1.Exploration on Surrogate Outcome Measures in Clinical Trials of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Diabetic Kidney Disease
Can CAO ; Weiwei SUN ; Tong MA ; Yaoxian WANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(8):790-794
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has unique advantages in alleviating the symptoms of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and slowing its progression. However, traditional clinical trials often use the occurrence of end-stage renal disease as the end point, requiring long-term follow-up, which increases trial complexity and costs, thereby limiting the feasibility of TCM clinical studies. This paper suggested that in clinical trials of TCM for DKD, both the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) change rate (≥30%) and eGFR slope can serve as potential surrogate outcome measures. If the intervention course is short (<1 year), the eGFR change rate (≥30%) is recommended as a surrogate outcome measure, whereas in long-term interventional studies (≥1 year), the eGFR slope may be more appropriate. Furthermore, based on biochemical indicators such as eGFR slope and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) change rate, integrating TCM symptom evaluation, TCM syndrome evaluation, and quality of life scales can help develop internationally recognized patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for TCM clinical trials, which will be a key step in enhancing the evaluation system for the effectiveness of TCM in treating DKD.
2.Hygiene status and influencing factors of swimming venues: Based on surveillance data from 2010 to 2024 in Shanghai
Fengchan HAN ; Tian CHEN ; Ting PENG ; Shaofeng SUI ; Weiwei ZHENG ; Ling TONG ; Mingjing XU ; Ming ZHAN ; Yewen SHI
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(10):1225-1233
Background Swimming is becoming increasingly popular for its combined leisure and fitness benefits. However, polluted swimming pool water may pose various health risks. Previous studies have indicated that health indicators of swimming venues have lower qualification rates compared to other public places, highlighting the urgent need to optimize hygiene management measures. Objective To assess the overall hygiene status and identify the key factors influencing water quality in Shanghai’s swimming venues from 2010 to 2024, and to provide a scientific basis for optimizing water quality management. Methods Water quality was assessed in three stages (2010—2019, 2020—2022, and 2023—2024) based on the monitoring data of Shanghai’s swimming venues (2010—2024). The influences of monitoring stage, region, season, scale, day of week, and per capita attendance on water quality were analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regression. Results From 2010 to 2024, water quality was monitored in
3.Nose-to-brain delivery of targeted lipid nanoparticles as two-pronged β-amyloid nanoscavenger for Alzheimer's disease therapy.
Yanyan XU ; Xiangtong YE ; Yanfeng DU ; Wenqin YANG ; Fan TONG ; Wei LI ; Qianqian HUANG ; Yongke CHEN ; Hanmei LI ; Huile GAO ; Weiwei ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(6):2884-2899
Alzheimer's disease (AD), characterized by β-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation and neuroinflammation, remains a formidable clinical challenge. Herein, we present an innovative nose-to-brain delivery platform utilizing lactoferrin (Lf)-functionalized lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) co-encapsulating α-mangostin (α-M) and β-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) siRNA (siB). This dual-modal therapeutic system synergistically combines the neuroprotective and microglia-reprogramming capabilities of α-M with the transcriptional silencing of BACE1 via siB, thereby simultaneously inhibiting Aβ production and enhancing its clearance. Fabricated via a microfluidic approach, the LNPs exhibited uniform particle size distribution, great encapsulation efficiency, and robust colloidal stability. Upon intranasal administration, Lf-functionalization enabled superior brain-targeting efficacy through receptor-mediated transcytosis. In vitro studies demonstrated that α-M reversed Aβ-induced low-density lipoprotein receptor downregulation, promoting microglial phagocytosis and autophagic degradation of Aβ, while siB effectively suppressed BACE1 expression, abrogating Aβ synthesis. In vivo investigations in APP/PS1 transgenic mice revealed remarkable cognitive recovery, substantial Aβ plaque reduction, and alleviation of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. This intricately designed LNP system, exploiting a non-invasive and efficient nose-to-brain delivery route, provides a biocompatible, synergistic, and transformative therapeutic strategy for the multifaceted management of AD.
