1.Study on Compatibility and Efficacy of Blood-activating Herb Pairs Based on Graph Convolution Network
Jingai WANG ; Qikai NIU ; Wenjing ZONG ; Ziling ZENG ; Siwei TIAN ; Siqi ZHANG ; Yuwen ZHAO ; Huamin ZHANG ; Bingjie HUO ; Bing LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(8):228-234
ObjectiveThis study aims to develop a prediction model for the compatibility of Chinese medicinal pairs based on Graph Convolutional Networks (GCN), named HC-GCN. The model integrates the properties of herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms to predict pairs with specific therapeutic effects. It serves as a demonstration by applying the model to predict and validate the efficacy of blood-activating herb pairs. MethodsThe training dataset for herb pair prediction was constructed by systematically collecting commonly used herb pairs along with their characteristic data, including Qi, flavor, meridian tropism, and target genes. Integrating traditional characteristics of herb with modern bioinformatics, we developed an efficacy-oriented herb pair compatibility prediction model (HC-GCN) using graph convolutional networks (GCN). This model leverages machine learning to capture the complex relationships in herb pair compatibility, weighted by efficacy features. The performance of the HC-GCN model was evaluated using accuracy (ACC), recall, precision, F1 score (F1), and area under the ROC curve (AUC). Its predictive effectiveness was then compared to five other machine learning models: eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), logistic regression (LR), Naive Bayes, K-nearest neighbor (KNN), and support vector machine (SVM). ResultsUsing herb pairs with blood-activating effects as a demonstration, a prediction model was constructed based on a foundational dataset of 46 blood-activating herb pairs, incorporating their Qi, flavor, meridian tropism, and target gene characteristics. The HC-GCN model outperforms other commonly used machine learning models in key performance metrics, including ACC, recall, precision, F1 score, and AUC. Through the predictive analysis of the HC-GCN model, 60 herb pairs with blood-activating effects were successfully identified. Among of these potential herb pairs, 44 include at least one herb with blood-activating effects. ConclusionIn this study, we established an efficacy-oriented compatibility prediction model for herb pairs based on GCN by integrating the unique characteristics of traditional herbs with modern pharmacological mechanisms. This model demonstrated high predictive performance, offering a novel approach for the intelligent screening and optimization of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, as well as their clinical applications.
2.A novel anti-ischemic stroke candidate drug AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement.
Jianbing WU ; Duorui JI ; Weijie JIAO ; Jian JIA ; Jiayi ZHU ; Taijun HANG ; Xijing CHEN ; Yang DING ; Yuwen XU ; Xinglong CHANG ; Liang LI ; Qiu LIU ; Yumei CAO ; Yan ZHONG ; Xia SUN ; Qingming GUO ; Tuanjie WANG ; Zhenzhong WANG ; Ya LING ; Wei XIAO ; Zhangjian HUANG ; Yihua ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1070-1083
Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.
3.Expression of Rh family C glycoprotein in esophageal squamous carcinoma and its clinical significance
Ziru ZHOU ; Mengfei SUN ; Huakun ZHANG ; Shuyan SUN ; Qi SUN ; Feng LI ; Yunzhao CHEN ; Jie YU ; Yuwen CAO ; Xiaobin CUI
Journal of Jilin University(Medicine Edition) 2025;51(4):1019-1027
Objective:To discuss the expression of Rh family C glycoprotein(RHCG)in the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)tissue and its effect on the malignant biological behavior of ESCC cells,and to clarify the value of RHCG as a diagnostic and prognostic marker for the ESCC patients.Methods:A total of 143 ESCC tissue samples and 105 adjacent normal tissue samples were collected.Using immunohistochemical staining method,141 ESCC samples were divided into two groups:RHCG low expression group(immunohistochemistry score≤6)and RHCG high expression group(immunohistochemistry score>6).Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the RHCG protein expression in 143 ESCC tissues and 105 normal tissues,and the relationship between the clinicopathological characteristics of the ESCC patients was analyzed.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used to evaluate the value of RHCG in diagnosis and prognosis of the ESCC patients;univariate and multivariate COX regression analysis were used to determine the independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of the ESCC patients.Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA2)database was used to analyze the expression of RHCG mRNA in various tumor tissues.The ESCC TE-1 cells were cultured and transfected in to 6-well cell culture plates with different Lipofectamine2000∶RHCG ratios;the cells in RHCG transfection group were transfected with weights of 2.0,2.5,and 3.0 μg for 24 and 48 h,respectively,and the cells in NC group transfected with empty vector as control.Western blotting method was used to detect the RHCG protein expression level in the TE-1 cells in various groups after transfection at different concentrations and verify the optimal transfection conditions;cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)assay was used to detect the proliferation activities of the TE-1 cells;plate clone formation assay was used to detect the colony formation numbers of the TE-1 cells;Transwell chamber assay was used to detect the numbers of migrating TE-1 cells.Results:Compared with adjacent normal tissue,the RHCG gene expression level in various cancer tissues including ESCC,glioblastoma multiforme,and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma was significantly decreased(P<0.05).RHCG protein was mainly located on the cell membrane of normal esophageal squamous epithelial cells;the RHCG protein expression intensity in ESCC tissues was lower than that in adjacent normal esophageal tissue(χ2=109.373,P<0.001),and the patients in RHCG low expression group had poorer differentiation than those in RHCG high expression group(P=0.041).The area under the curve(AUC)value of RHCG for diagnosing ESCC was 0.86,with sensitivity and specificity of 95.1%and 75.0%,respectively;the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis results showed that compared with high RHCG expression group,the patients in low RHCG expression group had shorter survival time and poorer prognosis[harard ratio(HR)=0.269,95%confidence interval(CI):0.113-0.639,P=0.020];the COX regression analysis results showed that low RHCG expression could serve as an independent risk factor affecting the prognosis of ESCC[HR=4.569,95%CI=1.315-15.877,P=0.017)].The Western blotting results verified that the optimal transfection condition was 3.0 μg RHCG plasmid for 48 h,at which time RHCG overexpression was optimal and RHCG protein expression level was highest.The CCK-8 assay results showed that compared with control group,the proliferation activity in RHCG overexpression group was decreased on the 4th day after cell seeding(P<0.001).In the TE-1 cells,the colony formation number of the TE-1 cells in RHCG over-expression group was lower than that in control group(t=17.70,P<0.001).The Transwell chamber assay results showed that compared with control group,the number of migrating cells in RHCG over-expression group was decreased(t=23.74,P<0.001).Conclusion:RHCG expression is decreased in ESCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis in ESCC patients;overexpression of RHCG can inhibit the proliferation and migration of the TE-1 cells,providing a theoretical basis for RHCG as a novel diagnostic and prognostic marker and therapeutic target for ESCC.
4.Analysis of rate-limiting steps and construction of a predictive model for the difficulty of hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy
Ruiyu YUE ; Zhipeng WANG ; Jian ZHANG ; Yuwen GUO ; Lei ZHANG ; Jingcheng LYU ; Yichen ZHU
International Journal of Surgery 2025;52(10):686-693
Objective:To investigate the rate-limiting steps of hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, analyze the relevant factors affecting surgical difficulty, and subsequently construct a mathematical model to predict the difficulty of the procedure preoperatively.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 100 kidney donors who underwent hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy performed by the same surgeon at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2021 to January 2024. Preoperative demographic data, imaging findings, general condition, donor kidney size, and postoperative complications were collected and analyzed. The surgeon′s subjective rating (1-3 points) was used as a quantitative measure of surgical difficulty. ANOVA and Chi-square tests were employed to explore the differences in postoperative complications, recovery, operative time, and intraoperative blood loss among groups with varying levels of difficulty. The main procedure was divided into four steps (excluding abdominal closure): Trocar placement, renal hilar dissection, perinephric dissection, and kidney retrieval. The time for each step and the total operative time were recorded. Pearson correlation test was used to analyze the relationship between each step and the total operative time, and ANOVA test was used to assess the time differences between steps and to determine if the time for the same step varied across different difficulty subgroups, thereby identifying the rate-limiting step of hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. In terms of the risk factors influencing the difficulty of surgery, Pearson and Spearman correlation tests were used to investigate the relationship between preoperative donor data and surgical difficulty scores, and a predictive model was constructed using multiple linear regression. Finally, the model was internally and externally validated to confirm its accuracy and effectiveness.Results:As the surgical difficulty increased (groups 1, 2, and 3), the postoperative drainage tube duration was correspondingly prolonged [(5.92±1.48) d, (8.00±1.75) d, and (11.88±4.45) d, respectively, P<0.05], and the severity of postoperative complications also significantly increased (the incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥2 was 5.66%, 31.82% and 64.00%, respectively, P<0.01). In the analysis of rate-limiting steps, the time taken for all steps, except for Trocar placement, showed significant differences among the difficulty subgroups ( P<0.001). However, the average time for renal hilar dissection was (19.82±5.65) min, which was significantly longer than the other steps ( P<0.001). Therefore, renal hilar dissection was identified as the rate-limiting step of hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. In terms of the influencing factors of surgical difficulty, donor obesity, kidney width, abdominal anteroposterior sagittal diameter, number of renal arteries, distance from renal artery bifurcation to the abdominal aorta, degree of renal artery calcification, and mayo adhesive probability (MAP) score were all correlated with the surgical difficulty score ( P<0.05). However, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that only the number of renal arteries and the MAP score were the independent risk factors for higher surgical difficulty of hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. The predictive equation was: surgical difficulty=0.649×number of renal arteries+ 0.770×MAP score. Both internal and external validation confirmed the model's good accuracy. Conclusions:This study established a reliable and objective predictive model for the difficulty of hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy based on the number of renal arteries and the MAP score. Renal hilar dissection was identified as the rate-limiting step of the procedure. This provides a reference for selecting an appropriate surgeon based on the predicted surgical difficulty.
5.Advances in Animal Modeling in the Study of Bone-Vascular Axis Comorbidities
Jiayang LI ; Yumeng ZHOU ; Yuwen LUO ; Xuelin HUANG ; Demao ZHANG ; Xiaoheng LIU
Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Sciences) 2025;56(2):355-363
Osteoporosis and cardiovascular calcification,two major age-related chronic diseases that China is confronting today,pose serious threats to public health.Previous studies have reported overlapping connections in the pathological processes and molecular mechanisms of these two diseases,particularly concerning inflammation,oxidative stress,and dysregulation of mineral metabolism,and that these two diseases tend to share common pathogenic factors.However,research exploring the comorbidity mechanisms of the two diseases remains limited in both depth and scope,largely due to the lack of widely accepted comorbidity animal models.Herein,we analyzed the latest research findings on the comorbidity mechanisms of vascular calcification and osteoporosis,focusing on summarizing the animal disease models currently in extensive use and the relevant evaluation criteria.We aim to provide new references for comorbidity research models and offer scientific evidence for future studies on pathological mechanisms and the development of new therapeutic strategies.
6.Dynamic Succession of Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator in an Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Model
Yuwen LUO ; Xuelin HUANG ; Bomiao CUI ; Ning JI ; Ping ZHANG
Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Sciences) 2025;56(4):1045-1050
Objective To systematically characterizes the temporal changes in urokinase-type plasminogen activator(uPA)over the course of neoplastic progression using a mouse oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)model induced by 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide(4-NQO).Methods A total of 65 wild-type C57BL/6 mice of 5 weeks old were randomly assigned to two groups,a 4-NQO group(n=50),which received daily administration of 100 μg/mL 4-NQO in drinking water,and a control group(n=15),which received sterile water.At 12,16,20,22,and 24 weeks,10 mice from the 4-NQO group and 3 from the control group were randomly selected,weighed,and sacrificed.Tongue tissues were collected for hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining to preliminarily assess OSCC development,and for immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time PCR to evaluate dynamic uPA expression in tongue tissues during OSCC progression.Results After 16 weeks of exposure,4-NQO-treated mice exhibited significantly lower body mass compared with that of the controls(P<0.05)and the weight loss became increasingly more pronounced over time.Histopathological changes in tongue tissues progressed in a clearly time-dependent manner—hyperplasia and mild dysplasia emerged at week 12,while moderate-to-severe dysplasia and carcinoma were observed by week 22,yielding a tumorigenic rate of 25%,which escalated to 70%by week 24.Immunofluorescence and qPCR analyses demonstrated a pronounced,progressive up-regulation of uPA expression in lesional tissues as OSCC progressed(P<0.000 1).Conclusion This study not only confirmed the uniqueness of the 4-NQO model in OSCC research,but also revealed the changes in uPA during tumor invasion.These findings provide a theoretical foundation for the development of early diagnosis and precision treatment strategies,holding significant potential clinical value and research importance for improving patient prognosis.
7.Application evaluation of hydrocolloid silver-containing dressing and Jiedu Shengji ointment
Yuwen ZHENG ; Yuxia ZHANG ; Hui SU ; Liping ZHU
China Modern Doctor 2024;62(12):45-48
Objective To explore the clinical effect of hydrocolloid silver-containing dressing combined with Jiedu Shengji ointment in the nursing of venous ulcer wounds of lower limbs.Methods A total of 84 patients with venous ulcer wounds of lower limbs admitted to the wound ostomy clinic of Jiading Central Hospital,Shanghai University of Medicine&Health Sciences from October 2022 to May 2023.Patients were divided into observation group and control group according to the method of single and double days of admission,with 42 cases in each group.The patients in two groups were treated with"three-step dressing change",the patients in control group were treated with conventional external dressing,and the patients in observation group were treated with reticular hydrocolloid silver dressing and Jiedu Shengji ointment for local use.The nursing effects of the two groups were compared.Results The total effective rate of observation group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05).The wound healing time,treatment time and dressing change times in the observation group were lower than those in control group(P<0.05).The levels of interleukin(IL)-6 and IL-8 in observation group were lower than those in control group(P<0.05).The score of self-conscious pain in observation group was lower than that in control group(P<0.05).The total nursing satisfaction rate of observation group was higher than that of control group(P<0.05).Conclusion"Three-step dressing change"is an effective wound treatment method in the nursing care of patients with deep venous ulcer of lower limbs.It can further accelerate the wound healing process and effect with the local use of reticular hydrocolloid silver-containing dressing and Jiedu Shengji ointment.
8.Effect of visceral fat thickness on the difficulty of renal transplantation and postoperative complications
Jingcheng LYU ; Yushi HOU ; Ye TIAN ; Yuwen GUO ; Lei ZHANG ; Yichen ZHU
International Journal of Surgery 2024;51(2):91-96
Objective:To investigate the effect of visceral fat thickness before operation on the operative difficulty and postoperative complications in renal transplantation recipients.Methods:A total of 179 patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease who underwent kidney transplantation in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively included. According to the visceral fat thickness measured by CT before transplantation (distance from anterior wall of abdominal aorta to parietal peritoneum at 1 cm above umbilicus), patients were divided into two groups, with 103 patients in thin visceral fat group with visceral fat thickness ≤7.5 cm and 76 patients in thick visceral fat group with visceral fat thickness>7.5 cm. The epidemiological data before renal transplantation, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications, renal function after transplantation and patients′ recovery state were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Measurement data were expressed as mean±standard deviation ( ± s), and independent sample t-test was used for comparison between groups. The Chi-square test was used to compare the count data. Results:The mean age and body mass index of patients in thin visceral fat group [(38.70±11.50) years and (21.28±2.93) kg/m 2] were lower than those in thick visceral fat group [(43.14±11.42) years and (24.78±3.37) kg/m 2], and the differences were statistically significant ( P< 0.05). There was no significant difference in other preoperative epidemiological data between the two groups ( P>0.05). In terms of operation difficulty, the mean operation time of thin visceral fat group was (117.16±34.33) min, which was significantly shorter than that of thick visceral fat group (137.11±20.02) min. The mean intraoperative blood loss in the thin visceral fat group was (89.12±45.95) mL, which was lower than that in the thick visceral fat group (125.39±54.88) mL, the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.001). In terms of postoperative complications, 41 patients in the thin visceral fat group had postoperative infection, incision pain and intraoperative effusion, and the incidence was 39.8% (41/103), which was significantly lower than that in the thick visceral fat group (78.9%, 60/76), the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.001); However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade 3 or higher complications between the two groups ( P> 0.05). There was no significant difference in serum creatinine levels at 3, 5, 7 days and 1, 2 months after surgery among patients with different visceral fat thickness ( P> 0.05). However, the mean serum creatinine level in the thin visceral fat group was (116.06±36.45) μmol/L, which was lower than that in the thick visceral fat group (133.35±72.26) μmol/L, and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.038). There was no significant difference in the incidence of delayed renal function recovery between the two groups ( P> 0.05). At the same time, there was no significant difference in postoperative drainage tube indwelling time and hospital stay between the two groups ( P> 0.05). Conclusions:The thicker visceral fat in end-stage renal disease patients before transplantation, the higher the incidence of general postoperative complications, but the severity of complications, patients′ recovery after transplantation and the short-term function of the transplanted kidney are not significantly related to the thickness of visceral fat in the recipients. Meanwhile, although the visceral fat thickness of the recipients in this study was correlated with serum creatinine levels at 3 months after transplantation, its correlation with long-term graft renal function and graft survival time remains to be further studied.
9.Clinical value of joint detection of cerebrospinal fluid and blood routine indicators in differentiating between multiple gliomas and primary central nervous system lymphoma
Hua JIANG ; Limin ZHANG ; Dan WANG ; Ping HAN ; Yuehong SUN ; Yuwen LI ; Chenxi ZHANG ; Wencan JIANG ; Xiao LI ; Hui ZHAO
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2024;40(13):1864-1868,1873
Objective To investigate the clinical significance of combined cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)and routine blood parameter analysis in differentiating between multiple cerebral glioma(MCG)and primary central nervous system lymphoma(PCNSL).Methods We Rretrospectively analyzed the clinical data,CSF and routine blood indicators levels of 62 MCG patients and 56 PCNSL patients admitted to Beijing Tiantan Hospital,Capital Medical University from November 2017 to March 2023.Additionally,we assessed the diagnostic value of individual meaningful indicators as well as their combinations in distinguishing between MCG and PCNSL.Results The levels of CSF total cell count,CSF white cell count,CSF:pro,lactate,routine bloodperipheral neutrophil count,and neu-trophil percentage were significantly higher in the MCG group than in the PCNSL group(P<0.05);while the levels of CSF:Glu,CSF:cl,routine blood lymphocyte count,eosinophil,lymphocyte percentage,and eosinophil percent-age were significantly higher in the PCNSL group than in the MCG group(P<0.05).The AUCs of CSF cell count,CSF white cell count,CSF:pro,lactate,routine blood neutrophil count,neutrophil percentage for differentiating MCG from PCNSL were 0.900,0.899,0.797,0.867,0.828 and 0.772 respectively;sensitivities were 72.4%,77.6%,63.8%,67.2%,72.4%,82.8%,77.6%and 81%,with sensitivities of 97.1%,100%,88.2%,91.2%,88.2%,64.7%,100%and 94.1%,respectively.In addition,the combined detection of CSF total cell count,CSF white cell count,CSF:pro,routine blood neutrophil count and neutrophil percentage in CSF had an AUC of 0.919 for differentiating MCG from PCNSL,with a sensitivity and specificity of 77.6%and 100%,respectively.Conclusions Combined detection of CSF indicators including CSF total cell count,CSF white cell count,CSF:pro,along with routine blood markers such as neutrophil count and neutrophil percentage,holds significant clinical utility for differ-entiating between MCG and PCNSL.
10.Care of a child with human herpesvirus-6B encephalitis after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy
Yi YANG ; Junxia WANG ; Yuwen CHEN ; Huimin ZHANG ; Mengchuan WANG
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2024;40(9):687-692
Summarizing the nursing experience of a child with HHV-6B encephalitis after umbilical cord blood transplantation and CAR-T therapy. The child was 4 years old and was diagnosed with acute T lymphocytic leukemia on May 28, 2021. Nursing points: meticulously observe symptoms for early diagnosis and treatment; develop a specialized management plan, implement individualized care; enhance medication management to improve the quality of care; establish a shared decision-making communication model to prevent hospital-acquired infections; provide patient-centered care for lumbar puncture; assess the needs of the child and family, alleviate negative emotions; improve pre-discharge preparation, emphasize continuity of care. With proactive treatment and careful nursing, the child′s condition improved, and they were discharged. Follow-up for six months showed the child in a sustained remission state with no adverse sequelae, and normal life resumed.

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