1.Cuproptosis-related genes in natural killer cells of Alzheimer's disease
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(19):4172-4180
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			BACKGROUND:The immune-related pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is still unclear.Exploring the correlation between natural killer cells and cuproptosis mechanism in Alzheimer's disease patients through bioinformatics can provide a new direction for the study of the occurrence and development of Alzheimer's disease. OBJECTIVE:To screen the key genes related to cuproptosis of natural killer cells in peripheral blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease by bioinformatics analysis and verify them in clinical specimens. METHODS:The GEO online database was used to screen the transcriptome differentially expressed genes and natural killer cell related genes in the peripheral blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease,and intersected with the reported cuproptosis factors.Differentially expressed cuproptosis-related genes were obtained.Then RT-qPCR technology was used to verify the relative gene expression levels.The experimental samples were all from peripheral blood of hospitalized patients in the Department of Neurology of Anhui Provincial Hospital from 2021 to 2023,and 30 patients in the disease group and 20 in the control group were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria.The protein-protein interaction network was further constructed using the online GeneMANIA website.R language was used for immune infiltration analysis.Transcription factor prediction was conducted based on ENCODE database. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The differential expression genes of peripheral blood transcriptome of Alzheimer's disease patients in GSE63060 data set,natural killer cell related genes in GSE168522 data set,and reported cuproptosis genes were used to screen and obtain four differentially expressed cuproptosis-related genes by using online Venn diagram tool,LASSO algorithm,and random forest machine learning methods:ferredoxin 1(FDX1),ATPase Cu2+transporting alpha polypeptide(ATP7A),pyruvate dehydrogenase El subunit beta(PDHB),and dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase(DLST).(2)Clinical sample experiments showed that FDX1 and ATP7A were up-regulated in peripheral blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease(P<0.001),and were differentially expressed in different genotypes of apolipoprotein E4(P<0.01,P<0.001).The expression of PDHB and DLST in peripheral blood of patients with Alzheimer's disease was down-regulated(P<0.001),and there was no difference in apolipoprotein E4 genotypes(P>0.05).(3)Protein-protein interaction network found that 20 functional proteins were associated with key genes,and immunoinfiltration analysis showed that key genes were significantly associated with 12 immune cells(P<0.05 was considered to be relevant).(4)Bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification results suggest that FDX1,ATP7A,PDHB,and DLST are differentially expressed in Alzheimer's disease,may participate in the occurrence and development of Alzheimer's disease through the cuproptosis mechanism in peripheral blood natural killer cells,and also provide potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
2.The mediating effect of occupational well-being between professional identity and safety behavior among nurses
Xinyan JIANG ; Guowei CHEN ; Haili GUO ; Yuxiu YU ; Sumin LI ; Yuanxin CHEN ; Wei XIONG ; LI SUN ; Ling JIANG
China Occupational Medicine 2025;52(3):276-281
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective To explore the mediating role of occupational well-being in the relationship between professional identity and safety behavior among nurses. Methods A total of 1 006 nurses from ten tertiary general hospitals in eight provincial administrative regions were selected as the research subjects using convenient sampling method. Their safety behavior, professional identity and occupational well-being were investigated using Nurse Safety Behavior Scale, Nurse Professional Identity Scale and Occupational Well-being Scale. Structural equation modeling was performed using AMOS 26.0 to examine the mediating effect of occupational well-being in the relationship between professional identity and safety behavior among nurses. Results The scores for safety behavior, professional identity, and occupational well-being were (53.0±6.1), (123.7±21.2) and (90.8±13.1), respectively. Safety behavior was positively correlated with both professional identity and occupational well-being (correlation coefficients were 0.50 and 0.50, respectively, both P<0.01). Professional identity was positively correlated with occupational well-being (correlation coefficient was 0.51, P<0.01). The multiple linear regression analysis results showed that the higher the professional identity and occupational well-being of nurses, the higher the level of safety behavior (both P<0.05). The result of mediating effect shows that the total effect of occupational identity on safety behavior was 0.498 [95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.405-0.576], and occupational well-being played a mediating role between professional identity and safety behavior among nurses with the mediation effect of 0.156 (95%CI was 0.112-0.205), accounting for 31.33% of the total effect. Conclusion The safety behavior of nurses is at a moderate level. Both professional identity and occupational well-being can affect the safety behavior of nurses. Professional identity can increase the safety behavior of nurses by affecting occupational well-being. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
3.Impact of Antibody Immune Response and Immune Cells on Osteoporosis and Fractures
Kangkang OU ; Jiarui CHEN ; Jichong ZHU ; Weiming TAN ; Cheng WEI ; Guiyu LI ; Yingying QIN ; Chong LIU
Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery 2025;17(3):530-545
		                        		
