1.The effects of galangin on the apoptosis and autophagy of gastric cancer NCI-N87 cells through regulating the AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 signaling pathway
GUO Fang ; CHEN Wei ; LIU Meng ; ZOU Yanli ; TIAN Xia
Chinese Journal of Cancer Biotherapy 2026;33(1):59-65
[摘 要] 目的:探讨高良姜素(Gal)调控AMPK/mTOR/ULK1信号通路对胃癌细胞凋亡和自噬的影响及其机制。方法:将胃癌NCI-N87细胞分为对照组、多索吗啡(DM)组、Gal低剂量(Gal-L)组、Gal高剂量(Gal-H)组、Gal-H + DM组。采用MTT法、流式细胞术、划痕愈合实验和Transwell实验分别检测各组细胞的增殖、凋亡、迁移和侵袭能力,WB法检测PCNA、C-caspase-3、免疫逃逸相关蛋白(B7H1)、EMT和AMPK/mTOR/ULK1信号通路蛋白的表达水平。建立裸鼠NCI-N87细胞移植瘤模型,观察Gal和5-FU对移植瘤的抑制效果。结果:与对照组比较,DM组NCI-N87细胞增殖活性、划痕愈合率和侵袭细胞数、N-cadherin、vimentin、PCNA、B7H1、p62和p-mTOR/mTOR蛋白表达均显著升高(均P < 0.05),细胞凋亡率、C-caspase-3、E-cadherin、LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ、p-AMPK/AMPK和p-ULK1/ULK1蛋白表达均显著降低(均P < 0.05);Gal-L组和Gal-H组NCI-N87细胞的增殖活性、划痕愈合率和侵袭细胞数、N-cadherin、vimentin、PCNA、B7H1、p62和p-mTOR/mTOR蛋白表达均显著降低(均P < 0.05),细胞凋亡率、C-caspase-3、E-cadherin、LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ、p-AMPK/AMPK和p-ULK1/ULK1蛋白表达均显著升高(均P < 0.05);DM可部分逆转Gal对NCI-N87细胞恶性生物学行为的抑制作用(P < 0.05);与对照组比较,Gal组和5-FU组裸鼠移植瘤体积和质量均显著降低,肿瘤组织细胞凋亡率显著升高(P < 0.05)。结论:Gal可促进胃癌NCI-N87细胞自噬和凋亡,抑制其增殖、迁移和侵袭,可能与激活AMPK/mTOR/ULK1信号通路有关。
2.Preliminary application of histological evaluation of donor pancreas biopsy tissue in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation
Jiao WAN ; Hui GUO ; Jiali FANG ; Guanghui LI ; Luhao LIU ; Yunyi XIONG ; Wei YIN ; Tong YANG ; Junjie MA ; Zheng CHEN
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(2):250-256
Objective To preliminarily investigate the safety and efficacy of donor pancreas needle biopsy in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. Methods Clinical data of 7 cases undergoing donor pancreas biopsy were collected retrospectively. All cases underwent donor pancreas biopsy before or during simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation. Frozen section or paraffin sectioning techniques were used for tissue preparation, and hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining were performed to histologically evaluate the donor pancreas. The quality of donor pancreas was comprehensively assessed by combining histological findings with the donor's clinical data. Postoperative follow-up data of 5 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplant recipients were collected to summarize the safety of donor pancreas biopsy and the prognosis of transplant recipients. Results The 7 pancreas donors were aged 28 to 62 years, with a body mass index ranging from 20.76 to 27.68 kg/m2. Liver ultrasound indicated fatty liver in 3 cases, while pancreatic ultrasound did not reveal any significant abnormalities. Among them, biopsy was performed on 2 donors after completion of pancreatic procurement and processing, and the frozen section histology showed moderate acute pancreatitis changes (edema of acinar cells, necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration). Combined with a serum amylase level elevated more than 3 times the upper limit of normal value, these two donor pancreases were finally discarded. The remaining 5 cases underwent biopsy immediately after pancreatic vascular anastomosis during simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation, and histological evaluation was performed on paraffin-embedded sections. No biopsy-related complications (such as bleeding, pancreatic fistula, etc.) occurred after transplantation. One recipient died of severe infection 2 months after transplantation, while the other 4 recipients were followed up for more than 5 years, with well-functioning transplant kidneys and pancreases. Conclusions Donor pancreas biopsy is relatively safe, and the risk of biopsy-related complications after transplantation is controllable. Comprehensive assessment of donor pancreas quality by combining histological evaluation with the donor's clinical indicators is conducive to improving the accuracy of donor pancreas selection and organ utilization.
