1.Causal chain linking genes,metabolites,and pancreatic cancer risk based on Mendelian randomization
Nuying ZHOU ; Jing SUN ; Kaiyan YANG ; Min LIU
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2025;34(9):1965-1974
Background and Aims:Pancreatic cancer(PC)is a highly lethal malignancy with poor prognosis and limited early diagnostic tools.Although numerous serum metabolites have been associated with PC risk in observational studies,the causal nature of these associations remains uncertain.This study aimed to evaluate the genetic causal relationships between serum metabolites and PC risk,identify PC-related risk genes,and elucidate the gene-metabolite-PC causal network.Methods:Two-sample Mendelian randomization(TSMR)and summary-data-based Mendelian randomization(SMR)analyses were performed by integrating GWAS data of 325 serum metabolites,GTEx v8 pancreatic tissue eQTL data,and FinnGen R12 PC GWAS data.The study assessed causal effects of metabolites on PC risk,identified risk-associated genes,and explored the potential mediating role of metabolites between genes and PC.Results:Four serum metabolites showed significant causal relationships with PC risk.Elevated serum albumin(OR=1.456,P=0.003)and free cholesterol percentage in small high-density lipoprotein(HDL)(OR=1.189,P=0.005)were associated with increased PC risk,whereas higher phospholipid percentages in intermediate-density lipoprotein(IDL)and small HDL were protective(OR=0.792 and 0.836,respectively;both P<0.01).SMR analysis identified 196 PC-related genes,including risk genes such as DGKQ,CDC37P1,and SULT1A2,and protective genes such as PALMD and HEG1.Thirty-two significant gene-metabolite causal pairs were further confirmed,indicating potential mediation of PC genetic risk through specific metabolic pathways.Conclusion:This study systematically clarified the causal relationships between serum metabolites and pancreatic cancer risk and established a gene-metabolite regulatory network.The findings highlight the central role of lipid metabolism in PC development and provide molecular evidence for early detection and personalized prevention strategies.
2.Causal chain linking genes,metabolites,and pancreatic cancer risk based on Mendelian randomization
Nuying ZHOU ; Jing SUN ; Kaiyan YANG ; Min LIU
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2025;34(9):1965-1974
Background and Aims:Pancreatic cancer(PC)is a highly lethal malignancy with poor prognosis and limited early diagnostic tools.Although numerous serum metabolites have been associated with PC risk in observational studies,the causal nature of these associations remains uncertain.This study aimed to evaluate the genetic causal relationships between serum metabolites and PC risk,identify PC-related risk genes,and elucidate the gene-metabolite-PC causal network.Methods:Two-sample Mendelian randomization(TSMR)and summary-data-based Mendelian randomization(SMR)analyses were performed by integrating GWAS data of 325 serum metabolites,GTEx v8 pancreatic tissue eQTL data,and FinnGen R12 PC GWAS data.The study assessed causal effects of metabolites on PC risk,identified risk-associated genes,and explored the potential mediating role of metabolites between genes and PC.Results:Four serum metabolites showed significant causal relationships with PC risk.Elevated serum albumin(OR=1.456,P=0.003)and free cholesterol percentage in small high-density lipoprotein(HDL)(OR=1.189,P=0.005)were associated with increased PC risk,whereas higher phospholipid percentages in intermediate-density lipoprotein(IDL)and small HDL were protective(OR=0.792 and 0.836,respectively;both P<0.01).SMR analysis identified 196 PC-related genes,including risk genes such as DGKQ,CDC37P1,and SULT1A2,and protective genes such as PALMD and HEG1.Thirty-two significant gene-metabolite causal pairs were further confirmed,indicating potential mediation of PC genetic risk through specific metabolic pathways.Conclusion:This study systematically clarified the causal relationships between serum metabolites and pancreatic cancer risk and established a gene-metabolite regulatory network.The findings highlight the central role of lipid metabolism in PC development and provide molecular evidence for early detection and personalized prevention strategies.
3.Identification of Effective Components of Curcumae Rhizome and Potential Targets for Chronic Pancreatitis:A Study Based on Network Pharmacology and Bioinformatics Analyses
Yang WU ; Chun ZHANG ; Run SHI ; Jing SUN ; Zili ZHANG ; Mei GUO ; Dong XU ; Min TU ; Kuirong JIANG
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(1):78-85
OBJECTIVE To explore the active components of Curcumae Rhizome as well as its potential value for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis(CP)using a combination of network pharmacology and bioinformatic approaches.METHODS Network pharma-cology methods were used to screen the active ingredients of Curcumae Rhizome and potential therapeutic targets for CP,and their ex-pression abundance and distribution in different cell types of CP were further analyzed in combination with CP tissue RNA sequencing data from publicly available databases.Molecular docking was performed to analyze the binding of the active components of Curcumae Rhizome to CP-related targets.Finally,the role of these core targets in pancreatic stellate cell(PSC)activation and related pathways was analyzed by single-cell RNA-sequencing to assess the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic potential of the active ingredients of Curcumae Rhizome in CP treatment.RESULTS The most effective component of Curcumae Rhizome,Hederagenin,was identified by network pharmacological analysis,and its two therapeutic targets associated with CP were identified:LYZ and Rxra.Molecular doc-king results demonstrated that Hederagenin had an extremely strong binding capacity to the Rxra protein(affinity score=-7.392 kcal·mol-1),a core target of CP.Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis further demonstrated that the hub target Rxra gene was closely associated with PSC activation and played an important role in PTN and TGF-β signaling pathways,the activation of which played a crucial role in the progression of chronic inflammation and fibrosis.CONCLUSION Curcumae Rhizome may provide new clues for the treatment of CP by inhibiting PSC activation.
4.Ring finger protein 130 improves myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting poly-ADP ribose polymerase 1 ubiquitination
Guo CHEN ; Mingheng LIU ; Jing WANG ; Jiabao SU ; Min WEI ; Haijian SUN ; Xuexue ZHU ; Qingbo LU
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(7):1-10
Objective To investigate the effect of ring finger protein 130(RNF130)on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury(MI/RI)and its potential mechanism.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups(n=6):Sham,MI/RI,MI/RI+Vector,and MI/RI+RNF130 overexpression(MI/RI+RNF130OE).Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography 24 hours after ischemia-reperfusion.Pathological changes,oxidative damage,and apoptosis in myocardial tissues were observed via IHC,DHE,and TUNEL staining.Protein expression was detected using Western blot,immunofluorescence,and immunohistochemistry.Proteomic analysis was performed to identify downstream proteins regulated by RNF130,and protein-protein interactions were validated by immunoprecipitation(IP)assay.Results Compared with the MI/RI+Vector group,RNF130 overexpression significantly improved cardiac function,as indicated by increased left ventricular ejection fraction(EF)and fractional shortening(FS),reduced myocardial infarction area,and decreased expression of NOX-2 and BAX proteins(P<0.05).DHE and TUNEL staining showed that RNF130 overexpression alleviated myocardial oxidative damage and apoptosis(P<0.05).Proteomic analysis and IP assays revealed a significant interaction between RNF130 and PARP1,with PARP1 expression inversely correlated with RNF130.Conclusions RNF130 may mitigate MI/RI injury by regulating the PARP1 ubiquitination pathway,providing a new target for therapeutic intervention.
5.Detection method of fatty acid composition and methoxyaniline value in pharmaceutical excipient castor oil
Lulu WANG ; Rui YANG ; Xiaofeng WANG ; Xiaosong SONG ; Jing ZHAO ; Luxia ZHENG ; Lei CHEN ; Baoming NING ; Xia ZHAO ; Hui-min SUN
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(2):156-161
Objective:To establish a detection method for fatty acid composition and methoxylaniline value in pharmaceutical excipient castor oil.Methods:The detection of fatty acid composition involves pre-test of the sam-ple using the methanol sodium methylation method,followed by direct injection analysis using gas chromatography,and finally calculating the content of each fatty acid composition using the area normalization method with correction factors.The detection of methoxylaniline value is achieved by dissolving and diluting the sample with isooctane:isopropanol(8∶2,volume ratio),reacting with 4-methoxylaniline,measuring the absorbance at a wavelength of 350 nm,and calculating the methoxylaniline value.Results:Under the composition of fatty acids,the 8 kinds of fatty acids have good separation degree.The methyl ricinoleate and methyl stearate have good linear relationship in the range of 0.1-5.0 mg·mL-1.The repeatabilityand intermediate precision(RSD)ofthe determination results of each fatty acid in the sample are all less than 5%.It is also found that only α-type of linolenic acid is present in castor oil,without γ-type.In the determination of methoxyaniline value,the blank solvent does not interfere with the determination of the sample,and the repeatability RSD is 3.6%.Conclusion:The detection method for fatty acid composition and meth-oxylaniline value established in this article is accurate and reliable,and can be used for the detection of fatty acid composition and methoxylaniline value in pharmaceutical excipient castor oil.
