1.Effect of fluoride exposure on endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial calcium transfer and apoptosis in primary nerve cells
Yongheng LU ; Shuang ZHU ; Feiyan ZHAO ; Fujun AI ; Yanjie LIU ; Yangting DONG ; Zhizhong GUAN ; Na WEI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(1):111-119
BACKGROUND:Previous studies have found that neuronal damage caused by continuous excessive fluoride exposure is related to Ca2+overload,but the mechanism of Ca2+flow conversion between intracellular calcium stores and cell apoptosis damage is still unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of fluoride exposure on Ca2+transport channel proteins and apoptosis levels in the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane of primary cultured neural cells.METHODS:Primary nerve cells of neonatal SD rats were cultured in vitro and identified by immunofluorescence staining with neuronal nucleus-specific antibody up to day 7.The nerve cells were divided into control group(containing 0 mmol/L sodium fluoride),low fluoride group(containing 0.5 mmol/L sodium fluoride),and high fluoride group(containing 1 mmol/L sodium fluoride).The cell morphological changes were observed by light microscope 24 hours after fluorine exposure.The expression levels of apoptosis-related protein BAX/BCL-2 and calcium transfer-related pathways VDAC1,GRP 75,and IP3R were detected using western blot assay.The expression levels of VDAC1,GRP 75,and IP3R mRNA were detected by RT-PCR.Ca2+levels were detected by Rhood-2AM Ca2+probe.Mitochondrial membrane potential detection kit was used to detect the change in mitochondrial membrane potential.The level of apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The purity of neurons cultured on day 7 had been determined to be over 90%,with few impurities,good growth status,and tight cell network connections,meeting the requirements of subsequent experiments.(2)Compared with the control group,growth of neural cell clusters in the low-fluoride group and the high-fluoride group increased;the processes were broken;the cell body was rounded,and the connection network between cells was destroyed.Compared with the low-fluoride group,the cell damage changes in the high-fluoride group were more obvious.(3)Compared with the control group,the protein expressions of VDAC1,GRP75,and IP3R were increased in the low-fluoride group and the high-fluoride group(P<0.05),and the ratio of apoptosis-related protein BAX/BCL-2 was increased(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression of VDAC1 and GRP75 mRNA in the low-fluoride group was significantly increased(P<0.05);the expression levels of VDAC1,GRP75,and IP3R mRNA in the high-fluoride group were significantly increased(P<0.01).(4)The level of cell apoptosis increased significantly after fluoride exposure,and the high-fluoride group was significantly higher than the control and low-fluoride groups(P<0.01).(5)After fluoride exposure,the concentration of mitochondrial Ca2+in nerve cells increased significantly(P<0.05),the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased(P<0.01),and the degree of damage in the high-fluoride group was more obvious(P<0.05).The results show that fluoride exposure impairs the morphological structure of primary neural cells,resulting in upregulation of Ca2+transfer pathway protein expression between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria,mitochondrial Ca2+overload,mitochondrial damage,and increased levels of apoptosis.
2.Effect of fluoride exposure on endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial calcium transfer and apoptosis in primary nerve cells
Yongheng LU ; Shuang ZHU ; Feiyan ZHAO ; Fujun AI ; Yanjie LIU ; Yangting DONG ; Zhizhong GUAN ; Na WEI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(1):111-119
BACKGROUND:Previous studies have found that neuronal damage caused by continuous excessive fluoride exposure is related to Ca2+overload,but the mechanism of Ca2+flow conversion between intracellular calcium stores and cell apoptosis damage is still unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of fluoride exposure on Ca2+transport channel proteins and apoptosis levels in the mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membrane of primary cultured neural cells.METHODS:Primary nerve cells of neonatal SD rats were cultured in vitro and identified by immunofluorescence staining with neuronal nucleus-specific antibody up to day 7.The nerve cells were divided into control group(containing 0 mmol/L sodium fluoride),low fluoride group(containing 0.5 mmol/L sodium fluoride),and high fluoride group(containing 1 mmol/L sodium fluoride).The cell morphological changes were observed by light microscope 24 hours after fluorine exposure.The expression levels of apoptosis-related protein BAX/BCL-2 and calcium transfer-related pathways VDAC1,GRP 75,and IP3R were detected using western blot assay.The expression levels of VDAC1,GRP 75,and IP3R mRNA were detected by RT-PCR.Ca2+levels were detected by Rhood-2AM Ca2+probe.Mitochondrial membrane potential detection kit was used to detect the change in mitochondrial membrane potential.The level of apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The purity of neurons cultured on day 7 had been determined to be over 90%,with few impurities,good growth status,and tight cell network connections,meeting the requirements of subsequent experiments.(2)Compared with the control group,growth of neural cell clusters in the low-fluoride group and the high-fluoride group increased;the processes were broken;the cell body was rounded,and the connection network between cells was destroyed.Compared with the low-fluoride group,the cell damage changes in the high-fluoride group were more obvious.(3)Compared with the control group,the protein expressions of VDAC1,GRP75,and IP3R were increased in the low-fluoride group and the high-fluoride group(P<0.05),and the ratio of apoptosis-related protein BAX/BCL-2 was increased(P<0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression of VDAC1 and GRP75 mRNA in the low-fluoride group was significantly increased(P<0.05);the expression levels of VDAC1,GRP75,and IP3R mRNA in the high-fluoride group were significantly increased(P<0.01).(4)The level of cell apoptosis increased significantly after fluoride exposure,and the high-fluoride group was significantly higher than the control and low-fluoride groups(P<0.01).(5)After fluoride exposure,the concentration of mitochondrial Ca2+in nerve cells increased significantly(P<0.05),the mitochondrial membrane potential decreased(P<0.01),and the degree of damage in the high-fluoride group was more obvious(P<0.05).The results show that fluoride exposure impairs the morphological structure of primary neural cells,resulting in upregulation of Ca2+transfer pathway protein expression between the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria,mitochondrial Ca2+overload,mitochondrial damage,and increased levels of apoptosis.
3.Exploration on the collaborative education paths of ideological and political course teaching and medical humanities in military medical universities
Juan LIU ; Yi ZHENG ; Ai ZHAO ; Haiming PANG
Chinese Medical Ethics 2026;39(6):804-810
The collaborative education of ideological and political course teaching and medical humanities represents an inevitable trend in the cultivation of military medical talents. “Military doctors” are both soldiers and clinicians. The military spirit constitutes their spiritual backbone, while the medical ethics form their professional foundation. The “military” and “medical” dimensions share both unity and specificity. The professional particularity of military doctors determines that the cultivation of their humanistic literacy must be grounded in the demands of future battlefields and the developmental trends of military medicine, so as to effectively enhance their comprehensive medical support capabilities adapted to the characteristics of modern warfare. In response to the current status of humanistic educational cultivation in military medical universities, this study clarified the logical connections and value manifestations of the collaborative education between the two fields, assisted in addressing practical problems existing in the cultivation process, and explored three innovative paths. The paths encompassed integrating humanistic educational resources to promote the integrated cultivation of dual competencies in “military medicine and humanities,” innovating teaching contents and forms to improve the professional identity of military medical cadets, and reforming evaluation mechanisms to focus on the shaping and cultivation of humanistic practical abilities.
4.Effect of cerebral white matter lesion on the symptoms of Parkinson disease
Journal of Apoplexy and Nervous Diseases 2025;42(2):137-142
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disease with a high incidence rate in the elderly population, and its complex pathogenesis involves α-synuclein misfolding and aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress, resulting in different impairments of motor and non-motor symptoms and a bad influence on the quality of life of patients. White matter lesion (WML) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by damage to myelin sheath tissue in the central nervous system of the brain, with the pathogenesis of endothelial damage, hypoperfusion of brain white matter, and impairment of blood-brain barrier. WML causes varying degrees of impairment in postural instability, gait disturbance, and motor retardation in PD patients and exerts a certain degree of negative effects on cognitive function and sleep, anxiety, depression, and autonomic nervous function in PD patients. This article reviews the pathogenesis of PD and WML and the damage or influence of WML on the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, in order to elaborate on the association between WML and PD.
Parkinson Disease
5.Theoretical Framework and Implementation Strategies for the Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine Governance System Modernization:Based on Constructivist Grounded Theory
Heling AI ; Ping HUANG ; Hailei ZHAO
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(15):1553-1558
The modernization of the governance system for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutes the institutional cornerstone for advancing the high-quality development of the TCM sector in China. Drawing on focus group discussions with TCM administrative leaders, experts, and scholars who examined the connotations, implementation pathways, problems, and challenges associated with the modernization of TCM governance and governance capacity, this study employed a constructivist grounded theory methodology. Through systematic procedures including initial coding, focused coding, axial coding, and theoretical coding, the study develops a theoretical framework for the modernization of the TCM governance system, with "governance goals - governance philosophy - collaborative governance - institutional systems" as the core. Building upon this framework, the study proposes several implementation strategies for modernizing TCM governance system, such as prioritizing people's health, fostering cultural confidence in TCM, enhancing multi-stakeholder collaboration, and comprehensively improving the institutional architecture of TCM. These findings offer theoretical insights to support the advancement of a modernized TCM governance system.
6.Analysis of the therapeutic effect of CT-guided radioactive 125I seed implantation for the treatment of refractory abdominal cancerous pain
Zhengqi AI ; Xiujin YANG ; Xing YI ; Rongshu SHI ; Kaifei ZHAO
Journal of Interventional Radiology 2025;34(11):1197-1203
Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of CT-guided radioactive 125I seed implantation(ISI)for blocking celiac plexus in the treatment of refractory abdominal cancerous pain.Methods The clinical data of 60 patients with refractory cancerous pain caused by abdominal malignancies(visual analogue scale score ≥4 points)were retrospectively analyzed.Patients of group A(n=29)received anhydrous ethanol injection treatment and patients of group B(n=29)received ISI treatment.The primary endpoints were pain score(visual analogue scale,VAS),daily morphine consumption(DMC),and local tumor control(LTC)rate.Secondary endpoints included the success rate of the procedure and postoperative complications.Results The technical success rate of surgery was 100%in both groups,and no serious complications occurred after surgery.The VAS pain scores in both groups showed a continuous decline from 1 to 8 weeks after surgery,but the difference was not statistically significant.However,the VAS scores in group A was significantly increased at T8 to T12 weeks(P<0.01).In contrast,the pain relief time in group B remained stable until T16 to T24 weeks when an increase in pain improvement was observed.At T8 week,the LTC rate in group B was significantly better than that in group A,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.01).Conclusion Celiac plexus block with ISI can effectively alleviate the refractory cancerous pain caused by abdominal tumors.Compared with anhydrous ethanol injection,ISI has a longer pain relief time(up to T16-T24 weeks)and can effectively control the growth of local tumor,which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.
7.Analysis of Antiviral Efficacy and Safety in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B in Indeterminate Phase
Qian AI ; Zhirong ZHAO ; Yue WU ; Haiwen LI ; Shenghao LI ; Yongrui YANG
Journal of Kunming Medical University 2025;46(1):51-59
Objective To analysis the efficacy and safety of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus in indeterminate phase based on the new guidelines(2022 Edition of the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B).Methods A total of 170 patients with newly diagnosed HBV infection who visited the Third People's Hospital of Kunming from August 1,2020,to July 31,2024,were selected as study subjects.The clinical indicators of patients with normal ALT in the indeterminate phase were analyzed after 12 weeks,24 weeks,and 48 weeks of antiviral treatment,as well as those who did not receive antiviral treatment for 48 weeks.Results(1)Among the 170 patients with normal ALT during the indeterminate phase of HBV infection,the treatment group consisted of 125 patients(36 HBeAg positive and 89 HBeAg negative),while the untreated group had 45 patients.In the treatment group,the HBV-DNA load and HBsAg titer decreased significantly after 48 weeks compared to before treatment,with statistically significant differences(both P<0.05).In the untreated group,the HBV-DNA load showed an upward trend,and the HBsAg titer slightly decreased,with statistically significant differences(both P<0.05).(2)The CVR rate in the treatment group after 48 weeks was 66.67%(24/36)for HBeAg positive patients and 95.51%(85/89)for HBeAg negative patients,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).(3)The treatment group showed a significant decrease in GGT and AFP after 48 weeks compared to before treatment,while the untreated group saw an increase in ALT,GGT,and AFP,with statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).(4)The fibrosis indicators APRI,FIB-4,and LSM in the treatment group significantly decreased after 48 weeks compared to before treatment,with statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).(5)The safety indicators CREA,blood calcium,and blood phosphorus in the treatment group significantly decreased after 48 weeks compared to before treatment,with statistically significant differences(all P<0.05).Conclusion Expanding the antiviral treatment indications according to the new guidelines for patients with normal ALT in the indeterminate phase of HBV infection demonstrates good efficacy in controlling HBV-DNA,improving CVR rates,and enhancing fibrosis indicators,while also showing favorable renal safety.However,there may be a risk of osteoporosis due to calcium and phosphorus metabolism disorders,necessitating enhanced monitoring and prevention.
8.Chemical constituents from Euphorbia humifusa and their in vitro anti-hepatoma activity
Si-fan YAO ; Wu-hui SUN ; Yi ZHANG ; Wen AI ; Xue-jing LI ; Bi-qing ZHAO ; Xiao-jiang ZHOU
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(7):2243-2249
AIM To study the chemical constituents from Euphorbia humifusa Willd.and their in vitro anti-hepatoma activity.METHODS Silica gel,D101 macroporous adsorption resin and semi-preparative RP-HPLC were used for isolated and purified,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.The anti-hepatocellular carcinoma activity was determined by MTT mothod.RESULTS Eighteen compounds were isolated and identified as 22-O-angeloyl-R1-barrigenol(1),dimethyl 3,3'-[oxybis(4,1-phenylene)](2E,2'E)-diacrylate(2),N-(3-methoxy-1,3-dioxopropyl)-D-tryptophan methyl ester(3),N-acetyltryptophan methyl ester(4),N-(methoxycarbonyl)-tryptophan methyl ester(5),(3β,5α,17β)-4,4,8,14-tetramethyl-18-norandrostane-3,17-diol(6),3β,18,19β-trihydroxylupane(7),pregnenolone(8),3-hydroxy-5,6-epoxy-7-megastigmen-9-one(9),dehydrovomifoliol(10),loliolide(11),2,2'-oxybis(1,4-di-tert-butylbenzene)(12),dibutyl phthalate(13),4-methoxycinnamic acid(14),3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid(15),methyl 4-hydroxybenzoate(16),kaempferol(17),quercetin(18).The IC50 values of compounds 1,7 and 8 on HepG2 cells were(17.27±0.92),(19.11±2.14)and(7.53±1.09)μmol/L,respectively.CONCLUSION Compounds 1-16 are first isolated from this plant.Compounds 1,7 and 8 have anti-hepatoma activity.
9.Clinical Prediction Models Based on Traditional Methods and Machine Learning for Predicting First Stroke: Status and Prospects
Zijiao ZHANG ; Shunjing DING ; Di ZHAO ; Jun LIANG ; Jianbo LEI
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(2):292-299
Stroke ranks as the third leading cause of death and the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide. Its high disability rate and prolonged recovery period not only severely impact patients' quality of life but also impose a significant burden on families and society. Primary prevention is the cornerstone of stroke control, as early intervention on risk factors can effectively reduce its incidence. Therefore, the development of predictive models for first-ever stroke risk holds substantial clinical value. In recent years, advancements in big data and artificial intelligence technologies have opened new avenues for stroke risk prediction. This article reviews the current research status of traditional methods and machine learning models in predicting first-ever stroke risk and outlines future development trends from three perspectives: First, emphasis should be placed on technological innovation by incorporating advanced algorithms such as deep learning and large models to further enhance the accuracy of predictive models. Second, there is a need to diversify data types and optimize model architectures to construct more comprehensive and precise predictive models. Lastly, particular attention should be given to the clinical validation of models in real-world settings. This not only enhances the robustness and generalizability of the models but also promotes physicians' understanding of predictive models, which is crucial for their application and dissemination.
10.Inner Ear Delivery of Polyamino Acid Nanohydrogels Loaded with Dexamethasone
Pingping AI ; Lidong ZHAO ; Zhaohui TANG ; Chaoliang HE ; Xuesi CHEN ; Shiming YANG ; Nan WU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(2):370-378
To develop a novel polyamino acid-based nanohydrogel drug delivery system for dexamethasone to enhance its delivery efficiency to the inner ear. A fluorescein-labeled polyglutamic acid-based polyamino acid dexamethasone nanohydrogel was synthesized, and its gelation time was measured. The hydrogel was surgically injected into the round window niche of guinea pigs to determine its degradation time in the middle ear cavity in vivo. The safety, pharmacokinetics, and distribution patterns of dexamethasone in the inner ear were evaluated. The hydrogel exhibited a gelation time of 80 seconds in a 37℃ water bath. In vivo, the hydrogel was almost completely degraded within 7 days in the middle ear cavity of guinea pigs. Transient hearing loss was observed one day after administration, but hearing gradually returned to normal over time. No significant cytotoxicity, vestibular stimulation signs, or pathological abnormalities in spiral ganglion cells were observed. Histopathological examination revealed no significant inflammatory reactions. Pharmacokinetic analysis demonstrated sustained drug release and prolonged dexamethasone activity. Immunofluorescence staining confirmed the distribution of dexamethasone in both the cochlea and vestibular organs. The polyamino acid nanohydrogel exhibits excellent injectability and biodegradability, representing a safe and effective drug delivery system for the inner ear.

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