1.Engineering yeast for high-efficiency isoliquiritigenin production via synthetic biology approaches
Yan YIN ; Shucan LIU ; Ting LI ; Ying HUANG ; Xianan ZHANG ; Guangxi REN ; Wei GAO ; Xinghong GUO ; Dan JIANG ; Chunsheng LIU
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;3(4):356-365
Background: Isoliquiritigenin, a key pharmacologically active compound derived from the traditional Chinese medicine Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, can be further modified into various high-value 5-deoxyflavones, demonstrating significant potential for pharmaceutical development. Currently, the supply of isoliquiritigenin primarily depends on plant extraction. However, heterologous synthesis using microbial cell factories presents a promising alternative, offering a solution to resource limitations caused by the dwindling availability of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Objective: This study aimed to employ heterologous synthesis in yeast strains for the stable and high-efficiency production of isoliquiritigenin. Methods: First, a stable chassis strain for isoliquiritigenin production was constructed by integrating optimized biosynthetic pathway enzyme genes. A type IV noncatalytic chalcone isomerase-like protein and a synthetic protein scaffold system were employed to enhance the metabolic channeling of key pathway enzymes. Subsequently, yeast metabolism was fine-tuned to balance precursor supply, and cofactor engineering strategies were implemented to increase nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate hydrogen (NADPH) availability, thereby ensuring the catalytic efficiency of the key enzyme chalcone reductase. Results: The engineered strain Y21-2 achieved a 24.4-fold increase in isoliquiritigenin titer compared to the original strain. Additionally, the proportion of the by-product naringenin chalcone was reduced by 67.8%, marking the first instance in which the ratio of C-5 hydroxylated by-products was minimized to 10.4% during the microbial synthesis of 5-deoxyflavones. Conclusion: This work provides a valuable reference for the efficient and sustainable production of isoliquiritigenin, laying a solid foundation for further pathway optimization and the biotechnological synthesis of other high-value natural 5-deoxyflavones.
2.Discussion on the Role of Mitophagy in Ulcerative Colitis from the Theory of"Spleen Acting as the Defense for Host"
Dan LONG ; Wei ZHANG ; Yin XU ; Ying ZHU
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(8):19-23
Ulcerative colitis(UC)is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the intestine.Mitochondrial homeostatic imbalance plays an important role in the development of UC.Spleen-stomach qi deficiency is the root cause of UC.This article focused on the theory of"spleen acting as the defense for host"and mitophagy to explain the pathological mechanism of UC,and discussed the correlation between mitochondria and spleen in combination with the related research of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.It proposed that mitophagy disorder is the microscopic manifestation of UC"spleen losing the defense",explored the application of the method of strengthening the spleen and restoring defense at the micro level to improve mitochondrial function,alleviate intestinal inflammation,and provide reference for theoretical research and clinical prevention and treatment of UC.
3.A case of eosinophilia presenting with meningoencephalitis
Shuang WU ; Chenrui ZHANG ; Ying BI ; Yan XU ; Dan HE
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 2025;51(2):109-111
We reported a case of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis,presenting with symptoms such as depression,headache and memory decline.Physical examination revealed mental tension,slightly slurred speech,and cognitive decline.Laboratory tests indicated a significant increase in eosinophils in both peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid,suggesting eosinophilic meningoencephalitis.After treatment with glucocorticoids and cognitive function improvement measures,the patient's symptoms improved.Here,we summarized its clinical features,laboratory examination,diagnosis and treatment.Then,we discussed the pathogenesis,treatment and differential diagnosis of eosinophilia manifested as meningoencephalitis.In order to improve clinicians'understanding of eosinophilia complicated with meningoencephalitis and provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.
4.Innovative clinical trial designs for vaccine development
Dan-ni ZHAO ; Zhuo-ying HUANG ; Jie TIAN ; Tao ZHANG ; Wei-bing WANG
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2025;52(2):311-316
During sudden outbreaks of major infectious diseases,traditional vaccine clinical trials often fail to deliver timely and meaningful outcomes.To address this,innovative trial designs are essential to accelerate or restructure the traditional three-phase clinical trial process while maintaining adherence to scientific principles of drug candidate safety and efficacy.This paper presents various innovative vaccine clinical trial designs and concepts,along with critical considerations for their application,to serve as a methodological reference for related research.Adaptive designs provide flexibility by dynamically adjusting trial parameters—such as dose selection,population stratification,and sample size reestimation—based on interim analysis results.Bayesian designs incorporate historical data and prior information,reducing sample size requirements.Master protocol designs enable the evaluation of multiple treatments or target populations within a unified framework,significantly improving efficiency.Additionally,real-world data(RWD),including electronic health records vaccination records and insurance claims,supports the creation of virtual control groups,addressing ethical concerns while enhancing trial feasibility.A hybrid design combining randomized controlled trials(RCTs)with RWD is also proposed to leverage the strengths of both methodologies.These innovative designs optimize the research process,accelerating vaccine development and regulatory approval.By integrating these approaches,robust evidence-based insights can be generated,advancing precision medicine goals and strengthening public health responses to emerging infectious diseases.
5.Construction of stable BHK-21 cell lines overexpressing APN of different species and the susceptibility to different coronaviruses
Dan WANG ; Hengjie ZHANG ; Yuyang TIAN ; Xiaohan HOU ; Zeao CHEN ; Ying HU ; Wenchao ZHANG ; Jianle REN ; Ying WANG ; Yujun ZHAO ; Ding ZHANG ; Bo YANG ; Wenxia TIAN ; Sheng NIU
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(10):2095-2101
This study aims to establish BHK-21 stable cell lines expressing APN from four species(human,pig,dog,and cat),the APN fragments were amplified from pEGFP-C1-APN plasmids of the four species stored in the laboratory to generate the recombinant plasmids pcDNA4.0-APN.Af-ter the recombinant plasmids were transfected into BHK-21 cells,the stable BHK-21 cell lines ex-pressing the APNs were selected by two rounds of limited dilution.The constructed BHK-21 cell lines were identified by indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA),and their susceptibility to PD-CoV and TGEV was tested for these four cell lines.Virus infection experiments revealed that PD-CoV infected cells expressing human,pig,and dog APNs,while it did not infect cells expressing cat APN.Simultaneously,TGEV infected cells expressing pig,dog,and cat APNs,but did not infect cells expressing human APN.The results suggest that the risk of cross-species infection for different coronaviruses and the established cell line can be used effectively to evaluate the virus in-fection.The findings also revealed that PDCoV has the potential risk of cross-species infection of human and dog,and TGEV has the potential risk of cross-species infection of dog and cat.These results provide a basis for the prevention and control strategy of coronaviruses.
6.Relationship between serum melatonin,prostaglandin E2 levels and disease severity and prognosis in pre-mature infants with necrotizing enterocolitis
Yunxia MA ; Ying ZHANG ; Dan LIU
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2025;41(21):3392-3397
Objective To investigate the relationship between serum melatonin and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)levels with disease severity and prognosis of necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC)in premature infants.Methods A total of 215 premature infants diagnosed with NEC(NEC group)admitted to our hospital between January 2022 and February 2025 and 80 healthy premature infants(control group)were prospectively enrolled.NEC cases were stratified by Bell's staging divided into mild(n=67),moderate(n=90),and severe(n=58)subgroups.Serum levels of melatonin and PGE2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess the relationship between serum melatonin,PGE2 levels and Bell staging.According to the 28-day prognosis assessment,NEC infants were divided into a poor prognosis group and a good prognosis group.Multivariate logistic regression and ROC analysis were used to explore the association and predictive value of serum melatonin and PGE2 levels in NEC prognosis,and decision curve analysis(DCA)was used to evaluate clinical net benefit.Results Compared with the control group,the NEC group had significantly lower serum melatonin levels and higher PGE2 levels(P<0.05).Among the NEC subgroups,serum melatonin levels decreased and PGE2 levels increased progressively from mild to severe NEC(P<0.05).Serum melatonin was negatively correlated with Bell stage,while PGE2 was positively correlated(P<0.05).The 28-day poor prognosis rate in NEC infants was 18.60%(40/215).Severe disease and elevated PGE2 were independent risk factors for poor prognosis,while higher birth weight and increased melatonin were independent protective factors(P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve(AUC)for predicting prognosis using melatonin,PGE2,and their combination was 0.797,0.780,and 0.880,respectively,with the combined prediction performing significantly better than either biomarker alone(P<0.05).DCA indicated that when the threshold probability exceeded 0.1,the net benefit of the combined model was greater than that of either marker alone.Conclusion In premature infants with NEC,reduced serum melatonin and elevated PGE2 levels are associated with increased disease severity and poor prognosis.The combination of serum melatonin and PGE2 levels provides high predictive value for prognosis.
