1.Action mechanism of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes carrying miRNAs in improving spinal cord injury
Jia GUO ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Jing HUANG ; Wenya SHANG ; Yike YANG ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(36):7827-7838
BACKGROUND:Currently,spinal cord injury imposes a huge psychological and economic burden on patients and the National Health Service.The prevention,treatment,and rehabilitation of spinal cord injury have become an important topic in the field of medicine.Therefore,it is important to explore new effective therapeutic strategies based on an in-depth understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury.OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress on the mechanism of action of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes loaded with various miRNAs in improving the function of spinal cord injury,and based on the current status of clinical translation,to put forward a few thoughts and outlooks on their clinical use.METHODS:The first author searched CNKI and PubMed databases using"mesenchymal stem cells,exosomes,spinal cord injury,miRNA,pathophysiology,clinical translation,clinical trials,good manufacturing practice"as Chinese and English search terms.The types of literature included treatises and reviews,and the language types were English and Chinese.Finally,72 papers were screened and analyzed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)This article outlines the biological properties of exosomes and the advantages that they can serve as good vectors for loading miRNAs.A variety of miRNAs mediated by mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes mainly promote the recovery of neuronal function by regulating the expression of nerve regeneration-associated proteins,repressing RAS homologous gene family member A,activating cyclophosphoadenosine effector-binding proteins,and signaling and transcriptional activation proteins 3,and regulating phosphoinositide and tensin homologue/programmed cell death factor 4 pathways.Inflammatory responses were improved by regulating endoplasmic reticulum-to-nucleus signaling 1,expression of interferon regulatory factor 5,Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B pathway,and down-regulating related pro-inflammatory factors.Angiogenesis was promoted by inhibition of germination-associated domain 1-containing EVH1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 2.(2)Further comparative analyses revealed that miR-216-5p,miR-145-5p,and miR-146b improved inflammatory responses by regulating related pathways.Combining these miRNAs may produce more significant effects;hypoxic preconditioning may be a preconditioning method to increase the efficacy of exosomal therapy.(3)There are currently no clinical trials applying mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes to spinal cord injury,which is related to the need to meet good manufacturing practices before they can be put into clinical use.Challenges such as the need for large-scale,high-volume cell production,the lack of an efficient and uniform method for isolating exosomes,and the need to pass a strict regulatory approval mechanism prior to clinical use have impeded the clinical entry.(4)miRNAs have great potential as exosomal contents of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of spinal cord injury,and their mechanism of action should be explored in depth as well as accelerated to the clinical trial stage in order to provide a new and effective method for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
2.Regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for cellular autophagy after spinal cord injury
Yike YANG ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Wenya SHANG ; Jing HUANG ; Jia GUO ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(18):3885-3896
BACKGROUND:Cellular autophagy maintains metabolism and in vivo homeostasis through the autophagosome-lysosome degradation pathway,which is closely related to the impaired cell death and functional recovery of distal neurons after spinal cord injury,and targeting cellular autophagy to promote the functional recovery of the spinal cord after spinal cord injury is a promising therapeutic direction.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the role of cellular autophagy in spinal cord injury,related regulatory mechanisms of cellular autophagy and therapeutic strategies.METHODS:PubMed and CNKI databases were searched with the search terms of"spinal cord injury,autophagy,regulatory mechanisms,autophagy pathway,therapeutic target"in English and Chinese,respectively.A total of 133 English and 4 Chinese articles were included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Autophagy,a form of programmed cell death,has been shown to play a crucial role in the progression and treatment of spinal cord injury.Most studies have shown that moderate activation or promotion of autophagy promotes neurological recovery by decreasing inflammatory responses and apoptosis.A few studies have reported that excessive activation of autophagy,on the contrary,impedes neurological recovery following spinal cord injury.(2)After spinal cord injury,PI3K/AKT/mTOR,MAPK,AMPK and p53 signaling pathways,and factors such as Beclin-1,ATG and LC3 regulate the initiation and development of cell autophagy in a positive or negative manner.(3)Promoting or inhibiting autophagy may be a promising therapeutic strategy to modulate the pathogenesis of traumatic spinal cord injury.And the drugs amlodipine,metformin,and minocycline,the Chinese medicines hawthorn leaf total flavonoids,betulinic acid,oxidized ginseng saponins,acupuncture,and extracellular vesicles of different cellular origins,exosomes and reactive oxygen species-responsive composite fibers as activators of cellular autophagy attenuate secondary injury in response to spinal cord injury by activating cellular autophagy,while the drugs insulin-like growth factor 1 and eladavone,Chinese medicine ginseng saponin,acupuncture,and hydrogel carrying basic fibroblast growth factor as inhibitors of cellular autophagy promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury by inhibiting excessive cellular autophagy.(4)The related regulators of cellular autophagy are interconnected,and the bi-directional effects of cellular autophagy on spinal cord injury make it necessary to further explore the dominant factors that regulate cellular autophagy.(5)Research on the use of autophagy as a therapeutic target for spinal cord injury is mostly carried out in animal models,but there are no autophagy-related drugs used in the clinical practice,and their safety and efficacy need to be further investigated in the clinical field.
