1.Flavonoids Intervene in Diabetic Nephropathy by Regulating TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathway: A Review
Qihui QIU ; Chang LIU ; Xiaotong YAN ; Jinwei HAN ; Hui SUN ; Fengting YIN ; Yuhang WANG ; Mengmeng WANG ; Xijun WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):300-309
Diabetic nephropathy (DKD), as a common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), is a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Its clinical manifestations include increased urinary protein excretion, thickening of the glomerular basement membrane, and renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. The pathogenesis of DKD is complex and involves multiple factors, including disordered glucose metabolism, hemodynamic alterations, and oxidative stress. Although modern medical approaches can alleviate certain symptoms, they still have limitations such as insufficient therapeutic targeting and prominent adverse effects. The transforming growth factor-β/Smad (TGF-β/Smad) signaling pathway is not only a tissue fibrosis pathway that has attracted considerable attention in recent years, but also regulates multiple protein molecules, including the glomerular podocyte slit diaphragm protein Podocin, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), thereby participating in various pathological processes and ultimately mediating renal injury. Flavonoid compounds, owing to their sustained pharmacological effects, broad spectrum of action, and high safety profile, have become ideal candidates for targeted therapy research in DKD. Existing studies have shown that these compounds can exert inhibitory effects on renal fibrosis, alleviate inflammatory responses, protect podocytes, and reduce oxidative stress by regulating the interactions between the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway and the aforementioned protein molecules, thereby maintaining renal structure and function, reducing proteinuria, and significantly improving DKD lesions. This review briefly outlines the composition and functions of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, elucidates the mechanisms by which this pathway regulates DKD, and focuses on summarizing major studies from the past decade on flavonoid-based interventions in DKD through targeted inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Furthermore, it discusses the considerable therapeutic potential of flavonoids in the treatment of this disease, aiming to provide a scientific basis for future clinical prevention and treatment of DKD and to promote the development of targeted drugs.
2.Ameliorative effect of total flavonoids from corn silk on urate nephropathy in rats and its mechanism
Jing LU ; Mengmeng LIU ; Yuewei HAN ; Xiaowei HUANG ; Yuchen WANG ; He LIN ; Tianzhu ZHANG ; Zhe LIN ; Guangfu LYU
Journal of Jilin University(Medicine Edition) 2025;51(4):929-938
Objective:To discuss the ameliorative effect of total flavonoids from corn silk(TFCS)on kidney injury in the rats with urate nephropathy,and to clarify the possible mechanism.Methods:Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,positive control group[benzbromarone(BZM)group,5 mg·kg-1·d-1],low dose of TFCS group(20 mg·kg-1·d-1),medium dose of TFCS group(40 mg·kg-1·d-1),and high dose of TFCS group(80 mg·kg-1·d-1),and there were 10 rats in each group.Except for control group,the rats in the other groups were administered potassium oxonate(350 mg·kg-1)and adenine(70 mg·kg-1)by gavage for 4 weeks to establish the hyperuricemic nephropthy models.The rats in different doses of TFCS groups were treated with TFCS for 2 weeks.Speckle blood flow imager was used to detect the renal blood perfusion of the rats in various groups and the kidney coefficients of the rats in various groups were caculated;HE staining and Masson staining were used to observe the pathomorphology and fibrosis degrees of kidney tissue of the rats in various groups and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)method was used to detect the levels of uric acid(UA),creatinine(Cr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),interleukin-6(IL-6),and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in the serum and levels of β2-microglobulin(β2-MG)and microalbumin(ALB)in the urine of the rats in various groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of urate transporter 1(URAT1),glucose transporter 9(GLUT9),and ATP-binding cassette transporter G2(ABCG2)proteins in kidney tissue of the rats in various groups.Results:Compared with control group,the renal blood perfusion volume of the rats in model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with model group,the renal blood perfusion volumes of the rats in BZM group and low,medium,and high doses of TFCS groups were significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with control group,the kidney weight of the rats in model group was increased,with visible white granular spots on the surface,absence of blood color,and kidney volume was increased.Compared with model group,the kidney volumes of the rats in BZM group and medium and high doses of TFCS groups were decreased,with color tending toward that in control group,and the white granular spots on the surface were significantly reduced.Compared with model group,the kidney coefficients of the rats in BZM group and medium and high doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.01).The HE staining results showed there were no abnormalities in kidney tissue structure in control group,while there were a small amount of brown-yellow urate crystal deposition and interstitial connective tissue hyperplasia in model group;compared with model group,the kidney tissue damage and inflammatory infiltration were alleviated to varying degrees in BZM group and different doses of TFCS groups.The Masson staining results revealed no obvious collagen fiber deposition in control group,whereas significant blue collagen fiber deposition in kidney tissue of the rats was found in model group,and the collagen volume fraction(CVF)was increased compared with control group(P<0.01);compared with model group,the CVFs of the rats in BZM group and different doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.01).The ELISA results showed that compared with control group,the levels of UA,Cr,BUN,IL-6,and TNF-α in serum of the rats in model group were increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the levels of UA,Cr,BUN,IL-6,and TNF-α in serum of the rats in BZM group and medium and high doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.01).Compared with control group,the levels of β2-MG and ALB in urinary in model group were increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the levels of β2-MG and ALB in urinary of the rats in different doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The Western blotting results showed that compared with control group,the expression levels of URAT1 and GLUT9 proteins in kidney tissue of the rats in BZM group and model group were increased(P<0.01),while the expression level of ABCG2 protein was decreased(P<0.01).Compared with model group,the expression levels of URAT1 and GLUT9 proteins in kidney tissue of the rats in different doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the expression level of ABCG2 protein was increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:TFCS can significantly alleviate the kidney injury in the rats with urate nephropathy model,and its mechanism may be related to the downregulation of expression of URAT1 and GLUT9 proteins and upregulation of ABCG2 protein expression in kidney tissue.