		                        			 Background:
		                        			The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of osteoporosis and fractures. However, the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and these bone conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to explore these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. 
		                        		
		                        			Methods:
		                        			We collected complete blood count data from patients with fractures and healthy individuals and analyzed their differences. Then, we conducted a 2-sample, 2-step MR analysis to investigate the causal effects of antibody immune responses on osteoporosis and fractures, using inverse-variance weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We also explored whether immune cells mediate the pathway between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures. Finally, we analyzed the functions and expression levels of key genes involved. 
		                        		
		                        			Results:
		                        			Overall, the fracture group exhibited increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute monocyte count, platelet count, and their respective proportions, while absolute lymphocyte count, absolute eosinophil count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and their proportions were decreased. We identified 44 causal relationships between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures, with 7 supported by multiple MR methods, and 5 showing odds ratios significantly deviating from 1 in the IVW analysis. Epstein-Barr virus-related antibodies had a notable impact on osteoporosis and fractures. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene family, particularly HLA-DPB1, emerged as a significant risk factor. However, immune cells were not found to mediate these effects. 
		                        		
		                        			Conclusions
		                        			This study elucidated the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and osteoporosis or fractures. The HLA gene family plays a crucial role in the interaction between antibodies and these bone conditions, with HLA-DPB1 identified as a key risk gene. Immune cells do not serve as mediators in this process. These findings provide valuable insights for future research. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
4.Impact of Antibody Immune Response and Immune Cells on Osteoporosis and Fractures
Kangkang OU ; Jiarui CHEN ; Jichong ZHU ; Weiming TAN ; Cheng WEI ; Guiyu LI ; Yingying QIN ; Chong LIU
Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery 2025;17(3):530-545
		                        		
		                        			 Background:
		                        			The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of osteoporosis and fractures. However, the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and these bone conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to explore these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. 
		                        		
		                        			Methods:
		                        			We collected complete blood count data from patients with fractures and healthy individuals and analyzed their differences. Then, we conducted a 2-sample, 2-step MR analysis to investigate the causal effects of antibody immune responses on osteoporosis and fractures, using inverse-variance weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We also explored whether immune cells mediate the pathway between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures. Finally, we analyzed the functions and expression levels of key genes involved. 
		                        		
		                        			Results:
		                        			Overall, the fracture group exhibited increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute monocyte count, platelet count, and their respective proportions, while absolute lymphocyte count, absolute eosinophil count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and their proportions were decreased. We identified 44 causal relationships between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures, with 7 supported by multiple MR methods, and 5 showing odds ratios significantly deviating from 1 in the IVW analysis. Epstein-Barr virus-related antibodies had a notable impact on osteoporosis and fractures. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene family, particularly HLA-DPB1, emerged as a significant risk factor. However, immune cells were not found to mediate these effects. 
		                        		
		                        			Conclusions
		                        			This study elucidated the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and osteoporosis or fractures. The HLA gene family plays a crucial role in the interaction between antibodies and these bone conditions, with HLA-DPB1 identified as a key risk gene. Immune cells do not serve as mediators in this process. These findings provide valuable insights for future research. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
5.Impact of Antibody Immune Response and Immune Cells on Osteoporosis and Fractures
Kangkang OU ; Jiarui CHEN ; Jichong ZHU ; Weiming TAN ; Cheng WEI ; Guiyu LI ; Yingying QIN ; Chong LIU
Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery 2025;17(3):530-545
		                        		
		                        			 Background:
		                        			The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of osteoporosis and fractures. However, the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and these bone conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to explore these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. 
		                        		