6.Health economic evaluation of minimally invasive surgery in treatment of digestive tract cancers: a Meta-analysis
Xiaoyue YIN ; Ning ZHOU ; Xueli YANG ; Zhuoyu SUN ; Yinghui BAO ; Shengshu WANG ; Ke HAN ; Jing LONG ; Min ZHAO ; Haowei LI ; Rongrong LI ; Shimin CHEN ; Junhan YANG ; Huaihao LI ; Yueting SHI ; Guoning ZHU ; Jianhua WANG ; Shanshan YANG ; Boyan LI ; Wenchang WANG ; Shengyan DU ; Yao HE ; Enqiang LING-HU ; Huikai LI ; Miao LIU ; Juan XIE
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(1):154-165
Objective:To compare minimally invasive surgery with traditional open surgery, analyze the current application status of health economic evaluations in the treatment of digestive tract cancers, such as esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer by minimally invasive surgery and provide evidence for the rational selection of clinical treatment, alleviation of disease-related economic burdens, and rational allocation of healthcare resources.Methods:By using five databases, i.e. China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, and Embase, a database was established to retrieve all the papers about health economic studies of minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer published until December 31, 2023. Literature was analyzed by using software NoteExpress 3.8, and data were processed using Excel 2021. The quality of included papers was evaluated using the CHEERS 2022 checklist, and Meta-analysis was conducted by using software Stata 17.0.Results:A total of 10 919 relevant papers were retrieved, and 59 studies were included. Only 14 studies (23.7%) used standard health economic evaluation methods. Meta-analysis results revealed no significant differences in direct medical expenditure and total expenditure between minimally invasive surgery and open surgery. However, the expenditure for minimally invasive surgery exhibited a significant increase [mean difference ( MD)=5 973.12 yuan, P<0.001], while hospital stay and indirect expenditure significantly decreased ( MD: -4.85 days and -733.79 yuan, P<0.001). In China, for gastric cancer, the direct medical expenditure of endoscopic surgery was lower than that of open surgery ( MD=-33 000.00 yuan) with no significant difference ( P<0.001). In colorectal cancer cases, the direct medical and surgical expenditures for laparoscopic surgery were higher than those for open surgery ( MD: 4 277.94 yuan and 4 267.80 yuan, P<0.001), while the indirect and total medical expenditures decreased ( MD: -768.34 yuan and -159.10 yuan). Hospital stays in patients who had minimally invasive surgery for all three types of cancer were shorter than those who had open surgery ( P<0.001). Conclusions:In the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer, compared with open surgery, minimally invasive surgery shows higher expenditure, but has advantages, such as shorter hospital stay and lower indirect expenditure, and there were no significant differences in direct medical and total expenditures between the two approaches. When conducting health economic evaluation, factors such as postoperative complications, hospital stay, and patient's economic status should be considered for their impact on total medical expenditure. It is necessary to pay attention to the application of health economic evaluations in healthcare decision-making.
7.Analysis on psychosocial factors for early puberty in children
Ying LI ; Shanshan WANG ; Yue YU ; Min ZUO ; Jing LI ; Xuebing LING ; Fangbiao TAO ; Deyun LIU ; Ying SUN
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(3):469-475
Objective:To investigate the effects of psychosocial factors on early puberty and its sex specific differences.Methods:Bengbu Yuhui Longitudinal Study of Children Development Cohort, consisting of 1 162 students in grades 1-3 (524 girls) and their parents, was established in April 2021 in Bengbu, Anhui Province. The parents were surveyed by questionnaire to collect the information about their children's 56 items of psychosocial factor exposures, including 5 dimensions: major life events, early life adversity, interpersonal/relational conflict, family economic status and daily life troubles. Pubertal growth and physical examinations were conducted by trained professionals at baseline, the 1 st (May 2022), 2 nd (October 2022), 3 rd (May 2023), and 4 th (October 2023) follow-up surveys. In this study, the pubertal development status data were from the 4 th follow-up examination. Fianally, the valid data on pubertal development of 1 105 children were obtained, including the data from 510 girls (46.15%). Multinomial logistic regression model was used to analyze the association between psychosocial factors and early puberty, and the final predictors of early puberty were explored by using four models [least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), multiple logistic regression, ridge regression, and Bayesian]. Results:The detection rates of early puberty in boys and girls were 13.60% and 16.30%, respectively. The median of intra-group absolute correlation of psychosocial factor exposure (0.042-0.066) was generally higher than that of inter-group among girls (0.031-0.059), while no similar diference was found among boys. LASSO model showed that moving house, being raised by someone other than parents, sexual abuse, peer conflict, high monthly household income, and high exposure to electronics on school days were predictors of early puberty in girls, while moving house and high monthly household income were the predictors of early puberty in girls in all four models (LASSO, multiple logistic regression, ridge regression, and Bayesian). Among boys, only a transient loss from family was a predictor of early puberty.Conclusion:Early puberty in children can be predicted by psychosocial factors, and there are gender-specific differences.
8.Ring finger protein 130 improves myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting poly-ADP ribose polymerase 1 ubiquitination
Guo CHEN ; Mingheng LIU ; Jing WANG ; Jiabao SU ; Min WEI ; Haijian SUN ; Xuexue ZHU ; Qingbo LU
Chinese Journal of Comparative Medicine 2025;35(7):1-10
Objective To investigate the effect of ring finger protein 130(RNF130)on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury(MI/RI)and its potential mechanism.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were divided into four groups(n=6):Sham,MI/RI,MI/RI+Vector,and MI/RI+RNF130 overexpression(MI/RI+RNF130OE).Cardiac function was evaluated by echocardiography 24 hours after ischemia-reperfusion.Pathological changes,oxidative damage,and apoptosis in myocardial tissues were observed via IHC,DHE,and TUNEL staining.Protein expression was detected using Western blot,immunofluorescence,and immunohistochemistry.Proteomic analysis was performed to identify downstream proteins regulated by RNF130,and protein-protein interactions were validated by immunoprecipitation(IP)assay.Results Compared with the MI/RI+Vector group,RNF130 overexpression significantly improved cardiac function,as indicated by increased left ventricular ejection fraction(EF)and fractional shortening(FS),reduced myocardial infarction area,and decreased expression of NOX-2 and BAX proteins(P<0.05).DHE and TUNEL staining showed that RNF130 overexpression alleviated myocardial oxidative damage and apoptosis(P<0.05).Proteomic analysis and IP assays revealed a significant interaction between RNF130 and PARP1,with PARP1 expression inversely correlated with RNF130.Conclusions RNF130 may mitigate MI/RI injury by regulating the PARP1 ubiquitination pathway,providing a new target for therapeutic intervention.
9.Research progress of sexual health in cardiovascular disease patients
Xiu TAO ; Min GAO ; Jing LU ; Jie WANG ; Gaoqin WEN ; Qin WANG ; Guozhen SUN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(9):1244-1249
With the continuous rise in the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the prolongation of life expectancy of patients living with the disease, improving the quality of life of patients has become an important management goal. Sexual life, as a basic physiological need in human survival, is also a key component of the quality of life for CVD patients. However, due to the impact of the disease, sexual health issues are common among CVD patients and have adverse effects on their quality of life, mental health, and marital relationships, which should be addressed promptly. This article reviews the definitions related to sexual health, the current research on sexual health in CVD patients, research tools related to sexual health, influencing factors of sexual health in CVD patients, and sexual health interventions, aiming to provide a reference for clinical research in this area.
10.Detection method of fatty acid composition and methoxyaniline value in pharmaceutical excipient castor oil
Lulu WANG ; Rui YANG ; Xiaofeng WANG ; Xiaosong SONG ; Jing ZHAO ; Luxia ZHENG ; Lei CHEN ; Baoming NING ; Xia ZHAO ; Hui-min SUN
Drug Standards of China 2025;26(2):156-161
Objective:To establish a detection method for fatty acid composition and methoxylaniline value in pharmaceutical excipient castor oil.Methods:The detection of fatty acid composition involves pre-test of the sam-ple using the methanol sodium methylation method,followed by direct injection analysis using gas chromatography,and finally calculating the content of each fatty acid composition using the area normalization method with correction factors.The detection of methoxylaniline value is achieved by dissolving and diluting the sample with isooctane:isopropanol(8∶2,volume ratio),reacting with 4-methoxylaniline,measuring the absorbance at a wavelength of 350 nm,and calculating the methoxylaniline value.Results:Under the composition of fatty acids,the 8 kinds of fatty acids have good separation degree.The methyl ricinoleate and methyl stearate have good linear relationship in the range of 0.1-5.0 mg·mL-1.The repeatabilityand intermediate precision(RSD)ofthe determination results of each fatty acid in the sample are all less than 5%.It is also found that only α-type of linolenic acid is present in castor oil,without γ-type.In the determination of methoxyaniline value,the blank solvent does not interfere with the determination of the sample,and the repeatability RSD is 3.6%.Conclusion:The detection method for fatty acid composition and meth-oxylaniline value established in this article is accurate and reliable,and can be used for the detection of fatty acid composition and methoxylaniline value in pharmaceutical excipient castor oil.

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