1.Evolution-guided design of mini-protein for high-contrast in vivo imaging.
Nongyu HUANG ; Yang CAO ; Guangjun XIONG ; Suwen CHEN ; Juan CHENG ; Yifan ZHOU ; Chengxin ZHANG ; Xiaoqiong WEI ; Wenling WU ; Yawen HU ; Pei ZHOU ; Guolin LI ; Fulei ZHAO ; Fanlian ZENG ; Xiaoyan WANG ; Jiadong YU ; Chengcheng YUE ; Xinai CUI ; Kaijun CUI ; Huawei CAI ; Yuquan WEI ; Yang ZHANG ; Jiong LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(10):5327-5345
Traditional development of small protein scaffolds has relied on display technologies and mutation-based engineering, which limit sequence and functional diversity, thereby constraining their therapeutic and application potential. Protein design tools have significantly advanced the creation of novel protein sequences, structures, and functions. However, further improvements in design strategies are still needed to more efficiently optimize the functional performance of protein-based drugs and enhance their druggability. Here, we extended an evolution-based design protocol to create a novel minibinder, BindHer, against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). It not only exhibits super stability and binding selectivity but also demonstrates remarkable properties in tissue specificity. Radiolabeling experiments with 99mTc, 68Ga, and 18F revealed that BindHer efficiently targets tumors in HER2-positive breast cancer mouse models, with minimal nonspecific liver absorption, outperforming scaffolds designed through traditional engineering. These findings highlight a new rational approach to automated protein design, offering significant potential for large-scale applications in therapeutic mini-protein development.
2.Analysis of Inpatient Mortality Cases in a Tertiary General Hospital in Beijing Based on Diagnosis-related Groups
Yufei ZHANG ; Jiong ZHOU ; Xiaojun MA ; Xiaoran WANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(3):697-702
To analyze inpatient mortality cases in a tertiary general hospital in Beijing based on diagnosis-related groups (DRG), with the aim of providing references for healthcare quality management. We retrospectively collected DRG data of hospitalized patients admitted to a tertiary general hospital in Beijing from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2023. Mortality cases were analyzed according to mortality risk stratification, with a focus on the temporal trends, departmental distribution, and DRG composition of low/medium-low mortality risk cases. Among 927 304 DRG-classified hospitalizations, 2346 cases resulted in death (stratified into 130 low-risk, 209 medium-low-risk, 411 medium-high-risk, and 1596 high-risk cases), yielding an overall mortality rate of 0.25%. The mortality rates were 0.02% (130/680 939) in the low-risk group and 0.16% (209/130 449) in the medium-low-risk group. From 2015 to 2023, the mortality rate showed a significant downward trend ( Critical care units accounted for the highest proportion of mortality cases, with surgical patients having complications/comorbidities representing the major DRG-related factors for low/medium-low-risk deaths. Hospitals should prioritize these findings by identifying areas for improvement, implementing multidisciplinary case reviews, and strengthening patient safety measures.
