1.Effect of transcranial magneto-acousto-electrical stimulation on the plasticity of the prefrontal cortex network in mice
Shuai ZHANG ; Zichun LI ; Yihao XU ; Xiaofeng XIE ; Zhongsheng GUO ; Qingyang ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(6):1108-1117
BACKGROUND:Transcranial magneto-acoustic-electrical stimulation is a novel non-invasive neural regulation technique that utilizes the induced electric field generated by the coupling effect of ultrasound and static magnetic field to regulate the discharge activity of the nervous system.However,the mechanism by which it affects synaptic plasticity in the brain is still not enough. OBJECTIVE:To explore the effect of transcranial magneto-acoustic-electrical stimulation intensity on synaptic plasticity of the prefrontal cortex neural network in mice. METHODS:(1)Animal experiment:Twenty-four C57 mice were equally and randomly divided into four groups:the control group receiving pseudo-stimulation,the 6.35 W/cm2 stimulation group receiving coupled stimulation of 0.3 T,6.35 W/cm2,the 17.36 W/cm2 stimulation group receiving coupled stimulation of 0.3 T,17.36 W/cm2,and the 56.25 W/cm2 stimulation group receiving coupled stimulation of 0.3 T,56.25 W/cm2.The local field potential signals and behavioral correctness were recorded during the execution of T-maze in mice.(2)Modeling and simulation experiments:A neural network model of the prefrontal cortex in mice stimulated by transcranial magneto-acoustic-electrical stimulation was constructed to compare the structural connectivity characteristics of the neural network under different stimulation intensities. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Transcranial magneto-acoustic-electrical stimulation could effectively shorten the behavior learning time,improve the working memory ability of mice(P<0.05),and continue to stimulate the frontal lobe of mice after learning behavior.There was no significant difference in the accuracy of the T-maze behavioral experiment among the experimental groups(P>0.1).Analysis of local field potential signals in the frontal lobe of mice revealed that transcranial magneto-acoustic-electrical stimulation promoted energy enhancement of β and γ rhythms.As the stimulation intensity increased,there was an asynchronous decrease in β and γ rhythms.Through β-γ phase amplitude coupling,it was found that stimuli could enhance the neural network's ability to adapt to new information and task requirements.Modeling and simulation experiments found that stimulation could enhance the discharge level of the neural network,increase the long-term synaptic weight level,and decrease the short-term synaptic weight level only when the stimulation intensity was high.To conclude,there is a complex nonlinear relationship between different stimulus intensities and the functional structure of neural networks.This neural regulation technique may provide new possibilities for the treatment of related neurological diseases such as synaptic dysfunction and neural network abnormalities.
2.Interpretation on the Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (2025 edition)
Yangzhong ZHOU ; Jiuliang ZHAO ; Xinping TIAN ; Xiaofeng ZENG ; Mengtao LI
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(5):1193-1198
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a highly heterogeneous systemic autoimmune disease characterized by multi-organ involvement, recurrent flares, and chronic progression. With advances in diagnostics and therapeutics, SLE management is shifting from disease control toward long-term remission and organ protection. Incorporating recent global evidence and characteristics of the Chinese population, the National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases and the Chinese SLE Treatment and Research Group (CSTAR) have developed the
3.Single-cell RNA sequencing and the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration
Haotian CHENG ; Xiaofeng ZHAO ; Xiangdong LU ; Yibo ZHAO ; Zhifeng FAN ; Detai QI ; Xiaonan WANG ; Runtian ZHOU ; Xinjie JIN ; Bin ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(1):93-99
BACKGROUND:Intervertebral disc degeneration is clinically considered to be the main cause of low back pain,but due to the unclear pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration,there is still a lack of effective means to delay the progression of the disease.Single-cell RNA sequencing technology can amplify and sequence mRNA at the single-cell level,reveal the gene expression intensity of a single cell,discover different cell subsets in tissues according to the heterogeneity of cells,study the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration at the molecular level,and provide a new theoretical basis for its early diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE:To introduce the basic principles of single-cell RNA sequencing technology and review the research progress of single-cell RNA sequencing technology in intervertebral disc degeneration in recent years. METHODS:A computer was used to search PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI and WanFang databases for the literature published from 2012 to 2022.Key words were"single-cell RNA sequencing,intervertebral disc degeneration,sequencing Technology"in Chinese and English.Duplicate,poor-quality and irrelevant articles were excluded;a total of 70 articles were eventually included. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)We identified new cell subsets such as homeostatic chondrocytes,hypertrophy chondrocyte-like nucleus pulposus cells and fibrous nucleus pulposus cells,identified the marker genes and transcription factors of these cell subsets,and described the functions,differentiation paths and cell fate of these cell subsets during the development and progression of intervertebral disc degeneration,and proposed the concept of progenitor nucleus pulposus cells.A cell subpopulation with progenitor nucleus pulposus cells properties was identified and its effectiveness in treating intervertebral disc degeneration was verified in mice.