1.Real-world efficacy and safety of azvudine in hospitalized older patients with COVID-19 during the omicron wave in China: A retrospective cohort study.
Yuanchao ZHU ; Fei ZHAO ; Yubing ZHU ; Xingang LI ; Deshi DONG ; Bolin ZHU ; Jianchun LI ; Xin HU ; Zinan ZHAO ; Wenfeng XU ; Yang JV ; Dandan WANG ; Yingming ZHENG ; Yiwen DONG ; Lu LI ; Shilei YANG ; Zhiyuan TENG ; Ling LU ; Jingwei ZHU ; Linzhe DU ; Yunxin LIU ; Lechuan JIA ; Qiujv ZHANG ; Hui MA ; Ana ZHAO ; Hongliu JIANG ; Xin XU ; Jinli WANG ; Xuping QIAN ; Wei ZHANG ; Tingting ZHENG ; Chunxia YANG ; Xuguang CHEN ; Kun LIU ; Huanhuan JIANG ; Dongxiang QU ; Jia SONG ; Hua CHENG ; Wenfang SUN ; Hanqiu ZHAN ; Xiao LI ; Yafeng WANG ; Aixia WANG ; Li LIU ; Lihua YANG ; Nan ZHANG ; Shumin CHEN ; Jingjing MA ; Wei LIU ; Xiaoxiang DU ; Meiqin ZHENG ; Liyan WAN ; Guangqing DU ; Hangmei LIU ; Pengfei JIN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(1):123-132
Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion (T NANC), time to symptom improvement (T SI), and time of hospital stay (T HS). Safety was also assessed. Among the 5884 participants identified, 1999 received azvudine, and 1999 matched controls were included after exclusion and propensity score matching. Azvudine recipients exhibited lower all-cause mortality compared with controls in the overall population (13.3% vs. 17.1%, RR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.90; P = 0.001) and in the severe subgroup (25.7% vs. 33.7%; RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; P < 0.001). A higher proportion of patients discharged with recovery, and a shorter T NANC were associated with azvudine recipients, especially in the severe subgroup. The incidence of adverse events in azvudine recipients was comparable to that in the control group (2.3% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.170). In conclusion, azvudine showed efficacy and safety in older patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron wave in China.
2.Action mechanism of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes carrying miRNAs in improving spinal cord injury
Jia GUO ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Jing HUANG ; Wenya SHANG ; Yike YANG ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(36):7827-7838
BACKGROUND:Currently,spinal cord injury imposes a huge psychological and economic burden on patients and the National Health Service.The prevention,treatment,and rehabilitation of spinal cord injury have become an important topic in the field of medicine.Therefore,it is important to explore new effective therapeutic strategies based on an in-depth understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury.OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress on the mechanism of action of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes loaded with various miRNAs in improving the function of spinal cord injury,and based on the current status of clinical translation,to put forward a few thoughts and outlooks on their clinical use.METHODS:The first author searched CNKI and PubMed databases using"mesenchymal stem cells,exosomes,spinal cord injury,miRNA,pathophysiology,clinical translation,clinical trials,good manufacturing practice"as Chinese and English search terms.The types of literature included treatises and reviews,and the language types were English and Chinese.Finally,72 papers were screened and analyzed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)This article outlines the biological properties of exosomes and the advantages that they can serve as good vectors for loading miRNAs.A variety of miRNAs mediated by mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes mainly promote the recovery of neuronal function by regulating the expression of nerve regeneration-associated proteins,repressing RAS homologous gene family member A,activating cyclophosphoadenosine effector-binding proteins,and signaling and transcriptional activation proteins 3,and regulating phosphoinositide and tensin homologue/programmed cell death factor 4 pathways.Inflammatory responses were improved by regulating endoplasmic reticulum-to-nucleus signaling 1,expression of interferon regulatory factor 5,Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B pathway,and down-regulating related pro-inflammatory factors.Angiogenesis was promoted by inhibition of germination-associated domain 1-containing EVH1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 2.(2)Further comparative analyses revealed that miR-216-5p,miR-145-5p,and miR-146b improved inflammatory responses by regulating related pathways.Combining these miRNAs may produce more significant effects;hypoxic preconditioning may be a preconditioning method to increase the efficacy of exosomal therapy.(3)There are currently no clinical trials applying mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes to spinal cord injury,which is related to the need to meet good manufacturing practices before they can be put into clinical use.Challenges such as the need for large-scale,high-volume cell production,the lack of an efficient and uniform method for isolating exosomes,and the need to pass a strict regulatory approval mechanism prior to clinical use have impeded the clinical entry.(4)miRNAs have great potential as exosomal contents of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of spinal cord injury,and their mechanism of action should be explored in depth as well as accelerated to the clinical trial stage in order to provide a new and effective method for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
