1.Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis in Chronic Heart Failure and Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention
Kun LIAN ; Peiyao LI ; Zhiguang SONG ; Jianhang ZHANG ; Junxian LEI ; Lin LI ; Zhixi HU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(16):165-172
Chronic heart failure is the terminal stage of various cardiovascular diseases, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis is the turning point of decompensation. Studies have shown that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) could regulate apoptosis-related signaling pathways and factors and inhibit or up-regulate the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Thus, TCM can reduce cardiomyocyte apoptosis, protect the myocardial tissue and improve the cardiac function, demonstrating remarkable clinical effects. In recent years, the research on the treatment of chronic heart failure based on the inhibition of cardiomyocyte apoptosis is increasing and becomes the current research hotspot. On the basis of literature review, this paper discovers that TCM regulates apoptosis factors and multiple signaling pathways to inhibit apoptosis and inflammation and delay the progression of chronic heart failure through classical pathways such as the death receptor pathway, the mitochondrial pathway, and the endoplasmic reticulum pathway. At the same time, the studies in this field have the following problems: Repeated studies with shallow, simple, and fragmented contents, treating animal models with TCM prescriptions without syndrome differentiation, treating diseases with drugs at only one concentration which is insufficient to indicate efficacy, and lacking comprehensive, holistic, and systematic studies on the relationships of apoptosis with inflammatory responses, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and autophagy. In the future, more scientific, reasonable, comprehensive, and feasible experimental schemes should be designed on the basis of comprehensively mastering the research progress in this field, and the communication and cooperation between researchers in different disciplines should be strengthened. The specific pathological mechanism of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in chronic heart failure and the signaling pathways, active components, and action targets of TCM in inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis in chronic heart failure should be elucidated. Such efforts are expected to provide sufficient reference for the clinical treatment of chronic heart failure.
2.Reflections on Developing Health Standards Based on Evidence-based Concept
Renfeng SU ; Hui LIU ; Qianling SHI ; Xufei LUO ; Nan YANG ; Junxian ZHAO ; Qiannan TIAN ; Juanjuan ZHANG ; Liqun WU ; Yaolong CHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;15(2):435-441
National health standards involve all kinds of technical requirements formulated and numbered in accordance with the procedures and formats stipulated in the standardisation system for the implementation of national health and hygiene laws, regulations and policies, and the protection of human health. The establishment of health standards in China should align with our legal framework, including laws, regulations, departmental rules, and health and hygiene policies. During the development of these standards, a comprehensive approach is advocated, encompassing in-depth investigations, rigorous demonstrations, and extensive stakeholder engagement. However, the process of standard formulation may suffer from insufficient research evidence. The evidence-based concept emphasizes the significance of evidence. Therefore, integrating evidence-based concept into the process of developing health standards can enhance the quality and scientific basis of these standards. This article systematically elucidates the current status and development process of health standards in China, explores the necessity and feasibility of incorporating evidence-based concept into the development of these standards, analyzes the challenges and opportunities, and presents reflections and suggestions.
