Based on serum metabolomics and gut microbiota technology, this study explores the effects and mechanisms of the water extract of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen(SZRW) and the petroleum ether extract of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen(SZRO) in improving depressive-like behaviors induced by sleep deprivation. A modified multi-platform water environment method was employed to establish a rat model of sleep deprivation. Depressive-like behaviors in rats were assessed through the sucrose preference test and forced swim test. The expression of barrier proteins, such as Occludin, in the colon was determined by immunofluorescence. UPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS was utilized to analyze the serum metabolic profiles of sleep-deprived rats, screen for differential metabolites, and analyze metabolic pathways. The diversity of the gut microbiota was detected using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Spearman correlation coefficient analysis was conducted to assess the correlation between differential metabolites and gut microbiota. The results indicated that SZRO significantly increased the sucrose preference index and decreased the immobility time in the forced swim test in rats. A total of 34 differential metabolites were identified through serum metabolomics. SZRW and SZRO shared five metabolic pathways, including phenylalanine metabolism. SZRW uniquely featured taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, while SZRO uniquely featured linoleic acid metabolism and tyrosine metabolism. Correlation analysis revealed that SZRW could upregulate the abundance of Bilophila, promoting the production of indole-3-propionic acid and subsequently upregulating the expression levels of intestinal tight junction proteins such as ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1. SZRO could indirectly influence metabolic pathways such as arginine metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism by upregulating the abundance of gut microbiota such as Coprococcus and Eubacterium species. Both SZRW and SZRO can regulate endogenous metabolism, including amino acids, energy, and lipids, alter the gut microbiota microecology, and improve depressive-like behaviors. SZRO demonstrated superior effects in regulating metabolic pathways and gut microbiota structure compared to SZRW. The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for elucidating the pharmacodynamic material basis of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen.
Animals ; Rats ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Depression/blood* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sleep Deprivation/complications* ; Ziziphus/chemistry* ; Antidepressive Agents/administration & dosage* ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects* ; Humans

The relationship between hyperuricemia (HUA) and erectile dysfunction (ED) remains inadequately understood. Given that HUA is often associated with various metabolic disorders, this study aims to explore the multivariate linear impacts of metabolic parameters on erectile function in ED patients with HUA. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted involving 514 ED patients with HUA in the Department of Andrology, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine (Nanjing, China), aged 18 to 60 years. General demographic information, medical history, and laboratory results were collected to assess metabolic disturbances. Sexual function was evaluated using the 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire. Based on univariate analysis, variables associated with IIEF-5 scores were identified, and the correlations between them were evaluated. The effects of these variables on IIEF-5 scores were further explored by multiple linear regression models. Fasting plasma glucose ( β = -0.628, P < 0.001), uric acid ( β = -0.552, P < 0.001), triglycerides ( β = -0.088, P = 0.047), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( β = -0.164, P = 0.027), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; β = -0.562, P = 0.012), and smoking history ( β = -0.074, P = 0.037) exhibited significant negative impacts on erectile function. The coefficient of determination ( R ²) for the model was 0.239, and the adjusted R ² was 0.230, indicating overall statistical significance ( F -statistic = 26.52, P < 0.001). Metabolic parameters play a crucial role in the development of ED. Maintaining normal metabolic indices may aid in the prevention and improvement of erectile function in ED patients with HUA.
Humans ; Male ; Erectile Dysfunction/metabolism* ; Hyperuricemia/metabolism* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Glycated Hemoglobin/metabolism* ; Blood Glucose/metabolism* ; Uric Acid/blood* ; Young Adult ; Triglycerides/blood* ; Adolescent ; Cholesterol, LDL/blood* ; Penile Erection/physiology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen to support the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the precise reason why cancer cells are particularly dependent on glutamine remains unclear. In this study, we report that glutamine modulates the tumor suppressor F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) to promote cancer cell proliferation and survival. Specifically, lysine 604 (K604) in the sixth of the 7 substrate-recruiting WD repeats of FBW7 undergoes glutaminylation (Gln-K604) by glutaminyl tRNA synthetase. Gln-K604 inhibits SCFFBW7-mediated degradation of c-Myc and Mcl-1, enhances glutamine utilization, and stimulates nucleotide and DNA biosynthesis through the activation of c-Myc. Additionally, Gln-K604 promotes resistance to apoptosis by activating Mcl-1. In contrast, SIRT1 deglutaminylates Gln-K604, thereby reversing its effects. Cancer cells lacking Gln-K604 exhibit overexpression of c-Myc and Mcl-1 and display resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Silencing both c-MYC and MCL-1 in these cells sensitizes them to chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the glutamine-mediated signal via Gln-K604 is a key driver of cancer progression and suggest potential strategies for targeted cancer therapies based on varying Gln-K604 status.
Glutamine/metabolism* ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Signal Transduction ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7/genetics* ; Cell Survival ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis

Neddylation is a crucial posttranslational modification that involves the attachment of neural precursor cell-expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8 (NEDD8) to a lysine residue in the substrate via the sequential actions of the E1 NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) (E1), E2 NEDD8-conjugating enzyme (E2), and E3 NEDD8-ligase (E3). The most extensively studied substrates of neddylation are members of the cullin family, which act as scaffold components for cullin ring E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs). Since cullin neddylation activates CRLs, which are frequently overactive in tumors, inhibiting neddylation has emerged as a promising strategy for developing novel antitumor therapies. This review explores the antitumor effects of inhibiting neddylation that leads to the inactivation of CRLs and provides a summary of known inhibitors that target protein-protein interactions (PPIs) within the neddylation enzymatic cascade.

Objective:To discover the relationship between the RNF213 gene and acute myeloid leukemia(AML),and explore the effect of RNF213 on the proliferation and apoptosis of THP-1 cells.Methods:Analyze the expression of RNF213 gene in AML and its relationship with prognosis through the GEPIA database.Collecting 30 AML patients and non-tumor hematological patients who went to the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 2017 to January 2022.RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression levels of RNF213 mRNA and protein.Perform survival of patients was analysed by Kaplan-Meier.Meanwhile,the expression levels of RNF213 mRNA and protein were detected in AML cell lines(THP-1,OCI-AML2).CRISPR-Cas9 was used to knockdown the RNF213 gene in THP-1 cells;flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis rate of cell.CCK-8 and colony formation assay were used to detect cell proliferation.Western blot was used to detect the expression level of Cleaved-Caspase 3 protein.Results:Compared with the control group,the expression level of RNF213 in AML patients was significantly increased,and patients with high expression of RNF213 have a worse prgnosis.Higher expression level of RNF213 protein in THP-1 cells.After knocking down the RNF213 gene of THP-1 cells,cell proliferation was significantly reduced,and the apoptosis rate and expression of apoptosis related protein Cleared-Caspase3 were significantly increased.Conclusion:AML patients have high expression of RNF213,and the prognosis of high expression patients is poor.The RNF213 gene affects AML cell proliferation and apoptosis,and may be a prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for AML.

Objective:To explore the clinical correlation and prognostic value of the Albumin-Bilirubin(ALBI)score in children with secondary hemophagocytic syndrome(sHLH).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of children's sHLH cases clearly diagnosed in the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University from January 2012 to March 2023.Survival analysis was conducted according to the ALBI classification.Spearman correlation analysis was conducted between the ALBI score and clinical indicators.The Receiver Operating Characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the ALBI score,select the best cutoff value,and evaluate the accuracy of prognostic prediction value.Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve.Log-rank method was used to compare the differences of survival curve between groups.Cox regression was used for prognostic analysis and restricted cubic spline curves used to calculate the relationship between ALBI scores and the risk of death in children with sHLH.Results:A total of 128 children with sHLH were included in this study,with a median age of 38(13.25,84)months.There were 70 males(54.69％)and 58 females(45.31％).The survival analysis results of ALBI grading showed that the survival rate of HLH patients with ALBI grade 3 was significantly lower than those with ALBI grades 1 and 2.Spearman correlation analysis results showed that ALBI score was positively correlated with splenomegaly,respiratory failure,disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC),pulmonary hemorrhage,gastrointestinal hemorrhage,central nervous system involvement,ALT,AST,TG,LDH,PT,APTT,and SF(the correlation coefficients are:r=0.181,0.362,0.332,0.221,0.351,0.347,0.391,0.563,0.180,0.448,0.483,0.37,0.356),and was negatively correlated with HB,PLT,and FIB(the correlation coefficients are:r=-0.321,-0.316,-0.423),but was not significantly correlated with EBV infection,fungal infection,hepatomegaly,and ANC(P＞0.05).Using the ROC curve,the cutoff value of ALBI was-1.76.Single factor Cox regression analysis results showed that HB＜90 g/L,ALT ≥ 80 U/L,AST≥200 U/L,LDH ≥1 000 U/L,PT ≥20 s,APTT≥40 s,FIB＜1.5 g/L,ALBI ≥-1.76,combined pulmonary hemorrhage,DIC,central nervous system involvement,gastrointestinal bleeding,and not using blood purification may be the prognostic risk factors for children with sHLH(P＜0.05).Multivariate Cox regression results showed that FIB＜1.5 g/L(HR=2.119,95％CI:1.028-4.368),ALBI≥-1.76(HR=2.452,95％CI:1.233-4.875),and central nervous system involvement(HR=4.674,95％CI:2.486-8.789)were independent risk factors affecting prognosis,while blood purification(HR=0.306,95％CI:0.153-0.612)was an independent protective factor for prognosis.The application of restricted cubic splines shows that the risk of death increases with the increase of ALBI score.The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of the ALBI score for predicting the risk of 1-week,2-week,4-week,and overall mortality were 0.825,0.807,0.700,and 0.693,respectively,indicating good predictive performance for early mortality risk.According to subgroup analysis results of clinical manifestations,compared with the ALBI＜-1.76 group,ALBI≥-1.76 was associated with age ≤2 years,EBV infection,HLH-1994/2004 treatment,concomitant respiratory failure,and ANC≤1.0 × 109/L,HB＜90 g/L,PLT＜100 × 109/L,TG≥3.0 mmol/L,LDH ≥ 1 000 U/L,APTT≥40 s,and FIB＜1.5 g/L(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The ALBI score is related to the clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators of sHLH,and can be used as a beneficial indicator for assessing the prognostic risk of sHLH in children.It has good accuracy and clinical application value in predicting the prognosis of sHLH in children.

