1.Molecular Crosstalk Mechanisms of Shoutai Wan and Juyuan Jian on Maternal-fetal Interface Subcellular Clusters in CBA/J×DBA/2 Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Model
Jingxin GAO ; Qiuping CHEN ; Xiaoyan ZHENG ; Pengfei ZENG ; Rui ZHOU ; Yancai TANG ; Qian ZENG ; Wenli GUO ; Jinzhu HUANG ; Weijun DING ; Linwen DENG ; Hang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):70-87
ObjectiveTo systematically compare the differential regulation of the maternal-fetal interface cell lineages and communication networks in the CBA/J×DBA/2 mouse model of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) by the two classic therapeutic methods-tonifying the kidney to stabilize the fetus and invigorating the spleen to stabilize the fetus (Shoutai Wan, Juyuan Jian)-of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) at the single-cell resolution and clarify their modern scientific connotations. MethodsFemale non-pregnant CBA/J mice were caged with male BALB/c (blank group) and DBA/2 (modeling group) mice separately. Pregnant mice in the modeling group were randomly grouped as follows: high/low-dose Shoutai Wan, high/low-dose Juyuan Jian, model (RPL), and positive control (dydrogesterone), with 10 mice in each group. Starting from the day after the detection of the vaginal plug, mice were administrated with drugs or an equal volume of normal saline by gavage for 10 consecutive days. After the intervention, the following indicators were measured. ① Macroscopic evaluation: general conditions, uterine wet weight, embryo loss rate, four coagulation parameters [prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), and thrombin time (TT)], and peripheral blood estradiol (E2) and progesterone (Pg) levels. The decidua with embryos was stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiotensin Ⅱ (AngⅡ), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 homolog (LC3)Ⅰ/Ⅱ was quantified by Western blot. ② Mechanism analysis at the single-cell level: The decidua with embryos from the blank, model, high-dose Shoutai Wan, and high-dose Juyuan Jian groups (6 mice per group, with 3 single-cell samples per group, totaling 24 mice) were analyzed by the BD Rhapsody™ platform, and the whole-cell atlas was drawn by uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) dimensionality reduction clustering combined with the single-cell mouse cell atlas (scMCA). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and cell interaction networks were analyzed via Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and CellChat, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) map of subtype cells was constructed. The CytoTRACE pseudo-temporal analysis was performed to explore the developmental trajectories of core immune cells (natural killer cells, NK cells) from maternal and fetal sources. Results① Pathological and Western blot results indicated that compared with the blank group, the RPL group showed an increase in the embryo loss rate (P<0.01), down-regulated expression of Bcl-2, LIF, MMP-2, and Vegf in the decidua with embryos (P<0.05), up-regulated protein levels of CXCL-12, AngⅡ, and IL-6 (P<0.05), blocked angiogenesis, apoptosis-inflammation imbalance, and coagulation dysfunction. Both prescriptions dose-dependently reduced the abortion rate and restored the angiogenesis-inflammation balance, and Shoutai pill showed superior performance in restoring the E2 level to the Pg level (P<0.05). ② Single-cell transcriptome analysis indicated that compared with the blank group, the RPL group showed differences in multiple key cell populations such as decidual cells, trophoblast cells, endothelial cells, erythroblasts, NK cells, and macrophages at the maternal-fetal interface. Immunity and angiogenesis were the key links in RPL. Compared with the RPL group, high-dose Shoutai Wan reversed the changes of NK cells in the embryonic layer (upregulating the mRNA levels of 17 genes and downregulating the mRNA levels of 29 genes) and macrophages (upregulating the mRNA levels of 117 genes and downregulating the mRNA levels of 53 genes) through the regulation of gene expression. High-dose Shoutai pill regulated the immune cells to affect unfolded proteins, cell adhesion, and programmed cell death, thereby promoting decidualization and angiogenesis and modulating embryo-membrane development. High-dose Juyuan Jian regulated the key subgroups of NK cells (up-regulating the mRNA levels of 9 genes and down-regulating the mRNA levels of 17 genes) and macrophages (up-regulating the mRNA levels of 110 genes and down-regulating the mRNA levels of 81 genes), which affected decidual inflammation and apoptosis and intervened in glycolysis. ③ The pseudo-temporal analysis and communication network indicated that the communication frequency of the RPL group decreased. High-dose Shoutai Wan restored maternal-fetal tolerance through pathways such as NKG2D, CDH5, GDF, and FASLG. High-dose Juyuan Jian enhanced the IL-6/LIFR/JAK/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and desmosome/SEMA6/tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) signaling to improve endometrial receptivity. The RPL group showed an increased proportion of toxic dNK7, a decreased proportion of reparative dNK4, and blocked embryo fNK1. High-dose Shoutai Wan down-regulated dNK7 and up-regulated dNK4. High-dose Juyuan Jian inhibited the terminal differentiation of dNK7 and up-regulated LILRB1, thus restoring the balance of cytotoxicity and repair. ConclusionBoth the kidney-tonifying and spleen-invigorating methods are effective in treating RPL. NK and macrophages are the key immune cells in the interaction between the embryo and the membrane. The kidney-tonifying method (Shoutai Wan) has an advantage in regulating the phenotypes of unfolded protein, cell adhesion, and programmed cell death, and shows expression characteristics closer to the physiological state in the regulation of NKG2D and CDH5 signals. The spleen-invigorating method (Juyuan Jian) has an advantage in regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), angiogenesis, and glycolysis and shows higher communication intensity in the IL-6 and LIFR pathways.
