1.Bioinformatics Reveals Mechanism of Schisandrin B in Inhibiting Ferroptosis to Ameliorate Methionine and Choline Deficiency-induced Fatty Liver Disease in Mice
Zhifeng ZHU ; Wenting LI ; Yongjun CAO ; Yuanyuan LIN ; Yifei LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(2):74-83
ObjectiveNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic stress liver injury. Ferroptosis is involved in the occurrence and development of NAFLD. Exploring the efficacy and mechanism of schisandrin B in treating NAFLD facilitates the development of strategies for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. MethodsThe molecular structure of schisandrin B was obtained by searching against PubChem, and the related targets were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction. The active ingredients and their targets were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and the high-throughput experiment- and reference-guide database of traditional Chinese medicine (HERB). GeneCards and FerrDb were searched for the targets of NAFLD and ferroptosis. The common targets were taken as the core targets, and the protein-protein interaction network of the core targets was established. DAVID was used for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. Finally, molecular docking was performed between schisandrin B and core targets, and the binding energy was calculated. C57BL/6 mice were fed with a methionine and choline-deficiency (MCD) diet for the modeling of NAFLD. Mice were randomized into normal, model, positive drug (essentiale), and low- and high-dose schisandrin B groups. The body mass and liver index of mice were measured after drug administration. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum and those of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and Fe2+ in the liver homogenate were measured by biochemical assay kits. The pathological changes of the liver tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and red oil O staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to determine the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) in the serum. Western blotting and real-time PCR were employed to determine the protein and mRNA levels, respectively, of solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), solute carrier family 3 member 2 (SLC3A2), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), transferrin, and ferritin heavy chain (FTH) in the liver tissue. ResultsA total of 2 370, 2 547, and 1 451 targets of schisandrin B, NAFLD, and ferroptosis were obtained, in which 90 common targets were shared by the three. Enrichment analyses predicted 505 GO terms and 92 KEGG pathways. Molecular docking suggested that schizandrin B had strong binding affinity with the key targets of ferropstosis (SLC7A11 and SLC3A2). Animal experiments showed that schizandrin B significantly decreased the liver index, lowered the levels of ALT, AST, TC, TG, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, alleviated hepatocyte ballooning and inflammatory cell infiltration, and reduced lipid accumulation in the liver of NAFLD mice. In addition, schisandrin B significantly lowered the levels of MDA, 4-HNE, and Fe2+, elevated the level of GSH, up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of SLC7A11, SLC3A2, and GPX4, and down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of transferrin in the liver tissue. ConclusionSchisandrin B can alleviate NAFLD by inhibiting ferroptosis in hepatocytes.
2.Thirteen serum biochemical indexes and five whole blood coagulation indices in a point-of-care testing analyzer: ideal protocol for evaluating pulmonary and critical care medicine.
Mingtao LIU ; Li LIU ; Jiaxi CHEN ; Zhifeng HUANG ; Huiqing ZHU ; Shengxuan LIN ; Weitian QI ; Zhangkai J CHENG ; Ning LI ; Baoqing SUN
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2025;26(2):158-171
The accurate and timely detection of biochemical coagulation indicators is pivotal in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Despite their reliability, traditional laboratories often lag in terms of rapid diagnosis. Point-of-care testing (POCT) has emerged as a promising alternative, which is awaiting rigorous validation. We assessed 226 samples from patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University using a Beckman Coulter AU5821 and a PUSHKANG POCT Biochemistry Analyzer MS100. Furthermore, 350 samples were evaluated with a Stago coagulation analyzer STAR MAX and a PUSHKANG POCT Coagulation Analyzer MC100. Metrics included thirteen biochemical indexes, such as albumin, and five coagulation indices, such as prothrombin time. Comparisons were drawn against the PUSHKANG POCT analyzer. Bland-Altman plots (MS100: 0.8206‒0.9995; MC100: 0.8318‒0.9911) evinced significant consistency between methodologies. Spearman correlation pinpointed a potent linear association between conventional devices and the PUSHKANG POCT analyzer, further underscored by a robust correlation coefficient (MS100: 0.713‒0.949; MC100: 0.593‒0.950). The PUSHKANG POCT was validated as a dependable tool for serum and whole blood biochemical and coagulation diagnostics. This emphasizes its prospective clinical efficacy, offering clinicians a swift diagnostic tool and heralding a new era of enhanced patient care outcomes.
Humans
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Point-of-Care Testing
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Critical Care
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Blood Coagulation Tests/methods*
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Male
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Blood Coagulation
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Female
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Middle Aged
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Reproducibility of Results
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Prothrombin Time
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Aged
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Adult
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Point-of-Care Systems
3.Facilitation of mucosal healing by estrogen receptor β in ulcerative colitis through suppression of branched-chain amino acid transport and subsequent triggering of autophagy in colonic epithelial cells.
Yilei GUO ; Yanrong ZHU ; Jing ZHANG ; Yue HE ; Mianjiang ZHAO ; Haochang LIN ; Zhifeng WEI ; Yufeng XIA ; Yue DAI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(1):168-187
Colonic mucosal healing is the ultimate goal of ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment, but it remains difficult to realize. Given the higher incidence of UC in males and the beneficial effect of estrogen on UC, we conducted this study to examine the therapeutic potential of estrogen receptor β (ERβ), the primary ER subtype in colon, on mucosal healing in UC. Our study is the first to report that ERβ activation degree was positively correlated with mucosal healing in patients with UC. Furthermore, ERβ activation enhanced mucosal healing in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced and biopsy-induced colonic injuries. Mechanistically, ERβ activation promoted autophagy of colonic epithelial cells by inhibiting branched-chain amino acid transport, leading to focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation. Activated FAK promoted focal adhesion turnover and colonic epithelial cell migration, ultimately facilitating mucosal healing. ERβ -/- colitis mice exhibited impaired mucosal healing compared to wild-type littermates, highlighting the crucial effect of ERβ. Importantly, combination with ERβ-agonist diarylpropionitrile enhanced the amelioration of 5-aminosalicylic acid, a standard UC treatment agent, against mouse colitis. These findings attest to the crucial role of ERβ activation in colonic mucosal healing and may further inform the development of novel strategies for UC treatment.
4.Furry animal allergen components diagnosis: identification of main components and clinical management strategies
Zhifeng HUANG ; Aoli LI ; Huiqing ZHU ; Ziyu YIN ; Baoqing SUN
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;58(6):931-940
Furry animal allergens, particularly cat and dog hair and dander, are common allergens in indoor environments, affecting the health of people world widely. Key sensitizing components such as Fel d 1 from cats and Can f 1 from dogs have been extensively studied and identified by the scientific community. Component resolved diagnosis (CRD) technology in modern diagnostic methods provides an accurate way to identify and distinguish these components, which is extremely important for the prevention of furry animal allergies and the formulation of personalized treatment strategies. To enhance the understanding of furry animal component diagnosis and promote the alignment of the Chinese discipline of allergology with international standards, this article interprets and explains the content of the "Molecular Allergology User′s Guide 2.0" recently released by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. It focuses on the epidemiological characteristics of furry animal components, the diversity of allergen protein families, and their clinical diagnosis and management.
5.Application of IgG antibody combination of wild strain and epidemic strain of COVID-19 in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection
Jinjin CHU ; Hua TIAN ; Chuchu LI ; Zhifeng LI ; Chen DONG ; Xiaoxiao KONG ; Jiefu PENG ; Ke XU ; Jianli HU ; Changjun BAO ; Liguo ZHU
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;58(9):1354-1359
Objective:To explore the application of COVID-19-specific IgG antibody in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection.Method:Omicron BF.7/BA.5 naturally infected population, healthy population vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine, and Omicron BF.7/BA.5 breakthrough cases were enrolled into this study. The serum WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG were detected by indirect ELISA, and the serum-specific IgG antibody levels of different populations were compared. The application value of the two antibody titers and the ratio of the two antibodies in identifying Omicron BA.5 epidemic strain infection were explored by the ROC curve, aiming to provide technical support for pathogen diagnosis.Results:The antibody titers of WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG in the breakthrough cases were higher than those in the naturally infected population and the healthy population ( P<0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of WT-S-IgG and BA.5-S-IgG in identifying epidemic Omicron BA.5 strain infection was 0.947 and 0.961, respectively. The AUC of BA.5-S-IgG and WT-S-IgG antibody titer ratio was 0.873. When the antibody titer ratio was 0.855, the sensitivity and specificity were 80.00% and 90.00%, respectively. According to the interval since the last infection, the AUC of the ratio of BA.5-S-IgG to WT-S-IgG antibody titer to identify the infection of epidemic strains less than 30 days and more than 30 days was 0.887 and 0.863, respectively, and the sensitivity and specificity were both above 80%. Conclusion:Both BA.5-S-IgG and WT-S-IgG, as well as the combination of these two antibodies, are of high value in the identification of epidemic strains.
