1.EGR2 maintains neuropathic pain by promoting microglial phagocytosis.
Caiyun XI ; Jianxi ZHANG ; Zhifeng HUANG ; Liqiong HE ; Kailu ZOU ; Xiaoping XU ; Qulian GUO ; Bei SUN ; Changsheng HUANG
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2025;50(4):586-601
OBJECTIVES:
Neuropathic pain (NP) is one of the most common forms of chronic pain, yet current treatment options are limited in effectiveness. Peripheral nerve injury activates spinal microglia, altering their inflammatory response and phagocytic functions, which contributes to the progression of NP. Most current research on NP focuses on microglial inflammation, with relatively little attention to their phagocytic function. Early growth response factor 2 (EGR2) has been shown to regulate microglial phagocytosis, but its specific role in NP remains unclear. This study aims to investigate how EGR2 modulates microglial phagocytosis and its involvement in NP, with the goal of identifying potential therapeutic targets.
METHODS:
Adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of the sciatic nerve. Pain behaviors were assessed on days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 post-surgery to confirm successful model induction. The temporal and spatial expression of EGR2 in the spinal cord was examined using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was used to overexpress EGR2 in the spinal cord, and behavioral assessments were performed to evaluate the effects of EGR2 modulation of NP. CCI and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) models were established in animals and microglial cell lines, respectively, and changes in phagocytic activity were measured using RT-qPCR and fluorescent latex bead uptake assays. After confirming the involvement of microglial phagocytosis in NP, AAV was used to overexpress EGR2 in both in vivo and in vitro models, and phagocytic activity was further evaluated. Finally, eukaryotic transcriptome sequencing was conducted to screen differentially expressed mRNAs, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses to identify potential downstream effectors of EGR2.
RESULTS:
The CCI model successfully induced NP. Following CCI, EGR2 expression in the spinal cord was upregulated in parallel with NP development. Overexpression of EGR2 via spinal AAV injection enhanced microglial phagocytic activity and increased pain hypersensitivity in rats. Both animal and cellular models showed that CCI or LPS stimulation enhanced microglial phagocytosis, which was further amplified by EGR2 overexpression. Transcriptomic analysis of spinal cord tissues from CCI rats overexpressing EGR2 revealed upregulation of numerous genes associated with microglial phagocytosis and pain regulation. Among them, Lag3 emerged as a potential downstream target of EGR2.
CONCLUSIONS
EGR2 contributes to the maintenance of NP by enhancing microglial phagocytosis in the spinal dorsal horn.
Animals
;
Microglia/metabolism*
;
Phagocytosis/physiology*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Neuralgia/physiopathology*
;
Early Growth Response Protein 2/metabolism*
;
Male
;
Rats
;
Spinal Cord/metabolism*
;
Sciatic Nerve/injuries*
2.Mechanism of post cardiac arrest syndrome based on animal models of cardiac arrest.
Halidan ABUDU ; Yiping WANG ; Kang HE ; Ziquan LIU ; Liqiong GUO ; Jinrui DONG ; Ailijiang KADEER ; Guowu XU ; Yanqing LIU ; Xiangyan MENG ; Jinxia CAI ; Yongmao LI ; Haojun FAN
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2025;50(5):731-746
Cardiac arrest (CA) is a critical condition in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Despite successful resuscitation, patients continue to have a high mortality rate, largely due to post CA syndrome (PCAS). However, the injury and pathophysiological mechanisms underlying PCAS remain unclear. Experimental animal models are valuable tools for exploring the etiology, pathogenesis, and potential interventions for CA and PCAS. Current CA animal models include electrical induction of ventricular fibrillation (VF), myocardial infarction, high potassium, asphyxia, and hemorrhagic shock. Although these models do not fully replicate the complexity of clinical CA, the mechanistic insights they provide remain highly relevant, including post-CA brain injury (PCABI), post-CA myocardial dysfunction (PAMD), systemic ischaemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), and the persistent precipitating pathology. Summarizing the methods of establishing CA models, the challenges encountered in the modeling process, and the mechanisms of PCAS can provide a foundation for developing standardized CA modeling protocols.
Animals
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome/physiopathology*
;
Heart Arrest/physiopathology*
;
Humans
;
Ventricular Fibrillation/complications*
3.The construction of employer's satisfaction evaluation index towards the post competency of residents
Liqiong SHEN ; Li HE ; Luyao LUO ; Jinyu CHEN ; Yanqing YE
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(1):22-26
Objective:To develop employer's satisfaction evaluation index system towards post competency of residents.Methods:Using Delphi method, the employer's satisfaction evaluation index system towards post competency of residents was formulated through a two-round expert consultation among 19 experts. SPSS 20.0 was used for statistical analysis to calculate the positive coefficient, authority coefficient and coordination degree of experts.Results:For the two rounds of the expert consultation, the questionnaire recovery rate was 95.0% and 100% respectively. The experts' authority coefficient was 0.92, and the system was ultimately determined, including 5 first-level indicators, and 32 secondary indicators. The coefficient of variation (CV) of first-level indicators was 0.00, and the Kendall's W of secondary indicators was 0.663. Conclusions:Employer's satisfaction evaluation index system towards post competency of residents is scientific and reliable, which could provide employer with systematic and objective tool to evaluate residents' post competency.
4.Relationship between breakfast eating frequency and health-risk behavior of high school students in Chongqing
HU Chunmei, NIU Liqiong, HE Lingling
Chinese Journal of School Health 2021;42(1):54-57
Objective:
To investigate the relationship between breakfast eating frequency and health-risk behavior of high school students in Chongqing, and provide a reference for conducting students to get a good habit of eating breakfast everyday.
Methods:
A total of 3 283 high school students in Chongqing were selected to participate in a questionnarie by using convenience sampling method. Logistic regression analysis were condueted to analyze the influences made by the unhealty eating behaviors on eating frequency of breakfast.
Results:
There were 2 064(69.2%) students eating breakfast everyday, 1 219(37.1%) students having no breakfast or eating breakfast sometimes. There were significant differences between different gender, grade, native place, drinking energy drink, smoking, drinking alcohol, gambling, internet addiction students rate of unhealthy breakfast eating frequency(χ2=6.80, 53.97, 8.10, 23.79, 7.89, 16.31, 3.93, 17.96, P<0.05), the males (36.1%) was beyond the females(33.3%), the energy drink drinkers(41.2%) was beyond the non-drinkers(31.7%), the smokers (40.9%) was beyond the non-smokers(34.4%), the alcohol drinkers(40.3%) was beyond the non-drinkers(33.3%), the gamblers(39.7%) was beyond the non-gamblers(34.3%), those having internet addictions (40.0%) was beyond those having no addictions(33.0%). Drinking energy drink(OR=1.32, 95%CI=1.12-1.55), drinking alcohol(OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.02-1.51), internet addiction(OR=1.42, 95%CI=1.19-1.68) were positively correlated with unhealthy breakfast eating frequency of high school students(P<0.05).
Conclusion
Social, families and schools should strengthen the guidance of high school students to develop the habit of eating breakfast every day, and advoid the clustering of skipping breakfast and health-risk behaviors.
5.Study on the effect of sedation strategy guided by driving pressure on prognosis of patients with mechanical ventilation
Huiwei HE ; Chunli YANG ; Zhi CHEN ; Liqiong LOU ; Wenhan XIA
Chinese Critical Care Medicine 2020;32(10):1217-1220
Objective:To evaluate the effect of airway driving pressure (ΔP) guided sedation strategy on the prognosis of patients with mechanical ventilation.Methods:Patients who needed invasive mechanical ventilation and admitted to the department of intensive care unit (ICU) of Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to December 2018 were enrolled. The patients were divided into study group and control group according to the random number table. After informed consent of patients or their families, both groups received routine treatment in ICU. The control group was treated with light sedation strategy, the Richmond agitation sedation score (RASS) was performed every 4 hours, and the target was RASS > -3. ΔP in the study group was measured once a day, and the sedative target of patients with low driving pressure (ΔP ≤ 14 cmH 2O, 1 cmH 2O = 0.098 kPa) was RASS > -3, while the patients with high driving pressure (ΔP > 14 cmH 2O) was RASS ≤ -3. The evaluation was conducted at 28 days after admission to ICU, and the patients were followed up to 60 days. The main outcome was days without mechanical ventilation in 28 days. The secondary outcomes were the rate of extubation, discharge outcome, incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) and delirium, and 60-day survival rate. Results:A total of 60 patients with respiratory failure due to various reasons were recruited, 30 in each group. There was no significant difference in gender, age, primary disease, severity of disease or ΔP between the two groups. The days without mechanical ventilation within 28 days in the study group were significantly more than that in the control group [days: 20 (0, 23) vs. 12 (0, 16), P = 0.018], and the incidences of VAP (3.3% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.045) and delirium (0% vs. 10.0%, P = 0.038) were significantly lower than that in the control group. There were no significant differences in the rate of extubation (73.3% vs. 66.7%, P = 0.273), discharge outcome [improvement (cases): 24 vs. 21, unhealed (cases): 2 vs. 5, deaths (cases): 4 vs. 4, P = 0.506] and 60-day survival rate (83.3% vs. 76.7%, P = 0.519) between the study group and control group. Conclusion:Compared with light sedation strategy, ΔP directed sedation strategy can effectively shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation and reduce the incidence of VAP and delirium in the ICU patients.
6.Establishment and differential protein identification of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis for proteomics in the spinal cord of morphine-tolerant rats.
Liqiong HE ; Zongbin SONG ; Manyu XING ; Zhengyiqi LI ; Jing WU ; Meiling DENG ; Maoyu LI ; Qulian GUO ; Wangyuan ZOU
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2019;44(4):392-398
To establish a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) map for comparative proteomic analysis of rat spinal cord with chronic morphine tolerance, and to detect differentially expression proteins that are associated with chronic morphine tolerance.
Methods: Sixteen male SD rats received the intrathecal catheterization operation and they were randomly divided into a morphine tolerance group (MT group, n=8) and a saline group (NS group, n=8). The lumbar enlargement segments of the MT group and the NS group spinal cord were harvested and proteins were separated by 2-DE. Differential proteome profiles were established and analyzed by means of immobilized pH gradient-based two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE). The 2-DE maps were visualized after coomassie blue staining and analyzed using PDQuest analysis software. Identification of differential protein spots was conducted by MALDI-TOF-MS, and the Mascot query software was used to search Swiss-Prot database for bioinformatics analysis. Western blotting was used to verify the expression of some differentially expressed proteins.
Results: A total of 1 000 spots were identified in 2-DE maps of rat spinal cord tissues from the MT group and the NS group, and 36 proteins were significantly differentially expressed in the MT group compared with the NS group. Identification was conducted by MALDI-TOF-MS and Swiss-Prot database through Mascot query software, and a total of 14 proteins were obtained. Among them, 2 protein spots were down-regulated in the MT group compared with that in the NS group, and 12 protein spots were up-regulated in the MT group compared with that in the NS group. Two kinds of proteins (NUDAA, ENOG) were verified by Western blotting and the results were consistent with proteomics data.
Conclusion: The optimized 2-DE profiles for the proteome of spinal cord tissue in rats with chronic morphine tolerance is established preliminarily, which showed that morphine tolerance can cause changes in the expression of various proteins in the spinal cord.
Animals
;
Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
;
Male
;
Morphine
;
Proteome
;
Proteomics
;
Rats
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
;
Spinal Cord
7.Correlation between the dose measured in the rectum and reference dose in three-dimensional brachytherapy for cervical cancer
Liqiong LIU ; Zhipeng ZHAO ; Guanghui CHENG ; Mingyuan HE ; Hongfu ZHAO ; Yonggang ZHU ; Dan SHI
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2015;(6):649-652
Objective To explore the correlation between the dose measured in the rectum and reference dose in three?dimensional brachytherapy ( 3DBT ) for cervical cancer, and to evaluate the significance of the dose measured in the rectum. Methods Fifty patients receiving radiotherapy for cervical cancer were selected, and 3DBT was performed after pelvic external beam radiotherapy. According to the rectal monitoring method recommended in the report ICRU38, in vivo monitoring was applied to obtain the dose measured in the rectum, reference point dose ( DICRU ) , and D2 cm3 , and the planned dose was obtained from the planning system. The differences in these values were determined by the paired t?test and correlation analysis was performed with Pearson test. Results The dose measured in the rectum was higher than the planned dose (3. 48 vs. 3. 25,P=0. 000), and lower than DICRU(3. 48 vs. 3. 71,P=0. 000) and D2 cm3(3. 48 vs. 3. 87,P=0. 002). A linear relationship existed between the dose measured in the rectum and the planned dose, with a deviation percentage of-20% to 40% and an average deviation of 8. 16%;63%of the patients with cervical cancer had a deviation of<± 10%;the maximum deviation was 60%. The dose measured in the rectum had a strong correlation with DICRU(r=0. 722), but a weak correlation with D2 cm3 ( r=0. 284) . Conclusions During 3DBT for cervical cancer, the dose measured in the rectum has certain deviations, but has a linear correlation with the planned dose. Both the dose measured and the planned dose underestimate the dose at the reference point in the rectum, and in vivo rectal monitoring may be an effective method for quality control.
8.Constituents and characteristics of urinary stones in southeast Chongqing district
Jie LIN ; Li LUO ; Liqiong YUAN ; Rong HE ; Daiquan XIA
Chongqing Medicine 2015;(26):3652-3654,3657
Objective To analysis the constituents of urinary stones in southeast Chongqing district,and provide the percep-tion and treatment of urinary stones.Methods Retrospective analysis of 1 628 random urinary stones samples in southeast Chongqing district from 2008 to 2014.The chemical constituents of stones were analysis with the clinical data.Results Urinary stones were more often found in those 30 to 70 years old,especially in males.The upper system stones were frequently founded.The percentage of mixed stones and pure stones were similar,The constituents of stones were similar to male and female,the most com-mon component of the urinary stones are calcium oxalate,which were found in 82.9% of the stones,infection stones were found 1 9.2%,but only found in renal and ureteral stones,and also increase gradually.The most common component of urinary stones in Qianjiang and Pengshui district were calcium oxalate,the infection stones were frequently found in Youyang and Xiushan district. Conclusion Chemical composition analysis of urinary stones is simple,quick and accurate,it is very important in providing infor-mation to the etiology,treatment and prevention of urinary stones.
9.Diagnosis of Abdominal Organs Diseases by Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography
Zeyuan HE ; Liqiong WANG ; Shuangfeng TANG ; Xiaoyu LI ; Ai HE
Journal of Kunming Medical University 2013;(9):123-125
Objective To investigate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in diagnosing liver, gallbladder, spleen and renal diseases. Methods 27 patients with liver diseases, 30 patients with gallbladder diseases, 5 patients with renal diseases, 5 patients with renal trauma and 6 patients with spleen disease were examined by CEUS. Results There were 3 cases of primary hepatocellular carcinomas, 4 cases of metastatic hepatic carcinomas, 4 cases of liver abscess, 10 cases of hepatic hemangiomas and 3 cases of liver repture with active bleeding. The diagnostic coincidence rate of CEUS was 90%. 30 patients with gallbladder polyposis were diagnosed by CEUS, and the diagnostic coincidence rate was 100%. 5 cases with renal diaseses included 1 of renal abscess, 1 of renal column hypertrophy and 3 of renal hemangioma. In 5 cases with renal trauma, there were 3 cases with renal contusion and 2 cases with renal rupture and active bleeding. The coincidence rate was 61%. In 6 cases with spleen diseases, there were 1 case with splenic infraction, 1 case with splenic abscess and 4 cases with splenic rupture and hemorrhage. The coincidence rate was 100%. Conclusion CEUS has great value of clinical application in diagnosis of liver, gallbladder, spleen and renal diseases.
10.Perioperative nursing of internal sinus floor elevation surgery with piezosurgery
Jing HE ; Yiling LEI ; Liqiong WANG
West China Journal of Stomatology 2013;(6):583-584
Objective This study aims to summarize the nursing experience in the internal sinus floor elevation surgery with piezosurgery. Methods The medical records of 48 patients who underwent sinus floor elevation surgery with piezosur-gery in the Department of Implantation, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, were reviewed. The pre-operative, intraoperative, and postoperative nursing methods were summarized. Results All 48 patients underwent smooth surgeries and did not encounter complications. Conclusion Careful preoperative preparation, careful and meticulous intra-operative nursing cooperation, and provision of sufficient health education after surgery to the patients are the key factors that ensure the success of internal sinus floor elevation surgery with piezosurgery.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail