1.Application of CRISPR/Cas System in Precision Medicine for Triple-negative Breast Cancer
Hui-Ling LIN ; Yu-Xin OUYANG ; Wan-Ying TANG ; Mi HU ; Mao PENG ; Ping-Ping HE ; Xin-Ping OUYANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):279-289
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a distinctive subtype, characterized by the absence of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Due to its high inter-tumor and intra-tumor heterogeneity, TNBC poses significant chanllenges for personalized diagnosis and treatment. The advant of clustered regular interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology has profoundly enhanced our understanding of the structure and function of the TNBC genome, providing a powerful tool for investigating the occurrence and development of diseases. This review focuses on the application of CRISPR/Cas technology in the personalized diagnosis and treatment of TNBC. We begin by discussing the unique attributes of TNBC and the limitations of current diagnostic and treatment approaches: conventional diagnostic methods provide limited insights into TNBC, while traditional chemotherapy drugs are often associated with low efficacy and severe side effects. The CRISPR/Cas system, which activates Cas enzymes through complementary guide RNAs (gRNAs) to selectively degrade specific nucleic acids, has emerged as a robust tool for TNBC research. This technology enables precise gene editing, allowing for a deeper understanding of TNBC heterogeneity by marking and tracking diverse cell clones. Additionally, CRISPR facilitates high-throughput screening to promptly identify genes involved in TNBC growth, metastasis, and drug resistance, thus revealing new therapeutic targets and strategies. In TNBC diagnostics, CRISPR/Cas was applied to develop molecular diagnostic systems based on Cas9, Cas12, and Cas13, each employing distinct detection principles. These systems can sensitively and specifically detect a variety of TNBC biomarkers, including cell-specific DNA/RNA and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). In the realm of precision therapy, CRISPR/Cas has been utilized to identify key genes implicated in TNBC progression and treatment resistance. CRISPR-based screening has uncovered potential therapeutic targets, while its gene-editing capabilities have facilitated the development of combination therapies with traditional chemotherapy drugs, enhancing their efficacy. Despite its promise, the clinical translation of CRISPR/Cas technology remains in its early stages. Several clinical trials are underway to assess its safety and efficacy in the treatment of various genetic diseases and cancers. Challenges such as off-target effects, editing efficiency, and delivery methods remain to be addressed. The integration of CRISPR/Cas with other technologies, such as 3D cell culture systems, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), and artificial intelligence (AI), is expected to further advance precision medicine for TNBC. These technological convergences can offer deeper insights into disease mechanisms and facilitate the development of personalized treatment strategies. In conclusion, the CRISPR/Cas system holds immense potential in the precise diagnosis and treatment of TNBC. As the technology progresses and becomes more costs-effective, its clinical relevance will grow, and the translation of CRISPR/Cas system data into clinical applications will pave the way for optimal diagnosis and treatment strategies for TNBC patients. However, technical hurdles and ethical considerations require ongoing research and regulation to ensure safety and efficacy.
