1.Identification and in vitro validation of causative proteins in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: A study based on proteome-wide Mendelian randomization
Jianyi CHEN ; Wentao HUANG ; Yang LI ; Zewei ZHUO ; Qinming LI ; Yu LONG ; Weihong SHA ; Hao CHEN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(9):2067-2074
ObjectiveTo identify protein biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) through an integrative multi-omics analysis. MethodsLarge-scale plasma protein quantitative trait locus data were integrated with MAFLD genome-wide association study data, and a proteome-wide Mendelian randomization analysis was performed. Summary data-based Mendelian Randomization (SMR)/heterogeneity in dependent instruments (HEIDI) test and colocalization analysis were used to assess significant proteins. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison of continuous data with homogeneity of variance between two groups, and the Welch-corrected t-test was used for comparison of continuous data with heterogeneity of variance. The transcriptomic validation results were compared with the Mendelian randomization results to evaluate the changing trends of gene expression, and boxplots were used to display the expression distribution of candidate genes between groups. ResultsAmong 7 130 proteins analyzed, 40 showed a causal relationship with MAFLD, among which 26 increased the risk of MAFLD and 14 exerted a protective effect against MAFLD (FDR<0.05). Nine proteins were supported by SMR/HEIDI (PSMR<0.05, PHEIDI>0.05), and 14 showed a strong colocalization signal (PPH4>0.9). The transcriptomic analysis identified 5 differentially expressed proteins (all P<0.05), i.e., adenosine diphosphate-ribosylation factor-like GTPase 2, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2, casein kinase 1 delta (CSNK1D), leucine-rich repeat neuronal 1, and moesin (MSN). In vitro validation showed upregulated expression levels of MSN (1.612±0.346 vs 0.569±0.077, P<0.05), 14-3-3 protein theta (YWHAQ) (1.267±0.126 vs 0.313±0.029, P<0.05), and CSNK1D (0.871±0.025 vs 0.431±0.080, P<0.05) and a downregulated expression level of histone deacetylase 8 (0.637±0.059 vs 1.097±0.260, P<0.05) in the MAFLD cell model. Functional annotation showed that CSNK1D participated in circadian and metabolic regulation, YWHAQ modulated the Hippo pathway and lipid signal transduction, and MSN was associated with cytoskeletal remodeling and fibrogenic responses. ConclusionThe integrative proteogenomic analysis in this study shows that CSNK1D, YWHAQ, and MSN may be key mediators in the pathogenesis of MAFLD. These proteins have the potential to serve as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, providing new directions for research on disease mechanisms and the development of intervention strategies.
2.Icaritin Targets P53 to Regulate DNA Damage Repair and FOXO Signaling Pathways to Inhibit Glioma Cell Growth
Zhi-Qiong LUO ; Zhuo-Yi WANG ; Yong-Ping WANG ; Xiao-Zhong CHEN ; Jia YU ; Sha CHENG ; Ning-Ning ZAN ; Bao-Fei SUN ; Heng LUO
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(5):753-763
Icaritin(ICT)is an 8-isopentenylflavonoid,which is the main effective component of the tra-ditional Chinese medicine Epimedium.Previously,we found that Icaritin inhibits the growth of glioblasto-ma(GBM)cells.Herein we aim to study the in vivo anti-GBM effectiveness of Icaritin and explore its mechanism.The results of MTT assay,flow cytometry,comet assay and cellular immunofluorescence as-say in vitro showed that ICT inhibited the proliferation of four kinds of GBM cells,U87,U251,U118 and A172,induced early apoptosis(P<0.001)and late apoptosis(P<0.05)in U87 cells,induced DNA damage in U87 cells,and blocked the growth of U87 cells at the G0/G1 phase(P<0.0001)in a concen-tration-time-dependent manner.In vivo subcutaneous tumor transplantation tumor experiments showed that feeding 200 mg/kg(P<0.01)and 400 mg/kg(P<0.001)ICT had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of GBM subcutaneous tumors,and had no significant toxic effects on heart,liver,spleen,lung and kidney tissues.The results of network pharmacological analysis,molecular docking and cellular thermodynamic experiments showed that there were 26 possible target proteins between ICT and GBM,a-mong which the expression of p53 in GBM tissues was significantly(P<0.001)higher than in normal tis-sues,and the binding energy of ICT and p53 was lower;cellular thermodynamic experiments verified that ICT significantly enriched the level of p53 in the living cells of GBM,which indicated that ICT could tar-get p53.The expression of key proteins in the DNA damage repair and apoptosis-associated FOXO signa-ling pathway was detected by ICT.The results showed that the expression of ATR(P<0.01),P53(P<0.001),P21(P<0.05)and γ-H2AX(P<0.05)was up-regulated,whereas the expression of Cyc-lin E1(P<0.01),E2F1(P<0.05),CDK2(P<0.01),Rb(P<0.001),p-Rb(P<0.0001)and WRN(P<0.0001)expression were down-regulated.There was no significant change in the expres-sion of FOXO 1 in the FOXO pathway or a significant down-regulation of its phosphorylation level.This study demonstrated that ICT could effectively inhibit the growth of GBM cells in vivo.It targets p53 to regulate the DNA damage repair pathway and FOXO signaling pathway to induce GBM cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
3.Icaritin Targets P53 to Regulate DNA Damage Repair and FOXO Signaling Pathways to Inhibit Glioma Cell Growth
Zhi-Qiong LUO ; Zhuo-Yi WANG ; Yong-Ping WANG ; Xiao-Zhong CHEN ; Jia YU ; Sha CHENG ; Ning-Ning ZAN ; Bao-Fei SUN ; Heng LUO
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(5):753-763
Icaritin(ICT)is an 8-isopentenylflavonoid,which is the main effective component of the tra-ditional Chinese medicine Epimedium.Previously,we found that Icaritin inhibits the growth of glioblasto-ma(GBM)cells.Herein we aim to study the in vivo anti-GBM effectiveness of Icaritin and explore its mechanism.The results of MTT assay,flow cytometry,comet assay and cellular immunofluorescence as-say in vitro showed that ICT inhibited the proliferation of four kinds of GBM cells,U87,U251,U118 and A172,induced early apoptosis(P<0.001)and late apoptosis(P<0.05)in U87 cells,induced DNA damage in U87 cells,and blocked the growth of U87 cells at the G0/G1 phase(P<0.0001)in a concen-tration-time-dependent manner.In vivo subcutaneous tumor transplantation tumor experiments showed that feeding 200 mg/kg(P<0.01)and 400 mg/kg(P<0.001)ICT had a significant inhibitory effect on the growth of GBM subcutaneous tumors,and had no significant toxic effects on heart,liver,spleen,lung and kidney tissues.The results of network pharmacological analysis,molecular docking and cellular thermodynamic experiments showed that there were 26 possible target proteins between ICT and GBM,a-mong which the expression of p53 in GBM tissues was significantly(P<0.001)higher than in normal tis-sues,and the binding energy of ICT and p53 was lower;cellular thermodynamic experiments verified that ICT significantly enriched the level of p53 in the living cells of GBM,which indicated that ICT could tar-get p53.The expression of key proteins in the DNA damage repair and apoptosis-associated FOXO signa-ling pathway was detected by ICT.The results showed that the expression of ATR(P<0.01),P53(P<0.001),P21(P<0.05)and γ-H2AX(P<0.05)was up-regulated,whereas the expression of Cyc-lin E1(P<0.01),E2F1(P<0.05),CDK2(P<0.01),Rb(P<0.001),p-Rb(P<0.0001)and WRN(P<0.0001)expression were down-regulated.There was no significant change in the expres-sion of FOXO 1 in the FOXO pathway or a significant down-regulation of its phosphorylation level.This study demonstrated that ICT could effectively inhibit the growth of GBM cells in vivo.It targets p53 to regulate the DNA damage repair pathway and FOXO signaling pathway to induce GBM cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
4.Chinese expert consensus on targeted and immunotherapy combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced cervical cancer
Ping JIANG ; Zi LIU ; Lichun WEI ; Yunyan ZHANG ; Fengju ZHAO ; Xiangkun YUAN ; Yipeng SONG ; Jing BAI ; Xiaofan LI ; Baosheng SUN ; Lijuan ZOU ; Sha LI ; Yuhua GAO ; Yanhong ZHUO ; Song GAO ; Qin XU ; Xiaohong ZHOU ; Hong ZHU ; Junjie WANG
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2024;33(10):893-901
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) refers to the simultaneous treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the effect of radiotherapy is enhanced with low-dose chemotherapy, which can reduce tumor recurrence and metastasis and improve clinical prognosis of patients. At present, the main factors for the increase of radiosensitivity of concurrent chemotherapy is that concurrent chemotherapy prevents the repair of tumor cells, and chemotherapy and radiotherapy act on different cell cycles and have synergistic effects. However, even for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) who have undergone CCRT, the 5-year survival rate is only 60%, which is still not ideal. In order to improve the efficacy, researchers have conducted a series of exploratory studies, which consist of the combination of targeted drugs and immunodrugs, and neoadjuvant regimens before CCRT, etc. Although targeted or immunologic drugs are effective treatment of LACC, in view of the lack of large-scale evidence-based medical evidence, multi-center prospective and randomized phase III clinical trials and high-level articles are needed to improve the level of evidence-based medicine. This consensus summarizes several key evidence-based medical studies published recently, especially the clinical research progress in targeted and immunological therapies, providing reference for domestic peers.
5.A case report of renal foreign-body
Xianshen SHA ; Zheng CHEN ; Zhichao LIN ; Zexiong GUO ; Yumin ZHUO
Chinese Journal of Urology 2024;45(9):709-710
Renal foreign-body is rare in clinical practice. This article reports a case of 12-year-old male patient who presented with intermittent right lumbar stabbing pain for one year. Physical and laboratory examinations showed no significant abnormalities. Enhanced CT and three-dimensional angiography indicated a metal object in the anterior superior pole of the right kidney. The patient had a history of consuming vermicelli frequently over the past year. Considering the medical history and clinical examinations, it was hypothesized that a foreign body had penetrated the duodenum and lodged into the kidney. A foreign body extraction was performed via 3D laparoscopy, confirming the object to be a 25 mm long metallic needle. The patient was discharged on the third postoperative day. Follow-up at six months showed the patient to be in good condition.
6.The Impact of SRSF1-Mediated Alternative Splicing of RBBP6 on the Proliferation of Multiple Myeloma Cells
Wei-Min ZHANG ; Sha SONG ; Wen-Zhuo ZHUANG ; Bing-Zong LI
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(6):1738-1743
Objective:To investigate the effect of different isoforms of RBBP6 on the proliferation of multiple myeloma (MM) cells after alternative splicing mediated by splicing factor SRSF1. Methods:RT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of RBBP6 mRNA splicing isoforms regulated by SRSF1. The GEO database was used to analyze the changes of RBBP6 isoform 1 in the progression of plasma cell disease,and survival analysis was used to evaluate the value of this gene in the prognosis of MM patients. In vitro loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments were conducted by transfecting control siRNA,RBBP6 isoform 1 siRNA,empty vector (EV),OE-RBBP6 isoform 3 into MM.1S cells,then the expression levels of RBBP6 isoform 1 and RBBP6 isoform 3 were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. CCK-8 assay was performed to detect the cell proliferation ability. Results:Knockdown of SRSF1 increased the expression of RBBP6 isoform 3 and decreased the expression of RBBP6 isoform 1. RBBP6 isoform 1 was closely related to the progression of plasma cell disease,and the high expression of RBBP6 isoform 1 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with MM. Downregulation of RBBP6 isoform 1 expression and overexpression of RBBP6 isoform 3 both reduced the proliferation ability of MM cells. And after downregulating the expression of RBBP6 isoform 1,the level of p53 protein in MM cells was significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusion:In MM,splicing factor SRSF1 can cause alternative splicing abnormalities in RBBP6. The RBBP6 isoform 1 promotes MM cell proliferation,while the RBBP6 isoform 3 inhibits MM cell proliferation,and the mechanism may be related to regulating the p53 pathway.
7.Clinical comprehensive evaluation of recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein
Xiaofeng NI ; Sha DIAO ; Siyi HE ; Xuefeng JIAO ; Xiao CHENG ; Zhe CHEN ; Zheng LIU ; Linan ZENG ; Deying KANG ; Bin WU ; Chaomin WAN ; Binwu YING ; Hui ZHANG ; Rongsheng ZHAO ; Liyan MIAO ; Zhuo WANG ; Xiaoyu LI ; Maobai LIU ; Benzhi CAI ; Feng QIU ; Feng SUN ; Naihui CHU ; Minggui LIN ; Wei SHA ; Lingli ZHANG
China Pharmacy 2023;34(4):391-396
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, economy, innovation, suitability and accessibility of recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis fusion protein (EC), and to provide evidence for selecting skin detection methods for tuberculosis infection diagnosis and auxiliary diagnosis of tuberculosis. METHODS The effectiveness and safety of EC compared with purified protein derivative of tuberculin (TB-PPD) were analyzed by the method of systematic review. Cost minimization analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis and cost-utility analysis were used to evaluate the short-term economy of EC compared with TB-PPD, and cost-utility analysis was used to evaluate the long-term economy. The evaluation dimensions of innovation, suitability and accessibility were determined by systematic review and improved Delphi expert consultation, and the comprehensive score of EC and TB-PPD in each dimension were calculated by the weight of each indicator. RESULTS The scores of effectiveness, safety, economy, innovation and suitability of EC were all higher than those of TB-PPD. The affordability scores of the two drugs were consistent, while the availability score of EC was lower than those of TB-PPD. After considering dimensions and index weight, the scores of effectiveness, safety, economy, innovation, suitability, accessibility and the comprehensive score of EC were all higher than those of TB-PPD. CONCLUSIONS Compared with TB-PPD, EC performs better in all dimensions of effectiveness, safety, economy, innovation, suitability and accessibility. However, it is worth noting that EC should further improve its availability in the dimension of accessibility.
8.The study of relationship between occupational stress and sleep quality of video display terminals.
Liu Zhuo ZHANG ; Yan SHA ; Xin Yun ZHUANG ; Da Feng LIN ; Ming ZHANG ; Nai Xing ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2022;40(11):837-841
Objective: To investigate the sleep quality of video operators in Shenzhen, and explore the relationship between sleep quality and occupational stress and different work and life habits. Methods: In December 2020, a cluster sampling method was used to investigate 791 video operators in Shenzhen from June to December 2020 who were engaged in printing, design, IT and other industries. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale was used to investigate the sleep quality of video operators, and the Job Content Questionnaire was used to investigate the occupational stress of video operators, The Pay Return Imbalance Questionnaire was used to investigate the pay return imbalance of video operators. The measurement data conforming to the normal distribution shall be expressed by mean±standard deviation, and t-test, analysis of variance and linear correlation analysis shall be adopted according to the type of independent variable. Those that do not conform to the normal distribution are described by the median M (Q(1), Q(3)), and two sample Wilcoxon test is used according to the binary data of independent variable type. Kruskal Wallis test was used for multi classification data, and Spearman rank correlation was used for single factor analysis for ordinal classification data. The counting data were analyzed by chi square test or Fisher exact probability method. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis. Results: the pittsburgh sleep quality index was 4.76±2.86. 499 of them had high sleep quality. 292 people had low sleep quality, accounting for 36.91% (292/791). Compared with the low sleep quality group, the high sleep quality group had lower work requirement scores (13.48±1.77), higher autonomy scores (24.08±3.33), higher social support scores (23.95±3.08), lower pay scores (16.11±2.63), higher return scores (31.11±3.65), and lower internal input scores (14.98±2.55). There were statistically significant differences between the two scales in each dimension index group (P<0.05). Multi factor unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that high education level (OR=1.57, 95%CI=1.26~1.98, P<0.05), occupational stress (OR=1.69, 95%CI=1.21~2.36, P<0.05), and high pay and low return (OR=1.41, 95%CI=1.01~1.96, P<0.05) were the main influencing factors of sleep quality. Conclusion: The occurrence of occupational stress in video operators is a risk factor for low sleep quality, which should be paid enough attention.
Humans
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Stress, Psychological/epidemiology*
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Computer Terminals
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Sleep Quality
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Cross-Sectional Studies
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Occupational Stress/epidemiology*
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Surveys and Questionnaires
9.The Relationship between Plasma sST2/Reg3α Levels and Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Children After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Ai-Ping ZHANG ; Hao XIONG ; Zhuo WANG ; Li YANG ; Shan-Shan QI ; Ying-Ming NIE ; Zhi CHEN ; Ju-Xian TENG ; Sha WU ; Jian-Xin LI
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2021;29(4):1334-1339
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the relationship between plasma sST2/Reg3α levels and acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in children after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).
METHODS:
The clinical data of 29 pediatric patients received allo-HSCT treatment in Department of Hematology and Oncology of Wuhan Children's Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were collected. Peripheral blood samples were collected at 14 and 28 day after allo-HSCT. The plasma concentrations of sST2 and Reg3α were detected by Luminex assay.
RESULTS:
Among 29 patients there were 15 males and 14 females with a median age of 53 (29-117) months. After allo-HSCT, 18 patients developed grade 0-I aGVHD; while 11 patients developed grade II-IV aGVHD. These included skin aGVHD in 6 cases, gastrointestinal aGVHD (GI-aGVHD) in 3 cases and gastrointestinal/skin aGVHD in 5 cases. Plasma sST2 level in II-IV aGVHD group showed significantly higher than that in 0-I aGVHD group at 28 days after allo-HSCT [101.81 (73.94-150.77) ng/ml vs 48.97 (28.82-56.69) ng/ml, P=0.021]. Also, the plasma sST2 level was significantly higher in GI-aGVHD group than that in no-aGVHD group at 28 days after allo-HSCT [118.74 (87.00-243.36) ng/ml vs 48.97 (23.55-61.40) ng/ml, P=0.004]. Plasma sST2 level ≥65.34 ng/ml at 28 days after allo-HSCT showed a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 87.5% in predicting II-IV aGVHD. And the patients with a plasma sST2 level ≥65.34 ng/ml showed a significantly higher incidence of II-IV aGVHD than those with plasma sST2 level of < 65.34 ng/ml after allo-HSCT (P=0.021). There was no significant difference in plasma Reg3α level between the patients with II-IV aGVHD and the non-aGVHD ones.
CONCLUSION
The increasing plasma sST2 level after allo-HSCT in children indicates the development of II-IV aGVHD, so sST2 is promising as a biomarker for predicting II-IV aGVHD.
Child
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Child, Preschool
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Female
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Gastrointestinal Tract
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Graft vs Host Disease
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
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Humans
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Incidence
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Male
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Plasma
10.Adequate Animal Models of Hyperuricemia for Traditional Chinese Medicine Screening
Jing MENG ; Jing-zhuo TIAN ; Lian-mei WANG ; Yong ZHAO ; Chun-ying LI ; Yan YI ; Yu-shi ZHANG ; Jia-yin HAN ; Chen PAN ; Su-yan LIU ; Zhong XIAN ; Dun-fang WANG ; Sha-sha QIN ; Fang WANG ; Ai-hua LIANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2021;27(17):46-56
Objective:To compare the characteristics of four commonly adopted animal models of hyperuricemia (HUA) for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) screening, so as to choose the adequate model for screening Chinese herbs and herbal compounds capable of lowering the uric acid. Method:Fifty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into nine groups, namely the normal group, hypoxanthine (HX) + oxonic acid potassium salt (OAPS) model group, yeast extract (YE) + OAPS model group, low-dose adenine (AD) + ethambutol (EMB) model group, high-dose AD + EMB model group, and four positive drug allopurinol (Allo) groups. The modeling lasted for 14 d. The levels of serum uric acid (SUA), urinary uric acid (UUA), serum creatinine (SCr), urea nitrogen (BUN), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were detected on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days. Urine was collected on the 7th and 14th days to investigate changes in urine volume, and the crystals in the residual urine were observed under a polarizing microscope. After the modeling, the kidney was harvested and weighed, followed by pathological examination. Result:The urine volumes in the HX + OAPS model group and high-dose AD + EMB model group were significantly reduced (

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