1.Histochemical staining techniques applied in ultrathin sheet plastination slice
Baoying ZHANG ; Liang LIANG ; Mingliang QIAO ; Mengnan ZHANG ; Yan WU ; Ming ZHANG
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2014;(3):416-420
Objective To investigate whether and what staining techniques are applied to the ultrathin sheet plastination slice and whether the stained specimen is of autofluorescences .Methods A cadaveric hand block was plastinated and then sectioned as a series of 300-400μm thick transverse sections .A total of 56 slices in total .Alternative sections were stained with hematoxylin -eosin staining ( HE) , Verhoeff -Van Gieson staining ( VVG) or methylene blue and azureⅡstaining(MA).The stained slices were examined under a light microscope and a confocal microscope .Results The plastinated slices were stained with the three staining methods .HE staining revealed the muscle and connective tissues were red or violet , bone was violet or blue;VVG staining showed the elastic fibers was black , the collagen was red , and other tissues were yellow .MA staining showed the tendon was violet , the bone was pink , cartilage was violet , and other tissues were purple.However, the intracellular structures appeared not very well stained .The collagen, elastin and muscular structures in the stained slices were observed under a confocal microscope .Conclusion The commonly used histology staining methods can be used to stain the ultrathin sheet plastination slices .The staining provides a better observation of various tissues in the slice than the unstained slice .After staining, those autofluorescent structures in the plastinated slice are detectable under a confocal microscope .
2.Combined multivariate prediction on survival of infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia
Mengnan YANG ; Ming LIU ; Lei WANG ; Weipeng WANG ; Yuelin WU ; Jindan PEI ; Sheng WAN ; Jie YANG ; Jun WANG ; Xiaolin HUA
Chinese Journal of Perinatal Medicine 2021;24(9):665-670
Objective:To investigate the influencing factors of the survival in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and to develop a prediction model for CDH.Methods:Clinical data of 252 infants with a prenatal diagnosis of CDH in Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from January 2010 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Adverse outcomes were defined as neonatal death on discharge. Chi-square and t test were used for univariate analysis of 16 perinatal and five postnatal risk factors. Regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of survival. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves of the risk factors for predicting the survival of CDH were drawn. A prediction model based on the combination of risk factors for predicting adverse outcomes of CDH was established using the cut-off value. ROC curves of the model were drawn and the area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were calculated. Results:Out of the 252 patients, 173(68.7%) survived on discharge. Univariate analysis showed that lung-to-head ratio (LHR), polyhydramnios, right diaphragmatic hernia, liver herniation, intrathoracic stomach, premature birth, low birth weight, 5 min Apgar score <7, and amniotic fluid index (AFI) were significantly associated with the survival of CDH. Regression analysis showed that polyhydramnios ( OR=11.19,95% CI:2.83-45.33), liver herniation ( OR=2.81,95% CI:1.32-11.92), intrathoracic stomach ( OR=5.02, 95% CI:1.29-17.13), low birth weight ( OR=8.58,95% CI:1.59-45.01) and AFI ( OR=3.68, 95% CI:1.37-14.72) were independent risk factors for survival at discharge in children with CDH, while LHR ( OR=0.36, 95% CI:0.01-0.69) were protective factors. The predictive cut-off values of LHR, polyhydramnios, liver herniation, intrathoracic stomach, low birth weight, and AFI were 1.6, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, and 232.5 mm, respectively. The model based on the combination of the above indicators for predicting CDH adverse outcomes was shown with an AUC value of 0.904, predictive sensitivity of 0.747, and specificity of 0.896. Conclusions:In this study, LHR, liver herniation, intrathoracic stomach, polyhydramnios, low birth weight, and AFI are independent risk factors for CDH survival. The combination of prenatal and postnatal indicators is noted for a higher accuracy for predicting CDH survival.
3.Advances in applications of neuroregulatory techniques in research on brain sciences
Mengnan LIU ; Xiaoyu TIAN ; Yitong LI ; Ning WU ; Jin LI ; Hong LI
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2024;38(2):128-136
Drugs and physical stimulation,including light,electricity,and magnetic fields,can be used to influence how neurons operate,among which chemogenetic and optogenetic technologies are most widely used.In recent years,magnetogenetic technology has also been developed that can acti-vate neurons in magnetic fields through magnetic sensitive actuators,leading to non-invasive and instanta-neous activation of specific brain regions.This article reviews the evolution of and problems with chemoge-netic and optogenetic techniques commonly used in brain science research.It also outlines the latest progress in magnetogenetic technologies,which are not full-fledged yet,as well as the role of transcra-nial electrical stimulation,transcranial magnetic stimulation,deep brain stimulation and transcranial ultra-sound stimulation technology in the functional regulation of brain diseases.Constant adjustment and improvement can make it possible for these technologies to be used more widely for the study of brain sciences and the treatment of brain diseases.
4.The norm of the Physical Activity afterschool Questionnaire for Preschooler (P-PAQ) in urban areas of China
Chinese Journal of School Health 2023;44(9):1328-1332
Objective:
To establish the norm of the Physical Activity afterschool Questionnaire for Preschooler(P-PAQ) in urban areas of China, so as to provide a basis for graded guidance from the family perspective and to improve children s physical activity levels.
Methods:
From October 2020 to January 2021, 6 267 children aged 3-6 years old were recruited from 40 kindergartens in eight cities across six major administrative regions by stratified cluster sampling, and the P-PAQ initially developed by the researchers of this study were completed by the primary caregivers. The questionnaire was administered to collect data relating to the amount of physical activity undertaken by the preschoolers, and the norm was determined by quartiles. Data relating to parental concepts of sports and parental behavior were assessed by calculating mean scores in order to establish the norm.
Results:
Among preschoolers in urban areas, the M(P 25 ,P 75 ) of total physical activity time (min/day), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity time (min/day), outdoor time (min/day) and screen time (min/day) on school days outside kindergarten and on weekends were 84 (54,120), 22 (8,40), 12 (0,24) and 18 (6,30), and 170 (115,240), 60 (30,95), 90 (35,120) and 30 (20,60), respectively. When the score of parents sports concept and behavior (total score of 40) were≥34, 29-<34, 24-<29, <24, it was defined as four levels about above medium, medium, lower medium and lower, respectively. And for two dimensions,when the score of parental sports concept were ≥19, 17-<19, 15-<17, <15,and the score of parental behaviors were ≥16, 12-<16, 8-<12, <8, it was defined as four levels about upper medium, medium, lower medium and lower, respectively.
Conclusion
The norm of extracurricular activities among preschool children in Chinese cities has good representativeness and appropriate threshold values, which could provide a valuable reference for early assessment, as well as guidance in relation to out-of-school physical activity behaviors among children aged 3-6 years old.
5.Dietary preference and nutritional knowledge needs of the elderly at meal service sites in Shanghai
Hui ZOU ; Yang SU ; Xiaoli WU ; Mengnan WU ; Shaojun ZHANG ; Huahua DING ; Geng ZONG ; Zhenxing GE
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2023;35(4):380-386
ObjectiveTo investigate the dietary preference and nutritional knowledge needs of the elderly people who dined at meal service sites. MethodsUsing the form of stratified and convenience sampling method with self-designed questionnaire was used, in November 2021, to select 700 elderly people who dine at meal service sites in 7 jurisdictions in Shanghai were selected, and a self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the basic information. Results91.64% of the elderly surveyed would eat at relatively fixed meal service sites, and the total Dietary Diversity Score (DDS9) was 3.56±1.46. 41.45% of the elderly with diseases preferred unhealthy cooking methods. Only 8.03% of the surveyed seniors said they were unwilling to accept targeted and personalized nutrition tips and reminders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the probability reaching the “understanding” level of “Food Guide Pagoda for Chinese Residents” and “Four Principles Recommended by the Core Dietary Guidelines for the Elderly” was different in the elderly with different education levels. The willingness of the elderly to expect to receive different nutrition tips and reminders was related to whether they cared about the corresponding contents. There was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) among the elderly who were concerned about different health problems in terms of the willingness to receive different nutritional tips. There were significant differences in the proportion of elderly people with different health status for intervention (χ2=5.402, P<0.05). ConclusionThe elderly who dine at meal service sites are highly dependent on the sites, have a low level of dietary diversification, and do not have a high degree of understanding of nutrition-related knowledge, and have a high demand for targeted nutritional interventions. Nutritional interventions for the sick elderly should be piloted through multiple channels.
6.Bibliometric Study on Health Utility Value Obtained by Mapping Method in Pharmacoeconomic Evaluation
Mengnan LI ; Hongyan WU ; Qin GOU ; Yifan CAI ; Yi XIAO ; Tangqin ZHANG ; Shenchao SONG ; Yan HUANG ; Zhuojun XIE ; Xiao LIN
China Pharmacy 2020;31(11):1358-1364
OBJECTIVE:To know about the research status of health utility value obtained by mapping method in pharmacoeconomic evaluation ,and to provide reference for bibliometric study in pharmacoeconomic evaluation . METHODS : Using“Mapping method ”“Health utility value ”“Cost-utility”“Utility point system ”as Chinese and English keywords ,retrieved from CNKI ,Wanfang database ,PubMed,Medline,Ebsco,Ovid and Wiley database ,empirical journal documents published from the inception to Dec. 31st,2018 about using mapping method to obtain health utility value were collected. The bibliometrics was used to statistically analyze basic information of included literature ,the construction and test of the model ,the type of the best model and so on. RESULTS :The 124 included documents were all published in English journal. In the construction and testing of the mapping model ,the most frequently used econometric methods ,performance evaluation indicators and model testing methods were ordinary least squares (OLS),mean absolute error (MAE)and residual normality test ,application frequency of which were 97 times(31.60%),89 times(24.93%)and 62 times(21.09%). There are 117 articles that define the best mapping model ,of which 101 articles(86.32%)have the best direct mapping effect. Most of the non-utility measurement scales adopted specific scales (92 articles,77.97%),and a few literatures adopted the universal scale (26 articles,22.03%). The most utility measurement scales were 3-level European 5-dimensional health scale (79 articles,66.95%). CONCLUSIONS :The domestic empirical researches that use the mapping method to obtain health utility values need to be developed yet. A series of mapping models successfully developed by foreign scholars not only provide the feasibility of using non-utility measurement scales for cost-utility analysis ,but also provide more ideas for China to choose the corresponding econometric methods ,evaluation indicators and mapping methods in the empirical research of the mapping method in the future.
7.Ephedra Herb extract ameliorates adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome in rats via the CAMKK2/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.
Yuhan ZHANG ; Mengnan ZENG ; Benke LI ; Beibei ZHANG ; Bing CAO ; Yuanyuan WU ; Shan YE ; Ruiqi XU ; Xiaoke ZHENG ; Weisheng FENG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2023;21(5):371-382
This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanisms of Ephedra Herb (EH) extract on adriamycin-induced nephrotic syndrome (NS), providing an experimental basis for the clinical treatment of NS. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, creatinine, urea nitrogen, and kidn injury molecule-1 were used to evaluate the activities of EH extract on renal function. The levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress were detected by kits. The levels of reactive oxygen species, immune cells, and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry. A network pharmacological approach was used to predict the potential targets and mechanisms of EH extract in the treatment of NS. The protein levels of apoptosis-related proteins and CAMKK2, p-CAMKK2, AMPK, p-AMPK, mTOR and p-mTOR in the kidneys were detected by Western blot. The effective material basis of EH extract was screened by MTT assay. The AMPK pathway inhibitor (compound C, CC) was added to investigate the effect of the potent material basis on adriamycin-induced cell injury. EH extract significantly improved renal injury and relieve inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis in rats. Network pharmacology and Western blot results showed that the effect of EH extract on NS may be associated with the CAMKK2/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. Moreover, methylephedrine significantly ameliorated adriamycin-induced NRK-52e cell injury. Methylephedrine also significantly improved the phosphorylation of AMPK and mTOR, which were blocked by CC. In sum, EH extract may ameliorate renal injury via the CAMKK2/AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. Moreover, methylephedrine may be one of the material bases of EH extract.
Rats
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Animals
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Doxorubicin/adverse effects*
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Nephrotic Syndrome
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AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction
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TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism*
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Apoptosis
8.Correction to: Potentiating CD8+ T cell antitumor activity by inhibiting PCSK9 to promote LDLR-mediated TCR recycling and signaling.
Juanjuan YUAN ; Ting CAI ; Xiaojun ZHENG ; Yangzi REN ; Jingwen QI ; Xiaofei LU ; Huihui CHEN ; Huizhen LIN ; Zijie CHEN ; Mengnan LIU ; Shangwen HE ; Qijun CHEN ; Siyang FENG ; Yingjun WU ; Zhenhai ZHANG ; Yanqing DING ; Wei YANG
Protein & Cell 2022;13(9):694-700
9.Potentiating CD8
Juanjuan YUAN ; Ting CAI ; Xiaojun ZHENG ; Yangzi REN ; Jingwen QI ; Xiaofei LU ; Huihui CHEN ; Huizhen LIN ; Zijie CHEN ; Mengnan LIU ; Shangwen HE ; Qijun CHEN ; Siyang FENG ; Yingjun WU ; Zhenhai ZHANG ; Yanqing DING ; Wei YANG
Protein & Cell 2021;12(4):240-260
Metabolic regulation has been proven to play a critical role in T cell antitumor immunity. However, cholesterol metabolism as a key component of this regulation remains largely unexplored. Herein, we found that the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), which has been previously identified as a transporter for cholesterol, plays a pivotal role in regulating CD8