2.Model establishment for quantitative analysis of saponins of Paris polyphylla by near-infrared spectroscopy
Ping XU ; Qi MI ; Wen-xiu LUO ; You LU ; Meng-wen YU ; Xuan ZHANG ; Guo-wei ZHENG ; Chang-gui QIU ; Jia CHEN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(4):1069-1076
AIM To establish a rapid quantitative analysis model for saponins in Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis(PPY)by near infrared spectroscopy.METHODS The contents of polyphyllins Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅶ and there total content in PPY were determined by HPLC,while spectral data within the range of 10 000 to 4 000 cm-1 were collected.A quantitative analysis model was established by combining these data with partial least squares regression(PLSR).Multivariate scatter correction(MSC)and vector normalization(SNV)were applied prior to further preprocessing the spectra with original,first-order derivative(1stD),or second-order derivative(2ndD)treatments.Lastly,the model was optimized through non-smoothing(NS),Norris Derivative filtering(Nd),and Savitzky-Golay filtering(S-G)method.Model stability was evaluated based on correlation coefficients and variance.The predicted contents of each saponin component in the validation set samples were calculated.RESULTS The contents of polyphyllins Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅶ were 0.42-17.98,0.46-10.44,0.23-3.86 mg/g,respectively.The total content ranged from 2.91 to 22.1 mg/g.The optimal parameters of three saponins were achieved when selecting the MSC+2ndD+S-G pretreatment method.The corresponding ratio of line segment length to segment gap was 13∶5,15∶5,11∶5,with correlation coefficients of 0.982,0.930,0.958,respectively.The root mean square errors of calibration(RMSEC)were 0.702,0.797,0.238,and the root mean square errors of prediction(RMSEP)were 1.120,0.835,0.304,respectively.The optimal parameters for the total content were obtained when selecting the MSC+2ndD+NS pretreatment method,with a correlation coefficient of 0.970,a RMSEC of 1.090,and a RMSEP of 1.740.CONCLUSION This accurate and rapid method can be used for detection of saponin contents in P.Polyphylla.
3.Research on UAV visible light small target detection method based on improved YOLOv8
Jun XIE ; Qin-wen PING ; Bin-yue CAO ; Bing-wen LIU ; Mi HE
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(1):1-6
Objective To propose an improved Y OLOv8-based visible small target detection method to solve the problems of the UAV visible light system in accuracy and timeliness when applied to measuring small targets.Methods A YOLOv8 network consisting of Backbone,Neck and Head was used as the base framework to construct an AGC-YOLO model.Firstly,a convolutional block attention module(CBAM)was incorporated into Backbone to improve the feature expression of the model;secondly,some traditional convolution modules were replaced with the changeable kernel convolution module AKconv to reduce the network parameters;finally,a Gold-YOLO module was involved in Neck to enhance the detection ability for targets with different sizes.VisDrone2019 dataset was used to carry out ablation and comparison experiments,and the efficacy of the AGC-YOLO model for detecting small targets was evaluated in terms of mean average precision(mAP),frames per second(FPS),giga floating-point operations per second(GFLOPs)and parameters.Results The AGC-YOLO model had the FPS,GFLOPs and parameters being 31.90,9.20 and 11.30 M respectively,meeting the real-time detection speed requirements of drones(FPS not lower than 30),in which the mAP50(the mAP with the intersection over union being 0.5)was increased by 15%,6%and 5%when compared with those of the lightweight YOLOv8n,Ghost-YOLO and YOLO-BiFPN models.Conclusion The method proposed behaves well in speed,decreased parameters and precision,and is worthy promoting for UAV visible small target detection.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(1):1-6]
4.Integrated-omics analysis defines subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma based on circadian rhythm.
Xiao-Jie LI ; Le CHANG ; Yang MI ; Ge ZHANG ; Shan-Shan ZHU ; Yue-Xiao ZHANG ; Hao-Yu WANG ; Yi-Shuang LU ; Ye-Xuan PING ; Peng-Yuan ZHENG ; Xia XUE
Journal of Integrative Medicine 2025;23(4):445-456
OBJECTIVE:
Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is a risk factor that correlates with poor prognosis across multiple tumor types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to define HCC subtypes based on CRD and explore their individual heterogeneity.
METHODS:
To quantify CRD, the HCC CRD score (HCCcrds) was developed. Using machine learning algorithms, we identified CRD module genes and defined CRD-related HCC subtypes in The Cancer Genome Atlas liver HCC cohort (n = 369), and the robustness of this method was validated. Furthermore, we used bioinformatics tools to investigate the cellular heterogeneity across these CRD subtypes.
RESULTS:
We defined three distinct HCC subtypes that exhibit significant heterogeneity in prognosis. The CRD-related subtype with high HCCcrds was significantly correlated with worse prognosis, higher pathological grade, and advanced clinical stages, while the CRD-related subtype with low HCCcrds had better clinical outcomes. We also identified novel biomarkers for each subtype, such as nicotinamide n-methyltransferase and myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase C substrate-like 1.
CONCLUSION
We classify the HCC patients into three distinct groups based on circadian rhythm and identify their specific biomarkers. Within these groups greater HCCcrds was associated with worse prognosis. This approach has the potential to improve prediction of an individual's prognosis, guide precision treatments, and assist clinical decision making for HCC patients. Please cite this article as: Li XJ, Chang L, Mi Y, Zhang G, Zhu SS, Zhang YX, et al. Integrated-omics analysis defines subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma based on circadian rhythm. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 445-456.
Humans
;
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology*
;
Liver Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Circadian Rhythm/genetics*
;
Prognosis
;
Male
;
Female
;
Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics*
;
Middle Aged
;
Machine Learning
;
Computational Biology
5.Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chassis cells with different squalene content on triterpenoid synthesis.
Feng ZHANG ; Kang-Xin HOU ; Yue ZHANG ; Hong-Ping HOU ; Yue ZHANG ; Chao-Yue LIU ; Xue-Mi HAO ; Jia LIU ; Cai-Xia WANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(8):2130-2136
Many triterpenoid compounds have been successfully heterologously synthesized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To increase the yield of triterpenoids, various metabolic engineering strategies have been developed. One commonly applied strategy is to enhance the supply of precursors, which has been widely used by researchers. Squalene, as a precursor to triterpenoid biosynthesis, plays a crucial role in the synthesis of these compounds. This study primarily investigates the effect of different squalene levels in chassis strains on the synthesis of triterpenoids(oleanolic acid and ursolic acid), and the underlying mechanisms are further explored using real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR) analysis. The results demonstrate that the chassis strain CB-9-5, which produces high levels of squalene, inhibits the synthesis of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid. In contrast, chassis strains with moderate to low squalene production, such as Y8-1 and CNPK, are more conducive to the synthesis of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid. The qPCR analysis reveals that the expression levels of ERG1, βAS, and CrCYP716A154 in the oleanolic acid-producing strain CB-OA are significantly lower than those in the control strains C-OA and Y-OA, suggesting that high squalene production in the chassis strains suppresses the transcription of certain genes, leading to a reduced yield of triterpenoids. Our findings indicate that when constructing S. cerevisiae strains for triterpenoid production, chassis strains with high squalene content may suppress the expression of certain genes, ultimately lowering their production, whereas chassis strains with moderate squalene levels are more favorable for triterpenoid biosynthesis.
Squalene/analysis*
;
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics*
;
Triterpenes/metabolism*
;
Metabolic Engineering
;
Oleanolic Acid/biosynthesis*
;
Ursolic Acid
6.Characteristics and Risk Analysis of COVID-19 Infection in Patients with Multiple Myeloma after Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Meng-Meng PAN ; Shi-Wei JIN ; Wan-Yan OUYANG ; Yan WAN ; Yi TAO ; Yuan-Fang LIU ; Wei-Ping ZHANG ; Jian-Qing MI
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(5):1358-1365
OBJECTIVE:
To retrospectively analyze the characteristics and influencing factors of COVID-19 infection in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).
METHODS:
The clinical data of MM patients who underwent AHSCT in Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from May 26, 2021 to December 26, 2022 were collected. The onset of COVID-19 infection, corresponding symptoms and laboratory tests were followed up in outpatient or by the means of telephone contact and online questionnaires. Related analysis was then performed.
RESULTS:
This study included 96 patients, and 72 cases among them were infected with COVID-19 while 24 cases were uninfected. Logistic regression analysis showed that vaccination did not significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, but patients who received two doses of the vaccine had a lower risk of developing moderate and severe disease than those who did not receive or received one dose (OR =0.06, P =0.029). Patients who received daratumumab before had a higher risk of COVID-19 infection (OR =5.78, P =0.039), while those with a history of immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) had the opposite effect (OR =0.31, P =0.028). The use of both drugs did not affect the severity of COVID-19 infection.
CONCLUSION
For MM patients undergoing AHSCT as first-line chemotherapy, COVID-19 vaccination does not significantly reduce the infection rate, but it plays a role in preventing moderate and severe cases. The application of antineoplastic drugs with different mechanisms has a certain impact on the susceptibility to the COVID-19, which should be considered comprehensively when creating treatment plans.
Humans
;
Multiple Myeloma/complications*
;
COVID-19/epidemiology*
;
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
;
Transplantation, Autologous
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Risk Assessment
;
Risk Factors
;
Male
;
Female
;
Middle Aged
;
SARS-CoV-2
;
Adult
;
Antibodies, Monoclonal
7.Development and application of novel portable heat illness/stroke first-aid kit
Yong-hui ZHANG ; Lin-cheng MI ; Cong-tao GUO ; Qing-ping ZHU ; Qing SONG ; Jing-chun SONG
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(9):108-113
Objective To develop a portable heat illness/stroke first-aid kit for on-site first aid of heat illness patients and verify its application effect.Methods The portable heat illness/stroke first-aid kit was composed of a main box,an adjustable telescopic rod,adjustable shoulder straps,universal rollers and a thermal insulation container.The main box made of aluminum alloy material had the inner surface lined with Oxford cloth,which was equipped with an infrared cochlear thermometer,a nebulizer,first aid medicines,heat stroke medicines,a sun umbrella,a cooling blanket,etc;the adjustable telescopic rod was made of aluminum-magnesium alloy;the adjustable shoulder straps was made of high-density nylon webbing;the universal rollers were rubberized and had wheel brakes;the thermal insulation container was located in the lower storage compartment inside the main box,which used polyurethane(PU)material for thermal insulation.The data on on-site first aid of the patients with moderate heat illness or stroke at some institution from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed retrospectively,with the patients treated with the traditional methods enrolled into a control group and the ones with the first-aid kit into an experimental group.The temperature changes at 0,10,20,30,40,50 and 60 min after the start of treatment were investigated to compare the cooling effects of the two groups.Results The heat illness/stroke first-aid kit lowered the patient temperature effectively during the on-site first aid of the patients with moderate heat illness or stroke,with higher cooling speed and effect than the traditional methods,especially at the early stage of treatment.Conclusion The heat illness/stroke first-aid kit with complete functions and easy operation decreases temperature of heat illness patients efficiently,and can be applicable to the scenarios such as field training and outdoors high-temperature operation.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(9):108-113]
8.Model establishment for quantitative analysis of saponins of Paris polyphylla by near-infrared spectroscopy
Ping XU ; Qi MI ; Wen-xiu LUO ; You LU ; Meng-wen YU ; Xuan ZHANG ; Guo-wei ZHENG ; Chang-gui QIU ; Jia CHEN
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(4):1069-1076
AIM To establish a rapid quantitative analysis model for saponins in Paris polyphylla var.yunnanensis(PPY)by near infrared spectroscopy.METHODS The contents of polyphyllins Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅶ and there total content in PPY were determined by HPLC,while spectral data within the range of 10 000 to 4 000 cm-1 were collected.A quantitative analysis model was established by combining these data with partial least squares regression(PLSR).Multivariate scatter correction(MSC)and vector normalization(SNV)were applied prior to further preprocessing the spectra with original,first-order derivative(1stD),or second-order derivative(2ndD)treatments.Lastly,the model was optimized through non-smoothing(NS),Norris Derivative filtering(Nd),and Savitzky-Golay filtering(S-G)method.Model stability was evaluated based on correlation coefficients and variance.The predicted contents of each saponin component in the validation set samples were calculated.RESULTS The contents of polyphyllins Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅶ were 0.42-17.98,0.46-10.44,0.23-3.86 mg/g,respectively.The total content ranged from 2.91 to 22.1 mg/g.The optimal parameters of three saponins were achieved when selecting the MSC+2ndD+S-G pretreatment method.The corresponding ratio of line segment length to segment gap was 13∶5,15∶5,11∶5,with correlation coefficients of 0.982,0.930,0.958,respectively.The root mean square errors of calibration(RMSEC)were 0.702,0.797,0.238,and the root mean square errors of prediction(RMSEP)were 1.120,0.835,0.304,respectively.The optimal parameters for the total content were obtained when selecting the MSC+2ndD+NS pretreatment method,with a correlation coefficient of 0.970,a RMSEC of 1.090,and a RMSEP of 1.740.CONCLUSION This accurate and rapid method can be used for detection of saponin contents in P.Polyphylla.
9.Development and application of novel portable heat illness/stroke first-aid kit
Yong-hui ZHANG ; Lin-cheng MI ; Cong-tao GUO ; Qing-ping ZHU ; Qing SONG ; Jing-chun SONG
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(9):108-113
Objective To develop a portable heat illness/stroke first-aid kit for on-site first aid of heat illness patients and verify its application effect.Methods The portable heat illness/stroke first-aid kit was composed of a main box,an adjustable telescopic rod,adjustable shoulder straps,universal rollers and a thermal insulation container.The main box made of aluminum alloy material had the inner surface lined with Oxford cloth,which was equipped with an infrared cochlear thermometer,a nebulizer,first aid medicines,heat stroke medicines,a sun umbrella,a cooling blanket,etc;the adjustable telescopic rod was made of aluminum-magnesium alloy;the adjustable shoulder straps was made of high-density nylon webbing;the universal rollers were rubberized and had wheel brakes;the thermal insulation container was located in the lower storage compartment inside the main box,which used polyurethane(PU)material for thermal insulation.The data on on-site first aid of the patients with moderate heat illness or stroke at some institution from 2019 to 2022 were analyzed retrospectively,with the patients treated with the traditional methods enrolled into a control group and the ones with the first-aid kit into an experimental group.The temperature changes at 0,10,20,30,40,50 and 60 min after the start of treatment were investigated to compare the cooling effects of the two groups.Results The heat illness/stroke first-aid kit lowered the patient temperature effectively during the on-site first aid of the patients with moderate heat illness or stroke,with higher cooling speed and effect than the traditional methods,especially at the early stage of treatment.Conclusion The heat illness/stroke first-aid kit with complete functions and easy operation decreases temperature of heat illness patients efficiently,and can be applicable to the scenarios such as field training and outdoors high-temperature operation.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(9):108-113]
10.Research on UAV visible light small target detection method based on improved YOLOv8
Jun XIE ; Qin-wen PING ; Bin-yue CAO ; Bing-wen LIU ; Mi HE
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(1):1-6
Objective To propose an improved Y OLOv8-based visible small target detection method to solve the problems of the UAV visible light system in accuracy and timeliness when applied to measuring small targets.Methods A YOLOv8 network consisting of Backbone,Neck and Head was used as the base framework to construct an AGC-YOLO model.Firstly,a convolutional block attention module(CBAM)was incorporated into Backbone to improve the feature expression of the model;secondly,some traditional convolution modules were replaced with the changeable kernel convolution module AKconv to reduce the network parameters;finally,a Gold-YOLO module was involved in Neck to enhance the detection ability for targets with different sizes.VisDrone2019 dataset was used to carry out ablation and comparison experiments,and the efficacy of the AGC-YOLO model for detecting small targets was evaluated in terms of mean average precision(mAP),frames per second(FPS),giga floating-point operations per second(GFLOPs)and parameters.Results The AGC-YOLO model had the FPS,GFLOPs and parameters being 31.90,9.20 and 11.30 M respectively,meeting the real-time detection speed requirements of drones(FPS not lower than 30),in which the mAP50(the mAP with the intersection over union being 0.5)was increased by 15%,6%and 5%when compared with those of the lightweight YOLOv8n,Ghost-YOLO and YOLO-BiFPN models.Conclusion The method proposed behaves well in speed,decreased parameters and precision,and is worthy promoting for UAV visible small target detection.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(1):1-6]

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