1.Effects of Spleen Deficiency on Lipid Metabolism in Hyperlipidemia Model Rats Based on Gut Microbiota Sequencing and Fecal Metabolomics
Xue LENG ; Qi WANG ; Yang LI ; Xintong LI
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(10):1046-1056
ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanisms by which spleen deficiency affects lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia, from the perspective of gut microbiota and fecal endogenous metabolites. MethodsEighteen Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into control group, hyperlipidemia group, and spleen-deficiency with hyperlipidemia group, with 6 rats in each group. The control group was fed with standard diet; the hyperlipi-demia group was given high-fat diet to induce hyperlipidemia model; and the spleen-deficiency with hyperlipidemia group received combination of high-fat diet, irregular feeding, and exercise restriction to induce the model. After 12 weeks of modeling, serum lipid levels including total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze gut microbiota composition in fecal samples, and fecal metabolites were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Differential metabolites and microbial taxa were screened for pathway enrichment and functional prediction analysis, followed by correlation analysis. ResultsCompared with the control group, rats in the hyperlipidemia and spleen-deficiency with hyperlipidemia groups showed significantly increased serum TG, TC, and LDL-C levels, and decreased HDL-C levels (P<0.01). Compared with the hyperlipidemia group, the spleen-deficiency with hyperlipidemia group showed further increases in TG, TC, and LDL-C and further decrease in HDL-C (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Gut microbiota analysis revealed 3,066 unique species in the control group, 2,637 in the hyperlipidemia group, and 1,581 in the spleen-deficiency group. Chao1, Simpson, and Shannon indices were significantly reduced in the spleen-deficiency group compared with the hyperli-pidemia group, with an increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Differentially abundant genera such as Romboutsia, Lactobacillus, Clostridium, Allobaculum, and Xylanibacter were significantly upregulated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Metabolomics identified 25 differential metabolites in feces of spleen-deficient rats, with 18 downregulated and 7 upregulated. Key enriched pathways included serotonergic synapse, nucleotide metabolism, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Spearman correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations between Romboutsia and Desulfovibrio and metabolites such as digalactosyldiacylglycerol (48∶5), dehydrated artemetin, lysophosphatidylcholine (26∶4), and glucuronosyldiacylglycerol (46∶5); Clostridium was positively correlated with cyclopassifloric acid E1, digalactosyldiacylglycerol (48∶5), and lysophosphatidylcholine (26∶4); Xylanibacter was positively correlated with digalactosyldiacylglycerol (48∶5), dehydrated artemetin, and lysophosphatidylcholine (26∶4). ConclusionSpleen deficiency can further alter gut microbiota composition in hyperlipi-demia model rats, leading to microbial dysbiosis and metabolic disturbances that aggravate lipid metabolism disorders. This mechanism may be associated with changes in pathways such as serotonergic synapse, nucleotide metabolism, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and arachidonic acid metabolism.
2.Experience of Overseas Research on Electronic Health Literacy and Its Enlightenment to China in Public Health Emergencies
Jiawen NIU ; Jingyu CAO ; Yanshuang ZHANG ; Bin LENG ; Mei YIN ; Xue ZHANG
Chinese Medical Ethics 2024;35(1):90-93
The Internet has become an important carrier of medical information.Good electronic health literacy can enhance the public’s ability to obtain correct medical and health information with the help of electronic resources,which is helpful for the public to use health information to prevent diseases,avoid drug abuse,reduce the waste of medical resources and strengthen the self-management of chronic diseases.The improvement of electronic health literacy is of great value to the healthy development of citizens’ health literacy and healthy behavior.In view of the late start and slow development in the field of electronic health literacy in China,by combing the theoretical and practical research experience of electronic health literacy outside the region and combining with the COVID-19,this paper put forward new thinking on electronic health literacy in China,in order to provide useful reference for improving electronic health literacy of Chinese citizens,realizing self-care,self-management and disease prevention.
