1. Exploring mechanism of hypolipidemic effect of total Ligustrum robustum (Roxb. ) Blume on hyperlipidemic golden hamsters based on intestinal flora
Chen-Xi XU ; Rui-Le PAN ; Meng-Chen DONG ; Zhi-Hong YANG ; Xiao-Ya LI ; Wen JIN ; Run-Mei YANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(3):476-483
Aim To evaluate the hypolipidemic effect of the total phenylpropanoid glycosides extracted from Ligustrum robustum (Roxb.) Blume (LRTPG) on hyperlipidemic golden hamsters and explore its regulatory effect on intestinal flora. Methods Sixty hamsters were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a positive drug group, LRTPG-L group, LRTPG-M group, and LRTPG-H group. After the successful induction of the model by high-fat diet, the animals were continuously administered for four weeks, and their blood lipids and liver lipids were detected. The formed feces from the colorectal region of the hamsters in the control group, model group and LRTPG-H group were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing. Results LRTPG reduced serum TG, TC, LDL-C and liver TG, TC concentrations significantly in hyperlipidemic hamsters. The results of the intestinal microbiota sequencing showed that compared to the control group, LRTPG significantly decreased the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes and increased the relative abundance of the phylum Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia (P < 0.01) at the phylum level. At the family level, LRTPG significantly increased the relative abundance of Christensenellaceae, Peptococcaceae, and Verrucomicrobiaceae (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). At the genus level, LRTPG significantly increased the relative abundance of Oscillospira, Oscillibacter, Flavonifractor and Akkermansiaceae (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). These changes in the flora were beneficial to the hypolipidemic effect of LRTPG. Conclusion LRTPG may exert its hypolipidemic effect by improving the intestinal flora disorder caused by a high-fat diet in golden hamsters.
2.Visualization Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Literature in Forensic Research
Yi-Ming DONG ; Chun-Mei ZHAO ; Nian-Nian CHEN ; Li LUO ; Zhan-Peng LI ; Li-Kai WANG ; Xiao-Qian LI ; Ting-Gan REN ; Cai-Rong GAO ; Xiang-Jie GUO
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(1):1-14
Objective To analyze the literature on artificial intelligence in forensic research from 2012 to 2022 in the Web of Science Core Collection Database,to explore research hotspots and developmen-tal trends.Methods A total of 736 articles on artificial intelligence in forensic medicine in the Web of Science Core Collection Database from 2012 to 2022 were visualized and analyzed through the litera-ture measuring tool CiteSpace.The authors,institution,country(region),title,journal,keywords,cited references and other information of relevant literatures were analyzed.Results A total of 736 articles published in 220 journals by 355 authors from 289 institutions in 69 countries(regions)were identi-fied,with the number of articles published showing an increasing trend year by year.Among them,the United States had the highest number of publications and China ranked the second.Academy of Forensic Science had the highest number of publications among the institutions.Forensic Science Inter-national,Journal of Forensic Sciences,International Journal of Legal Medicine ranked high in publica-tion and citation frequency.Through the analysis of keywords,it was found that the research hotspots of artificial intelligence in the forensic field mainly focused on the use of artificial intelligence technol-ogy for sex and age estimation,cause of death analysis,postmortem interval estimation,individual identification and so on.Conclusion It is necessary to pay attention to international and institutional cooperation and to strengthen the cross-disciplinary research.Exploring the combination of advanced ar-tificial intelligence technologies with forensic research will be a hotspot and direction for future re-search.
