1.Heterogeneity of Adipose Tissue From a Single-cell Transcriptomics Perspective
Yong-Lang WANG ; Si-Si CHEN ; Qi-Long LI ; Yu GONG ; Xin-Yue DUAN ; Ye-Hui DUAN ; Qiu-Ping GUO ; Feng-Na LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):820-835
Adipose tissue is a critical energy reservoir in animals and humans, with multifaceted roles in endocrine regulation, immune response, and providing mechanical protection. Based on anatomical location and functional characteristics, adipose tissue can be categorized into distinct types, including white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), beige adipose tissue, and pink adipose tissue. Traditionally, adipose tissue research has centered on its morphological and functional properties as a whole. However, with the advent of single-cell transcriptomics, a new level of complexity in adipose tissue has been unveiled, showing that even under identical conditions, cells of the same type may exhibit significant variation in morphology, structure, function, and gene expression——phenomena collectively referred to as cellular heterogeneity. Single-cell transcriptomics, including techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), enables in-depth analysis of the diversity and heterogeneity of adipocytes at the single-cell level. This high-resolution approach has not only deepened our understanding of adipocyte functionality but also facilitated the discovery of previously unidentified cell types and gene expression patterns that may play key roles in adipose tissue function. This review delves into the latest advances in the application of single-cell transcriptomics in elucidating the heterogeneity and diversity within adipose tissue, highlighting how these findings have redefined the understanding of cell subpopulations within different adipose depots. Moreover, the review explores how single-cell transcriptomic technologies have enabled the study of cellular communication pathways and differentiation trajectories among adipose cell subgroups. By mapping these interactions and differentiation processes, researchers gain insights into how distinct cellular subpopulations coordinate within adipose tissues, which is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis and function. Understanding these mechanisms is essential, as dysregulation in adipose cell interactions and differentiation underlies a range of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptomics holds promising implications for identifying therapeutic targets; by pinpointing specific cell types and gene pathways involved in adipose tissue dysfunction, these technologies pave the way for developing targeted interventions aimed at modulating specific adipose subpopulations. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of single-cell transcriptomic technologies in uncovering the heterogeneity and functional diversity of adipose tissues.
2.Clinical Phenotype Identification and Validation of Patients with Sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit
Chao GONG ; Na YU ; Haoran CHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(3):710-721
To identify and validate the clinical phenotypes of patients with sepsis in the intensive care unit(ICU). We applied unsupervised machine learning algorithms (K-means clusteringand hierarchical clustering) to identify the phenotypes of sepsis patients in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care Ⅳ (MIMIC-Ⅳ) 2.2 database, based on 89 clinical features including demographic characteristics, laboratory indicators and treatment measures on the first day in ICU. Then, supervised machine learning algorithms (lightweight gradient boosting machine) were used for the prediction of the patient's phenotypes, and were further combined with SHAP (Shapely Additive eXplanations) for the identification of important features. Finally, traditional statistical methods were used to validate the differences in clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes among the phenotypes. We identified three phenotypes in 22 517 sepsis patients. The phenotype 1 patients had the highest risk of death (28-day mortality of 46.4%), dominated by abnormal renal function and elevated disease severity scores, while the phenotype 3 patients had the lowest risk of death (28-day mortality of 11.2%), and the best neurological function score. Using interpretable machine learning, we identified six features (all the worst value on the first day) that showed good performance in phenotypic identification(AUC≥0.89) and phenotypic prognostic prediction (AUC≥0.74): anion gap, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, Glasgow Coma Scale score, prothrombin time, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. The mortality risk of phenotype 3 patients was the lowest at 28 days, 60 days, 90 days, and 1 year after ICU discharge ( Using machine learning methods, we successfully identified three clinical phenotypes of sepsis patients with different clinical characteristics and prognosis and screened out six key clinical features, which are expected to play an important role in the phenotype classification and prognostic assessment of sepsis and are conducive to individualized treatment.
3.Disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Zhejiang Province from 1990 to 2021
ZHOU Xiaoyan ; GONG Weiwei ; PAN Jin ; DAI Pinyuan ; GUAN Yunqi ; WANG Hao ; LI Na ; LU Feng ; ZHONG Jieming
Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(8):757-761
Objective:
To analyze the disease burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and changes in its risk factors among residents in Zhejiang Province from 1990 to 2021, so as to identify key priorities for COPD prevention and control.
Methods:
Data on COPD mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) for residents in Zhejiang Province from 1990 to 2021 were collected from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 database. Standardized mortality and standardized DALY rate were calculated using the GBD 2021 world population standard structure. Premature mortality was computed via the life table method. The average annual percent change (AAPC) was applied to analyze trends in COPD mortality, DALY rate, and premature mortality. Changes in deaths of COPD risk factors were evaluated using population attributable fraction (PAF).
Results:
From 1990 to 2021, the standardized COPD mortality in Zhejiang Province decreased from 272.40/100 000 to 70.56/100 000 (AAPC=-4.395%), and the standardized DALY rate declined from 4 167.37/100 000 to 1 071.89/100 000 (AAPC=-4.396%). Similar downward trends were observed in both males (AAPC=-3.933%, -4.173%) and females (AAPC=-4.785%, -4.480%), all P<0.05. Crude mortality and DALY rates increased with age, and the crude mortality and DALY rates of various age groups in Zhejiang Province showed decreasing trends from 1990 to 2021 (all P<0.05). The premature mortality declined from 4.37% to 0.60% from 1990 to 2021 (AAPC=- 6.206%), with consistent trends across males and females (AAPC=- 6.144%, - 6.379%, all P<0.05). From 1990 to 2021, particulate matter pollution showed the largest reduction in PAF (- 56.76%), while ambient ozone pollution had the largest increase (103.07%) in Zhejiang Province. By 2021, smoking became the leading risk factor for deaths of COPD (PAF=43.32%).
Conclusions
The standardized mortality, standardized DALY rate, and premature mortality for COPD show consistent declining trends in Zhejiang Province from 1990 to 2021. However, risk factors such as smoking and ambient ozone pollution require intensified focus to further reduce disease burden of COPD.
4.Historical evolution and clinical application of classical prescription Yigongsan
Na CHEN ; Jingxian GUO ; Yanqi CHU ; Leilei GONG ; Xinhai JIANG ; Xiao HU ; Lan ZHANG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(1):119-123
Yigongsan, derived from QIAN Yi’s Key to Therapeutics of Children’s Diseases in the Song Dynasty, is a classic pediatric prescription that is included in the Catalogue of Ancient Classic Prescriptions (the Second Batch of Pediatrics) released by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2022. This paper verifies and analyzes the historical origin, composition, dosage, processing, decoction method and efficacy of Yigongsan by systematically combing ancient books and modern documents. As a result, Yigongsan is composed of five herbs: Panax ginseng, Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, Citrus reticulata and Glycyrrhiza uralensis, of which P. cocos should be peeled, A. macrocephala is fried with soil, G. uralensis is roasted with honey while P. ginseng and C. reticulata are raw products. According to the dosage of ancient and modern times, each medicinal herb must be ground into fine powder, 1.6 g for each, added with 300 mL of water, 5 pieces of Zingiber officinale, and 2 Ziziphus jujuba, decocted together to 210 mL, and taken before meals. In ancient books, Yigongsan is used to treat vomiting, diarrhea, spleen and stomach deficiency, chest and abdominal distension, and lack of appetite, etc. Modern research showed that Yigongsan could also be used in the diseases of immune system, respiratory system, blood system, etc., involving infantile anorexia, asthma, anemia, tumors and so on.
5.Effects of morphine pretreatment on mitochondrial dynamics change induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation in myocardial cells
Ya-Yun GAO ; Yun-Qi WANG ; Xi ZHANG ; Mei-Na GONG ; Xiao-Qian PANG ; Wei TIAN ; Jing-Man XU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(14):2023-2027
Objective The aim of the study was to investigate how morphine(Mor)effects mitochondrial dynamics change of H9c2 induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R).Methods Myocardial H9c2 cells were divided into blank group(without treatment),model group(H/R treatment),control group(5 μmol·L-1 Mor treatment)and experimental group(H/R+5 μmol·L-1 Mor treatment).The content of reactive oxygen species(ROS),mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP),and complex of Ⅰ and Ⅲ activity were detected using ROS,tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester(TMRE),and mitochondrial complex of Ⅰ and Ⅲ activity detection kits,respectively.The morphology of mitochondria and lysosomes was observed by transmission electron microscope electron microscopy(TEM);Western blot was used to detect the expression of GTPase kinetic protein 1(Drp1),cytochrome c oxidase Ⅳ(COX Ⅳ)and transporters of the outer mitochondrial membrane(TOM20).Results The nuclear membrane was smooth and complete;the mitochondrial size was consistent;the crest arrangement was neat;vacuolization was reduced or even disappeared;the mitochondrial matrix electron density was increased;the number of autophagosomes was decreased in the experimental group.The contents of ROS in blank group,model group,control group and experimental group were 1.03±0.04,1.53±0.10,1.06±0.06 and 1.10±0.11;MMP were 1.00±0.15,0.80±0.16,1.06±0.19 and 1.00±0.19;the activities of complex of Ⅰ were 1.00±0.08,2.28±0.82,1.05±0.26 and 1.13±0.37;the activities of complex of Ⅲ were 1.00±0.09,2.13±0.38,0.83±0.22 and 0.96±0.11;the expression of Drp1 protein were 1.00±0.14,1.27±0.07,0.97±0.21 and 0.93±0.17;the expression of fission protein 1(Fis1)protein were 1.00±0.16,1.33±0.18,1.17±0.25 and 0.99±0.05;the expression of COX Ⅳ protein were 1.00±0.25,0.62±0.08,0.79±0.26 and 0.97±0.16;the expression of TOM20 protein were 1.00±0.13,0.67±0.15,0.75±0.13 and 0.89±0.05.The above indexes of model group were significantly different from those of blank group(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001,P<0.000 1).The above indexes of experimental group were significantly different from those of model group(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001,P<0.000 1).Conclusion Morphine may inhibit mitophagy and fission,and alleviated mitochondrial oxidative stress damage by decreasing the activity of respiratory chain complex of Ⅰ and Ⅲ,thus maintaining mitochondrial dynamic homeostasis and alleviating H/R-induced myocardial cell damage.
6.Dynamic Changes of Volatile Components During Processing Process of Jianchangbang Characteristic Ginger Processed Xingpo Pieces Based on HS-GC-MS
Yuxun CHEN ; Wanai XU ; Jingyu WU ; Meiqi LU ; Lingbang MENG ; Cheng XU ; Hailian ZHENG ; Xian ZHANG ; Na ZHANG ; Qianfeng GONG ; Huan YU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(20):127-134
ObjectiveTo reveal the influence of Jianchangbang characteristic processing method on the change process of volatile components and the processing mechanism of reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency of Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex(MOC) by studying the changes in the composition and content of volatile components during the processing of ginger processed Xingpo pieces. MethodSamples of raw products, ginger juice moisturized products and stir-fried and heap moisturized products of MOC were taken according to the set time points, and headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(HS-GC-MS) was used to determine the contents of volatile components in the samples, and the relative content of each component was obtained by peak area normalization. Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were performed on the sample data using SIMCA 14.1 software, and the differential components during the processing were screened with variable importance in the projection(VIP) value>1 as the indicator. ResultA total of 68 volatile components were identified in the samples, among which some of the chemical components with similar structures showed similar trends of changes, and there was also the phenomenon of interconversion between compounds. Compared with the raw products, the contents of 42 components in ginger juice moisturized products increased, while the contents of 25 components decreased, 19 components were unique, and 4 components were unique to the raw products. Compared with ginger juice moisturized products, MOC in the early stage of piling had three unique components, and the contents of 11 components such as cyclosativene and (+)-α-pinene increased, and the contents of 5 components such as tricyclic terpene and α-curcumene decreased, and ginger juice moisturized products had four unique components. Compared with the early stage of piling, in the later stage, the contents of 8 components such as (+)-α-pinene and camphene significantly increased, while the contents of 6 components such as linalool and α-selinene significantly decreased. During the processing of MOC, there were significant changes in the chemical composition of the samples before and after 20 days. The differences between ginger juice moistening and the early stage of piling, the early stage and the later stage of piling could be clearly distinguished. ConclusionDuring the preparation process of ginger processed Xingpo pieces, the addition of ginger juice can reduce the contents of stimulating components, and the contents of active components continue to increase in several stages, such as the addition of ginger juice, frying and heap moisturizing, the quality of the decoction pieces may change significantly at about 20 d of processing. This study can provide a research basis for exploring the processing mechanism of ginger processed Xingpo pieces.