3.Key Information Textual Research and Quality Marker Prediction Analysis of the Ancient Classic Formula Huangqin Decoc-tion
Jiahao WANG ; Limei GU ; Hao XUE ; Yu LI ; Yu CHEN ; Ziyan LENG ; Renshou CHEN
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;40(11):1263-1274
Huangqin Decoction is a classic formula published in the Catalogue of Ancient Classical Famous Prescriptions(the Sec-ond Batch).This paper systematically collates,researches and analyzes the ancient and modern clinical literature that records Huan-gqin Decoction,sorts out key issues such as the prescription origin,composition,medicine origin,processing method,usage and dos-age,efficacy and indications of Huangqin Decoction,and performs predictive analysis on its quality markers(Q-Marker)to provide lit-erature and theoretical support for the clinical application and preparation development of Huangqin Decoction from the entire process of textual research-preparation development-quality evaluation.After analysis and research,it is found that Huangqin Decoction is de-rived from Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Cold Damage.It consists of Scutellaria baicalensis,Radix Paeoniae Alba,and Glycyrrhiza,with Jujube serving as the guiding herb.The medicine origin follows the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.Scutellaria ba-icalensis and Radix Paeoniae Alba are taken in the raw form;Glycyrrhiza is lightly fried and Jujubes with sliced pieces.The doasge of medicine is 11.19 of Scutellaria baicalensis,7.46 g of Radix Paeoniae Alba and Glycyrrhiza,and jujubes are added or subtracted ac-cording to the situation.The method of preparation and administration is that all herbs are added with 2 000 mL of water,decocting to 600 mL.The decoction can be consumed warm 3 times a day at any suitable time.The formula was commonly used in ancient times for dysentery,but now it is also used for other digestive system diseases such as ulcerative colitis and chronic colitis,which are mainly characterized by diarrhea.The suggested Q-markers for Huangqin Decoction are baicalin,baicalein,wogonin,paeoniflorin,glycyrrhi-zin and glycyrrhizic acid.
4.Phenformin activates ER stress to promote autophagic cell death via NIBAN1 and DDIT4 in oral squamous cell carcinoma independent of AMPK
Zhuang DEXUAN ; Wang SHUANGSHUANG ; Deng HUITING ; Shi YUXIN ; Liu CHANG ; Leng XUE ; Zhang QUN ; Bai FUXIANG ; Zheng BIN ; Guo JING ; Wu XUNWEI
International Journal of Oral Science 2024;16(3):471-485
The efficient clinical treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)is still a challenge that demands the development of effective new drugs.Phenformin has been shown to produce more potent anti-tumor activities than metformin on different tumors,however,not much is known about the influence of phenformin on OSCC cells.We found that phenformin suppresses OSCC cell proliferation,and promotes OSCC cell autophagy and apoptosis to significantly inhibit OSCC cell growth both in vivo and in vitro.RNA-seq analysis revealed that autophagy pathways were the main targets of phenformin and identified two new targets DDIT4(DNA damage inducible transcript 4)and NIBAN1(niban apoptosis regulator 1).We found that phenformin significantly induces the expression of both DDIT4 and NIBAN1 to promote OSCC autophagy.Further,the enhanced expression of DDIT4 and NIBAN1 elicited by phenformin was not blocked by the knockdown of AMPK but was suppressed by the knockdown of transcription factor ATF4(activation transcription factor 4),which was induced by phenformin treatment in OSCC cells.Mechanistically,these results revealed that phenformin triggers endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress to activate PERK(protein kinase R-like ER kinase),which phosphorylates the transitional initial factor eIF2,and the increased phosphorylation of eIF2 leads to the increased translation of ATF4.In summary,we discovered that phenformin induces its new targets DDIT4 and especially NIBAN1 to promote autophagic and apoptotic cell death to suppress OSCC cell growth.Our study supports the potential clinical utility of phenformin for OSCC treatment in the future.
