1.Screening of biomarkers for fibromyalgia syndrome and analysis of immune infiltration
Yani LIU ; Jinghuan YANG ; Huihui LU ; Yufang YI ; Zhixiang LI ; Yangfu OU ; Jingli WU ; Bing WEI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(5):1091-1100
BACKGROUND:Fibromyalgia syndrome,as a common rheumatic disease,is related to central sensitization and immune abnormalities.However,the specific mechanism has not been elucidated,and there is a lack of specific diagnostic markers.Exploring the possible pathogenesis of this disease has important clinical significance. OBJECTIVE:To screen the potential diagnostic marker genes of fibromyalgia syndrome and analyze the possible immune infiltration characteristics based on bioinformatics methods,such as weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA),and machine learning. METHODS:Gene expression profiles in peripheral serum of fibromyalgia syndrome patients and healthy controls were obtained from the gene expression omnibus(GEO)database.The differentially co-expressed genes were screened in the expression profile by differential analysis and WGCNA analysis.Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)and support vector machine-recursive feature elimination(SVM-RFE)machine learning algorithm were further used to identify hub biomarkers,and draw receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosing fibromyalgia syndrome.Finally,single sample gene set enrichment analysis(ssGSEA)and gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)were used to evaluate the immune cell infiltration and pathway enrichment in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Eight down-regulated differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were obtained after differential analysis of the GSE67311 dataset according to the conditions of log2|(FC)|>0 and P<0.05.After WGCNA analysis,497 genes were included in the module(MEdarkviolet)with the highest positive correlation(r=0.22,P=0.04),and 19 genes were included in the module(MEsalmon2)with the highest negative correlation(r=-0.41,P=6×10-5).After intersecting DEGs and the module genes of WGCNA,seven genes were obtained.Four genes were screened out by LASSO regression algorithm and five genes were screened out by SVM-RFE machine learning algorithm.After the intersection of the two,three core genes were identified,which were germinal center associated signaling and motility like,integrin beta-8,and carboxypeptidase A3.The areas under the ROC curve of the three core genes were 0.744,0.739,and 0.734,respectively,indicating that they have good diagnostic value and can be used as biomarkers for fibromyalgia syndrome.The results of immune infiltration analysis showed that memory B cells,CD56 bright NK cells,and mast cells were significantly down-regulated in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome compared with the control group(P<0.05),and were significantly positively correlated with the above three biomarkers(P<0.05).The enrichment analysis suggested that there were nine fibromyalgia syndrome enrichment pathways,mainly related to olfactory transduction pathway,neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction,and infection pathway.The above results showed that the occurrence and development of fibromyalgia syndrome are related to the involvement of multiple genes,abnormal immune regulation,and multiple pathways imbalance.However,the interactions between these genes and immune cells,as well as their relationships with various pathways need to be further investigated.
2.Advancements in the role of iris parameters in implantable collamer lens implantation
Huihui JIN ; Jiaqing HUANG ; Xian WU ; Yingjie NI ; Chaoyang HONG ; Peijin QIU ; Ting SHEN
International Eye Science 2025;25(7):1037-1045
Phakic intraocular lens implantation has become one of the important means of correcting refractive errors today. Among them,the implantable collamer lens(ICL)is favored for its wide range of correction, excellent optical quality, and high safety, but the risks of postoperative complications such as glaucoma and anterior subcapsular opacification still exist. Vault is an important indicator for evaluating the safety after ICL implantation, and its ideal state is crucial for preventing complications. Studies have shown that iris morphology has a significant impact on vault. In order to further optimize surgical outcomes and improve surgical safety, this review comprehensively reviews the research progress of iris-related parameters in ICL implantation and discusses the importance of various parameters in preoperative evaluation and postoperative follow-up.
3.The role of epigenetic modifications regulating phase separation in neurodevelopment and neurodisease
Heli LIU ; Huihui JIANG ; Haitao WU
Military Medical Sciences 2024;48(2):148-153
The important role of liquid-liquid phase separation in a series of biological processes,including regulation of gene transcription and translation,stress response,autophagy and the establishment of synaptic structure,has been widely accepted.Abnormal phase separation is associated with many human diseases,including neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.Studies have shown that some proteins associated with epigenetic modifications are also subject to liquid-liquid phase separation,suggesting that epigenetic modifications regulate the development and disease of the nervous system by regulating phase separation.This review summarized the important roles of epigenetic modification and phase separation in neurodevelopment and neurodiseases,and focused on the important roles of proteins related to epigenetic modification with phase separation characteristics.Understanding the correlation between epigenetic modification and phase separation will help fully understand the underlying mechanisms of neurodevelopment and neurodiseases,and will further provide new targets and strategies for the treatment of related diseases.
