1.Association of serum exosomal miR-122-5p with the prognosis of hepatic confluent necrosis and fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B
Quanwei HE ; Ran XU ; Wei HAN ; Sihao WANG ; Yan CHEN ; Yongping YANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(5):888-899
ObjectiveTo investigate the association of serum exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) with hepatic inflammatory injury and histological outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). MethodsPeripheral serum samples were collected from six healthy adults and six patients with CHB, and size exclusion chromatography was used to extract exosomes. Small RNA sequencing and transcriptomic analysis were used to identify the serum exosomal miRNAs associated with liver inflammatory injury and fibrosis, and quantitative real-time PCR was used for validation in a mouse model of acute liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine, a rat model of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride, and 84 CHB patients undergoing liver biopsy twice before and after treatment. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups; an analysis of variance was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the Tukey test was used for further comparison between two groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison between multiple groups, and the Dunn test was used for further comparison between two groups. The chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate influencing factors. ResultsAbnormal expression of serum exosomal miR-122-5p was observed in patients with CHB, and it was downregulated in patients with confluent necrosis and advanced fibrosis. In the mouse model of acute liver injury and the rat model of liver fibrosis, compared with the control group, the model group had a significant reduction in the expression level of miR-122-5p in the liver (P=0.048 and 0.014), and compared with the patients with mild liver injury, the patients with severe confluent necrosis and advanced fibrosis showed a significant reduction in the expression level of miR-122-5p in liver tissue (P<0.05). Among the 84 CHB patients, the patients with severe hepatic confluent necrosis or advanced liver fibrosis had a significantly lower expression level of serum exosomal miR-122-5p than those with mild liver injury (P<0.001 and P=0.003). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the expression level of miR-122-5p was an independent influencing factor for confluent necrosis (odds ratio [OR]=0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.000 — 0.037, P=0.005) and liver fibrosis degree (OR=0.568, 95%CI: 0.331 — 0.856, P=0.019). In addition, compared with the patients with low expression of miR-122-5p, the patients with high expression of miR-122-5p before treatment had a significantly higher reversal rate of liver fibrosis after 72 weeks of antiviral therapy (64.3% vs 38.1%, P=0.029). ConclusionSerum exosomal miR-122-5p in CHB patients is closely associated with the progression of hepatic confluent necrosis and fibrosis, and the reduction in the expression level of miR-122-5p may aggravate hepatic confluent necrosis, promote the progression of fibrosis, and affect the histological outcome of CHB patients after antiviral therapy.
2.Efficacy and safety of cryoablation combined with lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody in treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Teng LIU ; Xiujuan CHANG ; Quanwei HE ; Ran XU ; Yongping YANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(3):539-549
ObjectiveTo investigate whether anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody can improve the efficacy and safety of cryoablation combined with lenvatinib in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for 232 patients with unresectable HCC who were treated at The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022, among whom 128 received cryoablation combined with lenvatinib (double combination) and 104 received cryoablation combined with lenvatinib and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody (triple combination). Propensity score matching was performed at a ratio of 1∶1, and finally there were 86 patients in each group. The two groups were evaluated in terms of objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse events (AEs). The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Survival curves were plotted, and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate of patients in both groups, while the log-rank test was used for comparison between the two groups. The Cox regression model was used to calculate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) and perform the univariate and multivariate analyses of influencing factors for prognosis. ResultsThe median follow-up time was 28 months, and there were 33 deaths (38.0%) in the triple combination group and 40 deaths (46.0%) in the double combination group. Compared with the double combination group, the triple combination group had significantly higher ORR (35.6% vs 14.5%, P=0.008) and DCR (86.1% vs 64.1%, P=0.003). OS and PFS in the triple combination group were significantly higher than those in the double combination group (P=0.045 and 0.026). The univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression model analyses showed that treatment regimen (HR=0.60, P=0.038) and alpha-fetoprotein level (HR=2.37, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for OS, and treatment regimen (HR=0.65, P=0.025), diabetes mellitus (HR=1.94, P=0.005), whether or not to have received local treatment (HR=0.63, P=0.014), and distant metastasis (HR=0.58, P=0.009) were independent risk factors for PFS. There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of AEs between the two groups (P>0.05). ConclusionFor patients with unresectable HCC, the triple combination of cryoablation, lenvatinib, and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody significantly improves the treatment outcome and survival of patients compared with the double combination of cryoablation and lenvatinib, without increasing AEs, which provides a clinical basis for optimizing the treatment regimen for unresectable HCC.
3.Mechanism of Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Epigenetic Regulation: A Review
Xianyu XU ; Yongping ZHU ; Yanqing LIU ; Liwei GU ; Junzhe ZHANG ; Shengnan SHEN ; Jigang WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(23):281-291
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common cancer in the world. In recent years, the clinical early diagnosis and treatment protocols of HCC have been improved, whereas the prognosis of patients is still not satisfactory, which is due to the fact that the mechanism of HCC development has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the molecular mechanisms and key regulatory links of hepatocellular carcinoma development to further improve the diagnosis and treatment of HCC in China. Epigenetics has become a research hotspot because of its reversibility and easy regulation. According to relevant studies, HCC involves the accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic changes during the initiation, promotion, and progression stages. HCC is categorized as infantile malnutrition with accumulation, hypochondriac pain, tympan ites, and abdominal mass in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In the treatment of HCC, TCM with low toxicity, multi-targets, and multi-mechanisms can inhibit tumor growth, alleviate the clinical symptoms, and enhance the quality of life of the patients. Chinese medicines and their active ingredients exert anti-HCC effects through epigenetic regulation of DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA. Abnormal gene expression due to epigenetic regulation disorders is involved in all stages of HCC development. There are few studies on epigenetic regulation in TCM treatment of HCC, and there is still much room for development in basic and clinical trials. This paper reviews the mechanism of epigenetic regulation in HCC and summarizes the experimental results of TCM research on the related mechanism, with a view to providing a theoretical basis for future research on the mechanism of HCC development and clinical diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with TCM.
4.Herbal Textual Research on Bletillae Rhizoma in Famous Classical Formulas
Dan ZHAO ; Tao ZHOU ; Chaolei LUO ; Dewei GAN ; Lingling LIU ; Chuanzhi KANG ; Zhikun WU ; Xu LI ; Yan FU ; Guoqiong CAO ; Yongping ZHANG ; Chenghong XIAO ; Zhilai ZHAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(4):77-88
In order to provide basic information for the utilization and development of famous classical formulas containing Bletillae Rhizoma, this article systematically analyzes the historical evolution of the name, origin, harvesting and processing of Bletillae Rhizoma by reviewing the ancient materia medica, prescription books, medical books and modern literature. The research results showed that Baiji(白及) was the main name, some scholars took Baiji(白芨) as its main name, and there were many other names such as Baiji(白给), Baigen(白根), Baiji(白苙). The mainstream source of Bletillae Rhizoma was the tubers of Bletilla striata, and drying, large, white, solid, root-free and skin removed completely were the good quality standards. With the promotion of wild to cultivated medicinal materials, there were certain differences between their traits, and the quality evaluation indexes should be adjusted accordingly. The origin of records in the past dynasties was widely distributed, with Guizhou and Sichuan having high production and good quality in modern times. The harvesting period is mostly in spring and autumn, and harvested in autumn was better. The processing and processing technology is relatively simple, and it was used fresh or powdered in past dynasties, while it is mainly sliced for raw use in modern times. Based on the results, it is suggested that the tubers of Bletilla striata of Orchidaceae should be used in the famous classical formulas, and it should be uniformly written as Baiji(白及). And if the original formula indicates the requirement of processing, it should be operated according to the requirement, if the requirement of processing is not indicated, it can be used in raw form as medicine.