(2)Fibro chondrocyte-like annulus fibrosus cells and annulus fibrosus stem cells with both cartilage and fiber properties were identified,and a new type of composite hydrogel was prepared by combining fibrous cartilage inducers silk fibroin and hyaluronic acid in vitro.Experiments in mice demonstrated that this hydrogel could repair both annulus fibrosus tissue and cartilage matrix,and was remarkably effective in the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration.(3)Regulatory chondrocytes were found in endplate cartilage.Two distinct fates in the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration were analyzed and the differential genes in the two fates were identified.Intercellular communication analysis indicated that regulatory chondrocytes interact with endothelial cells to promote angiogenesis.(4)Immune cells such as macrophages,T cells,myeloid progenitor cells and neutrophils were identified in the degenerated intervertebral disc tissues,demonstrating the existence of immune response during intervertebral disc degeneration.It was found that apolipoprotein induced the polarization of macrophages M1 and M2 subtypes,and this polarization process affected the activity of progenitor nucleus pulposus cells by amplifying the inflammatory response through the MIF signaling pathway.
4.Influencing factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy in patients with liver cirrhosis receiving secondary prevention of gastroesophageal varices
Shuang ZHAO ; Yuxuan ZHU ; Yue LIU ; Jing WANG ; Qun LI ; Minghui WANG ; Qianqian DONG ; Feifei FAN ; Xiaofeng LIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(12):2430-2440
ObjectiveTo investigate the influencing factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy and the effect of the number of sequential treatment sessions on postoperative rebleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis receiving secondary prevention of gastroesophageal varices (GOV). MethodsA total of 1 717 patients with liver cirrhosis who received secondary prevention of GOV and attended The 960th Hospital of the PLA Joint Logistice Support Force from January 2017 to December 2021 were enrolled, and according to the presence or absence of bleeding after endoscopic therapy, they were divided into non-bleeding group and rebleeding group. The influencing factors for rebleeding were analyzed, as well as the association between the number of endoscopic treatment sessions and rebleeding. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups; the independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between the two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison bertween multiple groups, and the Wilcoxon test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Cox regression model was used to investigate the influencing factors for rebleeding, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, while the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. ResultsOf all patients, 286 (16.7%) experienced rebleeding after endoscopic therapy, and 1 431 (83.3%) did not experience bleeding. There were significant differences between the two groups in history of smoking and drinking, etiology of liver cirrhosis, hemoglobin (Hb), prothrombin time (PT), prothrombin activity (PTA), international normalized ratio (INR), albumin (Alb), fasting blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, Child-Pugh class, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) score, albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score, use of non-selective beta-blocker (NSBB) before surgery, treatment modality, type of varices, and maximal varicose vein diameter (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that in the patients with liver cirrhosis who received secondary prevention of GOV, rebleeding was associated with history of smoking and drinking, etiology of liver cirrhosis, use of NSBB before surgery, treatment modality, maximal varicose vein diameter, Hb, platelet count, PT, PTA, INR, Alb, total bilirubin (TBil), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, blood glucose, Child-Pugh class, and ALBI score (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that Hb (hazard ratio [HR]=0.989, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.983 — 0.994, P<0.001), TBil (HR=1.020, 95%CI: 1.006 — 1.034, P=0.005), Alb (HR=0.868, 95%CI: 0.758 — 0.994, P=0.041), treatment modality (sclerosing agent: HR=2.158, 95%CI: 1.342 — 3.470, P=0.002; tissue adhesive: HR=2.709, 95%CI: 1.343 — 5.462, P=0.005; ligation+sclerosing agent: HR=3.181, 95%CI: 1.522 — 6.645, P=0.002; sclerosing agent+tissue adhesive: HR=1.851, 95%CI: 1.100 — 3.113, P=0.020), ALP (HR=1.003, 95%CI: 1.001 — 1.004, P=0.002), and maximal varicose vein diameter (HR=1.346, 95%CI: 1.119 — 1.618, P=0.002) were independent influencing factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy. Comparison of rebleeding rate after different numbers of sequential treatment sessions showed that the patients treated for three sessions had a significantly lower rebleeding rate than those treated for one or two sessions (χ2=8.643 and 5.277, P=0.003 and 0.022). The survival analysis showed that with the increase in the number of treatment sessions, there was a significantly longer interval between rebleeding (P=0.006) and a significantly lower mortality rate (P<0.001). ConclusionThe levels of TBil, ALP, Hb, and Alb on admission, endoscopic treatment modality, and maximal varicose vein diameter were the main predictive factors for rebleeding after endoscopic therapy for GOV in liver cirrhosis, and such predictive factors should be closely monitored in clinical practice. Regular endoscopic therapy can reduce the rebleeding and mortality rates of patients with liver cirrhosis and GOV and prolonmg the interval between rebleeding.