		                        			Methods:
		                        			We collected complete blood count data from patients with fractures and healthy individuals and analyzed their differences. Then, we conducted a 2-sample, 2-step MR analysis to investigate the causal effects of antibody immune responses on osteoporosis and fractures, using inverse-variance weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We also explored whether immune cells mediate the pathway between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures. Finally, we analyzed the functions and expression levels of key genes involved. 
		                        		
		                        			Results:
		                        			Overall, the fracture group exhibited increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute monocyte count, platelet count, and their respective proportions, while absolute lymphocyte count, absolute eosinophil count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and their proportions were decreased. We identified 44 causal relationships between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures, with 7 supported by multiple MR methods, and 5 showing odds ratios significantly deviating from 1 in the IVW analysis. Epstein-Barr virus-related antibodies had a notable impact on osteoporosis and fractures. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene family, particularly HLA-DPB1, emerged as a significant risk factor. However, immune cells were not found to mediate these effects. 
		                        		
		                        			Conclusions
		                        			This study elucidated the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and osteoporosis or fractures. The HLA gene family plays a crucial role in the interaction between antibodies and these bone conditions, with HLA-DPB1 identified as a key risk gene. Immune cells do not serve as mediators in this process. These findings provide valuable insights for future research. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
6.Impact of Antibody Immune Response and Immune Cells on Osteoporosis and Fractures
Kangkang OU ; Jiarui CHEN ; Jichong ZHU ; Weiming TAN ; Cheng WEI ; Guiyu LI ; Yingying QIN ; Chong LIU
Clinics in Orthopedic Surgery 2025;17(3):530-545
		                        		
		                        			 Background:
		                        			The immune system plays a critical role in the development and progression of osteoporosis and fractures. However, the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and these bone conditions remain unclear. This study aimed to explore these relationships using Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. 
		                        		
		                        			Methods:
		                        			We collected complete blood count data from patients with fractures and healthy individuals and analyzed their differences. Then, we conducted a 2-sample, 2-step MR analysis to investigate the causal effects of antibody immune responses on osteoporosis and fractures, using inverse-variance weighted (IVW) as the primary method. We also explored whether immune cells mediate the pathway between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures. Finally, we analyzed the functions and expression levels of key genes involved. 
		                        		
		                        			Results:
		                        			Overall, the fracture group exhibited increased white blood cell count, absolute neutrophil count, absolute monocyte count, platelet count, and their respective proportions, while absolute lymphocyte count, absolute eosinophil count, absolute basophil count, red blood cell count, and their proportions were decreased. We identified 44 causal relationships between antibodies and osteoporosis or fractures, with 7 supported by multiple MR methods, and 5 showing odds ratios significantly deviating from 1 in the IVW analysis. Epstein-Barr virus-related antibodies had a notable impact on osteoporosis and fractures. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene family, particularly HLA-DPB1, emerged as a significant risk factor. However, immune cells were not found to mediate these effects. 
		                        		
		                        			Conclusions
		                        			This study elucidated the causal relationships between antibody immune responses, immune cells, and osteoporosis or fractures. The HLA gene family plays a crucial role in the interaction between antibodies and these bone conditions, with HLA-DPB1 identified as a key risk gene. Immune cells do not serve as mediators in this process. These findings provide valuable insights for future research. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
7.Transzonal Projections and Follicular Development Abnormalities in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Di CHENG ; Yu-Hua CHEN ; Xia-Ping JIANG ; Lan-Yu LI ; Yi TAN ; Ming LI ; Zhong-Cheng MO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2499-2511
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disorder affecting a substantial proportion of women of reproductive age. It is frequently associated with ovulatory dysfunction, infertility, and an increased risk of chronic metabolic diseases. A hallmark pathological feature of PCOS is the arrest of follicular development, closely linked to impaired intercellular communication between the oocyte and surrounding granulosa cells. Transzonal projections (TZPs) are specialized cytoplasmic extensions derived from granulosa cells that penetrate the zona pellucida to establish direct contact with the oocyte. These structures serve as essential conduits for the transfer of metabolites, signaling molecules (e.g., cAMP, cGMP), and regulatory factors (e.g., microRNAs, growth differentiation factors), thereby maintaining meiotic arrest, facilitating metabolic cooperation, and supporting gene expression regulation in the oocyte. The proper formation and maintenance of TZPs depend on the cytoskeletal integrity of granulosa cells and the regulated expression of key connexins, particularly CX37 and CX43. Recent studies have revealed that in PCOS, TZPs exhibit significant structural and functional abnormalities. Contributing factors—such as hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and dysregulation of critical signaling pathways (including PI3K/Akt, Wnt/β‑catenin, and MAPK/ERK)—collectively impair TZP integrity and reduce their formation. This disruption in granulosa-oocyte communication compromises oocyte quality and contributes to follicular arrest and anovulation. This review provides a comprehensive overview of TZP biology, including their formation mechanisms, molecular composition, and stage-specific dynamics during folliculogenesis. We highlight the pathological alterations in TZPs observed in PCOS and elucidate how endocrine and metabolic disturbances—particularly androgen excess and hyperinsulinemia—downregulate CX43 expression and impair gap junction function, thereby exacerbating ovarian microenvironmental dysfunction. Furthermore, we explore emerging therapeutic strategies aimed at preserving or restoring TZP integrity. Anti-androgen therapies (e.g., spironolactone, flutamide), insulin sensitizers (e.g., metformin), and GLP-1 receptor agonists (e.g., liraglutide) have shown potential in modulating connexin expression and enhancing granulosa-oocyte communication. In addition, agents such as melatonin, AMPK activators, and GDF9/BMP15 analogs may promote TZP formation and improve oocyte competence. Advanced technologies, including ovarian organoid models and CRISPR-based gene editing, offer promising platforms for studying TZP regulation and developing targeted interventions. In summary, TZPs are indispensable for maintaining follicular homeostasis, and their disruption plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of PCOS-related folliculogenesis failure. Targeting TZP integrity represents a promising therapeutic avenue in PCOS management and warrants further mechanistic and translational investigation. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
8.Research progress in therapy drug monitoring of levetiracetam
Chang GAO ; Bin NI ; Fanghui CHEN ; Chunyu GUO ; Guilin WEI
China Pharmacy 2024;35(2):251-256
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Levetiracetam (LEV) is the second generation of broad-spectrum anti-epileptic drug. LEV has the advantages of rapid absorption, short half-life, precise efficacy, good tolerance and few drug interactions. In order to improve the clinical efficacy of LEV, and reduce the occurrence of adverse reactions, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and patients with renal insufficiency should receive therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). Clinically, the samples are usually plasma or serum, and the TDM methods are mostly immunoassay or chromatography. There is currently no consensus on the effective concentration range of LEV, and the correlation between plasma concentration and adverse reactions is also unclear. The main factors affecting LEV plasma concentration include age, pregnancy, and patient compliance. How to interpret TDM results and adjust dosage based on the results will be the focus of future work.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
9.Study on Iron Chelating Peptide Combined with Semaglutide Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease Mice
Shuang GUO ; Xiangrong SUN ; Yuxin ZHANG ; Juxia LIU ; Xiansheng HUANG ; Mingzhi ZHANG ; Zhenyou ZOU ; Wenjun ZHANG ; Ming CHEN ; Wei SHU
Chinese Journal of Modern Applied Pharmacy 2024;41(5):591-598
		                        		
