1.Small Intestine Lipid Absorption and Health: The Improvement Effect of Exercise Under The Challenge of High-fat Diet
Wei-Huan WANG ; Yu-Xi DAI ; Yu-Xiu HE
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1560-1573
The two core causes of obesity in modern lifestyle are high-fat diet (HFD) and insufficient physical activity. HFD can lead to disruption of gut microbiota and abnormal lipid metabolism, further exacerbating the process of obesity. The small intestine, as the “first checkpoint” for the digestion and absorption of dietary lipids into the body, plays a pivotal role in lipid metabolism. The small intestine is involved in the digestion, absorption, transport, and synthesis of dietary lipids. The absorption of lipids in the small intestine is a crucial step, as overactive absorption leads to a large amount of lipids entering the bloodstream, which affects the occurrence of obesity. HFD can lead to insulin resistance, disruption of gut microbiota, and inflammatory response in the body, which can further induce lipid absorption and metabolism disorders in the small intestine, thereby promoting the occurrence of chronic metabolic diseases such as obesity. Long term HFD can accelerate pathological structural remodeling and lipid absorption dysfunction of the small intestine: after high-fat diet, the small intestine becomes longer and heavier, with excessive villi elongation and microvilli elongation, thereby increasing the surface area of lipid absorption and causing lipid overload in the small intestine. In addition, overexpression of small intestine uptake transporters, intestinal mucosal damage induced “intestinal leakage”, dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota, ultimately leading to abnormal lipid absorption and chronic inflammation, accelerating lipid accumulation and obesity. Exercise, as one of the important means of simple, economical, and effective proactive health interventions, has always been highly regarded for its role in improving lipid metabolism homeostasis. The effect of exercise on small intestine lipid absorption shows a dose-dependent effect. Moderate to low-intensity aerobic exercise can improve the intestinal microenvironment, regulate the structure and lipid absorption function of the small intestine, promote lipid metabolism and health, while vigorous exercise, excessive exercise, and long-term high-intensity training can cause intestinal discomfort, leading to the destruction of intestinal structure and related symptoms, affecting lipid absorption. Long term regular exercise can regulate the diversity of intestinal microbiota, inhibit inflammatory signal transduction such as NF-κB, enhance intestinal mucosal barrier function, and improve intestinal lipid metabolism disorders, further enhancing the process of small intestinal lipid absorption. Exercise also participates in the remodeling process of small intestinal epithelial cells, regulating epithelial structural homeostasis by activating cell proliferation related pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin. Exercise can regulate the expression of lipid transport proteins CD36, FATP, and NPC1L1, and regulate the function of small intestine lipid absorption. However, the research on the effects of long-term exercise on small intestine structure, villus structure, absorption surface area, and lipid absorption related proteins is not systematic enough, the results are inconsistent, and the relevant mechanisms are not clear. In the future, experimental research can be conducted on the dose-response relationship of different intensities and forms of exercise, exploring the mechanisms of exercise improving small intestine lipid absorption and providing theoretical reference for scientific weight loss. It should be noted that the intestine is an organ that is sensitive to exercise response. How to determine the appropriate range, threshold, and form of exercise intensity to ensure beneficial regulation of intestinal lipid metabolism induced by exercise should become an important research direction in the future.