7.Treatment and mechanism of chrysoeriol on pulmonary hypertension based on network pharmacology and experimental study
Ying-fang MA ; Meng CAI ; Dan FENG ; Yang GUO ; Yu-he TIAN ; Yun-hua ZHANG ; Li-li WEI ; Yang WANG ; Jun-qiang SI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(11):2167-2176
Aim To investigate the effect of chrysoeriol on pulmonary vascular remodeling in pulmonary hyper-tension by animal experiments combined with cell ex-periments,and to explore its potential therapeutic tar-gets by network pharmacology.Methods The target of chrysoeriol was collected in Targetnet,SEA and SwissTargetPrediction database.Pulmonary arterial hy-pertension(PAH)targets were collected in the Dis-GeNET and GeneCards databases,and PPI network map was drawn in the STRING database,and key tar-gets were screened.The GO and KEGG pathway en-richment analysis was carried out through DAVID data-base and Weishengxing platform.AutoDock software was used for molecular docking of key core targets.The PAH model of rats was constructed,and the pulmo-nary hemodynamics and vascular remodeling were de-tected by echocardiography,HE and Masson staining.Primary pulmonary smooth muscle cells were extracted,and the effects of drugs on pathway proteins were de-tected in vitro.Results The results of network phar-macology showed that chrysoeriol exerted therapeutic effects on pulmonary hypertension by affecting key tar-gets such as AKT1,SRC,EGFR,MMP9 and gsk3 β,and signaling pathways such as EGFR and PI3K-AKT.Molecular docking showed that chrysoeriol had good binding ability with 5 key target genes.Animal experi-ments showed that the pulmonary hemodynamic func-tion of PAH rats was significantly improved after ad-ministration of chrysoeriol.The remodeling of small pulmonary arteries was significantly reduced.Cell ex-periments showed that chrysoeriol could inhibit the ex-pression of proliferation,migration and phenotypic transformation genes.Conclusion Chrysoeriol may play a role in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension through multiple targets.
8.Establishment and evaluation of a predictive model for spontaneous peritonitis in HBV-related primary liver cancer
Hong-Yan WEI ; Yong-Zhen CHEN ; Ren-Hai TIAN ; Li-Xian CHANG ; Ying-Yuan ZHANG ; Dan-Qing XU ; Chun-Yun LIU ; Li LIU
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2025;50(8):949-957
Objective To establish and evaluate a nomogram prediction model for spontaneous peritonitis in HBV-related primary liver cancer.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 1298 patients with HBV-related primary liver cancer hospitalized in the Kunming Third People's Hospital from January 2012 to December 2022.General data and serological indicators were collected,and patients were divided into infection group(n=262)and control group(n=1036)based on the occurrence of spontaneous peritonitis.Univariate and LASSO regression analyses were used to screen variables,followed by binary logistic regression to analyze the influencing factors of spontaneous peritonitis in HBV-related primary liver cancer patients,leading to the establishment of a nomogram prediction model.Finally,the Hosmer-lemeshow(H-L)goodness of fit test,receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,calibration curve,decision curve analysis(DCA)and clinical impact curve(CIC)were utilized to evaluate the fit degree,accuracy,calibration,and clinical practicability of the nomogram prediction model.Results Single factor analysis revealed significant differences between infection group and control group in portal vein cancer thrombus(PVTT),Child-Pugh grade,China Liver Cancer Staging(CNLC)stage,alcohol consumption history,smoking history,white blood cell count(WBC),neutrophil count(NE),hemoglobin(Hb),fibrinogen(FIB),abnormal prothrombin(PIVKA-Ⅱ),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),total protein(TP),prealbumin(PA),γ-glutamyltransferase(GGT),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),cholinesterase(CHE),total bile acid(TBA),total cholesterol(TC),low density lipoprotein(LDL),creatinine(Cr),HBV DNA,CD3+T cells count,CD4+T cells count,CD8+T cells count,CD4+T cells/CD8+T cells ratio,procalcitonin(PCT),serum amyloid A(SAA),interleukin-6(IL-6),high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP),alpha-fetoprotein(AFP),and IL-4(P<0.05).LASSO regression analysis identified 5 variables:Child-Pugh grade,PVTT,WBC,CHE and hs-CRP.Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that Child-Pugh grade(Grade B:OR=5.780,95%CI 3.271-10.213,P<0.001;Grade C:OR=14.818,95%CI 7.697-28.526,P<0.001),PVTT(OR=2.893,95%CI 2.037-4.108,P<0.001),WBC(OR=1.088,95%CI 1.031-1.148,P=0.002),and hs-CRP(OR=1.005,95%CI 1.001-1.010,P=0.026)were the independent risk factors of spontaneous peritonitis in HBV-related primary liver cancer patients.Using these 4 variables,a nomogram prediction model was constructed and evaluated.The P-value of the H-L goodness of fit test was 0.760.Moreover,the area under ROC curve(AUC)was 0.866,with a sensitivity of 0.870 and a specificity of 0.716.The average absolute error of the calibration curve is 0.022.DCA and CIC analyses demonstrated that the nomogram prediction model possessed some clinical utility.Conclusion The nomogram prediction model for spontaneous peritonitis in HBV-related primary liver cancer patients,constructed using Child-Pugh grade,PVTT,WBC and hs-CRP,exhibits a high fitting degree and accuracy,with the prediction probability highly consistent with the actual occurrence probability,and possesses certain clinical practicability.
9.Development status and thinking of medical engineering in TCM medical institutions in Guizhou Province
Dan LYU ; Xian-jiang WEI ; Ze-lin WANG ; Bing ZHANG ; Da-hai DENG ; Ying LIU
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(5):84-90
Medical engineering in TCM medical institutions in Guizhou Province was described in terms of its development status and problems in functional positioning,professional title appraisal,unbalanced staff composition and discipline foun-dation.Some suggestions were put forward including determining the functional positioning and management mode of medical engineering institutions,promoting the professional title system for medical engineering staffs,strengthening medical engineering team and enhancing medical engineering discipline.References were provided for the development of medical engineering in TCM medical institutions in Guizhou Province.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(5):84-90]
10.Research progress on hereditary hearing loss associated with LHFPL5 gene
Xuejing BAI ; Dan YE ; Ying ZHU ; Chunting ZHANG ; Wenbo XU
Journal of Audiology and Speech Pathology 2025;33(6):602-605
LHFPL5 gene is involved in the electromechanical conduction of cochlear hair cells and plays an important role in maintaining hearing and balance functions.This review aims to investigate the mechanism of LHF-PL5 gene and its related proteins in the pathogenesis of hearing loss.We analyzed the hearing loss caused by LHF-PL5 gene mutation,and discussed the characteristics of hearing loss population.The molecular etiology of deafness caused by LHFPL5 gene was discussed through the conclusion and summary of the study results,which provided a basis for whether LHFPL5 gene screening was necessary for deaf people in China,and provided theoretical guidance for subsequent basic research and clinical diagnosis and treatment.

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