1.Alternative Polyadenylation in Mammalian
Yu ZHANG ; Hong-Xia CHI ; Wu-Ri-Tu YANG ; Yong-Chun ZUO ; Yong-Qiang XING
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):32-49
With the rapid development of sequencing technologies, the detection of alternative polyadenylation (APA) in mammals has become more precise. APA precisely regulates gene expression by altering the length and position of the poly(A) tail, and is involved in various biological processes such as disease occurrence and embryonic development. The research on APA in mammals mainly focuses on the following aspects:(1) identifying APA based on transcriptome data and elucidating their characteristics; (2) investigating the relationship between APA and gene expression regulation to reveal its important role in life regulation;(3) exploring the intrinsic connections between APA and disease occurrence, embryonic development, differentiation, and other life processes to provide new perspectives and methods for disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as uncovering embryonic development regulatory mechanisms. In this review, the classification, mechanisms and functions of APA were elaborated in detail and the methods for APA identifying and APA data resources based on various transcriptome data were systematically summarized. Moreover, we epitomized and provided an outlook on research on APA, emphasizing the role of sequencing technologies in driving studies on APA in mammals. In the future, with the further development of sequencing technology, the regulatory mechanisms of APA in mammals will become clearer.
2.Analysis of Animal Models of Autoimmune Thyroiditis Based on Clinical Characteristics of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine
Sifeng JIA ; Zhuo ZHANG ; Yuyu DUAN ; Keqiu YAN ; Xinhe ZUO ; Yang LI ; Yong ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(18):235-243
ObjectiveAutoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) is a complex and immune-mediated disorder, with no established treatment protocol. Both Western and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) focus on the pathogenesis and treatment of AIT. This study evaluated the clinical consistency of existing AIT animal models based on the diagnostic criteria of both Western and TCM, using a novel evaluation method. Additionally, it proposed recommendations and future prospects for improving these models. MethodsA comprehensive literature review was conducted on existing AIT animal models, using databases and the diagnostic criteria of both Western and TCM. Core and accompanying symptoms of these models were scored based on the diagnostic criteria of both Western and TCM, and clinical consistency was assessed. ResultsMice are the primary experimental animals used in AIT modeling. Modeling methods include vaccine immunization, iodine induction, heterologous thyroid antigen immunization, and a combination of high iodine water and antigen immunization. The average consistency of clinical syndromes based on TCM and Western medicine is 40%, 60%, 54%, and 63%, with the highest consistency observed in the combined high iodine water and antigen immunization model. Pathological models based on TCM are less common, with the liver-stagnation-spleen-deficiency rat model showing high clinical consistency. While most models are designed according to Western medical theory, meeting the surface and structural effectiveness criteria of Western medicine. However, there is a lack of fine-tuning and clear differentiation of TCM syndromes. ConclusionCurrent AIT syndrome-disease combination animal models primarily reflect the pathological features of Western medicine, with limited integration of TCM syndromes. Future research should aim to combine the syndrome characteristics of TCM with the pathological features of Western medicine, creating multi-factor and dynamic syndrome-disease models. Such models would better facilitate an experimental platform that conforms to the theories of TCM, providing more comprehensive support and guidance for the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of AIT.
3.Associations between statins and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events among peritoneal dialysis patients: A multi-center large-scale cohort study.
Shuang GAO ; Lei NAN ; Xinqiu LI ; Shaomei LI ; Huaying PEI ; Jinghong ZHAO ; Ying ZHANG ; Zibo XIONG ; Yumei LIAO ; Ying LI ; Qiongzhen LIN ; Wenbo HU ; Yulin LI ; Liping DUAN ; Zhaoxia ZHENG ; Gang FU ; Shanshan GUO ; Beiru ZHANG ; Rui YU ; Fuyun SUN ; Xiaoying MA ; Li HAO ; Guiling LIU ; Zhanzheng ZHAO ; Jing XIAO ; Yulan SHEN ; Yong ZHANG ; Xuanyi DU ; Tianrong JI ; Yingli YUE ; Shanshan CHEN ; Zhigang MA ; Yingping LI ; Li ZUO ; Huiping ZHAO ; Xianchao ZHANG ; Xuejian WANG ; Yirong LIU ; Xinying GAO ; Xiaoli CHEN ; Hongyi LI ; Shutong DU ; Cui ZHAO ; Zhonggao XU ; Li ZHANG ; Hongyu CHEN ; Li LI ; Lihua WANG ; Yan YAN ; Yingchun MA ; Yuanyuan WEI ; Jingwei ZHOU ; Yan LI ; Caili WANG ; Jie DONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(21):2856-2858
4.Cerebral endothelial 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase improves ischemia-induced cognitive impairment via interacting with protein phosphatase 2A.
