ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effects and underlying mechanisms of Liuhuang Zhike prescription （LHZK） on blood glucose in type 2 diabetic db/db mice based on the AMP-activated protein kinase/protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase-3β （AMPK/Akt/GSK-3β） signaling pathway. MethodsDb/db mice were used as the model animals， and db/m mice served as the blank control. Forty db/db mice were randomly divided into the model group， metformin group （0.14 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （4.11， 8.21， 16.43 g·kg^-1） LHZK groups， with 8 mice in each group. The db/db mice in the metformin and LHZK groups were administered the corresponding drugs by gavage， while the blank control and model groups were given distilled water by gavage once daily for 8 consecutive weeks. Food intake， water consumption， body weight， and fasting blood glucose （FBG） were measured weekly. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to determine glycated serum protein （GSP）， serum triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe pathological morphological changes in the liver and pancreatic tissues. Oil red O staining was used to assess lipid accumulation in liver tissue. The anthrone colorimetric method was used to determine hepatic glycogen content. Real-time quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of insulin receptor substrate-1 （IRS-1）， Akt2， phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase （PEPCK）， and glucose-6-phosphatase （G6Pase） in liver tissue. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of AMPKα， phosphorylated AMPKα （p-AMPKα）， GSK-3β， p-GSK-3β， glycogen synthase （GS）， and phosphorylated GS （p-GS） in liver tissue. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the model group showed significantly increased food intake， water consumption， body weight， FBG， and GSP levels （P<0.01）. Pancreatic islets exhibited marked parenchymal cell hyperplasia and interstitial inflammatory cell infiltration. Liver tissue showed obvious steatosis， accompanied by a compensatory increase in hepatic glycogen content （P<0.01）. Hepatic G6Pase mRNA expression was increased， while IRS-1 and Akt2 mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The p-AMPKα/AMPKα protein expression ratio showed a decreasing trend， whereas the p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β and p-GS/GS protein expression ratios were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， food intake and water consumption showed decreasing trends in all treatment groups. Food intake was significantly reduced in the low- and high-dose LHZK groups and in the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and water consumption was significantly reduced in the low-dose LHZK group and in the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. No statistically significant differences in body weight were observed among the LHZK groups， whereas body weight in the metformin group was significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. FBG showed a decreasing trend in all treatment groups， with significant decreases in the low-dose LHZK group and the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. GSP levels were significantly reduced in the low-dose LHZK group and in the metformin group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Hepatic steatosis and pancreatic pathological injury were alleviated to varying degrees in all treatment groups. Hepatic glycogen content further increased in all treatment groups， with significant increases in the medium- and high-dose LHZK groups （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR results showed that all treatment groups downregulated the mRNA expression of G6Pase and PEPCK in the liver tissues of db/db mice， with significant downregulation of PEPCK mRNA in the low-dose LHZK and metformin groups （P<0.01）. Meanwhile， all treatment groups upregulated IRS-1 and Akt2 mRNA expression， with the most pronounced upregulation observed in the medium-dose LHZK group （P<0.01）. The p-AMPKα/AMPKα protein expression ratio was significantly increased in the low- and medium-dose LHZK groups （P<0.01）. The p-GSK-3β/GSK-3β protein expression ratio was significantly increased in all treatment groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）， whereas the p-GS/GS protein expression ratio was significantly decreased in all treatment groups （P<0.01）. ConclusionLHZK effectively reduces FBG and GSP levels in type 2 diabetic mice and improves hepatic steatosis and pancreatic islet pathological injury. Its hypoglycemic mechanism may be associated with regulation of the AMPK/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway and promotion of hepatic glycogen synthesis.

Lung transplantation is currently the only effective treatment for end-stage lung disease. However, the field of lung transplantation still faces numerous challenges, including donor shortage, primary graft dysfunction, rejection, infection and others. In 2025, scholars worldwide have made remarkable progress in clinical research on lung transplantation. This article systematically reviews the cutting-edge developments in clinical research on lung transplantation in 2025, focusing on the application of novel evaluation tools in donor lung screening, optimization of lung perfusion techniques, exploration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, as well as mechanistic research and intervention strategies for primary graft dysfunction, acute kidney injury and chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Meanwhile, hot topics such as the management of special populations, prevention and control of postoperative infections, and improvement of quality of life are summarized. This review aims to conclude the important annual research findings and provide references for the clinical practice and research development of lung transplantation in China.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanisms of Tongmai Yangxin pills （TMYX） and Tongxinluo capsules （TXL） in treating no-reflow （NR） after myocardial ischemia and reperfusion following the concept of treating the same disease with different methods， based on integrative pharmacology and experimental validation. MethodsEighty 8-week-old SPF-grade SD rats were randomly assigned into four groups （n=20）： sham operation， NR， TMYX （4 g·kg^-1）， and TXL （2 mg·kg^-1）. A rat model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion no-reflow was established by in-situ ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Gastric gavage was first performed 4 h after the operation， and samples were collected on day 7. Thioflavin S staining was used to observe the NR area in rat myocardium. Echocardiography was performed to examine the cardiac function. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was conducted to observe the pathological changes of the myocardial tissue. An automatic biochemical analyzer was adopted to measure myocardial enzyme activity. Then， integrated pharmacology was applied for Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） enrichment analysis. Finally， Western blot was employed to quantify the protein levels of key targets in the myocardial tissue， including soluble guanylyl cyclase （sGC）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP）/dependent protein kinase （PKG）， phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt）， and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）. ResultsCompared with the sham operation group， the NR group showed increased NR area of myocardium， decreased left ventricular ejection fraction （EF）， left ventricular fractional shortening （FS）， left ventricular outflow tract peak velocity （LVOT Peak）， and left ventricular stroke volume （LVSV） （P<0.01）， fractured and disordered myocardial fibers as well as inflammatory cell infiltration in the myocardial tissue， enhanced activities of creatine kinase （CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， and lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） in the myocardial tissue （P<0.01）， and downregulated protein levels of sGC， PKG， phosphorylated （p）-PI3K （Tyr458）， and p-Akt （Tyr315） in the myocardial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The expression level of HIF-1α protein showed a downward trend. Compared with the NR group， the TMYX group and TXL group exhibited a decreasing trend in myocardial NR area， EF， FS， and LVOT Peak significantly increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， LVSV showed an upward trend， ameliorated myocardial pathological morphology and inflammatory infiltration， reductions in CK， CK-MB， and LDH activities （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and upregulated protein levels of sGC， PKG， p-PI3K （Tyr458） in myocardial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）， the protein expressions of p-Akt （Tyr315） and HIF-1α showed an upward trend. A comparison of the therapeutic effects between the two compound prescriptions showed that TMYX tended to exert a better effect in restoring cardiac function and protecting cardiac structure in NR rats， whereas TXL was more effective in reducing myocardial NR area and lowering myocardial enzyme activities in NR rats. Integrative pharmacology analysis combined with experimental verification demonstrated that both TMYX and TXL could alleviate NR through the following mechanisms： activating the cyclic cGMP/PKG signaling pathway to regulate vascular tone， activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to dilate blood vessels， and activating the HIF-1 signaling pathway to inhibit oxidative stress. However， TMYX had an advantage in activating the cGMP/PKG pathway， while TXL was superior in activating the PI3K/Akt pathway. The two compound prescriptions exerted comparable effects on the HIF-1 signaling pathway， which might serve as their common therapeutic pathway. ConclusionBoth TMYX and TXL could alleviate NR damage. TMYX exerts its protective effect against NR mainly by activating the cGMP/PKG signaling pathway， while TXL exerts its effect mainly through the PI3K/Akt pathway. The HIF-1α signaling pathway may be a common pathway for the two compound prescriptions to exert their protective effects against NR. This study reveals the similarities and differences between TMYX and TXL in the treatment effect and mechanism for NR， providing an experimental basis and a theoretical basis for better clinical application of the two compound prescriptions.