1.Predicting Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Brightness Change Curves Derived From Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound Images
Ying-Ying CHEN ; Shang-Lin JIANG ; Liang-Hui HUANG ; Ya-Guang ZENG ; Xue-Hua WANG ; Wei ZHENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(8):2163-2172
ObjectivePrimary liver cancer, predominantly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is a significant global health issue, ranking as the sixth most diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Accurate and early diagnosis of HCC is crucial for effective treatment, as HCC and non-HCC malignancies like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) exhibit different prognoses and treatment responses. Traditional diagnostic methods, including liver biopsy and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), face limitations in applicability and objectivity. The primary objective of this study was to develop an advanced, light-weighted classification network capable of distinguishing HCC from other non-HCC malignancies by leveraging the automatic analysis of brightness changes in CEUS images. The ultimate goal was to create a user-friendly and cost-efficient computer-aided diagnostic tool that could assist radiologists in making more accurate and efficient clinical decisions. MethodsThis retrospective study encompassed a total of 161 patients, comprising 131 diagnosed with HCC and 30 with non-HCC malignancies. To achieve accurate tumor detection, the YOLOX network was employed to identify the region of interest (ROI) on both B-mode ultrasound and CEUS images. A custom-developed algorithm was then utilized to extract brightness change curves from the tumor and adjacent liver parenchyma regions within the CEUS images. These curves provided critical data for the subsequent analysis and classification process. To analyze the extracted brightness change curves and classify the malignancies, we developed and compared several models. These included one-dimensional convolutional neural networks (1D-ResNet, 1D-ConvNeXt, and 1D-CNN), as well as traditional machine-learning methods such as support vector machine (SVM), ensemble learning (EL), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and decision tree (DT). The diagnostic performance of each method in distinguishing HCC from non-HCC malignancies was rigorously evaluated using four key metrics: area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC), accuracy (ACC), sensitivity (SE), and specificity (SP). ResultsThe evaluation of the machine-learning methods revealed AUC values of 0.70 for SVM, 0.56 for ensemble learning, 0.63 for KNN, and 0.72 for the decision tree. These results indicated moderate to fair performance in classifying the malignancies based on the brightness change curves. In contrast, the deep learning models demonstrated significantly higher AUCs, with 1D-ResNet achieving an AUC of 0.72, 1D-ConvNeXt reaching 0.82, and 1D-CNN obtaining the highest AUC of 0.84. Moreover, under the five-fold cross-validation scheme, the 1D-CNN model outperformed other models in both accuracy and specificity. Specifically, it achieved accuracy improvements of 3.8% to 10.0% and specificity enhancements of 6.6% to 43.3% over competing approaches. The superior performance of the 1D-CNN model highlighted its potential as a powerful tool for accurate classification. ConclusionThe 1D-CNN model proved to be the most effective in differentiating HCC from non-HCC malignancies, surpassing both traditional machine-learning methods and other deep learning models. This study successfully developed a user-friendly and cost-efficient computer-aided diagnostic solution that would significantly enhances radiologists’ diagnostic capabilities. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of clinical decision-making, this tool has the potential to positively impact patient care and outcomes. Future work may focus on further refining the model and exploring its integration with multimodal ultrasound data to maximize its accuracy and applicability.
