1.Plasma miRNA testing in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter real-world study
Jie HU ; Ying XU ; Ao HUANG ; Lei YU ; Zheng WANG ; Xiaoying WANG ; Xinrong YANG ; Zhenbin DING ; Qinghai YE ; Yinghong SHI ; Shuangjian QIU ; Huichuan SUN ; Qiang GAO ; Jia FAN ; Jian ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2025;32(3):350-354
Objective To explore the application of plasma 7 microRNA (miR7) testing in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods This study is a multicenter real-world study. Patients with single hepatic lesion (maximum diameter≤2 cm) who underwent plasma miR7 testing at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Anhui Provincial Hospital, and Peking University People’s Hospital between January 2019 and December 2024 were retrospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into very early-stage HCC group and non-HCC group, and the clinical pathological characteristics of the two groups were compared. The value of plasma miR7 levels, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in the differential diagnosis of very early-stage HCC was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC). In patients with both negative AFP and DCP (AFP<20 ng/mL, DCP<40 mAU/mL), the diagnostic value of plasma miR7 for very early-stage HCC was analyzed. Results A total of 64 528 patients from 4 hospitals underwent miR7 testing, and 1 682 were finally included, of which 1 073 were diagnosed with very early-stage HCC and 609 were diagnosed with non-HCC. The positive rate of miR7 in HCC patients was significantly higher than that in non-HCC patients (67.9% vs 24.3%, P<0.001). ROC curves showed that the AUCs for miR7, AFP, and DCP in distinguishing HCC patients from the non-HCC individuals were 0.718, 0.682, and 0.642, respectively. The sensitivities were 67.85%, 43.71%, and 44.45%, and the specificities were 75.70%, 92.78%, and 83.91%, respectively. The pairwise comparison of AUCs showed that the diagnostic efficacy of plasma miR7 detection was significantly better than that of AFP or DCP (P<0.05). Although its specificity was slightly lower than AFP and DCP, the sensitivity was significantly higher. Among patients negative for both AFP and DCP, miR7 maintained an AUC of 0.728 for diagnosing very early-stage HCC, with 67.82% sensitivity and 77.73% specificity. Conclusions Plasma miR7 testing is a potential molecular marker with high sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of small hepatic nodules. In patients with very early-stage HCC lacking effective molecular markers (negative for both AFP and DCP), miR7 can serve as a novel and effective molecular marker to assist diagnosis.
2.Discovery of proqodine A derivatives with antitumor activity targeting NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 and nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase.
Jiangzhou SONG ; Guiqing ZOU ; Zhou ZHAO ; Ya ZHU ; Jiayu XUE ; Lanjia AO ; Huiyong SUN ; Haiping HAO ; Bo ZHANG ; Xiaowei XU
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2024;22(1):75-88
NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is a flavin protease highly expressed in various cancer cells. NQO1 catalyzes a futile redox cycle in substrates, leading to substantial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This ROS generation results in extensive DNA damage and elevated poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1)-mediated consumption of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), ultimately causing cell death. Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the rate-limiting enzyme in the NAD+ salvage synthesis pathway, emerges as a critical target in cancer therapy. The concurrent inhibition of NQO1 and NAMPT triggers hyperactivation of PARP1 and intensive NAD+ depletion. In this study, we designed, synthesized, and assessed a novel series of proqodine A derivatives targeting both NQO1 and NAMPT. Among these, compound T8 demonstrated potent antitumor properties. Specifically, T8 selectively inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells and induced apoptosis through mechanisms dependent on both NQO1 and NAMPT. This discovery offers a promising new molecular entity for advancing anticancer research.
Humans
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NAD/metabolism*
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Cell Line, Tumor
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Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism*
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Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase/metabolism*
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Cytokines/metabolism*
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Quinones
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Oxidoreductases
3.Effect of tibial nerve injury on treatment of tibial single-plane osteotomy and bone transport
Ao XU ; Bin WANG ; Jun FANG ; Cuiwei BAI ; Zichen LYU ; Kang CHENG ; Yongxin ZHENG ; Hongtao WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(12):1925-1930
BACKGROUND:Peripheral nerves play an important role in bone metabolism.In clinical practice,the specific impact of nerve injury on bone transport technology needs further study. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of tibial nerve injury on the treatment of tibial slip by single-plane osteotomy. METHODS:Thirty-two patients with tibial bone defects admitted to Tangshan Second Hospital from May 2011 to June 2022 were selected.According to the presence or absence of tibial nerve injury,patients were divided into the tibial nerve injury group(n=16)and the non-tibial nerve injury group(n=16).Both groups were treated with single-plane osteotomy and bone slip.After treatment,the patients were followed up to collect the mineralization zone healing index,external fixation index,docking point healing and needle infection.After the removal of external fixation,the bone healing and functional evaluation were evaluated by a classification of the Association for the Study and Application of the Method of Ilizarov(ASAMI). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)All 32 patients were followed up for(25.28±4.79)months.There were no significant differences in bone healing time,external fixation time,healing index and external fixation index between the two groups(P>0.05).Needle infection occurred in two cases of the tibial nerve injury group and one case of the non-tibial nerve injury group,all of which were PALEY I,and there was no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05).The non-union rate of the occlusal end of the tibial nerve injury group was 31%,and that of the non-tibial nerve injury group was 13%;there was no statistical difference between the two groups(P>0.05).The excellent and good rate of ASAMI bone healing score in the two groups was 100%;the excellent and good rate of limb score was 81%in the tibial nerve injury group and 94%in the non-tibial nerve injury group;there was no statistical difference between the two groups(P>0.05).(2)Our research shows that tibial nerve injury has no significant effect on the mineralization speed,external fixation time,union of the occlusal end,infection of the needle tract,and the quality of bone formation in the mineralized area of the single-plane osteotomy.
4.Risk analysis of hypertension among community-dwellers at risk for high blood pressure in Minhang District of Shanghai
Tongtong LIANG ; Jun LI ; Jinling ZHANG ; Yuhong AO ; Jiali YANG ; Huilin XU
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;36(1):59-63
ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence of hypertension and its influencing factors in community-dwellers at risk for high blood pressure in Minhang District of Shanghai, and to provide scientific evidence for the community management. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted using the electronic health records of community-dwellers at risk for high blood pressure in Minhang District, Shanghai from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2017. The study end-point was the occurrence of hypertension,and the followup was finished in December 2021. A total of 17 265 community-dwellers at risk for high blood pressure were enrolled in our study. Log-rank test and Cox regression analysis were used to determine the influencing factors. ResultsAfter 6.04 years of follow-up, the hypertension incidence among community-dwellers at risk for high blood pressure in Minhang District of Shanghai was 25.5%. Family history of hypertension (HR=1.250, 95%CI: 1.168‒1.338), family history of stroke (HR=1.295, 95%CI: 1.080‒1.553), history of diabetes (HR=1.203, 95%CI: 1.076‒1.345), daily smoking (HR=1.187, 95%CI: 1.087‒1.296), overweight (HR=1.393, 95%CI:1.308‒1.484), obesity(HR=1.903, 95%CI: 1.719‒2.106), high values of normal blood pressure (HR=1.275, 95%CI: 1.195‒1.359) and advanced age (HR=1.033, 95%CI: 1.030‒1.036) were all risk factors. Emaciation (HR=0.649, 95%CI: 0.500‒0.840) was a protective factors. ConclusionBlood pressure monitoring should be strengthened for people elderly, with family history of hypertension, family history of stroke, diabetes or high values of normal blood pressure, so as to diagnose hypertension early. Timely intervention measures should be taken for community-dwellers with unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, overweight and obesity.
5.A meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of robotic surgery versus open surgery in the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma
Manqin HU ; Dingwei XU ; Yan ZHANG ; Ao LI ; Xincheng LI ; Jie HUANG
Chinese Journal of Hepatobiliary Surgery 2024;30(1):62-66
Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of robotic surgery and open surgery in the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.Methods:PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang database were searched to compare the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma by robotic surgery and traditional open surgery. Literatures were searched from the establishment of the database to July 2023. Compare operation time, intraoperative blood transfusion rate, R 0 resection rate, lymph node metastasis rate, postoperative complication rate and hospital stays between the two groups. The combined odds ratio ( OR) and mean difference ( MD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using RevMan 5.4 software. Results:A total of 4 studies were included, including 267 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. There were 177 males and 90 females, aged (58.8±5.7) years. A total of 267 patients were divided into open surgery group ( n=165) and robotic surgery group ( n=102) according to the surgical formula. The extract results show: operative time ( MD=-103.96, 95% CI: -216.90-8.98, P=0.070) and intraoperative blood transfusion rate ( OR=1.32, 95% CI: 0.43-4.07, P=0.630), R 0 resection rate ( OR=1.41, 95% CI: 0.71-2.81, P=0.330), lymph node metastasis rate ( OR=1.62, 95% CI: 0.46-5.63, P=0.450), postoperative complications ( OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.28-1.31, P=0.200), and postoperative hospital stay ( MD=2.17, 95% CI: -11.56-15.90, P=0.760). Conclusion:In the treatment of hilar cholangiocarcinoma, robotic surgery is as safe and feasible as open surgery. However, due to the limited number and quality of included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.
6.Interactions Between Intelligent Animals and Electronic Technology: Current State and Future Prospects
Jin-Jing ZHAO ; Yang-Fan ZHOU ; Bing-Ao ZHANG ; Ming YI ; Hong JIANG ; Sheng-Yong XU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(4):890-911
Human-animal interaction has a long-standing tradition dating back to ancient times. With the rapid advancements in intelligent chips, wearable devices, and machine algorithms, the intelligent interaction between animals and electronic technology, facilitated by electronic devices and systems for communication, perception, and control, has become a reality. These electronic devices aim to implement an animal-centric working mode to enhance human understanding of animals and promote the development of animal intelligence and creativity. This article takes medium-sized and large animals as research objects, with the goal of developing their ability enhancement, and introduces the concept of “intelligent animal augmentation system (IAAS)”. This concept is used to describe the characteristics of such devices and provides a comprehensive overview of existing animal and computer interface solutions. In general, IAAS can be divided into implantable and non-implantable types, each composed of interface platforms, perception and interpretation, control and instruction components. Through various levels of enhancement systems and architectural patterns, intelligent interaction between humans and animals can be realized. Although existing IAAS still lack a complete independent interaction system architecture, they hold great promise and development space in the future. Not only can they be applied as substitutes for cutting-edge devices and transportation equipment, but they are also expected to achieve cross-species information interaction through intelligent interconnection. Additionally, IAAS can promote bidirectional interaction between humans and animals, playing a significant role in advancing animal ethics and ecological protection. Furthermore, the development of interaction models based on animal subjects can provide insightful research experiences for the design of human-computer interaction systems, thereby contributing to the more efficient realization of the ambitious goal of human-machine integration.
7.Conformational Engineering of Antibody Fragments on The Surface of Platinum Nanoparticles
Ling-Jie SHENG ; Jia XU ; Jing-Jing DAI ; Hai-Fang WANG ; Ao-Neng CAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(3):647-657
ObjectiveRecent successful restoration of the native conformation and function of the complementary-determining regions (CDRs) of antibodies on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) demonstrates that the era of molecular conformational engineering is dawning. Basically, molecular conformational engineering aims to precisely tune flexible non-functional molecules into special conformations to carry out novel functions, in the same way as protein folding. In order to explore the general applicability of molecular conformational engineering, as well as to reveal the mechanism of protein structure-function relationship, the objective of this work is to restore the native conformation and function of the CDRs of an antibody on platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). MethodsThe CDR fragment of the anti-lysozyme antibody cAB-lys3, which has no stable conformation or function in free state, was conjugated onto the surface of PtNPs through two Pt-S bonds. The original antigen-recognizing function of the CDR restored on PtNPs was assessed by the specific inhibition of the enzymatic activity of lysozyme by the PtNP-CDR conjugates. ResultsAfter optimization of the peptide density on the surface of PtNPs and modification of PtNPs with polyethylene glycol (PEG), the resulted PtNP-based hybrid artificial antibody (PtNP-10PEG-30P1), dubbed Platinumbody, could bind specifically to lysozyme and significantly inhibit the activity of lysozyme. ConclusionThis is the first time that the fragment of a protein could refold on PtNPs. Together with the previous Goldbody and Silverbody, current work demonstrates that artificial proteins could be generally created by restoration of the native conformation of natural proteins fragments on NPs.
8.The expression mechanism of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 and its role in immunomodulatory ability of mesenchymal stem cells
Zhuo CHEN ; Meng-Wei YAO ; Xiang AO ; Qing-Jia GONG ; Yi YANG ; Jin-Xia LIU ; Qi-Zhou LIAN ; Xiang XU ; Ling-Jing ZUO
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2024;27(1):1-10
Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an important immunosuppressive molecule, which inhibits the function of T cells and other immune cells by binding to the receptor programmed cell death-1. The PD-L1 expression disorder plays an important role in the occurrence, development, and treatment of sepsis or other inflammatory diseases, and has become an important target for the treatment of these diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a kind of pluripotent stem cells with multiple differentiation potential. In recent years, MSCs have been found to have a strong immunosuppressive ability and are used to treat various inflammatory insults caused by hyperimmune diseases. Moreover, PD-L1 is deeply involved in the immunosuppressive events of MSCs and plays an important role in the treatment of various diseases. In this review, we will summarize the main regulatory mechanism of PD-L1 expression, and discuss various biological functions of PD-L1 in the immune regulation of MSCs.
9.Exploring the factors affecting music-related quality of life in post-lingual deaf adults with cochlear implants
Ye YANG ; Xiaoyun QIAN ; Liguo GENG ; Yaofeng JIANG ; Junyan GAO ; Li HUANG ; Ao LI ; Ning ZHAO ; Yuqin XU ; Guangjie ZHU ; Xia GAO
Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2024;59(1):27-33
Objective:To observe the feelings of listening to music and the importance of music in the daily life of post-lingual deaf adults with cochlear implants, and to explore the relevant influencing factors.Methods:This was a cross-sectional survey study. From January 2021 to August 2021,the Music-Related Quality of Life Scale was used to evaluate the music needs and music experiences of 63 post-lingual deaf adults who met the inclusion criteria, including 27 males and 36 females, aged (40.7±12.3) years, at the time of surgery (36.8±13.1) years, and with a preoperative hearing aid ineffective time of (3.9±5.8) years. Indicators analyzed included age, duration of ineffective preoperative hearing aid wear, preoperative music preference, duration of postoperative cochlear implant use, current hearing aid modality, and auditory rehabilitation outcomes. Whether the six factors mentioned above constituted an influence on the subjects′ music listening was investigated using SPSS 25.0 statistical software.Results:All of the observations in the scale were correlated with a single factor. The two sub-dimensions of music experience section were related to the effect of auditory rehabilitation. In the importance section, the effect of auditory rehabilitation was the influential factor of the dimension of "participation importance", and the preoperative enjoyment of music was the relevant influential factor of the dimension of "perceived importance". There was a significant difference between the groups when they were grouped by the above factors ( P value<0.05), while there was no statistically significance between the groups when they were grouped by other factors ( P value>0.05). Conclusions:Post-lingual deaf adults show the need and attempt to listen to music after cochlear implantation. The effectiveness of auditory rehabilitation and the degree of music preference preoperatively are two important factors that influence music listening in implant recipients. Once the level of auditory communication has been restored to a certain degree, it is important to pay more attention to the needs of music for implant recipients and train them in time, especially for those with music preferences preoperatively.
10.Metabolomic Analysis of Mesenteric Lymph Fluid in Rats After Alcohol Gavage
Yuan ZHANG ; Zi-Ye MENG ; Wen-Bo LI ; Yu-Meng JING ; Gui-Chen LIU ; Zi-Yao HAO ; Xiu XU ; Zhen-Ao ZHAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(9):2194-2209
ObjectiveThe absorption of substances into blood is mainly dependent on the mesenteric lymphatic pathway and the portal venous pathway. The substances transported via the portal venous pathway can be metabolized by the biotransformation in the liver. On the contrary, the substances in the mesenteric lymph fluid enter the blood circulation without biotransformation and can affect the body directly. Alcohol consumption is strongly linked to global health risk. Previous reports have analyzed the changes of metabolites in plasma, serum, urine, liver and feces after alcohol consumption. Whether alcohol consumption affects the metabolites in lymph fluid is still unknown. Therefore, it is particularly important to explore the changes of substances transported via the mesenteric lymphatic pathway and analyze their harmfulness after alcohol drinking. MethodsIn this study, male Wistar rats were divided into high, medium, and low-dosage alcohol groups (receiving Chinese Baijiu at 56%, 28% and 5.6% ABV, respectively) and water groups. The experiment was conducted by alcohol gavage lasting 10 d, 10 ml·kg-1·d-1. Then mesenteric lymph fluid was collected for non-targeted metabolomic analysis by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and bioinformatic analysis. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering were performed by using Biodeep. Meanwhile, KEGG enrichment analysis of the differential metabolites was also performed by Biodeep. MetaboAnalyst was used to analyze the relationship between the differential metabolites and diseases. ResultsThe metabolites in the mesenteric lymph fluid of the high-dosage alcohol group change the most. Based on the KEGG enrichment analysis, the pathways of differential metabolites between the high-dosage alcohol group and the control group are mainly enriched in the central carbon metabolism in cancer, bile secretion, linoleic acid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, etc. Interestingly, in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids category, the content of arachidonic acid is increased by 7.25 times, whereas the contents of palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, arachidic acid and erucic acid all decrease, indicating lipid substances in lymph fluid are absorbed selectively after alcohol intake. It’s worth noting that arachidonic acid is closely related to inflammatory response. Furthermore, the differential metabolites are mainly related with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and lung cancer. The differential metabolites between the medium-dosage alcohol and the control group were mainly enriched in phenylalanine metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, linoleic acid metabolism and cholesterol metabolism. The differential metabolites are mainly related to schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, lung cancer and Parkinson’s disease. As the dose of alcohol increases, the contents of some metabolites in lymph fluid increase, including cholesterol, L-leucine, fumaric acid and mannitol, and the number of metabolites related to schizophrenia also tends to increase, indicatingthat some metabolites absorbed by the intestine-lymphatic pathway are dose-dependent on alcohol intake. ConclusionAfter alcohol intake, the metabolites transported via the intestinal-lymphatic pathway are significantly changed, especially in the high-dosage group. Some metabolites absorbed via the intestinal-lymphatic pathway are dose-dependent on alcohol intake. Most importantly, alcohol intake may cause inflammatory response and the occurrence of neurological diseases, psychiatric diseases and cancer diseases. High-dosage drinking may aggravate or accelerate the occurrence of related diseases. These results provide new insights into the pathogenesis of alcohol-related diseases based on the intestinal-lymphatic pathway.

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