1.Exploring the mechanism of action of curcumin in the treatment of silicosis based on network pharmacology and molecular docking
Zhijia WU ; Jiayun WU ; Yuanting LIANG ; Meimei ZHONG ; Wei WEI ; Yiru QIN ; Na ZHAO
China Occupational Medicine 2023;50(4):361-369
Objective To explore the mechanism of action of curcumin in the treatment of silicosis by network pharmacology combined with molecular docking technology. Methods The targets prediction network of curcumin in treating silicosis was established based on the collection of targets of curcumin and silicosis in multiple databases, cross-targets were submitted to the STRING database, and their connectivity was analyzed by Cytoscape software. Gene ontology (GO) function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the top 20 genes. The molecular docking was performed on the key targets to study the mechanism of action of curcumin in treating silicosis. Results A total of 311 targets related to curcumin, 270 targets related to silicosis, and 74 cross-targets were obtained from the databases. GO function analysis revealed 2 665 related pathways, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed 188 related pathways. Molecular docking results showed that curcumin had good binding ability with the targets of mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), interleukin (IL) 6, serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, albumin, Jun proto-oncogene, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), IL1B, tumor protein p53, C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 and fibronectin 1. Conclusion The therapeutical effects of curcumin on silicosis were implemented through multi-targets and multi-pathways. Curcumin may play a role in the treatment of silicosis by binding to the core targets MAPK3, IL6, AKT1, VEGFA and TNF and regulating the MAPK, IL6, TNF, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B and VEGF signaling pathways.
2.Serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO levels in children with acute attack of bronchial asthma and their correlation with disease severity in Chengdu
Meimei LAI ; Yao DENG ; Yongqiong WEI ; Shuzhe YANG ; Chenggui LIU ; Lei ZHANG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2022;33(4):109-112
Objective To analyze the levels of IgE,TNF-α and FeNO in children with acute attack of bronchial asthma and their correlation with the severity of bronchial asthma, so as to provide theoretical basis for clinical evaluation of bronchial asthma. Methods A total of 547 children with acute bronchial asthma treated in Chengdu Women and Children's Central Hospital from January 2020 to December 2020 were selected and divided into mild group (n=287), moderate group (n=186) and severe group (n=74) according to the severity of their disease. All the children's symptoms were controlled after treatment. The serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO levels in the experimental group were compared between the acute attack stage and the clinical control stage. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO levels and the severity of the disease. ROC curve of children with bronchial asthma was drawn to analyze the differential diagnosis value of serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO levels in children with acute bronchial asthma. Results The levels of IgE, TNF-α and FeNO in acute stage were significantly higher than those in clinical control stage (P<0.05). The levels of serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO in severe group were higher than those in mild and moderate groups significantly (P<0.05). The levels of serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO in moderate group were higher than those in mild group significantly (P<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO water were positively correlated with the severity of bronchial asthma (r=0.419 , 0.438 , 0.502 , P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC, sensitivity, accuracy and specificity of serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO levels combined in diagnosing the severity of bronchial asthma in patients with acute attack was 0.938 (95% CI: 0.912-0.982 ), 83.47%, 92.06%, 94.28%. Conclusion The level of serum IgE, TNF-α and FeNO in children with acute attack of bronchial asthma is closely related to the severity of the disease, and combined detection of the three can be used to evaluate the severity of the disease in children.
3.Mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in improving insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic rats
Shenghui GUO ; Shiwei LIU ; Ruixue DUAN ; Meimei WANG ; Yaru WU ; Ying WEI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020;28(2):93-100
Objective:To observe the therapeutic effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUC-MSCs) on insulin resistance, and to investigate the molecular mechanisms in T2DM rats.Methods:The T2DM rats were induced by a high fat and high glucose diet for 10 weeks combined with low-dose streptozocin. Four weeks after infusion of HUC-MSCs via tail vein of the rats, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol were measured. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test and hyperinsulinemic-euglycaemic clamp test were performed to evaluate the islet function and insulin resistance level of rats. The protein expression levels of lipid metabolism signal pathway adenine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) and acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC) in liver tissue were detected by western blot.Results:Compared with the T2DM group, HUC-MSCs treatment can significantly reduce fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol levels ( P<0.01), and the values of area under the curve of glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance ( P<0.05) in the T2DM+ HUC-MSCs group. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycaemic clamp test found that compared with the T2DM group, after HUC-MSCs treatment, the glucose infusion rate level was significantly higher in the T2DM+ HUC-MSCs group( P<0.01); Western blot showed that compared with the T2DM group, the ratio of p-AMPK to AMPK and p-ACC to ACC in liver tissues of T2DM+ HUC-MSCs group were significantly increased( P<0.01). Conclusion:Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells treatment may improve lipid metabolism and insulin resistance by activating AMPK/ACC signaling pathways in type 2 diabetic rats.
4. Serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella isolates from retail chicken carcasses in six provinces of China
Yujie HU ; Yingying HE ; Yeru WANG ; Chang LIU ; Meimei WANG ; Xin GAN ; Wei WANG ; Shaofei YAN ; Yao BAI ; Zixin PENG ; Fengqin LI ; Jin XU
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2018;52(4):372-377
Objective:
To obtain the serotype diversity and antimicrobial resistance of
5.The current status and influencing factors of compassion fatigue in clinical nurses
Meimei TIAN ; Lin FAN ; Yan SHI ; Xiaomei WEI ; Hui JIANG ; Yan WU ; Haiyan GU ; Lingling CHEN ; Jin ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2018;53(1):76-82
Objective To investigate the current status and influencing factors of compassion fatigue in clinical nurses,and to provide theoretical references for prevention of nurse burnout and promotion of nurse retention.Methods Totally 992 clinical nurses from ten tertiary hospitals were enrolled through random cluster sampling to complete general information questionnaire,the Professional Quality of Life Scale (Pro-QOL-V),the Resilience Scale for Adults(RSA) and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy·Health Professionals(JSE-HP).Results The prevalence of moderate and high risk of secondary stress and burnout were 71.1%,73.2%,respectively;clinical nurses with work experience of 6 to 10 years presented the highest level of burnout(P<0.01);lower empathy and resilience,as well as adverse work environment were risk factors of compassion fatigue.Multiple regression analysis showed that the influencing factors of nurse burnout were compassion satisfaction,secondary stress,resilience,workload,recognition,empathy,and payment,which explained 70.5% of the total variance.Conclusion Secondary stress,burnout and compassion satisfaction in clinical nurses are influenced by nurses' empathy,resilience and work environment,and nursing administrators should pay attention to receiving recognition as positive predictors of burnout,except for workload and payment.
6.Efficacy and safety of suvorexant for the treatment of primary insomnia among Chinese: A 6-month randomized double-blind controlled study
Baiya Fan ; Jing Kang ; Yalong He ; Meimei Hao ; Wei Du ; Shihong Ma
Neurology Asia 2017;22(1):41-47
Background: Insomnia often responds to the orexin receptor antagonist suvorexant. This study aimed to
evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of suvorexant for Chinese patients with primary insomnia over 6
months. Methods: A total of 120 patients with primary insomnia were assigned randomly to two groups
that received placebo or suvorexant (40 mg) for 6 months. The primary outcomes were the total sleep time
(sTST), time to sleep onset (sTSO), and sleep quality (sQUAL). The secondary outcomes were the Insomnia
Severity Index (ISI) score and adverse events. Results: A total of 111 patients completed the study and
all of them were included in the final analysis. Suvorexant showed greater efficacy than the placebo in
enhancing sTST, sTSO, sQUAL and ISI score at months 1 and 6. Serious adverse events were documented
in 2 patients (3.3%) in the suvorexant group and 1 patients (1.7%) in the placebo group. The most common
adverse event was somnolence, which occurred in 7 patients (11.7%) in the suvorexant group and 2 patients
(3.3%) in the placebo group. No death related to suvorexant treatment was recorded.
Conclusions: Suvorexant was efficacious and well-tolerated in a group of Chinese patients with primary
insomnia over 6 months.
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
7.Study on the cDNA Library Construction Method for Xinjiang Artemisia rupestris
Chong LIU ; Bo CHENG ; Jiang HE ; Weijun YANG ; Guip-eng XUE ; Meimei WEI ; Xue WANG
China Pharmacy 2017;28(13):1793-1796
OBJECTIVE:To establish a method for full-length cDNA library of Xinjiang Artemisia rupestris. METHODS:Mod-ified Trizol method was adopted to extract total RNA in young leaves of A. rupestris,it was transcribed into single-strand cDNA, and then synthesized into double-strand cDNA by long-distance polymerase chain reaction(LD-PCR)method. PCR product was di-gested by proteinase K and sfiⅠ,and then fractionated by CHROMA SPIN-400 columns. The cDNA longer than 0.4 kb were col-lected and ligated to phage λTriplE × 2,and then protein packaging was performed. Full-length cDNA library was established by SMART technology. 20 monoclonal were randomly selected from the library,and electrophoresis was used to determine the primary library titer,library capacity,recombinant positive rate and length of insert cDNA. RESULTS:The primary library titer was 1.94× 107 pfu/mL,library capacity was 0.97×107 pfu;recombinant positive rate of insert cDNA was 96% and length was 0.5-2.0 kb with an average of 0.9 kb. CONCLUSIONS:The established library is high in capacity and quality,which can provide basis for estab-lishing cDNA library of Xinjiang A. rupestris.
8.Bacillus anthracis isolates analysis by multiple-locus variable-numbers of tandem repeats analysis,Liaoning,China
Lingling MAO ; Jiang TIAN ; Lu LEI ; Xuesheng LIU ; Wei ZHANG ; Meimei ZHANG ; Yue HAN ; Wenqing YAO
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2015;(3):232-234
The epidemic characteristics and genotype of Bacillus anthracis strains in Liaoning Province ,China was analyze in this study .Six Bacillus anthracis strains from 2001 to 2011 were studied with multiple‐locus variable‐number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) .BioNumerics4 .0 software was used to analyze the DNA fingerprint of statistics ,and cluster analysis results were obtained .Clustering analysis found that the 6 strains could be divided into two genotypes .For anthrax outbreaks ,the ge‐netic markers of multiple‐locus variable‐number tandem repeat were highly similar .It's suggested that MLVA is quite useful for investigation of strain relatedness in regions of outbreaks .
9.Characterization and immunoprotective effect of SjIrV1, a 66 kDa calcium-binding protein from Schistosoma japonicum.
Meimei WEI ; Yanian XIONG ; Yang HONG ; Lini HUANG ; Peipei MENG ; Dezhou AI ; Min ZHANG ; Zhiqiang FU ; Shengfa LIU ; Jiaojiao LIN
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2013;29(7):891-903
Calcium-binding protein is an indispensable protein which performs extensive and important functions in the growth of Schistosoma japonicum. Based on our primary study on tegument surface proteins of S. japonicun, a cDNA encoding a 66 kDa calcium-binding protein of S. japonicum (Chinese strain) was cloned, sequence analysis revealed that it was identical with that of SjIrV1 of Philippines strains S. japonicum. The expression of SjIrV1 were detected by Real-time PCR, using cDNA templates isolated from 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days worms and the results revealed that the gene was expressed in all investigated stages, and the mRNA level of SjIrV1 is much higher in 42 d female worms than that in 42 d male worms. The cDNA containing the open reading frame of IrV1 was subcloned into a pET28a (+) vector and transformed into competent Escherichia coli BL21 for expression. The recombinant protein was purified using a Ni-NTA purification system, and confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Western blotting analysis showed that recombinant SjIrV1 (rSjIrV1) could be recognized by the S. japonicum infected mouse serum and the mouse serum specific to rSjIrV1, respectively. Immunofluorescence observation exhibited that SjIrV1 was mainly distributed on the tegument of the 35-day adult worms. ELISA test revealed that IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies are significantly increased in the serum of rSjIrV1 vaccinated mice. The study suggested that rSjIrV1 might play an important role in the development of S. japonicum.
Animals
;
Antibodies, Helminth
;
blood
;
Calcium-Binding Proteins
;
genetics
;
metabolism
;
Cloning, Molecular
;
Escherichia coli
;
metabolism
;
Female
;
Genetic Vectors
;
Helminth Proteins
;
genetics
;
metabolism
;
Male
;
Mice
;
Recombinant Proteins
;
genetics
;
metabolism
;
Schistosoma japonicum
;
genetics
;
metabolism
10.Preliminary study on virtual touch tissue quantification for evaluation of small focal liver lesions
Zhifang ZHONG ; Jianhua CUI ; Xingtian WANG ; Rong WANG ; Peipu SHEN ; Meimei WEI ; Dujuan XU
Chinese Journal of Ultrasonography 2013;(1):34-37
Objective To evaluate the application value of virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ)for evaluating small focal liver lesions.Methods Seventy-seven patients with 89 small focal liver lesions,whose largest diameter were less than or equal to 3 cm were evaluated with VTQ.The shcar wave velocity (SWV) of the tumor and background liver parenchyma were calculated,and their results were compared with those of 40 healthy subjects.Statistical analysis was performed on the SWV for the differentiation of normal liver,background liver parenchyma and lesions.The cut-off point for SWV was obtained by using ROC curve analysis which was used to predict malignancy lesions.Results The SWV of malignant lesions was significantly higher than that of benign ones [(2.56-± 0.67) m/s vs (1.70 ± 0.55) m/s,P =0.000].The SWV of metastatic liver carcinoma which came from lung cancer and breast cancer were higher than that of gastrointestinal tract cancer transfers (P =0.000).Based on 1.93 m/s as the cut-off point of SWV value,the sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value for diagnosing malignancies were 82.0 %,84.6%,83.15 %,87.23 % and 78.57 % respectively.Conclusions VTQ technique can help the differential diagnosis of small focal liver lesions.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail