1.Clinical and genetic analysis of children with Silver-Russell syndrome.
Liming ZHANG ; Guimei PAN ; Dongxia FU ; Xue WU ; Yongxing CHEN
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(4):259-264
OBJECTIVE:
To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics of children with Silver-Russell syndrome (SRS) and improve the recognition of this disease.
METHODS:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical manifestations and genetic testing results of 29 children with SRS diagnosed at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between March 2016 and June 2025.
RESULTS:
The 29 children had included 18 boys and 11 girls, with the age ranging from 2 months to 16 years. Their primary clinical manifestations included postnatal growth retardation (100%), small for gestational age (SGA) (100%), characteristic facial features (90%), limb asymmetry (83%), feeding difficulties (76%), ulnar deviation of the fifth finger (69%), body mass index (BMI) of < -2 SD (62%), and abnormal bone age (55%), including 15 cases with delayed bone age for an average of 1.5 years and 1 case with advanced bone age for 2.5 years. Additional manifestations included abnormal sexual development in 11 cases (38%), dental malocclusion in 11 cases (38%), allergic diseases in 10 cases (34%), cardiac diseases in 9 cases (31%), skeletal abnormalities in 7 cases (24%), renal hypoplasia in 5 cases (17%), and abnormal cranial MRI findings in 5 cases (17%). Twenty children were treated with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) at a dose of 0.1 ~ 0.15 U/(kg.d). Among them, 7 cases achieved annual height increase of ≥ 10 cm, 11 cases achieved annual height increase of ≥ 5 ~ 9 cm, and 2 cases achieved annual height increase < 5 cm. Twenty three children exhibited hypomethylation of imprinted genes in the chromosome region of 11p15, 4 presented maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 [UPD(7)mat], and 2 had harbored nonsense variants of the HMGA2 gene.
CONCLUSION
SRS patients may present with diverse clinical manifestations including postnatal growth retardation, SGA, characteristic facial features, limb asymmetry, feeding difficulties, and ulnar deviation of the fifth finger. Most patients may exhibit abnormal methylation in the 11p15 region. rhGH therapy can improve the height of these patients.
Humans
;
Silver-Russell Syndrome/diagnosis*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Child
;
Child, Preschool
;
Infant
;
Adolescent
;
Retrospective Studies
2.Effects of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription on osteoporosis in castrated rats based on Notch signaling pathway
Jun YANG ; Jie QU ; Liming CHEN ; Tong WU
International Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;47(1):58-63
Objective:To explore the mechanism of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription in preventing and treating postmenopausal osteoporosis.Methods:Rats were randomly divided into blank group, model group, Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups, and an estradiol group, with 10 rats in each group. Except for the blank group, all other groups of rats underwent bilateral oophorectomy to remove the ovaries, in order to prepare a postmenopausal osteoporosis rat model. On the 5th day after modeling, the blank group and model group were orally administered with 0.9% NaCl physiological saline, Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups were orally administered with 13.2, 8.2, and 3.3 g/kg of Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription, and the estradiol group was orally administered with 0.016 7 g/100 g estradiol aqueous solution once a day for 12 consecutive weeks. The bone density of the lumbar spine in rats was measured; immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the expressions of Notch1, Jagged1, and Hes1 proteins; PCR was used to detect the mRNA levels of Notch1, Jagged1, and Hes1 in rats.Results:Compared with the model group, the bone density of rats in each group significantly increased ( P<0.01), the protein and mRNA levels of Notch1 and Jagged1 increased ( P<0.01), and the protein and mRNA levels of Hes1 decreased ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Zhuanggu Zhitong Prescription can improve bone mineral density in castrated osteoporosis rats, promote the increase and thickening of trabeculae of femoral bone in rats, promote bone formation, and further prevent osteoporosis. The mechanism may be related to the activation of Notch signaling pathway, up-regulation of Notch1 and Jagged1 proteins, and decrease of Hes1 protein expression, thus promoting bone differentiation.