3.Regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for cellular autophagy after spinal cord injury
Yike YANG ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Wenya SHANG ; Jing HUANG ; Jia GUO ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(18):3885-3896
BACKGROUND:Cellular autophagy maintains metabolism and in vivo homeostasis through the autophagosome-lysosome degradation pathway,which is closely related to the impaired cell death and functional recovery of distal neurons after spinal cord injury,and targeting cellular autophagy to promote the functional recovery of the spinal cord after spinal cord injury is a promising therapeutic direction.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the role of cellular autophagy in spinal cord injury,related regulatory mechanisms of cellular autophagy and therapeutic strategies.METHODS:PubMed and CNKI databases were searched with the search terms of"spinal cord injury,autophagy,regulatory mechanisms,autophagy pathway,therapeutic target"in English and Chinese,respectively.A total of 133 English and 4 Chinese articles were included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Autophagy,a form of programmed cell death,has been shown to play a crucial role in the progression and treatment of spinal cord injury.Most studies have shown that moderate activation or promotion of autophagy promotes neurological recovery by decreasing inflammatory responses and apoptosis.A few studies have reported that excessive activation of autophagy,on the contrary,impedes neurological recovery following spinal cord injury.(2)After spinal cord injury,PI3K/AKT/mTOR,MAPK,AMPK and p53 signaling pathways,and factors such as Beclin-1,ATG and LC3 regulate the initiation and development of cell autophagy in a positive or negative manner.(3)Promoting or inhibiting autophagy may be a promising therapeutic strategy to modulate the pathogenesis of traumatic spinal cord injury.And the drugs amlodipine,metformin,and minocycline,the Chinese medicines hawthorn leaf total flavonoids,betulinic acid,oxidized ginseng saponins,acupuncture,and extracellular vesicles of different cellular origins,exosomes and reactive oxygen species-responsive composite fibers as activators of cellular autophagy attenuate secondary injury in response to spinal cord injury by activating cellular autophagy,while the drugs insulin-like growth factor 1 and eladavone,Chinese medicine ginseng saponin,acupuncture,and hydrogel carrying basic fibroblast growth factor as inhibitors of cellular autophagy promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury by inhibiting excessive cellular autophagy.(4)The related regulators of cellular autophagy are interconnected,and the bi-directional effects of cellular autophagy on spinal cord injury make it necessary to further explore the dominant factors that regulate cellular autophagy.(5)Research on the use of autophagy as a therapeutic target for spinal cord injury is mostly carried out in animal models,but there are no autophagy-related drugs used in the clinical practice,and their safety and efficacy need to be further investigated in the clinical field.
4.Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis
Jian LIU ; Hongchun ZHANG ; Chengxiang WANG ; Hongsheng CUI ; Xia CUI ; Shunan ZHANG ; Daowen YANG ; Cuiling FENG ; Yubo GUO ; Zengtao SUN ; Huiyong ZHANG ; Guangxi LI ; Qing MIAO ; Sumei WANG ; Liqing SHI ; Hongjun YANG ; Ting LIU ; Fangbo ZHANG ; Sheng CHEN ; Wei CHEN ; Hai WANG ; Lin LIN ; Nini QU ; Lei WU ; Dengshan WU ; Yafeng LIU ; Wenyan ZHANG ; Yueying ZHANG ; Yongfen FAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):182-188
The Expert Consensus on Clinical Application of Qinbaohong Zhike Oral Liquid in Treatment of Acute Bronchitis and Acute Attack of Chronic Bronchitis (GS/CACM 337-2023) was released by the China Association of Chinese Medicine on December 13th, 2023. This expert consensus was developed by experts in methodology, pharmacy, and Chinese medicine in strict accordance with the development requirements of the China Association of Chinese Medicine (CACM) and based on the latest medical evidence and the clinical medication experience of well-known experts in the fields of respiratory medicine (pulmonary diseases) and pediatrics. This expert consensus defines the application of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid in the treatment of cough and excessive sputum caused by phlegm-heat obstructing lung, acute bronchitis, and acute attack of chronic bronchitis from the aspects of applicable populations, efficacy evaluation, usage, dosage, drug combination, and safety. It is expected to guide the rational drug use in medical and health institutions, give full play to the unique value of Qinbaohong Zhike oral liquid, and vigorously promote the inheritance and innovation of Chinese patent medicines.
5.Exosomal Pparα derived from cancer cells induces CD8 + T cell exhaustion in hepatocellular carcinoma through the miR-27b-3p /TOX axis.
Wenjun ZHONG ; Nianan LUO ; Yafeng CHEN ; Jiangbin LI ; Zhujun YANG ; Rui DONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(23):3139-3152
BACKGROUND:
Cluster of differentiation 8 positive (CD8 + ) T cells play a crucial role in the response against tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), where their dysfunction is commonly observed. While the association between elevated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) expression in HCC cells and exosomes and unfavorable prognosis in HCC patients is well-established, the underlying biological mechanisms by which PPARα induces CD8 + T cell exhaustion mediated by HCC exosomes remain poorly understood.
METHODS:
Bioinformatics analyses and dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to investigate the regulation of microRNA-27b-3p ( miR-27b-3p ) and thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box ( Tox ) by Pparα . In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to validate the effects of HCC-derived exosomes, miR-27b-3p overexpression, and Pparα on T cell function. Exosome characterization was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy, Western blotting, and particle size analysis. Exosome tracing was performed using small animal in vivo imaging and confocal microscopy. The expression levels of miR-27b-3p , Pparα , and T cell exhaustion-related molecules ( Tox , Havcr2 , and Pdcd1 ) were detected using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis, Western blotting analysis, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry analysis.
RESULTS:
Pparα expression was significantly increased in HCC and negatively correlated with prognosis. It showed a positive correlation with Tox and a negative correlation with miR-27b-3p . The overexpressed Pparα from HCC cells was delivered to CD8 + T cells via exosomes, which absorbed miR-27b-3p both in vitro and in vivo , acting as "miRNA sponges". Further experiments demonstrated that Pparα can inhibit the negative regulation of Tox mediated by miR-27b-3p through binding to its 3'untranslated regions.
CONCLUSIONS
HCC-derived exosomes deliver Pparα to T cells and promote CD8 + T cell exhaustion and malignant progression of HCC via the miR-27b-3p /TOX regulatory axis. The mechanisms underlying T-cell exhaustion in HCC can be utilized for the advancement of anticancer therapies.
MicroRNAs/metabolism*
;
PPAR alpha/genetics*
;
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics*
;
Humans
;
Liver Neoplasms/genetics*
;
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology*
;
Exosomes/metabolism*
;
Animals
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Mice
;
High Mobility Group Proteins/genetics*
;
Male
;
T-Cell Exhaustion
6.Analysis of key immune-related genes and drug candidates in globoid cell leukodystrophy
Guiyuan LUO ; Yang LI ; Ye ZHANG ; Yafeng LYU
Basic & Clinical Medicine 2025;45(6):727-734
Objective To identify the key immune-related genes and potential drug targets of Krabbe disease by using neural stem cells(NSCs)derived from induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)generated from patients with Krabbe disease.Methods 1)The transcriptome data of GLD-NSCs(GSE212512)was analyzed using GEO2R and Sangerbox;2)Differential expression genes(DEGs)related to immunity were identified through various methods;3)Functional enrichment and pathway analysis were performed using DAVID;4)The protein-protein interaction network was constructed and analyzed using STRING and Cytoscape;5)Key immune-related genes were deter-mined through topological analysis;6)Potential therapeutic drugs were screened using DGIdb and drug MAP data-bases;7)Molecular docking was performed using CB-DOCK2.Results 1)Sixty-one immune-related DEGs were identified in patient NSCs,with GDNF,EGF,KDR,FGF10,and MET being identified as key immune-related genes;2)Drug candidates with high binding affinity to these genes were identified,including gentamicin for GDNF,cetuximab for EGF,tivozanib for KDR,and capmatinib for MET.Conclusions The predictions suggest cetuximab,gentamicin,tivozanib,and capmatinib exhibit high binding affinity with EGF,GDNF,KDR,and MET,respectively,indicating their potential application value in GLD targeted therapy.
7.Exploring the medication patterns of using the"Shaoyang as the pivot"theory to treat children's night cough based on data mining
Yafeng YANG ; Xiaoyan WANG ; Liping LIU ; Lingxia KONG ; Xiaojuan ZHENG ; Zhuo CHEN
China Modern Doctor 2025;63(12):72-75,112
Objective To exploring the drug rules for treating children's night cough based on the theory of"Shaoyang as the pivot".Methods 189 cases of children with night cough were included,and 224 prescriptions.Used the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Assistance Platform to analyze the time distribution,syndrome types,and four nature,five flavors,and channel tropism of diseases.Used frequency statistics,association rule analysis,and cluster analysis to extract drug patterns for pediatric night cough.Results Coughing occured most frequently during the Yin period.The syndrome type was mainly Shaoyang syndrome.The high-frequency core drugs were Chaihu,Huangqin,and Banxia,etc..The prescription characteristics were Xiaochaihu decoction without Renshen,Shengjiang,and Dazao,and added Wuweizi,Danggui and Xingren.The drugs were used flexibly according to the syndromes:Maxing Er San decoction was added to the phlegm and drink syndrome,Qumai Er Chen decoction was added to the food stagnation syndrome,Sijunzi decoction was added to the qi deficiency syndrome,Maiwei Dihuang decoction was added to the yin deficiency syndrome,and Weijing decoction was added to the phlegm and heat syndrome.Conclusion Based on the basic principle of harmonizing Shaoyang,and according to the disease mechanism,the classical prescription is flexibly used,forming a night cough treatment system based on the"Shaoyang as the pivot"theory,with distinct clinical characteristics.
8.Action mechanism of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes carrying miRNAs in improving spinal cord injury
Jia GUO ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Jing HUANG ; Wenya SHANG ; Yike YANG ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(36):7827-7838
BACKGROUND:Currently,spinal cord injury imposes a huge psychological and economic burden on patients and the National Health Service.The prevention,treatment,and rehabilitation of spinal cord injury have become an important topic in the field of medicine.Therefore,it is important to explore new effective therapeutic strategies based on an in-depth understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of spinal cord injury.OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress on the mechanism of action of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes loaded with various miRNAs in improving the function of spinal cord injury,and based on the current status of clinical translation,to put forward a few thoughts and outlooks on their clinical use.METHODS:The first author searched CNKI and PubMed databases using"mesenchymal stem cells,exosomes,spinal cord injury,miRNA,pathophysiology,clinical translation,clinical trials,good manufacturing practice"as Chinese and English search terms.The types of literature included treatises and reviews,and the language types were English and Chinese.Finally,72 papers were screened and analyzed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)This article outlines the biological properties of exosomes and the advantages that they can serve as good vectors for loading miRNAs.A variety of miRNAs mediated by mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes mainly promote the recovery of neuronal function by regulating the expression of nerve regeneration-associated proteins,repressing RAS homologous gene family member A,activating cyclophosphoadenosine effector-binding proteins,and signaling and transcriptional activation proteins 3,and regulating phosphoinositide and tensin homologue/programmed cell death factor 4 pathways.Inflammatory responses were improved by regulating endoplasmic reticulum-to-nucleus signaling 1,expression of interferon regulatory factor 5,Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B pathway,and down-regulating related pro-inflammatory factors.Angiogenesis was promoted by inhibition of germination-associated domain 1-containing EVH1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit 2.(2)Further comparative analyses revealed that miR-216-5p,miR-145-5p,and miR-146b improved inflammatory responses by regulating related pathways.Combining these miRNAs may produce more significant effects;hypoxic preconditioning may be a preconditioning method to increase the efficacy of exosomal therapy.(3)There are currently no clinical trials applying mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes to spinal cord injury,which is related to the need to meet good manufacturing practices before they can be put into clinical use.Challenges such as the need for large-scale,high-volume cell production,the lack of an efficient and uniform method for isolating exosomes,and the need to pass a strict regulatory approval mechanism prior to clinical use have impeded the clinical entry.(4)miRNAs have great potential as exosomal contents of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of spinal cord injury,and their mechanism of action should be explored in depth as well as accelerated to the clinical trial stage in order to provide a new and effective method for the treatment of spinal cord injury.
9.Exploring the medication patterns of using the"Shaoyang as the pivot"theory to treat children's night cough based on data mining
Yafeng YANG ; Xiaoyan WANG ; Liping LIU ; Lingxia KONG ; Xiaojuan ZHENG ; Zhuo CHEN
China Modern Doctor 2025;63(12):72-75,112
Objective To exploring the drug rules for treating children's night cough based on the theory of"Shaoyang as the pivot".Methods 189 cases of children with night cough were included,and 224 prescriptions.Used the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Assistance Platform to analyze the time distribution,syndrome types,and four nature,five flavors,and channel tropism of diseases.Used frequency statistics,association rule analysis,and cluster analysis to extract drug patterns for pediatric night cough.Results Coughing occured most frequently during the Yin period.The syndrome type was mainly Shaoyang syndrome.The high-frequency core drugs were Chaihu,Huangqin,and Banxia,etc..The prescription characteristics were Xiaochaihu decoction without Renshen,Shengjiang,and Dazao,and added Wuweizi,Danggui and Xingren.The drugs were used flexibly according to the syndromes:Maxing Er San decoction was added to the phlegm and drink syndrome,Qumai Er Chen decoction was added to the food stagnation syndrome,Sijunzi decoction was added to the qi deficiency syndrome,Maiwei Dihuang decoction was added to the yin deficiency syndrome,and Weijing decoction was added to the phlegm and heat syndrome.Conclusion Based on the basic principle of harmonizing Shaoyang,and according to the disease mechanism,the classical prescription is flexibly used,forming a night cough treatment system based on the"Shaoyang as the pivot"theory,with distinct clinical characteristics.
10.Regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for cellular autophagy after spinal cord injury
Yike YANG ; Yafeng REN ; Bing LI ; Wenya SHANG ; Jing HUANG ; Jia GUO ; Huiyao LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(18):3885-3896
BACKGROUND:Cellular autophagy maintains metabolism and in vivo homeostasis through the autophagosome-lysosome degradation pathway,which is closely related to the impaired cell death and functional recovery of distal neurons after spinal cord injury,and targeting cellular autophagy to promote the functional recovery of the spinal cord after spinal cord injury is a promising therapeutic direction.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the role of cellular autophagy in spinal cord injury,related regulatory mechanisms of cellular autophagy and therapeutic strategies.METHODS:PubMed and CNKI databases were searched with the search terms of"spinal cord injury,autophagy,regulatory mechanisms,autophagy pathway,therapeutic target"in English and Chinese,respectively.A total of 133 English and 4 Chinese articles were included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Autophagy,a form of programmed cell death,has been shown to play a crucial role in the progression and treatment of spinal cord injury.Most studies have shown that moderate activation or promotion of autophagy promotes neurological recovery by decreasing inflammatory responses and apoptosis.A few studies have reported that excessive activation of autophagy,on the contrary,impedes neurological recovery following spinal cord injury.(2)After spinal cord injury,PI3K/AKT/mTOR,MAPK,AMPK and p53 signaling pathways,and factors such as Beclin-1,ATG and LC3 regulate the initiation and development of cell autophagy in a positive or negative manner.(3)Promoting or inhibiting autophagy may be a promising therapeutic strategy to modulate the pathogenesis of traumatic spinal cord injury.And the drugs amlodipine,metformin,and minocycline,the Chinese medicines hawthorn leaf total flavonoids,betulinic acid,oxidized ginseng saponins,acupuncture,and extracellular vesicles of different cellular origins,exosomes and reactive oxygen species-responsive composite fibers as activators of cellular autophagy attenuate secondary injury in response to spinal cord injury by activating cellular autophagy,while the drugs insulin-like growth factor 1 and eladavone,Chinese medicine ginseng saponin,acupuncture,and hydrogel carrying basic fibroblast growth factor as inhibitors of cellular autophagy promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury by inhibiting excessive cellular autophagy.(4)The related regulators of cellular autophagy are interconnected,and the bi-directional effects of cellular autophagy on spinal cord injury make it necessary to further explore the dominant factors that regulate cellular autophagy.(5)Research on the use of autophagy as a therapeutic target for spinal cord injury is mostly carried out in animal models,but there are no autophagy-related drugs used in the clinical practice,and their safety and efficacy need to be further investigated in the clinical field.

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