7.Status quo of Chinese educational research in community bases for general practice standardized residency training: a bibliometric study
Yan LI ; Wei SONG ; Yiming LI ; Na WANG ; Li LING ; Hui GONG ; Fang CHENG
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2024;23(3):267-272
Objective:To investigate the status quo of educational and teaching research in community bases for general practice standardized residency training in China.Methods:The studies related to education research in community bases for general practice standardized residency training were searched from Chinese Journal Full Text Database (CNKI), Wanfang Database and China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP) from inception to November 30, 2023. The keywords of "standardized training of general practitioner residents" or "general practice standardized training" or "general practitioner standardized training" or "general practice training" and "community-based teaching " or "community training" "community base" or "community teaching" were used for search, and affiliations of authors should contain"community health service center". The literature was read and summarized using Endnote and Excel software.Results:A total of 171 articles were retrieved that met the criteria, and 130 articles were finally selected for analysis according to the quality review criteria of the literature. The authors of articles were distributed in 78 institutions of 17 provinces or regions, with 9 provinces or regions having a total of 123 articles (94.6%) with 2 published articles or more, of which the highest number was found in Beijing and Shanghai. Seventeen institutions published 2 or more articles with a total of 69 articles (53.1%), including 67 articles (51.5%) were co-authored by 2 units. The ranking top ten institutions in terms of the number of articles published were 5 community health service centers in Beijing, 4 in Shanghai (co-authored with Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital). There were 46 articles (35.4%) published in core journals and 55 articles (42.3%) with fund-supported projects. The studies presented teaching methods, teaching and training contents, teaching evaluation and effects, teacher training, teaching base construction and information technology application.Conclusion:The educational and teaching research in community bases for general practice standardized training in China has gradually received attention, the researches were mainly carried out by community medical institutions, but the overall quality of research needs to be further improved.
8.Preparation of Phenolic Acid-sodium Hyaluronate Copolymers and in vitro Antioxidant Activity Assessment
Xiao-Yue ZHANG ; Xiao-Na WANG ; Min JIANG ; Ting-Ting HAN ; Jin-Song GONG ; Qing-Na LI ; Su-Zhen YANG ; Jin-Song SHI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(8):1950-1962
ObjectiveSodium hyaluronate (HA) was used as the research object to modify it with phenolic acid in order to obtain the molecular structure with better antioxidant activity or even new activity. MethodsIn this study, 5 kinds of phenolic acid-sodium hyaluronate was prepared by free radical-mediated grafting method, and the grafts with the highest grafting degree were selected to optimize the synthesis conditions. Then, grafts structure and physicochemical properties were analyzed. The grafts were characterized by IR, UV, 1H NMR, FESEM and TGA spectra. The in vitro antioxidant capacity of grafts was determined by the scavenging ability of DPPH·, ABTS+· and O2-·. ResultsAmong 5 kinds of phenolic acid-sodium hyaluronate, the grafting rate of ferulic acid-sodium hyaluronate copolymer (FA-HA) was highest , which was chosen as experimental sample in the following tests. Firstly, the reaction conditions were investigated and the highest grafting rate was (16.59±0.31) mg/g at the optimal preparation conditions. Then, FA-HA structure and physicochemical properties were analyzed. Data from UV, IR, 1H NMR analyses, TGA showed that FA were successfully grafted to HA. Compared with HA, the results of gel permeation chrematography (GPC) showed that the molecular mass distribution ofFA-HA copolymer decreased from 34.4 to 31.5 ku, but the uniformity of molecular distribution was improved. FESEM results showed that the structure of copolymer exhibited a closely connected lamellar structure with a relatively smooth surface. TGA results showed that thermal stability of FA-HA had a little decline. The antioxidant performance in vitro results showed that, during 0.25-10 g/L, FA-HA can eliminate (83.76±4.86)% DPPH·, (76.95±5.06)% ABTS+· and (83.08±2.51)% O2-· respectively at 10 g/L. which were higher than that of native HA and FA. ConclusionFA and HA were successfully grafted together by free radical grafting, and the grafted FA-HA had better antioxidant activity in vitro, which provided a theoretical basis for further research and development of phenolic acid-HA grafts.