3.Forced normalization: a case report and literature review
Yujuan HAN ; Xianglong SHI ; Mengmeng WU ; Xinyuan MIAO ; Zhen SUN ; Yanping SUN
Chinese Journal of Neurology 2025;58(7):794-798
Forced normalization (FN) is a rare epileptic psychiatric disorder that usually characterized by the disappearance of seizures and acute psychosis in patients with paradoxical normalization of the electroencephalogram following a change in the dose of antiseizure medication (ASM) or the initiation of a new medication. This article reports a case of a young female patient with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who developed FN twice after a change in the ASM regimen, which improved after ASM reduction and olanzapine treatment. Further literature review summarizing the clinical features of FN found that there were slightly more females than males in patients with FN, the onset was more common in young adults, and most patients had refractory epilepsy. The psychiatric and behavioral abnormalities included delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, mania, depression, and dissociation. The changes in ASM were the main inducing factor. Most patients improved by adjusting ASM or adding antipsychotic drugs. By reviewing this case, this article aims to increase awareness of the clinical features, characteristics of mental behavioral abnormalities, treatment and prognosis of FN and to improve the clinical management of the disease.
4.Analysis of the demands for pharmaceutical clinic service and influential factors based on Kano model
Han SHAN ; Xuan YE ; Zihan GUO ; Jing WU ; Jinwei HU ; Xiaopei TONG ; Yufei BIN ; Jiyong LIU ; Qiong DU ; Mengmeng WANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(22):2850-2855
OBJECTIVE To explore the characteristics and influential factors of pharmaceutical clinic service demands, providing evidence for optimizing pharmaceutical service models and facilitating pharmaceutical service models of pharmacist role transformation. METHODS A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and 410 outpatient participants were selected from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center through convenience sampling for questionnaire administration from February to May 2025. Kano model was applied to analyze the demand attributes of 25 pharmaceutical services, while questionnaires were used to assess patients’ awareness and demand status. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on key demographic variables such as gender, age, educational attainment, and economic burdens, to SACA- systematically examine the differences in Kano attribute classification among patients in each subgroup. RESULTS The awareness rate of pharmaceutical outpatient services among patients was only 14.63%, yet those who were aware demonstrated a significantly higher demand rate for such services compared to those who were unaware (P<0.001). The demand for pharmaceutical clinic services exhibited a hierarchical characteristic: twelve items were identified as attractive attributes (e. g., providing suggestions for more affordable treatment options, offering online consultation services, etc.), five items as expected attributes (e.g., having a good attitude and being able to patiently answer your questions, etc.), three items as must-have attributes (e.g., providing guidance on medication dosage and usage, providing guidance on medication precautions, etc.), five items as indifferent attributes (e.g., providing treatment plan recommendations based on the patient’s condition). There were zero items classified as reverse attribute. Subgroup analysis revealed that female patients showed greater concern for “neat and clean attire of medical staff” than male patients (P<0.001); patients under 60 years of age demonstrated stronger demand for “providing treatment plan recommendations based on patients’ conditions” compared to patients aged 60 or above (P=0.016); those with below high school education placed greater emphasis on “providing guidance on medication precautions” compared to those with a high school education or above (P=0.011); patients with lower economic burdens exhibited stronger preferences for “neat and clean attire of medical staff ” (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS The public awareness rate of pharmaceutical clinic services is considerably low; however, those who are aware of such services demonstrate significantly higher demand. The medication safety-related services and convenience-oriented demands should be prioritized in the development of pharmaceutical clinics. Moreover, the study also revealed that factors such as gender, age, educational level, and economic burdens exert significant influences on patients’ service demands.
