1.Research progress on stem cells in the treatment of sepsis
Ting CHEN ; Linlin CHEN ; Zhao CHEN ; Junping ZHANG ; Yan WANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2026;44(2):59-64
At present, the treatment of sepsis depends largely on non-specific methods, highlighting an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Stem cells have garnered significant attention in the treatment of various diseases due to their unique biological properties. Stem cells enhance sepsis survival through mechanisms such as reducing bacterial burden, modulating inflammation, and ameliorating organ dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that stem cells can increase the survival rate of sepsis patients through multiple pathways such as reducing the bacterial load of the host, regulating inflammatory homeostasis, and improving multi-organ dysfunction. Their derivatives, exosomes, can also alleviate the imbalanced immune response in sepsis patients. Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for sepsis were summarized in this paper.
2.Mechanism of Maimendong Yinzi in Alleviating Cough with Yin Deficiency and Lung Heat Syndrome by Modulating PAR1/Gαi/cAMP Signaling Pathway and TRPV1 Expression
Zihan ZHU ; Jiahui TANG ; Yuanyuan ZHANG ; Junping KOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(1):81-91
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Maimendong Yinzi (MMDYZ) on cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome and explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsForty-eight Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a Baihe Gujin Tablet (BHGJP) group (1.36 g·kg-1), and low-dose, medium-dose, and high-dose MMDYZ groups (5, 10, 20 g·kg-1·d-1, based on the weight of crude drug), with eight mice in each group. The mouse model of cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome was prepared by a combination of smoke exposure, nasal drip of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), intragastric gavage with thyroxine, and capsaicin atomization. After successful modeling, drug interventions were administered for seven days. During modeling, the mice were observed for changes in general status, anal temperature, fecal water content, and water intake. After medication, the above indicators were evaluated again, along with assessments of spontaneous activity, cough sensitivity, lung function, lung index, and tracheal phenol red secretion. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was analyzed for cell differential counts, and the level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was measured via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Lung injury was assessed via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Network pharmacology was employed to predict the potential mechanism of MMDYZ in alleviation cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome. Western blot (WB) was used to measure protease-activated receptor1 (PAR1) and GTPhase αi subunit (Gαi) protein expressions in lung tissue. ELISA was used to determine lung cAMP content, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to evaluate transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1) expression. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group exhibited significantly increased water intake and anal temperature and significantly decreased fecal water content (P<0.05). The total distance traveled in 5 min and the central zone duration were reduced, while standing frequency significantly increased (P<0.05). Cough sensitivity and enhanced pause (PenH) were elevated. Peak expiratory flow (PEF) significantly declined (P<0.05). BALF neutrophil (NEU) and white blood cell (WBC) counts rose. Serum cAMP and cAMP/cGMP ratio significantly increased, and cGMP significantly decreased (P<0.05). Serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly elevated (P<0.05). The lung injury was obvious, and the lung index was significantly elevated (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the medium-dose and high-dose MMDYZ groups and the BHGJP group showed significantly improved indicators mentioned above. Additionally, network pharmacology suggested that MMDYZ might alleviate cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome via cAMP, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), and TNF signaling pathways. WB, ELISA, and IHC revealed that, compared with the control group, the model group exhibited significantly upregulated PAR1, Gαi, and TRPV1 expressions and significantly downregulated cAMP in lung tissue (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, MMDYZ reduced PAR1 (P<0.01), Gαi (P<0.05), and TRPV1 (P<0.01) while increasing cAMP level (P<0.01). ConclusionMMDYZ may alleviate cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome by modulating the PAR1/Gαi/cAMP pathway and TRPV1 expression.
3.Identification of a JAK-STAT-miR155HG positive feedback loop in regulating natural killer (NK) cells proliferation and effector functions.
