1.Process Optimization and Health Risk Assessment of Calcined Haematitum Based on QbD Concept
Yue YANG ; Jingwei ZHOU ; Jialiang ZOU ; Guorong MEI ; Yifan SHI ; Lei ZHONG ; Jiaojiao WANG ; Xuelian GAN ; Dewen ZENG ; Xin CHEN ; Lin CHEN ; Hongping CHEN ; Shilin CHEN ; Yuan HU ; Youping LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):187-196
ObjectiveTo investigate the processing technology of calcined Haematitum based on the concept of quality by design(QbD) and to assess its health risk. MethodsTaking whole iron content, Fe2+ dissolution content and looseness as critical quality attributes(CQAs), and calcination temperature, calcination time, spreading thickness and particle size as critical process parameters(CPPs) determined by the failure mode and effect analysis(FMEA), the processing technology of calcined Haematitum was optimized by orthogonal test combined with analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation(AHP-CRITIC) hybrid weighting method. The contents of heavy metals and harmful elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the health risk assessment was carried out by daily exposure(EXP), target hazard quotient(THQ) and lifetime cancer risk(LCR), and the theoretical value of the maximum limit was deduced. ResultsThe optimal processing technology for calcined Haematitum was calcination at 650 ℃, calcination time of 1 h, particle size of 0.2-0.5 cm, spreading thickness of 1 cm, and vinegar quenching for 1 time[Haematitum-vinegar(10:3)]. The contents of 5 heavy metals and harmful elements in 13 batches of calcined Haematitum were all decreased with reductions of up to 5-fold. The cumulative THQ of 2 batches of samples was>1, while the cumulative THQ of all batches of Haematitum was>1. The LCR of As in 1 batches of Haematitum was 1×10-6-1×10-4, and the LCR of the rest was<1×10-6, and the LCRs of calcined Haematitum were all<1×10-6, indicating that the carcinogenic risk of calcined Haematitum was low, but special attention should still be paid to Haematitum medicinal materials. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg were formulated as 1 014, 25, 17, 27, 7 mg·kg-1. ConclusionThe optimized processing technology of calcined Haematitum is stable and feasible, and the contents of heavy metals and harmful elements are reduced after processing. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg are formulated to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of standards for the limits of harmful elements in Haematitum.
2.Process Optimization and Health Risk Assessment of Calcined Haematitum Based on QbD Concept
Yue YANG ; Jingwei ZHOU ; Jialiang ZOU ; Guorong MEI ; Yifan SHI ; Lei ZHONG ; Jiaojiao WANG ; Xuelian GAN ; Dewen ZENG ; Xin CHEN ; Lin CHEN ; Hongping CHEN ; Shilin CHEN ; Yuan HU ; Youping LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(13):187-196
ObjectiveTo investigate the processing technology of calcined Haematitum based on the concept of quality by design(QbD) and to assess its health risk. MethodsTaking whole iron content, Fe2+ dissolution content and looseness as critical quality attributes(CQAs), and calcination temperature, calcination time, spreading thickness and particle size as critical process parameters(CPPs) determined by the failure mode and effect analysis(FMEA), the processing technology of calcined Haematitum was optimized by orthogonal test combined with analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation(AHP-CRITIC) hybrid weighting method. The contents of heavy metals and harmful elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the health risk assessment was carried out by daily exposure(EXP), target hazard quotient(THQ) and lifetime cancer risk(LCR), and the theoretical value of the maximum limit was deduced. ResultsThe optimal processing technology for calcined Haematitum was calcination at 650 ℃, calcination time of 1 h, particle size of 0.2-0.5 cm, spreading thickness of 1 cm, and vinegar quenching for 1 time[Haematitum-vinegar(10:3)]. The contents of 5 heavy metals and harmful elements in 13 batches of calcined Haematitum were all decreased with reductions of up to 5-fold. The cumulative THQ of 2 batches of samples was>1, while the cumulative THQ of all batches of Haematitum was>1. The LCR of As in 1 batches of Haematitum was 1×10-6-1×10-4, and the LCR of the rest was<1×10-6, and the LCRs of calcined Haematitum were all<1×10-6, indicating that the carcinogenic risk of calcined Haematitum was low, but special attention should still be paid to Haematitum medicinal materials. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg were formulated as 1 014, 25, 17, 27, 7 mg·kg-1. ConclusionThe optimized processing technology of calcined Haematitum is stable and feasible, and the contents of heavy metals and harmful elements are reduced after processing. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu, As, Cd, Pb and Hg are formulated to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of standards for the limits of harmful elements in Haematitum.
3.tRF Prospect: tRNA-derived Fragment Target Prediction Based on Neural Network Learning
Dai-Xi REN ; Jian-Yong YI ; Yong-Zhen MO ; Mei YANG ; Wei XIONG ; Zhao-Yang ZENG ; Lei SHI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2428-2438
ObjectiveTransfer RNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are a recently characterized and rapidly expanding class of small non-coding RNAs, typically ranging from 13 to 50 nucleotides in length. They are derived from mature or precursor tRNA molecules through specific cleavage events and have been implicated in a wide range of cellular processes. Increasing evidence indicates that tRFs play important regulatory roles in gene expression, primarily by interacting with target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to induce transcript degradation, in a manner partially analogous to microRNAs (miRNAs). However, despite their emerging biological relevance and potential roles in disease mechanisms, there remains a significant lack of computational tools capable of systematically predicting the interaction landscape between tRFs and their target mRNAs. Existing databases often rely on limited interaction features and lack the flexibility to accommodate novel or user-defined tRF sequences. The primary goal of this study was to develop a machine learning based prediction algorithm that enables high-throughput, accurate identification of tRF:mRNA binding events, thereby facilitating the functional analysis of tRF regulatory networks. MethodsWe began by assembling a manually curated dataset of 38 687 experimentally verified tRF:mRNA interaction pairs and extracting seven biologically informed features for each pair: (1) AU content of the binding site, (2) site pairing status, (3) binding region location, (4) number of binding sites per mRNA, (5) length of the longest consecutive complementary stretch, (6) total binding region length, and (7) seed sequence complementarity. Using this dataset and feature set, we trained 4 distinct machine learning classifiers—logistic regression, random forest, decision tree, and a multilayer perceptron (MLP)—to compare their ability to discriminate true interactions from non-interactions. Each model’s performance was evaluated using overall accuracy, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the corresponding area under the ROC curve (AUC). The MLP consistently achieved the highest AUC among the four, and was therefore selected as the backbone of our prediction framework, which we named tRF Prospect. For biological validation, we retrieved 3 high-throughput RNA-seq datasets from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) in which individual tRFs were overexpressed: AS-tDR-007333 (GSE184690), tRF-3004b (GSE197091), and tRF-20-S998LO9D (GSE208381). Differential expression analysis of each dataset identified genes downregulated upon tRF overexpression, which we designated as putative targets. We then compared the predictions generated by tRF Prospect against those from three established tools—tRFTar, tRForest, and tRFTarget—by quantifying the number of predicted targets for each tRF and assessing concordance with the experimentally derived gene sets. ResultsThe proposed algorithm achieved high predictive accuracy, with an AUC of 0.934. Functional validation was conducted using transcriptome-wide RNA-seq datasets from cells overexpressing specific tRFs, confirming the model’s ability to accurately predict biologically relevant downregulation of mRNA targets. When benchmarked against established tools such as tRFTar, tRForest, and tRFTarget, tRF Prospect consistently demonstrated superior performance, both in terms of predictive precision and sensitivity, as well as in identifying a higher number of true-positive interactions. Moreover, unlike static databases that are limited to precomputed results, tRF Prospect supports real-time prediction for any user-defined tRF sequence, enhancing its applicability in exploratory and hypothesis-driven research. ConclusionThis study introduces tRF Prospect as a powerful and flexible computational tool for investigating tRF:mRNA interactions. By leveraging the predictive strength of deep learning and incorporating a broad spectrum of interaction-relevant features, it addresses key limitations of existing platforms. Specifically, tRF Prospect: (1) expands the range of detectable tRF and target types; (2) improves prediction accuracy through multilayer perceptron model; and (3) allows for dynamic, user-driven analysis beyond database constraints. Although the current version emphasizes miRNA-like repression mechanisms and faces challenges in accurately capturing 5'UTR-associated binding events, it nonetheless provides a critical foundation for future studies aiming to unravel the complex roles of tRFs in gene regulation, cellular function, and disease pathogenesis.
4.Research status of anti-inflammatory effect of traditional Chinese medicine based on NLRP3 inflammatory body
Fu-Mei XU ; Jun-Yuan ZENG ; Lei ZHAO ; Qi-Li ZHANG ; Peng-Fei XIA ; Yin-Qiang JIA ; Jie WANG ; Peng-Xia FANG ; Yan-Li XU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(6):923-927
Inflammasome is a kind of intracellular polyprotein complex,which is an important component of the complex system of local inflammatory microenvironment after human tissue damage.When the inflammasome is activated,it induces the activation of cysteine aspartate proteinase 1(caspase-1),mediates the maturation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines,such as interleukin(IL)-1 β and IL-18,and induces cell death,which plays an important role in regulating the host immune response to pathogen infection and tissue repair of cell damage.Nod-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)inflammatory body,which is composed of NLRP3,pro-cysteine aspartic acid specific protease-1(pro-caspase-1)and apoptosis-related spot-like protein(ASC),is the most deeply and widely studied type of inflammatory body,which plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation.When NLRP3 inflammatory bodies are activated,inflammatory mediators are produced and released,which participate in the occurrence and development of a variety of inflammatory diseases.Some studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine can improve the pathological state of a variety of diseases by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammatory bodies,and play a role in the prevention and treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases,including cardiovascular diseases,joint inflammation,diabetes and so on.This paper systematically combs the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammatory bodies,and summarizes the latest research reports on the effects of traditional Chinese medicine compound prescription,traditional Chinese medicine monomers and traditional Chinese medicine extracts on NLRP3 inflammatory bodies in the treatment of inflammatory diseases,in order to provide new ideas for the further study of the pathogenesis and drug treatment of many inflammatory diseases.
5.Simultaneous determination of 6 aconitum-type alkaloids in Xiaozhong ointment by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry
Tian-Li XIA ; De-Ping ZHAO ; Ao XUE ; Mei-Ling JIN ; Zi-Yue ZHU ; Qing LI ; Ning ZHANG ; Xia LEI
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(9):1341-1344
Objective To establish a method for the simultaneous determination of aconitine,neoaconitine,hypaconitine,benzoyl aconitine,benzoyl mesaconine and benzoylhypacoitine in Xiaozhong ointment by UPLC-TQD-MS.Methods ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column(50 mm ×2.1 mm,1.7 μm),mobile phase 0.1%formic acid water(A)-acetonitrile(B),gradient elution,column temperature 40 ℃,flow rate 0.3 mL·min-1,injection volume 5 μL;electrospray ionization source(ESI+)and multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)were used for mass spectrometry analysis.Results The concentration of aconitine,new aconitine,hypaconitine,benzoyl aconitine,benzoyl new aconitine and benzoyl hypaconitine were 1.0-100.0 ng·mL-1,respectively,the average recovery were 98.62%-101.24%.The mass fractions of the six components were 0.18,0.33,0.38,0.43,0.28,0.06μg·g-1.Conclusion The method can be used to determine the content of 6 aconitine-type alkaloids in Xiaozhong ointment,and provide reference for the quality evaluation and clinical safe use of Xiaozhong ointment.
6.Advances on relationship between phthalate exposure and perinatal depression
Yueming XU ; Mei ZHAO ; Yichao HUANG ; Lingling YU ; Lan GENG ; Lei CHEN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(12):1446-1451
Perinatal depression is a psychological disorder that occurs during pregnancy and within one year of delivery, which can seriously affect the physical and mental health of pregnant and postpartum women, as well as the cognitive and behavioral abilities of offspring, with potential multigenerational effects. Therefore, it is important to identify its potential modifiable risk factors. Phthalic acid esters (PAEs), as common environmental endocrine disruptors, can affect maternal estrogen through multiple mechanisms and are important potential modifiable risk factors for developing maternal perinatal depression. At present, studies on the correlation between PAEs and perinatal depression are still very limited, and the mechanisms by which PAEs affect perinatal depression have not been clarified. Based on existing epidemiological and toxicological studies at home and abroad, the article briefly introduced the characteristics of multiple pathways, high doses, and long-term exposure to maternal PAEs, focused on reviewing the current status of epidemiological studies, pointed out the possible associations between some specific PAEs exposure and elevated risk of perinatal depression. It also summarized the potential roles of hormone-neurotransmitter pathway, inflammation mediation, gene regulation, and other possible mechanisms in the association between exposure to PAEs and perinatal depression. The article concluded with a look at how future research on the association between exposure to PAEs and perinatal depression can be scientifically validated, with a view to providing more high-quality evidence for the scientific prevention of the onset and progression of maternal depressive symptoms.