5.Differential expression of plasma extracellular vesicle miRNAs as biomarkers for distinguishing psoriatic arthritis from psoriasis.
Kexiang YAN ; Jie ZHU ; Mengmeng ZHANG ; Fuxin ZHANG ; Bing WANG ; Ling HAN ; Qiong HUANG ; Yulong TANG ; Yuan LI ; Nikhil YAWALKAR ; Zhenghua ZHANG ; Zhenmin NIU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(2):219-221
6.Dynamic distribution and clearance of 99mTc-DTPA in brain extracellular space
Jing ZOU ; Tianzi GAO ; Yang WANG ; Mengmeng REN ; Dongyang LIU ; Ren LONG ; Yumeng CHENG ; Meng LIU ; Zhengren XU ; Zhaoheng XIE ; Pengyu LV ; Lan YUAN ; Hongbin HAN
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2025;57(3):562-568
Objective:To explore the distribution and clearance of 99mTc labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(99mTc-DTPA)in different brain regions of adult rats after administration through brain extracellular space(ECS)pathway.Methods:After the injection of a volume of 2 μL and radioactive activity of about 3.7 MBq(100 μCi)of 99mTc-DTPA into the caudate nucleus and thalamus of SD rats through stereotactic positioning of rat brain,the single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography(SPECT/CT)for small animals was used for imaging at different time points,and the dyna-mic distribution and clearance of the tracer in the whole body were observed continuously.The SD rats were injected with 99mTc-DTPA into thalamus and caudate nucleus respectively for biological distribution in vivo.They were put to death 4 h later.Their blood and urine were collected.The brain,cerebellum,heart,liver,spleen,lung,and kidney were taken and weighed by γ counter to measure its radioactivity.Results:SPECT/CT imaging results showed that after 99mTc-DTPA was administered through brain ECS,the radioactivity was concentrated in the brain,kidney and bladder.The tracer administered to the left caudate nucleus was preferentially drained to the right cerebellum,while the tracer administered to the right caudate nucleus was preferentially drained to the left cerebellum.There was a phenomenon of"con-tralateral cerebellar dominant drainage"in the caudate nucleus.The thalamic area preferentially drained to the ipsilateral cerebellum after administration.Four hours after administration via ECS,high radioac-tive uptake appeared in urine,cerebellum and brain,followed by blood and kidney.The radioactive up-take values of heart,liver,spleen and lung were low,which were mainly excreted through urinary sys-tem.Conclusion:Intracerebral ECS administration is a promising method of administration,but there are significant differences in distribution and clearance in different brain regions.This study further ex-pands the content and significance of"ECS regions",and also provides an important theoretical founda-tion for the treatment of encephalopathy and the research of new drugs through brain ECS in the future.
7.Dynamic distribution and clearance of 99mTc-DTPA in brain extracellular space
Jing ZOU ; Tianzi GAO ; Yang WANG ; Mengmeng REN ; Dongyang LIU ; Ren LONG ; Yumeng CHENG ; Meng LIU ; Zhengren XU ; Zhaoheng XIE ; Pengyu LV ; Lan YUAN ; Hongbin HAN
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2025;57(3):562-568
Objective:To explore the distribution and clearance of 99mTc labeled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid(99mTc-DTPA)in different brain regions of adult rats after administration through brain extracellular space(ECS)pathway.Methods:After the injection of a volume of 2 μL and radioactive activity of about 3.7 MBq(100 μCi)of 99mTc-DTPA into the caudate nucleus and thalamus of SD rats through stereotactic positioning of rat brain,the single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography(SPECT/CT)for small animals was used for imaging at different time points,and the dyna-mic distribution and clearance of the tracer in the whole body were observed continuously.The SD rats were injected with 99mTc-DTPA into thalamus and caudate nucleus respectively for biological distribution in vivo.They were put to death 4 h later.Their blood and urine were collected.The brain,cerebellum,heart,liver,spleen,lung,and kidney were taken and weighed by γ counter to measure its radioactivity.Results:SPECT/CT imaging results showed that after 99mTc-DTPA was administered through brain ECS,the radioactivity was concentrated in the brain,kidney and bladder.The tracer administered to the left caudate nucleus was preferentially drained to the right cerebellum,while the tracer administered to the right caudate nucleus was preferentially drained to the left cerebellum.There was a phenomenon of"con-tralateral cerebellar dominant drainage"in the caudate nucleus.The thalamic area preferentially drained to the ipsilateral cerebellum after administration.Four hours after administration via ECS,high radioac-tive uptake appeared in urine,cerebellum and brain,followed by blood and kidney.The radioactive up-take values of heart,liver,spleen and lung were low,which were mainly excreted through urinary sys-tem.Conclusion:Intracerebral ECS administration is a promising method of administration,but there are significant differences in distribution and clearance in different brain regions.This study further ex-pands the content and significance of"ECS regions",and also provides an important theoretical founda-tion for the treatment of encephalopathy and the research of new drugs through brain ECS in the future.
8.Forced normalization: a case report and literature review
Yujuan HAN ; Xianglong SHI ; Mengmeng WU ; Xinyuan MIAO ; Zhen SUN ; Yanping SUN
Chinese Journal of Neurology 2025;58(7):794-798
Forced normalization (FN) is a rare epileptic psychiatric disorder that usually characterized by the disappearance of seizures and acute psychosis in patients with paradoxical normalization of the electroencephalogram following a change in the dose of antiseizure medication (ASM) or the initiation of a new medication. This article reports a case of a young female patient with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome who developed FN twice after a change in the ASM regimen, which improved after ASM reduction and olanzapine treatment. Further literature review summarizing the clinical features of FN found that there were slightly more females than males in patients with FN, the onset was more common in young adults, and most patients had refractory epilepsy. The psychiatric and behavioral abnormalities included delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, mania, depression, and dissociation. The changes in ASM were the main inducing factor. Most patients improved by adjusting ASM or adding antipsychotic drugs. By reviewing this case, this article aims to increase awareness of the clinical features, characteristics of mental behavioral abnormalities, treatment and prognosis of FN and to improve the clinical management of the disease.
9.Research status on element selection of medical magnesium alloy
Anhong LIU ; Mengmeng CAI ; Xiao HAN ; Zhanhui WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(5):777-782
BACKGROUND:Due to natural degradation,excellent biocompatibility and good mechanical properties,magnesium alloy has become a very valuable implant material in the biomedical field.However,the rapid degradation rate of magnesium alloy limits its further development and application. OBJECTIVE:To review the principle of the degradation of magnesium and its alloys in a physiological environment.The current research status of alloying elements selection is mainly introduced from the aspects of the safety of elements and their influence on the properties of magnesium and its alloys. METHODS:The articles were searched by using the databases of CNKI,PubMed,Web of Science and Elsevier.The key words were"magnesium(alloy),metal name(such as:bismuth(Bi),aluminum(Al)),corrosion,biocompatibility,metal toxicity,scaffold(stent)/screw"in Chinese and English.The search period was from 2013 to 2023.As a result,70 articles were applied for analysis after reading the contents of the articles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Magnesium alloy has been widely studied in the medical field.Although some products have been applied in clinical practice,the high degradation rate of magnesium alloy in the human environment is still the main limitation of large-scale clinical application.The focus of future development is to control its corrosion rate.Alloying is a kind of method to improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys,and various properties can also be improved by adding different alloy components.However,simple alloying cannot satisfy the pursuit of diversified properties of magnesium alloys.To develop multifunctional magnesium alloy products with excellent performance,it is necessary to combine various optimization methods,such as alloying and surface modification,to make up for the shortcomings of their respective methods in the future.In addition,the alloy structure updating with preparation process improvement is combined to enhance the properties of magnesium alloy.
10.Construction of a model for assessing the malignant risk of patients with gastric disease based on conventional laboratory indi-cators
Mengmeng WANG ; Xiujing HAN ; Shuyi WU ; Jiaqing HU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science 2024;42(9):653-658
Objective To construct a model for predicting the benign and malignant risk of the patients with gastric diseases using con-ventional laboratory indicators such as tumor markers,blood routine,and coagulation indicators,and validate its predictive value.Methods The medical records of patients with gastric diseases who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical Univer-sity from January 2018 to January 2023 were analyzed retrospectively.According to the pathological results,the patients were divided into the gastric cancer(GC)group(n=134)and chronic non-atrophic gastritis(CNAG)group(n=298).Their routine test data such as serum and whole blood tests were collected.The statistical analysis was conducted using the R 4.2.3 software,and a model for pre-dicting the risk of GC was constructed and validated.Results A model for predicting the risk of GC was constructed successfully using the Logistic regression analysis,which included D-dimer,carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),carbohydrate antigen 72-4(CA72-4)and hemoglobin(Hb).A visual nomogram was plotted as the final prediction model.The areas under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUCROC)of the model in the training and testing sets were 0.809(95%CI:0.754-0.864)and 0.808(95%CI:0.724-0.892),respectively.The sensitivity and specificity of the model were 58.5%and 93.3%,respectively,indicating that it had good pre-dictive ability.Conclusion The model for predicting the malignant risk of patients with gastric diseases constructed using routine tes-ting indicators has good accuracy and can effectively predict the risk of gastric disease transforming into gastric cancer.It helps to find early gastric cancer patients in clinical practice and take targeted prevention and intervention measures.

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