		                        			OBJECTIVE 
		                        			To investigate the effect of bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide combined with semaglutide on the cognitive ability and pathological characteristics of D-Gal-induced Alzheimer's disease(AD) model mice.
METHODS 
Forty mice were randomly divided into 5 groups, namely the healthy control group, PBS group, bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide group, combined treatment group and positive control group, with 8 mice in each group, half of each sex. Except for the healthy control group, D-galactose was injected to induce the AD mice model for 6 weeks. For 3 consecutive weeks starting from the 4th week, the bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide group was injected with bs-5-YHEDA(1 mg·mL–1) once every other day at 200 µL in the tail vein; the bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide(1 mg·mL–1) and semaglutide(25 nmol·kg–1·d–1) were given alternately once a day in the combination treatment group; the positive control group was given memantine(3.3 mg·kg–1·d–1) by gavage every other day. The healthy control group and PBS group were injected with the equal dose of PBS. At the end of treatment, the learning memory ability of mice was detected by the Morris water maze method, whole brain and whole blood were dissected, and pathological changes in hippocampal region were observed by HE staining, and Aβ expression and Tau protein phosphorylation levels were detected by immunohistochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting.
RESULTS 
In the Morris water maze spatial exploration experiment, the differences in the number of times the mice traversed the platform, the ratio of swimming distance to the target quadrant, and the time ratio were statistically significant in each group(P<0.05); compared with the PBS group, the ratio of swimming distance to the target quadrant increased in the combined treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). The results of HE staining showed that compared with the healthy control mice, the hippocampal area in the PBS group showed reduced levels of pyramidal cells, disorganized arrangement, cell edema, and deep staining of nuclei consolidation. Cellular disorganization, deep staining of nuclei and apoptosis in the hippocampus were significantly improved in each treatment group after drug treatment. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting results showed that the Aβ expression levels and Tau protein phosphorylation levels were significantly higher in the PBS-administered mice compared with the healthy control mice, and the Aβ expression levels and Tau protein phosphorylation levels were reduced in each group after drug treatment, with statistically significant differences(P<0.01 or P<0.001 ).
CONCLUSION 
The combination of bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide and semaglutide can effectively improve the learning and memory ability and pathological characteristics of AD mice, but from the results of immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting experiments, the improvement of pathological characteristics of AD mice in the combination treatment group is not obvious compared with the single bs-5-YHEDA iron chelating peptide group, suggesting that there may be a threshold effect of our designed dual-target combination treatment on the cognitive improvement of AD mice, and the optimization and validation of the effect of multi-target combination treatment need further study.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
10.Separation and determination of chiral and achiral impurities in glimepiride tablets by supercritical fluid chromatography
Han CHEN ; Li-ju YU ; Yan-hua FENG ; Si-li LIU ; Li-li HUANG ; Jian-ping ZHU ; Ming DENG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(8):2337-2342
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			 Separation and determination of chiral and achiral impurities in glimepiride tablets by supercritical fluid chromatography. Chiral and achiral impurities were separated on a ACQUITY UPC2 TrefoilTM CEL1 column (150 mm × 3.0 mm, 2.5 μm) maintained at 30 ℃ with the mobile phase containing a mixture of CO2 and methanol-isopropanol (1∶1) at 1 mL·min-1, and the detection wavelength was set at 228 nm. The back pressure was set at 13.8 MPa. The injection volume was 5 μL. In the chromatogram of the system suitability solution, the peaks elute in the following order: impurity Ⅳ, impurity Ⅴ, glimepiride, impurity Ⅲ, impurity Ⅰ and impurity Ⅱ. The six substances were separated successfully in 6 min using the proposed method with a resolution factor of 2.9, 1.6, 3.0, 2.0, 6.4. The impurity Ⅰ-Ⅴ detection limit (S/N = 3) was 0.17, 0.10, 0.06, 0.15, 0.10 μg·mL-1, respectively. Good linear relationship was established between the peak response and the concentration in the range of 0.48-51.30 μg·mL-1 for all impurities. The spiked recovery of impurity Ⅰ-Ⅴ was found to be acceptable for 99.9%, 98.9%, 102.1%, 100.1%, 96.3% (
		                        		
		                        	
            

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