1.The effect of rutaecarpine on improving fatty liver and osteoporosis in MAFLD mice
Yu-hao ZHANG ; Yi-ning LI ; Xin-hai JIANG ; Wei-zhi WANG ; Shun-wang LI ; Ren SHENG ; Li-juan LEI ; Yu-yan ZHANG ; Jing-rui WANG ; Xin-wei WEI ; Yan-ni XU ; Yan LIN ; Lin TANG ; Shu-yi SI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):141-149
Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and osteoporosis (OP) are two very common metabolic diseases. A growing body of experimental evidence supports a pathophysiological link between MAFLD and OP. MAFLD is often associated with the development of OP. Rutaecarpine (RUT) is one of the main active components of Chinese medicine Euodiae Fructus. Our previous studies have demonstrated that RUT has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherosclerotic effects, and can improve the OP of rats. However, whether RUT can improve both fatty liver and OP symptoms of MAFLD mice at the same time remains to be investigated. In this study, we used C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 months to construct a MAFLD model, and gave the mice a low dose (5 mg·kg-1) and a high dose (15 mg·kg-1) of RUT by gavage for 4 weeks. The effects of RUT on liver steatosis and bone metabolism were then evaluated at the end of the experiment [this experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (approval number: IMB-20190124D303)]. The results showed that RUT treatment significantly reduced hepatic steatosis and lipid accumulation, and significantly reduced bone loss and promoted bone formation. In summary, this study shows that RUT has an effect of improving fatty liver and OP in MAFLD mice.
2.The Influence of Social Context on Perceptual Decision Making and Its Computational Neural Mechanisms
Yu-Pei LIU ; Yu-Shu WANG ; Bin ZHAN ; Rui WANG ; Yi JIANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2568-2584
Perceptual decision making refers to the process by which individuals make choices and judgments based on sensory information, serving as a fundamental ability for human adaptation to complex environments. While traditional research has focused on perceptual decision making in isolated contexts, growing evidence highlights the profound influence of social contexts prevalent in real-world scenarios. As a crucial factor supporting individual survival and development, social context not only provides rich information sources but also shapes perceptual decision making through top-down processing mechanisms, prompting researchers to recognize the inherently social nature of human decisions. Empirical studies have demonstrated that social information, such as others’ choices or group norms, can systematically bias individuals’ perceptual decisions, often manifesting as conformity behaviors. Social influence can also facilitate performance under certain conditions, particularly when individuals can accurately identify and adopt high-quality social information. The impact of social context on perceptual decisions is modulated by a variety of external and internal factors, including group characteristics(e.g., group size, response consistency), attributes of peers (e.g., familiarity, social status, distinctions between human and artificial agents), as well as individual differences such as confidence, personality traits, and developmental stage. The motivations driving social influence encompass three primary mechanisms: improving decision accuracy through informational influence, gaining social acceptance through normative influence, and maintaining positive self-concept. Recent computational approaches have employed diverse theoretical frameworks to provide valuable insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying social influence in perceptual decision making. Reinforcement learning models demonstrate how social feedback shapes future choices through reward-based updating. Bayesian inference frameworks describe how individuals integrate personal beliefs with social information based on their respective reliabilities, dynamically updating beliefs to optimize decisions under uncertainty. Drift diffusion models offer powerful tools to decompose social influence into distinct cognitive components, allowing researchers to differentiate between changes in perceptual processing and shifts in decision criteria. Collectively, these models establish a comprehensive methodological foundation for disentangling the multiple pathways by which social context shapes perceptual decisions. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological studies provide converging evidence that social context influences perceptual decision making through multi-level neural mechanisms. At early perceptual processing stages, social influence modulates sensory evidence accumulation in parietal cortex and directly alters primary visual cortex activity, while guiding selective attention to stimulus features consistent with social norms through attentional alignment mechanisms. At higher cognitive levels, the reward system (ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex) is activated during group-consistent decisions; emotion-processing networks (anterior cingulate cortex, insula, amygdala) regulate experiences of social acceptance and rejection; and mentalizing-related brain regions (dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction) support inference of others’ mental states and social information integration. These neural circuits work synergistically to achieve top-down multi-level modulation of perceptual decision making. Understanding the mechanisms by which social context shapes perceptual decision making has broad theoretical and practical implications. These insights inform the optimization of collective decision-making, the design of socially adaptive human-computer interaction systems, and interventions for cognitive disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and anorexia nervosa. Future studies should combine computational modeling and neuroimaging approaches to systematically investigate the multi-level and dynamic nature of social influences on perceptual decision making.