9.Spatiotemporal distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis patients in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022
Xinlu CUI ; Xiao MA ; Na LIU ; Jia LIU ; Wen LEI ; Shusheng WU ; Xianglan QIN ; Chunhua GONG ; Xiaojin MO ; Shijie YANG ; Ting ZHANG ; Li CAO
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2024;36(5):474-480
Objective To investigate the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and potential influencing factors of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, so as to provide insights into the formulation of the echinococcosis control strategy in Qinghai Province. Methods The number of individuals screened for echinococcosis, number of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases, number of registered dogs and number of stray dogs were captured from the annual reports of echinococcosis control program in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, and the detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases was calculated. The number of populations, precipitation, temperature, wind speed, sunshine hours, average altitude, number of year-end cattle stock, number of year-end sheep stock, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and number of village health centers in each county (district) of Qinghai Province were captured from the Qinghai Provincial Statistical Yearbook, and county-level electronic maps in Qinghai Province were downloaded from the National Platform for Common Geospatial Information Services. The software ArcGIS 10.8 was used to map the distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province, and the spatial autocorrelation analysis of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases was performed. In addition, the spacetime scan analyses of number of individuals screened for echinococcosis, number of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases and geographical coordinates in Qinghai Province were performed with the software SaTScan 10.1.2, and the spatial stratified heterogeneity of the detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases was investigated with the software GeoDetector. Results A total of 6 569 426 residents were screened for echinococcosis in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, and 5 924 newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases were found. The detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases appeared a tendency towards a decline over years from 2016 to 2022 (χ2 = 11.107, P < 0.01), with the highest detection in Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 2017 (82.12/105). There were spatial clusters in the detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2018 (Moran’s I = 0.34 to 0.65, all Z values > 1.96, all P values < 0.05), and the distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases appeared random distribution from 2019 to 2022 (Moran’s I = −0.09 to 0.04, all Z values < 1.96, all P values > 0.05). Local spatial autocorrelation analysis showed high-high clusters and low-low clusters in the detection of new diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022, and space-time scan analysis showed that the first most likely cluster areas of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province from 2016 to 2022 were mainly distributed in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. GeoDetector-based analysis of the driving factors for the spatial stratified heterogeneity of detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases in Qinghai Province showed that average altitude, number of village health centers, number of cattle and sheep stock, GDP per capita, annual average sunshine hours, and annual average temperature had a strong explanatory power for the spatial distribution of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases, with q values of 0.630, 0.610, 0.600, 0.590, 0.588, 0.537 and 0.526, respectively. Conclusions The detection of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases appeared a tendency towards a decline in Qinghai Province over years from 2016 to 2022, showing spatial clustering. Targeted control measures are required in cluster areas of newly diagnosed echinococcosis cases for further control of the disease.
10.Epidemiological characteristics and influencing factors of adenovirus-associated acute conjunctivitis in Shenzhen,2014‒2022
Xuemei LI ; Kai LIN ; Na XIAO ; Lisi GU ; Zelong GONG ; Yawen LIU ; Zhendong XU
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;36(2):138-142
ObjectiveTo investigate the epidemic characteristics and influencing factors of acute conjunctivitis caused by human adenovirus(HAdv)in Yantian District of Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province from 2014 to 2022, and to provide evidence for formulating effective prevention and control measures. MethodsDescriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) cases reported from the Chinese disease prevention and control information system. Etiological characteristics of laboratory-confirmed cases were analyzed, and a case-control study method of test-negative design (TND) was conducted as well. According to the result of HAdv detection, analysis was used to identify the influencing factors of morbidity. ResultsA total of 1 005 AHC cases were reported in Yantian District, Shenzhen City from 2014 to 2022, with an average annual incidence rate of 49.49/105. The incidence rate ranged from 4.67/105 to 117.28/105. The peak incidence occurred from July to October each year, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.42∶1. The median (P25,P75) age of onset was 29(12,40) years. A total of 716 eye swabs were collected for etiological detection from 2014 to 2022. HAdv positive detection rate was 36.45% (263/716), Cox 24v positive detection rate was 0.28% (2/716), while EV70 was not detected. The longest viral shedding time in eye swabs was 10 days, with a median of 2 days. The highest HAdv positive detection rate (47.47%) was observed when the sampling-to-onset interval was 4‒5 days, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05), with a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Multivariate logistic regressing analysis showed that aged 18‒ years, and average temperature higher than 24.90 ℃ 3 days before onset (P<0.05) were the risk factors for acute HAdv conjunctivitis. ConclusionAHC in Yantian District, Shenzhen City showed a low level of prevalence from 2014 to 2022, with HAdv being the predominant pathogen. The peak period of viral shedding occurred on the 4th to 5th day after symptom onset, suggesting the importance of adherence to strict home isolation for infected persons. Aged18‒ years and average temperature increased 3 days before onset are associated with an increased risk of adenoviral conjunctivitis. It is recommended to strengthen personal protection and keep doing a good job of AHC surveillance and early warning, so as to timely prevent the outbreaks of AHC.


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