ObjectiveTo optimize and establish a multiplex polymerase chain reaction （PCR） system to simultaneously identify Ziziphi Spinosae Semen （ZSS），Hovenia acerba semen （HAS），and Ziziphi Mauritianae Semen （ZMS）， etermine their content to solve the problem of adulteration of ZSS pieces and its preparations. MethodAfter the analysis and comparison of the internal transcribed spacer （ITS） sequence differences of ZSS and its adulterants，specific single nucleotide polymorphism （SNP） sites were found，and specific primers for identification were designed. The samples of ZSS，HAS， and ZMS from different sources were specifically amplified under the conditions of optimized annealing temperature，the number of cycles， and concentration of primers，as well as different polymerases and PCR systems after evaluation. Identification was carried out according to the size of specific amplification bands，and the lower limit of detection （LOD） and adulteration LOD were studied. ResultWhen the annealing temperature was 63 ℃ and the number of cycles was 23，549，169，389 bp specific bands were amplified from ZSS，HAS， and ZMS. The lower LOD of this method was 0.24 ng and 1.2 ng for ZSS and HAS， respectively. The adulteration LOD for ZSS，HAS， and ZMS was 0.5%，2%， and 2% respectively. ConclusionThe established multiplex allele-specific PCR identification method can accurately identify ZSS，HAS， and ZMS at the same time，which can provide a basis for solving the problem of adulteration of ZSS and references for controlling the quality，security， and clinical application of ZSS.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics of hemophagocytic syndrome (HLH) children with different EB virus (EBV) DNA loads, and to explore the relationship between differential indicators and prognosis. METHODS: Clinical data of 73 children with HLH treated in our hospital from January 2015 to April 2022 were collected. According to EBV DNA loads, the children were divided into negative group (≤5×10² copies/ml), low load group (>5×10²-<5×10⁵ copies/ml) and high load group (≥5×10⁵copies/ml）. The clinical symptoms and laboratory indexes of the three groups were compared, and the ROC curve was used to determine the best cut-off value of the different indexes. Cox regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of children, and to analyze the survival of children in each group. RESULTS: The proportion of female children, the swelling rate of liver and spleen lymph nodes and the involvement rate of blood, liver, circulation and central nervous system in the high load group were higher than those in the negative group. The incidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC) and central nervous system(CNS) involvement in the high load group were higher than those in the low load group. The liver swelling rate and circulatory system involvement rate in the low load group were higher than those in the negative group(P<0.05). PLT counts in the high load group were significantly lower than those in the negative group, and the levels of GGT, TBIL, CK-MB, LDH, TG, SF, and organ involvement were significantly higher than those in the negative group. The levels of CK, LDH, SF and the number of organ involvement in the high load group were significantly higher than those in the low load group. The levels of GGT and TBIL in low load group were significantly higher than those in negative group. In terms of treatment, the proportion of blood purification therapy in the high and low load group was significantly higher than that in the negative group(P<0.01). ROC curve analysis showed that the best cut-off values of PLT, LDH, TG and SF were 49.5, 1139, 3.12 and 1812, respectively. The appellate laboratory indicators were dichotomized according to the cut-off value, and the differential clinical symptoms were included in the Cox regression model. Univariate analysis showed that LDH>1139 U/L, SF>1812 μg/L, dysfunction of central nervous system, number of organ damage, DIC and no blood purification therapy were the risk factors affecting the prognosis of children (P<0.05); Multivariate analysis shows that PLT≤49.5×10⁹/L and dysfunction of central nervous system were risk factors affecting the prognosis of children (P<0.05). Survival analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the survival rate among the three groups. CONCLUSION The incidence of adverse prognostic factors in children with HLH in the EBV-DNA high load group is higher, and there is no significant difference in the survival rate of the three groups after blood purification therapy. Therefore, early identification and application of blood purification therapy is of great significance for children with HLH in the high load group.
Humans ; Child ; Female ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; DNA ; Prognosis

Humans ; Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy* ; Thalidomide/therapeutic use* ; Dexamethasone/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/drug therapy*