1.Research progress on female reproductive toxicity of bisphenols
Jia PENG ; Xiangzhu YAN ; Jiasi LIU ; Xiaopeng ZHONG ; Simin YAO ; Yiyan MA ; Shuhua TAN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(7):862-869
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Bisphenols (BPs) are extensively used in food packaging, personal care products, and plastics, making them prevalent in both living and working environments, which has raised significant concern. As endocrine-disrupting chemicals, BPs exert toxic effects on the female reproductive system by binding to estrogen receptors, thereby activating or inhibiting the expression of genes related to reproductive functions, which disrupts the normal function of the endocrine system. This paper reviewed the effects of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), and bisphenol F (BPF) on female reproductive function, focusing on three key aspects: the effects on the female reproductive organs, the occurrence of associated reproductive disorders, and the mechanisms of toxicity. Specifically, this review highlighted the effects on ovarian function, uterine morphology and function, and fallopian tube function, as well as their correlation with polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, miscarriage, and eclampsia. Additionally, the toxic mechanisms of BPs exposure were summarized, providing a scientific basis for future research on the impact of BPs on the female reproductive system, as well as for the assessment of potential health risks and the development of preventive measures.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
2.The Critical Roles of GABAergic Interneurons in The Pathological Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
Ke-Han CHEN ; Zheng-Jiang YANG ; Zi-Xin GAO ; Yuan YAO ; De-Zhong YAO ; Yin YANG ; Ke CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2233-2240
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in the elderly, is characterized by severe cognitive decline, loss of daily living abilities, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. This condition imposes a substantial burden on patients, families, and society. Despite extensive research efforts, the complex pathogenesis of AD, particularly the early mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction, remains incompletely understood, posing significant challenges for timely diagnosis and effective therapeutic intervention. Among the various cellular components implicated in AD, GABAergic interneurons have emerged as critical players in the pathological cascade, playing a pivotal role in maintaining neural network integrity and function in key brain regions affected by the disease. GABAergic interneurons represent a heterogeneous population of inhibitory neurons essential for sustaining neural network homeostasis. They achieve this by precisely modulating rhythmic oscillatory activity (e.g., theta and gamma oscillations), which are crucial for cognitive processes such as learning and memory. These interneurons synthesize and release the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, exerting potent control over excitatory pyramidal neurons through intricate local circuits. Their primary mechanism involves synaptic inhibition, thereby modulating the excitability and synchrony of neural populations. Emerging evidence highlights the significant involvement of GABAergic interneuron dysfunction in AD pathogenesis. Contrary to earlier assumptions of their resistance to the disease, specific subtypes exhibit vulnerability or altered function early in the disease process. Critically, this impairment is not merely a consequence but appears to be a key driver of network hyperexcitability, a hallmark feature of AD models and potentially a core mechanism underlying cognitive deficits. For instance, parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons display biphasic alterations in activity. Both suppressing early hyperactivity or enhancing late activity can rescue cognitive deficits, underscoring their causal role. Somatostatin-positive (SST+) neurons are highly sensitive to amyloid β-protein (Aβ) dysfunction. Their functional impairment drives AD progression via a dual pathway: compensatory hyperexcitability promotes Aβ generation, while released SST-14 forms toxic oligomers with Aβ, collectively accelerating neuronal loss and amyloid deposition, forming a vicious cycle. Vasoactive intestinal peptide-positive (VIP+) neurons, although potentially spared in number early in the disease, exhibit altered firing properties (e.g., broader spikes, lower frequency), contributing to network dysfunction (e.g., in CA1). Furthermore, VIP release induced by 40 Hz sensory stimulation (GENUS) enhances glymphatic clearance of Aβ, demonstrating a direct link between VIP neuron function and modulation of amyloid pathology. Given their central role in network stability and their demonstrable dysfunction in AD, GABAergic interneurons represent promising therapeutic targets. Current research primarily explores three approaches: increasing interneuron numbers (e.g., improving cortical PV+ interneuron counts and behavior in APP/PS1 mice with the antidepressant citalopram; transplanting stem cells differentiated into functional GABAergic neurons to enhance cognition), enhancing neuronal activity (e.g., using low-dose levetiracetam or targeted activation of specific molecules to boost PV+ interneuron excitability, restoring neural network γ‑oscillations and memory; non-invasive neuromodulation techniques like 40 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), GENUS, and minimally invasive electroacupuncture to improve inhibitory regulation, promote memory, and reduce Aβ), and direct GABA system intervention (clinical and animal studies reveal reduced GABA levels in AD-affected brain regions; early GABA supplementation improves cognition in APP/PS1 mice, suggesting a therapeutic time window). Collectively, these findings establish GABAergic interneuron intervention as a foundational rationale and distinct pathway for AD therapy. In conclusion, GABAergic interneurons, particularly the PV+, SST+, and VIP+ subtypes, play critical and subtype-specific roles in the initiation and progression of AD pathology. Their dysfunction significantly contributes to network hyperexcitability, oscillatory deficits, and cognitive decline. Understanding the heterogeneity in their vulnerability and response mechanisms provides crucial insights into AD pathogenesis. Targeting these interneurons through pharmacological, neuromodulatory, or cellular approaches offers promising avenues for developing novel, potentially disease-modifying therapies. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
3.Hypoglycemic Effect and Mechanism of ICK Pattern Peptides
Lin-Fang CHEN ; Jia-Fan ZHANG ; Ye-Ning GUO ; Hui-Zhong HUANG ; Kang-Hong HU ; Chen-Guang YAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):50-60
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Diabetes is a very complex endocrine disease whose common feature is the increase in blood glucose concentration. Persistent hyperglycemia can lead to blindness, kidney and heart disease, neurodegeneration, and many other serious complications that have a significant impact on human health and quality of life. The number of people with diabetes is increasing yearly. The global diabetes prevalence in 20-79 year olds in 2021 was estimated to be 10.5% (536.6 million), and it will rise to 12.2% (783.2 million) in 2045. The main modes of intervention for diabetes include medication, dietary management, and exercise conditioning. Medication is the mainstay of treatment. Marketed diabetes drugs such as metformin and insulin, as well as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are effective in controlling blood sugar levels to some extent, but the preventive and therapeutic effects are still unsatisfactory. Peptide drugs have many advantages such as low toxicity, high target specificity, and good biocompatibility, which opens up new avenues for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases. Currently, insulin and its analogs are by far the main life-saving drugs in clinical diabetes treatment, enabling effective control of blood glucose levels, but the risk of hypoglycemia is relatively high and treatment is limited by the route of delivery. New and oral anti-diabetic drugs have always been a market demand and research hotspot. Inhibitor cystine knot (ICK) peptides are a class of multifunctional cyclic peptides. In structure, they contain three conserved disulfide bonds (C3-C20, C7-C22, and C15-C32) form a compact “knot” structure, which can resist degradation of digestive protease. Recent studies have shown that ICK peptides derived from legume, such as PA1b, Aglycin, Vglycin, Iglycin, Dglycin, and aM1, exhibit excellent regulatory activities on glucose and lipid metabolism at the cellular and animal levels. Mechanistically, ICK peptides promote glucose utilization by muscle and liver through activation of IR/AKT signaling pathway, which also improves insulin resistance. They can repair the damaged pancrease through activation of PI3K/AKT/Erk signaling pathway, thus lowering blood glucose. The biostability and hypoglycemic efficacy of the ICK peptides meet the requirements for commercialization of oral drugs, and in theory, they can be developed into natural oral anti-diabetes peptide drugs. In this review, the structural properties, activity and mechanism of ICK pattern peptides in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism were summaried, which provided a reference for the development of new oral peptides for diabetes. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
4.Association Between the Coexistence of Chronic Non-communicable Diseases and Quality of Life in Middle-aged and Elderly People Living with HIV/AIDS
Yao ZHANG ; Chi ZHANG ; Cong LIU ; Haidan ZHONG ; Peishan DU ; Quanmin LI ; Linghua LI ; Jing GU
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2025;46(1):161-171