5.Efficacy and safety of ciprofol for procedural sedation and anesthesia outside the operating room:a meta-analysis
Yunpeng XU ; Yufang LENG ; Jiayi ZHENG ; Hongrui LI ; Wenjie NIU ; Xing XUE ; Xiaoli MA ; Jian LIU
The Journal of Clinical Anesthesiology 2024;40(7):727-734
Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of ciprofol for sedation and anesthesia outside the operating room.Methods Databases such as PubMed,Embase,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,CNKI,Wanfang Data,CBM,and VIP were searched for randomized controlled trials(RCTs)related to the efficacy and safety of ciprofol for sedation and anesthesia outside the operating room.The search covered all publications up to June 2023.Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 software and Stata 15.0.Results Twelve RCTs were included,involving 2 192 patients,of which 1 154 were in the ciprofol group and 1 038 in the propofol group.Compared with the propofol group,the anesthesia induction time(MD=0.28 min,95%CI 0.08-0.47 min,P=0.006)and recovery time(MD=1.16 min,95%CI 0.44-1.87 min,P=0.001)were significantly longer in the ciprofol group,and the inci-dences of injection pain(OR=0.04,95%CI 0.02-0.06,P<0.001),hypotension(OR=0.64,95%CI 0.49-0.83,P=0.0008),hypoxemia(OR=0.44,95%CI 0.21-0.91,P=0.03),and respirato-ry depression(OR=0.19,95%CI 0.11-0.32,P<0.001)were significantly lower.There were no sta-tistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of sedation success rate,physician satisfac-tion,the difference in heart rate before and after anesthesia induction,incidence of body movement,brady-cardia,nausea and vomiting,and dizziness.Conclusion The anesthetic effect of cyclopofol and propofol is similar when used for anesthesia outside the operating room.Compared to propofol,ciprofol offers comparable anesthetic effects for sedation and anesthesia outside the operating room,with a lesser impact on respiratory function and more stable hemodynamics.Ciprofol also significantly lowers the incidence of adverse reactions such as injection pain,hypotension,hypoxemia,and respiratory depression.
6.Non-coding RNAs as therapeutic targets in cancer and its clinical application
Leng XUEJIAO ; Zhang MENGYUAN ; Xu YUJING ; Wang JINGJING ; Ding NING ; Yu YANCHENG ; Sun SHANLIANG ; Dai WEICHEN ; Xue XIN ; Li NIANGUANG ; Yang YE ; Shi ZHIHAO
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(7):983-1010
Cancer genomics has led to the discovery of numerous oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes that play critical roles in cancer development and progression.Oncogenes promote cell growth and proliferation,whereas tumor suppressor genes inhibit cell growth and division.The dysregulation of these genes can lead to the development of cancer.Recent studies have focused on non-coding RNAs(ncRNAs),including circular RNA(circRNA),long non-coding RNA(lncRNA),and microRNA(miRNA),as therapeutic targets for cancer.In this article,we discuss the oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes of ncRNAs associated with different types of cancer and their potential as therapeutic targets.Here,we highlight the mechanisms of action of these genes and their clinical applications in cancer treatment.Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer development and identifying specific therapeutic targets are essential steps towards the development of effective cancer treatments.
