1.Transcriptomic responses of Bulinus globosus to extreme temperature and drought stress
Xinyao WANG ; Dandan PENG ; Ying YANG ; Jianfeng ZHANG ; Zhiqiang QIN ; Kun YANG ; Shizhu LI ; Jing XU
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2026;38(1):29-37
Objective To examine the impact of extreme temperature and drought stress on the survival of Bulinus globosus, so as to provide the theoretical evidence for the genomic research of Bulinus in absence of reference genes. Methods B. globosus snail samples were collected from Kiwani Shehia in Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania, and offspring snails were obtained through laboratory breeding and reproduction. A total of 120 10-week-old B. globosus snails from the same generation were selected and randomly assigned into four groups, including the high-temperature drought (HD) group, normal temperature drought (D) group, low-temperature drought (LD) group, and the control (C) group, of 30 snails in each group. Snails in HD, D, and LD groups were placed in beakers containing dry soil at the bottom and subsequently housed in climate chambers at 35, 26 ℃, and 10 ℃, respectively, while snails in Group C were maintained in 500 mL petri dishes containing dechlorinated tap water at 26 ℃. Following 3 days of breeding, living snails in each group were collected, and soft tissues were dissected and isolated. Total RNA was extracted from snail soft tissues for library construction, followed by high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq 4000 sequencing system. De novo transcriptome assembly was performed using the Trinity software, and the longest transcripts were selected as unigenes. Gene functional annotations of unigenes were conducted using the Diamond software against Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway database, NCBI non-redundant (NR) protein sequences database, Protein Family (Pfam) database, and UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot (Swiss-Prot) knowledgebase. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were performed using the topGO and clusterProfiler software, respectively. In addition, four relevant genes were selected for validation using a real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) assay to verify the reliability of transcriptome sequencing results. Results Following 3 days of breeding, there were 7, 20, 28, and 30 survival B. globosus snails in HD, LD, D, and C groups, with corresponding survival rates of 23.33% (7/30), 66.67% (20/30), 93.33% (28/30), and 100.00% (30/30), respectively (χ2 = 52.72, P < 0.001). De novo transcriptome assembly generated 176 942 unigenes, with annotation rates of 0.98%, 13.49%, 26.46%, 12.48%, and 14.39% against GO knowledgebase, KEGG pathway database, NR protein sequences database, Pfam database, and Swiss-Prot knowledgebase, respectively. There were 33 up-regulated and 72 down-regulated genes in Group D, 483 up-regulated and 815 down-regulated genes in Group HD, and 245 up-regulated and 172 down-regulated genes in Group LD relative to in Group C. Following removal of overlapping genes across groups and unmatched genes, 11 candidate genes were identified. GO and KEGG analyses revealed 3 heat shock protein (HSP)-related DEGs in these 11 candidate genes, which were annotated as HSP12.2, HSP70, and HSP20 genes and were all significantly up-regulated in each treatment group. Three immune and nervous system-related DEGs were identified, and were all significantly down-regulated in each treatment group, which were involved in the neural cell adhesion molecule L1-like protein pathway, fibrinogen binding protein pathway, and leukocyte elastase inhibitor-like protein pathway. qRT-PCR assay quantified that the expression trends of four genes related to temperature and drought stress across different treatment groups were highly consistent with transcriptome sequencing data. Conclusion The survival rate of B. globosus significantly reduces under combined stresses of extreme temperature and drought, possibly due to an imbalance in its cellular homeostasis regulatory system.
2.USP29 alleviates the progression of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 through K48 deubiquitination
Sha HU ; Zhouxiang WANG ; Kun ZHU ; Hongjie SHI ; Fang QIN ; Tuo ZHANG ; Song TIAN ; Yanxiao JI ; Jianqing ZHANG ; Juanjuan QIN ; Zhigang SHE ; Xiaojing ZHANG ; Peng ZHANG ; Hongliang LI
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(1):147-165
Background/Aims:
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression.