3.Study on the protection of gingival epithelial barrier by interleukin-22 through regulating microbiota and E-cadherin expression
Chi ZHANG ; Lu ZHANG ; Junxian REN ; Jinyu LI ; Lingping TAN ; Li GAO ; Chuanjiang ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Stomatology 2024;59(7):653-662
Objective:To investigate the regulatory effect and mechanism of interleukin-22 (IL-22) on the gingival epithelial barrier in the context of periodontal inflammation.Methods:IL-22 knockout (IL-22 KO) mice were constructed, and periodontitis mice models were established through oral gavage with polymicrobial inoculation. DNAs were extracted from the oral plaques of IL-22 KO periodontitis mice group ( n=7) and their wild-type littermates periodontitis group ( n=7) to establish a periodontitis-related oral microbiota database"PD-RiskMicroDB", determining the relationship between changes in oral microbiota and microbial function in two groups using 16S rRNA sequencing results. Gingival epithelial cells (GEC) were cultured by modified trypsinization method, and were stimulated with 100 μg/L IL-22, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) (multiplicity of infection:100), separately or together for 3 and 12 hours. The experimental groups were as follows: control group (no stimulation), IL-22 group, Pg group and Pg+IL-22 group. The expression of barrier protein E-cadherin in each group at 3 h was detected by immunofluorescence, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran-mediated epithelial cell permeability experiment was conducted to clarify the changes in permeability of GEC in each group at 3 and 12 h. The mRNA expressions of E-cadherin in the gingival epithelium of wild-type littermates periodontitis group and IL-22 KO periodontitis group were detected by RT-qPCR. Fifteen C57BL/6 wild-type mice were randomly divided into control group ( n=5), periodontitis group ( n=5) and periodontitis+IL-22 treatment group ( n=5). RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining were used to detect the expression level of E-cadherin in the gingival epithelium of each group. Results:16S rRNA sequencing results showed that the composition of oral microbiota changed in IL-22 KO periodontitis group, of which the abundance of bacterial genera related to periodontal tissue invasion was significantly increased (linear discriminant analysis score: 2.22, P=0.009), compared with wild-type littermates periodontitis group. In vitro cell experiments showed that after Pg infection for 3 hours, the cell connections of GEC in Pg group were interrupted, and the fluorescence intensity of E-cadherin was reduced in Pg group compared with the control group. Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein expression levels of E-cadherin (mRNA: 0.69±0.12; protein: 0.60±0.12) were downregulated compared with the control group [mRNA: 1.00±0.00 ( P=0.043); protein: 1.04±0.08 ( P=0.003)], respectively. The fluorescence intensity of E-cadherin in the Pg+IL-22 group was enhanced compared with Pg group, and expression levels of E-cadherin mRNA (1.16±0.10) and protein (0.98±0.07) in Pg+IL-22 group showed a significant increase compared with Pg group [mRNA: 0.69±0.12 ( P=0.005); protein: 0.60±0.12 ( P=0.007)]. The result of epithelial permeability test showed that there was no statistical difference in epithelial permeability among control group, Pg group, IL-22 group and Pg+IL-22 group with treatment for 3 hours ( F=0.20, P=0.893). While when the treatment time turned to be 12 hours, the epithelial barrier permeability showed a significant increase in Pg group (1.39±0.15) compared with control group (1.00±0.00, P=0.027), and a decrease in Pg+IL-22 group (1.02±0.18) compared with Pg group (1.39±0.15, P=0.034). In vivo, the mRNA expression of E-cadherin in the gingival epithelium of IL-22 KO periodontitis group decreased significantly (0.32±0.21) compared with wild-type littermates periodontitis group (1.01±0.01) ( t=5.70, P=0.005). Moreover, RT-qPCR and IHC staining results showed that the mRNA expression level of E-cadherin (0.40±0.07) and absorbance value of E-cadherin positive expression (0.02±0.00) in gingival epithelial tissue of periodontitis group were both significantly down-regulated compared with control group [mRNA: 1.00±0.00 ( P=0.005); absorbance value of E-cadherin positive expression: 0.04±0.01 ( P=0.006)]. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression level of E-cadherin (1.06±0.24) and the absorbance value of E-cadherin positive expression (0.03±0.01) were both observed increase in periodontitis+IL-22 treatment group compared with periodontitis group ( P=0.003, P=0.039). Conclusions:IL-22 may exert a protective effect on the gingival epithelial barrier in an inflammatory environment by regulating the invasiveness of oral microbiota and the expression of host barrier protein.
4.Development and Validation of a Pathomics Model Using Machine Learning to Predict CXCL8 Expression and Prognosis in Head and Neck Cancer
Weihua WANG ; Suyu RUAN ; Yuhang XIE ; Shengjian FANG ; Junxian YANG ; Xueyan LI ; Yu ZHANG
Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology 2024;17(1):85-97
Objectives:
. The necessity to develop a method for prognostication and to identify novel biomarkers for personalized medicine in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cannot be overstated. Recently, pathomics, which relies on quantitative analysis of medical imaging, has come to the forefront. CXCL8, an essential inflammatory cytokine, has been shown to correlate with overall survival (OS). This study examined the relationship between CXCL8 mRNA expression and pathomics features and aimed to explore the biological underpinnings of CXCL8.