3.Structural Basis of Photosystem I and Its Photosynthesis Regulation in Green Plants
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(10):2298-2310
Photosynthesis is one of the most important chemical reactions on earth. Oxygenic photosynthetic organisms convert solar energy into chemical energy and release oxygen, thus sustaining almost all life on this planet. Oxygenic phototrophs possess two photosystems, namely photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). Both photosystems are multi-subunit protein complexes embedded in the thylakoid membrane and bind numerous pigment molecules, thereby can efficiently harvest light energy and transfer it to the reaction center. PSI is one of the most efficient nano-photochemical machineries in nature. Its complex structure and sophisticated regulatory mechanisms are crucial for the high photosynthetic efficiency of oxygenic phototrophs. Eukaryotic PSI consists of a core complex where charge separation occurs and a peripheral antenna system that increases the light absorption cross section of the core. The PSI core possesses approximately 12-15 protein subunits, most of them are conserved during evolution, with only several small transmembrane subunits emerging or disappearing. The peripheral antenna system usually contains a number of light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). In contrast to the core, the protein composition and arrangement of LHC antennae vary considerably among different species of photosynthetic organisms. Previous results showed that in angiosperm plants (such as Pisum sativum and Zea mays), the PSI core binds four LHC proteins arranged as an arc-shaped belt, whereas in green algae, the PSI core is associated with more LHCs, presumably a result of adaption to the low-light aquatic environment. In addition, structures of several green algal PSI complexes indicated that green algae can dynamically regulate their light-harvesting capability by adjusting the size of PSI antennae, thereby better adapting to the changing natural environment. In addition to the light harvesting and energy conversion, PSI is also involved in several photosynthetic regulatory processes, including state transitions and cycle electron flow/transfer (CEF/CET). State transitions represent a short-term regulatory mechanism that balances the energy distribution between the two photosystems. During the process of state transitions, when PSII is preferentially excited, a portion of the PSII antenna, the major light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), is phosphorylated, and these phosphorylated LHCIIs bind to the PSI core, forming the PSI-LHCI-LHCII complex. This process is reversible, and when PSI is preferentially excited, LHCII is dephosphorylated, detaches from the PSI and binds to the PSII. Previous reports revealed that although higher plants and green algae possess a similar process of state transitions, their PSI-LHCI-LHCII complexes exhibit specific characteristics in addition to common conserved features. CEF is another important regulatory process in which the PSI participates. In NDH (NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-like complex) dependent CEF, PSI can form supercomplex with NDH to improve the electron transfer efficiency. Previous reports suggested that the PSI bound to NDH and the PSI not bound to NDH possess different LHC compositions, and the exact protein identity and location were recently unraveled based on high-resolution structures. In the past two decades, a number of structures of PSI and PSI-containing complexes have been determined. These structural data provide important information concerning the protein assembly and pigment arrangement of these complexes, allowing for a deeper understanding of the structure and function of green plant PSI. In this review, we summarize the research progresses on the structure of green plant PSIs and PSI-containing complexes involved in photosynthetic regulation, primarily based on the results obtained in our laboratory, and discuss the current state of knowledge concerning the antenna arrangement and the regulatory mechanisms of plant PSI.
4.Palatability evaluation of oral iron for children based on in vivo and in vitro evaluation techniques
Dong MEI ; Long-tai YOU ; Huan ZHANG ; Xiao-ling WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(6):1847-1853
Oral iron is a commonly used preparation for the treatment of iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia in children, but its undesirable taste has become a major factor affecting clinical adherence to the medication. No studies have been conducted to evaluate the palatability of oral iron supplements. Thirteen representative oral iron supplements were selected to evaluate the palatability of oral iron supplements from different perspectives of
5.Effect of Acupuncture on Endometrial Blood Flow in Women Undergoing in vitro Fertilization Embryo Transfer: A Single Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial.
Hao-Xu DONG ; Xiao WU ; Qin ZHOU ; Dong-Mei HUANG ; Ming-Min ZHANG ; Guang-Ying HUANG ; Wei YANG
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2024;30(1):10-17
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the effect of manual acupuncture on endometrial blood flow parameters by three-dimensional (3D) power Doppler ultrasound in women undergoing in vitro fertilization embryo transfer (IVF-ET).
METHODS:
Seventy patients undergoing IVF-ET were equally randomized into traditional or sham acupuncture treatment group for totally 4 days (from the day of oocyte aspiration to the day of embryo transfer) of treatment by random envelope method at the Reproductive Medicine Center and Outpatient Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medicine College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2013 to December 2015. Patients in the traditional acupuncture group accepted traditional acupuncture methods with manual acupuncture, and Zhongji (CV3), Qihai (CV 6), Sanyinjiao (SP6), Taichong (LR 3), Tianshu (ST 25), Guilai (ST 29) and Zusanli (ST 36) were chosen. Patients at the sham acupuncture group accepted shallow acupuncture methods at 4 non-meridian points at each shoulder and upper arm. Outcome measures included endometrial ultrasonic indices such as vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI) and vascularization flow index (VFI), endometrial thickness and volume, subendometrial VI (sVI), subendometrial FI (sFI), subendometrial VFI (sVFI), implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, live birth rate and number of live births.
