1.Mechanism of Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula in Improving Unilateral Vestibular Labyrinth Destruction by Regulating Metabolism-neuroplasticity
Yu TIAN ; Hui LENG ; Rupeng QU ; Xianglong HAO ; Aiping WANG ; Lei SHI ; Zhongyuan QU ; Ye DONG ; Xiande MA ; Yangling HUANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(5):54-64
ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the mechanism by which Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula improves metabolism-neuroplasticity and treats unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction by regulating the metabolic balance of glutamate (Glu)/γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Methods48 Sprague-Dawley (SD) adult rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, model group, Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula groups with low, medium, and high doses (9.20, 18.39, 36.78 g·kg-1), and betahistine group (1.62 mg·kg-1). A unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction (vestibular dysfunction) model was established by intratympanic injection of chloroform into the right ear, while the control group received intratympanic injection of normal saline. Drugs were administered once daily for seven consecutive days. During the period, behavioral tests were performed to evaluate the behaviors of rats after unilateral vestibular labyrinth destruction. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining were used to observe the neuronal morphology in the medial vestibular nucleus. Golgi staining was employed to assess the number of dendritic spines of neurons in the medial vestibular nucleus. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was utilized to detect Glu/GABA. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expressions of neuronal nuclei (NeuN), growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Western blot and real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) were applied to determine the expressions of glutamate-immunoreactive (Glu-IR), GABA, GFAP, postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95), and GAP-43. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group, the model group presented with head deviation, balance disorder, increased tail suspension score, nuclear consolidation of medial vestibular nerve neurons, and decreased Nissl bodies (P<0.01). The number of dendritic spines in neurons and NeuN-positive cells decreased. The content of Glu decreased. The content of GABA increased (Glu/GABA decreased). The expression of GAP-43 was down-regulated, and GFAP was up-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01). The expressions of Glu-IR, PSD-95, and GAP-43 proteins, as well as Glu-IR mRNA decreased, while the expressions of GABA and GFAP proteins and mRNA increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with those in the model group, the head deviation, imbalanced behavior, and tail suspension scores in each treatment group decreased, with alleviated neuronal injury and recovered Nissl bodies (P<0.01). The number of dendritic spines of neurons increased, and the number of NeuN-positive cells rebounded. The content of Glu increased, and the content of GABA decreased (Glu/GABA increased). GFAP was down-regulated, and GAP-43 was up-regulated (P<0.05, P<0.01). The expressions of Glu-IR, PMD-95, and GAP-43 proteins, as well as Glu-IR mRNA increased, while the expressions of GABA and GFAP proteins and mRNA decreased. The effect was more significant in the high-dose group (P<0.01). ConclusionThe Yishen Huoxue Tongqiao Formula can alleviate vestibular dysfunction, and its mechanism may be associated with regulating the metabolic balance of Glu/GABA, mitigating neural damage, improving synaptic plasticity (promoting GAP-43 expression and inhibiting GFAP expression), and facilitating vestibular compensation.
2.Analysis of related factors for the comorbidity of allergic rhinitis and obesity among primary and secondary school students in Inner Mongolia
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(1):27-31
Objective:
To investigate the factors influencing the co-prevalence of allergic rhinitis and obesity among primary and secondary school students in Inner Mongolia, so as to provide a data foundation and theoretical basis for developing targeted intervention measures.
Methods:
In September and October 2024, a stratified cluster random sampling method was employed to select 139 102 students from 539 schools across 12 leagues/cities and 103 banners/counties in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Participants who were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis by a doctor at least once within one year and had a body mass index ≥ 28 kg/m 2 were considered to have comorbid conditions.