Methods:
. Clinical information and transcripts per million mRNA sequencing data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-HNSCC dataset. We identified correlations between CXCL8 mRNA expression and patient survival rates using a Kaplan-Meier survival curve. A retrospective analysis of 313 samples diagnosed with HNSCC in the TCGA database was conducted. Pathomics features were extracted from hematoxylin and eosin–stained images, and then the minimum redundancy maximum relevance, with recursive feature elimination (mRMR-RFE) method was applied, followed by screening with the logistic regression algorithm.
Results:
. Kaplan-Meier curves indicated that high expression of CXCL8 was significantly associated with decreased OS. The logistic regression pathomics model incorporated 16 radiomics features identified by the mRMR-RFE method in the training set and demonstrated strong performance in the testing set. Calibration plots showed that the probability of high gene expression predicted by the pathomics model was in good agreement with actual observations, suggesting the model’s high clinical applicability.
Conclusion
. The pathomics model of CXCL8 mRNA expression serves as an effective tool for predicting prognosis in patients with HNSCC and can aid in clinical decision-making. Elevated levels of CXCL8 expression may lead to reduced DNA damage and are associated with a pro-inflammatory tumor microenvironment, offering a potential therapeutic target.
5.Predictive value of atherogenic index of plasma in the assessment of acute pancreatitis
Yang PAN ; Xiamin TU ; Junxian ZHANG ; Xiaoyan LUO ; Qingxie LIU ; Jie LI ; Xin GAO ; Guotao LU ; Weiming XIAO
Journal of Chinese Physician 2023;25(3):360-364,369
Objective:To investigate the predictive value of atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in the assessment of acute pancreatitis (AP).Methods:598 patients diagnosed with AP admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Yangzhou University between January 2016 and December 2020 were recruited and divided into severe acute pancreatitis group (SAP group, n=57) and non-severe acute pancreatitis group (non SAP group, n=541) according to the Atlanta Classification (2012 revision). General clinical data and related biochemical indicators of all enrolled patients were collected, and Bedside Index of Acute Pancreatitis Severity (BISAP) score, Ranson score and CT Severity Index (CTSI) score were performed. The risk factors of SAP were analyzed by logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the evaluation value of AIP and various scoring systems on the severity of pancreatitis. Results:The AIP, white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil count (NEUT), fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum total cholesterol (TC) level, proportion of hyperlipidemia, proportion of diabetes, Ranson score, BISAP score, CTSI score of patients in SAP group were higher than those in non SAP group, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that AIP was an independent risk factor for SAP ( P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the are under the curve (AUC) of SAP predicted by AIP was 0.706(95% CI: 0.631-0.782, P<0.001). Conclusions:AIP is an independent risk factor for SAP, which helps to assess the severity of AP.
6.Analysis of etiological molecular characteristics of an outbreak of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis
Junxian XU ; Huanying ZHENG ; Ting OUYANG ; Biao ZENG ; Wei ZHANG ; Xiaoxian LU ; Hanri ZENG ; Wuyang SHI ; Bixia KE ; Meng ZHANG ; Bosheng LI ; Xiaoling DENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2023;37(5):497-504
Objective:To analyze the evolutionary characteristics and variation of etiological agent in an acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) outbreak in a city of Guangdong province in May, so as to provide scientific basis for formulating a new round of measures for prevention and control of AHC epidemic.Methods:In this study, 20 conjunctival swabs were collected from AHC patients, and enterovirus, human enterovirus 70 (HEV70) and coxsackievirus A 24 variant (CVA24v) nucleic acids were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. In addition, the VP1 and 3Cpro regions of the CVA24v positive samples were sequenced to analyze their evolutionary relationship with the CVA24v strains circulating in China and abroad.Results:All the 20 eye swab samples were EV-positive, and CVA24v-positive, with a positive rate of 100.00%, and all were HEV70-negative.The genomes of CVA24v in VP1 and 3Cpro regions of CVA24v in 5 and 7 samples were successfully sequenced. Based on molecular characterization analysis of VP1 and 3Cpro regions, it was found that the CVA24v isolated in this outbreak had the greatest nucleotide similarity with the CVA24v strains isolated in Thailand in 2014 and French Reunion Islands in 2015. The phylogenetic analysis of 3Cpro and VP1 regions showed that the CVA24v isolated in this outbreak is clustered together with the CVA24v that was prevalent in Thailand in 2014 and the French Reunion Islands in 2015, and have high affinity. Compared with CVA24v isolated in Guangdong in 2010, Thailand in 2014, and French Reunion Islands in 2015, CVA24v isolated in this outbreak was replaced at 4 amino acid sites in 3Cpro region and 1 amino acid site in VP1 region.Conclusions:The cause of this outbreak is enterovirus CVA24v, which has the highest similarity to CVA24v isolated in Thailand in 2014 and in the French Reunion Islands in 2015. There were new amino acid mutations in both 3Cpro and VP1 regions.
7.Clinical analysis of remote intracranial hematoma after interventional embolization of intracranial aneurysm
Xiaozhi CHENG ; Tao XIE ; Xinghe HE ; Shuai ZHANG ; Feng CHEN ; Junxian HU ; Xiaoyan WEN ; Qingchun MU
Chinese Journal of Neuromedicine 2021;20(11):1149-1153
Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and possible mechanisms of remote intracranial hematoma (RIH) in patients with intracranial aneurysm after interventional embolization.Methods:Six patients with RIH from a series of 58 consecutive patients with intracranial aneurysm, admitted to and performed interventional embolization in our hospital from January 2016 and December 2018, were chosen in our study. Their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively and compared with those without RIH at the same period.Results:In these 6 patients, 4 had history of hypertension, 5 had aneurysm located in the internal carotid artery, 5 were treated with stents combined with postoperative routine anticoagulation treatment. The remote intracranial hematoma occurred within 7 d of interventional embolization, and the hematoma was located in the cerebral hemisphere on the same side of the aneurysm; 4 patients underwent intracranial hematoma puncture catheter drainage; 1 patient was treated conservatively, and one was treated by craniotomy. After treatment, 1 patient recovered (modified Rankin scale [mRS] score of 1), 1 patient had poor prognosis (mRS scores of 5) and discharged automatically, and the rest 4 patients (mRS scores of 3-5) left some degrees of neurological dysfunction. As compared with 52 patients without RIH, 6 patients with RIH had significantly higher percentages of patients used stents and postoperatively used anticoagulation, and higher percentages of patients with poor clinical outcomes at discharge ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Stent-assisted coil embolization in patients with internal carotid artery aneurysm combined with hypertension should be highly vigilant about the possibility of RIH.
8.Preliminary screening and analysis of differentially expressed circRNAs in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
ZHANG Dehai ; FU Zheng ; WANG Jian ; WANG Guojun ; HUANG Junxian ; CHEN Xi
Chinese Journal of Cancer Biotherapy 2020;27(9):1012-1017
[Abstract] Objective: To construct a circRNA profile of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and analyze differentially expressed circRNAs. Methods: Samples were taken from 3 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who were hospitalized in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Jintan Hospital, Jiangsu University from June 2018 to February 2019. The circRNA expression
profile was constructed by high-throughput sequencing technique, and the circRNA differentially expressed in 3 pairs of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissues and adjacent tissues was detected. The biological functions and related signal pathways of these circRNA were analyzed by GO and KEGG techniques. Results: By comparing the expression levels of circRNA between esophageal
squamous cell carcinoma and adjacent tissues, 905 differentially expressed circRNA were found, of which 404 were up-regulated and 501 were down-regulated. hsa_circ_0004390 was the CIRC RNA with the highest up-regulation factor (FC=7.9712), and novel_circ_0012687 was the one with the highest down-regulation factor. GO and KEGG analysis showed that these circRNA may be involved in
biological processes such as cell cycle, cell components and protein binding of cancer cells, and signal pathways such as Hippo and cGMP-PKG. Conclusion: The expression profile analysis of circRNA in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma showed that the significantly differentially expressed circRNA could be used as a potential biomarker of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
9.Multidimensional integration and 360° support on the quality of life in women patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Cuifen ZHAO ; Junxian MA ; Shaorong CHAO ; Jingjing SUN ; Jie LIU ; Pei WANG ; Yan ZHANG ; Jing WEN ; Qianfeng HE
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2020;36(32):2533-2539
