1.Cyclocarya paliurus Polysaccharide Inhibits Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Reducing 5α-Reductase 2
Qinhui DAI ; Mengxia YAN ; Chen WANG ; Chenjun SHEN ; Chenying JIANG ; Bo YANG ; Huajun ZHAO ; Zhihui ZHU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(3):107-114
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of polysaccharide in water extract of Cyclocarya paliurus (CPWP) in inhibiting benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MethodsCPWP was obtained by heating reflux, aqueous extraction, alcohol precipitation, and freeze drying. The chemical composition and structural properties of CPWP were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with 1-pheny-3-methyl-5-pyrazolone pre-column derivatization and infrared spectroscopy. Male SD rats were randomly assigned into control, model, finasteride (ig 5 mg·kg-1), and low-, medium-, and high-dose (ig 50, 75, 100 mg·kg-1) CPWP groups, with 8 rats in each group. The BPH model was established by subcutaneously injecting propionate testosterone in castrated rats. The rats in the drug intervention groups were administrated with corresponding drugs, and those in the control group were administrated with an equal volume of normal saline each day. After 30 consecutive days, the rats were sacrificed, and the prostate tissue was separated and weighed. The effects of drug interventions on the body weight, prostate wet weight, and prostate index of rats were examined. The prostate tissue was stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) for observation of pathological changes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the level of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of steroid 5 alpha-reductase 2 (SRD5A2) and Ki67 in the prostate tissue. ResultsCPWP was identified as a saccharide, with characteristic absorption peaks of saccharides. CPWP showed the total sugar content of 44.15% and molecular weight within the range of 5.5-78.8 kDa, being composed of mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose, and arabinose. Compared with the control group, the model group had significantly increased prostate wet weight and prostate index (P<0.01), thick and tall prostate epithelial cells, increased internal wrinkles, papillary expansion into the cavity, an elevation in DHT level in the serum, and up-regulated expression of SRD5A2 and Ki67 in the prostate tissue (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, both the finasteride and CPWP groups showed decreases in prostate wet weight and prostate index (P<0.05, P<0.01), thinned prostate epithelial cells, with only a small portion of internal wrinkles and papillary expansion into the cavity, shortened papillary protrusions, lowered DHT level in the serum, and down-regulated expression of SRD5A2 and Ki67 in the prostate tissue (P<0.01). Moreover, CPWP exerted effects in a dose-dependent manner. ConclusionCPWP inhibits BPH by regulating the expression of SRD5A2.
2.Serological and genetic analysis of a novel 27delC variant in A subgroup: a case report
Yingjun ZHANG ; Yuli ZHU ; Zhihui FENG ; Shuhong YU
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(2):280-283
[Objective] To conduct serological identification and molecular mechanism study on a ambiguous ABO blood group. [Methods] Standard serological techniques were used for the forward and reverse typing of ABO blood type. ABO gene coding and regulatory regions were analyzed by PCR after DNA extraction. Monoclonal sequencing was used to detect the haplotypes of the DNA sequence, and bioinformatics analysis was applied to predict the possible translation outcomes of the mutated DNA sequence. [Results] The sample’s red blood cells showed mixed field agglutination with anti-A, and the serum agglutinated with B cells, exhibiting serological characteristics of subtype A. Direct sequencing and monoclonal sequencing analysis of the ABO gene confirmed one allele as O02, the other had a c.27delC mutation compared with A102, which could cause the translation sequence to terminate prematurely at the 19th amino acids. Analysis and prediction suggested that the mutation might affect the function of the transferase through mechanisms such as shifting the initiation codon, altering the reading frame and affecting the splice sites. [Conclusion] This case is a rare A subtype caused by the c.27delC variation, and the impact on the glycosyltransferase may involve multiple mechanisms, which require further research and exploration.
3.Identification of 4 rare Jr(a-) blood groups with anti-Jr antibody and follow-up analysis of newborns in subsequent delivery
Yuli ZHU ; Yingchun WANG ; Hongxiao ZHONG ; Zhihui FENG
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(9):1248-1252
Objective: To perform serological identification and molecular analysis of four samples with antibodies against high-frequency antigens, and to track the condition of newborns after delivery. Methods: Blood group serological tests were conducted using tube method, and unexpected antibody screening and identification were performed using polybrene and human globulin card. Gene haplotype analysis of blood group system was performed using PacBio third-generation sequencing. The DNA mutations were confirmed through Sanger sequencing. Results: Four samples showed normal blood types in common blood type systems. However, they were positive in all unexpected antibody screening and identification, with negative direct antiglobulin tests results. Third-generation sequencing revealed 3 cases of c.376C>T homozygous mutation and 1 case of c.421C>A homozygous mutation in the ABCG2 gene. Three pregnant women gave birth to four children, all of whom developed hyperbilirubinemia, accompanied by decreased red blood cell count and normal or low hemoglobin concentration. Conclusion: Four samples were obtained from individuals with the rare Jr(a-) blood group. Immunization during pregnancy led to the production of anti-Jr
antibody, which may contribute to hyperbilirubinemia in newborns.
5.Role of artificial intelligence in medical image analysis.
Lu WANG ; Shimin ZHANG ; Nan XU ; Qianqian HE ; Yuming ZHU ; Zhihui CHANG ; Yanan WU ; Huihan WANG ; Shouliang QI ; Lina ZHANG ; Yu SHI ; Xiujuan QU ; Xin ZHOU ; Jiangdian SONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(22):2879-2894
With the emergence of deep learning techniques based on convolutional neural networks, artificial intelligence (AI) has driven transformative developments in the field of medical image analysis. Recently, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT have also started to achieve distinction in this domain. Increasing research shows the undeniable role of AI in reshaping various aspects of medical image analysis, including processes such as image enhancement, segmentation, detection in image preprocessing, and postprocessing related to medical diagnosis and prognosis in clinical settings. However, despite the significant progress in AI research, studies investigating the recent advances in AI technology in the aforementioned aspects, the changes in research hotspot trajectories, and the performance of studies in addressing key clinical challenges in this field are limited. This article provides an overview of recent advances in AI for medical image analysis and discusses the methodological profiles, advantages, disadvantages, and future trends of AI technologies.
Artificial Intelligence
;
Humans
;
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
;
Deep Learning
;
Diagnostic Imaging/methods*
6.Observation of morphological and molecular biological changes of nasal mucosa in patients with type 2 inflammation chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps after Reboot surgery.
Xubo CHEN ; Xinhua ZHU ; Yu ZHU ; Zheng ZHOU ; Zhihui FU ; Hongbing LIU
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(9):809-816
Objective:To explore the effect, postoperative mucosal pathological changes and molecular biological changes of reboot operation for type 2 inflammation chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps(CRSwNP) patients, and to provide theoretical basis for the clinical application of this kind of operation. Methods:We collected 29 patients who were diagnosed with CRSwNP with type 2 inflammatino response and underwent Reboot surgery from June 2022 to August 2023, and 27 patients who were diagnosed with deviated septum and underwent simple submucosal resection of the septum as the control group. We conducted nasal symptom scoring, endoscopic sinusitis scoring, and CT scanning of the sinuses before and after surgery, as well as HE staining, immunohistochemical staining, and detection of inflammatory factors using Elisa kits at the time of surgery, 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. We also observed the ultrastructural changes using transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and performed proteomic analysis of the mucosa in the ethmoid sinus area of the sinusitis patients at the time of surgery and 6 months postoperatively. Results:After 6 months of postoperative follow-up, CT scores of the nasal cavity and sinuses had gradually decreased compared with the preoperative period. The VAS score of main symptoms, SNOT-22 score and Lund-Kennedy endoscopic score were decreased after 12 months follow-up. The histological morphology of the mucosa in the area of the screen was significantly improved compared with the preoperative period, with a reduction in the number of eosinophils. The levels of inflammatory factors such as IL-4 and IL-5 et al. in the mucosa of the area of the screen were gradually reduced compared with the preoperative period. The histological morphology, ultrastructure, and cilia structure of the mucosa in the area of the screen were gradually improved compared with the preoperative period, though not recovered completely. The number of CD4⁺T and CD8⁺T cells not changed significantly before and after the surgery yet. By conducting proteomic analysis of the ethmoidal sinus mucosa before and after surgery, differential proteins were selected, and bioinformatics analysis was conducted on the differentially expressed proteins. By using cytoHubba to identify hub genes and intersecting them with the genes related to chronic sinusitis, we found that MMP9 expression increased in non-type 2 CRS and type 2 CRS in sequence, while ACTC1 expression decreased in non-tpye 2 CRS and type 2 CRS in sequence. Conclusion:Reboot surgery can improve the postoperative symptoms and signs of patients, improve the pathological morphology of the mucosa, and influence the expression of protein after surgery. However, the surgery may not have a significant impact on the distribution of T cell subpopulations and inflammation signal pathway in the nasal mucosa.
Humans
;
Sinusitis/metabolism*
;
Nasal Polyps/metabolism*
;
Nasal Mucosa/ultrastructure*
;
Chronic Disease
;
Rhinitis/complications*
;
Inflammation
;
Male
;
Female
;
Postoperative Period
;
Adult
;
Interleukin-5/metabolism*
;
Interleukin-4/metabolism*
;
Middle Aged
;
Proteomics
;
Rhinosinusitis
7.Identification of HMA gene family and response to cadmium stress in Ophiopogon japonicas.
Zhihui WANG ; Erli NIU ; Yuanliang GAO ; Qian ZHU ; Zihong YE ; Xiaoping YU ; Qian ZHAO ; Jun HUANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(2):771-790
Soil cadmium (Cd) pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally. Ophiopogon japonicus, a multifunctional plant extensively used in traditional Chinese medicine, has demonstrated potential in environmental remediation. This study investigated the Cd accumulation pattern of O. japonicus under cadmium stress and identified the heavy metal ATPase (HMA) family members in this plant. Our results demonstrated that O. japonicus exhibited a Cd enrichment factor (EF) of 2.75, demonstrating strong potential for soil Cd pollution remediation. Nine heavy metal ATPase (HMA) members of P1B-ATPases were successfully identified from the transcriptome data of O. japonicus, with OjHMA1-OjHMA6 classified as the Zn/Co/Cd/Pb-ATPases and OjHMA7-OjHMA9 as the Cu/Ag-ATPases. The expression levels of OjHMA1, OjHMA2, OjHMA3, and OjHMA7 were significantly up-regulated under Cd stress, highlighting their crucial roles in cadmium ion absorption and transport. The topological analysis revealed that these proteins possessed characteristic transmembrane (TM) segments of the family, along with functional A, P, and N domains involved in regulating ion absorption and release. Metal ion-binding sites (M4, M5, and M6) existed on the TM segments. Based on the number of transmembrane domains and the residues at metal ion-binding sites, the plant HMA family members were categorized into three subgroups: P1B-1 ATPases, P1B-2 ATPases, and P1B-4 ATPases. Specifically, the P1B-1 ATPase subgroup included the motifs TM4(CPC), TM5(YN[X]4P), and TM6(M[XX]SS); the P1B-2 ATPase subgroup featured the motifs TM4(CPC), TM5(K), and TM6(DKTGT); the P1B-4 ATPase subgroup contained the motifs TM4(SPC) and TM6(HE[X]GT), all of which were critical for protein functions. Molecular docking results revealed the importance of conserved sequences such as CPC/SPC, DKTGT, and HE[X]GT in metal ion coordination and stabilization. These findings provide potential molecular targets for enhancing Cd uptake and tolerance of O. japonicus by genetic engineering and lay a theoretical foundation for developing new cultivars with high Cd accumulation capacity.
Cadmium/metabolism*
;
Adenosine Triphosphatases/metabolism*
;
Ophiopogon/drug effects*
;
Soil Pollutants/toxicity*
;
Plant Proteins/metabolism*
;
Stress, Physiological
;
Multigene Family
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
8.Detection of acid-fast bacteria in sputum and alveolar lavage fluid using smear and culture methods for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis
Shaozhen LUO ; Zhijian ZHANG ; Jialou ZHU ; Xin LIU ; Yiming CAO ; Zhihui LIU
Modern Hospital 2024;24(5):796-798
Objective This study aims to assess the clinical value of sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid examination combined with acid-fast bacilli detection to provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods We collected and analyzed relevant test data from patients who underwent smear and/or isolation of sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for acid-fast bacilli or Mycobacterium detection within the same week from January 2021 to July 2021.The test results'similarities and differences were analyzed.Results Of the 272 patients,the positive rates of sputum smear,alveolar lavage fluid smear,sputum isolation,alveolar lavage fluid isolation(hereinafter referred to as"A""B""C"and"D")were 14.71%(40/272),19.49%(53/272),25.00%(67/268)and 31.90%(74/232),respectively.The positive rate of the four tests as parallel tests was 37.50%(102/272).The result modes of A+C+,A-C+,A+C-,A-C-and A-CN(the"+""-"and"N"in the super-script stood for"positive""negative"and"undetected")accounted for 14.71%(40/272),13.97%(38/272),0,69.85%(190/272),1.47%(4/272)respectively,and the result modes of B+D+,B-D+,B+D-,B-D-and B-DN accounted for 19.12%(52/272),8.82%(24/272),0.37%(1/272),56.99%(155/272),14.71%(40/272).The percentages of these re-sult modes of A+B+,A+B-,A-B+and A-B-were 14.71%(40/272),0,4.78%(13/272),80.51%(219/272),respec-tively.The percentages of these result modes of A+D+,A+D-,A+DN,A-D+,A-D-,A-DN,AND+,AND-and ANDN were 19.12%(52/272),5.51%(15/272),4.04(11/272),8.09%(22/272),51.74%(140/272),10.29%(28/272),0.74%(2/272),0.37%(1/272),and 0.37%(1/272),respectively.Conclusion Compared with more common sputum tes-ting,for acid-fast bacteria,performing bronchoalveolar lavage fluid testing for acid-fast bacteria in alveolar lavage fluid can signifi-cantly improve etiological diagnostic performance for tuberculosis,which is worth promoting extensively in clinical practice.
9.Mediating effect of psychological resilience of clinical nurses between structural empowerment and work engagement
Zhihui LIU ; Yuhua ZHU ; Xue LI ; Quanying ZHANG ; Yingjie DU
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2024;30(7):926-931
Objective:To explore the mediating effect of psychological resilience between structural empowerment and work engagement of clinical nurses.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 1 723 nurses from three Class Ⅲ Grade A hospitals in Henan Province were selected as the research objects from March to May 2023. The survey was conducted using general information questionnaire, Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-Ⅱ (CWEQ-Ⅱ), Nurses Psychological Resilience Scale and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between structural empowerment, psychological resilience and job engagement. AMOS 24.0 software was used to establish the structural equation model and analyze the mediating effect.Results:A total of 1 723 questionnaires were sent out in this study, and 1 590 were effectively collected, with an effective recovery rate of 92.28%. The total scores of structural empowerment, psychological resilience and job engagement of 1 590 clinical nurses were (70.42±15.61), (96.84±13.15) and (62.24±11.02), respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed that job engagement was positively correlated with structural empowerment and psychological resilience ( r=0.637, 0.670, P<0.01). The results of structural equation model showed that psychological resilience had a partial mediating effect between structural empowerment and job engagement. The mediating effect value was 0.321, accounting for 48.86% of the total effect. Conclusions:In this study, the structural empowerment, psychological resilience and job engagement of clinical nurses are above the medium level, and psychological resilience has a partial mediating effect between structural empowerment and job engagement. Nursing managers should fully empower nurses at the organizational level, take targeted measures to improve their psychological resilience and enhance their level of work engagement.
10.Clinical characteristics of patients with moderate or severe valvular heart disease
Hao GAO ; Yuzhu LEI ; Haiyun HUANG ; Xiang XU ; Chao ZHANG ; Jianfang ZHU ; Lihua LI ; Min ZENG ; Shuhui CHEN ; Jinli HE ; Yanxiu CHEN ; Zhihui ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Cardiology 2024;52(10):1200-1206
Objective:To describe the characteristics, etiology and patterns of outpatients and inpatients patients with moderate or severe valvular heart disease (VHD).Methods:This is a cross-sectional study. Outpatients and inpatients with moderate or severe VHD who underwent transthoracic echocardiography for first examination from 1 st January 2001 to 1 st January 2020 in Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University were enrolled. Data were collected from medical records and big data platform of Southwest Hospital. Characteristics of age and gender, etiology and types of VHD were descriptively analysed. Results:A total of 68 354 patients with moderate or severe VHD were enrolled. The age was 63 (50, 72) years. And 35 706 (52.24%) patients were female. (1) Age characteristics: There was similar age trend between male and female patients with moderate or severe VHD. The number of patients increased firstly and then decreased and reached its peak in the age group of 65-69 years old. The peak age of mitral stenosis patients was 45-49 years, which was earlier than that of whole patients with moderate or severe VHD. The median age of patients with bicuspid aortic valve was 42 years. (2) Gender characteristics: The proportion of tricuspid regurgitation, pulmonary regurgitation, mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis and valve surgery in female patients with moderate or severe VHD were higher than those in male patients. The proportion of aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis and bicuspid aortic valve in male patients with moderate or severe VHD were significantly higher than those in female patients (all P<0.05). (3) Etiology: The proportion of rheumatic VHD was 13.07% (8 934/68 354), which was higher than that of degenerative VHD (0.67% (458/68 354)). (4) Types of VHD: Tricuspid regurgitation made contribution to the largest proportion with 60.72% (41 503/68 354), followed by mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, mitral stenosis, pulmonary regurgitation and aortic stenosis. Conclusions:There are certain regional characteristics in the prevalence of moderate or severe VHD in southwest China, suggesting different attention should be paid on the whole process of refined management of moderate or severe VHD.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail