1.Regulation of Relevant Signaling Pathways by Traditional Chinese Medicine in Intervention of Pancreatic Cancer: A Review
Quanyou ZHAO ; Conghui ZHAO ; Yu ZHANG ; Yiping FU ; Yuting LIU ; Xiaoran WANG ; Zhanzhan LI ; Mingsan MIAO ; Li BAI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(5):280-289
Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant solid tumor of the digestive system with extremely poor treatment prognosis. Although its incidence rate is low, its mortality rate is extremely high. In recent years, the number of diagnosed cases worldwide has continued to rise, making pancreatic cancer the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Currently, clinical treatment primarily relies on operation and chemotherapy to suppress tumors. However, these approaches face challenges such as suboptimal efficacy, high postoperative recurrence rates, and severe adverse reactions. Therefore, identifying safe and effective treatment modalities remains a pressing challenge for the medical community. In recent years, research on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions for pancreatic cancer has increased significantly. Multiple studies have shown that single-herb TCM, TCM formulas, and their derived single compounds can regulate the levels of tumor cell signaling pathways through multiple action targets. They inhibit the development and progression of pancreatic cancer by inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, promoting cell apoptosis, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, reducing cancer cell invasion and migration capabilities, regulating the cell cycle, and modulating the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, TCM has the advantages of significantly enhancing the anticancer efficacy of chemotherapy drugs and causing fewer adverse reactions. However, the specific action mechanisms by which TCM intervenes in pancreatic cancer remain unclear. Further extensive research is still needed to validate the role of regulating classical signaling pathways such as phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Wnt/β-catenin, nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB), notch, and hedgehog in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, this paper reviewed Chinese and international studies on TCM intervention in pancreatic cancer through relevant signaling pathways in recent years, summarized the potential action mechanisms of TCM in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, and provided references for related research in the future.
2.Proportions of memory T cells and expression of their associated cytokines in lymph nodes of mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis
Yinshi LI ; Duolikun ADILAI ; Bingqing DENG ; Ainiwaer ABIDAN ; Sheng SUN ; Wenying XIAO ; Conghui GE ; Na TANG ; Jing LI ; Hui WANG ; Tao JIANG ; Chuanshan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2025;37(2):136-143
Objective To investigate the effects of Echinococcus multilocularis infection on levels of memory T (Tm) cells and their subsets in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of infection, so as to provide new insights into immunotherapy for alveolarechinococcosis. MethodsTwenty-four C57BL/6J mice aged 6 to 9 weeks were randomly divided into the infection group and the control group, of 12 mice in each group. Mice in the infection group were administered with 3 000 E. multilocularis protoscoleces via portal venous injection, while animals in the control group were administered with an equal volume of physiological saline. Three mice from each group were sacrificed 4, 12 weeks and 24 weeks post-infection, and lymph nodes were sampled and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to investigate the histopathological changes of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group. The expression and localization of T lymphocyte surface markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 were observed in mouse lymph nodes using immunohistochemical staining. In addition, lymphocyte suspensions were prepared from mouse lymph nodes in both groups at different time points post-infection, and the levels of Tm cell subsets and their secreted cytokines were detected using flow cytometry. Results HE staining showed diffuse structural alterations in the subcapsular cortical and paracortical regions of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group 4 weeks post-infection with E. multilocularis. Immunohistochemical staining detected CD3, CD4 and CD8 expression in mouse lymph nodes in both groups. Flow cytometry revealed higher proportions of CD4+ Tm cells [(55.3 ± 4.8)% vs. (38.8 ± 6.1)%; t = -4.259, P < 0.05] and CD4+ tissue-resident Tm (Trm) cells [(57.7 ± 3.7)% vs. (34.1 ± 11.2)%; t = -3.990, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks post-infection, and higher proportions of CD4+ Tm cells [(34.6 ± 3.2)% vs. (23.3 ± 7.5)%; t = -2.764, P < 0.05] and CD4+ Trm cells [(44.0 ± 1.9)% vs. (31.2 ± 1.5)%; t = -4.039, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. The proportions of CD8+ Tm cells were higher in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks [(56.8 ± 2.7)% vs. (43.9 ± 5.2)%; t = -4.416, P < 0.01] and 12 weeks post-infection [(25.4 ± 2.7)% vs. (12.0 ± 2.6)%; t = -2.552, P < 0.05], while the proportions of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α+ CD4+ T cells [(15.7 ± 5.0)% vs. (49.4 ± 6.4)%; t = 7.150, P < 0.01], TNF-α+CD8+ T cells [(20.7 ± 5.5)% vs. (57.5 ± 8.4)%; t = -6.694, P < 0.01], and TNF-α+ CD8+ Tm cells [7.0% (1.0%) vs. 31.0% (11.0%); Z = -2.236, P < 0.05] were lower in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. Conclusions Tm cells levels are consistently increased in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of E. multilocularis infection, with Trm cells as the predominantly elevated subset. The impaired capacity of CD8+ Tm cells to secrete the effector molecule TNF-α in mouse lymph nodes at the late-stage infection may facilitate chronic parasitism of E. multilocularis.
3.Erratum: Author correction to "The novel ER stress inducer Sec C triggers apoptosis by sulfating ER cysteine residues and degrading YAP via ER stress in pancreatic cancer cells" Acta Pharm Sin B 12 (2022) 210-227.
Junxia WANG ; Minghua CHEN ; Mengyan WANG ; Wenxia ZHAO ; Conghui ZHANG ; Xiujun LIU ; Meilian CAI ; Yuhan QIU ; Tianshu ZHANG ; Huimin ZHOU ; Wuli ZHAO ; Shuyi SI ; Rongguang SHAO
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1208-1209
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.07.004.].
4.In vitro oral simulation evaluation of palatability and chewability of chewable tablets
Aonan ZHONG ; Conghui LI ; Zengming WANG ; Xiaolu HAN ; Hui ZHANG ; Nan LIU ; He ZHANG ; Jintao LIN ; Chunyan LIU ; Aiping ZHENG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(14):1708-1714
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the palatability and chewability of chewable tablets, and provide reference for the quality evaluation of various types of chewable tablets. METHODS Using self-made Glucosamine hydrochloride chewable tablets as the model drug, the quality test was conducted. The in vitro simulation system for chewable tablets was established by using a texture analyzer and rheometer, and an oral simulation experiment was conducted on chewable tablets. The texture analyzer was used to measure the force required for chewing and simulate the static disintegration process of chewable tablets; the rheometer was adopted to measure the viscoelasticity, thixotropy, and deformability of chewable tablets during the chewing process. RESULTS The disintegration time limit, principal component content, and dissolution of self-made Glucosamine hydrochloride chewable tablets all met the limit requirements. The in vitro simulation results of the texture analyzer showed that self-made chewable tablets were easy to chew in both axial and radial directions, and the force required for chewing was within the range of the chewing force of the teeth; chewable tablets could disintegrate at an appropriate time without being chewed and only taken in the oral cavity. The in vitro simulation results of the rheometer showed that the chewable tablets in the oral cavity exhibited a behavior of elasticity as the main factor and viscosity as the secondary factor through the continuous stirring of the tongue, and the viscosity of the chewable tablets gradually decreased with tongue stirring or tooth chewing; when chewing with teeth, the internal force of the chewing tablets decreased, causing plastic deformation and crushing. After being crushed, the shape couldn’t be restored, making it easy to chew and swallow. CONCLUSIONS The combination of texture analyzer and rheometer can be used to simulate the oral chewing process and evaluate the palatability and chewability of self-made Glucosamine hydrochloride chewable tablets. This model can provide reference for the evaluation of various chewable tablets.
5.Ancient Literature Analysis and Modern Clinical Application of Famous Classical Formula Huagaisan
Qiaonan CHEN ; Canyu SU ; Chen WANG ; Liping ZHANG ; Wei ZHOU ; Conghui WANG ; Xien LOU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(5):35-45
ObjectiveTo sort out the historical evolution, prescription evolution and modern clinical application of Huagaisan. MethodHuagaisan and its synonym Huagaitang are used as keywords to search the databases of Traditional Chinese Medicine Think Tank, Chinese Medical Dictionary, Airusheng Chinese Medical Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI). According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, we obtained the information of ancient books and modern clinical research literature related to Huagaisan, and systematically reviewed and analyzed the historical origin, prescription composition, preparation method, dosage, efficacy, medicinal material origin, processing method and modern clinical application of Huagaisan. ResultA total of 198 pieces of ancient book information were included, involving 93 ancient Chinese medicine books. Huagaisan was composed of fried Perillae Fructus, red Poria, fried Mori Cortex, Citri Eoxcarpium Rubrum, stir-fried Armeniacae Semen Amarum, Ephedrae Herba and fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, which had the efficacy of promoting the lungs and relieving epidemiological symptoms, expelling phlegm and relieving cough, and treating cough with wind-cold bundled epidemiological symptoms and stagnation of phlegm and Qi. The preparation method was suggested as boiling powder, crushing the seven herbs into coarse particles, the dosage of each drug was fried Perillae Fructus of 1.27 g, red Poria of 1.27 g, fried Mori Cortex of 1.27 g, Citri Eoxcarpium Rubrum of 1.27 g, stir-fried Armeniacae Semen Amarum of 1.27 g, Ephedrae Herba of 1.27 g and fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma of 0.64 g, taking 8.26 g when decocting, adding 300 mL of water, decocting to 210 mL, removing the dregs, and taking it warmly after meals. Twenty-one clinical research papers were included to analyze the modern clinical application of Huagaisan, which was mainly used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis and so on. ConclusionThis paper has verified and summarized the key information of the famous classical formula Huagaisan, which can provide a detailed reference basis for the development and clinical application of its compound preparation.
6.Qualitative research on the self-management dilemma in young and middle-aged patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis
Xuemei ZHANG ; Yanjie GUO ; Xue DANG ; Conghui LIU ; Mengtong ZHANG ; Xiaoqing REN ; Xue DONG
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2024;30(6):743-748
Objective:To explore the causes of self-management dilemma in young and middle-aged patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis from the perspectives of nurses, patients and patient caregivers, in order to provide reference for developing self-management intervention plans that meet the needs of patients.Methods:Using the descriptive phenomenological methods from qualitative research, 15 patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis, six nurses and nine caregivers from the Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery Ward of the Second Norman Bethune Hospital of Jilin University from November 2021 to December 2022 were selected for semi-structured in-depth interviews. The Colaizzi 7-step method was used to analyze and refine the theme.Results:Two main themes were extracted to explain the difficulties in self-management of young and middle-aged patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis. The internal reasons for the self-management dilemma included cognitive biases in the importance of self-management, limited access to self-management knowledge and negative attitudes towards self-behavior management, and the external reasons for self-management dilemma included insufficient inclusiveness of the external environment towards diseases, fear of disease progression, multiple burdens caused by diseases and busy work.Conclusions:Young and middle-aged patients with recurrent acute pancreatitis experience multiple difficulties in the process of self-management. Clinical medical staff should explore self-management models with contemporary characteristics, enhance patient self-management ability and quality of life, reduce disease recurrence rate.
7.Establishment of C57/B6-L and A549 cell lines stably expressing circLAMP3
Fuzai CHEN ; Conghui ZHAO ; Xiaoxuan ZHANG ; Chunping ZHANG ; Jiacheng HUANG ; Jilong CHEN ; Shujie MA
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2024;44(9):2010-2016
This study aims to construct C57/B6-L and A549 cell lines that stably overexpress circu-lar RNA LAMP3(circLAMP3),laying the foundation for further research on the biological func-tions of circLAMP3.Total RNA was extracted and reverse transcripted into cDNA from C57/B6-L and A549 cells to amplify the full-length sequence of circLAMP3.Then,the fragments of cir-cLAMP3 were ligated into pLC5-ciR vector to obtain pLC5-Mouse-circLAMP3 and pLC5-Human-circLAMP3 recombinant plasmids.The lentiviruses expressing circLAMP3 were packaged on tran-sient transfected HEK293T cells.C57/B6-L and A549 cells were infected with lentiviruses to gen-erate cell lines overexpressing circLAMP3 through puromycin screening.To verify the overexpres-sion efficiency of circLAMP3 of cell lines,we performed the fluorescence microscopy,PCR amplifi-cation,quantitative PCR(qPCR),and Sanger sequencing experiments.The results indicated that the overexpression plasmids of pLC5-Mouse-circLAMP3 and pLC5-Human-circLAMP3 were suc-cessfully constructed.Strong green fluorescence was observed under a fluorescence microscopy.C57/B6-L and A549 cell lines showed a significant increase in the expression of circLAMP3 by PCR and qPCR methods.Sanger sequencing results showed that the junction site of circLAMP3 was correct.This study successfully constructed C57/B6-L and A549 cell lines overexpressing circLAMP3,providing biomaterials for further exploration of the biological function of circLAMP3 in influenza virus replication.
8.Predictive value of blood platelet-lymphocyte ratio and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in the therapeutic efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients
Jingyi NI ; Xunlei ZHANG ; Baochun ZHANG ; Xiangxiang GAO ; Xinghui LI ; Conghui JIN
Cancer Research and Clinic 2023;35(1):18-22
Objective:To investigate the predictive value of the changes of platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the therapeutic efficacy of the neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 72 breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant therapy in Nantong Tumor Hospital between February 2020 and January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed and the changes of PLR and NLR before and after neoadjuvant therapy were also analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the predictive value of PLR, NLR and their changes in pathological complete remission (pCR) after neoadjuvant therapy.Results:The area under the ROC curve of PLR and NLR before the treatment, the difference in PLR before and after the treatment (ΔPLR), the difference in NLR before and after the treatment (ΔNLR) in predicting pCR was 0.520, 0.505,0.724 and 0.686,and the corresponding cut-off value was 269.231, 2.559, -2.840 and -1.457; the patients were divided into high and low groups according to the cut-off values. NLR before the treatment was not correlated with clinicopathological characteristics (all P > 0.05),while PLR before the treatment was correlated with tumor size ( P = 0.029), and ΔPLR was correlated with progesterone receptor expression ( P = 0.025), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression ( P < 0.001), molecular subtype ( P < 0.001), N stage ( P = 0.002), clinical stage ( P = 0.002) and treatment modality ( P < 0.001). ΔNLR was associated with HER2 expression ( P = 0.002), molecular subtype ( P = 0.024), tumor size ( P = 0.007), neural invasion ( P = 0.006), N stage ( P = 0.006), clinical stage ( P = 0.016) and treatment modality ( P = 0.014). ΔPLR and ΔNLR were influencing factors for patients achieving pCR after neoadjuvant therapy (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:Stage Ⅲ invasive breast cancer patients with higher ΔPLR and ΔNLR after neoadjuvant therapy have better prognosis.
9.Etiological analysis of single small subcortical infarction with different imaging features
Conghui LIU ; Yuan GAO ; Weizheng XIE ; Ke SUN ; Anran WANG ; Caixia XIAO ; Jiangang ZHANG ; Yusheng LI
Chinese Journal of Neurology 2023;56(1):48-54
Objective:To investigate the etiological mechanism in single small subcortical infarction (SSSI) with different imaging features.Methods:The patients registered in a database of ischemic stroke in the Department of Neurology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2016 to December 2019 were analyzed. According to the lowest slice (LS) and the total number of involved slices (TNS) on diffusion-weighted imaging, the SSSI was divided into 3 types: proximal SSSI (pSSSI; LS≤2), distal and large SSSI (dl-SSSI; LS>2, TNS>2) and distal and small SSSI (ds-SSSI; LS>2, TNS≤2). The clinical and imaging features among 3 different lesion patterns were compared by using χ 2 test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and multiple Logistic regression analysis, etc. Results:In the 3 groups of ds-SSSI ( n=205), dl-SSSI ( n=157) and pSSSI ( n=166), the prevalences of parent artery disease (PAD)[10.7% (22/205) , 19.1% (30/157) , 42.8% (71/166), respectively, χ 2=54.89, P<0.001], coronary artery disease [8.3% (17/205), 14.0% (22/157), 16.9%(28/166), respectively, χ 2=6.44, P=0.040] and severe white matter hyperintensities (sWMHs)[58.0% (119/205), 43.3% (68/157), 41.0% (68/166), respectively, χ 2=12.94, P<0.001], the level of serum homocysteine (Hcy)[18.01 (13.54, 25.56), 16.03 (12.50, 21.09), 14.72 (11.12, 19.14) μmol/L, respectively, H=19.36, P<0.001], and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score[2(1, 3), 3(1, 4), 3(2, 6), respectively, H=39.53, P<0.001] showed statistically significant differences. Multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with dl-SSSI patients, the lesion pattern of patients with higher proportion of PAD ( OR=3.12, 95% CI 1.86-5.24, P<0.001) was closer to pSSSI; the lesion pattern of patients with higher serum Hcy level ( OR=1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.04, P=0.046) or higher proportion of sWMHs ( OR=1.79, 95% CI 1.12-2.86, P=0.015) was closer to ds-SSSI, and the lesion pattern of patients with higher proportion of PAD ( OR=0.50, 95% CI 0.27-0.93, P=0.029) or higher NIHSS score ( OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.77-0.92, P<0.001) was closer to dl-SSSI. Conclusions:The pathogenesis of ds-SSSI tends to be cerebral small vessel disease. The pathogenesis of pSSSI is related to atherosclerosis. The patients with dl-SSSI have the intermediate characteristics of pSSSI and ds-SSSI and may be unstable.
10.Brain functional connectivity in lower limb amputees
Shaowen LIU ; Conghui WEI ; Xinying SHAN ; Yan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2022;28(1):90-94
Objective To investigate the changes of functional brain connectivity over multiple frequency bands in resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) for lower limb amputation patients. Methods Resting-state EEG was collected from 18 lower limb amputees and 22 healthy controls from November, 2020 to June, 2021. Functional connectivity matrix was constructed with phase-locked values (PLV), and compared between groups. Results The functional connectivity was weaker in the amputees than in the controls on α band (t = 3.433, P = 0.001) and β band (t = 3.806, P = 0.001), and there was no significant difference on δ band (t = 1.429, P = 0.161) and θ band (t = 1.211, P = 0.233). Conclusion EEG functional connectivity weakens in lower limb amputees in on the α and β band, which results in neuroplasticity of multiple brain regions, not only for limb-respond cortex, but also for frontal, temporal and occipital cortices.

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