1.Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulation of MAPK Pathway for Treatment of Obesity: A Review
Lei CAO ; Mingjun LIU ; Chunwei WU ; Hailong CHEN ; Ruolin WANG ; Yang BAO ; Ze HE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(9):254-262
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			With a global rise in morbidity rates, obesity has become a pressing public health issue. With increased adipocyte number and volume as the main characteristics, obesity is also manifested by metabolic disorders to varying degrees. At the same time, obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, hypertension, stroke, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, imposing burdens on society and families. Influenced by lifestyle, environment, behavior, and genetics, obesity is caused by the interaction of many factors, and its pathological process is complex, involving inflammation, autophagy, and intestinal dysbiosis. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade reaction, a pivotal signaling pathway, plays a crucial role in cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and stress responses. Both Chinese and international studies indicate that the MAPK signaling pathway can effectively regulate obesity through various pathways, including the modulation of adipocyte differentiation and apoptosis, appetite control, and inflammation improvement. Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has demonstrated significant efficacy in preventing and treating obesity, leveraging advantages such as multiple targets, diverse components, and minimal adverse effects. Research indicates that the MAPK signaling pathway is a primary focus of TCM regulation in this context, although a systematic review in this field is currently lacking. Therefore, this paper, by reviewing the latest Chinese and international research, provided a concise overview of the basic structure of the MAPK pathway, with a specific emphasis on recent progress in TCM interventions targeting the MAPK pathway for obesity treatment. The results indicate that regulating adipose tissue formation, differentiation, and thermogenesis, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress levels, and improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic disorders seem to be the main ways for TCM to regulate the MAPK pathway to prevent and treat obesity. However, it is necessary to find more research methods and explore potential mechanisms underlying TCM formulations based on the MAPK pathway for obesity prevention and treatment. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
2.Research on the risk factors and cumulative risk of myopia in children and adolescents
Yang QIN ; Wen YUAN ; Tian YANG ; Xiuhong ZHANG ; Li CHEN ; Yi ZHANG ; Jianuo JIANG ; Qi MA ; Ziqi DONG ; Xinli SONG ; Jieyu LIU ; Ruolin WANG ; Yi SONG ; Jun MA ; Yanhui DONG
Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2024;45(8):1126-1133
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective:To investigate the risk factors and cumulative risk of myopia in children and adolescents, providing a basis for identifying cumulative risk factors in preventing and controlling myopia.Methods:Baseline data from the mental and physical health cohort of children and adolescents established in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were used. A stratified random cluster sampling method was adopted to select 138 974 students from fourth to twelfth grade as participants. Distance visual exams, refractive assessments, and questionnaires were conducted on the included students. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate each risk factor's impact on myopia's prevalence. The number of risk factors was summed to form a cumulative risk score, and logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between the cumulative risk score and the prevalence of myopia. Additionally, the association between the cumulative risk score of myopic students and their degree of refractivity was analyzed using a generalized estimating equation.Results:The study found a high prevalence of myopia among children and adolescents at baseline (70.2%). Girls exhibited a higher prevalence (74.8%) than boys (65.6%), urban areas (74.3%) surpassed suburban ones (68.6%), and the incidence was greater in high schools (80.3%) compared to middle schools (75.3%), which, in turn, was higher than in elementary schools (57.7%) (all P<0.05). Analysis of risk factors revealed that children and adolescents experiencing improper reading and writing distances ( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.07-1.13), excessive homework ( OR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.06-1.12), insufficient sleep ( OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.07-1.13), having myopic father ( OR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.91-2.05), having myopic mother ( OR=2.04, 95% CI: 1.97-2.10), or using classroom chairs not matched to their height faced ( OR=1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.07) increased myopia risks. Additionally, the prevalence and significant odds ratio of myopia increased with the increase in cumulative risk score, with every additional unit of cumulative risk score increasing the right eye's refractive error by -0.10 D. Conclusion:The presence of multiple factors and their comprehensive score increases the prevalence of myopia in children and adolescents.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
3.Multi-phase CT synthesis-assisted segmentation of abdominal organs
Pinyu HUANG ; Liming ZHONG ; Kaiyi ZHENG ; Zeli CHEN ; Ruolin XIAO ; Xianyue QUAN ; Wei YANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(1):83-92
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective To propose a method for abdominal multi-organ segmentation assisted by multi-phase CT synthesis.Methods Multi-phase CT synthesis for synthesizing high-quality CT images was used to increase the information details for image segmentation.A transformer block was introduced to help to capture long-range semantic information in cooperation with perceptual loss to minimize the differences between the real image and synthesized image.Results The model was trained using multi-phase CT dataset of 526 total cases from Nanfang Hospital.The mean maximum absolute error(MAE)of the synthesized non-contrast CT,venous phase contrast-enhanced CT(CECT),and delay phase CECT images from arterial phase CECT was 19.192±3.381,20.140±2.676 and 22.538±2.874,respectively,which were better than those of images synthesized using other methods.Validation of the multi-phase CT synthesis-assisted abdominal multi-organ segmentation method showed an average dice coefficient of 0.847 for the internal validation set and 0.823 for the external validation set.Conclusion The propose method is capable of synthesizing high-quality multi-phase CT images to effectively reduce the errors in registration between different phase CT images and improve the performance for segmentation of 13 abdominal organs.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
4.Multi-phase CT synthesis-assisted segmentation of abdominal organs
Pinyu HUANG ; Liming ZHONG ; Kaiyi ZHENG ; Zeli CHEN ; Ruolin XIAO ; Xianyue QUAN ; Wei YANG
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(1):83-92
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective To propose a method for abdominal multi-organ segmentation assisted by multi-phase CT synthesis.Methods Multi-phase CT synthesis for synthesizing high-quality CT images was used to increase the information details for image segmentation.A transformer block was introduced to help to capture long-range semantic information in cooperation with perceptual loss to minimize the differences between the real image and synthesized image.Results The model was trained using multi-phase CT dataset of 526 total cases from Nanfang Hospital.The mean maximum absolute error(MAE)of the synthesized non-contrast CT,venous phase contrast-enhanced CT(CECT),and delay phase CECT images from arterial phase CECT was 19.192±3.381,20.140±2.676 and 22.538±2.874,respectively,which were better than those of images synthesized using other methods.Validation of the multi-phase CT synthesis-assisted abdominal multi-organ segmentation method showed an average dice coefficient of 0.847 for the internal validation set and 0.823 for the external validation set.Conclusion The propose method is capable of synthesizing high-quality multi-phase CT images to effectively reduce the errors in registration between different phase CT images and improve the performance for segmentation of 13 abdominal organs.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
5.Co-occurrence trend and association study of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms among students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Chinese Journal of School Health 2023;44(9):1294-1298
		                        		
		                        			Objective:
		                        			To investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction and depression of students, and to analyze the co-occurrence and trend, so as to provide a theoretical basis for  prevention and controlling measures of Internet addiction and depression.
		                        		
		                        			Methods:
		                        			A total of 6 317,7 152,81 808,71 180 and 89 932 students aged 10 to 24 years from 12 leagues (103 banners) in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were selected by stratified random cluster sampling in September each year from 2017 to 2021. The Internet Addiction Scale and the Central for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D) was used to measure Internet addiction and depression. And the annual inspection rate, group difference and annual change trend in students were calculated. Multivariate linear regression and restricted cubic spline analysis were used to estimate the linear and non linear associations between Internet addiction and depression in students.
		                        		
		                        			Results:
		                        			The Internet addiction proportion in students gradually decreased from 4.1% in 2017 to 2.1% in 2020, but increased to 3.9% in 2021. And the depressive symptoms proportion increased from 20.9% in 2017 to 28.0% in 2020 and 27.0% in 2021. The detection rate of Internet addiction and depression comorbidities remained at 1.8% to  2.5 %. The Internet addiction proportion in boys was higher than that in girls( χ 2=42.82, P <0.05). The depressive symptoms prevalence in girls was higher than that in boys( χ 2= 553.90, P <0.05). Taking reversal in prevalence of Internet addiction in urban and rural areas was observed in 2019. The detection rates of depressive symptoms and comorbidity were higher in urban areas than these in suburban counties on the whole, and the difference showed a trend of decreasing or even equalizing year by year. Internet addiction was positively correlated with depressive symptoms score ( B=1.67, 95%CI =1.64-1.71), the proportion of depressive symptoms ( OR=1.39, 95%CI =1.38-1.41) and the proportion of major depressive symptoms ( OR=1.35, 95%CI =1.33-1.36) among students in 2021 ( P <0.05). An N-shaped curve was found in the significant nonlinear associations between internet addiction and depression across sex, region and school stage.
		                        		