Methods:
USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes.
Results:
USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5.
Conclusions
USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.
3.Research Progress in the Function and Regulation of Sirtuin 3 in Sepsis-Related Diseases.
Jun-Jie LI ; Hong MEI ; Xin-Xin LIU ; Kun YU ; Bang-Hai FENG ; Bao FU ; Song QIN
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(4):601-610
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection,with a high mortality rate.Sirtuin 3,a deacetylase within mitochondria,plays an important regulatory role in cellular metabolism,oxidative stress,and inflammatory responses.In recent years,significant progress has been made in the study of the function and regulatory role of sirtuin 3 in sepsis-related diseases.Research has shown that sirtuin 3 can alleviate organ damage caused by sepsis by regulating mitochondrial function,reducing oxidative stress,and inhibiting inflammatory responses.The specific mechanisms include the regulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics,activation of antioxidant enzyme systems,and inhibition of inflammatory mediator expression.In addition,sirtuin 3 plays a protective role in the pathological process of sepsis by interacting with multiple signaling pathways.This article summarizes the functions and regulatory mechanisms of sirtuin 3 in various sepsis-related diseases,aiming to provide new targets and strategies for the prevention and treatment of sepsis in the future.
Sepsis/metabolism*
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Sirtuin 3/physiology*
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Humans
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Animals
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Oxidative Stress
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Mitochondria/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction
4.Construction of a Diagnostic Model for Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndromes of Chronic Cough Based on the Voting Ensemble Machine Learning Algorithm
Yichen BAI ; Suyang QIN ; Chongyun ZHOU ; Liqing SHI ; Kun JI ; Chuchu ZHANG ; Panfei LI ; Tangming CUI ; Haiyan LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(11):1119-1127
ObjectiveTo explore the construction of a machine learning model for the diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in chronic cough and the optimization of this model using the Voting ensemble algorithm. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data from 921 patients with chronic cough treated at the Respiratory Department of Dongfang Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. After standardized processing, 84 clinical features were extracted to determine TCM syndrome types. A specialized dataset for TCM syndrome diagnosis in chronic cough was formed by selecting syndrome types with more than 50 cases. The synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) was employed to balance the dataset. Four base models, logistic regression (LR), decision tree (dt), multilayer perceptron (MLP), and Bagging, were constructed and integrated using a hard voting strategy to form a Voting ensemble model. Model performance was evaluated using accuracy, recall, precision, F1-score, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), and confusion matrix. ResultsAmong the 921 cases, six syndrome types had over 50 cases each, phlegm-heat obstructing the lung (294 cases), wind pathogen latent in the lung (103 cases), cold-phlegm obstructing the lung (102 cases), damp-heat stagnating in the lung (64 cases), lung yang deficiency (54 cases), and phlegm-damp obstructing the lung (53 cases), yielding a total of 670 cases in the specialized dataset. High-frequency symptoms among these patients included cough, expectoration, odor-induced cough, throat itchiness, itch-induced cough, and cough triggered by cold wind. Among the four base models, the MLP model showed the best diagnostic performance (test accuracy: 0.9104; AUC: 0.9828). Compared with the base models, the Voting ensemble model achieved superior performance with an accuracy of 0.9289 on the training set and 0.9253 on the test set, showing a minimal overfitting gap of 0.0036. It also achieved the highest AUC (0.9836) in the test set, outperforming all base models. The model exhi-bited especially strong diagnostic performance for damp-heat stagnating in the lung (AUC: 0.9984) and wind pathogen latent in the lung (AUC: 0.9970). ConclusionThe Voting ensemble algorithm effectively integrates the strengths of multiple machine learning models, resulting in an optimized diagnostic model for TCM syndromes in chronic cough with high accuracy and enhanced generalization ability.
5.USP29 alleviates the progression of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 through K48 deubiquitination
Sha HU ; Zhouxiang WANG ; Kun ZHU ; Hongjie SHI ; Fang QIN ; Tuo ZHANG ; Song TIAN ; Yanxiao JI ; Jianqing ZHANG ; Juanjuan QIN ; Zhigang SHE ; Xiaojing ZHANG ; Peng ZHANG ; Hongliang LI
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(1):147-165
Background/Aims:
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression.
Methods:
USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes.
Results:
USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5.
Conclusions
USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.
6.Expert consensus on the standard of practice for modified electro-convulsive therapy for mental disorders
Xiu ZHANG ; Guohui LAO ; Xiong HUANG ; Wei JIANG ; Qingmei KONG ; Wei LI ; Hu DENG ; Jijun WANG ; Qin XIE ; Wei DENG ; Shaohua HU ; Dongsheng ZHOU ; Xin WEI ; Zhanming SHI ; Cuixia AN ; Sha LIU ; Yanghua TIAN ; Decheng ZOU ; Lingyun ZENG ; Kun LI ; Xingbing HUANG ; Wei ZHENG ; Yuping NING
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry 2025;58(7):506-525
As a physical treatment technique, modified electro-convulsive therapy (MECT) is used to treat mental and certain neurological disorders by causing seizures with short, suitable electrical currents applied to the brain while the patient is under general anesthesia and muscle relaxants. MECT is recognized for its therapeutic efficacy and clinical safety, rendering it one of the most prevalent interventions in psychiatric care. To enhance clinical outcomes and minimize adverse effects, this consensus document delineates the indications, therapeutic parameters, therapeutic procedures, potential adverse effects, and associated management strategies for MECT. These guidelines are informed by the latest clinical research and expert consensus, integrating evidence-based medicine methodologies. The objective is to furnish clinicians with precise operational guidelines and to advance the standardization of MECT practices in clinical settings.
7.Research status of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathway in osteosarcoma
Qing-qing QIN ; Yi-kun WANG ; Qing-lin YANG ; Yong-ping WANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2025;41(1):105-110
p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases(p38 MAPK)are involved in the regulation of osteosarcoma(OS)development.Therefore,this paper reviews the current research status of p38 MAPK signaling pathway in OS,mainly including the p38 MAPK signaling pathway regulates the biological behaviors of OS such as proliferation,migration,invasion,apoptosis,autophagy,iron death,angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),and non-coding RNAs and oxidative stress are involved in the development of OS through the modulation of p38 MAPK signaling pathway.reviewed to provide new ideas for finding the treatment of OS.
8.Optimization of extraction process for Bletillae Rhizoma and evaluation of its anti-oxidant,tyrosinase inhibitory activities
Shan-shan WANG ; Yi-yuan LUO ; Ye-fei XIE ; Xin-miao JIANG ; Ping PAN ; Kun-ming QIN ; Hong-jiang CHEN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(7):2171-2177
AIM To optimize the extraction process for Bletillae Rhizoma,and to evaluate its anti-oxidant,tyrosinase inhibitory activities.METHODS With ultrasound time,ethanol concentration and solid-liquid ratio as influencing factors,the total extraction content of gastrodin,protocatechualdehyde,p-hydroxybenzaldehyde,1,4-bis[4-(gluconoxy)benzyl]-2-isobutylmalate-2-glucoside,1,4-bis[4-(gluconoxy)benzyl]-2-isobutylmalate,yam Ⅲ,dihydropinosin and 3'-O-methylyam Ⅲ as an evaluation index,the extraction process was optimized by Box-Behnken response surface method.Subsequently,the extract's scavenging effects on DPPH,ABTS+free radicals,and inhibitory ability on tyrosinase were determined.RESULTS The optimal conditions were determined to be 49 min for ultrasound time,55%for ethanol concentration,1∶30 for solid-liquid ratio,and 2 times for extraction frequency,the total extraction content was 13.18 mg/g.The extract demonstrated the IC50 of 10.12,314.07 and 1.70 μg/g on DPPH,ABTS+free radicals and tyrosinase,respectively.CONCLUSION This simple,reliable and stable method can be used for the extraction for Bletillae Rhizoma with strong anti-oxidant,tyrosinase inhibitory activities.
