1.α-ketoglutarate ameliorated arsenic-induced hepatic lipid deposition in offspring via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway
Shuangrui BAO ; Hongyan WU ; Ying SUN ; Tong ZHAN ; Qian YANG ; Xinru LIANG ; Zhiyan WAN ; Wenyi CHEN ; Cheng ZHANG
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2026;61(2):225-231
ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) on hepatic lipid deposition in offspring caused by arsenic exposure during pregnancy. Methods8-week-old institute of cancer research (ICR) mice were mated in a ratio of 2∶1 between females and males, and the detection of vaginal plugs confirmed pregnant. A total of 32 pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group, arsenic group, α-KG group, arsenic+α-KG group. On gestational day 0-16 (GD0-GD16), the arsenic and arsenic+α-KG groups were exposed to sodium arsenite (NaAsO2 ,15 mg/L) in drinking water everyday, and the α-KG and arsenic+α-KG groups were gavaged with α-KG (2 g/kg) everyday. On GD16, pregnant mice were euthanized to collect fetal liver, and fetal body weight and crown-rump length were measured. Gene expression differences between the control group and the arsenic group were analyzed by transcriptome. The total triglycerides (TGs) and subtypes in fetal liver were detected by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Oil red O staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in the liver. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to detect the expression level of genes related to lipid synthesis, transport, and degradation, and phosphatidylinositol 3' -kinase/ protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) in the liver of fetus. ResultsTranscriptomics analysis showed that 2 144 genes were downregulated and 1 675 genes were upregulated in the arsenic exposed fetal liver; body weight and crown-rump length were reduced (PTuKey<0.05); the level of hepatic TGs was elevated in arsenic group (PTuKey<0.05); oil-red O staining showed a significant increase in lipid droplets in arsenic group (PTuKey<0.01); the expression of lipid synthesis-related genes were significantly upregulated (PTuKey<0.05); the expression of β-oxidation-related genes and lipid degradation-related genes were downregulated (PTuKey<0.05); the expression of PI3K, AKT decreased(PTuKey<0.05). Compared with the arsenic group, the body weight and crown-rump length of fetus increased in the arsenic+α-KG group (PTuKey<0.05); the level of hepatic TGs decreased in the arsenic+α-KG group (PTuKey<0.05); oil red O staining showed lipid droplets significantly decreased (PTuKey<0.01); the expression of lipid synthesis-related genes were downregulated (PTuKey<0.05), the expression of β-oxidation-related genes and lipid degradation-related genes were upregulated (PTuKey<0.05); the expression levels of PI3K and AKT increased (PTuKey<0.05). Conclusionα-KG alleviated hepatic lipid deposition in offspring exposed to arsenic during pregnancy through activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
2.MRI findings of spinal cord atrophy after spinal cord injury in children and their injury level
Yingxin ZHANG ; Genlin LIU ; Di CHEN ; Hongxia ZHANG ; Yifan TIAN ; Yiji WANG ; Yang JING ; Ruidong CHENG ; Shaomin ZHANG ; Jiafeng YAO ; Bo SUN ; Xiaomeng SUN
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2026;32(4):387-392
ObjectiveTo delineate imaging findings using an imaging platform and investigate the correlation between MRI characteristics of spinal cord atrophy and clinical diagnosis in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). MethodsImaging data of 150 children with SCI admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, from January, 2002 to March, 2024 were collected and imported into the imaging platform. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the middle part of the spinal cord at the cross-section with the most severe atrophy were measured, and the relevant indicators of the previous normal spinal cord segment were measured as controls; the radiomic features were extracted. Clinical data of the children including gender, age, cause of injury, sensory level, motor level, spinal cord injury level, injury severity and disease course were collected. ResultsSpinal cord atrophy was identified in 81 cases (54%), among which 78 cases (96%) were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A and 3 cases (4%) were AIS grade C. The upper boundary of the spinal cord atrophy site strongly correlated with the injury level, motor level and sensory level (r > 0.8, P < 0.001). ConclusionMore than half of children with SCI may develop secondary spinal cord atrophy, the vast majority of whom suffer from complete spinal cord injury; the upper boundary of spinal cord atrophy is correlated with the injury level.