2.Resveratrol alleviates the immune response and proliferation of macrophages induced by homocysteine
Xue-Sen ZHANG ; Kai-Yue QIN ; Xiao-Han LI ; Yan-Jia WANG ; Xi XU ; Xiao-Ling YANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(14):2038-2042
Objective To explore the role of resveratrol in the immune response and proliferation of macrophages induced by homocysteine(Hcy).Methods ANA-1 cells were divided into control group(conventional culture),model group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy),experimental-L,-M,-H groups(adding 25,50 and 100 μmol·L-1 resveratrol to model group,respectively),Hcy+Ad-SIRT1 group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy+Ad-SIRT1),Hcy+si-FOXO1 group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy+si-FOXO1),Hcy+Res-L+Ad-SIRT1+si-FOXO1 group(100 μmol·L-1 Hcy+25 μmol·L-1 Resveratrol transfected with Ad-SIRT1+si-FOXO1).The cell proliferation was detected by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT),and the concentration of interleukin-6(IL-6)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in the supernatant of cell culture medium was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The gene and protein expression of silencing information regulator 1(SIRT1)and forkhead protein 01(FOXO1)were detected by Western blot.Results The optical density of 450 nm in control group,model group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 0.25±0.02,0.36±0.02,0.33±0.01,0.30±0.02 and 0.29±0.01,respectively.Compared with the control group,the cell proliferation in the model group was significantly increased(P<0.05).Cell proliferation in experimental-L,-M,-H groups was significantly decreased compared with model group(all P<0.05).IL-6 in the supernatant of cell culture medium of control group,model group and experimental-L group were(394.04±20.06),(614.23±21.09)and(501.53±16.52)pg·mL-1,respectively;TNF-α were(516.54±18.96),(717.22±24.81)and(632.74±19.11)pg·mL-1,respectively;SIRT1 relative protein expression were(1.00±0.05),(0.57±0.05)and(0.77±0.04),respectively;the relative protein expression of FOXO1 were 1.00±0.05,2.31±0.18 and 1.58±0.11,respectively.Compared with the control group,the above indexes in the experimental-L group had statistical significance(all P<0.05).The contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in cell culture fluid supernatant in model group,experimental-L group,Hcy+Ad-SIRT1 group and Hcy+si-FOXO1 group were significantly lower than those in model group,with statistical significance(all P<0.05).After co-transfection with Ad-SIRT1 and si-FOXO1,the contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in cell culture medium superserum of experimental-L group were significantly lower than those of Ad-SIRT1 group and si-FOXO1 group(all P<0.05).Conclusion Resveratrol can attenuate the immune response and proliferation of macrophages induced by Hcy,which may be related to the alteration of SIRT1/FOXO1 pathway.
3.Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of trastuzumab deruxtecan versus chemotherapy in the second-line treatment of advanced breast cancer with HER-2 low expression
Xue LI ; Caifeng JIA ; Ying ZHENG ; Sen ZHANG ; Meiqi WANG ; Mingxia WANG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(19):2383-2390
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the economics of trastuzumab deruxtecan versus the physician-selected chemotherapy (TPC) regimen in the second-line treatment of advanced breast cancer with epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) low expression from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. METHODS Based on the data of DESTINY-Breast04 clinical trial, the dynamic Markov model was constructed. The time frame of the model simulation was 10 years, and the cycle was 3 weeks. Taking cost, quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) as the model output indicators, the discount rate of 5% was applied, and 3 times China’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023 was taken as the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold value. Cost-utility analysis was used to evaluate the economics of the two treatment regiments in the hormone receptor-positive cohort and all patient cohorts, and uncertainty analysis was used to verify the robustness of the basic analysis result. RESULTS The results of the basic analysis showed that compared with the TPC regimen, the ICER value of trastuzumab deruxtecan regimen edu.cn were 1 045 655.76 and 906 404.99 yuan/QALY in the hormone receptor-positive cohort and all patients, respectively, both exceeding the WTP threshold (268 074 yuan/QALY). The results of single factor sensitivity analysis showed that progression-free survival utility value, the price of trastuzumab deruxtecan and progression disease utility had a significant influence on the model results. The results of probability sensitivity analysis showed that when the WTP threshold was 3 times China’s per capita GDP in 2023, the probability of economic viability of trastuzumab deruxtecan was 0. The results of scenario analysis showed that when the patient assistance program for trastuzumab deruxtecan was considered, the probability of trastuzumab deruxtecan regimen being economical was 0. However, when the price of trastuzumab deruxtecan was reduced by 70%, the probability of its being cost-effective was significantly increased to 82.80%. CONCLUSIONS At a WTP threshold of 3 times China’s per capita GDP in 2023, the trastuzumab deruxtecan regimen is not cost-effective compared to TPC regimen for the second-line treatment of advanced breast cancer with HER-2 low expression. Reducing the price of trastuzumab deruxtecan by region can improve its cost-effectiveness.
4.Effect of LncRNA XR_378418 on the biological behavior and transcriptome of hepatic stellate cells
Xue Zhang ; Sen Chen ; Xiaoli Wang ; Qiumei Zhou
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(1):127-132
Objective :
To explore the role of long non-coding RNA XR_378418 (LncRNA XR_378418) in the bi- ological behavior of hepatic stellate cells line JS-1 and to probe the potential molecular mechanism of LncRNA XR _378418 involved in liver fibrosis based on transcriptome sequencing.
Methods :
In this study,the recombinant plasmid of pcDNA-LncRNA XR_378418 and control plasmid pcDNA-NC were constructed and transfected into JS-1 cells respectively.Then,the expression level of LncRNA XR_378418 was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) .The effect of overexpression of LncRNA XR_378418 on proliferation and migration of JS-1 cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 assay ( CCK-8 ) and scratch assay,respectively. Finally,by high-throughput se- quencing analysis,the effect of XR_378418 on the transcriptomics of JS-1 cells was analyzed.
Results :
T-qPCR results showed that the expression level of LncRNA XR_378418 in the overexpression group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0. 05) .The results of CCK-8 and scratch experiment suggested that the prolifer- ation and migration in the pcDNA-LncRNA XR _ 378418 group significantly increased. Furthermore ,the high- throughput sequencing analysis showed that a total of 248 genes were screened by gene differential analysis ,of which 127 were up-regulated ,and 117 were down-regulated. Gene Ontology ( GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses revealed that LncRNA XR_378418 could regulate cell adhesion,autophagy and Ca2 + signaling,etc.
Conclusion
LncRNA XR_378418 promotes the proliferation and migration of JS-1 cells and affects the expression of genes related to cell adhesion and calcium signaling in JS-1 cells.
5.Clinical trial of sodium hyaluronate combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor in the treatment of patients with dry eye after cataract operation
Jing-Sen QIU ; Xin-Hua WANG ; Wen-Chao DONG ; Wan-Li DIAO ; Xue-Jun XU
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(18):2621-2625
Objective To evaluate the effect of sodium hyaluronate combined with recombinant human epidermal growth factor(rhEGF)in the treatment of dry eye after cataract surgery.Methods Patients with dry eye after cataract surgery were divided into treatment group and control group.The control group was treated with sodium hyaluronate eye drops via dropping into the conjunctival sac,a drop per dose,tid,for 4 weeks.On this basis,the treatment group was treated with rhEGF eye drops via dropping into the conjunctival sac,1-2 drops per dose,tid,for 4 weeks.The two groups were compared on overall clinical efficacy,dry eye symptoms before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment.Tear-film breakup time(BUT),basic tear secretion test(schirmer Ⅰ test,SⅠT),corneal fluorescein staining(CFS)score,meibomian gland yield secretion score(MGYSS),and the levels of tear inflammatory factors were compared between two groups before treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment.The safety was evaluated.Results Finally,41 cases and 39 cases were included in the treatment group and the control group,respectively.After treatment,the total effective rates in the treatment group and the control group were 95.12%and 79.49%,with statistically significant difference(P<0.05).After 4 weeks of treatment,dry eye symptom scores of the treatment group and control group were 1.42±0.18 and 2.31±0.26;BUT were(11.89±1.26)and(10.46±1.27)s;SⅠT were(10.12±1.35)and(8.45±0.87)mm;CFS scores were 0.83±0.11 and 1.94±0.25;MGYSS scores were 10.85±1.17 and 12.43±1.56;interleukin-1β levels in tears were(35.26±3.53)and(74.12±7.55)ng·L-1;interleukin-6 levels were(8.35±0.86)and(12.41±12.56)pg·mL-1.Compared with the control group,the above indexes in the treatment group were statistically significant(all P<0.05).The incidence rates of adverse drug reactions in the treatment group and the control group were 12.20%and 10.26%,without statistically significant difference between the groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Sodium hyaluronate combined with rhEGF can significantly improve dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery,enhance the stability of tear film,reduce tear inflammatory factors,and protect the integrity of meibomian gland.