4.TRIM4 modulates the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of hnRNPDL and weakens sensitivity to CDK4/6 inhibitor in ovarian cancer.
Xiaoxia CHE ; Xin GUAN ; Yiyin RUAN ; Lifei SHEN ; Yuhong SHEN ; Hua LIU ; Chongying ZHU ; Tianyu ZHOU ; Yiwei WANG ; Weiwei FENG
Frontiers of Medicine 2025;19(1):121-133
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal malignancy affecting the female reproductive system. Pharmacological inhibitors targeting CDK4/6 have demonstrated promising efficacy across various cancer types. However, their clinical benefits in ovarian cancer patients fall short of expectations, with only a subset of patients experiencing these advantageous effects. This study aims to provide further clinical and biological evidence for antineoplastic effects of a CDK4/6 inhibitor (TQB4616) in ovarian cancer and explore underlying mechanisms involved. Patient-derived ovarian cancer organoid models were established to evaluate the effectiveness of TQB3616. Potential key genes related to TQB3616 sensitivity were identified through RNA-seq analysis, and TRIM4 was selected as a candidate gene for further investigation. Subsequently, co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays confirmed that TRIM4 binds to hnRNPDL and promotes its ubiquitination through RING and B-box domains. RIP assay demonstrated that hnRNPDL binded to CDKN2C isoform 2 and suppressed its expression by alternative splicing. Finally, in vivo studies confirmed that the addition of siTRIM4 significantly improved the effectiveness of TQB3616. Overall, our findings suggest that TRIM4 modulates ubiquitin-mediated degradation of hnRNPDL and weakens sensitivity to CDK4/6 inhibitors in ovarian cancer treatment. TRIM4 may serve as a valuable biomarker for predicting sensitivity to CDK4/6 inhibitors in ovarian cancer.
Humans
;
Female
;
Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Animals
;
Tripartite Motif Proteins/genetics*
;
Mice
;
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/antagonists & inhibitors*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6/antagonists & inhibitors*
;
Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology*
;
Ubiquitin/metabolism*
;
Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
;
Ubiquitination
;
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*
5.Decreased neurotensin induces ovulatory dysfunction via the NTSR1/ERK/EGR1 axis in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Dongshuang WANG ; Meiling ZHANG ; Wang-Sheng WANG ; Weiwei CHU ; Junyu ZHAI ; Yun SUN ; Zi-Jiang CHEN ; Yanzhi DU
Frontiers of Medicine 2025;19(1):149-169
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the predominant cause of subfertility in reproductive-aged women; however, its pathophysiology remains unknown. Neurotensin (NTS) is a member of the gut-brain peptide family and is involved in ovulation; its relationship with PCOS is unclear. Here, we found that NTS expression in ovarian granulosa cells and follicular fluids was markedly decreased in patients with PCOS. In the in vitro culture of cumulus-oocyte complexes, the neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) antagonist SR48692 blocked cumulus expansion and oocyte meiotic maturation by inhibiting metabolic cooperation and damaging the mitochondrial structure in oocytes and surrounding cumulus cells. Furthermore, the ERK1/2-early growth response 1 pathway was found to be a key downstream mediator of NTS/NTSR1 in the ovulatory process. Animal studies showed that in vivo injection of SR48692 in mice reduced ovulation efficiency and contributed to irregular estrus cycles and polycystic ovary morphology. By contrast, NTS partially ameliorated the ovarian abnormalities in mice with dehydroepiandrosterone-induced PCOS. Our findings highlighted the critical role of NTS reduction and consequent abnormal NTSR1 signaling in the ovulatory dysfunction of PCOS, suggesting a potential strategy for PCOS treatment.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/physiopathology*
;
Female
;
Animals
;
Neurotensin/metabolism*
;
Receptors, Neurotensin/antagonists & inhibitors*
;
Mice
;
Ovulation/drug effects*
;
Humans
;
Granulosa Cells/metabolism*
;
Adult
;
Oocytes/metabolism*
;
MAP Kinase Signaling System
;
Signal Transduction
;
Follicular Fluid/metabolism*
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/analogs & derivatives*
6.Construction and fermentation optimization of a hydroxyectoine-producing Escherichia coli strain.
Hairui TONG ; Hao ZHANG ; Weiwei HUANG ; Qi ZHANG ; Yibin QIU ; Sha LI
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(9):3448-3458
Hydroxyectoine, a vital compatible solute, is widely utilized in cosmetics, food, pharmaceutical industries, and biologics. However, the current microbial fermentation methods for hydroxyectoine production face challenges including insufficient precursor supply and low yields. Therefore, developing engineering microbial strains capable of efficiently synthesizing hydroxyectoine is of great significance. In this study, we first constructed a high-yield ectoine-producing strain ECT04 by multi-copy integration of the ectoine synthesis genes ectABC into the pseudogene loci of Escherichia coli MG1655(DE3), achieving an ectoine titer of 6.03 g/L. Subsequently, we employed plasmids with varying copy numbers to express ectD from Chromohalobacter salexigens to enable the conversion for hydroxyectoine production. We further investigated the effects of promoter, co-substrate ɑ-ketoglutarate, Fe2+ concentration, and dissolved oxygen on hydroxyectoine synthesis. Through fed-batch fermentation in a 7-L bioreactor, we significantly enhanced the hydroxyectoine production efficiency, attaining a final titer of 8.58 g/L and a productivity of 0.24 g/(L·h). This work successfully achieved the de novo synthesis of hydroxyectoine in E. coli, laying a foundation for the efficient bioproduction of this compound.
Escherichia coli/genetics*
;
Fermentation
;
Amino Acids, Diamino/biosynthesis*
;
Bioreactors/microbiology*
;
Metabolic Engineering/methods*
;
Chromohalobacter/genetics*
;
Plasmids/genetics*
7.Expert Consensus on Perioperative Nursing Care for Follicular Unit Extraction(2025)
Chunhua ZHANG ; Weiwei BIAN ; Congmin WANG ; Lin SHEN ; Yong MIAO ; Na LIU ; Shan JIA ; Junhong AN ; Hongxia WANG ; Dongmei ZHANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(6):1606-1613
To promote the standardization and normalization of perioperative care for follicular unit extraction(FUE) hair transplantation, ensure treatment efficacy, and align with advancements in the specialty, the Nursing Branch of the Chinese Association of Plastic and Aesthetics organized a panel of domestic experts. By integrating evidence-based medicine with clinical practice experience, and following thorough discussions, these experts developed the Clinical Practice
8.Endovascular therapy combined with laparoscopic surgery for acute mesentery artery occlusion
Keqiang ZHAO ; Peng ZHANG ; Junlai ZHAO ; Tong ZHANG ; Zhanjiang CAO ; Yu YANG ; Chao JIANG ; Rongrong ZHU ; Weiwei WU
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2024;39(3):192-196
Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of endovascular intervention combined with preoperative laparoscopic exploration in the treatment of patients with acute mesenteric artery ischemia.Methods:This was a prospective cohort study (NCT04686981). The study enrolled 31 patients with acute mesenteric artery ischemia from Oct 1, 2020 to Oct 1, 2022. Among them, 26 patients (84%) were male, with a mean age of (67±13) years and a mean time to onset of (21±8) hours. All patients underwent laparoscopic exploration in the hybrid operating room. If the presence of intestinal necrosis or suspected necrosis was clearly determined, the patient would undergo open surgery (mesenteric artery embolization, intestinal resection and intestinal double stoma) as the treatment by gastrointestinal surgeon. If intestinal necrosis or suspected necrosis was not found by laparoscopy, the patient would undergo endovascular intervention by vascular surgeon. The primary observational endpoints of this study were the proportion of patients who were not dependent on total parenteral nutrition and all-cause mortality within 30 days after operation. The secondary observational endpoints were the rate of mesenteric vascular patency within 30 days and the proportion of interventions that were converted to open surgery.Results:Six patients underwent open surgery and 25 patients underwent endovascular intervention, including 13 cases of thrombus reduction alone, 3 cases of stent implantation during the same period after reduction, and 9 cases of stent implantation alone. Twenty-four patients (77%) were completely weaned from the TPN within 30 days after the procedure, and all-cause mortality was observed in 3 cases (9.7%). The patency rate of the mesenteric artery within 30 days after the procedure was 82.1%. The rate of conversion to open surgery after intervention was 16%.Conclusions:Endovascular intervention combined with preoperative laparoscopic exploration can clarify intestinal ischemia in acute mesenteric patients as early as possible, and individualized treatment strategies for each patient by multidisciplinary care team can potentially improve the prognosis of such patients.
9.Teaching exploration on integrating ideological and political elements into Microbiology and Immunology
Wei DONG ; Wei LIN ; Shujuan TONG ; Junfeng ZHANG ; Xinshuo WANG ; Weiwei ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2024;40(11):2408-2412
"Fostering virtue through education"is the fundamental task of higher medical education.Specialized curriculum is the basic carrier of ideological and political education construction.Microbiology and Immunology is a basic course of medicine,which is closely related to people's health,clinical diagnosis and treatment.Based on the professional knowledge system of the curriculum,teaching team carried out the exploration of ideological and political education in both theoretical and experimental teaching.In order to train socialist medical qualified personnel with both virtue and ability,we integrated ideological and political education into all aspects of teaching and the whole process,such as teachers'teaching ability,curriculum teaching objectives,teaching content,teaching methods,etc.
10.Study on the Diagnosis Model of Phlegm-Dampness Obstruction Syndrome in Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris Due to Coronary Heart Disease Based on Machine Learning
Haoran CHEN ; Tong JIANG ; Yi ZHENG ; Weiwei WANG ; Ying LIU ; Kejun WANG
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(12):142-150
Objective To construct a diagnostic model for the phlegm-dampness obstruction syndrome in patients with coronary heart disease stable angina pectoris(CSAP);To provide a reference for clinical syndrome differentiation.Methods Totally 305 patients'clinical data were collected from the Department of Cardiology,Dongying Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,from May 2022 to January 2024.The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)was used to select features,and multiple models were constructed and compared using machine learning(ML)algorithms.The optimal ML model was selected for training,validation,and testing.Finally,the operational logic of the optimal model was explained using Shapley Additive Explanations(SHAP),and two typical examples were provided to help users understand the model's operational logic.Results LASSO regression identified chest pain,body mass index(BMI),limb heaviness,drinking history,age,triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)as features included in the model.After comparing multiple models,the Gaussian Naive Bayes(GNB)model demonstrated the best performance.The final constructed GNB model achieved an average AUC of 0.938(95%CI:0.903-0.972)in the training set,an average AUC of 0.927(95%CI:0.851-0.992)in the validation set,and an AUC of 0.856(95%CI:0.751-0.961)in the test set.The learning curve showed that the error between the training and validation sets in the model converged as the number of training samples increased.The calibration curve showed that the model had good consistency in predicting the probability of observed phlegm-dampness obstruction syndrome patients.The clinical decision curve(DCA)showed that the model could provide clinical benefits for patients at a decision threshold below 0.7.The features ranked by SHAP importance in order were chest pain,BMI,LDL-C,TG,limb heaviness,TC,drinking history and age.Conclusion The diagnostic model for CSAP phlegm-dampness obstruction syndrome constructed in this study can assist physicians in the syndrome differentiation of patients,thereby enabling the formulation of integrated clinical treatment plans combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine,and aiding patients in achieving better clinical therapeutic outcomes.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail