Recent studies have shown that an imbalance in iron metabolism can affect the composition and microstructural changes of bone, disrupting bone homeostasis and leading to osteoporosis(OP). The imbalance in iron metabolism, along with its induced local abnormal microenvironment and cellular iron death, has become a new focal point in OP research, drawing increasing attention from the academic community regarding the regulation of iron metabolism to prevent and manage OP. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), iron metabolism imbalance has potential connections to TCM theories regarding internal organs, as well as treatments aimed at tonifying the kidney, strengthening the spleen, and activating blood circulation. Evidence is continually emerging that TCMs and effective components that tonify the kidney, strengthen the spleen, and activate blood circulation can prevent and manage OP by regulating iron metabolism. This article analyzes the relationship between iron and bone, as well as the effects of TCM formulations on improving iron metabolism and influencing bone metabolism, from the perspectives of iron metabolism mechanisms and TCM interventions, aiming to broaden existing clinical strategies for prevention and treatment and inject new momentum into the field of OP as it moves into a new era.
Osteoporosis/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Iron/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Bone and Bones/drug effects*

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mediating role of sleep duration in the relationship between depression symptoms and myopia among middle school students. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional research conducted using a stratified cluster random sampling method. A total of 1 728 middle school students were selected from two junior high schools and two senior high schools in certain urban areas and farms of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Questionnaire surveys and vision tests were conducted among the students. Spearman analysis was used to analyze the correlation between depression symptoms, sleep duration, and myopia. The Bootstrap method was employed to investigate the mediating effect of sleep duration between depression symptoms and myopia. RESULTS: The prevalence of myopia in the overall population was 74.02% (1 279/1 728), with an average sleep duration of (7.6±1.0) hours. The rate of insufficient sleep was 83.62% (1 445/1 728), and the proportion of students exhibiting depression symptoms was 25.29% (437/1 728). Correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations between visual acuity in both eyes and sleep duration with depressive emotions as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (with correlation coefficients of -0.064, -0.084, and -0.199 respectively; P<0.01), as well as with somatic symptoms and activities (with correlation coefficients of -0.104, -0.124, and -0.233 respectively; P<0.01) and interpersonal relationships (with correlation coefficients of -0.052, -0.059, and -0.071 respectively; P<0.05). The correlation coefficients for left and right eye visual acuity and sleep duration were 0.206 and 0.211 respectively (P<0.001). Sleep duration exhibited a mediating effect between depression symptoms and myopia (indirect effect=0.056, 95%CI: 0.029-0.088), with the mediating effect value for females (indirect effect=0.066, 95%CI: 0.024-0.119) being higher than that for males (indirect effect=0.042, 95%CI: 0.011-0.081). CONCLUSIONS Sleep duration serves as a partial mediator between depression symptoms and myopia in middle school students.
Humans ; Myopia/etiology* ; Male ; Female ; Depression/physiopathology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Sleep ; Adolescent ; Students ; Child ; Time Factors ; Sleep Duration

Ferroptosis has received great attention as an iron-dependent programmed cell death for efficient cancer therapy. However, with the accumulation of iron in tumor cells, the antioxidant system is activated by reducing glutathione (GSH) with glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), which critically limits the ferroptosis therapeutic effect. Herein, an iron and GPX4 silencing siRNA (siGPX4) co-encapsulated ferritin nanocage (HFn@Fe/siGPX4) was developed to enhance ferroptosis by disruption of redox homeostasis and inhibition of antioxidant enzyme synergistically. The siGPX4 were loaded into the nanocages by pre-incubated with iron, which could significantly improve the loading efficiency of the gene drugs when compared with the reported gene drug loading strategy by ferritin nanocages. And more iron was overloaded into the ferritin through the diffusion method. When HFn@Fe/siGPX4 was taken up by human breast cancer cell MCF-7 in a TfR1-mediated pathway, the excess iron ions in the drug delivery system could for one thing induce ferroptosis by the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), for another promote siGPX4 escaping from the lysosome to exert gene silencing effect more effectively. Both the in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that HFn@Fe/siGPX4 could significantly inhibit tumor growth by synergistical ferroptosis. Thus, the developed HFn@Fe/siGPX4 afforded a combined ferroptosis strategy for ferroptosis-based antitumor as well as a novel and efficient gene drug delivery system.

Recent studies have indicated that the expression of ubiquitin-specific protease 51 (USP51), a novel deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) that mediates protein degradation as part of the ubiquitin‒proteasome system (UPS), is associated with tumor progression and therapeutic resistance in multiple malignancies. However, the underlying mechanisms and signaling networks involved in USP51-mediated regulation of malignant phenotypes remain largely unknown. The present study provides evidence of USP51's functions as the prominent DUB in chemoresistant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. At the molecular level, ectopic expression of USP51 stabilized the 78 kDa Glucose-Regulated Protein (GRP78) protein through deubiquitination, thereby increasing its expression and localization on the cell surface. Furthermore, the upregulation of cell surface GRP78 increased the activity of ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1), the main efflux pump of doxorubicin (DOX), ultimately decreasing its accumulation in TNBC cells and promoting the development of drug resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, we found significant correlations among USP51, GRP78, and ABCB1 expression in TNBC patients with chemoresistance. Elevated USP51, GRP78, and ABCB1 levels were also strongly associated with a poor patient prognosis. Importantly, we revealed an alternative intervention for specific pharmacological targeting of USP51 for TNBC cell chemosensitization. In conclusion, these findings collectively indicate that the USP51/GRP78/ABCB1 network is a key contributor to the malignant progression and chemotherapeutic resistance of TNBC cells, underscoring the pivotal role of USP51 as a novel therapeutic target for cancer management.

OBJECTIVE: Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is a risk factor that correlates with poor prognosis across multiple tumor types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to define HCC subtypes based on CRD and explore their individual heterogeneity. METHODS: To quantify CRD, the HCC CRD score (HCCcrds) was developed. Using machine learning algorithms, we identified CRD module genes and defined CRD-related HCC subtypes in The Cancer Genome Atlas liver HCC cohort (n = 369), and the robustness of this method was validated. Furthermore, we used bioinformatics tools to investigate the cellular heterogeneity across these CRD subtypes. RESULTS: We defined three distinct HCC subtypes that exhibit significant heterogeneity in prognosis. The CRD-related subtype with high HCCcrds was significantly correlated with worse prognosis, higher pathological grade, and advanced clinical stages, while the CRD-related subtype with low HCCcrds had better clinical outcomes. We also identified novel biomarkers for each subtype, such as nicotinamide n-methyltransferase and myristoylated alanine-rich protein kinase C substrate-like 1. CONCLUSION We classify the HCC patients into three distinct groups based on circadian rhythm and identify their specific biomarkers. Within these groups greater HCCcrds was associated with worse prognosis. This approach has the potential to improve prediction of an individual's prognosis, guide precision treatments, and assist clinical decision making for HCC patients. Please cite this article as: Li XJ, Chang L, Mi Y, Zhang G, Zhu SS, Zhang YX, et al. Integrated-omics analysis defines subtypes of hepatocellular carcinoma based on circadian rhythm. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 445-456.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Circadian Rhythm/genetics* ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Machine Learning ; Computational Biology

Background: Genetic defects in the human thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor (TSHR) gene can cause congenital hypothyroidism (CH). However, the biological functions and comprehensive genotype–phenotype relationships for most TSHR variants associated with CH remain unexplored. We aimed to identify TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH, analyze the functions of the variants, and explore the relationships between TSHR genotypes and clinical phenotypes. Methods: In total, 367 patients with CH were recruited for TSHR variant screening using whole-exome sequencing. The effects of the variants were evaluated by in-silico programs such as SIFT and polyphen2. Furthermore, these variants were transfected into 293T cells to detect their Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling activity. Results: Among the 367 patients with CH, 17 TSHR variants, including three novel variants, were identified in 45 patients, and 18 patients carried biallelic TSHR variants. In vitro experiments showed that 10 variants were associated with Gs/cyclic AMP and Gq/11 signaling pathway impairment to varying degrees. Patients with TSHR biallelic variants had lower serum TSH levels and higher free triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels at diagnosis than those with DUOX2 biallelic variants. Conclusions We found a high frequency of TSHR variants in Chinese patients with CH (12.3%), and 4.9% of cases were caused by TSHR biallelic variants. Ten variants were identified as loss-of-function variants. The data suggest that the clinical phenotype of CH patients caused by TSHR biallelic variants is relatively mild. Our study expands the TSHR variant spectrum and provides further evidence for the elucidation of the genetic etiology of CH.

In order to investigate the mechanism of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase(HMGCR)on liver bile acid(BAs)and lipid metabolism of dairy cows with fatty liver,A liver lip-id accumulation model was established by isolating primary calf hepatocytes and treating them with high concentration of non-esterified fatty acids(NEFA)in vitro.Then,HMGCR overex-pressed adenovirus(Ad-HMGCR)and overexpressed adenovirus control(Ad-GFP)were added.Hepatocyte triglyceride(TAG)was detected by the kit,lipid droplet changes were detected by lip-id droplet fluorescence,and BAs synthesis,fatty acid synthesis and oxidation factor changes were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.The results showed that TAG content and lip-id droplet fluorescence were significantly reduced in Ad-HMGCR+NEFA group compared with Ad-GFP+NEFA group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR results showed that CYP7A1,CYP8B1,CYP7B1 and CYP27A1 of hepatocyte BAs synthesis factors in Ad-HMGCR+NEFA group,BAs transporters ABCC2 and ABCB11 and fatty acid synthesis factors ACC1,FAS and SREBP1C were significantly lower than those in Ad-GFP+NEFA group.The levels of BAs syn-thesis factor FXR and lipid oxidation factor CPT1A in Ad-HMGCR+NEFA group were higher than those in Ad-GFP+NEFA group.The results showed that overexpression of HMGCR could significantly reduce BAs and lipid accumulation in the liver of dairy cows with fatty liver.

Levodopa is the standard therapy for Parkinson disease(PD),however,with the progression of the disease and long-term treatment,levodopa-induced dyskinesia(LID)can occur,greatly reducing the quality of patients'life.PET brain molecular imaging can detect the uptake and distribution of imaging agents at the molecular level in vivo,thereby reflecting the brain function and metabolism of patients with PD complicated with LID,which is helpful for early clinical diagnosis and treatment.The research progresses of PET molecular imaging for PD complicated with LID were reviewed in this article.

Objective To explore the evidence,urinary biomarkers,and partial mechanisms of hypercoagulability in the pathogenesis of IgA vasculitis(IgAV).Methods Differential expression of proteins in the urine of 10 healthy children and 10 children with IgAV was screened using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry,followed by Reactome pathway analysis.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis was conducted using STRING and Cytoscape software.In the validation cohort,15 healthy children and 25 children with IgAV were included,and the expression levels of differential urinary proteins were verified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results A total of 772 differential proteins were identified between the IgAV group and the control group,with 768 upregulated and 4 downregulated.Reactome pathway enrichment results showed that neutrophil degranulation,platelet activation,and hemostasis pathways were involved in the pathogenesis of IgAV.Among the differential proteins,macrophage migration inhibitory factor(MIF)played a significant role in neutrophil degranulation and hemostasis,while thrombin was a key protein in platelet activation and hemostasis pathways.PPI analysis indicated that thrombin directly interacted with several proteins involved in inflammatory responses,and these interactions involved MIF.Validation results showed that compared to healthy children,children with IgAV had significantly higher urine thrombin/creatinine and urine MIF/creatinine levels(P<0.05).Conclusions Thrombin contributes to the pathogenesis of IgAV through interactions with inflammatory factors.Urinary thrombin and MIF can serve as biomarkers reflecting the hypercoagulable and inflammatory states in children with IgAV.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of 62-slice spiral CT and its post-processing techniques for tibial plateau fracture(TPF)and its influence on treatment regimens selection.Methods A total of 173 TPF patients diagnosed and treated in our hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 were included,and the diagnostic accuracy,classification diagostic accuracy and fracture collapse degree accuracy of X-ray and CT scans were compared,with surgical and pathological diagnosis as the gold standard.Results CT and its post-processing technique can more clearly show the direction of fracture line,the displacement direction of fracture fragments and the collapse degree of articular surface than X-ray.The fracture morphology of 171 patients seen during the operation was consistent with CT and its post-processing images.The diagnostic accuracy of X-ray for TPF was 93.64%,which was lower than that of CT and its post-processing techniques(98.84% ),and the difference was statistically significant(χ2=6.474,P=0.011).The overall accuracy of X-ray in evaluating the degree of fracture collapse was significantly lower than that of CT 3D reconstruction(65.32% vs.90.75%;χ2=32.644,P<0.001).The total accuracy of CT and its post-processing techniques for TPF Schatzker classification(97.69% )was higher than that of X-ray(88.44% ),and the difference was statistically significant(χ2=11.462,P=0.001).Different CT reconstruction models had statistically significant difference on the total accuracy of TPF Schatzker classification diagnosis(χ2=40.647,P<0.001),and the diagnosis accuracy of volume reconstruction was the highest(96.53% ).Conclusion The application of CT and its post-processing techniques can effectively evaluate TPF,articular surface collapse and fracture classification,and provide imaging reference for clinical decision-making.