Li ZHU ; Yi HUANG ; Jing JIN ; Rongjun ZOU ; Rui ZUO ; Yong LUO ; Ziqing SONG ; Linfeng DAI ; Minyi ZHANG ; Qiuhe CHEN ; Yunting WANG ; Wei WANG ; Rongrong HE ; Yang CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(1):314-330
The catalytic activity of 3-mercaptopyruvate (3MP) sulfurtransferase (MPST) converts 3MP to hydrogen sulfide (H2S). However, the regulatory mechanisms governing MPST and its impact on the brain remain largely unexplored. Our study reveals the neuroprotective role of endothelial MPST-generated H2S, regulated by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Bioinformatics analysis and RNA sequencing demonstrated that endothelial PP2A is associated with neurodegenerative disease pathways. Cerebral ischemic mice exhibited significant inactivation of endothelial PP2A, evidenced by the reduction of PP2Acα in the brain endothelium. Mice with endothelium-specific null PP2A (PP2AEC-cKO) exhibited neuronal loss, cognitive dysfunction, and long-term potentiation deficits. Postnatal inactivation of endothelial PP2A also contributes to cognitive dysfunction and neuronal loss. However, regaining endothelial PP2A activity by overexpressing Ppp2ca rescued neuronal dysfunction. Mechanistically, PP2A deficiency is intricately linked to the MPST-H2S signaling pathway. A robust reduction in endothelial MPST-dependent H2S production followed PP2A deficiency. Exogenous H2S treatment and AAV-mediated overexpression of MPST in brain endothelial cells significantly mitigated neuronal dysfunction in PP2AEC-cKO mice. Furthermore, PP2A deficiency promotes an increase in calcium influx and calpain2 phosphorylation, subsequently leading to MPST degradation. The PP2A activator (FTY720) and MPST activator (3MP sodium) both remarkably restored endothelial MPST-dependent H2S production, subsequently rescuing ischemia-induced neurological deficits. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that endothelial PP2A deficiency leads to MPST degradation by activating calpain2, thus damaging neuronal function.
5.Artificial intelligence model for diagnosis of coronary artery disease based on facial photos
Li LIN ; Tingfeng XU ; Yaodong DING ; Yang ZHANG ; Jichao WANG ; Yaxin ZUO ; Gong ZHANG ; Minxian WANG ; Yong ZENG
Chinese Journal of Cardiology 2024;52(11):1272-1276
Objective:To develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostic model for coronary artery disease based on facial photos.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Patients who were scheduled to undergo coronary angiography (CAG) at Beijing Anzhen Hospital and Beijing Daxing Hospital from August 2022 to November 2023 were included consecutively. Before CAG, facial photos were collected (including four angles: frontal view, left and right 60° profile, and top of the head). Photo datasets were randomly divided into a training set, a validation set (70%), and a testing set (30%). The model was constructed using Masked Autoencoder (MAE) and Vision Transformer (ViT) architectures. Firstly, the model base was pre-training using 2 million facial photos obtained from the publicly available VGGFace dataset, and fine-tuned by the training and validation sets; the model was validated in the test set. In addition, the ResNet architecture was used to process the dataset, and its outputs were compared with those of the models based on MAE and ViT. In the test set, the area under the operating characteristic curve ( AUC) of the AI model was calculated using CAG results as the gold standard. Results:A total of 5 974 participants aged 61 (54, 67) years were included, including 4 179 males (70.0%), with a total of 84 964 facial photos. There were 79 140 facial photos in the training and validation sets, with 3 822 patients with coronary artery disease; there were 5 824 facial photos in the test set, with 239 patients with coronary artery disease. The AUC value of the MAE and ViT model initialized with pre-training model weights was 0.841 and 0.824, respectively. The AUC of the ResNet model initialized with random weights was 0.810, while the AUC of the ResNet model initialized with pre-training model weights was 0.816. Conclusion:The AI model based on facial photos showes good diagnostic performance for coronary artery disease and holds promise for further application in early diagnosis.
6.CT radiomics for differentiating spinal bone island and osteoblastic bone metastases
Xin WEN ; Liping ZUO ; Yong WANG ; Ziyu TIAN ; Fei LU ; Shuo SHI ; Lingyu CHANG ; Yu JI ; Ran ZHANG ; Dexin YU
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2024;40(5):758-763
Objective To observe the value of CT radiomics for differentiating spinal bone islands(BI)and osteoblastic metastases(OBM).Methods Data of 109 BI lesions in 98 patients and 282 OBM lesions in 158 patients(including 103 OBM in 48 lung cancer cases,86 OBM in 52 breast cancer cases and 93 OBM in 58 prostate cancer cases)from 3 medical institutions were retrospectively analyzed.Data obtained from institution 1 were used as the internal dataset and divided into internal training set and internal validation set at a ratio of 7∶3,from institution 2 and 3 were used as external dataset.All datasets were divided into female data subset(including OBM of female lung cancer and breast cancer)and male data subset(including OBM of male lung cancer and prostate cancer).Radiomics features were extracted and screened to construct 3 different support vector machine(SVM)models,including model1 for distinguishing BI and OBM,model2 for differentiating OBM of female lung cancer and breast cancer,and model3 for differentiating OBM of male lung cancer and prostate cancer.Diagnostic efficacy of model1,CT value alone and 3 physicians(A,B,C)for distinguishing BI and OBM were assessed,as well as differentiating efficacy for different OBM of model2 and model3.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were drawn,and area under the curves(AUC)were calculated and compared.The differential diagnostic efficacy of model2 and model3 were also assessed with ROC analysis and AUC.Results AUC of model1 for distinguishing spinal OBM from BI in internal training set,internal validation set and external dataset was 0.99,0.98 and 0.86,respectively.In internal training set,model1 had higher AUC for distinguishing BI and OBM than that of physician A(AUC=0.78),B(AUC=0.87)and C(AUC=0.93)as well as that of mean CT value(AUC=0.78,all P<0.05).AUC in internal training set,internal validation set and external dataset of model2 for identifying female lung cancer and breast cancer OBM was 0.79,0.75 and 0.73,respectively,of model3 for discriminating male lung cancer from prostate cancer OBM was 0.77,0.74 and 0.77,respectively.Conclusion CT radiomics SVM model might reliablely distinguish OBM and BI.
7.Promoting Reform of Talent Evaluation Based on China Clinical Cases Library of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Kaige ZHANG ; Yong ZHU ; Jisheng WANG ; Liangzhen YOU ; Weijun HUANG ; Jie YANG ; Candong LI ; Genping LEI ; Chuan ZHENG ; Shuzhen GUO ; Longtao LIU ; Zhining TIAN ; Xinping QIU ; Wenli SU ; Zuo LI ; Wei YAN ; Hongcai SHANG ; Xiaoxiao ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(17):220-226
Talents are the main force for the development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), and the construction of TCM talents and the reformation of talent evaluation system are essential to promote the inheritance and innovation of TCM. At present, we are still exploring and developing in the fields of the formulation, implementation and evaluation indicators of TCM talent evaluation system. However, there are shortcomings and difficulties. For instance, insufficient stratification in the evaluation, excessive emphasis on the quantity of achievements, neglecting the quality of the achievements and the actual contribution, imperfect assessment indicators, and the weak characteristics of TCM. Therefore, national ministries and commissions have jointly issued a document requesting to break the four only and set a new standard, in order to promote the construction of a scientific and technological talent evaluation system oriented by innovation value, ability and contribution. For the evaluation of TCM clinical talents, China Association for Science and Technology commissioned China Association of Chinese Medicine to build the China Clinical Cases Library of TCM(CCCL-TCM), which aims at collecting the most authoritative and representative TCM clinical cases and exploring the advantages of applying clinical cases as masterpiece of achievement in TCM clinical talents evaluation. CCCL-TCM can promote the construction of a talent evaluation system that is more in line with the development characteristics of TCM industry, and to carry out relevant pilot in TCM colleges and institutions across the country in order to promote the reformation of TCM talent evaluation system.
8.Immunogenicity of red blood cell blood group antigens in the population of Xi'an
Liangzi ZHANG ; Qinqin ZUO ; Hua XU ; Yong ZHANG ; Dazhou WU ; Xue TIAN ; Xiaoyue CHU
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2024;37(12):1394-1398
[Abstract] [Objective] To evaluate the immunogenicity of red blood cell blood group antigens in the population of Xi'an. [Methods] Data on blood group antigens of voluntary blood donors from the Shaanxi Province Blood Center and unexpected antibody detection results from clinically submitted cases between January 2019 and May 2024 were analyzed. The Giblett blood group antigen immunogenicity calculation formula was used to calculate the immunogenicity of blood group antigens based on the frequency of unexpected antibodies and the probability of antigen-negative patients receiving antigen-positive red blood cells. The relative immunogenicity of each blood group antigen was obtained by multiplying the immunogenicity of the K antigen (0.095). [Results] A total of 30 921 individuals were included for red blood cell blood group antigen analysis, with 511 cases of unexpected antibody identification. The ranking of red blood cell blood group antigen immunogenicity for the overall population was: Wra>E>Dib>Fya>K>C>e>c>Dia>Jka>M>Lea>Jkb>Leb>Fyb>S, while for males, it was: Dib>Wra>E>K>Fya>C>e>c>M>Dia>Jka>Fyb>Lea>Leb>Jkb>S. [Conclusion] Based on the immunogenicity ranking from strong to weak of red blood cell antigens in the population of Xi'an, this study provides theoretical support for the expansion and matching of antigens, and technical support for achieving precise red blood cell transfusions to improve transfusion efficacy and safety.
9.Effect of Yiqi Huayu Decoction Combined with Calcium Dobesilate in Treating Diabetic Kidney Disease with Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis Syndrome and Its Effect on the Expression Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1
Hong-Mei PAN ; Zhong-Yong ZHANG ; Jin-Rong MA ; Guo-Hua LI ; Wei-Yi GUO ; Yang ZUO
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;41(3):583-589
Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of Yiqi Huayu Decoction(mainly composed of Astragali Radix,Dioscoreae Rhizoma,Poria,fried Euryales Semen,Ecliptae Herba,Rosae Laevigatae Fructus,charred Crataegi Fructus,Ligustri Lucidi Fructus,Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma,and Leonuri Herba)combined with Calcium Dobesilate in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN)with qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome,and to observe the effect of the therapy on vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF-1).Methods Ninety patients with DN of qi deficiency and blood stasis type were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group,with 45 patients in each group.All patients received basic hypoglycemic therapy and treatment for controlling blood pressure and regulating lipid metabolism disorders.Moreover,the patients in the control group were given Calcium Dobesilate orally,and the patients in the observation group were given Yiqi Huayu Decoction combined with Calcium Dobesilate.The course of treatment lasted for 3 months.The changes of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome scores,renal function parameters and serum VEGF and IGF-1 levels in the two groups of patients were observed before and after the treatment,and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated after treatment.Results(1)After 3 months of treatment,the total effective rate of the observation group was 91.11%(41/45),and that of the control group was 75.56%(34/45).The intergroup comparison(tested by chi-square test)showed that the therapeutic effect of the observation group was significantly superior to that of the control group(P<0.05).(2)After one month and 3 months of treatment,the TCM syndrome scores of both groups were significantly lower than those before treatment(P<0.05),and the scores after 3 months of treatment in the two groups were significantly lower than those after one month of treatment(P<0.05).The intergroup comparison showed that the reduction of TCM syndrome scores of the observation group was significantly superior to that of the control group after one month and 3 months of treatment(P<0.01).(3)After treatment,the levels of renal function parameters such as serum creatinine(Scr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),and glomerular filtration rate(GFR)in the two groups of patients were significantly improved compared with those before treatment(P<0.05),and the observation group's effect on the improvement of all renal function parameters was significantly superior to that of the control group(P<0.01).(4)After treatment,the serum VEGF and IGF-1 levels in the two groups of patients were significantly lower than those before treatment(P<0.05),and the observation group's effect on the decrease of serum VEGF and IGF-1 levels was significantly superior to that of the control group(P<0.01).(5)In the course of treatment,no significant adverse reactions occurred in the two groups of patients,with a high degree of safety.Conclusion Yiqi Huayu Decoction combined with Calcium Dobesilate exerts certain therapeutic effect in treating DN patients with qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome.The combined therapy can effectively down-regulate the serum levels of VEGF and IGF-1,significantly improve the renal function,and alleviate the clinical symptoms of the patients,with a high degree of safety.
10.Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics studies of azithromycin capsules in healthy Chinese subjects
Peng-Fei XIE ; Yuan-Lu CHEN ; Han CHEN ; Yan ZHOU ; Peng YANG ; Li-Zhong NIAN ; Li-Ying ZUO ; Yong-Dong ZHANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(1):97-101
Objective To evaluate the bioequivalence of the test preparation and reference preparation of azithromycin capsules in healthy Chinese subjects.Methods A total of 48 subjects were enrolled in this study using a randomized,open,two-sequence,cross design.Each subject received a single oral dose of azithromycin capsules test drug(T)or reference drug(R)for 250 mg.The concentrations of azithromycin in plasma were determined by Liquid Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer,and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by WinNonlin 8.1 software to evaluate the bioequivalence.Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of azithromycin after a single fasting dose of the test drug and the reference drug were as follows:the Cmax were respectively(319.89±127.35)and(330.41±122.11)ng·mL-1;AUC0-192h were respectively(2 423.04±587.15)and(2 489.97±685.73)ng·h·mL-1;AUC0-∞ were respectively(2 753.40±644.96)and(2 851.71±784.05)ng·h·mL-;tmax were respectively(2.60±1.11)and(2.62±1.13)h;t1/2 were respectively(76.76±15.14)and(79.83±17.14)h.The 90%confidence intervals for the geometric mean ratios of Cmax,AUC0-192h and AUC0-∞ of T and R were 87.52%-107.18%,91.46%-105.80%and 91.17%-105.06%,respectively.Conclusion The test preparation of azithromycin capsule was bioequivalent to the reference preparation under fasting condition.

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