1.Synergistic Activation of LEPR and ADRB2 Induced by Leptin Enhances Reactive Oxygen Specie Generation in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Chang LIU ; Jing YU ; Yongjun DU ; Yu XIE ; Xiaofei SONG ; Chang LIU ; Yan YAN ; Yue WANG ; Junfang QIN
Cancer Research and Treatment 2025;57(2):457-477
Purpose:
Leptin interacts not only with leptin receptor (LEPR) but also engages with other receptors. While the pro-oncogenic effects of the adrenergic receptor β2 (ADRB2) are well-established, the role of leptin in activating ADRB2 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains unclear.
Materials and Methods:
The pro-carcinogenic effects of LEPR were investigated using murine TNBC cell lines, 4T1 and EMT6, and a tumor-bearing mouse model. Expression levels of LEPR, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), and ADRB2 in TNBC cells and tumor tissues were analyzed via western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were assessed using flow cytometry and MitoSox staining, while immunofluorescence double-staining confirmed the co-localization of LEPR and ADRB2.
Results:
LEPR activation promoted NOX4-derived ROS and mitochondrial ROS production, facilitating TNBC cell proliferation and migration, effects which were mitigated by the LEPR inhibitor Allo-aca. Co-expression of LEPR and ADRB2 was observed on cell membranes, and bioinformatics data revealed a positive correlation between the two receptors. Leptin activated both LEPR and ADRB2, enhancing intracellular ROS generation and promoting tumor progression, which was effectively countered by a specific ADRB2 inhibitor ICI118551. In vivo, leptin injection accelerated tumor growth and lung metastases without affecting appetite, while treatments with Allo-aca or ICI118551 mitigated these effects.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that leptin stimulates the growth and metastasis of TNBC through the activation of both LEPR and ADRB2, resulting in increased ROS production. These findings highlight LEPR and ADRB2 as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in TNBC.
2.Synergistic Activation of LEPR and ADRB2 Induced by Leptin Enhances Reactive Oxygen Specie Generation in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Chang LIU ; Jing YU ; Yongjun DU ; Yu XIE ; Xiaofei SONG ; Chang LIU ; Yan YAN ; Yue WANG ; Junfang QIN
Cancer Research and Treatment 2025;57(2):457-477
Purpose:
Leptin interacts not only with leptin receptor (LEPR) but also engages with other receptors. While the pro-oncogenic effects of the adrenergic receptor β2 (ADRB2) are well-established, the role of leptin in activating ADRB2 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains unclear.
Materials and Methods:
The pro-carcinogenic effects of LEPR were investigated using murine TNBC cell lines, 4T1 and EMT6, and a tumor-bearing mouse model. Expression levels of LEPR, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), and ADRB2 in TNBC cells and tumor tissues were analyzed via western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were assessed using flow cytometry and MitoSox staining, while immunofluorescence double-staining confirmed the co-localization of LEPR and ADRB2.
Results:
LEPR activation promoted NOX4-derived ROS and mitochondrial ROS production, facilitating TNBC cell proliferation and migration, effects which were mitigated by the LEPR inhibitor Allo-aca. Co-expression of LEPR and ADRB2 was observed on cell membranes, and bioinformatics data revealed a positive correlation between the two receptors. Leptin activated both LEPR and ADRB2, enhancing intracellular ROS generation and promoting tumor progression, which was effectively countered by a specific ADRB2 inhibitor ICI118551. In vivo, leptin injection accelerated tumor growth and lung metastases without affecting appetite, while treatments with Allo-aca or ICI118551 mitigated these effects.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that leptin stimulates the growth and metastasis of TNBC through the activation of both LEPR and ADRB2, resulting in increased ROS production. These findings highlight LEPR and ADRB2 as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in TNBC.
3.Synergistic Activation of LEPR and ADRB2 Induced by Leptin Enhances Reactive Oxygen Specie Generation in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Chang LIU ; Jing YU ; Yongjun DU ; Yu XIE ; Xiaofei SONG ; Chang LIU ; Yan YAN ; Yue WANG ; Junfang QIN
Cancer Research and Treatment 2025;57(2):457-477
Purpose:
Leptin interacts not only with leptin receptor (LEPR) but also engages with other receptors. While the pro-oncogenic effects of the adrenergic receptor β2 (ADRB2) are well-established, the role of leptin in activating ADRB2 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains unclear.
Materials and Methods:
The pro-carcinogenic effects of LEPR were investigated using murine TNBC cell lines, 4T1 and EMT6, and a tumor-bearing mouse model. Expression levels of LEPR, NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4), and ADRB2 in TNBC cells and tumor tissues were analyzed via western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were assessed using flow cytometry and MitoSox staining, while immunofluorescence double-staining confirmed the co-localization of LEPR and ADRB2.
Results:
LEPR activation promoted NOX4-derived ROS and mitochondrial ROS production, facilitating TNBC cell proliferation and migration, effects which were mitigated by the LEPR inhibitor Allo-aca. Co-expression of LEPR and ADRB2 was observed on cell membranes, and bioinformatics data revealed a positive correlation between the two receptors. Leptin activated both LEPR and ADRB2, enhancing intracellular ROS generation and promoting tumor progression, which was effectively countered by a specific ADRB2 inhibitor ICI118551. In vivo, leptin injection accelerated tumor growth and lung metastases without affecting appetite, while treatments with Allo-aca or ICI118551 mitigated these effects.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that leptin stimulates the growth and metastasis of TNBC through the activation of both LEPR and ADRB2, resulting in increased ROS production. These findings highlight LEPR and ADRB2 as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in TNBC.
4.Construction and validation of a novel prognostic risk scoring table for patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure
Zhanhu BI ; Haifeng HU ; Hong DU ; Linxu WANG ; Xiaofei YANG ; Yidi DING ; Jianqi LIAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(10):2102-2109
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and to construct a risk scoring table that can accurately predict the prognosis of patients in the early stage. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 502 patients with ACLF who were admitted to Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2020 (training set), and the influencing factors for 28-day mortality rate were identified. The 69 ACLF patients who were admitted to Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, from January 1 to December 31, 2021 were enrolled as the validation set. The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. A univariate Cox regression analysis was used to obtain the early warning indicators associated with the 28-day prognosis of ACLF patients, and variance inflation factors were used to assess multicollinearity among predictors; a multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to construct a risk model for ACLF prognosis (mortality). A risk scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) was developed based on regression coefficients (β) from the model equation and weight assignments in the nomogram. Internal validation and comparison were performed for the risk model for ACLF prognosis (mortality), the scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality), and other scoring models (Child-Turcotte-Pugh [CTP] score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease [MELD] score, MELD combined with serum sodium concentration [MELD-Na] score, and integrated MELD [iMELD] score) in the training set, while external validation and comprehensive evaluation of the scoring table and the other scoring models were performed in the validation set. The Nagelkerke’s R2 test and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test were used to assess the degree of fitting of the risk model for ACLF prognosis (mortality), the scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality), and other scoring models, and fitting curves were plotted. C-index was used to assess the discriminatory ability of the scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) and the other scoring models, and the Z-test was used for comparison of C-index between different models. The decision curve analysis was used to compare the clinical benefits of the scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) and the other scoring models. ResultsThe multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age (hazard ratio [HR]=1.027, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.015 — 1.039, P<0.001), hepatic encephalopathy grade (grade 1: HR=2.928, 95%CI: 1.463 — 5.858, P=0.002; grade 2: HR=3.811, 95%CI: 2.078 — 6.988, P<0.001; grade 3: HR=3.916, 95%CI: 1.917 — 8.001, P<0.001; grade 4: HR=6.966, 95%CI: 4.559 — 10.644, P<0.001), an increase in total bilirubin (TBil) by ≥17.1 μmol/L per day (HR=1.771, 95%CI: 1.248 — 2.513, P=0.001), creatinine (HR=1.005, 95%CI: 1.004 — 1.006, P<0.001), neutrophil count (HR=1.092, 95%CI: 1.060 — 1.126, P<0.001), and international normalized ratio (HR=1.298, 95%CI: 1.187 — 1.418, P<0.001) were independent risk factors associated with the 28-day mortality rate of ACLF patients, and a risk scoring table was constructed for ACLF prognosis (mortality). The Nagelkerke’s R2 test showed that the risk scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) had an R2 value of 0.599 in the training set and 0.722 in the validation set, which were higher than the R2 values of CTP, MELD, MELD-Na, and iMELD scores. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed that the risk scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) had a P value of 0.280 in the training set and 0.788 in the validation set. The C-index analysis showed that the scoring table had a higher C-index than the other scoring models in the validation set (all P<0.001), as well as a higher C-index than CTP score in the training set (P<0.001). The decision curve analysis showed that the risk scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) had higher clinical net benefits than the other scoring models. ConclusionCompared with other scoring models currently used in clinical practice, the novel risk scoring table for ACLF prognosis (mortality) constructed based on the six predictive factors of age, hepatic encephalopathy grade, an increase in TBil by ≥17.1 μmol/L per day, creatinine, neutrophil count, and international normalized ratio has a relatively high value in predicting the 28-day prognosis of ACLF patients.
5.Participation of clinical pharmacists in QTc interval prolongation induced by gilteritinib
Xiaolin CUI ; Xiaofei FU ; Yanhong DU ; Juan LIU ; Qian ZHU ; Ziqi LIU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2024;42(6):263-266
Objective To explore the role of clinical pharmacists involved in the case of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia whose QTc interval prolongation was induced by gilteritinib,and to provide reference for drug treatment and monitoring of those patients.Methods The abnormal electrocardiogram(ECG)of a patient with acute myeloid leukemia was found in time by clinical pharmacists,who participated in clinical diagnosis and treatment by analyzing the patient's underlying diseases,diagnosis and treatment process,therapeutic drugs and their potential interactions.Results Clinical pharmacists suspected that the prolonged QTc interval was likely to be an adverse reaction caused by gilteritinib,and recommended immediate discontinuation of the drug and re-examination of the electrocardiogram.The physician took the suggestion to stop the suspected drug therapy with gilteritinib promptly,and ECG was rechecked 3 d later,and the QTc value returned to the normal range.Conclusion Clinical pharmacists participating in clinical diagnosis and treatment could provide better pharmaceutical care for patients.
6.Efficacy of Fuyang Tongluo therapy combined with conventional western medicine in elderly patients with coronary heart disease and heart failure
Songbo CHAI ; Yakang DU ; Shujuan ZHANG ; Jiangbo WU ; Xiaofei WANG
Journal of China Medical University 2024;53(6):531-535
Objective To explore the therapeutic efficacy of the Fuyang Tongluo therapy combined with conventional western medicine in elderly patients with heart failure due to coronary heart disease.Methods In this single-blind randomized controlled trial,96 elderly patients with coronary heart disease and heart failure were randomly divided into three groups,each consisting of 32 individuals.Control group A was treated with conventional western medicine(atorvastatin combined with metoprolol),control group B with Fuyang Tongluo therapy,and the observation group with Fuyang Tongluo therapy and conventional western medicine.The three groups were compared in terms of therapeutic efficacy and traditional Chinese medicine symptom points as well as blood interleukin(IL)-23 and IL-17 levels,left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)values before and after treatment.Results The total clinical efficacy rate in the observation group was 93.75%,which was significantly higher than those in control groups A(68.75%)and B(65.63%)(P<0.05).After 4 and 8 weeks of treatment,the primary and minor symptom scores,total symptom scores,LVESD,LVEDD,and IL-23 and IL-17 levels in the observation group were significantly lower than those in control groups A and B(P<0.05).Conclusion The combination of the Fuyang Tongluo therapy with conventional western medicine exhibited good therapeutic efficacy in elderly patients with coronary heart disease and heart failure.These effects were achieved by inhibiting excessive expression of the inflammatory axis factors IL-23 and IL-17 and promoting the recovery of cardiac function.
