1.Biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems b ased on red blood cell membranes for disease treatment
Chen-xia GAO ; Yan-yu XIAO ; Yu-xue-yuan CHEN ; Xiao-liang REN ; Mei-ling CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):348-358
Nanoparticle delivery systems have good application prospects in the field of precision therapy, but the preparation process of nanomaterial has problems such as short
2.The Relationship of Transcription Factor BRF1 Expression to Tumor and Cardiomyopathy
Li-Ling ZHENG ; Yong-Luan LIN ; Mei-Ling CHEN ; Zheng-Yan ZHONG ; Shuping ZHONG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2241-2251
TFIIB-related factor 1 (BRF1) is an important transcription factor. It specifically regulates the transcription of RNA polymerase III-dependent genes (RNA Pol III genes). The products of these genes are some small non-coding RNAs, including transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and 5S ribosomal RNAs (5S rRNA). The transcription levels of tRNAs and 5S rRNA vary with changes in intracellular BRF1 amounts. tRNAs and 5S rRNA play a crucial role in determining protein synthesis. Studies have demonstrated that dysregulation of tRNAs and 5S rRNA is closely related to cell growth, proliferation, transformation, and even tumorigenesis. BRF1 is a key factor determining the generation of tRNAs and 5S rRNA. Increasing BRF1 expression enhances cell proliferation and transformation, promoting tumor development. In contrast, repressing BRF1 activity decreases the rates of cell proliferation and transformation, and inhibits tumor growth. High levels of BRF1 are found in the samples of patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, gastric carcinoma, lung cancer, prostate carcinoma, and other cancers. It indicates that high levels of BRF1 are closely related to the occurrence of human cancer and may be a common landmark of tumors. But there is discrepancy in the regulatory mechanisms and signaling pathways of BRF1 overexpression in different cancers. In general, high levels of BRF1 in patients suffering from cancer show short survival period and poor prognosis. However, there is one exception, namely breast cancer. Approximate 80% of cases of breast cancer are estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and 20% are ER-. The cases with high levels of BRF1 reveal longer survival period and better prognosis after they accepted the hormone treatment by Tamoxifen (Tam), compared to the cases with low level BRF1. It seems like a contradiction. Most of the cases with high levels of BRF1 belong to ER+ status. Tam has been used to treat ER+ cases of breast cancer after diagnosis and surgery. Thus, hormone therapy, such as Tam, is more effective on these patients. This is because, on one hand, that Tam competes with E2 (17β-estradiol) to bind to estrogen receptor α (ERα), but does not dissociate to occupy the receptors, blocking E2 binding to this receptor and inhibiting its biological effects. On other hand, Tam can inhibit the expression of BRF1, leading to a decline of intracellular BRF1 levels. Therefore, the actual levels of BRF1 are lower in the patients with ER+ breast cancer. It appears the prognosis of the high BRF1 expression cases better than that of the low BRF1 expression cases. Myocardial hypertrophy manifests magnification of cardiomyocyte volume rather than number increasing in the postnatal heart. Myocardial hypertrophy is a critical risk factor underlying cardiovascular diseases. No matter how myocardial hypertrophy occur, it will ultimately lead to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure. Hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes requires a large amount of protein synthesis to meet its needs of cardiomyocyte growth. Animal models and cell experiments have shown that myocardial hypertrophy stimulates a significant increase in BRF1 expression and transcription of tRNAs and 5S rRNA. Interestingly, elevated levels of BRF1 are found in the myocardium tissues of patients with myocardial hypertrophy. These studies demonstrate that BRF1 indeed plays a critical role in myocardial hypertrophy. In summary, high levels of BRF1 are found in patients suffering from different cancers and myocardial hypertrophy. It implies that BRF1 is a promising biological target of cancer and cardiomyopathy. BRF1 is expected to become a common biomarker for early diagnosis and prognostic observation of different human cancers. It is also an important biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiomyopathy. BRF1 not only holds an important position in the field of basic medical research but also has great prospects for translational medicine. In the present article, we summarize the progress on studies of BRF1 expressions in cancer and cardiomyopathy, proposes future research directions. It is a new research area. Here, we emphasize the significancy of BRF overexpression in the two huge diseases of human, cancer and cardiomyopathy to raise people's attention to this field.