3.Baseline characteristics and short-term safety of lecanemab in treatment of Alzheimer's disease:a real-world study
Nan ZHANG ; Hengge XIE ; Gang WANG ; Jiong ZHOU ; Kunmu ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Geriatric Heart Brain and Vessel Diseases 2025;27(7):915-919
Objective To evaluate the baseline characteristics and short-term safety of lecanemab in treatment of Alzheimer's disease(AD)in Chinese patients in a real-world study.Methods A mul-ticenter,retrospective,observational study was conducted on 646 AD patients who were continu-ously recruited and receved of lecanemab therapy in 84 medical centers from June 26,2024 to March 1,2025.Their clinical data,including baseline Mini-mental state examination(MMSE)score and clinical dementia rating(CDR)score before and after treatment,were collected,and the CDR-global score(CDR-GS)and CDR-sum of box score were calculated.The incidences of infu-sion-related reactions(IRR)and amyloid-related imaging abnormalities(ARIA),including ARIA with edema and effusion(ARIA-E)and ARIA with hemosiderin deposit(ARIA-H)within 3 months of treatment were observed and recorded.Apolipoprotein E(ApoE)genetic test was per-formed on 454 patients.Baseline characteristics and short-term safety of the patients were ana-lyzed.Results There were 301 patients(46.59%)having a baseline CDR-GS score of 0.5 and 345(53.41%)patients had a CDR score of 1.In the 454 patients receiving genetic test,the ApoEε4 carriers accounted for 31.27%(202 cases),including 17 cases of ApoEε4 homozygous carriers(8.42%).The incidence of IRR was 4.95%(32/646),which mainly occurred during the first infu-sion(90.63%,29/32),and there were 96.88%(31/32)of mild and 3.13%(1/32)of moderate IRR,with main manifestations of fever,dizziness,vomiting,etc.Sixteen patients(2.48%)experienced ARIA,including 5(31.25%)ARIA-E,10(62.50%)ARIA-H,and 1(6.25%)ARIA-E and ARIA-H.For the 5 patients with ARIA-E,2 were symptomatic,and in terms of radiographic severity,3 cases were mild and 2 cases were moderate ARIA-E.In the 10 patients with ARIA-H,all of them had no clinical symptoms,and in terms of radiographic severity,6 had mild and 4 had moderate ARIA-H.Among the 17 ApoEε4 homozygous patients,only one patient(5.88%)experi-enced ARIA-H with a moderate radiographic severity.Multivariate analysis showed that age in-creased the trend of ARIA risk,but no statistical difference was observed(P=0.056).Conclusion In this real-world study in China,AD patients receiving lecanemab treatment have the characteris-tics of being younger in age but higher disease severity.Short-term follow-up data suggest that lecanemab has good safety.
4.Strengthening the Maternal Health Management System to Safeguard Regional Maternal and Child Safety
Zhanjie ZHANG ; Yunqing XIAO ; Qing CHANG ; Hui PAN ; Jiong ZHOU ; Jinsong GAO ; Yu ZHANG ; Xiaojun MA
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;17(1):125-132
The health of women and children serves as the cornerstone of comprehensive public health and represents a crucial barometer for measuring social progress and civilization. It directly impacts family well-being and social harmony. As a national-level guidance center for complex disease diagnosis and treatment, Beijing's critical maternal care center, and the designated consultation hospital for pregnancy complicated by rheumatic immune and endocrine disorders, Peking Union Medical College Hospital bears significant responsibilities in managing complex medical cases and implementing counterpart assistance programs. Confronted with diverse and complicated maternal sources, particularly emergency cases lacking standardized prenatal care, the hospital has established a multi-tiered, whole-process, and comprehensive maternal-infant safety management system. Through implementing high-risk maternal management protocols, optimizing critical care procedures, promoting informatization development, and enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has substantially improved the efficiency of critical maternal care and maternal-infant safety assurance. This paper systematically summarizes the institutional development experience in maternal management and explores potential optimization approaches, aiming to provide valuable references for enhancing maternal-infant safety management systems in domestic healthcare institutions.
5.Peach foliin promotes mitochondrial autophagy in ischemic stroke rats through PINK1/Parkin pathway
Jie LI ; Yuan LI ; Meiyun ZHOU ; Yanyao DENG ; Fangbo LIN ; Huiwei WAN ; Jiong SONG ; Junjun LIANG
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2025;41(3):335-341
Objective:To investigate the effect of aucubin(AU)on mitochondrial autophagy in the hippocampus of ischemic stroke(IS)rats by regulating the pten-induced kinase protein 1(PINK1)/cytoplasmic E3-ubiquitin ligase(Parkin)signaling pathway.Methods:The IS rat model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),and was randomly divided into IS group,low-dose AU group(AU-L),medium-dose AU group(AU-M),high-dose AU group(AU-H),and high-dose AU combined with 3-MA group(AU-H+3-MA).The rats without liga-tion were used as the Sham surgery group.Zea Longa score was used to evaluate the neurological function of rats.TTC staining was used to detect the percentage of cerebral infarction volume.The microstructures of mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy,and the changes of autophagy protein-microtubule associated protein light chain 3B(LC3B)and p62 were detected by immunohistochemistry.Hippocampal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL.PINK1/Parkin-related protein expression in hippocampus was detected by Western blot.Results:Neurological function score of IS rats was increased(P<0.05),cerebral infarction was observed by TTC staining,the expression of mito-chondrial autophagy protein p62 in hippocampus was up-regulated(P<0.05),the expression of LC3B was down-regu-lated(P<0.05),the number of autophagosomes was decreased(P<0.05),and apoptosis in hippocampus was in-creased(P<0.05),the expression of PINK1 and ARKIN protein in hippocampus was down-regulated(P<0.05).After AU intervention,the neural function score of rats was decreased,the percentage of cerebral infarction volume was reduced,the positive expression of p62 in hippocampus was down-regulated(P<0.05),the positive expression of LC3B was up-regulated(P<0.05),and the number of autophagosomes was increased(P<0.05),the apoptosis of hippocampus was decreased(P<0.05),and the expression of PINK1 and ARKIN protein in hippocampus was in-creased(P<0.05).3-MA blocked the therapeutic effect of AU and aggravated the nerve injury in rats.Conclusion:AU promotes hippocampal mitochondrial autophagy and improves neurological damage in IS rats by activating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway.
6.Unraveling the Multi-target Regulatory Network of Dahuang Zhechong Pill in Intestinal Fibrosis via Integrated Multi-omics and Computational Biology
Zhuxiu ZHOU ; Jiong MA ; Haibing HUA ; Zhimin FAN ; Desong KONG ; Bao YUAN
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(10):2817-2835
Objective To explore the anti-intestinal fibrosis mechanism of Dahuang Zhechong pill.Methods Based on the network pharmacology method,the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform,SwissTargetPrediction database and metabolomics technology was used.OmicsNet 2.0 platform combined with the findings of network pharmacology and metabolomics,and molecular simulation docking and molecular biology methods were used to study the mechanism of anti-intestinal fibrosis of Dahuang Zhechong pill.Results Dahuang Zhechong pill contains 142 potential active ingredients and 855 anti-intestinal fibrosis targets.The 10 core ingredients(quercetin,acacetin,oroxylin a,kaempferol,moslosooflavone,panicolin,etc.)may play a role in regulating lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis,EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance,HIF-1 signaling pathway,TNF signaling pathway and IL-17 signaling pathway.Metabolomics results showed that 59 endogenous substances(oxaloacetic acid,ethylthioisonicamide,6-benzylaminopurine,tyrosine and cortisol,etc.)may be the key metabolites of this drug against intestinal fibrosis.Central carbon metabolism,TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism were the key mechanisms,EGFR,AKT1,MAPK1,PTPN11,CASP3,PPARG,MET and PDGFRB may be the core targets.Dahuang Zhechong pill could significantly improve the levels of colorectal edema,inflammatory factors,inflammatory cell infiltration,collagen fiber deposition and α-SMA expression in mice with intestinal fibrosis,reduce the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors IL-17 and IL-23 in serum,and increase the level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10.Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated stable conformational binding between core active ingredients and key targets.Conclusion Dahuang Zhechong pill may regulate EGFR/AKT1/MAPK mediated metabolism-inflammation interaction network through flavonoid components,and can improve intestinal fibrosis in multiple dimensions through molecular validation.
7.Six cases of NPRL2-related epilepsy and literature review
Shimin ZHANG ; Jing LIU ; Qiu LYU ; Qianru JIAO ; Yue NIU ; Zhao XU ; Zongpu ZHOU ; Jiong QIN ; Zhixian YANG
Chinese Journal of Applied Clinical Pediatrics 2025;40(1):56-59
Objective:To summarize the clinical phenotypes, genotypes, and treatment outcomes of NPRL2-related epilepsy. Methods:This was a case summary.Clinical data of patients with NRPL2 variants admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People′s Hospital between October 1, 2013 and October 31, 2023 were retrospectively analyzed.Previous reports of patients with the same disease were reviewed. Results:Six cases of NPRL2-related epilepsy were collected, and 37 cases were reported in the previous literatures.The age of onset ranged from 3 days to 18 years with the median age of 24 months.There were 15 patients with onset in infancy.Among the 41 patients diagnosed with epilepsy, 73.1% (30/41) had focal seizures, 34.1% (14/41) had frontal lobe epilepsy, and 17.1% (7/41) had epileptic spasms.Among the patients with known cranial imaging, 58.6% (17/29) had cortical malformations. NPRL2 variants involved 11 nonsense mutations, 10 splice site mutations, 7 frameshift mutations, 1 large fragment deletion, and 14 missense mutations; among them, 39 mutations were pathogenic or likely pathogenic, while the rest 4 mutations had unclear pathogenicity.Among the 27 patients with known outcomes, 11 (40.7%) had no seizures after administration of 1 or 2 types of drugs, and 16 (59.2%) had drug-resistant epilepsy.Among the 16 patients, 1 had no seizures after treatment with 3 types of anti seizure medications, and 7 had no seizures after surgery.Most patients had varying degrees of delay in intellectual and motor development. Conclusions:Patients with NPRL2 variants usually present with frequent focal seizures and epileptic spasms, and the age of onset varies greatly.About half of the patients have drug-resistant epilepsy, half of whom have cortical malformations.For those with drug-resistant epilepsy and abnormal cranial imaging, surgery may be considered.
8.Two cases of leukoencephalopathy with calcifications and cysts and literature review
Shimin ZHANG ; Jing LIU ; Qiu LYU ; Qianru JIAO ; Yue NIU ; Zhao XU ; Zongpu ZHOU ; Jiong QIN ; Zhixian YANG
Chinese Journal of Applied Clinical Pediatrics 2025;40(9):685-689
Objective:To summarize the phenotype and genotype of leukoencephalopathy with calcifications and cysts(LCC).Methods:A case summary.Clinical, imaging, and genetic data of 2 patients with early-onset LCC admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People′s Hospital between December 2023 and August 2024 were retrospectively summarized.A review of the literature was also conducted.Results:Case 1: a 19-month-old female infant presented with febrile seizures in infancy and mild developmental delay.Trio whole-exome sequencing (trio-WES) identified compound heterozygous pathogenic variants in the SNORD118 gene: n.92C>T (paternally inherited) and n. 72A>G (maternally inherited). Case 2: an 11-year-and-4-month-old girl had non-specific encephalopathy in the neonatal period, developmental delay with regression, and seizures since early childhood.Trio-WES revealed compound heterozygous pathogenic variants in SNORD118: n.3C>T (paternally inherited) and n. 57G>C (maternally inherited). Both cases showed typical imaging findings of leukoencephalopathy, intracranial calcifications, and cysts.Case 2 has been treated with Bevacizumab for 3 months and remains under follow-up.Combining this 2 cases with previously reported genetically confirmed cases, a total of 97 LCC patients with identified SNORD118 variants were analyzed.The median age of onset was 5 years.Seventy-one cases had childhood onset, including 31 cases with onset at ≤1 year.The inaugural symptoms were: seizures in 40 patients (41.2%), motor disorders in 25 patients (25.8%), developmental delay or cognitive impairment in 19 patients (19.6%) and headaches or increased intracranial pressure in 13 patients (13.4%). Neurological dysfunctions progress during the course.All patients had typical leukoencephalopathy, intracranial calcifications and cysts, with varied imaging progress.A total of 61 variants of SNORD118 were reported and most were compound heterozygous variants.Treatment is primarily symptomatic.Three out of the 4 patients treated with Bevacizumab showed improvement. Conclusions:LCC is a rare autosomal recessive inherited cerebral microangiopathy, characterized by progressive neurological dysfunction and radiological triad of diffuse and asymmetric leukoencephalopathy, intracranial calcifications and cysts.Patients with pathogenic SNORD118 variants should definitely be diagnosed.Symptomatic treatment is the mainstay therapy and Bevacizumab may slow down the progression.