5.Effective Components and Antiarrhythmic Mechanisms of Wenxin Granules Based on CMC/UPLC-Q-TOF/MS
Lu YU ; Shule QIAN ; Haizhen GUO ; Yuke ZHAO ; Xiaofeng LI ; Wuxun DU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(19):124-132
ObjectiveTo employ the effective components and antiarrhythmic mechanism of Wenxin Granules (WXKL) by cell membrane chromatography (CMC) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS), combined with network pharmacology. MethodIn this study, the CMC/UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technique was employed to identify the components in WXKL that could specifically bind to myocardial cell membranes. By utilizing databases such as SwissTarget Prediction and GeneCards, the targets of WXKL's effective components and arrhythmia-related targets were mined. Cytoscape software was used to construct a "component-target-disease" network. Gene ontology(GO) function and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were carried out, and molecular docking of key components and targets was performed. Finally, further verification was conducted through in vivo experiment of rats. ResultA total of 39 effective components were identified in WXKL. These included 13 components derived from Panax notoginseng, 15 components from Codonopsis pilosula, seven components from Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, one component from Succinum, one component from Polygonatum odoratum, one component shared by both P. odoratum and C. pilosula, and one component shared by both Panax notoginseng and C. pilosula. Network pharmacology predicted that WXKL had 16 core antiarrhythmic targets and 79 related pathways, mainly involving adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)/protein kinase G (PKG), calcium signal, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), interleukin (IL)-17, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathways. The results of in vivo experiment of rats showed that WXKL significantly improved the expression of β1-adrenergic receptor (β1-AR), cAMP, TNF-α, and calcium voltage-gated channel subunit alpha 1C (CACNA1C). ConclusionWXKL can exert its antiarrhythmic effects through multiple components, multiple targets, and multiple pathways. This study provides a scientific basis for explaining the potential pharmacodynamic substance foundation and mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine in treating arrhythmia.
6.Palliative surgery versus simple medication therapy for secondary non-ischemic mitral regurgitation: A retrospective cohort study
Yiwei XU ; Mi ZHOU ; Jiaxi ZHU ; Lei KANG ; Xiaofeng YE ; Jiapei QIU ; Haiqing LI ; Zhe WANG ; Anqing CHEN ; Qiang ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2024;31(07):1000-1006
Objective To compare the effect of palliative mitral valve surgeries and medication therapies for secondary non-ischemic mitral regurgitation. Methods The clinical data of patients with non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation treated in our hospital between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)<40% underwent a dobutamine stress test, and a positive result was determined when the LVEF improved by more than 15% compared to the baseline value. Positive patients were divided into a surgery group and a medication group. The surgery group underwent surgical mitral valve repair or replacement, while the medication group received simple medication treatment. Follow-up on survival and cardiac function status through outpatient or telephone visits every six months after surgery, and patients underwent cardiac ultrasound examination one year after surgery. The main research endpoint was a composite endpoint of all-cause death, heart failure readmission, and heart transplantation, and the differences in cardiac function and cardiac ultrasound parameters between the two groups were compared. Results Ultimately 41 patients were collected, including 28 males and 13 females with an average age of 55.5±11.1 years. Twenty-five patients were in the surgery group and sixteen patients in the medication group. The median follow-up time was 16 months, ranging 1-96 months. The occurrence of all-cause death in the surgery group was lower than that in the medication group (HR=0.124, 95%CI 0.024-0.641, P=0.034). The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant in the composite endpoint (HR=0.499, 95%CI 0.523-1.631, P=0.229). The New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade of the surgery group was better (NYHA Ⅰ-Ⅱ accounted for 68.0% in the surgury group and 18.8% in the medication group, P<0.01) as well as the grade of mitral valve regurgitation (87.5% of the patients in the medication group had moderate or above regurgitation at follow-up, while all the patients in the surgery group had moderate below regurgitation, P<0.01). There was no statistical difference in preoperative and follow-up changes in echocardiograph parameters between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion For non-ischemic functional mitral regurgitation, if the cardiac systolic function is well reserved, mitral valve surgery can improve survival and quality of life compare to simple medication therapy.
7.Uyghur Medicine Yangxin Dawayimixike Honey Paste (养心达瓦依米西克蜜膏) in Treatment of 279 Cases Stable Angina Pectoris Patients with Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis Syndrome:A Multi-center,Double-blind,Positive-controlled Randomized Clinical Trial
Binghua JIANG ; Lihua FAN ; Xiaofeng WANG ; Yingmin SONG ; Yanlai ZHANG ; Songyan QIAO ; Jing DONG ; Lihua JIN ; Yanping DING ; MAINISHA·MAIMAITI ; Jixian ZHAO ; Dongsheng GAO ; Qiuping ZHAO ; Lingxia GUAN ; Hongbin SUN ; Meise LIN ; Hengliang WANG ; Jun LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(21):2225-2233
ObjectiveTo observe the efficacy and safety of Uyghur medicine Yangxin Dawayimixike Honey Paste (养心达瓦依米西克蜜膏, YDMHP) in the treatment of stable angina pectoris (SAP) of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. MethodsA randomized , double-blind, positive-controlled,multi-center clinical trial was conducted, in which 370 patients with SAP of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group(279 cases)and control group(91cases)at a ratio of 3∶1. The treatment group was orally administered with YDMHP, 3 g each time, and placebo of Xuefu Zhuyu Capsule (血府逐瘀胶囊), 2.4 g each time, while the control group was treated with Xuefu Zhuyu Capsule, 2.4 g each time, and placebo of YDMHP, 3 g each time, both twice a day for a course of 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the effect of angina pectoris symptom. The secondary outcomes include single angina symptom scores such as number of attacks, duration of attacks, pain intensity and usae of nitroglycerin scores, the total angina symptom score before and after the treatment, the usage of nitroglycerin, the exercise duration in treadmill exercise test (TET) and the Duck treadmill score among patients,the scores of Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) on five dimensions including physical limitations, anginal stability, anginal frequency, treatment satisfaction, and disease perception, and efficacy of TCM syndrome and of each single TCM symptom after treatment. The safety were evaluated by examine blood routine, urine routine, liver and kidney function, fasting blood sugar, electrocardiogram, adverse events. ResultsThe total effective rate of angina symptom in the treatment group was 71.69% (200/279), significantly higher than 51.64% (47/91) in the control group (P<0.01). The curative and markedly effective rate of TCM syndrome in the treatment group was 53.05% (148/279), which was significantly higher than 25.27% (23/91) in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, scores of the number as well as duration of angina attacks and pain severity, the total score of angina symptoms, and the usage of nitroglycerin significantly decreased in both groups, and more changes were seen in the treatment group than in the control group; the scores of physical limitations, anginal stability, anginal frequency, treatment satisfaction, and disease perception in both groups significantly increased, and more improvement were shown in the experimental group regarding the anginal stability, anginal frequency and treatment satisfaction (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The effects of chest pain, chest tightness, palpitation, shortness of breath and fatigue in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the exercise duration of treadmill test and Duke score among patients between the two groups either before or after treatment (P>0.05). Adverse events occurred in 66 cases (23.66%) of the experimental group and 16 cases (17.58%) of the control group, with no statistical significance between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionThe Uyghur medicine YDMHP can effectively improve symptoms of angina pectoris, reduce the number, duration, and intensity of attacks, decrease the dosage of nitrogly-cerin and improve the individual TCM symptoms and has good safety in the treatment of SAP patients of qi stagnation and blood stasis.
8.Preliminary experience of robotic-assisted kidney transplantation in a single center
Mingxiao ZHANG ; Zhenshan DING ; Jianfeng WANG ; Ying ZHAO ; Tianyu ZHANG ; Chuanzhen CAO ; Yisen DENG ; Xiaofeng ZHOU
Organ Transplantation 2024;15(3):422-428
Objective To evaluate the safety, effectiveness and feasibility of robotic-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT). Methods Clinical data of 16 patients who underwent kidney transplantation were collected. Among them, 8 recipients received RAKT (RAKT group) and 8 cases underwent open kidney transplantation (OKT) with the contralateral kidney from the same donor (OKT group). Perioperative status and the recovery of renal allograft function were compared between two groups. Results All patients successfully completed the surgery. In the RAKT group, no patient was converted to open surgery. The operation time in the RAKT group was longer than that in the OKT group (P=0.015). No significant differences were observed in the serum creatinine levels before surgery and upon discharge between two groups (both P>0.05). In the OKT group, one recipient developed delayed graft function (DGF), and the remaining recipients did not experience perioperative complications. No significant difference was noted in the short-term recovery of renal allograft function between two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions Postoperative recovery of the recipients in the RAKT group is equivalent to that of their counterparts in the OKT group. RAKT is a safe and effective procedure for the team expertise in kidney transplantation.
9.Study on Zhou Meisheng's moxibustion treatment for epidemic hemorrhagic fever based on data mining and knowledge map
Bingyuan ZHOU ; Caifeng ZHU ; Haiyang ZHAO ; Xiaofeng QIN ; Fei DAI ; Na ZHANG ; Yumei JIA ; Anqi WU
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;46(3):369-376
Objective:To explore the therapeutic law of moxibustion in Professor Zhou Meisheng's medical manuscripts for epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) based on data mining and knowledge map technology.Methods:The manuscript data of Professor Zhou Meisheng's moxibustion treatment of EHFwere collected from Infectious Diseases Department of Dangshan County People's Hospital from December 16, 1985 to December 25, 1987. Graphpad Grism 8.0 software was used for descriptive analysis. PHP 5.4 program code was used for association rule analysis. SPSS Statistics 26.0 was used for clustering analysis. Neo4j Community 3.5.25 database was used to analyze the syndrome-weight graph.Results:205 prescriptions were included. There were 21 symptoms with frequency>40, in which the frequency of aversion to cold, fever, rash and irritability was 100%. The main types of moxibustion methods used in the treatment included moxibustion frame fumigation moxibustion, Wanying acupoint moxibustion pen moxibustion, and fire needle instead of moxibustion. There were 29 acupoints with a frequency of >25, including Zhongwan (CV12), Shenshu (BL23) and Mingmen (DU4), etc. Association rules showed that Sanyinjiao (SP6)-Zhongwan (CV12)-Feishu (BL13)-Shenshu (BL23)-Zhiyang (DU9) had the highest correlation. Six effective clustering combinations of moxibustion for EHF were summarized by clustering analysis. The weight graph can obtained the first 30 relationships with high correlation of target syndromes.Conclusions:Professor Zhou applied the idea of "moxibustion for heat syndrome" to the treatment of EHF, and took the method of "acupoint selection according to symptoms" as the main acupoint selection idea for moxibustion treatment of EHF. In clinical practice, moxibustion combined with auxiliary operation of TCM is often used to treat EHF, which can achieve good results.
10.Quality Evaluation Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine Knowledge Bases and the Construction of Evaluation Indexes
Saisai ZHAO ; Yaqi FAN ; Yun ZHANG ; Weiguang WANG ; Zijie CHEN ; Xiaofeng LIU ; Shuangqing ZHAI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(11):1115-1119
From the perspectives of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) information knowledge base and assisted decision-making knowledge base, the construction status, quality evaluation status and existing problems of current TCM knowledge bases have been sorted out. And based on the quality evaluation strategies and dimensions of know-ledge bases in other disciplines, the evaluation indexes for TCM knowledge base is discussed, and the evaluation framework is initially formed, providing ideas for the improvement of the TCM knowledge base evaluation system. In terms of the evaluation indexes, there are basic evaluation dimensions which include data sources, data collection, and data application. The specific evaluation dimension of the information-based knowledge base is data quality, while that of the assisted decision-making knowledge base is data matching. Except for the data application dimension which counts the valid data items in the database for calculation, other indexes are scored based on the qualitative evaluation of "yes", "no" or "unknown". The basic evaluation score and the specific evaluation score are added to obtain the total score. The knowledge base is graded according to the score, and the results are presented in the form of grade plus number.

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