1.Effect and Mechanism of Icariin on Improving Spermatogenesis in Exercise-induced Fatigue Model Mice Through Regucalcin
Kunyang TANG ; Min XIAO ; Xiaocui JIANG ; Xiaoxue TAO ; Yue ZOU ; Chunchun ZHAO ; Zhipeng FANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):117-127
ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the effects of icariin on spermatogenesis in mice with exercise-induced fatigue and explore the underlying mechanisms. MethodsICR male mice were screened by swimming and randomly divided into normal group, model group, vitamin C group, icariin groups with low, medium, and high doses, and medium-dose icariin+N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) group, with 10 mice per group. Except for the normal group, all the other groups underwent weighted swimming training to establish an exercise-induced fatigue model. No gavage was administered during the first two weeks of the weighted training. From week three to four, the icariin groups with low, medium, and high doses received 0.03, 0.06, and 0.12 g·kg-1 icariin via gavage, respectively. The vitamin C group received 0.2 g·kg-1 vitamin C. The L-NAME group received 0.06 g·kg-1 icariin and 0.01 g·kg-1 L-NAME via intraperitoneal injection. The normal and model groups received equivalent physiological saline. After the experiment, body weight and the last exhaustive swimming time were recorded. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lactate (LA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), testicular testosterone (T), testicular Ca2+/Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (micro-assay), and the levels of testicular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were measured by using kits. Sperm CD46 levels were detected by flow cytometry. Testicular seminiferous tubules were observed via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the testicular morphometric score (TMS) was used to evaluate the spermatogenic function. Protein expression of regucalcin (RGN, SMP30), cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 (PKG), and cGMP-dependent protein kinase anchoring protein (GKAP1) was detected by Western blot. Testicular regucalcin expression was examined by immunofluorescence (IF). The epididymal sperm quality of mice was observed under a microscope. Fluorescence-stained sections of stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (STRA8), synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SCP3), and transition protein 1(TNP1) in testicular seminiferous tubules were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). ResultsCompared with the normal group, the model group showed decreased body weight and exhaustive swimming time (P<0.01), significantly increased fatigue markers (LA, LDH, and BUN) and lipid peroxidation product MDA (P<0.01), reduced testicular RGN, PKG, GKAP1, testosterone, Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase, and cGMP levels (P<0.01), decreased sperm motility, sperm count, and TMS scores, and downregulated the expression of STRA8, SCP3, and TNP1. Compared with the model group, the icariin group with high dose exhibited increased exhaustive swimming time (P<0.01), reduced LA, LDH, BUN, and MDA levels (P<0.01), elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P<0.01), upregulated testicular RGN, PKG, GKAP1, testosterone, Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase, and cGMP levels (P<0.01), improved sperm motility, sperm count, and TMS scores, and enhanced STRA8, SCP3, and TNP1 expression. Compared with the L-NAME group, the icariin group with medium dose showed increased expression of STRA8, SCP3, and TNP1 in the testicular tissue (P<0.01) and elevated cGMP and GKAP1 levels (P<0.01). ConclusionExercise-induced fatigue reduces the expression of RGN and cGMP/PKG/GKAP1 in mice, thereby causing abnormal spermatogenesis and impairing reproductive function in mice. Icariin ameliorates spermatogenic dysfunction in exercise-induced fatigue mice by promoting the expression of RGN and cGMP/PKG/GKAP1, thereby mitigating the damage of exercise-induced fatigue to the reproductive system.
2.Effect and Mechanism of Icariin on Improving Spermatogenesis in Exercise-induced Fatigue Model Mice Through Regucalcin
Kunyang TANG ; Min XIAO ; Xiaocui JIANG ; Xiaoxue TAO ; Yue ZOU ; Chunchun ZHAO ; Zhipeng FANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):117-127
ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the effects of icariin on spermatogenesis in mice with exercise-induced fatigue and explore the underlying mechanisms. MethodsICR male mice were screened by swimming and randomly divided into normal group, model group, vitamin C group, icariin groups with low, medium, and high doses, and medium-dose icariin+N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) group, with 10 mice per group. Except for the normal group, all the other groups underwent weighted swimming training to establish an exercise-induced fatigue model. No gavage was administered during the first two weeks of the weighted training. From week three to four, the icariin groups with low, medium, and high doses received 0.03, 0.06, and 0.12 g·kg-1 icariin via gavage, respectively. The vitamin C group received 0.2 g·kg-1 vitamin C. The L-NAME group received 0.06 g·kg-1 icariin and 0.01 g·kg-1 L-NAME via intraperitoneal injection. The normal and model groups received equivalent physiological saline. After the experiment, body weight and the last exhaustive swimming time were recorded. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lactate (LA), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), malondialdehyde (MDA), testicular testosterone (T), testicular Ca2+/Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (micro-assay), and the levels of testicular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were measured by using kits. Sperm CD46 levels were detected by flow cytometry. Testicular seminiferous tubules were observed via hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and the testicular morphometric score (TMS) was used to evaluate the spermatogenic function. Protein expression of regucalcin (RGN, SMP30), cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 (PKG), and cGMP-dependent protein kinase anchoring protein (GKAP1) was detected by Western blot. Testicular regucalcin expression was examined by immunofluorescence (IF). The epididymal sperm quality of mice was observed under a microscope. Fluorescence-stained sections of stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (STRA8), synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SCP3), and transition protein 1(TNP1) in testicular seminiferous tubules were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). ResultsCompared with the normal group, the model group showed decreased body weight and exhaustive swimming time (P<0.01), significantly increased fatigue markers (LA, LDH, and BUN) and lipid peroxidation product MDA (P<0.01), reduced testicular RGN, PKG, GKAP1, testosterone, Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase, and cGMP levels (P<0.01), decreased sperm motility, sperm count, and TMS scores, and downregulated the expression of STRA8, SCP3, and TNP1. Compared with the model group, the icariin group with high dose exhibited increased exhaustive swimming time (P<0.01), reduced LA, LDH, BUN, and MDA levels (P<0.01), elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P<0.01), upregulated testicular RGN, PKG, GKAP1, testosterone, Ca2+/Mg2+-ATPase, and cGMP levels (P<0.01), improved sperm motility, sperm count, and TMS scores, and enhanced STRA8, SCP3, and TNP1 expression. Compared with the L-NAME group, the icariin group with medium dose showed increased expression of STRA8, SCP3, and TNP1 in the testicular tissue (P<0.01) and elevated cGMP and GKAP1 levels (P<0.01). ConclusionExercise-induced fatigue reduces the expression of RGN and cGMP/PKG/GKAP1 in mice, thereby causing abnormal spermatogenesis and impairing reproductive function in mice. Icariin ameliorates spermatogenic dysfunction in exercise-induced fatigue mice by promoting the expression of RGN and cGMP/PKG/GKAP1, thereby mitigating the damage of exercise-induced fatigue to the reproductive system.
3.Advances in computational approaches to herbal prescription recommendation in traditional Chinese medicine: A review
Xin DONG ; Geyan PAN ; Juxian TANG ; Xuchen ZHANG ; Yutong HOU ; Peng ZHANG ; Xiaohan MAO ; Zhipeng KE ; Zongyao ZHAO ; Xuezhong ZHOU
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;4(2):119-131
Intelligent prescription recommendation has become an important research direction in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), offering new opportunities to support clinical decision-making and promote the modernization of TCM practice. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), a variety of computational approaches have been proposed to learn prescription patterns from clinical data and generate personalized treatment recommendations. However, despite increasing research activity, systematic and comprehensive reviews of AI-driven methods for TCM prescription recommendation remain limited. In this study, we present a comprehensive review of computational approaches for herbal prescription recommendation (HPR) in TCM. Existing methods are systematically categorized into several major paradigms, including traditional machine learning methods, topic model methods, sequential generative methods, deep learning and graph-based methods, and large language model–based frameworks. In addition to summarizing methodological developments, we also review commonly used public datasets and evaluation metrics in this field. Furthermore, representative models with publicly available implementations are experimentally evaluated on multiple benchmark datasets to provide a comparative analysis of their performance on the HPR task. Finally, we discuss the key challenges that hinder the practical deployment of intelligent prescription recommendation systems, including data heterogeneity, limited interpretability, and insufficient integration of TCM domain knowledge. Future research directions are outlined to facilitate the development of more reliable, interpretable, and clinically applicable AI-assisted HPR systems for TCM.
4.Safety of a novel domestic direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy for biliary tract exploration
Jingyi LIU ; Zhipeng QI ; Jiawei ZHANG ; Dongli HE ; Zhanghan CHEN ; Yirong CHENG ; Jieling JIANG ; Yan TANG ; Jiachen JING ; Yunshi ZHONG ; Pinxiang LU
Chinese Journal of Digestive Endoscopy 2025;42(1):28-33
Objective:To assess the safety of a novel domestically developed direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy for the exploration of biliary tract.Methods:Clinical data from 384 patients with biliary tract diseases who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) at the Endoscopy Center of Shanghai Xuhui District Central Hospital from November 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on the type of cholangioscope: the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group ( n=159) and the SpyGlass group ( n=225). In the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group, the new direct visualization system of China-made peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy was used for bile duct exploration, while the SpyGlass group utilized the SpyGlass system for bile duct inspection. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used as a nearest-neighbor method with a caliper of 0.01 to minimize confounding factors, resulting in a balanced sample of 122 patients in each group after matching. The primary outcome was the incidence of short-term complications, with secondary outcomes including technical success rates and post-treatment outcomes. Results:After PSM, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups ( P>0.05). Regarding short-term postoperative complications, pancreatitis occurred in 1.6% (2/122) of patients in the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group and 7.4% (9/122) in the SpyGlass group. The new system significantly reduced the incidence of post-procedure pancreatitis ( χ2=4.665, P=0.031). The cholecystitis was absent in the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group, while it occurred in 0.8% (1/122) cases in the SpyGlass group, with no significant difference between the two groups after the procedure ( P=1.000). Regarding technical success rate, the novel system group achieved a rate of 99.2% (121/122), while the SpyGlass group achieved 97.5% (119/122) ( P=0.622). A slightly higher success rate was observed in the novel system group.There were 81 cases of postoperative biliary drainage in the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group and 74 cases in the SpyGlass group. Conclusion:The novel direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy is safer than SpyGlass in the exploration of biliary system diseases. Endoscopists are encouraged to choose the appropriate cholangioscopy system based on individual patient characteristics for the direct visualization, diagnosis, and treatment of biliary diseases.
5.Research progress on perception of recurrence risk in cardiovascular disease patients
Yunxia LI ; Jing LU ; Xiu TAO ; Jie WANG ; Zhipeng BAO ; Zhijie TANG ; Guozhen SUN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(32):4341-4347
Perception of recurrence risk in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients plays a significant role in aspects such as their quality of life and treatment adherence. This paper reviews the theoretical foundations of recurrence risk perception, the conceptual origins and developmental process, measurement tools, influencing factors of recurrence risk perception in CVD patients, and research progress of recurrence risk perception in CVD management. The aim is to provide a basis for developing scientifically effective intervention measures for CVD patients in the future.
6.Research progress on perception of recurrence risk in cardiovascular disease patients
Yunxia LI ; Jing LU ; Xiu TAO ; Jie WANG ; Zhipeng BAO ; Zhijie TANG ; Guozhen SUN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(32):4341-4347
Perception of recurrence risk in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients plays a significant role in aspects such as their quality of life and treatment adherence. This paper reviews the theoretical foundations of recurrence risk perception, the conceptual origins and developmental process, measurement tools, influencing factors of recurrence risk perception in CVD patients, and research progress of recurrence risk perception in CVD management. The aim is to provide a basis for developing scientifically effective intervention measures for CVD patients in the future.
