1.α-ketoglutarate ameliorated arsenic-induced hepatic lipid deposition in offspring via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway
Shuangrui BAO ; Hongyan WU ; Ying SUN ; Tong ZHAN ; Qian YANG ; Xinru LIANG ; Zhiyan WAN ; Wenyi CHEN ; Cheng ZHANG
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2026;61(2):225-231
ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) on hepatic lipid deposition in offspring caused by arsenic exposure during pregnancy. Methods8-week-old institute of cancer research (ICR) mice were mated in a ratio of 2∶1 between females and males, and the detection of vaginal plugs confirmed pregnant. A total of 32 pregnant mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group, arsenic group, α-KG group, arsenic+α-KG group. On gestational day 0-16 (GD0-GD16), the arsenic and arsenic+α-KG groups were exposed to sodium arsenite (NaAsO2 ,15 mg/L) in drinking water everyday, and the α-KG and arsenic+α-KG groups were gavaged with α-KG (2 g/kg) everyday. On GD16, pregnant mice were euthanized to collect fetal liver, and fetal body weight and crown-rump length were measured. Gene expression differences between the control group and the arsenic group were analyzed by transcriptome. The total triglycerides (TGs) and subtypes in fetal liver were detected by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Oil red O staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in the liver. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to detect the expression level of genes related to lipid synthesis, transport, and degradation, and phosphatidylinositol 3' -kinase/ protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) in the liver of fetus. ResultsTranscriptomics analysis showed that 2 144 genes were downregulated and 1 675 genes were upregulated in the arsenic exposed fetal liver; body weight and crown-rump length were reduced (PTuKey<0.05); the level of hepatic TGs was elevated in arsenic group (PTuKey<0.05); oil-red O staining showed a significant increase in lipid droplets in arsenic group (PTuKey<0.01); the expression of lipid synthesis-related genes were significantly upregulated (PTuKey<0.05); the expression of β-oxidation-related genes and lipid degradation-related genes were downregulated (PTuKey<0.05); the expression of PI3K, AKT decreased(PTuKey<0.05). Compared with the arsenic group, the body weight and crown-rump length of fetus increased in the arsenic+α-KG group (PTuKey<0.05); the level of hepatic TGs decreased in the arsenic+α-KG group (PTuKey<0.05); oil red O staining showed lipid droplets significantly decreased (PTuKey<0.01); the expression of lipid synthesis-related genes were downregulated (PTuKey<0.05), the expression of β-oxidation-related genes and lipid degradation-related genes were upregulated (PTuKey<0.05); the expression levels of PI3K and AKT increased (PTuKey<0.05). Conclusionα-KG alleviated hepatic lipid deposition in offspring exposed to arsenic during pregnancy through activating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.
2.Kinesiophobia in relation to illness perception and cardiac discomfort among convalescent AMI patients
Ying WU ; Xinting CAO ; Wenjing GAO ; Qian MA
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2026;37(3):104-107
Objective To explore the correlation between kinesiophobia and disease uncertainty, personal mastery, cardiac discomfort symptoms in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during recovery period. Methods A total of 320 patients with AMI admitted to the hospital were enrolled between January 2020 and January 2024. According to the results of Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia Heart (TSK-H), they were divided into AMI kinesiophobia group (n=166) and simple AMI group (n=154). The disease uncertainty was evaluated by Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale for Adults (MUIS-A), personal mastery was evaluated by Personal Mastery Scale (PMS), and cardiac discomfort symptoms were evaluated by cardiac discomfort symptom scale. The correlation between kinesiophobia and disease uncertainty, personal mastery, cardiac discomfort symptoms in AMI patients was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results The scores of MUIS-A and cardiac discomfort symptoms in AMI kinesiophobia group were higher than those in simple AMI group (P<0.05), and PMS scores were lower than those in simple AMI group (P<0.05). The score of kinesiophobia was significantly positively correlated with scores of disease uncertainty and cardiac discomfort symptoms (r=0.628, 0.689, P<0.05), while significantly negatively correlated with the score of personal mastery (r=-0.526, P<0.05). Conclusion Kinesiophobia is related to disease uncertainty, personal mastery and cardiac discomfort symptoms in AMI patients during recovery period. Clinical medical staffs should focus on patients with the above characteristics. The targeted intervention measures can improve kinesiophobia and promote recovery of patients.
3.Eye Movement and Gait Variability Analysis in Chinese Patients With Huntington’s Disease
Shu-Xia QIAN ; Yu-Feng BAO ; Xiao-Yan LI ; Yi DONG ; Zhi-Ying WU
Journal of Movement Disorders 2025;18(1):65-76
Objective:
Huntington’s disease (HD) is characterized by motor, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Oculomotor impairments and gait variability have been independently considered as potential markers in HD. However, an integrated analysis of eye movement and gait is lacking. We performed multiple examinations of eye movement and gait variability in HTT mutation carriers, analyzed the consistency between these parameters and clinical severity, and then examined the associations between oculomotor impairments and gait deficits.
Methods:
We included 7 patients with pre-HD, 30 patients with HD and 30 age-matched controls. We collected demographic data and assessed the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) score. Examinations, including saccades, smooth pursuit tests, and optokinetic (OPK) tests, were performed to evaluate eye movement function. The parameters of gait include stride length, walking velocity, step deviation, step length, and gait phase.
Results:
HD patients have significant impairments in the latency and velocity of saccades, the gain of smooth pursuit, and the gain and slow phase velocities of OPK tests. Only the speed of saccades significantly differed between pre-HD patients and controls. There are significant impairments in stride length, walking velocity, step length, and gait phase in HD patients. The parameters of eye movement and gait variability in HD patients were consistent with the UHDRS scores. There were significant correlations between eye movement and gait parameters.
Conclusion
Our results show that eye movement and gait are impaired in HD patients and that the speed of saccades is impaired early in pre-HD. Eye movement and gait abnormalities in HD patients are significantly correlated with clinical disease severity.
4.Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of penpulimab in first-line treatment of advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer
Dongxue HU ; Ying ZHENG ; Qian GAO ; Shiyuan HU ; Danfeng WANG ; Fangzhu YU ; Lei DONG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(11):1364-1369
OBJECTIVE To estimate the cost-effectiveness of penpulimab combined with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in first-line treatment of advanced squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (sq-NSCLC). METHODS From the perspective of Chinese health system, cost-utility analysis was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of penpulimab combined with chemotherapy (paclitaxel + carboplatin) versus chemotherapy (paclitaxel + carboplatin) in first-line treatment of sq-NSCLC. A three-health states Markov model was constructed with R packages, and clinical data used in the model were derived from the AK105-302 clinical trial. Costs and utilities were collected from the open-access database and published literature. The quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) was used as the utility index, and the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was set at three times China’s per capita GDP in 2024, equivalent to 287 247 yuan/QALY. The cost-effectiveness of the schemes was evaluated by comparing the incremental cost- utility ratios (ICER) of the two schemes with the WTP threshold. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) were used to verify the stability of the basic analysis results. RESULTS Compared with chemotherapy, penpulimab combined with chemotherapy increased 0.73 QALY with an incremental cost of 150 681.93 yuan, and the ICER was 206 413.60 yuan/QALY. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that the utility of progression-free survival was the most sensitive factor on ICERs. At the WTP threshold of 3 times China’s per capita GDP, the economic probability of this scheme was 98.80%. At the WTP threshold of 1 times China’s per capita GDP, the probability of ICER being cost-effective was less than 0.01%. CONCLUSIONS For patients with advanced sq-NSCLC, penpulimab combined with chemotherapy is a cost-effective first-line treatment option when WTP threshold is 3 times China’s per capita GDP.
5.Carvedilol to prevent hepatic decompensation of cirrhosis in patients with clinically significant portal hypertension stratified by new non-invasive model (CHESS2306)
Chuan LIU ; Hong YOU ; Qing-Lei ZENG ; Yu Jun WONG ; Bingqiong WANG ; Ivica GRGUREVIC ; Chenghai LIU ; Hyung Joon YIM ; Wei GOU ; Bingtian DONG ; Shenghong JU ; Yanan GUO ; Qian YU ; Masashi HIROOKA ; Hirayuki ENOMOTO ; Amr Shaaban HANAFY ; Zhujun CAO ; Xiemin DONG ; Jing LV ; Tae Hyung KIM ; Yohei KOIZUMI ; Yoichi HIASA ; Takashi NISHIMURA ; Hiroko IIJIMA ; Chuanjun XU ; Erhei DAI ; Xiaoling LAN ; Changxiang LAI ; Shirong LIU ; Fang WANG ; Ying GUO ; Jiaojian LV ; Liting ZHANG ; Yuqing WANG ; Qing XIE ; Chuxiao SHAO ; Zhensheng LIU ; Federico RAVAIOLI ; Antonio COLECCHIA ; Jie LI ; Gao-Jun TENG ; Xiaolong QI
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(1):105-118
Background:
s/Aims: Non-invasive models stratifying clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) are limited. Herein, we developed a new non-invasive model for predicting CSPH in patients with compensated cirrhosis and investigated whether carvedilol can prevent hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified using the new model.
Methods:
Non-invasive risk factors of CSPH were identified via systematic review and meta-analysis of studies involving patients with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG). A new non-invasive model was validated for various performance aspects in three cohorts, i.e., a multicenter HVPG cohort, a follow-up cohort, and a carvediloltreating cohort.
Results:
In the meta-analysis with six studies (n=819), liver stiffness measurement and platelet count were identified as independent risk factors for CSPH and were used to develop the new “CSPH risk” model. In the HVPG cohort (n=151), the new model accurately predicted CSPH with cutoff values of 0 and –0.68 for ruling in and out CSPH, respectively. In the follow-up cohort (n=1,102), the cumulative incidences of decompensation events significantly differed using the cutoff values of <–0.68 (low-risk), –0.68 to 0 (medium-risk), and >0 (high-risk). In the carvediloltreated cohort, patients with high-risk CSPH treated with carvedilol (n=81) had lower rates of decompensation events than non-selective beta-blockers untreated patients with high-risk CSPH (n=613 before propensity score matching [PSM], n=162 after PSM).
Conclusions
Treatment with carvedilol significantly reduces the risk of hepatic decompensation in patients with high-risk CSPH stratified by the new model.
6.Pharmaceutical Care for A Patient with Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia Secondary to Immune-mediated Colitis Caused by Serplulimab
Zhongliang TANG ; Qian REN ; Ying YANG ; Jianping ZHANG
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(8):1342-1346
Objective To summarize the role of clinical pharmacists in pharmaceutical care in the treatment of patients with pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia secondary to immune-mediated colitis.Methods The association of immune-mediated colitis induced by serplulimab was evaluated by clinical pharmacist,anti-infective regimen for pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia was put forward,addressed concerns regarding the impact of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole on the efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation,pharmaceutical care for whole therapeutic process of the patient was monitored.Results Through pharmaceutical care and collaborating with physicians,the patient's pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia was significantly improved,and the clinical and endoscopic remission of immune-mediated colitis after two fecal microbiota transplantation were achieved.Conclusion To ensure the safety and effectiveness of immune-mediated colitis and pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia for patients,clinical pharmacists should play the role of participation and pharmaceutical care.
7.Sodium lactate modulates TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway for treatment of right heart failure
Zhong-jian ZHANG ; Xiao-ying LUO ; Di QU ; Chun-liu QIAN ; Ting ZENG ; Zhi-ling HE ; Jia-jie LIAO ; Shuang LI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1843-1849
Aim To investigate the effects of sodium lactate(NALA)on right heart failure induced by monocrotaline(MCT)-induced pulmonary arterial hy-pertension in rats and to reveal the underlying mecha-nisms.Methods Forty male Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly allocated into four groups,with ten rats in each group,namely,MCT group,NALA group,and NALA+MCT group;the MCT and NALA+MCT groups were administered a single intraperito-neal injection of MCT at 60 mg·kg-1 to induce pul-monary hypertension,and one week later,the NALA and NALA+MCT groups received intraperitoneal in-jections of NALA at 0.1 g·kg-1(once a day,for 5 weeks),while the CON and MCT groups received e-qual volumes of physiological saline(once a day,for 5 weeks);right heart function was assessed using echo-cardiography,right ventricular and pulmonary artery remodeling were evaluated via histopathological sec-tions,and the expression levels of ANP,BNP,and in-flammatory factors were measured by ELISA,along with assessments of oxidative stress levels,Western blot detection of the expression levels of proteins in the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.Results Compared to the CON group,the MCT group exhibited increased RVSP and RVHI,decreased right heart function,in-creased collagen fiber deposition,and elevated oxida-tive stress and inflammatory factor expression,and the expression levels of proteins in the TLR4/NF-κB signa-ling pathway increased(P<0.05);compared to the MCT group,the NALA+MCT group showed reduced RVSP and RVHI,improved right heart function,atten-uated pulmonary vascular remodeling,decreased ex-pression of ANP,BNP,inflammatory factors,and H2O2,along with increased antioxidant enzyme expres-sion,and the expression levels of proteins in the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion NALA can inhibit right ventric-ular remodeling in rats with pulmonary hypertension,and the underlying mechanism may involve the allevia-tion of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress through the inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.
8.Establishment of a LC-MS/MS method for detecting gamma-aminobutyric acid in plasma and its clinical application
Jia-qian QIN ; Lei CAO ; Ying-fei PENG ; Fang-jun CHEN ; Bai-shen PAN ; Bei-li WANG ; Wei GUO
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2025;52(5):708-716
Objective To establish a stable liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method for detecting gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)in plasma,and to evaluate the value of GABA detection in the diagnosis of sleep disorders.Methods GABA was detected using a UPLC Xevo TQs system.The method was pre-validated and its performance was verified to establish a reference range for healthy individuals.The difference in plasma GABA levels between apparently healthy individuals and patients with sleep disorders was compared.Results We employed deuterated compounds as isotopic internal standards and utilized an Amide chromatographic column for separation.The mobile phase was 0.050%formic acid in water and 90%acetonitrile in water containing 0.175%formic acid and 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate with gradient elution in the column temperature of 35℃.The linear range for the detection of GABA by LC-MS/MS was 0.05-10.00 μmol/L,with a lower limit of quantification of 0.02 μmol/L,the inter-day CV<3.00%and intra assay CV<4.00%,respectively,and the recovery rate was 101.06%-109.02%.The reference ranges for plasma GABA were established by analyzing 300 healthy controls stratified by age:18-34 years(0.08-0.15 μmol/L),35-49 years(0.10-0.20 μmol/L),and≥50 years(0.12-0.23 μmol/L).Then plasma GABA was used as a biomarker for auxiliary diagnosis of sleep disorders in analyzing 221 patients and 300 healthy controls,which revealed that AUC values were 0.510(P=0.850),0.686(P=0.002),and 0.890(P<0.001)in the groups of 18-34 years,35-49 years,and≥50 years,respectively,with optimal cut-off values of 0.09,0.10 and 0.11 μmol/L.Conclusion A reliable LC-MS/MS method for detecting GABA has been established,which can detect plasma GABA levels sensitively and accurately and can be used in assisting the clinical diagnosis of sleep disorders.
9.Topological Properties of Brain Structure Network in Obese Adolescents Based on Graph Theory Analysis
Xin WANG ; Ruizhu WANG ; Qian LI ; Fei YANG ; Ying WANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging 2025;33(9):960-966
Purpose To investigate the change of network topology attribute of brain structure in obese adolescents using graph theory analysis.Materials and Methods A total of 86 obese adolescents in Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2023 to April 2024 were prospectively collected,including 60 patients in the simple obesity group(OB group),26 patients in the obese group with metabolic syndrome(MS group).Meanwhile,24 healthy volunteers were recruited as the control group.Diffusion tensor imaging scan of the head,anthropological characteristics examination and blood test were performed.The differences of global and local topology properties among the three groups were compared.Global or node attributes with statistical differences were correlated with clinical indicators.Results There were significant differences in body height,body weight,body mass index,waist circumference,diastolic blood pressure,systolic blood pressure and high density lipoprotein cholesterol among the three groups(χ2/F=3.208-5.085,all P<0.05).Compared with the control group,there were significant differences in total body fat,triglyceride,total cholesterol,alanine amino-transferase,aspartate aminotransferase and fasting insulin between the OB group and the MS group(all P<0.05).No statistically significant differences were observed in the small world attribute,shortest path length and global efficiency among the three groups(all P>0.05).A statistically significant difference was observed in the clustering coefficient and local efficiency among the three groups(F=2.534,3.012,both P<0.05),with the values of clustering coefficient and local efficiency of OB group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05).The node attribute differences occurred in the left frontal lobe,right insula,right anterior central gyrus,left anterior cingulate gyrus,left anterior cuneus and bilateral occipital lobes.The connection value between module Association and Limbic in control group was significantly lower smaller than those of the OB group(P=0.033).A negative correlation was observed between local efficiency and age(r=-0.239),body weight(r=-0.254),body mass index(r=-0.230)and waist circumference(r=-0.263,all P<0.05).The modularity was negatively correlated with fasting insulin(r=-0.325,P<0.05).Conclusion Adolescent obesity leads to the abnormal topological properties of structural network in some brain regions,which may be associated with the abnormal cognitive function and could provide neuroimaging evidence for clinical intervention.
10.Clinicopathologic characteristics,gene mutation profile,and prognostic analysis of patients with adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Jiayin HE ; Siyuan CHEN ; Qing SHI ; Muchen ZHANG ; Hongmei YI ; Lei DONG ; Ying QIAN ; Li WANG ; Shu CHENG ; Pengpeng XU ; Weili ZHAO
Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Medical Science) 2025;45(9):1194-1201
Objective·To analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics,gene mutation profile,and prognostic factors of patients with adrenal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL).Methods·From March 2002 to December 2022,a total of 105 patients with adrenal DLBCL admitted to Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed for their clinicopathological data,survival outcomes,and prognostic factors.Patients'gene mutation profiles were evaluated by targeted sequencing of 152 lymphoma-related genes.Results·The median age of the patients was 62(15?82)years and the male-to-female ratio was 2.3∶1.Among them,63 patients(60.0%)were over 60 years old,22 patients(21.0%)had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG)performance status of two or higher,87 patients(82.9%)were staged Ann Arbor Ⅲ?Ⅳ,92 patients(87.6%)had elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)levels(above the upper limit of reference),84 patients(80.0%)had extranodal invasion in at least two organs,67 patients(63.8%)were of non-germinal center B-cell(non-GCB)origin,and 95 patients(90.5%)had an international prognosis index(IPI)scored over 2.With a median follow-up of 28.3(0.7?191.9)months,the estimated 2-year overall survival(OS)rate and progression-free survival(PFS)rate were 68.3%and 53.1%,respectively.The estimated 5-year OS rate and PFS rate were 52.6%and 44.0%,respectively.Among 93 patients who could be evaluated for clinical outcomes,62(66.7%)got a complete response(CR).Univariate analysis and multivariate Cox analysis revealed that age over 60 years was an adverse prognostic factor for PFS,and ECOG performance status of two or higher was an adverse prognostic factor for both OS and PFS.Targeted gene sequencing in 46 adrenal diffuse DLBCL patients showed high mutation frequencies in lysine methyltransferase 2D(KMT2D;n=17,37%),Pim-1 proto-oncogene,serine/threonine kinase(PIM1;n=17,37%),MYD88 innate immune signal transduction adaptor(MYD88;n=15,33%),CD79b molecule(CD79B;n=13,28%),and BTG anti-proliferation factor 2(BTG2;n=10,22%).Conclusion·Age over 60 years is an adverse prognostic factor for PFS,and ECOG performance status of two or higher is an adverse prognostic factor for both OS and PFS in patients with adrenal DLBCL.Patients exhibited high frequencies of KMT2D,PIM1,MYD88,CD79B,and BTG2 mutations,as well as an increased proportion of the MCD-like subtype.


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