7.Chinesization of the HEMO-FISS-QoL questionnaire and its reliability and validity
Songpeng SUN ; Shan JIA ; Fangfang XU ; Tianyu LI ; Zhiyun ZHANG ; Qiaorong CAO ; Xinjian LI ; Yao WU ; Weiping WAN ; Bin SHI ; Jianguo WANG ; Hong NI ; Longyu LIANG ; Xingxiao HUO ; Tianqing YANG ; Lei TIAN ; Ying TIAN ; Mei LIN ; Zhanjun WANG ; Yangyang ZHOU ; Hongchuan CHU ; Riyu LIAO ; Kuerban XIEYIDA ; Junhong LONG ; Shuxin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2024;33(1):75-82
Objective:To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of HEMO-FISS-QoL(HF-QoL) questionnaire (HF-QoL-C) in the Chinese population with hemorrhoids.Methods:From November 2021 to November 2022, a self-constructed general information questionnaire, HF-QoL-C, and the 36-item short form health survey (SF-36), Goligher classification, and Giordano severity of hemorrhoid symptom questionnaire (GSQ) were used to conduct a questionnaire survey on 760 hemorrhoid patients in the anorectal department of six hospitals. The data was analyzed for reliability and validity using SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 26.0 software.Results:The Cronbach's α coefficient of HF-QoL-C and its dimension ranged from 0.831 to 0.960, and the split coefficient was 0.832-0.915. Four common factors were extracted through principal component exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable structural validity( χ2/ df=8.152, RSMEA=0.097, CFI=0.881, IFI=0.881, NFI=0.867). HF-QoL-C was correlated with SF36 and GSQ( r=-0.694, 0.501, both P<0.01). There were differences in the total score and dimensional scores of HF-QoL-C between surgical and drug treated patients, different grades of Goligher classification for hemorrhoidal disease, and different ranges of hemorrhoid prolapse (all P<0.001). No ceiling effect was found in the total score and the scores of each dimension(0.3%-2.0%). There was a floor effect in both psychological function and sexual activity dimensions (16.7%, 35.1%). Conclusion:HF-QoL-C has good reliability and validity, which can be used to measure the quality of life of Chinese hemorrhoid patients.
8.Application of HIV nucleic acid test in detecting western blot indeterminate and negative specimens
Cong LIU ; Meng GUO ; Fanghua MEI ; Kun CAI ; Yake LEI
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2024;35(5):105-108
Objective To explore the application of nucleic acid test in the diagnosis of HIV western blotting (WB) indeterminate and negative samples. Methods A total of 2 518 HIV samples to be confirmed were collected from the Hubei HIV Confirmation Center Laboratory from 2014 to 2022. The results of follow-up antibody test and nucleic acid test of WB indeterminate and negative samples were analyzed, and the diagnostic rate, sensitivity, specificity and coincidence rate of the two detection strategies were compared. Results There were totally 133 indeterminate or negative samples by WB test. Of the 99 indeterminate samples , 76 (76.77%) had nucleic acid test results >5000 copies/mL. 40 cases were followed up, of which 33 cases (82.50%) turned positive and 7 (17.50%) were still uncertain. Of the 7 samples with 20~5000 copies /mL (7.07%), 2 cases were followed up and both turned positive during the follow-up. 1 case (1.01%) with nucleic acid <20 copies/mL turned positive during follow-up. Among the 34 WB negative samples, 15 cases (45.45%) were > 5 000 copies/mL, 9 of which were seroconversion. The diagnostic rates of “antibody confirmation” and “nucleic acid test” were 96.78% (2 437/2 518) and 99.60% (2 508/2 518), respectively. The sensitivities were 98.02% (2 430/2 479) and 99.88% (2476/2 479), and the specificities were 78.13% (25/32) and 100.00 % (32/32), respectively. The coincidence rates were 97.77% (2 455/2 511) and 99.88% (2 508/2 511), respectively. Conclusion Nucleic acid supplemental test strategy has high diagnostic rate, sensitivity, specificity and coincidence rate. WB indeterminate and negative samples can be diagnosed as early as possible through nucleic acid supplemental testing.
