1.Network Pharmacology and Experimental Verification Unraveled The Mechanism of Pachymic Acid in The Treatment of Neuroblastoma
Hang LIU ; Yu-Xin ZHU ; Si-Lin GUO ; Xin-Yun PAN ; Yuan-Jie XIE ; Si-Cong LIAO ; Xin-Wen DAI ; Ping SHEN ; Yu-Bo XIAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2376-2392
ObjectiveTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutes a valuable cultural heritage and an important source of antitumor compounds. Poria (Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf), the dried sclerotium of a polyporaceae fungus, was first documented in Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica and has been used therapeutically and dietarily in China for millennia. Traditionally recognized for its diuretic, spleen-tonifying, and sedative properties, modern pharmacological studies confirm that Poria exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antitumor activities. Pachymic acid (PA; a triterpenoid with the chemical structure 3β-acetyloxy-16α-hydroxy-lanosta-8,24(31)-dien-21-oic acid), isolated from Poria, is a principal bioactive constituent. Emerging evidence indicates PA exerts antitumor effects through multiple mechanisms, though these remain incompletely characterized. Neuroblastoma (NB), a highly malignant pediatric extracranial solid tumor accounting for 15% of childhood cancer deaths, urgently requires safer therapeutics due to the limitations of current treatments. Although PA shows multi-mechanistic antitumor potential, its efficacy against NB remains uncharacterized. This study systematically investigated the potential molecular targets and mechanisms underlying the anti-NB effects of PA by integrating network pharmacology-based target prediction with experimental validation of multi-target interactions through molecular docking, dynamic simulations, and in vitro assays, aimed to establish a novel perspective on PA’s antitumor activity and explore its potential clinical implications for NB treatment by integrating computational predictions with biological assays. MethodsThis study employed network pharmacology to identify potential targets of PA in NB, followed by validation using molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, MM/PBSA free energy analysis, RT-qPCR and Western blot experiments. Network pharmacology analysis included target screening via TCMSP, GeneCards, DisGeNET, SwissTargetPrediction, SuperPred, and PharmMapper. Subsequently, potential targets were predicted by intersecting the results from these databases via Venn analysis. Following target prediction, topological analysis was performed to identify key targets using Cytoscape software. Molecular docking was conducted using AutoDock Vina, with the binding pocket defined based on crystal structures. MD simulations were performed for 100 ns using GROMACS, and RMSD, RMSF, SASA, and hydrogen bonding dynamics were analyzed. MM/PBSA calculations were carried out to estimate the binding free energy of each protein-ligand complex. In vitro validation included RT-qPCR and Western blot, with GAPDH used as an internal control. ResultsThe CCK-8 assay demonstrated a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect of PA on NB cell viability. GO analysis suggested that the anti-NB activity of PA might involve cellular response to chemical stress, vesicle lumen, and protein tyrosine kinase activity. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the anti-NB activity of PA might involve the PI3K/AKT, MAPK, and Ras signaling pathways. Molecular docking and MD simulations revealed stable binding interactions between PA and the core target proteins AKT1, EGFR, SRC, and HSP90AA1. RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses further confirmed that PA treatment significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expression of AKT1, EGFR, and SRC while increasing the HSP90AA1 mRNA and protein levels. ConclusionIt was suggested that PA may exert its anti-NB effects by inhibiting AKT1, EGFR, and SRC expression, potentially modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings provide crucial evidence supporting PA’s development as a therapeutic candidate for NB.