3.Analysis of the Causes of Subject Screening Failures in Clinical Trials of Antineoplastic Drugs and Protocol Nerfing Indicators
Shuopeng JIA ; Hailan MA ; Huiyao HUANG ; Jingxiao ZHU ; Anqi YU ; Yiru HOU ; Yu TANG ; Hong FANG ; Ning LI
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(3):497-502
Objective To analyze the reasons for the failure of subject screening in clinical trials of antineoplastic drugs and the impact of natriuretic criteria on the entry of subjects into clinical trials,to explore the strategies to improve the suc-cessful enrolment of screened subjects,and to provide reference bases for research institutes and sponsors in the formulation of na-triuretic criteria.Methods This study selected data from 40 drug clinical trials conducted at the Drug Clinical Trial Research Center of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 1,2016,to June 30,2022.It statistically described the collected data on the frequency and percentage composition of screening failures among participants and the inclu-sion and exclusion criteria in the protocols.Results A total of 425 subjects were screened out of 40 clinical trial programmers covering 8 tumor types,with the majority being<65 years of age(333,78.4%),of which the most important reasons included vol-untary withdrawal(71,16.7%),tumor metastasis(52,12.2%),failure to recover from treatment of pre-existing disease(38,8.9%),failure of bone marrow function(19,4.5%),and non-compliant liver function(15,3.5%).Among the nadir indicators,the age of the subjects(100%),ECOG score(97.5%),bone marrow function(ANC:95.0%,PLT:97.5%,HB:97.5%),liver function(T-BiL:95.0%,ALT:87.5%,AST:95.0%),renal function(CR:80.0%),and viral screening(HIV:80.0%,HBV:70.0%,HCV:62.5%)were relatively stringent.Conclusion The main reasons for subject screening failure in clinical trials in oncology in our hospital are voluntary withdrawal,brain metastasis,and failure of their biochemical test standards,which are close-ly related to the setting of clinical trial nadir criteria.Therefore,an in-depth understanding of subjects'characteristics,accurate set-ting of appropriate nadir criteria,continuous improvement of trial design,and strengthening of communication with subjects to pro-vide more relevant information will help to improve the screening success rate of clinical trials.
4.Construction of a Disease-Syndrome Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment System for Gastric "Inflammation-Cancer" Transformation Based on Multi-Modal Phenotypic Modeling
Hao LI ; Huiyao ZHANG ; Wei BAI ; Tingting ZHOU ; Guodong HUANG ; Xianjun RAO ; Yang YANG ; Lijun BAI ; Wei WEI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(5):458-463
By analyzing the current application of multi-modal data in the diagnosis of gastric "inflammation-cancer" transformation, this study explored the feasibility and strategies for constructing a disease-syndrome integrated diagnosis and treatment system. Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) phenomics, we proposed utilizing multi-modal data from literature research, cross-sectional studies, and cohort follow-ups, combined with artificial intelligence technology, to establish a multi-dimensional diagnostic and treatment index system. This approach aims to uncover the complex pathogenesis and transformation patterns of gastric "inflammation-cancer" progression. Additionally, by dynamically collecting TCM four-diagnostic information and modern medical diagnostic information through a long-term follow-up system, we developed three major modules including information extraction, multi-modal phenotypic modeling, and information output, to make it enable real-world clinical data-driven long-term follow-up and treatment of chronic atrophic gastritis. This system can provide technical support for clinical diagnosis, treatment evaluation, and research, while also offering insights and methods for intelligent TCM diagnosis.
5.Impact of early detection and management of emotional distress on length of stay in non-psychiatric inpatients: A retrospective hospital-based cohort study.