7.Effect of USP44 and NCOR1 expression on prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer
Yunguo LIAO ; Ziyu TANG ; Dan DENG ; Jingjing GUO ; Shixiang QIU ; Chao LI ; Zhipeng FENG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(3):261-265
Objective To investigate the effect of ubiquitin-specific peptidase(USP)44 and nuclear receptor co-inhibitor 1(NCOR1)expression on prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer.Methods A total of 98 pa-tients with non-small cell lung cancer admitted to a hospital from May 2019 to May 2021 were selected as the study objects,and non-small cell lung cancer tissues and adjacent tissues were collected to detect the expres-sion levels of USP44 and NCOR1 in these tissues by immunohistochemical staining.The relationship between USP44 and NCOR1 expression and pathological features of non-small cell lung cancer patients was analyzed,and the prognostic factors of non-small cell lung cancer patients were analyzed by multivariate Cox regression.Results The positive expression rates of USP44 and NCOR1 in non-small cell lung cancer tissues were higher than those in adjacent tissues,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The positive expression rates of USP44 and NCOR1 in patients with medium-low differentiation,lymph node metastasis,clinical stageⅢ to Ⅳ,and pleural metastasis were higher than those in patients with highly differentiated,no lymph node metastasis,clinical stage Ⅰ to Ⅱ,and no pleural metastasis,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The 3-year overall survival rate of USP44 and NCOR1 negative non-small cell lung cancer patients was higher than that of USP44 and NCOR1 positive non-small cell lung cancer patients,and the difference was statistically significant(all P<0.05).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that pleural metastasis,USP44 positive and NCOR1 positive were prognostic factors in non-small cell lung cancer patients(P<0.05).Conclusion The expression of USP44 and NCOR1 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer can be used as biomarkers for prognosis assessment,and provide evidence for progression assessment and clinical de-cision making of non-small cell lung cancer.
8.Curvularin derivatives from hydrothermal vent sediment fungus Penicillium sp. HL-50 guided by molecular networking and their anti-inflammatory activity.
Chunxue YU ; Zixuan XIA ; Zhipeng XU ; Xiyang TANG ; Wenjuan DING ; Jihua WEI ; Danmei TIAN ; Bin WU ; Jinshan TANG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(1):119-128
Guided by molecular networking, nine novel curvularin derivatives (1-9) and 16 known analogs (10-25) were isolated from the hydrothermal vent sediment fungus Penicillium sp. HL-50. Notably, compounds 5-7 represented a hybrid of curvularin and purine. The structures and absolute configurations of compounds 1-9 were elucidated via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, 13C NMR calculation, modified Mosher's method, and chemical derivatization. Investigation of anti-inflammatory activities revealed that compounds 7-9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 18 exhibited significant suppressive effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 0.44 to 4.40 μmol·L-1. Furthermore, these bioactive compounds were found to suppress the expression of inflammation-related proteins, including inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), NLR family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). Additional studies demonstrated that the novel compound 7 possessed potent anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the transcription of inflammation-related genes, downregulating the expression of inflammation-related proteins, and inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines, indicating its potential application in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Penicillium/chemistry*
;
Mice
;
Animals
;
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*
;
RAW 264.7 Cells
;
Nitric Oxide/metabolism*
;
Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology*
;
Macrophages/immunology*
;
Molecular Structure
;
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/immunology*
;
Cyclooxygenase 2/immunology*
;
Geologic Sediments/microbiology*
;
NF-kappa B/immunology*
;
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/immunology*
9.Safety of a novel domestic direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy for biliary tract exploration
Jingyi LIU ; Zhipeng QI ; Jiawei ZHANG ; Dongli HE ; Zhanghan CHEN ; Yirong CHENG ; Jieling JIANG ; Yan TANG ; Jiachen JING ; Yunshi ZHONG ; Pinxiang LU
Chinese Journal of Digestive Endoscopy 2025;42(1):28-33
Objective:To assess the safety of a novel domestically developed direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy for the exploration of biliary tract.Methods:Clinical data from 384 patients with biliary tract diseases who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) at the Endoscopy Center of Shanghai Xuhui District Central Hospital from November 2017 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on the type of cholangioscope: the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group ( n=159) and the SpyGlass group ( n=225). In the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group, the new direct visualization system of China-made peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy was used for bile duct exploration, while the SpyGlass group utilized the SpyGlass system for bile duct inspection. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used as a nearest-neighbor method with a caliper of 0.01 to minimize confounding factors, resulting in a balanced sample of 122 patients in each group after matching. The primary outcome was the incidence of short-term complications, with secondary outcomes including technical success rates and post-treatment outcomes. Results:After PSM, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups ( P>0.05). Regarding short-term postoperative complications, pancreatitis occurred in 1.6% (2/122) of patients in the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group and 7.4% (9/122) in the SpyGlass group. The new system significantly reduced the incidence of post-procedure pancreatitis ( χ2=4.665, P=0.031). The cholecystitis was absent in the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group, while it occurred in 0.8% (1/122) cases in the SpyGlass group, with no significant difference between the two groups after the procedure ( P=1.000). Regarding technical success rate, the novel system group achieved a rate of 99.2% (121/122), while the SpyGlass group achieved 97.5% (119/122) ( P=0.622). A slightly higher success rate was observed in the novel system group.There were 81 cases of postoperative biliary drainage in the novel cholangiopancreatoscopy system group and 74 cases in the SpyGlass group. Conclusion:The novel direct visualization system of peroral cholangiopancreatoscopy is safer than SpyGlass in the exploration of biliary system diseases. Endoscopists are encouraged to choose the appropriate cholangioscopy system based on individual patient characteristics for the direct visualization, diagnosis, and treatment of biliary diseases.
10.Applications of vascularized pericranial flaps in endoscopic skull base surgeries
Ru TANG ; Song MAO ; Yuelong GU ; Zhipeng LI ; Weitian ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2024;59(11):1199-1204
Objective:To study the feasibility and efficacy of pericranial flaps for the repairs of large anterior skull base defects.Methods:The average length of the pericranial flaps needed for skull base repair was determined with computed tomography measurements in 20 adults and anatomical dissections in 5 cadaver specimen. A series of patients who underwent endoscopic skull base surgeries and subsequent reconstructions with pericranial flaps at the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Affiliated Sixth People′s Hospital from 2016 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 19 males and 6 females, aged from 11 to 59 years, including 13 cases of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea (12 traumatic) and 12 cases of sinonasal skull base tumors. Descriptive statistical methods were used.Results:The mean areas of anterior skull base, sellar, and clival defects were 16.13, 14.03 and 13.12 cm 2, respectively, and the mean pericranial flap lengths were (18.77±3.44)mm, (133.99±5.08)mm, (181.76±6.31)mm, respectively. Among sinonasal skull base neoplasms, the pathologies included olfactory neuroblastoma ( n=6), squamous cell carcinoma ( n=3), chondrosarcoma ( n=1), osteosarcoma ( n=1), and invasive schwannoma ( n=1), in whom 8 patients underwent adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery. One patient (7.7%) had acoustic neuroma-related CSF leak before radiotherapy. All 25 patients successfully underwent skull base reconstruction without complications such as CSF leak, intracranial infection, forehead wrinkles disappearance, or scalp necrosis. All flaps survived well with no CSF leaks within the follow-up period of 2-4 years. Conclusion:Pericranial flap is a safe choice for large anterior skull base defects following resection of sinonasal skull base neoplasms and complex traumatic CSF leaks when endonasal flaps are not available.

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