1. Dimethyl fumarate inhibits NLRP3/AIM2 inflammasomes to prevent spleen radiation injury ZHANG
Liang-Liang ZHANG ; Ze-Kun WU ; Yue GAO ; Liang-Liang ZHANG ; Chang-Kun HU ; Ze-Kun WU ; Zi-Qiao YAN ; Ze-Bin LIAO ; Yue GAO ; Chang-Kun HU ; Zi-Qiao YAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(3):521-528
Aim To investigate the protective effect of dimethyl fumarate on spleen injury induced by gamma radiation in mice and the related mechanism. Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the blank control group, radiation model group and DMF administration group, which were administered once at 12 h before irradiation and once at 0. 5 h, 12 h, 24 h and 48 h after irradiation. The 30-day survival rate, body weight and pathological injury of spleen were measured after a one-time total body irradiation of Co 7 rays (8 Gy). TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis of spleen cells. Enzyme-linked immunoassay ( ELISA) was applied to detect the contents of TNF-a, IL-1 p, IL-6, IL-18, NLRP3 and AIM2 in spleen. Western blot test and immunofluorescence staining test was employed to verify the changes of NLRP3 and AIM2 contents in spleen tissue after irradiation. Results DMF could obviously improve the survival rate of irradiated mice, improve the weight loss of irradiated mice, re-duce the pathological injury of spleen, and inhibit the apoptosis of spleen cells after irradiation. ELISA results showed that DMF could significantly inhibit the increase of spleen inflammatory cytokines TNF-a, IL-lp, IL-6, IL-18 and inflammasome components NL-RP3 and AIM2 induced by irradiation. Western blot and tissue immunofluorescence staining also confirmed that DMF could inhibit the increase of NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome protein levels caused by irradiation. Meanwhile, NLRP3 agonist and AIM2 agonist could antagonize the radiation protection effect of DMF on spleen cells. Conclusion DMF can ameliorate spleen injury of Co 7-ray injured mice, and its mechanism is closely related to NLRP3/AIM2 inflamma-somes, which can be used as a potential protective drug for radiation injury.
2.A Case Report of Multidisciplinary Diagnosis and Treatment of a Patient with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Multi-Organ Involvement
Hua ZHENG ; Yunfei ZHI ; Lujing YING ; Lan ZHU ; Mingliang JI ; Ze LIANG ; Jiangshan WANG ; Haifeng SHI ; Weihong ZHANG ; Mengsu XIAO ; Yushi ZHANG ; Kaifeng XU ; Zhaohui LU ; Yaping LIU ; Ruiyi XU ; Huijuan ZHU ; Li WEN ; Yan ZHANG ; Gang CHEN ; Limeng CHEN
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2024;3(1):79-86
Tuberous sclerosis complex(TSC)is a rare genetic disease that can lead to benign dysplasia in multiple organs such as the skin, brain, eyes, oral cavity, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and bones. Its main symptoms include epilepsy, intellectual disabilities, skin depigmentation, and facial angiofibromas, whilst incidence is approximately 1 in 10 000 to 1 in 6000 newborns. This case presents a middle-aged woman who initially manifested with epilepsy and nodular depigmentation. Later, she developed a lower abdominal mass, elevated creatinine, and severe anemia. Based on clinical features and whole exome sequencing, the primary diagnosis was confirmed as TSC. Laboratory and imaging examinations revealed that the lower abdominal mass originated from the uterus. CT-guided biopsy pathology and surgical pathology suggested a combination of leiomyoma and abscess. With the involvement of multiple organs and various complications beyond the main diagnosis, the diagnostic and therapeutic process for this patient highlights the importance of rigorous clinical thinking and multidisciplinary collaboration in the diagnosis and treatment of rare and challenging diseases.
3.Nanomaterial-based Therapeutics for Biofilm-generated Bacterial Infections
Zhuo-Jun HE ; Yu-Ying CHEN ; Yang ZHOU ; Gui-Qin DAI ; De-Liang LIU ; Meng-De LIU ; Jian-Hui GAO ; Ze CHEN ; Jia-Yu DENG ; Guang-Yan LIANG ; Li WEI ; Peng-Fei ZHAO ; Hong-Zhou LU ; Ming-Bin ZHENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(7):1604-1617
Bacterial biofilms gave rise to persistent infections and multi-organ failure, thereby posing a serious threat to human health. Biofilms were formed by cross-linking of hydrophobic extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), such as proteins, polysaccharides, and eDNA, which were synthesized by bacteria themselves after adhesion and colonization on biological surfaces. They had the characteristics of dense structure, high adhesiveness and low drug permeability, and had been found in many human organs or tissues, such as the brain, heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and skeleton. By releasing pro-inflammatory bacterial metabolites including endotoxins, exotoxins and interleukin, biofilms stimulated the body’s immune system to secrete inflammatory factors. These factors triggered local inflammation and chronic infections. Those were the key reason for the failure of traditional clinical drug therapy for infectious diseases.In order to cope with the increasingly severe drug-resistant infections, it was urgent to develop new therapeutic strategies for bacterial-biofilm eradication and anti-bacterial infections. Based on the nanoscale structure and biocompatible activity, nanobiomaterials had the advantages of specific targeting, intelligent delivery, high drug loading and low toxicity, which could realize efficient intervention and precise treatment of drug-resistant bacterial biofilms. This paper highlighted multiple strategies of biofilms eradication based on nanobiomaterials. For example, nanobiomaterials combined with EPS degrading enzymes could be used for targeted hydrolysis of bacterial biofilms, and effectively increased the drug enrichment within biofilms. By loading quorum sensing inhibitors, nanotechnology was also an effective strategy for eradicating bacterial biofilms and recovering the infectious symptoms. Nanobiomaterials could intervene the bacterial metabolism and break the bacterial survival homeostasis by blocking the uptake of nutrients. Moreover, energy-driven micro-nano robotics had shown excellent performance in active delivery and biofilm eradication. Micro-nano robots could penetrate physiological barriers by exogenous or endogenous driving modes such as by biological or chemical methods, ultrasound, and magnetic field, and deliver drugs to the infection sites accurately. Achieving this using conventional drugs was difficult. Overall, the paper described the biological properties and drug-resistant molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilms, and highlighted therapeutic strategies from different perspectives by nanobiomaterials, such as dispersing bacterial mature biofilms, blocking quorum sensing, inhibiting bacterial metabolism, and energy driving penetration. In addition, we presented the key challenges still faced by nanobiomaterials in combating bacterial biofilm infections. Firstly, the dense structure of EPS caused biofilms spatial heterogeneity and metabolic heterogeneity, which created exacting requirements for the design, construction and preparation process of nanobiomaterials. Secondly, biofilm disruption carried the risk of spread and infection the pathogenic bacteria, which might lead to other infections. Finally, we emphasized the role of nanobiomaterials in the development trends and translational prospects in biofilm treatment.
4.Arterial Blood Pressure Wave Signal Reconstruction Using Photoplethysmography by CNN-LSTM Model
Jia-Ze WU ; Hao LIANG ; Ming CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(2):447-458
ObjectiveDirect continuous monitoring of arterial blood pressure is invasive and continuous monitoring cannot be achieved by traditional cuffed indirect blood pressure measurement methods. Previously, continuous non-invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring was achieved by using photoplethysmography (PPG), but it is discrete values of systolic and diastolic blood pressures rather than continuous values constructing arterial blood pressure waves. This study aimed to reconstruct arterial blood pressure wave signal based on CNN-LSTM using PPG to achieve continuous non-invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring. MethodsA CNN-LSTM hybrid neural network model was constructed, and the PPG and arterial blood pressure wave synchronized recorded signal data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC) were used. The PPG signals were input to this model after noise reduction, normalization, and sliding window segmentation. The corresponding arterial blood pressure waves were reconstructed from PPG by using the CNN-LSTM hybrid model. ResultsWhen using the CNN-LSTM neural network with a window length of 312, the error between the reconstructed arterial blood pressure values and the actual arterial blood pressure values was minimal: the values of mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were 2.79 mmHg and 4.24 mmHg, respectively, and the cosine similarity is the optimal. The reconstructed arterial blood pressure values were highly correlated with the actual arterial blood pressure values, which met the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standards. ConclusionCNN-LSTM hybrid neural network can reconstruct arterial blood pressure wave signal using PPG to achieve continuous non-invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring.
5.Variation rules of main secondary metabolites in Hedysari Radix before and after rubbing strip
Xu-Dong LUO ; Xin-Rong LI ; Cheng-Yi LI ; Peng QI ; Ting-Ting LIANG ; Shu-Bin LIU ; Zheng-Ze QIANG ; Jun-Gang HE ; Xu LI ; Xiao-Cheng WEI ; Xiao-Li FENG ; Ming-Wei WANG
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(3):747-754
AIM To investigate the variation rules of main secondary metabolites in Hedysari Radix before and after rubbing strip.METHODS UPLC-MS/MS was adopted in the content determination of formononetin,ononin,calycosin,calycosin-7-glucoside,medicarpin,genistein,luteolin,liquiritigenin,isoliquiritigenin,vanillic acid,ferulic acid,γ-aminobutyric acid,adenosine and betaine,after which cluster analysis,principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were used for chemical pattern recognition to explore differential components.RESULTS After rubbing strip,formononetin,calycosin,liquiritigenin and γ-aminobutynic acid demonstrated increased contents,along with decreased contents of ononin,calycosin-7-glucoside and vanillic acid.The samples with and without rubbing strip were clustered into two types,calycosin-7-glucoside,formononetin,γ-aminobutynic acid,vanillic acid,calycosin-7-glucoside and formononetin were differential components.CONCLUSION This experiment clarifies the differences of chemical constituents in Hedysari Radix before and after rubbing strip,which can provide a reference for the research on rubbing strip mechanism of other medicinal materials.
6.Study on influencing factors for falls risks score in the elderly
Sihang FANG ; Dizhi LIU ; Chunyuan JIA ; Danni GAO ; Liang SUN ; Xiaoquan ZHU ; Qi ZHOU ; Ze YANG ; Wei XU ; Yuan LYU ; Guofang PANG ; Caiyou HU ; Huiping YUAN
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2024;43(11):1481-1485
Objective:To investigate the factors influencing fall risk scores in elderly individuals.Methods:A total of 4 419 individuals were randomly selected using the cluster sampling method from Beijing, Nanning(Guangxi), and Yinchuan(Ningxia).Data on demographic characteristics and fall-related incidents were gathered and analyzed for their correlation with fall risk scores.Results:The fall risk score showed significant associations with various factors, such as the history of falls within one year( β=-3.607, 95% CI: -3.881 to -3.332), care methods( β=2.442, 95% CI: 2.226 to 2.658), exercise( β=0.714, 95% CI: 0.443 to 0.986), retirement( β=-0.585, 95% CI: -0.819 to -0.351), age( β=0.173, 95% CI: 0.159 to 0.187), and use of walking aids( β=-3.737, 95% CI: -4.054 to -3.421). Conclusions:Fall risk scores in older adults are influenced by a variety of factors.Factors such as no history of falls within the past year, living independently, engaging in physical activity, and being employed may contribute to lower fall risk scores in older adults.
7.Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Prognosis Model of Complications in Patients with Influenza A/B or COVID-19
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(19):144-153
ObjectiveBased on real-world clinical data of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a Cox proportional hazards model was built to predict the risk factors of complications in patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or influenza A/B, and the cumulative occurrence function graph was used to present the prediction output. MethodThe medical records of the patients with respiratory infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and influenza A/B, treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine from November 2022 to October 2023 were collected. The data from the electronic medical record system were integrated into a data warehouse. The information of the patients with respiratory diseases caused by influenza A and B viruses and SARS-CoV-2 from November 2022 to October 2023 was retrospectively collected. The information involved age, gender, disease course, past medical history, laboratory test results, tongue manifestation, pulse manifestation, TCM syndrome, and main therapeutic drugs. The outcome indicators of whether complications occurred were obtained by telephone follow-up and review of readmission records. The data was divided into a training set and a validation set in a ratio of 70% and 30%, respectively. In the training set, the Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify the key factors affecting patient complications. Then, the combination of variables was optimized by stepwise elimination method, and an efficient complication risk assessment model was constructed, which was visualized in the form of histogram. The C-index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration error graph, and decision curve analysis were employed to comprehensively measure the prediction performance of the model. ResultThe history of chronic lung diseases [hazard ratio (HR) 4.46, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.79-11.12], Qi deficiency (HR 5.74, 95%CI 2.14-15.39), thready and weak pulse (HR 4.45, 95%CI 1.88-10.50), hormone use history (HR 4.57, 95%CI 2.04-10.23), procalcitonin (PCT>10 μg·L-1) (HR 1.23, 95%CI 0.06-0.86), serum amyloid A (SAA)>100 mg·L-1 (HR 9.80, 95%CI 7.24-59.75), and platelet (PLT)>303×109 /L (HR 5.66, 95%CI 2.01-16.00) were the risk factors for complications. Chinese medicine intervention (HR 0.20, 95%CI 0.06-0.70) was the protective factor for complications. Based on the above risk factors, the prediction model was constructed. In the training set, the C-index was estimated to be 0.765, and the CI was within the range of 0.667 to 0.859. In the validation set, the C-index was 0.804, and the CI varied within the range of 0.773 to 0.855. The temporal variation graph of C-index was then described. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) at 5, 10, 15 months was 0.61, 0.72, and 0.79 in the training set and 0.60, 0.67, and 0.62 in the validation set, respectively. In addition, calibration and decision curves were drawn for 5, 10, 15 months for both training and validation sets, which showed that the model had good calibration performance and was effective in clinical practice. ConclusionThe history of chronic lung diseases, Qi deficiency, thready and weak pulse, hormone use history, PCT>10 μg·L-1, SAA>100 mg·L-1, and PLT>303×109 /L were risk factors for complications in patients with COVID-19 or influenza A/B, while Chinese medicine intervention was a protective factor. The prediction model was established based on the indicators above. The model showcased excellent distinguishing performance, calibration performance, and clinical practicability, providing scientific support for the prevention and control of complications caused by respiratory viral infections.
8.Effects of Different Test Positions on Quantitative Muscle Strength of Wrist and Finger Flexor Muscle Groups and Its Standardization
Ze-Ren YANG ; Dong GAO ; Qing XIA ; Dan RAN ; Yan-Liang SHENG ; Wen-Tao XIA
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(3):237-244,253
Objective To explore the effects of different test positions on quantitative muscle strength of wrist and finger flexor muscle groups and to establish a standardized muscle strength test protocol for each muscle group.Methods Forty healthy subjects (12 males and 28 females) were recruited.A portable digital quantitative muscle strength tester,Micro FET2TM,was used to measure the flexor muscle strength of each finger and the wrist joint at the 30° extension,0° neutral,and 30° flexion,respectively.Palmar abduction strength of the thumb was measured at 30° and 60°,respectively.Ten subjects were randomly selected from the 40 subjects,and the quantitative muscle strength of each muscle group was tested again by the same operator after an interval of 10 to 15 days.Results Except for the fact that in males,there was no significant difference in flexor muscle strength of thumb and wrist joint between 30° of wrist extension and neutral 0° position,the muscle strength of the other fingers flexion and wrist palmar flexor showed the following characteristics:30° of wrist extension>neutral 0° posi-tion>30° of flexion,and the PAST was 30°>60°;The flexor muscle strength of all the subjects was thumb>index finger>middle finger>ring finger>little finger;All muscle strength values of male were greater than those of female,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05);There was no significant difference between the left and right side muscle strength values of all subjects (P>0.05).The reliability of muscle strength values measured at different times in 10 subjects was good.Conclu-sion The quantitative muscle strength of each muscle group of the hand and wrist is affected by the test position,and a standardized and uniformed test position should be adopted in the actual identification.Micro FET2TM has good reliability for hand and wrist quantitative muscle strength testing.The 30° ex-tension of the wrist can be used as the best standardized test position for the flexion muscle strength of each finger and wrist joint.The 30° position can be used as the best standardized test position for PAST.
9.Inheritance,Innovation and Research Application of Lingnan Liver-Soothing and Spirit-Regulating Acupuncture and Moxibustion Technique
Wen-Bin FU ; Bai-Le NING ; Qian WU ; Cong WANG ; Rui MA ; Ding LUO ; Jun-He ZHOU ; Xue-Song LIANG ; Shan-Ze WANG
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;41(10):2740-2745
The lingnan liver-soothing and spirit-regulating acupuncture and moxibustion technique,developed by Professor FU Wen-Bin,a renowned traditional Chinese medicine expert in Guangdong Province,represents an innovative achievement in acupuncture therapy for depression-related disorders.Drawing upon the rich legacy of master scholars,meticulous study of medical literature,and over three decades of continuous research and innovation,Professor FU has formulated this technique with profound influence and widespread application.By tracing the developmental trajectory of the Lingnan liver-soothing and spirit-regulating technique,this paper sheds light on its significant guiding principles and reference value for the development of other distinctive acupuncture techniques.Furthermore,it offers insights and inspiration for advancement in various fields of traditional Chinese medicine.
10.Antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae in pregnant women with advanced maternal age in Tangshan City
Ze-Liang LIU ; Xin-Yi GONG ; Xiao HAN ; Xue-Qi JIANG ; Bei-Bei MIAO ; Shuang MENG ; Ai-Ying DONG ; Juan LI
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(10):1199-1205
Objective To analyze the antimicrobial susceptibility,molecular types,serotypes,virulence factors and resistance mechanisms of Streptococcus agalactiae(S.agalactiae)isolated from pregnant women with ad-vanced maternal age in Tangshan City,and provide basic data for the treatment,prevention and control of S.aga-lactiae infection.Methods 42 strains of S.agalactiae isolated from pregnant women with advanced maternal age in North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital as well as Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital were collected.Detection of antimicrobial susceptibility and whole genome sequencing of 13 antimi-crobial agents were performed.Results The percentage of tetracycline,erythromycin,levofloxacin,and chloram-phenicol concurrently resistant strains was 7.1%,35.7%of the strains presented multidrug resistance to erythro-mycin,clindamycin,and levofloxacin.The carriage rates of resistance genes ermB and tetM were 66.7%and 47.6%,respectively.29 strains(69.0%)exhibited mutations in both gyrA and parC fluoroquinolone resistance determi-nants.42 strains of S.agalactiae belonged to 4 serotypes,namely ⅠB(35.7%),Ⅲ(33.3%),Ⅴ(26.2%),andⅠA(4.8%);and 11 sequence types(STs),with the highest proportion being ST10(35.7%)and ST19(31.0%);as well as 6 clonal complexes(CCs),among which CC19(42.9%)and CC12(35.7%)had the highest proportion.All S.agalactiae carried virulence factor-encoding genes of cfb,cylE,and pavA.Conclusion The molecular types and serotypes of S.agalactiae carried by pregnant women with advanced maternal age in Tangshan City pre-sent polymorphism,with obvious multidrug resistance,and carry multiple types of drug resistance genes and viru-lence genes.

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