1.Terms Related to The Study of Biomacromolecular Condensates
Ke RUAN ; Xiao-Feng FANG ; Dan LI ; Pi-Long LI ; Yi LIN ; Zheng WANG ; Yun-Yu SHI ; Ming-Jie ZHANG ; Hong ZHANG ; Cong LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):1027-1035
Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.
2.Application of blood conservation measures with different red blood cell transfusion volumes in obstetrics and their impact on postpartum outcomes
Huimin DENG ; Fengcheng XU ; Meiting LI ; Lan HU ; Xiao WANG ; Shiyu WANG ; Xiaofei YUAN ; Jun ZHENG ; Zehua DONG ; Yuanshan LU ; Shaoheng CHEN
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(5):691-698
Objective: To evaluate the application of blood conservation measures in obstetric patients with different red blood cell transfusion volumes and to assess the impact of different transfusion volumes on postpartum outcomes. Methods: A retrospective investigation was conducted on 448 obstetric patients who received blood transfusions at the Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2022. Patients were divided into four groups (1-2 units group, 3-4 units group, 5-6 units group, and >6 units group) based on the volumes of red blood cells (RBCs) transfused during and within 7 days after delivery. The maternal physiological indicators, pre- and postpartum laboratory test indicators, obstetric complications, application of blood conservation measures, use of blood products, and postpartum outcomes were reviewed. The clinical characteristics, application of blood conservation measures, and their impact on postpartum outcomes were compared among different transfusion groups. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the multivariate logistic analysis of history of previous cesarean section (OR=1.781), eclampsia/pre-eclampsia/(OR=1.972) and postpartum blood loss>1 000 mL(OR=1.699)(P<0.05) among different transfusion groups. In terms of blood conservation measures, the more RBCs transfused, the higher the rate of mothers receiving blood conservation measures such as balloon occlusion, arterial ligation, autologous blood transfusion with a cell saver, and hysterectomy. With the increase in the volume of RBCs transfusion, the demand for fresh frozen plasma(FFP), cryoprecipitate, and platelet transfusions also increased. The hospitalization days for the four groups of parturients were 6.0 (4.0-9.0), 7.5 (5.0-14.8), 7.0 (4.5-13.0) and 11.0 (9.0-20.5), respectively (P<0.05) and the rates of ICU transfer were 2.0% (5/250), 9.4% (12/128),18.2% (6/33) and 51.4% (19/37), respectively (P<0.05). Both increased significantly with the increase in the volume of RBCs transfusion, and the differences between groups were statistically significant. Conclusion: Parturients who received higher volume of RBCs had multiple risks factors for bleeding before childbirth, had higher postpartum blood loss, and had a higher rate of application of various blood conservation measures. In addition, an increase in the volume of RBCs transfusion may have adverse effects on postpartum recovery.
3.Criteria and prognostic models for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation
Meng SHA ; Jun WANG ; Jie CAO ; Zhi-Hui ZOU ; Xiao-ye QU ; Zhi-feng XI ; Chuan SHEN ; Ying TONG ; Jian-jun ZHANG ; Seogsong JEONG ; Qiang XIA
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(Suppl):S285-S300
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-associated death globally. Liver transplantation (LT) has emerged as a key treatment for patients with HCC, and the Milan criteria have been adopted as the cornerstone of the selection policy. To allow more patients to benefit from LT, a number of expanded criteria have been proposed, many of which use radiologic morphological characteristics with larger and more tumors as surrogates to predict outcomes. Other groups developed indices incorporating biological variables and dynamic markers of response to locoregional treatment. These expanded selection criteria achieved satisfactory results with limited liver supplies. In addition, a number of prognostic models have been developed using clinicopathological characteristics, imaging radiomics features, genetic data, and advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence. These models could improve prognostic estimation, establish surveillance strategies, and bolster long-term outcomes in patients with HCC. In this study, we reviewed the latest findings and achievements regarding the selection criteria and post-transplant prognostic models for LT in patients with HCC.
