1.Regulation of Rat Intervertebral Disc Annulus Fibrosus Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis by Yaoshu Zhuyu Fang via miR-17-5P/MDM2/p53 Pathway
Haitao JIANG ; Hantao YUAN ; Wenting HUANG ; Rongrong YANG ; Xiaochun CHEN ; Baoqing YU ; Sibo LI
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2026;46(1):55-65
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Yaoshu Zhuyu Fang on the regulation of the microRNA-17-5P (miR-17-5P)/murine double minute 2 (MDM2)/p53 axis in the proliferation and apoptosis of rat intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus cells, and its potential molecular mechanism. MethodsIntervertebral disc annulus fibrosus tissues were obtained from 8-week-old SPF-grade male SD rats, and annulus fibrosus cells were isolated and obtained by enzyme digestion and mechanical dispersion. Annulus fibrosus cells were divided into 6 groups: Group C was the blank control group, in which annulus fibrosus cells were not treated with interleukin-1β (IL-1β) but were cultured in RPMI 1640 complete medium. Group β was the degeneration model group constructed by treating annulus fibrosus cells with 10 ng/mL IL-1β for 24 h. Group β+B was the IL-1β + blank serum group, in which annulus fibrosus cells were first treated with IL-1β to construct the degeneration model, then treated with RPMI 1640 medium containing 5% blank serum for 24 h. Group β+W was the IL-1β + Yaoshu Zhuyu Fang-containing serum group, in which annulus fibrosus cells were first treated with IL-1β to construct the degeneration model, then treated with RPMI 1640 medium containing 5% Yaoshu Zhuyu Fang-containing serum for 24 h. Group β+I was the IL-1β + miR-17-5P inhibitor group, in which annulus fibrosus cells were first treated with IL-1β to construct the degeneration model, then transfected with miR-17-5P inhibitor. Group β+I+W was the IL-1β + miR-17-5P inhibitor + Yaoshu Zhuyu Fang-containing serum group, in which annulus fibrosus cells were first treated with IL-1β to construct the degeneration model, then transfected with miR-17-5P inhibitor, and finally treated with RPMI 1640 medium containing 5% Yaoshu Zhuyu Fang-containing serum for 24 h. CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell survival rate. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression levels of miR-17-5P, MDM2 mRNA, and p53 mRNA in cells. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of MDM2 and p53 in cells. Dual-luciferase reporter system was used to analyze the targeting relationship between miR-17-5P and MDM2. ResultsCompared with Group C, Group β showed a significant decrease in cell survival rate (P<0.001), a significant increase in cell apoptosis rate (P<0.001), significantly increased expression of miR-17-5P, p53 mRNA, and p53 protein (P<0.001), and significantly decreased expression of MDM2 mRNA and protein (P<0.001). Compared with Group β, Group β+W, Group β+I, and Group β+I+W showed significantly increased cell survival rate, significantly decreased apoptosis rate, significantly decreased expression of miR-17-5P, p53 mRNA, and p53 protein, and significantly increased expression of MDM2 mRNA and protein (P<0.001). Moreover, changes in the above indicators were greater in Group β+I+W (P<0.001). Circular RNA Interactome predicted that miR-17-5P had specific binding sites with the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of MDM2. Transfection of miR-17-5P mimic significantly reduced the luciferase expression level of co-transfected luciferase reporter plasmid containing wild-type MDM2 3'UTR (P<0.05), but had no significant effect on luciferase expression in cells co-transfected with luciferase reporter plasmid containing mutant MDM2 3'UTR (P>0.05). ConclusionYaoshu Zhuyu Fang down-regulates the expression of miR-17-5P, promotes the synthesis of MDM2 protein, thereby down-regulates p53, promotes proliferation, and inhibits the apoptosis of rat intervertebral disc annulus fibrosus cells.
2.Consistent Detection of Aquaporin-4 Antibodies:A Comparative Analysis Between Fixed and Live Cell-Based Assays
Jing WANG ; Linge WANG ; Xiaolin YANG ; Zhizhong LI ; Jinyu JIANG ; Qiao XU ; Siyuan HUANG ; Qing FU ; Yang YANG ; Rongrong ZHANG ; Lin YANG ; Ai CHEN ; Xiaopeng ZENG ; Ke XU ; Peng ZHENG ; Xinyue QIN ; Jinzhou FENG
Journal of Clinical Neurology 2026;22(2):212-220
Background:
and Purpose Live cell-based assays (LCBA) are increasingly used for serological antibody detection due to their ability to preserve antigen conformation, offering moderately higher sensitivity than fixed cell-based assays. However, the clinical necessity of prioritizing LCBA for the detection of aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remains unclear, especially when compared to its established role in diagnosing myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease.
