1.Integration of deep neural network modeling and LC-MS-based pseudo-targeted metabolomics to discriminate easily confused ginseng species
Meiting JIANG ; Yuyang SHA ; Yadan ZOU ; Xiaoyan XU ; Mengxiang DING ; Xu LIAN ; Hongda WANG ; Qilong WANG ; Kefeng LI ; De-An GUO ; Wenzhi YANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(1):126-137
Metabolomics covers a wide range of applications in life sciences,biomedicine,and phytology.Data acquisition(to achieve high coverage and efficiency)and analysis(to pursue good classification)are two key segments involved in metabolomics workflows.Various chemometric approaches utilizing either pattern recognition or machine learning have been employed to separate different groups.However,insufficient feature extraction,inappropriate feature selection,overfitting,or underfitting lead to an insufficient capacity to discriminate plants that are often easily confused.Using two ginseng varieties,namely Panax japonicus(PJ)and Panax japonicus var.major(PJvm),containing the similar ginsenosides,we integrated pseudo-targeted metabolomics and deep neural network(DNN)modeling to achieve accurate species differentiation.A pseudo-targeted metabolomics approach was optimized through data acquisition mode,ion pairs generation,comparison between multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)and scheduled MRM(sMRM),and chromatographic elution gradient.In total,1980 ion pairs were monitored within 23 min,allowing for the most comprehensive ginseng metabolome analysis.The established DNN model demonstrated excellent classification performance(in terms of accuracy,precision,recall,F1 score,area under the curve,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC))using the entire metabolome data and feature-selection dataset,exhibiting superior advantages over random forest(RF),support vector ma-chine(SVM),extreme gradient boosting(XGBoost),and multilayer perceptron(MLP).Moreover,DNNs were advantageous for automated feature learning,nonlinear modeling,adaptability,and generalization.This study confirmed practicality of the established strategy for efficient metabolomics data analysis and reliable classification performance even when using small-volume samples.This established approach holds promise for plant metabolomics and is not limited to ginseng.
2.Integration of deep neural network modeling and LC-MS-based pseudo-targeted metabolomics to discriminate easily confused ginseng species.
Meiting JIANG ; Yuyang SHA ; Yadan ZOU ; Xiaoyan XU ; Mengxiang DING ; Xu LIAN ; Hongda WANG ; Qilong WANG ; Kefeng LI ; De-An GUO ; Wenzhi YANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(1):101116-101116
Metabolomics covers a wide range of applications in life sciences, biomedicine, and phytology. Data acquisition (to achieve high coverage and efficiency) and analysis (to pursue good classification) are two key segments involved in metabolomics workflows. Various chemometric approaches utilizing either pattern recognition or machine learning have been employed to separate different groups. However, insufficient feature extraction, inappropriate feature selection, overfitting, or underfitting lead to an insufficient capacity to discriminate plants that are often easily confused. Using two ginseng varieties, namely Panax japonicus (PJ) and Panax japonicus var. major (PJvm), containing the similar ginsenosides, we integrated pseudo-targeted metabolomics and deep neural network (DNN) modeling to achieve accurate species differentiation. A pseudo-targeted metabolomics approach was optimized through data acquisition mode, ion pairs generation, comparison between multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and scheduled MRM (sMRM), and chromatographic elution gradient. In total, 1980 ion pairs were monitored within 23 min, allowing for the most comprehensive ginseng metabolome analysis. The established DNN model demonstrated excellent classification performance (in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, area under the curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC)) using the entire metabolome data and feature-selection dataset, exhibiting superior advantages over random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and multilayer perceptron (MLP). Moreover, DNNs were advantageous for automated feature learning, nonlinear modeling, adaptability, and generalization. This study confirmed practicality of the established strategy for efficient metabolomics data analysis and reliable classification performance even when using small-volume samples. This established approach holds promise for plant metabolomics and is not limited to ginseng.
3.Natural course of renal angiomyolipoma and risk factors for its progression
Zhongqing MIAO ; Dong DU ; Zeyu LIN ; Qizhi DU ; Han XUE ; Chunmei LUO ; Kefeng XIAO ; Hongtao JIANG
Chinese Journal of Urology 2025;46(3):192-197
Objective:To clarify the natural course of renal angiomyolipoma and the risk factors for its progression.Methods:This was a retrospective case-control study that included 401 patients diagnosed several times by ultrasound examination in the hospital physical examination system from January 2012 to June 2024. All patients were untreated. There were 128 male cases (31.90%) and 273 female cases (68.10%). The average age at initial diagnosis was (44.04 ± 10.24) years (range 22-78 years). The median longest diameter of the tumor at initial diagnosis was 9.0 (7.0, 11.5) mm. There were 359 cases (89.50%) with single tumors and 42 cases (10.50%) with multiple tumors. The patients were divided into the progression group(≥1 mm/year) and the non-progression group (<1 mm/year)based on the average growth rate of tumor. The differences in gender, age at initial diagnosis, initial tumor size, number of lesions and lesion site between the two groups were compared. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between the above factors and the progression of renal angiomyolipoma. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for progression.Results:A total of 401 cases were followed up for an average of (88.15 ± 21.09) months (range 48-140 months). The median maximum diameter of the tumors at the initial diagnosis was 9.0 (7.0, 11.5) mm, and at the end of the follow-up, it was 11 (8, 14) mm. The average growth rate was 0.38 mm/year, and the median growth rate was 0.25 (0, 0.60) mm/year. Among them, 341 cases (85.04%) were in the non-progression group with an average growth rate of 0.14 mm/year, and 60 cases (14.96%) were in the progression group with an average growth rate of 1.74 mm/year. The age of the progression group was lower than that of the non-progression group [(41.43 ± 9.64) years vs. (44.50±10.29) years], the initial maximum diameter of the tumors in the progression group was larger than that in the non-progression group [11.0 (8.0, 16.0) mm vs. 9.0 (7.0, 11.0) mm], and the proportion of multiple tumors in the progression group was higher than that in the non-progression group [14 cases (23.30%) vs. 28 cases (8.20%)], and the differences were all statistically significant ( P<0.05). Age at initial diagnosis( OR=0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99), initial tumor size ( OR=1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12) and number of lesions ( OR=2.96, 95% CI 1.38-6.34) were the risk factors for the growth of renal angiomyolipoma ( P<0.05), according to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions:The natural history of most renal angiomyolipoma shows slow growth or relative quiescence, with a small number showing a significant increasing trend. Age at initial diagnosis, initial tumor size and number of lesions were independent risk factors for the growth of renal angiomyolipoma.
4.Study on the correlation between urinary crystals and components of urinary calculi
Jinan GUO ; Zhongqing MIAO ; Kefeng XIAO ; Hongtao JIANG
Chinese Journal of Urology 2025;46(10):734-738
Objectives:This study aims to investigate the correlation between urinary crystals and the components of urinary calculi in patients with urinary calculi,as well as the accuracy of urine crystals in predicting stone components.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 280 patients with positive urine crystal and urinary calculi from January 2022 to December 2024. There were a total of 280 patients consisting of 185 males and 95 females,aged from 23 to 80 years,with an average age of(49.1 ± 12.3)years. Among them,there were 243 cases of renal stones or both renal and ureteral stones,25 cases of ureteral stones,and 12 cases of bladder stones. In all cases,10 ml of morning urine was collected preoperatively and sent for examination within one hour. After centrifuging at 400 g for 1 minute,the urine sediment was examined under a microscope. All positive crystals were categorized into calcium oxalate,uric acid,calcium phosphate,magnesium ammonium phosphate,and cystine based on the morphology of the crystals. Calculi were collected after endoscopic surgery,calculi composition was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy,and the main component(the first predominant component)was recorded. Statistical analysis was conducted using a 5×5 contingency table to analyze the correlation and contingency coefficient,and the positive predictive values of the urinary crystals for predicting calculi components were calculated. Results:Among the 280 patients,calcium oxalate crystals were found in 241 cases,uric acid in 25 cases,calcium phosphate in 7 cases,magnesium ammonium phosphate in 5 cases,and cystine in 2 cases. The main components of 280 calculi were calcium oxalate in 232 cases,uric acid in 21 cases,calcium phosphate in 24 cases,magnesium ammonium phosphate in 1 case,and cystine in 2 cases. There was a statistically significant correlation between urinary crystals and stone components( χ2 = 152.46, P < 0.01),and the contingency coefficient between crystals and calculi components was 0.809. The overall positive expected value of urine crystals was 87.5%(245/280),among which the positive expected value of calcium oxalate crystals was 91.7%(221/241),uric acid crystals was 72.0%(18/25),calcium phosphate was 42.9%(3/7),magnesium ammonium phosphate was 20.0%(1/5),and cystine was 100.0%(2/2). Conclusions:The urinary crystals of patients with calculi are significantly related to the main components of the calculi. Using urinary crystals to predict the components of the calculi has a relatively high accuracy.
5.Investigation of 16 quality indicators in clinical laboratory of Guangdong province during 2023
Lichao ZHANG ; Jialing CHEN ; Zengwen LIN ; Qiaoxuan ZHANG ; Zheng LIANG ; Kefeng JIANG ; Jiaqi LI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science 2025;43(8):614-618
Objective To achieve a preliminary understanding of the current situation of clinical laboratories in Guangdong Province,and discuss how to establish a sound investigation system,and utilize quality indicators to improve laboratory quality through the inves-tigation and analysis of data from 16 clinical laboratory quality indicators issued by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories.Meth-ods The questionnaire was issued by Clinet-EQA system and the basic information and quality indicator information during 2023 were collected.SPSS 20.0 software was used for statistical analysis according to different specialty categories and hospital grades.The 13 quality indicators measured in rate-based units were evaluated by sigma measurement.The P75,P50 and P25 percentiles of the overall distribution of each quality index were used to explore the optimal,appropriate and minimum quality specifications.Results A total of 577 laboratories participated in this survey.In addition to the implementation rate of internal quality assessment and the inter-laboratory comparison rate,the median sigma(σ)value of 11/13 quality indicators was greater than 3σ,and some of them even reach the level of 6σ,and there were disparities between hospital laboratories at different grades.The turnaround time(TAT)of the whole process of emergency examination was significantly less than those of inpatient and outpatient,TAT before emergency examination was controlled within 20 min,TAT before outpatient examination was within 30 min,and TAT before inpatient examination was within 42 min.The optimal quality specifications of 8 out of 13 indicators reached 6σ level,while the minimum quality specifications of 2 out of 13 indica-tors were lower than 3σ level.Conclusion In Guangdong Province,the overall level of quality indicators in the post-analytical of clin-ical laboratories was superior to that in the pre-analytical and analytical process.It should be essential to continuously monitor quality indicators and actively adopt improvement measures for those laboratories with unsatisfactory results,so as to enhance the examination quality of laboratories.
6.Investigation of 16 quality indicators in clinical laboratory of Guangdong province during 2023
Lichao ZHANG ; Jialing CHEN ; Zengwen LIN ; Qiaoxuan ZHANG ; Zheng LIANG ; Kefeng JIANG ; Jiaqi LI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science 2025;43(8):614-618
Objective To achieve a preliminary understanding of the current situation of clinical laboratories in Guangdong Province,and discuss how to establish a sound investigation system,and utilize quality indicators to improve laboratory quality through the inves-tigation and analysis of data from 16 clinical laboratory quality indicators issued by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories.Meth-ods The questionnaire was issued by Clinet-EQA system and the basic information and quality indicator information during 2023 were collected.SPSS 20.0 software was used for statistical analysis according to different specialty categories and hospital grades.The 13 quality indicators measured in rate-based units were evaluated by sigma measurement.The P75,P50 and P25 percentiles of the overall distribution of each quality index were used to explore the optimal,appropriate and minimum quality specifications.Results A total of 577 laboratories participated in this survey.In addition to the implementation rate of internal quality assessment and the inter-laboratory comparison rate,the median sigma(σ)value of 11/13 quality indicators was greater than 3σ,and some of them even reach the level of 6σ,and there were disparities between hospital laboratories at different grades.The turnaround time(TAT)of the whole process of emergency examination was significantly less than those of inpatient and outpatient,TAT before emergency examination was controlled within 20 min,TAT before outpatient examination was within 30 min,and TAT before inpatient examination was within 42 min.The optimal quality specifications of 8 out of 13 indicators reached 6σ level,while the minimum quality specifications of 2 out of 13 indica-tors were lower than 3σ level.Conclusion In Guangdong Province,the overall level of quality indicators in the post-analytical of clin-ical laboratories was superior to that in the pre-analytical and analytical process.It should be essential to continuously monitor quality indicators and actively adopt improvement measures for those laboratories with unsatisfactory results,so as to enhance the examination quality of laboratories.
7.Natural course of renal angiomyolipoma and risk factors for its progression
Zhongqing MIAO ; Dong DU ; Zeyu LIN ; Qizhi DU ; Han XUE ; Chunmei LUO ; Kefeng XIAO ; Hongtao JIANG
Chinese Journal of Urology 2025;46(3):192-197
Objective:To clarify the natural course of renal angiomyolipoma and the risk factors for its progression.Methods:This was a retrospective case-control study that included 401 patients diagnosed several times by ultrasound examination in the hospital physical examination system from January 2012 to June 2024. All patients were untreated. There were 128 male cases (31.90%) and 273 female cases (68.10%). The average age at initial diagnosis was (44.04 ± 10.24) years (range 22-78 years). The median longest diameter of the tumor at initial diagnosis was 9.0 (7.0, 11.5) mm. There were 359 cases (89.50%) with single tumors and 42 cases (10.50%) with multiple tumors. The patients were divided into the progression group(≥1 mm/year) and the non-progression group (<1 mm/year)based on the average growth rate of tumor. The differences in gender, age at initial diagnosis, initial tumor size, number of lesions and lesion site between the two groups were compared. Univariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between the above factors and the progression of renal angiomyolipoma. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors for progression.Results:A total of 401 cases were followed up for an average of (88.15 ± 21.09) months (range 48-140 months). The median maximum diameter of the tumors at the initial diagnosis was 9.0 (7.0, 11.5) mm, and at the end of the follow-up, it was 11 (8, 14) mm. The average growth rate was 0.38 mm/year, and the median growth rate was 0.25 (0, 0.60) mm/year. Among them, 341 cases (85.04%) were in the non-progression group with an average growth rate of 0.14 mm/year, and 60 cases (14.96%) were in the progression group with an average growth rate of 1.74 mm/year. The age of the progression group was lower than that of the non-progression group [(41.43 ± 9.64) years vs. (44.50±10.29) years], the initial maximum diameter of the tumors in the progression group was larger than that in the non-progression group [11.0 (8.0, 16.0) mm vs. 9.0 (7.0, 11.0) mm], and the proportion of multiple tumors in the progression group was higher than that in the non-progression group [14 cases (23.30%) vs. 28 cases (8.20%)], and the differences were all statistically significant ( P<0.05). Age at initial diagnosis( OR=0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99), initial tumor size ( OR=1.08, 95% CI 1.04-1.12) and number of lesions ( OR=2.96, 95% CI 1.38-6.34) were the risk factors for the growth of renal angiomyolipoma ( P<0.05), according to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions:The natural history of most renal angiomyolipoma shows slow growth or relative quiescence, with a small number showing a significant increasing trend. Age at initial diagnosis, initial tumor size and number of lesions were independent risk factors for the growth of renal angiomyolipoma.
8.Study on the correlation between urinary crystals and components of urinary calculi
Jinan GUO ; Zhongqing MIAO ; Kefeng XIAO ; Hongtao JIANG
Chinese Journal of Urology 2025;46(10):734-738
Objectives:This study aims to investigate the correlation between urinary crystals and the components of urinary calculi in patients with urinary calculi,as well as the accuracy of urine crystals in predicting stone components.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 280 patients with positive urine crystal and urinary calculi from January 2022 to December 2024. There were a total of 280 patients consisting of 185 males and 95 females,aged from 23 to 80 years,with an average age of(49.1 ± 12.3)years. Among them,there were 243 cases of renal stones or both renal and ureteral stones,25 cases of ureteral stones,and 12 cases of bladder stones. In all cases,10 ml of morning urine was collected preoperatively and sent for examination within one hour. After centrifuging at 400 g for 1 minute,the urine sediment was examined under a microscope. All positive crystals were categorized into calcium oxalate,uric acid,calcium phosphate,magnesium ammonium phosphate,and cystine based on the morphology of the crystals. Calculi were collected after endoscopic surgery,calculi composition was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy,and the main component(the first predominant component)was recorded. Statistical analysis was conducted using a 5×5 contingency table to analyze the correlation and contingency coefficient,and the positive predictive values of the urinary crystals for predicting calculi components were calculated. Results:Among the 280 patients,calcium oxalate crystals were found in 241 cases,uric acid in 25 cases,calcium phosphate in 7 cases,magnesium ammonium phosphate in 5 cases,and cystine in 2 cases. The main components of 280 calculi were calcium oxalate in 232 cases,uric acid in 21 cases,calcium phosphate in 24 cases,magnesium ammonium phosphate in 1 case,and cystine in 2 cases. There was a statistically significant correlation between urinary crystals and stone components( χ2 = 152.46, P < 0.01),and the contingency coefficient between crystals and calculi components was 0.809. The overall positive expected value of urine crystals was 87.5%(245/280),among which the positive expected value of calcium oxalate crystals was 91.7%(221/241),uric acid crystals was 72.0%(18/25),calcium phosphate was 42.9%(3/7),magnesium ammonium phosphate was 20.0%(1/5),and cystine was 100.0%(2/2). Conclusions:The urinary crystals of patients with calculi are significantly related to the main components of the calculi. Using urinary crystals to predict the components of the calculi has a relatively high accuracy.
9.Effects of cleavage factor Im25 downregulation in vascular smooth muscle cells on hyperlipidemia in mice
Qingbao LI ; Yu WANG ; Kefeng YE ; Xinxin LI ; Zitong YAO ; Lei JIANG ; Jingjing HUANG
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2023;42(9):1105-1109
Objective:To investigate the impact of cleavage factor Im25(CFIm25)on VSMCs-specific knockdown in the context of hyperlipidemia.Methods:Mice models were constructed with specific knockout of CFIm25 in VSMCs(CFIm25f/+ TaglnCre)and control mice(TaglnCre).The mice were fed a normal diet or high-fat diet(HFD)for 18 weeks and their body weight changes were monitored.ELISA was used to measure serum total cholesterol(TC), triacylglycerol(TG), high-density lipoprotein(HDL-C)and low-density lipoprotein(LDL-C)levels.The extent of aortic lipid deposition in mice was assessed by oil red O staining.Results:During the feeding of a high-fat diet, CFIm25f/+ TaglnCre mice showed a significant increase in body weight compared to the control group[Male(1.01±0.06)g and(0.87±0.31)g, t=7.53, P<0.05; Female: (0.64±0.02)g and(0.35±0.04)g, t=9.68, P<0.05].After 18 weeks of high-fat diet feeding, CFIm25f/+ TaglnCre mice had significantly higher levels of TC[(6.80±0.35)mmol/L and(3.76±0.87)mmol/L, t=5.63, P=0.004], TG[(0.97±0.21)mmol/L and(0.42±0.10)mmol/L, t=4.08, P=0.015], and LDL-C[(5.20±0.30)mmol/L and(2.00±0.98)mmol/L, t=5.40, P=0.006]compared to the TaglnCre group.Specifically, TC levels increased by 80.72%, TG increased by 132.79%, and LDL-C increased by 160.32%.There was a significant increase in aorta lipid deposition and atherosclerotic plaque area in CFIm25f/+ TaglnCre mice( P<0.05). Conclusions:The research indicated that VSMCs-specific CFIm25 knockdown in mice further worsened hyperlipidemia and atherosclerotic lesions.
10.Medium and long-term comparisons of Dynesys stabilization and posterior lumbar interbody fusion for two-level lumbar degenerative diseases
Kai ZHANG ; Kefeng LUO ; Kaiwen CAI ; Bin LU ; Jiye LU ; Guoqiang JIANG ; Haiting WU
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedics 2021;41(17):1180-1187
Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy and changes between Dynesys and Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in the treatment of two-level lumbar degenerative disease.Methods:43 consecutive patients with lumbar degenerative disease were treated using the Dynesys or PLIF between June 2010 and June 2012. In all patients, 23patients were implanted Dynesys and other patients for PLIF. The follow-up period was at least 60 months. Used the Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) to evaluate the clinical outcomes. And during the follow-up period, collected the data for the intervertebral height and the range of motion (ROM), for the operation section and the upper adjacent vertebral. MRI and Grading Scale from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) were used to define the change of intervertebral disc signal.Results:The ODI index and VAS score both improved significantly at the final follow-up evaluation ( P<0.05), as compared to the basal line values. And in terms of imaging, there were no significant difference in the vertebral height of the operation section and the upper adjacent vertebral. The range of motion (ROM) for the operative section in the group of PLIF was significantly lower than that in Dynesys group ( P<0.05). And when it comes to the upper adjacent vertebral space, it was higher at the same time ( P<0.05). According to the UCLA Grading Scale, there were 3 cases in the Dynesys group and 11 in the PLIF group had radiological adjacent degeneration, the difference was significant between two groups ( P<0.05). And when it comes to the second intension, there were 3 patients in PLIF groups (TLIF 1; PLIF 2) but only 1 in Dynesys groups. Conclusion:Dynesys and PLIF are both effective for lumbar degenerative disease and show good medium and long-term clinical and radiographic results. But when it comes the risks in developing ASD and the ROM of adjacent segments, Dynesys stabilization can be the better choice.

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