1.Improvements and Recent Advances of Metadynamics Enhanced Sampling Method
Ming-Qiong TONG ; Yue-Wen YIN ; Zhi-Hong SHI ; Zan-Xia CAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1793-1797
The functional realization of proteins and other biological macromolecules depends on conformational dynamics and allosteric regulation, and elucidating their molecular mechanisms is an important foundation for understanding life processes. Molecular dynamics simulations are a powerful tool for investigating conformational evolution at the atomic level. However, traditional methods are limited by simulation timescales and high free-energy barriers, making it difficult to effectively capture rare conformations and their transition pathways. As a result, the development of enhanced sampling techniques has become key to overcoming this bottleneck. As a classical enhanced sampling technique, metadynamics suffers from several shortcomings, including strong dependence on collective variables and significant errors caused by bias potential accumulation. This article reviews three major improvement strategies. The first combines stochastic resetting with metadynamics, using trajectory-resetting mechanisms to improve sampling efficiency while avoiding the difficulty of optimizing collective variables. The second, SinkMeta, employs a “sinking” bias effect to enable efficient exploration of specific regions and paths. The third, OPES-based hybrid methods, improve the stability of free-energy estimation by optimizing the target distribution or the way the bias is constructed. These methods provide new ideas for characterizing free-energy landscapes and studying conformational transitions in complex biological systems, while also promoting the continued development of enhanced sampling methodologies.
2.The role of bile acid dynamics in inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
Si-Rui Yu ; Run Sun ; Mei-Ya Shi ; Mei Yang ; Kun Chen ; Qiong Pan ; Ling Zhao ; Ming-Yue Wu ; Jin Chai
Liver Research 2026;10(1):35-50
The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is higher among individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in the general population. Emerging evidence indicates that the development of MASLD in patients with IBD may occur independently of traditional metabolic risk factors, suggesting a unique pathophysiological mechanism distinct from conventional MASLD pathways. Bile acids (BAs), which act as critical signaling molecules in enterohepatic circulation, play an essential role in maintaining gastrointestinal homeostasis through bidirectional gut–liver axis communication. These molecules are increasingly recognized as pivotal regulators in the progression of both MASLD and IBD. While previous studies have characterized the dynamics of BA in blood or fecal samples under both conditions, a comprehensive understanding of their metabolic profiles and the associated interactions within the gut–liver axis is still lacking. This review synthesizes current evidence from studies employing BA metabolomics to investigate IBD and MASLD. By focusing on BA signatures, we summarize conserved alterations between these two conditions and their potential mechanisms of disease progression. Our review advances understanding of BA-mediated pathways in IBD and MASLD, providing a foundation for assessing their roles in contributing to the pathogenesis of MASLD in patients with IBD.
3.Clinical trial of recombinant human growth hormone in treatment of children with growth hormone deficiency
Qiu-yue TAN ; Yong DENG ; Yue-qiong SHI
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2025;41(1):31-35
Objective To explore the clinical effects and influencing factors of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)treatment in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Methods The study subjects were pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency,all of whom received a combination therapy of stanozolol tablets 2 mg(qd)and 0.1 U·kg-1·d-1 of recombinant human growth hormone injection for a continuous period of one year.After one year,the patients were divided into active group and invalid group based on clinical outcomes.Comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of height,annual growth velocity(GV)and height standard deviation score(HtSDS)before and after treatment,and safety evaluations were conducted.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that influenced the treatment outcomes in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Results After one year of treatment,a total of 93 cases pediatric patients were included in the analysis,with 62 cases in the active group and 31 cases in the invalid group.The heights of the patients before and after treatment were(119.40±2.48)and(129.08±2.37)cm,respectively;the GV were(3.08±0.39)and(7.34±1.02)cm·year-1,respectively;the HtSDS were-2.45±0.49 and-1.68±0.35,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P<0.05).In the active and invalid groups,the proportions of patients with GV<3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment were 32.26%and 58.06%,respectively;the proportions of patients with peak growth hormone(GH)levels<5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment were 30.65%and 54.84%,respectively;the average maternal heights were(158.83±5.76)and(155.48±6.58)cm,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P<0.05).The results of the Logistic regression model showed that GV<3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment,peak GH levels<5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment,and a shorter maternal height were independent risk factors for poor treatment outcomes with rhGH in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency(all P<0.05).No severe adverse reactions occurred during the treatment of any patient;seven patients experienced pain at the injection site,one patient had a slight increase in blood glucose,and five patients had mild decreased appetite.The total incidence of adverse drug reactions were 13.98%(13 cases/93 cases).Conclusion Treatment with rhGH for pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency can significantly improve height development and has good safety,but it is influenced by factors such as growth velocity,peak GH levels,and maternal height.
4.Study on the changes of common bile duct pressure after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in patients with common bile duct stones
Shenchao SHI ; Qiong GONG ; Jian CHANG ; Zhengle ZHANG ; Jing TAO ; Zhongchao ZHU
Journal of Clinical Surgery 2025;33(2):150-153
Objective To study the change of common bile duct pressure after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in patients with common bile duct stones.Methods Clinical data of 17 patients with common bile duct stones treated in our hospital from January 2022 to December 2022 were collected.All patients underwent laparoscopic common bile duct exploration and common bile duct pressure measurement.The patients were followed up for 8 weeks after operation,and the common bile duct pressure was measured by indwelling T tube at 2,3,4 and 8 weeks.Results Among the 17 patients,1 patient showed persistent high common bile duct pressure due to residual common bile duct stones.In the remaining 16 patients,there were no significant difference between the initial common bile duct pressure(19.7 cm H2O)and the common bile duct pressure at postoperative(17.0 cm H2O)and week 1(15.5cmH2O)(P>0.05).There were significant differences between the initial common bile duct pressure and the common bile duct pressure at week 2(13.5 cm H2O),3(12.2 cm H2O),4(11.1 cm H2O)and 8(10.0cmH2O)(P<0.05).Conclusion Compared to initial common bile duct pressure,the pressure of common bile duct began to decrease significantly from 2 weeks after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in patients with common bile duct stones.
5.Application of zero-trust architecture in hospital smart-management platform
You-qiong CHEN ; Bo YANG ; Zhen-qi ZHANG ; Lin-jie LI ; Rui SHI
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(8):50-57
Objective To investigate the application and effectiveness of a zero-trust network architecture(ZTNA)in a hospital's smart-management platform,providing a practical reference for network-architecture optimization in smart-hospital initiatives.Methods A single-arm mode was involved in the deployment of ZTNA.An encrypted tunnel was established by the zero-trust proxy gateway,and the components for zero-trust terminal security,behavior management,firewall,identity authentication,security operation and analysis center were synergized with the help of a logical bus to form a security protection system of end-to-end trust assessment,dynamic access control,micro-isolation and visualization,and the integration and access to the hospital's intelligent management platform were realized by means of ticket injection.Results ZTNA markedly enhanced data protection for the platform,and significantly improved user experience by simplified authentication and enhanced support for mobile operation.Conclusion ZTNA ensures the security of kinds of hospital business systems,and lays a foundation for large comprehensive hospitals to construct cross-region,cross-institution and multi-center medical information platforms and open data sharing modes.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(8):50-57]
6.Application of zero-trust architecture in hospital smart-management platform
You-qiong CHEN ; Bo YANG ; Zhen-qi ZHANG ; Lin-jie LI ; Rui SHI
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(8):50-57
