1.Exploring Chemical Constituent Distribution in Blood/Brain(Hippocampus) and Emotional Regulatory Effect of Raw and Vinegar-processed Products of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride
Yi BAO ; Yonggui SONG ; Qianmin LI ; Zhifu AI ; Genhua ZHU ; Ming YANG ; Huanhua XU ; Qin ZHENG ; Yiting HUANG ; Zihan GAO ; Dan SU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):189-197
ObjectiveTo investigate the migration and distribution characteristics of chemical constituents in blood and hippocampal tissues before and after vinegar processing of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride(CRPV), and to explore the potential material basis and mechanisms underlying their regulatory effects on emotional disorders by comparing the effects of raw and vinegar-processed products of CRPV. MethodsUltra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) was employed to characterize and identify the chemical constituents of raw and vinegar-processed products of CRPV extracts, as well as their migrating components in blood and hippocampal tissues after oral administration. Reference standards, databases, and relevant literature were utilized for compound annotation, with data processing performed using PeakView 1.2 software. Seventy male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into seven groups, including the blank group, model group, diazepam group(2.5 mg·kg-1), raw CRPV low/high dose groups(0.6, 1.2 g·kg-1), and vinegar-processed CRPV low/high dose groups(0.6, 1.2 g·kg-1), with 10 mice per group. Except for the blank group, all other groups underwent chronic restraint stress(2 h·d-1) for 20 d. Each drug-treated group received oral administration at the predetermined dose starting 10 d after modeling, with a total treatment duration of 10 d. Following model-based drug administration, mice underwent open-field, forced swimming, and elevated plus maze tests. After anesthesia with isoflurane, whole brains were collected from each group of mice, and hippocampi were dissected. Reactive oxygen species(ROS) level in hippocampal tissues was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe hippocampal tissue morphology. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect neuronal nuclei(NeuN) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha(PPARα) expressions in hippocampal tissue. Then, pharmacodynamic evaluations were conducted to assess the effects of raw and vinegar-processed CRPV on mood disorders, exploring the potential mechanisms. ResultsVinegar processing caused significant changes in the chemical composition of CRPV, with 18 components showing increased relative content and 35 components showing decreased relative content. The primary changes occurred in flavonoid compounds, including 20 flavonoids, 20 flavonoid glycosides, 3 triterpenes, 3 phenolic acids, 1 alkaloid, and 6 other compounds. Twenty-one components were detected in blood(15 methoxyflavones, 4 flavonoid glycosides, and 2 phenolic acids), with 17 shared between raw and vinegar-processed CRPV. Seven components reached hippocampal tissues(all common to both forms). In regulating emotional disorders, Vinegar-processed CRPV exhibited superior antidepressant-like effects compared to raw products. HE staining revealed that both treatments improved hippocampal neuronal morphology, particularly in the damaged CA1 and CA3 regions. Immunofluorescence and ELISA analyses demonstrated that both raw and vinegar-processed CRPV significantly modulated NeuN and PPARα expressions in hippocampal tissue while alleviating oxidative stress induced by excessive ROS(P<0.05). ConclusionThe chemical composition of CRPV undergoes changes after vinegar processing, but the migrating components in blood and hippocampus are primarily methoxyflavonoids. These components may serve as the potential material basis for activating the PPARα pathway, thereby negatively regulating ROS generation in the hippocampus, reducing oxidative stress, and promoting the development of NeuN-positive neurons. These findings provide experimental evidence for enhancing quality standards, pharmacodynamic material research, and active drug development of raw and vinegar-processed CRPV.
2.Structures and functions of the MICOS: Pathogenesis and therapeutic implications in Alzheimer's disease.