5.Therapeutic effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with bone marrow M2 macrophages on a rat model of liver cirrhosis
Xinrui ZHENG ; Yannan XU ; Danyang WANG ; Feifei XING ; Mengyao ZONG ; Shihao ZHANG ; Junyi ZHAN ; Wei LIU ; Gaofeng CHEN ; Jiamei CHEN ; Ping LIU ; Yongping MU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(1):96-103
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) co-cultured with bone marrow-derived M2 macrophages (M2-BMDMs), named as BMSCM2, on a rat model of liver cirrhosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)/2-acetaminofluorene (2-AAF). MethodsRat BMDMs were isolated and polarized into M2 phenotype, and rat BMSCs were isolated and co-cultured with M2-BMDMs at the third generation to obtain BMSCM2. The rats were given subcutaneous injection of CCl4 for 6 weeks to establish a model of liver cirrhosis, and then they were randomly divided into model group (M group), BMSC group, and BMSCM2 group, with 6 rats in each group. A normal group (N group) with 6 rats was also established. Since week 7, the model rats were given 2-AAF by gavage in addition to the subcutaneous injection of CCl4. Samples were collected at the end of week 10 to observe liver function, liver histopathology, and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in liver tissue, as well as changes in the markers for hepatic stellate cells, hepatic progenitor cells, cholangiocytes, and hepatocytes. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in ALT and AST (P<0.01), and the BMSCM2 group had significantly better activities than the BMSC group (P<0.05). Compared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in Hyp content and the mRNA and protein expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in the liver (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in Hyp content and the expression of α-SMA (P<0.05), and the BMSCM2 group had a significantly lower level of α-SMA than the BMSC group (P<0.01). Compared with the N group, the M group had significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the hepatic progenitor cell markers EpCam and Sox9 and the cholangiocyte markers CK7 and CK19 (P<0.01) and significant reductions in the expression levels of the hepatocyte markers HNF-4α and Alb (P<0.01); compared with the M group, the BMSC and BMSCM2 groups had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam, Sox9, CK7, and CK19 (P<0.05) and significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of HNF-4α and Alb (P<0.05), and compared with the BMSC group, the BMSCM2 group had significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of EpCam and CK19 (P<0.05) and significant increase in the expression level of HNF-4α (P<0.05). ConclusionM2-BMDMs can enhance the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on CCl4/2-AAF-induced liver cirrhosis in rats, which provides new ideas for further improving the therapeutic effect of BMSCs on liver cirrhosis.
6.Effect of Yiguan Decoction on the efficacy of M1 bone marrow-derived macrophages in treatment of liver cirrhosis rats and its mechanism
Mengyao ZONG ; Xun JIAN ; Danyang WANG ; Yannan XU ; Xinrui ZHENG ; Feifei XING ; Gaofeng CHEN ; Jiamei CHEN ; Ping LIU ; Yongping MU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(8):1612-1619
Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of Yiguan Decoction(YGJD)on the efficacy of M1 bone marrow-derived macrophages(M1-BMDMs)in the treatment of rats with liver cirrhosis induced by 2-AAF/CCl4.Methods BMDMs were isolated and induced into M1-BMDMs by lipopolysaccharide.A total of 50 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal group with 5 rats and model group with 45 rats.The rats for modeling were given subcutaneous injection of 50%CCl4 twice a week.Since week 7,the rats for modeling were randomly divided into model group(M group),YGJD group,M1-BMDM group,M1-BMDM+YGJD group,and sorafenib(SORA)group,and they were given subcutaneous injection of 30%CCl4 to maintain the progression of liver cirrhosis and intragastric administration of 2-AAF.CCR2 inhibitors were added to the drinking water,and each group was given the corresponding intervention.Related samples were collected at week 9.The rats were observed in terms of serum liver function parameters,liver pathology,hydroxyproline(Hyp)content in liver tissue,hepatic stellate cell activation,hepatic fibrosis and inflammation factors,and the expression levels of molecules associated with the Wnt signaling pathway.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.Results Compared with the M group,the M1-BMDM+YGJD group had significant reductions in the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,and total bilirubin(TBil)(all P<0.05)and a significant increase in the content of albumin(Alb)(P<0.05),and compared with the M1-BMDM group,the M1-BMDM+YGJD group had a significant reduction in the serum level of TBil(P<0.05)and a significant increase in the serum level of Alb(P<0.05).Compared with the M1-BMDM group,the M1-BMDM+YGJD group had significant reductions in the expression levels of CD68 and TNF-α(P<0.05).Compared with the M1-BMDM group,the M1-BMDM+YGJD group had significant reductions in Hyp content and Sirius red positive area(P<0.05).As for the non-canonical Wnt signaling pathway molecules,compared with the M1-BMDM group,the M1-BMDM+YGJD group had significantly lower mRNA and protein expression levels of Wnt5a(P<0.05)and mRNA expression level of Fzd2(P<0.05),as well as significant reductions in the mRNA expression levels of Wnt4,Wnt5b,and Fzd3(P<0.05),while there were no significant changes in the mRNA expression levels of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway molecules β-catenin,LRP5,LRP6,Fzd5,and TCF.Conclusion YGJD can enhance the therapeutic effect of M1-BMDMs on rats with liver cirrhosis induced by 2-AAF/CCl4,possibly by inhibiting the non-canonical Wnt5a/Fzd2 signaling pathway,which provides new ideas for the synergistic effect of traditional Chinese medicine on M1-BMDMs in the treatment of liver cirrhosis.
7.Chimeric antigen receptor-immune cells against solid tumors: Structures, mechanisms, recent advances, and future developments
Xudong LI ; Wei LI ; Linping XU ; Yongping SONG
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(11):1285-1302
The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapies has led to breakthroughs in the treatment of hematological malignancies. However, their success in treating solid tumors has been limited. CAR-natural killer (NK) cells have several advantages over CAR-T cells because NK cells can be made from pre-existing cell lines or allogeneic NK cells with a mismatched major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which means they are more likely to become an "off-the-shelf" product. Moreover, they can kill cancer cells via CAR-dependent/independent pathways and have limited toxicity. Macrophages are the most malleable immune cells in the body. These cells can efficiently infiltrate into tumors and are present in large numbers in tumor microenvironments (TMEs). Importantly, CAR-macrophages (CAR-Ms) have recently yielded exciting preclinical results in several solid tumors. Nevertheless, CAR-T, CAR-NK, and CAR-M all have their own advantages and limitations. In this review, we systematically discuss the current status, progress, and the major hurdles of CAR-T cells, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-M as they relate to five aspects: CAR structure, therapeutic mechanisms, the latest research progress, current challenges and solutions, and comparison according to the existing research in order to provide a reasonable option for treating solid tumors in the future.
8.A cross-sectional study of functional disability rate of anxiety disorder and risk factors in Chinese community adults
Yang LI ; Yueqin HUANG ; Zhaorui LIU ; Tingting ZHANG ; Chao MA ; Lingjiang LI ; Yifeng XU ; Tao LI ; Xiufeng XU ; Yaqin YU ; Yongping YAN ; Zhizhong WANG ; Xiangdong XU ; Limin WANG ; Qiang LI ; Guangming XU ; Shuiyuan XIAO
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2024;38(11):929-935
Objective:To describe functional disability rate of anxiety disorders in Chinese community adults and explore related risk factors of functional disability.Methods:To conduct in-depth data analysis on China Mental Health Survey(CMHS).The diagnostic tool for anxiety disorders was the Composite International Diagnostic Inter-view-3.0,according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders,Fourth Edition(DSM-Ⅳ).The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule,2nd edition,was the functional disability assessment standard for anxiety disorders.Weighted 12-month functional disability rate of DSM-Ⅳ anxiety disorder with co-morbidities and only anxiety disorder in population and those in patients,as well as days of partial disability were calculated.The effects of anxiety disorders comorbid other mental disorders and physical diseases and demographic factors on the severity and occurrence of functional disability were analyzed by multiple linear regression and logis-tic regression.Results:The functional disability rate of anxiety disorder with comorbidities in population was 1.7%,and 42.2%in patients,in which constituent rate of grade-four disability was the highest as 84.1%.The functional disability rate of only anxiety disorder in population was 0.3%,and 17.8%in patients.The medians of days of partial disability days in the past 30 days were from 0 to 14.42.Multiple linear regression showed a positive association between comorbid anxiety disorder with other mental disorders and physical diseases(β=0.24),comor-bid other mental disorders and physical diseases(β=0.21),physical diseases(β=0.18),comorbid anxiety disor-der and physical diseases(β=0.15),comorbid anxiety disorder with other mental disorders(β=0.08),other men-tal disorders(β=0.07),only anxiety disorder(β=0.06),lower education level(β=0.12),lower economic status(β=0.08),older age(β=0.06),non-marital status(β=0.06),male(β=0.02)and the severity of functional dis-ability.Logistic regression showed that comorbid anxiety with other mental disorders and physical diseases(OR=64.07),comorbid anxiety disorders with other mental disorders(OR=36.75),comorbid other mental disorders with physical diseases(OR=20.60),comorbid anxiety with physical diseases(OR=18.88),anxiety disorder(OR=9.20),other mental disorders(OR=6.65),physical diseases(OR=4.00),65 years old and over(OR=4.40),50 to 64 years old(OR=2.33),low economic status(OR=2.10),illiterate and below primary school educational level(OR=1.89),middle economic status(OR=1.70),elementary school educational level(OR=1.59),non-marital status(OR=1.47),male(OR=1.16)were the risk factors of the occurrence of functional disability.Conclusion:Comorbidity of anxiety disorders and other mental disorders,and physical diseases increases severity and occurrence of functional disability.Comorbidity,male,gender,older age,lower economic and educa-tional level and non-marital are risk factors of anxiety disorder functional disability.
9.A cross-sectional study of disability rate of dementia and risk factors in Chinese old people
Wenlei WU ; Yueqin HUANG ; Zhaorui LIU ; Tingting ZHANG ; Chao MA ; Yifeng XU ; Tao LI ; Xiufeng XU ; Yaqin YU ; Yongping YAN ; Zhizhong WANG ; Xiangdong XU ; Limin WANG ; Qiang LI ; Guangming XU ; Shuiyuan XIAO ; Lingjiang LI
Chinese Mental Health Journal 2024;38(11):936-942
Objective:To describe disability rates of dementia in community residents aged 65 years and over in China,and explore related risk factors of disability.Methods:This study conducted an in-depth data analysis of the China Mental Health Survey.World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0(WHODAS 2.0)was used to assess dementia disability,Community Screening Interview for Dementia(CSID)and Geriatric Mental Status Examination(GMS)were used for dementia screening and diagnosing.Univariate analysis was used to calcu-late the weighted disability rates of dementia in population and in patients,and their population distribution.Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the risk factors of the occurrence of dementia disability and its severity.Results:The weighted disability rate of dementia was 2.1%in population,and 38.6%in pa-tients.The disability rates of comorbid dementia in population and in patients were higher than those of patients with only dementia.Female,older age,lower education level,lower economic status,and lower cognitive test scores in CSID had higher disability rates of dementia in population.Female and urban resident had higher disability rates of dementia in patients.Multiple linear regression showed economic status(β=0.11),gender(β=0.11),age(β=0.10),and treatment in the last 12 months(β=-0.20)were statistically associated with WHODAS 2.0 scores.Multiple logistic regression showed female(OR=2.81)and treatment in the last 12 months(OR=2.38)were statistically associated with disability.Conclusions:Persons with low economic status,female and elderly peo-ple are the high-risk groups for dementia disability.It should be paid attention to prevent dementia and its conse-quential disabilities.
10.Study on UPLC fingerprint and content determination of mangiferin of Gentiana rhodantha
Chaokun YANG ; Shijuan XU ; Wenfen XU ; Qingwen SUN ; Bo WANG ; Jiangtao GUO ; Yongping ZHANG
China Pharmacy 2023;34(1):34-39
OBJECTIVE To provide reference for quality control of Gentiana rhodantha. METHODS Taking 52 batches of G. rhodantha as subject, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) fingerprint was adopted. The similarity of 52 batches of medicinal materials samples was evaluated by the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprints of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2004A edition); the content of mangiferin was determined; chemometric analyses [cluster analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA)] were performed. RESULTS UPLC fingerprints of 52 batches of G. rhodantha were established, 17 common peaks were identified, and 6 of them were identified, which were loganic acid (peak 1), neomangiferin (peak 3), swertiamarin (peak 5), dangyin (peak 6), mangiferin (peak 7) and isoorientin (peak 9). The similarities of 52 batches of medicinal materials samples were all greater than 0.9; cluster analysis showed that S1-S46, S48-S52 clustered into one class, and S47 alone; PCA results showed that the cumulative variance contribution rate of the first six principal components was 82.928%; OPLS-DA results showed that the corresponding components of swertiamarin, mangiferin and chemical composition represented by peak 4, 14, 15, 16 were the main iconic components affecting the quality differences of G. rhodantha medicinal materials. The contents of mangiferin in 52 batches of medicinal material samples ranged from 18.2 to 101.0 mg/g, mostly in accordance with 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. CONCLUSIONS The established UPLC fingerprint and chemometric analysis methods combined with content determination method of mangiferin can comprehensively evaluate the quality of G. rhodantha.

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