1.Revealing VCAN as a Potential Common Diagnostic Biomarker of Renal Tubules and Glomerulus in Diabetic Kidney Disease Based on Machine Learning, Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis and Mendelian Randomization
Li JIANG ; Jie JIAN ; Xulin SAI ; Xiai WU
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2025;49(3):407-420
Background:
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is recognized as a significant complication of diabetes mellitus and categorized into glomerular DKDs and tubular DKDs, each governed by distinct pathological mechanisms and biomarkers.
Methods:
Through the identification of common features observed in glomerular and tubular lesions in DKD, numerous differentially expressed gene were identified by the machine learning, single-cell transcriptome and mendelian randomization.
Results:
The diagnostic markers versican (VCAN) was identified, offering supplementary options for clinical diagnosis. VCAN significantly highly expressed in glomerular parietal epithelial cell and proximal convoluted tubular cell. It was mainly involved in the up-regulation of immune genes and infiltration of immune cells like mast cell. Mendelian randomization analysis confirmed that serum VCAN protein levels were a risky factor for DKD, while there was no reverse association. It exhibited the good diagnostic potential for estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria in DKD.
Conclusion
VCAN showed the prospects into DKD pathology and clinical indicator.
2.Revealing VCAN as a Potential Common Diagnostic Biomarker of Renal Tubules and Glomerulus in Diabetic Kidney Disease Based on Machine Learning, Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis and Mendelian Randomization
Li JIANG ; Jie JIAN ; Xulin SAI ; Xiai WU
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2025;49(3):407-420
Background:
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is recognized as a significant complication of diabetes mellitus and categorized into glomerular DKDs and tubular DKDs, each governed by distinct pathological mechanisms and biomarkers.
Methods:
Through the identification of common features observed in glomerular and tubular lesions in DKD, numerous differentially expressed gene were identified by the machine learning, single-cell transcriptome and mendelian randomization.
Results:
The diagnostic markers versican (VCAN) was identified, offering supplementary options for clinical diagnosis. VCAN significantly highly expressed in glomerular parietal epithelial cell and proximal convoluted tubular cell. It was mainly involved in the up-regulation of immune genes and infiltration of immune cells like mast cell. Mendelian randomization analysis confirmed that serum VCAN protein levels were a risky factor for DKD, while there was no reverse association. It exhibited the good diagnostic potential for estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria in DKD.
Conclusion
VCAN showed the prospects into DKD pathology and clinical indicator.
3.Revealing VCAN as a Potential Common Diagnostic Biomarker of Renal Tubules and Glomerulus in Diabetic Kidney Disease Based on Machine Learning, Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis and Mendelian Randomization
Li JIANG ; Jie JIAN ; Xulin SAI ; Xiai WU
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2025;49(3):407-420
Background:
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is recognized as a significant complication of diabetes mellitus and categorized into glomerular DKDs and tubular DKDs, each governed by distinct pathological mechanisms and biomarkers.
Methods:
Through the identification of common features observed in glomerular and tubular lesions in DKD, numerous differentially expressed gene were identified by the machine learning, single-cell transcriptome and mendelian randomization.
Results:
The diagnostic markers versican (VCAN) was identified, offering supplementary options for clinical diagnosis. VCAN significantly highly expressed in glomerular parietal epithelial cell and proximal convoluted tubular cell. It was mainly involved in the up-regulation of immune genes and infiltration of immune cells like mast cell. Mendelian randomization analysis confirmed that serum VCAN protein levels were a risky factor for DKD, while there was no reverse association. It exhibited the good diagnostic potential for estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria in DKD.
Conclusion
VCAN showed the prospects into DKD pathology and clinical indicator.
4.Revealing VCAN as a Potential Common Diagnostic Biomarker of Renal Tubules and Glomerulus in Diabetic Kidney Disease Based on Machine Learning, Single-Cell Transcriptome Analysis and Mendelian Randomization
Li JIANG ; Jie JIAN ; Xulin SAI ; Xiai WU
Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2025;49(3):407-420
Background:
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is recognized as a significant complication of diabetes mellitus and categorized into glomerular DKDs and tubular DKDs, each governed by distinct pathological mechanisms and biomarkers.
Methods:
Through the identification of common features observed in glomerular and tubular lesions in DKD, numerous differentially expressed gene were identified by the machine learning, single-cell transcriptome and mendelian randomization.
Results:
The diagnostic markers versican (VCAN) was identified, offering supplementary options for clinical diagnosis. VCAN significantly highly expressed in glomerular parietal epithelial cell and proximal convoluted tubular cell. It was mainly involved in the up-regulation of immune genes and infiltration of immune cells like mast cell. Mendelian randomization analysis confirmed that serum VCAN protein levels were a risky factor for DKD, while there was no reverse association. It exhibited the good diagnostic potential for estimated glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria in DKD.
Conclusion
VCAN showed the prospects into DKD pathology and clinical indicator.
5.Pathogenesis and Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis from the Theory of Pathogens Intruding Eight Weak Areas
Zhengwen TENG ; Nan LI ; Sai ZHANG ; Xiaohan HANG ; Fengchuan ZHANG ; Yuanwen LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(15):1548-1552
Based on the discussion of "eight weak areas" in The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor (《黄帝内经》), combined with the typical rash manifestations of atopic dermatitis, it is believed that atopic dermatitis is mostly deficiency-excess complex, and that pathogens intruding eight weak areas are the core of its pathogenesis. The external cause is exterior deficiencies, with heat, wind, dampness and other pathogenic qi attacking. The heart, lungs, kidneys out of balance, and excess pathogen are the internal cause, in which fire constraint and excessive heat are the basis of the disease, the wind invading leads to the progress of the changes, dampness obstructing channels and colla-terals make the condition persistent. Internal and external pathogens combination and retention result to the course of the disease lingering and difficult to cure. The internal treatment is to regulate zang-fu organs, and the formula could use self-prescribed modified Qingrun Tongluo Decoction (清润通络汤), clearing heart and reducing fire in order to clear the heat and cool the blood, moistening lungs and generating metal to consolidate the exterior and dispel the wind, and nourishing kidneys and draining water to dispel the dampness and activate the collaterals. The external treatment applies maceration, fire acupuncture, wrapping to dredge the eight weak areas and regulate qi and blood in channel, so as to expel pathogens.
6.Recombinant mouse MANF participates in the protection of myocardial injury induced by sepsis by activating SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway
Hao He ; Cheng Li ; Sai Hu ; Fengqiang Xia ; Chi Zhang ; Jing Wang
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(11):1981-1988
Objective:
To investigate the protective effect of neurotrophic factor(MANF) derived from midbrain astrocytes on myocardial injury induced by sepsis by activating SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway.
Methods:
48 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, recombinant mouse MANF(rmMANF) group, cecal ligation and puncture(CLP) group and CLP+rmMANF group, with 12 mice in each group.The survival rate, sepsis score, anal temperature, blood biochemical indexes, pathological indexes of myocardial injury and the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS) related proteins were detected 8 h after CLP.H9C2 cells were divided into control group(Con),LPS group, LPS+rmMANF group, LPS+rmMANF+EX527 group and LPS+rmMANF+Cpd C group.The cells were collected after 24 h treatment with LPS,and the expression of ERS protein and apoptosis in cells were analyzed.
Results:
Compared with CLP group, the sepsis score and serum Lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),creatine kinase(CK),aspartateaminotransferase(AST) and blood urea nitrogen(BUN) levels in CLP+rmMANF group decreased significantly(P<0.01),and the anal temperature and serum albumin(ALB) levels increased significantly(P<0.05).Compared with CLP group, the expression of MANF in CLP+rmMANF group increased significantly(P<0.01),and the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78),C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP) and the percentage of TUNEL positive cells decreased significantly(P<0.05).In vitro, LPS stimulation down-regulated the expression of SIRT1 and AMPK in H9C2 cells, while rmMANF further increased the expression level of SIRT1 and AMPK.Compared with LPS+rmMANF group, the expression of GRP78 and CHOP protein and the apoptosis rate of H9C2 cells in LPS+rmMANF+EX527 group and LPS+rmMANF+Cpd C group increased significantly(P<0.05).
Conclusion
rmMANF inhibits ERS related to sepsis-induced myocardial injury by activating SIRT1/AMPK signaling pathway, thereby protecting myocardial injury.
7.Research progress of alleviating depression among children and adolescents based on 24 h movement behaviors
GUO Liang, ZHANG Jing, ZENG Sai, LI Tiangeng, DENG Xinghua
Chinese Journal of School Health 2024;45(6):899-903
Abstract
Gurrently, healthy behaviors are the cornerstone of both physical and mental wellbeing,and more researches are focusing on improving behaviors to alleviate depression among children and adolescents. Based on the concept of 24 h movement behaviors proposed in recent years, the study examines the relationship among physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. The research suggests that physical activity could effectively alleviate depression among children and adolescents, and its effectiveness is influenced by factors including type, intensity, duration and frequency of physical activity. Excessive sedentary behavior may increase depressive symptoms, and the impacts of different types, durations, and frequencies of sedentary behavior on depressive symptoms among children and adolescents vary. In addition to its direct impact on depression, sleep could also serve as a mediator among physical activity, sedentary behavior and depression, and there is also a crowdingout effect of time between physical activity and sedentary behavior. Future research should focus on the mechanisms and pathways underlying how 24 h movement behaviors affecting depression among children and adolescents, in order to provide more accurate solutions for the prevention and treatment of depression.
8.Research advances in traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of fatty liver disease
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(10):1929-1932
Fatty liver disease can be classified into alcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease based on etiology,and it has become the most important liver disease worldwide.Due to the differences in the etiology and pathological mechanism of fatty liver disease,it may manifest as different traditional Chinese medicine syndromes during different pathological stages.The syndrome is based on the pathogenesis in a certain stage and is the basis for syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine.At present,there is still a lack of unified studies on the syndrome of fatty liver disease,and different methods for syndrome differentiation have obtained different syndrome types,which affects the syndrome differentiation-based treatment in clinical practice.This article briefly introduces the clinical studies on the syndrome types of fatty liver disease conducted by doctors of all dynasties and modern doctors and further emphasizes the significance of standard and accurate determination of the traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types of fatty liver disease in syndrome differentiation-based treatment.
9.Establishment of HPLC characteristic chromatogram and quantitative transmission laws for Baqi Rougan Decoction reference sample
Sai-Long GENG ; Qin ZHOU ; Shui-Gen SUN ; Man LI ; Li-Jie ZHAO ; Ji-Quan ZHANG ; Yi FENG
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(2):370-378
AIM To establish the HPLC characteristic chromatogram of Baqi Rougan Decoction reference sample,and to investigate its quantitative transmission laws.METHODS The contents of calycosin 7-O-glucoside,hesperidin,rosmarinic acid,curcumenol and nystose were determined.The transfer rates of decoction piece-aqueous decoction-reference sample were calculated,after which the paste-forming rate and pH value were recorded.RESULTS There were sixteen characteristic peaks in fifteen batches of reference samples with the similarities of 0.90,nine of which were identified.The average transfer rates of nystose and calycosin 7-O-glucoside in the reference sample were(83.14±6.25)%and(77.81±8.31)%,while those of rosmarinic acid and curcumenol in the aqueous decoction-reference sample were(81.71±6.27)%and(72.16±5.91)%,along with the average paste-forming rate and pH value of(38.91%±1.46%)and 5.13±0.08,respectively.CONCLUSION This stable and feasible method can provide a reference for the selection of preparation process and evaluation of key chemical properties for Baqi Rougan Decoction.
10.Research progress on the association between environmental pollutants and incidence of diabetes
Jingxue ZHANG ; Yunpeng CUI ; Mingyi XU ; Xixi LI ; Linlin SAI
China Occupational Medicine 2024;51(5):586-591
The research focus of diabetes, a common chronic metabolic disease, has shifted from individual factors to environmental factors at the population level. Epidemiological studies suggest an association between exposure to environmental pollutants and the risk of diabetes. Major environmental pollutants include organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates and their metabolites, and arsenics, which primarily enter the human body through the skin, respiratory tract, and digestive system. Long-term exposure to these pollutants can affect the pathology of diabetes through various mechanisms, such as promoting insulin resistance, causing insulin secretion deficiencies, inducing oxidative stress-induced glucose metabolism disorders, and affecting DNA methylation. However, the potential damaging mechanism of the impact of environmental pollutants on diabetes remain unclear. Limitations such as insufficient sample sizes, uncertainties regarding exposure time and dosage, and differences between single and co-exposures. In the future, it is necessary to focus on exploring and analyzing the mechanisms of environmental pollutant exposure on diabetes to develop effective prevention strategies, control and reduce the incidence and development of diabetes, and provide new insights into its diagnosis and treatment.


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