1.Proteome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis of plasma proteins identifies biomarkers for anxiety disorders
Xuelian LI ; Min DENG ; Rongting RAN ; Yuqian HE ; Geman WANG ; Yujie LI ; Zhili ZOU
Sichuan Mental Health 2026;39(1):63-69
BackgroundAnxiety disorder is a common mental disorder, with its prevalence showing a continuous upward trend, significantly affecting the quality of life and social function of patients. Due to the lack of objective and reliable biomarkers in clinical practice, the early identification and treatment of anxiety disorder have been somewhat limited. Plasma proteins have the potential to serve as biomarkers for mental diseases, however, the causal relationship between them and anxiety disorder remains unclear. ObjectiveTo identify the plasma proteins that have a causal relationship with anxiety disorders, and to elucidate the associated biological pathways, in order to provide references for the search for biomarkers of anxiety disorders and the exploration of potential therapeutic targets. MethodsBased on the protein quantitative trait locus (pQTL) data of 4 907 plasma proteins covering 35 559 Icelandic individuals from the deCODE database, and the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data of 50 486 patients with anxiety disorders and 330 460 healthy controls, the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main analysis method, supplemented by MR-Egger method, weighted median method, simple model method, and weighted model method for bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis. Enrichment analysis of gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways was conducted for the related proteins. Sensitivity analysis was performed using Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO test, and leave-one-out analysis to evaluate the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 10 plasma proteins were identified as significantly associated with anxiety disorders. Among these, SPATA9 (OR=0.856, 95% CI: 0.784–0.934, P<0.01) and PDE5A (OR=0.911, 95% CI: 0.864–0.961, P<0.01) were identified as protective factors, while CRYGD (OR=1.209, 95% CI: 1.095–1.334, P<0.01), BTN3A3 (OR=1.045, 95% CI: 1.018–1.073, P<0.01), SERPINB13 (OR=1.102, 95% CI: 1.040–1.168, P<0.01), ERBB4 (OR=1.283, 95% CI: 1.109–1.484, P<0.01), LSAMP (OR=1.096, 95% CI: 1.037–1.158, P<0.01), ICOSLG (OR=1.283, 95% CI: 1.104–1.490, P<0.01), DNAJB11 (OR=1.172, 95% CI: 1.076–1.277, P<0.01), and TREML1 (OR=1.115, 95% CI: 1.054–1.179, P<0.01) were identified as risk factors. The sensitivity analysis showed that the results were robust, with no heterogeneity (Cochran's Q test P>0.05) or pleiotropy (MR-Egger intercept test P>0.05). Enrichment analysis indicated that these plasma proteins were enriched in biological processes such as T-cell signal transduction, lymphocyte proliferation, cell membrane structure and synaptic function, as well as the intestinal immune network that produces IgA and the ErbB signaling pathway. ConclusionThis study identified 10 plasma proteins associated with anxiety disorders. The functions of these plasma proteins involve multiple biological processes such as neural development and immune regulation.
2.Discussing the Theoretical Basis of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Tumors by Combining the Concepts of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Modern Medicine
Yi YUAN ; Hui HE ; Rong CHEN ; Lei LI ; Licheng RAN ; Mingliang GUO ; Yajun WANG
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(6):1642-1648
Acupuncture and moxibustion have their unique advantages in treating tumors,but the theoretical framework of acupuncture and moxibustion intervention in tumors needs to be improved,and the academic system still needs to be sorted out.In this paper,we try to describe the commonalities between Chinese medical theories and modern medical technologies in order to consolidate the theoretical foundation of acupuncture intervention in tumor.Specifically:① Acupuncture regulates immune function and energy metabolism,which is a specific form of tonifying the spleen and stomach to support positive qi.② Tumors belong to the broad definition of"sores and ulcers"in traditional Chinese medicine,which is a special kind of chronic inflammation,and acupuncture intervenes in tumors by intervening in inflammatory reactions from ulcers.③ Tumor is a"dynamic pseudo-organ"with yin and yang attributes and"life attributes".Acupuncture and moxibustion can regulate various cells and factors in the tumor environment in a multi-targeted way,so as to make it tend to the state of yin and yang equilibrium.④ Acupuncture and moxibustion have unique advantages in the reduction of toxicity,enhancement of efficacy,tonicity,rejuvenation,treatment of complications,etc.,which complement the allopathic therapies of modern medicine,and can help to realize survival with tumors.
3.Exome sequencing in children with cerebral palsy:a comparison of capture performance between TruSeq and NimbleGen kits
Yan-gong WANG ; Ye CHENG ; Yang LIU ; Yi-ran XU ; Qing-he XING
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2025;52(6):868-876
Objective To compare the capture performance differences between TruSeq? Exome and NimbleGen SeqCap EZ Human Exome kits in children with cerebral palsy(CP),and to provide a technical selection basis for clinical genetic research and diagnosis.Methods Peripheral blood samples from 48 sporadic CP patients were included.Exome libraries were constructed using TruSeq(DNA probes)and NimbleGen(RNA probes),followed by sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform.Bioinformatics analysis was applied to evaluate mapping rate,target region coverage,variant concordance,and clinical relevance based on a CP-related gene set(2 293 genes).The statistical analysis was performed using a paired t-test with a significance threshold of α=0.05.Results The results showed no significant differences between NimbleGen and TruSeq exome capture kits in basic data quality(alignment rate,insert size)and GC content.However,they exhibited complementary characteristics in key performance metrics:NimbleGen demonstrated superior performance in specific depth coverage(1×coverage rate,P=1.84×10-5;20×coverage rate,P=1.49×10-20).TruSeq,on the other hand,showed higher sensitivity in Indel detection(TruSeq vs.NimbleGen:11 371±1 689 vs.11 274±1 670,P=3.24×10-7)and rare variant capture(TruSeq vs.NimbleGen:3 164±766 vs.3 072±774,P=1.20×10-4),successfully identifying all 11 pathogenic variants(including 2 missed by NimbleGen).Conclusion TruSeq,with its superior variant detection rate,is more suitable for clinical diagnostic applications,while NimbleGen's coverage stability may be advantageous for research-oriented projects.
4.Inhibition of excessive inflammatory response of macrophages by Ebselen against acute Escherichia coli infection
Xiao-wen LIU ; Xiao-qin MOU ; Chuang CHENG ; Shuang-shuang GONG ; Hao-ran ZHANG ; Jing HE ; Xi ZHENG ; Jun WANG ; Yue-qing WANG ; Li-li ZOU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(7):1346-1353
Aim To investigate the pharmacological mechanism of Ebselenin(Ebselen,EbSe)in the treat-ment of Escherichia coli(E.coli)infection,which had no significant inhibitory effect on Gram-negative bacte-ria,based on previous studies.Methods After EbSe intervention in E.coli infected Raw264.7 cells,the via-bility of Raw264.7 cells was determined by CCK-8 method,the morphology and structure of Raw264.7 cells were observed by electron microscope,and the in-tracellular bacterial load of Raw264.7 cells was calcu-lated by coated plate method.Polarization status of peritoneal macrophages,Raw264.7 intracellular NO and ROS content and intracellular HO-1 expression in Raw264.7 and E.coli acutely infected mice after E.co-li infection by flow cytometry.qPCR was used to detect the expression of related mRNAs in Raw264.7 cells.qPCR was used to detect the intracellular GSH content in Raw264.7 cells by spectrophotometric assay,and the state of cytoskeletal proteins was observed by immuno-fluorescence.Western blot assay was performed to de-tect the intracellular Txnrd1 expression level.Results Microtiter method,CCK-8,and electron microscopy observations showed that EbSe had no effect on the growth of E.coli and Raw264.7 cells in vitro.The re-sults of smear plate counting showed that EbSe reduced the intracellular bacterial load of Raw264.7 in the in-fected group.Flow cytometry results showed that EbSe upregulated the number of M2-type macrophages.The EbSe-treated infected group had reduced intracellular NO and ROS levels and increased GSH levels.The qPCR results showed that the expression of IL-6,IL-1β,and iNOS was decreased,and the expression of HO-1,Txnrd1,and Glut1 was increased in DHB4-in-fected Raw264.7 cells after EbSe treatment.Cytoskel-etal staining showed that the morphology of the EbSe-treated infected cells was similar to that of oxPAPC-in-duced cells.Western blot results showed the expres-sion of Txnrd1 protein in EbSe-treated infected cells in-creased.Conclusion EbSe exerts anti-E.coli acute infection effect by regulating macrophage polarization and inhibiting macrophage excessive inflammatory state.
