1.Rho/ROCK:key Mediator of Pulmonary Fibrosis and New Target of TCM for IPF Prevention and Treatment
Yuanyuan WU ; Kangchen LI ; Mingyan LI ; Xiling PENG ; Feifan ZHANG ; Han LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):256-265
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease characterized by dyspnea and progressive deterioration of lung function, which significantly impacts patients' quality of life and imposes a major burden on society. Although modern medicine has increasingly enriched the treatment options for pulmonary fibrosis, unfavorable factors such as high costs and significant side effects contribute to the persistently low survival rate of patients. Studies have shown that the occurrence and development of pulmonary fibrosis are closely related to abnormalities in multiple pathways. Among these, Rho/Rho-associated coiled-coil protein kinase (ROCK) plays a key role in the disease progression of IPF by regulating the cytoskeleton. This pathway not only transmits biochemical molecular signals that promote the progress of fibrosis but also responds to the biomechanical environment, such as the increased lung tissue stiffness caused by the deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) during the process of pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, research on this pathway is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of IPF. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown remarkable effects in preventing and treating IPF. Many TCM compounds and active components can reduce the production of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CollagenⅠ (ColⅠ), ColⅢ, and inflammatory factors in lung tissue by regulating the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway. These compounds inhibit the transformation of fibroblasts (FBs) into myofibroblasts (MyoFBs), intervening in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. Based on this, the article briefly reviews relevant research from recent years, discusses the key role of the Rho/ROCK pathway in pulmonary fibrosis from an interdisciplinary perspective, and summarizes the mechanisms through which TCM regulates Rho/ROCK to prevent and treat IPF, based on resources from PubMed, CNKI, and other databases, in order to provide important references for the broader clinical application of TCM in the prevention and treatment of IPF.
2.Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Stroke by Regulating Ferroptosis: A Review
Mingyan WEI ; Shanze LI ; Rui HAN ; Qingbi LI ; Xingyi SUN ; Han ZHANG ; Lin LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(12):313-321
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, ranking as the second leading cause of mortality globally and the primary cause of adult disability. Its pathological process involves complex cascade mechanisms, with high incidence and disability rates, posing a major threat to human health. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, more than 13 million new cases of stroke occur globally each year, resulting in direct medical costs and socioeconomic burdens amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. In recent years, breakthroughs in the study of programmed cell death mechanisms have provided new insights into stroke treatment. Among them, ferroptosis, a novel form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has attracted widespread attention in the pathological process of stroke. Ferroptosis is closely associated with iron metabolism disorders, oxidative stress, and lipid peroxidation, and exhibits unique regulatory effects in key pathological processes of stroke, such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and neuronal apoptosis. It plays an important role in post-stroke neurological damage. Chinese medicine, as an essential component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has demonstrated advantages in modulating ferroptosis and exerting neuroprotective effects. This review systematically summarizes current research on the neuroprotective mechanisms of Chinese medicine compound formulas and monomers through the regulation of ferroptosis pathways in post-stroke conditions, aiming to provide a basis for optimizing clinical treatment strategies and exploring new therapeutic approaches, and to offer new strategies and approaches for stroke treatment.
3.Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Stroke by Regulating Ferroptosis: A Review
Mingyan WEI ; Shanze LI ; Rui HAN ; Qingbi LI ; Xingyi SUN ; Han ZHANG ; Lin LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(12):313-321
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, ranking as the second leading cause of mortality globally and the primary cause of adult disability. Its pathological process involves complex cascade mechanisms, with high incidence and disability rates, posing a major threat to human health. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, more than 13 million new cases of stroke occur globally each year, resulting in direct medical costs and socioeconomic burdens amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars. In recent years, breakthroughs in the study of programmed cell death mechanisms have provided new insights into stroke treatment. Among them, ferroptosis, a novel form of cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has attracted widespread attention in the pathological process of stroke. Ferroptosis is closely associated with iron metabolism disorders, oxidative stress, and lipid peroxidation, and exhibits unique regulatory effects in key pathological processes of stroke, such as ischemia-reperfusion injury, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and neuronal apoptosis. It plays an important role in post-stroke neurological damage. Chinese medicine, as an essential component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has demonstrated advantages in modulating ferroptosis and exerting neuroprotective effects. This review systematically summarizes current research on the neuroprotective mechanisms of Chinese medicine compound formulas and monomers through the regulation of ferroptosis pathways in post-stroke conditions, aiming to provide a basis for optimizing clinical treatment strategies and exploring new therapeutic approaches, and to offer new strategies and approaches for stroke treatment.
4.Small-molecule probes based on natural products: Elucidation of drug-target mechanisms in stroke.
