1.KG-CNNDTI: a knowledge graph-enhanced prediction model for drug-target interactions and application in virtual screening of natural products against Alzheimer's disease.
Chengyuan YUE ; Baiyu CHEN ; Long CHEN ; Le XIONG ; Changda GONG ; Ze WANG ; Guixia LIU ; Weihua LI ; Rui WANG ; Yun TANG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(11):1283-1292
Accurate prediction of drug-target interactions (DTIs) plays a pivotal role in drug discovery, facilitating optimization of lead compounds, drug repurposing and elucidation of drug side effects. However, traditional DTI prediction methods are often limited by incomplete biological data and insufficient representation of protein features. In this study, we proposed KG-CNNDTI, a novel knowledge graph-enhanced framework for DTI prediction, which integrates heterogeneous biological information to improve model generalizability and predictive performance. The proposed model utilized protein embeddings derived from a biomedical knowledge graph via the Node2Vec algorithm, which were further enriched with contextualized sequence representations obtained from ProteinBERT. For compound representation, multiple molecular fingerprint schemes alongside the Uni-Mol pre-trained model were evaluated. The fused representations served as inputs to both classical machine learning models and a convolutional neural network-based predictor. Experimental evaluations across benchmark datasets demonstrated that KG-CNNDTI achieved superior performance compared to state-of-the-art methods, particularly in terms of Precision, Recall, F1-Score and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPR). Ablation analysis highlighted the substantial contribution of knowledge graph-derived features. Moreover, KG-CNNDTI was employed for virtual screening of natural products against Alzheimer's disease, resulting in 40 candidate compounds. 5 were supported by literature evidence, among which 3 were further validated in vitro assays.
Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy*
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Biological Products/therapeutic use*
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Humans
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Neural Networks, Computer
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Machine Learning
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Drug Discovery/methods*
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Algorithms
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Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods*
3.Causes and prevention strategies of postoperative nausea and vomiting after orthognathic surgery.
Kai LUO ; Le LIU ; Le ZHAO ; Yanglu TANG ; En LUO ; Yang JI
West China Journal of Stomatology 2025;43(3):305-313
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common complications that mainly occur within 24 h after orthognathic surgery. The incidence of nausea and vomiting after orthognathic surgery remains high and is a difficult problem for patients and surgeons. These complications not only affect wound healing and increase the risk of postoperative bleeding. Vomit and blood may also cause nausea and vomiting, which results in a vicious cycle. Frequent nausea and vomiting are a painful experience and more serious than postoperative pain. They are one of the main reasons for postoperative infection, delayed discharge, and increased hospitalization costs and affect patient satisfaction. In this review, the author combined literature review and clinical experience and summarized and analyzed the causes of orthognathic nausea and vomiting and prevention and treatment strategies to improving the related clinical process.
Humans
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Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting/etiology*
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Orthognathic Surgical Procedures/adverse effects*
4.Risks, mechanisms, and prevention strategies for cerebrovascular diseases in lunar astronauts under deep.
Lei TANG ; Qiaoling TANG ; Ye LI ; Li WANG ; Feng ZHANG ; Xiangbin ZHANG ; Ran LIU ; Le ZHANG
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2025;50(8):1337-1345
As human deep space exploration enters a practical phase, ensuring astronaut health and safety has become a critical determinant of mission success. The cerebrovascular system, essential for maintaining brain function, is highly sensitive to environmental changes. Cerebrovascular diseases represent one of the characteristic adverse effects of deep space conditions such as microgravity and high-energy radiation, and have emerged as a frontier challenge in space medicine. Based on experiences from manned space missions, major research challenges persist, particularly the lack of experimental data specific to the lunar environment and the unclear threshold for low-dose radiation-induced injury. Elucidating the mechanisms and multifactorial interactions by which deep space environments impact cerebrovascular structure and function, and summarizing the key risk factors, pathological processes, and recent advances in monitoring and early-warning technologies for cerebrovascular diseases in lunar astronauts, and of crucial importance. A comprehensive understanding of the interplay between deep space environmental stressors and cerebrovascular injury, as well as the development of personalized prevention and intervention strategies, will provide both theoretical and practical foundations for safeguarding cerebrovascular health in future Chinese deep space missions, while promoting progress in related biomedical research, technological innovation, and international collaboration.
Humans
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Astronauts
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Cerebrovascular Disorders/etiology*
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Space Flight
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Weightlessness/adverse effects*
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Risk Factors
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Moon
5.ATF3 regulates inflammatory response in atherosclerotic plaques in mice through the NF-κB signaling pathway.
Bing XIA ; Jin PENG ; Jiuyang DING ; Jie WANG ; Guowei TANG ; Guojie LIU ; Yun WANG ; Changwu WAN ; Cuiyun LE
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(6):1131-1142
OBJECTIVES:
To investigate the role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in atherosclerotic plaques for regulating inflammatory responses during atherosclerosis (AS) progression.
METHODS:
Human coronary artery specimens from autopsy cases were examined for ATF3 protein expression and localization using immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mouse models of AS induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 12 weeks were subjected to tail vein injection of adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to knock down ATF3 expression. After an additional 5 weeks of HFD feeding, the mice were euthanized for analyzing structural changes of the aortic plaques, and the expression levels of ATF3, inflammatory factors (CD45, CD68, IL-1β, and TNF-α), and NF-κB pathway proteins (P-IKKα/β and P-NF-κB p65) were detected. In the cell experiment, THP-1-derived foam cells were transfected with an ATF3-overexpressing plasmid or an ATF3-specific siRNA to validate the relationship between ATF3 and NF‑κB signaling.
RESULTS:
In human atherosclerotic plaques, ATF3 expression was significantly elevated and partially co-localized with CD68. ATF3 knockout in ApoE-/- mice significantly increased aortic plaque volume, upregulated the inflammatory factors, enhanced phosphorylation of the NF‑κB pathway proteins, and increased the expressions of VCAM1, MMP9, and MMP2 in the plaques. In THP-1-derived foam cells, ATF3 silencing caused activation of the NF‑κB pathway, while ATF3 overexpression suppressed the activity of the NF-κB pathway.
CONCLUSIONS
AS promotes ATF3 expression, and ATF3 deficiency exacerbates AS progression by enhancing plaque inflammation via activating the NF-κB pathway, suggesting the potential of ATF3 as a therapeutic target for AS.
Animals
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Activating Transcription Factor 3/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction
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NF-kappa B/metabolism*
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Humans
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Mice
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Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism*
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Inflammation/metabolism*
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Apolipoproteins E
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Atherosclerosis/metabolism*
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Diet, High-Fat
6.Morphological characteristics of the corpus callosum in patients with medial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis
Bo TAO ; Zhijun LE ; Fei ZHU ; Yingying TANG ; Ziyang GAO ; Menglian WU ; Dong ZHOU ; Su LYU
Chinese Journal of Radiology 2025;59(2):177-183
Objective:To explore the morphological characteristics of the corpus callosum (CC) in patients with unilateral medial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), and their correlation with hippocampal volume and clinical indicators.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Clinical (age of onset, disease duration, seizure frequency, seizure duration, etc.) and imaging data of 44 patients mTLE with unilateral HS confirmed by postoperative pathology and 42 healthy controls (HCs) recruited at West China Hospital of Sichuan University from June 2017 to May 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Among the 44 patients, 19 had left-sided HS and 25 had right-sided HS. All subjects underwent high-resolution 3D T 1WI. Hippocampal volumes were obtained using FreeSurfer. ART was used to measure the morphological parameters of the CC for each participant, including total CC area, volume, perimeter, length, thickness, circularity, and the area of seven CC subregions defined by Witelson: rostrum, genu, body, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus and splenium. Differences in these metrics between two or three groups were compared using independent samples t-test or one-way ANOVA. Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis was used to observe the correlation between morphological features of the CC and hippocampal volume and other clinical indicators in patients with mTLE with unilateral HS. Results:Compared with HCs, patients with mTLE with unilateral HS had significantly reduced total CC area, CC circularity, as well as the area and thickness of the genu, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus, splenium, and the area of the rostrum ( P<0.05). Significant differences were observed in the total area, circularity, and subregional areas (genu, rostrum, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, splenium), as well as thickness (genu, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, isthmus) of the CC among mTLE with left-sided HS, mTLE with right-sided HS, and HCs ( P<0.05). When compared to HCs, the total area of the CC, circularity and the areas of the genu, rostrum, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, and splenium, and the thicknesses of the genu, anterior midbody, posterior midbody, and isthmus of the CC were significantly reduced in patients with mTLE with right-sided HS ( P<0.05), and the thicknesses of the midbody and isthmus of the CC were significantly reduced in patients with mTLE with left-sided HS compared to HCs ( P<0.05), and the two-by-two comparison of the rest of the indicators did not show statistically significant differences ( P>0.05). Correlation analysis showed that some morphological abnormalities in the CC in mTLE with unilateral HS patients were significantly correlated with age of onset, disease duration, seizure frequency, seizure duration, and hippocampal volume. Conclusions:mTLE with unilateral HS patients can exhibit morphological abnormalities in the CC, particularly in those with right-sided lesions. These abnormalities are significantly associated with seizure-related factors and hippocampal atrophy.