6.Chemical derivatization strategies for enhancing the HPLC analytical performance of natural active triterpenoids
Huang XIAO-FENG ; Xue YING ; Yong LI ; Wang TIAN-TIAN ; Luo PEI ; Qing LIN-SEN
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(3):295-307
Triterpenoids widely exist in nature,displaying a variety of pharmacological activities.Determining triterpenoids in different matrices,especially in biological samples holds great significance.High-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)has become the predominant method for triterpenoids analysis due to its exceptional analytical performance.However,due to the structural similarities among botanical samples,achieving effective separation of each triterpenoid proves challenging,necessitating significant improvements in analytical methods.Additionally,triterpenoids are characterized by a lack of ultraviolet(UV)absorption groups and chromophores,along with low ionization efficiency in mass spectrometry.Consequently,routine HPLC analysis suffers from poor sensitivity.Chemical derivatization emerges as an indispensable technique in HPLC analysis to enhance its performance.Considering the structural characteristics of triterpenoids,various derivatization reagents such as acid chlorides,rho-damines,isocyanates,sulfonic esters,and amines have been employed for the derivatization analysis of triterpenoids.This review comprehensively summarized the research progress made in derivatization strategies for HPLC detection of triterpenoids.Moreover,the limitations and challenges encountered in previous studies are discussed,and future research directions are proposed to develop more effective derivatization methods.
7.Roles of Pyroptosis in Oral Diseases
Zheng-Sen WANG ; Yu XUE ; Yi-Xuan CHEN
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2024;40(9):1230-1239
Oral diseases are usually caused by external physical and chemical factors,the invasion of pathogens,dento-maxillofacial deformities and systemic diseases.Oral infections and orofacial pain triggered by oral diseases seriously reduce the quality of life.Pyroptosis is a kind of programmed cell death,which is characterized by swelling of the cell until the cell membrane ruptures,releasing the cell contents and activating a strong inflammatory response.Previous studies have shown that pyroptosis is widely involved in the occurrence and development of oral diseases.In this review,four types of cellular pyroptosis pathways are described in detail,including the canonical pathway,non-canonical pathway,caspase-3/8 mediated pathway and caspase independent pathway.Different pyroptosis pathways form complex signal networks,which regulate the functions of periodontal membrane cells,gingival fibroblasts,macrophages and other cells in the oral cavity,thus affecting the occurrence and development of oral diseases.This review summarizes the latest research about the pathways of pyroptosis and its roles in oral diseases,aiming to provide a theoretical basis and direction for searching effective methods to treat and prevent oral diseases.
8.The protective effect of Jujing formula on tretina of mice with dry age-related macular degeneration
Cheng-Cheng QI ; Ruo-Ying FAN ; Xue-Sen WANG ; Shu-Lan SU ; Yue ZHU ; Sheng GUO ; Hong-Jie KANG ; Xue-Yi ZHOU ; Jin-Ao DUAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(7):1358-1367
Aim To investigate the protective effect of Jujing formula on retina of mice with dry age-related macular degeneration(AMD).Methods The mouse model of dry AMD was induced by intraperitoneal in-jection of sodium iodate,and the prognosis was given to the Jujing formula.Retinal thickness was detected by optical coherence tomography(OCT),the retinal morphological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,and the apoptosis of retinal cells was detected by in situ terminal transferase labeling(TUNEL)staining.Combination of tumor necrosis fac-tor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6)and interleukin-1β(IL-1 β)in eyeballs and serum,superoxide dis-mutase(SOD),glutathione(GSH)and malondialde-hyde(MDA)were evaluated to assess the protective effects of Jujing formula on retinal injury in mice with dry AMD.Results The results of OCT,HE and TUNEL staining showed that Jujing formula significant-ly improved the retinal injury induced by sodium iodate in mice with dry AMD,increased the retinal thickness(P<0.05),reduced the apoptosis of retinal cells(P<0.01),and increased the levels of GSH,IL-6 and SOD activity in eyeballs and serum(P<0.01).The levels of TNF-α,IL-6,IL-1β and MDA were reduced(P<0.01).Conclusions Jujing formula has certain therapeutic effects on retinal injury in dry AMD,which may be related to inhibiting inflammatory response and enhancing antioxidant capacity.
9.Research progress in drug carriers across the blood-brain barrier
Wan-xin CAO ; Yi-hui YANG ; Hong YANG ; Sen ZHANG ; Yi-zhi ZHANG ; Fang XU ; Wan LI ; Yue HAO ; Xiao-xue LI ; Xu ZHANG ; Guan-hua DU ; Jin-hua WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(12):3222-3231
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of the brain's internal environment, which poses challenges to the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Drug carriers can aid in the delivery of therapeutic agents across the BBB to exert their pharmacological effects. The article reviewed the pathways for drug delivery across the BBB, the intracerebral fate and the classification of drug carriers and focuses on the functions and characteristics of liposomes, exosomes, apoptotic bodies, cell-penetrating peptides, and cell-targeting peptides. The review will provide an outlook on the future and challenge of research in the field of drug delivery across the BBB.
10.Pyrotinib Combined with Vinorelbine in Patients with Previously Treated HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Multicenter, Single-Arm, Prospective Study
Kuikui JIANG ; Ruoxi HONG ; Wen XIA ; Qianyi LU ; Liang LI ; Jianhao HUANG ; Yanxia SHI ; Zhongyu YUAN ; Qiufan ZHENG ; Xin AN ; Cong XUE ; Jiajia HUANG ; Xiwen BI ; Meiting CHEN ; Jingmin ZHANG ; Fei XU ; Shusen WANG
Cancer Research and Treatment 2024;56(2):513-521
Purpose:
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new combination treatment of vinorelbine and pyrotinib in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and provide higher level evidence for clinical practice.
Materials and Methods:
This was a prospective, single-arm, phase 2 trial conducted at three institutions in China. Patients with HER2-positive MBC, who had previously been treated with trastuzumab plus a taxane or trastuzumab plus pertuzumab combined with a chemotherapeutic agent, were enrolled between March 2020 and December 2021. All patients received pyrotinib 400 mg orally once daily plus vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 intravenously or 60-80 mg/m2 orally on day 1 and day 8 of 21-day cycle. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints included the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival, and safety.
Results:
A total of 39 patients were enrolled. All patients had been pretreated with trastuzumab and 23.1% (n=9) of them had accepted trastuzumab plus pertuzumab. The median follow-up time was 16.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3 to 27.2), and the median PFS was 6.4 months (95% CI, 4.0 to 8.8). The ORR was 43.6% (95% CI, 27.8% to 60.4%) and the DCR was 84.6% (95% CI, 69.5% to 94.1%). The median PFS of patients with versus without prior pertuzumab treatment was 4.6 and 8.3 months (p=0.017). The most common grade 3/4 adverse events were diarrhea (28.2%), neutrophil count decreased (15.4%), white blood cell count decreased (7.7%), vomiting (5.1%), and anemia (2.6%).
Conclusion
Pyrotinib plus vinorelbine showed promising efficacy and tolerable toxicity as second-line treatment in patients with HER2-positive MBC.


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