Results:
The coprevalence rate of allergic rhinitis and obesity among primary and secondary school students in Inner Mongolia was 6.4% (8 931 cases). Lasso-Logistic regression revealed that nonboarding status, higher maternal education, consuming high protein foods ≥1 time daily, occasionally or never eating breakfast, engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity for ≥60 minutes on fewer than half of holidays, and having been exposed to second hand smoke in person within the past seven days were associated with higher odds ratios for co-prevalence of allergic rhinitis and obesity( OR = 1.23 , 1.22-1.63, 1.20, 1.19, 1.38, 1.35); being female, higher grade level, residence in flag/county/district areas, non only child status, never having consumed a full glass of alcohol, non hypertensive status, and households without pets were associated with lower co-prevalence risks ( OR =0.65, 0.67-0.77, 0.81, 0.87, 0.73, 0.41, 0.68) (all P <0.05). The ROC curve indicated an area under the curve of 0.64 for the predictive model, demonstrating satisfactory discriminatory ability. The calibration curve showed consistency between predicted and actual occurrence probabilities.
Conclusions
The co-prevalence of allergic rhinitis and obesity among primary and secondary school students in Inner Mongolia is closely associated with demographic characteristics, dietary behaviours, and lifestyle habits. Future prevention and control strategies should prioritize these factors to implement targeted interventions.
3.Longitudinal Association of Changes in Metabolic Syndrome with Cognitive Function: 12-Year Follow-up of the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study
Yu Meng TIAN ; Wei Sen ZHANG ; Chao Qiang JIANG ; Feng ZHU ; Ya Li JIN ; Shiu Lun Au YEUNG ; Jiao WANG ; Kar Keung CHENG ; Tai Hing LAM ; Lin XU
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2025;49(1):60-79
Background:
The association of changes in metabolic syndrome (MetS) with cognitive function remains unclear. We explored this association using prospective and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies.
Methods:
MetS components including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), systolic blood pressure (SBP), waist circumference (WC), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and triglycerides were measured at baseline and two follow-ups, constructing a MetS index. Immediate, delayed memory recall, and cognitive function along with its dimensions were assessed by immediate 10- word recall test (IWRT) and delayed 10-word recall test (DWRT), and mini-mental state examination (MMSE), respectively, at baseline and follow-ups. Linear mixed-effect model was used. Additionally, the genome-wide association study (GWAS) of MetS was conducted and one-sample MR was performed to assess the causality between MetS and cognitive function.
Results:
Elevated MetS index was associated with decreasing annual change rates (decrease) in DWRT and MMSE scores, and with decreases in attention, calculation and recall dimensions. HDL-C was positively associated with an increase in DWRT scores, while SBP and FPG were negatively associated. HDL-C showed a positive association, whereas WC was negatively associated with increases in MMSE scores, including attention, calculation and recall dimensions. Interaction analysis indicated that the association of MetS index on cognitive decline was predominantly observed in low family income group. The GWAS of MetS identified some genetic variants. MR results showed a non-significant causality between MetS and decrease in DWRT, IWRT, nor MMSE scores.
Conclusion
Our study indicated a significant association of MetS and its components with declines in memory and cognitive function, especially in delayed memory recall.
4.Comparison of small-sample multi-class machine learning models for plasma concentration prediction of valproic acid
Xi CHEN ; Shen’ao YUAN ; Hailing YUAN ; Jie ZHAO ; Peng CHEN ; Chunyan TIAN ; Yi SU ; Yunsong ZHANG ; Yu ZHANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(11):1399-1404
OBJECTIVE To construct three-class (insufficient, normal, excessive) and two-class (insufficient, normal) models for predicting plasma concentration of valproic acid (VPA), and compare the performance of these two models, with the aim of providing a reference for formulating clinical medication strategies. METHODS The clinical data of 480 patients who received VPA treatment and underwent blood concentration test at the Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital were collected from November 2022 to September 2024 (a total of 695 sets of data). In this study, predictive models were constructed for target variables of three-class and two-class models. Feature ranking and selection were carried out using XGBoost scores. Twelve different machine learning algorithms were used for training and validation, and the performance of the models was evaluated using three indexes: accuracy, F1 score, and the area under the working characteristic curve of the subject (AUC). RESULTS XGBoost feature importance scores revealed that in the three-class model, the importance ranking of kidney disease and electrolyte disorders was higher. However, in the two-class model, the importance ranking of these features significantly decreased, suggesting a close association with the excessive blood concentration of VPA. In the three-class model, Random Forest method performed best, with F1 score of 0.704 0 and AUC of 0.519 3 on the test set; while in the two-class model, CatBoost method performed optimally, with F1 score of 0.785 7 and AUC of 0.819 5 on the test set. CONCLUSIONS The constructed three-class model has the ability to predict excessive VPA blood concentration, but its prediction and model generalization abilities are poor; the constructed two-class model can only perform classification prediction for insufficient and normal blood concentration cases, but its model performance is stronger.