9.Clinical effects of Huayu Ditan Linao Decoction combined with Suhexiang Pills on elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage in convalescent stage
Xian-kun ZHU ; Tian-yu LI ; Kai-qin LI ; Ze-ling DONG ; Guang-xian MIAO ; Ying LIU ; Ping XU
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(7):2229-2233
AIM To explore the clinical effects of Huayu Ditan Linao Decoction combined with Suhexiang Pills on elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage in convalescent stage.METHODS One hundred and ten patients were randomly assigned into control group(55 cases)for 1-month intervention of both conventional treatment and rehabilitation training,and observation group(55 cases)for 1-month intervention of Huayu Ditan Linao Decoction,Suhexiang Pills,conventional treatment and rehabilitation training.The changes in clinical effects,TCM syndrome score,NIHSS score,FMA score,BI index,cerebrovascular function indices(dynamic resistance,average flow velocity,peripheral resistance,average flow rate),serum inflammatory indices(IL-6,hs-CPR,TNF-α)and serum oxidative stress indices(SOD,MDA)were detected.RESULTS The observation group demonstrated higher total effective rate than the control group(P<0.05).After the treatment,the two groups displayed decreased TCM syndrome score,NIHSS score,dynamic resistance,peripheral resistance,serum inflammatory indices,MDA(P<0.05),and increased FMA score,BI index,average flow velocity,average flow rate,SOD(P<0.05),especially for the observation group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION For the elderly patients with cerebral hemorrhage in convalescent stage,Huayu Ditan Linao Decoction combined with Suhexiang Pills can enhance clinical effects,improve limb functions and nerve functions,regulate serum inflammatory and oxidative stress indice,and promote prognosis.
10.Chemical constituents from the stems and barks of Maytenus variabilis
Ting HE ; Bing-qian LIU ; Jian-feng CHEN ; Xiao-qin YU ; Cheng-xiong LIU ; Kun ZOU ; Fan CHENG
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(5):1539-1547
AIM To study the chemical constituents from the stems and barks of Maytenus variabilis(Hemsl.)C.Y.Cheng.METHODS The 95%ethanol extract from the stems and barks of M.variabilis was isolated and purified by silica gel,Sephadex LH-20 and semi preparative HPLC,then the structures of obtained compounds were identified by physicochemical properties and spectral data.RESULTS Twenty-three compounds were isolated and identified as β-amyrin(1),3β-acetoxyolean-12-en-11-one(2),ursa-12-ene-11-one-3-ol octocosate(3),friedelin(4),canophyllol(5),pinoresinol(6),medioresinol(7),isolariciresinol(8),dihydrodehydrodiconiferyl alcohol(9),vanillic acid(10),7R,8S-5-methoxydihydrodehydroconiferyl alcohol(11),β-hydroxypropiovanillone(12),triptregeline B(13),triptregeline E(14),(+)-evofolin B(15),2,5-dimethoxybenzoquinone(16),olean-12-ene-3,11-dione(17),β-sitosterol(18),(-)-(7R,7'R,7"S,8S,8'S,8"S)-4',4"-dihydroxy-3,3',3",5-tetramethoxy-7,9',7',9-diepoxy-4,8"-oxy-8,8'-sesquineolignan-7",9"-diol(19),phyllostadimer B(20),rayalinol(21),lyoniresinol(22),dihydrobuddlenol B(23).CONCLUSION Compounds 3,9-11,13-14,16,19-21,23 are isolated from genus Maytenus for the first time,and compounds 2,4-5,7-8,12,15,17,22 are first found from this plant.

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