		                        			Conclusion
		                        			Internet addiction and depression in students show significant linear and non-linear associations, which are consistent in different sexes, regions and school stages. Therefore, relevant measures should be made and implemented in each region, especially in suburb areas, so as to prevent the increasingly development of adolescents and children s Internet addiction and depression.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
6.Co-occurrence trend of overweight,obesity and elevated blood pressure and its association with lifestyle factors among students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Chinese Journal of School Health 2023;44(9):1313-1318
		                        		
		                        			Objective:
		                        			To explore the epidemiological trend of overweight and obesity, elevated blood pressure and their comorbidities in children and adolescents from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during 2016-2021, and to analyze its association with lifestyle, so as to provide reference for formulating prevention and control strategies of regional common comorbidities in schools.
		                        		
		                        			Methods:
		                        			A total of 8 908, 8 222, 9 448, 127 068, 100 778, and 138 540 students aged 10-18 years in Inner Mongolia were selected by stratified random cluster sampling in September each year from 2016 to 2021. Physical examination and questionnaire survey were conducted on the included students. The prevalence trends of overweight,obesity, elevated blood pressure and their co-occurrence were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to compare the prevalence of elevated blood pressure in different body mass index (BMI) groups. After excluding individuals without lifestyle information in 2021, Logistic regression analysis was used on  136 374  subjects to analyze the association between overweight,obesity, elevated blood pressure and their co-occurrence and lifestyle factors.
		                        		
		                        			Results:
		                        			During 2016 to 2021, the prevalence of comorbidity of overweight, obesity with elevated blood pressure among students in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were 5.04%,5.14%,4.99%,7.51%,7.60% and 9.45%, respectively . The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 26.94%, 28.07%, 29.62%, 34.19%, 36.71% and 37.53%, respectively. The prevalence of elevated blood pressure were 16.05%, 11.54%, 13.12%, 14.85%, 14.12% and 18.40%, respectively. Except for 2016, the risk of elevated blood pressure in overweight and obese people was higher than that in normal BMI group in other years, and there was a positive correlation between overweight and obesity and elevated blood pressure after gender and urban and rural areas ( P < 0.05 ). In 2021, the detection rate of comorbidity of overweight and obesity with elevated blood pressure among children and adolescents in urban areas was higher than that in suburban counties, and the reporting rate of healthy lifestyle was lower than that in suburban counties ( P <0.05).Skipping breakfast ( OR =1.11,95% CI =1.07-1.16) and non daily moderate and high intensity physical activity( OR =1.27,95% CI =1.20-1.34) were positively correlated with the co-occurrence of overweight,obesity and elevated blood pressure among children and adolescents in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Non daily moderate and high intensity physical activity ≥60 min was positively correlated with elevated blood pressure  ( OR =1.11,95% CI =1.07-1.16), and insufficient sleep was positively correlated with overweight,obesity ( OR =1.04, 95% CI =1.01-1.06)( P <0.05).
		                        		
		                        			Conclusion
		                        			The prevalence of overweight,obesity, elevated blood pressure and their co-occurrence among children and adolescents in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is relatively high. Overweight/obesity is an important risk factor for elevated blood pressure, and unhealthy lifestyles are risk factors for co-occurrence of overweight,obesity and elevated blood pressure. Region specific lifestyle interventions are indispensable for the prevention and control of regional common comorbidities. Urban areas may be a key focus for lifestyle interventions.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
7.Effects of regulation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by TYROBP on neuroinflammation and autophagy
Xiangrong XIAO ; Li GONG ; Yunliang ZHU ; Xinyu YANG ; Yanlei HAO ; Ruolin LI
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2023;42(11):1330-1336
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective:To investigate the effects of TYRO protein tyrosine-binding protein(TYROBP)on neuroinflammation and autophagy via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in a transgenic APP/ PS1 mouse model of AD. Methods:C57BL/6J, TYROBP-/- and APP/ PS1 transgenic male mice aged 15-month-old were randomly divided into 3 group: the C57BL/6J group, the TYROBP-/- group and the APP/ PS1 group, with 19 in each group.The eight-arm maze test and novel object recognition test were conducted to assess the learning and memory ability of mice.The activation of microglia and NLRP3 inflammasomes were assessed by immunofluorescence.The mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β were measured by real-time PCR, and the protein expression levels of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, SQSTM1, LC3B, TYROBP, p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT and AKT were assayed by Western blot. Results:Compared with the C57BL/6J group, the learning and memory abilities were significantly decreased(all P<0.05), activated microglia and NLRP3 inflammasomes were increased(all P<0.05), the mRNA and protein expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were increased(all P<0.05)and the protein expression levels of LC3B-Ⅱ, SQSTM1, TYROBP, p-PI3K, p-AKT were increased(all P<0.05)in the APP/ PS1 group.Compared with C57BL/6J group, the protein expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, LC3B Ⅱ, SQSTM1, p-PI3K and p-AKT were decreased(all P<0.05). Conclusions:TYROBP promotes the inflammatory response and inhibits autophagy possibly by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thus participating in the occurrence and development of AD.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
8.Repair Effects of Xiaoyusan New Formula on Cartilage Injury and MMP-13 Expression in Knee Osteoarthritis Model Rabbits
Ruolin CUI ; Qing WANG ; Ling YANG ; Wenchang FENG ; Zhiwei LIU ; Weiran TENG ; Bitao MA ; Leyang WANG ; Liping QIN ; Lilun JIN
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2023;43(1):30-38
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			ObjectiveTo study the effect of Xiaoyusan new formula on the articular cartilage of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) rabbits and its mechanism. MethodsA total of 42 New Zealand white rabbits aged 6 months were randomly divided into normal group, model group, ointment of Xiaoyusan group, and ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group, with 10 rabbits in each group (the other 2 rabbits were used for model validation). Except for the normal group, the right knee joints of all rabbits in the other groups were prepared as KOA models according to the modified Hulth method. After 5 weeks of molding, the rabbits in ointment of Xiaoyusan group, ointment of Xiaoyusan New Formula group were given corresponding ointments for knee arthritis treatment, once a day, each time for 10 hours. After 2-week continuous administration and treatment, the knee joint cartilage of the four groups of rabbits was taken and the cartilage damage of each group was evaluated by Outerbridge grading method. The pathological changes of the cartilage, calcified layer and subchondral bone of the knee joint of rabbits in each group were observed by HE staining method under the light microscope, and the degree of cartilage degeneration was evaluated by Mankin's method. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) in the cartilage of rabbit knee joint in each group was deteced by immunohistochemistry. Results After the general observation of articular cartilage, the Outerbridge grading showed that the number of high-grade animals in ointment of Xiaoyusan group was reduced compared with the model group (P<0.05), and the number of high-grade animals in ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group was also reduced (P<0.05) compared with ointment of Xiaoyusan group. HE staining showed that Mankin's scores of articular cartilage in the four groups ranked from high to low: model group (10.82±1.76), ointment of Xiaoyusan group (6.19±1.23), ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group (2.64±1.18) and normal group (0.28±0.17). The difference among four groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Immunohistochemical detection showed that the positive rates of MMP-13 expression in rabbit articular cartilage tissues in each group were (67.90±13.94)% of model group, (37.10±19.16)% of ointment of Xiaoyusan group, (13.60±3.10)% of ointment of Xiaoyusan new formula group and (3.20±2.39) % of normal group, ranking from high to low, and the difference among four groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). ConclusionXiaoyusan new formula can repair articular cartilage degeneration in KOA rabbits and decrease the expression of MMP-13 in cartilage, which may be one of the mechanisms of the treatment. 
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
9.The role of NAC transcription factors in flower development in plants.
Jiali WANG ; Hebing WANG ; Huiqin YANG ; Ruolin HU ; Dayong WEI ; Qinglin TANG ; Zhimin WANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2022;38(8):2687-2699
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Transcription factors, the proteins with special structures, can bind to specific sites and regulate specific expression of target genes. NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, CUC1/2) transcription factors, unique to plants, are composed of a conserved N-terminal domain and a highly variable C-terminal transcriptional activation domain. NAC transcription factors are involved in plant growth and development, responses to biotic and abiotic stresses and other processes, playing a regulatory role in flower development. In this paper, we reviewed the studies about NAC transcription factors in terms of discovery, structure, and regulatory roles in anther development, other floral organ development and flowering time. This review will provide a theoretical basis for deciphering the regulatory mechanism and improving the regulatory network of NAC transcription factors in flower development.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        			Flowers/genetics*
		                        			;
		                        		
