1.Study on the differences in node strength of white matter networks in patients with depressive disorder and bipolar disorder
Haiyan LIU ; Jiabo SHI ; Lingling HUA ; Rui YAN ; Hao TANG ; Zhijian YAO
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 2025;51(6):321-326
Objective To compare the node strength in white matter networks between depressive disorder and bipolar depression patients,analyze structural connectivity impairments across brain regions,and assess their diagnostic utility.Methods This longitudinal study initially enrolled 91 patients with a baseline diagnosis of depressive episode.All subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging at recruitment and white matter structural weighted networks were constructed using deterministic fiber tracking.After≥9 years of naturalistic follow-up,23 patients who maintained a diagnosis of major depressive disorder(MDD group)and 18 patients who maintained a diagnosis of bipolar disorder(BD group),while 30 demographically matched healthy controls(HC group)were included for comparison.The differences in nodal connection strength within the brain white matter networks among the three groups were compared.Furthermore,the receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was utilized to evaluate the diagnostic value of the differential brain regions in distinguishing between MDD and BD.Results In the left anterior cingulate gyrus,the node strength was lower in the BD than in the MDD group(3.89±0.76 vs.4.74±0.60).However,the node strength in the right caudate nucleus(4.94±1.26 vs.3.46±0.99)and right globus pallidus(1.98±0.67 vs.1.25±0.29)was higher in the BD than in the MDD group(P<0.01,FWE-corrected).The combined connectivity strengths of three brain regions—the left anterior cingulate gyrus,right caudate nucleus and right globus pallidus—were used to differentiate between MDD and BD,and an ROC curve was plotted,with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.95(95%CI:0.91~0.99;P<0.001).The sensitivity and the specificity were 0.89 and 0.87,respectively.Conclusion The differences in node strength between patient groups may serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker.Integration of node connectivity strengths from these differential brain regions can achieve superior discrimination accuracy.
2.In-silico discovery of the hapten-based interaction between idiosyncratic hepatotoxic ingredients of Polygonum multiflorum and HLA-B*35:01
Dake XIAO ; Xu ZHAO ; Xiaoyan ZHAN ; Zhuo SHI ; Zhaofang BAI ; Jiang ZHENG ; Xiaohe XIAO ; Jiabo WANG
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;3(1):15-27
Background: The previous research has confirmed the existence of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) caused by Polygonum multiflorum (PM-IDILI), and demonstrated that PM-IDILI is an immune-mediated injury, with HLA-B*35:01 identified as a genetic susceptibility marker. Additionally, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (EG) and 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahyd roxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside have been proposed as potential contributory ingredients in the pathogenesis of PM-IDILI. However, the precise mechanisms through which these susceptible factors contribute to the development of PM-IDILI remain unclear. Objectives: This study aims to explore the molecular characteristics of HLA-B*35:01 that contribute to PM-DILI and to propose a mechanistic hypothesis based on our previous research on PM-induced protein adducts. Methods: Key differences between HLA-B*35:01 and general Chinese HLA-B alleles were identified by comparing protein sequences, peptide binding motifs, and protein structures. Molecular docking was employed to assess whether PM-induced haptenated peptides can be presented by HLA-B*35:01 and other related alleles. Additionally, a simplified dipeptide model was used to evaluate the binding affinity of HLA-B*35:01 to EG-haptenated peptides. Results: Our findings revealed significant differences in the residues of the B and F peptide binding pockets of HLA-B*35:01 compared to general Chinese HLA-B alleles. Further analysis suggested that the F pocket of HLA-B*35:01 was capable of binding EG-cysteine adducts and might be a key feature in the PM-IDILI pathogenesis. Peptide docking using DINC and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that HLA-B*35:01 could form stable complexes with EG-haptenated peptides. Molecular dynamics simulations also highlighted the critical roles of both the B and F pockets in peptide binding. Specifically, the F pocket binds the EG-modified residue in haptenated peptides, while the B pocket, despite lacking shared features among PM-IDILI patients, may indirectly influence the incidence of PM-IDILI by filtering haptenated peptides. The binding affinity of HLA-B*35:01 to EG-modified cysteine residues was experimentally validated through a dipeptide-based assay, confirming that HLA-B*35:01 could bind EG-haptenated peptides. Conclusions: This study identified the unique B and F binding pockets of HLA-B*35:01 as key factors in PM-IDILI pathogenesis and demonstrated that HLA-B*35:01 could bind EG-haptenated peptides. These findings suggest that PM-IDILI may be a hapten-based drug hypersensitivity reaction driven by EG, providing a theoretical framework for further research aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying PM-IDILI.
3.In-silico discovery of the hapten-based interaction between idiosyncratic hepatotoxic ingredients of Polygonum multiflorum and HLA-B*35:01
Dake XIAO ; Xu ZHAO ; Xiaoyan ZHAN ; Zhuo SHI ; Zhaofang BAI ; Jiang ZHENG ; Xiaohe XIAO ; Jiabo WANG
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;3(1):15-27
Background: The previous research has confirmed the existence of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) caused by Polygonum multiflorum (PM-IDILI), and demonstrated that PM-IDILI is an immune-mediated injury, with HLA-B*35:01 identified as a genetic susceptibility marker. Additionally, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (EG) and 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahyd roxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside have been proposed as potential contributory ingredients in the pathogenesis of PM-IDILI. However, the precise mechanisms through which these susceptible factors contribute to the development of PM-IDILI remain unclear. Objectives: This study aims to explore the molecular characteristics of HLA-B*35:01 that contribute to PM-DILI and to propose a mechanistic hypothesis based on our previous research on PM-induced protein adducts. Methods: Key differences between HLA-B*35:01 and general Chinese HLA-B alleles were identified by comparing protein sequences, peptide binding motifs, and protein structures. Molecular docking was employed to assess whether PM-induced haptenated peptides can be presented by HLA-B*35:01 and other related alleles. Additionally, a simplified dipeptide model was used to evaluate the binding affinity of HLA-B*35:01 to EG-haptenated peptides. Results: Our findings revealed significant differences in the residues of the B and F peptide binding pockets of HLA-B*35:01 compared to general Chinese HLA-B alleles. Further analysis suggested that the F pocket of HLA-B*35:01 was capable of binding EG-cysteine adducts and might be a key feature in the PM-IDILI pathogenesis. Peptide docking using DINC and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that HLA-B*35:01 could form stable complexes with EG-haptenated peptides. Molecular dynamics simulations also highlighted the critical roles of both the B and F pockets in peptide binding. Specifically, the F pocket binds the EG-modified residue in haptenated peptides, while the B pocket, despite lacking shared features among PM-IDILI patients, may indirectly influence the incidence of PM-IDILI by filtering haptenated peptides. The binding affinity of HLA-B*35:01 to EG-modified cysteine residues was experimentally validated through a dipeptide-based assay, confirming that HLA-B*35:01 could bind EG-haptenated peptides. Conclusions: This study identified the unique B and F binding pockets of HLA-B*35:01 as key factors in PM-IDILI pathogenesis and demonstrated that HLA-B*35:01 could bind EG-haptenated peptides. These findings suggest that PM-IDILI may be a hapten-based drug hypersensitivity reaction driven by EG, providing a theoretical framework for further research aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying PM-IDILI.
4.In-silico discovery of the hapten-based interaction between idiosyncratic hepatotoxic ingredients of Polygonum multiflorum and HLA-B*35:01
Dake XIAO ; Xu ZHAO ; Xiaoyan ZHAN ; Zhuo SHI ; Zhaofang BAI ; Jiang ZHENG ; Xiaohe XIAO ; Jiabo WANG
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;3(1):15-27
Background: The previous research has confirmed the existence of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) caused by Polygonum multiflorum (PM-IDILI), and demonstrated that PM-IDILI is an immune-mediated injury, with HLA-B*35:01 identified as a genetic susceptibility marker. Additionally, emodin-8-O-β-D-glucoside (EG) and 2, 3, 5, 4′-tetrahyd roxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside have been proposed as potential contributory ingredients in the pathogenesis of PM-IDILI. However, the precise mechanisms through which these susceptible factors contribute to the development of PM-IDILI remain unclear. Objectives: This study aims to explore the molecular characteristics of HLA-B*35:01 that contribute to PM-DILI and to propose a mechanistic hypothesis based on our previous research on PM-induced protein adducts. Methods: Key differences between HLA-B*35:01 and general Chinese HLA-B alleles were identified by comparing protein sequences, peptide binding motifs, and protein structures. Molecular docking was employed to assess whether PM-induced haptenated peptides can be presented by HLA-B*35:01 and other related alleles. Additionally, a simplified dipeptide model was used to evaluate the binding affinity of HLA-B*35:01 to EG-haptenated peptides. Results: Our findings revealed significant differences in the residues of the B and F peptide binding pockets of HLA-B*35:01 compared to general Chinese HLA-B alleles. Further analysis suggested that the F pocket of HLA-B*35:01 was capable of binding EG-cysteine adducts and might be a key feature in the PM-IDILI pathogenesis. Peptide docking using DINC and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that HLA-B*35:01 could form stable complexes with EG-haptenated peptides. Molecular dynamics simulations also highlighted the critical roles of both the B and F pockets in peptide binding. Specifically, the F pocket binds the EG-modified residue in haptenated peptides, while the B pocket, despite lacking shared features among PM-IDILI patients, may indirectly influence the incidence of PM-IDILI by filtering haptenated peptides. The binding affinity of HLA-B*35:01 to EG-modified cysteine residues was experimentally validated through a dipeptide-based assay, confirming that HLA-B*35:01 could bind EG-haptenated peptides. Conclusions: This study identified the unique B and F binding pockets of HLA-B*35:01 as key factors in PM-IDILI pathogenesis and demonstrated that HLA-B*35:01 could bind EG-haptenated peptides. These findings suggest that PM-IDILI may be a hapten-based drug hypersensitivity reaction driven by EG, providing a theoretical framework for further research aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying PM-IDILI.
5.Study on the differences in node strength of white matter networks in patients with depressive disorder and bipolar disorder
Haiyan LIU ; Jiabo SHI ; Lingling HUA ; Rui YAN ; Hao TANG ; Zhijian YAO
Chinese Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases 2025;51(6):321-326
Objective To compare the node strength in white matter networks between depressive disorder and bipolar depression patients,analyze structural connectivity impairments across brain regions,and assess their diagnostic utility.Methods This longitudinal study initially enrolled 91 patients with a baseline diagnosis of depressive episode.All subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging at recruitment and white matter structural weighted networks were constructed using deterministic fiber tracking.After≥9 years of naturalistic follow-up,23 patients who maintained a diagnosis of major depressive disorder(MDD group)and 18 patients who maintained a diagnosis of bipolar disorder(BD group),while 30 demographically matched healthy controls(HC group)were included for comparison.The differences in nodal connection strength within the brain white matter networks among the three groups were compared.Furthermore,the receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was utilized to evaluate the diagnostic value of the differential brain regions in distinguishing between MDD and BD.Results In the left anterior cingulate gyrus,the node strength was lower in the BD than in the MDD group(3.89±0.76 vs.4.74±0.60).However,the node strength in the right caudate nucleus(4.94±1.26 vs.3.46±0.99)and right globus pallidus(1.98±0.67 vs.1.25±0.29)was higher in the BD than in the MDD group(P<0.01,FWE-corrected).The combined connectivity strengths of three brain regions—the left anterior cingulate gyrus,right caudate nucleus and right globus pallidus—were used to differentiate between MDD and BD,and an ROC curve was plotted,with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.95(95%CI:0.91~0.99;P<0.001).The sensitivity and the specificity were 0.89 and 0.87,respectively.Conclusion The differences in node strength between patient groups may serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker.Integration of node connectivity strengths from these differential brain regions can achieve superior discrimination accuracy.
6.Research status and future reflections on early recognition of bipolar disorder
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry 2025;58(2):109-112
Bipolar disorder often presents as depression, difficulty in identifying hypomania, and common comorbidities of physical and mental illnesses, increasing the risk of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis make it difficult for patients to receive timely and correct treatment, resulting in poor efficacy and increased disease burden. Therefore, early recognition is crucial for moving the prevention and treatment checkpoint forward and improving disease prognosis. At present, research has achieved certain results, but the reliability and clinical application of the results are insufficient. In the future, breakthroughs in this area will require in-depth interdisciplinary collaboration and organized large-scale prospective cohorts targeting specific populations.
7.Research status and future reflections on early recognition of bipolar disorder
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry 2025;58(2):109-112
Bipolar disorder often presents as depression, difficulty in identifying hypomania, and common comorbidities of physical and mental illnesses, increasing the risk of delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. Delayed diagnosis and misdiagnosis make it difficult for patients to receive timely and correct treatment, resulting in poor efficacy and increased disease burden. Therefore, early recognition is crucial for moving the prevention and treatment checkpoint forward and improving disease prognosis. At present, research has achieved certain results, but the reliability and clinical application of the results are insufficient. In the future, breakthroughs in this area will require in-depth interdisciplinary collaboration and organized large-scale prospective cohorts targeting specific populations.
8.Clinical Characteristics and Potential Risk Factors Analysis of Liver Injury Related to Epimedii Folium Preparation
Yongkang ZHAO ; Yuyang LIU ; Wei SHI ; Han GAO ; Zheng LI ; Zhaofang BAI ; Haibo SONG ; Yuan GAO ; Jiabo WANG ; Xiaohe XIAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(6):205-210
ObjectiveThis paper aims to analyze the clinical characteristics and medication rationality of liver injury related to Epimedii Folium preparation (EP) and explore the possible risk factors of liver injury, so as to provide a reference for the safe clinical application of Epimedii Folium (EF). MethodA retrospective analysis was conducted on liver injury cases related to EP from 2012 to 2016. ResultThe number of reported liver injury cases and the proportion of severe cases related to the use of EP show an increasing trend, indicating the objective existence of liver injury caused by EP. There are more cases of liver injury related to EP in women than in men, with an onset age range of 15-91 years old and a median onset age of 60 years old (median onset ages for men and women are 59 and 60 years old, respectively). The time span from taking EP alone to the occurrence of liver injury is 1-386 days, with a median of 38 days. The time span from taking both EP and Western medicine to the occurrence of liver injury is 1-794 days, with a median of 34 days. EF-related liver injury preparations are mostly composed of traditional Chinese medicines that promote immunity and tonify the liver and kidney, indicating that immune stress in the body may be the mechanism of liver injury caused by the use of EP alone or in combination. There is no increasing trend of toxicity with time or dose in the liver injury caused by EP. By further exploring its risk factors, it is found that patients have unreasonable medication methods such as excessive dosage, repeated use, and multi-drug combination, which may also be one of the important risk factors for EF-related liver injury. ConclusionEP has a certain risk of liver injury and should be emphasized in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Immune stress may be the mechanism of liver injury caused by EP, and in clinical use, it is necessary to be vigilant about the risk of liver injury caused by unreasonable use and combined use with Western medicine.
9.Study of large-scale functional brain networks and topological properties in patients with major depressive disorder
Hao SUN ; Rui YAN ; Lingling HUA ; Zhilu CHEN ; Jiabo SHI ; Yu CHEN ; Xiaoqin WANG ; Qing LU ; Zhijian YAO
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2024;33(5):425-431
Objective:To explore the changes of large-scale functional brain networks and network topological properties in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) whose diagnosis had not changed after 5 years of follow-up.Methods:Totally 521 cases of hospitalized MDD patients were recruited from January 2012 to August 2018, and another 204 cases of gender- and age-matched healthy controls were recruited. All participants completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance scanning and clinical assessment. Their diagnosis were reviewed 5 years after discharge.A total of 258 participants whose diagnosis had not changed were counted into the MDD group for analysis. The differences in large-scale brain network connectivity between the two groups were analyzed by constructing a whole-brain functional network, on the basis of which the altered topological properties of the sensorimotor network (SMN), visual network (VN) and default mode network (DMN) were further analyzed between the two groups.The SPSS 24.0 software was used for data analysis and the independent sample t-test and χ2 test were used for the data comparison of the two groups. Results:Compared with the healthy controls, the MDD group had significantly decreased network clustering, mainly involving the SMN, VN and DMN (edge P<0.001, cluster P<0.05). The MDD group had decreased functional connectivity(FC) strength within the SMN, VN and DMN networks, the FC strength between the SMN and VN networks, between the frontoparietal network (FPN) and the DAN networks were decreased(all P<0.05, FDR corrected). Graph-theory analysis showed that local efficiency, clustering coefficient, and normalized shortest path length were decreased in the MDD group, node efficiency was decreased in the left ventral medial prefrontal cortex and the middle of the bilateral insula, node centrality was decreased in the middle of the bilateral insula and occipital lobe, and the betweenness was decreased in the middle of the right insula (all P<0.05, FDR corrected). Conclusion:MDD exhibits abnormal network functional connectivity, disruption of network topological properties, diminished optimal information processing, and to some extent reflects the severity of depressive symptoms. The decreased ability of information transfer flow in the insula plays an important role for the functional abnormality of the network.
10.The difference of gray matter volume and its correlation with clinical characteristics in patients with anxious depression
Juan QIAO ; Rui YAN ; Yu CHEN ; Jiabo SHI ; Xinyi WANG ; Zhijian YAO ; Qing LU
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2022;31(1):25-30
Objective:To explore the difference of gray matter volume between anxious depression(AD)and non anxious depression(NAD) patients, and its correlation with clinical characteristics.Methods:One hundred and fifty patients with depression were included from September 2014 to October 2018, meanwhile 62 healthy controls with matching demographic characteristic were recruited. The severity of the patients was assessed by Hamilton depression scale-17(HAMD-17). Patients were divided into anxious depression group(AD group, n=80)and non-anxious depression group (NAD group, n=70) according to whether anxiety/somatization factor scored 7. All subjects were scanned with 3.0 T underwent structural MRI scan. The structural magnetic resonance data were preprocessed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM). The rest toolkit was used to calculate the difference of gray matter volume among the three groups. By SPSS 19.0, post-hoc t test was used for pairwise comparison and Pearson correlation analysis was performed between gray matter volume and clinical factors in patients with anxious depression. Results:Compared to the NAD group, the gray matter volume of the right middle frontal gyrus(MNI: x=28.5, y=21.0, z=48.0, t=-4.83, Bonferroni multiple comparison adjustment, P<0.05/3) and left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus(MNI: x=-18.0, y=27.0, z=43.5, t=-6.08, Bonferroni multiple comparison correction, P<0.05/3)were significantly decreased in AD group. Correlation analysis found that the gray matter volume of the right middle frontal gyrus in patients with anxious depression was negatively correlated with the insight of anxiety/somatization factor score ( r=-0.36, P=0.001). Conclusion:The volume of prefrontal lobe in patients with anxiety depression is lower than that in patients with non anxiety depression, which may be related to the serious clinical symptoms in patients with anxiety depression.The decrease of right middle frontal gyrus volume can be used as a potential biological marker for the severity of impaired insight.

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