1.Engineering cellular dephosphorylation boosts (+)-borneol production in yeast.
Haiyan ZHANG ; Peng CAI ; Juan GUO ; Jiaoqi GAO ; Linfeng XIE ; Ping SU ; Xiaoxin ZHAI ; Baolong JIN ; Guanghong CUI ; Yongjin J ZHOU ; Luqi HUANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1171-1182
(+)-Borneol, the main component of "Natural Borneol" in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, is a high-end spice and precious medicine. Plant extraction cannot meet the increasing demand for (+)-borneol, while microbial biosynthesis offers a sustainable supply route. However, its production was extremely low compared with other monoterpenes, even with extensively optimizing the mevalonate pathway. We found that the key challenge is the complex and unusual dephosphorylation reaction of bornyl diphosphate (BPP), which suffers the side-reaction and the competition from the cellular dephosphorylation process, especially lipid metabolism, thus limiting (+)-borneol synthesis. Here, we systematically optimized the dephosphorylation process by identifying, characterizing phosphatases, and balancing cellular dephosphorylation metabolism. For the first time, we identified two endogenous phosphatases and seven heterologous phosphatases, which significantly increased (+)-borneol production by up to 152%. By engineering BPP dephosphorylation and optimizing the MVA pathway, the production of (+)-borneol was increased by 33.8-fold, which enabled the production of 753 mg/L under fed-batch fermentation in shake flasks, so far the highest reported in the literature. This study showed that rewiring dephosphorylation metabolism was essential for high-level production of (+)-borneol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and balancing cellular dephosphorylation is also helpful for efficient biosynthesis of other terpenoids since all whose biosynthesis involves the dephosphorylation procedure.
2.Locoregional therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma
Hua XIANG ; Lin LONG ; Yongjin ZHANG ; Jumei ZHOU ; Yang ZHAO ; Muzi LI ; Rengeng LIU ; Shixiong SHI ; Rongrong WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(8):1497-1503
The incidence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)remain high in China,and the application of surgical resection is often limited due to the fact that most patients are in the advanced stage at the time of confirmed diagnosis.This article reviews commonly used advanced locoregional therapies for HCC and the advances in mainstream techniques such as local ablation(radiofrequency ablation,microwave ablation,irreversible electroporation,and cryoablation),intravascular intervention(transcatheter arterial chemoembolization,hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy,and Y90 hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy),and radiotherapy(CyberKnife,proton therapy,and heavy-ion therapy),and a multidimensional decision-making framework is constructed for HCC locoregional therapy by comparing treatment principles,indications,limitations,and clinical data of these techniques.This article aims to provide evidence-based support for persistent dilemmas in clinical decision-making,promote the role of locoregional therapies in clinical practice,and propose the directions for future research and clinical application.This article also establishes a comprehensive clinical roadmap for HCC locoregional therapy,which helps to address current challenges regarding technique selection and delineate future directions for innovation,in order to reshape the treatment of HCC through technological integration and paradigm innovation.
3.The Practical Exploration of Building the"Platform-Talent-Discipline"System for National Regional Medical Centers
Xiaomin ZHANG ; Hongyan WU ; Jing GAO ; Chongchen ZHOU ; Haobin CHEN ; Yingying YU ; Yongjin CHEN ; Jie ZHANG
Chinese Hospital Management 2025;45(8):90-93
Strengthening the construction of platforms,talents,and disciplines is a crucial strategy to enhance the core competitiveness and promote the high-quality development of national regional medical centers.It outlines the theoretical framework and implementation path for building the"Platform-Talent(Team)-Discipline"develop-ment system during the establishment of the National Regional Medical Center at Henan Children's Hospital Zheng-zhou Children's Hospital.By creating a collaborative innovation platform integrating medical services,education,and research,implementing talent development programs,optimizing mechanisms for talent recruitment,cultivation,and retention,and advancing discipline development projects,the center has achieved significant progress in its core competencies.This exploration provides valuable insights and references for the development of national regional medical centers and the high-quality growth of public hospitals.
