1.SIRT5 Potentiates Hepatocarcinogenesis by Modulating Protein Acylation in Mice
Yu ZHANG ; Feng-Rui REN ; Jia-Yun LI ; Xiang-Yu CHEN ; Zi-Yi WANG ; Qi SUN ; Jun-Cheng ZHAO ; Ye ZHANG ; Zhen HUANG ; Hao HU ; Tao-Tao WEI ; Min XIAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1712-1722
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.
2.Effect of Acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) on Improving Autism by Promoting Myelination Through The METTL14/m⁶A/PTEN Axis Based on “Xuanfu-Suiqiao” Theory
Wei-Li DANG ; Lü-Yuan LIANG ; Yu-Xin LI ; Zhi-Yao LI ; Sai-Dan LIU ; Jia-Lei CAO ; Rong-Ze MA ; Yun-Kai WANG ; Xiao-Qing YANG ; Bing-Qi WEI ; Bing-Xiang MA
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(5):1165-1177
ObjectiveTo clarify whether METTL14 mediates the core role of acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) in promoting myelination and improving behavior in young autistic rats through gene intervention technology. MethodsThe ASD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) in pregnant rats. Male offspring were intracerebroventricularly injected with adenovirus-packaged METTL14 shRNA (sh-METTL14) or its control (sh-NC) on postnatal day 1, with a model group set as well. Subsequently, the juvenile rats were divided into model group, acupuncture group, acupuncture+sh-NC group, and acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) from postnatal day 7, once daily for 21 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral changes were evaluated by behavioral tests; METTL14 knockdown efficiency and the expression of METTL14, METTL3, and PTEN were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB); PTEN m6A levels were measured by RNA immunoprecipitation-qPCR (RIP-qPCR); myelin ultrastructure, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofascin 155 (NF155), and dendritic spine density were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and primary neuron culture. ResultsBehaviorally, knockdown of METTL14 significantly counteracted the beneficial effects of acupuncture in improving self-grooming, open field exploration, three-chamber social interaction, and Morris water maze learning and memory (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the acupuncture+sh-NC group, the acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of hippocampal METTL14 (P<0.01), and the upregulating effects of acupuncture on METTL3 and PTEN expression were reversed (P<0.01). Meanwhile, knockdown of METTL14 significantly inhibited the acupuncture-induced increase in PTEN m6A levels (P<0.01). Morphologically, knockdown of METTL14 attenuated the improvement of myelin structure by acupuncture, reversed the downregulation of MBP and upregulation of NF155 induced by acupuncture, and blocked the increase in dendritic spine density (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionMETTL14 is a key molecule mediating the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Neiguan. Acupuncture at Neiguan upregulates METTL14, thereby enhancing m6A methylation modification of PTEN mRNA to stabilize its expression, ultimately promoting myelin development and improving behavioral symptoms in ASD juvenile rats. This preliminarily reveals the modern biological connotation of “opening Xuanfu and dredging myelin”.
3.Construction and efficacy verification of an intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform based on AI hallucination-suppression
Zhengwang WEN ; Jiaying WANG ; Wenyue YANG ; Haoyu YANG ; Xiao MA ; Yun LIU
China Pharmacy 2026;37(2):226-231
OBJECTIVE To construct an intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform for precision medication with low “artificial intelligence (AI) hallucination”, aiming to enhance the accuracy, consistency, and traceability of medication consultations. METHODS Medication package inserts were batch-processed and converted into structured data through Python programming to build a local pharmaceutical knowledge base. The retrieval and question-answering processes were designed based on large language models, and system integration and localized deployment were completed on Dify platform. By designing typical clinical medication questions and comparing the output of the intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform with the online version of DeepSeek across dimensions such as peak time retrieval, half-life, and dosage adjustment reasoning for patients with renal impairment, the accuracy and reliability of its retrieval and reasoning results were evaluated. RESULTS The intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform, constructed based on local drug package inserts, achieved 100% accuracy in retrieval and reasoning for peak time, half-life, and dosage adjustment schemes. In comparison, the online version of DeepSeek demonstrated accuracies of 30%(6/20), 50%(10/20), and 38%(23/60) across these three dimensions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The constructed intelligent pharmaceutical Q&A platform is capable of accurately retrieving and extracting information from the local knowledge base based on clinical inquiries, thereby avoiding the occurrence of AI hallucinations and providing reliable medication decision support for healthcare professionals.
4.Effect of Acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) on Improving Autism by Promoting Myelination Through The METTL14/m⁶A/PTEN Axis Based on “Xuanfu-Suiqiao” Theory
Wei-Li DANG ; Lü-Yuan LIANG ; Yu-Xin LI ; Zhi-Yao LI ; Sai-Dan LIU ; Jia-Lei CAO ; Rong-Ze MA ; Yun-Kai WANG ; Xiao-Qing YANG ; Bing-Qi WEI ; Bing-Xiang MA
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(5):1165-1177
ObjectiveTo clarify whether METTL14 mediates the core role of acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) in promoting myelination and improving behavior in young autistic rats through gene intervention technology. MethodsThe ASD model was established by intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (VPA) in pregnant rats. Male offspring were intracerebroventricularly injected with adenovirus-packaged METTL14 shRNA (sh-METTL14) or its control (sh-NC) on postnatal day 1, with a model group set as well. Subsequently, the juvenile rats were divided into model group, acupuncture group, acupuncture+sh-NC group, and acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) from postnatal day 7, once daily for 21 consecutive days. Neurobehavioral changes were evaluated by behavioral tests; METTL14 knockdown efficiency and the expression of METTL14, METTL3, and PTEN were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot (WB); PTEN m6A levels were measured by RNA immunoprecipitation-qPCR (RIP-qPCR); myelin ultrastructure, expression of myelin basic protein (MBP) and neurofascin 155 (NF155), and dendritic spine density were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, and primary neuron culture. ResultsBehaviorally, knockdown of METTL14 significantly counteracted the beneficial effects of acupuncture in improving self-grooming, open field exploration, three-chamber social interaction, and Morris water maze learning and memory (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the acupuncture+sh-NC group, the acupuncture+sh-METTL14 group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of hippocampal METTL14 (P<0.01), and the upregulating effects of acupuncture on METTL3 and PTEN expression were reversed (P<0.01). Meanwhile, knockdown of METTL14 significantly inhibited the acupuncture-induced increase in PTEN m6A levels (P<0.01). Morphologically, knockdown of METTL14 attenuated the improvement of myelin structure by acupuncture, reversed the downregulation of MBP and upregulation of NF155 induced by acupuncture, and blocked the increase in dendritic spine density (P<0.05, P<0.01). ConclusionMETTL14 is a key molecule mediating the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Neiguan. Acupuncture at Neiguan upregulates METTL14, thereby enhancing m6A methylation modification of PTEN mRNA to stabilize its expression, ultimately promoting myelin development and improving behavioral symptoms in ASD juvenile rats. This preliminarily reveals the modern biological connotation of “opening Xuanfu and dredging myelin”.
5.Fluorescence Suppression Method of Raman Spectroscopy and Its Application in Skin and Cosmetics Analysis
Yun-Xia CHEN ; Jia-Rong WANG ; Jian-Yu ZHU ; Shi-Wen LIN ; Ya-Nan LIU ; Xiao-Yue MA ; Guang-Cheng XI ; Juan LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(7):1914-1926
Owing to its inherent advantages—such as being non-destructive, rapid, highly molecule-specific, and minimally interfered with by moisture—Raman spectroscopy has been widely adopted in the fields of skin barrier function assessment, monitoring the transdermal penetration of active cosmetic ingredients, and the identification and quality control of cosmetic products. Despite these strengths, the practical application of this technique faces a significant bottleneck: the strong fluorescence background generated by endogenous skin components and exogenous cosmetic additives. Endogenous skin substances, such as structural proteins (e.g., collagen and elastin), metabolic coenzymes (e.g., nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), and pigments (e.g., melanin), together with exogenous cosmetic constituents like organic colorants, chemical sunscreens, and fragrances, often possess strong absorption and emission characteristics. When excited by lasers, these components produce a fluorescence background that can be 106 to 108 times stronger than the Raman scattering signals, effectively masking the inherently weak vibrational fingerprint information. In recent years, driven by the rapid development of optoelectronic hardware and artificial intelligence algorithms, fluorescence suppression strategies have evolved from isolated, single-method approaches into comprehensive, multi-level synergistic systems. These systems are categorized into three distinct tiers: sample preparation, signal acquisition, and data processing. At the sample preparation level, techniques such as photobleaching and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are employed to eliminate or bypass the generation of fluorescence at the source. At the signal acquisition level, instrumental improvements—including the use of long-wavelength near-infrared excitation (typically 785 nm or 1 064 nm), confocal spatial filtering, and shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS)— are utilized to physically isolate Raman signals from the fluorescence background. Furthermore, at the data processing level, numerical baseline correction methods such as polynomial fitting, penalized least squares (e.g., airPLS, arPLS), wavelet transform, and derivative algorithms are increasingly integrated into the analytical pipeline to extract Raman spectral features from mixed signals without increasing hardware costs or acquisition time. This review provides a systematic categorization and critical evaluation of these fluorescence suppression methods, detailing their underlying principles, technical advantages, and inherent limitations in diverse experimental setups. By focusing on critical application scenarios—including skin barrier assessment, percutaneous absorption monitoring, the routine quality control of cosmetics, and the emerging field of portable on-site detection—this paper explores the current state of technique selection and optimization. Finally, the article discusses future development trends, emphasizing the necessity of constructing adaptive, tiered suppression strategies, developing intelligent and automated data processing algorithms, and promoting the integration of portable, multi-modal diagnostic devices. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive technical reference to facilitate the transition of Raman spectroscopy from a specialized laboratory tool into a routine, robust analytical platform for advancements in skin science and cosmetic research.
6.Enzyme-directed Immobilization Strategies for Biosensor Applications
Xing-Bao WANG ; Yao-Hong MA ; Yun-Long XUE ; Xiao-Zhen HUANG ; Yue SHAO ; Yi YU ; Bing-Lian WANG ; Qing-Ai LIU ; Li-He ZHANG ; Wei-Li GONG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):374-394
Immobilized enzyme-based enzyme electrode biosensors, characterized by high sensitivity and efficiency, strong specificity, and compact size, demonstrate broad application prospects in life science research, disease diagnosis and monitoring, etc. Immobilization of enzyme is a critical step in determining the performance (stability, sensitivity, and reproducibility) of the biosensors. Random immobilization (physical adsorption, covalent cross-linking, etc.) can easily bring about problems, such as decreased enzyme activity and relatively unstable immobilization. Whereas, directional immobilization utilizing amino acid residue mutation, affinity peptide fusion, or nucleotide-specific binding to restrict the orientation of the enzymes provides new possibilities to solve the problems caused by random immobilization. In this paper, the principles, advantages and disadvantages and the application progress of enzyme electrode biosensors of different directional immobilization strategies for enzyme molecular sensing elements by specific amino acids (lysine, histidine, cysteine, unnatural amino acid) with functional groups introduced based on site-specific mutation, affinity peptides (gold binding peptides, carbon binding peptides, carbohydrate binding domains) fused through genetic engineering, and specific binding between nucleotides and target enzymes (proteins) were reviewed, and the application fields, advantages and limitations of various immobilized enzyme interface characterization techniques were discussed, hoping to provide theoretical and technical guidance for the creation of high-performance enzyme sensing elements and the manufacture of enzyme electrode sensors.
7.Simultaneous management of transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair for a case of aortic regurgitation combined mitral valve prolapse
Yun-long MA ; Rui-feng LI ; Ming-jun HE ; Shun WANG ; Xiao-zhen ZHUO ; Ke HAN
Chinese Journal of Interventional Cardiology 2025;33(10):588-593
Aortic regurgitation and mitral regurgitation are more common in elderly heart valve disease,and both may be present in some patients.Severe aortic regurgitation complicated with severe mitral regurgitation often requires surgical valve replacement,but in patients at high risk of surgery,the risk of perioperative mortality is significantly increased.Therefore,for such patients,minimally invasive interventions can significantly improve long-term patient outcomes while reducing surgical risk.This article report a case of transcatheter aortic valve replacement combined with transcatheter edge-to-edge repair in the treatment of severe aortic regurgitation combined with mitral valve prolapse,in order to explore new treatment ideas for similar cases.
8.Angiotensin Ⅱ type 1a receptor knockout ameliorates high-fat diet induced cardiac dysfunction by attenuating ferroptosis
Xiao-xiao YIN ; Jin WANG ; Ai-yun LI ; Li-qing WANG ; Min GOU ; Xiang-ying JIAO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(11):2105-2112
Aim To investigate the effect of angioten-sin Ⅱ type 1a receptor(AT1aR)knockout on cardiac dysfunction in rats with obesity and its possible molecu-lar mechanism.Methods SD rats(n=24)were used to generated the whole-body AT1 aR-deficiency rats by sgRNA and the CRISPR/Cas9 system,and the obesity model was constructed by feeding with high-fat diet(HFD).They were divided into four groups:wildtype(WT)and knockout(KO)groups with nor-mal feeding and their respective high-fat diets groups.Color ultrasound diagnostic instrument was uses to e-valuate the cardiac function;oil red O staining was a-dopted to stain the myocardial lipids;RT-PCR was used to detect the levels of GPX4 and Ptgs2 genes in myocardial tissue.Western blot was employed to detect the expression of GPX4,ferritin,Nrf2,HO-1 and NQO1 in rat myocardial tissue.ELISA and other kits were used to determine the lipid contents in serum and myocardium.Results It was found that high-fat feed-ing caused cardiac dysfunction,serum lipid disorders,oxidative stress and ferroptosis in SD rats.However,these changes were attenuated in AT1aR knockout rats fed with high-fat diet.Furthermore,compared with WT-HFD group,KO-HFD rats showed enhanced acti-vation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in the myocardium,reduced ferroptosis,decreased lipid accumulation,and reduced cardiac dysfunction.Conclusion AT1aR knockout can improve HFD-induced cardiac dysfunc-tion by enhancing antioxidant capacity and reducing the degree of ferroptosis.
9.A case of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair performed on a patient with severe atrial functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation
Yi-jiang ZHOU ; Wei-cong XIA ; Kai WANG ; Jun LI ; Ya-wei CUI ; Kai-li WANG ; Yun MOU ; KUSHANI·REYIHAN ; Xiao-gang GUO
Chinese Journal of Interventional Cardiology 2025;33(4):236-240
Persistent atrial fibrillation and other factors can cause mitral and tricuspid annular dilation and leaflet regurgitation,leading to severe functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation.Patients often experience significant heart failure symptoms and poor prognosis.For patients with severe mitral or tricuspid regurgitation who are at high risk or contraindicated for surgical procedures,transbronchial repair(TEER)is an important alternative therapy that can effectively reduce valve regurgitation and improve cardiac function;Although there is a lack of large-scale data on atrial functional reflux,existing experience still shows that TEER can significantly reduce reflux and improve patients'quality of life.However,double valve intervention therapy poses challenges,especially when combined with TEER repair,which is technically more complex,time-consuming,and carries higher risks.Foreign data shows that simultaneous or staged double valve intervention can safely improve cardiac function and increase survival rates,but the optimal intervention strategy still needs further research.Due to the fact that tricuspid TEER devices have not yet been launched in China,only staged treatment can be adopted at present.This case report shows a patient with severe atrial functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation who underwent staged transcatheter edge to edge repair surgery successfully.During a 1-year follow-up,bilateral valve regurgitation continued to improve,indicating that staged repair of bilateral atrioventricular valve regurgitation through the catheter margin is a feasible and effective treatment option.
10.Effect of different detector combinations on head CT image quality and radiation dose in 320-row CT
Yun LUO ; Ming-ran SHAO ; Shang-wen YANG ; Yu-xiao WANG ; Kang SHI ; Ya-yun XU
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(4):57-62
Objective To compare the effects of different detector combinations of 320-row CT on the image quality and radiation dose of head CT to explore the feasibility of using a wide detector for head CT scanning.Methods Totally 100 patients underwent head CT scanning due to trauma or cerebrovascular disease at some hospital from June to August 2023 were collected prospectively and divided into group A and group B by using block randomization grouping method,with the length of the block group being 2 and 50 patients in each group.In group A,all the detectors had the widths at z-axis direction being 40×0.5 mm and head scanning was completed after multiple exposures;in group B,detector combinations with widths of 280×0.5 mm or 320×0.5 mm were chosen based on the patient's head size in the head-foot direction(z-axis direction),and head scanning was performed with a single-turn exposure.The remaining scanning and image reconstruction parameters in the two groups were kept completely consistent.The head image quality of the 2 groups was evaluated objectively and scored subjectively by 2 radiologists.The volume CT dose index(CTDIvol),dose length product(DLP)and exposure time of the 2 groups were recorded,and the effective dose(ED)was calculated.SPSS 22.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results In terms of objective evaluation of image quality,at the level of the parietal skull group B had the CT value of gray matter,image noise and contrast to noise ratio(CNR)of the images higher than those of group A,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05);at the level of the posterior skull group B had the CT values of gray and white matter,image noise and air noise lower while CNR higher than those of group A,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).In terms of subjective scoring of image quality,at the levels of parietal and posterior skull group A behaved better than group B,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).In group A 5 patients had obvious motion artifacts affecting the diagnosis and the image quality scores not higher than 2,and secondary scanning had to be carried out;In group B all the patients had no obvious motion artifacts and met the diagnosis requirements.When compared with group A Group B had the CTDIvol,DLP,ED and exposure time decreased by 17.44%,17.24%,17.48%and 85.53%,respectively,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).Conclusion A wide detector gains advantages over a 20 mm detector in image quality when 320-row CT is used for head CT scanning,with the diagnosis requirements satisfied.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(4):57-62]

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