1.Heat-clearing and Toxin-removing Method Reduces Ischemic Stroke Injury by Protecting Endothelial-pericyte and Inhibiting Macrophage Migration
Zijin SUN ; Haojia ZHANG ; Kai WANG ; Zhaoyi WANG ; Linjing SONG ; Wenxiu XU ; Jing JI ; Changxiang LI ; Qingguo WANG ; Xueqian WANG ; Fafeng CHENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(11):56-67
ObjectiveTo investigate the regulatory effects of Huanglian Jiedutang (HLJDT) on immune cell migration, blood-brain barrier protection, and cellular functional recovery in a model of ischemic stroke. MethodsA transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model was established in mice to induce ischemic stroke. Cerebral blood flow and neurological function were evaluated using laser speckle imaging and neurological deficit scoring. Histopathological damage in brain tissues was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Nissl staining. Mice were divided into a sham group, a model group, an HLJDT group, and a Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) group. After one week of acclimatization, intragastric administration was initiated. The sham and model groups received normal saline, the HLJDT group received HLJDT at 1.82 g·kg-¹, and the GBE group received GBE at 0.432 g·kg-¹. Administration was continued for 5 consecutive days, and the tMCAO model was established after the final dose on day 6. Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on brain tissues and peripheral immune cells. UMAP and odds ratio (OR) indices were used to analyze cell distribution. Differential expression analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of HLJDT on endothelial cells, pericytes, and macrophages, combined with CellChat and decoupler to analyze cell-cell communication and transcription factor regulation. Finally, PCR and ELISA were used to validate the mRNA and protein expression of relevant genes. ResultsCompared with the sham group, the model group showed significantly increased neurological deficit scores (P<0.01) and significantly decreased cerebral blood flow (P<0.01), accompanied by cortical structural disorder, aggravated cytoplasmic vacuolization, and increased numbers of Nissl bodies. Compared with the model group, both the HLJDT and GBE groups exhibited significantly reduced neurological deficit scores (P<0.01) and markedly improved cerebral blood flow (P<0.01), along with amelioration of cortical structural disorder, alleviated cytoplasmic vacuolization, and reduced numbers of Nissl bodies. Single-cell analysis showed that HLJDT protected endothelial cells and pericytes by preventing their reduction, restored the expression of functional genes in these cells (e.g., PECAM1 and NOS3), and downregulated the expression of chemokines and adhesion-related factors (e.g., CCL2 and CXCL2). In macrophages, HLJDT reduced their recruitment to the central nervous system and downregulated the expression of chemokine receptors and inflammatory factors (e.g., IL-6, CCR2, and CXCR2). Cell-cell communication analysis further indicated that HLJDT, through the above mechanisms, alleviated damage to pericytes and endothelial cells, reduced their recruitment of macrophages, and decreased ligand-receptor interactions in chemokine signaling pathways (including CCL, CXCL, and CSF3) between pericytes/endothelial cells and macrophages, thereby preventing secondary injury. Compared with the sham group, the model group showed significantly upregulated mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, CCL2, CXCL2, and CSF3 (P<0.01), while mRNA expression levels of endothelial- and pericyte function-related genes (RGS5, PECAM1, VEGFB, and NOS3) were significantly downregulated (P<0.01). In contrast, compared with the model group, the HLJDT and GBE groups exhibited significantly decreased mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, CCL2, CXCL2, and CSF3 (P<0.01), and significantly increased expression of RGS5, PECAM1, VEGFB, and NOS3 (P<0.01). At the protein level, compared with the sham group, the model group showed significantly increased expression of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α (P<0.01), whereas these protein levels were significantly reduced in the HLJDT and GBE groups compared with the model group (P<0.01). ConclusionHLJDT reduces neuronal damage in ischemic stroke by protecting endothelial cells and pericytes, while inhibiting their interaction with macrophages, thereby mitigating secondary injury in the central nervous system.
2.Impact of low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation on the immune microenvironment of papillary thyroid carcinoma
Zhecheng LI ; Neng TANG ; Lei YAO ; Zhaoyi WU ; Zhiming WANG
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2025;34(2):346-355
Background and Aims:Papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC),the most common type of thyroid cancer,has been rapidly increasing in incidence worldwide,posing a serious threat to individual health and public healthcare systems.Exposure to low-to-moderate doses of ionizing radiation is more relevant to the daily lives of the general population and,therefore,raises greater public health concerns.It has also been widely recognized as a potential factor in immune system remodeling.This study was conducted to investigate the impact of low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation on the tumor immune microenvironment of PTC,aiming to reveal the potential hazards of such radiation exposure in PTC patients.Methods:Two datasets(GSE29265 and GSE35570)containing RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical information were retrieved and downloaded from the GEO database.These datasets included thyroid cancer samples from patients exposed to ionizing radiation due to the Chernobyl disaster,as well as sporadic thyroid cancer cases.After data cleaning,merging,batch effect correction,differential gene expression analysis,functional enrichment analysis,immune cell infiltration analysis,and tumor microenvironment analysis were performed using R language.Results:In tumor samples,the radiation-exposed group exhibited significant differential gene expression compared to the sporadic group,with three genes upregulated and 27 genes downregulated.These differentially expressed genes were primarily enriched in biological functions closely related to immune responses,including chemokine activity,immune cell chemotaxis,and tumor immunity.Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that radiation exposure had a limited impact on immune cell infiltration in normal samples.However,in tumor samples,the immune and ESTIMATE scores were significantly lower in the radiation-exposed group than in the sporadic group.Further analysis revealed that total T cells,CD4+T cells,CD8+T cells,B cells,and cytotoxic lymphocytes exhibited significantly lower infiltration levels in the tumor microenvironment of the radiation-exposed group than the sporadic group.Conclusion:Although low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation has a relatively minor impact on normal thyroid tissue,it significantly reduces the infiltration of various immune cell subtypes in the PTC tumor microenvironment.This reduction in immune infiltration may have important implications for disease progression.
3.Study on Distribution Law of TCM Syndrome Elements in Obesity with Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease
Zhaoyi CHEN ; Jinkun WANG ; Jun ZHOU ; Shengxian LI ; Minting LUO ; Zhongqi YUAN ; Lu LIU ; Qiuyu XIA ; Bin LI
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(12):154-159
Objective To explore the characteristics of TCM syndromes in patients with obesity with metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods TCM Symptom Collection Form was developed to collect the clinical symptoms of obesity patients who attended the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Capital Medical University,from July to December of 2024.Factor analysis and clustering analysis were used to explore the distribution law of different syndrome elements and TCM syndromes.Results A total of 309 obese patients(221 with MAFLD)were included,with 20 symptoms with a frequency of≥5%.Factor analysis suggested that there was a significant difference between the two groups in the pathogenic syndrome elements of qi stagnation,yin deficiency,qi deficiency,hyperactivity of yang,yang deficiency,dampness,dynamic wind,and the locus of disease syndrome elements of the spleen and the heart spirit(P<0.05).Clustering analysis showed that the syndrome types of patients with MAFLD were mainly the syndrome of liver and stomach stagnation and heat,the syndrome of spleen deficiency and stomach heat,and the syndrome of spleen and kidney deficiency;the syndrome types of patients without MAFLD were mainly spleen-stomach qi stagnation,gastrointestinal excess-heat,spleen-deficiency-dampness obstruction,and spleen-kidney deficiency.Conclusion Patients of obesity with MAFLD are more likely to have the co-existence of the pathogenesis of damp-heat obstruction and spleen-kidney deficiency.
4.Potential utility of albumin-bilirubin and body mass index-based logistic model to predict survival outcome in non-small cell lung cancer with liver metastasis treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Lianxi SONG ; Qinqin XU ; Ting ZHONG ; Wenhuan GUO ; Shaoding LIN ; Wenjuan JIANG ; Zhan WANG ; Li DENG ; Zhe HUANG ; Haoyue QIN ; Huan YAN ; Xing ZHANG ; Fan TONG ; Ruiguang ZHANG ; Zhaoyi LIU ; Lin ZHANG ; Xiaorong DONG ; Ting LI ; Chao FANG ; Xue CHEN ; Jun DENG ; Jing WANG ; Nong YANG ; Liang ZENG ; Yongchang ZHANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(4):478-480
5.Impact of low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation on the immune microenvironment of papillary thyroid carcinoma
Zhecheng LI ; Neng TANG ; Lei YAO ; Zhaoyi WU ; Zhiming WANG
Chinese Journal of General Surgery 2025;34(2):346-355
Background and Aims:Papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC),the most common type of thyroid cancer,has been rapidly increasing in incidence worldwide,posing a serious threat to individual health and public healthcare systems.Exposure to low-to-moderate doses of ionizing radiation is more relevant to the daily lives of the general population and,therefore,raises greater public health concerns.It has also been widely recognized as a potential factor in immune system remodeling.This study was conducted to investigate the impact of low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation on the tumor immune microenvironment of PTC,aiming to reveal the potential hazards of such radiation exposure in PTC patients.Methods:Two datasets(GSE29265 and GSE35570)containing RNA-seq data and corresponding clinical information were retrieved and downloaded from the GEO database.These datasets included thyroid cancer samples from patients exposed to ionizing radiation due to the Chernobyl disaster,as well as sporadic thyroid cancer cases.After data cleaning,merging,batch effect correction,differential gene expression analysis,functional enrichment analysis,immune cell infiltration analysis,and tumor microenvironment analysis were performed using R language.Results:In tumor samples,the radiation-exposed group exhibited significant differential gene expression compared to the sporadic group,with three genes upregulated and 27 genes downregulated.These differentially expressed genes were primarily enriched in biological functions closely related to immune responses,including chemokine activity,immune cell chemotaxis,and tumor immunity.Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that radiation exposure had a limited impact on immune cell infiltration in normal samples.However,in tumor samples,the immune and ESTIMATE scores were significantly lower in the radiation-exposed group than in the sporadic group.Further analysis revealed that total T cells,CD4+T cells,CD8+T cells,B cells,and cytotoxic lymphocytes exhibited significantly lower infiltration levels in the tumor microenvironment of the radiation-exposed group than the sporadic group.Conclusion:Although low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation has a relatively minor impact on normal thyroid tissue,it significantly reduces the infiltration of various immune cell subtypes in the PTC tumor microenvironment.This reduction in immune infiltration may have important implications for disease progression.
6.Study on Distribution Law of TCM Syndrome Elements in Obesity with Metabolic Associated Fatty Liver Disease
Zhaoyi CHEN ; Jinkun WANG ; Jun ZHOU ; Shengxian LI ; Minting LUO ; Zhongqi YUAN ; Lu LIU ; Qiuyu XIA ; Bin LI
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;32(12):154-159
Objective To explore the characteristics of TCM syndromes in patients with obesity with metabolic associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD).Methods TCM Symptom Collection Form was developed to collect the clinical symptoms of obesity patients who attended the Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Capital Medical University,from July to December of 2024.Factor analysis and clustering analysis were used to explore the distribution law of different syndrome elements and TCM syndromes.Results A total of 309 obese patients(221 with MAFLD)were included,with 20 symptoms with a frequency of≥5%.Factor analysis suggested that there was a significant difference between the two groups in the pathogenic syndrome elements of qi stagnation,yin deficiency,qi deficiency,hyperactivity of yang,yang deficiency,dampness,dynamic wind,and the locus of disease syndrome elements of the spleen and the heart spirit(P<0.05).Clustering analysis showed that the syndrome types of patients with MAFLD were mainly the syndrome of liver and stomach stagnation and heat,the syndrome of spleen deficiency and stomach heat,and the syndrome of spleen and kidney deficiency;the syndrome types of patients without MAFLD were mainly spleen-stomach qi stagnation,gastrointestinal excess-heat,spleen-deficiency-dampness obstruction,and spleen-kidney deficiency.Conclusion Patients of obesity with MAFLD are more likely to have the co-existence of the pathogenesis of damp-heat obstruction and spleen-kidney deficiency.
7.Epidemiological and spatial-temporal clustering characteristics of pertussis in Hebei Province from 2013 to 2022
Fei ZHENG ; Yinqi SUN ; Haixia ZHANG ; Hongbin ZHANG ; Baohua HE ; Zhaoyi JIA ; Qi LI
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2024;45(2):213-219
Objective:To analyze the spatial-temporal epidemiological characteristics of pertussis from 2013 to 2022 in Hebei Province and to provide a reference for improving prevention and control measures.Methods:Based on the data of pertussis reported in Hebei Province during 2013-2022 to analyze the popular characteristic, the ArcGIS 10.8 software was used to construct a ring map and to perform spatial autocorrelation analysis; the SaTScan 10.1 software was used for spatial-temporal scan statistics.Results:There were 6 715 cases of the cumulative report in Hebei Province from 2013 to 2022 without death. The annual report incidence was 0.90/100 000. The overall incidence rate showed an upward trend from 2013 to 2019, and during 2020-2021, it showed a sharp decline, but in 2022, it showed a sharp increase. Summer and autumn are the peak seasons of the epidemic. The incidence was highest in age group <1 year (48.67%), and the lowest age group in age group ≥15 years (0.45%) and mainly scattered children (78.03%); the incidence about men is higher than women. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that the onset of pertussis has spatial clustering, and high-high clusters were found in Langfang, Baoding, and Cangzhou, the top three countries with reported incidence. The area covered by a low-low cluster was consistent with the distribution of the corresponding low-incidence areas in this study. Space-time scan detects five statistically significant areas, and three zones were concentrated in 2022.Conclusions:The incidence of pertussis in Hebei had obvious season, population, and area-specific differences. There was obvious spatiotemporal and clustering, so the control of key areas should target the characteristics of time and space.
8.A survey report on the status of emergency radiology in China
Jing WANG ; Zheng MIAO ; Qi YANG ; Lei ZHANG ; Hao WANG ; Huishu YUAN ; Haoran SUN ; Wei JIANG ; Yuan TIAN ; Mingyang LI ; Yaning WANG ; Zhaoyi MA ; Huimao ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Radiology 2024;58(6):661-666
Objective:To investigate the application status of emergency radiology in China, and to provide data support for the standardized development, scientific management and big data research of emergency radiology.Methods:From August 12th to October 19th, 2022, a questionnaire survey was conducted through WeChat"Questionnaire Star"to send targeted questionnaires to investigate the relevant data of the current status of emergency radiology in China, mainly including digital radiography (DR) and computed tomography (CT). This study was initiated by the Chinese Emergency Radiology Database Collaboration Group, and comprehensively investigated emergency imaging personnel, equipment, workload, critical value reporting process, and artificial intelligence (AI) application status.Results:There were 123 hospitals in the study. The survey showed that emergency DR/CT reports were mainly completed by residents and above (69.1%). There were 21 DR brands, 10 CT brands and 8 MR brands used for emergency imaging examinations. The median number of DR examinations in tertiary hospitals and secondary hospitals investigated from January to June 2022 was 4 642 and 2 015 cases respectively, and the median number of CT examinations was 16 512 and 3 762 cases respectively. The average single-shift workload of DR in the emergency radiology department during the day and night shift in tertiary hospitals was mainly ≤20 copies and 21-50 copies, and the average single-shift workload of CT in the emergency radiology department during the day and night shift was mainly 21-50 copies and 51-100 copies, while the average single-shift workload of DR/CT in the emergency radiology department during the day/night shift in secondary hospitals was mainly ≤20 copies. In terms of critical value reporting process, 74.8% of emergency imaging doctors and 84.6% of emergency imaging technicians took the way of phone/text message to notify the clinical doctor or the patients′ family. The overall deployment rate of AI in emergency imaging was about 60.2%. 75% of the respondents believed that in the future, AI can improve emergency radiology work from aspects such as emergency screening, aided diagnosis and process optimization.Conclusions:The emergency medical imaging mainly based on DR and CT has the current situations such as generally low seniority of doctors, diverse brands of imaging equipments, large volume of examinations and intense workload per doctor, especially in tertiary hospitals, and dependence on traditional means for critical value reporting. At present, AI is emerging in the field of emergency imaging, and there is still a long way to go to play the huge potential of AI in the intelligent whole process of emergency imaging in the future.
9.Efficacy of XELOX regimen combined with bevacizumab for treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer and its clinical significances
Li LI ; Guangyu GAO ; Zhaoyi FU ; Min ZHANG
Cancer Research and Clinic 2024;36(12):898-902
Objective:To investigate the efficacy of XELOX regimen combined with bevacizumab for treatment of patients with advanced colorectal cancer and its clinical significances.Methods:A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. Seventy-eight patients with advanced colorectal cancer who received treatment at People's Hospital of Suzhou New District and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from February 2019 to November 2020 were selected. According to the random number table method, they were divided into the treatment group (40 cases) and the control group (38 cases). The treatment group received bevacizumab combined with XELOX regimen, while the control group only received XELOX regimen chemotherapy. The short-term efficacy, levels of tumor markers [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199)], levels of cytokines [interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and albumin (ALB)], and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) of the two groups, and log-rank test was performed.Results:In 78 patients with colorectal cancer, there were 47 males and 31 females; the age was (59±16) years old. The overall response rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group [55.00% (22/40) vs. 26.31% (10/38)], and the difference was statistically significant ( χ2 = 6.63, P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of tumor markers and cytokines between the two groups before treatment (all P > 0.05). After treatment, the levels of CA199, CA125, CEA, IL-1, IL-6, and ESR in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group [CA199: (22±4) U/ml vs. (27± 4) U/ml, CA125: (35±3) U/ml vs. (37±4) U/ml, CEA: (4.4±0.7) ng/ml vs. (5.0±1.0) ng/ml, IL-1: (29± 4) pg/ml vs. (34±4) pg/ml, IL-6: (14.0±2.3) ng/L vs. (15.3±2.5) ng/L, ESR: (9.2±2.0) mm/1 h vs. (13.6±2.1) mm/1 h], ALB level was higher than that in the control group [(34.3±1.5) g/L vs. (29.8±1.4) g/L], and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). The difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups was not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). As of the end of follow-up, the OS of the treatment group was better than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.004). Conclusions:The combination of XELOX regimen and bevacizumab targeted therapy can reduce the levels of tumor markers and inflammatory cytokines in patients with advanced colorectal cancer, and improve their prognosis with high safety.
10.Surveillance of distribution and antimicrobial resistance of clinical bacterial isolates in Hebei Children's Hospital from 2020 to 2022
Mei LI ; Qianru XU ; Wenchao ZHANG ; Beibei CAO ; Nannan SHI ; Baohua HE ; Zhaoyi JIA ; Yinghui GUO
Chinese Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy 2024;24(6):700-707
Objective To investigate the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of pathogenic bacteria in Children's Hospital of Hebei Province to inform reasonable use of antibiotics.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility of the bacterial isolates was tested using Kirby-Bauer method,VITEK-2 Compact,BD Phoenix 100 automated systems,and E-test method.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) in 2022.Results were analyzed by WHONET 5.6 software.Results A total of 11909 isolates were collected from 2020 to 2022,of which 45.1% were Gram positive organisms and 54.9% were Gram negative organisms.The prevalence of MRSA and in S.aureus and MRCNS in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was 36.8% and 73.8%,respectively.The resistance rate of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium to ampicillin was 2.6% and 93.5%,respectively,while the resistance rates of E.faecalis and E.faecium to high concentration gentamicin was 42.2% and 66.2%,respectively.E.faecium showed significantly higher resistance rates to the antibiotics tested than E.faecalis.The prevalence of PRSP and PSSP was 1.7% and 95.7% respectively in the non-meningitis S.pneumoniae isolates.No vancomycin-or linezolid-resistant strains were found in Staphylococcus,Enterococcus,or Streptococcus.The prevalence of ESBLs-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 47.4% and 32.3%,respectively.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 2.0% and 22.4%,respectively.The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant P.aeruginosa (CRPA) and carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii (CRAB) was 9.5% and 22.1%,respectively.The resistance rate of Haemophilus influenzae to ampicillin was 83.8%.The prevalence of β-lactamase-producing H.influenzae and β-lactamase-non-producing ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) H.influenzae was 76.1% and 7.7%,respectively.No meropenem-resistant strains were found in H.influenzae.Majority (98.0%) of Moraxella catarrhalis strains produced β-lactamase.Conclusions Multi-drug resistant bacterial pathogens are still serious in pediatric inpatients.The common clinical isolates showed various levels of resistance to different antimicrobial agents.It is important to continue the surveillance of bacterial resistance in children,take proactive measures to curb the spread of drug-resistant bacteria,and use antibiotics rationally.

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