Xingyue JIN ; Suyi LIU ; Shujing CHEN ; Rui HAN ; Xingyi SUN ; Mingyan WEI ; Yanxu CHANG ; Lin LI ; Han ZHANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(11):101290-101290
Natural products (NPs) are an important source of new drugs for the treatment of stroke. Identifying cellular targets for bioactive molecules is a major challenge and critical issue in the development of new drugs for stroke. Small-molecule probes play a unique role in target discovery. However, drawbacks to these probes include non-specificity, unstable activity, and difficulty in synthesis. Small-molecule probes based on NPs at least partially compensate for these shortcomings. NPs feature rich chemical and structural diversity, biocompatibility, and unique biological activities. These features could be exploited to provide new ideas and tools for target discovery. Small-molecule probes based on NPs provide a precise and direct search for interacting protein targets of NPs-active small molecules. This review explores the properties of small-molecule probes based on NPs and their applications in mechanistic studies of stroke and other diseases. We hope that this review will bring new perspectives to the mechanistic study of NPs-active small molecules and accelerate the translation of these ingredients into drug candidates for the treatment of stroke.
5.Aesthetic outcomes of intraoral welding with progressive compression for soft tissue contouring of implant bridge pontics in anterior teeth
LI Mingyan ; HUANG Boshen ; HUANG Hong
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2025;33(12):1062-1069
Objective:
To evaluate the shaping effect of the intraoral welding framework combined with the progressive pressure technique using an ovate pontic on the soft tissue aesthetic contour of implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (ISFDPs).
Methods:
The Medical Ethics Review Committee of this hospital approved this retrospective study, which was conducted on 32 patients with consecutive partial edentulous in the anterior teeth (20 males, 12 females, aged 40-68 years) who received 3- to 5-unit ISFDPs between August 2022 and March 2024. Titanium frameworks for provisional prostheses were fabricated using the intraoral welding technique and screw-retained to achieve precise passive fit. The pontics were designed into an ovate shape. A progressive pressure technique was applied by selectively adding 0.8-1 mm thick flowable resin to the tissue surface of the pontic, while ensuring the avoidance of tissue blanching. Patients have a follow-up visit every 4 weeks, and the pontics were adjusted 2-3 times as needed, to form an ovate socket in the corresponding soft tissue approximately 3 mm in depth and 2.5-3.0 mm in buccolingual curvature. Definitive restorations were delivered after the conditioning period, and patients were followed up for over 1 year. Outcome measures included mechanical complications, Pink Esthetic Score (PES), Papilla Index Score (PIS), and patient satisfaction assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
Results:
During the follow-up period, no mechanical complications such as screw loosening or prosthesis fracture were observed in the 32 cases. The soft tissue aesthetic outcomes were favorable, with a mean total PES of 11.97 ± 1.18, and 96.9% of the cases achieving a score ≥ 8. According to the PIS, 93.5% of the proximal sites exhibited ideal papilla fill. VAS results indicated that 90.6% of patients were satisfied with the restorative outcome.
Conclusion
The technique combining an intraoral welding framework with progressive pressure using an ovate pontic can precisely shape the peri-implant soft tissue contour to mimic physiological morphology, achieving an ideal aesthetic outcome.
6.Mechanism traditional Chinese medicine extract preventing and treating hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase signaling pathway
Shuo ZENG ; Suqin HU ; Yang HU ; Lei LUO ; Mingyan LI ; Qinsheng ZHANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(10):2161-2167
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with high incidence and mortality rates worldwide, which brings a huge burden to the physical and mental health and socio-economic life of patients. The adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway serves as the regulatory center of cellular energy metabolism and is closely associated with the biological activities of HCC cells, including autophagy, apoptosis, and angiogenesis, and it has become a hot topic in current cancer research. Traditional Chinese medicine drugs are abundant in natural components such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenols and have the characteristics of multiple targets, pathways, components, and hierarchies. By targeting the AMPK signaling pathway, these components can be used alone or in combination with conventional antitumor therapies to exert an anti-tumor effect on HCC from various aspects. This article reviews and summarizes the extracts of traditional Chinese medicine that target the AMPK signaling pathway for the prevention and treatment of HCC, in order to provide a theoretical basis and a reference for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of HCC and the development of related drugs.
7.Genetic analysis of two families with abnormal findings upon prenatal diagnosis
Wenjing WANG ; Chenchun REN ; Weiwei YANG ; Mingyan JU ; Haixia ZHANG ; Deming LI ; Yuexiang ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2024;41(6):753-757
Objective:To carry out genetic analysis on two families with carriers of small terminal translocations using karyotyping analysis and genomic copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq).Methods:Two couples undergoing prenatal diagnosis at the Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology respectively on April 12, 2020 and December 17, 2021 were selected as the study subjects. With informed consent, amniotic fluid and peripheral blood samples were collected and subjected to conventional karyotyping and CNV-seq analysis for the detection of chromosomal microdeletion/duplications.Results:Both couples had given births to children with chromosomal aberrations previously, and both fetuses were found to have abnormal karyotypes. CNV-seq showed that they had harbored microdeletion/duplications, and their mothers had both carried balanced translocations involving terminal fragments of chromosomes.Conclusion:For fetuses with small chromosomal segmental abnormalities, their parental origin should be traced, and the diagnosis should be confirmed with combined genetic techniques.
