1.Professor TONG Xiaolin's Experience in Treating Prediabetes with Overweight and Obesity Using the Method of Relieving Depression and Reducing Turbidity
Sicheng WANG ; Yangyang LIU ; Yan YAN ; Zishan JIN ; Boxun ZHANG ; Qingwei LI ; Xiaoxuan XU ; Linhua ZHAO ;
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(14):1424-1427
To summarise the clinical experience of Professor TONG Xiaolin in treating prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity using the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity. It is believed that prediabetes belongs to the category of "spleen-heat syndrome" in traditional Chinese medicine, and its core pathogenesis is center fullness with internal heat, while obesity is the initiating factor for exacerbating center fullness and internal heat, therefore, it is of great significance to reduce the risk of diabetes by interrupting the transformation between overweight, obesity and glucose metabolism abnormality. It is proposed that the main pathogenesis of prediabetes combined with overweight or obesity is qi depression and turbidity obstruction in middle jiao, with qi depression as the root and turbidity obstruction as the cause, forming a treatment idea with the method of relieving depression and reducing turbidity as the core. In clinic, Dahuang Huanglian Xiexin Decoction (大黄黄连泻心汤) is used as the basic prescription, with a primary focus on directing the turbid downward, supplemented by regulating qi, which embodies the concept of "promoting movement through descent, then figuring out the root of spleen-heat syndrome. Furthermore, the treatment is flexibly modified based on the patient's deficiency-excess syndrome to ensure individualized therapy.
2.Validation of UHPLC-MS/MS-Network Pharmacology Joint Experiment to Explore the Mechanism of Action of Tongluo Muzu Powder in Improving Cartilage Injury
Di TIAN ; Zixiu LIU ; Likai YU ; Zishan SU ; Shangqi LIU ; Mingqing FENG ; Zeen WANG ; Nongshan ZHANG
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(3):363-374
OBJECTIVE To study and analyse the main components of Tongluo Muzu Powder transdermal absorption solution,as well as to investigate its mechanism of action in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.METHODS The transdermal absorption solution of Tongluo Muzu Powder was extracted by Franz vertical diffusion cell,and its components were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS.Then TCMSP,Swiss target prediction,Gene Cards and other databases were introduced to predict the possible targets of the effec-tive components of transdermal absorption solution for the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis,and Cytoscape software was used to construct the"drug-component-disease-target"visual network,and then the protein interaction network was obtained through the string database to find the core targets.Finally,AutoDock and PyMOL were used to verify the molecular docking of main active in-gredients and targets,and the gene ontology(GO)function analysis of core genes and the enrichment analysis of Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway were conducted.Primary mouse chondrocytes were extracted,and the predicted targets of net-work pharmacology were verified by ELISA,Western blot,qPCR,etc.RESULTS A total of 48 effective components of the transder-mal absorption solution of Tongluo Muzu Powder and 88 possible targets for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis were screened out.The results of enrichment analysis showed that it was mainly involved in the process of apoptosis and oxidative stress.Molecular docking suggested that the main active ingredients and targets had good binding ability.The results showed that the lyophilized powder of the transdermal absorption solution of Tongluo Muzu Powder could reduce the concentration of inflammatory factors in the supernatant of chondrocytes after LPS intervention in a dose-dependent manner(P<0.05,P<0.01).The protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT,MMP13 and p53 was decreased,and the protein expression of collagen Ⅱ was increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).At the same time,the mRNA expression of MMP13 and p53 was decreased and the mRNA expression of collagen Ⅱ was increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).In addition,it reduced the fluorescence intensity of TUNEL staining in cells(P<0.01).CONCLUSION By combining UH-PLC-MS/MS technology with network pharmacology,the main active ingredients of Tongluo Muzu Powder transdermal absorption solu-tion are preliminarily understood,and its potential mechanism of action in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis are predicted.
3.PXMP4 activates the ERK1/2 signaling pathway to promote proliferation,migra-tion,and invasion of cervical cancer cells
Zhidan WAN ; Zishan XU ; Wei LI ; Na LIU ; Jianqiang WANG ; Guoyang HE
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(11):1436-1445
Purpose This study aims to explore the effect of peroxisomal membrane protein 4(PXMP4)on the migration and invasion of cervical cancer(CC)cells,as well as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process.Methods Bioinformatics and immunohistochemical analysis were employed to examine the expression of PXMP4 in CC tissues and its correlation with clinical pathological characteristics.Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of PXMP4 in CC cells.CCK-8 assay,scratch healing assay,and Transwell invasion assay were utilized to assess the proliferation,migration,and invasion capabilities of CC cells.Western blot was conducted to measure the expression of N-cadherin,E-cadherin,vimentin,phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK),and total ERK proteins in cervical CC.Results The TCGA database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was significantly elevated in non-paired CC tissues(P=0.000 29),while the GEO database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was sig-nificantly elevated in paired CC tissues(P=0.02).Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PXMP4 was primarily localized in the cytoplasm and cell membrane,with a positive rate of 70.31%(45/64)in CC tissues,significantly higher than 29.69%(19/64)in adjacent tissues.Clinical pathological analysis found that PXMP4 expression was as-sociated with maximum tumor differentiation(P=0.000 328)and lymph node metastasis(P=0.000 226),but not with age(P=0.637)or tumor diameter(P=0.304).CCK-8 assay,wound healing assay,and Transwell invasion as-say demonstrated that interference with PXMP4 inhibited the proliferation,invasion,and migration of CC cells,while overexpression of PXMP4 promoted these processes.Western blot results indicated that interference with PXMP4 signif-icantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expression(P<0.05).Conversely,overexpression of PXMP4 led to a significant decrease in E-cadherin and an increase in N-cadherin,vim-entin,and p-ERK expression(P<0.05).Additionally,stimulation of CC cells with different concentrations of the U0126 inhibitor significantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expres-sion(P<0.05).Conclusion PXMP4 is highly expressed in CC tissues and is closely related to tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis.PXMP4 promotes the EMT process of CC cells through the phosphorylated ERK1/2 signa-ling pathway.
4.Application of artificial intelligence in biomedical research
Jianyi LYU ; Chunxi WANG ; Sicheng LIU ; Yilin YE ; Congrui ZHANG ; Feiyang LI ; Zishan ZHANG ; Xiaoyan DU
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(7):169-176
Rapid developments in biotechnology have led researchers to seek new method to improve the efficiency and accuracy of biomedical research and drug development,promoting interdisciplinary integration.Recent advancements in artificial intelligence(AI)technologies have brought unprecedented opportunities to this field.The integration of various AI models allows researchers to better utilize multi-omics data,identify disease phenotypes,interpret animal behavior,assess treatment effects,improve experimental designs,reduce the use of experimental animals,enhance animal facility management,and improve animal welfare.This article reviews the advancements in AI biomedical research over the past decade and discusses its contributions to disease phenotype identification,the selection and design of experimental animal models,animal behavior analysis,and animal facility management.It also points out the challenges related to data standardization,AI model selection and interpretability,the extrapolation process from AI models to animal experiments and clinical practice,as well as ethical considerations in using AI in sensitive areas involving human genetics and personalized medicine.This review aims to help researchers and practitioners in relevant fields understand the current state and opportunities of AI development,thus providing support for its broader application.
5.CT artificial intelligence assessment of pulmonary function in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
Haonan FU ; Shanshan ZHANG ; Minge ZHANG ; Zishan LIU ; Hai YANG
China Modern Doctor 2025;63(6):1-5,78
Objective To analyse correlation between automatic quantification of emphysema and lung function based on artificial intelligence(AI)model algorithm by chest computed tomography(CT)in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods The clinical and imaging data of hospitalized COPD patients who received chest CT plain scan in Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province,Enze Hospital of Taizhou Enze Medical Center(Group)from December 2020 to May 2021 were retrospectively collected,patients were classified into five levels of ventilator-function decline.By using the AI model,the extent of emphysema lesions in COPD patients were calculated,low-attenuation areas below-950HU were identified and their low attenuation area percentage(LAA%)were calculated.Combined with the output results of AI model and whether each variable met the characteristics of normal distribution,Pearson correlation coefficient between percentage of measured forced expiratory volume at the end of 1 second to estimated value(FEV1%)and LAA%of each lung lobe,and the Spearman correlation coefficient between FEV1 as a percentage of forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC)and LAA%of each lung lobe in patients with different COPD grades were calculated respectively.Results There was a negative correlation between total lung LAA%and FEV1/FVC in moderate COPD(r=-0.632,P=0.001).Total lung LAA%in very severe COPD was negatively correlated with both FEV1/FVC and FEV1%(r=-0.562,P=0.045 and r=-0.701,P=0.004).The results of lung segment analysis showed that LAA%of the left upper lung lobe was more strongly correlated with pulmonary function indicators in extremely severe COPD(r=-0.650,P=0.016 andr=-0.731,P=0.002).The correlation between left inferior lobe LAA%and FEV1/FVC was stronger correlation in patients with moderate COPD(r=-0.712,P=0.000).In smoking patients,LAA%was moderate correlated with FEV1(r=-0.534,P=0.006),and LAA%was moderate correlated with FEV1/FVC(r=-0.564,P=0.003).Conclusion AI-based emphysema quantification results have a good correlation with FEV1/FVC and FEV1%,which can provide strong support for the diagnosis and classification of COPD based on CT plain scan images.
6.Application of artificial intelligence in biomedical research
Jianyi LYU ; Chunxi WANG ; Sicheng LIU ; Yilin YE ; Congrui ZHANG ; Feiyang LI ; Zishan ZHANG ; Xiaoyan DU
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(7):169-176
Rapid developments in biotechnology have led researchers to seek new method to improve the efficiency and accuracy of biomedical research and drug development,promoting interdisciplinary integration.Recent advancements in artificial intelligence(AI)technologies have brought unprecedented opportunities to this field.The integration of various AI models allows researchers to better utilize multi-omics data,identify disease phenotypes,interpret animal behavior,assess treatment effects,improve experimental designs,reduce the use of experimental animals,enhance animal facility management,and improve animal welfare.This article reviews the advancements in AI biomedical research over the past decade and discusses its contributions to disease phenotype identification,the selection and design of experimental animal models,animal behavior analysis,and animal facility management.It also points out the challenges related to data standardization,AI model selection and interpretability,the extrapolation process from AI models to animal experiments and clinical practice,as well as ethical considerations in using AI in sensitive areas involving human genetics and personalized medicine.This review aims to help researchers and practitioners in relevant fields understand the current state and opportunities of AI development,thus providing support for its broader application.
7.Validation of UHPLC-MS/MS-Network Pharmacology Joint Experiment to Explore the Mechanism of Action of Tongluo Muzu Powder in Improving Cartilage Injury
Di TIAN ; Zixiu LIU ; Likai YU ; Zishan SU ; Shangqi LIU ; Mingqing FENG ; Zeen WANG ; Nongshan ZHANG
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(3):363-374
OBJECTIVE To study and analyse the main components of Tongluo Muzu Powder transdermal absorption solution,as well as to investigate its mechanism of action in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.METHODS The transdermal absorption solution of Tongluo Muzu Powder was extracted by Franz vertical diffusion cell,and its components were analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS.Then TCMSP,Swiss target prediction,Gene Cards and other databases were introduced to predict the possible targets of the effec-tive components of transdermal absorption solution for the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis,and Cytoscape software was used to construct the"drug-component-disease-target"visual network,and then the protein interaction network was obtained through the string database to find the core targets.Finally,AutoDock and PyMOL were used to verify the molecular docking of main active in-gredients and targets,and the gene ontology(GO)function analysis of core genes and the enrichment analysis of Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway were conducted.Primary mouse chondrocytes were extracted,and the predicted targets of net-work pharmacology were verified by ELISA,Western blot,qPCR,etc.RESULTS A total of 48 effective components of the transder-mal absorption solution of Tongluo Muzu Powder and 88 possible targets for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis were screened out.The results of enrichment analysis showed that it was mainly involved in the process of apoptosis and oxidative stress.Molecular docking suggested that the main active ingredients and targets had good binding ability.The results showed that the lyophilized powder of the transdermal absorption solution of Tongluo Muzu Powder could reduce the concentration of inflammatory factors in the supernatant of chondrocytes after LPS intervention in a dose-dependent manner(P<0.05,P<0.01).The protein expression of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-AKT/AKT,MMP13 and p53 was decreased,and the protein expression of collagen Ⅱ was increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).At the same time,the mRNA expression of MMP13 and p53 was decreased and the mRNA expression of collagen Ⅱ was increased(P<0.05,P<0.01).In addition,it reduced the fluorescence intensity of TUNEL staining in cells(P<0.01).CONCLUSION By combining UH-PLC-MS/MS technology with network pharmacology,the main active ingredients of Tongluo Muzu Powder transdermal absorption solu-tion are preliminarily understood,and its potential mechanism of action in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis are predicted.
8.PXMP4 activates the ERK1/2 signaling pathway to promote proliferation,migra-tion,and invasion of cervical cancer cells
Zhidan WAN ; Zishan XU ; Wei LI ; Na LIU ; Jianqiang WANG ; Guoyang HE
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(11):1436-1445
Purpose This study aims to explore the effect of peroxisomal membrane protein 4(PXMP4)on the migration and invasion of cervical cancer(CC)cells,as well as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process.Methods Bioinformatics and immunohistochemical analysis were employed to examine the expression of PXMP4 in CC tissues and its correlation with clinical pathological characteristics.Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of PXMP4 in CC cells.CCK-8 assay,scratch healing assay,and Transwell invasion assay were utilized to assess the proliferation,migration,and invasion capabilities of CC cells.Western blot was conducted to measure the expression of N-cadherin,E-cadherin,vimentin,phosphorylated ERK(p-ERK),and total ERK proteins in cervical CC.Results The TCGA database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was significantly elevated in non-paired CC tissues(P=0.000 29),while the GEO database showed that the mRNA expression level of PXMP4 was sig-nificantly elevated in paired CC tissues(P=0.02).Immunohistochemical analysis showed that PXMP4 was primarily localized in the cytoplasm and cell membrane,with a positive rate of 70.31%(45/64)in CC tissues,significantly higher than 29.69%(19/64)in adjacent tissues.Clinical pathological analysis found that PXMP4 expression was as-sociated with maximum tumor differentiation(P=0.000 328)and lymph node metastasis(P=0.000 226),but not with age(P=0.637)or tumor diameter(P=0.304).CCK-8 assay,wound healing assay,and Transwell invasion as-say demonstrated that interference with PXMP4 inhibited the proliferation,invasion,and migration of CC cells,while overexpression of PXMP4 promoted these processes.Western blot results indicated that interference with PXMP4 signif-icantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expression(P<0.05).Conversely,overexpression of PXMP4 led to a significant decrease in E-cadherin and an increase in N-cadherin,vim-entin,and p-ERK expression(P<0.05).Additionally,stimulation of CC cells with different concentrations of the U0126 inhibitor significantly increased E-cadherin expression and decreased N-cadherin,vimentin,and p-ERK expres-sion(P<0.05).Conclusion PXMP4 is highly expressed in CC tissues and is closely related to tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis.PXMP4 promotes the EMT process of CC cells through the phosphorylated ERK1/2 signa-ling pathway.
9.CT artificial intelligence assessment of pulmonary function in chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
Haonan FU ; Shanshan ZHANG ; Minge ZHANG ; Zishan LIU ; Hai YANG
China Modern Doctor 2025;63(6):1-5,78
Objective To analyse correlation between automatic quantification of emphysema and lung function based on artificial intelligence(AI)model algorithm by chest computed tomography(CT)in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Methods The clinical and imaging data of hospitalized COPD patients who received chest CT plain scan in Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province,Enze Hospital of Taizhou Enze Medical Center(Group)from December 2020 to May 2021 were retrospectively collected,patients were classified into five levels of ventilator-function decline.By using the AI model,the extent of emphysema lesions in COPD patients were calculated,low-attenuation areas below-950HU were identified and their low attenuation area percentage(LAA%)were calculated.Combined with the output results of AI model and whether each variable met the characteristics of normal distribution,Pearson correlation coefficient between percentage of measured forced expiratory volume at the end of 1 second to estimated value(FEV1%)and LAA%of each lung lobe,and the Spearman correlation coefficient between FEV1 as a percentage of forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC)and LAA%of each lung lobe in patients with different COPD grades were calculated respectively.Results There was a negative correlation between total lung LAA%and FEV1/FVC in moderate COPD(r=-0.632,P=0.001).Total lung LAA%in very severe COPD was negatively correlated with both FEV1/FVC and FEV1%(r=-0.562,P=0.045 and r=-0.701,P=0.004).The results of lung segment analysis showed that LAA%of the left upper lung lobe was more strongly correlated with pulmonary function indicators in extremely severe COPD(r=-0.650,P=0.016 andr=-0.731,P=0.002).The correlation between left inferior lobe LAA%and FEV1/FVC was stronger correlation in patients with moderate COPD(r=-0.712,P=0.000).In smoking patients,LAA%was moderate correlated with FEV1(r=-0.534,P=0.006),and LAA%was moderate correlated with FEV1/FVC(r=-0.564,P=0.003).Conclusion AI-based emphysema quantification results have a good correlation with FEV1/FVC and FEV1%,which can provide strong support for the diagnosis and classification of COPD based on CT plain scan images.
10.Mechanism of Xibining Ⅱ Combined with ADSC-Exos in Improving Knee Osteoarthritis by Regulating Mitochondrial Autophagy
Junfeng KANG ; Lishi JIE ; Houyu FU ; Taiyang LIAO ; Lei SHI ; Zishan SU ; Likai YU ; Yibao WEI ; Deren LIU ; Di TIAN ; Jun MAO ; Peimin WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):111-119
ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Xibining (XBN) and adipose stem cell exosome (ADSC-Exos) in the cases of separate or joint application on cartilage degeneration and mitochondrial autophagy and explore its mechanism of action to improve knee osteoarthritis (KOA). MethodSD rats were divided into a sham operation group (sham group), a model group, an ADSC-Exos group (Exos group), an XBN group, and an ADSC-Exos+XBN group (Exos+XBN group). KOA model was established by using anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). The pain sensitivity status of rats was evaluated, and the degeneration degree of the knee joint and cartilage tissue was detected by Micro-CT and pathological staining. The expression of p62 and LC3B was observed by immunofluorescence, and the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-15 in rats were detected by ELISA. The Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of MMP-3, MMP-13, ADAMTS5, ColⅡ, TIMP, ACAN, PINK1, Parkin, p62, and LC3A/B. ResultCompared with the sham group, rats in the model group showed decreased cold-stimulated foot-shrinkage thresholds and mechanical pain sensitivity thresholds, varying degrees of abrasion and loss of cartilage tissue, degeneration of cartilage tissue, elevated serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-15, and TNF-α levels (P<0.01), and increased protein expression of MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5 in cartilage tissue. In addition, the protein expression of ColⅡ, TIMP1, and ACAN was decreased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, rats in each treatment group showed higher cold-stimulated foot-shrinkage thresholds and mechanical pain sensitivity thresholds, reduced cartilage tissue degeneration, lower serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-15, and TNF-α (P<0.05,P<0.01), decreased protein expression of MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5, and higher protein expression of Cold, TIMP1, and ACAN in cartilage tissue (P<0.05,P<0.01). Moreover, the changes were the most obvious in the Exos+XBN group. ConclusionBoth ADSCs-Exos and XBN can increase the level of mitochondrial autophagy in chondrocytes and delay cartilage tissue degeneration by promoting the expression of the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway, and the combination of the two can enhance the therapeutic effect.

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