RESULTS:
Finally, 34 patients in the traditional acupuncture group and 35 in the sham acupuncture group completed this trial. VI, FI and VFI of the traditional acupuncture group were significantly higher than those in the sham acupuncture group (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in endometrial thickness, endometrial volume, sVI, sFI, sVFI, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, live birth rate and number of live births (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Manual acupuncture performed after oocyte aspiration and before transplantation improved the endometrial blood flow parameters VI, RI and VFI in women who underwent IVF-ET, instead of sVI, sFI and sVFI. Therefore, acupuncture might be beneficial in women undergoing IVF-ET by increasing endometrial blood flow and endometrial receptivity. (Registration No. ChiCTR2100053354).
Pregnancy
;
Humans
;
Female
;
Fertilization in Vitro/methods*
;
Single-Blind Method
;
Embryo Transfer
;
Pregnancy Rate
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Acupuncture Therapy
;
Endometrium/blood supply*
6.The cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) inhibitor bergamottin enhances host tolerance to multidrug-resistant Vibrio vulnificus infection
Ruo-Bai QIAO ; Wei-Hong DAI ; Wei LI ; Xue YANG ; Dong-Mei HE ; Rui GAO ; Yin-Qin CUI ; Ri-Xing WANG ; Xiao-Yuan MA ; Fang-Jie WANG ; Hua-Ping LIANG
Chinese Journal of Traumatology 2024;27(5):295-304
Purpose::Vibrio vulnificus ( V. Vulnificus) infection is characterized by rapid onset, aggressive progression, and challenging treatment. Bacterial resistance poses a significant challenge for clinical anti-infection treatment and is thus the subject of research. Enhancing host infection tolerance represents a novel infection prevention strategy to improve patient survival. Our team initially identified cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) as an important target owing to its negative modulation of the body's infection tolerance. This study explored the superior effects of the CYP1A1 inhibitor bergamottin compared to antibiotic combination therapy on the survival of mice infected with multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus and the protection of their vital organs. Methods::An increasing concentration gradient method was used to induce multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus development. We established a lethal infection model in C57BL/6J male mice and evaluated the effect of bergamottin on mouse survival. A mild infection model was established in C57BL/6J male mice, and the serum levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to evaluate the effect of bergamottin on liver and kidney function. The morphological changes induced in the presence of bergamottin in mouse organs were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining of liver and kidney tissues. The bacterial growth curve and organ load determination were used to evaluate whether bergamottin has a direct antibacterial effect on multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus. Quantification of inflammatory factors in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the expression levels of inflammatory factors in liver and kidney tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to evaluate the effect of bergamottin on inflammatory factor levels. Western blot analysis of IκBα, phosphorylated IκBα, p65, and phosphorylated p65 protein expression in liver and kidney tissues and in human hepatocellular carcinomas-2 and human kidney-2 cell lines was used to evaluate the effect of bergamottin on the nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway. One-way ANOVA and Kaplan-Meier analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results::In mice infected with multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus, bergamottin prolonged survival ( p = 0.014), reduced the serum creatinine ( p = 0.002), urea nitrogen ( p = 0.030), aspartate aminotransferase ( p = 0.029), and alanine aminotransferase ( p = 0.003) levels, and protected the cellular morphology of liver and kidney tissues. Bergamottin inhibited interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression in serum (IL-1β: p = 0.010, IL-6: p = 0.029, TNF-α: p = 0.025) and inhibited the protein expression of the inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α in liver (IL-1β: p = 0.010, IL-6: p = 0.011, TNF-α: p = 0.037) and kidney (IL-1β: p = 0.016, IL-6: p = 0.011, TNF-α: p = 0.008) tissues. Bergamottin did not affect the proliferation of multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus or the bacterial load in the mouse peritoneal lavage fluid ( p = 0.225), liver ( p = 0.186), or kidney ( p = 0.637). Conclusion::Bergamottin enhances the tolerance of mice to multidrug-resistant V. Vulnificus infection. This study can serve as a reference and guide the development of novel clinical treatment strategies for V. Vulnificus.