4.Expression of enolase and laminin in the vagina of bacterial vaginosis of mice
Rui Zhang ; Yiqing Wu ; Haixu Yin ; Chang Li ; Aixin Ma ; Junzhu Wang ; Huihui Bai ; Zhaohui Liu ; Qinping Liao
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(11):1939-1943
Objective:
To investigate the differences in enolase and laminin levels in vaginal epithelial tissues between mice successfully infected withGardnerellaand mice not infected with Gardnerella, providing information for further exploration of the correlation between enolase and laminin levels and the incidence of bacterial vaginosis.
Methods:
Gardnerella strains isolated, purified, and identified from vaginal secretions of patients with bacterial vaginosis were used to infect the vagina of mice and establish a mouse model of bacterial vaginosis. Successful and failed mice was defined as successful and failed groups, respectively. Differential expression of enolase and laminin in the vaginal epithelial tissue of two groups of mice was detected by Western blot. Modeling success rate was statistically analyzed, and the expression differences of enolase and laminin was compared between two groups.
Results:
One strain of Gardnerella vaginalis infected 10 SPF grade KM mice, 7 mice met the diagnostic criteria for bacterial vaginosis, and 3 mice failed to model, with a success rate of 70%. Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels, and the levels of laminin and enolase in the successfully modeled mouse vaginal epithelial tissue were significantly higher than those in the failed modeling group, with statistical differences between the two groups(P<0.05).
Conclusion
Enolase and laminin may be involved in the occurrence of bacterial vaginosis, however, further research is needed to determine the mechanisms through which they trigger the occurrence and development of the disease.
5.Construction and gene identification of myeloid-specific Spi1 knockout mice
Xuming WU ; Huihui WANG ; Xiangling ZHU ; Yuanyuan ZHOU ; Anqi WANG ; Huiru ZHANG ; Chong LIU ; Jiajie TU
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(3):413-417
Objective To construct myeloid-specific Spi1 gene knockout mice and analyze their genotypes,so as to provide animal model basis for the study of pathological mechanism of diseases and drug targets.Methods Ac-cording to the principle of CRISPR/Cas9 technology and Cre/LoxP system,sgRNA and Donor vectors were de-signed and constructed.The transcript of Exon 2(Exon 2)was used as the knockout region,and Loxp elements were placed on both sides of Exon 2.Cas9 protein,sgRNA and Donor vector were mixed and microinjected into the fertilized eggs of C57BL/6J mice,the fertilized eggs were transplanted into the uterus of C57BL/6J pregnant female mice,and F0 generation was obtained after 19~20 days.Positive F0 mice were mated with C57BL/6J mice to ob-tain stable F1 Spi1flox/+mice.Spi1flox/+mice of F1 generation were selfed to obtain Spi1flox/flox mice.Spi1flox/flox mated with Lyz2-Cre+mice to obtain Spi1flox/+/Lyz2-Cre+mice,and then mated with Spi1flox/flox,the Spi1flox/flox/Lyz2-Cre+mice were myeloid-specific Spi1 gene knockout(KO)mice.Spi1flox/flox/Lyz2-cre-mice were used as wild-type(WT)mice.DNA of WT and KO mice was extracted,and the genotypes were identified by agarose gel electro-phoresis after PCR amplification.Western blot was used to detect the expression of spleen focus forming virus provi-ral integration oncogene,Spi-1/purine rich box-1(PU.1)in immune cells of WT and KO mice.Results The results of PCR identification showed that the genotype of mice with only 220 bp amplified by flox primer was Spi1flox/flox homozygote,and the genotype of mice with 700 bp amplified by Lyz2-Cre primer was Lyz2-Cre+.Western blot showed that compared with WT group,the protein PU.1 was not expressed in bone marrow-derived macropha-ges(BMDMs)and peritoneal macrophages(PM)in KO group(P<0.01).There was no significant difference of statistics in the expression level of PU.1 in T cells between KO mice and WT mice.The results of PCR and West-ern blot showed that myeloid-specific Spi1 KO mice were successfully constructed.Conclusion The myeloid-spe-cific Spi1 gene KO mice are successfully constructed and identified,which provides animal model basis for further revealing the potential mechanism of PU.1 inimmune regulation.
6.Breeding and genotyping of T lymphocyte-conditional Spi1 knockout mice
Huihui WANG ; Xiangling ZHU ; Xuming WU ; Huiru ZHANG ; Yuanyuan ZHOU ; Anqi WANG ; Chong LIU ; Jiajie TU
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(4):595-599
Objective To breed and identify the T lymphocyte-conditional Spi1 knockout mice for the further in-vestgation of the specific role of Spi1-encoded protein PU.1.Methods The Lck-Cre mice were mated with Spi1flox/flox mice to obtain Lck-Cre×Spi1flox/flox mice(T lymphocyte-specific Spi1 knockout mice),and the genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and agarose gel electrophoresis.Magnetic beads were used to sort out the splenic T lymphocytes,and the knockdown efficiency of PU.1 in T cells was detected by Western blot,quantitative real-time PCR(qPCR)and flow cytometry.Results The Lck-Cre×Spi1flox/flox mouse genotype was stably inherited.Compared with Spi1flox/flox mice,the expression level of PU.1 was significantly reduced in splenic T cells of Lck-Cre×Spi1flox/flox mice.Conclusion In this study,the T lymphocyte-specific Spi1 knockout mice was successfully constructed by applying Cre/LoxP system and CRISPR/Cas9 technology,which provided a reliable an-imal model for the subsequent experiments of the specific role of PU.1 in T cell-related diseases.
7.Construction and efficiency detection of Csf1r-CreERT2 R26REYFP reporter gene mouse based on Cre/Loxp system
Xiangling ZHU ; Xuming WU ; Huihui WANG ; Yuanyuan ZHOU ; Anqi WANG ; Huiru ZHANG ; Chong LIU ; Jiajie TU
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2024;59(7):1175-1180
Objective To construct Csf1r-CreERT2 R26REYFP reporter gene mice and assess the efficacy of Csf1r-CreERT2-mediated enhancement of CSF1R in CD45+cells labeled with yellow fluorescein protein EYFP.Methods Csf1r-CreERT2 mice were crossbred with R26REYFP homozygous mice,and Csf1r-CreERT2R26REYFP mice were identified through PCR and Western Blot analyses.Flow cytometry was employed to evaluate CSF1R tag-efficiency in CD45+cells across different mouse tissues following tamoxifen induction.Results Csf1r-CreERT2 R26REYFP reporter gene mice were acquired.In addition,it was found that Csf1r-CreERT2-mediated EYFP could effectively mark CSF1R in various tissues of mice and CD45+cells in different locations.Compared to the R26REYF P group,the highest labeling efficiency was observed in the brain tissue(P<0.001),the lowest in the thymus tissue(P<0.05),and no sig-nificant difference was observed in the spleen tissue.Conclusion Adult Csf1r-CreERT2 mice and R26REYFP mice are effective ways to obtain Csf1r-CreERT2 R26REYFP induced conditional fluorescence mice.Csf1r-CreERT2 can mediate EYFP to effectively trace CSF1R in CD45+cells in different parts of mice.
8.The value of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 tests in opportunistic screening for non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis
Honghai HE ; Huihui ZHANG ; Hua WU ; Hongli WANG ; Wei ZHAO ; Ping SUN ; Peng WANG
Chinese Journal of Health Management 2024;18(4):254-262
Objective:To evaluate the value of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 tests in opportunistic screening of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on meta-analysis.Methods:The original research literatures on the diagnostic value of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 in Chinese NSCLC patients were searched from databases of PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, Database and Wanfang database from establishment to June 2023. The literature screening, data extraction and quality evaluation were carried out independently by two researchers. The quality evaluation tool of diagnostic accuracy studies was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. A summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve was used to assess the overall effectiveness of the tests. The outcome stability and publication bias were detected by using sensitivity analysis and Deeks′ test.Results:A total of 23 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that the overall sensitivity of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 alone in the diagnosis of NSCLC was relatively low, it was 0.49(95% CI: 0.43-0.55), 0.56(95% CI: 0.49-0.63) and 0.41(95% CI: 0.33-0.49), respectively. The overall sensitivity of the combined detection of the three markers for the diagnosis of NSCLC increased to 0.83(95% CI: 0.69-0.91), but the overall specificity decreased to 0.76(95% CI: 0.69-0.83). Conclusions:The single detection of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 is not recommended for screening NSCLC in population receiving physical examination. Although the sensitivity of the combined detection of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and CA125 for screening NSCLC is improved, but the specificity is decreased, the misdiagnosis rate is increased, so the screening effect is limited.
9.Prevalence and 5-year mortality of dementia and association with geriatric syndromes in elderly population in Beijing
Shimin HU ; Fang LI ; Shaochen GUAN ; Chunxiu WANG ; Xiaowei SONG ; Hongjun LIU ; Jinghong MA ; Yan ZHAO ; Chunxiao LIU ; Huihui LI ; Yanlei ZHANG ; Jian WU ; Xianghua FANG
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2024;45(11):1573-1581
Objective:To investigate the prevalence and mortality of dementia and assess the impact of geriatric syndromes (GS) on the risk for dementia and death in elderly population in Beijing.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the elderly population aged ≥65 years and selected by a multi-stage sampling in Beijing during 2013-2015. Cognitive function was screened using the Chinese Revised Version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Then, neurological examination and psychiatric assessment were performed for those with the MMSE score lower than the cut-off value. The information about GS prevalence was also collected. The study also collected death records for all individuals from baseline until December 31, 2019. Based on the age and gender distribution from Beijing data of the 2010 Six th National Population Census, the dementia prevalence in the study population was directly standardized. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of different forms of dementia with GS, and Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate the hazard ratio ( HR) and 95% CI of death. Results:During 2013-2015, a total of 2 935 individuals completed dementia assessments, of which 167 were diagnosed with dementia. The standardized prevalence of dementia was 5.9% (95% CI: 5.0%-17.4%). The individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) accounted for 58.7% and 28.1% of total individuals with dementia, respectively. Aging, lower education level, urinary incontinence, and fall were risk factors for AD, while disability of activity of daily life dependence, hypertension, and stroke were found to be risk factors for VaD. After a median follow-up of 5.44 person-years, 399 deaths were recorded. The 5-year mortality risk was 2.87 (95% CI: 1.92-4.17) times and 4.93 (95% CI: 3.23-7.53) times higher for the elderly individuals with AD and VaD, respectively, compared to non-demented individuals. After adjusting for demographic, GS, and cardiovascular risk factors, the mortality risk in the elderly individuals with AD showed no significant difference compared with non-demented individuals ( HR=1.32, 95% CI: 0.89-1.97), while the mortality risk in those with VaD was 2.46 (95% CI: 1.49-4.05) times higher than that in non-demented individuals. Conclusions:The prevalence of dementia in Beijing increased significantly in the context of population aging, especially the prevalence of AD. The presence of GS increased the risks for AD and VaD, as well as the risk for death. Close attention needs to be paid to GS management in dementia prevention in elderly population.
10.Intratumoral and peritumoral CT radiomics for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma
Ben PAN ; Changhua LIANG ; Qingxia WU ; Xinmiao YANG ; Huihui WANG ; Hanyu WEI
Chinese Journal of Interventional Imaging and Therapy 2024;21(11):685-689
Objective To observe the value of intratumoral and peritumoral CT radiomics for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.Methods Totally 245 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma were retrospectively enrolled and divided into mutant group(n=139)and wild group(n=106)according to KRAS gene status,also divided into training set(n=171)and test set(n=74)at a ratio of 7∶3.Clinical data were compared between groups,and clinical factors were screened with logistic regression analysis to establish a clinical model.Based on enhanced venous phase CT images,intratumoral volume of interest(VOI),peritumoral VOI,and intratumoral+peritumoral VOI were delineated,radiomics features were extracted,and radiomics models were constructed.The combination model was constructed based on the best radiomics model combined with clinical factors.The value of each model for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma was analyzed.Results Significant differences of patients’gender and carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)were found between mutant group and wild group(both P<0.05),which were independent impact factors of KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma(both P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of clinical model for evaluating KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma in training set and test set was 0.633 and 0.658,respectively.Intratumoral+peritumoral 3 mm model was the best radiomics model,with AUC of 0.921 and 0.894 in training set and test set,respectively.AUC of the combination model in training set and test set was 0.949 and 0.956,respectively.In training set,significant differences of AUC were found between clinical model and intratumoral+peritumoral 3 mm model,also between clinical model and combination model(both P<0.001),while in test set,significant differences of AUC were found between each two models(all P<0.05).Conclusion Intratumoral+peritumoral 3 mm radiomics based on enhanced venous phase CT could help to evaluate KRAS gene status in patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma.Combining with patients’gender and CEA could further improve efficacy of this model.


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