6.Study on the relationship between supervisors' guidance and the personal ability of postgraduates in the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine: role of learning engagement and learning burnout
Quanrong ZHU ; Mengquan LIU ; Jinzhong JIA ; Rui ZHU ; Qi YAN ; Mingyue WEN ; Huangtao LIN ; Peiyao SHI ; Zhifeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(9):1161-1168
Objective:To analyze the role of learning engagement and learning burnout in the relationship between supervisors' guidance and the personal ability of postgraduates in the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine.Methods:A total of 4 016 postgraduates in the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine from 61 colleges were surveyed in 2020. Common method bias was assessed using the Harman's single factor test and total score was determined by the entropy weight method. Causality and mediation effect were analyzed by linear regression, and mediation effect was tested by Bootstrapping.Results:The average scores of supervisors' guidance, learning burnout, learning engagement and personal ability were (4.13±0.87), (2.49±1.11), (3.88±0.83), and (3.71±0.78), respectively. Supervisors' guidance significantly and positively impacted learning engagement ( β=0.689, P<0.001) and personal ability ( β=0.504, P<0.001). Learning engagement played a partial mediating role (89.30% of mediation effect) between supervisors' guidance and personal ability. Learning burnout (interaction term β=0.078, P<0.001) positively regulated the relationship between supervisors' guidance and learning engagement. Conclusions:Learning engagement can mediate the effect of supervisors' guidance on the personal ability of postgraduates in the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine, and learning burnout positively regulates the effect of supervisors' guidance on learning engagement. Strengthened supervisors' guidance, increased attention to students' learning burnout, and enhanced learning engagement can further improve the personal abilities of postgraduates in the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine.
7.The "burnout-engagement continuum" status of postgraduate supervisors of the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine
Quanrong ZHU ; Junren WANG ; Jinzhong JIA ; Mengquan LIU ; Qi YAN ; Rui ZHU ; Mingyue WEN ; Huangtao LIN ; Zhifeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(9):1169-1175
Objective:To investigate the "burnout-engagement continuum" status of postgraduate supervisors of the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine and to identify key populations.Methods:From October to November 2023, an anonymous online questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the "burnout-engagement continuum" status of postgraduate supervisors of the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine. The scores of different dimensions of job burnout are expressed as mean±standard deviation, and the distribution of supervisors of different status is presented in frequency and percentage. All data analyses were performed in R 4.3.1. Distribution of the five profiles among supervisors of different status was compared using the chi-square test and compared pairwise using the Bonferroni method.Results:A total of 2 664 valid questionnaires were collected. The scores of emotional exhaustion, cynicism and personal accomplishment were(2.46±0.95),(1.74±0.89), and(4.23±0.90), respectively. The prevalence of job engagement, inefficacy, overexertion, disengagement, and burnout among the supervisors were 42.76%(1 139/2 664), 43.54%(1 160/2 664), 33.03%(880/2 664), 14.71%(392/2 664), and 13.66%(364/2 664), respectively. In terms of demographics, the distribution of the "burnout-engagement continuum" was significantly different by age, sex, marital status, and highest education level( P<0.05). In terms of work-related characteristics, the distribution of the "burnout-engagement continuum" was significantly different by income, professional title, administrative position, and working hours on weekdays and holidays( P<0.05). The distribution of engagement, inefficacy, and overexertion was significantly different between the eastern and western regions( P<0.05). Conclusions:There is a high percentage of individuals with burnout among postgraduate supervisors of the Professional Master's Program in Clinical Medicine, and inefficacy is a common negative state. Supervisors who work in the western regions, are under 45 years of age, are male, are married, have a doctorate degree, hold associate senior professional title, have lower relative income, are not holding administrative duties, and work more than 10 hours on workdays and more than 4 hours on holidays are key populations that require increased attention. The psychological state of supervisors can be improved by providing them with more resources, work benefits, and incentives.
8.Relationship between satisfaction with team construction and willingness to hold a position again in a school among postgraduate supervisors in clinical medicine
Mengquan LIU ; Qi YAN ; Jinzhong JIA ; Quanrong ZHU ; Zhifeng WANG ; Ming XU
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(9):1176-1181
Objective:To investigate the satisfaction with team construction and occupational burnout among postgraduate supervisors in clinical medicine in China, and to analyze the relationship of the above two factors with the willingness to hold a position again in the school.Methods:A survey covering 3 409 postgraduate supervisors in clinical medicine across 33 colleges and universities was conducted. Analysis of variance, multiple linear regression analysis, and logistic regression analysis were performed to explore the relationship of satisfaction with team construction and occupational burnout with the willingness to hold a position again in the school among supervisors.Results:In various dimensions of satisfaction with team construction among postgraduate supervisors in clinical medicine, the mechanism of selection scored the highest (4.74±0.53), followed by indicators for selection (4.71±0.56), supervisor training (4.66±0.58), supervisor assessment (4.64±0.65), incentives for teaching (4.61±0.65), and career development (4.56±0.74). Indicators for selection ( OR=2.121) and career development ( OR=2.461) were positively correlated with supervisors' willingness to hold a position again in the school. The degree of being cynical, one of the assessment dimensions of occupational burnout, played a partially mediating role between satisfaction with supervisor team construction and the willingness to hold a position again in the school. Conclusions:Postgraduate supervisors in clinical medicine in China are generally satisfied with supervisor team construction. The degree of their satisfaction and occupational burnout influence their willingness to hold a position again in the school. Therefore, colleges and universities should optimize indicators for selection and provide more diverse career development opportunities for supervisors to enhance supervisors' satisfaction and loyalty.
9.An empirical analysis of the quality of medical graduate education in China based on survey of supervisors
Jinzhong JIA ; Qi YAN ; Quanrong ZHU ; Mengquan LIU ; Rui ZHU ; Peiyao SHI ; Jingrui LI ; Zhifeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(9):1182-1190
Objective:To understand the evaluation of graduate education quality by medical graduate supervisors in China, to identify the shortcomings of graduate education quality, and to put forward corresponding suggestions.Methods:From October to November 2023, a self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the evaluation of school management, supervisor team construction, graduate training process, and graduate training results by 6 025 medical graduate supervisors from 37 universities in China. SPSS 26.0 was used to conduct t-test and analysis of variance to explore the differences in scores given by different supervisor groups for various aspects. Results:The scores given by medical graduate supervisors for school management, supervisor team construction, graduate training process, and graduate training results were (4.63±0.60), (4.59±0.62), (4.58±0.59), and (4.54±0.62), respectively. Supervisors who work in clinical medicine, aged 46-55 years, with 5 or fewer years of teaching experience, supervising master's students, instructing only professional degree students, instructing three or fewer students, holding a bachelor's degree as their highest degree, with the title of professor, holding an administrative position, and working an average of 8-9 hours per day on weekdays and 4 or fewer hours per day on holidays, gave higher scores on all aspects of graduate education quality ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The supervisors gave high scores on the quality of medical graduate education. It is suggested that the quality of graduate education should be continuously improved by optimizing school management systems, strengthening the construction of supervisory teams, and focusing on the process and results of graduate education.
10.Evaluation of the status of public health graduate education management and teaching from the supervisor's perspective
Mengquan LIU ; Quanrong ZHU ; Jinzhong JIA ; Junren WANG ; Qi YAN ; Yuexin LI ; Zhifeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(9):1203-1209
Objective:To analyze the scores and differences of various aspects of public health graduate education management in China, and to provide suggestions for universities to enhance graduate education management.Methods:Based on the data from the 2021 National Survey on Education Satisfaction and Job Evaluation of Medical Graduate Supervisors, we described the public health graduate education management in China from the five perspectives of student enrollment, curriculum, practice, research, and school management. The t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyze the differences in individual characteristics. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze factors influencing the scores of public health graduate education management. Results:Supervisors gave the highest score to curriculum and teaching (mean score, 4.00±0.77), followed by management system and input (mean score, 3.97±0.87), research conditions and achievements (mean score, 3.93±0.80), practical education conditions and effects (mean score, 3.80±0.91), and discipline attractiveness and enrollment quality (mean score, 3.70±0.84). Supervisors who supervised professional degrees, doctoral students, and located in the eastern region gave relatively high scores to public health graduate education, and those with associate professor titles gave relatively low scores.Conclusions:The quality of students recruited for public health graduate education needs to be improved, curriculum design and teaching method need to be adjusted, practice conditions need to be improved, research funding is insufficient, and the construction of academic communication platforms needs to be improved. The relevant universities/colleges need to strengthen the management and increase the investment to promote the high-quality development of public health graduate education.

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