1.Mechanism of Shenfu Xiongze Prescription in Regulating Autophagy Level to Intervene in Myocardial Remodeling in Rats via AMPK/mTOR Signaling Pathway
Xueqing WANG ; Wei ZHONG ; Liangliang PAN ; Caihong LI ; Man HAN ; Xiaowei YANG ; Yuanwang YU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):136-144
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism by which the Shenfu Xiongze prescription regulates autophagy in rats with myocardial remodeling through the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. MethodsA rat model of myocardial remodeling induced by isoprenaline (ISO) was established. Rats were divided into the blank group,the model group,the low-,medium-, and high-dose groups of Shenfu Xiongze prescription,and the captopril group, 6 rats in each group. Except for the blank group,the rat model of myocardial remodeling was established in the other groups by intraperitoneal injection of 2.5 mg·kg-1 ISO for 3 consecutive weeks. At the same time of modeling, the low-,medium-, and high-dose groups of Shenfu Xiongze prescription were administered the corresponding doses of Shenfu Xiongze prescription solution (8.4,16.8,and 33.6 g·kg-1),and the captopril group was administered captopril solution (25 mg·kg-1). As for the blank group and the model group, the same volume of normal saline was given. The treatment was continued for 3 weeks. Echocardiography was used to observe the cardiac structure and function,and the heart weight index was detected. Masson staining and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining were used to observe the pathological morphology changes of myocardial tissue. The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of type Ⅰ collagen (Collagen Ⅰ),type Ⅲ collagen (Collagen Ⅲ),and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) proteins in myocardial tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry. Autophagy was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The mRNA expression of Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ,α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA),LC3,yeast Atg6 homolog protein (Beclin-1),AMPK,and mTOR in myocardial tissue was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). The protein expression of Collagen Ⅰ,α-SMA,transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1),LC3,Beclin-1,p62, phosphorylation(p)-AMPK,p-mTOR,AMPK,and mTOR was detected by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group,rats in the model group exhibited significantly decreased values of ejection fraction (EF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (FS) (P<0.01), significantly increased values of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVIDd) and left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVIDs) (P<0.01). Additionally, the model group also showed increased degrees of inflammatory infiltration and fibrosis of myocardial tissue, significantly elevated levels of serum IL-6 and BNP (P<0.01), significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of Collagen Ⅰ,Collagen Ⅲ,α-SMA,and mTOR (P<0.01),and markedly decreased mRNA and protein levels of LC3,Beclin-1,and AMPK (P<0.05,P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the low-,medium-, and high-dose groups of Shenfu Xiongze prescription presented significantly elevated EF and FS values (P<0.01) and lowered LVIDd and LVIDs (P<0.05). In these groups, the inflammation and fibrosis were alleviated significantly. They also exhibited decreased serum levels of IL-6 and BNP (P<0.01), significantly reduced protein expression of Collagen Ⅰ, α-SMA, TGF-β1, p62, and p-mTOR (P<0.01), significantly decreased mRNA expression of Collagen Ⅰ, Collagen Ⅲ, α-SMA, and mTOR (P<0.01), and significantly increased mRNA and protein levels of LC3, Beclin-1, and AMPK (P<0.05,P<0.01). ConclusionThe Shenfu Xiongze prescription can improve the myocardial remodeling induced by ISO in rats by regulating the autophagy level,enhance cardiac function,and reduce inflammatory and fibrotic levels. This effect may be achieved through the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.
2.An analysis of the seasonal epidemic characteristics of influenza in Kunming City of Yunnan Province from 2010 to 2024
Zexin HU ; Min DAI ; Wenlong LI ; Minghan WANG ; Xiaowei DENG ; Yue DING ; Hongjie YU ; Juan YANG ; Hong LIU
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(8):643-648
ObjectiveTo characterize the seasonal patterns of influenza in Kunming City, Yunnan Province before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide scientific evidence for optimizing influenza prevention and control strategies. MethodsInfluenza-like illness (ILI) and etiological surveillance data for influenza from the 14th week of 2010 to the 13th week of 2024 in Kunming City of Yunnan Province were collected. Harmonic regression models were constructed to analyze the epidemic characteristics and seasonal patterns of influenza before (2010/2011‒2019/2020 influenza seasons), during (2020/2021‒2022/2023 influenza seasons), and after (2023/2024 influenza season) the COVID-19 pandemic. ResultsBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, influenza in Kunming City mainly exhibited an annual cyclic pattern without a significant semi-annual periodicity, peaking from December to February of the next year, with an epidemic duration of 20‒30 weeks. During the pandemic, influenza seasonality shifted, with an increase in semi-annual periodicity and an approximate one month delay in annual peaks. However, after the pandemic, the annual amplitude of influenza increased compared with that before the pandemic, and the epidemic duration extended by about one month. Although the annual peak largely reverted to the pre-pandemic levels, the annual peaks for different influenza subtypes/lineages had not fully recovered. ConclusionInfluenza seasonality in Kunming City underwent substantial alterations following the COVID-19 pandemic and has not yet fully reverted to pre-pandemic levels. Continuous surveillance on different subtypes/lineages of influenza viruses remains essential, and prevention and control strategies should be adjusted and optimized in a timely manner based on current epidemic trends.
3.Long-term safety and effectiveness of roxadustat in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease-associated anemia: The ROXSTAR registry.
Xiaoying DU ; Yaomin WANG ; Haifeng YU ; Jurong YANG ; Weiming HE ; Zunsong WANG ; Dongwen ZHENG ; Xiaowei LI ; Shuijuan SHEN ; Dong SUN ; Weimin YU ; Detian LI ; Changyun QIAN ; Yiqing WU ; Shuting PAN ; Jianghua CHEN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(12):1465-1476
BACKGROUND:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated anemia (CKD-anemia) is associated with poor survival, and hemoglobin targets are often not achieved with current therapies. Phase 3 trials have demonstrated the treatment efficacy of roxadustat for CKD-anemia. This phase 4 study aims to evaluate the long-term (52-week) safety and effectiveness of roxadustat in a broad real-world patient population with CKD-anemia with and without dialysis in China.
METHODS:
This Phase 4 multicenter, open-label, prospective study, conducted from 24 November 2020 to 11 November 2022, evaluated the long-term safety and effectiveness of roxadustat for CKD-anemia in China. Patients aged ≥18 years with CKD-anemia with or without dialysis were included. The initial oral dose was 70-120 mg (weight-based followed by dose adjustment) over 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was safety based on adverse events (AEs). The secondary endpoints were hemoglobin changes from baseline and the proportion of patients who achieved mean hemoglobin ≥100 g/L. Effectiveness evaluable populations 1 (EE1) and EE2 included roxadustat-naïve and previously roxadustat-treated patients, respectively. The safety analysis set (SAF) included all patients who received ≥1 occasion.
RESULTS:
The EE1, EE2, and SAF populations included 1804, 193, and 2021 patients, respectively. In the SAF, the mean age was 50 ± 14 years, and 1087 patients (53.8%) were male. Mean baseline hemoglobin was 96.9 ± 14.0 g/L in EE1 and 100.3 ± 12.9 g/L in EE2. In EE1, the mean (95% confidence interval) hemoglobin changes from baseline over weeks 24-36 and 36-52 were 14.2 (13.5-14.9) g/L and 14.3 (13.5-15.0) g/L, respectively. Over weeks 24-36 and 36-52, 83.3% and 86.1% of patients in EE1 and 82.7% and 84.7% in EE2 achieved mean hemoglobin ≥100 g/L, respectively. In the SAF, 1643 (81.3%) patients experienced treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs). Overall, 219 (10.8%) patients experienced drug-related TEAEs. Thirty-eight (1.9%) patients died of TEAEs (unrelated to the study drug). Vascular access thrombosis was uncommon.
CONCLUSIONS:
Roxadustat (52 weeks) increased hemoglobin and maintained the treatment target in Chinese patients with CKD-anemia with acceptable safety, supporting its use in real-world settings.
REGISTRATION
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( www.chictr.org.cn ) ChiCTR2100046322; CDE ( www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn ) CTR20201568.
Humans
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Male
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Female
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Anemia/etiology*
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Middle Aged
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Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/complications*
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Glycine/adverse effects*
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Isoquinolines/adverse effects*
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Aged
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Prospective Studies
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Adult
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Hemoglobins/metabolism*
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Treatment Outcome
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China
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Registries
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East Asian People
4.Dual-ferroptosis induction-based microneedle patches for enhanced chemodynamic/photothermal combination therapy against triple-negative breast cancer.
Yujie WANG ; Zhaoyou CHU ; Peisan WANG ; Tao LI ; Yu JIN ; Silong WU ; Xiaowei SONG ; Weinan ZHANG ; Miaomiao YANG ; Zhengbao ZHA ; Haisheng QIAN ; Yan MA
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(8):4210-4224
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains a refractory subtype of breast cancer due to its resistance to various therapeutic strategies. In this study, we introduce a "brake-release and accelerator-pressing" approach to engineer a microneedle patch embedded with copper-doped Prussian blue nanoparticles (Cu-PB) and the ferroptosis inducer sorafenib (SRF) for raised chemodynamic (CDT)/photothermal (PTT) combination therapy against TNBC. Upon transdermal insertion, the dissolving microneedles swiftly disintegrate and facilitate the release of SRF. Under gentle external light exposure, copper ions (Cu2+) and iron ions (Fe3+) were liberated from Cu-PB. The direct chelation of Cu2+ and the indirect suppression by SRF, collectively attenuate glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) enzymatic function, destabilizing the cellular redox equilibrium (referred to as the "brake-release" strategy). The release of Cu2+ and Fe3+ ions instigates a Fenton/Fenton-like reaction within tumor cells, further yielding hydroxyl radicals and elevating reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations (referred to as the "accelerator-pressing" strategy). This overwhelming ROS accumulation, coupled with the impaired clearance of resultant lipid peroxides (LPO), ultimately triggers a robust ferroptosis cell death response. In summary, this study presents an innovative combinatorial therapeutic strategy based on dual-ferroptosis induction for TNBC, implying a promising therapeutic platform for developing ferroptosis-centered treatments for this aggressive breast cancer subtype.
5.PARylation promotes acute kidney injury via RACK1 dimerization-mediated HIF-1α degradation.
Xiangyu LI ; Xiaoyu SHEN ; Xinfei MAO ; Yuqing WANG ; Yuhang DONG ; Shuai SUN ; Mengmeng ZHANG ; Jie WEI ; Jianan WANG ; Chao LI ; Minglu JI ; Xiaowei HU ; Xinyu CHEN ; Juan JIN ; Jiagen WEN ; Yujie LIU ; Mingfei WU ; Jutao YU ; Xiaoming MENG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(9):4673-4691
Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation (PARylation) is a specific form of post-translational modification (PTM) predominantly triggered by the activation of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1). However, the role and mechanism of PARylation in the advancement of acute kidney injury (AKI) remain undetermined. Here, we demonstrated the significant upregulation of PARP1 and its associated PARylation in murine models of AKI, consistent with renal biopsy findings in patients with AKI. This elevation in PARP1 expression might be attributed to trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3). Furthermore, a reduction in PARylation levels mitigated renal dysfunction in the AKI mouse models. Mechanistically, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry indicated that PARylation mainly occurred in receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1), thereby facilitating its subsequent phosphorylation. Moreover, the phosphorylation of RACK1 enhanced its dimerization and accelerated the ubiquitination-mediated hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) degradation, thereby exacerbating kidney injury. Additionally, we identified a PARP1 proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC), A19, as a PARP1 degrader that demonstrated superior protective effects against renal injury compared with PJ34, a previously identified PARP1 inhibitor. Collectively, both genetic and drug-based inhibition of PARylation mitigated kidney injury, indicating that the PARylated RACK1/HIF-1α axis could be a promising therapeutic target for AKI treatment.
6.Hemorrhagic transformation and its high-risk factors in patients with acute cerebral infarction treated with alteplase
Qing YANG ; Chunxia GE ; Aiping CAO ; Xiaowei XU ; Yu NIU
Journal of Navy Medicine 2025;46(3):257-261
Objective To analyze the status quo and high-risk factors of hemorrhagic transformation(HT)in patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI)treated with alteplase(rt-PA).Methods A total of 462 patients with ACI who were admitted to Hai'an People's Hospital and treated with rt-PA from June 2019 to June 2023 were retrospectively emrolled.According to the occurrence of HT,the patients were assigned to HT group(n=31)or non-HT group(n=431).The clinical data of the two groups were compared,and high-risk factors of HT in ACI patients treated with rt-PA were analyzed.Results The incidence of HT was 6.71%(31/462).Multivariate logistic analysis showed that increased systolic blood pressure(SBP),severe cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD),and increased neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)were the high-risk factors of HT in patients with ACI after treatment with rt-PA(P<0.05).Conclusion There is a high incidence of HT in patients with ACI after treatment with rt-PA,the levels of SBP,CSVD and NLR are the influencing factors,and they can provide a basis for prediction and clinical intervention.
7.Research progress of trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type 1 in breast cancer
Jingchun XU ; Guihong DAI ; Lu WANG ; Xiaowei ZHU ; Hong YU
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2025;29(6):143-148
Breast cancer is one of the most common tumors worldwide.Despite significant pro-gress in diagnosis and treatment,the incidence and mortality rates remain high due to its highly inva-sive and metastatic characteristics.Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type 1(TRPS1)is an atypical globin transcription factor-1(GATA).It plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation and differentiation and tissue growth.Studies have found that TRPS1 is significantly overexpressed in breast cancer and closely related to tumor invasion and metastasis.TRPS1 is specifically expressed in the ductal epithelial cells of breast tissue and closely associated with the differentiation of breast ducts.In recent years,scholars have mainly focused on the role and mechanisms of TRPS1 in the di-agnosis and treatment of breast cancer.This review summarized the research progress of TRPS1 in breast cancer,aiming to further analyze its clinical application value in the occurrence,development,diagnosis,and treatment of breast cancer.
8.Expression of COL1A2 in cervical cancer and its relationship with tumor immune infiltration
Yu Zhang ; Xiaoyu Zhu ; Dianqin Xu ; Xiaowei Chen ; Mingyan Zhong ; Xinzhu Zhou ; Yujie Tan
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(10):1808-1817
Objective:
To explore the expression of collagen type 1 alpha 2 (COL1A2) in cervical cancer and its correlation with immune infiltration.
Methods:
Bioinformatics techniques were used to analyze the expression of COL1A2 in cervical cancer. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of COL1A2 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. The correlation between the expression of COL1A2 and tumor immune cell infiltration was analyzed by tumor immune estimation resource (TIMER2. 0) . Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the possible mechanism of COL1A2 in cervical cancer. Jaspar database was used to predict the transcrip- tion factors of COL1A2. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of transcription factors in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines.
Results:
The expression of COL1A2 was down-regulated in cervical cancer (P < 0. 05) . The expression of COL1A2 was positively correlated with the levels of macrophages and myeloid den- dritic cells (P < 0. 01) . The proportions of 22 types of immune cells were different in different cervical cancer pa- tients. In addition , compared with the high expression group of COL1A2 , the proportion of M0 macrophages , M2 macrophages and resting memory CD4 + T cells increased in the low expression group of COL1A2 , while the propor- tion of CD8 + T cells , activated memory CD4 + T cells , follicular helper T cells , activated NK cells and activated myeloid dendritic cells decreased (P < 0. 05) . GSEA analysis showed that COL1A2 was related to immune-related signaling pathways , including Notch signaling pathway , interleukin-6/janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL6/JAK/STAT3) , Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway , etc. (P < 0. 01) . Jaspar database pre- dicted that the transcription factor of COL1A2 was paired box protein 5 (PAX5) , and the expression of PAX5 de- creased in cervical cancer (P < 0. 05) .
Conclusion
COL1A2 is expected to become a potential diagnostic biomar- ker and immunotherapy target for cervical cancer.
9.Clinicopathological and genetic analysis of interstitial disease-like pulmonary intravascular large B cell lymphoma
Hongyan LIU ; Shixuan LIU ; Xiaowei WANG ; Bei WANG ; Xiuhong WANG ; Fang YU ; Zhenling LI ; Dingrong ZHONG
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2024;45(9):821-826
Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features and genetic mutation status of pulmonary intravascular large B cell lymphoma.Methods:The clinicopathological data of eight patients diagnosed with pulmonary intravascular large B cell lymphoma, from April 2018 to May 2023, were retrospectively analyzed. The genetic profile of six patients was detected via next-generation sequencing (NGS) and followed up.Results:All patients included one male and seven females, with a median age of 64 years (ranging from 45 to 66 years). Respiratory symptoms were the most common (7 cases), B symptoms in two cases, hemophagocytic syndrome in two cases. Multiple diffuse ground-glass opacities in both lungs were observed based on the high-resolution chest CT scan. Six cases of mild to moderate ventilation or diffusion dysfunction were observed based on the pulmonary function tests. Moreover, two cases of hypoxemia and two cases with type Ⅰ respiratory failure were recorded. The serum lactate dehydrogenase level increased (7/8), β2-MG level increased (2/8), neuron-specific enolase level increased (7/8), total number of peripheral blood lymphocytes decreased (7/8), and clinical stages were all stage Ⅳ. The neoplastic lymphoid cells were lodged in the lumina of venules and capillaries of the alveolar septum; the tumor cells were large, with prominent nucleoli and frequent mitotic figures. The malignant cells were detected in the extravascular surrounding lung tissue in all cases. The tumor cells expressed mature B cell-associated antigens CD20 and CD79a, and the vascular endothelial markers CD31 and CD34 showed that the tumor cells were filled in the blood vessels, infiltrated blood vessel walls, and perivascular areas. One case was germinal center-type, seven cases were non-germinal center-type, two cases were double-expressing lymphoma, and all cases were EBER-negative. Furthermore, the top five genes with mutation frequencies detected by NGS were MYD88 (5/6), PIM1 (5/6), CD79B (4/6), TCF3 (4/6), and TP53 (3/6). Of the eight cases, seven patients received R-CHOP-based chemotherapy, six cases had complete remission after chemotherapy, one case died, and one case was lost to follow-up.Conclusions:Pulmonary vascular large B cell lymphoma is rare, which shares similar patterns with interstitial lung disease on imaging. Transbronchial lung biopsy is an effective method to confirm the diagnosis. Immunochemotherapy with BTK inhibitors can provide a survival advantage for patients in the future based on molecular typing.
10.Osteogenic transition of vascular smooth muscle cells phenotype and vascular calcifi-cation
Cheng CHEN ; Zheng ZHANG ; Yu PENG ; Xiaowei NIU
Chinese Journal of Arteriosclerosis 2024;32(7):627-633
Vascular calcification refers to the process of calcium salt deposition in the blood vessel wall,leading to vascular stiffening and loss of elasticity.It commonly occurs in middle-aged and elderly individuals,especially those with chronic conditions such as atherosclerosis,hypertension,diabetes,and chronic kidney disease.Vascular calcification is an active process,and one of the key events is the transdifferentiation of smooth muscle cells into osteoblast-like cells.These cells release calcium ions during the calcification process,leading to calcium salt deposition and the formation of cal-cified plaques.Vascular calcification is regulated by various factors,including high levels of phosphate and calcium,oxi-dative stress,and mechanical stress.Traditional Chinese medicine research has shown potential in attenuating vascular calcification,with substances such as Ganoderma lucidum spore powder and its derivatives,Panax notoginseng,baicalin,geniposide,and triptolide.These studies provide important evidence for further understanding and intervention in vascular calcification and reveal potential inhibitory factors that could be explored for future treatments.


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