Objective To investigate the application and effectiveness of a zero-trust network architecture(ZTNA)in a hospital's smart-management platform,providing a practical reference for network-architecture optimization in smart-hospital initiatives.Methods A single-arm mode was involved in the deployment of ZTNA.An encrypted tunnel was established by the zero-trust proxy gateway,and the components for zero-trust terminal security,behavior management,firewall,identity authentication,security operation and analysis center were synergized with the help of a logical bus to form a security protection system of end-to-end trust assessment,dynamic access control,micro-isolation and visualization,and the integration and access to the hospital's intelligent management platform were realized by means of ticket injection.Results ZTNA markedly enhanced data protection for the platform,and significantly improved user experience by simplified authentication and enhanced support for mobile operation.Conclusion ZTNA ensures the security of kinds of hospital business systems,and lays a foundation for large comprehensive hospitals to construct cross-region,cross-institution and multi-center medical information platforms and open data sharing modes.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(8):50-57]
7.Poly gala fallax Hemsl.improves diabetic kidney disease in rats via Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway
Si-chao WANG ; Qiu-hong LIU ; Shi-wei ZHAO ; Yu-qiong LEI ; Min-chao FENG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(6):1186-1193
Aim To observe the interventional effects of Polygala fallax Hemsl.(PFH)on diabetic kidney disease(DKD)rats and the regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis.Methods Thirty-six SD rats were ran-domly divided into the control group,DKD group,fer-rostatin-1(Fer-1)group,PFH-L group,PFH-M group,and PFH-H group,with six rats in each group.Model-ing was induced by a one-time intraperitoneal injection of 35 mg·kg-1 streptozocin(STZ)in combination with high-sugar and high-fat feed.Ferrostatin-1(25μmol·kg-1)was injected intraperitoneally in Fer-1 group.The PFH-L,PFH-M,and PFH-H groups were gavaged with 50,100 and 200 mg·kg-1 of alcoholic extracts of PFH respectively,and the control and DKD groups were gavaged with an equal volume of distilled water once a day for eight weeks.At the end of drug administration,blood glucose,24h-UP,BUN and Scr levels were measured in each group of rats.HE stai-ning and Masson staining were used to observe renal histopathological changes.ELISA was employed to de-termine the levels of total iron,MDA and GSH activity.IHC was used to observe the expression of Nrf2,SLC7A11,and GPX4 in renal tissues.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of COL1A1,α-SMA,TGF-,FTH-1,TFR-1,Nrf2,SLC7A1 1,GPX4,in renal tissues.RT-qPCR was used to detect the ex-pression levels of Nrf2,SLC7A11,GPX4 mRNA in re-nal tissues.Results Compared with the control group,blood glucose,24h-UP,BUN,Scr increased(P<0.05);glomerular volume increased,tubular dilata-tion and collagen fiber deposition were obvious;total i-ron,MDA content increased and GSH activity de-creased(P<0.05);there was increased protein ex-pression of COL1A1,α-SMA,TGF-β,TFR-1 and de-creased protein expression of FTH-1(P<0.01);there was decreased mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2,SLC7A11,GPX4 in DKD group rats(P<0.01).Compared with the DKD group,blood glucose,24h-UP,BUN and Scr decreased(P<0.05);renal tissue le-sions were significantly reduced;total iron and MDA content decreased,and GSH activity increased(P<0.05);COL1A1,α-SMA,TGF-β,and TFR-1 protein expression decreased and FTH-1 protein expression in-creased(P<0.05,P<0.01);Nrf2,SLC7A11,GPX4 mRNA and protein expression increased in Fer-1 and PFH dose groups(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusions PFH attenuates renal histopathological injury in DKD rats,and the mechanism may be related to the regula-tion of the Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway.
