1.Effect of Zishen Tongguan Formula on "Gut-prostate" Axis of Rats with Chronic Non-bacterial Prostatitis Based on 16S rDNA Sequencing
Xiran LI ; Mengjiao CHEN ; Kaiping ZOU ; Chenguang ZHAO ; Xingbin DAI ; Xiaoqing ZHANG ; Shun LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):63-71
ObjectiveBased on the theory of "gut-prostate" axis, this study explored the effects and mechanisms of Zishen Tongguan formula and Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula in treating rats with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis(CNP) by detecting the levels of inflammatory factors, and the composition and structure of intestinal flora in CNP rats. MethodsEight out of 42 SD rats were randomly selected as the normal group, and the remaining rats were injected with carrageenan to prepare the CNP model. After successful modeling, 32 rats were randomly divided into the model group, Ningmitai capsule group(0.50 g·kg-1), Zishen Tongguan formula group(2.00 g·kg-1), and the Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex-Anemarrhenae Rhizoma pair group(PCC-AR group, 2.00 g·kg-1), with 8 rats in each group. The administered groups were given the corresponding medicinal solution by gavage, and the normal and model groups were intragastrically administered with an equal volume of normal saline, once a day for 14 consecutive days. The prostate tissues of rats were collected and subjected to hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining to observe the pathological changes of the tissues in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of related inflammatory factors in rat serum, and 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the abundance and diversity changes of gut microbiota before and after administration, and species difference analysis was performed. ResultsAll the administered groups could alleviate the inflammatory symptoms of CNP rats, increase the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors and decrease the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors, with the most sIgnificant effect observed in the Zishen Tongguan formula group. Compared with the normal group, the expression levels of interleukin(IL)-8, hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), immunoglobulin(Ig)M, secretory IgA (sIgA), and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) were sIgnificantly increased in the model group(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression levels of the above inflammatory factors in all administered groups were significantly reduced(P<0.01). When compared with the PCC-AR group, the Zishen Tongguan formula group showed a significant decrease in transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 expression level(P<0.05) and a significant increase in IgM expression level(P<0.01). The results of gut microbiota analysis showed that, compared with the PCC-AR group, at the order level, the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly reduced the relative abundance of conditional pathogens such as Bacteroidales, Acidaminococcales, Rhodospirillales, Clostridiales, and Elusimicrobiales(P<0.01). And at the genus level, the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly decreased the relative abundance of pathogenic microbiota such as Lachnospira and Bacteroides(P<0.01) and significantly increased the relative abundances of beneficial microbiota such as Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus(P<0.01). ConclusionZishen Tongguan formula can reduce the level of harmful intestinal bacteria, increase the level of beneficial intestinal bacteria, down-regulate the expression of serum inflammatory factors, and the small amount of Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula may play a key role in the treatment of CNP with this formula.
2.Effect of Zishen Tongguan Formula on "Gut-prostate" Axis of Rats with Chronic Non-bacterial Prostatitis Based on 16S rDNA Sequencing
Xiran LI ; Mengjiao CHEN ; Kaiping ZOU ; Chenguang ZHAO ; Xingbin DAI ; Xiaoqing ZHANG ; Shun LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):63-71
ObjectiveBased on the theory of "gut-prostate" axis, this study explored the effects and mechanisms of Zishen Tongguan formula and Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula in treating rats with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis(CNP) by detecting the levels of inflammatory factors, and the composition and structure of intestinal flora in CNP rats. MethodsEight out of 42 SD rats were randomly selected as the normal group, and the remaining rats were injected with carrageenan to prepare the CNP model. After successful modeling, 32 rats were randomly divided into the model group, Ningmitai capsule group(0.50 g·kg-1), Zishen Tongguan formula group(2.00 g·kg-1), and the Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex-Anemarrhenae Rhizoma pair group(PCC-AR group, 2.00 g·kg-1), with 8 rats in each group. The administered groups were given the corresponding medicinal solution by gavage, and the normal and model groups were intragastrically administered with an equal volume of normal saline, once a day for 14 consecutive days. The prostate tissues of rats were collected and subjected to hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining to observe the pathological changes of the tissues in each group. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of related inflammatory factors in rat serum, and 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the abundance and diversity changes of gut microbiota before and after administration, and species difference analysis was performed. ResultsAll the administered groups could alleviate the inflammatory symptoms of CNP rats, increase the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors and decrease the expression levels of pro-inflammatory factors, with the most sIgnificant effect observed in the Zishen Tongguan formula group. Compared with the normal group, the expression levels of interleukin(IL)-8, hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), immunoglobulin(Ig)M, secretory IgA (sIgA), and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS) were sIgnificantly increased in the model group(P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression levels of the above inflammatory factors in all administered groups were significantly reduced(P<0.01). When compared with the PCC-AR group, the Zishen Tongguan formula group showed a significant decrease in transforming growth factor(TGF)-β1 expression level(P<0.05) and a significant increase in IgM expression level(P<0.01). The results of gut microbiota analysis showed that, compared with the PCC-AR group, at the order level, the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly reduced the relative abundance of conditional pathogens such as Bacteroidales, Acidaminococcales, Rhodospirillales, Clostridiales, and Elusimicrobiales(P<0.01). And at the genus level, the Zishen Tongguan formula group significantly decreased the relative abundance of pathogenic microbiota such as Lachnospira and Bacteroides(P<0.01) and significantly increased the relative abundances of beneficial microbiota such as Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus(P<0.01). ConclusionZishen Tongguan formula can reduce the level of harmful intestinal bacteria, increase the level of beneficial intestinal bacteria, down-regulate the expression of serum inflammatory factors, and the small amount of Cinnamomi Cortex in the formula may play a key role in the treatment of CNP with this formula.
3.Intergenerational Associations of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy With Offspring Metabolomics: A Systematic Review
Jinrui XIONG ; Ling-Jun LI ; Yongping ZHANG ; Zhihong ZHANG ; Yue YANG ; Huan HU ; Jinhong LIU ; Zimeng CHEN ; Peng HUANG ; Mengjiao LIU
Maternal-Fetal Medicine 2025;07(3):157-165
Objective::To examine the impact of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) on offspring metabolomics.Methods::We searched five databases: PubMed, Ovid Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and included studies that reported metabolomics among human offspring born to HDP-complicated pregnancies.Results::Database search yielded 4054 articles, and after full-text screening, ten observational studies met inclusion criteria. Half of the studies had a sample size of less than 100 and were all observational studies in preeclampsia (PE) and gestational hypertension.Neonates were the most focused group in all included studies. Offspring born to HDP-complicated pregnancies exhibited statistically significant variations in blood metabolomics compared to their counterparts, characterized by amino acids, lipids, carnitine, and others (e.g., 1α,25-(OH) 2-D). Most studies reported a significant increase in differential metabolites of offspring born to HDP-complicated pregnancies. Four studies ( n = 1109) measured lipids-related metabolites, and all consistently showed that offspring born to PE-complicated pregnancies had significantly higher concentrations than non-PE exposed offspring. Conclusion::The existing evidence suggests an intergenerational effect of HDP on offspring metabolomics. Long-term follow-up studies are needed to advance the health effects of related adverse health outcomes and inform the prevention of offspring’s health.
4.Stakeholder Preference Assessment in Implementation Research:Application of Best-worst Scaling
Run MAO ; Yiyuan CAI ; Wei YANG ; Zhiguo LIU ; Lang LINGHU ; Jiajia CHEN ; Mengjiao LIANG ; Lieyu HUANG ; Siyuan LIU ; Dong XU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(1):224-234
In the field of healthcare service,it is crucial to optimize medical innovation services by combining the preferences of health service providers and demanders(i.e.,stakeholders).The best-worst scaling(BWS)method is a recently developed stated preference method for assessing preferences with distinctive advantages.Nevertheless,there is a lack of a comprehensive introduction to stakeholder preference assessment using BWS,thus constraining its applications and promotion.This paper introduces the process of using BWS to assess service providers'preferences for the Shared Medical Appointment for diabetes(SMART),an integrated healthcare service of medicine and health management,in the hope of providing reference for researchers for promoting the use of BWS in implementation research.
5.Research progresses of Parkinson disease related PET imaging agents
Yansong LIU ; Wei HAN ; Mengjiao WANG ; Shibo GUO ; Peng FU
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(1):168-171
The main pathological features of Parkinson disease(PD)include accumulation of α-synuclein and loss of dopaminergic neurons.PET imaging can be used to diagnose and monitor PD and explore its neural mechanisms through specific targeted imaging agents.The research progresses of PD related PET imaging agents were reviewed in this article.
6.Research progress on self-compassion of caregivers for elderly dementia patients
Mengjiao CAO ; Chunyu LI ; Rui LIU ; Jiawei YANG ; Yonge GAO ; Wei SHEN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(7):970-975
A high level of self-compassion can effectively relieve stress, reduce the psychological distress, and improve mental health. This paper reviews the conception, measurement tools, influencing factors, and intervention measures of self-compassion among caregivers for elderly dementia patients. It analyzes the deficiencies in current research and puts forward feasible suggestions, aiming to provide a reference for future related research.