		                        			Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
		                        			;
		                        		
		                        			Phylogeny
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		                        			Plant Proteins/metabolism*
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		                        			Plants/metabolism*
		                        			;
		                        		
		                        			Transcription Factors/metabolism*
		                        			
		                        		
		                        	
10.Tyrobp promotes neuroinflammation in Tourette's syndrome model mice and related mechanisms
Xiangrong XIAO ; Ran SUN ; Xinyu YANG ; Ruolin LI ; Yanlei HAO
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2022;31(12):1066-1072
		                        		
		                        			
		                        			Objective:To explore the effects and possible mechanisms of Tyrobp gene on neuroinflammation in Tourette's syndrome mice.Methods:Twenty C57BL/ 6J and Tyrobp knock-out male mice aged 6 weeks were randomly divided into 4 groups according to random number table method: WT+ NS group, Tyrobp -/-+ NS group, WT+ IDPN group and Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group. Mice in WT+ IDPN group and Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group were injected with IDPN intraperitoneally at a dose of 150 mg/kg·d, while mice in WT+ NS group and Tyrobp -/-+ NS group were injected with equal volume of normal saline, once a day for 7 days. Then stereotypical behavior of mice were evaluated. Western blot was used to detect the levels of Tyrobp, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, TLR4, Myd88, p-NF-κB p65 and p-IκBα in the striatum of mice. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the activation of microglia. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0 software, and t-test was used for comparison between two groups. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the means of multiple samples, and LSD test was used for further pairwise comparison. Results:The results of behavior assessment showed that there were significant differences in the motor stereotypic behavior and categorical stereotypic behavior score( F=270.9, 379.7, P<0.01), and the scores in WT+ IDPN group were higher than those in Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group (motor stereotypic behavior: (3.23±0.26), (2.13±0.21), t=9.02, P<0.05; categorical stereotypic behavior: (45.80±4.29), (26.60±3.48), t=12.00, P<0.05). Western blot results showed that there were significant differences in the protein expression level of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, TLR4, Myd88, p-NF-κB p65 and p-IκBα ( F=29.07, 23.09, 39.36, 57.6, 52.55, 15.50, 40.48, all P<0.05), the level of those in WT + IDPN group was higher than those in WT+ NS group( t=8.31, 7.37, 8.13, 11.43, 10.47, 6.05, 9.96, all P<0.05), Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group was higher than Tyrobp -/-+ NS group ( t=3.60, 3.00, 5.84, 4.81, 3.59, 2.26, 4.68, all P<0.05), and WT + IDPN group was higher than Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group ( t=3.97, 3.93, 4.14, 6.40, 7.63, 3.45, 3.03, all P<0.05). Immunofluorescence showed that microglial cells in the striatum region of mice in WT+ IDPN group and Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group were enlarged and microglial cells were activated, and the activation pattern of microglial cells in WT+ IDPN group was more obvious than that in Tyrobp -/-+ IDPN group. Conclusion:Tyrobp may be involved in the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome by promoting neuroinflammation mediated by TLR4/Myd88/NF-κB signaling pathway.
		                        		
		                        		
		                        		
		                        	
            

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