ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. The main risk factors associated with HCC include viral hepatitis (B and/or C), alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which progressively advance to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately evolve into HCC. Surgical resection represents the most effective treatment for HCC, while recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies, have provided improved treatment prospects for patients with unresectable HCC. However, the complex metabolic heterogeneity of HCC limits the therapeutic efficacy. Metabolic intermediates acyl-CoA not only provide energy and substrates for numerous biochemical reactions but also serve as donors for protein lysine acylation, a major class of post-translational modification (PTM). Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein lysine acylation and hepatocarcinogenesis is urgently needed. MethodsThe levels of protein lysine acylation and silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) expression levels in clinical HCC samples were analyzed by Western blot. Quantitative malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples were analyzed by antibody-based affinity enrichment coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proliferation of HCC cells was analyzed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, the apoptosis was quantified by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining coupled with flow cytometry, and the ability of cells to migrate was assayed by Transwell assays. The enzymatic activity of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) was quantified. Transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression of SIRT5 were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9, and primary hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by administration of diethylnitrosamine. ResultsWestern blot analysis indicated that the expression level of SIRT5 was elevated in clinical samples from HCC patients, and the levels of lysine malonylation, glutarylation, and succinylation were significantly reduced in HCC tissues. Knockout of SIRT5 in MHCC-97H and MHCC-97L hepatoma cells suppressed cell proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells significantly. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the differentially malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples revealed significant enrichment in two major classes of biological processes: core energy metabolism (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, fatty acid beta oxidation) and detoxification and oxidative stress response (e.g., response to toxic substance, chemical carcinogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)). SIRT5 removes malonylation from lysine residues in GSTM1 and restores its detoxification activity, which is crucial for the survival of hepatocytes under stressed conditions. More importantly, in vivo experiment indicated that hepatic-specific overexpression of SIRT5 in mice accelerated diethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating the critical role of SIRT5 in HCC progression. ConclusionThis study highlights the previously unrecognized SIRT5-GSTM1 axis as a key regulator in hepatocarcinogenesis, and suggests a potential target for the treatment of patients with HCC.

Background and aims The mechanism of cholestatic liver injury (CLI) is unclear, and effective therapies are lacking. While peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonists show potential hepatoprotective effect and pyroptosis is implicated in hepatocellular damage, how PPARα activation mitigates lithocholic acid (LCA)-induced pyroptosis remains unknown. Methods The hepatoprotective effect of PPARα agonists was evaluated in a mouse model of intrahepatic cholestasis induced by LCA. Liver injury was assessed via serum biochemistry, hematoxylin and eosin and TUNEL staining, and electron microscopy. Pyroptosis pathways were analyzed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and co-immunoprecipitation. Results Combined morphological, histopathological, and biochemical analyses confirmed that PPARα activation protects against CLI. Compared with LCA treatment alone, PPARα activation significantly attenuated the elevation of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), the increased TUNEL-positive cells, and the formation of hepatocyte membrane pores. Mechanistically, PPARα activation suppressed both NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and apoptosis protease-activating factor-1 (APAF-1)/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis. Furthermore, PPARα agonist pretreatment inhibited activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) signaling pathways. Conclusions PPARα protects against LCA-induced CLI by inhibiting both NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis associated with NF-κB and APAF-1/CASPASE-3/GSDME-mediated pyroptosis associated with the FOXO1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the differences in clinical outcomes of septic children with varying serum zinc levels,and to analyze the relationship between reduced serum zinc levels and organ dysfunction as well as 28-day mortality in septic children.Methods:This study conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data from pediatric patients diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock in the Department of critical care medicine of the children's Hospital of Soochow University between January 2017 and December 2022.Clinical characteristics,organ dysfunction,and prognosis were compared between two groups:children with low serum zinc levels and those with normal zinc levels.Results:The serum zinc level of septic children within 24 hours of admission was 9.60(5.52,13.80)μmol/L,with 50.54%(94/186)of the children exhibiting low serum zinc levels(<10.07 μmol/L).Compared to the normal serum zinc group,the low serum zinc group had a significantly lower Pediatric Critical Illness Score(PCIS)[(78.71±9.35)vs.(85.12±8.51),P=0.005]and higher 28-day mortality(46.80%vs.14.13%,P<0.001).The low serum zinc group also had a higher proportion of invasive mechanical ventilation(64.89%vs.47.82%,P=0.019),renal replacement therapy(15.59%vs.3.26%,P=0.003),and use of vasoactive drugs(56.38%vs.30.43%,P<0.001).The rate of underlying conditions in the low serum zinc group was significantly higher than that in the normal serum zinc group(57.44%vs.36.95%,P=0.005).Additionally,the low serum zinc group had a higher incidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC),respiratory failure,acute kidney injury,shock,and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS)compared to the normal serum zinc group(P<0.05).Serum zinc levels had predictive value for 28-day mortality in septic children(AUC=0.813;95%CI:0.725～0.902;P<0.001).A serum zinc level of less than 6.950 μmol/L predicted the death of septic children with a sensitivity of 0.618 and a specificity of 0.902.Conclusion:Sepsis in children is commonly associated with low serum zinc levels,especially in those with underlying conditions such as hematologic and oncologic disorders.Sepsis patients hypozincemia with a higher incidence of DIC,respiratory failure,acute kidney injury,shock,and MODS.A serum zinc level below 6.95 μmol/L serves as a significant predictor of 28-day mortality in children with severe sepsis.

Arsenic is a semi-metal,and lipid-soluble arsenic compounds are one of the widespread forms in the environment and food chain,but there is a lack of standards for lipid-soluble arsenic compounds,which is one of the bottlenecks in the current analytical detection and toxicological studies of organic arsenic.In this study,four saturated arsenic-containing hydrocarbons,AsHC 318,AsHC 332,AsHC 346,and AsHC 374(The number is relative molecular mass),were successfully synthesized in three steps by using dimethylarsinic acid,potassium iodide,sodium hydroxide,and four brominated alkanes(1-Bromotetradecane,1-bromopentadecane,1-bromohexadecane,and 1-bromooctadecane)as raw materials.The structures of these four saturated arsenic-containing hydrocarbons were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance(1H NMR)spectroscopy,13C nuclear magnetic resonance(13C NMR)spectroscopy,and high-resolution mass spectrometry(HR-MS).The yields of the method were 8%-10%,and the synthesized compounds could be used in subsequent toxicity evaluation experiments to assess the toxic effects and mechanisms of action of arsenic-containing hydrocarbons.This study provided an effective method for synthesis of arsenic-containing hydrocarbons,enriching the synthesis methods of arsenic-containing hydrocarbons,and provided raw materials for the subsequent toxicological studies of arsenic-containing hydrocarbons.

Risks of food safety induced by small molecule drug residues in animal food and environment have become an increasing public concern,so it is necessary to develop highly sensitive and easy-to-operate techniques to detect small molecules.Herein,a metasurface plasma resonance(MetaSPR)sensor chip coupled with gold nanoparticles(AuNPs)was developed for detection of enrofloxacin(ENR)based on competitive immunoassay.The detection range of the sensor for ENR was 0.025-3.2 ng/mL,and the detection limit(3σ)was 20 pg/mL.The biosensor showed excellent performance including high selectivity,good stability,ease to operate and high throughput,etc.The developed method was applied to detection of ENR residues in real samples,with recoveies of 96.0% -105.0%.The proposed sensing strategy provided new technique reference for detection of other small molecules in the field of residue analysis in food safety and environment monitoring.

Integrated metabolomic and lipidomic profiling,utilizing liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry(LC-HRMS),has emerged as a pivotal strategy for biomarker discovery.However,the inherent polarity disparity between metabolites and lipids complicates simultaneous analysis.To address this,a dual-stationary phase polarity-extended liquid chromatography(PELC)system was developed,which surpassed conventional one-dimensional LC(1D-LC)by enabling comprehensive coverage of both polar and non-polar compounds within a single injection.This system enhanced chromatographic resolution,peak capacity,and throughput while minimizing analytical variability.Extracellular vesicles(EVs),lipid bilayer-enclosed nanoparticles ubiquitously present in biofluids,had gained prominence as reservoirs of cancer biomarkers due to their cargo stability and pathophysiological relevance.Herein,the application of PELC-HRMS for concurrent metabolome-lipidome profiling in EVs was pioneered.A total of 193 metabolites were identified using this technique coupled with MS-DIAL software and Human Metabolome Database.Subsequently,this technique was employed to explore potential biomarkers for prostate cancer(PCa).Multivariate analysis identified 17 differentially abundant metabolites in PCa,implicating dysregulated pathways including purine metabolism,starch and sucrose metabolism,galactose metabolism,cysteine and methionine metabolism,and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids.Notably,creatine(AUC=0.92)and DG 42:5(AUC=0.80)demonstrated robust diagnostic efficacy,attributable to their broad polarity ranges and EV-specific enrichment.This study established PELC as a high-fidelity platform for multi-omics integration in complex biospecimens,advancing mechanistic insights into metabolic rewiring and disease pathophysiology.

The advantages of few-shot learning in arrhythmia detection were introduced.The research progress of few-shot learning strategies,including metric learning,transfer learning and data augmentation,was reviewed when applied to arrhythmia detection.The limitations of few-shot learning in arrhythmia detection were analyzed.It was pointed out that the graph neural network and new incremental learning techniques would be involved in the future development of few-shot learning in arrhythmia detection.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(8):104-112]

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.

Objective To explore the correlation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome elements with language function and activities of daily living(ADL)in patients suffering post-stroke aphasia(PSA).Methods Ninety-eight PSA patients hospitalized at the College of Rehabilitation Medicine,Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from April 2023 to April 2024 were selected.The language function,TCM syndrome elements,and their correlations were analyzed.Results(1)Among PSA patients,males outnumbered females.PSA patients exhibited different performances on various aphasia-related scales,with language impairments mainly concentrated in naming and spontaneous speech.(2)The distribution of TCM syndrome elements varied in PSA patients with different age groups.In the age group＜50 years old,qi obstruction(100.00%),phlegm syndrome(100.00%),and dampness syndrome(100.00%)were predominant.In the age group of 50-59 years old,phlegm syndrome(100.00%)and yang hyperactivity syndrome(96.30%)were predominant.In the age group of 60-69 years old,phlegm syndrome(100.00%)and yang hyperactivity syndrome(96.15%)were also predominant.In the age group of 70-79 years old,qi deficiency syndrome(100.00%)was predominant.In the age group of 80-89 years old,syndromes such as qi insecurity,qi obstruction,qi deficiency,phlegm,yang hyperactivity,blood stasis,wind stirring,and blood cold were concentrated(all 100.00%).However,there were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of TCM syndrome elements among various age groups(P＞0.05).(3)The distribution of deficiency and excess syndrome elements varied in PSA patients with different genders.Among deficiency syndrome elements,yang hyperactivity,qi deficiency,and yin deficiency were predominant in males,while yang hyperactivity,qi deficiency,and blood deficiency were predominant in females.Among excess syndrome elements,phlegm syndrome,qi obstruction,and dampness syndrome were predominant in males,while phlegm syndrome,qi obstruction,and qi stagnation syndrome were predominant in females.However,there were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of deficiency and excess syndrome elements between genders(P＞0.05).(4)After controlling the factors of age group and gender,partial correlation analysis of syndrome elements and language function showed that among the disease-location syndrome elements,spontaneous naming(r=-0.588,P=0.027)and sematic cued naming(r=-0.558,P=0.038)in the Boston Naming Test(BNT)were negatively correlated with the large intestine;among the disease-nature syndrome elements,BNT sematic cued naming(r=0.821,P＜0.001)was positively correlated with qi sinking,while BNT spontaneous naming was negatively correlated with blood heat(r=-0.544,P=0.044)and was positively correlated with fluid depletion(r=0.860,P=0.028);BNT recognitive naming was positively correlated with external wind(r=0.966,P=0.034);errors in BNT sematic cued naming were negatively correlated with qi sinking(r=-0.540,P=0.005);the Modified Barthel Index(MBI)was positively correlated with essence deficiency(r=0.572,P=0.021).Conclusion The TCM syndrome elements of phlegm,qi block,yang hyperactivity,and qi deficiency are commonly seen in PSA patients.There is a certain correlation of language function and ADL with TCM syndrome elements in PSA patients.

Aim To investigate the effects of rutae-carpine(RUT)on lung inflammation in septic mice and the underlying mechanisms.Methods The sepsis mouse model was generated by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)at 5 mg·kg-1.The mice were randomly divided into the Control group,Model group,Low-dose,Medium-dose,High-dose RUT(5,10,20 mg·kg-1)treatment group and dexamethasone(DEX,2 mg·kg-1),with 10 mice in each group.The mice were intraperitoneally injected with RUT 30 min before LPS injection.HE staining was used to observe the morphology of lung tissues,and activity of my-eloperoxidase was determined to assess the neutrophil infiltration.Wet/dry weight ratio and Evan's blue ex-travasation of lung tissues were examined to assess lung edema.Survival analysis was performed to determine the in vivo protective effects of RUT.ELISA and quan-titative RT-PCR analysis were employed to determine the contents and gene expression of pro-inflammatory mediators,including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β),IL-6,and IL-18 in lung tis-sues.Western blot was used to detect the protein levels of p38 MAPK,NF-κB,Caspase-1,NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)and IL-18.Results RUT at 10-20 mg·kg-1 could dose-de-pendently inhibit leukocyte infiltration,reduce pro-in-flammatory mediator production,vascular permeability and wet/dry weight ratio in lungs,similar to the effects induced by DEX.The mice treated with RUT exhibited increased survival,down-regulated expressions of p-p38 MAPK,p-NF-κB,Caspase-1,NLRP3,and IL-18 pro-teins in lungs,with decreased IL-18 mRNA level.Conclusions RUT exhibits protective effects on sep-sis-induced lung injury,manifested by reduced inflam-mation and edema,potentially via inhibition of p38 MAPK signaling pathway and inflammasome formation.