1.Controllability Analysis of Structural Brain Networks in Young Smokers
Jing-Jing DING ; Fang DONG ; Hong-De WANG ; Kai YUAN ; Yong-Xin CHENG ; Juan WANG ; Yu-Xin MA ; Ting XUE ; Da-Hua YU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):182-193
ObjectiveThe controllability changes of structural brain network were explored based on the control and brain network theory in young smokers, this may reveal that the controllability indicators can serve as a powerful factor to predict the sleep status in young smokers. MethodsFifty young smokers and 51 healthy controls from Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology were enrolled. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to construct structural brain network based on fractional anisotropy (FA) weight matrix. According to the control and brain network theory, the average controllability and the modal controllability were calculated. Two-sample t-test was used to compare the differences between the groups and Pearson correlation analysis to examine the correlation between significant average controllability and modal controllability with Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND) in young smokers. The nodes with the controllability score in the top 10% were selected as the super-controllers. Finally, we used BP neural network to predict the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in young smokers. ResultsThe average controllability of dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, lenticular nucleus putamen, and lenticular nucleus pallidum, and the modal controllability of orbital inferior frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, gyrus rectus, and posterior cingulate gyrus in the young smokers’ group, were all significantly different from those of the healthy controls group (P<0.05). The average controllability of the right supplementary motor area (SMA.R) in the young smokers group was positively correlated with FTND (r=0.393 0, P=0.004 8), while modal controllability was negatively correlated with FTND (r=-0.330 1, P=0.019 2). ConclusionThe controllability of structural brain network in young smokers is abnormal. which may serve as an indicator to predict sleep condition. It may provide the imaging evidence for evaluating the cognitive function impairment in young smokers.
2.Study on the modeling method of general model of Yaobitong capsule intermediates quality analysis based on near infrared spectroscopy
Le-ting SI ; Xin ZHANG ; Yong-chao ZHANG ; Jiang-yan ZHANG ; Jun WANG ; Yong CHEN ; Xue-song LIU ; Yong-jiang WU
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):471-478
The general models for intermediates quality analysis in the production process of Yaobitong capsule were established by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with chemometrics, realizing the rapid determination of notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Rd and moisture. The spray-dried fine powder and total mixed granule were selected as research objects. The contents of five saponins were determined by high performance liquid chromatography and the moisture content was determined by drying method. The measured contents were used as reference values. Meanwhile, NIR spectra were collected. After removing abnormal samples by Monte Carlo cross validation (MCCV), Monte Carlo uninformative variables elimination (MC-UVE) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were used to select feature variables respectively. Based on the feature variables, quantitative models were established by partial least squares regression (PLSR), extreme learning machine (ELM) and ant lion optimization least squares support vector machine (ALO-LSSVM). The results showed that CARS-ALO-LSSVM model had the optimum effect. The correlation coefficients of the six index components were greater than 0.93, and the relative standard errors were controlled within 6%. ALO-LSSVM was more suitable for a large number of samples with rich information, and the prediction effect and stability of the model were significantly improved. The general models with good predicting effect can be used for the rapid quality determination of Yaobitong capsule intermediates.
3.Heterogeneity of Adipose Tissue From a Single-cell Transcriptomics Perspective
Yong-Lang WANG ; Si-Si CHEN ; Qi-Long LI ; Yu GONG ; Xin-Yue DUAN ; Ye-Hui DUAN ; Qiu-Ping GUO ; Feng-Na LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):820-835
Adipose tissue is a critical energy reservoir in animals and humans, with multifaceted roles in endocrine regulation, immune response, and providing mechanical protection. Based on anatomical location and functional characteristics, adipose tissue can be categorized into distinct types, including white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT), beige adipose tissue, and pink adipose tissue. Traditionally, adipose tissue research has centered on its morphological and functional properties as a whole. However, with the advent of single-cell transcriptomics, a new level of complexity in adipose tissue has been unveiled, showing that even under identical conditions, cells of the same type may exhibit significant variation in morphology, structure, function, and gene expression——phenomena collectively referred to as cellular heterogeneity. Single-cell transcriptomics, including techniques like single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq), enables in-depth analysis of the diversity and heterogeneity of adipocytes at the single-cell level. This high-resolution approach has not only deepened our understanding of adipocyte functionality but also facilitated the discovery of previously unidentified cell types and gene expression patterns that may play key roles in adipose tissue function. This review delves into the latest advances in the application of single-cell transcriptomics in elucidating the heterogeneity and diversity within adipose tissue, highlighting how these findings have redefined the understanding of cell subpopulations within different adipose depots. Moreover, the review explores how single-cell transcriptomic technologies have enabled the study of cellular communication pathways and differentiation trajectories among adipose cell subgroups. By mapping these interactions and differentiation processes, researchers gain insights into how distinct cellular subpopulations coordinate within adipose tissues, which is crucial for maintaining tissue homeostasis and function. Understanding these mechanisms is essential, as dysregulation in adipose cell interactions and differentiation underlies a range of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes mellitus type 2. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptomics holds promising implications for identifying therapeutic targets; by pinpointing specific cell types and gene pathways involved in adipose tissue dysfunction, these technologies pave the way for developing targeted interventions aimed at modulating specific adipose subpopulations. In summary, this review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of single-cell transcriptomic technologies in uncovering the heterogeneity and functional diversity of adipose tissues.
4.Two-dimensional black phosphorus materials for bone tissue engineering
Jiahan CHEN ; Chao FENG ; Xiaoxia HUANG ; Minghui NIU ; Xin WANG ; Yong TENG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(10):2124-2131
BACKGROUND:Black phosphorus has a high degree of homology with human bone,so it has been extensively studied in the field of bone tissue engineering in recent years.Since 2014,two-dimensional black phosphorus materials have garned significant attention in the field of biomedicine due to their excellent exceptional physical,chemical,and biological properties. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the advancements made in black phosphorus-based nanomaterials for bone tissue engineering,focus on the synthesis methods,osteogenic characteristics,and applications in biomaterials pertaining to two-dimensional black phosphorus nanomaterials. METHODS:Chinese and English key words were"black phosphorus,bone tissue engineering,bone defect,bone regeneration,osteogenesis."Relevant articles in PubMed and CNKI databases from January 2014 to December 2023 were searched.After exclusion and screening,96 articles were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Black phosphorus nanomaterials play an important role in bone tissue engineering due to their good biocompatibility,biodegradability,photothermal action,antibacterial ability,drug loading performance,and special osteogenic effect,and are ideal candidate materials for promoting bone regeneration.The preparation of black phosphorus nanomaterials is mainly a top-down top-layer stripping method.The main principle is to weaken the van der Waals force between the black phosphorus layers by physical or chemical means to obtain a single or less layer of phosphanse,that is,black phosphorus nanosheets or quantum dots.Black phosphate-based nanocomposites are mainly divided into hydrogels,3D printing scaffolds,composite scaffolds,electrospinning,bionic periosteum,microspheres,and bionic coatings.The research of nano-black phosphorus in bone tissue engineering is in its infancy,and still faces many challenges:the behavior of black phosphorus in vivo and the interaction mechanism with various biomolecules need to be further studied.The long-term potential toxicity of black phosphorus is unknown.The manufacturing process for black phosphorus is difficult to control.Therefore,how to develop uniform size,safe,reliable,and efficient nano black phosphorus and transform it into clinical application requires interdisciplinary research on modern biomedical technology,physicochemical technology,and precision manufacturing technology.
5.Prediction of gastric cancer T staging using oral contrast-enhanced ultrasonography combined with contrast-enhanced CT
Aiqing LU ; Fei QIU ; Xin DONG ; Xiaoyan LI ; Xiuyun SUN ; Xuefeng LI ; Zhaoxin JIN ; Xiankai WANG ; Yong ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2025;34(3):368-372
Objective To explore the value of oral contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (OCEUS) combined with contrast-enhanced CT in predicting preoperative T staging in patients with gastric cancer. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 80 patients with gastric cancer confirmed via endoscopic biopsy or postoperative pathology at the First People’s Hospital of Jining from January 2021 to November 2024. The cohort included 56 males and 24 females, aged 38-79 years, with a median age of 55.9 years. All patients underwent both OCEUS and contrast-enhanced CT within one week prior to surgery. T staging of gastric cancer was determined using OCEUS, contrast-enhanced CT, or their combination. The results were compared with pathological T staging, and statistical differences in accuracy were analyzed. Results Pathological T staging identified T1 in 9 cases, T2 in 16 cases, T3 in 42 cases, and T4 in 13 cases. OCEUS indicated T1 in 6 cases, T2 in 14 cases, T3 in 50 cases, and T4 in 10 cases, with an accuracy rate of 80.0%. Contrast-enhanced CT indicated T1 in 4 cases, T2 in 12 cases, T3 in 52 cases, and T4 in 12 cases, with an accuracy rate of 75.0%. The combination of OCEUS and contrast-enhanced CT indicated T1 in 6 cases, T2 in 15 cases, T3 in 47 cases, and T4 in 12 cases, with an accuracy rate of 87.5%. The combined approach demonstrated significantly higher accuracy in preoperative T staging compared to either method alone (P < 0.05). Conclusion The combination of OCEUS and contrast-enhanced CT improves the accuracy of preoperative T staging in gastric cancer patients, providing valuable support for their diagnosis and treatment.
6.Comparative efficacy of botulinum toxin injection versus extraocular muscle surgery in acute acquired comitant esotropia
Tianyi LIU ; Yue ZHOU ; Pengzhou KUAI ; Yangchen GUO ; Xiaobo HUANG ; Yong WANG ; Xin CAO
International Eye Science 2025;25(11):1721-1727
AIM:To investigate the therapeutic effects of botulinum toxin A(BTXA)injection versus strabismus surgery in the treatment of acute acquired comitant esotropia(AACE).METHODS:Patient records of AACE cases treated at First People's Hospital of Nantong from January 2019 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed in this study. Patients were categorized into either strabismus surgery or BTXA injection groups based on treatment modality. Further stratification was performed according to preoperative deviation angles [>35 prism diopters(PD)vs ≤35 PD] and age(≥18 years adult group vs <18 years adolescent group). The baseline patient characteristics were collected, deviation angles at multiple timepoints before and after treatment were measured, and stereopsis test results were documented. Through comparative analysis of therapeutic outcomes across subgroups, we systematically evaluated the efficacy of different treatment approaches.RESULTS:A total of 43 AACE patients were included. At the final follow-up, both the surgery and BTXA injection groups showed a statistically significant decrease in deviation angle compared to pretreatment measurements(P<0.001). Significant differences were noted between the two groups in terms of the cure rate of strabismus and the recovery rate of stereopsis(P<0.05). For patients with deviations >35 PD, surgery yielded significantly better outcomes than injection therapy in postoperative angle, success rate, and stereopsis recovery(P<0.05). Similarly, in patients aged ≥18 years, surgical treatment was superior to injections in reducing strabismus angle, improving success rates, and restoring stereopsis(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Both BTXA injection and strabismus surgery demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in AACE. Surgical treatment demonstrated superior efficacy compared to BTXA injection therapy, particularly in patients with deviations >35 PD and those aged ≥18 years. For patients with angles ≤35 PD or under 18 years, BTXA injection remains a viable treatment option.
7.The Invariant Neural Representation of Neurons in Pigeon’s Ventrolateral Mesopallium to Stereoscopic Shadow Shapes
Xiao-Ke NIU ; Meng-Bo ZHANG ; Yan-Yan PENG ; Yong-Hao HAN ; Qing-Yu WANG ; Yi-Xin DENG ; Zhi-Hui LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2614-2626
ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.
8.Risk prediction of Reduning Injection batches by near-infrared spectroscopy combined with multiple machine learning algorithms.
Wen-Yu JIA ; Feng TONG ; Heng-Xu LIU ; Shu-Qin JIN ; Yong-Chao ZHANG ; Chen-Feng ZHANG ; Zhen-Zhong WANG ; Xin ZHANG ; Wei XIAO
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):430-438
In this paper, near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) was employed to analyze 129 batches of commercial products of Reduning Injection. The batch reporting rate was estimated according to the report of Reduning Injection in the direct adverse drug reaction(ADR) reporting system of the drug marketing authorization holder of the Center for Drug Reevaluation of the National Medical Products Administration(National Center for ADR Monitoring) from August 2021 to August 2022. According to the batch reporting rate, the samples of Reduning Injection were classified into those with potential risks and those being safe. No processing, random oversampling(ROS), random undersampling(RUS), and synthetic minority over-sampling technique(SMOTE) were then employed to balance the unbalanced data. After the samples were classified according to appropriate sampling methods, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS), successive projections algorithm(SPA), uninformative variables elimination(UVE), and genetic algorithm(GA) were respectively adopted to screen the features of spectral data. Then, support vector machine(SVM), logistic regression(LR), k-nearest neighbors(KNN), naive bayes(NB), random forest(RF), and artificial neural network(ANN) were adopted to establish the risk prediction models. The effects of the four feature extraction methods on the accuracy of the models were compared. The optimal method was selected, and bayesian optimization was performned to optimize the model parameters to improve the accuracy and robustness of model prediction. To explore the correlations between potential risks of clinical use and quality test data, TreeNet was employed to identify potential quality parameters affecting the clinical safety of Reduning Injection. The results showed that the models established with the SVM, LR, KNN, NB, RF, and ANN algorithms had the F1 scores of 0.85, 0.85, 0.86, 0.80, 0.88, and 0.85 and the accuracy of 88%, 88%, 88%, 85%, 91%, and 88%, respectively, and the prediction time was less than 5 s. The results indicated that the established models were accurate and efficient. Therefore, near infrared spectroscopy combined with machine learning algorithms can quickly predict the potential risks of clinical use of Reduning Injection in batches. Three key quality parameters that may affect clinical safety were identified by TreeNet, which provided a scientific basis for improving the safety standards of Reduning Injection.
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
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Machine Learning
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Algorithms
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Humans
;
Quality Control
9.Outcome indicators in randomized controlled trials of traditional Chinese medicine treatment of post-stroke depression.
Jin HAN ; Yue YUAN ; Fang-Biao XU ; Yan-Bo SONG ; Yong-Kang SUN ; Xin-Zhi WANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(2):542-559
This study systematically reviewed the randomized controlled trial(RCT) of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of post-stroke depression(PSD) and analyzed the clinical study characteristics and outcome indicators, aiming to optimize the design and establish the core outcome set in the future clinical trials of the TCM treatment of PSD. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMbase, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed were searched for the relevant RCT published in recent 3 years. The basic characteristics, intervention measures, and outcome indicators of the included RCT were extracted, and the descriptive analysis was carried out. A total of 76 RCTs were eventually included, with the sample size concentrated in 80-100 cases. The most frequent TCM syndromes were liver depression and Qi stagnation(15 times, 31.91%) and phlegm combined with stasis(5 times, 10.63%). The frequency of intervention methods followed a descending trend of TCM decoction(35 times, 46.05%) and TCM decoction + acupuncture(4 times, 5.26%), Chinese patent medicine(3 times, 3.94%), and the intervention mainly lasted for 1 to 3 months(43 times, 60.56%). The adverse reactions of patients were mainly digestive system reaction(150 patients, 39.37%) and nervous system reaction(112 patients, 29.39%). Most of the included studies had unclear risk of bias, involving 84 outcome indicators, which belonged to 8 indicator domains. The RCTs of TCM treatment of PSD showed a variety of problems, such as non-standard TCM syndrome differentiation, inconsistent names of TCM syndrome scores and measurement tools, low quality, unclear risk of bias, neglect of endpoint indicators, unreasonable selection of substitute indicators, lack of differentiation between primary and secondary outcome indicators, non-standard reporting of safety indicators, insufficient attention to economic indicators, and lack of long-term prognosis evaluation. It is suggested that the future research should improve the quality of methodology and build a standardized core outcome set to promote the development of high-quality clinical research in this field.
Humans
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Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
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Stroke/psychology*
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Depression/etiology*
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Treatment Outcome
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
10.Metabolomics combined with network pharmacology reveals mechanism of Jiaotai Pills in treating depression.
Guo-Liang DAI ; Ze-Yu CHEN ; Yan-Jun WANG ; Xin-Fang BIAN ; Yu-Jie CHEN ; Bing-Ting SUN ; Xiao-Yong WANG ; Wen-Zheng JU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(5):1340-1350
This study aims to explore the mechanism of Jiaotai Pills in treating depression based on metabolomics and network pharmacology. The chemical constituents of Jiaotai Pills were identified by UHPLC-Orbitrap Exploris 480, and the targets of Jiaotai Pills and depression were retrieved from online databases. STRING and Cytoscape 3.7.2 were used to construct the protein-protein interaction network of core targets of Jiaotai Pills in treating depression and the "compound-target-pathway" network. DAVID was used for Gene Ontology(GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the core targets. The mouse model of depression was established with chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS) and treated with different doses of Jiaotai Pills. The behavioral changes and pathological changes in the hippocampus were observed. UHPLC-Orbitrap Exploris 120 was used for metabolic profiling of the serum, from which the differential metabolites and related metabolic pathways were screened. A "metabolite-reaction-enzyme-gene" network was constructed for the integrated analysis of metabolomics and network pharmacology. A total of 34 chemical components of Jiaotai Pills were identified, and 143 core targets of Jiaotai Pills in treating depression were predicted, which were mainly involved in the arginine and proline, sphingolipid, and neurotrophin metabolism signaling pathways. The results of animal experiments showed that Jiaotai Pills alleviated the depression behaviors and pathological changes in the hippocampus of the mouse model of CUMS-induced depression. In addition, Jiaotai Pills reversed the levels of 32 metabolites involved in various pathways such as arginine and proline metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and porphyrin metabolism in the serum of model mice. The integrated analysis showed that arginine and proline metabolism, cysteine and methionine metabolism, and porphyrin metabolism might be the key pathways in the treatment of depression with Jiaotai Pills. In conclusion, metabolomics combined with network pharmacology clarifies the antidepressant mechanism of Jiaotai Pills, which may provide a basis for the clinical application of Jiaotai Pills in treating depression.
Animals
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry*
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Depression/genetics*
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Mice
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Network Pharmacology
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Metabolomics
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Male
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Disease Models, Animal
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Humans
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Protein Interaction Maps/drug effects*
;
Antidepressive Agents

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