2.How to select appropriate human-derived antiserum for absorption and elution test
Dandan CHEN ; Xiaoyan LI ; Xuan ZENG
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2026;39(5):667-672
Objective: To explore the importance of selecting appropriate human antiserum for absorption and elution tests by analyzing two cases in which weak A antigens were detected using this method. Methods: The microcolumn agglutination and tube methods were used to perform ABO blood group typing of the patients. Absorption and elution tests were conducted to detect weak A antigens on red blood cells. Molecular biological methods were employed for genotyping. Results: Serological tests showed that the forward typing results of the two patients were O and B, respectively, and weak anti-A1 antibodies were present in their sera. When O-type human high-titer (anti-A≥256) serum was used for absorption and elution tests, patient 1 eluted anti-A, confirming the presence of weak A antigens on their red blood cells; patient 2 eluted anti-A and anti-AB simultaneously. When B-type human antiserum was used for absorption and elution, patient 2 eluted anti-A, confirming the presence of weak A antigens on their red blood cells as well. Gene sequencing results showed that the genotypes of the two patients were ABO
Aw. 04/ABO
O. 01. 02 and ABO
AEL (c. 410C>T)/ABO
B.01, respectively. Conclusion: When absorption and elution tests are needed for weak A/B antigens alone on red blood cells, O-type human high-titer serum can be prioritized. However, when both A and B antigens are present, the human antiserum selected for absorption and elution tests should only react with the weak antigen and not with the normally expressed antigen.
3.Role and mechanism of osteoblast autophagy in exercise-related improvements in osteoporosis
Xiaoyan YI ; Xinyu ZENG ; Yuwei LIU ; Yuxin YANG ; Chenghao ZHONG ; Jianbo HU ; Xianghe CHEN
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(3):156-169
The role of osteoblast(OB)autophagy in regulating bone metabolism is a research hotspot in the field of biomedicine.OB autophagy can regulate osteoporosis(OP)induced by aging,oxidative stress,estrogen deficiency,and glucocorticoids(GCs)by mediating factors such as run and cysteine rich domain containing Beclin-1 interacting protein(RUBCN),silent information regulator of transcription 1(SIRT1),and osteoprotegerin(OPG).OB autophagy can also regulate OP by activating notch receptor(Notch)and forkhead box protein O subfamily(FoxO),up-regulating the expression of osteogenic transcription factors(such as Runx2 and Osterix),and mediating the amp-activated protein kinase(AMPK),mammalian target of rapamycin complex(mTOR),Wnt,and c-Jun n terminal kinase(JNK)pathways to act on OB and osteoclast(OC)differentiation.Exercise is an important means of improving OP,and its molecular mechanism is closely related to the up-regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase(PI3K),adenosine monophosphate(AMP),tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),and SIRT1 expression.These in turn activate key factors or pathways(including AMPK,mTOR,Wnt,PI3K/protein kinase B(Akt)/mTOR,and nuclear transcription factor-KB(NF-κB)),regulate the expression of downstream target genes(β-catenin,mTOR,FoxO3a and B cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2))to up-regulate the expression of autophagy factors(Beclin-1,autophagy related genes(ATG),and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)),and promote OB autophagy to restore the dynamic balance in the body,thereby regulating bone formation and bone resorption and improving OP.The relationships among exercise,OB autophagy and OP,however,remain unclear and there is currently a lack of systematic reviews.Here we review and analyze the mechanism of OB autophagy in relation to exercise-induced improvements in OP,and provide a new theoretical basis and research ideas for the prevention and treatment of OP.
