1.Macrophage autophagy in lung diseases:two-sided effects
Huijuan YOU ; Shuzhen WU ; Rong RONG ; Liyuan CHEN ; Yuqing ZHAO ; Qinglu WANG ; Xiaowei OU ; Fengying YANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(6):1516-1526
BACKGROUND:Macrophages play a key role in the occurrence and progression of lung diseases,and autophagy plays an important role in maintaining environmental homeostasis and functional stability in macrophages.It has been suggested that macrophage autophagic activity has two sides in lung inflammatory diseases.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the relationship between macrophage autophagy and lung diseases,thereby providing reference for exploring the prevention and treatment strategies of lung inflammatory diseases by targeting macrophage autophagy.METHODS:Literature retrieval was performed in CNKI and PubMed for relevant literature published from database inception to September 2024.The search terms were"macrophage autophagy,efferocytosis,macrophage polarization,acute lung injury,pneumonia,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,pulmonary fibrosis,asthma"in Chinese and English,respectively.The search results were included or excluded based on the selection criteria,and 100 papers that met the criteria were finally included in the review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The obstruction of autophagy flow will induce the polarization imbalance of macrophages and impair their efferocytosis,resulting in the increase of M1 macrophages and aggravating inflammation.(2)The judgment of autophagic activity should be based on whether the autophagy flow is smooth or not,and it is essential to evaluate the degradation ability of autophagy.Some studies failed to comprehensively detect the degradation ability of autophagy lysosomes to assess whether the autophagy flow is unobtrusive.As a result,the so-called two-sided view of pulmonary macrophage autophagy in pulmonary inflammatory diseases in such studies is actually related to the one-sided judgment of autophagy activity.(3)The pathological manifestations vary across different pulmonary diseases and even at different stages of the same disease.Activation of macrophage autophagy plays a positive role in regulating pulmonary inflammatory homeostasis in conditions such as acute lung injury,infectious pneumonia,mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,early-stage pulmonary fibrosis,and secondary asthma.However,in the severe fibrotic stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the progressive stage of pulmonary fibrosis,the activation of pulmonary macrophage autophagy aggravates pulmonary fibrosis,reflecting the dual nature of macrophage autophagy.In allergic asthma,autophagy is activated in lung-resident macrophages but suppressed in infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages from circulation.The former is closely related to airway stenosis,and the latter aggravates pneumonia disorders.Therefore,identifying the types and progression stages of lung diseases,along with accurately assessing autophagic activity,is crucial for future investigations into the relationship between macrophage autophagy and disease pathogenesis,thereby facilitating the development of therapeutic strategies in the future.
2.Research on Development Path and Strategy of Human Use Experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Bibliometrics and Thematic Analysis
Yundan WU ; Qun CHEN ; Jie CHEN ; Yuhang OU ; Jindong WU ; Yan XIAO ; Jiemei GUO ; Jing CAI ; Youxin SU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):118-128
ObjectiveThe development trend and knowledge structure of the research on human use experience (HUE) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were systematically reviewed, and the core challenges and future directions were identified. This study aims to provide reference for the construction of a scientific and feasible research and development framework and evidence transformation system. MethodsLiterature related to "human use experience" published from January 1, 2019 to July 31, 2025 was retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and PubMed databases. Bibliometric visualization was conducted using Excel, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace, followed by in-depth reading and thematic summarization of core literature. ResultsA total of 181 papers were included for bibliometric analysis, with 45 articles used for in-depth thematic mining. The analysis showed that the number of publications on HUE research has increased in a stepwise manner over the past five years. Yang Zhongqi (24 times) was the core of the author network, the journal with the highest number of publications was China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, the institutions publishing the most articles were mainly research institutions, regulatory agencies, hospitals, and universities, high-frequency keywords included "new TCM drugs", "real-world studies", and "clinical comprehensive evaluation", keyword clustering analysis formed three major clusters: Policy orientation, application fields, and methodological approaches. Thematic analysis reveals that HUE-based evaluation should be integrated throughout the research and development process, encompassing three dimensions: TCM theory, clinical value, and pharmaceutical fundamentals, with toxic herbs and compatibility contraindications being key foci. Data collection primarily relies on empirical data, while real-world data constitute the primary source for clinical research, with efficacy and safety as the shared core. Data management emphasizes quality control and statistical analysis; however, the management of bias and confounding remains a critical bottleneck in evidence transformation. In practice, HUE-based approaches have successfully supported the registration and evaluation of multiple categories of new TCM drugs. ConclusionThe research on HUE of TCM has formed a policy-driven pattern characterized by, rapid development and close link with regulatory practice. A technical framework covering the whole chain of research and development has been constructed with clinical value as the core, which provides methodological basis and strategy reference for the scientific transformation of HUE of TCM from "experience" to "evidence".