8.Rate and risk factors of tip displacement of umbilical venous catheterization at different indwelling time points in preterm infants
Keyue LI ; Xu ZHENG ; Jingjie LUO ; Zixin YANG ; Juan DU ; Mingyan HEI
Chinese Journal of Pediatrics 2024;62(10):975-980
Objectives:To investigate the rate and risk factors of tip displacement of umbilical venous catheterization (UVC) in preterm infants.Methods:This was a multicenter cohort study. Study population were preterm infants admitted to 44 tertiary hospitals in China between October 2019 and August 2021. Demographic information, general clinical data, UVC indwelling conditions and related complications were collected. The primary outcome was the rate of UVC tip displacement. The observation time points were 2 d and 7 d after UVC. They were grouped according to UVC displacement, gestational age, and birth weight. Binary Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of UVC tip displacement.Results:The 2 086 preterm infants had a gestational age of (29.9±2.3) weeks and a birth weight of (1 248±298) g. There were 1 106 male preterm infants (53.0%). The rate of UVC displacement at 2 d and 7 d were 34.6% (721/2 086) and 33.6% (494/1 470), respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.35, P=0.533). Univariate analysis indicated that male infants, small gestational age, low birth weight and small catheter diameter were all risk factors for UVC tip displacement at the 2 d time point (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that small catheter diameter was an independent risk factor for tip displacement at both 2 d ( OR=0.47, 95% CI 0.34-0.66) and 7 d ( OR=0.39, 95% CI 0.25-0.59) time points (both P<0.001). Conclusions:The rate of UVC tip displacement is high in preterm infants. It should be avoided to deliberately select a small diameter catheter for UVC, and pay attention to the imaging monitoring of the tip position after UVC.
9.Application of quantitative grip strength training in postoperative patients with autogenous arteriovenous internal fistula
Siyi LI ; Yao LU ; Jing LIU ; Meibin ZHANG ; Huijin GONG ; Mingyan LI ; Yanqiong OUYANG
Chongqing Medicine 2024;53(11):1675-1678
Objective To formulate the quantitative grip strength training program for application in the postoperative patients with autogenous arteriovenous internal fistula,and to evaluate its effect on the mat-uration and initial use of autogenous arteriovenous internal fistula.Methods A total of 98 patients with ce-phalic venous radial arterial anastomosis internal fistula formation surgery in Shenzhen Hospital of Southern Medical University from September 2021 to November 2022 were selected as the study subjects by the conven-ience sampling method.According to the follow-up time,they were divided into the observation group (n=41) and control group (n=42).The observation group adopted the quantitative grip strength training for function-al exercise of the limb on the side of internal fistula,while the control group adopted the conventional grip training for functional exercise of the limb on the side of internal fistula.In postoperative 8 weeks,the matura-tion rate of internal fistula,natural blood flow amount of internal fistula,internal diameter of cephalic vein,pre-pump pressure used in the initial stage of internal fistula and the incidence rate of internal fistula complica-tions were evaluated in the two groups.Results Compared with the control group,the maturation rate of in-ternal fistula in the observation group was higher (97.6% vs. 83.3%).The inner diameter of cephalic vein and natural blood flow amount of internal fistula in the observation group were larger than those in the control group[(5.24±0.66)mm vs. (4.63±0.59)mm;(1215.38±562.99)mL/min vs. (955.75±341.94)mL/min],the pre-pump pressure used at the initial stage of internal fistula in the observation group was lower than that in the control group[(119.20±19.83)mmHg vs. (135.74±17.07)mmHg],and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusion The quantitative grip strength training could increase the postoperative maturity rate of patients's internal fistula,and is beneficial to the use in the initial stage of internal fistula.
10.Down-regulation of ATM/hnRNPK signaling reduces adriamycin resistance of myeloid leukemia
Jinfang ZHANG ; Mingyan ZHONG ; Quan YANG ; Bei FENG ; Xingdong LI
Basic & Clinical Medicine 2024;44(12):1638-1643
Objective To explore the role of ATM/hnRNPK signaling in the adriamycin resistance of acute myeloid leukemia.Methods Expression of ATM was examined in the adriamycin resistant and sensitive leukemia cell strains with Western blot.ATM expression was down-regulated by RNAi and ATM inhibitor in the adriamycin resist-ant cell strains.Expression level of hnRNPK and LC3Ⅰ/Ⅱ was detected by Western blot and adriamycin sensitivity was measured by CCK8 assay before and after modulation of ATM expression.Results ATM was overex-pressed in adriamycin resistant leukemia cell strains.The decreased expression of ATM restored the sensitivity to adriamycin.Expression level of LC3Ⅱ and hnRNPK was consistent with the modulation of ATM expression.Conclusions The ATM/hnRNPK signaling pathway may play a role in the occurrence of adriamycin resistance in acute myeloid leukemia by regulating autophagy.


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