1.Role of SPINK in Dermatologic Diseases and Potential Therapeutic Targets
Yong-Hang XIA ; Hao DENG ; Li-Ling HU ; Wei LIU ; Xiao TAN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):417-424
Serine protease inhibitor Kazal-type (SPINK) is a skin keratinizing protease inhibitor, which was initially found in animal serum and is widely present in plants, animals, bacteria, and viruses, and they act as key regulators of skin keratinizing proteases and are involved in the regulation of keratinocyte proliferation and inflammation, primarily through the inhibition of deregulated tissue kinin-releasing enzymes (KLKs) in skin response. This process plays a crucial role in alleviating various skin problems caused by hyperkeratinization and inflammation, and can greatly improve the overall condition of the skin. Specifically, the different members of the SPINK family, such as SPINK5, SPINK6, SPINK7, and SPINK9, each have unique biological functions and mechanisms of action. The existence of these members demonstrates the diversity and complexity of skin health and disease. First, SPINK5 mutations are closely associated with the development of various skin diseases, such as Netherton’s syndrome and atopic dermatitis, and SPINK5 is able to inhibit the activation of the STAT3 signaling pathway, thereby effectively preventing the metastasis of melanoma cells, which is important in preventing the invasion and migration of malignant tumors. Secondly, SPINK6 is mainly distributed in the epidermis and contains lysine and glutamate residues, which can act as a substrate for epidermal transglutaminase to maintain the normal structure and function of the skin. In addition, SPINK6 can activate the intracellular ERK1/2 and AKT signaling pathways through the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor and protease receptor-2 (EphA2), which can promote the migration of melanoma cells, and SPINK6 further deepens its role in stimulating the migration of malignant tumor cells by inhibiting the activation of STAT3 signaling pathway. This process further deepens its potential impact in stimulating tumor invasive migration. Furthermore, SPINK7 plays a role in the pathology of some inflammatory skin diseases, and is likely to be an important factor contributing to the exacerbation of skin diseases by promoting aberrant proliferation of keratinocytes and local inflammatory responses. Finally, SPINK9 can induce cell migration and promote skin wound healing by activating purinergic receptor 2 (P2R) to induce phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor and further activating the downstream ERK1/2 signaling pathway. In addition, SPINK9 also plays an antimicrobial role, preventing the interference of some pathogenic microorganisms. Taken as a whole, some members of the SPINK family may be potential targets for the treatment of dermatological disorders by regulating multiple biological processes such as keratinization metabolism and immuno-inflammatory processes in the skin. The development of drugs such as small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies has great potential for the treatment of dermatologic diseases, and future research on SPINK will help to gain a deeper understanding of the physiopathologic processes of the skin. Through its functions and regulatory mechanisms, the formation and maintenance of the skin barrier and the occurrence and development of inflammatory responses can be better understood, which will provide novel ideas and methods for the prevention and treatment of skin diseases.
2.Preparation and intestinal absorption mechanism of herpetrione and Herpetospermum caudigerum polysaccharides based self-assembled nanoparticles.
Xiang DENG ; Yu-Wen ZHU ; Ji-Xing ZHENG ; Rui SONG ; Jian-Tao NING ; Ling-Yu HANG ; Zhi-Hui YANG ; Hai-Long YUAN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):404-412
In this experiment, self-assembled nanoparticles(SANs) were prepared by the pH-driven method, and Her-HCP SAN was constructed by using herpetrione(Her) and Herpetospermum caudigerum polysaccharides(HCPs). The average particle size and polydispersity index(PDI) were used as evaluation indexes for process optimization, and the quality of the final formulation was evaluated in terms of particle size, PDI, Zeta potential, and microstructure. The proposed Her-HCP SAN showed a spheroid structure and uniform morphology, with an average particle size of(244.58±16.84) nm, a PDI of 0.147 1±0.014 8, and a Zeta potential of(-38.52±2.11) mV. Her-HCP SAN significantly increased the saturation solubility of Her by 2.69 times, with a cumulative release of 90.18% within eight hours. The results of in vivo unidirectional intestinal perfusion reveal that Her active pharmaceutical ingredient(API) is most effectively absorbed in the jejunum, where both K_a and P_(app) are significantly higher compared to the ileum(P<0.001). However, the addition of HCP leads to a significant reduction in the P_(app) of Her in the jejunum(P<0.05). Furthermore, the formation of the Her-HCP SAN results in a notably lower P_(app) in the jejunum compared to Her API alone(P<0.001), while both K_a and P_(app) in the ileum are significantly increased(P<0.001, P<0.05). The absorption of Her-HCP SAN at different concentrations in the ileum shows no significant differences, and the pH has no significant effect on the absorption of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum. The addition of the transporter protein inhibitors(indomethacin and rifampicin) significantly increases the absorption parameters K_a and P_(app) of Her-HCP SAN in the ileum(P<0.05,P<0.01), whereas the addition of verapamil has no significant effect on the intestinal absorption parameters of Her-HCP SAN, suggesting that Her may be a substrate for multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 and breast cancer resistance proteins but not a substrate of P-glycoprotein.
Nanoparticles/metabolism*
;
Polysaccharides/pharmacokinetics*
;
Intestinal Absorption/drug effects*
;
Animals
;
Rats
;
Particle Size
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacokinetics*
;
Male
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Drug Carriers/chemistry*
;
Drug Compounding
;
Cucurbitaceae/chemistry*
3.Clinical analysis of 6 cases of diffuse panbronchiolitis in children.
Li-Xin DENG ; De-Hui CHEN ; Yu-Neng LIN ; Shang-Zhi WU ; Jia-Xing XU ; Zhan-Hang HUANG ; Ying-Ying GU ; Jun-Xiang FENG
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(3):334-339
OBJECTIVES:
To analyze the clinical characteristics of diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) in children and to enhance the clinical diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
METHODS:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 6 children diagnosed with DPB who were hospitalized at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from January 2011 to December 2019.
RESULTS:
Among the 6 patients, there were 2 males and 4 females; the age at diagnosis ranged from 7 to 12 years. All patients presented with cough, sputum production, and exertional dyspnea, and all had a history of sinusitis. Two cases showed positive serum cold agglutinin tests, and 5 cases exhibited pathological changes consistent with chronic bronchiolitis. High-resolution chest CT in all patients revealed centrilobular nodules diffusely distributed throughout both lungs with a tree-in-bud appearance. Five patients received low-dose azithromycin maintenance therapy, but 3 showed inadequate treatment response. After empirical anti-tuberculosis treatment, non-tuberculous Mycobacteria were found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Follow-up over 2 years showed 1 case cured, 3 cases significantly improved, and 2 cases partially improved.
CONCLUSIONS
The clinical presentation of DPB is non-specific and can easily lead to misdiagnosis. In cases where DPB is clinically diagnosed but does not show improvement with low-dose azithromycin treatment, special infections should be considered.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Bronchiolitis/drug therapy*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Child
;
Haemophilus Infections/diagnosis*
4.Assessment of respiratory protection competency of staff in healthcare facilities
Hui-Xue JIA ; Xi YAO ; Mei-Hua HU ; Bing-Li ZHANG ; Xin-Ying SUN ; Zi-Han LI ; Ming-Zhuo DENG ; Lian-He LU ; Jie LI ; Li-Hong SONG ; Jian-Yu LU ; Xue-Mei SONG ; Hang GAO ; Liu-Yi LI
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(1):25-31
Objective To understand the respiratory protection competency of staff in hospitals.Methods Staff from six hospitals of different levels and characteristics in Beijing were selected,including doctors,nurses,medical technicians,and servicers,to conduct knowledge assessment on respiratory protection competency.According to exposure risks of respiratory infectious diseases,based on actual cases and daily work scenarios,content of respira-tory protection competency assessment was designed from three aspects:identification of respiratory infectious di-seases,transmission routes and corresponding protection requirements,as well as correct selection and use of masks.The assessment included 6,6,and 8 knowledge points respectively,with 20 knowledge points in total,all of which were choice questions.For multiple-choice questions,full marks,partial marks,and no mark were given respective-ly if all options were correct,partial options were correct and without incorrect options,and partial options were correct but with incorrect options.Difficulty and discrimination analyses on question of each knowledge point was conducted based on classical test theory.Results The respiratory protection competency knowledge assessment for 326 staff members at different risk levels in 6 hospitals showed that concerning the 20 knowledge points,more than 60%participants got full marks for 6 points,while the proportion of full marks for other questions was relatively low.Less than 10%participants got full marks for the following 5 knowledge points:types of airborne diseases,types of droplet-borne diseases,conventional measures for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infec-tion with respiratory infectious diseases,indications for wearing respirators,and indications for wearing medical protective masks.Among the 20 knowledge questions,5,1,and 14 questions were relatively easy,medium,and difficult,respectively;6,1,4,and 9 questions were with discrimination levels of ≥0.4,0.30-0.39,0.20-0.29,and ≤0.19,respectively.Conclusion There is still much room for hospital staff to improve their respiratory protection competency,especially in the recognition of diseases with different transmission routes and the indications for wearing different types of masks.
5.Construction and evaluation of novel self-assembled nanoparticles of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall.
Yu-wen ZHU ; Xiang DENG ; Li CHEN ; Jian-tao NING ; Yu-ye XUE ; Bao-de SHEN ; Ling-yu HANG ; Hai-long YUAN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(2):448-454
It has become an industry consensus that self-assembled nanoparticles (SAN) are formed by molecular recognition of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine during the decoction process. The insoluble components in the decoction are mostly in the form of nanoparticles, which can improve the problem of poor water solubility. However, the transfer rate of these insoluble components in the decoction is still very low, which limits the efficacy of the drug. This study aimed to refine the traditional decoction self-assembly phenomenon. The self-assembled nanoparticles were constructed by micro-precipitation method (MP-SAN), and characterized by particle size, zeta potential, stability index and morphology. The formation of MP-SAN and alterations in related physicochemical properties were evaluated using modern spectroscopic and thermal analysis techniques. The quality value transmitting pattern of lignan components within the MP-SAN was assessed
6.Advances in the application of machine learning in the identification and authentication of synthetic cannabinoids
Qing XU ; Min LYU ; Hongxiao DENG ; Chi HU ; Ping XIANG ; Hang CHEN
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2024;55(3):316-325
Synthetic cannabinoids(SCs)are synthetic psychoactive substances that can pose a public health risk.The SCs are structurally variable and susceptible to structural modification.The rapid emergence of structurally unknown synthetic cannabinoids has led to new challenges in their identification.In recent years,machine learning has made great progress and has been widely applied to other fields,providing new strategies for the identification of unknown synthetic cannabinoids and the inference of possible sources.This paper describes the principles of commonly used machine learning methods and the application of machine learning techniques to mass spectrometry,Raman spectroscopy,metabolomics and quantitative conformational relationships of synthetic cannabinoids,aiming to provide new ideas for the identification of unknown synthetic cannabinoids.
7.Study of DNA Transfer from Hand Exfoliated Cells with Non-permeable Carriers
Li YUAN ; Kainan ZOU ; Shicheng HAO ; Haixiao DENG ; Jinpei ZHANG ; Libin WU ; Hang HE
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2024;45(5):818-825
[Objective]To investigate primary and secondary transfer of exfoliated cells from human hands on non-porous substrates such as plastic steering wheel or computer mouse.[Methods]DNA detection sensitivity and detection limit for mixed DNA profiling were examined to understand our laboratory's ability to test for trace DNA.Forensic swabs were used to collect samples from volunteers'one-hour-long unwashed hands,substrates touched by volunteers'immediately or 30 min following shaking hands,and individual A's daily-use substrates touched by individual B and then by individual A again.Simulations were conducted to assess the potential for introduction of another person's exfoliated cells from hands into routine casework samples.[Results]Our laboratory can obtain a full DNA profile from as little as 0.020 ng of DNA and detect minor components in a 1:9 mixed DNA sample.85%of samples from unwashed hands yielded a full DNA profile.Primary transfer of a full DNA profile was found in 77%of substrates touched by volunteers'dominant hand 30 min after hand washing,allowing differentiation between good and poor shedders,with no significant difference in genders and substrate types.75%of substrates touched 30 min after hand washing and then immediately following handshaking yielded the other individual's DNA profile(secondary transfer),with the number of short tandem repeat(STR)loci detected ranging from 0 to 23;the percentage and number decreased substantially when the substrates were touched 30 minutes later.No foreign DNA was detected in routine casework samples with introduced exfoliated cells from hands.When two individuals took turns touching items with their hands,the major contributor to the DNA profile was not always the individual who made the last contact.[Conclusions]Primary and secondary DNA transfer can be detected on non-porous substrates,and based on the deposit of hand exfoliated cells,individuals can be categorized as good or poor shedders,which is an important factor affecting detection of DNA transfer.Besides considering the laboratory's DNA detection sensitivity,if DNA is detected on substrates by hand contact,we need to take into account the potential for secondary transfer at different levels of activity when interpreting the results.
8.Diagnostic performance of PI-RADS v2.1 for clinically significant prostate cancer in the peripheral,transitional and multiple zones
Xiao-Jun DENG ; Hao-Cheng ZHANG ; Jiong ZHANG ; Yu-Hang QIAN ; Mei-Mei TAO ; Chun-Mei LIAO ; Miao-Wen LIN ; Gen-Qiang LANG
National Journal of Andrology 2024;30(11):982-986
Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2.1(PI-RADS v2.1)for clinically significant prostate cancer(CSPCa)in the peripheral zone(PZ),transitional zone(TZ)and multiple zones(MZs).Methods:We retrospectively studied the clinical data on 108 patients undergoing multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging(mpMRI)and transperineal prostate biopsy in our hospital from January 2021 to January 2023.Using PI-RADS v2.1,we ex-amined the MR images of the patients with suspected PCa,compared the PI-RADS v2.1 scores with the results of prostate biopsy,and analyzed the correlation of the PI-RADS v2.1 scores with CSPCa.We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC),and described the diagnostic performance of PI-RADS v2.1 for CSPCa in the PZ,TZ and MZs.Results:Transperineal prostate puncture biopsy was successfully completed in all the patients,which revealed 66(61.11%)cases of CSPCa with Gleason score(GS)7-10.Suspected CSPCa was observed in 45(95.74%)of the 47 PZ lesions,8(47.06%)of the 17 TZ le-sions,and 40(90.91%)of the 44 MZ lesions.The PZ,TZ and MZ lesions diagnosed by PI-RADS v2.1 were significantly correlated with CSPCa(r=0.492,P<0.001).The AUCs of PI-RADS v2.1 for PZ,TZ and MZs were 0.644,0.732 and 0.811,with specificities of 66.8%,57.6%and 62.1%,and sensitivities of 57.2%,78.4%and 93.2%,respectively.The negative predictive values were 46.5%,85.7%and 79.2%,and the positive predictive values 76.2%,43.4%and 84.8%,respectively.Conclusion:The PI-RADS v2.1 score has a high diagnostic value for CSPCa in the PZ,TZ and MZs,with the best performance for that in the MZs.
9.Research progress in protective antibodies against yellow fever virus
Xingxing SUO ; Hang CHI ; Yongqiong DENG ; Xiaodong HAN
Military Medical Sciences 2024;48(8):636-640
Yellow fever virus(YFV)is one of the most important mosquito-borne flaviviruses in the world,causing about 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths each year,with serious impacts on human health and economic development.Currently,there are no approved specific anti-viral drugs for YFV infection.On the other hand,antibody drugs are safe,highly targeted and effective,making them one of the most effective means of prevention and treatment of viral infectious diseases.This review summarizes the characteristics of YFV and the recent advances in the development of protective antibodies against YFV,and predict the priorities of future research and development of protective antibodies,which may offer a new line of thought for subsequent development of yellow fever virus-specific drugs.
10.Clinical value of combined detection of chromosomal karyotype and Y chromosome microdeletion in azoospermia or oligo-spermia
Jiankun ZHOU ; Yi YAN ; Hang ZHONG ; Jie DENG ; Xidan ZHU ; Qing LUO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science 2023;41(10):745-748
Objective To analyze and diagnose the chromosomal genetic etiology of male patients with azoospermia or oligozoospermia,and investigate the clinical application value of combined detection of chromosomal karyotype and Y-chromosome microdeletion in azoospermia or oligozoospermia.Methods The clinical data and peripheral blood samples of 240 male patients with azoospermia or oli-gospermia in Luzhou district of Sichuan were collected.The karyotype analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes were analyzed by G-ban-ding in conventional chromosomal culture.Multiplex PCR technology was used to detect Y chromosome microdeletions.Results A-mong the 240 male patients with azoospermia or oligospermia,179 cases of azoospermia and 61 cases of severe oligospermia were found.The detection rate of chromosome karyotype abnormalities was 22.92%(55/240),including 30 cases of chromosome number abnor-malities,21 chromosome structure abnormalities and 4 combined abnormalities.The detection rate of Y chromosome microdeletion ab-normalities was 10.42%(25/240)with the highest deletion rate of 7.08%for AZFc abnormalities.The combined detection rate for the abnormalities of karyotype and Y chromosome microdeletion was 30.83%(74/240),among which 6 patients showed abnormalities in both detections.The detection rate of combined detections by the two methods was higher than that of single method(x2=30.24,P<0.001).Conclusion This study systematically reported the incidence and types of karyotypes and Y chromosome microdeletions in male azoospermia or oligospermia patients in Luzhou district of Sichuan.We suggest that the combined application of the two methods may improve the detection rate of abnormality,which provides important guidance for the etiological diagnosis of male infertility pa-tients,genetic counseling and reproductive therapy.

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