3.Macrophage autophagy in lung diseases:two-sided effects
Huijuan YOU ; Shuzhen WU ; Rong RONG ; Liyuan CHEN ; Yuqing ZHAO ; Qinglu WANG ; Xiaowei OU ; Fengying YANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(6):1516-1526
BACKGROUND:Macrophages play a key role in the occurrence and progression of lung diseases,and autophagy plays an important role in maintaining environmental homeostasis and functional stability in macrophages.It has been suggested that macrophage autophagic activity has two sides in lung inflammatory diseases.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the relationship between macrophage autophagy and lung diseases,thereby providing reference for exploring the prevention and treatment strategies of lung inflammatory diseases by targeting macrophage autophagy.METHODS:Literature retrieval was performed in CNKI and PubMed for relevant literature published from database inception to September 2024.The search terms were"macrophage autophagy,efferocytosis,macrophage polarization,acute lung injury,pneumonia,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,pulmonary fibrosis,asthma"in Chinese and English,respectively.The search results were included or excluded based on the selection criteria,and 100 papers that met the criteria were finally included in the review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The obstruction of autophagy flow will induce the polarization imbalance of macrophages and impair their efferocytosis,resulting in the increase of M1 macrophages and aggravating inflammation.(2)The judgment of autophagic activity should be based on whether the autophagy flow is smooth or not,and it is essential to evaluate the degradation ability of autophagy.Some studies failed to comprehensively detect the degradation ability of autophagy lysosomes to assess whether the autophagy flow is unobtrusive.As a result,the so-called two-sided view of pulmonary macrophage autophagy in pulmonary inflammatory diseases in such studies is actually related to the one-sided judgment of autophagy activity.(3)The pathological manifestations vary across different pulmonary diseases and even at different stages of the same disease.Activation of macrophage autophagy plays a positive role in regulating pulmonary inflammatory homeostasis in conditions such as acute lung injury,infectious pneumonia,mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,early-stage pulmonary fibrosis,and secondary asthma.However,in the severe fibrotic stage of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the progressive stage of pulmonary fibrosis,the activation of pulmonary macrophage autophagy aggravates pulmonary fibrosis,reflecting the dual nature of macrophage autophagy.In allergic asthma,autophagy is activated in lung-resident macrophages but suppressed in infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages from circulation.The former is closely related to airway stenosis,and the latter aggravates pneumonia disorders.Therefore,identifying the types and progression stages of lung diseases,along with accurately assessing autophagic activity,is crucial for future investigations into the relationship between macrophage autophagy and disease pathogenesis,thereby facilitating the development of therapeutic strategies in the future.
4.Molecular Mechanism Analysis of Dengzhan Shengmai Capsules Against Myocardial Fibrosis After Myocardial Infarction Based on Network Robustness Algorithm
Feifei OU ; Bo ZHANG ; Fuzhu PAN ; Junying WEI ; Hongwei WU ; Minghua XIAN ; Jing XU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(19):164-173
ObjectiveTo investigate the potential therapeutic effects of Dengzhan Shengmai capsules (DZSM) on myocardial fibrosis after myocardial infarction and decipher the underlying molecular mechanisms by virtue of network robustness algorithm. MethodsA rat model of myocardial infarction was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. Successfully modeled Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated into a model group, an enalapril group(3.15 mg·kg-1), and high- and low-dose DZSM groups(226.8,113.4 mg·kg-1). In addition, a sham group was set up. After four consecutive weeks of intervention, the cardiac function was assessed via echocardiography, and myocardial collagen deposition was observed through Sirius red staining. The key regulatory pathways of DZSM were analyzed by the network robustness algorithm. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescence assay were employed to validate the mechanisms. ResultsCompared with the sham group, the model group exhibited decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF%) and fractional shortening (FS%) (P<0.01) and increased myocardial collagen volume fraction (CVF%) (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, high-dose DZSM and enalapril improved LVEF% and FS% (P<0.01). Both high- and low-dose DZSM reduced the CVF% (P<0.05, P<0.05,). Network analysis indicated that DZSM exerted its effects by regulating neutrophil infiltration and related inflammatory pathways. Experimental validation showed that DZSM significantly reduced the protein levels of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and signal transduction activator and transducer 3 (STAT3) in the cardiac tissue, as well as the levels of chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1), interleukin (IL)-1β, neutrophil elastase-DNA complex (NE-DNA), and myeloperoxidase-DNA complex (MPO-DNA) in the plasma. ConclusionDZSM may ameliorate myocardial fibrosis by inhibiting neutrophil infiltration and extracellular trap formation and regulating the NF-κB/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
5.Screening of biomarkers for fibromyalgia syndrome and analysis of immune infiltration
Yani LIU ; Jinghuan YANG ; Huihui LU ; Yufang YI ; Zhixiang LI ; Yangfu OU ; Jingli WU ; Bing WEI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(5):1091-1100
BACKGROUND:Fibromyalgia syndrome,as a common rheumatic disease,is related to central sensitization and immune abnormalities.However,the specific mechanism has not been elucidated,and there is a lack of specific diagnostic markers.Exploring the possible pathogenesis of this disease has important clinical significance. OBJECTIVE:To screen the potential diagnostic marker genes of fibromyalgia syndrome and analyze the possible immune infiltration characteristics based on bioinformatics methods,such as weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA),and machine learning. METHODS:Gene expression profiles in peripheral serum of fibromyalgia syndrome patients and healthy controls were obtained from the gene expression omnibus(GEO)database.The differentially co-expressed genes were screened in the expression profile by differential analysis and WGCNA analysis.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE)machine learning algorithm were further used to identify hub biomarkers,and draw receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosing fibromyalgia syndrome.Finally,single sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA)and gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)were used to evaluate the immune cell infiltration and pathway enrichment in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Eight down-regulated differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were obtained after differential analysis of the GSE67311 dataset according to the conditions of log2|(FC)|>0 and P<0.05.After WGCNA analysis,497 genes were included in the module(MEdarkviolet)with the highest positive correlation(r=0.22,P=0.04),and 19 genes were included in the module(MEsalmon2)with the highest negative correlation(r=-0.41,P=6×10-5).After intersecting DEGs and the module genes of WGCNA,seven genes were obtained.Four genes were screened out by LASSO regression algorithm and five genes were screened out by SVM-RFE machine learning algorithm.After the intersection of the two,three core genes were identified,which were germinal center associated signaling and motility like,integrin beta-8,and carboxypeptidase A3.The areas under the ROC curve of the three core genes were 0.744,0.739,and 0.734,respectively,indicating that they have good diagnostic value and can be used as biomarkers for fibromyalgia syndrome.The results of immune infiltration analysis showed that memory B cells,CD56 bright NK cells,and mast cells were significantly down-regulated in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome compared with the control group(P<0.05),and were significantly positively correlated with the above three biomarkers(P<0.05).The enrichment analysis suggested that there were nine fibromyalgia syndrome enrichment pathways,mainly related to olfactory transduction pathway,neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,and infection pathway.The above results showed that the occurrence and development of fibromyalgia syndrome are related to the involvement of multiple genes,abnormal immune regulation,and multiple pathways imbalance.However,the interactions between these genes and immune cells,as well as their relationships with various pathways need to be further investigated.
