1.The characteristics and mechanism of dynamic changes of different components in microenvironment in regulating the progression of liver fibrosis
Huilan ZHAO ; Zongxu LIU ; Shumin LI ; Zhifeng WANG ; Minghui LIU ; Qian SHENG ; Kunbin KE ; Xinan SHI
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(4):755-760
The liver has diverse functions such as metabolism, detoxification, and immune defense, and the maintenance of hepatic microenvironment homeostasis is crucial for overall bodily health. The hepatic microenvironment consists of the components such as parenchymal cells, non-parenchymal cells, and non-cellular components. Chronic inflammatory responses induced by various etiological factors may promote the formation and progression of liver fibrosis. During the dynamic progression of liver fibrosis, from the early to advanced stages, various components within the hepatic microenvironment undergo a series of changes, which can promote the malignant progression of liver fibrosis. An in-depth exploration of the mechanisms underlying such changes in each component of the liver fibrosis microenvironment is of great significance for understanding the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and discovering potential treatment strategies.
2.Proportions of memory T cells and expression of their associated cytokines in lymph nodes of mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis
Yinshi LI ; Duolikun ADILAI ; Bingqing DENG ; Ainiwaer ABIDAN ; Sheng SUN ; Wenying XIAO ; Conghui GE ; Na TANG ; Jing LI ; Hui WANG ; Tao JIANG ; Chuanshan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2025;37(2):136-143
Objective To investigate the effects of Echinococcus multilocularis infection on levels of memory T (Tm) cells and their subsets in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of infection, so as to provide new insights into immunotherapy for alveolarechinococcosis. MethodsTwenty-four C57BL/6J mice aged 6 to 9 weeks were randomly divided into the infection group and the control group, of 12 mice in each group. Mice in the infection group were administered with 3 000 E. multilocularis protoscoleces via portal venous injection, while animals in the control group were administered with an equal volume of physiological saline. Three mice from each group were sacrificed 4, 12 weeks and 24 weeks post-infection, and lymph nodes were sampled and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to investigate the histopathological changes of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group. The expression and localization of T lymphocyte surface markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 were observed in mouse lymph nodes using immunohistochemical staining. In addition, lymphocyte suspensions were prepared from mouse lymph nodes in both groups at different time points post-infection, and the levels of Tm cell subsets and their secreted cytokines were detected using flow cytometry. Results HE staining showed diffuse structural alterations in the subcapsular cortical and paracortical regions of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group 4 weeks post-infection with E. multilocularis. Immunohistochemical staining detected CD3, CD4 and CD8 expression in mouse lymph nodes in both groups. Flow cytometry revealed higher proportions of CD4+ Tm cells [(55.3 ± 4.8)% vs. (38.8 ± 6.1)%; t = -4.259, P < 0.05] and CD4+ tissue-resident Tm (Trm) cells [(57.7 ± 3.7)% vs. (34.1 ± 11.2)%; t = -3.990, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks post-infection, and higher proportions of CD4+ Tm cells [(34.6 ± 3.2)% vs. (23.3 ± 7.5)%; t = -2.764, P < 0.05] and CD4+ Trm cells [(44.0 ± 1.9)% vs. (31.2 ± 1.5)%; t = -4.039, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. The proportions of CD8+ Tm cells were higher in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks [(56.8 ± 2.7)% vs. (43.9 ± 5.2)%; t = -4.416, P < 0.01] and 12 weeks post-infection [(25.4 ± 2.7)% vs. (12.0 ± 2.6)%; t = -2.552, P < 0.05], while the proportions of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α+ CD4+ T cells [(15.7 ± 5.0)% vs. (49.4 ± 6.4)%; t = 7.150, P < 0.01], TNF-α+CD8+ T cells [(20.7 ± 5.5)% vs. (57.5 ± 8.4)%; t = -6.694, P < 0.01], and TNF-α+ CD8+ Tm cells [7.0% (1.0%) vs. 31.0% (11.0%); Z = -2.236, P < 0.05] were lower in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. Conclusions Tm cells levels are consistently increased in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of E. multilocularis infection, with Trm cells as the predominantly elevated subset. The impaired capacity of CD8+ Tm cells to secrete the effector molecule TNF-α in mouse lymph nodes at the late-stage infection may facilitate chronic parasitism of E. multilocularis.
