult cases was 53.0%. The average improvement in the diagnosis and treatment level of rare diseases was 50.4%.There were 65.25% of the refresher physicians believed that the most rewarding learning was in the outpatient clinics, followed by discussion of difficult cases in wards and lectures by the fellowship physicians. 56.5% of the refresher physicians felt that the optimal duration of the advanced training was 12 months.Conclusions A comprehensive training system combining outpatient tutorials, case-based training of difficult cases in the ward, specialized lectures and multidisciplinary lectures for advanced refresher physicians is effective for training rheumatologists.