3.Pharmacodynamic Substances and Mechanisms of Xinglou Chengqi Tang in Treating Post-stroke Complications: A Review
Yujin ZHANG ; Xiangzhuo LIU ; Zhouyang CHEN ; Zihao SONG ; Xinyi LIU ; Yizhi YAN ; Chaoya LI ; Yingyan FANG ; Shasha YANG ; Xueqin CHENG ; Zhou XIE ; Sijie TAN ; Peng ZENG ; Yue ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(1):327-337
Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability among adults in China, and its common complications include digestive system abnormalities, cognitive impairment, depression, stroke-associated pneumonia, and hemiplegia. The combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine has great potential in treating post-stroke complications. Xinglou Chengqitang (XLCQT) is a representative prescription of alleviating the disease in the upper part by treating the lower part. It has definite therapeutic effect and high safety. Clinically, XLCQT is often used to treat stroke and its complications. However, the quantity and quality of clinical trials of XLCQT in treating post-stroke complications need to be improved. Additionally, since the basic research is weak, the material basis and multi-target mechanism for the efficacy of this prescription are unknown. This article reviews XLCQT in terms of the pharmacodynamic basis, medicinal properties, safety evaluation, and progress in clinical research and mechanisms in treating post-stroke complications. This article summarizes 22 key active ingredients of XLCQT in treating acute stroke complicated with syndrome of phlegm heat and fu-organ excess. Among these key active ingredients, resveratrol, kaempferol, luteolin, chrysoeriol, apigenin, (+)-catechin, and adenosine have good pharmacokinetic properties and high bioavailability. The mechanisms of XLCQT in treating post-stroke complications are complex, including inflammatory response, brain-gut axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, intestinal flora, neurotrophic factors, autophagy, oxidative stress, and free radical damage. This review helps to deeply understand the pharmacodynamic basis and mechanisms of XLCQT in treating post-stroke complications and provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of XLCQT against post-stroke complications and the development of drugs.
4.Construction and application of anti-tumor drug prescription review decision-support system in a large general hospital
Jing ZANG ; Run GAN ; Qi YANG ; Yan CHEN ; Cheng GUO ; Jianping ZHANG ; Fengqian LI ; Quanjun YANG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(6):794-799
OBJECTIVE To introduce the development of an intelligent prescription review decision-support system for anti-tumor drugs and assess its clinical application outcomes. METHODS Relevant data sources, including national and local pharmaceutical administration policies, clinical practice guidelines/consensus, hospital information systems data, and genetic testing results, were integrated. Adhering to the principles of structure, standardization and dynamic updating, a knowledge base covering chemotherapeutic, targeted and immunotherapeutic agents was constructed using a dual-dimensional modeling approach that combined “drug attributes” and “clinical contexts”. This knowledge base was then embedded into the hospital’s electronic medical order system to establish the prescription review decision-support system. The application and performance of the system were evaluated at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. RESULTS A knowledge base containing 18 318 prescription review rules for anti-tumor drugs was constructed, and a closed-loop prescription review system was successfully established, encompassing pre-prescription real-time intervention, in-process interactive review, and post-prescription evaluation and analysis. From 2021 to 2024, the system generated a total of 57 879 alerts for prescriptions of five typical categories of anti-tumor drugs. For platinum-containing prescriptions, 22 577 alerts were generated, with Cisplatin for injection (lyophilized) being the most frequently alerted drug (13 445 alerts), and “ototoxicity risk due to combined use” alerts remained high (7 682 alerts). For methotrexate-containing prescriptions, 3 721 alerts were recorded, primarily related to “precaution-related issues” (76.4%, 2 843/3 721). For doxorubicin-containing prescriptions, 17 301 alerts were triggered, primarily related to “dosage and administration” (14 315 alerts). For human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-targeted agents-containing prescriptions, 1 007 alerts were issued, mostly related to “reimbursement restrictions” (956 alerts). For programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitors-containing prescriptions, the alerts increased year by year, totaling 13 273 alerts, primarily related to “inappropriate indication” (9 118 alerts). Over the 4 years, the physician response rates to system alerts were 21.4%, 27.1%, 33.5% and 51.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS An intelligent decision-support system for anti-tumor drug prescription review, encompassing a closed-loop process of “real-time pre-event intervention, interactive in-event prescription review, post-event evaluation and analysis”, has been successfully constructed and implemented throughout the entire workflow. There is a discernible trend in this hospital, where the focus on monitoring anti-tumor drugs is shifting towards immunotherapy drugs. Additionally, the acceptance rate of physicians regarding prescription review opinions has been steadily increasing year by year.
5.Ferroptosis and osteoporosis
Cheng YANG ; Weimin LI ; Dongcheng RAN ; Jiamu XU ; Wangxiang WU ; Jiafu XU ; Jingjing CHEN ; Guangfu JIANG ; Chunqing WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(3):554-562
BACKGROUND:It has also been confirmed that ferroptosis is closely related to a variety of musculoskeletal diseases,such as rheumatoid arthritis,osteosarcoma,and osteoporosis.The pathophysiological mechanisms of ferroptosis and osteoporosis need to be further studied and elucidated to broaden our understanding of iron metabolism and osteoporosis.It will provide research ideas for the future elucidation of new mechanisms of osteoporosis and the development of new technologies and drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis. OBJECTIVE:To provide an overview of the current status of research on ferroptosis in osteoporosis,to provide a new direction for future research on the specific molecular mechanisms of osteoporosis,and to provide more effective and better options for osteoporosis treatment strategies. METHODS:The first author used the computer to search the literature published from 2000 to 2024 in CNKI,WanFang,VIP,and PubMed databases with search terms"ferroptosis,iron metabolism,osteoporosis,osteoblast,osteoclast,bone metabolism,signal pathway,musculoskeletal,review"in Chinese and English.A total of 68 articles were finally included according to the selection criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Ferroptosis is a new type of cell death discovered in recent years,which is usually accompanied by a large amount of iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation during cell death,and its occurrence is iron-dependent.This is distinctly different from several types of cell death that are currently being hotly studied(e.g.,cellular pyroptosis,necrotic apoptosis,cuproptosis,and autophagy).(2)Intracellular iron homeostasis is manifested as a balance between iron uptake,export,utilization,and storage.The body's iron regulatory system includes systemic and intracellular regulation.The main factor of systemic regulation is hepcidin produced by hepatic secretion,and cellular regulation depends on the iron regulatory protein/iron response element system.Of course,intracellular iron homeostasis can be controlled by other factors,such as hypoxia,cytokines,and hormones.(3)Lipid peroxidation causes oxidative damage to biological membranes(plasma membrane and internal organelle membranes),lipoproteins,and other lipid-containing molecules.Polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing phospholipids are important targets of lipid peroxidation.Free polyunsaturated fatty acid is an important substrate for lipid oxidation and can bind to the phospholipid bilayer,leading to over-oxidation and thus triggering lipid apoptosis.(4)Several studies have shown that osteoblasts are overloaded with iron in different ways,resulting in the accumulation of unstable ferrous iron and the generation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides,causing ferroptosis of osteoblasts and ultimately a decrease in bone formation,affecting bone homeostasis and the development of osteoporosis.(5)Osteoclasts are large multinucleated cells formed by the fusion of mononuclear macrophage cell lines or bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells induced by nuclear factor-κB ligand receptor activator,and they have the function of bone resorption.Iron ions can promote osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption through the production of intracellular lipid reactive oxygen species,while iron chelators can inhibit osteoclast formation in vitro and thus affect the occurrence and development of osteoporosis.
6.Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B with mildly elevated aminotransferase: A rollover study from the TORCH-B trial
Yao-Chun HSU ; Chi-Yi CHEN ; Cheng-Hao TSENG ; Chieh-Chang CHEN ; Teng-Yu LEE ; Ming-Jong BAIR ; Jyh-Jou CHEN ; Yen-Tsung HUANG ; I-Wei CHANG ; Chi-Yang CHANG ; Chun-Ying WU ; Ming-Shiang WU ; Lein-Ray MO ; Jaw-Town LIN
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(1):213-226
Background/Aims:
Treatment indications for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain contentious, particularly for patients with mild alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. We aimed to evaluate treatment effects in this patient population.
Methods:
This rollover study extended a placebo-controlled trial that enrolled non-cirrhotic patients with CHB and ALT levels below two times the upper limit of normal. Following 3 years of randomized intervention with either tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or placebo, participants were rolled over to open-label TDF for 3 years. Liver biopsies were performed before and after the treatment to evaluate histopathological changes. Virological, biochemical, and serological outcomes were also assessed (NCT02463019).
Results:
Of 146 enrolled patients (median age 47 years, 80.8% male), 123 completed the study with paired biopsies. Overall, the Ishak fibrosis score decreased in 74 (60.2%), remained unchanged in 32 (26.0%), and increased in 17 (13.8%) patients (p<0.0001). The Knodell necroinflammation score decreased in 58 (47.2%), remained unchanged in 29 (23.6%), and increased in 36 (29.3%) patients (p=0.0038). The proportion of patients with an Ishak score ≥ 3 significantly decreased from 26.8% (n=33) to 9.8% (n=12) (p=0.0002). Histological improvements were more pronounced in patients switching from placebo. Virological and biochemical outcomes also improved in placebo switchers and remained stable in patients who continued TDF. However, serum HBsAg levels did not change and no patient cleared HBsAg.
Conclusions
In CHB patients with minimally raised ALT, favorable histopathological, biochemical, and virological outcomes were observed following 3-year TDF treatment, for both treatment-naïve patients and those already on therapy.
7.Association between heatwave and risk of traffic injuries and its disease burden in Yunnan Province
Haorong MENG ; Jianxiong HU ; Qingping SHI ; Junyue YANG ; Huirong CHENG ; Wenjun MA ; Yang CHEN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(5):520-527
Background Previous studies found that high temperature and heatwave increase the risk of traffic injuries. The complex road conditions in Yunnan Province result in frequent traffic accidents. However, there is limited evidence on the correlation between heatwave and traffic injuries in Yunnan Province. Objective To assess the association between heatwave events and traffic injuries, to estimate its disease burden, and to identify relevant sensitive groups. Methods We collected data on traffic injury cases and concurrent meteorological information from four surveillance sites in Yunnan Province, China: Dali, Lufeng, Zhaoyang, and Qilin from May to September each year from 2015 to 2023. Traffic injury cases refer to patients who visited the outpatient or emergency departments of local surveillance hospitals for the first time due to traffic injuries. Meteorological data were derived from the fifth generation atmosphericreanalysis dataset of the global climate provided by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. A time-stratified case-crossover design combined with distributed lag non-linear model was used to analyze the association between short-term exposure to heatwave and traffic injuries. We also conducted subgroup analyses by sex, age, occupation, injury cause, activity at the time of injury occurrence, and severity of injury. Results A total of
8.Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B with mildly elevated aminotransferase: A rollover study from the TORCH-B trial
Yao-Chun HSU ; Chi-Yi CHEN ; Cheng-Hao TSENG ; Chieh-Chang CHEN ; Teng-Yu LEE ; Ming-Jong BAIR ; Jyh-Jou CHEN ; Yen-Tsung HUANG ; I-Wei CHANG ; Chi-Yang CHANG ; Chun-Ying WU ; Ming-Shiang WU ; Lein-Ray MO ; Jaw-Town LIN
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(1):213-226
Background/Aims:
Treatment indications for patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain contentious, particularly for patients with mild alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation. We aimed to evaluate treatment effects in this patient population.
Methods:
This rollover study extended a placebo-controlled trial that enrolled non-cirrhotic patients with CHB and ALT levels below two times the upper limit of normal. Following 3 years of randomized intervention with either tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) or placebo, participants were rolled over to open-label TDF for 3 years. Liver biopsies were performed before and after the treatment to evaluate histopathological changes. Virological, biochemical, and serological outcomes were also assessed (NCT02463019).
Results:
Of 146 enrolled patients (median age 47 years, 80.8% male), 123 completed the study with paired biopsies. Overall, the Ishak fibrosis score decreased in 74 (60.2%), remained unchanged in 32 (26.0%), and increased in 17 (13.8%) patients (p<0.0001). The Knodell necroinflammation score decreased in 58 (47.2%), remained unchanged in 29 (23.6%), and increased in 36 (29.3%) patients (p=0.0038). The proportion of patients with an Ishak score ≥ 3 significantly decreased from 26.8% (n=33) to 9.8% (n=12) (p=0.0002). Histological improvements were more pronounced in patients switching from placebo. Virological and biochemical outcomes also improved in placebo switchers and remained stable in patients who continued TDF. However, serum HBsAg levels did not change and no patient cleared HBsAg.
Conclusions
In CHB patients with minimally raised ALT, favorable histopathological, biochemical, and virological outcomes were observed following 3-year TDF treatment, for both treatment-naïve patients and those already on therapy.
9.The parallel mediating effects of anxiety and depression states between life events and behavior problems in adolescents
Zihao YANG ; Qingqing ZHANG ; Dan WANG ; Lei ZHANG ; Hua ZHENG ; Lijing SHI ; Nana WANG ; Yihan ZHANG ; Zhenyi LI ; Min SUN ; Huimin CHEN ; Huiping CHENG ; Ruiling ZHANG ; Chuansheng WANG
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2025;34(3):259-265
Objective:To explore the relationship between life events, anxiety, depression, and behavior problems in adolescents.Methods:From September to October 2022, the cluster sampling method was used to select 5 341 adolescents from 4 middle schools in Xinxiang urban area.The subjects and their parents were investigated by the adolescent self-rating life events check list (ASLEC), generalized anxiety disorder scale (GAD-7), patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and child behavior checklist (CBCL). SPSS 27.0 software was used for Spearman correlation analysis, and AMOS 28.0 software was used to construct the structural equation model.Results:The scores of anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems were 1 (0, 4), 1 (0, 4), and 3 (0, 10). The total score of life events was 5 (1, 13), and the dimensions scored as follows: interpersonal conflict 1 (0, 4), academic pressure 2 (0, 5), punishment 0 (0, 2), loss 0 (0, 0), health and adaptation problem 0 (0, 1), and others 0 (0, 2). There were positive correlations between life events and its dimensions, depression, anxiety and behavioral problems ( r=0.28-0.69, all P<0.01). In the overall population, anxiety and depression played parallel mediating roles in the impact of life events on behavior problems. Life events could positively predict anxiety ( β=0.68, P<0.01), and anxiety could positively predict behavior problems ( β=0.04, P=0.02). Life events could positively predict depression ( β=0.77, P<0.01), and depression could positively predict behavior problems ( β=0.18, P<0.01). The standardized total effect size of the impact of life events on behavioral problems was 0.622 (95% CI=0.564-0.675). The standardized direct effect size and indirect effect size were 0.460 (95% CI=0.374-0.539) and 0.162 (95% CI=0.108-0.218), accounting for 74.0% and 26.0%of the total effect, respectively. After stratification by gender, the results for male adolescents were consistent with the overall population, while the mediating effect of anxiety was not significant in the female adolescents. Conclusion:Life events can lead to anxiety and depression in adolescents, thereby increasing the risk of behavior problems.
10.An Epithelial Senescence Model Induced by Doxorubicin in MCF 10A Cells
Zeng-Sheng WANG ; Zu-Biao NIU ; Bo ZHANG ; Jia-Hui HAO ; Yi-Chao ZHU ; Rui-Gang YANG ; He REN ; Chen-Yu LIU ; Qiang SUN ; Li-Cheng REN
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(1):147-155
This research aims to construct a stable epithelial cell senescence model for screening and e-valuation of senolytics.We explored the optimal conditions for doxorubicin-induced senescence of non-transformed epithelial cells MCF 10A,including the optimal induction concentration,the optimal inter-vention time,and the optimal senescence duration,and confirmed the feasibility of MCF 10A as an epi-thelial senescence model by multiple ways.The optimal condition for Doxorubicin-induced senescence of MCF 10A cells was treatment with 0.6 μmol/L Doxorubicin for 16 h to achieve the best senescence state on the 8th day.Under the optimal induction conditions,the positive rate of senescence-associated β-gal-actosidase(SA-β-gal)staining in the treated group reached 97%.At the same time,biochemical results of detecting the expression of mRNA,proteins,and immunofluorescence demonstrated that the expression levels of senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),p16,p21 and p53 in the treated group were significantly higher than those in the control cells,and Lamin B1 was significantly decreased(P<0.001),which were consistent with the specific characteristics of senescence.In summary,an epithelial senescence model was successfully induced in MCF 10A cells by Doxorubicin in this study,which will promote the screening of senolytics for senescent epithelial cells.

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