5.The regulatory role of tissue-resident memory T cells in chronic liver diseases and associated therapeutic targets
Jin LIN ; Yu ZENG ; Zhanfei TIAN ; Xiaoli FAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(5):975-982
Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM cells) are a subset of memory T cells that reside in tissues, exhibit tissue specificity, and do not recirculate. When potential hazards threaten the liver, such as pathogen invasion (bacteria, viruses, etc.) and excessive autoimmune responses, TRM cells are essential as the first line of immune defense, playing an important role in viral hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease, liver cirrhosis, and liver transplantation. Here, we present the immunophenotypes of TRM cells in the liver and their surface markers and transcriptional profiles, aiming to clarify the role of TRM cells in chronic liver diseases and explore their potential function as therapeutic targets in immunotherapy.
6.Comparison of multiple machine learning models for predicting the survival of recipients after lung transplantation
Lingzhi SHI ; Yaling LIU ; Haoji YAN ; Zengwei YU ; Senlin HOU ; Mingzhao LIU ; Hang YANG ; Bo WU ; Dong TIAN ; Jingyu CHEN
Organ Transplantation 2025;16(2):264-271
Objective To compare the performance and efficacy of prognostic models constructed by different machine learning algorithms in predicting the survival period of lung transplantation (LTx) recipients. Methods Data from 483 recipients who underwent LTx were retrospectively collected. All recipients were divided into a training set and a validation set at a ratio of 7:3. The 24 collected variables were screened based on variable importance (VIMP). Prognostic models were constructed using random survival forest (RSF) and extreme gradient boosting tree (XGBoost). The performance of the models was evaluated using the integrated area under the curve (iAUC) and time-dependent area under the curve (tAUC). Results There were no significant statistical differences in the variables between the training set and the validation set. The top 15 variables ranked by VIMP were used for modeling and the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) was determined as the most important factor. Compared with the XGBoost model, the RSF model demonstrated better performance in predicting the survival period of recipients (iAUC 0.773 vs. 0.723). The RSF model also showed better performance in predicting the 6-month survival period (tAUC 6 months 0.884 vs. 0.809, P = 0.009) and 1-year survival period (tAUC 1 year 0.896 vs. 0.825, P = 0.013) of recipients. Based on the prediction cut-off values of the two algorithms, LTx recipients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups. The survival analysis results of both models showed that the survival rate of recipients in the high-risk group was significantly lower than that in the low-risk group (P<0.001). Conclusions Compared with XGBoost, the machine learning prognostic model developed based on the RSF algorithm may preferably predict the survival period of LTx recipients.
7.Establishment and evaluation of pendulum-like modified rat abdominal heart heterotopic transplantation model
Hongtao TANG ; Caihan LI ; Xiangyun ZHENG ; Senlin HOU ; Weiyang CHEN ; Zengwei YU ; Yabo WANG ; Dong TIAN ; Qi AN
Organ Transplantation 2025;16(2):280-287
Objective To introduce the modeling method of pendulum-like modified rat abdominal heart heterotopic transplantation model and evaluate the quality of the model. Methods An operator without transplantation experience performed 15 consecutive models, recorded the time of each step, changes in body weight and modified Stanford scores, and calculated the surgical success rate, postoperative 1-week survival rate and technical success rate. Ultrasound examinations was performed in 1 week postoperatively. Results The times for donor heart acquisition, donor heart processing, recipient preparation and transplantation anastomosis were (14.3±1.4) min, (3.5±0.6) min, (13.6±2.1) min and (38.3±5.2) min respectively. The surgical success rate was 87% (13/15), and the survival rate 1 week after operative was 100% (13/13). The improved Stanford score indicated a technical success rate of 92% (12/13), and the postoperative 1-week ultrasound examination showed that grafts with Stanford scores ≥3 had detectable pulsation and blood flow signals. Conclusions The pendulum-like modified rat abdominal heart heterotopic transplantation improved model further optimizes the operational steps with a high success rate and stable quality, may be chosen as a modeling option for basic research in heart transplantation in the future.