Songyang LI ; Yongjie LIU ; Xiaofeng YIN ; Yao YANG ; Xinjia LIU ; Jiaxing QIU ; Qinglan YANG ; Yana LI ; Zhiguo TAN ; Hongyan PENG ; Peiwen XIONG ; Shuting WU ; Lanlan HUANG ; Xiangyu WANG ; Sulai LIU ; Yuxing GONG ; Yuan GAO ; Lingling ZHANG ; Junping WANG ; Yafei DENG ; Zhaoyang ZHONG ; Youcai DENG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(4):1922-1937
The Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) control natural killer (NK) cells development and cytotoxic functions, however, whether long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in this pathway remains unknown. We found that miR155HG was elevated in activated NK cells and promoted their proliferation and effector functions in both NK92 and induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived NK (iPSC-NK) cells, without reliance on its derived miR-155 and micropeptide P155. Mechanistically, miR155HG bound to miR-6756 and relieved its repression of JAK3 expression, thereby promoting the JAK-STAT pathway and enhancing NK cell proliferation and function. Further investigations disclosed that upon cytokine stimulation, STAT3 directly interacts with miR155HG promoter and induces miR155HG transcription. Collectively, we identify a miR155HG-mediated positive feedback loop of the JAK-STAT signaling. Our study will also provide a power target regarding miR155HG for improving NK cell generation and effector function in the field of NK cell adoptive transfer therapy against cancer, especially iPSC-derived NK cells.
4.Study on the clinically curative effect of red-blue light combined with intense pulsed light in treating papular pustular rosacea
Junping ZHAO ; Chengliang WANG ; Xue LI ; Jigang ZHANG
China Medical Equipment 2025;22(3):78-82
Objective:To investigate the curative effect of red-blue light combined with intense pulsed light(IPL)in treating papular pustular rosacea,and its effect on quality of life.Methods:A total of 76 patients with papular pustular rosacea who admitted to PLA rocket force characteristic medical center and Qinghai provincial traffic hospital from August 2019 to July 2023 were retrospectively selected.According to the different treatment methods,all patients were divided into observation group and control group,with 38 patients in each group.The control group was treated with oral minocycline hydrochloride,while the observation group adopted respectively 87C type red-blue light instrument and M22 type photon therapy device to implement red-blue and IPL therapy on the basis of treatment of control group.The clinical efficacy,clinician's erythema assessment(CEA)scale,investigator's global assessment(IGA)scale,dermatology life quality index(DLQI)and the incidence of adverse reaction were compared between the two groups.Results:The overall effective rate of the observation group was 97.37%,which was significantly higher than 84.21%of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(x2=3.934,P<0.05).The scores of IGA,CEA and DLQI in two groups after treatment were all lower than those before treatment,and the differences of them were all significant(t=3.820,6.725,7.937,P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse reactions included dizziness,dry skin,worsening itching and pain and pigmentation between the two groups after treatment(P>0.05).Conclusion:Red-blue light combined with IPL can significant enhance the clinically curative effect in treating papular pustular rosacea,which can significantly reduce the symptom of skin lesions of persistent with erythema,and improve quality of life of patients.It has favorable safety.
5.DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcoma: analysis of five cases
Zejun DUAN ; Jing FENG ; Junping ZHANG ; Changxiang YAN ; Fangjun LIU ; Zhong MA ; Lei XIANG ; Zejuan HU ; Junjie YANG ; Xueling QI
Chinese Journal of Pathology 2025;54(6):632-639
Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and differential diagnosis of DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcoma.Methods:Five cases of DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcoma at Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China during May 2013 to November 2024 were collected. The clinical and imaging data were retrieved. Histological evaluation, immunohistochemical staining and next generation sequencing were performed. Additionally, a literature review was conducted.Results:All five DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcomas were located in the supratentorial region, with one case involving the basal ganglia. There were two males and three females. The median age at diagnosis was 25 (14.0, 30.5) years. Morphologically, they were characterized by high-grade spindle cell sarcoma, with brisk mitotic activity and cytoplasmic eosinophilic globules. Myxoid degeneration, necrosis, and invasion into surrounding brain tissue were observed in some cases. The tumor cells showed diffuse staining of vimentin and variable expression of myogenic marker (desmin), with or without focal MyoD1 and/or Myogenin expression. Four tumors exhibited diffuse, strong expression of TLE1 and p53, while only three tumors showed loss of ATRX (nuclear) expression. Two cases showed mosaic loss of H3K27me3 expression in neoplastic cells. The Ki-67 proliferation index was high (40%-80%). Various neuronal markers, such as synaptophysin, NF, SOX2 and MAP2, were expressed in all tumor samples. Genetically, all tumors samples harbored biallelic abnormalities of DICER1. One was a hotspot missense mutation in the RNase Ⅲb domain within exon 25 on one allele (p.E1813 or p.D1810), while the other allele had mutations including a germline mutation in one case, a somatic mutation in two cases, and a copy number deletion in two cases. In addition, these sarcomas showed alterations in TP53 (4/5), ATRX (3/5), and the genes of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway (3/5). Finally, all five cases were diagnosed as DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcoma. All patients underwent craniotomy that led to complete tumor resection. Three patients received adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, with progression-free survival time of 28, 48, and 50 months, respectively. Patient 2 succumbed to the tumor after 3 months post-surgery due to rapid progression and tumor dissemination. Patient 5 was lost to follow-up 3 months after the surgery.Conclusions:DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcoma is a newly defined tumor entity in the fifth edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Central Nervous System Tumors, and commonly occurs in children and young adults. High-grade malignant spindle cells are their typical morphological feature. Eosinophilic cytoplasmic globules and myogenic differentiation can help establish the diagnosis. This study suggests that DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcomas exhibit immunophenotypic neuronal differentiation. Rendering the diagnosis of DICER1-mutant primary intracranial sarcoma largely relies on detecting DICER1 pathogenic alterations or DNA methylation profiling.
6.Thermal ablation for primary hyperthyroidism: current applications and future perspectives
Mengya ZHU ; Junping ZHANG ; Ying LIU ; Jixiong XU
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2025;24(10):1289-1293
Thermal ablation, an established minimally invasive technique, is increasingly utilized in treating thyroid nodules and microthyroid papillary carcinoma.Compared to conventional surgery, it offers advantages including minimal trauma, rapid recovery, and fewer complications.Recent technological advances have revealed its potential for managing primary hyperthyroidism. This review examines current evidence on thermal ablation applications in hyperthyroidism, analyzes its efficacy and safety, and discusses future challenges to inform clinical practice and research.
7.Ameliorative effect of Xuebijing injection on acute lung injury in sepsis by interfering with cGAS/STING pathway
Xiangying QIN ; Liyuan ZHANG ; Jiahu TANG ; Meng YUE ; Junping KOU ; Yuanyuan ZHANG
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2025;56(3):350-357
To investigate the effect of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) on cGAS/STING pathway in alleviating sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI), the mouse sepsis-induced ALI model was established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), and the cell inflammation model was constructed by LPS stimulating RAW264.7 cells. The effects of XBJ on lung tissue injury and cGAS/STING pathway-related protein expression in septic mice were investigated by HE staining, ELISA, and Western blot. The results showed that XBJ intervention could alleviate lung tissue injury, reduce serum IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-β, IL-1-β levels, and the expression of cGAS, STING, p-TBK1, and p-IRF3 proteins in lung tissue in vivo, and reduce the mRNA level of related inflammatory factors in RAW264.7 cells and the expression of cGAS/STING pathway proteins in vitro. The results showed that XBJ could play a role in the prevention and treatment of sepsis-induced ALI by inhibiting the inflammatory response via inhibition of the activation of cGAS/STING pathway. This study provides a new molecular mechanism for the clinical prevention and treatment of sepsis-induced acute lung injury with XBJ.
8.Clinical Practice of Coronary Microvascular Disease with the Integrated Approach of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine
Aolin LI ; Xinnong CHEN ; Lerong YU ; Jun GE ; Wei ZHOU ; Kangzheng GUO ; Junping ZHANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(16):1662-1667
This paper analyzed the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medical understanding of coronary microvascular disease (CMVD) from the three dimensions of "disease-syndrome-symptom". In western medicine, by summarizing the suspected diagnosis and understanding of CMVD, it is believed that inflammatory responses and vascular endothelial damage are the key mechanisms of the pathogenesis. From the perspective of TCM, the disease location is at blood, vessels and heart, and the fundamental cause is spleen and kidney depletion, closely realted to phlegm, stasis, toxin, wind and qi. Integrating the understanding of both TCM and western medicine, clinical treatment advocates taking the CMVD pathology as the base, and the TCM understanding of pathogenesis as the main focus. The properties of Chinese herbal medicinals is used as the guidance for medication, and the pharmacological understanding as the assisstance of treatment, with the medical history and the severity of the condition are additionally considered. It is finally proposed that during the acute phase, the methods of nourishing yin and resolving toxins, softening hardness and dissipating masses, dispelling wind and unblocking collaterals should be applied to alleviate the emergency. In the subacute phase, the focus should be on raising and lifting qi promote its movement, with flexible use of medicinals that can unblock yang. In the remission phase, the method of tonifying spleen and fortifying kidney should be used to maintain the stability of the condition.