3.Impact of social capital, adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms on suicidal behavior among vocational high school students
YU Bin, YAN Jingyan, CHEN Xinguang, GUO Yan, LI Fang, YAN Hong, XIAO Chenchang
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(4):506-511
Objective:
To explore the nonlinear dynamic effects of social capital, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depressive symptoms on suicidal behavior among vocational high school students, so as to provide theoretical basis and practical references for formulating suicide prevention strategies.
Methods:
A convenience sampling method was employed to include 668 students from a vocational high school from Wuhan in March 2023. Social capital was used as the asymmetry variable, while ACEs and depressive symptoms were used as bifurcation variables, a cusp catastrophe model was constructed to analyze the nonlinear changes in suicidal behavior among vocational high school students, and its fit was compared with linear and Logistic regression models.
Results:
Among students in the health vocational high school in Wuhan, only suicidal ideation accounted for 8.5%, only suicide attempt for 18.6%, neither accounted for 31.9%, and both for 41.0%. Gender, left behind experience, family economic status, parental parenting styles, depressive symptoms, social capital, and ACEs were all related factors influencing suicidal behavior among vocational high school students ( χ 2/H=19.03, 13.33, 21.11, 46.70, 144.38, 24.61, 118.77, all P <0.05). Violin plots showed a bimodal distribution of suicidal behavior, indicating nonlinear variation characteristics. The cusp catastrophe model results showed that social capital was negatively correlated with suicidal behavior, but the relationship was bifurcated by ACEs ( α social capital = -0.006 , β ACEs =0.075) and depressive symptoms ( α social capital =-0.013, β depressive =0.028) (all P <0.05). When both ACEs and depressive symptoms coexisted, the impact of ACEs was stronger ( β ACEs =0.077, β depressive =0.014) (both P <0.05). The cusp catastrophe model fitted ( R 2=0.886, 0.881, 0.882) better than the linear ( R 2=0.258, 0.219, 0.258) and Logistic regression models ( R 2= 0.242, 0.211 , 0.176). Gender stratified analysis results showed that bifurcation effect of ACEs was stronger in males than in females( β boys =0.224, β girls =0.086); in females, both ACEs and depressive symptoms had a bifurcation effect, with the former showing a stronger effect ( β ACEs =0.062, β depressive =0.015) (all P <0.05).
Conclusions
Suicidal behavior among vocational high school students exhibits nonlinear characteristics. Improving social capital to reducing ACEs and depressive symptoms may contribute to decreasing adolescent suicidal behaviors.
4.Correlation of emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children with maternal parenting competence and family rearing environment
FANG Ling, QIAN Duoduo, CHEN Zongfang, WU Qiong, GUO Ningtian, SHEN Jing, ZHAI Jinxia
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(4):522-526
Objective:
To investigate the emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children and the correlations with maternal parenting competence and family rearing environment, so as to provide a scientific basis and practical guidance for the physical and mental health development of preschool children.
Methods:
In June 2025, 660 preschool children aged 3-6 years old were selected from 10 kindergartens in Hefei, Anqing, and Tongling in Anhui Province by using a stratified cluster random sampling method. A questionnaire survey was conducted among all parents of preschool children using the Parent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Child Family Rearing Environment Scale, and the Chinese version of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the related factors of emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children. SPSS macro program Process 4.1 and Bootstrap method were used to test the mediating effect of family parenting environment between emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children and maternal parenting competence.
Results:
The detection rate of emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children was 20.15%. The total scores of family rearing environment and maternal parenting competence were negatively correlated with emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children ( r =-0.45,-0.79), and the total score of family rearing environment was positively correlated with the total score of maternal parenting competence ( r =0.43) (all P <0.01). Multiple linear regression showed that, after controlling whether being only child, parents educational level, registered residence location and other variables, family rearing environment, self efficacy and satisfaction were all negative predictors of emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children ( B =-0.07, -0.42, -0.42, all P <0.01). The mediation effect results showed that maternal parenting competence could positively predict the family rearing environment ( B =0.75), while maternal parenting competence and family rearing environment could both negatively predict emotional and behavioral problems among preschool children ( B =-0.49, -0.06 ) (all P <0.05). The Bootstrap sampling method test results showed that the effect value of the indirect effect of maternal parenting competence on emotional and behavioral problems through the family rearing environment was -0.04, and the effect proportion was 8.21 %.
Conclusion
Preschool children with a better family rearing environment and stronger maternal parenting competence are less likely to have emotional and behavioral problems, among which the family rearing environment has a mediating effect.
5.Hypoglycemic Effect and Mechanism of ICK Pattern Peptides
Lin-Fang CHEN ; Jia-Fan ZHANG ; Ye-Ning GUO ; Hui-Zhong HUANG ; Kang-Hong HU ; Chen-Guang YAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):50-60
Diabetes is a very complex endocrine disease whose common feature is the increase in blood glucose concentration. Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to blindness, kidney and heart disease, neurodegeneration, and many other serious complications that have a significant impact on human health and quality of life. The number of people with diabetes is increasing yearly. The global diabetes prevalence in 20-79 year olds in 2021 was estimated to be 10.5% (536.6 million), and it will rise to 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045. The main modes of intervention for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and exercise conditioning. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. Marketed diabetes drugs such as metformin and insulin, as well as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are effective in controlling blood sugar levels to some extent, but the preventive and therapeutic effects are still unsatisfactory. Peptide drugs have many advantages such as low toxicity, high target specificity, and good biocompatibility, which opens up new avenues for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Currently, insulin and its analogs are by far the main life-saving drugs in clinical diabetes treatment, enabling effective control of blood glucose levels, but the risk of hypoglycemia is relatively high and treatment is limited by the route of delivery. New and oral anti-diabetic drugs have always been a market demand and research hotspot. Inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides are a class of multifunctional cyclic peptides. In structure, they contain three conserved disulfide bonds (C3-C20, C7-C22, and C15-C32) form a compact “knot” structure, which can resist degradation of digestive protease. Recent studies have shown that ICK peptides derived from legume, such as PA1b, Aglycin, Vglycin, Iglycin, Dglycin, and aM1, exhibit excellent regulatory activities on glucose and lipid metabolism at the cellular and animal levels. Mechanistically, ICK peptides promote glucose utilization by muscle and liver through activation of IR/AKT signaling pathway, which also improves insulin resistance. They can repair the damaged pancrease through activation of PI3K/AKT/Erk signaling pathway, thus lowering blood glucose. The biostability and hypoglycemic efficacy of the ICK peptides meet the requirements for commercialization of oral drugs, and in theory, they can be developed into natural oral anti-diabetes peptide drugs. In this review, the structural properties, activity and mechanism of ICK pattern peptides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism were summaried, which provided a reference for the development of new oral peptides for diabetes.
6.Effect of Hesperidin on Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-Related Depression in Rats through Gut-Brain Axis Pathway.
Hui-Qing LIANG ; Shao-Dong CHEN ; Yu-Jie WANG ; Xiao-Ting ZHENG ; Yao-Yu LIU ; Zhen-Ying GUO ; Chun-Fang ZHANG ; Hong-Li ZHUANG ; Si-Jie CHENG ; Xiao-Hong GU
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(10):908-917
OBJECTIVES:
To determine the pharmacological impact of hesperidin, the main component of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, on depressive behavior and elucidate the mechanism by which hesperidin treats depression, focusing on the gut-brain axis.
METHODS:
Fifty-four Sprague Dawley male rats were randomly allocated to 6 groups using a random number table, including control, model, hesperidin, probiotics, fluoxetine, and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium groups. Except for the control group, rats in the remaining 5 groups were challenged with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) for 21 days and housed in single cages. The sucrose preference test (SPT), immobility time in the forced swim test (FST), and number in the open field test (OFT) were performed to measure the behavioral changes in the rats. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in brain tissue, and the histopathology was performed to evaluate the changes of colon tissue, together with sequencing of the V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene on feces to explore the changes of intestinal flora in the rats.