3.Causal association between depression and stress urinary incontinence:A two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization study
Cheng-Xiao JIANG ; Wei-Qi YIN ; Jing-Jing XU ; Ying-Jiao SHI ; Li WANG ; Zhi-Bo ZHENG ; Rui SU ; Qin-Bo HU ; Jun-Hai QIAN ; Shu-Ben SUN
National Journal of Andrology 2024;30(3):217-223
Objective:To investigate the causal correlation between depression and stress urinary incontinence(SUI)using Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis.Methods:We searched the FinnGen Consortium database for genome-wide association studies(GWAS)on depression and obtained 23 424 case samples and 192 220 control samples,with the GWAS data on SUI provided by the UK Biobank,including 4 340 case samples and 458 670 control samples.We investigated the correlation between depression and SUI based on the depression data collected from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium(PGC).We employed inverse-variance weighting as the main method for the MR study,and performed sensitivity analysis to verify the accuracy and stability of the findings.Results:Analysis of the data from the UK Biobank and FinnGen Consortium showed that depression was significantly correlated with an increased risk of SUI(P=0.005),but not SUI with the risk of depression(P=0.927).And analysis of the PGC data verified the correlation of depression with the increased risk of SUI(P=0.043).Conclusion:Depression is associated with an increased risk of SUI,while SUI does not increase the risk of depression.
4.Clinical effects of flaps or myocutaneous flaps transplantation after titanium mesh-retaining debridement in repairing the wounds with exposed titanium mesh after cranioplasty
Lin HE ; Rui WANG ; Chan ZHU ; Xueyuan YU ; Youcheng HE ; Lin ZHOU ; Zhuo ZHANG ; Maoguo SHU
Chinese Journal of Burns 2024;40(3):273-280
Objective:To explore the clinical effects of flaps or myocutaneous flaps transplantation after debridement to repair the wounds with exposed titanium mesh after cranioplasty on the premise of retaining the titanium mesh.Methods:This study was a retrospective observational study. From February 2017 to October 2022, 22 patients with titanium mesh exposure after cranioplasty who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Department of Plastic, Aesthetic & Maxillofacial Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, including 15 males and 7 females, aged from 19 to 68 years. After admission, treatments such as bacterial culture of wound exudate sample, anti-infection, and dressing change were carried out. Thorough surgical debridement was performed when the wound improved, and the wound area was 3.0 cm×2.0 cm to 11.0 cm×8.0 cm after debridement. The wound was repaired with local flaps, expanded flaps, or free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps according to the size, location, severity of infection, and surrounding tissue condition of the wounds, and the areas of flaps or myocutaneous flaps were 5.5 cm×4.0 cm to 18.0 cm×15.0 cm. The donor areas of flaps were sutured directly or repaired by split-thickness skin grafts from head. The wound repair method was recorded. The survivals of flaps or myocutaneous flaps after surgery and wound healing in 2 weeks after surgery were recorded. During postoperative follow-up, recurrence of infection or titanium mesh exposure in the implanted area of titanium mesh was observed; the head shapes of patients, scar formation of the operative incision, and baldness were observed. At the last follow-up, the satisfaction of patients with the treatment effect (dividing into three levels: satisfied, basically satisfied, and dissatisfied) was evaluated. The total treatment costs of patients during their hospitalization were calculated.Results:The wounds in 11 cases were repaired with local flaps, the wounds in 5 cases were repaired with expanded flaps, and the wounds in 6 cases were repaired with free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps. All flaps or myocutaneous flaps survived completely after surgery, and all wounds healed well in 2 weeks after surgery. Follow up for 6 to 48 months after operation, only one patient with local flap grafting experienced a recurrence of infection in the titanium mesh implanted area at more than one month after surgery, and the titanium mesh was removed because of ineffective treatment. Except for one patient who had a local depression in the head after removing the titanium mesh, the rest of the patients had a full head shape. Except for myocutaneous flap grafting areas in 6 cases and skin grafting area in 1 case with local flaps grafting had no hair growth, the other patients had no baldness. All the scars in surgical incision were concealed. At the last follow-up, 19 cases were satisfied with the treatment effects, 2 cases were basically satisfied, and 1 case was dissatisfied. The total treatment cost for patients in this group during hospitalization was 11 764-36 452 (22 304±6 955) yuan.Conclusions:For patients with titanium mesh exposure after cranioplasty, on the premise of adequate preoperative preparation and thorough debridement, the wound can be repaired with appropriate flaps or myocutaneous flaps according to the wound condition. The surgery can preserve all or part of the titanium mesh. The postoperative wound healing is good and the recurrence of infection or titanium mesh exposure in the titanium mesh implanted area is reduced, leading to good head shape, reduced surgical frequency, and decreased treatment costs.
5.Transurethral resection of prostate for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia:A comparative study of efficacy and safety of three procedures
Ben WU ; Rui ZHOU ; Tong BAO ; Qunfeng WANG ; Chong SHU ; Xiaoxiang WU
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2024;40(22):3202-3207
Objective To explore and compare the efficacy and safety of different transurethral enucle-ation procedures for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 215 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia admitted to our hospital from January 2021 to May 2023.According to the surgical procedures,they were divided into plasma resection group(n=81),treated with transurethral plasma resection of the prostate,laser resection group(n=92),treated with transurethral laser resection of the prostate,and green laser enucleation group(n=42),treated with transurethral green laser enucle-ation of the prostate.The three groups were compared in terms of perioperative indicators(surgical time,intraop-erative bleeding volume,bladder flushing time,indwelling catheter time,postoperative hemoglobin concentration,and hospital stay),urodynamic indicators(RUV,IPSS score,Qmax,and QOL score),and postoperative compli-cations.Results The green laser enucleation group and laser resection group demonstrated a significantly higher total effective rate compared to the plasma electrosurgery group(P<0.05).The three groups showed no statisti-cally significant difference in hospital stay(P>0.05),but the green laser enucleation group showed a signifi-cantly shorter surgical time compared to the other two group(P<0.05).The green laser enucleation group and laser resection group had superiority in intraoperative bleeding,bladder flushing time,and indwelling catheter time compared to the plasma resection group,and a significantly higher postoperative hemoglobin concentration compared to the plasma resection group(P<0.05).Repeated measurement analysis of variance showed that the three groups all exhibited significantly decreases in RUV,IPSS score,and QOL score(P<0.05),and a signifi-cantly increase in Qmax at 1 month and 3 months after surgery(P<0.05).The laser resection group and green laser enucleation group presented with significant decreases in RUV,IPSS score,and QOL score(P<0.05),and a significantly decrease in Qmax compared to the plasma resection group at 1 month and 3 months after surgery(P<0.05).However,the laser resection group and the green laser enucleation group had no statistically signifi-cant difference in RUV,IPSS score,Qmax,and QOL score at 1 month and 3 months after surgery(P>0.05).The green laser enucleation group had the lowest total incidence of postoperative complications,following by the laser resection group and plasma resection group in order(7.14%vs.21.74%vs.35.80%,P<0.05).Conclusion The three surgical procedures all have good therapeutic effects on benign prostatic hyperplasia.Transurethral laser prostatectomy and green laser enucleation have superiority to those of transurethral plasma resection of the prostate in efficacy and safety,and they can promote early recovery of patients.Transurethral green laser enucleation is the best in safety.
6.A multicenter study of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China
Li-Xiu SHI ; Jin-Xing FENG ; Yan-Fang WEI ; Xin-Ru LU ; Yu-Xi ZHANG ; Lin-Ying YANG ; Sheng-Nan HE ; Pei-Juan CHEN ; Jing HAN ; Cheng CHEN ; Hui-Ying TU ; Zhang-Bin YU ; Jin-Jie HUANG ; Shu-Juan ZENG ; Wan-Ling CHEN ; Ying LIU ; Yan-Ping GUO ; Jiao-Yu MAO ; Xiao-Dong LI ; Qian-Shen ZHANG ; Zhi-Li XIE ; Mei-Ying HUANG ; Kun-Shan YAN ; Er-Ya YING ; Jun CHEN ; Yan-Rong WANG ; Ya-Ping LIU ; Bo SONG ; Hua-Yan LIU ; Xiao-Dong XIAO ; Hong TANG ; Yu-Na WANG ; Yin-Sha CAI ; Qi LONG ; Han-Qiang XU ; Hui-Zhan WANG ; Qian SUN ; Fang HAN ; Rui-Biao ZHANG ; Chuan-Zhong YANG ; Lei DOU ; Hui-Ju SHI ; Rui WANG ; Ping JIANG ; Shenzhen Neonatal Data Network
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2024;26(5):450-455
Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75%(27/36);boys accounted for 64%(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86%)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53%)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61%)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36%)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75%)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72%)and seizures in 10 neonates(34%).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33%,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44%(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.
7.Separation and Enrichment of β-Agonists from Animal Livers Based on Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction with Automated-treatment Device
Shu-Lin WEI ; Zi-Hao WANG ; Tong LI ; Huai-En ZHU ; Ji-Hao SHAN ; Zhi-Chao SONG ; Rui-Guo WANG
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2024;52(2):277-285
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)method was developed for determination of three kinds of β-agonists(Clenbuterol(CL),Ractopamine(RAC)and Salbutamol(SAL))residues in animal liver samples.The liver sample homogenates were extracted with organic solvent,followed by clean-up using the automatic magnetic solid-phase extraction(MSPE),and then analyzed using LC-MS/MS.The results showed that the magnetic mixed-mode cation exchange adsorbent(M-MCX)exhibited 34%higher adsorption capacity than the conventional mixed-mode cation exchange(MCX)column.Furthermore,the clean-up was conducted by using an automatic MSPE device,and 8 samples could be simultaneously treated within 30 min.The limits of detection(LOD)were 0.01-0.1 μg/kg,the average recoveries ranged from 88.2%to 110.5%,and the relative standard deviations(RSDs)were in range of 2.9%-10.3%at three spiked levels for the three kinds of β-agonists.Compared with the traditional SPE technique,the present method had many advantages such as simple operation,rapidity and high efficiency,which was suitable for high-throughput and automatic detection of residues in routine analysis.
8.Noninvasive Diagnostic Technique for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Based on Features of Tongue Images.
Rong-Rui WANG ; Jia-Liang CHEN ; Shao-Jie DUAN ; Ying-Xi LU ; Ping CHEN ; Yuan-Chen ZHOU ; Shu-Kun YAO
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2024;30(3):203-212
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate a new noninvasive diagnostic model for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) based on features of tongue images.
METHODS:
Healthy controls and volunteers confirmed to have NAFLD by liver ultrasound were recruited from China-Japan Friendship Hospital between September 2018 and May 2019, then the anthropometric indexes and sampled tongue images were measured. The tongue images were labeled by features, based on a brief protocol, without knowing any other clinical data, after a series of corrections and data cleaning. The algorithm was trained on images using labels and several anthropometric indexes for inputs, utilizing machine learning technology. Finally, a logistic regression algorithm and a decision tree model were constructed as 2 diagnostic models for NAFLD.
RESULTS:
A total of 720 subjects were enrolled in this study, including 432 patients with NAFLD and 288 healthy volunteers. Of them, 482 were randomly allocated into the training set and 238 into the validation set. The diagnostic model based on logistic regression exhibited excellent performance: in validation set, it achieved an accuracy of 86.98%, sensitivity of 91.43%, and specificity of 80.61%; with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.98]. The decision tree model achieved an accuracy of 81.09%, sensitivity of 91.43%, and specificity of 66.33%; with an AUC of 0.89 (95% CI 0.66-0.92) in validation set.
CONCLUSIONS
The features of tongue images were associated with NAFLD. Both the 2 diagnostic models, which would be convenient, noninvasive, lightweight, rapid, and inexpensive technical references for early screening, can accurately distinguish NAFLD and are worth further study.
Humans
;
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnostic imaging*
;
Ultrasonography
;
Anthropometry
;
Algorithms
;
China
9.Factors associated with depression after mild acute ischaemic stroke in the elderly and their predictive value
Yongming ZOU ; Rui SHU ; Na WANG ; Ji BIAN ; Lingya QIAO ; Xiaolin XU
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2024;43(3):291-296
Objective:To examine the risk factors and predictive value of depression following mild acute ischemic stroke in elderly individuals.The aim is to enhance early identification and intervention, ultimately leading to improved prognosis.Methods:A case-control study was conducted on 988 elderly patients with mild acute ischemic stroke.The study collected general population and social data, as well as clinical laboratory data such as blood glucose, blood lipids, and AD7C-NTP in urine.Additionally, the patients underwent assessments using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale(MoCA), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NHISS), Barthel index(BI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA), and Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD).Based on the HAMD depression scale score, the patients were divided into a nopost-stooke depression(NPSD)group and a post-stooke depression(PSD)group.The study then analyzed the related risk factors and predictive value of PSD.Results:A total of 988 patients were eligible for inclusion, with 132 being excluded and 856 being included.The NPSD and PSD groups showed significant differences in age, hypertension, smoking history, education level, and stroke history(all P<0.05).Regarding clinical data, there were statistically significant differences between the two groups in total cholesterol(TC), triacylglycerol(TG), HDL, urinary AD7C-NTP, MoCA, and HAMA scores(all P<0.05).The results of the multi-factor logistic regression analysis revealed that gender( OR=1.975, 95% CI: 1.223-3.190, P=0.005), stroke history( OR=1.352, 95% CI: 0.877-2.086, P=0.042), and HAMA score( OR=1.216, 95% CI: 0.932-1.526, P=0.043)were identified as independent risk factors for post-stroke depression in the elderly.Conversely, MoCA score( OR=0.873, 95% CI: 0.814-0.937, P<0.001)was found to be an independent protective factor.Furthermore, the ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the HAMA score(AUC=0.892, sensitivity: 0.721, specificity: 0.854, cut-off value: 9.5)exhibited significant predictive value, while the other indexes had limited predictive value. Conclusions:Gender, stroke history, and HAMA score have been identified as potential independent risk factors for post-stroke depression(PSD)in the elderly, while MoCA score may serve as an independent protective factor.Notably, HAMA score demonstrates a strong predictive ability for PSD.Early identification of these factors and timely intervention could significantly contribute to improving prognosis.
10.Mechanism of hippocampal CRHR1 regulating chronic stress-induced learning and memory impairment in early aged mice
Xinru Tu ; Jiawen Xu ; Rui Liu ; Yulin Lu ; Shu Wang ; Yuyou Yao
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(1):117-126
Objective :
To explore the mechanism of hippocampal corticotropin-releasing hormone ( CRH) receptor type 1 ( CRHR1 ) in chronic stress-induced learning and memory impairment in early aged mice.
Methods:
C57BL /6J mice aged 12 -14 months were divided into two groups according to gender,and then divided into wild type (WT) group and hippocampal CRHR1 conditional gene knockout (KN) group according to genotype.Mice in each group were randomly divided into control group and stress group,and the stress group was subjected to chronic unpredictable stress ( CUS ) for 30 days. Genotyping of mice was performed using polymerase chain reaction ( PCR) ,agarose gel electrophoresis and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) .The new object rec- ognition experiment and Morris Water maze measured learning and memory ability.Golgi-Cox staining was used to observe damage to hippocampal neuronal dendrites. The protein expressions of target protein of rapamycin (mTOR) ,p-mTOR (Ser2448) ,ribosomal protein S6 kinase ( p70S6K) and p-p70S6K ( Thr389 / Thr412 ) were detected by Western blot.Serum levels of corticotropin releasing hormone ( CRH) were measured by ELISA.
Results :
Compared to mice without chronic stress,the cognitive coefficient of WT stress groups decreased after chron- ic stress,and the difference was statistically significant (P <0. 05) ,while there was no significant difference in cognitive coefficient of KN stress groups before and after chronic stress.Compared with the WT stress group,the escape latency of the WT control group was shortened (P<0. 05) ,and the number of crossing the platform and tar- get quadrant increased (P <0. 01) ,and there was no significant difference in the KN groups above. Compared with the WT control group,the WT stress group had a significant reduction in the neuronal complexity in the hipp- ocampal CA1,CA3 and DG regions (P <0. 05) and significant reductions in the expression of p-mTOR and p- p70S6K in the hippocampus (P<0. 05) .There was no significant difference in the expression of p-mTOR between the KN stress group and the KN control group (P>0. 05) ,except that the expression of p-mTOR in the hippocam- pus of the female group decreased (P<0. 05) .In addition,the serum level of CRH in the stress group was higher than that in the control group (P<0. 01) .
Conclusion
Hippocampal CRHR1 regulates learning and memory im- pairment and neuronal dendrite damage in early aged mice induced by chronic stress.The mechanism may be that high levels of CRH induced by chronic stress cannot bind to CRHR1 receptor,thereby enhancing the expression of down-regulated mTOR / p70S6K signaling pathway.


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