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence rate of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the association with quality of life in middle-aged and elderly patients with HIV/AIDS. MethodsThis cross-sectional study surveyed 432 patients with HIV/AIDS (aged≥45 years) in the Infectious Disease Center in Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, and 366 participants were included in the analysis after quality control. A questionnaire and the EuroQol 5-Dimensional 3-level version (EQ-5D-3L) were used to investigate NCDs and quality of life and Tobit regression model was used to estimate the association between chronic diseases and quality of life. ResultsAmong the 366 participants, 29(7.9%) had cardiovascular disease, 45(12.3%) had hypertension, 122(33.3%) had hyperglycemia, 151(41.3%)had hyperlipidemia,7(1.9%) had cancer, 17 (4.6%) had chronic kidney disease, 38 (10.4%) had chronic liver disease, 21(5.7%) had musculoskeletal disorders, and 253(69.1%) suffered from at least one type of chronic diseases. The median (lower and upper quartiles) of EQ-5D utility index was 1.000(0.964~1.000). Multivariate Tobit regression results of the total population showed that cancer [ba=-0.08,95%CI (-0.15,-0.01),P=0.036], chronic kidney disease [ba=-0.07, 95%CI (-0.12,-0.02),P=0.006], musculoskeletal disease [ba=-0.09, 95%CI (-0.13, -0.05),P<0.001], and ≥3 types of chronic diseases[ba=-0.05, 95%CI(-0.08,-0.01),P=0.013] were negatively correlated with EQ-5D utility index. The stratified analysis results of different CD4+T cell levels showed that hypertension [ba=-0.07, 95%CI (-0.12, -0.02), P=0.007], chronic kidney disease [ba=-0.10,95%CI (-0.18,-0.03), P=0.006], musculoskeletal disease [ba=-0.15, 95%CI (-0.22,-0.07), P<0.001] and ≥3 types of chronic diseases [ba=-0.09, 95%CI (-0.09, -0.01), P<0.001] were negatively correlated with EQ-5D utility index in the group with CD4≤500 (cells/μL), whereas cancer[ba=-0.11, 95%CI (-0.20,-0.01), P=0.031] was negatively correlated with EQ-5D utility index in the group with CD4>500(cells/μL). ConclusionsThe prevalence rate of chronic non-communicable diseases in middle-aged and elderly patients with HIV/AIDS is relatively high. The classification of NCDs such as cancer or chronic kidney disease or other chronic diseases and the numbers of NCDs categories are negatively correlated with quality of life. However,this association varies among patients with HIV/AIDS of different CD4+T cell levels. It is suggested that we should try to prevent and identify NCDs at an early stage, strengthen linkages and integration of health services for AIDS and chronic NCDs, and jointly manage and control AIDS with chronic diseases to improve the quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
5.Status risk factors and prevention and control strategies of familial aggregation of Helicobacter pylori infection
Lihua SONG ; Sijing HAN ; Shuqin REN ; Wen YANG ; Sihong DING ; Yixin ZHONG ; Yao QIN ; Huiyue ZHANG ; Yang ZHANG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2024;35(2):148-151
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective  To investigate the status of familial aggregation of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in Jinniu District, Chengdu, and analyze its risk factors so as to provide a basis for developing prevention and control strategies of family aggregation of Hp infection.  Methods  A total of 172 subjects in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College · 416 Hospital of Nuclear Industry from January 2022 to January 2023 were selected as the research subjects. All subjects underwent 13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT) to diagnose whether there was Hp infection. Analyze the current situation of family aggregation of Hp infection in the region, collect general data of survey subjects, analyze the relevant factors affecting Hp family aggregation infection, and develop prevention and control strategies based on this. Results A total of 242 people from 97 households were surveyed, and the Hp family aggregation rate was 29.33%. Univariate analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in family aggregation of Hp infection in terms of different age groups (χ2=9.719, P=0.008), marital status (χ2=8.496, P=0.014), occupations (χ2=19.462, P<0.001), frequencies of dining out (χ2=5.457, P=0.019), previous Hp test results (χ2 =4.131, P=0.042) and test results after treatment (χ2=12.000, P=0.001), with statistical significance (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the frequency of dining out 2 days or more per week and a positive Hp test results in the past were risk factors for family aggregation of Hp infection, while the occupation of teachers/medical staff/management/technology personnel and a negative Hp results after treatment were protective factors (P<0.05).   Conclusion  Family aggregation of Hp infection is related to family members' occupation, frequency of dining out, previous Hp test results and Hp test results after eradication, which deserves attention in clinical practice.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
6.Application of Eurorad database in the teaching of radiology in standardized residency training: A case study of teaching film-reading
Jingyu ZHONG ; Qinhua MIN ; Caisong ZHU ; Zhenmin JIANG ; Yifan WANG ; Huan ZHANG ; Weiwu YAO
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2024;23(1):134-139
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			The teaching of radiology in standardized residency training needs a large number of case data to strengthen the subjective understanding and awareness of residents. The database built by residency training bases can meet the needs of teaching to a certain extent, but the conditions of training bases vary across regions, which makes it difficult to achieve homogeneity in the teaching of radiology. This article discusses the application of Eurorad database in the teaching of radiology in standardized residency training. This database is free of charge, reliable, and comprehensive and provides a large number of free reliable cases and images for teaching, covering both common and rare diseases. Moreover, it can also be used to cultivate the English ability and comprehensive quality of residents and help to establish a hierarchical training system for radiology and non-radiology residents, thereby promoting the improvement in the quality of standardized residency training. This article shows the potential value of Eurorad database in the teaching of radiology in standardized residency training, and comparative studies are needed in the future to further prove its effectiveness.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
7.Health care workers'cognition status towards allergy reactions to com-monly used antimicrobial agents
Xian-Luo DING ; Zhong-Ming SUN ; Zi-Yan YAO ; Hao-Jun ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(3):284-290
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective To analyze the cognition level of health care workers(HCWs)and the management status of various levels of medical institutions towards allergy reactions to commonly used antimicrobial agents.Methods HCWs and clinical pharmacists who were related to the diagnosis and treatment of antimicrobial agents in 14 medical institutions of city-level and autonomous prefectures in Gansu Province were randomly selected for a questionnaire survey.The survey contents included respondents'basic information,criteria for judging antimicrobial allergy,awareness on procedures related to antimicrobial allergy,and antimicrobial management level of different levels of medical institutions.Results A total of 8 670 valid questionnaires from HCWs were collected,including 3 300 phy-sicians,5 024 nurses and 328 pharmacists.160,775,2 123 and 5 612 HCWs were with senior,associate,interme-diate and junior professional titles,respectively.87.66%of the HCWs received relevant training on antimicrobial management in the past two years,the proportion of HCWs from different levels of medical institutions who have received training on antimicrobial management in the past two years was statistically significant different(x2=42.668,P<0.001).HCWs with senior professional titles had the highest proportion of receiving relevant training(93.75%),there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of receiving antimicrobial management training among HCWs with different professional titles in the past two years(x2=69.782,P<0.001).50.98%of HCWs were not clear about penicillin allergy,and most of whom were with junior professional titles,accounting for 68.52%.25.19%of HCWs expressed uncertainty about whether patients with penicillin allergy could use cephalosporins,225 of whom were with associate professional titles,accounting for 29.03%of the total number of HCWs with associate profe-ssional titles.6.11%of HCWs had no experience in skin test procedure;46.94%of HCWs expressed that their medical institutions had no or unclear about whether their medical institutions had an antimicrobial allergy assess-ment team.Conclusion HCWs'judgment on allergy reactions to commonly used antimicrobial agents and aware-ness on antimicrobial application is not high enough,and the overall management level of antimicrobial allergy in all levels of medical institutions is poor.The popularity of antimicrobial allergy assessment teams is not high,and there is an urgent need to strengthen supervision,management,training,et al.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
8.Effects of microsurgical varicocelectomy on testicular function and sexual function in patients with varicocele
Cheng TIAN ; Xu CAO ; Yue-Yue YANG ; Jie GAO ; Yu-Xiao ZENG ; Jian-Zhong YAO
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(3):213-216
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective To investigate the effects of microsurgical varicocelectomy on testicular function and sexual function in patients with varicocele.Methods The clinical data of 90 patients with varicocele admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analyzed,and the patients were divided into the laparoscopic group(received laparoscopic varicocelectomy)and the microscopic group(received microsurgical varicocelectomy)according to different surgical methods,with 45 cases in each group.The testicular function and sexual function related indexes including sperm density,normal sperm ratio,rate of sperm motility(grades a+b),forward motility sperm rate,international index of erectile function-5(IIEF-5)score,and the levels of testosterone,follicle-stimulating hormone,luteinizing hormone,and androgen levels before and 6 months after surgery in the two groups were compared.The incidence of complications and recurrence 6 months after surgery in the two groups were counted.Results Compared with those before surgery,the sperm density,forward motility sperm rate,rate of sperm motility(grades a+b),normal sperm ratio,IIEF-5 score,testosterone level,and androgen level 6 months after surgery of patients in the two groups were significantly increased(P<0.05),and the levels of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone were decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the laparoscopic group,the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone,and incidence of complications 6 months after surgery of patients in the microscopic group were decreased(P<0.05),and the levels of testosterone and androgens,and IIEF-5 score 6 months after surgery were increased(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Microsurgical varicocelectomy can improve the testicular function and sexual function of patients with varicocele,with a low incidence of complications.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
9.Effects of compatibility ratio and processing method on contents of nine constituents in combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus
Jian-Zhong HOU ; Shun-Juan ZHU ; Yao LI ; Xiao-Peng WANG ; Jian-Ming HAO ; Yun-Fei CAO
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(1):156-161
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			AIM To investigate the effects of different compatibility ratios and processing method on the content of rutin,isoquercetin,ferulic acid,quercetin,isotoosendanin,kaempferol,toosendanin,α-pinene,trans-anethole in the combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus,and to explore the optimal compatibility ratio for its use.METHODS The analysis of HPLC-DAD was performed on a 30℃thermostatic ZORBAX SB C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the use of DAD detector.SPSS 24.0 software was used to analyze the data differences.RESULTS Nine constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 1),whose average recoveries were 96.19%-103.13%with the RSDs of 1.86%-2.67%.Generally higher total content of nine constituents were detected in the combination use groups when Toosendan Fructus-Foeniculi Fructus were at ratios of 1 ∶ 1,1 ∶ 2,and 2 ∶ 1 than those single uses(P<0.05),and among which the 1 ∶ 1 ratio contributed the highest total content.After salt processing,decreased content of toosendanin and isotoosendanin,α-pinene and trans-anethole(P<0.05,P<0.01)),increased isoquercetin content(P<0.01),and no significant content changes of other ingredients were detected.CONCLUSION Through this method of high accuracy and good reproducibility,we learn that the combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus promotes the dissolution of the nine constituents,and the maximum content is achieved at ratio of 1 ∶ 1.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
10.Study on the Anti-Inflammatory and Antifungal Effects of Taste-Masked Lithospermum Safflower Emulsion
Wenbo YUAN ; Hongyao ZHONG ; Xinyi CHENG ; Kun WEI ; Ying YAO
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;40(8):812-822
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			OBJECTIVE To explore the anti-inflammatory and antifungal action mechanism of taste-masked Lithospermum Saf-flower emulsion in vivo and in vitro.METHODS In vitro,the anti-inflammatory effect was detected by MTT assay,qPCR and ELISA.The anti-fungal effect of the product was investigated by broth dilution experiment,bactericidal kinetics,germ tube inhibition and XTT reduction test.In vivo,the effect was evaluated and the mechanism was investigated on the skin disease model of Candida al-bicans in mice.RESULTS Lithospermum in taste-masked Lithospermum Safflower emulsion had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of RAW264.7 cells,and Safflower inhibited the production of IL-6 induced by LPS in a dose-dependent manner.Litho-spermum significantly inhibited the activity of Candida albicans,and its bactericidal mode is time-and concentration-dependent;Lithospermum significantly reduced the formation of Candida albicans germ tubes and destroyed its biofilm;Safflower had no direct kill-ing effect on Candida albicans,was not able to inhibit its biofilm formation,but significantly reduced the hyphal growth of Candida al-bicans and increased its ROS level.CONCLUSION The combination of Lithospermum and Safflower in the taste-masked Lithosper-mum Safflower emulsion can work synergistically to reduce inflammatory damage and treat Candida albicans infection of the skin.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
            

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