1.Brain Aperiodic Dynamics
Zhi-Cai HU ; Zhen ZHANG ; Jiang WANG ; Gui-Ping LI ; Shan LIU ; Hai-Tao YU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):99-118
Brain’s neural activities encompass both periodic rhythmic oscillations and aperiodic neural fluctuations. Rhythmic oscillations manifest as spectral peaks of neural signals, directly reflecting the synchronized activities of neural populations and closely tied to cognitive and behavioral states. In contrast, aperiodic fluctuations exhibit a power-law decaying spectral trend, revealing the multiscale dynamics of brain neural activity. In recent years, researchers have made notable progress in studying brain aperiodic dynamics. These studies demonstrate that aperiodic activity holds significant physiological relevance, correlating with various physiological states such as external stimuli, drug induction, sleep states, and aging. Aperiodic activity serves as a reflection of the brain’s sensory capacity, consciousness level, and cognitive ability. In clinical research, the aperiodic exponent has emerged as a significant potential biomarker, capable of reflecting the progression and trends of brain diseases while being intricately intertwined with the excitation-inhibition balance of neural system. The physiological mechanisms underlying aperiodic dynamics span multiple neural scales, with activities at the levels of individual neurons, neuronal ensembles, and neural networks collectively influencing the frequency, oscillatory patterns, and spatiotemporal characteristics of aperiodic signals. Aperiodic dynamics currently boasts broad application prospects. It not only provides a novel perspective for investigating brain neural dynamics but also holds immense potential as a neural marker in neuromodulation or brain-computer interface technologies. This paper summarizes methods for extracting characteristic parameters of aperiodic activity, analyzes its physiological relevance and potential as a biomarker in brain diseases, summarizes its physiological mechanisms, and based on these findings, elaborates on the research prospects of aperiodic dynamics.
2.Nobiletin,an active ingredient of Fructus Aurantii,attenuates Ang Ⅱ-in-duced cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting cardiomyocyte pyroptosis
Min TAN ; Jing CHEN ; Yi ZENG ; Jiayu CHEN ; Xianqing WANG ; Shan HUANG ; Yi CAI
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2025;41(3):472-480
AIM:This study aimed to identify the key active components and signaling pathways in the tradi-tional Chinese medicine Fructus Aurantii that contribute to the prevention and treatment of cardiac hypertrophy,along with experimental validation.METHODS:H9C2 cardiomyocytes were pretreated with nobiletin(NOB)for 1 h and then ex-posed to 100 nmol/L angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ)for 24 h.RT-qPCR was used to quantify the mRNA expression of hypertrophy-related genes,including atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),brain natriuretic peptide(BNP)and myosin heavy chain 7(MYH7).Immunofluorescence staining was employed to assess the surface area of cardiomyocytes.Additionally,a kit was utilized to measure levels of pyroptosis-related factors such as lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-18 and caspase-1,while Western blot was performed to evaluate the expression of gasdermin D and caspase-1.RESULTS:Network pharmacology analyses indicated that NOB is the key active component in Fructus Aurantii that regu-lates cardiac hypertrophy,potentially through the pyroptosis pathway.Further molecular biology experiments confirmed that NOB inhibits Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiac hypertrophy and pyroptosis.Furthermore,the involvement of the pyroptosis pathway was highlighted in the protective effects of NOB against cardiac hypertrophy.CONCLUSION:The active compo-nent NOB in the traditional Chinese medicine Fructus Aurantii alleviates cardiac hypertrophy by inhibiting pyroptosis.
3.Effects of Hot Night Exposure on Human Semen Quality: A Multicenter Population-Based Study.
Ting Ting DAI ; Ting XU ; Qi Ling WANG ; Hao Bo NI ; Chun Ying SONG ; Yu Shan LI ; Fu Ping LI ; Tian Qing MENG ; Hui Qiang SHENG ; Ling Xi WANG ; Xiao Yan CAI ; Li Na XIAO ; Xiao Lin YU ; Qing Hui ZENG ; Pi GUO ; Xin Zong ZHANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(2):178-193
OBJECTIVE:
To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality.
METHODS:
A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters.
RESULTS:
The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights.
CONCLUSION
Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans
;
Male
;
Semen Analysis
;
Adult
;
Sperm Motility
;
Hot Temperature/adverse effects*
;
China
;
Middle Aged
;
Spermatozoa/physiology*
;
Young Adult
4.Analysis on epidemiological characteristics of population receiving assisted reproductive technology therapy and their offspring in Shanghai, 2011-2020
Huiting YU ; Xin CUI ; Naisi QIAN ; Shan JIN ; Lei CHEN ; Feng ZHOU ; Qi LI ; Renzhi CAI ; Chunfang WANG
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(3):484-491
Objective:To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of the population receiving assisted reproductive technology (ART) therapy and the health status of their offspring in Shanghai from 2011 to 2020.Methods:Based on the birth cohort of the entire population in Shanghai, the proportion and trend changes of ART offspring in the birth cohort were analyzed. The characteristics of ART and naturally conceived populations, including household registration, education level, maternal age, and reproductive history, were examined. Additionally, the health status between ART offspring and naturally conceived offspring were compared.Results:From 2011 to 2020, a total of 70 729 ART offspring were born in Shanghai, accounting for 3.69% of the total births. In 2020, this proportion reached 7.79%. The ART conception rate for primiparous women was higher than that for multiparous women, with both showing upward trends and reaching 9.87% and 2.36%, respectively, in 2020. The ART conception rate was higher in women with higher education levels and local household registration than in those with lower education levels and non-local household registration. The incidence rates of preterm birth and low birth weight in ART singleton offspring were 7.76% and 4.82%, respectively, higher than the 4.69% and 2.87% in naturally conceived offspring, but no increasing trend was observed in naturally conceived offspring. Among twin and multiple newborns, the incidence rates of preterm birth and low birth weight were 56.98% and 46.82% for ART, lower than the 58.51% and 51.32% for natural conception.Conclusions:The difference in social and demographic characteristics was obvious in population receiving ART, suggesting that the differed demand of some people for ART therapy, and it is necessary to strengthen the construction of public health services and further expand the coverage and accessibility of ART services. With technological advancements, the rates of preterm birth and low birth weight remain relatively stable, and even decrease in twin and multiple newborns.
5.Expression of heat shock factor binding protein 1 in endometrial carcinoma based on bioinformatics analysis and its clinical significance
Mengjie WU ; Yanbin JIN ; Wei WANG ; Qiao WEN ; Junhong CAI ; Shan BAO
Cancer Research and Clinic 2025;37(7):498-504
Objective:To investigate the expression of heat shock factor binding protein 1 (HSPB1) in endometrial carcinoma and its clinical significance.Methods:The pan-cancer dataset after standardization and unification was downloaded from the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) Genome database (updated to December 6, 2019), and the expression of HSPB1 in pan-cancer was analyzed. The transcriptome data of endometrial carcinoma of the uterus from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were downloaded (updated to July 21, 2016), including 552 cases of endometrial carcinoma and 35 cases of corresponding adjacent tissue samples. The clinical data of 543 patients with endometrial cancer were obtained. The differences in the expression levels of HSPB1 in patients with different clinicopathological features were compared. R 4.3.1 software maxstat was used to calculate the optimal critical value (>46.30) of HSPB1 expression, and the patients were divided into HSPB1 low expression group (<46.30) and HSPB1 high expression group (≥46.30). Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the difference in prognosis between the 2 groups, and log-rank test was performed. The top 50 genes with positive and negative correlation with HSPB1 were screened by LinkedOmics database. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed on HSPB1. The interaction network of HSPB1 protein was analyzed by STRING database and Cytoscape 3.9.1 software. The correlation between HSPB1 expression and various immune cell infiltration levels was analyzed by using the TIMER2.0 database.Results:The expression of HSPB1 in 27 kinds of tumor tissues was higher than that in paracancerous tissues, and the expression of HSPB1 in 2 kinds of tumor tissues was lower than that in paracancerous tissues (all P < 0.05). In the transcriptome data of 552 cases of endometrial cancer and 35 cases of corresponding paracancerous tissues in the TCGA database, the relative expression level of HSPB1 in endometrial cancer tissues was higher than that in corresponding paracancerous tissues ( t = -2.90, P = 0.005). The result of the comparison of relative expression level of HSPB1 in endometrial cancer patients with different clinicopathological features showed that patients aged < 65 years had higher expression level compared to those aged ≥ 65 years, patients at clinical stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ had higher expression level compared to those at stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, patients with Grade grading G 1-G 2 had higher expression level compared to those with G 3, and patients with pathological type I had higher expression level compared to those with type Ⅱ (all P < 0.05). Of the 543 patients, 2 were lost to follow-up, and the overall survival of the remaining 541 patients with high HSPB1 expression was better than that of those with the low expression ( HR = 0.532, 95% CI: 0.333-0.849, P = 0.008). HSPB1 and its related genes were mainly involved in estrogen signaling, p53 signaling and other pathways; HSPB1 was involved in cysteine-type endopeptidase inhibitor activity and calcium-dependent protein binding. The top 10 genes with the strongest correlation with HSPB1 in protein-protein interaction analysis were DSG3, EVPL, PKP1, DSC3, PKP3, PPL, KRT5, IVL, TGM1 and CSTA. The expression of HSPB1 was negatively correlated with tumor purity ( r = -0.025, P < 0.01), and positively correlated with CD4 + T cells ( r = 0.204, P < 0.01), CD8 + T cells ( r = 0.225, P < 0.01), B cells ( r = 0.285, P < 0.01), NK cells ( r = 0.269, P < 0.01), macrophages ( r = 0.234, P < 0.01) and dendritic cells ( r = 0.354, P < 0.01). Conclusions:The high expression of HSPB1 is associated with clinicopathological features, prognosis and immune infiltration in patients with endometrial carcinoma. It may be one of the reference indexes for predicting the prognosis of patients with endometrial cancer.
6.Common fault treatment of fluorine multifunctional module during automatic synthesis of 18F-PSMA
Gao-shi CAI ; Hui WANG ; Jiang-shan HUANG ; Chao YANG ; Rong-rong HU
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(2):112-116
The basic structure and working principle of the fluorine multifunctional module were described in brief.Six cases of common faults of the fluorine multifunctional module during automatic synthesis of 18F-PSMA were introduced in terms of the cause and maintenance.References were provided for treating similar faults.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(2):112-116]
7.Randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, multicenter, equivalence clinical trial of Jiuwei Xifeng Granules(Os Draconis replaced by Ostreae Concha) for treating tic disorder in children.
Qiu-Han CAI ; Cheng-Liang ZHONG ; Si-Yuan HU ; Xin-Min LI ; Zhi-Chun XU ; Hui CHEN ; Ying HUA ; Jun-Hong WANG ; Ji-Hong TANG ; Bing-Xiang MA ; Xiu-Xia WANG ; Ai-Zhen WANG ; Meng-Qing WANG ; Wei ZHANG ; Chun WANG ; Yi-Qun TENG ; Yi-Hui SHAN ; Sheng-Xuan GUO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(6):1699-1705
Jiuwei Xifeng Granules have become a Chinese patent medicine in the market. Because the formula contains Os Draconis, a top-level protected fossil of ancient organisms, the formula was to be improved by replacing Os Draconis with Ostreae Concha. To evaluate whether the improved formula has the same effectiveness and safety as the original formula, a randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled, equivalence clinical trial was conducted. This study enrolled 288 tic disorder(TD) of children and assigned them into two groups in 1∶1. The treatment group and control group took the modified formula and original formula, respectively. The treatment lasted for 6 weeks, and follow-up visits were conducted at weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in Yale global tic severity scale(YGTSS)-total tic severity(TTS) score from baseline after 6 weeks of treatment. The results showed that after 6 weeks of treatment, the declines in YGTSS-TSS score showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. The difference in YGTSS-TSS score(treatment group-control group) and the 95%CI of the full analysis set(FAS) were-0.17[-1.42, 1.08] and those of per-protocol set(PPS) were 0.29[-0.97, 1.56], which were within the equivalence boundary [-3, 3]. The equivalence test was therefore concluded. The two groups showed no significant differences in the secondary efficacy endpoints of effective rate for TD, total score and factor scores of YGTSS, clinical global impressions-severity(CGI-S) score, traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) response rate, or symptom disappearance rate, and thus a complete evidence chain with the primary outcome was formed. A total of 6 adverse reactions were reported, including 4(2.82%) cases in the treatment group and 2(1.41%) cases in the control group, which showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. No serious suspected unexpected adverse reactions were reported, and no laboratory test results indicated serious clinically significant abnormalities. The results support the replacement of Os Draconis by Ostreae Concha in the original formula, and the efficacy and safety of the modified formula are consistent with those of the original formula.
Adolescent
;
Child
;
Child, Preschool
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Double-Blind Method
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Tic Disorders/drug therapy*
;
Treatment Outcome
8.Construction of oleanolic acid-producing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells.
Yue ZHANG ; Xue-Mi HAO ; Cai-Xia WANG ; Long-Shan ZHAO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(9):2365-2372
In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae R0 was used as the chassis cell to synthesize oleanolic acid from scratch through the heterologous expression of β-amyrin synthase(β-AS) from Glycyrrhiza uralensis, cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP716A154 from Catharanthus roseus, and cytochrome P450 reductase AtCPR from Arabidopsis thaliana. The engineered strain R1 achieved shake flask titres of 5.19 mg·L~(-1). By overexpressing enzymes in the pentose phosphate pathway(PPP)(ZWF1, GND1, TKL1, and TAL), the NADH kinase gene in the mitochondrial matrix(POS5), truncated 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase(tPgHMGR1) from Panax ginseng, and farnesyl diphosphate synthase gene(SmFPS) from Salvia miltiorrhiza, the precursor supply and intracellular reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH) supply were enhanced, resulting in an 11.4-fold increase in squalene yield and a 3.6-fold increase in oleanolic acid yield. Subsequently, increasing the copy number of the heterologous genes tPgHMGR1, β-AS, CYP716A154, and AtCPR promoted the metabolic flow towards the final product, oleanolic acid, and increased the yield by three times. Shake flask fermentation data showed that, by increasing the copy number, precursor supply, and intracellular NADPH supply, the final engineered strain R3 could achieve an oleanolic acid yield of 53.96 mg·L~(-1), which was 10 times higher than that of the control strain R1. This study not only laid the foundation for the green biosynthesis of oleanolic acid but also provided a reference for metabolic engineering research on other pentacyclic triterpenoids in S. cerevisiae.
Oleanolic Acid/biosynthesis*
;
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism*
;
Industrial Microbiology
;
Microorganisms, Genetically-Modified/metabolism*
;
Plants/enzymology*
;
Fermentation
;
Metabolic Engineering
9.Immunophenotypic Characteristics of Bone Marrow Granulocytes and Their Clinical Significance in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.
Ning-Fang WANG ; Chong-Shan ZHAO ; Dong-Dong ZHANG ; Zhuo-Wen CAI ; Fang-Fang CAI ; Fang LIU ; Peng-Hao ZHAO
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(2):447-454
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the immunophenotypic characteristics of bone marrow granulocytes (G) and their clinical significance in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).
METHODS:
The granulocyte immunophenotypes of bone marrow in 70 MM patients (MM group) and 40 anemia patients (control group) were detected by flow cytometry, and its correlation with clinical characteristics was further analyzed. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis were used to screen factors that affected prognosis.
RESULTS:
The CD56+G%, CD13+G%, CD22+G% and CD117+G% in MM group were higher than those in the control group (all P <0.05). CD56+G% and CD117+G% in CR+VGPR group were significantly lower than those in PR+MR+PD group (both P <0.05). The CD10+G% in RISS Ⅲ stage and Ca2+ ≥2.65 mmol/L groups were increased (both P <0.05). The CD56+G% in elevated lactate dehydrogenase, β2-microglobulin≥5.5 mg/L and hemoglobin <85 g/L groups were increased (all P <0.05), while the CD117+G% in high-risk cytogenetic positive group was decreased (P <0.05). The expression rate of CD molecules on granulocytes was divided into low (L) and high (H) groups according to the median value. The overall survival (OS) of the LCD56+G%, LCD13+G% and LCD22+G% groups was significantly prolonged (all P <0.05). CD13+G% and CD22+G% were independent risk factors for OS in MM patients (HR=0.443, 0.410, both P <0.05).
CONCLUSION
The CD56+G%, CD10+G% and CD117+G% are closely correlated with clinical features in MM patients, while CD13+G% and CD22+G% are closely correlated with prognosis. Detection of CD molecules expression on granulocytes may be used to evaluate prognosis and guide treatment.
Humans
;
Multiple Myeloma/immunology*
;
Granulocytes/immunology*
;
Prognosis
;
Immunophenotyping
;
Male
;
Bone Marrow
;
Female
;
Flow Cytometry
;
Middle Aged
;
Aged
;
Clinical Relevance
10.Corylin inhibits Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by modulating SIRT1-/NF-κB-dependent signaling pathway
Min TAN ; Li-duan HUANG ; Yan-hong HOU ; Xiang-yue HU ; Jing CHEN ; Xian-qing WANG ; Shan HUANG ; Yi CAI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(6):1142-1148
Aim To investigate the role of corylin in angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ)-induced cardiomyocyte hy-pertrophy and its underlying mechanisms.Methods An Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy model was established and treated with corylin.Real-time PCR was employed to assess hypertrophic gene mRNA expression,and immunofluorescence was used to meas-ure cardiomyocyte surface area.Western blot and en-zyme activity assay kits were used to evaluate SIRT1 expression and activity.Results Corylin markedly mitigated Ang Ⅱ-induced hypertrophic gene expression and cardiomyocyte surface area enlargement.Moreo-ver,it prevented the Ang Ⅱ-mediated decline in SIRT1 protein levels and deacetylase activity.Further investi-gation indicated that corylin inhibited Ang Ⅱ-driven NF-κB transcriptional activity and the expression of its downstream target genes,such as TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1β.Notably,SIRT1 silencing abolished the protective effects of corylin against cardiomyocyte hypertrophy,as well as its regulation of the SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway.Conclusion Corylin suppresses cardiomyo-cyte hypertrophy by modulating the SIRT1-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway.

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