1.Effect Analysis of Different Interventions to Improve Neuroinflammation in The Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Jiang-Hui SHAN ; Chao-Yang CHU ; Shi-Yu CHEN ; Zhi-Cheng LIN ; Yu-Yu ZHOU ; Tian-Yuan FANG ; Chu-Xia ZHANG ; Biao XIAO ; Kai XIE ; Qing-Juan WANG ; Zhi-Tao LIU ; Li-Ping LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):310-333
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.
2.Evaluation of Effect of Tongnaoyin on Blood-brain Barrier Injury in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Based on Dynamic Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Yangjingyi XIA ; Shanshan LI ; Li LI ; Xiaogang TANG ; Xintong WANG ; Qing ZHU ; Hui JIANG ; Cuiping YUAN ; Yongkang LIU ; Zhaoyao CHEN ; Wenlei LI ; Yuan ZHU ; Minghua WU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(2):140-146
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of Tongnaoyin on the blood-brain barrier status and neurological impairment in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with the syndrome of phlegm-stasis blocking collaterals by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). MethodsA total of 63 patients diagnosed with AIS in the Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from October 2022 to December 2023 were enrolled in this study. According to random number table method,the patients were assigned into a control group (32 cases) and an observation group (31 cases). The control group received conventional Western medical treatment,and the observation group took 200 mL Tongnaoyin after meals,twice a day from day 2 of admission on the basis of the treatment in the control group. After 7 days of treatment,the patients were examined by DCE-MRI. The baseline data for two groups of patients before treatment were compared. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score were recorded before treatment and after 90 days of treatment for both groups. The rKtrans,rKep,and rVe values were obtained from the region of interest (ROI) of the infarct zone/mirror area and compared between the two groups. ResultsThere was no significant difference in the NIHSS or mRS score between the two groups before treatment. After 90 days of treatment,the NIHSS and mRS scores declined in both groups,and the observation group had lower scores than the control group (P<0.05). After treatment,the rKtrans and rVe in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). ConclusionCompared with conventional Western medical treatment alone,conventional Western medical treatment combined with Tongnaoyin accelerates the repair of the blood-brain barrier in AIS patients,thereby ameliorating neurological impairment after AIS to improve the prognosis.
7.The Invariant Neural Representation of Neurons in Pigeon’s Ventrolateral Mesopallium to Stereoscopic Shadow Shapes
Xiao-Ke NIU ; Meng-Bo ZHANG ; Yan-Yan PENG ; Yong-Hao HAN ; Qing-Yu WANG ; Yi-Xin DENG ; Zhi-Hui LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(10):2614-2626
ObjectiveIn nature, objects cast shadows due to illumination, forming the basis for stereoscopic perception. Birds need to adapt to changes in lighting (meaning they can recognize stereoscopic shapes even when shadows look different) to accurately perceive different three-dimensional forms. However, how neurons in the key visual brain area in birds handle these lighting changes remains largely unreported. In this study, pigeons (Columba livia) were used as subjects to investigate how neurons in pigeon’s ventrolateral mesopallium (MVL) represent stereoscopic shapes consistently, regardless of changes in lighting. MethodsVisual cognitive training combined with neuronal recording was employed. Pigeons were first trained to discriminate different stereoscopic shapes (concave/convex). We then tested whether and how light luminance angle and surface appearance of the stereoscopic shapes affect their recognition accuracy, and further verify whether the results rely on specify luminance color. Simultaneously, neuronal firing activity of neurons was recorded with multiple electrode array implanted from the MVL during the presentation of difference shapes. The response was finally analyzed how selectively they responded to different stereoscopic shapes and whether their selectivity was affected by the changes of luminance condition (like lighting angle) or surface look. Support vector machine (SVM) models were trained on neuronal population responses recorded under one condition (light luminance angle of 45°) and used to decode responses under other conditions (light luminance angle of 135°, 225°, 315°) to verify the invariance of responses to different luminance conditions. ResultsBehavioral results from 6 pigeons consistently showed that the pigeons could reliably identify the core 3D shape (over 80% accuracy), and this ability wasn’t affected by changes in light angle or surface appearance. Statistical analysis of 88 recorded neurons from 6 pigeons revealed that 83% (73/88) showed strong selectivity for specific 3D shapes (selectivity index>0.3), and responses to convex shapes were consistently stronger than to concave shapes. These shape-selective responses remained stable across changes in light angle and surface appearance. Neural patterns were consistent under both blue and orange lighting. The decoding accuracy achieves above 70%, suggesting stable responses under different conditions (e.g., different lighting angles or surface appearance). ConclusionNeurons in the pigeon MVL maintain a consistent neural encoding pattern for different stereoscopic shapes, unaffected by illumination or surface appearance. This ensures stable object recognition by pigeons in changing visual environments. Our findings provide new physiological evidence for understanding how birds achieve stable perception (“invariant neural representations”) while coping with variations in the visual field.
8.Analysis of epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 1247 cases of infectious diseases of the central nervous system
Jia-Hua ZHAO ; Yu-Ying CEN ; Xiao-Jiao XU ; Fei YANG ; Xing-Wen ZHANG ; Zhao DONG ; Ruo-Zhuo LIU ; De-Hui HUANG ; Rong-Tai CUI ; Xiang-Qing WANG ; Cheng-Lin TIAN ; Xu-Sheng HUANG ; Sheng-Yuan YU ; Jia-Tang ZHANG
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2024;49(1):43-49
Objective To summarize the epidemiological and clinical features of infectious diseases of the central nervous system(CNS)by a single-center analysis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 1247 cases of CNS infectious diseases diagnosed and treated in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from 2001 to 2020.Results The data for this group of CNS infectious diseases by disease type in descending order of number of cases were viruses 743(59.6%),Mycobacterium tuberculosis 249(20.0%),other bacteria 150(12.0%),fungi 68(5.5%),parasites 18(1.4%),Treponema pallidum 18(1.4%)and rickettsia 1(0.1%).The number of cases increased by 177 cases(33.1%)in the latter 10 years compared to the previous 10 years(P<0.05).No significant difference in seasonal distribution pattern of data between disease types(P>0.05).Male to female ratio is 1.87︰1,mostly under 60 years of age.Viruses are more likely to infect students,most often at university/college level and above,farmers are overrepresented among bacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and more infections of Treponema pallidum in workers.CNS infectious diseases are characterized by fever,headache and signs of meningeal irritation,with the adductor nerve being the more commonly involved cranial nerve.Matagenomic next-generation sequencing improves clinical diagnostic capabilities.The median hospital days for CNS infectious diseases are 18.00(11.00,27.00)and median hospital costs are ¥29,500(¥16,000,¥59,200).The mortality rate from CNS infectious diseases is 1.6%.Conclusions The incidence of CNS infectious diseases is increasing last ten years,with complex clinical presentation,severe symptoms and poor prognosis.Early and accurate diagnosis and standardized clinical treatment can significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality rate and ease the burden of disease.
9.Study on the potential allergen and mechanism of pseudo-allergic reactions induced by combined using of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection based on metabolomics and bioinformatics
Yu-long CHEN ; You ZHAI ; Xiao-yan WANG ; Wei-xia LI ; Hui ZHANG ; Ya-li WU ; Liu-qing YANG ; Xiao-fei CHEN ; Shu-qi ZHANG ; Lu NIU ; Ke-ran FENG ; Kun LI ; Jin-fa TANG ; Ming-liang ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(2):382-394
Based on the strategy of metabolomics combined with bioinformatics, this study analyzed the potential allergens and mechanism of pseudo-allergic reactions (PARs) induced by the combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. All animal experiments and welfare are in accordance with the requirements of the First Affiliated Experimental Animal Ethics and Animal Welfare Committee of Henan University of Chinese Medicine (approval number: YFYDW2020002). Based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology combined with UNIFI software, a total of 21 compounds were identified in Reduning and penicillin G mixed injection. Based on molecular docking technology, 10 potential allergens with strong binding activity to MrgprX2 agonist sites were further screened. Metabolomics analysis using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology revealed that 34 differential metabolites such as arachidonic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, prostaglandins, and leukotrienes were endogenous differential metabolites of PARs caused by combined use of Reduning injection and penicillin G injection. Through the analysis of the "potential allergen-target-endogenous differential metabolite" interaction network, the chlorogenic acids (such as chlorogenic acid, neochlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and isochlorogenic acid A) and
10.A Bibliometric and Visual Analysis of the Current Status and Trends of Foren-sic Mixed Stain Research
Qing-Wei FAN ; Ling LI ; Hui-Ling YANG ; Ting-Ting DENG ; Dong-Dong XU ; Yun WANG ; Bing DU ; Jiang-Wei YAN
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(1):20-29
Objective To explore the context and hotspot changes of forensic mixed stain research through bibliometric approach.Methods The literature of forensic mixed stain included in the core col-lection of Web of Science database from 2011 to 2022 were collected as the study object,and the an-nual publication number,countrie(region),institution,journal,keywords,etc.were bibliometrically and visually analyzed using the R-based Bibliometrix 1.1.6 package and VOSviewer 1.6.18 software.Re-sults A total of 732 articles on forensic mixed stain were included from 2011 to 2022,with the an-nual number of articles published and the annual citation frequency showing a steady increase year by year.Among the 59 countries(regions)with the most published articles,the United States ranked first with 246 articles,followed by China with 153 articles.The literature came from 104 journals,and the total number of articles published in the top 10 journals was 633.FORENSIC SCI INT GENET ranked first with 307 articles.Visual analysis using VOSviewer software showed that keywords could be divided into four research clusters,namely the genetic marker development group(blue),the mixed stain typing analysis theory group(red),the sequencing analysis group(yellow),and the case sample research group(green).It can be divided into four development stages in terms of different time peri-ods:early development(2011-2013),middle development(2014-2016),rapid development(2017-2020)and latest development(2021-2022).Conclusion The number of publications by domestic and foreign scholars in the study of mixed stain in forensic science is showing a relatively stable trend.Machine learning,next generation sequencing and other research have been the hottest topics that have attracted the most attention in recent years,which is expected to further develop the theory of mixed stain typing and sequencing analysis in forensic mixed stain research.

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