1.Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treating Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head via Regulating PI3K/Akt Pathway: A Review
Yaqi ZHANG ; Bo LI ; Jiancheng TANG ; Ran DING ; Cheng HUANG ; Yaping XU ; Qidong ZHANG ; Weiguo WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(5):141-149
Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) is a severe musculoskeletal disorder often induced by the prolonged or excessive use of glucocorticoids. Characterized by ischemia of bone cells, necrosis, and trabecular fractures, SONFH is accompanied by pain, femoral head collapse, and joint dysfunction, which can lead to disability in severe cases. The pathogenesis of SONFH involves hormone-induced osteoblast apoptosis, bone microvascular endothelial cell (BMEC) apoptosis, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the development of the disease. Modulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway can promote Akt phosphorylation, thereby stimulating the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and osteoblasts, promoting angiogenesis in BMECs, and inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. The research on the treatment of SONFH with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has gained increasing attention. Recent studies have shown that TCM monomers and compounds have potential therapeutic effect on SONFH by intervening in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. These studies not only provide a scientific basis for the application of TCM in the treatment of SONFH but also offer new ideas for the development of new therapeutic strategies. This review summarized the progress in Chinese and international research on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in SONFH over the past five years. It involved the composition and transmission mechanisms of the signaling pathway, as well as its regulatory effects on osteoblasts, mesenchymal stem cells, osteoclasts, BMECs, and other cells. Additionally, the review explored the TCM understanding of SONFH and the application of TCM monomers and compounds in the intervention of the PI3K/Akt pathway. By systematically analyzing and organizing these research findings, this article aimed to provide references and point out directions for the clinical prevention and treatment of SONFH and promote further development of TCM in this field. With in-depth research on the PI3K/Akt pathway and the modern application of TCM, it is expected to bring safer and more effective treatment options for patients with SONFH.
2.Brain endothelial HIF-1α exacerbates diabetes-associated cognitive impairment by accelerating glycolysis-driven lactate production.
Jicong CHEN ; Ruohui LIN ; Cuihua JIANG ; Fang CHEN ; Wei LI ; Lei WANG ; Ke PAN ; Jian ZHANG ; Zhiqi YIN ; Yaping HUANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(11):5772-5788
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment. The dysregulation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) signaling in T2D patients results in impaired adaptive responses to hypoxia, thereby accelerating the progression of complications. However, limited knowledge is available regarding its precise function in diabetes-associated cognitive impairment (DACI). Here, elevated HIF-1α levels were observed in brain endothelial cells (ECs) of db/db mice. Functionally, brain ECs-specific knockdown of H if1 a significantly ameliorated T2D-induced memory loss and neuronal damage. Glycolysis in brain ECs was inhibited in this process, as indicated by RNA-seq, leading to decreased hippocampal lactate production through reduced LDHA expression. Notably, T2D patients showed increased cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels, which were strongly associated with their cognitive dysfunction. Intrahippocampal injection of lactate accelerated cognitive dysfunction and impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in db/db mice. Conversely, reducing hippocampal lactate levels through the intrahippocampal injection of oxamate delayed the onset of memory deficits. Furthermore, asiatic acid was discovered to protect db/db mice from cognitive impairment by decreasing brain endothelial HIF-1α expression and subsequently reducing hippocampal lactate-induced AHN damage. Overall, this study elucidates the inhibiting role played by endothelial HIF-1α-driven lactate in AHN and highlights a potential tactic of targeting HIF-1α in brain ECs for treating cognitive impairment.
3.Alamandine inhibits pathological retinal neovascularization by targeting the MrgD-mediated HIF-1α/VEGF pathway.