2.Total body water percentage and 3rd space water are novel risk factors for training-related lower extremity muscle injuries in young males
Liang CHEN ; Ke-Xing JIN ; Jing YANG ; Jun-Jie OUYANG ; Han-Gang CHEN ; Si-Ru ZHOU ; Xiao-Qing LUO ; Mi LIU ; Liang KUANG ; Yang-Li XIE ; Yan HU ; Lin CHEN ; Zhen-Hong NI ; Xiao-Lan DU
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2024;27(3):168-172
Purpose::To identify the risk factors for training-related lower extremity muscle injuries in young males by a non-invasive method of body composition analysis.Methods::A total of 282 healthy young male volunteers aged 18 -20 years participated in this cohort study. Injury location, degree, and injury rate were adjusted by a questionnaire based on the overuse injury assessment methods used in epidemiological studies of sports injuries. The occurrence of training injuries is monitored and diagnosed by physicians and treated accordingly. The body composition was measured using the BodyStat QuadScan 4000 multifrequency Bio-impedance system at 5, 50, 100 and 200 kHz to obtain 4 impedance values. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check whether the data conformed to a normal distribution. Data of normal distribution were shown as mean ± SD and analyzed by t-test, while those of non-normal distribution were shown as median (Q 1, Q 3) and analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum test. The receiver operator characteristic curve and logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate risk factors for developing training-related lower extremity injuries and accuracy. Results::Among the 282 subjects, 78 (27.7%) developed training injuries. Lower extremity training injuries revealed the highest incidence, accounting for 23.4% (66 cases). These patients showed higher percentages of lean body mass ( p = 0.001), total body water (TBW, p=0.006), extracellular water ( p=0.020) and intracellular water ( p=0.010) as well as a larger ratio of basal metabolic rate/total weight ( p=0.006), compared with those without lower extremity muscle injuries. On the contrary, the percentage of body fat ( p=0.001) and body fat mass index ( p=0.002) were lower. Logistic regression analysis showed that TBW percentage > 65.35% ( p=0.050, odds ratio =3.114) and 3rd space water > 0.95% ( p=0.045, odds ratio =2.342) were independent risk factors for lower extremity muscle injuries. Conclusion::TBW percentage and 3rd space water measured with bio-impedance method are potential risk factors for predicting the incidence of lower extremity muscle injuries in young males following training.
3.Development of biological safety protection third-level laboratory based on folding-modular shelters
Si-Qing ZHAO ; Jian-Qiao XIA ; Zhong-Jie SUN ; Kang OUYANG ; Xiao-Jun JIN ; Kang-Li ZHOU ; Wei XIE ; Hai-Yang LI ; Da-Peng JIANG ; Yan-Yan GAO ; Bei SUN
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2024;45(3):41-46
Objective To develop a biological safety protection third-level(BSL-3)laboratory based on folding-modular shelters to solve the problems of the existing laboratories in space and function expansion,large-scale deployment and low-cost transportation.Methods The BSL-3 laboratory was composed of a folding combined shelter module,a ventilation and purification module,a power supply and distribution module,a monitoring and communication module,a control system module and an equipment module.The folding combined shelter module used a leveling base frame as the foundation and a lightweight panel as the enclosure mechanism,and was divided into an auxiliary area and a protection protected area;the ventilation and purification module was made up of an air supply unit and an air exhaust unit,the air supply unit was integrated with a fresh-air air conditioner and the exhaust unit was equipped with a main fan,a standby fan and a bag in/bag out filter;the control system module adopted a supervision mode of decentralized control and centralized management,which executed communication with the data server as the center and Profinet protocol and MODBUS-TCP.Results The BSL-3 laboratory proved to meet the requirements of relevant standards in internal microenvironment,airflow direction,airtightness,working condition and disinfection effect.Conclusion The BSL-3 laboratory is compatible with large-scale transport and deployment and facilitates reliable and safe experiments for epidemic prevention and control and cross-regional support.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(3):41-46]
4.Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Relevance of Co-Mutated Genes in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with FLT3 Mutations
Yang CHEN ; Yan-Yan XIE ; Yu FANG ; Ming HONG ; Wen-Jie LIU ; Xuan ZHOU ; Wei ZHANG ; Jin-Ning SHI ; Si-Xuan QIAN
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2024;32(4):1032-1038
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and influence of co-mutated gene on acute myeloid leukemia patients(AML)with FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3(FLT3)mutations.Methods:A total of 273 FLT3+AML patients were enrolled,and the co-mutation gene data of the patients were collected to further analyze the prognosis of the patients.FLT3 and other common mutations were quantified by PCR amplification products direct sequencing and second-generation sequencing(NGS).Results:When patients were divided into FLT3 ITD+,FLT3 TKD+,FLT3 ITD++TKD+and FLT3 ITD-+TKD-group according to the type of FLT3 mutations,it was found that the frequencies of TET2,GATA2,NRAS and ASXL1 mutation were significantly different among the 4 groups(all P<0.05).When patients were divided into allelic ratio(AR)≥0.5 and<0.5 group,it was found that the frequencies of FLT3 ITD+,FLT3 ITD-+TKD-,NPM1,NRAS and C-kit were significantly different between the two groups(all P<0.05).When patients were divided into normal and abnormal karyotype group,it was found that the frequencies of FLT3 ITD+,FLT3 TKD+,NPM1,GATA2 and C-kit were significantly different between the two groups(all P<0.05).The median overall survival(OS)of AML patients with FLT3 TKD+(including FLT3 ITD++TKD+)was longer than that of patients with FLT3 ITD+alone(P<0.05).The OS and relapse-free survival(RFS)of AML patients with FLT3++TET2+were both shorter than those of patients with FLT3++TET2-(both P<0.05).Conclusion:The mutation frequencies of co-mutated genes are correlated with subtypes of FLT3,karyotype and AR.AML patients with FLT3 TKD+have longer OS than patients with FLT3 ITD+alone,and patients with co-mutation of TET2 have shorter median OS and RFS.
