1.Mechanistic Interpretation of Zheng’s San Qi San Powder in Treating Skeletal Muscle Injury via Bioinformatics Prediction, Chemical Analysis and Experimental Verification
Ding-Rui WANG ; Yun-Xin LIU ; Jun-Jie XU ; Liu YANG ; Jia-Hao LÜ ; Cheng-Yuan XING ; Lei LÜ ; Bei-Bei QIE
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(4):1028-1047
ObjectiveZheng’s San Qi San (ZSQS) power, a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is used for treating soft tissue injuries involving muscles, tendons, and ligaments. However, its underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to screen and identify pharmaceutically active ingredients and their candidate biomolecule targets, and further elucidate the molecular mechanism of ZSQS in the treatment of skeletal muscle injury. MethodsNetwork pharmacology was employed to construct “ZSQS-component-target”, “protein-protein interaction (PPI)” and “active ingredient-core protein-pathway” networks to predict the key active ingredients and potential core targets of ZSQS for skeletal muscle injury. The predicted results were then validated via microarray data from the GEO database. Molecular docking was then performed to assess the binding ability between the screened active ingredients of ZSQS and the candidate core targets. Moreover, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis to verify the active components of the drug and ZSQS serum. Finally, an animal model of eccentric exercise-induced skeletal muscle injury and a myotube cell model of oxidative stress-induced injury were established to validate the effects of ZSQS and its interventional effects on the biological functions of critical targets, thereby demonstrating the potential therapeutic mechanism of ZSQS. ResultsAmong the 111 active components identified in ZSQS and their corresponding 204 targets related to the skeletal muscle injury repair process, 14 core targets (including AKT1) and 4 core active components (quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, and β‑sitosterol) were screened out, while the corresponding metabolites of quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol were detected in the ZSQS serum. Among these targets, 5 candidate genes (IL-6, CASP3, HIF1A, STAT3, and JUN) overlapped with the differential expression screening results with GEO data, and IL-6 was confirmed to be enriched in the PI3K/AKT pathway. Combined with the prediction results of the AKT expression levels, these findings suggest that the phosphorylation level of AKT1 plays a core role in the therapeutic mechanism of ZSQS. Molecular docking analysis further revealed that the PH domain of AKT1 had high binding energy with all 4 core active components, as verified by LC-MS. Finally, animal model studies have shown the promoting effect of ZSQS administration on skeletal muscle injury repair and its possible antioxidant damage mechanism. Cell model studies further demonstrated that ZSQS-containing serum, core active ingredient combination therapy, and quercetin monomer could increase the phosphorylation level of AKT, promote the nuclear translocation of Nrf2, upregulate the expression of downstream antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx, and GR), and inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-6 and TNF-α), thereby alleviating oxidative stress and the inflammatory response. ConclusionZSQS alleviates skeletal muscle injury mainly by activating the AKT/Nrf2 signaling pathway, enhancing cellular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for the clinical application and modernized development of ZSQS.
2.Consideration of Health Economics Evidence in Clinical Practice Guidelines: Methods and Steps
Dongrui PENG ; Qi ZHOU ; Xufei LUO ; Zijun WANG ; Hui LIU ; Junxian ZHAO ; Jinghong HUANG ; Hongyu HU ; Xin XING ; Jing WU ; Shitong XIE ; Xiaohui WANG ; Yaolong CHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(3):862-870
Health economics evidence plays an important role in linking clinical value evidence with health resource allocation decisions in the development of clinical practice guidelines. It can not only effectively balance clinical effectiveness and economic feasibility but also avoid forming "idealized" recommendations that are detached from the affordability of the healthcare system or the burden-bearing capacity of patients. To promote guideline developers to use health economics evidence more standardizedly and fully, this paper conducts an in-depth analysis of the current application status, existing challenges, access channels, and application processes of health economics evidence in current guidelines, and on this basis, puts forward considerations and suggestions for strengthening and standardizing the application of health economics evidence in China's clinical practice guidelines.
3.Differential Improvement in Memory and Executive Functions:Personalized Exercise versus Acupuncture for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Stroke-prone Individuals
Yaoyao XING ; Haoran HU ; Qingping MA ; Jianjun YANG ; Xin WANG
Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience 2026;24(1):67-83
Objective:
This study compared the effects of personalized exercise versus acupuncture on multidimensional cognitive function in individuals at high risk for stroke with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Methods:
A randomized controlled trial enrolled 200 stroke-risk adults aged 50−80 years. Ninety participants diagnosed with MCI (MMSE, HIS, CDR criteria) were randomly assigned to exercise (n = 30), acupuncture (n = 30), or control (n = 30) groups. Interventions lasted 6 months. Cognitive outcomes (MMSE, Raven’s Progressive Matrices, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Animal Fluency, Rey-Osterrieth test, Stroop test) were assessed before and after intervention. Multivariate regression identified risk factors for MCI. ANOVA was used for group comparisons.
Results:
Hypertension (aOR = 1.5) and diabetes (aOR = 1.3) were significant risk factors for MCI. After intervention, the exercise group showed the largest MMSE improvement (Δ = 5.0), compared with acupuncture (Δ = 3.0) and control (Δ = 1.0) (p < 0.001). Exercise produced greater gains in non-verbal reasoning (31.8% vs. 26.1% in acupuncture, p < 0.01). Acupuncture more effectively enhanced processing speed and attention (DSST: Δ = 26 vs. Δ = 20 in exercise, p = 0.03) and executive function (Stroop interference time: Δ = 16 vs. Δ = 15 seconds in exercise, p = 0.04). Both interventions significantly improved verbal fluency (p < 0.001), with larger benefits in those with baseline MMSE ≤ 20.
Conclusion
Hypertension and diabetes are key risk factors for MCI in stroke-prone individuals. Exercise yields greater improvement in global cognition and memory, whereas acupuncture is more effective for enhancing attention and executive function. Both modalities benefit verbal fluency, particularly in lower-functioning participants.
4.Effect of Qishen Yixin Granules on microcirculatory endothelial dysfunction induced by Ang Ⅱ and high-fat diet in mice and its mechanism
Wen-fang JIN ; Zhen-ni ZHANG ; Tian-tian ZHU ; Hu-gang JIANG ; Xin-qiang WANG ; Chun-zhen REN ; Xi-ping XING ; Kai LIU ; Ying-dong LI ; Xin-ke ZHAO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1982-1990
Aim To clarify the mechanism by which Qishen Yixin Granules improved microcirculation vas-cular endothelial dysfunction(VED)in mice,through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway to regulate oxidative stress.Methods C57 mice were randomly divided into six groups:blank group,model group,pos-itive drug group,and low-,medium-,and high-dose groups of Qishen Yixin Granules.The VED model was established by long-term infusion of Ang Ⅱ combined with a high-fat diet.Each treatment group received the corresponding drug intervention.After four weeks of drug intervention,cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography.Carstairs staining was used to ob-serve the formation of microthrombi in myocardial tis-sue.The micro vascular ischemia was evaluated by Hei-denhain staining.The ultrastructure of endothelial cells was observed by electron microscopy.The levels of EMPs,ROS,NO,ET-1,TF,TM,VWF,and TXA2 in serum were measured by ELISA.The expression levels of MDA,SOD,and GSH-Px in mouse heart tissue were determined by chemical methods.Cardiac microvascu-lar density and the expression of Nrf2,Keap1,and HO-1 proteins were detected by Immunohistochemical stai-ning.The protein expressions of Keap1,cytoplasmic Nrf2,nuclear Nrf2,and HO-1 in myocardial tissue were detected by Western blot.Results Qishen Yixin Granules could effectively improve the cardiac function of mice,alleviate the damage of endothelial cells and endothelial function.They could up-regulate serum NO levels and the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GSH-Px,while down-regulating the expression of ROS and vascular inflammatory injury factors such as ET-1,VWF,TXA2,TF,TM,and EMPs.Qishen Yixin Granules also increased the positive counts of CD34,Nrf2,and HO-1,as well as microvessel density.Fur-thermore,they inhibited the expression of MDA,Keap1,and cytoplasmic Nrf2 protein in myocardial tis-sue,while increasing the expression of nuclear proteins HO-1 and Nrf2.Conclusions Qishen Yixin Granules may inhibit oxidative stress and inflammatory response by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway,thereby improving vascular endothelial damage and cardiac function in VED mice.
5.A Novel Scorpion Toxin LmKTx13 Inhibits the Voltage-gated Potassium Channel Kv1.3
Jia-Xin QIN ; Xiao-Qing LUO ; Min-Juan LU ; Jun-Xian JU ; Qing ZHOU ; Wen-Xing WANG ; Zhong-Hua LIU ; Min-Zhi CHEN ; Xi ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(10):1392-1401
Kv1.3,a voltage-gated potassium channel,is highly expressed in T lymphocytes,the nervous system,and vascular smooth muscle cells.It plays a critical role in membrane excitability and electrical signal transduction,serving as an important target for studying T-cell function and providing a promising direction for developing therapeutics against autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.Therefore,the de-velopment of specific inhibitors of Kv1.3 channel has emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy for these disorders.In this study,we isolated and purified a novel Kv1.3-inhibitory peptide toxin,LmKTx13,from the venom of the scorpion Lychas mucronatus using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chroma-tography(RP-HPLC).LmKTx13 consists of 38 amino acid residues,including six cysteines that form three disulfide bonds.Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings revealed that LmKTx13 potently inhibited Kv1.3 with an IC50 of 7.92±3.0 nmol/L.Selectivity analysis showed that 2 μmol/L LmKTx13 also in-hibited Kv1.2 and Kv1.7,but exhibited no significant effects on other potassium channel subtypes or voltage-gated sodium channels.Further investigation into the mechanism demonstrated that LmKTx13 acts as a pore-blocking inhibitor of Kv1.3.By analyzing the effects of LmKTx13 on Kv1.3 channel gating ki-netics and performing sequence alignment of the pore regions of Kv1.3 and Kv1.5,we constructed site-directed mutants and identified the pore region of Kv1.3 as the critical binding site for LmKTx13.Key residues involved in the interaction included T425,G427,and H451.In summary,we discovered a no-vel pore-blocking Kv1.3 inhibitor,LmKTx13,from L.mucronatus venom,which exhibits high affinity and selectivity for Kv1.3.These findings highlight its potential as a potential lead molecule for developing Kv1.3-targeted therapeutics.
6.Construction and clinical validation of a machine learning-based nomogram model for predicting lymphatic leakage following radical prostatectomy
Xiudong YANG ; Xing LIU ; Xin LIU ; Yan JIANG ; Wei WANG ; Zongbin HE ; Sha HUANG ; Meihong WEN ; Yazhen LIU
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2025;41(21):3378-3384
Objective To identify risk factors associated with lymphatic leakage after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy(LRP)and to develop a machine learning-based nomogram for predicting such outcomes to support clinical prevention strategies.Methods We retrospectively analyzed perioperative data from 248 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer between January 2020 and January 2024.Independent risk factors were identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.A predictive model was developed,and its diagnostic performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC).Five-fold cross-validation was performed to evaluate the model's generalizability.A nomogram was subsequently constructed to facilitate individualized risk quantification.Results Among the 248 patients,89(35.9%)developed lymphatic leakage,while 159(64.1%)did not.Independent risk factors for lymphatic leakage included intraopera-tive lymph node dissection(OR=5.415,95%CI:2.167~13.532,P<0.001),intraoperative plasma transfusion(OR=2.952,95%CI:1.524~5.718,P=0.001),and postoperative fasting duration of≥2 days(OR=1.412,95%CI:1.089~1.829,P=0.009).The predictive model showed good discrimination and calibration(AUC=0.711,95%CI:0.647~0.776,P<0.001;sensitivity:0.764;specificity:0.597).Model robustness was confirmed through five-fold cross-validation(training set AUC=0.822;test set AUC=0.829).The nomogram provided a clinically useful tool for quantifying individual risk of lymphatic leakage.Conclusions Intraoperative lymph node dissection,plasma transfusion,and postoperative fasting lasting≥2 days are independent risk factors for lymphatic leakage following radical prostatectomy.The validated predictive model demonstrates favorable clinical utility.
7.Effects of volatile oil from Acorus tatarinowii on CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signal axis and neuroinflammation in a rat model of tic disorders
Yan-qin DING ; Peng FENG ; Ming-lu WANG ; Yu-tong WANG ; Ke-xin SUN ; Xing WEI ; Yong-yan TIAN ; Xing-ping TANG ; Ping LI ; Ruo-lan LU ; Ling LI
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(6):1825-1833
AIM To investigate the effects of volatile oil from Acorus tatarinowii Schott(A.tatarinowii)on neuroinflammation in a rat model of tic disorders.METHODS The SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group(8 rats)and the model group(40 rats).The rat models of tic disorders established successfully by intraperitoneal injection of iminodiapropionitrile(IDPN)were further divided into the model group,the tiapride group and the high-dose,moderate-dose and low-dose A.tatarinowii volatile oil groups,with 8 rats in each group.The 4-week intragastric treatment of respective drug was initiated the next day after the completion of modeling,and normal saline was dosed upon the blank group and the model group,during which the rats' behavioral changes were assessed by stereotyped behavior and motor behavior score every week.After the administration,the rats had their morphological changes of striatal neurons observed by Nissl staining;their levels of TGF-β,IL-10,TNF-αand IL-1β in serum and striatum detected by ELISA;their striatal protein expressions of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1 detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry;and their striatal expressions of M1,M2 microglia marker proteins CD86,CD206,SYN and PSD-95 detected by immunofluorescence co-staining.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the A.tatarinowii volatile oil groups demonstrated improved twitch-like behavior;decreased scores of motor behavior and rigid behavior(P<0.01);alleviated damage of Nissl bodies in neurons;increased serum and striatum levels of TGF-β and IL-10(P<0.05,P<0.01);decreased levels of TNF-α and IL-1β(P<0.01);decreased striatal protein expressions of CX3CL1 and CX3CR1(P<0.01);increased protein expressions of PSD95 and SYN(P<0.05,P<0.01);and decreased CD86/Iba1(P<0.01)and increased CD206/Iba1(P<0.01)in terms of the fluorescence intensity.CONCLUSION A.tatarinowii volatile oil contributes an anti-tic effect and improves the neuroinflammation in the brain of the rat model of tic disorders by promoting the transformation of microglia into M2 type via CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signal axis.
8.Protective effect of Tilianin on septicemia-induced myocardial injury in rat based on TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway
Jian-xin HAO ; Yong-xin ZHANG ; Yue WANG ; Lei XU ; Rui-fang ZHENG ; Jian-guo XING
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(6):1135-1141
Aim To investigate the protective effects of Tilianin on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced septice-mia-induced myocardial injury in rats and to explore the related mechanisms.Methods Animals were ran-domly grouped and a rat septicemia-induced myocardial injury model was constructed.Echocardiography was used to assess the cardiac function of rats,left ventricu-lar internal diameter at end-diastole(LVIDd)and left ventricular internal diameter at end-systole(LVIDs)were measured,and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)and left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS)were calculated;the kits were used to detect the serum activity of the relevant cardiac enzymes and the level of inflammatory factors;HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of myocardium;immunofluorescence staining of cardiac tissues was used to detect the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65;Western blot was used to detect the expression of TLR4,MyD88,p-NF-κB p65,and NLRP3 proteins in cardiac tissues.Results Compared with the model group,each administration group differently upregulated LVEF,LVFS,and LVIDs,and improved the coordina-tion of LV wall fluctuations in the model group of rats;cardiac enzymes LDH and CK-MB levels increased,and levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α,IL-6,and IL-1 β were reduced,exerting cardioprotective effects;HE staining showed that myocardial tissue cell gap was re-duced,myocardial fiber breakage was reduced,cardio-myocyte arrangement tended to be normal,and inflam-matory cell infiltration was reduced;NF-κB p65 entry into the nucleus was reduced,and phosphorylated NF-κB p65(p-NF-κB p65)expression was reduced;and Western blot results showed that the expression of TLR4,MyD88,and NLRP3 proteins was reduced.Conclusions Tilianin pretreatment reduces serum my-ocardial enzymes and inflammatory factors and im-proves myocardial injury in rats with septicemia-in-duced myocardial injury,which may be related to the Tilianin anti-TLR4/NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammatory signa-ling pathway.
9.Self-guided attention network for detecting responsible lesions related to cerebral palsy in children with periventricular white matter injury
Tingting HUANG ; Zhuochen WANG ; Xin ZHAO ; Kaihua YANG ; Hanyu ZHANG ; Man LI ; Wei XING ; Gang ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(5):723-728
Objective To observe the efficacy of self-guided attention network for detecting responsible lesions related to cerebral palsy(CP)in children with periventricular white matter injury(PVWMI).Methods Totally 383 children with PVWMI were retrospectively enrolled and divided into CP group(n=243)and non-CP group(n=140),while 214 children without obvious brain abnormality on brain MRI were taken as control group.ROI of 4 key anatomical structures related to CP,i.e.centrum semiovale,posterior limb of internal capsule,cerebral peduncle and thalamus were delineated on T1WI,while responsible lesions related to CP within the key anatomical structures were labeled on T2WI,and the images were then registrated and used as input of the networks.ResNet34 network was adopted combined with attention and self-guided networks to train the network for detecting responsible lesions related to CP in children with PVWMI,and their efficacies were evaluated.The optimal network was screened,and its efficacy for segmenting the key anatomical structures was evaluated.Results Self-guided attention network was the optimal network,its area under the curve(AUC)for detecting lesions was 0.794-0.914,and the Dice similarity coefficient for segmenting the key anatomical structures was 0.702-0.764.Conclusion Self-guided attention network could be used for preliminarily detecting responsible lesions related to CP in children with PVWMI.
10.Analysis of infection status and genetic evolution of B2L and F1L genes in epidemic orf virus isolates from primary goat and sheep-producing areas in Anhui Province from 2021 to 2023
Liujun ZHANG ; Jiale CHEN ; Xing FENG ; Weizhen CHEN ; Yafei DENG ; Bo WANG ; Guolin ZUO ; Shaojun HE ; Honglei XIN ; Deyi LIU
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(7):697-703
This study was aimed at investigating the infection status of orf virus(ORFV)and the genetic evolution characteristics of epidemic ORFV isolates from Anhui province.A total of 303 clinical samples collected from major meat sheep breeding cities in An-hui during 2021-2023 were subjected to ORFV detection with fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR).The full-length B2L and F1L genes of ORFV in the positive samples were amplified through conventional PCR and sequenced.Genetic evolution analysis of the B2L and F1L genes was conducted after sequencing.The qPCR results indicated a total ORFV positivity rate in the clinical samples of 48.8%(148/303).Multiple sequence comparisons indicated that the B2L genes of 56 sample isolates shared 96.7%-100.0%DNA and 97.4%-100.0%amino acid sequence identity.Moreover,the F2L genes of 56 sample isolates shared 95.1%-100.0%DNA and 95.0%-100.0%amino acid sequence identity.The genetic evolution tree constructed with the B2L gene DNA sequences indicated sample iso-lates and 21 reference strains located in subgroup 1,and 26 sheep-derived sample isolates and 17 reference strains located in sub-group 2.Among them,the goat-derived sample isolate FY-TYA was located in the same sub-branch as the human-derived reference strain Gansu,whereas the goat-derived sample isolate FY-XQC was located in the same sub-branch as the reference strains China Vaccine and OV-HLJ-04.The genetic evolution tree constructed with the F1L gene DNA sequences showed,the goat sample isolates FY-XQA and FY-XQC were located in the same sub-branch as the sheep-derived reference strain Xinjiang.ORFV infection was rela-tively widespread in the major meat sheep breeding areas of Anhui province,and the DNA and amino acid sequences of the B2L and F1L genes of current circulating ORFV isolates showed different degrees of genetic variation,among which F1L gene had a high de-gree of variation.Furthermore,some goat-derived sample isolates were closely related to human,vaccine,and sheep-derived refer-ence strains.These results may serve as a reference for the prevention and control of ORFV infection in Anhui province.

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