Kun ZHAO ; Yaping JIANG ; Wen HUANG ; Yukang MAO ; Yihui CHEN ; Peng LI ; Chuanxi YANG
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2025;26(10):1015-1036
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a vision-threatening disorder that leads to pathological growth of the retinal vasculature due to hypoxia. Here, we investigated the potential effects of alamandine, a novel heptapeptide in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), on hypoxia-induced retinal neovascularization and its underlying mechanisms. In vivo, the C57BL/6J mice with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) were injected intravitreally with alamandine (1.0 μmol/kg per eye). In vitro, human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs) were utilized to investigate the effects of alamandine (10 μg/mL) on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and tubular formation under vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulation. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) matrix data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and RAS-related genes from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) were sourced for subsequent analyses. By integrating scRNA-seq data across multiple species, we identified that RAS-associated endothelial cell populations were highly related to retinal neovascularization. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis revealed a significant decrease in alamandine levels in both the serum and retina of OIR mice compared to those in the control group. Next, alamandine ameliorated hypoxia-induced retinal pathological neovascularization and physiologic revascularization in OIR mice. In vitro, alamandine effectively mitigated VEGF-induced proliferation, scratch wound healing, and tube formation of HRMECs primarily by inhibiting the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)/VEGF pathway. Further, coincubation with D-Pro7 (Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor D (MrgD) antagonist) hindered the beneficial impacts of alamandine on hypoxia-induced pathological angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Our findings suggested that alamandine could mitigate retinal neovascularization by targeting the MrgD-mediated HIF-1α/VEGF pathway, providing a potential therapeutic agent for OIR prevention and treatment.
Animals
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Retinal Neovascularization/prevention & control*
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism*
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Humans
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Mice
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Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism*
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Oligopeptides/therapeutic use*
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Signal Transduction/drug effects*
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Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
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Endothelial Cells/drug effects*
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Retinopathy of Prematurity/drug therapy*
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Apoptosis/drug effects*
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Cell Movement/drug effects*
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Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects*
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Cells, Cultured
4.Expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of cemental tear.
Ye LIANG ; Hongrui LIU ; Chengjia XIE ; Yang YU ; Jinlong SHAO ; Chunxu LV ; Wenyan KANG ; Fuhua YAN ; Yaping PAN ; Faming CHEN ; Yan XU ; Zuomin WANG ; Yao SUN ; Ang LI ; Lili CHEN ; Qingxian LUAN ; Chuanjiang ZHAO ; Zhengguo CAO ; Yi LIU ; Jiang SUN ; Zhongchen SONG ; Lei ZHAO ; Li LIN ; Peihui DING ; Weilian SUN ; Jun WANG ; Jiang LIN ; Guangxun ZHU ; Qi ZHANG ; Lijun LUO ; Jiayin DENG ; Yihuai PAN ; Jin ZHAO ; Aimei SONG ; Hongmei GUO ; Jin ZHANG ; Pingping CUI ; Song GE ; Rui ZHANG ; Xiuyun REN ; Shengbin HUANG ; Xi WEI ; Lihong QIU ; Jing DENG ; Keqing PAN ; Dandan MA ; Hongyu ZHAO ; Dong CHEN ; Liangjun ZHONG ; Gang DING ; Wu CHEN ; Quanchen XU ; Xiaoyu SUN ; Lingqian DU ; Ling LI ; Yijia WANG ; Xiaoyuan LI ; Qiang CHEN ; Hui WANG ; Zheng ZHANG ; Mengmeng LIU ; Chengfei ZHANG ; Xuedong ZHOU ; Shaohua GE
International Journal of Oral Science 2025;17(1):61-61
Cemental tear is a rare and indetectable condition unless obvious clinical signs present with the involvement of surrounding periodontal and periapical tissues. Due to its clinical manifestations similar to common dental issues, such as vertical root fracture, primary endodontic diseases, and periodontal diseases, as well as the low awareness of cemental tear for clinicians, misdiagnosis often occurs. The critical principle for cemental tear treatment is to remove torn fragments, and overlooking fragments leads to futile therapy, which could deteriorate the conditions of the affected teeth. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and subsequent appropriate interventions are vital for managing cemental tear. Novel diagnostic tools, including cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), microscopes, and enamel matrix derivatives, have improved early detection and management, enhancing tooth retention. The implementation of standardized diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols, combined with improved clinical awareness among dental professionals, serves to mitigate risks of diagnostic errors and suboptimal therapeutic interventions. This expert consensus reviewed the epidemiology, pathogenesis, potential predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cemental tear, aiming to provide a clinical guideline and facilitate clinicians to have a better understanding of cemental tear.
Humans
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Dental Cementum/injuries*
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Consensus
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Diagnosis, Differential
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Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
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Tooth Fractures/therapy*
5.Risk factors,health and rehabilitation intervention strategies for low back pain in adult golfers:a scoping review
Yaping CAO ; Ju LI ; Minghao HUANG ; Zhongcheng LI ; Jian LANG
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2024;30(6):657-664
Objective To analyze the evidence of risk factors and health and rehabilitation intervention strategies for lower back inju-ries in adult golfers. Methods A thematic search method was employed,retrieving literature related to low back pain in adult golfers from PubMed,Web of Science,EBSCO,Scopus,the Cochrane Library,CNKI,VIP and Wanfang Data,with publica-tion dates ranging from inception to April 1st,2024.Authors,country,publication time,study subjects,risk fac-tors for low back pain and intervention strategies were extracted from the literature for systematic review. Results Nine English articles from the United States,Australia,South Korea,Portugal and South Africa were included,involving 237 golfers,three survey studies,one prospective cohort study,five randomized controlled trial(RCT)and quasi-RCT articles were enrolled.The study subjects included adult professional and amateur golfers.The primary risk factors were excessive repetition of non-standard golf swinging movements resulting in excessive lumbar torsion and overuse of the lumbar musculature;abnormal activation patterns of the rectus abdominis,erec-tor spinae and latissimus dorsi muscles;and functional limitation of the trunk and hip joints,causing excessive lumbar compensation during the swinging motion.Health and rehabilitation intervention strategies included the comprehensive application of electromyography and ultrasound biofeedback technologies with a focus on screen-ing the lumbar weak muscle groups and swinging actions,optimizing training load,and standardizing swinging technical movements;strengthening functional training of the trunk and hip joints;and enhancing strength train-ing of the abdominal and core muscle groups,as well as the deep muscle groups. Conclusion The risk factors for low back pain in adult golfers are primarily associated with excessive repetition of im-proper golf swing techniques,insufficient strength in the abdominal and core muscle groups,and functional limi-tations of the trunk and hip joints.Key intervention strategies include optimizing training load using electromyog-raphy and ultrasound biofeedback techniques,standardizing swing techniques,enhancing trunk and hip joint functional training,and strengthening waist,abdominal,core and deep muscle group strength training.The imple-mentation of these strategies helps to reduce the risk of low back pain in golfers,enhance athletic performance,and promote physical and mental health.
6.Discussion on the medication law of Wang Xugao for the treatment of phlegm-drinking disease based on data mining
Baixiao CHEN ; Ying ZHONG ; Canmei LI ; Yangling HUANG ; Shifeng LIN ; Yaping ZHANG
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;46(1):97-102
Objective:To explore the prescription ideas of treating phlegm-drinking disease in Wang Xugao Lin Zheng Yi An; To analyze the medication law of Wang Xugao's clinical treatment of phlegm-drinking disease. Methods:The database was established based on the medical records of the chapter of phlegm, fluid retention and liver wind and phlegm fire contained in Wang Xugao Lin Zheng Yi An. Excel 2017 software was used to analyze the frequency, taste and meridian tropism of all Chinese materia medica. For Chinese materia medica with frequency≥10, IBM SPSS Modeler 18 software was used to analyze the association rules based on Apriori algorithm, and SPSS 25.0 software was used for cluster analysis based on Ochiai algorithm. Results:A total of 80 medical cases were included, involving 114 prescriptions, including 191 flavors of Chinese materia medica . High-frequency Chinese materia medica mainly included Poria, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma and Armeniacae Semen Amarum, etc. The main properties in Wang Xugao's medication for the treatment of phlegm-drink disease were warm, followed by cold and mild. The main tastes were sweet, bitter and pungent. Drugs mainly belong to the lung meridian and spleen, stomach, liver, kidney meridians; several core medicinal pairs were obtained, such as Farfarae Flos - Armeniacae Semen Amarum, Pinelliae Rhizoma - Zingiberis Rhizoma, Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis - Haliotidis Concha, etc. Eight groups of core drug combinations could be sorted out by clustering analysis.Conclusions:In the treatment of phlegm-drinking disease, Wang Xugao paid attention to the simultaneous treatment of multiple viscera to coordinate the balance between the viscera, emphasized the complex etiology of phlegm-drinking disease combined with cold, fire and dampness, attached importance to the treatment of healthy qi to retreat pathogens, the regulation of three-energizer to regulate qi flow. The treatment of three-energizer, promoting yang and reducing phlegm, clearing liver and dispelling wind are the main methods. Medication mainly chooses properties of sweet and warm, with bitter and pungent.
7.Construction of nursing quality standards in patients who underwent spine surgery based on three-dimensional quality model
Bingdu TONG ; Xinhe HUANG ; Xiaoyan HE ; Lin ZHANG ; Yaping CHEN
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2024;40(9):679-686
Objective:To explore and construct the nursing quality standards of spine surgery, provide a scientific basis for improving the nursing quality of spine surgery.Methods:Taking the "structure-process-outcome" three-dimensional quality model as the theoretical framework, through evidenced-based literature search and semi-structured interview, the items pool was formed, and finally the nursing quality standards were determined by two rounds of Delphi method of expert inquiry from May to July 2023.Results:The positive coefficients of the two rounds of inquiries to experts were 0.90 and 1.00, respectively. The authority coefficients were 0.946 and 0.951, respectively. The Kendall coefficients of the first, second and third level standards in the first round were 0.161, 0.095 and 0.108, respectively, and the Kendall coefficients of the first, second and third level standards in the second round were 0.162, 0.088 and 0.100, respectively, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The final nursing quality standards were finally constructed, including 3 first-level standards (structural quality, process quality and outcome quality), 20 second-level standards and 60 third-level standards.Conclusions:The nursing quality standards of spine surgery based on the three-dimensional quality model of "structure-process-outcome" have high reliability and science, which can provide target incentives for clinical nurses, provide a basis for the quality of specialized spine nursing, and promote the development of nursing specialization and the construction of nursing discipline.
8.Design and implementation of mobile medical force information system for diversified medical rescue missions
Pei LIU ; Hao HUANG ; Kejun ZHANG ; Yaping YU ; Rong ZHANG
Military Medical Sciences 2024;48(8):614-619
Objective To design a safe,stable,flexible,and scalable information system for mobile medical forces to enhance the efficiency of command and casualty treatment during diversified medical rescue missions.Methods A mobile medical force information system was developed with a layered architecture based on both Browser/Server(B/S)and Client/Server(C/S)frameworks.In this system,the front-end presentation layer was developed with Vue.js architecture,the back-end application layer by SpringCloud and Mybatis frameworks,the data management layer was devised using MySQL and Redis databases to provide standard data interfaces for other systems.This system covered several functional modules including command,casualty triage and evacuation,minor injury treatment,severe injury rescue,emergency surgery,medical service,and logistical support,which could be flexibly configured according to different types of missions.Results Information about casualty treatment was recorded in detail,accessed and traced easily.The efficiency of information statistics was improved.Conclusion The developed system enhances the efficiency of decision-making and casualty management for mobile medical forces during varied medical rescue missions.
9.Mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 alleviating testicular injury induced by heat stress in mice
Yinhu HUANG ; Ziling WANG ; Kunhang DU ; Cheng WANG ; Caihong HUANG ; Ting YANG ; Han WEI ; Honghui JIANG ; Lu WANG ; Qinghua ZHANG ; Yaping WANG
Journal of Army Medical University 2024;46(10):1123-1131
Objective To explore the mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 in alleviating heat stress-induced testicular injury in mice.Methods A total of 20 C57BL/6 male mice(6~8 weeks old)were randomly divided into 4 groups(n=5).The mice from the control group and heat stress(HS)group were intraperitoneally injected with 10 mL/(kg·d)0.9%normal saline for 14 d,while those in the HS+Rg1 group and the Rg1 group were given an intraperitoneal injection of 20 mg/(kg·d)for 14 d,and then on the 7th day after administration,the mice in the HS group and the HS+Rg1 group had the lower abdomen put into a 43 ℃ water bath for 30 min as a single heat stress after being anesthetized with 4%chloral hydrate.Mouse spermatocytes GC-2spd(ts)were divided into control group(routine culture for 48 h),HS group(placed in a 43 ℃ water bath for 30 min after 36 h of conventional culture,and cultured till the end of 48 h),HS+Rg1 group(50 μmol/L Rg1 treatment followed by heat stress injury),and Rg1 group(no heat stress injury).In 1 d after modeling,the eyeball blood samples were collected to detect serum testosterone with ELISA,and the testicles were extracted to observe the morphology and weighed to calculate the testicular index.HE staining was used to observe the histopathology of testis,and corresponding reagents and kits was employed to detect the content of malondialdehyde(MDA)and activities of catalase(CAT)and superoxide dismutase(SOD)in testis tissue.After the epididymal sperm were collected,the sperm concentration and motility were analyzed by computer-assisted sperm analysis(CASA)system.In in vitro experiments,cell apoptosis was detected with TUNEL staining,the protein levels of Nrf2,Keap1,HO-1,Bax,Bcl-2 and Caspase3 were detected with Western blotting,and the mRNA levels of GCLC,GCLM and NQO1 were detected by RT-qPCR.Results Rg1 prevented the decreases in testicular weight and testicular index caused by heat stress,reduced the damage of testicular tissue structure,prevented the decrease of sperm concentration and vitality,antagonized the decreasd number of Leydig cells and serum testosterone level,reduced the accumulation of MDA in testicular tissue,and enhanced the activities of CAT and SOD.Rg1 treatment alleviated the apoptosis of GC-2spd(ts)cells,down-regulated the expression of Bax,Caspase3 and Keap1 proteins,enhanced the expression of Bcl-2,Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins,and increased the transcriptional levels of Nrf2 target genes GCLC,GCLM and NQO1.Conclusion Rg1 has no significant effect on the structure and function of mouse testes,but it can effectively improve the ability of mouse testes to resist heat stress injury,which may be related to the activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway,the improvement of antioxidant enzyme activity,and the reduction of apoptosis of spermatogenic cells.
10.Mechanism study of ATOX1 promoting biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through JAK2/STAT3 pathway
Jiajia MA ; Yaping ZHANG ; Bin YANG ; Meiqi ZHAO ; Lu JIANG ; Xiaoyu HUANG ; Luchang FAN ; Fengmei WANG
Tianjin Medical Journal 2024;52(9):907-912
Objective To investigate the clinical significance of the expression of antioxidant 1 copper chaperone protein(ATOX1)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and its relationship with tumor proliferation,migration and invasion.Methods The expression of ATOX1 mRNA in HCC cancer tissue and normal liver tissue was analyzed using the Human Genome Atlas database.Immunohistochemical experiment was used to detect the expression of ATOX1 in 15 cases of HCC cancer tissue and adjacent tissue.Human HCC cell lines Hep3B and HepG2 were divided into the control group(NC),the ATOX1 knockdown group 1(si-ATOX1#1)and the ATOX1 knockdown group 2(si-ATOX1#2).The effects of ATOX1 knockdown on the malignant biological behavior of HCC cells were observed through CCK-8 cell proliferation experiment,scratch experiment and Transwell invasion experiments.A nude mouse xenograft tumor model was constructed to analyze the effect of ATOX1 knockdown on the quality and volume of transplanted tumors.Western blot assay was used to detect the relationship between ATOX1 and JAK2/STAT3 pathway protein expression.Results Bioinformatics analysis showed that expression of ATOX1 mRNA in HCC cancer tissue was higher than that in adjacent normal tissue(P<0.05).The immunohistochemical staining results showed that the positive rate of ATOX1 protein was higher in HCC cancer tissue than that in adjacent tissue(93.33%vs.13.33%,P<0.01).In vitro experimental results showed that siRNA knockdown of ATOX1 protein expression in Hep3B and HepG2 cells significantly reduced the proliferation,migration and invasion abilities of cancer cells(P<0.05).In vivo experiments in mice showed that the volume and weight of subcutaneous xenograft tumors were significantly smaller in the sh-ATOX1 group than those in the sh-con group(P<0.05).The expression levels of JAK2/STAT3 pathway-related proteins p-JAK2,p-STAT3,CyclinD1 and MMP2 were significantly lower in the subcutaneous transplanted tumor tissue of the sh-ATOX1 group than that of the sh-con group(P<0.05).Conclusion ATOX1 can promote the proliferation,migration and invasion of HCC through JAK2/STAT3 pathway,which can potentially become a potential tumor marker and therapeutic target.

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