RESULTS:
Compared to the control group, the rats in the model group showed notable reductions in body weight, SPF, and number in OFT (P<0.01). Hesperidin was found to ameliorate depression induced by CUMS, as seen by improvements in body weight, SPT, immobility time in FST, and number in OFT (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Regarding neurotransmitters, it was found that at a dose of 50 mg/kg hesperidin treatment upregulated the levels of 5-HT and BDNF in depressed rats (P<0.05). Compared to the control group, the colon tissue of the model group exhibited greater inflammatory cell infiltration, with markedly reduced numbers of goblet cells and crypts and were significantly improved following treatment with hesperidin. Simultaneously, the administration of hesperidin demonstrated a positive impact on the gut microbiome of rats treated with CUMS, such as Shannon index increased and Simpson index decreased (P<0.01), while the abundance of Pseudomonadota and Bacteroidota increased in the hesperidin-treated group (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The mechanism responsible for the beneficial effects of hesperidin on depressive behavior in rats may be related to inhibition of the expressions of BDNF and 5-HT and preservation of the gut microbiota.
Animals
;
Hesperidin/therapeutic use*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Depression/drug therapy*
;
Male
;
Stress, Psychological/drug therapy*
;
Brain/metabolism*
;
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism*
;
Serotonin/metabolism*
;
Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects*
;
Behavior, Animal/drug effects*
;
Rats
;
Brain-Gut Axis/drug effects*
;
Chronic Disease
;
Colon/drug effects*
7.Pien Tze Huang Attenuates Cell Proliferation and Stemness Promoted by miR-483-5p in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.
Li-Hui WEI ; Xi CHEN ; A-Ling SHEN ; Yi FANG ; Qiu-Rong XIE ; Zhi GUO ; Thomas J SFERRA ; You-Qin CHEN ; Jun PENG
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(9):782-791
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the effect of miR-483-5p on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells proliferation and stemness, as well as the attenuating effect of Pien Tze Huang (PZH).
METHODS:
Differentially expressed miRNA between HepG2 cells and hepatic cancer stem-like cells (HCSCs) were identified by a miRNA microarray assay. miR-483-5p mimics were transfected into HepG2 cells to explore the effects of miR-483-5p on cell proliferation and stemness. HepG2 cells and HCSCs were treated with PZH (0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 mg/mL) to explore the effects of PZH on the proliferation and stemness, both in non-induced state and the state induced by miR-483-5p mimics.
RESULTS:
miR-483-5p was significantly up-regulated in HCSCs and its overexpression increased cell proliferation and stemness in HepG2 cells (P<0.05). PZH not only significantly inhibited proliferation in HepG2 cells, but also significantly suppressed the cell proliferation and self-renewal of HCSCs (P<0.05). The effects of miR-483-5p mimics on proliferation and stemness of HepG2 cells were partially abolished by PZH.
CONCLUSIONS
miR-483-5p promotes proliferation and enhances stemness of HepG2 cells, which were attenuated by PZH, demonstrating that miR-483-5p is a potential molecular target for the treatment of HCC and provide experimental evidence to support clinical use of PZH for patients with HCC.
Humans
;
MicroRNAs/metabolism*
;
Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
;
Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy*
;
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy*
;
Hep G2 Cells
;
Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects*
8.Expert consensus on prognostic evaluation of cochlear implantation in hereditary hearing loss.
Xinyu SHI ; Xianbao CAO ; Renjie CHAI ; Suijun CHEN ; Juan FENG ; Ningyu FENG ; Xia GAO ; Lulu GUO ; Yuhe LIU ; Ling LU ; Lingyun MEI ; Xiaoyun QIAN ; Dongdong REN ; Haibo SHI ; Duoduo TAO ; Qin WANG ; Zhaoyan WANG ; Shuo WANG ; Wei WANG ; Ming XIA ; Hao XIONG ; Baicheng XU ; Kai XU ; Lei XU ; Hua YANG ; Jun YANG ; Pingli YANG ; Wei YUAN ; Dingjun ZHA ; Chunming ZHANG ; Hongzheng ZHANG ; Juan ZHANG ; Tianhong ZHANG ; Wenqi ZUO ; Wenyan LI ; Yongyi YUAN ; Jie ZHANG ; Yu ZHAO ; Fang ZHENG ; Yu SUN
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(9):798-808
Hearing loss is the most prevalent disabling disease. Cochlear implantation(CI) serves as the primary intervention for severe to profound hearing loss. This consensus systematically explores the value of genetic diagnosis in the pre-operative assessment and efficacy prognosis for CI. Drawing upon domestic and international research and clinical experience, it proposes an evidence-based medicine three-tiered prognostic classification system(Favorable, Marginal, Poor). The consensus focuses on common hereditary non-syndromic hearing loss(such as that caused by mutations in genes like GJB2, SLC26A4, OTOF, LOXHD1) and syndromic hereditary hearing loss(such as Jervell & Lange-Nielsen syndrome and Waardenburg syndrome), which are closely associated with congenital hearing loss, analyzing the impact of their pathological mechanisms on CI outcomes. The consensus provides recommendations based on multiple round of expert discussion and voting. It emphasizes that genetic diagnosis can optimize patient selection, predict prognosis, guide post-operative rehabilitation, offer stratified management strategies for patients with different genotypes, and advance the application of precision medicine in the field of CI.
Humans
;
Cochlear Implantation
;
Prognosis
;
Hearing Loss/surgery*
;
Consensus
;
Connexin 26
;
Mutation
;
Sulfate Transporters
;
Connexins/genetics*
9.Parabacteroides distasonis promotes liver regeneration by increasing β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) production and BHB-driven STAT3 signals.
Manlan GUO ; Xiaowen JIANG ; Hui OUYANG ; Xianglong ZHANG ; Shuaishuai ZHANG ; Peng WANG ; Guofang BI ; Ting WU ; Wenhong ZHOU ; Fengting LIANG ; Xiao YANG ; Shicheng FAN ; Jian-Hong FANG ; Peng CHEN ; Huichang BI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(3):1430-1446
The liver regenerative capacity is crucial for patients with end-stage liver disease following partial hepatectomy (PHx). The specific bacteria and mechanisms regulating liver regeneration post-PHx remain unclear. This study demonstrated dynamic changes in the abundance of Parabacteroides distasonis (P. distasonis) post-PHx, correlating with hepatocyte proliferation. Treatment with live P. distasonis significantly promoted hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration after PHx. Targeted metabolomics revealed a significant positive correlation between P. distasonis and β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB), as well as hyodeoxycholic acid and 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid in the gut after PHx. Notably, treatment with BHB, but not hyodeoxycholic acid or 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, significantly promoted hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration in mice after PHx. Moreover, STAT3 inhibitor Stattic attenuated the promotive effects of BHB on cell proliferation and liver regeneration both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, P. distasonis upregulated the expression of fatty acid oxidation-related proteins, and increased BHB levels in the liver, and then BHB activated the STAT3 signaling pathway to promote liver regeneration. This study, for the first time, identifies the involvement of P. distasonis and its associated metabolite BHB in promoting liver regeneration after PHx, providing new insights for considering P. distasonis and BHB as potential strategies for promoting hepatic regeneration.
10.Psychological stress-activated NR3C1/NUPR1 axis promotes ovarian tumor metastasis.
Bin LIU ; Wen-Zhe DENG ; Wen-Hua HU ; Rong-Xi LU ; Qing-Yu ZHANG ; Chen-Feng GAO ; Xiao-Jie HUANG ; Wei-Guo LIAO ; Jin GAO ; Yang LIU ; Hiroshi KURIHARA ; Yi-Fang LI ; Xu-Hui ZHANG ; Yan-Ping WU ; Lei LIANG ; Rong-Rong HE
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(6):3149-3162
Ovarian tumor (OT) is the most lethal form of gynecologic malignancy, with minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past several decades. Metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Psychological stress is known to activate the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), a factor associated with poor prognosis in OT patients. However, the precise mechanisms linking NR3C1 signaling and metastasis have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that chronic restraint stress accelerates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis in OT through an NR3C1-dependent mechanism involving nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1). Mechanistically, NR3C1 directly regulates the transcription of NUPR1, which in turn increases the expression of snail family transcriptional repressor 2 (SNAI2), a key driver of EMT. Clinically, elevated NR3C1 positively correlates with NUPR1 expression in OT patients, and both are positively associated with poorer prognosis. Overall, our study identified the NR3C1/NUPR1 axis as a critical regulatory pathway in psychological stress-induced OT metastasis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for intervention in OT metastasis.


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