8.Molecular characteristics of the HA genes of H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses originating from wild birds in wetlands in Fujian
Zhen CHEN ; Chun-hua ZHU ; Cui-teng CHEN ; Bin-qiong LIU ; Guo-zhang CAI ; Chun-he WAN ; Yu HUANG ; Shao-hua SHI
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(3):227-234
This study was aimed at evaluating the characteristics of H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses(AIVs)origina-ting from wild birds in major wetlands in Fujian.Five H9N2 subtype AIVs isolated from fecal samples from wild birds in wet-lands of the Minjiang River,Jiulong River,Sandu Bay,Xinghua Bay,and Quanzhou Bay in Fujian were sequenced.Sequence a-nalysis of the HA genes of the five H9N2 subtype AIVs indicated that the five isolates shared 89.8%-99.4%nucleotide se-quence identity.All five isolates belonged to the same h9.4.2.5c evolutionary branch.The cleavage site motifs of HA were all PSRSSR ↓ GLF,thus indicating molecular characteristics of AIVs with low pathogenicity.The HA proteins of the viruses orig-inating from wild birds bore eight identical potential glycosylation sites,among which the glycosylation site at position 313 was located near the HA protein cleavage site.The 226th amino acid of HA in the receptor binding site was leucine in each virus,thus indicating that HAs of the five H9N2 subtype AIVs had mammalian sialic acid α-2,6 receptor binding affinity.In conclu-sion,the five H9N2 subtype AIVs originating from wild birds in Fujian had low pathogenicity,and the HAs had mammalian sialic acid α-2,6 receptor binding affinity.
9.Impact of uric acid on female fertility and the pregnancy outcomes of assisted reproductive technology
Jun ZHANG ; Shuo HUANG ; Jing SHI ; Qiong LIU ; Donglin HAN ; Xiaojun YU ; Jie ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Reproduction and Contraception 2025;45(3):305-309
Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism in the human body. In recent years, the role of uric acid in female fertility and assisted reproductive technology (ART) has gained increasing attention. Dysregulation of uric acid metabolism can lead to hyperuricemia (HUA). HUA is not only closely related to metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases but may also adversely affect female fertility by influencing ovarian function and embryos development. In this review, we explored the role of uric acid in female fertility, including its association with female subfertility, infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes and metabolic syndrome, as well as its potential impact on ART like in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Further studies are needed to clarify the threshold and clinical intervention value of uric acid levels in women of childbearing age, providing a basis for reproductive health counseling and personalized pregnancy assistance for HUA patients of childbearing age.
10.Clinical trial of recombinant human growth hormone in treatment of children with growth hormone deficiency
Qiu-yue TAN ; Yong DENG ; Yue-qiong SHI
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2025;41(1):31-35
Objective To explore the clinical effects and influencing factors of recombinant human growth hormone(rhGH)treatment in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Methods The study subjects were pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency,all of whom received a combination therapy of stanozolol tablets 2 mg(qd)and 0.1 U·kg-1·d-1 of recombinant human growth hormone injection for a continuous period of one year.After one year,the patients were divided into active group and invalid group based on clinical outcomes.Comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of height,annual growth velocity(GV)and height standard deviation score(HtSDS)before and after treatment,and safety evaluations were conducted.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors that influenced the treatment outcomes in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency.Results After one year of treatment,a total of 93 cases pediatric patients were included in the analysis,with 62 cases in the active group and 31 cases in the invalid group.The heights of the patients before and after treatment were(119.40±2.48)and(129.08±2.37)cm,respectively;the GV were(3.08±0.39)and(7.34±1.02)cm·year-1,respectively;the HtSDS were-2.45±0.49 and-1.68±0.35,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P<0.05).In the active and invalid groups,the proportions of patients with GV<3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment were 32.26%and 58.06%,respectively;the proportions of patients with peak growth hormone(GH)levels<5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment were 30.65%and 54.84%,respectively;the average maternal heights were(158.83±5.76)and(155.48±6.58)cm,respectively,with statistically significant differences observed for all comparisons(all P<0.05).The results of the Logistic regression model showed that GV<3.0 cm·year-1 before treatment,peak GH levels<5.0 ng·mL-1 before treatment,and a shorter maternal height were independent risk factors for poor treatment outcomes with rhGH in pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency(all P<0.05).No severe adverse reactions occurred during the treatment of any patient;seven patients experienced pain at the injection site,one patient had a slight increase in blood glucose,and five patients had mild decreased appetite.The total incidence of adverse drug reactions were 13.98%(13 cases/93 cases).Conclusion Treatment with rhGH for pediatric patients with growth hormone deficiency can significantly improve height development and has good safety,but it is influenced by factors such as growth velocity,peak GH levels,and maternal height.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail