1.The characteristics and mechanism of dynamic changes of different components in microenvironment in regulating the progression of liver fibrosis
Huilan ZHAO ; Zongxu LIU ; Shumin LI ; Zhifeng WANG ; Minghui LIU ; Qian SHENG ; Kunbin KE ; Xinan SHI
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(4):755-760
The liver has diverse functions such as metabolism, detoxification, and immune defense, and the maintenance of hepatic microenvironment homeostasis is crucial for overall bodily health. The hepatic microenvironment consists of the components such as parenchymal cells, non-parenchymal cells, and non-cellular components. Chronic inflammatory responses induced by various etiological factors may promote the formation and progression of liver fibrosis. During the dynamic progression of liver fibrosis, from the early to advanced stages, various components within the hepatic microenvironment undergo a series of changes, which can promote the malignant progression of liver fibrosis. An in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying such changes in each component of the liver fibrosis microenvironment is of great significance for understanding the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and discovering potential treatment strategies.
2.Trends in urticaria incidence and its association with air pollutants among children aged 0 - 14 years in China from 1990 to 2021: a multi-model analysis
Zezhi HE ; Jiazhen CHEN ; Hui WU ; Haojia SHEN ; Huilan ZHU ; Runxiang LI
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2025;58(6):540-545
Objective:To analyze trends in urticaria incidence among children aged 0 - 14 years in China from 1990 to 2021, to explore its changing patterns in different age, period, and cohort groups, and to investigate the impact of age and air pollutants on the incidence trends.Methods:Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Database (GBD2021) , including the number of urticaria cases, crude incidence rates, and age-standardized incidence rates among children aged 0 - 14 years of different genders in China from 1990 to 2021. The Joinpoint regression model was used to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) to assess temporal trends in incidence rates. An age-period-cohort model was applied to assess the effects of age, period, and cohort on urticaria incidence. Data on the annual emissions of 4 air pollutants (SO 2, CO, PM 2.5, and PM 10) in China from 1990 to 2021 were obtained from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) , and a multivariable meta-regression model was used to explore the relationship between air pollutants and urticaria incidence. Results:From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate of urticaria among children aged 0 - 14 years in China demonstrated a slight overall downward trend (AAPC = -0.03%, P < 0.01) . The incidence rate was generally higher in female children than in male children, and the decline in incidence rates was greater in female children than in male children (female AAPC = -0.02%, male AAPC = -0.01%, both P < 0.01) . The age-period-cohort model indicated that the risk of urticaria decreased with advancing age: with the age group of 0 - 4 years as the reference ( RR = 1.000) , the risk of urticaria significantly decreased in the age group of 5 - 9 years ( RR = 0.790, 95% CI: 0.789 - 0.791) and further declined in the age group of 10 - 14 years ( RR = 0.711, 95% CI: 0.710 - 0.711) ; the period effect analysis showed that the risk of urticaria gradually decreased after the baseline period of 1992 - 1996 ( RR = 1.000) , and dropped to 0.995 (95% CI: 0.994 - 0.997) in the period of 2017 - 2021; in the cohort effect analysis of the overall population aged 0 - 14 years, with the 1988 - 1992 birth cohort as the base cohort, an earlier birth cohort 1978 - 1982 exhibited the highest risk of urticaria ( RR = 1.006, 95% CI: 1.004 - 1.009) , while the 2013 - 2017 cohort showed the lowest risk ( RR = 0.996, 95% CI: 0.994 - 0.997) . The multivariable meta-regression analysis indicated a significant association between PM 2.5 exposure and urticaria incidence ( β = 0.319, 95% CI: 0.022 - 0.616, P = 0.033) , although this association was not statistically significant in different age groups. Conclusions:From 1990 to 2021, children aged 0 - 4 years in China were the highest-risk group for urticaria; the decline in the incidence rate of urticaria was more pronounced in female children than in male children, and earlier birth cohorts exhibited higher risks of urticaria. Exposure to PM 2.5 appeared to be associated with the incidence of urticaria.