3.Singapore clinical guideline on parenteral nutrition in adult patients in the acute hospital setting.
Johnathan Huey Ming LUM ; Hazel Ee Ling YEONG ; Pauleon Enjiu TAN ; Ennaliza SALAZAR ; Tingfeng LEE ; Yunn Cheng NG ; Janet Ngian Choo CHONG ; Pay Wen YONG ; Jeannie Peng Lan ONG ; Siao Ching GOOI ; Kristie Huirong FAN ; Weihao CHEN ; Mei Yoke LIM ; Kon Voi TAY ; Doris Hui Lan NG
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore 2025;54(6):350-369
INTRODUCTION:
The primary objective of this guideline is to establish evidence-based recommendations for the clinical use of parenteral nutrition (PN) in adult patients within the acute hospital setting in Singapore.
METHOD:
An expert workgroup, consisting of healthcare practitioners actively involved in clinical nutrition support across all public health institutions, systematically evaluated existing evidence and addressed clinical questions relating to PN therapy.
RESULTS:
This clinical practice guideline developed 30 recommendations for PN therapy, which cover these key aspects related to PN use: indications, patient assess-ment, titration and formulation of PN bags, access routes and devices, and monitoring and management of PN-related complications.
CONCLUSION
This guideline provides recommendations to ensure appropriate and safe clinical practice of PN therapy in adult patients within the acute hospital setting.
Humans
;
Singapore
;
Parenteral Nutrition/adverse effects*
;
Adult
5.Phase changes and quantity-quality transfer of raw material, calcined decoction pieces, and standard decoction of Ostreae Concha (Ostrea rivularis).
Hong-Yi ZHANG ; Jing-Wei ZHOU ; Jia-Wen LIU ; Wen-Bo FEI ; Shi-Ru HUANG ; Yu-Mei CHEN ; Chong-Yang LI ; Fei-Fei LI ; Qiao-Ling MA ; Fu WANG ; Yuan HU ; You-Ping LIU ; Shi-Lin CHEN ; Lin CHEN ; Hong-Ping CHEN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(5):1209-1223
The phase changes and quantity-quality transfer of 17 batches of Ostreae Concha(Ostrea rivularis) during the raw material-calcined decoction pieces-standard decoction process were analyzed. The content of calcium carbonate(CaCO_3), the main component, was determined by chemical titration, and the extract yield and transfer rate were calculated. The CaCO_3 content in the raw material, calcined decoction pieces, and standard decoction was 94.39%-98.80%, 95.03%-99.22%, and 84.58%-90.47%, respectively. The process of raw material to calcined decoction pieces showed the yield range of 96.85% to 98.55% and the CaCO_3 transfer rate range of 96.92% to 99.27%. The process of calcined decoction pieces to standard decoction showed the extract yield range of 2.86% to 5.48% and the CaCO_3 transfer rate range of 2.59% to 5.13%. The results of X-ray fluorescence(XRF) assay showed that the raw material, calcined decoction pieces, and standard decoction mainly contained Ca, Na, Mg, Si, Br, Cl, Al, Fe, Cr, Mn, and K. The chemometric results showed an increase in the relative content of Cr, Fe, and Si from raw material to calcined decoction pieces and an increase in the relative content of Mg, Al, Br, K, Cl, and Na from calcined decoction pieces to standard decoction. X-ray diffraction(XRD) was employed to establish XRD characteristic patterns of the raw material, calcined decoction pieces, and standard decoction. The XRD results showed that the main phase of all three was calcite, and no transformation of crystalline form or generation of new phase was observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) was employed to establish the FTIR characteristic spectra of the raw material, calcined decoction pieces, and standard decoction. The FTIR results showed that the raw material had internal vibrations of O-H, C-H, C=O, C-O, and CO■ groups. Due to the loss of organic matter components after calcination, no information about the vibrations of C-H, C=O, and C-O groups was observed in the spectra of calcined decoction pieces and standard decoction. In summary, this study elucidated the quantity-quality transfer and phase changes in the raw material-calcined decoction pieces-standard decoction process by determining the CaCO_3 content, calculating the extract yield and transfer rate, and comparing the element changes, FTIR characteristic spectra, and XRD characteristic pattern. The results were reasonable and reliable, laying a foundation for the subsequent process research and quality control of the formula granules of calcined Ostreae Concha(O. rivularis Gould), and providing ideas and methods for the quality control of the whole process of raw material-decoction pieces-standard decoction-formula granules of Ostreae Concha and other testacean traditional Chinese medicine.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification*
;
Calcium Carbonate/analysis*
;
Quality Control
6.Exploring the clinical implications of novel SRD5A2 variants in 46,XY disorders of sex development.