6.Research on multi antigen extended matching transfusion in RhCE alloantibody positive patients with blood diseases
Pin YI ; Mingming WANG ; Yi ZHU ; Xintang DANG ; Ziyu OU ; Fan WU ; Chaopeng SHAO ; Changlin WU
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(5):678-683
Objective: To analyze the changes in homologous immunity after RhCE-matched transfusion in positive patients with RhCE blood group antibodies, and to provide precise transfusion strategies for chronic anemia patients. Methods: Patients with chronic anemia in our hospital from January 2020 to March 2024 (continuously receiving blood transfusions for more than 6 months) were enrolled, and 63 cases of unexpected antibody screening positive and identified as RhCE blood group antibodies were selected as the research subjects. The changes in unexpected antibody yield rate after ABO and RhCcDEe isotype blood transfusion were observed. Patients with MNS, Kidd, or Lewis blood group antibodies were screened for corresponding negative donors using monoclonal antibodies for extended typing transfusion based on RhCcEe typing, and the changes in unexpected antibody yield rate after transfusion were observed. Blood group genotyping was performed when serological techniques failed to resolve discrepancies or detect abnormal antigen expression. Results: After RhCcDEe-matched transfusions, RhCE antibodies disappeared in 62 patients, while 1 patient developed anti-Ce. The latter did not develop blood type isotype immunity after receiving RhccEE donor blood. Among the 62 patients, 9 developed unexpected antibodies against other systems: anti-M (4 cases), anti-Mur (2), anti-S (1), anti-Jka (1), and anti-Lea (1). No additional alloimmunization occurred after extended antigen-matched transfusions. A patient with serologically weak e phenotype was genotyped as DCe/DcE, with gene sequencing revealing an 827C>A mutation in exon 6 of the RHCE gene, forming the RHCE
01.31 allele. Conclusion: Precise transfusion strategies incorporating RhCE, MNS, Kidd, and Lewis blood group antigen typing can reduce the probability of blood group homologous immunity. RhCE complex antibodies and RhCE variants pose difficulties for clinical RhCE typing transfusion, which can be addressed through cross-matching and genetic analysis.
7.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
8.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
9.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.
10.Rapid Video Analysis for Contraction Synchrony of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells-Derived Cardiac Tissues
Yuqing JIANG ; Mingcheng XUE ; Lu OU ; Huiquan WU ; Jianhui YANG ; Wangzihan ZHANG ; Zhuomin ZHOU ; Qiang GAO ; Bin LIN ; Weiwei KONG ; Songyue CHEN ; Daoheng SUN
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine 2025;22(2):211-224
BACKGROUND:
The contraction behaviors of cardiomyocytes (CMs), especially contraction synchrony, are crucial factors reflecting their maturity and response to drugs. A wider field of view helps to observe more pronounced synchrony differences, but the accompanied greater computational load, requiring more computing power or longer computational time.
METHODS:
We proposed a method that directly correlates variations in optical field brightness with cardiac tissue contraction status (CVB method), based on principles from physics and photometry, for rapid video analysis in wide field of view to obtain contraction parameters, such as period and contraction propagation direction and speed.
RESULTS:
Through video analysis of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cultured on aligned and random nanofiber scaffolds, the CVB method was demonstrated to obtain contraction parameters and quantify the direction and speed of contraction within regions of interest (ROIs) in wide field of view. The CVB method required less computation time compared to one of the contour tracking methods, the LucasKanade (LK) optical flow method, and provided better stability and accuracy in the results.
CONCLUSION
This method has a smaller computational load, is less affected by motion blur and out-of-focus conditions, and provides a potential tool for accurate and rapid analysis of cardiac tissue contraction synchrony in wide field of view without the need for more powerful hardware.

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