3.Analysis of serum inflammatory factors associated with antihistamine resistance in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria using the Olink-targeted proteomics technology
Bihua LIANG ; Ziyan CHEN ; Huaping LI ; Hui ZOU ; Tianyi LIN ; Xiaofeng LI ; Luoyu ZHANG ; Shengxin LI ; Shanshan OU ; Jiaoquan CHEN ; Runxiang LI ; Huilan ZHU
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2025;58(6):523-529
Objective:To analyze serum inflammatory factors associated with antihistamine resistance in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) .Methods:A total of 88 CSU patients were enrolled from Guangzhou Dermatology Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024. All patients received antihistamine treatment according to the "Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of urticaria in China (2022) " . Based on the 7-day urticaria activity score (UAS7) after 4-week treatment, these patients were divided into an antihistamine-sensitive group and an antihistamine-resistant group. Serum levels of inflammatory factors at the initial visit were analyzed using the Olink-targeted proteomics technology. Specific biomarkers associated with antihistamine resistance were identified, and Spearman correlation analysis was carried out to analyze correlations among differentially expressed proteins. A logistic regression model was constructed based on the Olink proteomics data, and the predictive performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation or median (lower quartile, upper quartile) .Results:The 88 CSU patients aged 12 to 81 (38.78 ± 13.89) years, with the disease duration being 18 (7.00, 60.00) months. There were 32 patients in the antihistamine-sensitive group and 56 in the antihistamine-resistant group. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of age, disease duration, gender, or history of allergic diseases (all P > 0.05) . After 4 weeks of antihistamine treatment, the UAS7 score was significantly higher in the antihistamine-resistant group (25.00 [15.25, 31.00] points) than in the antihistamine-sensitive group (0.50 [0.00, 4.00] points; Z = -7.08, P < 0.001) . The Olink-targeted proteomics identified 5 differentially expressed proteins between the two groups: compared with the antihistamine-sensitive group, the antihistamine-resistant group showed > 2-fold higher expression of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) , interleukin-15 receptor subunit alpha (IL-15RA) , eotaxin (CCL11) , and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) ; in contrast, the expression of sulfotransferase 1A1 (ST1A1) in the antihistamine-sensitive group was 2.54 times that in the antihistamine-resistant group. Among the differentially expressed proteins, MCP-1 showed the highest specificity (1.00) for predicting antihistamine resistance, followed by CCL11 (0.97) . Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between MCP-1 and CCL11, and a significant negative correlation between IL-15RA and ST1A1. ROC curve analysis showed that MCP-1 and CCL11 had area under the curve values of 0.603 and 0.630, respectively, in predicting antihistamine resistance. Conclusion:MCP-1 and CCL11 may be potential biomarkers for predicting antihistamine resistance in CSU patients.
4.Study on the Mechanism of Malt Alcoholic Extract in the Treatment of Depression Induced by Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress in Rats Based on Intestinal Flora
Yindan XIANG ; Ping NI ; Mengjuan TAO ; Tianhang LI ; Yujie ZHOU ; Huilan XU ; Bin WANG ; Qingyuan ZENG ; Yonggang CHEN
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(8):1199-1207
Objective To explore the mechanism of malt alcohol extract improving depression-like behavior induced by CUMS in rats by regulating gut microbiota.Methods The depression model of rats was established using an 8-weeks CUMS procedure,and the administration group was given low(59.6 mg·kg-1)and high(178.8 mg·kg-1)doses of malt alcohol extract,respectively.The depression-like behavior of rats was evaluated by classic behavioral test.The composition of intestinal microbiota of rats was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing.The morphological changes of colon were observed by hematoxylin and eosin(HE),the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin in colon was detected by immunofluorescence(IF),and the expression of IL-10,IL-1βand 5-HT were detected by ELISA.Results The low dose of malt alcohol extract attenuated the depressive behavior and restored the expression of 5-HT in the brain of CUMS rats.16S rRNA sequencing results showed that the diversity and relative abundance of gut microbiota changed after treatment with the low dose of malt alcohol extract.ELISA results showed that the low dose of malt alcohol extract significantly reversed the CUMS-induced reduction of IL-10 and elevation of IL-1 β.HE results showed that the low dose of malt alcohol extract significantly ameliorated CUMS-induced structural damage in colon.IF results showed increased protain expression of intestinal epithelial barrier tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin by the low dose of malt alcohol extract.Conclusion The low dose of malt alcohol extract can ameliorate CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior in rats by modulating intestinal flora,restoring 5-HT expression in the brain,inhibiting inflammation,and repairing the intestinal barrier.
5.Analysis of pathological characteristics of 12 cases of pure erythroid leukemia
Huilan LI ; Kun RU ; Xiaoyan LI ; Lidan SUN ; Fengli LI ; Jingya YAO ; Bingbing HAN ; Enbin LIU
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(8):1004-1010,1016
Purpose To explore the pathological characteristics,diagnosis,and differential diagnosis of pure ery-throid leukemia(PEL).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinicopathological data of 12 cases of PEL.Immunohistochemical EnVision method and flow cytometry were used to detect PEL-related immune markers,and heat-treated Giemsa R-banding technique was applied to analyze the chromosomal karyotype.Results Peripheral blood and bone marrow smears revealed that 2 out of 7 cases showed presence of proerythroblast in peripheral blood,and 7 out of 12 cases showed atypical proerythroblast in bone marrow samples.After recounting,the average percentage of proerythroblast in the 12 PEL cases was 36.8%(ranging from 2%to 69.5%),with an average of 53.2%of all er-ythroid cells(ranging from 5%to 88%).Among them,9 cases did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PEL.Bone marrow biopsy:11 cases showed hypercellularity,with tumor cells showing diffuse proliferation in 9 cases,accompa-nied by dysplasia of megakaryocytes in 7 cases,and there was increased proliferation of fibrous tissue in 9 cases.Im-munohistochemistry:12 cases exhibited strong staining intensity for CD71 and E-cadherin.11 cases expressed CD117,while 4 cases expressed CD34,3 cases exhibited slight expression of GPA,and 1 case weakly expressed CD61.Flow cytometry:in 8 cases,there was an increased proportion of early-stage erythroid cells,accounting for 3.1%to 80.31%of nucleated cells,with an average of 31.0%.All cases expressed CD117 and CD71 to varying degrees,with 7 out of 8 cases expressing CD36,5 out of 7 cases expressing CD105,and 3 out of 4 cases expressing GPA.A few ca-ses demonstrated aberrant expression of CD123 and CD7.Chromosomal Karyotyping:7 cases exhibited highly complex karyotypes(7/8),with frequent involvement of chromosomes 5,7,8,17,and 19.One case had a normal karyotype.Conclusion The diagnosis of PEL requires a comprehensive assessment combining various methods including bone marrow smears,bone marrow biopsy,immunohistochemistry,and flow cytometry.
6.Study on the Mechanism of Malt Alcoholic Extract in the Treatment of Depression Induced by Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress in Rats Based on Intestinal Flora
Yindan XIANG ; Ping NI ; Mengjuan TAO ; Tianhang LI ; Yujie ZHOU ; Huilan XU ; Bin WANG ; Qingyuan ZENG ; Yonggang CHEN
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(8):1199-1207
Objective To explore the mechanism of malt alcohol extract improving depression-like behavior induced by CUMS in rats by regulating gut microbiota.Methods The depression model of rats was established using an 8-weeks CUMS procedure,and the administration group was given low(59.6 mg·kg-1)and high(178.8 mg·kg-1)doses of malt alcohol extract,respectively.The depression-like behavior of rats was evaluated by classic behavioral test.The composition of intestinal microbiota of rats was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing.The morphological changes of colon were observed by hematoxylin and eosin(HE),the expression of ZO-1 and Occludin in colon was detected by immunofluorescence(IF),and the expression of IL-10,IL-1βand 5-HT were detected by ELISA.Results The low dose of malt alcohol extract attenuated the depressive behavior and restored the expression of 5-HT in the brain of CUMS rats.16S rRNA sequencing results showed that the diversity and relative abundance of gut microbiota changed after treatment with the low dose of malt alcohol extract.ELISA results showed that the low dose of malt alcohol extract significantly reversed the CUMS-induced reduction of IL-10 and elevation of IL-1 β.HE results showed that the low dose of malt alcohol extract significantly ameliorated CUMS-induced structural damage in colon.IF results showed increased protain expression of intestinal epithelial barrier tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin by the low dose of malt alcohol extract.Conclusion The low dose of malt alcohol extract can ameliorate CUMS-induced depressive-like behavior in rats by modulating intestinal flora,restoring 5-HT expression in the brain,inhibiting inflammation,and repairing the intestinal barrier.
7.Analysis of pathological characteristics of 12 cases of pure erythroid leukemia
Huilan LI ; Kun RU ; Xiaoyan LI ; Lidan SUN ; Fengli LI ; Jingya YAO ; Bingbing HAN ; Enbin LIU
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(8):1004-1010,1016
Purpose To explore the pathological characteristics,diagnosis,and differential diagnosis of pure ery-throid leukemia(PEL).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinicopathological data of 12 cases of PEL.Immunohistochemical EnVision method and flow cytometry were used to detect PEL-related immune markers,and heat-treated Giemsa R-banding technique was applied to analyze the chromosomal karyotype.Results Peripheral blood and bone marrow smears revealed that 2 out of 7 cases showed presence of proerythroblast in peripheral blood,and 7 out of 12 cases showed atypical proerythroblast in bone marrow samples.After recounting,the average percentage of proerythroblast in the 12 PEL cases was 36.8%(ranging from 2%to 69.5%),with an average of 53.2%of all er-ythroid cells(ranging from 5%to 88%).Among them,9 cases did not meet the diagnostic criteria for PEL.Bone marrow biopsy:11 cases showed hypercellularity,with tumor cells showing diffuse proliferation in 9 cases,accompa-nied by dysplasia of megakaryocytes in 7 cases,and there was increased proliferation of fibrous tissue in 9 cases.Im-munohistochemistry:12 cases exhibited strong staining intensity for CD71 and E-cadherin.11 cases expressed CD117,while 4 cases expressed CD34,3 cases exhibited slight expression of GPA,and 1 case weakly expressed CD61.Flow cytometry:in 8 cases,there was an increased proportion of early-stage erythroid cells,accounting for 3.1%to 80.31%of nucleated cells,with an average of 31.0%.All cases expressed CD117 and CD71 to varying degrees,with 7 out of 8 cases expressing CD36,5 out of 7 cases expressing CD105,and 3 out of 4 cases expressing GPA.A few ca-ses demonstrated aberrant expression of CD123 and CD7.Chromosomal Karyotyping:7 cases exhibited highly complex karyotypes(7/8),with frequent involvement of chromosomes 5,7,8,17,and 19.One case had a normal karyotype.Conclusion The diagnosis of PEL requires a comprehensive assessment combining various methods including bone marrow smears,bone marrow biopsy,immunohistochemistry,and flow cytometry.
8.Trends in urticaria incidence and its association with air pollutants among children aged 0 - 14 years in China from 1990 to 2021: a multi-model analysis
Zezhi HE ; Jiazhen CHEN ; Hui WU ; Haojia SHEN ; Huilan ZHU ; Runxiang LI
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2025;58(6):540-545
Objective:To analyze trends in urticaria incidence among children aged 0 - 14 years in China from 1990 to 2021, to explore its changing patterns in different age, period, and cohort groups, and to investigate the impact of age and air pollutants on the incidence trends.Methods:Data were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Database (GBD2021) , including the number of urticaria cases, crude incidence rates, and age-standardized incidence rates among children aged 0 - 14 years of different genders in China from 1990 to 2021. The Joinpoint regression model was used to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) to assess temporal trends in incidence rates. An age-period-cohort model was applied to assess the effects of age, period, and cohort on urticaria incidence. Data on the annual emissions of 4 air pollutants (SO 2, CO, PM 2.5, and PM 10) in China from 1990 to 2021 were obtained from the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) , and a multivariable meta-regression model was used to explore the relationship between air pollutants and urticaria incidence. Results:From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized incidence rate of urticaria among children aged 0 - 14 years in China demonstrated a slight overall downward trend (AAPC = -0.03%, P < 0.01) . The incidence rate was generally higher in female children than in male children, and the decline in incidence rates was greater in female children than in male children (female AAPC = -0.02%, male AAPC = -0.01%, both P < 0.01) . The age-period-cohort model indicated that the risk of urticaria decreased with advancing age: with the age group of 0 - 4 years as the reference ( RR = 1.000) , the risk of urticaria significantly decreased in the age group of 5 - 9 years ( RR = 0.790, 95% CI: 0.789 - 0.791) and further declined in the age group of 10 - 14 years ( RR = 0.711, 95% CI: 0.710 - 0.711) ; the period effect analysis showed that the risk of urticaria gradually decreased after the baseline period of 1992 - 1996 ( RR = 1.000) , and dropped to 0.995 (95% CI: 0.994 - 0.997) in the period of 2017 - 2021; in the cohort effect analysis of the overall population aged 0 - 14 years, with the 1988 - 1992 birth cohort as the base cohort, an earlier birth cohort 1978 - 1982 exhibited the highest risk of urticaria ( RR = 1.006, 95% CI: 1.004 - 1.009) , while the 2013 - 2017 cohort showed the lowest risk ( RR = 0.996, 95% CI: 0.994 - 0.997) . The multivariable meta-regression analysis indicated a significant association between PM 2.5 exposure and urticaria incidence ( β = 0.319, 95% CI: 0.022 - 0.616, P = 0.033) , although this association was not statistically significant in different age groups. Conclusions:From 1990 to 2021, children aged 0 - 4 years in China were the highest-risk group for urticaria; the decline in the incidence rate of urticaria was more pronounced in female children than in male children, and earlier birth cohorts exhibited higher risks of urticaria. Exposure to PM 2.5 appeared to be associated with the incidence of urticaria.