2.Exercise Improves Metaflammation: The Potential Regulatory Role of BDNF
Yu-Xi DAI ; Wei-Huan WANG ; Yu-Xiu HE
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(9):2314-2331
Metaflammation is a crucial mechanism in the onset and advancement of metabolic disorders, primarily defined by the activation of immune cells and increased concentrations of pro-inflammatory substances. The function of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in modulating immune and metabolic processes has garnered heightened interest, as BDNF suppresses glial cell activation and orchestrates inflammatory responses in the central nervous system via its receptor tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB), while also diminishing local inflammation in peripheral tissues by influencing macrophage polarization. Exercise, as a non-pharmacological intervention, is extensively employed to enhance metabolic disorders. A crucial mechanism underlying its efficacy is the significant induction of BDNF expression in central (hypothalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and brainstem) and peripheral (liver, adipose tissue, intestines, and skeletal muscle) tissues and organs. This induction subsequently regulates inflammatory responses, ameliorates metabolic conditions, and decelerates disease progression. Consequently, BDNF is considered a pivotal molecule in the motor-metabolic regulation axis. Despite prior suggestions that BDNF may have a role in the regulation of exercise-induced inflammation, systematic data remains inadequate. Since that time, the field continues to lack structured descriptions and conversations pertinent to it. As exercise physiology research has advanced, the academic community has increasingly recognized that exercise is a multifaceted activity regulated by various systems, with its effects contingent upon the interplay of elements such as type, intensity, and frequency of exercise. Consequently, it is imperative to transcend the prior study paradigm that concentrated solely on localized effects and singular mechanisms and transition towards a comprehensive understanding of the systemic advantages of exercise. A multitude of investigations has validated that exercise confers health advantages for individuals with metabolic disorders, encompassing youngsters, adolescents, middle-aged individuals, and older persons, and typically enhances health via BDNF secretion. However, exercise is a double-edged sword; the relationship between exercise and health is not linearly positive. Insufficient exercise is ineffective, while excessive exercise can be detrimental to health. Consequently, it is crucial to scientifically develop exercise prescriptions, define appropriate exercise loads, and optimize health benefits to regulate bodily metabolism. BDNF mitigates metaflammation via many pathways during exercise. Initially, BDNF suppresses pro-inflammatory factors and facilitates the production of anti-inflammatory factors by modulating bidirectional transmission between neural and immune cells, therefore diminishing the inflammatory response. Secondly, exercise stimulates the PI3K/Akt, AMPK, and other signaling pathways via BDNF, enhancing insulin sensitivity, reducing lipotoxicity, and fostering mitochondrial production, so further optimizing the body’s metabolic condition. Moreover, exercise-induced BDNF contributes to the attenuation of systemic inflammation by collaborating with several organs, enhancing hepatic antioxidant capacity, regulating immunological response, and optimizing “gut-brain” axis functionality. These processes underscore the efficacy of exercise as a non-pharmacological intervention for enhancing anti-inflammatory and metabolic health. Despite substantial experimental evidence demonstrating the efficacy of exercise in mitigating inflammation and enhancing BDNF levels, numerous limitations persist in the existing studies. Primarily, the majority of studies have concentrated on molecular biology and lack causal experimental evidence that explicitly confirms BDNF as a crucial mediator in the exercise regulation of metaflammation. Furthermore, the outcomes of current molecular investigations are inadequately applicable to clinical practice, and a definitive pathway of “exercise-BDNF-metaflammation” remains unestablished. Moreover, the existing research methodology, reliant on animal models or limited human subject samples, constrains the broad dissemination of the findings. Future research should progressively transition from investigating isolated and localized pathways to a comprehensive multilevel and multidimensional framework that incorporates systems biology and exercise physiology. Practically, there is an immediate necessity to undertake extensive, double-blind, randomized controlled longitudinal human studies utilizing multi-omics technologies (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) to investigate the principal signaling pathways of BDNF-mediated metaflammation and to elucidate the causal relationships and molecular mechanisms involved. Establishing a more comprehensive scientific evidence system aims to furnish a robust theoretical framework and practical guidance for the mechanistic interpretation, clinical application, and pharmaceutical development of exercise in the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.
4.Soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties in marshlands along the Yangtze River basin at different types of land use and their effects on distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails
Huan HE ; Jinxing ZHOU ; Zixin GAO ; Zichun LU ; Renlong DAI ; Xingyi HU ; Hongdong PANG
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2024;36(2):148-153
Objective To investigating the microbial communities and physicochemical properties of soil and distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshlands along the Yangtze River basin at different types of land use, and to examine the effects of soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties on snail distribution, so as to provide insights into snail control and schistosomiasis prevention in marshland along the Yangtze River basin. Methods Marshlands with four types of land use were selected along the Yangtze River basin on April 2021, including poplar forest-crops integrated planting, reed areas, agricultural cultivation lands and ditches. The distribution of snails and physicochemical properties of soil were investigated in marshlands with different types of land use, and the V3 to V4 regions of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene, fungal internal transcribed spacer-1 (ITS1) gene and algal ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL) gene in soils were subjected to high-throughput sequencing. The occurrence of frames with living snails and density of living snails were compared in marshland with different types of land use. The associations of soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties with the density of living snails were examined using Pearson correlation analysis, and the contributions of soil microorganisms and physicochemical properties to the density of living snails were evaluated using variance partitioning analysis. Results In marshlands with four types of land use, the greatest occurrence of frames with living snails [(4.94 ± 2.14)%] and density of living snails [(0.070 ± 0.026) snails/0.1 m2] were seen in ditches, and the lowest were found in [(1.23 ± 1.23)%] agricultural cultivation lands [(0.016 ± 0.019) snails/0.1 m2]. A total of 2 phyla, 5 classes, 8 orders, 9 families and 11 genera of algae were detected in soils at four types of land use, with Chlorophyta as the dominant phylum and Pseudoneochloris as the dominant genus. A total of 44 phyla, 134 classes, 281 orders, 338 families and 516 genera of bacteria were detected in soils at four types of land use, with Proteobacteria and Acidobacteriota as the dominant phyla and uncultured Acidobacterium, MND1, Mitrospira, Haliangium and Sphingomonas as dominant genera. A total of 11 phyla, 41 classes, 108 orders, 223 families and 408 genera of fungi were detected in soils at four types of land use, with phyla Ascomycota, Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota presenting high relative abundances and genera Cladorrhinum, Mortierella and Humicola presenting high relative abundances. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the density of living snails correlated negatively with the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (r = −0.965, P < 0.05) and soil electronic conductivity (r = −0.962, P < 0.05) and positively with soil moisture (r = 0.951, P < 0.05). Variance partitioning analysis demonstrated that the physicochemical properties and microorganisms of soil contributed 69% and 10% to the density of living snails, respectively. Conclusion The diversity of microbial communities varies in soils at different types of land use in marshland along the Yangtze River basin, and the physicochemical properties and microorganisms of soils may affect the distribution of O. hupensis snails.
6.Impact of COVID-19 vaccination and natural infection on neutralizing antibody levels in the serum of elderly individuals
Huan WANG ; Lei LEI ; Shaodong DAI ; Zhu ZHU ; Xiaoxia ZHOU ; Hong PANG
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;36(8):730-734
ObjectiveTo investigate the levels of neutralizing antibodies against the novel coronavirus in the serum of elderly individuals aged 60 years and above in Shanghai’s Changning District, following natural infection and mixed immunity, in order to provide a basis for strengthening immunity in the elderly. MethodsElderly people who participated in free health check-ups at 10 community health service centers in Changning District from May to June 2023 were selected as the subjects. Information such as gender, age, COVID-19 infection history, COVID-19 vaccine immunization history, and chronic disease history were collected. Serum samples of the subjects were collected and quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies was performed by magnetic particle chemiluminescence method. The antibody levels of different populations were analyzed. ResultsA total of 620 subjects were included, 586 of whom (241 males and 345 females) met the study conditions. There were 90 people in the full vaccination + infection group, 224 people in the intensive vaccination + infection group, and 272 people in the unvaccinated + infection group. The positive rates of COVID-19 antibody in the three groups were 94.44% (95%CI: 87.51%‒98.17%), 95.98% (95%CI:92.51%‒98.15%) and 22.06% (95%CI: 17.28%‒27.46%), respectively. The positive rates in full vaccination + infection group and intensive vaccination + infection group was significantly higher than that in unvaccinated + infection group (χ2=147.561,P<0.01;χ2=271.729,P<0.01). The antibody level in full vaccination + infection group (640.74 AU·mL-1) and intensive vaccination + infection group (1 200.88 AU·mL-1) was significantly higher than that in unvaccinated + infection group (4.51 AU·mL-1) (all P<0.01).The antibody level in the intensive vaccination + infection group was also significantly higher than that in the whole vaccination + infection group (P < 0.05). ConclusionAfter 5‒6 months of infection, the neutralizing antibody positive rate and antibody level were significantly higher in the elderly who received the full vaccination and infection or intensive vaccination and infection. It is recommended that elderly individuals, who have been infected for more than 5‒6 months but have not been vaccinated, should consider getting vaccinated to enhance their levels of neutralizing antibodies.
7.Correlation between individualized coronary volumetric perivascular characterization index and coronary heart disease
Yanchun ZHANG ; Li CHENG ; Yue DAI ; Lixiang XIE ; Hao WANG ; Huan LIU ; Guangyi CHEN
Journal of Practical Radiology 2024;40(9):1444-1448
Objective To explore the correlation between coronary fat attenuation index of perivascular adipose tissue(FAIPVAT),as well as volumetric perivascular characterization index(VPCI),and coronary heart disease(CHD).Methods A total of 112 patients who underwent coronary computed tomography angiography(CCTA)and coronary angiography(CAG)examinations within 2 weeks were selected.The patients were divided into CHD group and control group according to the degree of coronary artery stenosis,and were divided into calcified plaque group,non-calcified plaque group and mixed plaque group according to the nature of plaque.The correlation between FAIPVAT,VPCI and CHD were evaluated.Results Of the 112 patients,71 patients in the CHD group and 41 patients in the control group.There were significant differences in gender,age,FAIPVAT and VPCI between the two groups.FAIPVAT and VPCI were positively correlated with CHD(r=0.445,P<0.01;r=0.669,P<0.01).FAIPVAT and VPCI were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,the area under the curve(AUC)of FAIPVAT was 0.770,the cut-off value was-81.659 HU,the sensitiv-ity was 0.592,and the specificity was 0.878,while the AUC of VPCI was 0.892,the cut-off value was 8.056,the sensitivity was 0.887,and the specificity was 0.805.There were significant differences in FAIPVAT and VPCI between non-calcified plaque group and calci-fied plaque group.FAIPVAT and VPCI of mixed plaque group and calcified plaque group were significantly different.Conclusion FAIPVAT and VPCI have some certain correlation with CHD.FAIPVAT and VPCI can accurately evaluate the risk level of CHD and coronary artery inflammation,and the value of individualized VPCI is higher.
8.Study on quality improvement in organisational structure and management model of integrated community child health services
Yaoyuan ZHANG ; Yili DAI ; Tianyu WANG ; Zhenyuan SHEN ; Hongmei HUAN ; Fulai SHEN ; Yu FENG ; Jiaoyu LIU
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2024;23(12):1270-1275
Objective:To explore the quality improvement in the organization structure and management model of the integrated community child health services.Methods:This was a qualitative study, including two parts: cause analysis and service improvement suggestions. In the analysis part the data mining was conducted to identify valuable patterns and relationships in the comprehensive child health services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 relevant department heads and health workers of the comprehensive child health service team at Gumei Community Health Service Center in December 2023, and the causes of the key problems were explored. In the service improvement part, focus group discussions were held to propose suggestions, then improvement measures were formulated to address the identified problems.Results:Through data mining and semi-structured interviews, the key problems were identified: information isolation among multiple departments and lack of coordination mechanism in the comprehensive child health service team. A team organizational structure based on the "three definite" principle was established. The organizational structure should include the pediatric family doctor team, general practitioner management team and departments of pediatrics, maternal and child health care, immunization and child rehabilitation; the management model should include a cross-department resource and information sharing mechanism, the pediatric family doctor model, optimization and integration of physical space, and enhancement of publicity activities for the comprehensive child health services.Conclusion:Based on the analysis in Gumei health service center, this study identified key problems in community integrated child health services, and proposes the quality improvement measure in the organizational structure and management model of the service team.
9.Prognostic Value of AGR for Prognosis in Patients with First-line Chemotherapy for Stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ Non-small Cell Lung Cancer
Ying GAO ; Zhengqiu ZHU ; Huan DAI
Journal of Medical Research 2024;53(6):151-154,159
Objective To explore the prognostic value of albumin/globulin(AGR)in patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)treated with first-line chemotherapy.Methods From January 2016 to December 2020,288 patients with ad-vanced NSCLC initially diagnosed in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were selected.AGR critical value was deter-mined by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,patients were divided into high AGR group(n=104)and low AGR group(n=184).Survival curve was plotted using Kaplan-Meier method,overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)were com-pared between the two groups.COX proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting prognosis of NSCLC pa-tients.Results The critical value of AGR was 1.5,the area under the curve of AGR was 0.693,the sensitivity was 76.8%,and the specificity was 58.3%.AGR was correlated with age,pathological type and curative effect(P<0.05).The high AGR group had longer PFS and OS than the low AGR group(9 months vs 5months,25months vs 19months).Multivariate COX regression analysis showed that low level of AGR was an independent risk factor for NSCLC patients(P<0.05).Conclusion AGR can be used as an effective prognos-tic indicator for patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ NSCLC treated with first-line chemotherapy,and low levels of AGR suggest poor prognosis.
10.Progress in relationship between expression of solute carrier family 3 member 2,and disulfidptosis,ferroptosis and tumors
Huan MA ; Jiuju DAI ; Yanli YANG ; Zubang ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2024;40(9):1772-1776
Ferroptosis and disulfidpthosis are associated with various diseases.Ferroptosis is distinguished by abnormal accumulation of iron ions and lipid reactive oxygen species,while disulfidptosis is marked by abnormal accumu-lation of disulfides.Solute carrier family 3 member 2(SLC3A2),a component of the solute carrier family,is implicated not only involved in the regulation of tumor cell proliferation,migration,invasion and apoptosis,but also in the processes of ferroptosis and disulfidptosis,playing a pivotal role in tumor growth and progression.This article provides an overview of the latest advancements in understanding the relationship between SLC3A2 and ferroptosis,disulfidptosis and tumors,aiming to establish a theoretical basis for targeted cancer therapies.

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