7.Analysis of the subjective and objective effects of family care level and disease acceptance among maintenance hemodialysis patients and their caregivers
Yahui ZHANG ; Li ZHANG ; Yuxin ZHONG ; Kaihui DENG ; Le TANG ; Yidan FENG
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2025;41(14):1056-1063
Objective:The actor-partner interdependence model was used to explore the subject-object effect of family care on disease acceptance in maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and their primary caregivers, and to provide empirical research support for formulating intervention strategies to improve the quality of life of MHD patients and their primary caregivers at the dyadic coping perspective.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. A convenience sampling method was used to select 223 pairs of MHD patients and their primary caregivers who received treatment at three hospitals from December 2023 to May 2024, namely the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Qiandongnan People′s Hospital and Qiandongnan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. The General Information Questionnaire, Family APGAR Index (APGAR) and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) were used to conduct the survey. An actor-partner interdependence model of the impact of family care levels on disease acceptance was constructed.Results:There were 223 patients with MHD, 134 males and 89 females, aged (48.41 ± 14.41) years. Among the 223 primary caregivers of MHD patients, 83 were males and 140 were females, aged (49.44 ± 12.40) years. The scores of APGAR and AIS for MHD patients were (7.92 ± 1.94), (20.45 ± 4.66) points, and (8.16 ± 1.67), (21.86 ± 3.54) points for their primary caregivers. There were statistically significant differences in scores ( t = - 2.28, - 7.69, both P<0.05). The results of correlation analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the degree of family care of MHD patients and the disease acceptance of MHD patients, the family care of primary caregivers, and the disease acceptance of primary caregivers ( r = 0.454, 0.625, 0.515, all P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between the disease acceptance of MHD patients and the family care of their primary caregivers, the disease acceptance of primary caregivers, and the family care of primary caregivers and the disease acceptance of primary caregivers ( r = 0.442, 0.813, 0.495, all P<0.05). In terms of the actor effect, the level of family care positively influenced the disease acceptance for both MHD patients and their primary caregivers ( β = 0.715, 0.603, both P<0.001), the actor effect was significant. In terms of partner effect, there was a positive correlation between the family care levels of MHD patients and their primary caregivers and the disease acceptance of the other party ( β = 0.628, 0.725, both P<0.001), the partner effect was significant. Conclusions:There is an interactive effect between the disease acceptance of maintenance hemodialysis patients and their primary caregivers and their levels of family care.
8.S100A9 as a promising therapeutic target for diabetic foot ulcers.
Renhui WAN ; Shuo FANG ; Xingxing ZHANG ; Weiyi ZHOU ; Xiaoyan BI ; Le YUAN ; Qian LV ; Yan SONG ; Wei TANG ; Yongquan SHI ; Tuo LI
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(8):973-981
BACKGROUND:
Diabetic foot is a complex condition with high incidence, recurrence, mortality, and disability rates. Current treatments for diabetic foot ulcers are often insufficient. This study was conducted to identify potential therapeutic targets for diabetic foot.
METHODS:
Datasets related to diabetic foot and diabetic skin were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using R software. Enrichment analysis was conducted to screen for critical gene functions and pathways. A protein interaction network was constructed to identify node genes corresponding to key proteins. The DEGs and node genes were overlapped to pinpoint target genes. Plasma and chronic ulcer samples from diabetic and non-diabetic individuals were collected. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to verify the S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9), inflammatory cytokine, and related pathway protein levels. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to measure epidermal layer thickness.
RESULTS:
In total, 283 common DEGs and 42 node genes in diabetic foot ulcers were identified. Forty-three genes were differentially expressed in the skin of diabetic and non-diabetic individuals. The overlapping of the most significant DEGs and node genes led to the identification of S100A9 as a target gene. The S100A9 level was significantly higher in diabetic than in non-diabetic plasma (178.40 ± 44.65 ng/mL vs. 40.84 ± 18.86 ng/mL) and in chronic ulcers, and the wound healing time correlated positively with the plasma S100A9 level. The levels of inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL]-1, and IL-6) and related pathway proteins (phospho-extracellular signal regulated kinase [ERK], phospho-p38, phospho-p65, and p-protein kinase B [Akt]) were also elevated. The epidermal layer was notably thinner in chronic diabetic ulcers than in non-diabetic skin (24.17 ± 25.60 μm vs. 412.00 ± 181.60 μm).
CONCLUSIONS
S100A9 was significantly upregulated in diabetic foot and was associated with prolonged wound healing. S100A9 may impair diabetic wound healing by disrupting local inflammatory responses and skin re-epithelialization.
Calgranulin B/therapeutic use*
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Diabetic Foot/metabolism*
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Humans
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Datasets as Topic
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Computational Biology
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Animals
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Mice
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Protein Interaction Maps
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Immunohistochemistry
9.Establishment and validation of a predictive model for increased drainage volume after open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion
Yin HU ; Hai-long YU ; Hong-wen GU ; Kang-en HAN ; Shi-lei TANG ; Yuan-hang ZHAO ; Zhi-hao ZHANG ; Jun-chao LI ; Le XING ; Hong-wei WANG
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2025;34(11):981-986
Objective To analyze the risk factors for increased drainage volume after open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion(TLIF),and to establish a predictive model and then validate it.Methods The clinical data of 680 patients who underwent open TLIF at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from January 2016 to December 2019 were collected and the patients were randomly divided into the training group(n=476)and the validation group(n=204).Taking the predictive factors screened out by LASSO regression analysis as independent variables,a multivariate Logistic regression predictive model was constructed.The model was internally validated through the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test,and calibration curve,and its clinical utility was assessed via decision curve analysis(DCA).Results LASSO regression analysis screened out four predictive variables:age,number of surgical segments,operative duration,and intraoperative blood loss.The multivariate Logistic regression predictive model demonstrated that age≥60 years,number of surgical segments≥4,operative duration≥2 hours,and intraoperative blood loss≥200 mL were independent influencing factors for the increased postoperative drainage volume in patients undergoing TLIF(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis revealed an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.816(95%CI:0.798 to 0.867)in the training group and 0.783(95%CI:0.685 to 0.823)in the validation group,indicating that the predictive model had good discriminatory ability.Additionally,the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and calibration curve indicated that the predictive model had a good degree of fit,and the predicted probability was basically consistent with the actual probability,demonstrating a good calibration.The DCA results confirmed that this predictive model could be applied in clinical practice.Conclusion The risk factors for increased drainage volume after open TLIF include age,number of surgical segments,operative duration,and intraoperative blood loss.The predictive model established based on these factors demonstrates good performance,and it can be applied in clinical guidance for the selection of drainage tube removal time after TLIF.
10.Analysis of influencing factors of blood transfusion in children with traumatic brain injury and construc-tion of prediction model:A multi-center retrospective study
Wei LIU ; Jun HOU ; Longquan TANG ; Peng ZHOU ; Yan ZHONG ; Qinyan LUO ; Xiaoyu KUANG ; Hua LIU ; Ziqing XIONG ; Wei XIONG ; Chenggao WU ; Aiping LE
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2025;41(4):553-560
Objective To develop a predictive model for guiding blood transfusion decisions in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury(TBI)by identifying and analyzing key factors that influence blood transfusion requirements.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 1,535 pediatric patients with TBI admitted to four medical institutions from January 1,2015,to December 31,2022.Patients were divided into two groups:those who received red blood cell transfusions during hospitalization and those who did not.Comparative analyses were performed on demographic,clinical,and laboratory data between these two groups.Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors associated with in-hospital blood transfusion,and a predictive model was developed using a nomogram.The performance of this model was evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results Significant differences were observed between the blood transfusion and non-blood transfusion groups in terms of baseline demographics,clinical indicators,and laboratory test results(all P<0.05).Patients in the blood transfusion group exhibited significantly higher in-hospital mortality,compli-cation rates,use of mechanical ventilation,ICU admission rates,and length of stay compared to those in the non-blood transfusion group(all P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified heart rate,presence of other fractures,treatment methods,hemoglobin(Hb),platelet count(Plt),activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT),and D-dimer levels as independent risk factors for blood transfusion in TBI patients.The area under the ROC curve for the blood transfusion prediction model,based on these independent risk factors,was 0.95(95%CI:0.94~0.97),indicating excellent predictive accuracy.Calibration and decision curves further validated the robust-ness and reliability of the model's predictive capacity.Conclusions Heart rate,presence of other fractures,treatment methods,Hb,Plt count,APTT,and D-dimer levels serve as independent risk factors for blood transfusion in TBI patients.The prediction model developed based on these factors demonstrates excellent predictive performance,thereby guiding clinicians in making informed blood transfusion decisions and enhancing the success rate of patient outcomes.

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