7.Research progress on pathogenesis of diabetes accelerating the progression of tendinosis
Zhaoyuan DU ; Huajun WANG ; Xiaofei ZHENG
Modern Hospital 2024;24(6):959-964,969
Objective Search and collect the previous relevant literature on the influence of diabetes on the progress of tendinosis,summarize the relevant conclusions and discuss the pathogenesis of diabetes accelerating the progress of tendinosis,mainly including summarizing the biomechanical and histological changes of diseased tendons in diabetes patients,as well as its pathogenesis at the cellular level.Methods This paper reviewed and analyzed the domestic and foreign literature related to dia-betes tendinosis by searching some Chinese and English databases like PubMed,Springer Link,CNKI,Google Academic.Re-sults Most previous studies more support the theory of degeneration as the pathogenesis of tendinosis,but now more and more researchers find that diabetes,as a systemic metabolic disease,can induce the occurrence of tendinosis through a variety of mech-anisms,or aggravate the progress of tendinosis,such as the accumulation of advanced glycation end products(AGEs)at the le-sion site,chronic inflammatory reaction at the lesion site,increased oxidative stress level of tendon cells And changes in the ac-tivities of matrix metalloproteinases and glutamine transaminase.By summarizing and analyzing the various understandings of dia-betes on the pathogenesis of tendinosis proposed by previous researchers,the relationship between diabetes and tendinosis is grad-ually clear.Conclusion As a systemic metabolic disease,diabetes can induce the occurrence of tendinosis or aggravate the pro-gress of tendinosis through a variety of ways and mechanisms.Research and clarification of these ways can provide us with a pow-erful weapon to study and treat tendinosis.However,at present,there are many possible pathogenesis of diabetes tendinosis,which still needs to be studied step by step to further clarify its main pathogenesis.
8.Effects of Pingan qushi prescription on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome,adverse events,and compliance in young and middle-aged patients with hypertension
Songbo CHAI ; Yakang DU ; Shujuan ZHANG ; Jiangbo WU ; Xiaofei WANG
Journal of China Medical University 2024;53(1):8-14
Objective To investigate the effects of the Pingan qushi prescription on traditional Chinese medicine syndrome,adverse events,and compliance in young and middle-aged hypertensive patients.Methods One hundred thirty-two young and middle-aged patients with hypertension were selected and randomly divided into two groups.After elimination,64 cases were included in each group.For 2 months,the control group was treated with irbesartan tablets,and the observation group underwent the Pingan qushi prescription based on the control group.The blood pressure,curative effect,traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score,safety,adverse events,and prognosis-related indicators were compared between the two groups.Results The total effective rate of the observation group(96.88%,92.19%)was higher than that of the control group(82.52%,78.13%),and the difference was statistically significant(P = 0.005,P = 0.025).After 1 and 2 months of treatment,the blood pressure,syndrome scores,ALD,PRA,AngⅡ,and ET-1 in the observation group were lower than those in the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(all P<0.05).There was no sig-nificant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups(P>0.05).There was no statistically significant difference(P>0.05)in the incidence of adverse events during treatment between the observation group(1.56%)and control group(10.94%).Conclusion The treatment of young and middle-aged community patients with hypertension undergoing the Pingan qushi pre-scription can further improve patients'symptoms,increase blood pressure control,promote prognosis improvement.
9.Clinical features and early warning indicators of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure and bacterial infection
Zhanhu BI ; Linxu WANG ; Haifeng HU ; Hong DU ; Yidi DING ; Xiaofei YANG ; Jiayi ZHAN ; Fei HU ; Denghui YU ; Hongkai XU ; Jianqi LIAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(4):760-766
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical features of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and bacterial infection and early warning indicators associated with multidrug-resistant infections. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 130 patients with ACLF and bacterial infection who attended The Second Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2021, and according to the drug susceptibility results, the patients were divided into multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infection group with 80 patients and non-MDR bacterial infection group with 50 patients. General information and laboratory examination results were compared between the two groups to screen for the early warning indicators associated with MDR bacterial infection. The Student’s t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data with homogeneity of variance between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data or continuous data with heterogeneity of variance between two groups; the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The binary logistic regression analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to assess the predictive value of early warning indicators. ResultsAmong the 130 patients with ACLF and bacterial infection, sputum (27.7%) was the most common specimen for detection, followed by blood (24.6%), urine (18.5%), and ascites (17.7%). Bacterial infections were dominated by Gram-negative bacteria (58.5%). Of all bacteria, Escherichia coli (18.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.6%), and Enterococcus faecium (13.8%) were the most common pathogens. Gram-positive bacteria had a high resistance rate to the antibacterial drugs such as erythromycin (72.2%), penicillin (57.4%), ampicillin (55.6%), and ciprofloxacin (53.7%), while Gram-negative bacteria had a high resistance rate to the antibacterial drugs such as ampicillin (73.3%), cefazolin (50.0%), and cefepime (47.4%). The patients with ACLF and bacterial infection had a relatively high rate of MDR bacterial infection (61.5%). Comparison of clinical data between the two groups showed that compared with the patients with non-MDR bacterial infection, the patients with MDR bacterial infection had significantly higher levels of alanine aminotransferase (Z=2.089, P=0.037), aspartate aminotransferase (Z=2.063, P=0.039), white blood cell count (Z=2.207, P=0.027), and monocyte count (Z=4.413, P<0.001). The binary logistic regression analysis showed that monocyte count was an independent risk factor for MDR bacterial infection (odds ratio=7.120, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.478 — 20.456,P<0.001) and had an area under the ROC curve of 0.686 (95%CI: 0.597 — 0.776) in predicting ACLF with MDR bacterial infection(P<0.001), with the optimal cut-off value of 0.50×109/L, a sensitivity of 0.725, and a specificity of 0.400. ConclusionACLF combined with bacterial infections is mainly caused by Gram-negative bacteria, with the common pathogens of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae and a relatively high MDR rate in clinical practice. An increase in monocyte count can be used as an early warning indicator to distinguish MDR bacterial infection from non-MDR bacterial infection.
10.A comparative study on the success rate and safety between computed tomography-guided gastrostomy and endoscopic gastrostomy
Kepu DU ; Yucheng HE ; Xiaofei LOU ; Meng WANG ; Yadan LI ; Mengyu GAO ; Fei GAO ; Zhigang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Digestion 2023;43(2):102-106
Objective:To compare and analyze the technical success rate and safety between computed tomography(CT)-percutaneous radiological gastrostomy (PRG) and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG).Methods:From January 2017 to January 2022, at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, the data of 76 patients who underwent gastrostomy due to inability to eat orally were collected, including 38 patients in PEG group and 38 patients in CT-PRG group. Surgical outcomes and complications were compared between the PEG and CT-PRG groups. Surgical outcomes included technical success rate, operation time, postoperative body mass index and hospital stay; while complications included minor complications (such as perifistula infection, granulation tissue proliferation, leakage, pneumoperitoneum, fistula tube obstruction, fistula tube detachment and persistent pain) and serious complications (such as bleeding, peritonitis, colonic perforation and death within 30 d). Independent sample t test, chi-square test, and Fisher exact probability test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The technical success rate of CT-PRG group was higher than that of the PEG group (100.0%, 38/38 vs. 78.9%, 30/38), and the operation time was shorter than that of the PEG group ((17.16±8.52) min vs. (29.33±16.22) min), and the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=1.19, t=2.36; P=0.038 and 0.011). There were no significant differences in postoperative body mass index ((16.29±3.56) kg/m 2 vs. (16.12±3.17) kg/m 2) and hospital stay ((4.13±1.26) d vs. (3.52±1.13) d) between PEG group and CT-PRG group (both P>0.05). The incidence of minor complications in the PEG group was 42.1% (16/38), including 6 cases of perifistulal infection, 1 case of leakage, 5 cases of fistula tube obstruction, 1 case of fistula tube detachment, and 3 cases of persistent pain. The incidence of serious complications was 5.3% (2/38), including 1 case of bleeding and 1 case of colonic perforation. The incidence of minor complications in the CT-PRG group was 39.5% (15/38), including 5 cases of perifistula infection, 1 case of granulation tissue proliferation, 3 cases of pneumoperitoneum, 3 cases of fistula tube obstruction, 2 cases of fistula tube detachment, and 1 case of persistent pain. The incidence of serious complications was 0. There was no significant difference in the incidence of minor complications between the PEG group and the CT-PRG group ( P>0.05), while the incidence of serious complications in the CT-PRG group was lower than that of the PEG group, and the difference was statistically significant (Fisher exact probability test, P=0.043). Conclusion:PEG is a safe and effective method of gastrostomy, but for patients with esophageal obstruction, CT-PRG can be an effective supplement to PEG.

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