4.Criteria and prognostic models for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation
Meng SHA ; Jun WANG ; Jie CAO ; Zhi-Hui ZOU ; Xiao-ye QU ; Zhi-feng XI ; Chuan SHEN ; Ying TONG ; Jian-jun ZHANG ; Seogsong JEONG ; Qiang XIA
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(Suppl):S285-S300
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-associated death globally. Liver transplantation (LT) has emerged as a key treatment for patients with HCC, and the Milan criteria have been adopted as the cornerstone of the selection policy. To allow more patients to benefit from LT, a number of expanded criteria have been proposed, many of which use radiologic morphological characteristics with larger and more tumors as surrogates to predict outcomes. Other groups developed indices incorporating biological variables and dynamic markers of response to locoregional treatment. These expanded selection criteria achieved satisfactory results with limited liver supplies. In addition, a number of prognostic models have been developed using clinicopathological characteristics, imaging radiomics features, genetic data, and advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence. These models could improve prognostic estimation, establish surveillance strategies, and bolster long-term outcomes in patients with HCC. In this study, we reviewed the latest findings and achievements regarding the selection criteria and post-transplant prognostic models for LT in patients with HCC.
5.Five new triterpenoid saponins from the kernels of Momordica cochinchinensis
Ru DING ; Jia-qi WANG ; Yi-yang LUO ; Yong-long HAN ; Xiao-bo LI ; Meng-yue WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):442-448
Five saponins were isolated from the kernels of
6.Criteria and prognostic models for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation
Meng SHA ; Jun WANG ; Jie CAO ; Zhi-Hui ZOU ; Xiao-ye QU ; Zhi-feng XI ; Chuan SHEN ; Ying TONG ; Jian-jun ZHANG ; Seogsong JEONG ; Qiang XIA
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(Suppl):S285-S300
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-associated death globally. Liver transplantation (LT) has emerged as a key treatment for patients with HCC, and the Milan criteria have been adopted as the cornerstone of the selection policy. To allow more patients to benefit from LT, a number of expanded criteria have been proposed, many of which use radiologic morphological characteristics with larger and more tumors as surrogates to predict outcomes. Other groups developed indices incorporating biological variables and dynamic markers of response to locoregional treatment. These expanded selection criteria achieved satisfactory results with limited liver supplies. In addition, a number of prognostic models have been developed using clinicopathological characteristics, imaging radiomics features, genetic data, and advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence. These models could improve prognostic estimation, establish surveillance strategies, and bolster long-term outcomes in patients with HCC. In this study, we reviewed the latest findings and achievements regarding the selection criteria and post-transplant prognostic models for LT in patients with HCC.
7.Adolescent Smoking Addiction Diagnosis Based on TI-GNN
Xu-Wen WANG ; Da-Hua YU ; Ting XUE ; Xiao-Jiao LI ; Zhen-Zhen MAI ; Fang DONG ; Yu-Xin MA ; Juan WANG ; Kai YUAN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2393-2405
ObjectiveTobacco-related diseases remain one of the leading preventable public health challenges worldwide and are among the primary causes of premature death. In recent years, accumulating evidence has supported the classification of nicotine addiction as a chronic brain disease, profoundly affecting both brain structure and function. Despite the urgency, effective diagnostic methods for smoking addiction remain lacking, posing significant challenges for early intervention and treatment. To address this issue and gain deeper insights into the neural mechanisms underlying nicotine dependence, this study proposes a novel graph neural network framework, termed TI-GNN. This model leverages functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to identify complex and subtle abnormalities in brain connectivity patterns associated with smoking addiction. MethodsThe study utilizes fMRI data to construct functional connectivity matrices that represent interaction patterns among brain regions. These matrices are interpreted as graphs, where brain regions are nodes and the strength of functional connectivity between them serves as edges. The proposed TI-GNN model integrates a Transformer module to effectively capture global interactions across the entire brain network, enabling a comprehensive understanding of high-level connectivity patterns. Additionally, a spatial attention mechanism is employed to selectively focus on informative inter-regional connections while filtering out irrelevant or noisy features. This design enhances the model’s ability to learn meaningful neural representations crucial for classification tasks. A key innovation of TI-GNN lies in its built-in causal interpretation module, which aims to infer directional and potentially causal relationships among brain regions. This not only improves predictive performance but also enhances model interpretability—an essential attribute for clinical applications. The identification of causal links provides valuable insights into the neuropathological basis of addiction and contributes to the development of biologically plausible and trustworthy diagnostic tools. ResultsExperimental results demonstrate that the TI-GNN model achieves superior classification performance on the smoking addiction dataset, outperforming several state-of-the-art baseline models. Specifically, TI-GNN attains an accuracy of 0.91, an F1-score of 0.91, and a Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.83, indicating strong robustness and reliability. Beyond performance metrics, TI-GNN identifies critical abnormal connectivity patterns in several brain regions implicated in addiction. Notably, it highlights dysregulations in the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex, consistent with prior clinical and neuroimaging findings. These regions are well known for their roles in emotional regulation, reward processing, and impulse control—functions that are frequently disrupted in nicotine dependence. ConclusionThe TI-GNN framework offers a powerful and interpretable tool for the objective diagnosis of smoking addiction. By integrating advanced graph learning techniques with causal inference capabilities, the model not only achieves high diagnostic accuracy but also elucidates the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction. The identification of specific abnormal brain networks and their causal interactions deepens our understanding of addiction pathophysiology and lays the groundwork for developing targeted intervention strategies and personalized treatment approaches in the future.
8.Birth weight, ideal cardiovascular health metrics in adulthood, and incident cardiovascular disease
Ying SUN ; Bin WANG ; Yuefeng YU ; Yuying WANG ; Xiao TAN ; Jihui ZHANG ; Lu QI ; Yingli LU ; Ningjian WANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(10):1160-1168
Background::Prenatal and postnatal factors may have joint effects on cardiovascular health, and we aimed to assess the joint association of birth weight and ideal cardiovascular health metrics (ICVHMs) prospectively in adulthood with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD).Methods::In the UK Biobank, 227,833 participants with data on ICVHM components and birth weight and without CVD at baseline were included. The ICVHMs included smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet information, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and hemoglobin A1c. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in men and women.Results::Over a median follow-up period of 13.0 years (2,831,236 person-years), we documented 17,477 patients with incident CVD. Compared with participants with birth weights of 2.5-4.0 kg, the HRs (95% CIs) of CVD among those with low birth weights was 1.08 (1.00-1.16) in men and 1.23 (1.16-1.31) in women. The association between having a birth weight <2.5 kg and CVD risk in men was more prominent for those aged <50 years than for those of older age ( P for interaction = 0.026). Lower birth weight and non-ideal cardiovascular health metrics were jointly related to an increased risk of CVD. Participants with birth weights <2.5 kg and ICVHMs score 0-1 had the highest risk of incident CVD (HR [95% CI]: 3.93 [3.01-5.13] in men; 4.24 [3.33-5.40] in women). The joint effect (HR [95% CI]: 1.36 [1.17-1.58]) could be decomposed into 24.7% (95% CI: 15.0%-34.4%) for a lower birth weight, 64.7% (95% CI: 56.7%-72.6%) for a lower ICVHM score, and 10.6% (95% CI: 2.7%-18.6%) for their additive interaction in women. Conclusions::Birth weight and ICVHMs were jointly related to CVD risk. Attaining a normal birth weight and ideal ICVHMs may reduce the risk of CVD, and a simultaneous improvement of both prenatal and postnatal factors could further prevent additional cases in women.
9.Damage effect and mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on nerve cells
Jiao WANG ; Jiajia LI ; Wenyi XIAO ; Donghui WEI ; Ning JIANG ; Wenxia ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2024;38(5):375-383
OBJECTIVE To investigate the damage effect and potential toxic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein(S protein)on human neuroblastomacells(SH-SY5Y).METHODS SH-SY5Y were treated with S protein at concentrations of 25,50,75,and 100 mg·L-1 for 24 h.Cell viability of SH-SY5Y was detected using the CCK-8 assay.The cytotoxic lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)detection kit was used to measure the release rate of LDH,and the 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine(EdU)-488 cell prolifera-tion kit was used to assess cell proliferation.The ATP detection kit was used to measure intracellular ATP content.The JC-1 fluorescent probe method was employed to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP)of cells.Seahorse XF was used to measure mitochondrial respiratory and glycolytic capacity.RESULTS Compared with the cell control group,cell viability was significantly reduced in S protein 25,50,75 and 100 mg·L-1 groups(P<0.01),and the half-inhibition concentration(IC50)was 65.05 mg·L-1.The LDH release rate wassignificantly increased(P<0.01)and the proportion of EdU positive cellswas significantly reduced(P<0.01)in S protein 25,50,75 and 100 mg·L-1 groups.S protein signifi-cantly reduced intracellular ATP content(P<0.01)at the concentrations of 75 and 100 mg·L-1,while significantly reduced intracellular MMP(P<0.05,P<0.01)at the concentrations of 50 and 75 mg·L-1.S protein 50 mg·L-1 increased the maximum value of basal glycolysis levels and glycolytic capacity(P<0.05,P<0.01),and S protein 25 and 50 mg·L-1 increased the maximum value of respiration capacity(P<0.05,P<0.01).SH-SY5Y cell viability was positively correlated with the intracellular ATP content and the MMP level(r2=0.9209,P=0.001;r2=0.6170,P=0.0025),and negatively correlated with the maximum level of basal glycolysis and glycolytic capacity(r2=0.5194,P=0.0285;r2=0.6664,P=0.0073),and nega-tively correlated with ATP production capacity(r2=0.8204,P=0.0008).CONCLUSIONS protein decreases the viability of SH-SY5Y cells and inhibited cell proliferation.The mechanism may be closely related to the disorder of energy metabolism.
10.Damage effect and mechanisms of cyclophosphamide to human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells
Jiajia LI ; Jiao WANG ; Wenyi XIAO ; Donghui WEI ; Yongxiang ZHANG ; Ning JIANG ; Wenxia ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2024;38(8):561-574
OBJECTIVE To investigate the damage effect and mechanisms of cyclophosphamide(CTX)and its active metabolite derivative 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide(4-HC)to human neuroblas-toma SH-SY5Y cells.METHODS SH-SY5Y cells were treated with CTX[0(cell control),0.01,0.1,1,5,10,20,40 and 80 mmol·L-1]and 4-HC[0(cell control),0.01,0.1,1,5,10,20,40 and 80 μmol·L-1]for 48 h.Cell confluence and morphology were observed by the IncuCyte ZOOM system.Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay.Lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)release was measured by LDH assay kit.SH-SY5Y cells were treated with CTX(0,1,5,10 and 20 mmol·L-1)and 4-HC(0,1,5,10 and 20 μmol·L-1)for 48 h before cell proliferation was analyzed by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine(EdU)staining assay.Immunofluorescence was employed to assess the levels of the DNA double-strand break marker γ-H2AX and to evaluate changes in mitochondrial membrane potential.SH-SY5Y cells were treated with CTX(0,1,5 and 10 mmol·L-1)and 4-HC(0,1,5 and 10 μmol·L-1)for 48 h,and the alterations in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation levels were analyzed using the Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer.RESULTS Compared with the cell control group,cell confluence and cell viability were significantly reduced in the CTX and 4-HC groups(P<0.01),and the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations(IC50)for CTX and 4-HC were 4.44 mmol·L-1 and 4.78 μmol·L-1,respectively.The release rate of LDH was signif-icantly increased while the percentage of EdU+cells was significantly reduced in the CTX and 4-HC groups(P<0.01).The percentage of γ-H2AX+cells was significantly increased and mitochondrial membrane potential significantly decreased in the CTX and 4-HC group(P<0.05).Treatment with CTX and 4-HC resulted in reduced levels of maximum glycolytic capacity,glycolytic reserve,maximal respi-ration,and ATP production(P<0.05).CONCLUSION CTX and 4-HC exert significant cytotoxic effects on SH-SY5Y cells by disrupting cell membrane structure,impeding cell proliferation,and reducing cell viability.The mechanisms underlying these effects may involve intracellular DNA damage,disturbance of energy metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction.

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