1.Screening and preliminary verification of predictive markers of circulating complement factors in hypertensive disorder of pregnancy
Shanshui ZENG ; Hongling YANG ; Fei LIU ; Yan LONG ; Min JIANG ; Mengru HAN ; Wenjin FU
Chinese Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2020;43(9):901-906
Objective:To search for circulating complement-related proteins that predict hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) based on reports of the development of gestational hypertension and proteinuria and to investigate the role of the complement system in the development of HDP.Methods:A nested case-control study was used, the serum samples of pregnant women who had been given birth or cesarean section in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from November 2014 to March 2017 were collected. A total of 60 HDP and 60 normal pregnant women were included and matched 1∶1 by age and gestational week. Unlabeled mass spectrometry was used to screen the differential expression of complement factors in serum samples of 12 pairs of HDP patients and normal pregnancy collected before 20 weeks of pregnancy, and another 48 pairs of serum samples of HDP patients and normal pregnant women were used for preliminary verification. It was selected when the fold change (FC) of complement factor expression was>1.2 or <0.8 and P<0.05. ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of corresponding factors. Results:FC of serum C1s, C8 beta chain (C8β) and C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) of HDP patients were 1.19, 1.23, 0.73 ( t=2.07, 2.06, -3.40; P<0.05), respectively. FC of serum C1s, C8 β, C1-INH, factor H-related protein 5 (CFHR5), clusterin (CLU), and C-reactive protein (CRP) of PE patients were 1.39, 1.50, 0.72, 2.49,4.38, and 1.82 respectively ( t=4.36, 5.61, -3.70, 6.82, 8.70, 7.27; P<0.05).The AUC of combining C1s, C8 β and C1-INH was 0.89 in HDP. The AUC of CFHR5, CLU, and CRP in preeclampsia was 0.88, 0.92, and 0.91. Conclusions:Before HDP, the activation and regulation of classic complement pathway and alternative pathway were disordered in pregnant women. The combined detection of complement C1s, C8 β and C1-INH is expected to be used in the prediction of HDP, and CFHR5, CLU, and CRP are expected to be used in the prediction of preeclampsia.
2.Effect of pirfenidone on the proliferation of human glomerular mesangial cells induced by serum IgA1 of IgA nephropathy patients
Xiaojiang ZHAN ; Mengru FU ; Lu LIAO ; Wenjuan MEI ; Hengmei ZHU ; Xin WEI ; Jun XIAO
Chinese Journal of Nephrology 2021;37(12):1008-1014
Objective:To investigate the effect of pirfenidone (PFD) on the proliferation of human glomerular mesangial cells (HMC) stimulated by serum IgA1 in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and its possible mechanism.Methods:Serum IgA1 of IgAN patients was purified by Jacalin affinity chromatography combined with Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration, and then heated to aggregated form (aIgA1). CCK8 method was used to confirm the concentration and time of PFD. The cells were divided into blank control group, IgA1 (0.5 mg/ml) group and IgA1 (0.5 mg/ml)+PFD (2 mmol/L) group. The CCK8 method was used to detect proliferation of mesangial cells. The cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry, and the proliferation index of mesangial cells was calculated. The expression levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), Smad4, Smad7, fibronectin (FN) and collagen Ⅳ protein and mRNA were detected through Western blotting and real-time PCR.Results:Compared with blank control group, the proliferation of HMC was promoted significantly by aIgA1 ( P<0.05). After PFD treatment, the proliferation of HMC was significantly inhibited ( P<0.01). Compared with the blank control group, the number of G1 phase cells decreased, the number of S phase cells and cell proliferation index increased in IgA1 group (all P<0.05). Compared with IgA1 group, the number of cells in G1 phase increased significantly, the number of cells in S phase and G2/M phase decreased significantly, and the cell proliferation index decreased in IgA1+PFD group (all P<0.05). Western blotting and real-time PCR results showed that compared with the blank control group, the protein and mRNA expressions of collagen Ⅳ, FN and Smad4 in HMC stimulated by aIgA1 were significantly increased, while TGF-β1 protein expression was increased and Smad7 protein expression was decreased (all P<0.05). After PFD treatment, the protein and mRNA expression of collagen Ⅳ, FN and Smad4 in HMC was significantly decreased, while TGF-β1 protein expression was obviously decreased, and Smad7 protein was up-regulated (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the mRNA expression of TGF-β1 and Smad7 in each group before and after PFD treatment (all P>0.05). Conclusions:PFD can increase the arrest of HMC in G1 phase, inhibit the proliferation of HMC induced by aIgA1 of IgAN patients, and reduce the production of extracellular matrix. The mechanism may be related to up-regulation of Smad7 expression and down-regulation of TGF-β1/Smad4 pathway.