9.Analysis of serum inflammatory factors associated with antihistamine resistance in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria using the Olink-targeted proteomics technology
Bihua LIANG ; Ziyan CHEN ; Huaping LI ; Hui ZOU ; Tianyi LIN ; Xiaofeng LI ; Luoyu ZHANG ; Shengxin LI ; Shanshan OU ; Jiaoquan CHEN ; Runxiang LI ; Huilan ZHU
Chinese Journal of Dermatology 2025;58(6):523-529
Objective:To analyze serum inflammatory factors associated with antihistamine resistance in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) .Methods:A total of 88 CSU patients were enrolled from Guangzhou Dermatology Hospital from January 2022 to December 2024. All patients received antihistamine treatment according to the "Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of urticaria in China (2022) " . Based on the 7-day urticaria activity score (UAS7) after 4-week treatment, these patients were divided into an antihistamine-sensitive group and an antihistamine-resistant group. Serum levels of inflammatory factors at the initial visit were analyzed using the Olink-targeted proteomics technology. Specific biomarkers associated with antihistamine resistance were identified, and Spearman correlation analysis was carried out to analyze correlations among differentially expressed proteins. A logistic regression model was constructed based on the Olink proteomics data, and the predictive performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation or median (lower quartile, upper quartile) .Results:The 88 CSU patients aged 12 to 81 (38.78 ± 13.89) years, with the disease duration being 18 (7.00, 60.00) months. There were 32 patients in the antihistamine-sensitive group and 56 in the antihistamine-resistant group. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of age, disease duration, gender, or history of allergic diseases (all P > 0.05) . After 4 weeks of antihistamine treatment, the UAS7 score was significantly higher in the antihistamine-resistant group (25.00 [15.25, 31.00] points) than in the antihistamine-sensitive group (0.50 [0.00, 4.00] points; Z = -7.08, P < 0.001) . The Olink-targeted proteomics identified 5 differentially expressed proteins between the two groups: compared with the antihistamine-sensitive group, the antihistamine-resistant group showed > 2-fold higher expression of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) , interleukin-15 receptor subunit alpha (IL-15RA) , eotaxin (CCL11) , and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) ; in contrast, the expression of sulfotransferase 1A1 (ST1A1) in the antihistamine-sensitive group was 2.54 times that in the antihistamine-resistant group. Among the differentially expressed proteins, MCP-1 showed the highest specificity (1.00) for predicting antihistamine resistance, followed by CCL11 (0.97) . Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between MCP-1 and CCL11, and a significant negative correlation between IL-15RA and ST1A1. ROC curve analysis showed that MCP-1 and CCL11 had area under the curve values of 0.603 and 0.630, respectively, in predicting antihistamine resistance. Conclusion:MCP-1 and CCL11 may be potential biomarkers for predicting antihistamine resistance in CSU patients.
10.Visualization analysis of research status and hotspots of Kaixin Powder based on VOSviewer and CiteSpace
Huilan ZHANG ; Ruoling WANG ; Jun WEN ; Peng HUANG ; Caiyun ZHANG ; Li FU
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;46(4):506-513
Objective:To discuss the research status and hotspots of Kaixin Powder.Methods:Literature about Kaixin Powder was retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed and Web of Science databases from the establishment of the databases to January 10, 2023. CiteSpace 6.2.R2 and VOSviewer 1.6.16 software were used to visualize and analyze data on the types of literature included, source journals, publication volume, authors, institutions, keywords, etc.Results:Totally 235 articles were included, mainly Chinese journal article. There were 87 source journals involved, among the Chinese and English journals, China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica and J Ethnopharmacol published the most articles. The overall annual number of articles published in the Kaixin Powder showed an upward trend. It involved 505 authors, forming research teams with Liu Ping, Jiang Yanyan and others as the core; The authors of the included literature came from 99 research institutions, and the cooperation between institutions was mainly based on units with the same or similar geographical area, TCM universities and their affiliated hospitals. The data results of keyword co-occurrence clustering network, keyword co-occurrence time network and keyword emergence analysis showed that the composition of the main active components (ginsenosides, poria acid, fine octyl ethers, ketones and oligosaccharide esters), detection methods (high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass chromatography), pharmacological effects (anti-Alzheimer's disease, antidepressant), mechanism of action and clinical application of the combination were the current research hotspots and trends in development. Conclusion:The research of Kaixin Powder mostly focuses on the mechanism of action and clinical research of Alzheimer's disease, depression and other diseases, among which the research on the main active components in Kaixin Powder is a hot topic in recent years, while the development trend of pharmacological mechanism of action and clinical application is better, and the correlation between active components and efficacy may become a new hot direction in the research of Kaixin Powder.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail