1.Molecular Mechanisms of Salvia Miltiorrhiza and Its Active Ingredients against Colorectal Cancer: A Review
Jianing GUO ; Xiaochen NI ; Kaiyuan ZHANG ; Wei FAN ; Chuhang WANG ; Chao XU ; Jianbo HUANG ; Tao JIANG ; Guangji ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):307-314
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers, with its incidence ranking high among cancers. It stands as the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In the early stages, CRC lacks specific symptoms, and most patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, making it a major research focus in the field of gastrointestinal tumors. Currently, clinical CRC treatments face several common challenges, including high surgical risks, frequent metastasis and recurrence, drug resistance, and significant side effects from chemotherapy and radiation therapy. With the development and application of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it has been found that TCM and its active ingredients can effectively inhibit CRC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and angiogenesis, and promote apoptosis and autophagy, thereby slowing the progression of CRC. This has become a key focus of CRC treatment research. Salvia Miltiorrhiza has multiple pharmacological effects, including activating blood circulation to dispel blood stasis, unlocking meridians to relieve pain, clearing heat to calm irritability, and cooling blood to reduce abscesses. It contains a variety of chemical components, including diterpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, nitrogen-containing compounds, steroids, and lactone compounds. This review summarized the molecular mechanisms of Salvia miltiorrhiza and its active ingredients in the treatment of CRC. It is found that these ingredients exert anti-CRC effects through various molecular mechanisms, including cell cycle arrest, promotion of apoptosis, inhibition of cell invasion and migration, induction of autophagy, suppression of tumor angiogenesis, and remodeling of the tumor microenvironment. The review aims to provide new insights for the drug development and clinical application of Salvia miltiorrhiza in CRC treatment.
2.Research progress on anti-inflammatory effects of traditional Chinese medicine under the guidance of syndrome differentiation and treatment
Jianing BAO ; Xiaonan ZHANG ; Xufeng TAO ; Hong XIANG ; Deshi DONG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(4):528-532
Inflammation is the body’s response to damage, infection or other stimuli, but its excessive or continuous development can lead to a variety of diseases. Although modern medical anti-inflammatory therapies were widely used, it is often accompanied by limitations such as more adverse reactions. Based on the “holistic view” and “differential treatment”, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) regards inflammation as a manifestation of the imbalance of yin and yang in the body and the conflict between good and evil. The application of anti-inflammatory TCM is not only aimed at the pathological state of “inflammation”, but also based on the overall consideration of “syndrome”. According to different types of syndrome, anti-inflammatory TCM can be divided into heat-clearing and detoxifying agents (such as Lonicera japonica and Isatis indigotica ), heat-clearing and drying dampness agents (such as Coptidis Rhizoma), blood-activating and stasis-dissolving agents (such as Salvia miltiorrhiza ) and vital qi-strengthening and pathogenic factor-expelling agents (such as Panax ginseng ). Four types of anti-inflammatory TCM restore the body’s immune balance through the systematic regulation of multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway, exhibiting a good anti-inflammatory effect. Future research should focus on integrating systematic biology, applying artificial intelligence, carrying out high-quality evidence-based research, and combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, so as to reveal the overall regulatory law of anti-inf lammatory effects of TCM and promote clinical rational use.
3.Construction of A Conceptual Framework for the Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Evolutionary Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment Across Full-cycle of Parkinson's Disease
Yu WANG ; Jianing MEI ; Hongping ZHAO ; Yunzhe TANG ; Zijun WEI ; Qinliang TAO ; Xueyi HAN ; Jiyuan HU ; Yunyun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(10):270-279
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease involving multiple systems and neurotransmitters. Due to the high clinical heterogeneity of PD,it is urgent to establish a comprehensive and long-term traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) management model. In this paper,the conceptual framework of full-cycle management of PD is preliminarily constructed:based on the evolution of the pathophysiological mechanisms of protein deposition and neurotransmitter disorder in PD,the three-stage syndrome characteristics of the prodromal stage (predominant healthy Qi with subtle pathogenic factors),the early clinical stage (declining healthy Qi with growing pathogenic factors) and the middle and late stages (overwhelming pathogenic factors with deficient healthy Qi) are longitudinally described. Through the syndrome differentiation of visceral manifestations,the etiology and pathogenesis of PD motor and non-motor symptoms were comprehensively analyzed,while the matching treatment methods and prescriptions were inferred,and the modular scheme of the combining main symptoms,accompanying symptoms and secondary symptoms was proposed. The conceptual gap of TCM regarding motor complications ('variable syndrome') and PD-related hyperpyrexia syndrome ('critical syndrome') was explained. This framework reflects the characteristics of combination of disease and syndrome and overall constant motion,and provides new theories and research ideas for individualized and whole-process management of PD in TCM.
4.Construction of A Conceptual Framework for the Integration of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Evolutionary Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment Across Full-cycle of Parkinson's Disease
Yu WANG ; Jianing MEI ; Hongping ZHAO ; Yunzhe TANG ; Zijun WEI ; Qinliang TAO ; Xueyi HAN ; Jiyuan HU ; Yunyun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(10):270-279
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease involving multiple systems and neurotransmitters. Due to the high clinical heterogeneity of PD,it is urgent to establish a comprehensive and long-term traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) management model. In this paper,the conceptual framework of full-cycle management of PD is preliminarily constructed:based on the evolution of the pathophysiological mechanisms of protein deposition and neurotransmitter disorder in PD,the three-stage syndrome characteristics of the prodromal stage (predominant healthy Qi with subtle pathogenic factors),the early clinical stage (declining healthy Qi with growing pathogenic factors) and the middle and late stages (overwhelming pathogenic factors with deficient healthy Qi) are longitudinally described. Through the syndrome differentiation of visceral manifestations,the etiology and pathogenesis of PD motor and non-motor symptoms were comprehensively analyzed,while the matching treatment methods and prescriptions were inferred,and the modular scheme of the combining main symptoms,accompanying symptoms and secondary symptoms was proposed. The conceptual gap of TCM regarding motor complications ('variable syndrome') and PD-related hyperpyrexia syndrome ('critical syndrome') was explained. This framework reflects the characteristics of combination of disease and syndrome and overall constant motion,and provides new theories and research ideas for individualized and whole-process management of PD in TCM.
5.Synthesis, preclinical evaluation and pilot clinical study of a P2Y12 receptor targeting radiotracer 18FQTFT for imaging brain disorders by visualizing anti-inflammatory microglia.
Bolin YAO ; Yanyan KONG ; Jianing LI ; Fulin XU ; Yan DENG ; Yuncan CHEN ; Yixiu CHEN ; Jian CHEN ; Minhua XU ; Xiao ZHU ; Liang CHEN ; Fang XIE ; Xin ZHANG ; Cong WANG ; Cong LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1056-1069
As the brain's resident immune cells, microglia perform crucial functions such as phagocytosis, neuronal network maintenance, and injury restoration by adopting various phenotypes. Dynamic imaging of these phenotypes is essential for accessing brain diseases and therapeutic responses. Although numerous probes are available for imaging pro-inflammatory microglia, no PET tracers have been developed specifically to visualize anti-inflammatory microglia. In this study, we present an 18F-labeled PET tracer (QTFT) that targets the P2Y12, a receptor highly expressed on anti-inflammatory microglia. [18F]QTFT exhibited high binding affinity to the P2Y12 (14.43 nmol/L) and superior blood-brain barrier permeability compared to other candidates. Micro-PET imaging in IL-4-induced neuroinflammation models showed higher [18F]QTFT uptake in lesions compared to the contralateral normal brain tissues. Importantly, this specific uptake could be blocked by QTFT or a P2Y12 antagonist. Furthermore, [18F]QTFT visualized brain lesions in mouse models of epilepsy, glioma, and aging by targeting the aberrantly expressed P2Y12 in anti-inflammatory microglia. In a pilot clinical study, [18F]QTFT successfully located epileptic foci, showing enhanced radioactive signals in a patient with epilepsy. Collectively, these studies suggest that [18F]QTFT could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for imaging various brain disorders by targeting P2Y12 overexpressed in anti-inflammatory microglia.
6.Obesity-related genes and genetic susceptibility to gastric cancer
Wenhui WU ; Shiyun DING ; Jingrao LI ; Ji ZHENG ; Jianing MAO ; Tianyi ZHU ; Yiling WU ; Ruoxin ZHANG
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(7):569-580
ObjectiveTo explore the effects of genetic variation of obesity-related biological pathways and gene-obesity interactions on the incidence of gastric cancer, so as to better understand the pathogenesis of gastric cancer and help identify high-risk populations for individualized prevention of gastric cancer. MethodsA case-control study based on the Shanghai Suburban Adult Cohort and Biobank study (SSACB) was conducted on the cases with gastric cancer. A total of 267 cases with gastric cancer and 267 healthy controls matched 1∶1 by age and gender using propensity score were included in the study. After genome-wide genotyping, quality control and imputation, 19 250 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites from 115 genes in 4 obesity-related biological pathways were extracted. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between these SNP sites and the risk of gastric cancer, and false positive report probability (FPRP) was used for multiple test correction.Data from Biobank Japan (BBJ) and FinnGen public accessible databases were used to validate significant SNP sites. For validated sites, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis and differentially expressed genes analysis were further performed. Additive and multiplicative interactions were used to evaluate the gene-obesity interactions on the incidence of gastric cancer. Additive interaction evaluation indicators included relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) and synergy index (SI), while multiplicative interaction evaluation indicators include ORGxE and Pinter. ResultsA total of 41 SNP sites were significantly associated with the onset of gastric cancer (Padj<0.05, FPRP0.1<0.1), among which 7 groups of haplotype blocks were formed. ACACB/ rs2268401 [SSACB: P=0.005, BBJ: P=0.049], HRAS/ rs12785860 (SSACB: P<0.001, FinnGen: P=0.045), and PTPN1/ rs6095985 (SSACB: P<0.001, FinnGen: P=0.023) were significantly associated with the risk of gastric cancer after validation in different populations. Among which, the G allele of HRAS/ rs12785860 was correlated with the downregulation of HRAS mRNA expression (P<0.001), and the expression level of HRAS in gastric cancer tissues was higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.001). Additionaly, JAK1/rs11208559 showed a positive additive interaction with waist circumstance (WC) on the risk of gastric cancer [RERI=2.29(0.06~4.53), AP=0.57(0.23~0.90), SI=4.03(2.20~5.87)]. ConclusionObesity-related biological pathway SNP sites and their haplotypes are associated with the risk of gastric cancer, suggesting that genetic variations in obesity pathways may affect gastric cancer. The HRAS/ rs12785860 is significantly associated with downregulation of HRAS gene expression, which may serve as a potential genetic marker for gastric cancer. JAK1/rs11208559 interacts with obesity additively on the risk of gastric cancer. Individuals with GC+CC genotypes and pre-central or central obesity have an increased risk of gastric cancer, providing clues and evidences for individualized prevention of gastric cancer.
7.Iron deposition in subcortical nuclei of Parkinson's disease: A meta-analysis of quantitative iron-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging studies.
Jianing JIN ; Dongning SU ; Junjiao ZHANG ; Joyce S T LAM ; Junhong ZHOU ; Tao FENG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(6):678-692
BACKGROUND:
Iron deposition plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the distribution pattern of iron deposition in the subcortical nuclei has been inconsistent across previous studies. We aimed to assess the difference patterns of iron deposition detected by quantitative iron-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between patients with PD and patients with atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APSs), and between patients with PD and healthy controls (HCs).
METHODS:
A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases to identify studies investigating the iron content in PD patients using the iron-sensitive MRI techniques (R2 * and quantitative susceptibility mapping [QSM]), up until May 1, 2023. The quality assessment of case-control and cohort studies was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, whereas diagnostic studies were assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2. Standardized mean differences and summary estimates of sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated for iron content, using a random effects model. We also conducted the subgroup-analysis based on the MRI sequence and meta-regression.
RESULTS:
Seventy-seven studies with 3192 PD, 209 multiple system atrophy (MSA), 174 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and 2447 HCs were included. Elevated iron content in substantia nigra (SN) pars reticulata ( P <0.001) and compacta ( P <0.001), SN ( P <0.001), red nucleus (RN, P <0.001), globus pallidus ( P <0.001), putamen (PUT, P = 0.021), and thalamus ( P = 0.029) were found in PD patients compared with HCs. PD patients showed lower iron content in PUT ( P <0.001), RN ( P = 0.003), SN ( P = 0.017), and caudate nucleus ( P = 0.017) than MSA patients, and lower iron content in RN ( P = 0.001), PUT ( P <0.001), globus pallidus ( P = 0.004), SN ( P = 0.015), and caudate nucleus ( P = 0.001) than PSP patients. The highest diagnostic accuracy distinguishing PD from HCs was observed in SN (AUC: 0.85), and that distinguishing PD from MSA was found in PUT (AUC: 0.90). In addition, the best diagnostic performance was achieved in the RN for distinguishing PD from PSP (AUC: 0.86).
CONCLUSIONS:
Quantitative iron-sensitive MRI could quantitatively detect the iron content of subcortical nuclei in PD and APSs, while it may be insufficient to accurately diagnose PD. Future studies are needed to explore the role of multimodal MRI in the diagnosis of PD.
REGISTRISION
PROSPERO (CRD42022344413).
Humans
;
Parkinson Disease/diagnostic imaging*
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*
;
Iron/metabolism*
8.Molecular classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma based on hypoxia-related genes and clinical significance of STC2
ZHU Jianing ; WANG Tiantian ; ZHANG Rui ; SONG Hongquan
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(5):345-358
Objective :
To construct a molecular classification system for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) utilizing hypoxia-related gene (HAG) expression profiles, and to comprehensively examine the clinicopathological significance and biological functions of the hypoxia gene stanniocalcin 2 (STC2) in HNSCC.
Methods :
Transcriptomic data and clinical information of 546 HNSCC samples were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and based on the expression profiles of 200 HRGs, HNSCC was classified subclasses using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). HNSCC was classified into three subclasses (C1, C2, and C3), and the molecular characteristics and prognostic differences of the subclasses were assessed by comparing the tumor mutation load, functional enrichment analysis, drug sensitivity, and clinical features among the subclasses. LASSO-Cox regression was used to screen prognosis-related genes and construct prognostic models. Using oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)-related data in the TCGA database, we analyzed the expression differences of STC2 in OSCC and control samples, and detected the mRNA and protein expression of STC2 in oral squamous carcinoma samples using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. We knocked down STC2 in CAL-27 cells and verified the knockdown efficiency by qRT-PCR and Western blot. CCK-8 assay and cell scratch assay were used to assess the effect of STC2 on cell proliferation and migration ability.
Results:
Based on HRGs expression profiles, HNSCC was categorized into three subclasses (C1, C2, and C3). Subclass C1 had moderate hypoxic activity and good prognosis; subclass C2 had the highest hypoxic activity, poor prognosis, and poor sensitivity to CTLA-4 inhibitors (P<0.05); subclass C3 had the lowest hypoxic activity and moderate prognosis, and STC2 belonged to subclass C3. The frequency of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA), and tumor protein p53 (TP 53) mutations was higher in HNSCC. C1 genomic gain and deletion burden were significantly higher than C3 subclass (P<0.05) and C2 genomic gain than C3 subclass (P<0.05). The C2 subclass was significantly enriched in hypoxia-associated pathways, such as glycine metabolism and base excision repair (P<0.05). The C1, C2, and C3 subclasses were significantly positively correlated in terms of sex (male) (Cramer’s V=0.15), radiation exposure (Cramer’s V=0.12), medication (Cramer’s V=0.18), and pathological grading (G1/G2) (Cramer’s V=0.25) (P<0.05). Nine prognosis-related genes were screened by LASSO-Cox regression, among which high expression of STC2 was positively correlated with poorer overall survival (OS) in HNSCC patients (P<0.01). Bioinformatics analysis showed that STC2 mRNA expression was higher in OSCC than in normal controls (P<0.05). qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry confirmed that both mRNA and protein expression of STC2 were significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues and cells (P<0.01). In vitro experiments showed that STC2 expression was knocked down to approximately 80% in CAL-27 cells (P<0.001), and the STC2 knockdown group had a reduced value-added rate (P<0.001) and a reduced percentage of scratch closure (P<0.05) compared with the control group.
Conclusion
We successfully constructed a molecular typing system for HNSCC based on the expression profiles of HRGs and categorized HNSCC into three subclasses with significant prognostic differences, among which the C2 subclass had the highest hypoxic activity and the poorest prognosis. STC2 was highly expressed in HNSCC and suggested a poor prognosis, demonstrating that it may be a potential target for HNSCC treatment.
9.A real-world single-center retrospective analysis of technique options for sessile colorectal polypectomy
Yingnan DENG ; Hanyue DING ; Shengyu ZHANG ; Jianing LI ; Kun HE ; Qiang WANG ; Yunlu FENG ; Aiming YANG
Chinese Journal of Digestive Endoscopy 2025;42(5):396-403
Objective:To analyze the real-world practices of resecting sessile colorectal polyps of varying long diameters using cold forcep polypectomy (CFP), cold snare polypectomy (CSP), or endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR).Methods:A total of 12 290 nonpedunculated colorectal polyps of long diameter ≤19 mm (from 10 295 patients) were retrospectively enrolled from January 2022 to December 2023. Polypectomy was conducted by 30 endoscopists. The polyps were categorized into three groups based on long diameter: 1-5 mm, >5-10 mm and >10-19 mm, and the differences of polypectomy methods were compared in three groups. The usage of hemostatic clips in CSP among >5-10 mm polyps and the changes in resection methods between 2022 and 2023 were analyzed.Results:CFP (6 769 polyps, 81.7%) was the predominant method for resecting 1-5 mm sessile polyps (8 289 polyps). For sessile polyps sized >5-10 mm (2 455 polyps), CSP was used most (1 372, 55.9%), although its utilization varied significantly among physicians with the median usage rate of 52.9% (40.3%, 60.0%). EMR (1 349 poolyps, 87.3%) was the main method for >10-19 mm sessile polyps. The usage rate of CSP in sessile polypectomy for polyps >5-10 mm significantly increased from 45.7% (503/1 101) in 2022 to 64.2% (869/1 354) in 2023. The overall frequency of using clip in CSP for >5-10 mm sessile polyps was 40.1% (550/1 372), demonstrating notable variability among different endoscopists with median usage rate of 48.3% (29.8%, 67.9%).Conclusion:Varied resection methods are observed among endoscopists for sessile polyps measuring ≤19 mm. CFP is primarily utilized for polyps of 1-5 mm, while CSP is favored for polyps >5-10 mm, with an increasing annual usage rate. EMR is the main approach for the polyps >10-19 mm. Additionally, notable variations in the use of metal clips during CSP are observed among different physicians.
10.Epidemiological analysis of the adhesion glycoprotein gene characteristics of human respiratory syncytial virus in Xi'an from 2023 to 2024
Peng ZHANG ; Yangni DENG ; Shuling LI ; Yuewen HAN ; Yujie YANG ; Jianing WEI ; Ye ZHANG ; Yuanyuan DUAN ; Rui WU ; Hailong CHEN
Chinese Journal of Microbiology and Immunology 2025;45(10):809-816
Objective:To analyze the prevalence of human respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)and the evolutionary characteristics of the adhesion glycoprotein(G)gene in Xi'an from 2023 to 2024.Methods:Respiratory specimens were collected from patients with acute respiratory infections in Xi'an between October 2023 to October 2024. RSV nucleic acid screening was performed using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR;full-length G gene sequencing was conducted on nucleic acid-positive specimens. Genotyping characterization of the obtained sequences was performed using Nextclade v3.10.0 software.Results:A total of 2 548 respiratory tract infection samples were collected,with 104 cases(4.08%,104/2 548)testing positive for RSV. The highest RSV positivity rate was observed in children aged ≤1 year(12.24%,18/147),and significant difference in positivity rates were found among age groups(χ 2=37.868, P<0.001). Since October 2023,RSV has seen an epidemic peak during January to February 2024,and gradually declined thereafter,with no positive cases from May to September 2024. Among the 43 RSV-positive samples,12 strains were identified as subtype A(all genotype A.D.3),and 31 strains were subtype B(14 genotype B.D.4.1.1 and 17 genotype B.D.E.1). Conclusion:From October 2023 to October 2024,RSV had an epidemic peak in January and February in Xi'an,with subtype B being the predominant circulating type.


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