1.Curvularin derivatives from hydrothermal vent sediment fungus Penicillium sp. HL-50 guided by molecular networking and their anti-inflammatory activity.
Chunxue YU ; Zixuan XIA ; Zhipeng XU ; Xiyang TANG ; Wenjuan DING ; Jihua WEI ; Danmei TIAN ; Bin WU ; Jinshan TANG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(1):119-128
Guided by molecular networking, nine novel curvularin derivatives (1-9) and 16 known analogs (10-25) were isolated from the hydrothermal vent sediment fungus Penicillium sp. HL-50. Notably, compounds 5-7 represented a hybrid of curvularin and purine. The structures and absolute configurations of compounds 1-9 were elucidated via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations, 13C NMR calculation, modified Mosher's method, and chemical derivatization. Investigation of anti-inflammatory activities revealed that compounds 7-9, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 18 exhibited significant suppressive effects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells, with IC50 values ranging from 0.44 to 4.40 μmol·L-1. Furthermore, these bioactive compounds were found to suppress the expression of inflammation-related proteins, including inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), NLR family pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB). Additional studies demonstrated that the novel compound 7 possessed potent anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the transcription of inflammation-related genes, downregulating the expression of inflammation-related proteins, and inhibiting the release of inflammatory cytokines, indicating its potential application in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.
Penicillium/chemistry*
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Mice
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Animals
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*
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RAW 264.7 Cells
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Nitric Oxide/metabolism*
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Hydrothermal Vents/microbiology*
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Macrophages/immunology*
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Molecular Structure
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Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/immunology*
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Cyclooxygenase 2/immunology*
;
Geologic Sediments/microbiology*
;
NF-kappa B/immunology*
;
NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/immunology*
2.The application of medicine and food homology in the management of chronic heart failure
Huoli Yin ; Herong Cui ; Zixuan Zhang ; Yi Li ; Longyu Tang ; Yiting Wang ; Qing Xia ; Dongling Liao ; Haimin Lei
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences 2025;2025(2):137-146
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a pathological state in which the cardiac ejection fraction is insufficient to meet an individual's metabolic needs owing to changes in the cardiac structure or function. Various etiologies such as myocardial infarction and inflammation are implicated, and the main symptoms are dyspnea, lower limb edema, fatigue, and discomfort during rest or exercise. CHF is the primary outcome of cardiovascular disease, and the increasing morbidity and mortality rates highlight the significant risks of this condition. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the pathogenesis of CHF is deficiency of heart qi and heart yang, which predominantly affects the heart, but may also impede the function of other zang-organs such as the spleen and kidney, and aggravate the symptoms of heart failure. With technological advancements and enhanced awareness of health conditions and disease prevention, China has promoted traditional medicine practices such as medicine and food homology (MFH), which has received increasing attention in recent years. This concept stipulates that certain medicines and foods have the same origin; ergo, these foods have medicinal properties, with many being used in the prevention and treatment of CHF. However, the efficacy and safety of MHF substances have yet to be determined, and there is no consensus regarding the development of disease prevention and treatment strategies. This article therefore reviews the current evidence for MFH in the prevention and treatment of CHF by summarizing the therapeutic potential of this practice and discussing treatment strategies and aims to improve the understanding of Chinese medicine and food homologous substances in the treatment of this condition, as well as highlight the current literature and avenues for future research.
3.Liposuction combined with lymphaticovenous anastomosis in treatment of secondary lymphedema in lower extremity: long-term efficacy and influencing factors
Zixuan YAO ; Song XIA ; Yuguang SUN ; Jianfeng XIN ; Kun CHANG ; Wenbin SHEN
Chinese Journal of Microsurgery 2025;48(5):523-530
Objective:To evaluate the long-term efficacy of liposuction combined with lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) in the treatment of secondary lymphedema in lower extremity and analyse the factors that affect therapeutic outcomes.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 172 patients who were treated in the Department of Lymphatic Surgery, Capital Medical University Affiliated Beijing Shijitan Hospital for secondary lymphedema in lower extremity, between January 2019 and December 2021. The cohort comprised 170 females and 2 males, with a median age of 55 years. The primary diseases were: 99 patients with cervical cancer, 47 with endometrial cancer, 1 with penile cacer and 25 with other malignant tumours. All patients received liposuction to aspirate subcutaneous adipose tissue and LVA anastomosis of the inguinal lymphatic vessels with the great saphenous vein and its branches. Postoperative follow-ups were performed at outpatient clinic, telephone interview and questionnaire survey to acquire immediate status of the patients at the time. Following variables were included the follow-up: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), duration, hypertension, diabetes, the type of primary disease, history of surgery, history of lymph node dissection, history of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, extracellular water ratio (ECW%) in the affected limb, preoperative history of erysipelas, preoperative percentage difference in circumference of bilateral proximal toes, dorsal feet, ankles, distal third of legs, middle legs, proximal third of legs, knees, distal third of thighs, mid thighs, proximal third of thighs and groins. Additional parameters included duration of liposuction, intraoperative blood loss, adipose tissue content, number of lymphatic vessels anastomosed in LVA, postoperative daily standing time, postoperative history of erysipelas, and usage of compression garment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 software, with P <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results:A complete remission was defined as less than 10.0% in the percentage of bilateral limb volume difference during follow-up. There were 112 patients with complete remission. After excluded confounding factors through univariate analysis, multivariate analysis had revealed following independent risk factors: ECW% of affected limb ( P<0.01), postoperative standing duration >6 hours/day ( P=0.021), postoperative history of erysipelas ( P=0.016), regular use of compression garment ( P=0.013), and percentage difference of circumference at bilateral proximal toes ( P=0.038). Among the remaining 60 patients, 32 patients achieved effective remission which was defined as less than 20.0% in the swelling volume expansion ratio. Conclusion:Liposuction combined with LVA can relieve secondary lymphedema of lower extremity for majority of patients. ECW% of affected limb, postoperative standing duration >6 hours/day, postoperative history of erysipelas, irregular use of elastic socks, and percentage difference in circumference at bilateral proximal toes are the independent risk factors that affect the prognosis.
4.Establishment and verification of early identification scale for critically ill children with adenovirus pneumonia
Mingnong XIA ; Yun CHENG ; Wenbo LI ; Fan ZHANG ; Zixuan ZHANG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(7):845-849
Objective To explore the clinical characteristics,laboratory examination indicators,and auxilia-ry examination results of critically ill children with adenovirus pneumonia,screen relevant indicators with warning effects for critically ill children with adenovirus pneumonia,and construct an early identification scale for critically ill children with adenovirus pneumonia.Methods The clinical data of totally 86 children with adenovirus pneumonia admitted in the hospital from May 2021 to September 2023 were retrospectively ana-lyzed,and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen relevant indicators for the early identifi-cation of severe adenovirus pneumonia in children.The sensitivity and the specificity were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Experts conducted a quantitative evaluation of the weight scores of each factor,and finally an early identification scale for critically ill children with adenovirus pneumo-nia was developed.Results Among 86 children with severe adenovirus pneumonia,34 were critically ill with adenovirus pneumonia.There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of respiratory distress,respiratory distress,consciousness and behavior disorders,respiratory symptoms,cardiovascular symptoms,and neurological symptoms between the two groups(P<0.05).The differences of white blood cell count,platelet count,erythrocyte dynamic sedimentation rate,serum ferritin,serum ferritin/erythrocyte dynamic sed-imentation rate,R-glutamyltransferase,alanine aminotransferase,lactate dehydrogenase between the severe group and the critically ill group were statistically significant(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression a-nalysis showed that white blood cell count,platelet count,alanine aminotransferase,serum ferritin/erythrocyte dynamic sedimentation rate and lactate dehydrogenase were all influencing factors for the progression to criti-cal illness in children with adenovirus pneumonia(P<0.05),and the ROC curve results showed that the area under the curve of the diagnostic model composed of white blood cell count,platelet count,alanine aminotrans-ferase,serum ferritin/red blood cell dynamic sedimentation rate,and lactate dehydrogenase for diagnosing crit-ical illness was 0.864,and the sensitivity and the specificity were 86.42%and 82.76%,respectively.After 25 peer experts evaluated the weight scores of various clinical manifestations and examination items,the early i-dentification scale for critically ill children with adenovirus pneumonia was finally developed.Conclusion Dur-ing clinical treatment,the clinical manifestations of children with adenovirus pneumonia can be considered in conjunction with relevant auxiliary examination results,and early identification scales can be used to determine whether children with adenovirus pneumonia are at risk of developing into critical illness.
5.Protective Effect and Mechanism of Anmeidan against Neuronal Damage in Rat Model of Sleep Deprivation Based on Hippocampal Neuroinflammation
Guangjing XIE ; Zixuan XU ; Junlu ZHANG ; Jian ZHANG ; Jing XIA ; Bo XU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(10):65-71
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Anmeidan (AMD) on neuroinflammation in the hippocampus of sleep-deprived rats. MethodsSD rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 per group): control group, model group, AMD group, and melatonin group. A sleep deprivation model was established using the modified multiple platform water environment method. The AMD group received AMD at a dose of 18.18 g·kg-1·d-1, the melatonin group received melatonin at 100 mg·kg-1·d-1, and the control and model groups were given an equal volume of pure water. All treatments were administered by gavage for four weeks. Spontaneous activity was assessed using an animal behavior video system. Serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hippocampal pyramidal neuron morphology was examined using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and ultrastructural changes of hippocampal neurons were observed via transmission electron microscopy. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the hippocampus. Western blot analysis was performed to measure the expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), phosphorylated NF-κB (p-NF-κB), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), and Caspase-1 proteins. ResultsCompared with the control group, the model group showed a significant increase in activity duration and frequency (P<0.01), increased hippocampal pyramidal cell structural damage and decreased cell count, aggravated hippocampal ultrastructural damage, mitochondrial cristae disruption, and exacerbated vacuolization. The expression of p-NF-κB p65, NLRP3, and Caspase-1 proteins was upregulated, serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were significantly elevated (P<0.01), and the fluorescence intensity of BDNF and NGF proteins was significantly reduced (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the AMD group showed a significant reduction in activity duration and frequency (P<0.01), increased hippocampal pyramidal cell count with reduced structural damage, alleviated hippocampal ultrastructural damage, significantly downregulated p-NF-κB p65, NLRP3, and Caspase-1 protein expression (P<0.01), decreased serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels (P<0.01), and significantly increased the fluorescence intensity of BDNF and NGF proteins (P<0.01). ConclusionAnmeidan alleviates hippocampal neuronal damage in sleep-deprived rats, potentially by downregulating the NLRP3 signaling pathway, reducing inflammatory cytokine release, and increasing neurotrophic factor levels.
6.Efficiency of targeted next-generation sequencing in diagnosis of pathogens causing acute respiratory tract infections:a meta-analysis
Zixuan XU ; Jinrong XIA ; Feiyang XU ; Guanjie WANG ; Zihan PU ; Longfeng JIANG ; Wensen CHEN ; Bijie HU ; Yue YANG
Chinese Journal of Nosocomiology 2025;35(18):2731-2735
OBJECTIVE T o explore the value of targeted next-generation sequencing(t-NGS)in diagnosis of respir-atory tract pathogens through meta-analysis so as to provide reference for clinical application.METHODS PubMed database,Web of Science database,Wanfang database,CNKI database and Sinomed database were retrieved,and the time period of retrieval ranged from Jan.2010 to May 2024.The literatures were screened out based on the es-tablished standards.The quality was assessed by QU ADAS-2,the risk of bias graph was drawn by Revman 5.4,and the statistical analysis was performed by Stata 16.0.RESULTS A total of 9 literatures were included in the study.The result of meta-analysis showed that the heterogeneity test Q for sensitivity was 268.21,P<0.01,I2=97.02%,with the heterogeneity test Q for specificity 210.04,P<0.01,I2=96.19%,the combined sensitivity 0.88(95%CI:0.62 to 0.97),combined specificity 0.68(95%CI:0.41 to 0.86),combined positive likelihood ratio 2.72(95%CI:1.44 to 5.15),combined negative likelihood ratio 0.18(95%CI:0.06 to 0.53),combined diagno-sis score 2.74(95%CI:1.68 to 3.80),and combined diagnostic odds ratio 15.44(95%CI:5.34 to 44.66).The area under synthesize receiver operating characteristic(SROC)curve(AUC)was 0.85(95%CI:0.82 to 0.88).The result of Deeks funnel plot showed that P was 0.99,indicating that there was no obvious publication bias.CONCLUSIONS The sensitivity of tNGS is high in detection of the pathogens causing acute respiratory tract infection,the specificity needs to be improved,but its comprehensive ability is satisfactory.It has certain val-ue in early clinical diagnosis.
7.Liposuction combined with lymphaticovenous anastomosis in treatment of secondary lymphedema in lower extremity: long-term efficacy and influencing factors
Zixuan YAO ; Song XIA ; Yuguang SUN ; Jianfeng XIN ; Kun CHANG ; Wenbin SHEN
Chinese Journal of Microsurgery 2025;48(5):523-530
Objective:To evaluate the long-term efficacy of liposuction combined with lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA) in the treatment of secondary lymphedema in lower extremity and analyse the factors that affect therapeutic outcomes.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 172 patients who were treated in the Department of Lymphatic Surgery, Capital Medical University Affiliated Beijing Shijitan Hospital for secondary lymphedema in lower extremity, between January 2019 and December 2021. The cohort comprised 170 females and 2 males, with a median age of 55 years. The primary diseases were: 99 patients with cervical cancer, 47 with endometrial cancer, 1 with penile cacer and 25 with other malignant tumours. All patients received liposuction to aspirate subcutaneous adipose tissue and LVA anastomosis of the inguinal lymphatic vessels with the great saphenous vein and its branches. Postoperative follow-ups were performed at outpatient clinic, telephone interview and questionnaire survey to acquire immediate status of the patients at the time. Following variables were included the follow-up: gender, age, body mass index (BMI), duration, hypertension, diabetes, the type of primary disease, history of surgery, history of lymph node dissection, history of radiotherapy or chemotherapy, extracellular water ratio (ECW%) in the affected limb, preoperative history of erysipelas, preoperative percentage difference in circumference of bilateral proximal toes, dorsal feet, ankles, distal third of legs, middle legs, proximal third of legs, knees, distal third of thighs, mid thighs, proximal third of thighs and groins. Additional parameters included duration of liposuction, intraoperative blood loss, adipose tissue content, number of lymphatic vessels anastomosed in LVA, postoperative daily standing time, postoperative history of erysipelas, and usage of compression garment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0 software, with P <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results:A complete remission was defined as less than 10.0% in the percentage of bilateral limb volume difference during follow-up. There were 112 patients with complete remission. After excluded confounding factors through univariate analysis, multivariate analysis had revealed following independent risk factors: ECW% of affected limb ( P<0.01), postoperative standing duration >6 hours/day ( P=0.021), postoperative history of erysipelas ( P=0.016), regular use of compression garment ( P=0.013), and percentage difference of circumference at bilateral proximal toes ( P=0.038). Among the remaining 60 patients, 32 patients achieved effective remission which was defined as less than 20.0% in the swelling volume expansion ratio. Conclusion:Liposuction combined with LVA can relieve secondary lymphedema of lower extremity for majority of patients. ECW% of affected limb, postoperative standing duration >6 hours/day, postoperative history of erysipelas, irregular use of elastic socks, and percentage difference in circumference at bilateral proximal toes are the independent risk factors that affect the prognosis.
8.Efficiency of targeted next-generation sequencing in diagnosis of pathogens causing acute respiratory tract infections:a meta-analysis
Zixuan XU ; Jinrong XIA ; Feiyang XU ; Guanjie WANG ; Zihan PU ; Longfeng JIANG ; Wensen CHEN ; Bijie HU ; Yue YANG
Chinese Journal of Nosocomiology 2025;35(18):2731-2735
OBJECTIVE T o explore the value of targeted next-generation sequencing(t-NGS)in diagnosis of respir-atory tract pathogens through meta-analysis so as to provide reference for clinical application.METHODS PubMed database,Web of Science database,Wanfang database,CNKI database and Sinomed database were retrieved,and the time period of retrieval ranged from Jan.2010 to May 2024.The literatures were screened out based on the es-tablished standards.The quality was assessed by QU ADAS-2,the risk of bias graph was drawn by Revman 5.4,and the statistical analysis was performed by Stata 16.0.RESULTS A total of 9 literatures were included in the study.The result of meta-analysis showed that the heterogeneity test Q for sensitivity was 268.21,P<0.01,I2=97.02%,with the heterogeneity test Q for specificity 210.04,P<0.01,I2=96.19%,the combined sensitivity 0.88(95%CI:0.62 to 0.97),combined specificity 0.68(95%CI:0.41 to 0.86),combined positive likelihood ratio 2.72(95%CI:1.44 to 5.15),combined negative likelihood ratio 0.18(95%CI:0.06 to 0.53),combined diagno-sis score 2.74(95%CI:1.68 to 3.80),and combined diagnostic odds ratio 15.44(95%CI:5.34 to 44.66).The area under synthesize receiver operating characteristic(SROC)curve(AUC)was 0.85(95%CI:0.82 to 0.88).The result of Deeks funnel plot showed that P was 0.99,indicating that there was no obvious publication bias.CONCLUSIONS The sensitivity of tNGS is high in detection of the pathogens causing acute respiratory tract infection,the specificity needs to be improved,but its comprehensive ability is satisfactory.It has certain val-ue in early clinical diagnosis.
9.Real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay for early warning of CRO bloodstream infection in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant: a clinical feasibility study
Dairong XIE ; Chenjing QIAN ; Zixuan LI ; Wei SHI ; Zhaodong ZHONG ; Linghui XIA ; Qiuling WU ; Mei HONG
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2024;45(11):1043-1050
Objective:This study aimed to analyze the homology between carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) intestinal colonization strains and bloodstream infection (BSI) strains in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), confirming the clinical use of the real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay, and investigate its feasibility in early warning of BSI.Methods:Drug-resistant strains obtained from rectal swabs and blood culture samples of patients undergoing the same HSCT from January 2021 to December 2021 were collected and analyzed. The homology of the CRO intestinal colonization and BSI strains was confirmed using strain identification, antimicrobial resistance phenotyping, whole genome sequencing (WGS), multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and carbapenemase type identification. Rectal swab cultures and the real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay were conducted concurrently on patients with HSCT from August 2021 to August 2022. The accuracy of the real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay was confirmed with the sequencing results of polymerase chain reaction amplification products of the carbapenemase gene from purified colonies as a reference standard.Results:This study included 24 CRO strains from 10 patients undergoing HSCT, including 14 intestinal colonizers and 10 CRO-BSI strains. The results revealed that the CRO intestinal colonization strains and CRO-BSI strains from the same patient and their carbapenemase genes were almost identical. Additionally, WGS revealed that CRO intestinal colonization and CRO-BSI strains from the same patient were more closely related than strains from different patients. Additionally, this study included 488 rectal swab specimens from 184 patients undergoing HSCT, with CRO detection rates of 16.4% for rectal swab culture and 18.4% for the real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay were 96.6%, 72.8%, 90.6%, and 88.9%, respectively.Conclusions:A high degree of homology was found between the CRO intestinal colonization strains and the CRO-BSI strains in patients undergoing HSCT. The real-time rectal swab Xpert Carba-R assay is a reliable and convenient method for detecting common carbapenemase genes, serving as an alternative to rectal swab culture for early warning of CRO-BSI.
10.Herbal Textual Research on Euryales Semen in Famous Classical Formulas
Zixuan GAO ; Cheng QU ; Hui YAN ; Ling XIA ; Sheng GUO ; Zhilai ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):210-217
This paper systematically combed and verified the name, origin, producing area, quality evaluation, harvesting, processing of Euryales Semen in famous classical formulas by consulting relevant ancient materia medica, medical books, prescription books and modern literature. The results showed that Euryales Semen was first collected by materia medica under the name of Jitoushi, and since the Ming dynasty, Qianshi has been used as a proper name and continues to this day, with other aliases such as Yanhuishi. Euryale ferox, a plant of the Nymphaeaceae family, is the same as that used in the past dynasties. However, due to long-term artificial domestication, the varieties vary with the origin, including Beiqian and Suqian. The medicinal part of Euryales Semen is mature seed kernel, its origin of ancient records mainly includes Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan and other places, since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Euryales Semen produced in Suzhou has been highly praised. Since modern times, it has gradually summarized and formed the best quality evaluation method of Euryales Semen with full grains, white cross-section, powdery enough and no broken powder. The harvesting time in the past dynasties was mainly August or in autumn. The main processing methods in the past dynasties included peeling for powder, pounding powder after steaming, drying and frying. Up to now, two mainstream processing methods of cleansing and stir-frying have been formed. Based on the research results, it is recommended that the mature seed kernel of E. ferox be used in famous classical formula Yihuangtang. Combined with the processing requirements of the original formula, it is suggested to refer to the stir-frying method in the general principles of processing of the current edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia.


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