9.Progress and Evaluation of Animal Model of Heart Qi-Yin Deficiency Syndrome
Yayi LIU ; Yunfeng JIA ; Yiming ZUO ; Junping ZHANG ; Shichao LÜ
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2025;45(4):411-421
Animal models combining disease and syndrome are important research tools to explore the nature of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes. At present, the construction and evaluation methods of animal models have preliminarily established the foundation for standardized development. Qi-yin deficiency syndrome is a common type of TCM syndrome in cardiovascular diseases. It is an important pathogenic factor causing the onset, pathological damage, and chronic nature of cardiovascular diseases, as well as triggering other illnesses. The establishment of an animal model of cardiovascular disease with the characteristics of Qi-yin deficiency, along with an objective and standardized evaluation system, has become an important part of modern cardiovascular disease research. In recent years, research on the construction and evaluation of animal models of heart Qi-yin deficiency syndrome has increased, but the construction methods and evaluation criteria vary. Compared with other animal models, the literature is limited, lacking statistics and overall analysis. Therefore, based on the scientific connotation of heart Qi-yin deficiency syndrome, this article systematically reviews the evaluation system of its animal model, covering multidimensional methods such as macroscopic characterization assessment, physicochemical indicators and objective evaluation, and syndrome differentiation based on prescriptions. The specific model construction strategies are described, including single-factor induction methods (sleep deprivation, chronic intermittent hypoxia, arterial occlusion, high-salt feeding) and the compound-factor induction methods (sleep deprivation combined with drug method, chronic intermittent hypoxia combined with drug method, exhaustive swimming combined with drug method). Meanwhile, application examples of each model in the research are listed, the existing problems in the current model construction and evaluation are analyzed, and optimization directions are proposed, such as promoting the compound factor induction strategy and improving the objectivity of the evaluation criteria. This article aims to provide theoretical references for constructing an animal model of heart Qi-yin deficiency syndrome that conforms to TCM characteristics, and thereby laying a scientific foundation for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases with TCM.
10.Effect and Mechanism of Niuhuang Qingxinwan in Protecting Blood-brain Barrier of Intracerebral Hemorrhage Mice with Tanre Fushi Syndrome
Xueyu LING ; Miling ZHANG ; Yuanhao XU ; Liangying BAO ; Shuaishuai GONG ; Junping KOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(24):39-49
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Niuhuang Qingxinwan (NHQXW) in improving intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) with Tanre Fushi (phlegm-heat and fu-organ excess) syndrome by maintaining blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and to explore its potential mechanism. MethodsMale mice were administered with 15% autologous feces for 3 consecutive days to simulate spontaneous Tanre Fushi syndrome, followed by surgical induction of collagenase-induced ICH on the fourth day. Mice were randomly assigned to seven groups: Sham, Sham+NHQXW-H, collagenase, collagenase+feces, and NHQXW intervention groups at low (NHQXW-L, 0.225 g·kg-1), medium (NHQXW-M, 0.45 g·kg-1), and high (NHQXW-H, 0.9 g·kg-1) doses. Treatments were administered for 3 days after surgery. NHQXW effects on Tanre Fushi syndrome were assessed via fecal water content and small intestinal carbon propulsion rate. Protective effects of NHQXW against ICH with Tanre Fushi syndrome were evaluated by measuring hematoma volume, neurological deficits, and brain water content. BBB integrity was further assessed using Evans blue staining, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, immunofluorescence, and Western blot for Claudin-5, plasmalemma vesicle-associated protein (PLVAP), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and MMP-9. The potential mechanism of NHQXW was investigated by detecting protein expression of protein kinase B (Akt), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), Yes-associated protein (YAP), and their phosphorylated forms. ResultsCompared with the collagenase+feces group, NHQXW-M and NHQXW-H significantly reduced fecal water content (P<0.05, P<0.01) and intestinal propulsion rate (P<0.01), alleviated neurological deficits (P<0.01), decreased hematoma volume (P<0.01) and Evans blue extravasation (P<0.01), increased Claudin-5 protein expression (P<0.05, P<0.01) and fluorescence intensity (P<0.01), and decreased PLVAP protein expression (P<0.01) and fluorescence intensity (P<0.05, P<0.01), as well as MMP-2 (P<0.05, P<0.01) and MMP-9 (P<0.01) expression. NHQXW-H downregulated p-Akt (P<0.05), p-ERK1/2 (P<0.05), p-STAT3 (P<0.01), and p-YAP (P<0.05), with the most significant effect observed on STAT3 phosphorylation. ConclusionNHQXW effectively alleviates neurological deficits and BBB injury in ICH mice with Tanre Fushi syndrome, primarily by inhibiting STAT3 activation.

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