8.Study of adsorption of coated aldehyde oxy-starch on the indexes of renal failure
Qian WU ; Cai-fen WANG ; Ning-ning PENG ; Qin NIE ; Tian-fu LI ; Jian-yu LIU ; Xiang-yi SONG ; Jian LIU ; Su-ping WU ; Ji-wen ZHANG ; Li-xin SUN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):498-505
The accumulation of uremic toxins such as urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and uric acid of patients with renal failure
9.HerbRNomes: ushering in the post-genome era of modernizing traditional Chinese medicine research
Yu TIAN ; Hai SHANG ; Gui-bo SUN ; Wei-dong ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):300-313
With the completion of the "Human Genome Project" and the smooth progress of the "Herbal Genome Project", the research wave of RNAomics is gradually advancing, opening the research gateway for the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and initiating the post-genome era of medicinal plant RNA research. Therefore, this article proposes for the first time the concept of HerbRNomes, which involves constructing databases of medicinal plant, medicinal fungus, and medicinal animal RNA at different stages, from different origins, and in different organs. This research aims to explore the role of HerbRNA in self-genetic information transmission, functional regulation, as well as cross-species regulation functional mechanisms and key technologies. It also investigates application scenarios, providing a theoretical basis and research ideas for the resistance of TCM or medicinal plants to adversity and stress, molecular assistant breeding, and the development of small nucleic acid drugs. This article reviews recent research progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of the transmission and expression of genetic information, self-regulation and cross-species regulation of herbs at the RNA level, along with key technologies. It proposes a development strategy for small nucleic acid drugs based on HerbRNomes, providing theoretical support and guidance for the modernization of TCM based on HerbRNomes research.
10.Application of ultra-wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography in patients with diabetic retinopathy and diabetic kidney disease
Zhutao LIU ; Beibei HAN ; Wen YU ; Na LI ; Tian ZHANG
International Eye Science 2025;25(5):819-825
AIM: To analyze the clinical utility and value of the ultra-wide-field swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography(UWF-SS-OCTA)technique in changes of blood flow density and thickness in the central and peripheral regions of the retina and choroid in patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy(NPDR)with or without diabetic kidney disease(DKD).METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Totally 50 cases(50 eyes)of diabetes mellitus(DM)that visited our hospital between June 2023 and June 2024 were included. They were divided into three groups: NPDR combined with DKD group(DKD group, n=20), NPDR without DKD group(NDKD group, n=20), and DM without retinopathy group(DM group, n=10, which served as control). In order to investigate the impact of DKD on ocular microangiopathy in NPDR patients, the retina and choroid within 24 mm×20 mm of the scan were separated into central and peripheral areas using the 3×3 nine-grid partition option that comes with UWF-SS-OCTA, and the parameters were then quantitatively assessed.RESULTS:The central and peripheral blood flow density of the choroidal capillary layer(CCP)was statistically significant between the DM group and the DKD group(t=3.93, P=0.0003; t=3.34, P=0.0016), and between the NDKD group and the DKD group(t=-3.06, P=0.003; t=-2.55, P=0.013), but there was no statistically significant difference between the DM group and the NDKD group(t=1.44, P=0.157; t=1.26, P=0.21). The mid-large choroidal vessel(MLCV)showed a progressive decline in central and peripheral blood flow density in the DM, NDKD, and DKD groups(F=13.74, 19.03, all P<0.0001). The DM, NDKD, and DKD groups saw a progressive decrease in central and peripheral choroidal thickness(CT; F=10.72, P=0.0001; F=13.12, P<0.001).CONCLUSION:CCP, MLCV, and CT can be used as visual indicators to identify impaired renal function in patients with NPDR. UWF-SS-OCTA can support the development of precise and noninvasive monitoring and treatment technology for diabetic ocular microangiopathy, while also offering a scientific foundation for the joint management of DR and DKD.


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