1.Jujuboside A Improves Cognitive Function in Rat Model of VCI via PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway
Zixuan HUANG ; Shuo YANG ; Jiaqi ZHOU ; Gengchao ZHANG ; Qiuyun YOU ; Aihua TAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(6):107-114
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of jujuboside A (JuA) on the learning and memory abilities and histopathological changes in the rat model of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and explore the potential mechanisms by which JuA treats VCI. MethodsA total of 50 male SPF-grade SD rats were randomized into a sham operation group (n=10), a blank control group (n=10), and a modeling group (n=30). The rats in the modeling group underwent bilateral carotid artery ligation (2-VO) for the modeling of VCI. After stabilization, the VCI rats were randomized into model, JuA (20 mg·kg-¹), and donepezil (0.45 mg·kg-¹) groups. After 4 weeks of gavage, the novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests were conducted to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of rats. Nissl staining was employed to evaluate the morphology and number of hippocampal neurons. Real-time PCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt) in the hippocampal tissue. Western blot was employed to quantify the protein levels of GSK-3β, p-GSK-3β, p-CREB, Bcl-2, PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, and p-Akt in the hippocampal tissue. ResultCompared with the sham operation group, the model group exhibited declines in the learning and memory abilities (P<0.01), neuronal damage and decreased neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region (P<0.01), up-regulation in the mRNA level of GSK-3β (P<0.01), and down-regulation in the mRNA levels of PI3K, Akt, CREB, and Bcl-2, as well as the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, p-CREB, and Bcl-2 (P<0.01). In comparison to the model group, both the JuA and donepezil groups demonstrated improvements in the learning and memory abilities (P<0.05, P<0.01), with reduced neuronal damage and increased neurons (P<0.05, P<0.01). In addition, the two groups showed down-regulation in the mRNA level of GSK-3β (P<0.01) and up-regulation in the mRNA levels of PI3K, Akt, CREB, and Bcl-2 and the protein levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, p-CREB, and Bcl-2 (P<0.05, P<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the blank control and sham operation groups in terms of the learning and memory abilities, neuron count, and mRNA and protein levels of PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β pathway-related factors. ConclusionJuA can ameliorate the cognitive impairment in the rat model of VCI by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, reducing the apoptosis of hippocampal neurons, and alleviating the hippocampal neuronal damage.
2.Research progress on early screening methods for occupational noise-induced hearing loss
Aihua LI ; Wenyan YU ; Hongyan YANG ; Weihong CAI ; Rui ZHANG ; Haijiang FENG ; Huaiying TAO ; Yixian MA ; Yan YE
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(11):1400-1404
Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is an irreversible sensorineural hearing loss that severely endangers workers’ health, making early screening crucial. This article reviewed the research progress on early screening methods for occupational NIHL, introduced the testing mechanisms of three core screening methods—tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions, and extended high-frequency audiometry —and summarized their clinical application advantages and limitations. It is proposed that multimodal combined detection (e.g., the combination of tympanometry, otoacoustic emissions, and extended high-frequency audiometry) can significantly improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of early screening. Meanwhile, future studies with prospective cohort design are encouraged to verify the long-term monitoring value of each method and to strengthen the joint development of screening technologies with cutting-edge approaches such as machine learning, in order to further improve screening efficiency and provide stronger protection for workers’ hearing health.
3.Progress on prognosis factors for IgA nephropathy in children
Ni TANG ; Chunhua ZHU ; Aihua ZHANG
International Journal of Pediatrics 2025;52(3):165-169
IgA nephropathy(IgAN)is a common primary glomerular disease in children,characterized by the deposition of IgA or IgA-dominant immune complexes in the glomeruli.The clinical manifestations are highly heterogeneous,with some children progressing to end-stage renal disease.The prognosis of IgAN is influenced by multiple factors,involving clinical,pathological,and laboratory examinations.Among the clinical factors,persistent proteinuria,reduced baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),hypertension during follow-up,and hyperuricemia are risk factors for poor prognosis.The predictive value of hematuria remains controversial.Pathologically,the Oxford classification highlights that segmental sclerosis,tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis,and crescents are significantly associated with disease progression,with tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis serving as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes.The prognostic significance of mesangial hypercellularity and endocapillary hypercellularity requires further validation.Among the biomarkers,serum galactose-deficient IgA 1 and complement-related markers(such as IgA/C3 ratio)show potential predictive value,but need to be supported by large samples studies.This article reviews the clinical,pathological,and biomarker-related risk factors influencing the prognosis of pediatric IgAN,aiming to provide basis for developing risk prediction models and guiding individualized treatment strategies.
4.Correlations of multimodal ultrasound parameters with Ki-67 and cytokeratin 5/6 in triple-negative breast cancer
Aihua ZHANG ; Qing CANG ; Liang YIN ; Xinhua YE
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2025;29(6):69-74
Objective To analyze the correlations of multimodal ultrasound parameters with Ki-67 and cytokeratin 5/6(CK5/6)in triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC).Methods A retrospec-tive analysis was conducted on 212 breast cancer patients in Jurong Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu Uni-versity and Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2023.The patients were divided into TNBC group(n=95)and non-TNBC group(n=117).Immunohistochemical stai-ning was used to detect the expression of Ki-67 and CK5/6 in both groups,and the correlations of ul-trasound parameters with Ki-67 and CK5/6 were analyzed.Results In the TNBC group,the positive rates of CK5/6 and Ki-67 were 69.47%(66/95)and 75.79%(72/95)respectively,while in the non-TNBC group,the positive rates were 23.93%(28/117)and 14.53%(17/117)respectively,with significant between-group differences(P<0.05).In the TNBC group,patients with high and low level of CK5/6 showed significant differences in maximum lesion diameter,morphology,margin,aspect ratio,presence of calcifications,posterior acoustic pattern,lymph node metastasis,and distant metastasis(P<0.05);similarly,patients with high and low level of CK5/6 demonstrated significant differences in distribution,enhancement pattern,and perfusion defects(P<0.05);patients with high and low level of Ki-67 also exhibited significant differences in maximum lesion diameter,mor-phology,margin,aspect ratio,presence of calcifications,posterior acoustic pattern,lymph node me-tastasis,and distant metastasis(P<0.05);additionally,patients with high and low level of Ki-67 showed significant differences in the enhanced range,distribution,and enhancement pattern(P<0.05).Multivariate analysis revealed that clear margin,calcifications,and enhanced range were in-dependent influencing factors for CK5/6 positivity(P<0.05),while enhancement pattern and en-hanced range were independent influencing factors for Ki-67 positivity(P<0.05).Conclusion Ki-67 and CK5/6 have higher positive expression rates in TNBC patients,and multimodal ultrasound pa-rameters are correlated with Ki-67 and CK5/6.
5.Effects of three sterilization methods on the magnetic flux of magnetic surgical devices and analysis of sterilization cost
Feng MA ; Aihua SHI ; Xiaoyan ZENG ; Fang BAI ; Ningxia JIA ; Hao XUE ; Fengling WANG ; Yan LI ; Xufeng ZHANG ; Yi LÜ ; Lingling SHI
Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University(Medical Sciences) 2024;45(4):669-673
Objective To analyze the effects of three sterilization methods,namely,pressure steam,low-temperature plasma and ethylene oxide,on the magnetic flux of magnetic surgical devices and their sterilization costs.Methods A total of 234 magnetic surgical devices of different specifications and models(magnetic rings)were randomly divided into Group A,Group B and Group C after the paired number was labelled,and each group consisted of 78 pieces(39 pairs).After packaging each pair of devices according to sterilization specifications,Group A was sterilized by pressure steam,Group B was sterilized by low-temperature plasma,and Group C was sterilized by ethylene oxide.We measured the magnetic flux of three sets of magnetic rings before and after sterilization,and comparatively analyzed the sterilization cost and sterilization time of the single package.Results There was no statistically significant difference in the impact of the three sterilization methods on the magnetic flux of the magnetic surgical devices(P>0.05),but there was a significant difference in the magnetic flux before and after sterilization for each sterilization method(P<0.001);the sterilization cost was(1.96±0.16)yuan for Group A,(23.17±0.32)yuan for Group B,and(8.16±0.18)yuan for Group C,showing statistically significant differences among the three groups(P<0.01).The sterilization time was(65.21±3.36)min for Group A,(45.46±1.39)min for Group B,and(1020.38±12.21)min for Group C,with statistically significant differences among the three groups(P<0.01).Conclusion None of the three sterilization methods affects the magnetic flux of the magnetic surgical devices.Pressure steam method shows the lowest cost of single package,low-temperature plasma method shows the highest cost of single package,while ethylene oxide method shows the highest sterilization time.Pressure steam should be the preferred sterilization method for magnetic surgical devices.
