1.Skeleton Binding Protein 1 of Plasmodium berghei Influences Deformability and Cytoskeletal Ultrastructure of Infected Erythrocyte
Xin-Yue GUO ; Huan-Qi ZHAO ; Yan-Xuan ZHONG ; Ru-Meng JIANG ; Yao-Xian LI ; Lei-Ting PAN ; Qian WANG ; Xiao-Yu SHI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(4):1015-1027
ObjectiveThe malaria parasites remodel the host erythrocyte structure by exporting parasite proteins that interact with the membrane skeleton proteins of red blood cells (RBCs), facilitating their intracellular survival and pathogenicity. Skeleton-binding protein 1 (SBP1) is a conserved exported protein across Plasmodium species. In Plasmodium falciparum, SBP1 has been reported to interact with erythrocyte membrane skeleton proteins 4.1R and spectrin, while its contribution to erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence in Plasmodium berghei (Pb) remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether PbSBP1 associates with the host cytoskeletal protein 4.1R and to investigate its role in the remodeling of host RBCs and the pathogenicity of Plasmodium berghei. MethodsIn Plasmodium berghei, the relationship between PbSBP1 and the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R was examined using co-immunoprecipitation. A Pbsbp1 gene knockout mutant of Plasmodium berghei (Pbsbp1∆) was generated based on the principle of double crossover homologous recombination. The deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was assessed using microfluidic methods. Microchannels with an array of cylindrical pillars were used to detect modifications in infected RBC deformability. The infected RBCs were squashed between the rows and recovered between the columns and the transit velocity (μm/s) of infected RBCs travelling through the microchannel was recorded. The component of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton junctional complex, tropomodulin (TMOD), was fluorescently labeled, and the cytoskeletal network of infected erythrocytes was imaged using super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to analyze ultrastructural changes in the cytoskeleton of wild-type (WT) and Pbsbp1∆-infected erythrocytes. Actin-based junctional complexes were displayed as individual clusters by the labeled TMOD in the STORM images, and the cluster densities and distances between adjacent clusters of infected RBCs were calculated. Additionally, rodent malaria models (BALB/c mice) and experimental cerebral malaria models (C57BL/6 mice) were employed to monitor the growth of Pbsbp1∆ and WT parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage and their capacity to induce cerebral malaria in mice. ResultsPbSBP1 may participate in the remodeling of infected erythrocytes through direct or indirect interaction with the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R. Microfluidic assays revealed that the deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was significantly enhanced compared to those infected with WT parasites. STORM imaging further demonstrated that the ultrastructure of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton in Pbsbp1∆-infected cells was altered relative to that in WT-infected erythrocytes. The distances between nearest neighbors of clusters had a tendency to increase while the cluster densities were decreased in Pbsbp1∆-infected RBCs compared to WT-infected RBCs. Subsequent phenotypic analysis indicated that the growth rate of Pbsbp1∆ parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage was significantly slower than that of WT parasites, and their ability to induce cerebral malaria in mice was also attenuated. These findings suggest that PbSBP1 is involved in the remodeling of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton, likely through its direct or indirect interaction with protein 4.1R, thereby regulating the deformability of infected erythrocytes and influencing the pathogenicity of the blood-stage parasites. ConclusionThis study establishes a role for PbSBP1 in host erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence, providing new research strategies for the prevention and treatment of malaria.
