1.Research progress on hepatoprotective effect and mechanism of Solanum nigrum
Yueming ZHANG ; Fengwei HUANG ; Jinghui ZHAI ; Sixi ZHANG
China Pharmacy 2025;36(7):891-896
Solanum nigrum is a traditional Chinese herb widely distributed in China. It is rich in active ingredients such as alkaloids and saponins, and has shown remarkable hepatoprotective effects and various mechanisms in the treatment of various liver diseases. It can prevent and treat chemical liver injury through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, gut microbiota-regulating, and anti- fibrotic pathways. In the prevention and treatment of fatty liver disease, it can regulate lipid metabolism, inhibit lipogenesis, and promote fat degradation. It has potential antiviral activity against viral hepatitis. By inducing tumor cell apoptosis, arresting the cell cycle, and inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and metastasis and so on, it plays a role in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer. Clinically, S. nigrum has been used in the treatment of liver cancer and liver fibrosis after chronic hepatitis B, showing good efficacy and high safety. Future research should focus on further elucidating its mechanisms of action and promoting the development and application of new drugs, in order to benefit more patients with liver diseases.
2.The Role of NEAT1 in Bone and Cartilage Metabolism and Bone Diseases
Rui-Ming WEN ; Rui-Qi HUANG ; Yi-Xing CHANG ; Ke XU ; Xue-Jie YI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):930-945
In the process of maintaining the steady state of bone tissue, the transcription network and signal pathway of the body play a vital role. These complex regulatory mechanisms need precise coordination to ensure the balance between bone formation and bone absorption. Once this balance is broken, it may lead to pathological changes of bone and cartilage, and then lead to various bone diseases. Therefore, it is of great significance to understand these regulatory mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases. In recent years, with the deepening of research, more and more lncRNA has been found to be closely related to bone health. Among them, nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1), as an extremely abundant RNA molecule in mammalian nuclei, has attracted extensive attention. NEAT1 is mainly transcribed from a specific site in human chromosome 11 by RNA polymerase II (RNaseP), which can form two different subtypes NEAT1_1 and NEAT1_2. These two subtypes are different in intracellular distribution and function, but they participate in many biological processes together. Studies have shown that NEAT1 plays a specific role in the process of cell growth and stress response. For example, it can regulate the development of osteoblasts (OB), osteoclasts (OC) and chondrocytes by balancing the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), thus maintaining the steady state of bone metabolism. This discovery reveals the important role of NEAT1 in bone development and remodeling. In addition, NEAT1 is closely related to a variety of bone diseases. In patients with bone diseases such as osteoporosis (OP), osteoarthritis (OA) and osteosarcoma (OS), the expression level of NEAT1 is different. These differential expressions may be closely related to the pathogenesis and progression of bone diseases. By regulating the level of NEAT1, it can affect a variety of signal transduction pathways, and then affect the development of bone diseases. For example, some studies show that by regulating the expression level of NEAT1, the activity of osteoclasts can be inhibited, and the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts can be promoted, thus improving the symptoms of osteoporosis. It is worth noting that NEAT1 can also be used as a key sensor for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases. When exercising or receiving some natural products, the expression level of NEAT1 will change, thus reflecting the response of bones to external stimuli. This feature makes NEAT1 an important target for studying the prevention and treatment strategies of bone diseases. However, although the role of NEAT1 in bone biology and bone diseases has been initially recognized, its specific mechanism and regulatory relationship are still controversial. For example, the expression level, mode of action and interaction with other molecules of NEAT1 in different bone diseases still need further in-depth study. This paper reviews the role of NEAT1 in maintaining bone and cartilage metabolism, and discusses its expression and function in various bone diseases. By combing the existing research results and controversial points, this paper aims to provide new perspectives and ideas for the prevention and treatment of bone diseases, and provide useful reference and enlightenment for future research.
3.Research progress on flexible sensors in oral health monitoring
HUANG Jingwen ; HAN Shuang ; ZHENG Yi ; MA Ning
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(7):612-618
Oral health is closely related to facial aesthetics, mastication, pronunciation, and systemic diseases. Flexible sensors can improve current deficiencies in clinical diagnosis and treatment through oral health monitoring. This paper reviews the research on and application of flexible sensors in oral health monitoring in recent years, providing a reference for the further development of flexible sensors in the oral field. The structural basis of flexible sensors includes a flexible substrate, stretchable electrodes, and an active layer, and each part is designed through material selection to adapt to the oral environment. The sensing mechanisms of sensors involve electricity, optics, electrochemistry, and immunology, among which electro-chemical, biological, and optical sensors are particularly prominent in the oral field. The monitored signals include physical signals such as orthodontic force, bite force, respiratory humidity, and implant temperature; chemical signals such as saliva metabolites and oral gases; and biological signals such as periodontal disease and oral cancer markers. At present, flexible sensors still face many challenges in this special oral environment. Future research directions include improving the biocompatibility, moisture resistance, and flexible fitting ability of sensors in the oral cavity; using temperature-insensitive materials and protective films to improve stability; and introducing artificial receptors and sensor arrays to improve factors such as selectivity. In addition, multi-disciplinary cooperation is crucial for breaking through current bottlenecks and achieving more accurate disease diagnosis and health monitoring. In the field of stomatology, finding specific biomarkers related to corresponding oral diseases is the key to sensor health monitoring. Through these efforts, flexible sensors are expected to gain more extensive applications in the field of oral health monitoring.
4.Exploration of the nervous organ-system-based curriculum
Journal of Apoplexy and Nervous Diseases 2025;42(1):94-96
Most of the medical colleges and universities in China follow the traditional three-stage teaching mode centering on subjects, and a number of colleges and universities have implemented the teaching mode of organ-system-based curriculum (OSBC). With the OSBC course for the nervous system in our university as an example, this article analyzes the advantages and challenges of OSBC course of the nervous system in the context of integrative medicine.
Neurology
5.Research progress on commonly used visual acuity charts for preschool children
Shiyi WANG ; Lingxian XU ; Ningning QIAN ; Huang WU
International Eye Science 2024;24(1):101-105
Preschool age(3-6 years old)is a critical period for visual development, and it is crucial to detect and treat visual problems in preschool children as early as possible. Visual acuity charts are important tools for screening visual issues in children. In China, the commonly used charts are the standard logarithmic visual acuity chart and the pediatric optotype chart, while overseas, the Lea, HOTV, and ETDRS visual acuity charts are frequently employed. Numerous studies have reported the measurability, repeatability, and sensitivity of these three charts in diagnosing visual-related problems in children. However, the application of these three charts is relatively limited in China. This article provides a comprehensive review of the design principles, clinical applications, and characteristics of these three visual acuity charts, so as to better understand their applicability and limitations in preschool children, and provide reference for the selection and improvement of vision examination methods in the future.
6.The Correlation between Tooth Brushing Frequency and Blood Indicators in Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Observational Study
Xu ZHANG ; Hanze DU ; Wenhao ZHAI ; Shuaihua SONG ; Xiaoyuan GUO ; Linlin WEN ; Lei HUANG ; Shi CHEN ; Daowei LI ; Hui PAN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;15(4):960-967
To analyze the effects of tooth brushing frequency on blood indicators among adolescents and to preliminarily explore the effects of tooth brushing frequency on general health. Using convenience sampling method, the study included the students of class 2021 of Jining No. 7 Middle School and student athletes from the Jining Sports Training Center. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to investigate the correlation between tooth brushing frequency and blood indicators such as eosinophil percentage (EOS%), eosinophil count (EOS#), basophil percentage (BAS%), basophil count (BAS#), superoxide dismutase (SOD), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and uric acid (UA). A total of 305 students were included (167 from Jining No. 7 Middle School, 138 from Jining Sports Training Centre), with 192 (62.95%) males and 113 (37.05%) females. They were divided into three groups based on daily teeth brushing frequency: ≤1 time (40.33%, 123/305), 2 times (53.77%, 164/305), and ≥3 times (5.90%, 18/305).Univariate linear regression analysis showed that brushing twice daily was negatively correlated with EOS%, EOS#, BAS%, and BAS#(all The adolescent tooth brushing frequency correlates with several blood indicators affecting general health, suggesting that there may be a potential association between oral health and general health.
7.Oral Proactive Healthcare and Obesity
Jing CUI ; Hanze DU ; Wenhao ZHAI ; Linlin WEN ; Lei HUANG ; Shi CHEN ; Daowei LI ; Hui PAN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;15(2):450-455
Oral health is closely related to systemic health. Common chronic oral diseases, periodontitis and periapical inflammation for example, not only affect the health of oral soft and hard tissues including the alveolar bone and gums, but may also cause changes in systemic conditions such as chronic low-grade inflammation, elevated oxidative stress levels, and dysbiosis of the microbiota. These changes in systemic health can exacerbate the progression of obesity. Therefore, through proactive oral health interventions such as maintaining good oral hygiene habits, modifying dietary structures, and undergoing oral examinations, it is possible to effectively prevent and alleviate inflammatory oral diseases, and actively intervene in obesity. This article delves into the impact of inflammatory oral diseases on obesity and their underlying mechanisms, defines the concept of "oral proactive healthcare", and systematically summarizes their preventive and therapeutic effects on inflammatory oral diseases, thereby demonstrating the potential of improving obesity through proactive oral health strategies.
8.Application of proanthocyanidin in the treatment and repair of deep caries
GAO Ying ; WANG Jue ; TAO Lu ; YAO Jingjing ; YU Jinling ; HUANG Handan ; YANG Liuqing ; LIU Zhihui
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2023;31(7):518-523
Proanthocyanidin (PA), as a kind of natural plant polyphenol, have a variety of biological functions, such as promoting remineralization, inducing collagen cross-linking, inhibiting protease activity and inhibiting bacteria. Therefore, PA could be broadly used in the clinical application of treatment and repair of deep caries in the future; for example, PA could promote dentin remineralization, improve resin-dentin bonding durability and improve the dentin acid erosion effect. This application potential of PA arises from several features, firstly, PA can not only promote dentin remineralization on its own or with other remineralizers but also exhibits antibacterial effects, which can inhibit acid production while reducing the formation of cariogenic pathogens and their biofilms. Based on the above features, PA can reduce the incidence of caries disease; thus, PA improves deep caries and long-term effects after treatment. In addition, PA added to adhesives or etch agents can improve the etching and bonding effect of dentin by inducing collagen cross-linking and inhibiting protease activity, thus achieving the ultimate goal of improving the bonding performance of deep caries. This paper summarizes recent progress of research on PA for the treatment and repair of deep caries, including the promotion of dentin remineralization and antibacterial activity as well as the improvement in dentin bonding and acid etching effect, to provide a more comprehensive reference for treating and restoring deep caries in clinical practice.
9.Construction of AQHI based on joint effects of multi-pollutants in 5 provinces of China
Jinghua GAO ; Chunliang ZHOU ; Jianxiong HU ; Ruilin MENG ; Maigeng ZHOU ; Zhulin HOU ; Yize XIAO ; Min YU ; Biao HUANG ; Xiaojun XU ; Tao LIU ; Weiwei GONG ; Donghui JIN ; Mingfang QIN ; Peng YIN ; Yiqing XU ; Guanhao HE ; Xianbo WU ; Weilin ZENG ; Wenjun MA
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2023;40(3):281-288
Background Air pollution is a major public health concern. Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is a very important air quality risk communication tool. However, AQHI is usually constructed by single-pollutant model, which has obvious disadvantages. Objective To construct an AQHI based on the joint effects of multiple air pollutants (J-AQHI), and to provide a scientific tool for health risk warning and risk communication of air pollution. Methods Data on non-accidental deaths in Yunnan, Guangdong, Hunan, Zhejiang, and Jilin provinces from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2018 were obtained from the corresponding provincial disease surveillance points systems (DSPS), including date of death, age, gender, and cause of death. Daily meteorological (temperature and relative humidity) and air pollution data (SO2, NO2, CO, PM2.5, PM10, and maximum 8 h O3 concentrations) at the same period were respectively derived from China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System and National Urban Air Quality Real-time Publishing Platform. Lasso regression was first applied to select air pollutants, then a time-stratified case-crossover design was applied. Each case was matched to 3 or 4 control days which were selected on the same days of the week in the same calendar month. Then a distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to estimate the exposure-response relationship between selected air pollutants and mortality, which was used to construct the AQHI. Finally, AQHI was classified into four levels according to the air pollutant guidance limit values from World Health Organization Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQG 2021), and the excess risks (ERs) were calculated to compare the AQHI based on single-pollutant model and the J-AQHI based on multi-pollutant model. Results PM2.5, NO2, SO2, and O3 were selected by Lasso regression to establish DLNM model. The ERs for an interquartile range (IQR) increase and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for PM2.5, NO2, SO2 and O3 were 0.71% (0.34%–1.09%), 2.46% (1.78%–3.15%), 1.25% (0.9%–1.6%), and 0.27% (−0.11%–0.65%) respectively. The distribution of J-AQHI was right-skewed, and it was divided into four levels, with ranges of 0-1 for low risk, 2-3 for moderate risk, 4-5 for high health risk, and ≥6 for severe risk, and the corresponding proportions were 11.25%, 64.61%, 19.33%, and 4.81%, respectively. The ER (95%CI) of mortality risk increased by 3.61% (2.93–4.29) for each IQR increase of the multi-pollutant based J-AQHI , while it was 3.39% (2.68–4.11) for the single-pollutant based AQHI . Conclusion The J-AQHI generated by multi-pollutant model demonstrates the actual exposure health risk of air pollution in the population and provides new ideas for further improvement of AQHI calculation methods.
10.An investigation of hepatitis D virus infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection in some regions of China
Yumei LIU ; Xiaoping GUO ; Huimin ZHANG ; Hongxia BAI ; Chunmei WANG ; Shan REN ; Yongfang JIANG ; Sheng YANG ; Feng PENG ; Xiaozhong WANG ; Lei YU ; Boming LIAO ; Ling NING ; Yingli HE ; Xia YANG ; Liang HUANG ; Xueen LIU ; Hui ZHUANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2023;39(4):795-803
Objective To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in some regions of China. Methods Serum samples were collected from 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection in 10 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions of China from March 2021 to June 2022, and anti-HDV IgG ELISA was used for the detection of all serum samples. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used to detect HDV RNA in anti-HDV IgG-positive samples, and the nRT-PCR amplification products of HDV RNA-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to determine HDV genotype. The clinical features of anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of anti-HDV IgG in the 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection was 0.70% (22/3 131), and that in the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, and Hunan Province was 1.81% (16/886), 0.88% (2/226), 0.28% (2/708), and 1.00% (2/200), respectively; the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had a significantly higher positive rate of anti-HDV IgG than those in Beijing ( P =0.004), and there was no significant difference between the other regions ( P > 0.05). Clinical features of the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region showed that compared with the anti-HDV IgG-negative group, the anti-HDV IgG-positive group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with Mongol nationality ( P =0.001), abnormal alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.007), or antiviral treatment ( P =0.029), as well as a significantly lower median HBV DNA level ( P =0.030). A total of 19 HDV RNA-positive samples were identified, all of which had HDV genotype 1. Conclusion The prevalence rate of HDV varies greatly across different regions of China, with a higher prevalence rate of HDV in patients with chronic HBV infection from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. HDV genotype 1 is the predominant genotype in some provinces and cities of northern China.


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