4.Causal relationship between visceral adipose tissue and osteoarthritis
Pengcheng SUN ; Xiaoyun ZHANG ; Zhengpeng LI ; Yongjin LI ; Zhengang GAO ; Kunjian LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(12):2631-2640
BACKGROUND:Although obesity is associated with osteoarthritis,it remains unclear whether visceral adipose tissue has a causal relationship with osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the causal relationship between visceral adipose tissue and osteoarthritis using two-sample Mendelian randomization methods. METHODS:A total of 221 single nucleotide polymorphisms strongly associated with visceral adipose tissue without linkage disequilibrium were screened from the genome-wide association study (GWAS). Pooled data for osteoarthritis were derived from a large genome-wide association analysis that included up to 826690 subjects (177517 osteoarthritis patients and 649173 controls) from nine different populations. We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses to assess the causal associations between visceral adipose tissue and early-onset any-site osteoarthritis (before age 45),any-site osteoarthritis,knee osteoarthritis,hip osteoarthritis,knee or hip osteoarthritis,spinal osteoarthritis,thumb osteoarthritis,and finger osteoarthritis. Inverse variance weighting was employed as the primary Mendelian randomization analysis method,with weighted median and MR-Egger methods used for supplementary clarification. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Inverse variance weighting results revealed a positive causal effect of visceral adipose tissue on eight types of osteoarthritis:early-onset any-site osteoarthritis[odds ratio (OR)=1.91,95% confidence interval (CI):1.64-2.24,P=6.04×10-16],any-site osteoarthritis (OR=1.44,95% CI:1.38-1.49,P=3.65×10-75),knee osteoarthritis (OR=1.87,95% CI:1.75-2.00,P=1.29×10-79),hip osteoarthritis (OR=1.34,95% CI:1.24-1.45,P=2.84×10-14),knee or hip osteoarthritis (OR=1.71,95% CI:1.62-1.80,P=2.97×10-83),spinal osteoarthritis (OR=1.42,95% CI:1.31-1.54,P=8.89×10-17),thumb osteoarthritis (OR=1.26,95% CI:1.10-1.44,P=6.21×10-4),and finger osteoarthritis (OR=1.29,95% CI:1.13-1.49,P=2.68×10-4). Sensitivity analyses showed no heterogeneity,pleiotropy,or outliers in the causal effects of visceral adipose tissue on the eight types of osteoarthritis. These findings indicate that visceral adipose tissue is a risk factor of osteoarthritis,and excessive visceral adipose tissue may increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
5.Research on the association of breast cancer patients'prognosis with internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy
Ruijie JIA ; Zhiqiang SHI ; Qi ZHANG ; Yongjin LU ; Junsheng ZHENG ; Jing SUN ; Zhao BI ; Xiao SUN ; Yongsheng WANG ; Pengfei QIU
China Oncology 2025;35(4):394-403
Background and purpose:Internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy(IMSLNB)is a minimally invasive diagnostic technique for regional lymph nodes in breast cancer,which can provide accurate lymph staging and guide adjuvant treatment decision,but its clinical application has been controversial.The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognosis of IMSLNB in early breast cancer.Methods:In this study,a retrospective cohort of 7 949 patients with breast cancer from January 1,2016 to December 31,2021 was analyzed.After applying propensity score matching,the patients were divided into IMSLNB group and no-IMSLNB group,and the regional recurrence-free survival(RRFS),local recurrence-free survival(LRFS),distant metastasis-free survival(DMFS),disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS)of the two groups were compared.This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Shandong First Medical University(approval number:SDTHEC20130324).Results:A total of 990 patients were included in the final analysis(330 in the IMSLNB group and 660 in the no-IMSLNB group).IMSLN metastasis was found in 54 patients in the IMSLNB group,including 47 patients with axillary lymph node(ALN)metastasis and 7 patients with IMSLN metastasis only.The IMSLN transfer rate was 16.4%.The median follow-up of 41 months showed that the IMSLNB group demonstrated better 3-year DFS[98.4%vs 94.2%,hazard ratio(HR)=0.509;95%CI:0.312-0.828,P=0.007]and 5-year DFS(92.5%vs 87.3%,HR=0.214,95%CI:0.206-0.222,P=0.011)compared with no-IMSLNB group.However,no significant differences were observed in 3-year OS(99.1%vs 99.4%,HR=0.618,95%CI:0.231-1.655,P=0.338)or 5-year OS(98.5%vs 99.1%,HR=0.52,95%CI:0.51-0.53,P=0.392)between the two groups.The 3-year RRFS in the IMSLNB group was better compared with the no-IMSLNB group(99.09%vs 97.73%,HR=0.066;95%CI:0.061-0.071,P=0.048),while no significant differences were observed in 3-year LRFS(99.70%vs 98.19%,HR=0.209;95%CI:0.201-0.217,P=0.130)or DMFS(95.76%vs 96.06%,HR=0.865,95%CI:0.858-0.872,P=0.820)between the two groups.The exploratory subgroup analysis of DFS revealed that patients in the following subgroups could significantly benefit from IM-SLNB(P<0.05):diagnosis age(≤50 years),premenopausal status,BMI(≤24),lymphovascular invasion(LVI,present),tumor location(lateral),molecular subtype[hormone receptor positive(HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative(HER2-)],histological type(invasive ductal carcinoma),and axillary lymph node status(positive).Conclusion:IMSLNB can provide more accurate regional lymph node staging for early breast cancer,help optimize adjuvant radiotherapy strategies,and improve patients'DFS and RRFS.It can be promoted as a minimally invasive staging technique for regional lymph nodes.
6.Research on the association of breast cancer patients'prognosis with internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy
Ruijie JIA ; Zhiqiang SHI ; Qi ZHANG ; Yongjin LU ; Junsheng ZHENG ; Jing SUN ; Zhao BI ; Xiao SUN ; Yongsheng WANG ; Pengfei QIU
China Oncology 2025;35(4):394-403
Background and purpose:Internal mammary sentinel lymph node biopsy(IMSLNB)is a minimally invasive diagnostic technique for regional lymph nodes in breast cancer,which can provide accurate lymph staging and guide adjuvant treatment decision,but its clinical application has been controversial.The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognosis of IMSLNB in early breast cancer.Methods:In this study,a retrospective cohort of 7 949 patients with breast cancer from January 1,2016 to December 31,2021 was analyzed.After applying propensity score matching,the patients were divided into IMSLNB group and no-IMSLNB group,and the regional recurrence-free survival(RRFS),local recurrence-free survival(LRFS),distant metastasis-free survival(DMFS),disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS)of the two groups were compared.This study was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Shandong First Medical University(approval number:SDTHEC20130324).Results:A total of 990 patients were included in the final analysis(330 in the IMSLNB group and 660 in the no-IMSLNB group).IMSLN metastasis was found in 54 patients in the IMSLNB group,including 47 patients with axillary lymph node(ALN)metastasis and 7 patients with IMSLN metastasis only.The IMSLN transfer rate was 16.4%.The median follow-up of 41 months showed that the IMSLNB group demonstrated better 3-year DFS[98.4%vs 94.2%,hazard ratio(HR)=0.509;95%CI:0.312-0.828,P=0.007]and 5-year DFS(92.5%vs 87.3%,HR=0.214,95%CI:0.206-0.222,P=0.011)compared with no-IMSLNB group.However,no significant differences were observed in 3-year OS(99.1%vs 99.4%,HR=0.618,95%CI:0.231-1.655,P=0.338)or 5-year OS(98.5%vs 99.1%,HR=0.52,95%CI:0.51-0.53,P=0.392)between the two groups.The 3-year RRFS in the IMSLNB group was better compared with the no-IMSLNB group(99.09%vs 97.73%,HR=0.066;95%CI:0.061-0.071,P=0.048),while no significant differences were observed in 3-year LRFS(99.70%vs 98.19%,HR=0.209;95%CI:0.201-0.217,P=0.130)or DMFS(95.76%vs 96.06%,HR=0.865,95%CI:0.858-0.872,P=0.820)between the two groups.The exploratory subgroup analysis of DFS revealed that patients in the following subgroups could significantly benefit from IM-SLNB(P<0.05):diagnosis age(≤50 years),premenopausal status,BMI(≤24),lymphovascular invasion(LVI,present),tumor location(lateral),molecular subtype[hormone receptor positive(HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative(HER2-)],histological type(invasive ductal carcinoma),and axillary lymph node status(positive).Conclusion:IMSLNB can provide more accurate regional lymph node staging for early breast cancer,help optimize adjuvant radiotherapy strategies,and improve patients'DFS and RRFS.It can be promoted as a minimally invasive staging technique for regional lymph nodes.
7.Locoregional therapeutic strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma
Hua XIANG ; Lin LONG ; Yongjin ZHANG ; Jumei ZHOU ; Yang ZHAO ; Muzi LI ; Rengeng LIU ; Shixiong SHI ; Rongrong WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(8):1497-1503
The incidence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)remain high in China,and the application of surgical resection is often limited due to the fact that most patients are in the advanced stage at the time of confirmed diagnosis.This article reviews commonly used advanced locoregional therapies for HCC and the advances in mainstream techniques such as local ablation(radiofrequency ablation,microwave ablation,irreversible electroporation,and cryoablation),intravascular intervention(transcatheter arterial chemoembolization,hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy,and Y90 hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy),and radiotherapy(CyberKnife,proton therapy,and heavy-ion therapy),and a multidimensional decision-making framework is constructed for HCC locoregional therapy by comparing treatment principles,indications,limitations,and clinical data of these techniques.This article aims to provide evidence-based support for persistent dilemmas in clinical decision-making,promote the role of locoregional therapies in clinical practice,and propose the directions for future research and clinical application.This article also establishes a comprehensive clinical roadmap for HCC locoregional therapy,which helps to address current challenges regarding technique selection and delineate future directions for innovation,in order to reshape the treatment of HCC through technological integration and paradigm innovation.
8.The Practical Exploration of Building the"Platform-Talent-Discipline"System for National Regional Medical Centers
Xiaomin ZHANG ; Hongyan WU ; Jing GAO ; Chongchen ZHOU ; Haobin CHEN ; Yingying YU ; Yongjin CHEN ; Jie ZHANG
Chinese Hospital Management 2025;45(8):90-93
Strengthening the construction of platforms,talents,and disciplines is a crucial strategy to enhance the core competitiveness and promote the high-quality development of national regional medical centers.It outlines the theoretical framework and implementation path for building the"Platform-Talent(Team)-Discipline"develop-ment system during the establishment of the National Regional Medical Center at Henan Children's Hospital Zheng-zhou Children's Hospital.By creating a collaborative innovation platform integrating medical services,education,and research,implementing talent development programs,optimizing mechanisms for talent recruitment,cultivation,and retention,and advancing discipline development projects,the center has achieved significant progress in its core competencies.This exploration provides valuable insights and references for the development of national regional medical centers and the high-quality growth of public hospitals.
9.Causal relationship between visceral adipose tissue and osteoarthritis
Pengcheng SUN ; Xiaoyun ZHANG ; Zhengpeng LI ; Yongjin LI ; Zhengang GAO ; Kunjian LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(12):2631-2640
BACKGROUND:Although obesity is associated with osteoarthritis,it remains unclear whether visceral adipose tissue has a causal relationship with osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the causal relationship between visceral adipose tissue and osteoarthritis using two-sample Mendelian randomization methods. METHODS:A total of 221 single nucleotide polymorphisms strongly associated with visceral adipose tissue without linkage disequilibrium were screened from the genome-wide association study (GWAS). Pooled data for osteoarthritis were derived from a large genome-wide association analysis that included up to 826690 subjects (177517 osteoarthritis patients and 649173 controls) from nine different populations. We conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses to assess the causal associations between visceral adipose tissue and early-onset any-site osteoarthritis (before age 45),any-site osteoarthritis,knee osteoarthritis,hip osteoarthritis,knee or hip osteoarthritis,spinal osteoarthritis,thumb osteoarthritis,and finger osteoarthritis. Inverse variance weighting was employed as the primary Mendelian randomization analysis method,with weighted median and MR-Egger methods used for supplementary clarification. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Inverse variance weighting results revealed a positive causal effect of visceral adipose tissue on eight types of osteoarthritis:early-onset any-site osteoarthritis[odds ratio (OR)=1.91,95% confidence interval (CI):1.64-2.24,P=6.04×10-16],any-site osteoarthritis (OR=1.44,95% CI:1.38-1.49,P=3.65×10-75),knee osteoarthritis (OR=1.87,95% CI:1.75-2.00,P=1.29×10-79),hip osteoarthritis (OR=1.34,95% CI:1.24-1.45,P=2.84×10-14),knee or hip osteoarthritis (OR=1.71,95% CI:1.62-1.80,P=2.97×10-83),spinal osteoarthritis (OR=1.42,95% CI:1.31-1.54,P=8.89×10-17),thumb osteoarthritis (OR=1.26,95% CI:1.10-1.44,P=6.21×10-4),and finger osteoarthritis (OR=1.29,95% CI:1.13-1.49,P=2.68×10-4). Sensitivity analyses showed no heterogeneity,pleiotropy,or outliers in the causal effects of visceral adipose tissue on the eight types of osteoarthritis. These findings indicate that visceral adipose tissue is a risk factor of osteoarthritis,and excessive visceral adipose tissue may increase the risk of osteoarthritis.
10.Predictive value of parathyroid hormone change rate for the occurrence of hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy
Shiyong LIANG ; Yunfang AN ; Yongjin JI ; Rong LIU ; Yanting ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2024;18(5):679-684
Objective:To explore the predictive value of the change rate of parathyroid hormone (PTH) after total thyroidectomy (TT) for hypoparathyroid function.Methods:A total of 182 patients with thyroid tumor who underwent TT from Jan. 2018 to Jun. 2023 in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were retrospectively selected as the study objects. The clinical and surgical data of the patients were collected, and the key factors associated with postoperative hypoparathyroidism were screened by multi-factor analysis. The change rate of serum PTH was calculated during perioperative period (before operation, at the end of operation, 1 and 3 days after operation). Receiver operator curve (ROC) was used to analyze the predictive value of PTH change rate in all patients.Results:Whether temporary hypoparathyroidism (THP) or permanent hypoparathyroidism (PHP), both were closely related to TT+ bilateral central lymph node dissection ( χ2=33.764, 9.235, P < 0.05) and parathyroid resection ( χ2=6.512, 58.999, P < 0.05). The change rate of PTH in HP patients was significantly higher than that in normal patients ( F=15.993, 16.830, 19.024, P < 0.05), and on the first and third day after surgery, the change rate of PTH in PHP patients was significantly higher than that in THP patients ( t=7.955, 9.023, P < 0.05). The predicted area under curve (AUC) of THP or PHP in different patient populations is different with the change rate of PTH in different periods. For patients with TT+ bilateral central lymph node dissection and parathyroidectomy, the change rate of PTH at the end of surgery was significantly higher than the change rate of PTH at 3 days after surgery for the AUC with PHP ( Z=5.433, 4.923, P < 0.05) . Conclusion:Perioperative PTH has good predictive value for THP and PHP in TT patients, especially in TT+ bilateral central lymph node dissection and parathyroidectomy.

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