7.Research advances in endoplasmic reticulum autophagy and its roles in associated diseases
Sen TONG ; Ning DONG ; Xiao-Mei ZHU ; Yong-Ming YAO
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2024;49(9):1062-1072
Endoplasmic reticulum is an important organelle in eukaryotic cells,which is responsible for the folding,processing and transportation of secretory proteins.A variety of stimuli inside and outside cells can lead to the accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum,resulting in abnormal structure and function of the endoplasmic reticulum,which is called endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS).Endoplasmic reticulum autophagy is an important endogenous mechanism to alleviate ERS.It is often considered as a cell protective procedure,which participates in many important physiological processes,such as metabolism,immune response,inflammatory response and cell proliferation.Endoplasmic reticulum autophagy is an important endogenous protective mechanism to alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress and restore the endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis,through eliminating redundant and disabled endoplasmic reticulum membrane and macromolecular protein complexes,which is critical to cell function and fate.This paper reviews the types of endoplasmic reticulum autophagy,related specific receptors,main regulatory mechanisms,and its role and significance in the related diseases.
8.Analysis of Helicobacter pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City
Shi-Mei HUANG ; Lian-Guo LAN ; Da-Ya ZHANG ; Run-Xiang CHEN ; Xiao-Dong ZHANG ; Chen CHEN ; Fan ZENG ; Da LI ; Xian-Feng HUANG ; Qi WANG ; Shi-Ju CHEN ; Lei GAO ; Jun-Tao ZENG ; Fei-Hu BAI
Modern Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment in Gastroenterology 2024;29(2):141-145
Objective To explore the current status of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,analyze its influencing factors,and provide a reference basis for the prevention and control of H.pylori infection.Methods A total of 677 residents from four districts of Sanya City were selected by overall stratified random sampling method,and were subjected to urea 14C breath test and questionnaire survey to calculate the positive rate of H.pylori in the natural population and analyze the influencing factors of H.pylori infection.Results A total of 606 residents were included,and the number of H.pylori positive detections was 261,with a positive detection rate of 38.5%.Among them,different ethnicity,marital status,smoking,eating vegetables and fruits,and literacy level were associated with H.pylori infection(P<0.05);gender,age,BMI,alcohol consumption,drinking water source,betel quid chewing,and the number of cohabitants were not significantly associated with H.pylori infection(P>0.05).Family infection was an independent risk factor for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City,and Li ethnicity,frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables,and college and higher education level were independent protective factors for H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City.Conclusion The rate of H.pylori infection in the natural population of Sanya City is lower than the national average.Consuming more fruits and vegetables and improving the awareness of hygiene protection are conducive to the prevention of H.pylori infection;and the promotion of the family and related members with the same examination and treatment is important to avoid aggregation of infection within the family.
9.Correlation between Combined Urinary Metal Exposure and Grip Strength under Three Statistical Models: A Cross-sectional Study in Rural Guangxi
Jian Yu LIANG ; Hui Jia RONG ; Xiu Xue WANG ; Sheng Jian CAI ; Dong Li QIN ; Mei Qiu LIU ; Xu TANG ; Ting Xiao MO ; Fei Yan WEI ; Xia Yin LIN ; Xiang Shen HUANG ; Yu Ting LUO ; Yu Ruo GOU ; Jing Jie CAO ; Wu Chu HUANG ; Fu Yu LU ; Jian QIN ; Yong Zhi ZHANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2024;37(1):3-18
Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper (Cu), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), iron (Fe), lead (Pb) and manganese (Mn) and grip strength. Methods We used linear regression models, quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression, Cu (β=-2.119), As (β=-1.318), Sr (β=-2.480), Ba (β=0.781), Fe (β= 1.130) and Mn (β=-0.404) were significantly correlated with grip strength (P < 0.05). The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was -1.007 (95% confidence interval:-1.362, -0.652; P < 0.001) when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased. Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength, with Cu, As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels. In the total population, potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn (Pinteractions of 0.003 and 0.018, respectively).Conclusion In summary, this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength. Cu, Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels, and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.
10.Evaluation of drug local tolerance testing and analysis of common problems
Mei-Ling CHEN ; Qing-Li WANG ; Hong-Mei GUANG ; Lan CUI ; Xiao-Dong ZHANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(1):139-143
Conducting local tolerance testing on parentaral drugs is of great significance for evaluating the clinical medication risks of drugs.Although relevant domestic and international guidelines provide detailed instructions on how to conduct local tolerance testing,it was found that some products still provide non-standard application materials,which affects the efficiency of drug development.This article summarizes the information on domestic and international guidance related to the local tolerance testing and elaborates on common problems based on specific application cases,with the aim of of providing reference for related work.

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