7.Association of sleep status with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring indicators in community-dwelling hypertensive patients
Hongmei ZHANG ; Lanping CAI ; Yajuan WANG ; Ling CHEN ; Yanyan ZHOU ; Haiyan LENG ; Tiemei RUAN ; Xiaoying TANG ; Yu FENG ; Xue BAI ; Puyang ZHENG
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2024;23(12):1262-1269
Objective:To analyze the association between sleep status and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring indicators in community-dwelling hypertensive patients.Methods:It was a cross sentional study. Hypertensive patients who underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring from May 2021 to April 2023 in Shanghai Xinzhuang Town were enrolled. The demographic information and sleep status of patients were obtained from the questionnaire. A TM-2430 blood pressure monitor was used to measure 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, and the relevant indicators, including blood pressure level and blood pressure coefficient of variation were documented. The association between sleep status and blood pressure indicators was analyzed with multivariate linear regression model.Results:A total 1 135 patients aged (65.07±12.61) years were enrolled, and 473 (41.67%) of whom were males. The sleep time was<7 hours in 76 cases, 7- 8 hours in 219 cases and >8 hours in 840 cases; the bedtime was earlier than 22∶00 in 415 cases, between 22∶00 and 23∶00 in 474 cases and later than 23∶00 in 246 cases; the wake-up time was before 6∶00 in 230 cases, between 6∶00 and 7∶00 in 521 cases and after 7∶00 in 384 cases. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that after controlling for gender and age, the sleep time was negatively associated with diurnal, noctumal and 24-hour diastolic blood pressure levels (all P<0.05), and positively associated with diurnal and noctumal systolic blood pressure coefficient of variation, noctumal diastolic blood pressure coefficient of variation, and 24-hour systolic blood pressure coefficient of variation (all P<0.05).The bedtime was positively associated with diurnal, noctumal and 24-hour diastolic blood pressure (all P<0.05), diastolic blood pressure (all P<0.05); and negatively associated with diurnal systolic blood pressure coefficient of variation, diurnal diastolic blood pressure coefficient of variation, noctumal systolic blood pressure coefficient of variation, 24-hour systolic blood pressure coefficient of variation, and 24-hour diastolic blood pressure coefficient of variation (all P<0.05). The wake-up time was positively associated with diurnal systolic blood pressure, diurnal, noctumal and 24-hour diastolic blood pressure (all P<0.05), and positively associated with diurmal systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure (both P<0.05). Conclusion:Sleep status is closely associated with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring indicators in community-dwelling hypertensive patients.
8.Impact factors of fine needle aspiration biopsy accuracy for diagnosing papillary thyroid carcinoma
Jiayu WANG ; Guangyin LI ; Yuteng ZHANG ; Xue MEI ; Shuangquan JIANG ; Jiawei TIAN ; Xiaoping LENG
Chinese Journal of Interventional Imaging and Therapy 2023;20(12):730-734
Objective To observe the impact factors of the diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration biopsy(FNAB)for papillary thyroid carcinoma(PTC).Methods Totally 468 patients with single PTC confirmed by postoperative pathology who underwent FNAB before surgery were enrolled.The impact of clinica,l ultrasonic and pathological features on the accuracy of FNAB diagnosis were analyzed.Results The accuracy of FNAB for diagnosing PTC was 71.37%(334/468).The maximum diameter and location of PTC were both impact factors of the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB.The maximum diameter of 0.7 cm was the optimal cutoff value of FNAB for diagnosing PTC,and the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB for PTC with the maximum diameter<0.7 cm and those≥0.7 cm was 62.96%(119/189)and 77.06%(215/279),respectively.The diagnostic accuracy of FNAB for PTC located in the difficult and easy area of puncture was 52.53%(52/99)and 76.42%(282/369),respectively.The diagnostic accuracy of FNAB for PTC with the maximum diameter≥0.7 cm and located in the easy area,≥0.7 cm and located in the difficult area,<0.7 cm and located in the easy area,<0.7 cm and located in the difficult area was 80.43%(185/230),61.22%(30/49),69.78%(97/139)and 44.00%(22/50),respectively.Conclusion The maximum diameter and location of PTC were both impact factors of the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB.
9.Early prenatal exposure to air pollutants and congenital heart disease: a nested case-control study.
Zhao MA ; Weiqin LI ; Jicui YANG ; Yijuan QIAO ; Xue CAO ; Han GE ; Yue WANG ; Hongyan LIU ; Naijun TANG ; Xueli YANG ; Junhong LENG
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 2023;28():4-4
BACKGROUND:
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital malformations in humans. Inconsistent results emerged in the existed studies on associations between air pollution and congenital heart disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of gestational exposure to air pollutants with congenital heart disease, and to explore the critical exposure windows for congenital heart disease.
METHODS:
The nested case-control study collected birth records and the following health data in Tianjin Women and Children's Health Center, China. All of the cases of congenital heart disease from 2013 to 2015 were selected matching five healthy controls for each case. Inverse distance weighting was used to estimate individual exposure based on daily air pollution data. Furthermore, the conditional logistic regression with distributed lag non-linear model was performed to identify the association between gestational exposure to air pollution and congenital heart disease.
RESULTS:
A total of 8,748 mother-infant pairs were entered into the analysis, of which 1,458 infants suffered from congenital heart disease. For each 10 µg/m3 increase of gestational exposure to PM2.5, the ORs (95% confidence interval, 95%CI) ranged from 1.008 (1.001-1.016) to 1.013 (1.001-1.024) during the 1st-2nd gestation weeks. Similar weak but increased risks of congenital heart disease were associated with O3 exposure during the 1st week and SO2 exposure during 6th-7th weeks in the first trimester, while no significant findings for other air pollutants.
CONCLUSIONS
This study highlighted that gestational exposure to PM2.5, O3, and SO2 had lag effects on congenital heart disease. Our results support potential benefits for pregnancy women to the mitigation of air pollution exposure in the early stage, especially when a critical exposure time window of air pollutants may precede heart development.
Infant
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Pregnancy
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Child
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Humans
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Female
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Air Pollutants/analysis*
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Case-Control Studies
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Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/epidemiology*
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Heart Defects, Congenital/etiology*
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China/epidemiology*
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Particulate Matter/adverse effects*
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Maternal Exposure/adverse effects*
10.Discovery of biomarkers related to abnormal lipid metabolism in liver and serum and intervention mechanism of ginsenoside Rb_1 in hyperlipidemia rats based on non-targeted metabolomics.
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2023;48(14):3922-3933
Through the non-targeted metabolomics study of endogenous substances in the liver and serum of hyperlipidemia rats, the biomarkers related to abnormal lipid metabolism in hyperlipidemia rats were found, and the target of ginsenoside Rb_1 in improving hyperlipidemia was explored and its mechanism was elucidated. The content of serum biochemical indexes of rats in each group was detected by the automatic biochemical analyzer. The metabolite profiles of liver tissues and serum of rats were analyzed by HPLC-MS. Principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were used to compare and analyze the metabolic data in the normal group, the hyperlipidemia group, and the ginsenoside Rb_1 group, and screen potential biomar-kers. The related metabolic pathways were further constructed by KEGG database analysis. The results showed that hyperlipemia induced dyslipidemia in rats, which was alleviated by ginsenoside Rb_1. The non-targeted metabolomics results showed that there were 297 differential metabolites in the liver tissues of hyperlipidemia rats, 294 differential metabolites in the serum samples, and 560 diffe-rential metabolites in the hyperlipidemia rats treated by ginsenoside Rb_1. Perillic acid and N-ornithyl-L-taurine were common metabolites in the liver and serum samples, which could be used as potential biomarkers for ginsenoside Rb_1 in the improvement of hyperlipidemia. As revealed by pathway enrichment in the liver and serum, ginsenoside Rb_1 could participate in the metabolic pathway of choline in both the liver and serum. In addition, ginsenoside Rb_1 also participated in the ABC transporter, alanine, aspartic acid, and glutamate metabolism, protein digestion and absorption, β-alanine metabolism, taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, caffeine metabolism, valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, and methionine and cysteine metabolism to improve dyslipidemia in rats.
Rats
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Animals
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Hyperlipidemias/drug therapy*
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Metabolome
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Ginsenosides/metabolism*
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Lipid Metabolism
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Metabolomics/methods*
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Liver/metabolism*
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Biomarkers
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Taurine

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