Wanjun GUO ; Huiyao WANG ; Wei DENG ; Zaiquan DONG ; Yang LIU ; Shanxia LUO ; Jianying YU ; Xia HUANG ; Yuezhu CHEN ; Jialu YE ; Jinping SONG ; Yan JIANG ; Dajiang LI ; Wen WANG ; Xin SUN ; Weihong KUANG ; Changjian QIU ; Nansheng CHENG ; Weimin LI ; Wei ZHANG ; Yansong LIU ; Zhen TANG ; Xiangdong DU ; Andrew J GREENSHAW ; Lan ZHANG ; Tao LI
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(22):2974-2983
BACKGROUND:
While emotional distress, encompassing anxiety and depression, has been associated with negative clinical outcomes, its impact across various clinical departments and general hospitals has been less explored. Previous studies with limited sample sizes have examined the effectiveness of specific treatments (e.g., antidepressants) rather than a systemic management strategy for outcome improvement in non-psychiatric inpatients. To enhance the understanding of the importance of addressing mental health care needs among non-psychiatric patients in general hospitals, this study retrospectively investigated the impacts of emotional distress and the effects of early detection and management of depression and anxiety on hospital length of stay (LOS) and rate of long LOS (LLOS, i.e., LOS >30 days) in a large sample of non-psychiatric inpatients.
METHODS:
This retrospective cohort study included 487,871 inpatients from 20 non-psychiatric departments of a general hospital. They were divided, according to whether they underwent a novel strategy to manage emotional distress which deployed the Huaxi Emotional Distress Index (HEI) for brief screening with grading psychological services (BS-GPS), into BS-GPS ( n = 178,883) and non-BS-GPS ( n = 308,988) cohorts. The LOS and rate of LLOS between the BS-GPS and non-BS-GPS cohorts and between subcohorts with and without clinically significant anxiety and/or depression (CSAD, i.e., HEI score ≥11 on admission to the hospital) in the BS-GPS cohort were compared using univariable analyses, multilevel analyses, and/or propensity score-matched analyses, respectively.
RESULTS:
The detection rate of CSAD in the BS-GPS cohort varied from 2.64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49%-2.81%) to 20.50% (95% CI: 19.43%-21.62%) across the 20 departments, with a average rate of 5.36%. Significant differences were observed in both the LOS and LLOS rates between the subcohorts with CSAD (12.7 days, 535/9590) and without CSAD (9.5 days, 3800/169,293) and between the BS-GPS (9.6 days, 4335/178,883) and non-BS-GPS (10.8 days, 11,483/308,988) cohorts. These differences remained significant after controlling for confounders using propensity score-matched comparisons. A multilevel analysis indicated that BS-GPS was negatively associated with both LOS and LLOS after controlling for sociodemographics and the departments of patient discharge and remained negatively associated with LLOS after controlling additionally for the year of patient discharge.
CONCLUSION
Emotional distress significantly prolonged the LOS and increased the LLOS of non-psychiatric inpatients across most departments and general hospitals. These impacts were moderated by the implementation of BS-GPS. Thus, BS-GPS has the potential as an effective, resource-saving strategy for enhancing mental health care and optimizing medical resources in general hospitals.
Humans
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Male
;
Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data*
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
Adult
;
Psychological Distress
;
Inpatients/psychology*
;
Aged
;
Anxiety/diagnosis*
;
Depression/diagnosis*
6.Development of an evaluation indicator system for access to cancer screening services: a Delphi study
Xin WANG ; Ayan MAO ; Xinyi ZHOU ; Pei DONG ; Yanjie LI ; Senyao CAI ; Yujie WU ; Huiyao HUANG ; Guoxiang LIU ; Wanghong XU ; Jiangmei QIN ; Wanqing CHEN ; Jufang SHI
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(2):307-315
Objective:To present an evaluation indicator system for access to cancer screening services.Methods:The evaluation indicator pool was constructed through a scoping review. The theoretical framework was constructed based on the multi-source indicators, and the qualitative expert consultation method was employed to form the initial version of the three-level evaluation indicator system. Delphi expert consultation method was conducted in two rounds to evaluate the relevance, importance, and availability of the proposed evaluation indicator system. The expert positive coefficient, authority coefficient, coordination degree of expert opinions, and concentration of expert opinions were subjected to analysis. Subsequently, the three-level evaluation indicator system for access to cancer screening services was adjusted and determined based on the boundary value method and the open opinions of experts. Finally, the combination weight method was employed to determine the weight.Results:The initial version of the indicator system comprised 3 primary (first-level) indicators, 11 secondary (second-level) indicators, and 46 tertiary (third-level) indicators. Delphi expert consultation was conducted for the initial version, and 17 experts ultimately completed it, exhibiting a positive coefficient of 100% and an authority coefficient of 0.87. In comparison to the initial round of consultation, Kendall's W coefficient ranges (0.15-0.43, all P<0.05) of relevance, importance, and availability scores for each tertiary indicator in the second round exhibited an improvement. The analysis of the importance dimension indicates that expert opinions are also more concentrated, as evidenced by an increase of 8.5% and 7.0% in the proportion of the tertiary indicators with an arithmetic mean above 8 and a full mark ratio above 0.5, respectively. The final evaluation indicator system comprises three primary indicators, with the weights of structure evaluation, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation being 0.338, 0.378, and 0.285, respectively. It also comprises 11 secondary indicators and 45 tertiary indicators. Conclusions:The evaluation indicator system developed in this article can be an effective evaluation tool for quantitative comparison of access to cancer screening services across different populations, cancer types, and before and after intervention. Furthermore, it is recommended that the system undergo continuous optimization concerning its application.
7.Current management status of real-world studies in medical institutions in China
Ziqi PAN ; Hong FANG ; Jingting DU ; Huiyao HUANG ; Yang XIE ; Angela YIN ; Ning LI ; Siyan ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(7):1255-1261
Objective:To analyze the current management status of real-world studies (RWS) in the medical institutions in China and suggest improvement focus for the management optimization.Methods:Surveys were conducted in 81 medical institutions nationwide. Convenience sampling was used to recruit survey subjects, and data were collected through self-administered questionnaires, followed by statistical analysis using descriptive methods.Results:The survey results indicated that 92.6% (75/81) of the medical institutions surveyed had undertaken RWS projects, with electronic medical records being the primary data source (89.3%, 67/75). Retrospective and prospective observational studies were the main types of study designs. Additionally, 96.3% (78/81) of the research subjects indicated that their medical institution expressed willingness to participate in or undertake RWS projects in the future. In terms of management, all types of RWS projects were managed by clinical trial center (24.0, 18/75), but differences existed in the management practices among medical institutions. Moreover, the challenges in data quality and standardization, study design and staff training, data and privacy protection and information technology support appeared in the management of RWS projects.Conclusions:It suggests to optimize the management processes of RWS projects in medical institutions and improve relevant laws and regulations to promote the development of RWS in China.
8.Regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for cellular autophagy after spinal cord injury
Yike YANG ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Wenya SHANG ; Jing HUANG ; Jia GUO ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(18):3885-3896
BACKGROUND:Cellular autophagy maintains metabolism and in vivo homeostasis through the autophagosome-lysosome degradation pathway,which is closely related to the impaired cell death and functional recovery of distal neurons after spinal cord injury,and targeting cellular autophagy to promote the functional recovery of the spinal cord after spinal cord injury is a promising therapeutic direction.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the role of cellular autophagy in spinal cord injury,related regulatory mechanisms of cellular autophagy and therapeutic strategies.METHODS:PubMed and CNKI databases were searched with the search terms of"spinal cord injury,autophagy,regulatory mechanisms,autophagy pathway,therapeutic target"in English and Chinese,respectively.A total of 133 English and 4 Chinese articles were included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Autophagy,a form of programmed cell death,has been shown to play a crucial role in the progression and treatment of spinal cord injury.Most studies have shown that moderate activation or promotion of autophagy promotes neurological recovery by decreasing inflammatory responses and apoptosis.A few studies have reported that excessive activation of autophagy,on the contrary,impedes neurological recovery following spinal cord injury.(2)After spinal cord injury,PI3K/AKT/mTOR,MAPK,AMPK and p53 signaling pathways,and factors such as Beclin-1,ATG and LC3 regulate the initiation and development of cell autophagy in a positive or negative manner.(3)Promoting or inhibiting autophagy may be a promising therapeutic strategy to modulate the pathogenesis of traumatic spinal cord injury.And the drugs amlodipine,metformin,and minocycline,the Chinese medicines hawthorn leaf total flavonoids,betulinic acid,oxidized ginseng saponins,acupuncture,and extracellular vesicles of different cellular origins,exosomes and reactive oxygen species-responsive composite fibers as activators of cellular autophagy attenuate secondary injury in response to spinal cord injury by activating cellular autophagy,while the drugs insulin-like growth factor 1 and eladavone,Chinese medicine ginseng saponin,acupuncture,and hydrogel carrying basic fibroblast growth factor as inhibitors of cellular autophagy promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury by inhibiting excessive cellular autophagy.(4)The related regulators of cellular autophagy are interconnected,and the bi-directional effects of cellular autophagy on spinal cord injury make it necessary to further explore the dominant factors that regulate cellular autophagy.(5)Research on the use of autophagy as a therapeutic target for spinal cord injury is mostly carried out in animal models,but there are no autophagy-related drugs used in the clinical practice,and their safety and efficacy need to be further investigated in the clinical field.
9.Analysis of the Causes of Subject Screening Failures in Clinical Trials of Antineoplastic Drugs and Protocol Nerfing Indicators
Shuopeng JIA ; Hailan MA ; Huiyao HUANG ; Jingxiao ZHU ; Anqi YU ; Yiru HOU ; Yu TANG ; Hong FANG ; Ning LI
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(3):497-502
Objective To analyze the reasons for the failure of subject screening in clinical trials of antineoplastic drugs and the impact of natriuretic criteria on the entry of subjects into clinical trials,to explore the strategies to improve the suc-cessful enrolment of screened subjects,and to provide reference bases for research institutes and sponsors in the formulation of na-triuretic criteria.Methods This study selected data from 40 drug clinical trials conducted at the Drug Clinical Trial Research Center of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 1,2016,to June 30,2022.It statistically described the collected data on the frequency and percentage composition of screening failures among participants and the inclu-sion and exclusion criteria in the protocols.Results A total of 425 subjects were screened out of 40 clinical trial programmers covering 8 tumor types,with the majority being<65 years of age(333,78.4%),of which the most important reasons included vol-untary withdrawal(71,16.7%),tumor metastasis(52,12.2%),failure to recover from treatment of pre-existing disease(38,8.9%),failure of bone marrow function(19,4.5%),and non-compliant liver function(15,3.5%).Among the nadir indicators,the age of the subjects(100%),ECOG score(97.5%),bone marrow function(ANC:95.0%,PLT:97.5%,HB:97.5%),liver function(T-BiL:95.0%,ALT:87.5%,AST:95.0%),renal function(CR:80.0%),and viral screening(HIV:80.0%,HBV:70.0%,HCV:62.5%)were relatively stringent.Conclusion The main reasons for subject screening failure in clinical trials in oncology in our hospital are voluntary withdrawal,brain metastasis,and failure of their biochemical test standards,which are close-ly related to the setting of clinical trial nadir criteria.Therefore,an in-depth understanding of subjects'characteristics,accurate set-ting of appropriate nadir criteria,continuous improvement of trial design,and strengthening of communication with subjects to pro-vide more relevant information will help to improve the screening success rate of clinical trials.
10.Development of an evaluation indicator system for access to cancer screening services: a Delphi study
Xin WANG ; Ayan MAO ; Xinyi ZHOU ; Pei DONG ; Yanjie LI ; Senyao CAI ; Yujie WU ; Huiyao HUANG ; Guoxiang LIU ; Wanghong XU ; Jiangmei QIN ; Wanqing CHEN ; Jufang SHI
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(2):307-315
Objective:To present an evaluation indicator system for access to cancer screening services.Methods:The evaluation indicator pool was constructed through a scoping review. The theoretical framework was constructed based on the multi-source indicators, and the qualitative expert consultation method was employed to form the initial version of the three-level evaluation indicator system. Delphi expert consultation method was conducted in two rounds to evaluate the relevance, importance, and availability of the proposed evaluation indicator system. The expert positive coefficient, authority coefficient, coordination degree of expert opinions, and concentration of expert opinions were subjected to analysis. Subsequently, the three-level evaluation indicator system for access to cancer screening services was adjusted and determined based on the boundary value method and the open opinions of experts. Finally, the combination weight method was employed to determine the weight.Results:The initial version of the indicator system comprised 3 primary (first-level) indicators, 11 secondary (second-level) indicators, and 46 tertiary (third-level) indicators. Delphi expert consultation was conducted for the initial version, and 17 experts ultimately completed it, exhibiting a positive coefficient of 100% and an authority coefficient of 0.87. In comparison to the initial round of consultation, Kendall's W coefficient ranges (0.15-0.43, all P<0.05) of relevance, importance, and availability scores for each tertiary indicator in the second round exhibited an improvement. The analysis of the importance dimension indicates that expert opinions are also more concentrated, as evidenced by an increase of 8.5% and 7.0% in the proportion of the tertiary indicators with an arithmetic mean above 8 and a full mark ratio above 0.5, respectively. The final evaluation indicator system comprises three primary indicators, with the weights of structure evaluation, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation being 0.338, 0.378, and 0.285, respectively. It also comprises 11 secondary indicators and 45 tertiary indicators. Conclusions:The evaluation indicator system developed in this article can be an effective evaluation tool for quantitative comparison of access to cancer screening services across different populations, cancer types, and before and after intervention. Furthermore, it is recommended that the system undergo continuous optimization concerning its application.

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