4.Expert consensus: reducing free-sugar for caries prevention
Xiaojuan ZENG ; Xuenan LIU ; Min LIU ; Yan SI ; Ying ZHANG ; Jianqiang LAI ; Xianbin DING ; Chang SU ; Xiang SI ; Youguang LU ; Huancai LIN ; Shuguo ZHENG ; Wensheng RONG ; Minquan DU ; Xiaoyan OU ; Rongmin QIU ; Maigeng ZHOU ; Chunxiao WANG
Chinese Journal of Stomatology 2025;60(4):311-319
In modern society, sugary foods have become an integral part of many people′s lives. However, excessive sugar consumption has adverse effects on both overall health and oral health, serving as a contributing factor to the global increasing incidence in oral diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, obesity, and diabetes. In response to the health risks related to high-sugar diets, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Dental Federation (FDI) have proposed initiatives and recommendations, with various governments implementing different policies and strategies to reduce sugar intake. Chinese government has also taken proactive measures. The "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" initiative introduced by the State Council in 2019 established a crucial benchmark in limiting the average daily intake of added sugar to 25 g per person forward to 2030. Experts from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the field of oral health have meticulously examined the impacts of sugar reduction on oral health, as well as strategies, methods, and practical considerations related to reducing sugar intake through several meeting and wrote the "Expert consensus: reducing free-sugar for caries prevention", which was subsequently reviewed and revised based on the feedback from multiple stakeholders. They have conducted thorough analyses of global trends in sugar reduction and best practices to provide valuable insights to China for crafting effective policies and strategies on sugar reduction. This consensus mainly includes the classification of free sugars, the latest scientific evidence on dental caries, recommendations from WHO on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, nutrition labeling, advertising, food reform, adjusting supply systems, education, and promotion strategies, as well as sugar reduction actions taken by various governments around the world. Combining the actual situation in China, policy recommendations and authoritative popular science knowledge on sugar reduction for caries prevention to public are proposed to advocate for experts in multiple fields to focus on sugar reduction for caries prevention, promote the work process, and provide the scientific basis for oral health educators.
5.Correlation between type 2 diabetes and hepatitis B virus infection
Wu LIU ; Tianshuo ZHAO ; Liguo YANG ; Genxia GAO ; Wenli MIAO ; Tongxia ZENG ; Yonglan CHEN ; Lina ZHANG ; Xiaoyan CHE ; Lihong WANG ; Junhan ZHANG ; Bingfeng HAN ; Fuqiang CUI
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(5):833-839
Objective:To analyze the latent prevalence of hepatitis B and type 2 diabetes and their correlation through an observational study.Methods:This study used a case-control design. The cases with diabetes were recruited through the diabetes management system and village doctors, while the controls without diabetes were screened from volunteers recruited by village health clinics. Capillary blood samples were collected from the study participants for the measurement of real-time blood glucose level, and venous blood samples were taken from them for the detections of HBV serological markers. Firth logistic regression model was used to fit the relationship between HBsAg positive status and diabetes status.Results:The study included 1 218 diabetes patients, 62 patients with impaired fasting glucose and 491 cases without diabetes. In the cases without diagnosis of diabetes, 11.15% had impaired fasting blood glucose and 4.43% had diabetes. Among those who reported no or unknown diagnosis of hepatitis B, 1.73% were positive for HBsAg, while 18.80% were positive for both HBV core antibody and surface antibody, indicating latent infection of hepatitis B virus. In the non-diabetes group, 0.81% reported hepatitis B history, and in the diabetes group, 2.76% reported hepatitis B history. After adjustment, the HBsAg positive rate was higher in the diabetes group ( OR=2.90, 95% CI: 1.21-6.91). Conclusions:Both diabetes and hepatitis B exhibited a high degree of latent prevalence. The HBsAg positive rate was significantly higher in those with diabetes than in those without diabetes, indicating a potential correlation. These findings highlighted the importance of strengthened screening and management of comorbidities.
6.Role and mechanism of osteoblast autophagy in exercise-related improvements in osteoporosis
Xiaoyan YI ; Xinyu ZENG ; Yuwei LIU ; Yuxin YANG ; Chenghao ZHONG ; Jianbo HU ; Xianghe CHEN
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(3):156-169
The role of osteoblast(OB)autophagy in regulating bone metabolism is a research hotspot in the field of biomedicine.OB autophagy can regulate osteoporosis(OP)induced by aging,oxidative stress,estrogen deficiency,and glucocorticoids(GCs)by mediating factors such as run and cysteine rich domain containing Beclin-1 interacting protein(RUBCN),silent information regulator of transcription 1(SIRT1),and osteoprotegerin(OPG).OB autophagy can also regulate OP by activating notch receptor(Notch)and forkhead box protein O subfamily(FoxO),up-regulating the expression of osteogenic transcription factors(such as Runx2 and Osterix),and mediating the amp-activated protein kinase(AMPK),mammalian target of rapamycin complex(mTOR),Wnt,and c-Jun n terminal kinase(JNK)pathways to act on OB and osteoclast(OC)differentiation.Exercise is an important means of improving OP,and its molecular mechanism is closely related to the up-regulation of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase(PI3K),adenosine monophosphate(AMP),tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α),and SIRT1 expression.These in turn activate key factors or pathways(including AMPK,mTOR,Wnt,PI3K/protein kinase B(Akt)/mTOR,and nuclear transcription factor-KB(NF-κB)),regulate the expression of downstream target genes(β-catenin,mTOR,FoxO3a and B cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2))to up-regulate the expression of autophagy factors(Beclin-1,autophagy related genes(ATG),and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)),and promote OB autophagy to restore the dynamic balance in the body,thereby regulating bone formation and bone resorption and improving OP.The relationships among exercise,OB autophagy and OP,however,remain unclear and there is currently a lack of systematic reviews.Here we review and analyze the mechanism of OB autophagy in relation to exercise-induced improvements in OP,and provide a new theoretical basis and research ideas for the prevention and treatment of OP.
7.Application progress of digital health technologies in nursing among digital vulnerable groups
Ruiyi ZHAO ; Ying ZENG ; Xiaoyan YU ; Duo ZHANG ; Linghan MEI ; Yanrong ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(31):4201-4206
Digital health technologies (DHT) not only enhance patient engagement in healthcare but also enable personalized treatment and care services, empowering patients to manage their own health well. This paper reviews the composition and characteristics of digital vulnerable groups, as well as the current application status, influencing factors, intervention measures, and insights of DHT in their care. This paper aims to provide theoretical and practical references for enhancing the quality of DHT care for digital vulnerable groups, thereby promoting targeted and effective development of DHT within the nursing field.
8.Peritumoral Expansion-Based CT Radiomics for Predicting EGFR Mutation Status in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Xiaoyan WANG ; Zhicheng ZHANG ; Yan ZENG ; Lili GUO
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging 2025;33(11):1164-1172
Purpose To investigate the value of peritumoral expansion-based radiomics from tumor regions of interest(ROIs)for predicting epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation status and to identify the optimal peritumoral expansion margin.Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 390 patients with pathologically confirmed non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)and definitive EGFR genotyping results from the Affiliated Huai'an No.1 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University(December 2021 to September 2023).Patients were randomly divided into training and validation sets(8∶2 ratio,310 vs.80 patients;CT slice thickness:5-7 mm).An additional independent test set of 100 patients undergoing thin-section CT(1-2 mm)was included to assess model generalizability across slice thicknesses.Clinical characteristics and CT semantic features were analyzed.After automated tumor segmentation with manual refinement,ROIs were sequentially expanded outward by 1,2,3,4 and 5 mm.A total of 2 264 radiomic features were extracted from each ROI.Feature selection using minimum redundancy maximum relevance and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithms was performed in the training set to calculate radiomics scores.Logistic regression was used to develop prediction models.A combined model integrating optimal peritumoral radiomics score with clinical and CT features was established,with performance compared across models.Results Gender(χ2=24.922,P<0.001),smoking history(χ2=11.199,P=0.001),emphysema(χ2=40.802,P<0.001),and lymph node metastasis(χ2=5.674,P=0.017)were associated with EGFR mutation status.In the validation set,the area under the curve for the tumor ROI-based radiomics model was 0.676,while the five expansion models achieved area under the curve of 0.723,0.720,0.734,0.681,and 0.598,respectively.The combined model based on 3 mm expansion demonstrated superior performance to individual radiomics and clinical models,with area under the curve of 0.826,0.734,0.711 in the validation set,and 0.809,0.760,0.702 in the independent test set.Conclusion Peritumoral expansion-based CT radiomics demonstrates value for predicting EGFR mutations in NSCLC,with 3 mm identified as the optimal expansion margin.Integration with clinical information further enhances predictive accuracy.
9.Application of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the preoperative evaluation of carotid body tumor
Guangchao GU ; Xiaoyan ZHANG ; Bo ZHANG ; Rong ZENG ; Yuexin CHEN ; Bao LIU ; Jianchu LI ; Yuehong ZHENG
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2025;40(6):468-472
Objective:To explore the application of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the preoperative evaluation of carotid body tumor (CBT).Methods:The clinical data of 13 CBT patients undergoing contrast enhanced ultrasound test and surgical treatment at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from Nov 2017 to Aug 2021 was retrospectively analyzed.Results:Among the 13 patients, 7 patients had bilateral lesions. 18 tumors were identified by contrast enhanced ultrasound, which showed rich blood supply, with marked enhancement in 13 tumors and moderate enhancement in 5 tumors. The origins of the arterial supply for tumors were identified by contrast enhanced ultrasound. Time-intensity curve analysis showed that the tumors had enhancement characteristics of fast wash in and slow wash out. The mean contrast wash in time was (3.33±1.40) s, the mean peak intensity was (10.41±1.74) dB, and the mean wash out time was (56.47±22.28) s. A total of 13 cases underwent successful surgical removal. Five cases of external carotid artery ligation and 2 cases of internal carotid artery reconstruction were performed during surgery. Postoperative transient neurological injury occurred in 5 cases. There were no cases of cerebral infarction or death in the perioperative period. Mean postoperative follow-up was 14.31 months. Five cases of neurological injury had satisfactory recovery and no other adverse events occurred.Conclusions:Contrast enhanced ultrasound is an effective method of preoperative imaging assessment for CBT, which helps the surgical planning and preoperative preparation.
10.Correlation between type 2 diabetes and hepatitis B virus infection
Wu LIU ; Tianshuo ZHAO ; Liguo YANG ; Genxia GAO ; Wenli MIAO ; Tongxia ZENG ; Yonglan CHEN ; Lina ZHANG ; Xiaoyan CHE ; Lihong WANG ; Junhan ZHANG ; Bingfeng HAN ; Fuqiang CUI
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(5):833-839
Objective:To analyze the latent prevalence of hepatitis B and type 2 diabetes and their correlation through an observational study.Methods:This study used a case-control design. The cases with diabetes were recruited through the diabetes management system and village doctors, while the controls without diabetes were screened from volunteers recruited by village health clinics. Capillary blood samples were collected from the study participants for the measurement of real-time blood glucose level, and venous blood samples were taken from them for the detections of HBV serological markers. Firth logistic regression model was used to fit the relationship between HBsAg positive status and diabetes status.Results:The study included 1 218 diabetes patients, 62 patients with impaired fasting glucose and 491 cases without diabetes. In the cases without diagnosis of diabetes, 11.15% had impaired fasting blood glucose and 4.43% had diabetes. Among those who reported no or unknown diagnosis of hepatitis B, 1.73% were positive for HBsAg, while 18.80% were positive for both HBV core antibody and surface antibody, indicating latent infection of hepatitis B virus. In the non-diabetes group, 0.81% reported hepatitis B history, and in the diabetes group, 2.76% reported hepatitis B history. After adjustment, the HBsAg positive rate was higher in the diabetes group ( OR=2.90, 95% CI: 1.21-6.91). Conclusions:Both diabetes and hepatitis B exhibited a high degree of latent prevalence. The HBsAg positive rate was significantly higher in those with diabetes than in those without diabetes, indicating a potential correlation. These findings highlighted the importance of strengthened screening and management of comorbidities.

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