5.Chinese expert consensus on the technical standard of direct anterior hip arthroplasty for elderly femoral neck fracture (version 2023)
Zhonghua XU ; Lun TAO ; Zaiyang LIU ; Yang LI ; Jie LI ; Jun ZHANG ; Xia ZHANG ; Min WANG ; Changqing LI ; Guangxing CHEN ; Liu YANG ; Dawei ZHANG ; Xiaorui CAO ; Guoqiang ZHANG ; Pingyue LI ; Nirong BAO ; Chuan LI ; Shenghu ZHOU ; Zhengqi CHANG ; Bo WU ; Wenwei QIAN ; Weiguo WANG ; Ming LYU ; Hao TANG ; Hu LI ; Chuan HE ; Yunsu CHEN ; Huiwu LI ; Ning HU ; Mao NIE ; Feng XIE ; Zhidong CAO ; Pengde KANG ; Yan SI ; Chen ZHU ; Weihua XU ; Xianzhe LIU ; Xinzhan MAO ; Jie XIE ; Xiaogang ZHANG ; Boyong XU ; Pei YANG ; Wei WANG ; Xiaofeng LI ; Eryou FENG ; Zhen ZHANG ; Baoyi LIU ; Jianbing MA ; Hui LI ; Yuanchen MA ; Li SUN ; Zhifeng ZHANG ; Shuo GENG ; Guanbao LI ; Yuji WANG ; Erhu LI ; Zongke ZHOU ; Wei HUANG ; Yixin ZHOU ; Li CAO ; Wei CHAI ; Yan XIONG ; Yuan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Trauma 2023;39(11):961-973
Femoral neck fracture (FNF) in the elderly patients is currently a major health challenge worldwide, with excessive consumption of medical resources, high incidence of complications as well as suboptimal outcome and prognosis. Hip joint arthroplasty (HJA) has been the mainstream treatment for FNF in the elderly, but the conventional surgical approaches and techniques are still confronted with a series of bottlenecks such as dislocation, limp and limb length discrepancy. In recent years, direct anterior approach (DAA) for HJA (DAA-HJA) has been a major new choice in the field of joint replacement, which achieves improved clinical effectiveness of HJA in the treatment of elderly FNF, due to the fact that DAA approach involves the neuromuscular interface and accords with the idea of soft tissue retention and enhanced recovery after surgery. However, there is still a lack of unified understanding of standard technique and procedure of DAA-HJA in the treatment of elderly FNF. Therefore, relevant experts from the Hip Joint Group of Chinese Orthopedics Association of Chinese Medical Association, Youth Arthrology Group of Orthopedic Committee of PLA, Orthopedic Committee of Chongqing Medical Association, Branch of Orthopedic Surgeons of Chongqing Medical Doctor Association and Sport Medicine Committee of Chongqing Medical Association were organized to formulate the " Chinese expert consensus on the technical standard of direct anterior hip arthroplasty for elderly femoral neck fracture ( version 2023)" based on evidence-based medicine. This consensus mainly proposed 13 recommendations covering indications, surgical plans, prosthesis selections, surgical techniques and processes, and postoperative management of DAA-HJA in elderly patients with FNF, aiming to promote standardized, systematic and patient-specific diagnosis and treatment to improve the functional prognosis of the patients.
6.Development and validation of prognostic nomogram for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Xiao Jie XIE ; Jian You CHEN ; Jie JIANG ; Hui DUAN ; Yi WU ; Xing Wen ZHANG ; Shen Jie YANG ; Wen ZHAO ; Sha Sha SHEN ; Li WU ; Bo HE ; Ying Ying DING ; Heng LUO ; Si Yun LIU ; Dan HAN
Chinese Journal of Oncology 2023;45(5):415-423
Objective: To development the prognostic nomogram for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Two hundred and ten patients pathologically confirmed as MPM were enrolled in this retrospective study from 2007 to 2020 in the People's Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the First and Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, and divided into training (n=112) and test (n=98) sets according to the admission time. The observation factors included demography, symptoms, history, clinical score and stage, blood cell and biochemistry, tumor markers, pathology and treatment. The Cox proportional risk model was used to analyze the prognostic factors of 112 patients in the training set. According to the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognostic prediction nomogram was established. C-Index and calibration curve were used to evaluate the model's discrimination and consistency in raining and test sets, respectively. Patients were stratified according to the median risk score of nomogram in the training set. Log rank test was performed to compare the survival differences between the high and low risk groups in the two sets. Results: The median overall survival (OS) of 210 MPM patients was 384 days (IQR=472 days), and the 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates were 75.7%, 52.6%, 19.7%, and 13.0%, respectively. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that residence (HR=2.127, 95% CI: 1.154-3.920), serum albumin (HR=1.583, 95% CI: 1.017-2.464), clinical stage (stage Ⅳ: HR=3.073, 95% CI: 1.366-6.910) and the chemotherapy (HR=0.476, 95% CI: 0.292-0.777) were independent prognostic factors for MPM patients. The C-index of the nomogram established based on the results of Cox multivariate regression analysis in the training and test sets were 0.662 and 0.613, respectively. Calibration curves for both the training and test sets showed moderate consistency between the predicted and actual survival probabilities of MPM patients at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. The low-risk group had better outcomes than the high-risk group in both training (P=0.001) and test (P=0.003) sets. Conclusion: The survival prediction nomogram established based on routine clinical indicators of MPM patients provides a reliable tool for prognostic prediction and risk stratification.
Humans
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Mesothelioma, Malignant
;
Prognosis
;
Nomograms
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Proportional Hazards Models
7.The status and influencing factors of presenteeism among clinical nurses: a systematic review.
Wan Ying NI ; Jia Lin WANG ; Jie YUN ; Wan Qing XIE ; Chun MA ; Si Hui SU
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2023;41(4):286-293
Objective: To systematically review the status and factors influencing presenteeism among clinical nurses. Methods: In December 2021, CNKI, CBM, Wanfang, VIP, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsyclNFO and other databases were electronically searched to cross sectional studies on the current situation and factors influencing the occurrence of presenteeism among clinical nurses. The search terms mainly included presenteeism, sick at work, Stanford Presenteeism Scale, nurse, level, risk factor, influence, et al. And the search time was from the establishment of the database to November 30, 2021. Literature screening, data extraction and evaluation of the risk of bias in the included literature were done independently by two researchers, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata 15.1 software. Results: A total of 29 studies involving 13 535 clinical nurses were included.The results of the meta-analysis showed that the score of presenteeism was 17.99 [95% CI (17.02-18.95), P =0.000]. Subgroup analysis showed that presenteeism scores were higher in articles published before 2020 (ES=19.28, 95%CI: 18.41-20.15, P=0.000) and in the group of nurses aged 36 to 40 years (ES=19.27, 95%CI: 17.35~21.19, P=0.000), female (ES= 17.04, 95%CI: 14.70-19.39, P=0.000), secondary school education (ES=21.01, 95%CI: 17.76-24.26, P= 0.007), married (ES=17.49, 95%CI: 15.13-19.85, P=0.000), working for 5 to 10 years (ES=17.78, 95%CI: 16.54-19.02, P=0.000), contract (ES=17.05, 95%CI: 15.23-18.87, P=0.000), working in pediatrics (ES= 16.65, 95% CI: 15.31-17.99, P=0.000) and European region (ES =21.21, 95% CI: 20.50-21.93, P=0.000) . Conclusion: Current evidence suggests that clinical nurses are at high risk of presenteeism, which is affected by variety of factors. The managers should pay attention to the physical and mental health of nurses, identify high-risk factors as early as possible and take measures to reduce the occurrence of presenteeism and improve the quality of nursing.
Humans
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Female
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Child
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Presenteeism
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Cross-Sectional Studies
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Mental Health
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PubMed
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Nurses
8.Transient elastography technology role assessment during the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.
Wen Ping ZHAO ; Li Min WANG ; Jing Yue WANG ; Si XIE ; Jie Hua JIN ; Yuan HUANG
Chinese Journal of Hepatology 2023;31(5):489-494
Objective: To explore the role of transient elastography technology in the assessment of disease staging and treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: Patients who were clinically diagnosed with chronic HBV infection at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021 was collected. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) examination was performed more than once by transient elastography. The count data were expressed as cases (%) and the χ (2) test was made. Fisher's exact test was used with theoretical frequency less than 5. The measurement data between two groups was compared by t-test. Multiple groups were compared with an analysis of variance. Results: 1 055 patients were included in this study, including 669 (63.4%) males and 386 (36.6%) females. 757 (71.8%) patients were untreated. Among the untreated patients, the LSM value in the immune clearance (10.2 ± 3.8) kPa (187 cases, 40.4%), and the reactivation stages (9.1 ± 3.4) kPa (114 cases, 24.6%) was significantly higher than that in the immune tolerance (8.7 ± 3.6) kPa (78 cases, 16.8%) and immune control stages (8.4 ± 3.5) KPa (84 cases, 18.1%), and the difference between the four groups was statistically significant (F = 5.31 and P = 0.03). With ALT (male: 30 U/L, female: 19 U/L) as defined the normal value, the LSM value in the immune tolerance and the immune control stages were (5.8 ± 0.9) kPa and (7.1 ± 2.5) kPa, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of patients in the immune tolerance and immune control stages, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01). There were 294 (38.8%) patients with uncertain period, excluding patients with fatty liver. Patients with uncertain periods were divided into four gray zone (GZ) groups: immune tolerance stage: LSM (5.1 ± 1.3) kPa was significantly lower than GZ-A (6.5 ± 2.4) kPa, t = 2.06, P = 0.03, and the difference was statistically significant; immune control stage: LSM was (5.6 ± 1.5) kPa, which was also lower than GZ-C (6.8 ± 1.3) kPa, t = 3.08, P = 0.02, and the difference was statistically significant; immune clearance stage: LSM > 8.0 kPa. LSM values showed a year-by-year reduction in patients with expanded indications who started antiviral treatment and were followed up for three years. Conclusion: The LSM value is significantly lower after the decrease of the defined high-normal ALT value in patients with the immune tolerance and immune control stages of chronic HBV infection. The LSM values of GZ-A and GZ-C in the uncertain periods of chronic HBV infection are higher than those of patients in the immune tolerance and immune control stages.
Humans
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Male
;
Female
;
Hepatitis B, Chronic/drug therapy*
;
Liver Cirrhosis/pathology*
;
Elasticity Imaging Techniques
;
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use*
;
Liver/pathology*
10.Evaluation of CRISPR-Based Assays for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Pei-Ying HUANG ; Xin YIN ; Yue-Ting HUANG ; Qi-Qing YE ; Si-Qing CHEN ; Xun-Jie CAO ; Tian-Ao XIE ; Xu-Guang GUO
Yonsei Medical Journal 2022;63(5):480-489
Purpose:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019. Diagnostic methods based on the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) have been developed to detect SARSCoV-2 rapidly. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of CRISPR for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Materials and Methods:
Studies published before August 2021 were retrieved from four databases, using the keywords “SARS-CoV-2” and “CRISPR.” Data were collected from these publications, and the sensitivity, specificity, negative likelihood ratio (NLR), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated. The summary receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted for analysis with MetaDiSc 1.4. The Stata 15.0 software was used to draw Deeks’ funnel plots to evaluate publication bias.
Results:
We performed a pooled analysis of 38 independent studies shown in 30 publications. The reference standard was reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The results indicated that the sensitivity of CRISPR-based methods for diagnosis was 0.94 (95% CI 0.93–0.95), the specificity was 0.98 (95% CI 0.97–0.99), the PLR was 34.03 (95% CI 20.81–55.66), the NLR was 0.08 (95% CI 0.06– 0.10), and the DOR was 575.74 (95% CI 382.36–866.95). The area under the curve was 0.9894.
Conclusion
Studies indicate that a diagnostic method based on CRISPR has high sensitivity and specificity. Therefore, this would be a potential diagnostic tool to improve the accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 detection.

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