Zihan WANG ; Kaige ZHANG ; Minghao HUANG ; Dehao SHANG ; Xiaomin HE ; Zhou WU ; Xu YAN ; Xinwen ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(6):2966-2984
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a critical factor in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS) plays a pivotal role in shaping the inner mitochondrial membrane, forming cristae junctions and establishing interaction sites between the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes and thereby serving as a cornerstone of mitochondrial structure and function. In the past decade, MICOS abnormalities have been extensively linked to AD pathogenesis. In particular, dysregulated expression of MICOS subunits and mutations in MICOS-related genes have been identified in AD, often in association with hallmark pathological features such as amyloid-β plaque accumulation, neurofibrillary tangle formation, and neuronal apoptosis. Furthermore, MICOS subunits interact with several etiologically relevant proteins, significantly influencing AD progression. The intricate crosstalk between these proteins and MICOS subunits underscores the relevance of MICOS dysfunction in AD. Therapeutic strategies targeting MICOS subunits or their interacting proteins may offer novel approaches for AD treatment. In the present review, we introduce current understanding of MICOS structures and functions, highlight MICOS pathogenesis in AD, and summarize the available MICOS-targeting drugs potentially useful for AD.
3.A multi-constraint representation learning model for identification of ovarian cancer with missing laboratory indicators.
Zihan LU ; Fangjun HUANG ; Guangyao CAI ; Jihong LIU ; Xin ZHEN
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(1):170-178
OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate the performance of a multi-constraint representation learning classification model for identifying ovarian cancer with missing laboratory indicators.
METHODS:
Tabular data with missing laboratory indicators were collected from 393 patients with ovarian cancer and 1951 control patients. The missing ovarian cancer laboratory indicator features were projected to the latent space to obtain a classification model using the representational learning classification model based on discriminative learning and mutual information coupled with feature projection significance score consistency and missing location estimation. The proposed constraint term was ablated experimentally to assess the feasibility and validity of the constraint term by accuracy, area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. Cross-validation methods and accuracy, AUC, sensitivity and specificity were also used to evaluate the discriminative performance of this classification model in comparison with other interpolation methods for processing of the missing data.
RESULTS:
The results of the ablation experiments showed good compatibility among the constraints, and each constraint had good robustness. The cross-validation experiment showed that for identification of ovarian cancer with missing laboratory indicators, the AUC, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the proposed multi-constraints representation-based learning classification model was 0.915, 0.888, 0.774, and 0.910, respectively, and its AUC and sensitivity were superior to those of other interpolation methods.
CONCLUSIONS
The proposed model has excellent discriminatory ability with better performance than other missing data interpolation methods for identification of ovarian cancer with missing laboratory indicators.
Female
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Humans
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Ovarian Neoplasms/diagnosis*
;
Machine Learning
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ROC Curve
4.Screening and identification of a biocontrol strain CXG2-5 against kiwifruit bacterial canker and preparation of microcapsules.
Jing HUANG ; Ruolan YANG ; Xinying LIU ; Zihan ZHANG ; Nana WANG ; Lili HUANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(10):3734-3746
To develop biocontrol agents for the control of kiwifruit bacterial canker, we isolated a strain CXG2-5 with inhibitory activity against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), the pathogen of kiwifruit bacterial canker, from the rhizosphere soil of kiwifruit by the plate confrontation test. The strain was identified by morphological observation, physiological and biochemical tests, and molecular biological methods. The indoor control efficacy of the strain was determined by the inoculation of the strain into detached branches with wounds and into leaf discs by vacuum infiltration. The ability of the strain to expand and colonize leaf veins was determined by fluorescent labeling and scanning electron microscopy. Subsequently, the strain was prepared into microcapsules, the field control efficacy of which was evaluated. The strain CXG2-5 was identified as Pseudomonas benzenivorans. It demonstrated good antagonistic activity against Psa, with an inhibition zone diameter of 22 mm and an inhibition rate of 72.7%. The preventive effects of the strain on kiwifruit bacterial canker were better than the therapeutic effects on both detached branches and leaves, with the preventive effects reaching 65% and 92.4%, respectively. The control effect of microcapsules of this strain in the field reached 60.89%, which was slightly lower than that of 20% kasugamycin and higher than that of Bacillus subtilis wettable powder. In conclusion, strain CXG2-5 serves as a candidate for the control of kiwifruit bacterial canker, and the prepared microcapsules have good value for development and application.
Actinidia/microbiology*
;
Plant Diseases/prevention & control*
;
Pseudomonas syringae
;
Pseudomonas/isolation & purification*
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Capsules
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Antibiosis
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Biological Control Agents
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Pest Control, Biological/methods*
5.Antioxidant activity of water extract from bamboo stems and its protective effect on t-BHP induced oxidative damage in Caco-2 cells
Xin YUAN ; Yunlong HUANG ; Xiaomin XIE ; Zihan ZHONG ; Jiarui CHEN ; Cuiyu BAO ; Xu YANG ; Ping MA
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2024;35(6):50-54
Objective To investigate the antioxidant activity of bamboo stem extracts and the therapeutic effect of bamboo stem water extract on oxidative inflammation induced by tert butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) in human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2). Methods In this study, ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assays were used to determine the extracellular antioxidant activity of petroleum ether extract, ethyl acetate extract, n-butanol extract, 95% ethanol extract, and distilled water extract from bamboo stems. The human intestinal Caco-2 cell line was used as the model cell, and t-BHP was selected as the oxidative stress modeling agent. The CCK-8 assay was used to detect cell viability and the optimal oxidative damage concentration of t-BHP. The content of MDA, 8-OHdG, TNF-α and IL-1β were detected to assess antioxidant stress effect. Results The five extracts of bamboo all had certain antioxidant activity, among which the water extract of bamboo stem had the best comprehensive antioxidant activity with high cell viability in Caco-2 cells. The optimal modeling concentration of t-BHP was 200 μMol/L. The water extract of bamboo stem significantly reduced the content of oxidative stress related biomarkers and inflammatory factors in Caco-2 cells induced by t-BHP. Conclusion The stem extracts of bamboo in Xianning City have strong in vitro antioxidant activity. Among them, the water extract of bamboo stem has a protective effect on t-BHP induced oxidative damage in Caco-2 cells, suggesting that the water extract possesses a potential to be developed as new antioxidant products for clinical prevention and treatment of oxidative damage related diseases.
6.Dynamic processes of hematopoietic and immune reconstitution after irradiated mice receiving bone marrow transplantation
Hanjing LIAO ; Yanggan LUO ; Zihan LU ; Zhenqing LIU ; Doudou HAO ; Manjing HUANG ; Zhixiang ZHU
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2024;38(9):661-671
OBJECTIVE To optimize hematopoietic stem cell transplantation therapy and provide support for drug research by investigating the dynamic process of hematopoietic and immune system reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation(BMT)in mice.METHODS CD45.2+C57BL/6 mice were used as recipient mice and randomly divided into the normal control group and transplantation group,with 30 mice in each.The transplantation group was irradiated by a lethal dose of cobalt-60 rays.Bone marrow cells were prepared from CD45.1+C57BL/6 mice and transfused into recipient mice through the tail vein.Peripheral blood,spleens,lymph nodes,thymuses and bone marrow were collected at 1,2,4,8 and 16 weeks after transplantation.Blood routine examination was performed with peripheral blood and total cell numbers in suspensions of other organs were counted by an automated cell counter.Cell classification analysis of white blood cells in peripheral blood,cell suspensions of other organs was performed by flow cytometry.RESULTS Four weeks after BMT,the numbers of white blood cells and red blood cells in peripheral blood of recipient mice returned to the same level of or higher level than normal control(P<0.05).Although the number of platelets recovered significantly,it was still mark-edly lower than that of normal control until 16 weeks post BMT(P<0.05).In addition,the percentages of myeloid leukocytes and B cells in peripheral blood,spleens,lymph nodes,and bone marrow,as well as megakaryocytes and erythrocyte progenitor cells in bone marrow also returned to normal,and the majority of myeloid leukocytes and B cells were CD45.1+cells from the donors.Eight weeks after BMT,T cells in peripheral blood,spleens,lymph nodes,thymuses,and bone marrow of recipient mice returned to normal,and CD45.1+T cells were dominating.CONCLUSION The hematopoietic and immune reconstitution of recipient mice is nearly completed eight weeks after BMT.However,the reconstruction speed of different kinds of cells and the reconstruction status of same kind of cell in different organs vary widely.
7.Signal interference between drugs and metabolites in LC-ESI-MS quantitative analysis and its evaluation strategy
Jiang FULIN ; Liu JINGYU ; Li YAGANG ; Lu ZIHAN ; Liu QIAN ; Xing YUNHUI ; Zhu JANSHON ; Huang MIN ; Zhong GUOPING
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(7):1024-1034
Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry(LC-ESI-MS)is a widely utilized technique for in vivo pharmaceutical analysis.Ionization interference within electrospray ion source,occurring between drugs and metabolites,can lead to signal variations,potentially compromising quantitative accuracy.Currently,method validation often overlooks this type of signal interference,which may result in systematic errors in quantitative results without matrix-matched calibration.In this study,we conducted an investigation using ten different groups of drugs and their corresponding me-tabolites across three LC-ESI-MS systems to assess the prevalence of signal interference.Such in-terferences can potentially cause or enhance nonlinearity in the calibration curves of drugs and metabolites,thereby altering the relationship between analyte response and concentration for quanti-fication.Finally,we established an evaluation scheme through a step-by-step dilution assay and employed three resolution methods:chromatographic separation,dilution,and stable labeled isotope internal standards correction.The above strategies were integrated into the method establishment process to improve quantitative accuracy.
8.Systemic inflammatory response index, systemic immune-inflammatory index, and CT perfusion imaging parameters predict early neurological deterioration in patients with minor stroke due to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion
Hu HUANG ; Zhiwei LIU ; Zihan YU ; Chunjie SONG ; Dan LI ; Yuanyuan HAN
International Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases 2024;32(6):407-413
Objective:To investigate the predictive value of systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and CT perfusion imaging (CTP) parameters for early neurological deterioration (END) in patients with mild stroke duo to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion.Methods:Patients with minor stroke duo to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion admitted to the First People's Hospital of Suqian from November 2021 to December 2023 were included. Minor stroke was defined as a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≤ 5, and END was defined as an increase of ≥ 4 in NIHSS score within 24 hours of admission compared to the baseline. SIRI and SII were calculated based on the findings of blood routine examination. According to CTP at admission, the cerebral blood volume (CBV) index, infarct core volume, and early infarct growth rate (EIGR) were obtained. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors for END. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of each predictor on END. Results:A total of 132 patients were included, with 85 males (64.4%) and a median age of 68 years (interquartile range, 58-77 years). Thirty-nine patients (29.5%) experienced END. The baseline NIHSS score, fasting blood glucose, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, SIRI, SII, infarct core volume, and EIGR in the END group were significantly higher than those in the non-END group, while the CBV index was significantly lower than that in the non-END group (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that SIRI (odds ratio [ OR] 3.672, 95% confidence interval[ CI] 1.838-6.326; P<0.001), SII ( OR 4.824, 95% CI 2.057-7.135; P<0.001), CBV index ( OR 0.968, 95% CI 0.947-0.986; P<0.001), and EIGR ( OR 2.527, 95% CI 1.918-3.589; P<0.001) were the independent predictive factors of END. ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curves of SIRI, SII, CBV index, and EIGR for predicting END were 0.780 (95% CI 0.692-0.863), 0.798 (95% CI 0.709-0.888), 0.775 (95% CI 0.697-0.853), and 0.772 (95% CI 0.732-0.829), respectively. Conclusion:SIRI, SII, CBV index, and EIGR are the independent predictive factors of END in patients with minor stroke duo to anterior circulation large vessel occlusion, and have certain predictive value for END.
9.Generation and validation of the conditional osteoblast-specific retinoic acid signaling inhibition mouse model
Siyuan SUN ; Yuanqi LIU ; Yiwen CUI ; Zihan HUANG ; Li MEI ; Qinggang DAI ; Lingyong JIANG
Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Medical Science) 2024;44(6):676-686
Objective·To construct and verify the mouse model that can mimic the vitamin A deficiency(VAD)-like craniofacial skeletal deformity and do not cause embryonic death.Methods·Based on the Cre-LoxP system,the OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice expressing osteoblast-specific dominant-negative retinoid acid receptor α(dnRARα)mutation were obtained by hybridization through OsxCre and Rosa26dnRARa/ddnRARa mice,to achieve the conditional inhibition of retinoic acid signaling to simulate VAD disease.Femur bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)and parietal bone cells of OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice and their control littermates were isolated and underwent osteogenic induction,to assess the expression of retinoid acid receptor α(RARα)protein through Western blotting.Osteoblasts induced from parietal bone cells of OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice and their control littermates were isolated and the effect of retinoic acid signaling inhibition was verified through dual luciferase gene reporter assay.Meanwhile,Ad-eGFP or Ad-Cre adenovirus-infected femur BMSCs and parietal bone cells of Rosa26dn/dnmice underwent osteogenic induction to assess the expression of dominant-negative mutant protein and the inhibition of the retinoic acid signaling pathway in vitro by Western blotting and dual luciferase gene reporter assay.Moreover,the skulls of 6-week-old OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice were collected,and Micro-CT scanning and three-dimensional(3D)reconstruction were performed to verify the craniofacial skeletal deformities of the mouse model.Results·Western blotting results demonstrated that the level of RARα protein increased in the femur and parietal osteoblasts of OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice compared to that of their control littermates,and also increased in the Ad-Cre-infected femur and parietal osteoblasts of Rosa26dn/dn mice compared to that in the Ad-eGFP-infected group(P<0.05).Dualluciferase gene reporter assay results indicated that the activity of retinoid acid response element(RARE)was inhibited in the osteoblasts of OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice compared to their control littermates,and was also inhibited in the Ad-Cre-infected group compared to the Ad-eGFP-infected group(P<0.05).Micro-CT and 3D reconstruction suggested that the skull of 6-week-old OsxCre;Rosa26dn/dn mice exhibited VAD-like craniofacial skeletal deformities,including smaller size of the skull and osteogenesis imperfecta compared to their control littermates.Conclusion·An osteoblast-specific dnRARα expressing mouse model that can mimic VAD-like craniofacial skeletal deformity is successfully constructed,therefore providing a new model for exploring the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of VAD-like craniofacial skeletal deformity in the future.
10.A Cross-sectional Study on the Cognitive Status of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation among Urban and Rural Residents in Tonghai County
Zihan AI ; Siman LI ; Shengguo ZAO ; Mingrui CHEN ; Yinhe ZHOU ; Sijia HUANG ; Haidi DING ; Ranxi SHI ; Qiuyi ZHANG ; Jun YANG
Journal of Kunming Medical University 2024;45(3):42-47
Objective To investigate the popularization of cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR)knowledge and science popularization needs among urban and rural residents in Tonghai County,Yuxi City,Yunnan Province,so as to explore the establishment of an efficient and appropriate science popularization model.Methods A total of 300 residents aged 15-60 years old were selected from Tonghai County,Yuxi City,Yunnan Province using stratified and simple random sampling methods.A self-designed questionnaire was used to conduct an anonymous questionnaire survey.Results Only 20.3%of Tonghai County residents master CPR skills,and 26.2%of Tonghai County residents have never heard of CPR.There is a statistically significant difference in the awareness rate of CPR between rural residents and non-rural residents(P<0.01).There are differences in residents'age and CPR awareness(P<0.01),the age and CPR are inversely proportional.The residents have a higher willingness to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on strangers,66.2%and 68.6%respectively.63.79%of residents have never attended relevant training.But 92.76%of the people said they were willing to participate in the relevant training when they learned the training news.Conclusion Residents in Tonghai County generally lack knowledge of CPR first aid,but the demand for first aid knowledge of residential CPR is high and the attitude towards rescue is positive.It is recommended that relevant departments increase CPR science popularization and training efforts,and popularize CPR into villages.


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