1.Research progress of ferroptosis in the occurrence and development of periodontitis
SUN Ruiman ; QIN Xu ; ZHU Guangxun
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(4):336-343
Periodontal disease is a chronic infectious disease characterized by chronic inflammation and progressive destruction of the periodontal tissue. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death, is primarily characterized by altered iron homeostasis, weak antioxidant defense, and accumulation of lipid peroxides and plays an important role in a variety of diseases. Recent research has shown the correlation between ferroptosis and the occurrence and development of periodontal disease. Through in-depth research of relevant literature on periodontal ligament fibroblasts, periodontal ligament stem cells, human immortalized oral epithelial cells, human gingival fibroblasts, dental pulp stem cells, MLOY4 cells, mouse mandibular osteoblast, and macrophages, we found that ferroptosis is widely suppressed in periodontal disease. This phenomenon is primarily related to lipid metabolism, iron metabolism, cysteine/glutamate transporter system xc-/glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate/ferroptosis suppressor protein 1/coenzyme Q10, kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1/nuclear factor E2 related factor 2, and p53. Current research indicates that ferroptosis plays an important role in regulating the destruction of periodontal soft and hard tissues, inflammatory response, and periodontopathogen-induced progression of systemic diseases. Although there are several studies on the mechanism of ferroptosis in periodontal disease, there are many uncertainties in the application of ferroptosis in periodontal therapy. Therefore, further studies are required to explore and develop ferroptosis-related drugs for the treatment of periodontal disease.
2.Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervenes in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Regulating TLR4 Signaling Pathway: A Review
Zhiwei SU ; Juan XUE ; Jun SUN ; Heng FAN ; Rui ZHU ; Chunyan JI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(5):291-299
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease closely related to metabolism, which is mainly characterized by abnormal lipid deposition in hepatocytes. In recent years, with the increasing prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome, NAFLD has become one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is complex and varied, involving the cross-regulation of multiple signaling pathways such as glucose-lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The TLR4 signaling pathway plays a key role in the development and progression of NAFLD, and abnormal activation of this pathway accelerates the deterioration of NAFLD by promoting the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, inducing oxidative stress, and exacerbating insulin resistance. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can regulate the TLR4 signaling pathway to alleviate the symptoms and pathological features of NAFLD. The present review summarizes the experimental research progress in the TCM regulation of the TLR4 signaling pathway in treating NAFLD in the past 5 years, covering a wide range of TCM active ingredients (such as polysaccharides, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids) and compound prescriptions. The active ingredients and compound prescriptions of TCM can effectively ameliorate lipid metabolism disorders, reduce insulin resistance, regulate intestinal flora, and inhibit inflammation and oxidative stress by regulating the TLR4 signaling pathway via multiple targets and pathways, thus slowing down the progression of NAFLD. Through in-depth analysis of the pathological mechanisms of NAFLD and exploration of the potential of TLR4 signaling pathway as a therapeutic target, we can provide theoretical support for the application of TCM in the treatment of NAFLD, as well as new perspectives and directions for future clinical research and new drug development, thereby promoting the innovation and development of therapeutic strategies for NAFLD.
3.The lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 facilitates neointimal hyperplasia by regulating the HDAC3-SRF axis.
Xiaoxuan ZHONG ; Xiang WEI ; Yan XU ; Xuehai ZHU ; Bo HUO ; Xian GUO ; Gaoke FENG ; Zihao ZHANG ; Xin FENG ; Zemin FANG ; Yuxuan LUO ; Xin YI ; Ding-Sheng JIANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(2):712-728
Coronary restenosis is an important cause of poor long-term prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease. Here, we show that lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 expression in the nucleus is significantly elevated in serum- and PDGF-BB-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and in tissues of carotid artery injury-induced neointimal hyperplasia. Smyd2 overexpression in VSMCs (Smyd2-vTg) facilitates, but treatment with its specific inhibitor LLY-507 or SMYD2 knockdown significantly inhibits VSMC phenotypic switching and carotid artery injury-induced neointima formation in mice. Transcriptome sequencing revealed that SMYD2 knockdown represses the expression of serum response factor (SRF) target genes and that SRF overexpression largely reverses the inhibitory effect of SMYD2 knockdown on VSMC proliferation. HDAC3 directly interacts with and deacetylates SRF, which enhances SRF transcriptional activity in VSMCs. Moreover, SMYD2 promotes HDAC3 expression via tri-methylation of H3K36 at its promoter. RGFP966, a specific inhibitor of HDAC3, not only counteracts the pro-proliferation effect of SMYD2 overexpression on VSMCs, but also inhibits carotid artery injury-induced neointima formation in mice. HDAC3 partially abolishes the inhibitory effect of SMYD2 knockdown on VSMC proliferation in a deacetylase activity-dependent manner. Our results reveal that the SMYD2-HDAC3-SRF axis constitutes a novel and critical epigenetic mechanism that regulates VSMC phenotypic switching and neointimal hyperplasia.
4.Functional near infrared imaging of college students on speech fluency tasks in traumatized
ZHENG Minxiao, ZHU Dongmei, WEI Qiang, XIANG Nian, QIU Min, XIAO Qiang, LI Xiaonan, ZHANG Yan
Chinese Journal of School Health 2024;45(3):375-378
Objective:
The study aims to explore the neural mechanism of cognitive differences in college students with posttraumatic stress disorder under verbal fluency task based on functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), so as to provide neuroimaging support for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD).
Methods:
Posttaumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Combat(PCL-C) was used to screen the subjects, including 21 students in PTSD group (PCL-C≥38) and 30 students in control group from September to Novenber in 2020. A 53 channel near infrared spectroscopy device was used to collect cerebral blood oxygen signals under the verbal fluency task, and correlation analysis, Mann Whitney U test and independent sample t test were performed on the results.
Results:
The difference in the total average score of PCL-C Scale between PTSD group and the control group(46.38±6.96,25.57±6.09) was statistically significant ( t=11.33, P <0.05). Correlation analysis showed that Avg-HbO in left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe was negatively correlated with PCL-C Score ( r=-0.37, P <0.05). Mann Whitney U test showed that in the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe (Ch6), the Avg-HbO change in PTSD group [0.19(-0.09, 0.86)mmol/(L〖KG*7〗·mm)] was significantly lower than the control group [0.79( 0.37 , 1.47)mmol/(L ·mm)] ( Z=2.16, P <0.05), which was statistically significant.
Conclusions
The degree of PTSD was negatively correlated with the index of oxygenated hemoglobin in the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe, and the oxygenated hemoglobin content in the PTSD group was lower than that in the normal group. In the future, fNIRS may be used to collect blood oxygen signals from the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe in cognitive tasks to provide imaging evidence for the identification of PTSD.
5.Predicting the Risk of Arterial Stiffness in Coal Miners Based on Different Machine Learning Models.
Qian Wei CHEN ; Xue Zan HUANG ; Yu DING ; Feng Ren ZHU ; Jia WANG ; Yuan Jie ZOU ; Yuan Zhen DU ; Ya Jun ZHANG ; Zi Wen HUI ; Feng Lin ZHU ; Min MU
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2024;37(1):108-111
6.A genetic variant in the immune-related gene ERAP1 affects colorectal cancer prognosis
Danyi ZOU ; Yimin CAI ; Meng JIN ; Ming ZHANG ; Yizhuo LIU ; Shuoni CHEN ; Shuhui YANG ; Heng ZHANG ; Xu ZHU ; Chaoqun HUANG ; Ying ZHU ; Xiaoping MIAO ; Yongchang WEI ; Xiaojun YANG ; Jianbo TIAN
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(4):431-440
Background::Findings on the association of genetic factors and colorectal cancer (CRC) survival are limited and inconsistent, and revealing the mechanism underlying their prognostic roles is of great importance. This study aimed to explore the relationship between functional genetic variations and the prognosis of CRC and further reveal the possible mechanism.Methods::We first systematically performed expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset. Then, the Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to filter out the survival-related eQTL target genes of CRC patients in two public datasets (TCGA and GSE39582 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus database). The seven most potentially functional eQTL single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with six survival-related eQTL target genes were genotyped in 907 Chinese CRC patients with clinical prognosis data. The regulatory mechanism of the survival-related SNP was further confirmed by functional experiments.Results::The rs71630754 regulating the expression of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 ( ERAP1) was significantly associated with the prognosis of CRC (additive model, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.88, P = 0.012). The results of dual-luciferase reporter assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the A allele of the rs71630754 could increase the binding of transcription factor 3 (TCF3) and subsequently reduce the expression of ERAP1. The results of bioinformatic analysis showed that lower expression of ERAP1 could affect the tumor immune microenvironment and was significantly associated with severe survival outcomes. Conclusion::The rs71630754 could influence the prognosis of CRC patients by regulating the expression of the immune-related gene ERAP1. Trial Registration::No. NCT00454519 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/)
7.Evidence-based guideline for the management of clinical application of biosimilars in China (2024 edition)
Zaiwei SONG ; Yang HU ; Lingling YU ; Jun ZHU ; Lingli ZHANG ; Yu ZHANG ; Liyan MIAO ; Suodi ZHAI ; Rongsheng ZHAO
China Pharmacy 2024;35(16):1933-1945
OBJECTIVE To provide standardized guidance for the clinical application and management of biosimilars, and promote their widespread and rational use in clinical treatment. METHODS The design, planning, and drafting process as well as the full report of Evidence-based Guideline for the Management of Clinical Application of Biosimilars in China (2024 Edition) followed the WHO Handbook for Guideline Development (2nd edition), which fully considered the best current evidence from evidence-based medicine, multidisciplinary expert experience, and patient preferences and values. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was adopted to evaluate the quality of evidence and determine the strength of recommendations. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS Evidence-based Guideline for the Management of Clinical Application of Biosimilars in China (2024 Edition) presented 10 recommendations including 7 strong recommendations and 3 weak recommendations. The recommendations covered the entire process of clinical application and management of biosimilars. Medical institutions and relevant health regulatory departments can refer to this guideline for the scientific management of the extrapolation of unapproved indications of biosimilars. Healthcare providers can refer to this guideline for pre-treatment assessments, patient education, pre-treatment regimen before administration, and dosage regimen adjustments. Multidisciplinary medical teams can refer to this guideline to provide pharmacovigilance and patient management throughout the treatment process.
8.Melatonin enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 by improving hypoxia in residual tumors after insufficient radiofrequency ablation
Ren YANQIAO ; Zhu LICHENG ; Guo YUSHENG ; Ma JINQIANG ; Yang LIAN ; Zheng CHUANSHENG ; Dong XIANGJUN
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(8):1176-1188
The hypoxic microenvironment and inflammatory state of residual tumors caused by insufficient radio-frequency ablation(iRFA)are major reasons for rapid tumor progression and pose challenges for immu-notherapy.We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)treated with RFA and observed that iRFA was associated with poor survival outcomes and progression-free survival.Using an orthotopic HCC mouse model and a colorectal liver metastasis model,we observed that treatment with melatonin after iRFA reduced tumor growth and metastasis and achieved the best out-comes when combined with anti-programmed death-ligand 1(anti-PD-L1)therapy.In mechanism,melatonin inhibited the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transitions,hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)-1 α,and PD-L1 in tumor cells after iRFA.Flow cytometry revealed that melatonin reduced the proportion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and increased the proportion of CD8+T cells.Transcriptomic analysis revealed an upregulation of immune-activated function-related genes in residual tumors.These findings demonstrated that melatonin can reverse hypoxia and iRFA-induced inflammation,thereby overcoming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment(TME)and enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy.
9.Dawn of CAR-T cell therapy in autoimmune diseases
Yuxin LIU ; Minghao DONG ; Yunhui CHU ; Luoqi ZHOU ; Yunfan YOU ; Xiaowei PANG ; Sheng YANG ; Luyang ZHANG ; Lian CHEN ; Lifang ZHU ; Jun XIAO ; Wei WANG ; Chuan QIN ; Daishi TIAN
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(10):1140-1150
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Based on the immunomodulatory capability of CAR-T cells, efforts have turned toward exploring their potential in treating autoimmune diseases. Bibliometric analysis of 210 records from 128 academic journals published by 372 institutions in 40 countries/regions indicates a growing number of publications on CAR-T therapy for autoimmune diseases, covering a range of subtypes such as systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, among others. CAR-T therapy holds promise in mitigating several shortcomings, including the indiscriminate suppression of the immune system by traditional immunosuppressants, and non-sustaining therapeutic levels of monoclonal antibodies due to inherent pharmacokinetic constraints. By persisting and proliferating in vivo, CAR-T cells can offer a tailored and precise therapeutics. This paper reviewed preclinical experiments and clinical trials involving CAR-T and CAR-related therapies in various autoimmune diseases, incorporating innovations well-studied in the field of hematological tumors, aiming to explore a safe and effective therapeutic option for relapsed/refractory autoimmune diseases.
10.Prediction method of diopter based on sequence of ocular biological parameters
Luebiao XU ; Lan DING ; Chen LIANG ; Yuliang WANG ; Yujia LIU ; Jianmin SHANG ; Jun ZHU ; Huazhong XIANG ; Renyuan CHU ; Cheng WANG ; Xiaomei QU
International Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2024;47(5):417-422
Objective:To establish a prediction method of diopter based on sequence of ocular biological parameters.Methods:A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to extract the dataset. The dataset consisted of data collected from January 2022 to January 2023 by the Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, from children aged 5 to 13 years in 2 key schools and 2 general schools of Yangpu District, Shanghai. Children’s ocular biological parameters, including sex, age, diopter, axial length, corneal curvature, and anterior chamber depth were collected. The slope of the optimally fitted straight line was calculated using the least squares method. The least square-back propagation (BP) neural network model was established by combining baseline data and the pre-processed rate of the change of ocular biological parameters. The dataset was divided into the training set and the validation set according to the ratio of 8:2 for five-fold cross-validation. The model performance was evaluated by using the mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), root mean square error (RMSE), correlation coefficient R, and coefficient of determination R2. Results:The optimal performances of R2, R, RMSE, MAE, and MSE of the least square-BP neural network model were 0.96, 0.981 9, 0.214 2, 0.139 9 D, 0.045 9, respectively. The regression equation between the predicted value and the true value of the diopter was y=0.97 x+ 0.014 8, R2=0.97, with good correlation. In the internal verification, MAE values of the diopter at three, six, nine, and twelve months of follow-up were 0.110 1, 0.136 0, 0.153 7, and 0.184 8 D, respectively, which achieved clinically acceptable performance (less than 0.25 D). In the external validation, the errors were less than 0.25 D at all ages. Conclusions:A prediction method of diopter based on sequence of ocular biological parameters was successfully developed.


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