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between insulin resistance （IR） and cardiovascular metabolic indicators， including blood pressure， blood lipids， and serum uric acid， in a middle-aged population. MethodsBased on the baseline survey of the Hong Sifang cohort of China National Salt Industry Group， a total of 575 participants were included. According to the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance， the participants were divided into an IR group （n=116） and a non-IR group （n=459）. Differences between the two groups were compared using the t-test and chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between IR and abnormalities in metabolic indicators. ResultsA total of 575 participants were included， including 390 men and 185 women， with a mean age of （48.58 ± 5.14） years and a mean body mass index （BMI） of （24.16 ± 2.97） kg/m². Blood pressure， serum uric acid， and blood lipid levels were significantly higher in the IR group than in the non-IR group （P<0.001）. After adjusting for potential confounders including age， sex， and BMI， IR was independently associated with hypertension， dyslipidemia， and hyperuricemia， with odds ratios （OR） and 95% confidence intervals （CI） of 2.57 （1.61-4.09）， 3.81 （2.36-6.17）， and 2.68 （1.53-4.71）， respectively （all P<0.001）. ConclusionInsulin resistance is significantly associated with multiple cardiovascular metabolic risk factors in the middle-aged population. Monitoring IR may contribute to the early prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which Luoshi Neiyi prescription treats endometriosis （EMs） through regulating ferroptosis， and to screen key metabolites and analyze their association with ferroptosis. MethodsClinical samples of normal endometrium from patients without EMs and eutopic and ectopic endometrium from EMs patients （10 cases each） were collected and divided into control group， eutopic group， and EMs group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe ectopic lesions of EMs. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to determine the levels of malondialdehyde （MDA）， ferrous ion （Fe²⁺）， GPX4 and glutathione （GSH） in endometrial tissues， as well as serum levels of Fe²⁺， GPX4 and GSH. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of SLC7A11， GPX4， transferrin receptor （TFR） and ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）. In the in vitro experiment， primary stromal cells were isolated from ectopic lesions of EMs patients. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） was used to determine the optimal concentration of drug-containing serum for intervention. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） was measured， and Real-time PCR was applied to detect ferroptosis-related indicators. In the animal experiments， an EM rat model was established， and the rats were randomly assigned to the sham operation group， EMs group， low-dose Luoshi Neiyi Formula group （7.87 g·kg^-1）， high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription group （15.74 g·kg^-1）， and danazol group （42 mg·kg^-1）. Untargeted metabolomics detection and pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on serum samples from patients and rats. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between differential metabolites and ferroptosis indicators. The correlations between differential metabolites in patient endometrium and serum and key ferroptosis indicators （GPX4， Fe²⁺， MDA， GSH） as well as ferroptosis-related mRNAs （GPX4， SLC7A11， FTH1） were analyzed， and correlation heatmaps were generated accordingly. ResultsCompared with normal eutopic endometrium， ectopic lesions in EMs patients showed glandular disorganization and stromal fibrosis. In ectopic endometrium， the contents of MDA， ROS， and Fe²⁺ decreased， while GPX4 level increased， and the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In serum， the levels of GPX4 and Fe²⁺ were elevated， whereas the GSH level declined， suggesting abnormalities in ferroptosis-related pathways in ectopic lesions （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After intervention with Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum， the intracellular ROS level in ectopic endometrial stromal cells was elevated， the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was downregulated， and TFR mRNA expression was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Metabolomics analysis revealed 1104 and 198 differential metabolites in EMs patients and EMs rats， respectively， compared with their corresponding control groups， and both low-dose and high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription were found to regulate this metabolic disturbance， with the core regulatory pathways mainly involving arginine and proline metabolism. Correlation analysis showed that the glycerophospholipids including PI（16∶0/17∶0） and PI［18∶2（9Z，12Z）］ were negatively correlated with GPX4 and positively correlated with MDA， while 17α-hydroxyprogesterone was positively correlated with GPX4， SLC7A11， and FTH1 q<0.05）. ConclusionLuoshi Neiyi prescription may systematically ameliorate disease-associated metabolic dysregulation via modulation of the serum arginine and proline metabolism pathway， and may regulate ferroptosis in ectopic lesions through a mechanism potentially linked to the serum glycerophospholipid and steroid metabolism pathways. Collectively， these findings provide experimental evidence for the clinical application of Luoshi Neiyi prescription.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which Luoshi Neiyi prescription treats endometriosis （EMs） through regulating ferroptosis， and to screen key metabolites and analyze their association with ferroptosis. MethodsClinical samples of normal endometrium from patients without EMs and eutopic and ectopic endometrium from EMs patients （10 cases each） were collected and divided into control group， eutopic group， and EMs group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe ectopic lesions of EMs. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to determine the levels of malondialdehyde （MDA）， ferrous ion （Fe²⁺）， GPX4 and glutathione （GSH） in endometrial tissues， as well as serum levels of Fe²⁺， GPX4 and GSH. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of SLC7A11， GPX4， transferrin receptor （TFR） and ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）. In the in vitro experiment， primary stromal cells were isolated from ectopic lesions of EMs patients. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） was used to determine the optimal concentration of drug-containing serum for intervention. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） was measured， and Real-time PCR was applied to detect ferroptosis-related indicators. In the animal experiments， an EM rat model was established， and the rats were randomly assigned to the sham operation group， EMs group， low-dose Luoshi Neiyi Formula group （7.87 g·kg^-1）， high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription group （15.74 g·kg^-1）， and danazol group （42 mg·kg^-1）. Untargeted metabolomics detection and pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on serum samples from patients and rats. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between differential metabolites and ferroptosis indicators. The correlations between differential metabolites in patient endometrium and serum and key ferroptosis indicators （GPX4， Fe²⁺， MDA， GSH） as well as ferroptosis-related mRNAs （GPX4， SLC7A11， FTH1） were analyzed， and correlation heatmaps were generated accordingly. ResultsCompared with normal eutopic endometrium， ectopic lesions in EMs patients showed glandular disorganization and stromal fibrosis. In ectopic endometrium， the contents of MDA， ROS， and Fe²⁺ decreased， while GPX4 level increased， and the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In serum， the levels of GPX4 and Fe²⁺ were elevated， whereas the GSH level declined， suggesting abnormalities in ferroptosis-related pathways in ectopic lesions （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After intervention with Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum， the intracellular ROS level in ectopic endometrial stromal cells was elevated， the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was downregulated， and TFR mRNA expression was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Metabolomics analysis revealed 1104 and 198 differential metabolites in EMs patients and EMs rats， respectively， compared with their corresponding control groups， and both low-dose and high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription were found to regulate this metabolic disturbance， with the core regulatory pathways mainly involving arginine and proline metabolism. Correlation analysis showed that the glycerophospholipids including PI（16∶0/17∶0） and PI［18∶2（9Z，12Z）］ were negatively correlated with GPX4 and positively correlated with MDA， while 17α-hydroxyprogesterone was positively correlated with GPX4， SLC7A11， and FTH1 q<0.05）. ConclusionLuoshi Neiyi prescription may systematically ameliorate disease-associated metabolic dysregulation via modulation of the serum arginine and proline metabolism pathway， and may regulate ferroptosis in ectopic lesions through a mechanism potentially linked to the serum glycerophospholipid and steroid metabolism pathways. Collectively， these findings provide experimental evidence for the clinical application of Luoshi Neiyi prescription.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the mechanism of DDX17 for regulating proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) during the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: In murine PASMCs cultured under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, the effects of transfection with si-Ddx17 and insulin treatment, alone or in combination, on cell proliferation and migration were evaluated using Ki-67 immunofluorescence staining, scratch assay and Transwell assay. Western Blotting was performed to detect the changes in protein expression levels of DDX17, 4EBP1, S6, p-4EBP1, and p-S6. In a mouse model of PH induced by intraperitoneal injection of monocrotaline (MCT), the changes in pulmonary vasculature were examined using HE staining following tail vein injection of AD-Ddx17i. RESULTS: The PASMCs in hypoxic culture exhibited significantly enhanced cell proliferation and migration and protein expressions of p-4EBP1 and p-S6, and these changes were obviously reversed by transfection with si-Ddx17. Treatment with insulin significantly attenuated the effect of si-Ddx17 against hypoxic exposure-induced changes in PASMCs. In the mouse model of MCT-induced PH, transfection with AD-Ddx17i obviously alleviated pulmonary vascular stenosis and intimal hyperplasia. CONCLUSIONS The expression of DDX17 is elevated in hypoxia-induced PASMCs and PH mice, and silencing DDX17 significantly inhibits PASMC proliferation and migration in vitro and pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH mice by reducing mTORC1 activity.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Movement ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism* ; Mice ; Pulmonary Artery/cytology* ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/metabolism* ; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 ; Cells, Cultured ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/cytology*

BACKGROUND: Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance is a significant challenge in treating glioblastoma (GBM). Collagen remodeling has been shown to be a critical factor for therapy resistance in other cancers. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of TMZ chemoresistance by GBM cells reprogramming collagens. METHODS: Key extracellular matrix components, including collagens, were examined in paired primary and recurrent GBM samples as well as in TMZ-treated spontaneous and grafted GBM murine models. Human GBM cell lines (U251, TS667) and mouse primary GBM cells were used for in vitro studies. RNA-sequencing analysis, chromatin immunoprecipitation, immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to explore the mechanisms involved in collagen accumulation. A series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were designed to assess the role of the collagen regulators prolyl 4-hydroxylase subunit alpha 1 (P4HA1) and yes-associated protein (YAP) in sensitizing GBM cells to TMZ. RESULTS: This study revealed that TMZ exposure significantly elevated collagen type I (COL I) expression in both GBM patients and murine models. Collagen accumulation sustained GBM cell survival under TMZ-induced stress, contributing to enhanced TMZ resistance. Mechanistically, P4HA1 directly binded to and hydroxylated YAP, preventing ubiquitination-mediated YAP degradation. Stabilized YAP robustly drove collagen type I alpha 1 ( COL1A1) transcription, leading to increased collagen deposition. Disruption of the P4HA1-YAP axis effectively reduced COL I deposition, sensitized GBM cells to TMZ, and significantly improved mouse survival. CONCLUSION P4HA1 maintained YAP-mediated COL1A1 transcription, leading to collagen accumulation and promoting chemoresistance in GBM.
Temozolomide ; Humans ; Glioblastoma/drug therapy* ; Animals ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics* ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Hydroxylation ; Dacarbazine/pharmacology* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Collagen/biosynthesis* ; Collagen Type I/metabolism* ; Prolyl Hydroxylases/metabolism* ; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating/therapeutic use*