9.Unraveling the Multi-target Regulatory Network of Dahuang Zhechong Pill in Intestinal Fibrosis via Integrated Multi-omics and Computational Biology
Zhuxiu ZHOU ; Jiong MA ; Haibing HUA ; Zhimin FAN ; Desong KONG ; Bao YUAN
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(10):2817-2835
Objective To explore the anti-intestinal fibrosis mechanism of Dahuang Zhechong pill.Methods Based on the network pharmacology method,the traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology database and analysis platform,SwissTargetPrediction database and metabolomics technology was used.OmicsNet 2.0 platform combined with the findings of network pharmacology and metabolomics,and molecular simulation docking and molecular biology methods were used to study the mechanism of anti-intestinal fibrosis of Dahuang Zhechong pill.Results Dahuang Zhechong pill contains 142 potential active ingredients and 855 anti-intestinal fibrosis targets.The 10 core ingredients(quercetin,acacetin,oroxylin a,kaempferol,moslosooflavone,panicolin,etc.)may play a role in regulating lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis,EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance,HIF-1 signaling pathway,TNF signaling pathway and IL-17 signaling pathway.Metabolomics results showed that 59 endogenous substances(oxaloacetic acid,ethylthioisonicamide,6-benzylaminopurine,tyrosine and cortisol,etc.)may be the key metabolites of this drug against intestinal fibrosis.Central carbon metabolism,TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism were the key mechanisms,EGFR,AKT1,MAPK1,PTPN11,CASP3,PPARG,MET and PDGFRB may be the core targets.Dahuang Zhechong pill could significantly improve the levels of colorectal edema,inflammatory factors,inflammatory cell infiltration,collagen fiber deposition and α-SMA expression in mice with intestinal fibrosis,reduce the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors IL-17 and IL-23 in serum,and increase the level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10.Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated stable conformational binding between core active ingredients and key targets.Conclusion Dahuang Zhechong pill may regulate EGFR/AKT1/MAPK mediated metabolism-inflammation interaction network through flavonoid components,and can improve intestinal fibrosis in multiple dimensions through molecular validation.
10.Peach foliin promotes mitochondrial autophagy in ischemic stroke rats through PINK1/Parkin pathway
Jie LI ; Yuan LI ; Meiyun ZHOU ; Yanyao DENG ; Fangbo LIN ; Huiwei WAN ; Jiong SONG ; Junjun LIANG
Chinese Journal of Neuroanatomy 2025;41(3):335-341
Objective:To investigate the effect of aucubin(AU)on mitochondrial autophagy in the hippocampus of ischemic stroke(IS)rats by regulating the pten-induced kinase protein 1(PINK1)/cytoplasmic E3-ubiquitin ligase(Parkin)signaling pathway.Methods:The IS rat model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO),and was randomly divided into IS group,low-dose AU group(AU-L),medium-dose AU group(AU-M),high-dose AU group(AU-H),and high-dose AU combined with 3-MA group(AU-H+3-MA).The rats without liga-tion were used as the Sham surgery group.Zea Longa score was used to evaluate the neurological function of rats.TTC staining was used to detect the percentage of cerebral infarction volume.The microstructures of mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscopy,and the changes of autophagy protein-microtubule associated protein light chain 3B(LC3B)and p62 were detected by immunohistochemistry.Hippocampal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL.PINK1/Parkin-related protein expression in hippocampus was detected by Western blot.Results:Neurological function score of IS rats was increased(P<0.05),cerebral infarction was observed by TTC staining,the expression of mito-chondrial autophagy protein p62 in hippocampus was up-regulated(P<0.05),the expression of LC3B was down-regu-lated(P<0.05),the number of autophagosomes was decreased(P<0.05),and apoptosis in hippocampus was in-creased(P<0.05),the expression of PINK1 and ARKIN protein in hippocampus was down-regulated(P<0.05).After AU intervention,the neural function score of rats was decreased,the percentage of cerebral infarction volume was reduced,the positive expression of p62 in hippocampus was down-regulated(P<0.05),the positive expression of LC3B was up-regulated(P<0.05),and the number of autophagosomes was increased(P<0.05),the apoptosis of hippocampus was decreased(P<0.05),and the expression of PINK1 and ARKIN protein in hippocampus was in-creased(P<0.05).3-MA blocked the therapeutic effect of AU and aggravated the nerve injury in rats.Conclusion:AU promotes hippocampal mitochondrial autophagy and improves neurological damage in IS rats by activating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail