1.Bioinformatics Analysis and Validation of Cuproptosis-related Genes in Wilson Disease
Zhuang TAO ; Meixia WANG ; Shuai KANG ; Jipeng LIU ; Rui WANG ; Jiafeng ZHOU ; Wenming YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(15):124-131
ObjectiveTo explore the role of cuproptosis and identify cuproptosis-related genes in Wilson disease (WD) through bioinformatics analysis and clinical validation,providing implications and directions for the diagnosis and treatment of WD. Methods(1) Screening of target genes: The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between WD and healthy control were obtained from GeneCards,and the cuproptosis-related genes were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and published literature.The cuproptosis-related genes in WD were obtained by intersection.Through gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses,the specific biological process,functions or metabolic pathways of cuproptosis-related genes in WD were predicted.Molecular docking and PyMOL visualization were then performed to analyze and verify the potential regulatory mechanism of Gandou Fumu Decoction for cuproptosis.(2)Validation of target genes: The blood samples of 15 WD patients treated in the department of encephalopathy and 15 healthy volunteers undergoing physical examinations in the health management center were randomly collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine.The expression levels of target genes were determined by Western blot and real-time PCR. Results(1) A total of 3 607 DEGs in WD were obtained from GSE107323 in GEO,and 68 cuproptosis-related genes were obtained from GeneCards and published literature.Twelve common target genes were obtained by intersection,including three up-related genes(SQSTM1,MIF1,and TAX1BP1) and nine down-regulated genes(CP,SERPINE1,AOC3,GPX4,SLC27A5,VEGF-A,PDHB,PDK1,and ATP7B).The common target genes were mainly enriched in monocarboxylic acid metabolism,oxidoreductase activity,negative regulation of molecular functions,which mainly involved HIF-1,ferroptosis and other signaling pathways.Molecular docking and PyMOL visualization results showed Gandou Fumu Decoction had good binding ability with the cuproptosis-related genes PDK1,SERPINE1,VEGFA,and AOC3 in WD.(2)A total of 30 blood samples were collected,including 15 WD patients and 15 health volunteers.Western blot results showed that expression levels of target genes were consistent with the results obtained by bioinformatics analysis.RT-qPCR results showed that compared with healthy volunteers,WD patients had down-regulated mRNA levels of SERPINE1,GPX4,SLC27A5,and VEGF-A and up-regulated mRNA levels of SQSTM1 and MIF1(P<0.05). ConclusionThe expression levels of cuproptosis-related genes in WD patients are consistent with the results predicted by bioinformatics analysis.The characteristic preparation Gandou Fumu Decoction of Xin'an Medicine showed good binding abilities with the cuproptosis-related genes in WD.Cuproptosis may play a key role in the pathophysiological mechanism of WD,which can provide a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of WD.
2.Clinical efficacy of Liwen procedure for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: A retrospective study in a single center
Shuai WANG ; Juan TAN ; Hongyan XIAO ; Liang TAO
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;32(06):819-823
Objective To analyze the changes in myocardial injury markers and cardiac function in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) after Liwen surgery. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of HOCM patients who underwent Liwen surgery at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital from December 2019 to April 2023, mainly including preoperative and postoperative dynamic follow-up laboratory test results and echocardiograms. Results A total of 42 patients were included, with 25 males and 17 females, aged (44.76±17.72) years, and a postoperative follow-up time of (15.02±6.97) months. The myocardial troponin level of the patients decreased from preoperative 0.03 (0.02, 0.06) ng/mL to postoperative 0.02 (0.01, 0.05) ng/mL (P=0.006), and the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level decreased from preoperative 748.95 (337.40, 1600.75) ng/L to postoperative 367.15 (126.93, 1030.25) ng/L (P<0.001). After surgery, the left atrial diameter of the patients decreased from preoperative (4.18±0.57) cm to postoperative (3.93±0.55) cm (P=0.004), the end-diastolic interventricular septum thickness decreased from preoperative 2.25 (1.90, 2.75) cm to postoperative 1.70 (1.50, 1.90) cm (P<0.001), the left ventricular mass index decreased from preoperative 211.73 (172.28, 261.54) g/m2 to postoperative 156.78 (132.34, 191.36) g/m2 (P<0.001), the left ventricular weight decreased from preoperative 368.89 (292.34, 477.72) g to postoperative 266.62 (224.57, 326.04) g (P<0.001), the end-diastolic posterior wall thickness of the left ventricle decreased from preoperative 1.30 (1.20, 1.60) cm to postoperative 1.20 (1.18, 1.40) cm (P<0.001), the relative wall thickness decreased from preoperative 0.78 (0.78, 1.02) to postoperative 0.63 (0.56, 0.72) (P<0.001), the end-systolic inner diameter of the left ventricle increased from preoperative (2.91±0.50) cm to postoperative (3.19±0.53) cm (P=0.001), and the end-diastolic inner diameter of the left ventricle increased from preoperative (4.41±0.48) cm to postoperative (4.66±0.52) cm (P=0.005). The left ventricular outflow diameter increased from preoperative (1.28±0.46) cm to postoperative (1.57±0.32) cm (P=0.001), the left ventricular outflow pressure gradient decreased from preoperative 58.50 (40.75, 92.50) mm Hg to postoperative 11.50 (7.75, 20.50) mm Hg (P<0.001), the left ventricular ejection fraction increased from preoperative 60.00% (56.75%, 65.00%) to postoperative 63.00% (62.00%, 66.00%) (P=0.024), and the degree of systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve leaflets decreased (P<0.001). Conclusion The cardiac function of patients with HOCM is improved after Liwen surgery, myocardial injury marker levels are decreased, cardiac reverse remodeling occurres, and the surgical outcome is good.
3.Multi-omics Analysis of NUDT19 Across Cancer Types and Its Functional Role in Leukemia
Xiao-Jin LI ; Shuai FENG ; Zhong-Tao YUAN ; Tong-Hua YANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2627-2649
ObjectiveRecent studies have highlighted the critical role of NUDT19 in the initiation, progression, and prognosis of specific cancer types. However, its involvement in pan-cancer analysis has not been fully characterized. This study aims to systematically explore the expression patterns, clinical significance, and immune-related functions of NUDT19 in various cancer types through multi-omics analysis, further revealing its potential role in cancer, particularly its functional and therapeutic target value in leukemia. MethodsTo achieve this goal, various bioinformatics approaches were employed to evaluate the expression patterns, clinical significance, and immune-related functions of NUDT19 in tumors and normal tissues. Additionally, we analyzed the mutation characteristics of NUDT19 and its relationship with epigenetic modifications. Using the single-cell analysis tool SingleCellBase, we explored the distribution of NUDT19 across different cell subpopulations in tumors. To validate these findings, qRT-PCR was used to measure NUDT19 expression levels in specific tumor cell lines, and we established acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines (HL-60 and THP-1) to conduct NUDT19 knockdown and overexpression experiments, assessing its effects on leukemia cell proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. ResultsPan-cancer analysis revealed the dysregulated expression of NUDT19 across multiple cancer types, which was closely associated with poor prognosis, clinical staging, and diagnostic markers. Furthermore, NUDT19 was significantly correlated with tumor biomarkers, immune-related genes, and immune cell infiltration in different cancers. Mutation analysis showed that multiple mutations in NUDT19 were significantly associated with epigenetic changes. Single-cell analysis revealed the heterogeneity of NUDT19 expression in cancer cells, suggesting its potentially diverse functional roles in different cell subpopulations. qRT-PCR experiments confirmed the significant upregulation of NUDT19 in various tumor cell lines. In AML cell lines, NUDT19 knockdown led to reduced cell proliferation and invasion, with increased apoptosis, while NUDT19 overexpression significantly enhanced cell proliferation and invasion while reducing apoptosis. ConclusionThis study demonstrates the diverse roles of NUDT19 in various cancer types, with a particularly prominent functional role in leukemia. NUDT19 is not only associated with tumor initiation and progression but may also influence cancer progression through the regulation of immune microenvironment and epigenetic mechanisms. Our research highlights the potential of NUDT19 as a therapeutic target, particularly for targeted therapies in malignancies such as leukemia, with significant clinical application prospects.
4.Effect of Bushen Huoxue(补肾活血)recipe on autophagy of ovariectomized rat chondrocytes based on Akt/mTOR signaling pathway
Shuai TAO ; Hong JIANG ; Hai-Yan ZHOU
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2024;37(2):196-206
Objective To investigate whether Bushen Huoxue recipe can protect articular cartilage by regulating Akt/mTOR signaling pathway to promote the autophagy of chondrocytes in ovariectomized rats.Methods Among 30 SPF 12-week-old female SD rats weighing(247.0±7.0)g,6 were randomly selected as the blank control group,and the remaining rats were randomly divided into model group,BSHXR-L group,BSHXR-M group and BSHXR-H group,with 6 rats in each group.The protective effect of Bushen Huoxue recipe on articular cartilage injury in rats was determined by visual observation score,mus-covine O-solid green staining and immunohistochemistry.The expression of autophagy related proteins was detected by West-em-blot,and the relative expression of Akt,mTOR and downstream autophagy genes was detected by qPCR.Results After modeling,BSHXR(L,M,H)groups could alleviate the histological damage of cartilage.Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of Collagen-Ⅱ and Aggrecan gradually increased,and the expression of MMP-13 gradually decreased,and the differences between BSHXR-M and BSHXR-H groups and model group were statistically significant(P<0.05).The results of Western-blot showed that the autophagy pathway proteins p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR were inhibited in the BSHXR(L,M,H)groups,and the expressions of downstream proteins Beclin-1 and LC3 Ⅱ were gradually increased,while p62 was gradu-ally decreased,showing a dose effect.QPCR results showed that BSHXR(L,M,H)groups could promote the relative expres-sion of Beclin-1 and LC3 Ⅱ mRNA,and inhibit the relative expression of p62,Akt,mTOR mRNA,and the differences were statistically significant compared with model group(P<0.05).Conclusion Bushen Huoxue recipe can enhance the cartilage autophagy response by inhibiting the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway,and then protect the cartilage.
5.Effect of pristimerin on adriamycin resistance of osteosarcoma cells by regulating Hippo/YAP signal pathway
Hao LI ; Shuai RONG ; Lian-Tao LIU
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(9):796-800
Objective To investigate the effect of pristimerin(PM)on adriamycin(ADM)resistance in osteosarcoma cells and its mechanism.Methods The ADM resistant cells MG-63/ADR was established in vitro by using the ADM increasing concentration gradient long-term culture method,CCK-8 was used to detect the effects of different concentrations of ADM on the viability of osteosarcoma cells MG-63 and MG-63/ADR cells to verify the drug resistance of ADM;subsequently,MG-63/ADR cells were randomly divided into the MG-63/ADR group(normal culture),low-dose PM group(adding 0.5 μmol/L PM),middle-dose PM group(adding 1.0 μmol/L PM)and high-dose PM group(adding 2.0 μmol/L PM).The cell viability of each group under different concentrations of ADM treatment was detected by CCK-8;the sensitivity of cells to ADM in each group was detected by plate clone formation assay;the cell morphology of each group was observed under microscope;the cell apoptosis level was detected by flow cytometry;Western blot was used to detect the expression of phosphorylated mammalian STE20-like protein kinase 1(p-MST1),MST1,phosphorylated large tumor suppressor 1(p-LATS1),LATS1,phosphorylated Yes associated protein(p-YAP)and YAP proteins.Results With the intervention of 25,125,625,3 125 and 15 625 ng/mL ADM,the activity of MG-63/ADR cells was significantly higher than that of MG-63 cells(P<0.05),which indicated that the ADM resistant cell model was successfully established.Compared with the MG-63/ADR group,the number of cells in the low,middle and high-dose PM groups decreased,and the cells gradually shrank,the spacing between cells became larger,and the cell viability,cell clonal formation rate and p-YAP/YAP level decreased(P<0.05),the apoptosis rate and the levels of p-MST1/MST1 and p-LATS1/LATS1 significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusion The inhibitory effect of PM on ADM resistance in osteosarcoma cells may be related to the activation of Hippo pathway and the downregulation of YAP signal.
6.Prevalence of pre-diabetes and its association with overweight and obesity in an adult health check-up population
Qinchuan HOU ; Li XIANG ; Huiwang ZHANG ; Beibei ZHANG ; Dongyu LI ; Tao YONG ; Yuping LIU ; Ping SHUAI
Chinese Journal of Health Management 2024;18(5):347-353
Objective:To analyze the current prevalence of pre-diabetes (PDM) and its relationship with overweight and obesity in an adult health check-up population.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional and retrospective cohort study and was applied using whole-cluster random sampling method. A total of 491 379 adults who underwent health check-ups at the Health Management Centre of Sichuan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2017 to July 2023 were selected to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of PDM and overweight-obesity, as well as the trend of change over time. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 19 001 of the subjects who underwent≥3 health check-ups and did not have diabetes and PDM at baseline, and the relationships between body mass index, waist circumference and the risk for developing PDM were analyzed using Cox proportional risk regression models. And the dose-response relationship between body mass index, waist circumference and the risk for developing PDM was analyzed using restricted cubic spline regression (RCS).Results:Of the 491 379 cases included in the cross-sectional study, 275 084 were male and 216 295 were female, 163 158 cases were under 40 years old, and 328 221 cases were 40 years old and above; the total prevalence of PDM was 19.41% in 2017-2023, with an overall increasing trend. Of the 19 001 people included in the cohort study, a total of 2 487 (13.09%) new cases of PDM were identified at the end of follow-up. After adjusting for confounding factors, overweight ( HR=1.150, 95% CI: 1.047-1.263), obesity ( HR=1.335, 95% CI: 1.149-1.552) and abdominal obesity ( HR=1.218, 95% CI: 1.105-1.342) were risk factors for PDM. The risk of PDM rised with the increase of body mass index (>22.9 kg/m 2, Pnon-linear=0.973) and waist circumference (>80 cm, Pnon-linear=0.830), with a linear dose-response mode. In different gender and age groups, it was found the greater the body mass index (>24.1 kg/m 2 for men,>21.5 kg/m 2 for women;>23.3 kg/m 2 for age≥40 years,>24.1 kg/m 2 for age<40 years) and waist circumference (>85 cm for men, >73 cm for women; >82 cm for age ≥40 years, >85 cm for age <40 years), the higher the risk of PDM. Conclusions:The prevalence of PDM is on the rise in the adult health check-up population. To prevent PDM, it is necessary to control the body mass index and waist circumference to a lower level than the overweight and obesity standards.
7.Design and experimental study of wearable cardiopulmonary monitoring system
Wan-Jun SHUAI ; Shu-Li ZHAO ; Wen-Zhe LI ; Hua-Yong GAO ; Jian JIANG ; Xi CHEN ; Jin-Hua YANG ; Yong CHAO ; Zheng-Tao CAO
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2024;45(4):51-55
Objective To design a wearable cardiopulmonary monitoring system and validate its performance through preliminary human trials.Methods The wearable cardiopulmonary monitoring system was composed of a data collector,a wearing vest and an information management platform.The data collector used an EFM32GG330 SCM as the main microcon-troller unit(MCU),which included a respiratory modulation module,an ECG modulation module,a body position modulation module,a wireless communication module(involving in a Bluetooth module and a Wi-Fi module),a storage module and a power management module.The wearable vest had a cardigan-type structure,and was equipped with ECG sensors and respiratory motion sensors at its inner side.The information management platform was developed with Client/Server(C/S)architecture and Java/JavaScript.The system developed was compared with Mindray's IPM10 Patient Monitor routinely used in hospitals through preliminary human trials to verify its effectiveness in monitoring human heart rate and respiratory rate.Results The system developed could continuously monitor the human heart rate and respiratory rate for a long time,and the monitoring results had high consistency with those of Mindray's IPM10 Patient Monitor.Conclusion The system can be used for medical monitoring of cardiopulmonary indicators during training or exercise,providing accurate physiological information for health management.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(4):51-55]
8.The mechanism of hesperidin against oral squamous cell carcinoma based on network pharmacology
Shuai LIU ; Xiao LI ; Tao ZHANG ; Guolin LI
Journal of Practical Stomatology 2024;40(3):323-329
Objective:To explore the effects of hesperidin against human tongue squamous cell carcinoma Tca-8113 cells and explore its mechanism of action.Methods:Tca-8113 cells were cultured in vitro with different concentrations of hesperidin.MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the cell proliferation and apoptosis respectively.The potential targets of hesperidin against Tca-8113 cells were studied by network pharmacology.The protein-protein interaction network(PPI)was constructed,gene ontology GO analy-sis,kyoto gene and genome baike encyclopedia(KEGG)enrichment analysis were performed.Q-PCR was used to detect the effect of different concentrations of hesperidin on the related mRNA expression level of Tca-8113 cells.The binding force of hesperidin to the core targets was predicted by molecular docking and a scoring function was used to judge the binding force.Results:Hesperidin inhibi-ted proliferation and promoted apoptosis of Tca-8113 cells(P<0.05)in a dosedependant manner;KEGG enrichment analysis of the key gene targets involved in the regulation of oral squamous cell carcinoma by hesperidin may be related to PI3K-Akt,MAPK and Ras signaling pathways.Q-PCR results showed that the mRNA expression of MAPK8,HSP90AA1 and MAPK1(ERK2)were significantly different(P<0.05).Molecular docking results showed that hesperidin had the strongest binding force with MAPK1(ERK2).Conclu-sion:Hesperidin may inhibit the proliferation and promote apoptosis of Tca-8113 cells by regulating Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway.
9. Effect of menthol on hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension in mice and its mechanism
Wu-Shuai WANG ; Ying-Rong HE ; Xi YANG ; Qing-Hua DUAN ; Qiang WANG ; Wu-Shuai WANG ; Tao HU ; Ying-Rong HE ; Xi YANG ; Qing-Hua DUAN ; Xuan DU ; Qiang WANG ; Yao YANG ; Xuan DU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(1):62-69
Aim To study the effect of menthol on hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension and explore the underlying mechanism in mice. Methods 10 to 12 weeks old wild type (WT) mice and TRPM8 gene knockout (TRPM8
10.A study on the consistency of myocardial extracellular volume quantification in the systole and diastole phases using dual-layer detector spectral CT
Zixuan LIU ; Yu ZHANG ; Yanjun LI ; Yong CHENG ; Tao SHUAI ; Ziwei WANG ; Zhenlin LI
Chinese Journal of Radiology 2024;58(2):165-171
Objective:To investigate the consistency of myocardial extracellular volume between systole and diastole using dual-layer detector spectral CT.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Thirty-five patients who underwent cardiac spectral CT examination in West China Hospital of Sichuan University from April 2022 to December 2022 were retrospectively collected. Hematocrit was collected within 3 days before the CT scan. The delayed phases holographic spectral images in systole (45%) and diastole (75%) were obtained using dual-layer spectral CT. CT data were processed using a spectral post-processing workstation, and the extracellular volume (ECV) based on iodine density images, referred as CT-ECV, in systolic and diastolic phases were calculated, respectively. According to the American Heart Association′s 16-segment model of left ventricular, the standard short-axis images were constructed, and the myocardium was standardized into 16 segments at the basal, mid-cavity, and apical levels of the left ventricle. Two radiologists performed a subjective evaluation in the image quality of the CT-ECV images of the whole heart and the three sections in systole and diastole using a "five-point" scale. The ECV of the 16 segments and the whole heart in systole and diastole was calculated. The consistency of subjective evaluations between systole and diastole was assessed using Kappa statistics. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare the differences in scores between systole and diastole. Paired sample t-test was used to compare the differences in CT-ECV scores between systole and diastole. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to test the intra-and inter-observer consistency of CT-ECV measurements between two radiologists. P<0.05 was statistically significant. Results:There was good agreement between the two radiologists on subjective scores of CT-ECV image quality between systole and diastole ( Kappa>0.80), and there was no statistical difference in image quality among the basal, mid-cavity, and apical levels of the left ventricle and whole heart between systole and diastole ( P>0.05). The systolic and diastolic CT-ECV for the entire heart obtained through the delay phase were (33.29±3.46)% and (33.50±3.39)%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( t=-0.78, P=0.442). CT-ECV in systole and diastole were (34.15±3.94)% and (35.30±3.99)% for segment 8, (34.03±3.76)% and (35.46±3.74)% for segment 9, and (33.98±3.32)% and (35.05±3.98)% for segment 14, respectively. The mean values of the systolic CT-ECV of segments 8, 9 and 14 were significantly lower than those of diastolic CT-ECV ( t=-2.65, -3.26, -2.42, P=0.012, 0.003, 0.022, respectively). The ICCs for CT-ECV measurements of 16 segments by the two radiologists were greater than 0.90 in both systolic and diastolic, indicating good agreement. Conclusions:There is no significant difference in whole heart CT-ECV values between systolic and diastolic myocardial ECV based on dual-layer spectral CT. However, minor differences (less than 2%) are found between systolic and diastolic myocardial CT-ECV for some segments. Myocardial CT-ECV measurement should be performed on the same segment during the same phase to obtain stable and accurate ECV values.

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