The intestinal barrier, a critical interface between the body and the external environment, is essential for maintaining internal homeostasis. Comprising mechanical, chemical, immune, and biological components, its dysfunction underpins multiple gastrointestinal pathologies. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), covalently closed non-coding RNAs, have emerged as central regulators of gut barrier homeostasis. This review synthesizes advances in circRNA roles in intestinal stem cell renewal, apoptosis-proliferation balance, microbiome interactions, and immune regulation. Key findings highlight circRNA networks operating via competitive endogenous RNA mechanisms, protein interactions, and translational potential to influence barrier function. We further discuss circRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers in inflammatory bowel disease and their therapeutic potential in barrier-related pathologies. Advances in RNA nanotechnology (e.g., lipid nanoparticles) and synthetic biology position engineered circRNAs as next-generation therapies for precision intervention in gastrointestinal disorders. Importantly, this review also critically examines the current limitations of these translational approaches, including delivery challenges, safety considerations, and the preliminary nature of many preclinical findings, providing a balanced perspective on the path from bench to bedside.

Normalization can standardize and improve machine learning (ML) performance on omics data. However, it is unclear whether normalization is associated with overfitting (i.e., worse cross-dataset performance than intra-dataset performance). Therefore, we aimed to examine associations of normalization and regularization with overfitting of ML on omics data.

Using three paired transcriptomic and clinical datasets (lung adenocarcinoma: the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)/Oncology Singapore; melanoma: TCGA/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; glioblastoma: TCGA/Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium), we applied ANOVA-based gene selection methods, six normalization methods, and six ML models to classify cancer patients’ deaths. Balanced accuracy (BA) and area under the curve (AUC) in intra- and cross-dataset settings were compared using inferential analyses.

Normalization consistently improved intra-dataset performance (median BA/AUC changes: 0.035–0.214/0.115–0.279) on all data, particularly with Z_Raw, but decreased or slightly increased cross-dataset performance (median BA/AUC changes: −0.029–0.079/0.029–0.064). Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) model without normalization consistently outperformed most of the ML models in cross-dataset testing across cancer types. ML models on all and molecular-alone data showed similar best performances.

Normalization increases ML’s intra-dataset performance and overfitting in three paired cancer transcriptomic and clinical datasets. Regularized models such as LASSO appear to mitigate overfitting and achieve robust cross-dataset performance. Therefore, cross-dataset evaluation and regularized models are recommended to assess and reduce overfitting, while normalization should be used cautiously. Adding clinical data seems to have little impact on ML models’ performance. However, future work on other diseases and datasets is warranted.

Glioblastoma remains a highly challenging malignancy with a pronounced tendency for recurrence. The hypoxic microenvironment is a key contributor to its therapy resistance. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), which elevates tissue oxygen pressure and reverses hypoxia, exhibits a “dual effect” in glioblastoma management. This review aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential of HBOT in glioblastoma by examining its multifaceted effects on tumor biology and treatment response. On one hand, it enhances radiosensitivity through reactive oxygen species generation, increases chemotherapy efficacy by augmenting cytotoxicity and improving vascular perfusion, and remodels the tumor microenvironment via vessel normalization, edema reduction, and immune cell modulation. Furthermore, HBOT attenuates cancer stem cell properties by downregulating stemness markers and inhibiting self-renewal capacity. On the other hand, HBOT may also promote tumor progression: oxidative stress can induce genomic instability, while concomitant activation of HIF-, NF-κB-, and VEGF-mediated pro-survival pathways may facilitate malignant cell adaptation and proliferation. Given these opposing considerations, the clinical application of HBOT in glioblastoma management remains exploratory. In conclusion, future research should focus on optimizing HBOT protocols. In addition, exploring combination with other therapeutic approaches is equally important. These efforts are essential for the safe and effective integration of HBOT into comprehensive treatment strategies for glioblastoma.

Pancreatic solid tumors encompass diverse pathological subtypes. Objective, accurate, and comprehensive imaging examinations and diagnostic reports are essential for preoperative staging, treatment planning, and prognostic evaluation. Currently, China lacks corresponding guidelines or consensus documents, leading to prominent issues including subjective diagnostic reports, incomplete descriptions, and inconsistent terminology. The present guideline was developed to standardize diagnostic imaging reporting of pancreatic solid tumors in China. Relevant domestic and international evidence on imaging examination techniques, key reporting elements, and diagnostic criteria was systematically reviewed and synthesized. This guideline was developed by a multidisciplinary expert panel through systematic evidence retrieval and appraisal, GRADE-based recommendation grading, modified Delphi consensus, and external review. A total of 20 evidence-based recommendations, 13 strong and 7 weak, were formulated, in aspects of imaging examination and diagnostic reporting standards, including the measurement of the tumor size of pancreatic solid tumors, assessment of the obstruction of the main pancreatic duct and common bile duct, definition, assessment, and clinical significance of pancreatic parenchymal atrophy, the assessment of obstructive acute pancreatitis, pseudocysts/retention cysts, and peripancreatic vessels, criteria for resectability, regional lymph node assessment, criteria for suspicious lymph nodes and descriptions of their specific location, and detection of hepatic and peritoneal metastases. Implementation of this guideline in clinical practice will help standardize the accuracy and consistency of diagnostic imaging reports for pancreatic solid tumors in China, thereby advancing standardized imaging diagnosis and informing clinical treatment decisions.

The bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) protein family, particularly BRD4, is critical for the control of oncogenic transcriptional programs in solid tumors. Although initial-generation BET inhibitors, such as JQ1, molibresib, and birabresib, have demonstrated preclinical efficacy in repressing MYC-dependent pathways, their clinical translation has been hampered by low monotherapy activity, pharmacokinetic heterogeneity, and dose-limiting toxicities. This review aims to update the mechanistic foundations, clinical trial results, and development of therapeutic approaches to BET inhibition in solid tumors, outlining its evolving role in the next generation of cancer treatment strategies. Various clinical trials in different phases have demonstrated heterogeneous responses among solid tumor types, with greater effects in NUT carcinoma and castration-resistant prostate cancer. Resistance mechanisms, including BRD4 isoform switching and compensatory signaling activation, emphasize the need for advanced and innovative BET-targeting modalities. BD2-selective BET inhibitors and proteolysis-targeting chimeras are likely to overcome these limitations by increasing target specificity and reducing systemic side effects. In addition, combination strategies, such as PARP inhibitors, AR antagonists, and immune checkpoint blockade, have synergistic potential to augment anticancer activity. In conclusion, this review provides a comprehensive overview of the advances, challenges, and future directions of BET bromodomain inhibition in solid tumors.

Development of mixed histiocytosis (Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH))/Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD)) after treatment in patients with an initial skull LCH lesion has not been well recognized. An elderly woman initially developed LCH at the left temporal bone, preceded by polyuria and polydipsia five years earlier; the lesion was surgically removed. Two years thereafter, she experienced her first LCH relapse with a right parietal skull lesion, in which a BRAF V600E mutation was confirmed, and chemotherapy was initiated. After a second LCH relapse involving the left parietal bone, the patient presented with a third relapse at the L2 vertebra. This lesion was pathologically diagnosed as mixed histiocytosis (LCH/ECD), resulting in refractoriness to conventional chemotherapy, and was successfully treated with targeted therapy using BRAF and MEK inhibitors. Spinal mixed histiocytosis (LCH/ECD) may develop following relapses of skull LCH after chemotherapy, for which targeted therapy could be effective.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis, an infection caused by an abnormal proliferation of Candida species in the vagina and vulva, is particularly relevant, affecting up to 75% of women of reproductive age. Because of antifungal drug resistance, a significant number of plants are used to treat vaginal candidoses in Cameroon. Thus, the scientific validation of the use of these plants in treating candidiasis is valuable. This study sought to identify medicinal plants used to treat vaginal infections in the Dschang district and evaluate the antifungal activity of the most promising plants on five Candida species.

The ethnobotanical survey was conducted in Dschang (Menoua Division, West Cameroon) through individual interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Extracts from seventeen plants were obtained by maceration using water or a water–ethanol solution (3:7; v/v). Antifungal activity was evaluated using the microdilution method.

Forty-eight plants belonging to 33 families were identified as treating vaginal infections. Decoction and formulation of ovules were the prevalent modes of plant preparation, with leaves and bark being the predominant plant organs used. Out of thirty-four extracts tested, two (CSEHAlc and MIEHAlc) showed antifungal activity, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.315 to 2.5 mg/mL. The determination of the minimum fungicidal concentrations revealed the fungicidal orientation of these bioactive extracts.

This study identifies medicinal plants used to treat vaginal infections in Dschang and their modes of preparation. The in vitro antifungal screening of selected plants indicated Mangifera indica and Canarium schweinfurthii as the anti-Candida plants that can be further exploited for antifungal drug discovery.

Despite the emergence of new approaches in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment in recent years, the overall prognosis remains poor. Particularly for elderly patients and relapsed/refractory cases, the five-year survival rate consistently remains below 30%. While traditional chemotherapy regimens can rapidly suppress tumor burden and alleviate clinical symptoms, they suffer from limitations such as insufficient targeting, prominent toxic side effects, and a tendency to induce drug resistance. Immunotherapy offers a novel therapeutic pathway for AML due to its advantages of precise targeting, long-lasting antitumor effects, and a controllable safety profile. However, single-agent immunotherapy demonstrates limited clinical response rates in AML and struggles to achieve complete tumor cell clearance. In this context, combination regimens of chemotherapy and immunotherapy are increasingly becoming the focus of research. This review aims to summarize the rationale and advances in the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, and cancer vaccines with chemotherapy for the treatment of AML. We have detailed the preclinical research and clinical trial progress of each combined regimen, analyzed the core challenges—including off-target toxicity, high tumor heterogeneity, and limited efficacy in specific AML subtypes—and further propose targeted solutions and future development directions, such as exploring novel specific antigens, developing multi-targeted drugs, and formulating precision individualized treatment plans. The clinical application of such combined strategies is attracting increasing attention. In conclusion, chemo-immunotherapy combinations represent a highly promising therapeutic paradigm for AML, harnessing the synergy of chemotherapy-mediated immune microenvironment remodeling and the specific antitumor activity of immunotherapies to overcome single-agent limitations and deliver meaningful survival benefits.