7.Current application status of association rule mining in real-world study on drug safety
Xiaoli XU ; Xinyang WANG ; Jingfei YANG ; Mengjiao HE ; Pengcheng LIU
Chinese Journal of Pharmacoepidemiology 2025;34(5):578-588
An overview of the application of association rule mining(ARM)in real-world study(RWD)on drug safety to inform pharmacovigilance real-world data analysis.The applications of ARM in RWD of drug safety were divided into single drug/vaccine signal detection,combined medication risk mining,multidimensional risk factor analysis and adverse drug event occurrence characterization based on passive monitoring data;medication characterization pattern analysis,auxiliary epidemiological study design and risk mining of the whole dataset based on active monitoring data.In general,foreign scholars pay more attention to method rule setting,performance evaluation and application research,while domestic scholars pay more attention to multidimensional risk factor analysis,adverse drug event occurrence pattern,and clinical drug use characteristics research.With the accumulation of medical data and the continuous development of data mining technology,ARM may provide new ideas for RWD on drug safety.
8.Study on the value of abnormal prothrombin in the diagnosis of HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma
Jiaming ZHANG ; Suxian ZHAO ; Lingdi LIU ; Fang HAN ; Weiguang REN ; Xiaoqing WU ; Mengjiao SUN ; Jingjing SONG ; Yuemin NAN
Chinese Journal of Hepatology 2025;33(4):340-347
Objective:To establish and explore a novel model and its clinical application value based on abnormal des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) for the early-stage diagnosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:A total of 420 cases with chronic HBV infection with nodular liver lesions examined by imaging at the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2021 to June 2024 were retrospectively selected. They were divided into the HBV-HCC group (182 cases) and the control group (238 cases) according to the current HCC diagnostic criteria. The basic information of patients, liver-related biochemical indicators, serum DCP, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, and the efficacy of combined detection in diagnosing early-stage HCC were collected and analyzed. A DSGAA model based on DCP (D) combined with gender (S), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT, G), AFP (A) and age (A) as independent variables was constructed. The diagnostic performance of the novel model was compared with that of the traditional model through nomogram visualization output and calibration curve.Results:The age, sex, hemoglobin, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and GGT levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC than those of the control group ( P<0.05). The positivity detection rate in patients with HBV-HCC was significantly higher in DCP than that of AFP (85.71% vs. 59.89%, P<0.05). The abnormal detection rate of DCP in patients with AFP-negative was 76.7%. The sensitivity for diagnosing HCC was significantly higher in DCP than AFP (73.63% vs. 64.29%, P<0.05), with specificity of 83.6% in all. The specificity for diagnosing early-stage HCC was 89.09%, surpassing that of AFP at 68.06% ( P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the constructed DSGAA diagnostic model was 0.8841, with an optimal cutoff value of 0.377, a sensitivity of 80.22%, and a specificity of 86.13%. The AUC for diagnosing early-stage HCC was 0.8122, with a sensitivity of 66.18%, and a specificity of 86.13%, and the diagnostic efficacy was higher than other models ( P<0.05). Conclusion:DCP has superior diagnostic efficacy for HBV-related HCC, and the DSGAA model is expected to be used as a new method for screening and diagnosing early-stage HBV-related HCC.
9.Research progress on self-compassion of caregivers for elderly dementia patients
Mengjiao CAO ; Chunyu LI ; Rui LIU ; Jiawei YANG ; Yonge GAO ; Wei SHEN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(7):970-975
A high level of self-compassion can effectively relieve stress, reduce the psychological distress, and improve mental health. This paper reviews the conception, measurement tools, influencing factors, and intervention measures of self-compassion among caregivers for elderly dementia patients. It analyzes the deficiencies in current research and puts forward feasible suggestions, aiming to provide a reference for future related research.
10.Effect of toripalimab combined with chemoradiotherapy in treatment of cervical lymph node metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and immune function
Dongyang LIU ; Mengjiao CAI ; Li HE ; Ying LI
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2025;29(14):23-27,33
Objective To investigate the effect of toripalimab combined with chemoradiotherapy in patients with cervical lymph node metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma on immune function.Methods A prospective study was conducted in 160 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma accom-panied by cervical lymph node metastasis.Patients were divided into study group and control group using block randomization,with 80 patients in each group.The control group received a standard che-moradiotherapy regimen,while the study group received toripalimab combined with chemoradiothera-py.Both groups were treated for 3 courses.The clinical efficacy,levels of immune function indica-tors,levels of tumor markers[squamous cell carcinoma antigen(SCC-Ag),high-mobility group box 1(HMGB1),pentraxin 3(PTX3),and cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1(CYFRA21-1)],and the incidenceof adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results The objective re-sponse rates of the primary lesion and cervical lymph nodes in the study group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the levels of CD3+,CD4+,and natural killer cells in the study group were higher than those before treatment and in the control group,while the lev-el of CD8+was lower than that before treatment and in the control group(P<0.05).After treatment,the levels of HMGB1,PTX3,SCC-Ag and CYFRA21-1 in the study group were lower than those before treatment and in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Toripalimab combined with chemoradiotherapy has a sig-nificant efficacy in treatment of cervical lymph node metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.It can enhance the immune function of patients,improve the levels of tumor markers,and has good safety.

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