9.Comparison of HPLC fingerprint and contents of four nucleoside components before and after processing of Succus bambusae pinella preparata
Linyu ZHENG ; Weihao ZHU ; Meimei LUO ; Chunmei MEI ; Weidong LI ; Lei XU ; Yuyu HUANG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(21):2590-2595
OBJECTIVE To investigate the changes in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint spectra and nucleoside components between Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and its processed product Succus bambusae pinella preparata, providing a reference for the quality evaluation of the latter. METHODS HPLC fingerprint was established for 10 batches of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and its processed product Succus bambusae pinella preparata following the Similarity Evaluation System of TCM Chromatographic Fingerprints (2012 Edition). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS- DA) were conducted on their common peaks. The contents of four nucleoside components, hypoxanthine, uridine, adenine, and guanosine, in both Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and Succus bambusae pinella preparata were determined. RESULTS The similarity between the fingerprints of the 10 batches of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine, Succus bambusae pinella preparata, and their corresponding reference fingerprints ranged from 0.851 to 0.990. A total of 10 common peaks were obtained for both samples, and 4 components were identified as hypoxanthine, uridine, adenine, and guanosine. The results of HCA, PCA and OPLS-DA showed that the samples of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and Succus bambusae pinella preparata were clustered into separate categories, with OPLS-DA selecting 4 differential components between them, ranked by variable importance projection values as peak 8, peak 1, peak 6 (adenine) and peak 10. The content determination results showed that the average contents of hypoxanthine, uridine, adenine and guanosine in Succus bambusae pinella preparata declined by 15.90%, 12.00%, 26.04% and 22.18% compared to Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine, respectively, with statistically significant differences in the contents of hypoxanthine, adenine and guanosine (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The established fingerprint and content determination methods are simple to operate and have good repeatability, which are suitable for qualitative and quantitative analysis of Pinelliae Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Zingibere et Alumine and Succus bambusae pinella preparata. The average contents of the four nucleoside components decreased after the processing of Succus bambusae pinella preparata.
10.Prophylactic high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy can reduce postoperative pulmonary complications in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A propensity score matching study
Xiuhua TU ; Mei LEI ; Yanqing CHEN ; Rongjia LIN ; Ruizhen HUANG ; Chunmei XIANG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;31(09):1274-1280
Objective To investigate the clinical value of prophylactic high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) in reducing postoperative pulmonary complication (PPC) in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The clinical data of elderly patients (over 60 years) with NSCLC who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy or segmental resection at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fujian Provincial Hospital from January 2021 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether receiving HFNC after surgery, they were divided into a conventional oxygen therapy (CO) group and a HFNC group. The CO group were matched with the HFNC group by the propensity score matching method at a ratio of 1 : 1. We compared PPC incidence, white blood cell (WBC) count, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein on postoperative day (POD) 1, 3 and 5 and postoperative hospital stay between the two groups. Results A total of 343 patients (165 males, 178 females, average age of 67.25±4.79 years) were enrolled, with 53 (15.45%) receiving HFNC. Before matching, there were statistical differences in gender, rate of combined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pathology type and TNM stage between the two groups (all P<0.05). There were 42 patients successfully matched in each of the two groups, with no statistical difference in baseline characteristics (P>0.05). After propensity score matching, the results showed that the PPC incidence in the HFNC group was lower than that in the CO group (23.81% vs. 45.23%, P=0.039). WBC count on POD 3 and 5 and procalcitonin level on POD 3 were less or lower in the HFNC group than those in the CO group [ (8.92±2.91)×109/L vs. (10.62±2.67)×109/L; (7.68±1.58)×109/L vs. (8.86±1.76)×109/L; 0.26 (0.25, 0.44) μg/L vs. 0.31 (0.25, 0.86) μg/L; all P<0.05]. There was no statistical difference in the other inflammatory indexes or the postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Prophylactic HFNC can reduce the PPC incidence and postoperative inflammatory indexes in elderly patients with NSCLC, but does not shorten the postoperative hospital stay.


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