3.Modern Research Progress of Polyphyllin Ⅰ: A Review
Kaixin WANG ; Mengru CAI ; Dongge YIN ; Xueling HU ; Tingting FU ; Rongyue ZHU ; Shilang LIAO ; Jian NI ; Xingbin YIN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2023;29(22):254-264
Paridis Rhizoma, a traditional valuable Chinese herbal medicine, has the functions of clearing heat and removing toxin, relieving edema and pain, cooling liver and calming convulsion, which can be used to treat various diseases such as mumps, abscess, burn, bleeding, and tumor. It has been used in folk medicine for a long time and is the main raw material of various Chinese patent medicines such as Gongxuening Capsules and Yunnan Baiyao. Polyphyllin Ⅰ, an isospirostanol saponin and one of the main active components in Paridis Rhizoma, is distributed in the rhizome, pericarp, and leaves of Paris polyphylla. With high polarity, polyphyllin Ⅰ is mainly extracted by n-butanol extraction and macroporous adsorption resin chromatography, separated by silica gel column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography, and purified with the combination of methods. With anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-virus effects, it is generally employed to treat liver cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer and other cancers as well as arthritis, influenza, sore toxin, and bacterial infection. However, polyphyllin Ⅰ may cause stomach irritation, hemolysis, liver damage, kidney damage, heart damage, and other adverse reactions. Pharmacokinetic studies show that it has problems such as low bioavailability and poor intestinal absorption and permeability, which affect the clinical application of polyphyllin Ⅰ. This paper summarizes the research on the plant sources, extraction and separation methods, pharmacological effects, adverse reactions, and pharmacokinetics of polyphyllin Ⅰ in recent years, which is expected to provide a reference for the rational clinical application and other in-depth research work of polyphyllin Ⅰ.
4.Latent class analysis and influencing factor study of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals
Xiaogui TANG ; Li LI ; Yue ZHAO ; Ningning HU ; Feng FU ; Boya LI ; Mengru YANG ; Yinglan LI
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(3):293-301
Background Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), as one of the major occupational health issues worldwide, have shown an increasing positive rate year by year. Due to the unique demands of work, operating room nurses exhibit a higher positive rate of WMSDs compared to other occupational groups, necessitating active attention and intervention. Objective To estimate the prevalence of WMSDs among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals, explore the characteristics and latent categories of WMSDs, and analyze the influencing factors associated with the occurrence of WMSDs. Method Using a randomized cluster sampling method, operating room nurses from nine tertiary hospitals in Urumqi were selected as study participants between December 2023 and January 2024. Data were collected through a general information questionnaire, an ergonomic questionnaire for operating room nurses, and the Chinese Musculoskeletal Disorders Questionnaire. Latent class analysis was employed to examine the patterns of WMSDs among the nurses, while chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression were utilized to analyze the influencing factors of WMSDs. Result A total of 411 valid questionnaires were collected in this survey. The positive rate of WMSDs among operating room nurses in the tertiary hospitals of Urumqi over the past year was 91.9%. The positive rates, ordered from highest to lowest by body region, were neck (79.1%), shoulders (70.3%), and lower back (68.1%). The operating room nurses were categorized into three distinct groups by latent class analysis: multi-site pain group, neck-shoulder-back pain group, and neck and lower back pain group. The results of the multinomial logistic regression models revealed that gender, job strain level, ergonomic load level in the operating room, and exposure to cold or drafty working conditions or not were significant influencing factors for reporting WMSDs among operating room nurses. Specifically, having less than 5 years of work experience, low ergonomic load level, low job strain, and moderate job strain were identified as protective factors against WMSDs. Conversely, exposure to cold or drafty working environments and being female were identified as risk factors for WMSDs. The logistic regression models also indicated that compared to the neck-lower back pain group, the neck-shoulder-back pain group had a higher probability of reporting low job strain (OR=0.168, 95%CI: 0.029, 0.968) and being female (OR=4.847, 95%CI: 2.506, 9.378). In contrast, when comparing to the neck-lower back pain group, the multi-site pain group had a higher probability of reporting, low-level ergonomic workload (OR=0.079, 95%CI: 0.015, 0.412), low job strain (OR=0.019, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.145), moderate job strain (OR=0.080, 95%CI: 0.016, 0.401), high job strain (OR=0.132, 95%CI: 0.027, 0.647), less than 5 years of work experience (OR=0.173, 95%CI: 0.044, 0.683), being female (OR=2.424, 95%CI: 1.130, 5.200), and exposure to cold or drafty working environments (OR=3.277, 95%CI: 1.657, 6.481). Conclusion The positive rate WMSDs among operating room nurses in tertiary hospitals is notably high in Urumqi, with distinct co-occurrence characteristics observed within the population. To mitigate the risk of WMSDs, it is essential to implement targeted health education and prevention training programs tailored to different patterns of WMSDs. Additionally, improving working conditions, optimizing human resource allocation , and other proactive measures should be undertaken. These efforts will effectively reduce the incidence of WMSDs among operating room nurses and safeguard their occupational health.