Methods:
We compared the performance of live cell-based assays using immunofluorescence (LCBA-IF) and fixed cell-based assays using immunofluorescence (FCBA-IF) in detecting AQP4-IgG in 90 cases of NMOSD meeting 2015 International Panel for Neuromyelitis Optica Diagnosis criteria, alongside 40 controls. Additionally, we further investigated the relationship between AQP4-IgG titers as measured by LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF and clinical parameters in NMOSD patients.
Results:
Results showed 96.9% agreement between LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF (Cohen’s κ=0.935), with a strong Spearman correlation (0.977, p<0.001). Both methods demonstrated 100% specificity, with LCBA-IF showing slightly higher sensitivity compared to FCBA-IF. Within LCBAIF-tested groups, statistically significant differences in annualized relapse rates were observed across all pairwise comparisons (low-titer vs. moderate-titer, low-titer vs. high-titer, and moderate-titer vs. high-titer; all p<0.050). However, this association reached statistical significance in some FCBA-IF-tested groups.
Conclusions
Overall, there is a strong concordance between LCBA-IF and FCBA-IF in detecting AQP4-IgG, where LCBA-IF shows slightly higher sensitivity. Furthermore, there is a potential link between elevated AQP4-IgG titers and an increased risk of relapse, and this correlation may appear more pronounced when using LCBA-IF.
3.Cross-border high-quality clinical nutrition internship program for Hong Kong college students at the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Rongrong LI ; Fumin HUANG ; Kang YU ; Fang WANG ; Wei CHEN ; Yanping LIU ; Junren KANG ; Wenyan SUN ; Pengju LIU ; Jin FU ; Peipei CHEN ; Wei WEI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2025;33(4):311-314
Cross-border teaching provides new opportunities for college students to gain diverse insights amid the globalization and internationalized education, In July 2024, guided by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Nutrition Society and the Hong Kong Nutrition Association collaborated to host a three-week clinical nutrition internship at Peking Union Medical College Hospital for five college students from Hong Kong SAR, China. This program included participating in outpatient rounds, attending in inpatient nutrition management, and attending lectures, aiming to enhance students' professional skills and clinical experience. Cultural exchange and value-based education also enriched students' social responsibility and cultural understanding. The Hong Kong students also brought diverse cultural backgrounds and inputs, enabling multidimensional communication during the training. Post-internship feedback survey showed that the students found the inernship valuable for their career development and hoped for more learning opportunities. This cross-border high-quality internship program fostered skill enhancement, cultural exchange between young students in Beijing and Hong Kong and contributed to advancement of clinical nutrition.
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.Evaluation and Factor Analysis of Preoperative Medication-Related Issues in Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery
Yingkun LIU ; Ning PANG ; Chaoqun MA ; Rongrong FAN ; Yi LIU ; Yanguo LIU ; Lin HUANG ; Xiaohong ZHANG
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(5):764-770
Objective To evaluate drug-related problems(DRPs)and to analyze the influencing factors of patients un-dergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS)before operation in thoracic surgery.Methods Clinical pharmacists used the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe(PCNE)classification system(version 9.1)to analyze DRPs and influencing fac-tors of patients who received VATS from March 1 to May 31,2023,and had at least one comorbidity.Results Out of 300 pa-tients,174 were involved in a total of 200 DRPs.The most common category of DRPs is treatment safety(47.50%),followed by treatment effectiveness(46.00%)and others(6.50%).The most common cause of the problem is drug selection(33.83%),fol-lowed by other(33.33%)and patient cause(19.90%).367 interventions were conducted for DRPs,with the most interventions being at the drug level(55.86%),followed by the doctor level(39.24%)and the patient level(3.54%).In the end,96.00%of the intervention plan was accepted,and 86.50%of the problems were resolved.There were significant differences(P<0.05)in the number of underlying diseases,medication varieties,body mass index(BMI),and length of hospital stay between the group with and without DRPs.The results of multivariate analysis showed that comorbidities,number of medication types,and BMI were independent risk factors for preoperative occurrence(or potential)of DRPs in VATS patients in thoracic surgery(OR>1,P<0.05).Conclusions Clinical pharmacists can effectively evaluate preoperative DRPs in patients undergoing VATS in thoracic surgery through the PCNE classification system.Comorbidities,number of medications,and BMI are influential factors for the oc-currence of preoperative DRPs.Future clinical practice should focus on these risk factors to optimize treatment strategies and re-duce the occurrence of DRPs.
6.Home Medicine Cabinet Management and Pharmacy Service Exploration for Elderly Hypertensive Patients in Hubei Province
Rongrong HUANG ; Xuan XIA ; Baoli XU ; Ruxu YOU ; Yongning LYU ; Zhigang ZHAO ; Xuefeng CAI
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(12):1956-1961
Objective To investigate the current status of home medicine cabinet management and unmet needs for home-based pharmaceutical services among elderly hypertensive patients in Hubei Province,and to provide evidence for optimizing home pharmaceutical care models.Methods From July 2022 to March 2023,310 elderly hypertension patients across Hubei Province were enrolled.Pharmacists conducted home visits to administer structured questionnaires capturing demographics and blood pressure control rates,perform medication categorization and quality assessments of home medicine cabinets and document cabinet management issues in real-time.Results Among 290 valid questionnaires,binary logistic regression revealed better blood pressure control in non-working and non-smoking individuals.Medicine cabinet audits identified three critical issues:failure to separate Chinese and chemical medicines,duplicate medications with similar ingredients and missing original packaging.Post-intervention,all cabinets demonstrated proper medication categorization and storage compliance.Conclusions Significant medication safety hazards exist in elderly hypertensive patients'home medicine cabinets.Pharmacist-led home interventions effectively cleared substandard medications and improved medication safety.Future home pharmaceutical services should focus on optimizing cabinet management protocols,enhancing medication safety awareness and personalizing pharmaceutical care to ensure precise and effective home-based medication management.
7.Relationship between Irisin and the Risk of Sarcopenia in Elderly Patients with Hyperhomocysteinemia of Different Genders
Rongrong HUANG ; Chaoyi TANG ; Lu QIAO
Journal of Medical Research 2025;54(10):58-63,104
Objective To study the relationship between irisin and the risk of sarcopenia in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteine-mia of different genders.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 180 elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia who were ad-mitted to the Geriatrics Department of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between January 2021 and January 2023.The study partici-pants were categorized into the male sarcopenia group(n=43)and the male non-sarcopenia group(n=57),the female sarcopenia group(n=44),and the female non-sarcopenia group(n=36)according to the《2019 Consensus Update on the Diagnosis and Treat-ment of Sarcopenia》.Serum irisin levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the clinical data of patients in sar-copenia and non-sarcopenia groups were compared under different genders.Serum irisin concentrations were grouped into quartiles,and the differences in the indicators related to sarcopenia[appendicular skeletal muscle mass index(ASMI),grip strength,and step speed]were statistically assessed among the four groups using analysis of ANOVA or the Kruskal-Wallis test.Multifactorial Logistic regression a-nalysis was used to evaluate the influencing factors of sarcopenia in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinemia of different genders.Results Among elderly male patients,there were statistically significant differences in age,irisin,hemoglobin,total protein,albumin,triglycerides,High-density lipoprotein cholesterol,ASMI and percent body fat between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group(P<0.05).Among elderly female patients,there were statistically significant differences in irisin,C-reactive protein,platelets count,uric acid,ASMI and percent body fat between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group(P<0.05).After statistical a-nalysis,it was found that the ASMI was significantly different between the irisin quartile groups of elderly male patients with hyperhomo-cysteinemia(P<0.001);grip strength and step speed were significantly different between the irisin quartile groups of elderly female pa-tients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P=0.016,0.020).Multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that serum irisin(OR=0.951,95%CI:0.905-0.999)and percent body fat(OR=0.741,95%CI:0.641-0.857)were independent influences on the development of sarcopenia in elderly male patients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P<0.05).Serum irisin(OR=0.942,95%CI:0.892-0.994),per-cent body fat(OR=0.698,95%CI:0.576-0.846),and platelet count(OR=1.013,95%CI:1.002-1.024)were independent influencing factors for sarcopenia in the elderly female patients with hyperhomocysteinemia(P<0.05).Conclusion Elevated serum iri-sin and body fat percentage are independent protective factors against sarcopenia in elderly male and female patients with hyperhomocys-teinemia;elevated platelet count is an independent risk factor for sarcopenia in elderly female patients with hyperhomocysteinemia.
8.Cross-border high-quality clinical nutrition internship program for Hong Kong college students at the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Rongrong LI ; Fumin HUANG ; Kang YU ; Fang WANG ; Wei CHEN ; Yanping LIU ; Junren KANG ; Wenyan SUN ; Pengju LIU ; Jin FU ; Peipei CHEN ; Wei WEI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2025;33(4):311-314
Cross-border teaching provides new opportunities for college students to gain diverse insights amid the globalization and internationalized education, In July 2024, guided by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Nutrition Society and the Hong Kong Nutrition Association collaborated to host a three-week clinical nutrition internship at Peking Union Medical College Hospital for five college students from Hong Kong SAR, China. This program included participating in outpatient rounds, attending in inpatient nutrition management, and attending lectures, aiming to enhance students' professional skills and clinical experience. Cultural exchange and value-based education also enriched students' social responsibility and cultural understanding. The Hong Kong students also brought diverse cultural backgrounds and inputs, enabling multidimensional communication during the training. Post-internship feedback survey showed that the students found the inernship valuable for their career development and hoped for more learning opportunities. This cross-border high-quality internship program fostered skill enhancement, cultural exchange between young students in Beijing and Hong Kong and contributed to advancement of clinical nutrition.
9.Influencing Factor Analysis and Prediction Model Construction of Immune-Related Thyroid Dysfunction Caused by Sintilimab Treatment in Solid Tumors
Yanjun CUI ; Tian MA ; Yi LIU ; Libo ZHAO ; Xinyi DU ; Ling JIAO ; Aijun CHAI ; Rongrong FAN ; Yanguo LIU ; Lin HUANG ; Xiaohong ZHANG
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(10):1556-1561
Objective To explore the influencing factors of immune-associated thyroid dysfunction caused by sintilimab treatment in solid tumors and construct a prediction model.Methods Medical records of patients diagnosed with solid tumors and treated with sintilimab at Peking University People's Hospital(Xizhimen Campus,Tongzhou Campus,Shijiazhuang Campus)from January 2023 to September 2024 were collected to explore the influencing factors that caused immune-related thyroid dysfunction using univariate and multifactorial binary logistic regression analyses and to establish a prediction model.The predictive effect of the model was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results A total of 120 patients were included,and 33 presented with immune-related thyroid dysfunction.Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)[OR=2.470,95%CI=(1.279,4.771)]and treatment cycles[OR=1.298,95%CI=(1.117,1.509)]were independent risk factors for the occurrence of immune-associated thyroid dysfunction,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve was(0.897±0.043)[95%CI=(0.813,0.981)],the Yoden index was 0.703,and the model prediction accuracy was 86.5%.Conclusion The risk of immune-related thyroid dysfunction caused by sintilimab is high,and TSH and treatment cycle are the influencing factors,and the constructed model has certain predictive value and is of reference significance.
10.Predictive value of pre-treatment circulating tumor DNA genomic landscape in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma undergoing anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy: Insights from tumor cells and T cells
Rongrong CHEN ; Chunxiang JIN ; Kai LIU ; Mengyu ZHAO ; Tingting YANG ; Mingming ZHANG ; Pingnan XIAO ; Jingjing FENG ; Ruimin HONG ; Shan FU ; Jiazhen CUI ; Simao HUANG ; Guoqing WEI ; He HUANG ; Yongxian HU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(19):2481-2490
Background::B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) therapy yield remarkable responses in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/RMM). Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) reportedly exhibits distinct advantages in addressing the challenges posed by tumor heterogeneity in the distribution and genetic variations in R/RMM.Methods::Herein, the ctDNA of 108 peripheral blood plasma samples from patients with R/RMM at the First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University was thoroughly investigated before administration of anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy to establish its predictive potential. Flow cytometry is used primarily to detect subgroups of T cells or CAR-T cells.Results::In this study, several tumor and T cell effector-mediated factors were considered to be related to treatment failure by an integrat analysis, including higher percentages of multiple myeloma (MM) cells in the bone marrow ( P = 0.0125), lower percentages of CAR-T cells in the peripheral blood at peak ( P = 0.0375), and higher percentages of CD8 + T cells ( P = 0.0340). Furthermore, there is a substantial correlation between high ctDNA level (>143 ng/mL) and shorter progression-free survival (PFS) ( P = 0.007). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high levels of ctDNA (>143 ng/mL), MM-driven high-risk mutations (including IGLL5 [ P = 0.004], IRF4 [ P = 0.024], and CREBBP [ P = 0.041]), number of multisite mutations, and resistance-related mutation ( ERBB4, P = 0.040) were independent risk factors for PFS. Conclusion::Finally, a ctDNA-based risk model was built based on the above independent risk factors, which serves as an adjunct non-invasive measure of substantial tumor burden and a prognostic genetic feature that can assist in predicting the response to anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy.

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