Objective:To explore the influence of multidimensional integration and 360° support on the function of family and marriage, and quality of life in women patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Methods:Totally 196 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus from Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of the Air Force Medical University from August 2016 to November 2017 were included. According to random number table method, these patients were divided into observation group and control group as 98 cases each. Conventional care and hospital discharge were used for control group. On the basis of this, multidimensional integration and 360° support were used for patients of observation group. The function of family and marriage, quality of life in patients were assessed before and after 3 months of the intervention. The treatment adherence was evaluated in 3 months and 6 months after intervention.Results:Before intervention, the marriage family function score, marital satisfaction, conflict resolution methods and the relationship with friends and family, husband and wife exchange scores of the observation group were (2.3 ± 0.5), (24.6 ± 6.1), (25.7 ± 7.1), (28.2 ± 6.9), (28.8 ± 6.9) points, respectively. Three months after intervention, these scores were (2.5 ± 0.7), (31.6 ± 5.0), (31.7 ± 5.3), (28.1 ± 6.8), (29.0 ± 7.1) points, respectively. There was statistically significant difference between before and after the intervention ( t values were -2.371 - 8.631, P < 0.01). These scores of control group before the intervention were (2.3 ± 0.6), (24.5 ± 6.2), (25.2 ± 7.2), (32.5 ± 6.0), (33.9 ± 6.3) points, respectively. Three months after intervention, these scores were (2.3 ± 0.4), (24.5 ± 6.2), (26.1 ± 6.9), (29.1± 4.8), (28.5 ± 7.2) points. Significant differeces were found between before and after the intervention in control group ( t values were -3.878-6.323, P < 0.05 or 0.01). There was statistically significant difference between the two groups after the intervention ( t values were 2.675-8.631, P<0.01). As for observation group, planning (62.8 ± 27.2 vs. 75.5 ± 25.4) and intimate relationship (62.8 ± 25.2 vs. 78.2± 24.9) in quality of life were obviously difference before and after 3 months of intervention ( t values were 3.050, 3.639, P < 0.01). As for control group, planning (62.5 ± 27.6 vs. 65.7 ± 24.9) and intimate relationship (65.8 ±25.2 vs. 63.5 ± 23.8) in quality of life were obviously difference before and after 3 months of intervention ( t values were 2.375, 3.132, P < 0.01). There was statistically significant difference between the two groups after the intervention ( t values were 3.050, 3.639, P < 0.01). The treatment adherence of observation group was significant better than control group. After 6 months intervention, the treatment adherece of observation group was 83.67% (82/98), while the treatment adherece of control group was 44.89% (44/98), significant differences were found btween the two groups ( χ2 value was 0.511, P < 0.01). Conclusion:Multidimensional integration and 360° support obviously improved function of family and marriage, improved the understanding of disease, and self-management ability of patients. Therefore, it can increase the treatment adherence and improve quality of life in SLE patients.
10.Whole-cell biotransformation for simultaneous synthesis of L-2-aminobutyric acid and D-gluconic acid in recombinant Escherichia coli.
Caizhe ZHANG ; Taowei YANG ; Junping ZHOU ; Junxian ZHENG ; Meijuan XU ; Xian ZHANG ; Zhiming RAO
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2017;33(12):2028-2034
A whole-cell catalyst using Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) as a host, expressing L- threonine dehydratase from Escherichia coli, and co-expressing leucine dehydrogenase from Bacillus cereus and glucose dehydrogenase from Bacillus subtilis for cofactor regeneration, was constructed and used for one-pot production of L-2-aminobutyric acid (L-ABA) and D- gluconic acid from L-threonine and D-glucose. We used shake-flask culture to study the whole-cell catalytic condition including temperature, pH, proper permeabilization of cells and optimal wet cells amount. Moreover, the whole-cell catalyst was cultured in 5-L fermentor by fed-batch fermentation, and 164 g/L L-threonine and 248 g/L D-glucose were converted to 141.6 g/L L-ABA and 269.4 g/L D-gluconic acid. The whole-cell catalyst is promising to fulfill industrial requirements for L-ABA and D-gluconic acid.

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