Metabonomics is the branch of science concerned with the quantitative understandings of the metabolite complement of integrated living systems and its dynamic responses to the changes of both endogenous factors (such as physiology and development)and exogenous factors (such as environmental factors and xenobiotics). As a holistic approach, metabonomics detects, quantifies and catalogues the time related metabolic processes of an integrated biological system, ultimately, relates such processes to the trajectories of the pathophysiological events. Ever since its birth in 1999, metabonomics has already been described in more than 800 scientific papers and half dozen patents, amongst which almost 700 papers were experimental articles. Now, metabonomics has been established as an extremely powerful analytical tool and hence found successful applications in many research areas including molecular pathology and physiology, drug efficacy and toxicity, gene modifications and functional genomics, and environmental sciences. This holistic approach has thus become an important part of systems biology and has now evolved to be a unique part in global systems biology. The essence of metabonomics and some of the present applications were reviewed to illustrate the rapid development of this extremely exciting new frontier.

Objective · To investigate the gender-related metabolomic differences in human saliva. Methods · The saliva metabolomic profiles of 5 male and 5 female healthy volunteers with matched age, body mass index (BMI), living and tooth-brushing condition were acquired using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Metabolites were identified using publicly accessible databases and further confirmed individually with standard compounds. Both multivariant and univariate statistics were conducted to find inter-gender differences.Results · Forty-eight metabolites in human saliva were identified including 13 amino acids, 6 choline metabolites, 15 carnitines, 4 sphinganine metabolites,7 lysophosphatidylcholine and 3 organic acids. Levels of phenylalanine, acetylcarnitine, propionylcarnitine, butyrylcarnitine, isobutyrylcarnitine,isovalerylcarnitine and sphinganine were higher in the saliva of females than that of males. Conclusion · Rich metabolic information present in human saliva with significant gender diffference which ought to be taken into consideration in study on the metabonomics of saliva.

Objective To investigate the effects of baicalin on morphine-induced behavioral sensitization.Methods Locomotor activity was measured for 2h after administration with baicalin in mice.Hyperlocomotion induced by acute morphine (10 mg· kg-1,ip) and behavioral sensitization induced by repeated morphine were established.The level of dopamine of ventral tegmental area(VTA) and prefrontal cortex(PFC) in mice was tested by ELISA assay.Results Baiealin inhibited significantly both locomotor activity in mice (control (1095.8 ± 174.5) times,baicalin (899.6± 187.2),(724.2± 221.4),(609.1 ± 154.6) times ; P＜ 0.01) and hyperlocomotion induced by acute morphine(model (1518.2± 185.8) times,baicalin (1385.4±224.2),(1205.1 ± 174.6),(1100.3±235.1) times ; P＜0.01).Similar inhibition was also seen in the development and expression of morphine-induced behavioral sensitization(model(2096.2±304.6) times,baicalin (2004.2 ± 218.5),(1998.7-± 224.3),(1836.1 ± 233.5) times,P＜ 0.05 ; model (2124.2 ± 189.6) times,baicalin (1922.2± 314.7),(1524.1±289.2),(1477.4± 219.3) times,P＜0.01).Baicalin inhibited dopamine release in VTA and PFC of morphine-sensitized mice(model(457.6± 92.1,589.2 ±102.5) μg · L-1,baicalin(391.1±56.8) μg · L-1,(448.6± 99.3) μg · L-1; (324.5±66.2) μg · L-1,(368.7±45.9) μg · L 1 ; (234.3± 52.6) μg · L-1,(305.3±84.1) μg · L-1 ; P＜0.01,P＜0.01).Conclusion Baicalin inhibits the development and the expression of morphine-induced behavioral sensitization in mice,and this effect is related to the inhibition of dopamine release in VTA and PFC of mice.

Metabolic characteristics of 39 human brain tumor tissues, including 15 astrocytomas, 13 fibroblastic meningiomas and 11 transitional meningiomas from 39 individual patients, have been studied using high resolution magic-angle spinning (HRMAS) 1H NMR spectroscopy in conjunction with principal component analysis (PCA). With rich metabolite information, 1H NMR spectra showed that the tumor-tissuc metabonome was dominated by lipids, lactate, myo-inositol, ereatine, choline metabolites such as choline, phosphocholine and glycerophosphocholine, amino acids such as alanine, glutamate, glutamine, taurine, N-acetyl-aspartate and glutathione. PCA of the tumor NMR spectra clearly showed metabonomic differences between low-grade astrocytomas and meningiomas whereas such differences were more moderate between fibroblastic and transitional meningiomas. Compared with meningiomas, the low-grade astrocytomas had higher levels of glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine, myo-inositol and creatine but lower levels of alanine, glutamate, glutamine, glutathione and taurine. The N-acetyl-aspartate level was low but detectable in low-grade astrocytomas whereas it was not detectable in meningiomas. It is concluded that tissue metabonomics technology consisting of HRMAS 1H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis (MVDA) offers a useful tool (1) for distinguishing different types of brain tumors, (2) for providing the metabolic information for human brain tumors, which are potentially useful for understanding biochemistry of tumor progression.

AIM:From the perspective of regulating mitochondrial complex I activity by DJ-1 protein,this study aims to explore the mechanism of DJ-1-mediated resveratrol(RES)preconditioning in protecting against oxidative stress injury induced by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)in rats.METHODS:After intramyocardial injection of lentivirus carrying DJ-1 shRNA(sh-DJ-1)or negative control(NC)shRNA,the myocardial I/R model was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending branch of the rat coronary artery.Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided in-to 6 groups:sham group,I/R group,RES+I/R group,NC+RES+I/R group,sh-DJ-1+RES+I/R group,and IACS-010759(mitochondrial complex I inhibitor)+RES+I/R group,with 10 rats in each group.The rats in RES treatment groups were given RES(20 mg/kg)via gavage for 7 d prior to the myocardial I/R modeling,once daily.Moreover,the rats in sham and I/R groups received an equivalent volume of normal saline via gavage.Myocardial infarction area and cardiac function were assessed by TTC staining and echocardiography,respectively.The MitoSOX fluorescent probe was used to detect levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species(ROS)in the myocardium.The levels of malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dis-mutase(SOD)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)in the serum were detected using kits.Western blot and co-immunopre-cipitation assays were used to observe the interaction between DJ-1 and the two subunits,ND-1 and NDUFA4,of the mito-chondrial complex I.RESULTS:Compared with I/R group,RES pretreatment significantly reduced the myocardial in-farction area,mitochondrial ROS levels,serum LDH activity,and serum MDA content(P＜0.01).It also elevated left ventricular ejection fraction,left ventricular fractional shortening and serum SOD activity(P＜0.01).Pretreatment with RES increased the expression and mitochondrial translocation of DJ-1(P＜0.01),promoted the interaction between DJ-1 and ND-1/NDUFA4,which in turn protected the activity of mitochondrial complex I(P＜0.01).However,when the ex-pression of DJ-1 was suppressed,the protective effects of RES against myocardial I/R injury were significantly inhibited compared with RES+I/R group(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:Pretreatment with RES increases the expression and mitochondrial translocation of DJ-1,and facilitates the interaction of DJ-1 with ND1 and NDUFA4 subunits of mito-chondrial complex I,thus preserving the activity of mitochondrial complex I and attenuating myocardial I/R-induced oxida-tive stress damage.

Objective:To investigate the radiation field and dose selection of patients with isolated chest wall recurrence (ICWR) after modified radical mastectomy, and analyze the prognostic factors related to subsequent chest wall recurrence.Methods:Clinical data of 201 patients with ICWR after mastectomy admitted to the Fifth Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital from 1998 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. None of the patients received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy. After ICWR, 48 patients (73.6%) underwent surgery and 155 patients (77.1%) received radiotherapy. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the post-recurrence progression-free survival (PFS) rates and the difference was compared by log-rank test. Multivariate analysis was performed using Cox regression model. Competing risk model was adopted to estimate the subsequent local recurrence (sLR) rates after ICWR and the difference was compared with Gray test. Multivariate analysis was conducted using F&G analysis. Results:With a median follow up of 92.8 months after ICWR, the 5-year PFS rate was 23.2%, and the 5-year sLR rate was 35.7%. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with surgery plus radiotherapy and recurrence interval o F>12 months had a lower sLR rate. Patients with recurrence interval o F>48 months, local plus systemic treatment and surgery plus radiotherapy had a higher PFS rate. Among the 155 patients who received chest wall radiotherapy after ICWR, total chest wall irradiation plus local boost could improve the 5-year PFS rate compared with total chest wall irradiation alone (34.0% vs. 15.4%, P=0.004). Chest wall radiation dose (≤60 Gy vs.>60 Gy) exerted no significant effect upon the sLR and PFS rates (both P>0.05). In the 53 patients without surgery, the 5-year PFS rates were 9.1% and 20.5%( P=0.061) with tumor bed dose ≤60 Gy and>60 Gy, respectively. Conclusions:Local radiotherapy is recommended for patients with ICWR after modified radical mastectomy of breast cancer, including total chest wall radiation plus local boost. The radiation dose for recurrence should be increased to 60 Gy, and it should be above 60 Gy for those who have not undergone surgical resection. In addition, patients with ICWR still have a high risk of sLR, and more effective treatments need to be explored.

Acylcarnitines are metabolic intermediates of fatty acids and branched-chain amino acids having vital biofunctions and pathophysiological significances.Here,we developed a high-throughput method for quantifying hundreds of acylcarnitines in one run using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS).This enabled simultaneous quantification of 1136 acyl-carnitines(C0-C26)within 10-min with good sensitivity(limit of detection＜0.7 fmol),linearity(cor-relation coefficient＞0.992),accuracy(relative error＜20％),precision(coefficient of variation(CV),CV＜15％),stability(CV＜15％),and inter-technician consistency(CV＜20％,n=6).We also established a quantitative structure-retention relationship(goodness of fit＞0.998)for predicting retention time(tR)of acylcarnitines with no standards and built a database of their multiple reaction monitoring parameters(tR,ion-pairs,and collision energy).Furthermore,we quantified 514 acylcarnitines in human plasma and urine,mouse kidney,liver,heart,lung,and muscle.This provides a rapid method for quantifying acyl-carnitines in multiple biological matrices.

Objective:To analyze the prognosis of patients with isolated regional recurrence (RR) after mastectomy, and evaluate the efficacy of radiotherapy and identify the optimal radiation target volumes.Methods:Clinical data of 144 patients with first isolated RR after mastectomy between 2001 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had not received post-mastectomy radiotherapy. The primary endpoints consisted of the subsequent locoregional recurrence (sLRR), distant metastasis (DM), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).Results:With a median follow-up of 82.5 months after RR, the 5-year sLRR, DM, PFS and OS rates for the entire group were 42.1%, 71.9%, 22.9% and 62.6%, respectively. Local plus systemic therapy was an independent favorable prognostic factor for sLRR ( P<0.001) and PFS ( P=0.013). The sLRR rate in the surgery plus radiotherapy group was the lowest ( P<0.001). Surgery plus radiotherapy significantly reduced the 5-year risk of recurrence within the initially involved nodal regions ( P<0.001). Patients with chest wall irradiation obtained the 5-year subsequent chest wall recurrence rate of 12.1% compared to 14.8%( P=0.873) for those without chest wall irradiation. The subsequent supraclavicular recurrence rate was lower in patients with prophylactic supraclavicular irradiation than that without prophylactic supraclavicular irradiation (9.9% vs. 23.8%, P=0.206). The incidence rates of initially uninvolved axillary and internal mammary nodal recurrence were below 10% regardless of prophylactic irradiation or not. Conclusions:Patients with RR alone have an optimistic 5-year OS in the contemporary era. Comprehensive locoregional treatment including surgery and radiotherapy combined with systemic therapy is recommended. The chest wall, axillary and internal mammary nodal prophylactic irradiation should not be routinely performed for all patients with RR. The value of supraclavicular prophylactic irradiation remains to be evaluated.

Objective: To analyze the clinical efficacy and pregnancy outcomes of fertility- preserving re-treatment in patients with recurrent atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) and early stage endometrial carcinoma (EEC) after achieved complete remission (CR) of primary fertility-preserving therapy. Methods: There were 104 cases of AEH and EEC collected from 9 hospitals in the multi-center research network platform of fertility-preserving therapy of endometrial carcinoma in China from January 2005 to May 2019. Thirth-one cases of them relapsed from four hospitals mentioned above,who achieved CR after primary fertility-preserving therapy,was analyzed retrospectively. Of the 31 cases, 27 cases chose fertility-preserving re-treatment. The demographic characteristics, re-treatment effect, clinical factors and pregnancy outcomes were observed. Results: (1) There were 16 AEH cases and 11 ECC cases among 27 recurrent patients who chose fertility-preserving therapy again. After re-treatment, CR was found in 13 out of 16 cases of AEH and 9 out of 11 cases of EEC. The overall CR rate was 81% (22/27). (2) After CR of recurrence, 5 cases (23%, 5/22) of re-recurrence were found after with a median time of 33 months (range 21-80 months). There were 4 cases underwent comprehensive surgical staging, and 1 patient chose the third round of fertility preservation therapy with fully informed consent, and CR was reached after 15 months. (3) There were 16 cases with pregnancy intention, with a total of 12 pregnancies, including 5 cases were natural pregnancy and 7 cases were assisted reproductive technology pregnancy. There were 5 live births. The follow-up time was up to May 2019, and the median follow-up time was 73 months (range 0-123 months). All 27 patients had disease free survival. Conclusions Recurrent patients with AEH and EEC after achieving successful fertility-preserving therapy could choose fertility-preserving therapy again with comprehensive assessment and fully informed consent. After re-treatment, there is a certain tumor CR rate and pregnancy rate, while the close follow-up is required during treatment.