2.Research on The Genealogical Inference Efficiency of High-density SNPs
Jing LI ; Yi-Jie SUN ; Wen-Ting ZHAO ; Zi-Chen TANG ; Jing LIU ; Cai-Xia LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(3):740-753
ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the potential of different orders of magnitude single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) locus combinations for predicting distant kinship relationships. A high-density SNP locus set was constructed, and a comprehensive assessment of its inference capability was conducted. MethodsFirstly, we selected three commercial chip panels, CGA (Chinese genotyping array, Illumina), GSA (Global screening array, Illumina), Affy (23MF_V2 high-density SNP array, Affymetrix) and merged them after quality control, forming a high-density SNP locus panel(1 180 k). Secondly, we selected 161 samples and collected their peripheral blood samples by using whole-genome sequencing technology. Within this sample population, the levels of kinship relationships fully covered the range from level 1 to level 9, and the number of kinship pairs at each level was consistently maintained at over 50 pairs. From 161 samples data of whole-genome sequencing, the 1 180 k locus set was extracted, which is referred to as the high-density SNP locus set in the following text. The kinship inference was conducted using the identity-by-descent (IBD) algorithm with the selected optimal parameters. To comprehensively evaluate the performance of the high-density SNP locus set in kinship inference, we compared it with the three commercial chip panels, the intersection of these three chip loci, and the control sets constructed by randomly reducing the number of the high-density SNP locus set. Based on the changes in the IBD lengths, as well as the dynamic trends in prediction accuracy, we conducted a scientific assessment of the kinship inference capability of the high-density SNP locus set. ResultsAfter screening, a set of 1 184 334 autosomal SNPs was obtained. During the process of screening the optimal IBD length threshold, the result revealed that 0 cM, 1 cM, and 2 cM all demonstrated good applicability. However, to avoid the issue of a large amount of redundant information caused by setting a too low IBD length threshold, this study ultimately selected 2 cM as the optimal threshold. Compared with the average results of three chip panels, the high-density SNP locus set increased the total IBD length and the average IBD length across levels 1-9; the accuracy of the confidence interval for level 8 was 70.97%, which represented a 3.50% improvement; the average confidence interval accuracy for levels 1-8 was 91.39%, representing a 1.00% increase; and the false negative rates at levels 8 and 9 were reduced by 2.42% and 6.76%, respectively. The system efficacy of the high-density SNP locus set for kinship inference of first to eighth degree relationships reached 98.91%. Through random reduction of the high-density SNP locus set results, it is found that increasing the number of SNPs with the panel, the detection efficiency of IBD length showed a significant upward trend. At the same time, the overall trend in the accuracy of kinship relationship prediction as well as the confidence interval accuracy also indicated that both metrics steadily increased with the addition of more loci. ConclusionThe results show that the high-density SNPs panel significantly enhances the efficacy of distant kinship inference, accurately covering kinship degrees, with the average confidence interval accuracy for first to eighth degree relationships stably above 90%. The study finds that increasing the number of SNPs panel can improve the ability to predict distant kinship.
3.Effects of subanesthetic dose of esketamine on postoperative anxiety and recovery in patients undergoing laparo-scopic cholecystectomy
Zhangzhen ZHONG ; Xian ZHENG ; Ting XU ; Jie WANG ; Hui CAO ; Xinggen ZHOU ; Hui LI ; Jiacheng ZHAO ; Hui LIU ; Chao ZHANG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(2):204-209
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of subanesthetic dose of esketamine on postoperative anxiety and recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS A total of 200 patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Suzhou Ninth Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University from January 2023 to December 2024 were randomly assigned to control group (n=100) and observation group (n=100). One minute before the initiation of anesthesia, patients in the control group received intravenous injections of Propofol emulsion injection, Sufentanil citrate injection, and Succinylcholine chloride injection. On this basis, patients in the observation group received an intravenous injection of Esketamine hydrochloride injection. The anxiety status of patients in both groups was compared, along with their general intraoperative conditions (including sufentanil dosage, duration of pneumoperitoneum, operative time, anesthesia time, and extubation time), postoperative recovery, incidence of adverse reactions, and the need for dezocine rescue analgesia. Heart rate and mean arterial pressure, entropy index (state entropy and response entropy), inflammatory marker levels [interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP)], numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain intensity were compared between the two groups at different time points. RESULTS No significant differences were found between the two groups in pneumoperitoneum duration, operative time, anesthesia time,extubation time, incidence of postoperative dry mouth, entropy index or length of stay in the post-anesthesia care unit (P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group showed significantly lower postoperative STAI-S scores, reduced intraoperative sufentanil consumption, decreased incidence of postoperative nausea, vomiting, and shivering, the need for dezocine rescue analgesia, as well as lower plasma IL-6 and CRP levels at 24 h after surgery, and NRS (P<0.05). The heart rate and mean arterial pressure of patients in the observation group at the start of surgery, end of surgery, and during extubation were all significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Subanesthetic dose of esketamine can effectively alleviate postoperative anxiety, reduce intraoperative opioid consumption, suppress postoperative inflammatory response, relieve postoperative pain, and promote recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
4.Toxicological mechanism of benzalkonium chloride-induced corneal injury in dry eye based on network toxicology and molecular docking
Lifeng ZHAO ; Meijiao ZHOU ; Ting LI ; Xuejing LU
International Eye Science 2026;26(8):1323-1331
AIM:To explore the toxicological mechanisms of benzalkonium chloride(BAC)as a preservative in ophthalmic preparations leading to corneal injury in dry eye.METHODS:Network toxicology was employed to obtain the chemical structure of BAC, its toxic targets, and targets associated with dry eye-related corneal injury from databases including PubChem, CTD, ChEMBL, and STITCH. The protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were constructed using the STRING database to screen key toxicity targets. Gene ontology(GO)functional annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analyses were performed to elucidate the potential biological processes and signaling pathways affected by BAC. Furthermore, molecular docking techniques were employed to validate the binding affinity of BAC to its key targets(IL-6, IL-1β, TNF, and EGF).RESULTS:BAC had a toxicity grade of 4 and exhibited significant eye irritation. A total of 85 common targets of BAC and dry eye corneal damage were screened out, of which 49 were key toxic targets, including TNF, IL-6, TP53, IL-1β, BCL2, etc. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that BAC mainly acted on 7 corneal injury pathways closely associated with corneal injury, such as IL-17, TNF, NF-κB, JAK-STAT, PI3K-Akt, Rap1, and MAPK. The results of molecular docking showed that BAC had stable binding ability to IL-6, IL-1β, TNF, EGF, and other targets(binding energy <0).CONCLUSION:BAC may induce corneal damage in dry eye through multi-target and multi-pathway mechanisms, involving processes such as inflammatory response, apoptosis, disruption of tear film stability, and delayed corneal repair, which suggests that long-term use of ophthalmic preparations containing BAC may aggravate ocular surface damage.
5.Efficacy and safety of different classes of antibacterial agents for hospitalized adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia:a network meta-analysis
Tianqi LIU ; Ruixue LI ; Zinan ZHAO ; Wenfeng XU ; Zi LIANG ; Jiayu ZHANG ; Ting LI ; Pengfei JIN
China Pharmacy 2026;37(18):2442-2448
OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of different classes of antibacterial agents in hospitalized adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).METHODS PubMed, Embase,the Cochrane Library,Web of Science,CNKI,and Wanfang data were searched from inception to January 1,2026,to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated different classes of antibacterial agents in hospitalized adults with CAP.After screening the literature, extracting the data, and evaluating the quality of the literature, a network meta-analysis was performed using Stata 18.0.RESULTS A total of 25 studies were included,involving 7 863 patients. In terms of efficacy,compared with carbapenems,penicillins,cephalosporins,macrolides,and pleuromutilins were associated with significantly higher treatment failure rates ( P <0.05),carbapenems and traditional tetracyclines were ranked as the top two by the surface under the cumulative ranking curve area (SUCRA). No statistically significant differences were observed in mortality among the interventions ( P >0.05),carbapenems and other quinolones were ranked as the top two by SUCRA. In terms of safety,no statistically significant differences were observed among the interventions in the incidence of adverse events or discontinuation rates ( P >0.05);traditional tetracyclines and novel tetracyclines were ranked as the top two by SUCRA for the incidence of adverse events,while novel tetracyclines and pleuromutilins were ranked as the top two by SUCRA for discontinuation rates.CONCLUSIONS Carbapenems significantly reduced the treatment failure rate in hospitalized adults with CAP. The safety profiles of all antibacterial agents were comparable, with novel tetracyclines showing a more favorable safety profile.
6.Exploration of the Application of Generative Artificial Intelligence to the Challenge of Medical Record Writing
Xiaoyuan GAO ; Xiaolin DIAO ; Fan XU ; Hongxia LI ; Xintong WU ; Zixing WANG ; Wei ZHAO ; Ting SHU
Chinese Hospital Management 2025;45(5):76-79
Generative Artificial Intelligence ishows a broad application prospect in the field of healthcare and has become an important technical means to promote the development of medical informatization.It addresses the multi-faceted challenges of medical record documentation,including efficiency,quality,and doctor-patient communica-tion.It analyzes the adaptability and feasibility of Generative Artificial Intelligence in different clinical scenarios of intelli-gent medical record generation.Additionally,it explores the issues present in current applications and proposes corre-sponding solutions,providing references for the effective application and continuous optimization of Generative Artifi-cial Intelligence in medical record documentation.This provides a theoretical foundation for further expanding the appli-cation scenarios of automatic medical record documentation in China's healthcare industry.
7.A comparative study of radial ultrasound combined with cryobiopsy and forceps biopsy under thin-layer CT navigation in the diagnosis of malignant peripheral lung lesions
Ting GAO ; Xiaopeng HE ; Peiwen ZHAO ; Juanzhi LI ; Shuli YUAN ; Lei ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Oncology 2025;47(10):1001-1008
Objective:Comparative study on the application value of bronchial ultrasound combined with different biopsy methods under thin-layer CT navigation in the diagnosis of malignant peripheral lung lesions.Methods:A retrospective analysis of patients with suspected malignant peripheral lung lesions identified by chest CT from January 2019 to September 2024 at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, and Xianyang Central Hospital, who underwent routine bronchoscopy with negative results (209 cases). These patients were diagnosed using bronchial ultrasound under thin-layer CT navigation. The cases were divided into a cryobiopsy group (127 cases) and a conventional forceps biopsy group based on the biopsy method (82 cases). The diagnostic rates of the two groups were statistically analyzed, along with factors influencing the diagnostic rates. The tissue size obtained from both groups was compared, and the occurrence of complications was summarized.Results:This study included 209 cases with 216 peripheral lung lesions. A total of 209 cases with 210 lesions were successfully located through thin-slice CT guidance, resulting in a guiding success rate of 97.2% (210/216). Among the 130 lesions in the cryobiopsy group, 78 lesions were diagnosed as lung malignancies, with a diagnostic rate of 82.1% (64/78) for cryobiopsy in lung malignant lesions. In the forceps biopsy group, 46 of the 86 lesions were diagnosed as lung malignancies, with a diagnostic rate of 87.0% (40/46) for forceps biopsy in lung malignant lesions. There was no statistically significant difference between the two diagnostic rates ( P=0.473). The average longest diameter of tissue obtained by cryobiopsy was (6.11±0.23) mm, while the average longest diameter of tissue obtained by forceps biopsy was (1.58±0.43) mm. There was a statistically significant difference in tissue longest diameter between the two groups ( P<0.001). When the distance from the bronchoscopic tip to the lesion was ≥3 cm and the most distal bronchus visible under bronchoscopy was ≤5th generation, the diagnostic rate of forceps biopsy was higher [83.3%(25/30) and 94.1%(32/34)] than that of cryobiopsy [79.3%(23/29) and 78.0%(46/59)], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Regarding complications, one case (1.3%, 1/78) of clinically significant complications occurred in the cryobiopsy group, while no complications occurred in the forceps biopsy group. Conclusions:Under thin-layer CT navigation, bronchial ultrasound combined with different biopsy methods demonstrates a high diagnostic rate for malignant peripheral lung lesions and is safe to operate. Cryobiopsy allows for the collection of larger tissue specimens.
8.Study on the correlation between urinary calcium levels and severity and prognosis of chronic kidney disease
Qiongjing YUAN ; Yanyun XIE ; Jinwei WANG ; Zhangzhe PENG ; Pan YU ; Ting MENG ; Ling HUANG ; Wei WANG ; Xiaozhao LI ; Hanwei HUANG ; Fang WANG ; Bixia GAO ; Minghui ZHAO ; Qiaoling ZHOU ; Luxia ZHANG ; Hui XU
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2025;46(2):264-272
Objective:To analyze the relationship between 24-hour urinary calcium (24 h UCa) level and the risk of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause mortality.Methods:In the Chinese Cohort Study of Chronic Kidney Disease, we examined 3 375 patients aged 18-74 years with CKD stages 1-4. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to test a time-to-event association between levels of 24 h UCa and incidence of ESKD, CVD, and all-cause mortality.Results:During a follow-up of 4.17 (3.37, 5.20) years, 179, 145, 104 and 38 ESKD events occurred in <0.60, 0.60-, 1.20-, ≥2.32 mmol 24 h UCa groups. Higher levels of 24 h UCa (1.20-,≥2.32 mmol) were independently associated with a lower incidence of ESKD events in patients with CKD, with HR (95% CI) of 0.71 (0.54-0.93) and 0.43 (0.29-0.64), respectively. No significant associations with CVD and all-cause mortality endpoints were detected. Conclusion:Among patients with CKD, levels of 24 h UCa displayed an association with the risk of ESKD among patients with CKD stages 1-4.
9.Sigma-1 receptor expression in rat brain tissue is correlated with brain injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Haiyan ZHAO ; Yijie WANG ; Rong LIU ; Jilin YANG ; Ting LI ; Xiaolin ZHU ; Jiahong QIN
Basic & Clinical Medicine 2025;45(9):1200-1207
Objective To explore the effects of sigma-1 receptor(Sig-1R)on brain function in rats after cardiopulmo-nary resuscitation and its protective role in brain injury.Methods Rats were randomly assigned to four groups with 20 in each:sham-operated control(sham group),6-hour post-resuscitation(PR 6 h group),12-hour post-resuscitation(PR 12 h group)and 24-hour post-resuscitation(PR 24 h group).In the latter three groups,cardiac arrest was induced by as-phyxiation,and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed 6 minutes after cardiac arrest.The rats were scored for neu-rological deficits at 6,12 and 24 hrs after resuscitation,respectively;after that,the rats were executed,and the expres-sion of Sig-1R protein,mitochondrial function index,and endoplasmic reticulum stress index apoptosis index were detec-ted by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.The correlation between Sig-1R and mitochondrial,endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis indexes was evaluated.Results Compared with the sham-operated group,the rats in test group showed a gradual decrease in neurological deficit scores,Sig-1R protein expression,brain tissue adenosine triphos-phate(ATP)concentration and mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP)levels at 6,12,and 24 hrs of PR(P<0.05);CHOP protein,activated cleaved caspase-12 and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression were consistently elevated(P<0.05).In addition,Sig-1R was negatively correlated with brain tissue endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis(P<0.05)but positively correlated with mitochondrial membrane potential level(P<0.05).Conclusions Sig-1R ex-pression in rat brain tissue correlates with brain injury after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and potential mechanism seems to be neuronal protection through modulating mitochondrial function and endoplasmic reticulum stress.
10.Construction of a postoperative mortality risk model for patients with acute aortic dissection based on XGBoost-SHAP method
Xin ZHANG ; Min FANG ; Yi CAO ; Ting-Ting LI ; Xian-Kong LIU ; Jia-Yi DANG ; Xue-Sen ZHAO ; Hong-Qin REN ; Jia-Ze GENG ; Kai-Wen WANG ; Tie-Sheng HAN ; Yong-Bo ZHAO ; Dong MA
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2025;50(10):1226-1234
Objective To develop a predictive model for postoperative mortality risk in patients with acute aortic dissection(AAD)using the Extreme Gradient Boosting(XGBoost)algorithm combined with Shapley Additive Explanation(SHAP),and to establish a prediction website to serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic support platform for clinicians and patients.Methods A retrospective cohort study design was adopted.Data from 782 AAD patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2013 to December 2023 were collected,including basic information and initial serum biomarker test results.Patients were randomly divided into training and test sets at a 7:3 ratio.An external validation set consisting of 313 AAD patients admitted to the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2020 to December 2023 was also established for further model validation.Variables were screened using LASSO regression,and an XGBoost machine learning model was constructed and interpreted using SHAP.The predictive performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Using the Shiny package,the XGBoost model was deployed to shinyapps.io to create a prediction website for postoperative mortality risk in AAD patients.One patient was selected by simple random sampling from the test set and the external validation set respectively for the prediction example on the Shiny webpage.Results The XGBoost model demonstrated high predictive performance for postoperative mortality in AAD patients,with area under the ROC curve(AUC)values of 0.928(95%CI 0.901-0.956)in the training set,0.919(95%CI 0.891-0.949)in the test set,and 0.941(95%CI 0.915-0.967)in the external validation set.SHAP values indicated the following order of variable importance in the model(from highest to lowest):"lactate dehydrogenase""blood chlorine""multiple organ injury""carbon dioxide combining power""prothrombin time""α-hydroxybutyric acid""creatine kinase isoenzyme""Stanford classification""combined use of bedside blood purification""gender""acute kidney injury""gastrointestinal bleeding""brain injury"and"shock".A risk prediction website for adverse postoperative outcomes in AAD patients was developed using XGBoost-SHAP method(https://dun-dunxiaolu.shinyapps.io/document/)and validated with examples.One randomly selected patient from each of the test and external validation sets was applied:the predicted mortality risk value for patient 1(who died postoperatively)was 0.9539,and that for patient 2(who survived postoperatively)was 0.0206.Conclusions The XGBoost-SHAP model demonstrates high accuracy in predicting postoperative mortality risk for AAD patients.The online prediction tool established based on this model enhances the identification efficiency of high-risk postoperative mortality patients.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail