1.Application of single-cell RNA sequencing technology in Parkinson's disease
Ziyu LIU ; Dandan GENG ; Runjiao ZHANG ; Qing LIU ; Yibo LI ; Hongfang WANG ; Wenmeng XIE ; Wenyu WANG ; Jiaxin HAO ; Lei WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(1):193-201
BACKGROUND:Parkinson's disease has the main pathological changes in the midbrain,especially in the dense substantia nigra,leading to impaired motor and non-motor function in patients.At present,research is limited by cellular heterogeneity,and its pathogenesis still needs to be further elucidated.In recent years,single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)has gradually been applied in neurodegenerative diseases,which is of great significance for understanding intercellular heterogeneity,disease development mechanisms,and treatment strategies. OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress of scRNA-seq technology applied to Parkinson's disease in recent years,providing a theoretical basis for the application of scRNA-seq in the treatment and diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. METHODS:The first author used a computer system to search for relevant literature in the CNKI,WanFang,PubMed,and Web of Science databases,with the Chinese search terms"single-cell RNA sequencing,Parkinson's disease,cell heterogeneity,cell subtypes,dopaminergic neurons,glial cells"and English search terms"single-cell RNA seq,Parkinson disease,heterogenicity,subtypes,dopaminergic neurons,glial cells."71 articles were ultimately included for review and analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)scRNA-seq is a high-throughput experimental technique that utilizes RNA sequencing at the single-cell level to quantify gene expression profiles in specific cell populations,revealing cellular mysteries at the molecular level.Compared with traditional sequencing techniques,scRNA-seq technology is used to reveal the diversity of cell types and changes in specific gene expression in complex tissues under various physiological and pathological conditions through automatic clustering analysis of cell transcriptome.(2)By using scRNA-seq,the development process of dopaminergic neurons and the unique functional characteristics of various cell subtypes are elucidated,in order to better understand potential therapeutic molecular targets.(3)The use of scRNA-seq analysis has improved our understanding of the response of Parkinson's disease glial cells,enabling us to comprehensively map and characterize different cell type populations,identify specific glial cell subpopulations related to neurodegeneration,and draw valuable single cell maps as reference data for future research.(4)The application of scRNA-seq to detect embryonic mice and stem cells will help improve the in vitro differentiation protocol and quality control of cell therapy,as well as evaluate the overall cell quality and developmental stage of dopaminergic neurons derived from stem cells.
2.Sesquiterpene ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum Improves Neuroinflammation by Regulating JNK Phosphorylation
Ziyu YIN ; Yun GAO ; Junjiao WANG ; Weigang XUE ; Xueping PANG ; Huiting LIU ; Yunfang ZHAO ; Huixia HUO ; Jun LI ; Jiao ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(1):139-145
ObjectiveTo study the pharmacological substances and mechanisms through which sesquiterpene ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum improves neuroinflammation. MethodsBV-2 microglial cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce neuroinflammation. The cells were divided into the normal group, the model group, and the ZH-13 low- and high-dose treatment groups (10, 20 μmol·L-1). The model group was treated with 1 μmol·L-1 LPS. Cell viability was assessed using the cell proliferation and activity assay (CCK-8 kit). Nitric oxide (NO) release in the cell supernatant was measured using a nitric oxide kit (Griess method). The mRNA expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR). The phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway proteins was assessed by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the model group, ZH-13 dose-dependently reduced NO release from BV-2 cells under LPS stimulation (P<0.05, P<0.01). In the 20 μmol·L-1 ZH-13 treatment group, the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS, and IL-6 were significantly reduced compared to the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In both the low- and high-dose ZH-13 groups, the expression of the inflammatory factor TNF-α and the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in the upstream MAPK pathway were significantly reduced (P<0.05). After stimulation with the JNK agonist anisomycin (Ani), both low- and high-dose ZH-13 treatment groups showed reduced phosphorylation of JNK proteins compared to the Ani-treated group (P<0.01). ConclusionThe sesquiterpene compound ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum significantly ameliorates LPS-induced neuroinflammatory responses in BV-2 cells by inhibiting excessive JNK phosphorylation and reducing TNF-α expression. These findings elucidate the pharmacological substances and mechanisms underlying the sedative and calming effects of Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum.
3.Epidemiological investigation of a suspected outbreak of healthcare-associated infection with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a geriatric emergency ward
Yue CHEN ; Ziyu QIAN ; Jinghao ZHANG ; Zhiyong LIU ; Kaiyue WANG ; Yayan YU ; Xujuan DAI ; Minglei JIA ; Yuehuo CHEN
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(4):301-305
ObjectiveTo investigate a suspected outbreak of healthcare-associated infection with carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) in a geriatric emergency ward, and to provide references for the prevention and control of multidrug-resistant bacteria in a hospital in Shanghai. MethodsOn-site epidemiological investigation, combined with environmental hygiene monitoring and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) molecular typing method, were adopted to investigate a suspected outbreak of CRKP infection in the geriatric emergency ward of a hospital from October to November 2022, aiming at finding out factors caused the outbreak before taking corresponding control measures. ResultsA total of 3 cases of healthcare-associated CRKP infection were identified, of which 2 cases were homologous to a previous case of community-associated CRKP infection. What’s more, the 2 cases lived in the same ward with the latter and with adjacent beds, but the third case was non-homologous to the community-associated infection case. A total of 46 samples were collected from the environmental surfaces and the hands of healthcare workers, of which 7 samples tested positive for CRKP and were identical to the strains from the 2 healthcare-associated infection cases and the 1 community-associated infection case, originating from the bedrails, bedside tables, surface of non-invasive ventilator, bed curtains and panels of monitoring equipment, with a detection rate of 15.22%. But none of the 11 samples from the hands of healthcare workers tested positive for CRKP. The outbreak was effectively controlled after taking specific prevention and control measures such as strengthening personnel management, intensifying environmental cleaning and disinfection and strictly enforcing hand hygiene among healthcare workers. Subsequently, no similar new cases were reported during the 14-day follow-up period. ConclusionIncomplete environmental cleaning and disinfection, as well as inadequate enforcement of hand hygiene among heatheare workers may have contributed to the suspected outbreak of CRKP in the geriatric emergency ward. Early warning and timely investigation of suspected outbreaks of multidrug-resistant bacteria are crucial for preventing and controlling such outbreaks in hospitals.
4.Analysis of the logic,challenges and optimization of attention allocation in China’s household expired drug recycling policy
China Pharmacy 2025;36(21):2627-2631
OBJECTIVE To analyze the focal points and allocation characteristics of China’s household expired drug recycling policy texts, providing evidence for overcoming attention bottlenecks and optimizing drug management. METHODS The policy texts of China’s household expired drug recycling policy were obtained from the database. A quantitative analysis of the policy texts was conducted using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model. Additionally, in conjunction with attention theory, the characteristics of the government’s attention allocation on relevant issues were examined systematically. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS Three themes emerged from 158 policy texts: enhancing public awareness campaigns on household expired drug recycling (Topic 0), improving the quality of household expired drug recycling efforts in relevant units (Topic 1), and standardizing household expired drug recycling procedures (Topic 2). Topic 0 exhibited the highest thematic intensity, while Topic 1 demonstrated the lowest. China’s household expired drug recycling policies suffered from unclear accountability, generalized oversight, and superficial grassroots implementation. These issues undermined public awareness of recycling practices, constrained policy effectiveness, and revealed structural biases in attention allocation and content imbalances during policy formulation. It is recommended that the government improve legislation and recycling mechanisms, innovate publicity models, and establish a routine monitoring system. This will promote the institutionalization, standardization, and efficiency of household expired drug recycling, ensuring public medication safety.
5.Association between cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic health metrics and long-term cardiovascular risk: Findings from the Chinese Multi-provincial Cohort Study.
Ziyu WANG ; Xuan DENG ; Zhao YANG ; Jiangtao LI ; Pan ZHOU ; Wenlang ZHAO ; Yongchen HAO ; Qiuju DENG ; Na YANG ; Lizhen HAN ; Yue QI ; Jing LIU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(17):2139-2147
BACKGROUND:
The American Heart Association (AHA) introduced the concept of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) health and stage, reflecting the interaction among metabolism, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and the cardiovascular system. However, the association between CKM stage and the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) has not been validated. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term CVD risk associated with CKM health metrics and CKM stage using data from a population-based cohort study.
METHODS:
In total, 5293 CVD-free participants were followed up to around 13 years in the Chinese Multi-provincial Cohort Study (CMCS). Considering the pathophysiologic progression of CKM health metrics abnormalities (comprising obesity, central adiposity, prediabetes, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, CKD, and metabolic syndrome), participants were divided into CKM stages 0, 1, and 2. The time-dependent Cox regression models were used to estimate the cardiovascular risk associated with CKM health metrics and stage. Additionally, broader CVD outcomes were examined, with a specific assessment of the impact of stage 3 in 2581 participants from the CMCS-Beijing subcohort.
RESULTS:
Among participants, 91.2% (4825/5293) had at least one abnormal CKM health metric, 8.8% (468/5293), 13.3% (704/5293), and 77.9% (4121/5293) were in CKM stages 0, 1, and 2, respectively; and 710 incident CVD cases occurred during a median follow-up time of 13.3 years (interquartile range: 12.1 to 13.6 years). Participants with each poor CKM health metric exhibited significantly higher CVD risk. Compared with stage 0, the hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for CVD incidence was 1.31 (0.84-2.04) in stage 1 and 2.27 (1.57-3.28) in stage 2. Significant interactive impacts existed between CKM stage and age or sex, with higher CVD risk related to increased CKM stages in participants aged <60 years or females.
CONCLUSION
These findings highlight the contribution of CKM health metrics and CKM stage to the long-term risk of CVD, suggesting the importance of multi-component recognition and management of poor CKM health in CVD prevention.
Humans
;
Female
;
Male
;
Cardiovascular Diseases/etiology*
;
Middle Aged
;
Adult
;
Cohort Studies
;
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/metabolism*
;
Aged
;
Risk Factors
;
Metabolic Syndrome/metabolism*
;
China
;
East Asian People
6.A multi-feature fusion-based model for fetal orientation classification from intrapartum ultrasound videos.
Ziyu ZHENG ; Xiaying YANG ; Shengjie WU ; Shijie ZHANG ; Guorong LYU ; Peizhong LIU ; Jun WANG ; Shaozheng HE
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(7):1563-1570
OBJECTIVES:
To construct an intelligent analysis model for classifying fetal orientation during intrapartum ultrasound videos based on multi-feature fusion.
METHODS:
The proposed model consists of the Input, Backbone Network and Classification Head modules. The Input module carries out data augmentation to improve the sample quality and generalization ability of the model. The Backbone Network was responsible for feature extraction based on Yolov8 combined with CBAM, ECA, PSA attention mechanism and AIFI feature interaction module. The Classification Head consists of a convolutional layer and a softmax function to output the final probability value of each class. The images of the key structures (the eyes, face, head, thalamus, and spine) were annotated with frames by physicians for model training to improve the classification accuracy of the anterior occipital, posterior occipital, and transverse occipital orientations.
RESULTS:
The experimental results showed that the proposed model had excellent performance in the tire orientation classification task with the classification accuracy reaching 0.984, an area under the PR curve (average accuracy) of 0.993, and area under the ROC curve of 0.984, and a kappa consistency test score of 0.974. The prediction results by the deep learning model were highly consistent with the actual classification results.
CONCLUSIONS
The multi-feature fusion model proposed in this study can efficiently and accurately classify fetal orientation in intrapartum ultrasound videos.
Humans
;
Female
;
Ultrasonography, Prenatal/methods*
;
Pregnancy
;
Fetus/diagnostic imaging*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
;
Video Recording
7.Protective effect of FAK inhibitor PF-562271 against human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury induced by aging platelets
Yuting BAI ; Baocai GANG ; Mengjie ZHANG ; Ziyu WAN ; Guoquan LIU ; Wei GU
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(2):252-259
Objective To investigate the protective effect of PF-562271,a FAK inhibitor,against aging platelet-induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs).Methods Cultured HUVECs were treated with vehicle,lipopolysaccharide(LPS),LPS+aging platelets,or LPS+aging platelets+PF-562271.The changes in protein expressions of FAK,pFAK and PECAM-1 in the treated cells were detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay,and the level of reactive oxygen species(ROS)was detected with flow cytometry.The changes of barrier function of the cells were assessed with cell permeability test and transendothelial cell resistance test.RT-qPCR was used to analyze mRNA expressions of inflammatory factors,and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the culture supernatants was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Immunofluorescence assay was used to examine the effect of the ROS inhibitor vitamin C on PECAM-1 expression in the cells with different treatments.Results Treatment of HUVECs with LPS and aging platelets significantly increased cellular protein expressions of FAK,pFAK and PECAM-1,which were effectively lowered by addition of PF-562271(P<0.05).LPS and aged platelets obviously enhanced ROS production in the cells,which was inhibited by the addition of PF-562271(P<0.001).PF-562271 significantly alleviated the damage of endothelial cell barrier function of the cells caused by LPS and aging platelets(P<0.01).The expressions of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 in HUVECs increased significantly after exposure to LPS and aging platelets,and were obviously lowered after treatment with PF-562271(P<0.05).Treatment with vitamin C significantly decreased the expression of PECAM-1 protein in the cells(P<0.01).Conclusion The FAK inhibitor PF-562271 alleviates endothelial cell damage induced by LPS and aging platelets by lowering cellular oxidative stress levels and reducing inflammatory responses.
8.Protective effect of FAK inhibitor PF-562271 against human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury induced by aging platelets
Yuting BAI ; Baocai GANG ; Mengjie ZHANG ; Ziyu WAN ; Guoquan LIU ; Wei GU
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(2):252-259
Objective To investigate the protective effect of PF-562271,a FAK inhibitor,against aging platelet-induced injury in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs).Methods Cultured HUVECs were treated with vehicle,lipopolysaccharide(LPS),LPS+aging platelets,or LPS+aging platelets+PF-562271.The changes in protein expressions of FAK,pFAK and PECAM-1 in the treated cells were detected using Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay,and the level of reactive oxygen species(ROS)was detected with flow cytometry.The changes of barrier function of the cells were assessed with cell permeability test and transendothelial cell resistance test.RT-qPCR was used to analyze mRNA expressions of inflammatory factors,and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the culture supernatants was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Immunofluorescence assay was used to examine the effect of the ROS inhibitor vitamin C on PECAM-1 expression in the cells with different treatments.Results Treatment of HUVECs with LPS and aging platelets significantly increased cellular protein expressions of FAK,pFAK and PECAM-1,which were effectively lowered by addition of PF-562271(P<0.05).LPS and aged platelets obviously enhanced ROS production in the cells,which was inhibited by the addition of PF-562271(P<0.001).PF-562271 significantly alleviated the damage of endothelial cell barrier function of the cells caused by LPS and aging platelets(P<0.01).The expressions of TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-8 in HUVECs increased significantly after exposure to LPS and aging platelets,and were obviously lowered after treatment with PF-562271(P<0.05).Treatment with vitamin C significantly decreased the expression of PECAM-1 protein in the cells(P<0.01).Conclusion The FAK inhibitor PF-562271 alleviates endothelial cell damage induced by LPS and aging platelets by lowering cellular oxidative stress levels and reducing inflammatory responses.
9.Incidence of postoperative complications in Chinese patients with gastric or colorectal cancer based on a national, multicenter, prospective, cohort study
Shuqin ZHANG ; Zhouqiao WU ; Bowen HUO ; Huining XU ; Kang ZHAO ; Changqing JING ; Fenglin LIU ; Jiang YU ; Zhengrong LI ; Jian ZHANG ; Lu ZANG ; Hankun HAO ; Chaohui ZHENG ; Yong LI ; Lin FAN ; Hua HUANG ; Pin LIANG ; Bin WU ; Jiaming ZHU ; Zhaojian NIU ; Linghua ZHU ; Wu SONG ; Jun YOU ; Su YAN ; Ziyu LI
Chinese Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery 2024;27(3):247-260
Objective:To investigate the incidence of postoperative complications in Chinese patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, and to evaluate the risk factors for postoperative complications.Methods:This was a national, multicenter, prospective, registry-based, cohort study of data obtained from the database of the Prevalence of Abdominal Complications After Gastro- enterological Surgery (PACAGE) study sponsored by the China Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgical Union. The PACAGE database prospectively collected general demographic characteristics, protocols for perioperative treatment, and variables associated with postoperative complications in patients treated for gastric or colorectal cancer in 20 medical centers from December 2018 to December 2020. The patients were grouped according to the presence or absence of postoperative complications. Postoperative complications were categorized and graded in accordance with the expert consensus on postoperative complications in gastrointestinal oncology surgery and Clavien-Dindo grading criteria. The incidence of postoperative complications of different grades are presented as bar charts. Independent risk factors for occurrence of postoperative complications were identified by multifactorial unconditional logistic regression.Results:The study cohort comprised 3926 patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, 657 (16.7%) of whom had a total of 876 postoperative complications. Serious complications (Grade III and above) occurred in 4.0% of patients (156/3926). The rate of Grade V complications was 0.2% (7/3926). The cohort included 2271 patients with gastric cancer with a postoperative complication rate of 18.1% (412/2271) and serious complication rate of 4.7% (106/2271); and 1655 with colorectal cancer, with a postoperative complication rate of 14.8% (245/1655) and serious complication rate of 3.0% (50/1655). The incidences of anastomotic leakage in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer were 3.3% (74/2271) and 3.4% (56/1655), respectively. Abdominal infection was the most frequently occurring complication, accounting for 28.7% (164/572) and 39.5% (120/304) of postoperative complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer, respectively. The most frequently occurring grade of postoperative complication was Grade II, accounting for 65.4% (374/572) and 56.6% (172/304) of complications in patients with gastric and colorectal cancers, respectively. Multifactorial analysis identified (1) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the gastric cancer group: preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.54, 95%CI: 1.51-4.28, P<0.001), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.42, 95%CI:1.06-1.89, P=0.020), high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores (ASA score 2 points:OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.23-2.07, P<0.001, ASA score ≥3 points:OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.25-0.73, P=0.002), operative time >180 minutes (OR=1.81, 95% CI: 1.42-2.31, P<0.001), intraoperative bleeding >50 mL (OR=1.29,95%CI: 1.01-1.63, P=0.038), and distal gastrectomy compared with total gastrectomy (OR=0.65,95%CI: 0.51-0.83, P<0.001); and (2) the following independent risk factors for postoperative complications in patients in the colorectal cancer group: female (OR=0.60, 95%CI: 0.44-0.80, P<0.001), preoperative comorbidities (OR=2.73, 95%CI: 1.25-5.99, P=0.030), neoadjuvant therapy (OR=1.83, 95%CI:1.23-2.72, P=0.008), laparoscopic surgery (OR=0.47, 95%CI: 0.30-0.72, P=0.022), and abdominoperineal resection compared with low anterior resection (OR=2.74, 95%CI: 1.71-4.41, P<0.001). Conclusion:Postoperative complications associated with various types of infection were the most frequent complications in patients with gastric or colorectal cancer. Although the risk factors for postoperative complications differed between patients with gastric cancer and those with colorectal cancer, the presence of preoperative comorbidities, administration of neoadjuvant therapy, and extent of surgical resection, were the commonest factors associated with postoperative complications in patients of both categories.
10.Caloric restriction, Sirtuins, and cardiovascular diseases
Ziyu WEI ; Bo YANG ; Huiyu WANG ; Shuangjie LV ; Houzao CHEN ; Depei LIU
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(8):921-935
Caloric restriction (CR) is a well-established dietary intervention known to extend healthy lifespan and exert positive effects on aging-related diseases, including cardiovascular conditions. Sirtuins, a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD +)-dependent histone deacetylases, have emerged as key regulators of cellular metabolism, stress responses, and the aging process, serving as energy status sensors in response to CR. However, the mechanism through which CR regulates Sirtuin function to ameliorate cardiovascular disease remains unclear. This review not only provided an overview of recent research investigating the interplay between Sirtuins and CR, specifically focusing on their potential implications for cardiovascular health, but also provided a comprehensive summary of the benefits of CR for the cardiovascular system mediated directly via Sirtuins. CR has also been shown to have considerable impact on specific metabolic organs, leading to the production of small molecules that enter systemic circulation and subsequently regulate Sirtuin activity within the cardiovascular system. The direct and indirect effects of CR offer a potential mechanism for Sirtuin modulation and subsequent cardiovascular protection. Understanding the interplay between CR and Sirtuins will provide new insights for the development of interventions to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases.

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