6.Liver Injury Caused by Psoraleae Fructus: A Review
Xuan TANG ; Jiayin HAN ; Chen PAN ; Yushi ZHANG ; Aihua LIANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(2):179-189
Psoraleae Fructus (PF) is a non-toxic Chinese herbal medicine, while the liver injury caused by PF has aroused wide concern in recent years. At present, animal experiments and in vitro studies have been carried out to explore the mechanism, targets, and toxic components of PF in inducing liver injury, which, however, have differences compared with the actual conditions in clinical practice, and there are still some potential hepatotoxic components and targets of PF that have not been discovered. With the continuous progress in systems biology, establishing the drug-induced liver injury model and the liver injury prediction model based on network toxicology can reduce the cost of animal experiments, improve the toxicity prediction efficiency, and provide new tools for predicting toxic components and targets. To systematically explain the characteristics of liver injury in the application of PF and explore the potential hepatotoxic components and targets of PF, we reviewed the related articles published by China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, VIP, and PubMed from 1962 to 2021 and analyzed the characteristics and influencing factors of liver injury caused by PF in the patients. Furthermore, we summarized the chemical components of PF and the components entering blood. By reviewing the mechanism, targets, and components of PF in inducing liver injury that were discovered by in vivo and in vitro experiments, we summarized the known compounds in PF that may cause liver injury. Finally, the current methods for building the prediction model of PF-induced liver injury were summarized, and the predicted toxic components and targets were introduced. The possible factors of PF in causing liver injury were explained from three aspects: clinical characteristics, preclinical studies, and computer-assisted network prediction, which provide a reference for predicting the risk of PF-induced liver injury.
7.Impacts of muscone on malignant progression of ovarian cancer cells by regulating SHH mediated autophagy
Aihua WANG ; Feizhong ZHANG ; Hongying WANG
Tianjin Medical Journal 2024;52(2):142-148
Objective To investigate the effect of muscone on malignant progression of ovarian cancer cells mediated by regulating sonic hedgehog(SHH)mediated autophagy.Methods Survival rates of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 treated with 0,2,4,8,16,and 24 μmol/L muscone were detected,and the optimal cell action concentration of muscone was selected.SKOV3 cells were cultured in vitro,and their transplanted tumor mouse models were constructed.Cells were randomly grouped into the control group,the muskone group,the muskone+chloroquine(CQ,an autophagy inhibitor)group,the muskone+empty group and the muskone+SHH overexpression group.After grouping and treatment with musconeand,CQ,empty plasmid and SHH overexpression plasmid,the tumor volume and weight in transplanted tumor mice were detected.EdU staining,TUNEL staining,cell scratch,Transwell invasion assay,immunoblotting and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR were used to detect proliferation,apoptosis,migration and invasion of SKOV3 cells,the expression of autophagy related proteins(LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ,Beclin-1)and SHH in SKOV3 cells and transplanted tumor mice in each.Results Compared with the control group,the cell proliferation rate,cell migration rate,number of invasions,tumor volume and weight,and the expression of SHH mRNA and protein in tumor tissue were decreased in the muskone group(P<0.05),and the apoptosis rate,LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ,Beclin-1 protein in cells and tumor tissue were increased(P<0.05).Compared with the muscone group,the cell proliferation rate,cell migration rate,number of invasion,tumor volume and weight were increased in the muscone+CQ group and the muskone+SHH overexpression group(P<0.05),and the apoptosis rate,LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ and the expression of Beclin-1 protein in cells and tumor tissue were decreased(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in the above indicators in the muscone+empty group(P>0.05).Conclusion Muscone can promote autophagy of ovarian cancer cells by down-regulating SHH,thereby inhibiting their proliferation,in vivo growth,migration and invasion,promoting their apoptosis,and ultimately inhibiting their malignant progression.
8.Prognosis of congenital bile duct cysts after cyst resection and risk factors analysis of postoperative biliary calculus
Yonghua ZHU ; Min SUN ; Chen WU ; Hui ZHANG ; Aihua YAO
Chinese Journal of Hepatobiliary Surgery 2024;30(2):114-118
Objective:To study the prognosis of congenital bile duct cysts following cyst resection, and to analyze the risk factors associated with the development of postoperative biliary calculus.Methods:Clinical data of 149 patients with congenital bile duct cysts undergoing surgery in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from May 2004 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 59 males and 90 females, with a median age of 32 (21, 47) years old. Patients were divided into two groups: the stone group ( n=51, biliary calculus occurred during the follow-ups after surgery) and non-stone group ( n=98). Clinical data such as gender, age, medical history, cyst type, biliary calculus, anastomotic stenosis and occurrence of cancer were compared. All patients were followed up via telephone consultations. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors associated with the occurrence of biliary calculus after surgery. Results:The duration of the follow-ups was 120 (24, 211) months. The observed incidence of postoperative biliary calculus, anastomotic stricture, and cancer in the patients were 34.2% (51/149), 8.7% (13/149), and 4.7% (7/149), respectively. The logistic regression analysis indicated that incomplete cyst resection ( OR=3.332, 95% CI: 1.221-9.094) and postoperative anastomotic stenosis ( OR=13.300, 95% CI: 2.586-68.401) were associated with a higher risk of biliary calculus formation after cystectomy (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Patients with congenital bile duct cysts suffer a high risk of biliary calculus formation after cystectomy. The residual cyst and postoperative anastomotic stenosis are independent risk factors for biliary calculus after surgery.
9.Research progress on influencing factors and training of nurses'compassion
Jiaoyue LI ; Li YANG ; Aihua SU ; Mengfei LAN ; Hongqiang ZHANG ; Yixuan QI
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2024;59(3):371-377
Compassion is an important part of nurses'professional quality,and it is also the basis of effective nurse-patient communication and humanistic care.Improving nurses'compassion is helpful to provide high-quality nursing services to patients.This study reviews the definition of compassion,the factors affecting compassion and the training methods to improve compassion,analyzes the shortcomings of existing training methods,and puts forward the prospects for future research,so as to provide a theoretical foundation for future compassion training among nurses.
10.Research Progress of Monogenic Mutation in the Pathogenesis of Steroid-Resistant Nephrotic Syndrome
Luyan ZHANG ; Bixia ZHENG ; Aihua ZHANG
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2024;3(1):18-29
Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) is the second cause of chronic kidney disease in children. The SRNS has high risk of rapid progression to end-stage renal disease. With the advancement of high-throughput sequencing technology, more than 70 monogenic mutation having the Mendelian inheritance patterns are identified to be associated with SRNS. Most of these genes are involved in podocyte function. Accurate diagnosis of monogenic mutation in SRNS patients helps with guiding clinical treatment protocols and genetic counseling, avoiding the excessive use of steroids/immunosuppressive therapy, and opening up possibilities for targeted therapies in SRNS patients. In this article, our research team summarizes and generalizes the molecular mechanisms, genetic testing, and specific treatment for the major types of monogenic mutations associated with SRNS.

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