3.Cross-modal hash retrieval of medical images based on Transformer semantic alignment.
Qianlin WU ; Lun TANG ; Qinghai LIU ; Liming XU ; Qianbin CHEN
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(1):156-163
Medical cross-modal retrieval aims to achieve semantic similarity search between different modalities of medical cases, such as quickly locating relevant ultrasound images through ultrasound reports, or using ultrasound images to retrieve matching reports. However, existing medical cross-modal hash retrieval methods face significant challenges, including semantic and visual differences between modalities and the scalability issues of hash algorithms in handling large-scale data. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a Medical image Semantic Alignment Cross-modal Hashing based on Transformer (MSACH). The algorithm employed a segmented training strategy, combining modality feature extraction and hash function learning, effectively extracting low-dimensional features containing important semantic information. A Transformer encoder was used for cross-modal semantic learning. By introducing manifold similarity constraints, balance constraints, and a linear classification network constraint, the algorithm enhanced the discriminability of the hash codes. Experimental results demonstrated that the MSACH algorithm improved the mean average precision (MAP) by 11.8% and 12.8% on two datasets compared to traditional methods. The algorithm exhibits outstanding performance in enhancing retrieval accuracy and handling large-scale medical data, showing promising potential for practical applications.
Algorithms
;
Semantics
;
Humans
;
Ultrasonography
;
Information Storage and Retrieval/methods*
;
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
4.Cross modal medical image online hash retrieval based on online semantic similarity.
Qinghai LIU ; Lun TANG ; Qianlin WU ; Liming XU ; Qianbin CHEN
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(2):343-350
Online hashing methods are receiving increasing attention in cross modal medical image retrieval research. However, existing online methods often lack the learning ability to maintain semantic correlation between new and existing data. To this end, we proposed online semantic similarity cross-modal hashing (OSCMH) learning framework to incrementally learn compact binary hash codes of medical stream data. Within it, a sparse representation of existing data based on online anchor datasets was designed to avoid semantic forgetting of the data and adaptively update hash codes, which effectively maintained semantic correlation between existing and arriving data and reduced information loss as well as improved training efficiency. Besides, an online discrete optimization method was proposed to solve the binary optimization problem of hash code by incrementally updating hash function and optimizing hash code on medical stream data. Compared with existing online or offline hashing methods, the proposed algorithm achieved average retrieval accuracy improvements of 12.5% and 14.3% on two datasets, respectively, effectively enhancing the retrieval efficiency in the field of medical images.
Semantics
;
Humans
;
Algorithms
;
Information Storage and Retrieval/methods*
;
Diagnostic Imaging
;
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
5.Health benefits of honey: A critical review on the homology of medicine and food in traditional and modern contexts
Mohamed G. Sharaf El-Din ; Abdelaziz F.S. Farrag ; Liming Wu ; Yuan Huang ; Kai Wang
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences 2025;2025(2):147-164
Honey, a natural substance, has long been valued for its dual role in both food and medicine in diverse cultural traditions, particularly in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is rich in sugars, amino acids, enzymes, polyphenols, and flavonoids that contribute to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties. Additionally, honey is effective in managing some conditions, such as antibiotic-resistant infections, inflammation, and oxidative stress-related diseases. This review explores the extensive health benefits of honey, emphasizing the homology between food and medicine, as proposed by TCM philosophy. Further, this review explores the traditional applications of honey in respiratory health, wound healing, and gastrointestinal support, along with modern scientific validation of these uses. Moreover, the role of honey as a dietary supplement, functional food, and preservative in culinary practices is examined. Overall, this review highlights the synergy between ancient wisdom and contemporary science, advocating for the continued exploration of the role of honey in health, nutrition, and medicine.
6.Functional characterization of double-negative T cells isolated from leukoreduction filter residues.
Zhiqiang XIANG ; Yue WU ; Kaiyu HUANG ; Fuqiang WU ; Ju LIN ; Lieyong SANG ; Liming YANG
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences 2025;():1-9
OBJECTIVES:
To characterize the biological properties of double-negative T (DNT) cells isolated from leukoreduction filter residues.
METHODS:
Leukoreduction filters containing residues from 400 mL whole blood units (n=6) were collected from a blood center. Filters were back-flushed with normal saline, and the eluate was concentrated to obtain leukoreduction filter residues. Leukocytes in the residues were counted by dual-fluorescence staining. DNT cells were then isolated from the residues using antibody-mediated adsorption and density gradient centrifugation. Both cryopreserved and fresh unstimulated DNT cells derived from the residues were subjected to in vitro culture. Following culture, cells were assessed for expansion fold, viability, immunophenotype, differentiation status, and cytotoxicity against target cells using dual-fluorescence staining and flow cytometry, with comparisons made to DNT cells derived from whole blood.
RESULTS:
The leukocyte recovery rate achieved through reverse flushing of the leukocyte reduction filter was (41.9±14.7)%. Compared to whole blood, the DNT cell starting material obtained from filter residues showed no significant difference in total T-cell content (P>0.05). However, the viability and purity of the resulting DNT cell starting materials were significantly lower (both P<0.05). After 17 days of culture, DNT cells from filter residues and whole blood showed no significant differences in expansion fold, immunophenotype, differentiation status, or cytotoxicity toward target cells (all P>0.05). However, the viability of DNT cells from residues was significantly lower than that of whole blood-derived DNT cells [(86.0±4.2)% vs. (92.2±1.2)%, P<0.05]. After thawing (post 3 or 15 days of cryopreservation) and 17 days of culture, DNT cell starting materials from residues showed comparable immunophenotype, expansion fold, and differentiation status to their non-cryopreserved counterparts from the same source (all P>0.05). However, the viability of DNT cells cryopreserved for 3 days [92.4% (91.8%, 92.8%)] and the cytotoxicity against target cells of those cryopreserved for 15 days [91.3% (89.4%, 95.1%)] were significantly higher than those of non-cryopreserved DNT cells [87.8% (82.0%, 89.0%) and 70.9% (67.3%, 80.2%), respectively] (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
DNT cells derived from leukoreduction filter residues exhibited highly comparable characteristics to those from whole blood in terms of expansion, purity, differentiation, and biological potency. Furthermore, their biological activity post-cryopreservation and revival remained largely similar to non-cryopreserved cells. These findings suggest that leukoreduction filter residues represent a promising alternative source of starting material for manufacturing off-the-shelf, allogeneic DNT cell therapeutics.
7.Deubiquitinase USP13 alleviates doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity through promoting the autophagy-mediated degradation of STING.
Liming LIN ; Jibo HAN ; Diyun XU ; Zimin FANG ; Bozhi YE ; Jinfu QIAN ; Xue HAN ; Julian MIN ; Xiaohong LONG ; Gaojun WU ; Guang LIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(5):2545-2558
Doxorubicin (Dox) is an anthracycline drug widely applied in various malignancies. However, the fatal cardiotoxicity induced by Dox limits its clinical application. Post-transcriptional protein modification via ubiquitination/deubiquitination in cardiomyocytes mediates the pathophysiological process in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC). In this study, we aimed to clarify the regulatory role and mechanism of a deubiquitinating enzyme, ubiquitin-specific peptidase 13 (USP13), in DIC. RNA-seq analysis and experimental examinations identified that cardiomyocyte-derived USP13 positively correlated with DIC. Mice with cardiac-specific deletion of USP13 were subjected to Dox modeling. Adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) carrying cTNT promoter was constructed to overexpress USP13 in mouse heart tissues. Cardiomyocyte-specific knockout of USP13 exacerbated DIC, while its overexpression mitigated DIC in mice. Mechanistically, USP13 deubiquitinates the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and promotes the autolysosome-related degradation of STING, subsequently alleviating cardiomyocyte inflammation and death. Our study suggests that USP13 serves a cardioprotective role in DIC and indicates USP13 as a potential therapeutic target for DIC treatment.
8.Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction improves oocyte quality in polycystic ovary syndrome mice
Mingxing LI ; Xiaolei YUE ; Xiurong CHEN ; Kangmei LI ; Yunjia LIU ; Liming WU ; Yulin HUANG ; Yuanyuan WU ; Lin BAI ; Qiaoli PAN ; Guozhen HE ; Sufang YANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(14):2958-2968
BACKGROUND:It is urgent to improve the study on the molecular mechanism of Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction improving oocyte quality in polycystic ovary syndrome.OBJECTIVE:To observe the effects of Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction on oocyte quality in a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome and to explore the underlying mechanisms of its intervention in polycystic ovary syndrome.METHODS:Subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate was used to establish the polycystic ovary syndrome model in 21-day-old female Kunming mice,and the treatment was conducted for 21 consecutive days.The estrous cycle and pregnancy was recorded.ELISA was used to detect serum sex hormone levels.The rate of apoptosis in oocytes was detected using Annexin V staining.The level of reactive oxygen species in oocytes was detected using dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate.The condition of spindle bodies and chromosomes in oocytes were detected using the immunofluorescence method.Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to verify the binding properties of Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction core active components and oocyte maturation-related factors(growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15).Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15 in oocytes,respectively.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction core active components(quercetin,kaempferol,and β-sitosterol)showed good binding activities with growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15.(2)Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction ameliorated the estrous cycle,regulated serum hormone,increased the pregnancy,decreased the rate of apoptosis,declined the level of reactive oxygen species,diminished the rate of abnormal spindle assembly and chromosome loss(P<0.01,P<0.05);and promoted the mRNA and protein expression of growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15(P<0.05).Therefore,Ban's Culuan Zhuyun Decoction may improve the oocyte quality and increase the fertility of polycystic ovary syndrome mice by regulating the gene expression of growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15.
9.Long-term efficacy analysis of narrow-margin hepatectomy intraoperative radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
Mengyuan LI ; Yanling WU ; Liming WANG ; Fan WU ; Shulian WANG ; Yueping LIU ; Yongwen SONG ; Ning LI ; Yuan TANG ; Hao JING ; Hui FANG ; Ningning LU ; Shunan QI ; Zhuanbo YANG ; Siye CHEN ; Yexiong LI ; Jianxiong WU ; Qinfu FENG ; Yirui ZHAI ; Bo CHEN
Cancer Research and Clinic 2025;37(5):343-350
Objective:To investigate the long-term efficacy, safety and prognostic factors of intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for narrow-margin (resection margin < 1 cm) hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during radical surgery.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted. The data of primary HCC patients undergoing radical surgery and narrow-margin hepatectomy IORT in the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from November 2009 to February 2019 were collected. IORT applied 6 MeV or 9 MeV electron beams and a single irradiation was given to the margin. Kaplan-Meier method was used for the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) analysis; log-rank test was used for survival comparison among subgroups. The recurrence patterns and adverse reactions were recorded. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the factors influencing the OS and DFS.Results:A total of 64 patients were enrolled, with the median age [ M ( Q1, Q3)] of 57 years (49, 63) years. All patients included 55 males (85.9%) and 9 females (14.1%). The median dose of IORT was 15 Gy (range: 12-17 Gy). The median follow-up time was 83.3 (64.4, 91.9) months. The 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, 10-year OS rates were 90.4%, 80.6%, 75.5%, 71.4% and 47.6%, respectively; the 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year,10-year DFS rates were 77.8%, 68.1%, 59.6%, 57.6% and 38.4%, respectively. Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that preoperative serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) > 400 ng/ml was an independent risk factor for poor OS (> 400 ng/ml vs. ≤ 400 ng/ml: HR = 6.57, 95% CI: 2.16-19.96, P < 0.001), while not the independent influencing factor of poor DFS ( HR = 1.71, 95% CI: 0.65-4.52, P = 0.277). The age ≤ 60 years or not, gender, viral hepatitis or not, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, tumor diameter (> 5 cm or not), tumor number, degree of tumor differentiation, microvascular invasion or not, microsatellite nodules or not, anatomical liver resection or not, and the dose of IORT ≤15 Gy or not were not the independent influencing factors of poor OS and DFS (all P > 0.05). Kaplan-Meier method analysis showed that patients with preoperative serum AFP ≤ 400 ng/ml (48 cases) had better OS compared with those with preoperative serum AFP>400 ng/ml (16 cases) (5-year OS rate: 84.8% vs. 44.9%; 7-year OS rate: 79.9% vs.37.4%), and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.002). There was no statistically significant difference in the DFS between the 2 groups ( P = 0.134). During the follow-up, 28 patients (43.8%) relapsed, including 17 cases (26.6%) of early recurrence and 11 cases (17.2%) of late recurrence. No marginal recurrence was observed. There were 22 cases (34.4%) of intrahepatic recurrence alone, 2 cases (3.1%) of extrahepatic recurrence and 4 cases (6.3%) of stimutaneous recurrence inside and outside the liver. The 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-year cumulative recurrence rates inside the liver were 19.0%, 27.2%, 37.4% and 39.3% respectively, and the cumulative recurrence rates outside the liver were 6.4%, 8.0%, 9.6% and 9.6% respectively. There were no adverse reactions above grade 3 in the entire group. There were no surgery-related deaths within 30 d after the operation, and no radiation-induced liver disease occurred. Conclusions:Narrow-margin IORT helps HCC patients receiving hepatectomy to achieve favorable long-term survival and adverse reactions are tolerable. It can be used as a safe and effective adjuvant therapy alternative.
10.Evaluation of the effectiveness of rapid cycle deliberate practice in comprehensive emergency competence training for newly hired nurses
Chunlin YAN ; Zishuai WU ; Xiuping CHAI ; Xiukun LI ; Jing WANG ; Liming WANG ; Wentao WANG
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2025;41(14):1085-1091
Objective:To explore the effectiveness of rapid cycle deliberate practice (RCDP) in training newly hired nurses′comprehensive emergency competence and to provide references for enhancing their capabilities.Methods:A quasi-experimental study was conducted using purposeful sampling. From September to December 2022, newly hired nurses at Liaocheng Second People′s Hospital were selected as research subjects and randomly assigned to a controlor an observation group using random number table. The control group received traditional group drill training, while the observation group underwent RCDP training. The study compared pre- and post-training scores of emergency theory and skill assessments, scores on the Chinese version of the Perceived Cognitive Ability Scale in Emergency Situations (PCAS), and training satisfaction levels between the two groups.Results:Each group comprised 30 nurses. The control group consisted of 3 males and 27 females, with a mean age of (22.70 ± 1.09) years; the observation group included 2 males and 28 females, with a mean age of (22.93 ± 0.87) years. Post-training comprehensive emergency competence assessment scores was (89.19 ± 1.47) in the control group and (93.00 ± 1.41) in the observation group, with a statistically significant difference ( t = - 4.60, P<0.01). The scores and total scores of PCAS in the observation group were (34.23 ± 1.91), (12.70 ± 1.62), (10.03 ± 1.52) and (56.97 ± 3.09), respectively, which were higher than the (31.70 ± 2.42), (11.90 ± 1.16), (9.10 ± 1.42), and (52.47 ± 3.65) in the control group, the difference between the two groups were statistically significant ( t value were - 5.16 - - 2.20, all P<0.05). The total score of training satisfaction of nurses in the observation group was (41.93 ± 2.53) points, and the difference was statistically significant compared with the (33.80 ± 2.58) pointsin the control group ( t = - 12.33, P<0.01). Conclusions:The application of the RCDP method in training newly recruited nurses′comprehensive emergency competence effectively enhances their learning enthusiasm and initiative, thereby improving training outcomes.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail