1.MASLD development: From molecular pathogenesis toward therapeutic strategies.
Zhu YANG ; Jiahui ZHAO ; Kexin XIE ; Chengwei TANG ; Can GAN ; Jinhang GAO
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(15):1807-1824
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) comprises a spectrum of liver injuries, including steatosis to steatohepatitis (MASH), liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and relevant complications. The liver mainly comprises hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), Kupffer cells (KCs), immune cells (T cells, B cells), and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Crosstalk among these different liver cells, endogenous aberrant glycolipid metabolism, and altered gut dysbiosis are involved in the pathophysiology of MASLD. This review systematically examines advances in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of MASLD, with a focus on emerging therapeutic targets and translational clinical trials. We first delineate the crucial regulatory mechanisms involving diverse liver cells and the gut-liver axis in MASLD development. These cell-specific pathogenic insights offer valuable perspectives for advancing precision medicine approaches in MASLD treatment. Furthermore, we evaluate potential therapeutic targets and summarize clinical trials currently underway. By comprehensively updating the MASLD pathophysiology and identifying promising strategies, this review aims to facilitate the development of novel pharmacotherapies for this increasingly prevalent condition.
Humans
;
Fatty Liver/therapy*
;
Animals
;
Liver/pathology*
;
Kupffer Cells/metabolism*
;
Hepatocytes/metabolism*
;
Hepatic Stellate Cells/metabolism*
2.ADAR1 Regulates the ERK/c-FOS/MMP-9 Pathway to Drive the Proliferation and Migration of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.
Li ZHANG ; Xue PAN ; Wenqing YAN ; Shuilian ZHANG ; Chiyu MA ; Chenpeng LI ; Kexin ZHU ; Nijia LI ; Zizhong YOU ; Xueying ZHONG ; Zhi XIE ; Zhiyi LV ; Weibang GUO ; Yu CHEN ; Danxia LU ; Xuchao ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer 2025;28(9):647-657
BACKGROUND:
Double-stranded RNA-specific adenosine deaminase 1 (ADAR1) binds to double-stranded RNA and catalyzes the deamination of adenosine (A) to inosine (I). The functional mechanism of ADAR1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of ADAR1 in NSCLC and to elucidate its potential role in regulating tumor cell proliferation and migration.
METHODS:
Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and cBioPortal were analyzed to assess the correlation between high ADAR1 expression and clinicopathological features as well as prognosis in lung cancer. We performed Western blot (WB), cell proliferation assays, Transwell invasion/migration assays, and nude mouse xenograft modeling to examine the phenotypic changes and molecular mechanisms induced by ADAR1 knockdown. Furthermore, the ADAR1 p150 overexpression model was utilized to validate the proposed mechanism.
RESULTS:
ADAR1 expression was significantly elevated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (LUAD: P=3.70×10-15, LUSC: P=0.016). High ADAR1 expression was associated with poor prognosis (LUAD: P=2.03×10-2, LUSC: P=2.81×10-2) and distant metastasis (P=0.003). Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) indicated that elevated ADAR1 was associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway activation, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, and cell adhesion. ADAR1 and MMP-9 levels showed a strongly positive correlation (P=6.45×10-34) in 10 lung cancer cell lines, highest in H1581. Knockdown of ADAR1 in H1581 cells induced a rounded cellular morphology with reduced pseudopodia. Concomitantly, it suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and in vivo tumorigenesis. It also suppressed ERK phosphorylation and downregulated cellular Finkel-Biskis-Jinkins murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog (c-FOS), MMP-9, N-cadherin, and Vimentin. Conversely, ADAR1 p150 overexpression in PC9 cells enhanced ERK phosphorylation and increased c-FOS and MMP-9 expression.
CONCLUSIONS
High ADAR1 expression is closely associated with poor prognosis and distant metastasis in NSCLC patients. Mechanistically, ADAR1 may promote proliferation, invasion, migration, and tumorigenesis in lung cancer cells via the ERK/c-FOS/MMP-9 axis.
Humans
;
Lung Neoplasms/physiopathology*
;
Adenosine Deaminase/genetics*
;
Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/genetics*
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/physiopathology*
;
Cell Movement
;
Animals
;
Mice
;
RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics*
;
Female
;
Male
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/genetics*
;
Middle Aged
;
MAP Kinase Signaling System
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
;
Mice, Nude
;
Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/genetics*
3.Advances in the study of pharmacotherapy for addiction to naturally-derived psychoactive substances.
Kexin XIE ; Deli XIAO ; Peng XU ; Haowei SHEN ; Bin DI
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(8):897-908
Drug addiction, a disorder characterized by chronic relapse and compulsive drug use, poses a significant threat to public safety and human health. Addictive substances can be categorized as natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic based on their origin. Additionally, they can be classified into three groups according to their pharmacological targets: opioids, hallucinogens, and cannabinoids that act on G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs); alcohols, nicotine, ketamine, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines (BDZs) that affect ligand-gated ion channel-type receptors; and psychostimulants that interact with monoamine transporters. Current treatments for drug addiction primarily include substitution therapy and non-pharmacological approaches. However, these methods have limitations, particularly in addressing the underlying causes of relapse. Several drugs in clinical trials have demonstrated potential therapeutic effects for addiction to opioids, heroin, cocaine, and other substances. This review examines the origins and pharmacological mechanisms of addiction to naturally-derived psychoactive substances (NPS) and provides an overview of recent advancements in pharmacotherapy for drug addiction.
Humans
;
Substance-Related Disorders/drug therapy*
;
Psychotropic Drugs/therapeutic use*
;
Animals
4.Study on the latent classes of post-stroke depression in patients with acute stroke and nursing insights
Xuan SU ; Qiaomei CHENG ; Xiaowan LI ; Kexin WANG ; Peixi WANG ; Mengwei XIAO ; Yu WANG ; Nannan LI ; Danying XIE
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(7):785-791
Objective To explore potential categories of post-stroke depression in acute-phase stroke patients and its correlation with the degree of neurological deficits,and to provide references for healthcare professionals in developing targeted interventions.Methods Using convenience sampling,patients with acute stroke who were hospitalized in neurological ward of 2 tertiary general hospitals in Henan Province from January to April 2024 were selected as the survey participants.The investigation was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire,the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale,and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.The correlation between potential categories of post-stroke depression and the degree of neurological deficit was analysed using unordered multiclassified logistic regression.Results Post-stroke depression score was 10.22±3.61 in 193 acute-phase stroke patients,and post-stroke depression could be categorized into 3 potential categories,namely"low depressive symptoms"(44.6%),"melancholic depression"(15.0%),and"atypical depression"(40.4%).There was a significant difference in the degree of neurological deficits(H=38.074,P<0.001).Compared with severe neurological deficits,patients with mild deficits were more likely to be categorized as"melancholic depression"(OR=0.016,P=0.001)and"atypical depression"(OR=0.040,P<0.001),and patients with moderate deficits were more likely to be classified as"atypical depression"(OR=0.085,P=0.001).Conclusion Post-stroke depression in acute-phase stroke patients has obvious categorization characteristics,and it is recommended that healthcare professionals should pay more attention to patients with different degrees of neurological deficits and adopt targeted interventions according to the different categories of post-stroke depression in order to alleviate their depressive symptoms.
5.Disrupted aperiodic neural activity and differential cognitive correlates in patients with schizophrenia
Kexin ZHANG ; Yilin YUAN ; Tianhang ZHOU ; Tingfang WU ; Chunyu DU ; Chenmei XIE ; Weiran CHEN ; Jing WANG ; Xin YU
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2025;39(6):477-482
Objective:To explore the aperiodic components(1/f slopes)and their associations with cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia.Methods:Nineteen patients with schizophrenia according to the Interna-tional Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problem,Tenth Revision(ICD-10)and 21 normal controls were administrated the total Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia(BACS)to measure the cogni-tive performance.The 5-minute eyes-closed and eyes-open resting EEG signals were collected and parameterized in-to aperiodic components(1/f slope).Finally,Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationships between the 1/f slope and cognition assessment scores.Results:The patients with schizophrenia had higher 1/f slope compared to HC on central location of scalp(P<0.05).The vocal memory scores showed a significantly positive relation with 1/f slopes in patients with schizophrenia(anterior location:r=-0.68,P<0.05;central location:r=-0.44,P<0.05),but a significantly negative relation in normal controls(anterior location:r=0.57,P<0.05;posterior lo-cation:r=0.54,P<0.05).Conclusion:The 1/f slopes of EEG in schizophrenia were steeper than normal control,suggesting its strong cognitive functional significance and complex mechanisms in schizophrenia.
6.The effect of the mechanism of exercise intervention and individualized exercise prescription on metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease
Kexin GUO ; Peijun GUI ; Ying XIE
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(8):1649-1654
Changes in lifestyle,such as increasing exercise,are key factors affecting the health and quality of life in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Exercise can effectively improve the physical health of these patients and is the cornerstone of the treatment of MAFLD.However,different types,intensities,durations,and frequencies of exercise have a varying degree of influence on MAFLD.This article summarizes the effect and influence of different exercise prescriptions on these patients,which helps the medical staff to develop individualized exercise regimens and encourage them to actively participate in exercise,thereby providing effective prevention and treatment strategies.
7.The application value of CT-based radiomics in differentiating pneumonia-type mucinous adenocarcinoma from organizing pneumonia
Xiaoqing LI ; Kexin XIE ; Rong LIU ; Can CUI ; Shuai REN ; Hai XU ; Liang ZENG
Journal of Practical Radiology 2025;41(8):1304-1309
Objective To explore the application value of CT-based radiomics in differentiating pneumonia-type mucinous adenocarcinoma(PTMA)from organizing pneumonia(OP).Methods A total of 52 PTMA patients and 102 OP patients were retrospectively included and randomly divided into training set(n=124)and test set(n=30)in an 8∶2 ratio.Eight PTMA patients and 22 OP patients from another hospital during the same period were included as external validation set(n=30).Clinical characteristics and CT signs of the patients were selected to construct the clinical model.Radiomics features were extracted and dimensionality reduction was performed through the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)algorithm.A radiomics model was constructed and the Radiomics score(Radscore)was calculated.The Radscore was combined with clinical factors to establish the combined model and a nomogram was illustrated.The models' fitting degree was analyzed by the calibration curve,while their efficacy was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and decision curve analysis(DCA).Results The clinical model,established based on the border,cystic space and bronchial leafless tree sign,achieved area under the curve(AUC)of 0.850,0.782,and 0.759 in the training set,test set,and external validation set,respectively.Thirteen features were obtained to construct the radiomics model,with AUC of 0.925,0.865,and 0.830,respectively.The AUC of the combined model were 0.970,0.905,and 0.864,respectively,in which the calibration curve demonstrated good model fitting.DCA indicated that the combined model had the greatest clinical net benefit.Conclusion The combined model based on CT radiomics can effectively distinguish PTMA from OP.
8.Research on high-throughput detection of plasma cell-free DNA for targeted therapy-related genes screening and prognosis prediction in non-small cell lung cancer patients
Qiling DENG ; Di SONG ; Kexin XI ; Xiaoting XIE ; Xiaoyan WU ; Wei ZHAO
China Oncology 2025;35(4):355-364
Background and purpose:High-throughput detection of plasma cell-free DNA(cfDNA)is widely used for multi-cancer targeted therapy drug screening,and this study investigated the relationship between the type and number of plasma cfDNA class Ⅰ and Ⅱ targeted therapy-related gene variants and cancer survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:The sequencing results and clinical data of NSCLC patients who underwent tumor plasma cfDNA high-throughput sequencing projects in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from 2021 to 2023 were collected.The survival follow-up of enrolled patients was carried out from the day of plasma collection on June 1,2021 to May 27,2024,and GraphPad Prism 8.0 and SPSS Statistics 25.0 were used.Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted on the types and numbers of class Ⅰ and class Ⅱ targeted therapy-related genes in the survival and clinical data of patients and sequencing results(Ethical approval:B2024-359-01).Results:A total of 313 patients included in this study with NSCLC were categorized into stage Ⅰ 25 patients(7.98%),stageⅡ 20 patients(6.39%),stage Ⅲ 38patients(12.14%),and stage Ⅳ 230 patients(73.48%).Pathological diagnosis results showed that adenocarcinoma accounted for 90.10%,squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 5.11%,large cell carcinoma accounted for 2.87%and other classifications accounted for 1.92%.The number and the percentage of class Ⅰ and class Ⅱ targeted therapy drug-related genes in the plasma cfDNA NSCLC patients were 0(25.24%),1(17.57%),2(19.17%),3(14.38%),4(8.31%),and 5 or more(15.34%).The results of statistical analysis showed that 3 genes with the highest mutation frequencies were EGFR,TP53 and ERBB2,and the mutation frequency of EGFR gene was 36.04%.The mutation frequency of TP53 gene was 30.63%.The mutation frequency of ERBB2 gene was 4.95%.The survival time of patients is related to not only the expression of hotspot targeted genes,but also the number of class Ⅰ and Ⅱ target-related gene variants detected by plasma cfDNA high-throughput sequencing.The survival time of the patients with no targeted therapy-related locus variants after treatment was longer compares with targeted therapy-related locus variants,which can reduce the risk of death by 63.2%.However,patients with a single gene locus variant had longer survival time and lower risk of death than those with multiple driver locus variants,and the measured class Ⅰ and Ⅱ targeted therapy drugs were within 3 genes.Overall,the smaller the number of genes,the longer the survival.Conclusions:The number of class Ⅰ and class Ⅱtargeted therapy-related gene variants in plasma cfDNA high-throughput sequencing also has an effect on the survival of patients after treatment.Plasma cfDNA level detected by high-throughput sequencing could be a prognostic factor for the NSCLC patients.
9.Disrupted aperiodic neural activity and differential cognitive correlates in patients with schizophrenia
Kexin ZHANG ; Yilin YUAN ; Tianhang ZHOU ; Tingfang WU ; Chunyu DU ; Chenmei XIE ; Weiran CHEN ; Jing WANG ; Xin YU
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2025;39(6):477-482
Objective:To explore the aperiodic components(1/f slopes)and their associations with cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia.Methods:Nineteen patients with schizophrenia according to the Interna-tional Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problem,Tenth Revision(ICD-10)and 21 normal controls were administrated the total Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia(BACS)to measure the cogni-tive performance.The 5-minute eyes-closed and eyes-open resting EEG signals were collected and parameterized in-to aperiodic components(1/f slope).Finally,Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationships between the 1/f slope and cognition assessment scores.Results:The patients with schizophrenia had higher 1/f slope compared to HC on central location of scalp(P<0.05).The vocal memory scores showed a significantly positive relation with 1/f slopes in patients with schizophrenia(anterior location:r=-0.68,P<0.05;central location:r=-0.44,P<0.05),but a significantly negative relation in normal controls(anterior location:r=0.57,P<0.05;posterior lo-cation:r=0.54,P<0.05).Conclusion:The 1/f slopes of EEG in schizophrenia were steeper than normal control,suggesting its strong cognitive functional significance and complex mechanisms in schizophrenia.
10.Research on high-throughput detection of plasma cell-free DNA for targeted therapy-related genes screening and prognosis prediction in non-small cell lung cancer patients
Qiling DENG ; Di SONG ; Kexin XI ; Xiaoting XIE ; Xiaoyan WU ; Wei ZHAO
China Oncology 2025;35(4):355-364
Background and purpose:High-throughput detection of plasma cell-free DNA(cfDNA)is widely used for multi-cancer targeted therapy drug screening,and this study investigated the relationship between the type and number of plasma cfDNA class Ⅰ and Ⅱ targeted therapy-related gene variants and cancer survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:The sequencing results and clinical data of NSCLC patients who underwent tumor plasma cfDNA high-throughput sequencing projects in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from 2021 to 2023 were collected.The survival follow-up of enrolled patients was carried out from the day of plasma collection on June 1,2021 to May 27,2024,and GraphPad Prism 8.0 and SPSS Statistics 25.0 were used.Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted on the types and numbers of class Ⅰ and class Ⅱ targeted therapy-related genes in the survival and clinical data of patients and sequencing results(Ethical approval:B2024-359-01).Results:A total of 313 patients included in this study with NSCLC were categorized into stage Ⅰ 25 patients(7.98%),stageⅡ 20 patients(6.39%),stage Ⅲ 38patients(12.14%),and stage Ⅳ 230 patients(73.48%).Pathological diagnosis results showed that adenocarcinoma accounted for 90.10%,squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 5.11%,large cell carcinoma accounted for 2.87%and other classifications accounted for 1.92%.The number and the percentage of class Ⅰ and class Ⅱ targeted therapy drug-related genes in the plasma cfDNA NSCLC patients were 0(25.24%),1(17.57%),2(19.17%),3(14.38%),4(8.31%),and 5 or more(15.34%).The results of statistical analysis showed that 3 genes with the highest mutation frequencies were EGFR,TP53 and ERBB2,and the mutation frequency of EGFR gene was 36.04%.The mutation frequency of TP53 gene was 30.63%.The mutation frequency of ERBB2 gene was 4.95%.The survival time of patients is related to not only the expression of hotspot targeted genes,but also the number of class Ⅰ and Ⅱ target-related gene variants detected by plasma cfDNA high-throughput sequencing.The survival time of the patients with no targeted therapy-related locus variants after treatment was longer compares with targeted therapy-related locus variants,which can reduce the risk of death by 63.2%.However,patients with a single gene locus variant had longer survival time and lower risk of death than those with multiple driver locus variants,and the measured class Ⅰ and Ⅱ targeted therapy drugs were within 3 genes.Overall,the smaller the number of genes,the longer the survival.Conclusions:The number of class Ⅰ and class Ⅱtargeted therapy-related gene variants in plasma cfDNA high-throughput sequencing also has an effect on the survival of patients after treatment.Plasma cfDNA level detected by high-throughput sequencing could be a prognostic factor for the NSCLC patients.

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