5.Teaching Practice and Exploration of"Tutorial System"Based on The Cultivation of Scientific Research and Innovation Ability of Medical Students
Qiao ZHANG ; Yin-Feng YANG ; Yue-Li NI ; Zhuo-Ran TENG ; Wen-Jing LIU ; Jing WU ; Yan-Rui WU ; Yu DOU ; Ming HE ; Shu-De LI ; Ping GAN ; Fang YUAN ; Zhe YANG ; Xin-Wang YANG
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(3):470-480
The scientific research and innovation capabilities of medical students are intrinsically linked to the sustained and high-quality development of national healthcare initiatives.Cultivating outstanding medi-cal students with independent scientific capabilities and innovative consciousness is a critical component in the education and training of high-level medical professionals.Our investigation revealed that within the imperfections of the cultivating model,some faculty and students at medical schools have an insufficient understanding of scientific research and innovation and lack motivation for engaging in such activities,which hinder the progression of scientific research activities.Consequently,we initiated a teaching practice and exploratory study on the"tutorial system"aimed at fostering medical students'scientific research and innovation abilities.Based on the principle of"research informing teaching,teaching and research advan-cing together,"this study implements a"tutorial system"coordinated by tutors,supplemented by graduate and undergraduate student mentors,to cultivate innovative thinking,stimulate interest in scientific re-search,and enhance practical and research skills among medical students.Through collaborative efforts within"scientific research innovation teams,"various educational methods—including preliminary re-search,in-class and extracurricular activities,intra-group and inter-group interactions,and theoretical and practical applications—are employed to improve and strengthen the cultivation of medical students'scientif-ic research and innovation abilities.This study aims to provide valuable references for optimizing medical education management systems and enhancing the quality of medical student training.
6.Comparison of active constituent contents and their biological activities of Buzhong Yiqi Recipe with different dosage forms
Yan-ran HE ; Jing WANG ; Jia-qiang XU ; Zhao-zhao XIA ; Ying-jiao LIU ; Zi-shu DONG ; Liang-shan MING ; Hong-ning LIU ; Qi-meng FAN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(2):357-364
AIM To compare total sugar,total protein,total phenol,total flavonoid,calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside,liquiritin,lobetyolin,quercetin,isoferulic acid,hesperidin,glycyrrhizic acid contents and their antioxidant activities,hypoglycemic activities of big honey pill,small honey pill,water pill,concentrated pill,granule,mixture and decoction of Buzhong Yiqi Recipe.METHODS Anthraquinone-sulfuric acid method,Coomassie brilliant blue method,Folin-phenol colorimetry method,sodium nitrite-aluminum nitrate method and HPLC were adopted in the content determination of total sugar,total protein,total phenol,total flavonoid and seven constituents,respectively,after which the scavenging capacities,reducing powers on DPPH·free radical,ABTS+free radical,hydroxyl free radical,and inhibition capacity on α-glucosidase activity were detected.Subsequently,correlation analysis was performed.RESULTS Total sugar,total protein,total phenol and total flavonoid contents demonstrated significant differences among different dosage forms(P<0.05,P<0.01).Calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside,glycyrrhizin,codonoside and quercetin displayed the highest contents in the decoction,while those of isoferulic acid,hesperidin and glycyrrhizin were observable in the mixture.The water pill exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity,while those of the concentrated pill and mixture were weak;the big honey pill exhibited the strongest hypoglycemic activity,while that of the decoction was the weakest.Total protein,total phenol,total flavonoid and liquiritin contents displayed significant positive correlations between antioxidant activity(P<0.05,P<0.01),while hesperidin content displayed significant negative correlation between the latter(P<0.05);total protein,calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside,codonoside and quercetin contents displayed significant negative correlations between hypoglycemic activity(P<0.05,P<0.01).CONCLUSION Active constituent contents and their biological activities of Buzhong Yiqi Recipe with different dosage forms exist differences,total sugar,total protein,total flavonoids,calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside,licorice glycoside,hesperidin,codonoside and quercetin can be taken as quality control indices for this prescription.
7.Bibliometrics and Visualization of the Regulation of Notch Signaling Pathway by TCM Based on Global Perspective
Hui SHANG ; Licheng RAN ; Rong CHEN ; Yawen SONG ; Yajun WANG ; Lirong CHEN ; Tong YANG ; Mingliang GUO ; Hui HE
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(4):1072-1083
Objective To analyze the research status,hot directions and frontier trends of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of diseases by regulating Notch signaling pathway based on bibliometrics.Methods Based on Citespace and Vosviewer,the literature on the regulation of Notch signaling pathway by traditional Chinese medicine in CNKI and WoSCC was visually analyzed.Results 362 and 85 related literatures were published in Chinese and English respectively until January 2024.Since 2013,the number of literatures published in this field has shown a fluctuating increasing trend.China is the country with the most publications;Hunan University of Chinese Medicine were the institutions with the most publications in the Chinese database,and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine was the institution with the most publications in the English literature database.Combined with the research direction of each research team and keyword clustering and burst analysis,the research hotspots of traditional Chinese medicine regulating Notch signaling pathway are focused on cerebral ischemia,myelosuppression and hepatic fibrosis.Diseases such as Asthma,colorectal cancer have become emerging research directions in recent years.Electroacupuncture therapy to promote stem cell proliferation and treat neurological diseases is one of the frontier research trends in this field.Conclusion Recent years have seen a rapid development of traditional Chinese medicine's disease prevention and treatment that targets Notch signaling pathway.Various expert teams have obtained rich research results,and the research hotspots show a diversified trend.In-depth exploration of this can provide strong evidence for the molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of various diseases.
8.Inhibition of excessive inflammatory response of macrophages by Ebselen against acute Escherichia coli infection
Xiao-wen LIU ; Xiao-qin MOU ; Chuang CHENG ; Shuang-shuang GONG ; Hao-ran ZHANG ; Jing HE ; Xi ZHENG ; Jun WANG ; Yue-qing WANG ; Li-li ZOU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(7):1346-1353
Aim To investigate the pharmacological mechanism of Ebselenin(Ebselen,EbSe)in the treat-ment of Escherichia coli(E.coli)infection,which had no significant inhibitory effect on Gram-negative bacte-ria,based on previous studies.Methods After EbSe intervention in E.coli infected Raw264.7 cells,the via-bility of Raw264.7 cells was determined by CCK-8 method,the morphology and structure of Raw264.7 cells were observed by electron microscope,and the in-tracellular bacterial load of Raw264.7 cells was calcu-lated by coated plate method.Polarization status of peritoneal macrophages,Raw264.7 intracellular NO and ROS content and intracellular HO-1 expression in Raw264.7 and E.coli acutely infected mice after E.co-li infection by flow cytometry.qPCR was used to detect the expression of related mRNAs in Raw264.7 cells.qPCR was used to detect the intracellular GSH content in Raw264.7 cells by spectrophotometric assay,and the state of cytoskeletal proteins was observed by immuno-fluorescence.Western blot assay was performed to de-tect the intracellular Txnrd1 expression level.Results Microtiter method,CCK-8,and electron microscopy observations showed that EbSe had no effect on the growth of E.coli and Raw264.7 cells in vitro.The re-sults of smear plate counting showed that EbSe reduced the intracellular bacterial load of Raw264.7 in the in-fected group.Flow cytometry results showed that EbSe upregulated the number of M2-type macrophages.The EbSe-treated infected group had reduced intracellular NO and ROS levels and increased GSH levels.The qPCR results showed that the expression of IL-6,IL-1β,and iNOS was decreased,and the expression of HO-1,Txnrd1,and Glut1 was increased in DHB4-in-fected Raw264.7 cells after EbSe treatment.Cytoskel-etal staining showed that the morphology of the EbSe-treated infected cells was similar to that of oxPAPC-in-duced cells.Western blot results showed the expres-sion of Txnrd1 protein in EbSe-treated infected cells in-creased.Conclusion EbSe exerts anti-E.coli acute infection effect by regulating macrophage polarization and inhibiting macrophage excessive inflammatory state.
9.Bibliometrics and Visualization of the Regulation of Notch Signaling Pathway by TCM Based on Global Perspective
Hui SHANG ; Licheng RAN ; Rong CHEN ; Yawen SONG ; Yajun WANG ; Lirong CHEN ; Tong YANG ; Mingliang GUO ; Hui HE
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(4):1072-1083
Objective To analyze the research status,hot directions and frontier trends of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of diseases by regulating Notch signaling pathway based on bibliometrics.Methods Based on Citespace and Vosviewer,the literature on the regulation of Notch signaling pathway by traditional Chinese medicine in CNKI and WoSCC was visually analyzed.Results 362 and 85 related literatures were published in Chinese and English respectively until January 2024.Since 2013,the number of literatures published in this field has shown a fluctuating increasing trend.China is the country with the most publications;Hunan University of Chinese Medicine were the institutions with the most publications in the Chinese database,and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine was the institution with the most publications in the English literature database.Combined with the research direction of each research team and keyword clustering and burst analysis,the research hotspots of traditional Chinese medicine regulating Notch signaling pathway are focused on cerebral ischemia,myelosuppression and hepatic fibrosis.Diseases such as Asthma,colorectal cancer have become emerging research directions in recent years.Electroacupuncture therapy to promote stem cell proliferation and treat neurological diseases is one of the frontier research trends in this field.Conclusion Recent years have seen a rapid development of traditional Chinese medicine's disease prevention and treatment that targets Notch signaling pathway.Various expert teams have obtained rich research results,and the research hotspots show a diversified trend.In-depth exploration of this can provide strong evidence for the molecular mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of various diseases.
10.Exome sequencing in children with cerebral palsy:a comparison of capture performance between TruSeq and NimbleGen kits
Yan-gong WANG ; Ye CHENG ; Yang LIU ; Yi-ran XU ; Qing-he XING
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2025;52(6):868-876
Objective To compare the capture performance differences between TruSeq? Exome and NimbleGen SeqCap EZ Human Exome kits in children with cerebral palsy(CP),and to provide a technical selection basis for clinical genetic research and diagnosis.Methods Peripheral blood samples from 48 sporadic CP patients were included.Exome libraries were constructed using TruSeq(DNA probes)and NimbleGen(RNA probes),followed by sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform.Bioinformatics analysis was applied to evaluate mapping rate,target region coverage,variant concordance,and clinical relevance based on a CP-related gene set(2 293 genes).The statistical analysis was performed using a paired t-test with a significance threshold of α=0.05.Results The results showed no significant differences between NimbleGen and TruSeq exome capture kits in basic data quality(alignment rate,insert size)and GC content.However,they exhibited complementary characteristics in key performance metrics:NimbleGen demonstrated superior performance in specific depth coverage(1×coverage rate,P=1.84×10-5;20×coverage rate,P=1.49×10-20).TruSeq,on the other hand,showed higher sensitivity in Indel detection(TruSeq vs.NimbleGen:11 371±1 689 vs.11 274±1 670,P=3.24×10-7)and rare variant capture(TruSeq vs.NimbleGen:3 164±766 vs.3 072±774,P=1.20×10-4),successfully identifying all 11 pathogenic variants(including 2 missed by NimbleGen).Conclusion TruSeq,with its superior variant detection rate,is more suitable for clinical diagnostic applications,while NimbleGen's coverage stability may be advantageous for research-oriented projects.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail