1.Research progress on the role of oxidative stress in cardiovascular disease in zebrafish
Tiantian FEI ; Tengyun LIANG ; Panxia CAO ; Xue MENG ; Hong WU
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2024;34(9):172-178
Cardiovascular disease presents a serious threat to human life,and oxidative stress has been identified as an important factor affecting the occurrence and development of cardiovascular disease.The construction of reliable animal models of oxidative stress is important for the in-depth study of the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and the development of therapeutic drugs.Zebrafish have often been for research into cardiovascular diseases,due to their advantages of easy reproduction,a short developmental cycle,transparent embryos for easy observation,and a highly homologous cardiovascular genetic background with humans.In this paper,we review the application of the zebrafish oxidative stress model in cardiovascular disease and related research progress,to provide a reference for its further application in cardiovascular disease-related research.
2.Application of ARHGAP8 in Predicting the Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Mid-Low Rectal Cancer
Yuning XI ; Jun XUE ; Xueliang WU ; Ming QU ; Guangyuan SUN ; Lei HAN ; Fei GUO ; Chunze ZHANG ; Yifei WANG ; Weizheng LIANG
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2024;46(4):528-538
Objective To analyze the sensitivity of ARHGAP8 in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the patients with locally advanced mid-low colorectal cancer and provide accurate evidence for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer.Methods The differentially expressed gene ARHGAP8 was screened out by bioinformatics analysis.Cancer tissue and rectal tissue of 68 patients with primary rectal cancer were select-ed.The rectal cancer tissue samples and the rectal tissue samples were collected for clinical validation of ARH-GAP8 expression by quantitative real-time PCR,Western blotting,and immunohistochemistry.The clinical and pathological features such as gender,age,tumor stage,differentiation degree,and pathological type of the pa-tients were collected for functional validation.Forty-four patients with locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were selected for immunohistochemical examination of ARHGAP8 expres-sion.The expression level of ARHGAP8 was compared between before and after chemotherapy and among different efficacy groups.Results The bioinformatics analysis revealed differences in the expression level of ARHGAP8 between the cancer tissue and rectal tissue(P<0.001).The expression level of ARHGAP8 was correlated with tumor stage(P=0.024),lymph node metastasis(P=0.007),and age(P=0.005).Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that the mRNA level of ARHGAP8 in the cancer tissue was higher than that in the rectal tis-sue(P<0.001).Western blotting and immunohistochemistry results demonstrated that the protein level of ARH-GAP8 in the cancer tissue was higher than that in the rectal tissue(P=0.011).The expression of ARHGAP8 was correlated with tumor size(P=0.010)and pathological stage(P=0.005),while it showed no significant association with tumor differentiation degree,lymph node metastasis,liver metastasis,Ki-67,or microsatellite instability expression level.The 44 patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy included 13,8,8,and 15 pa-tients of tumor regression grades 0,1,2,and 3,respectively.Among them,65.91%(29/44)patients showed responses to the treatment.After neoadjuvant chemotherapy,the expression of ARHGAP8 in the cancer tissue was down-regulated in the patients who responded to the chemotherapy(P<0.001).The response rate in the patients with low protein level of ARHGAP8 was 92.86%,which was higher than that(53.33%)in the patients with high pro-tein level of ARHGAP8(P=0.033).Conclusions ARHGAP8 is highly expressed in the rectal cancer tissue.The pa-tients with locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer and low ARHGAP8 expression are more sensitive to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the XELOX protocol.ARHGAP8 can serve as a potential biomarker for the occurrence and develop-ment of rectal cancer and an important index for evaluating the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the XELOX protocol in the patients with locally advanced mid-low rectal cancer.
3. Mechanism of levosimendan in treating hypoxic pulmonary hypertension based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology
Xiao-Dan ZHANG ; Yu-Liang XIE ; Meng-Dan GAO ; Ao-Xue YUAN ; Han-Fei LI ; Tian-Tian ZHU ; Xiao-Dan ZHANG ; Yu-Liang XIE ; Meng-Dan GAO ; Ao-Xue YUAN ; Han-Fei LI ; Tian-Tian ZHU ; Xiao-Dan ZHANG ; Yu-Liang XIE ; Meng-Dan GAO ; Ao-Xue YUAN ; Han-Fei LI ; Tian-Tian ZHU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(3):565-573
Aim To explore the efficacy of levosimendan on hypoxia pulmonary hypertension through animal experiments, and to further explore the potential mechanism of action using network pharmacological methods and molecular docking technique. Methods The rat model of hypoxia pulmonary hypertension was constructed to detect right heart systolic pressure and right heart remodeling index. HE , Masson, and VG staining were core targets were screened out. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed using the DAVID database. Molecular docking of the core targets was performed with the AutoDock software. Results The results of animal experiments showed that levosimendan had obvious therapeutic effect on hypoxia pulmonary hypertension. The network pharmacology results showed that SRC, HSP90AA1, MAPK1, PIK3R1, AKT1, HRAS, MAPK14, LCK, EGFR and ESR1 used to analyze the changes of rat lung histopathology. Search the Swiss Target Prediction, DrugBank Online, BatMan, Targetnet, SEA, and PharmMapper databases were used to screen for drug targets. Disease targets were retrieved from the GeneCards, OMIM databases. The "drug-target-disease" network was constructed after identification of the two intersection targets. The protein interaction network was constructed and the were the key targets to play a therapeutic role. Molecular docking showed good docking of levosimendan with all the top five core targets with degree values. Conclusions Levosimendan may exert a therapeutic effect on hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension through multiple targets.
4.Impact of inhaled corticosteroid use on elderly chronic pulmonary disease patients with community acquired pneumonia.
Xiudi HAN ; Hong WANG ; Liang CHEN ; Yimin WANG ; Hui LI ; Fei ZHOU ; Xiqian XING ; Chunxiao ZHANG ; Lijun SUO ; Jinxiang WANG ; Guohua YU ; Guangqiang WANG ; Xuexin YAO ; Hongxia YU ; Lei WANG ; Meng LIU ; Chunxue XUE ; Bo LIU ; Xiaoli ZHU ; Yanli LI ; Ying XIAO ; Xiaojing CUI ; Lijuan LI ; Xuedong LIU ; Bin CAO
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(2):241-243
5.Frontiers in in situ Cryo-electron Microscopy and Visual Proteomics
Kuan-Ying LI ; Wen-Xue WANG ; Yun ZHU ; Liang XUE ; Fei SUN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(10):2456-2477
In recent years, with the continuous development of in situ cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, the research of structural biology has undergone a paradigm shift. Structural analysis is no longer confined to isolated and purified biomolecules, and determination of high-resolution in situ structures directly within cells and tissues becomes feasible. Furthermore, structural analysis of the molecular landscapes of subcellular regions can be performed to gain a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms of living activities in the native functional context. Through determining in situ structures of various protein complexes within the cell, it is feasible to visualize the proteome with spatial and quantitative information, which is often referred to as visual proteomics. Emerging in situ structural methods represented by cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) hold the promise to elucidate the three-dimensional interaction networks of the intracellular proteome and understand their activities in a systematic manner. To advance in situ cryo-EM/ET and visual proteomics in China, this review summarizes the new research paradigms and technological advances, showcases the superiority of new concepts and technologies with representative examples, and discusses the future prospects in the field.
6.Correlation between Combined Urinary Metal Exposure and Grip Strength under Three Statistical Models: A Cross-sectional Study in Rural Guangxi
Jian Yu LIANG ; Hui Jia RONG ; Xiu Xue WANG ; Sheng Jian CAI ; Dong Li QIN ; Mei Qiu LIU ; Xu TANG ; Ting Xiao MO ; Fei Yan WEI ; Xia Yin LIN ; Xiang Shen HUANG ; Yu Ting LUO ; Yu Ruo GOU ; Jing Jie CAO ; Wu Chu HUANG ; Fu Yu LU ; Jian QIN ; Yong Zhi ZHANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2024;37(1):3-18
Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95% confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.
7.Pyrotinib Combined with Vinorelbine in Patients with Previously Treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Multicenter, Single-Arm, Prospective Study
Kuikui JIANG ; Ruoxi HONG ; Wen XIA ; Qianyi LU ; Liang LI ; Jianhao HUANG ; Yanxia SHI ; Zhongyu YUAN ; Qiufan ZHENG ; Xin AN ; Cong XUE ; Jiajia HUANG ; Xiwen BI ; Meiting CHEN ; Jingmin ZHANG ; Fei XU ; Shusen WANG
Cancer Research and Treatment 2024;56(2):513-521
Purpose:
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new combination treatment of vinorelbine and pyrotinib in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and provide higher level evidence for clinical practice.
Materials and Methods:
This was a prospective, single-arm, phase 2 trial conducted at three institutions in China. Patients with HER2-positive MBC, who had previously been treated with trastuzumab plus a taxane or trastuzumab plus pertuzumab combined with a chemotherapeutic agent, were enrolled between March 2020 and December 2021. All patients received pyrotinib 400 mg orally once daily plus vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 intravenously or 60-80 mg/m2 orally on day 1 and day 8 of 21-day cycle. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints included the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival, and safety.
Results:
A total of 39 patients were enrolled. All patients had been pretreated with trastuzumab and 23.1% (n=9) of them had accepted trastuzumab plus pertuzumab. The median follow-up time was 16.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3 to 27.2), and the median PFS was 6.4 months (95% CI, 4.0 to 8.8). The ORR was 43.6% (95% CI, 27.8% to 60.4%) and the DCR was 84.6% (95% CI, 69.5% to 94.1%). The median PFS of patients with versus without prior pertuzumab treatment was 4.6 and 8.3 months (p=0.017). The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were diarrhea (28.2%), neutrophil count decreased (15.4%), white blood cell count decreased (7.7%), vomiting (5.1%), and anemia (2.6%).
Conclusion
Pyrotinib plus vinorelbine showed promising efficacy and tolerable toxicity as second-line treatment in patients with HER2-positive MBC.
8.TRPV4-induced Neurofilament Injury Contributes to Memory Impairment after High Intensity and Low Frequency Noise Exposures.
Yang YANG ; Ju WANG ; Yu Lian QUAN ; Chuan Yan YANG ; Xue Zhu CHEN ; Xue Jiao LEI ; Liang TAN ; Hua FENG ; Fei LI ; Tu Nan CHEN
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2023;36(1):50-59
OBJECTIVE:
Exposure to high intensity, low frequency noise (HI-LFN) causes vibroacoustic disease (VAD), with memory deficit as a primary non-auditory symptomatic effect of VAD. However, the underlying mechanism of the memory deficit is unknown. This study aimed to characterize potential mechanisms involving morphological changes of neurons and nerve fibers in the hippocampus, after exposure to HI-LFN.
METHODS:
Adult wild-type and transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 4 knockout (TRPV4-/-) mice were used for construction of the HI-LFN injury model. The new object recognition task and the Morris water maze test were used to measure the memory of these animals. Hemoxylin and eosin and immunofluorescence staining were used to examine morphological changes of the hippocampus after exposure to HI-LFN.
RESULTS:
The expression of TRPV4 was significantly upregulated in the hippocampus after HI-LFN exposure. Furthermore, memory deficits correlated with lower densities of neurons and neurofilament-positive nerve fibers in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) and dentate gyrus (DG) hippocampal areas in wild-type mice. However, TRPV4-/- mice showed better performance in memory tests and more integrated neurofilament-positive nerve fibers in the CA1 and DG areas after HI-LFN exposure.
CONCLUSION
TRPV4 up-regulation induced neurofilament positive nerve fiber injury in the hippocampus, which was a possible mechanism for memory impairment and cognitive decline resulting from HI-LFN exposure. Together, these results identified a promising therapeutic target for treating cognitive dysfunction in VAD patients.
Animals
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Mice
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TRPV Cation Channels/metabolism*
;
Intermediate Filaments/metabolism*
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Hippocampus/metabolism*
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Neurons/metabolism*
;
Memory Disorders/metabolism*
9.PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a real-world study.
Xin-Xing DU ; Yan-Hao DONG ; Han-Jing ZHU ; Xiao-Chen FEI ; Yi-Ming GONG ; Bin-Bin XIA ; Fan WU ; Jia-Yi WANG ; Jia-Zhou LIU ; Lian-Cheng FAN ; Yan-Qing WANG ; Liang DONG ; Yin-Jie ZHU ; Jia-Hua PAN ; Bai-Jun DONG ; Wei XUE
Asian Journal of Andrology 2023;25(2):179-183
Management and treatment of terminal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) remains heavily debated. We sought to investigate the efficacy of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor plus anlotinib as a potential solution for terminal mCRPC and further evaluate the association of genomic characteristics with efficacy outcomes. We conducted a retrospective real-world study of 25 mCRPC patients who received PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib after the progression to standard treatments. The clinical information was extracted from the electronic medical records and 22 patients had targeted circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) next-generation sequencing. Statistical analysis showed that 6 (24.0%) patients experienced prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and 11 (44.0%) patients experienced PSA reduction. The relationship between ctDNA findings and outcomes was also analyzed. DNA-damage repair (DDR) pathways and homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway defects indicated a comparatively longer PSA-progression-free survival (PSA-PFS; 2.5 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.027; 3.3 months vs 1.2 months, P = 0.017; respectively). This study introduces the PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib as a late-line therapeutic strategy for terminal mCRPC. PD-1 inhibitor plus anlotinib may be a new treatment choice for terminal mCRPC patients with DDR or HRR pathway defects and requires further investigation.
Male
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Humans
;
Prostate-Specific Antigen
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/drug therapy*
;
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use*
;
Retrospective Studies
10.Craniofacial anatomical Characteristics of patients with catathrenia.
Min YU ; Ze Liang HAO ; Li Yue XU ; Yong Fei WEN ; Fang HAN ; Xue Mei GAO
Chinese Journal of Stomatology 2023;58(7):659-669
Objective: To analyze whether the upper airway of patients with catathrenia has obstructive manifestations using nasal resistance, craniofacial, and upper airway imaging methods, which could benefit the exploration of the etiology and treatment options. Methods: From August 2012 to September 2019, a total of 57 patients with catathrenia in the Department of Orthodontics at Peking University Hospital of Stomatology were included in the study, including 22 males and 35 females, aged (31.1±10.9) years, with a body mass index of (21.7±2.7) kg/m2. All the patients were diagnosed by full-night polysomnography at the Sleep Division, Peking University People's Hospital, of which 10 patients were combined with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). The median groaning index of patients was 4.8 (1.8, 13.0) events/h. Nasal resistance and cone-beam CT were conducted on the patients, and measurements were performed on the craniofacial structures, upper airway, and surrounding soft tissues, compared with non-snoring normal occlusion individuals' references published by the same research team (144 college students recruited at Peking University and 100 non-snoring young adults with normal occlusion recruited at six universities in Beijing). Results: The total nasal resistance of patients with catathrenia was (0.26±0.08) Pa·cm-3·s-1. The patients had overall well-developed mandibular hard tissues. However, the patients were found with increased FH/BaN (steep anterior cranial base plane), increased MP/FH (forward rotation of the mandible); increased U1/NA and L1/MP (proclined upper and lower incisors). The sagittal diameter of the velopharynx [(19.2±4.5) mm] was significantly larger than the normal reference (t=8.44, P<0.001), while the sagittal diameter at the hypopharynx [(17.4±6.4) mm] was statistically smaller than the normal reference (t=-2.79, P=0.006). Catarhrenia patients combined with OSAHS presented longer soft palate, tongue, and lower hyoid bone than those with primary catathrenia. Conclusions: In patients with catathrenia, the overall craniofacial characteristics are well-developed skeletal structures, lower nasal resistance, proclined upper and lower incisors, wide upper sagittal development of the upper airway and narrow hypopharynx. Groaning sounds might be related to the narrowing of the hypopharynx during sleep.

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