3.Shikonin attenuates blood–brain barrier injury and oxidative stress in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by activating Sirt1/ Nrf2/HO-1 signaling
Guanghu LI ; Yang'e YI ; Sheng QIAN ; Xianping XU ; Hao MIN ; Jianpeng WANG ; Pan GUO ; Tingting YU ; Zhiqiang ZHANG
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(3):283-291
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious intracranial hemorrhage characterized by acute bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The effects of shikonin, a natural compound from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, on oxidative stress and blood–brain barrier (BBB) injury in SAH was evaluated in this study. A rat model of SAH was established by endovascular perforation to mimic the rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Rats were then administered 25 mg/kg of shikonin or dimethylsulfoxide after surgery. Brain edema, SAH grade, and neurobehavioral scores were measured after 24 h of SAH to evaluate neurological impairment. Concentrations of the oxidative stress markers superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain cortex were determined using the corresponding commercially available assay kits. Evans blue staining was used to determine BBB permeability. Western blotting was used to quantify protein levels of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1, Occludin, and Claudin-5. After modeling, the brain water content increased significantly whereas the neurobehavioral scores of rats with SAH decreased prominently. MDA levels increased and the levels of the antioxidant enzymes GSH and SOD decreased after SAH. These changes were reversed after shikonin administration. Shikonin treatment also inhibited Evans blue extravasation after SAH. Furthermore, reduction in the levels of tight junction proteins after SAH modeling was rescued after shikonin treatment. In conclusion, shikonin exerts a neuroprotective effect after SAH by mitigating BBB injury and inhibiting oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex.
4.Update on the treatment navigation for functional cure of chronic hepatitis B: Expert consensus 2.0
Di WU ; Jia-Horng KAO ; Teerha PIRATVISUTH ; Xiaojing WANG ; Patrick T.F. KENNEDY ; Motoyuki OTSUKA ; Sang Hoon AHN ; Yasuhito TANAKA ; Guiqiang WANG ; Zhenghong YUAN ; Wenhui LI ; Young-Suk LIM ; Junqi NIU ; Fengmin LU ; Wenhong ZHANG ; Zhiliang GAO ; Apichat KAEWDECH ; Meifang HAN ; Weiming YAN ; Hong REN ; Peng HU ; Sainan SHU ; Paul Yien KWO ; Fu-sheng WANG ; Man-Fung YUEN ; Qin NING
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(Suppl):S134-S164
As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.
5.Update on the treatment navigation for functional cure of chronic hepatitis B: Expert consensus 2.0
Di WU ; Jia-Horng KAO ; Teerha PIRATVISUTH ; Xiaojing WANG ; Patrick T.F. KENNEDY ; Motoyuki OTSUKA ; Sang Hoon AHN ; Yasuhito TANAKA ; Guiqiang WANG ; Zhenghong YUAN ; Wenhui LI ; Young-Suk LIM ; Junqi NIU ; Fengmin LU ; Wenhong ZHANG ; Zhiliang GAO ; Apichat KAEWDECH ; Meifang HAN ; Weiming YAN ; Hong REN ; Peng HU ; Sainan SHU ; Paul Yien KWO ; Fu-sheng WANG ; Man-Fung YUEN ; Qin NING
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(Suppl):S134-S164
As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.
6.Shikonin attenuates blood–brain barrier injury and oxidative stress in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by activating Sirt1/ Nrf2/HO-1 signaling
Guanghu LI ; Yang'e YI ; Sheng QIAN ; Xianping XU ; Hao MIN ; Jianpeng WANG ; Pan GUO ; Tingting YU ; Zhiqiang ZHANG
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(3):283-291
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious intracranial hemorrhage characterized by acute bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The effects of shikonin, a natural compound from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, on oxidative stress and blood–brain barrier (BBB) injury in SAH was evaluated in this study. A rat model of SAH was established by endovascular perforation to mimic the rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Rats were then administered 25 mg/kg of shikonin or dimethylsulfoxide after surgery. Brain edema, SAH grade, and neurobehavioral scores were measured after 24 h of SAH to evaluate neurological impairment. Concentrations of the oxidative stress markers superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain cortex were determined using the corresponding commercially available assay kits. Evans blue staining was used to determine BBB permeability. Western blotting was used to quantify protein levels of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1, Occludin, and Claudin-5. After modeling, the brain water content increased significantly whereas the neurobehavioral scores of rats with SAH decreased prominently. MDA levels increased and the levels of the antioxidant enzymes GSH and SOD decreased after SAH. These changes were reversed after shikonin administration. Shikonin treatment also inhibited Evans blue extravasation after SAH. Furthermore, reduction in the levels of tight junction proteins after SAH modeling was rescued after shikonin treatment. In conclusion, shikonin exerts a neuroprotective effect after SAH by mitigating BBB injury and inhibiting oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex.
7.Shikonin attenuates blood–brain barrier injury and oxidative stress in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by activating Sirt1/ Nrf2/HO-1 signaling
Guanghu LI ; Yang'e YI ; Sheng QIAN ; Xianping XU ; Hao MIN ; Jianpeng WANG ; Pan GUO ; Tingting YU ; Zhiqiang ZHANG
The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 2025;29(3):283-291
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious intracranial hemorrhage characterized by acute bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The effects of shikonin, a natural compound from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, on oxidative stress and blood–brain barrier (BBB) injury in SAH was evaluated in this study. A rat model of SAH was established by endovascular perforation to mimic the rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Rats were then administered 25 mg/kg of shikonin or dimethylsulfoxide after surgery. Brain edema, SAH grade, and neurobehavioral scores were measured after 24 h of SAH to evaluate neurological impairment. Concentrations of the oxidative stress markers superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain cortex were determined using the corresponding commercially available assay kits. Evans blue staining was used to determine BBB permeability. Western blotting was used to quantify protein levels of tight junction proteins zonula occludens-1, Occludin, and Claudin-5. After modeling, the brain water content increased significantly whereas the neurobehavioral scores of rats with SAH decreased prominently. MDA levels increased and the levels of the antioxidant enzymes GSH and SOD decreased after SAH. These changes were reversed after shikonin administration. Shikonin treatment also inhibited Evans blue extravasation after SAH. Furthermore, reduction in the levels of tight junction proteins after SAH modeling was rescued after shikonin treatment. In conclusion, shikonin exerts a neuroprotective effect after SAH by mitigating BBB injury and inhibiting oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex.
8.Translational Research of Electromagnetic Fields on Diseases Related With Bone Remodeling: Review and Prospects
Peng SHANG ; Jun-Yu LIU ; Sheng-Hang WANG ; Jian-Cheng YANG ; Zhe-Yuan ZHANG ; An-Lin LI ; Hao ZHANG ; Yu-Hong ZENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):439-455
Electromagnetic fields can regulate the fundamental biological processes involved in bone remodeling. As a non-invasive physical therapy, electromagnetic fields with specific parameters have demonstrated therapeutic effects on bone remodeling diseases, such as fractures and osteoporosis. Electromagnetic fields can be generated by the movement of charged particles or induced by varying currents. Based on whether the strength and direction of the electric field change over time, electromagnetic fields can be classified into static and time-varying fields. The treatment of bone remodeling diseases with static magnetic fields primarily focuses on fractures, often using magnetic splints to immobilize the fracture site while studying the effects of static magnetic fields on bone healing. However, there has been relatively little research on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis using static magnetic fields. Pulsed electromagnetic fields, a type of time-varying field, have been widely used in clinical studies for treating fractures, osteoporosis, and non-union. However, current clinical applications are limited to low-frequency, and research on the relationship between frequency and biological effects remains insufficient. We believe that different types of electromagnetic fields acting on bone can induce various “secondary physical quantities”, such as magnetism, force, electricity, acoustics, and thermal energy, which can stimulate bone cells either individually or simultaneously. Bone cells possess specific electromagnetic properties, and in a static magnetic field, the presence of a magnetic field gradient can exert a certain magnetism on the bone tissue, leading to observable effects. In a time-varying magnetic field, the charged particles within the bone experience varying Lorentz forces, causing vibrations and generating acoustic effects. Additionally, as the frequency of the time-varying field increases, induced currents or potentials can be generated within the bone, leading to electrical effects. When the frequency and power exceed a certain threshold, electromagnetic energy can be converted into thermal energy, producing thermal effects. In summary, external electromagnetic fields with different characteristics can generate multiple physical quantities within biological tissues, such as magnetic, electric, mechanical, acoustic, and thermal effects. These physical quantities may also interact and couple with each other, stimulating the biological tissues in a combined or composite manner, thereby producing biological effects. This understanding is key to elucidating the electromagnetic mechanisms of how electromagnetic fields influence biological tissues. In the study of electromagnetic fields for bone remodeling diseases, attention should be paid to the biological effects of bone remodeling under different electromagnetic wave characteristics. This includes exploring innovative electromagnetic source technologies applicable to bone remodeling, identifying safe and effective electromagnetic field parameters, and combining basic research with technological invention to develop scientifically grounded, advanced key technologies for innovative electromagnetic treatment devices targeting bone remodeling diseases. In conclusion, electromagnetic fields and multiple physical factors have the potential to prevent and treat bone remodeling diseases, and have significant application prospects.
9.Construction and effectiveness evaluation of a closed-loop management system for dispensed oral drugs in the inpatient pharmacy based on SWOT analysis
Jia WANG ; Weihong GE ; Ruijuan XU ; Shanshan QIAN ; Xuemin SONG ; Xiangling SHENG ; Bin WU ; Li LI
China Pharmacy 2025;36(4):401-406
OBJECTIVE To improve the efficiency and quality of dispensed oral drug management in the inpatient pharmacy, and ensure the safety of drug use in patients. METHODS SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis method was used to analyze the internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external opportunities and threats in the construction of a closed-loop management system for dispensed oral drugs in the inpatient pharmacy of our hospital, and propose improvement strategies. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS A refined, full-process, closed-loop traceability management system for dispensed oral drugs in the inpatient pharmacies was successfully established, which is traceable in origin, trackable in destination, and accountable in responsibility. After the application of this system, the registration rate of dispensed drug information and the correctness rate of registration content both reached 100%. The proportion of overdue drug varieties in the same period of 2024 decreased by 77.78% compared to March 2020, the inventory volume decreased by 29.50% compared to the first quarter of 2020, the per-bed medication volume decreased by 32.14% compared to the first quarter of 2020; the average workload per post in the same period of 2023 increased by 49.09% compared to 2019, the dispensing accuracy rate reached 100%, and the improvement rate of quality control problem increased by 25.25% compared to 2021. This system effectively improves the safety and accuracy of dispensed oral drug management in the inpatient pharmacy.
10.Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis
Jian LIU ; Hongchun ZHANG ; Chengxiang WANG ; Hongsheng CUI ; Xia CUI ; Shunan ZHANG ; Daowen YANG ; Cuiling FENG ; Yubo GUO ; Zengtao SUN ; Huiyong ZHANG ; Guangxi LI ; Qing MIAO ; Sumei WANG ; Liqing SHI ; Hongjun YANG ; Ting LIU ; Fangbo ZHANG ; Sheng CHEN ; Wei CHEN ; Hai WANG ; Lin LIN ; Nini QU ; Lei WU ; Dengshan WU ; Yafeng LIU ; Wenyan ZHANG ; Yueying ZHANG ; Yongfen FAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):182-188
The Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis (GS/CACM 337-2023) was released by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 13th, 2023. This expert consensus was developed by experts in methodology, pharmacy, and Chinese medicine in strict accordance with the development requirements of the China Association of Chinese Medicine (CACM) and based on the latest medical evidence and the clinical medication experience of well-known experts in the fields of respiratory medicine (pulmonary diseases) and pediatrics. This expert consensus defines the application of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of cough and excessive sputum caused by phlegm-heat obstructing lung, acute bronchitis, and acute attack of chronic bronchitis from the aspects of applicable populations, efficacy evaluation, usage, dosage, drug combination, and safety. It is expected to guide the rational drug use in medical and health institutions, give full play to the unique value of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid, and vigorously promote the inheritance and innovation of Chinese patent medicines.

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