Yu MAO ; Jian-Mei HUANG ; Yu-Wei CHEN-ZHANG ; He LIN ; Yu-Huan ZHANG ; Ji-Yang JIANG ; Xue-Mei WU ; Ling LIAO ; Yun-Man TANG ; Ji-Yun YANG
Asian Journal of Andrology 2025;27(2):211-218
This study was conducted retrospectively on a cohort of 68 patients with steroid 5 α-reductase 2 (SRD5A2) deficiency and 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD). Whole-exon sequencing revealed 28 variants of SRD5A2 , and further analysis identified seven novel mutants. The preponderance of variants was observed in exon 1 and exon 4, specifically within the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-binding region. Among the entire cohort, 53 patients underwent initial surgery at Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital (Chengdu, China). The external genitalia scores (EGS) of these participants varied from 2.0 to 11.0, with a mean of 6.8 (standard deviation [s.d.]: 2.5). Thirty patients consented to hormone testing. Their average testosterone-to-dihydrotestosterone (T/DHT) ratio was 49.3 (s.d.: 23.4). Genetic testing identified four patients with EGS scores between 6 and 9 as having this syndrome; and their T/DHT ratios were below the diagnostic threshold. Furthermore, assessments conducted using the crystal structure of human SRD5A2 have provided insights into the potential pathogenic mechanisms of these novel variants. These mechanisms include interference with NADPH binding (c.356G>C, c.365A>G, c.492C>G, and c.662T>G) and destabilization of the protein structure (c.727C>T). The c.446-1G>T and c.380delG variants were verified to result in large alterations in the transcripts. Seven novel variations were identified, and the variant database for the SRD5A2 gene was expanded. These findings contribute to the progress of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for individuals with SRD5A2 deficiency.
Humans
;
3-Oxo-5-alpha-Steroid 4-Dehydrogenase/genetics*
;
Disorder of Sex Development, 46,XY/blood*
;
Male
;
Membrane Proteins/genetics*
;
Child, Preschool
;
Child
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Adolescent
;
Female
;
Mutation
;
Testosterone/blood*
;
Infant
;
Dihydrotestosterone/blood*
7.Clinical application of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in pediatric small bowel diseases: a retrospective study of 576 cases.
Can-Lin LI ; Jie-Yu YOU ; Yan-Hong LUO ; Hong-Juan OU-YANG ; Li LIU ; Wen-Ting ZHANG ; Jia-Qi DUAN ; Na JIANG ; Mei-Zheng ZHAN ; Chen-Xi LIU ; Juan ZHOU ; Ling-Zhi YUAN ; Hong-Mei ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2025;27(7):822-828
OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate the effectiveness of single-balloon and double-balloon enteroscopy in diagnosing pediatric small bowel diseases and assess the diagnostic efficacy of computed tomography enterography (CTE) for small bowel diseases using enteroscopy as the reference standard.
METHODS:
Clinical data from 576 children who underwent enteroscopy at Hunan Children's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2023 were retrospectively collected. The children were categorized based on enteroscopy type into the single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) group (n=457) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) group (n=119), and the clinical data were compared between the two groups. The sensitivity and specificity of CTE for diagnosing small bowel diseases were evaluated using enteroscopy results as the standard.
RESULTS:
Among the 576 children, small bowel lesions were detected by enteroscopy in 274 children (47.6%).There was no significant difference in lesion detection rates or complication rates between the SBE and DBE groups (P>0.05), but the DBE group had deeper insertion, longer procedure time, and higher complete small bowel examination rate (P<0.05). The complication rate during enteroscopy was 4.3% (25/576), with 18 cases (3.1%) of mild complications and 7 cases (1.2%) of severe complications, which improved with symptomatic treatment, surgical, or endoscopic intervention. Among the 412 children who underwent CTE, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases were 44.4% and 71.3%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
SBE and DBE have similar diagnostic efficacy for pediatric small bowel diseases, but DBE is preferred for suspected deep small bowel lesions and comprehensive small bowel examination. Enteroscopy in children demonstrates relatively good overall safety. CTE demonstrates relatively low sensitivity but comparatively high specificity for diagnosing small bowel diseases.
Retrospective Studies
;
Treatment Outcome
;
Double-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data*
;
Single-Balloon Enteroscopy/statistics & numerical data*
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Child
;
Operative Time
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed/statistics & numerical data*
;
Sensitivity and Specificity
;
Intestine, Small/surgery*
;
Intestinal Diseases/surgery*
8.Improvement effect of rehabilitation nursing based on IKAP theory on patients with urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy.
Ting-Ting XIA ; Wen-Fang CHEN ; Jie LIU ; Xiao-Wen TAN ; Juan LI ; Yan-Yan ZHANG ; Yu-Mei CAO ; Song XU ; Ting-Ling ZHANG
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(5):438-443
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the improvement effect of rehabilitation nursing based on information-knowledge-belief-behavior (IKAP) theory on urinary incontinence patients after radical prostatectomy.
METHODS
Sixty-six patients with urinary incontinence who received robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in General Hospital of Eastern Theater Command from January 2021 to January 2023 were selected and divided into control group (n=33) and observation group (n=33) according to random number table method. The patients in the control group were treated with rehabilitation nursing. The patients in the observation group were treated with rehabilitation nursing guided by IKAP theory. The recovery of urinary incontinence, duration of urinary incontinence, subjective well-being, quality of life, psychological and emotional indexes of patients in the two groups were compared. Results: The total effective rate of urinary incontinence recovery in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (90.91% vs 60.61%,P<0.05). The duration of urinary incontinence in the observation group was significantly shorter than that in the control group ([3.36±1.54]d vs [4.15±1.36]d,P<0.05). And the subjective well-being score in observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ([19.36±2.69]points vs [11.65±2.65]points, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in preoperative physical function, social function,and mental health scores between the two groups (P>0.05). And all scores in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group after surgery (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the preoperative SAS and SDS scores between the two groups of patients (P>0.05). And the scores of SAS and SDS in observation group were lower than those of the control group after the operation (P<0.05). Conclusion: Rehabilitation nursing based on IKAP theory can significantly improve urinary incontinence in patients with prostate cancer after surgery, which promotes the recovery of urinary incontinence, shortens the time of urinary incontinence, and improves the subjective well-being and quality of life, as well as reduces the negative impact of negative emotions. Therefore, it can be widely promoted and implemented in clinical practice.
Humans
;
Prostatectomy/adverse effects*
;
Urinary Incontinence/etiology*
;
Male
;
Quality of Life
;
Rehabilitation Nursing
;
Middle Aged
;
Aged
9.Vascular Protection of Neferine on Attenuating Angiotensin II-Induced Blood Pressure Elevation by Integrated Network Pharmacology Analysis and RNA-Sequencing Approach.
A-Ling SHEN ; Xiu-Li ZHANG ; Zhi GUO ; Mei-Zhu WU ; Ying CHENG ; Da-Wei LIAN ; Chang-Geng FU ; Jun PENG ; Min YU ; Ke-Ji CHEN
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(8):694-706
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of neferine in the context of angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction.
METHODS:
Male mice were infused with Ang II to induce hypertension and randomly divided into treatment groups receiving neferine or a control vehicle based on baseline blood pressure using a random number table method. The hypertensive mouse model was constructed by infusing Ang II via a micro-osmotic pump (500 ng/kg per minute), and neferine (0.1, 1, or 10 mg/kg), valsartan (10 mg/kg), or double distilled water was administered intragastrically once daily for 6 weeks. A non-invasive blood pressure system, ultrasound, and hematoxylin and eosin staining were performed to assess blood pressure and vascular changes. RNA sequencing and network pharmacology were employed to identify differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) and pathways. Vascular ring tension assay was used to test vascular function. A7R5 cells were incubated with neferine for 24 h and then treated with Ang II to record the real-time Ca2+ concentration by confocal microscope. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Western blot were used to evaluate vasorelaxation, calcium, and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 pathway.
RESULTS:
Neferine treatment effectively mitigated the elevation in blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, aortic thickening in the abdominal aorta of Ang II-infused mice (P<0.05). RNA sequencing and network pharmacology analysis identified 355 DETs that were significantly reversed by neferine treatment, along with 25 potential target genes, which were further enriched in multiple pathways and biological processes, such as ERK1 and ERK2 cascade regulation, calcium pathway, and vascular smooth muscle contraction. Further investigation revealed that neferine treatment enhanced vasorelaxation and reduced Ca2+-dependent contraction of abdominal aortic rings, independent of endothelium function (P<0.05). The underlying mechanisms were mediated, at least in part, via suppression of receptor-operated channels, store-operated channels, or voltage-operated calcium channels. Neferine pre-treatment demonstrated a reduction in intracellular Ca2+ release in Ang II stimulated A7R5 cells. IHC staining and Western blot confirmed that neferine treatment effectively attenuated the upregulation of p-ERK1/2 both in vivo and in vitro, which was similar with treatment of ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Neferine remarkably alleviates Ang II-induced elevation of blood pressure, vascular dysfunction, and pathological changes in the abdominal aorta. This beneficial effect is mediated by the modulation of multiple pathways, including calcium and ERK1/2 pathways.
Animals
;
Angiotensin II
;
Male
;
Benzylisoquinolines/therapeutic use*
;
Network Pharmacology
;
Blood Pressure/drug effects*
;
Sequence Analysis, RNA
;
Mice
;
Hypertension/chemically induced*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Calcium/metabolism*
10.Expert consensus on prognostic evaluation of cochlear implantation in hereditary hearing loss.
Xinyu SHI ; Xianbao CAO ; Renjie CHAI ; Suijun CHEN ; Juan FENG ; Ningyu FENG ; Xia GAO ; Lulu GUO ; Yuhe LIU ; Ling LU ; Lingyun MEI ; Xiaoyun QIAN ; Dongdong REN ; Haibo SHI ; Duoduo TAO ; Qin WANG ; Zhaoyan WANG ; Shuo WANG ; Wei WANG ; Ming XIA ; Hao XIONG ; Baicheng XU ; Kai XU ; Lei XU ; Hua YANG ; Jun YANG ; Pingli YANG ; Wei YUAN ; Dingjun ZHA ; Chunming ZHANG ; Hongzheng ZHANG ; Juan ZHANG ; Tianhong ZHANG ; Wenqi ZUO ; Wenyan LI ; Yongyi YUAN ; Jie ZHANG ; Yu ZHAO ; Fang ZHENG ; Yu SUN
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(9):798-808
Hearing loss is the most prevalent disabling disease. Cochlear implantation(CI) serves as the primary intervention for severe to profound hearing loss. This consensus systematically explores the value of genetic diagnosis in the pre-operative assessment and efficacy prognosis for CI. Drawing upon domestic and international research and clinical experience, it proposes an evidence-based medicine three-tiered prognostic classification system(Favorable, Marginal, Poor). The consensus focuses on common hereditary non-syndromic hearing loss(such as that caused by mutations in genes like GJB2, SLC26A4, OTOF, LOXHD1) and syndromic hereditary hearing loss(such as Jervell & Lange-Nielsen syndrome and Waardenburg syndrome), which are closely associated with congenital hearing loss, analyzing the impact of their pathological mechanisms on CI outcomes. The consensus provides recommendations based on multiple round of expert discussion and voting. It emphasizes that genetic diagnosis can optimize patient selection, predict prognosis, guide post-operative rehabilitation, offer stratified management strategies for patients with different genotypes, and advance the application of precision medicine in the field of CI.
Humans
;
Cochlear Implantation
;
Prognosis
;
Hearing Loss/surgery*
;
Consensus
;
Connexin 26
;
Mutation
;
Sulfate Transporters
;
Connexins/genetics*

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