1.Terms Related to The Study of Biomacromolecular Condensates
Ke RUAN ; Xiao-Feng FANG ; Dan LI ; Pi-Long LI ; Yi LIN ; Zheng WANG ; Yun-Yu SHI ; Ming-Jie ZHANG ; Hong ZHANG ; Cong LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(4):1027-1035
Biomolecular condensates are formed through phase separation of biomacromolecules such as proteins and RNAs. These condensates exhibit liquid-like properties that can futher transition into more stable material states. They form complex internal structures via multivalent weak interactions, enabling precise spatiotemporal regulations. However, the use of inconsistent and non-standardized terminology has become increasingly problematic, hindering academic exchange and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the terminology related to biomolecular condensates in order to clarify concepts, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, enhance research efficiency, and support the healthy development of this field.
2. Network pharmacology-based study on mechanism of Zhi-Huang-Zhi-Tong powder in rheumatoid arthritis treatment
Xiao-Yun TIAN ; Ying-Jie YANG ; Wan-Ting ZHENG ; Ming-Qing HUANG ; Li-Hong NAN ; Jian-Yu CHEN ; Hai-Yu ZHAO
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(2):381-389
Aim To discover the potential active compounds and possible mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment with Zhi-Huang-Zhi-Tong powder (ZHZTP) by using network pharmacology and in vitro study. Methods The active ingredient targets and disease targets of Zhihuang Zhitong Powder were searched and screened by database; they intersected to get a common target; and the "drug-component-target" relationship network diagram was constructed for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of the overlapping genes; then the core components were docked with the core targets. Finally, based on the inflammation model of HUVECs in vitro, the efficacy and mechanism of Zhihuang Zhitong powder were verified by MTT method, plate scratch test and Western blot. Results Active compounds involved in RA treatment were screened in the present study, and the top two were ursolic acid and emodin, all playing crucial roles in RA treatment with ZHZTP. Additionally, the key target was AKTA, TNF and IL-6. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that ZHZTP regulated BP, MF and CC, and also focused on regulating AKTA, TNF and IL-6 signaling pathway. Molecular docking showed that interactions between key active compounds and key targets were stable. In vitro ZHZTP significantly inhibited cell viability and migration of TNF-a-stimulated HUVECs, and the involved mechanism may be associated with PI3K/AKT/m-TOR signaling. Conclusions The present study reveals that the potential active compounds of ZHZTP are ursolic acid and emodin, and moreover, the involved mechanisms of ZHZTP for RA treatment are associated with PI3 K/AKT/m-TOR signaling.
3.Correlation Analysis and Comparison of Adult CE-Chirp ABR Response Threshold and Pure Tone Hearing Threshold
He-Ying CHENG ; Yun-Ge ZHANG ; Yan CHEN ; Sun YIN ; Ming LÜ ; Chun-Xiao LI
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(1):15-19
Objective To study the application of CE-Chirp in the evaluation of hearing impairment in forensic medicine by testing the auditory brainstem response(ABR)in adults using CE-Chirp to ana-lyze the relationship between the V-wave response threshold of CE-Chirp ABR test and the pure tone hearing threshold.Methods Subjects(aged 20-77 with a total of 100 ears)who underwent CE-Chirp ABR test in Changzhou De'an Hospital from January 2018 to June 2019 were selected to obtain the V-wave response threshold,and pure tone air conduction hearing threshold tests were conducted at 0.5,1.0,2.0 and 4.0 kHz,respectively,to obtain pure tone listening threshold.The differences and statistical differences between the average pure tone hearing threshold and V-wave response threshold were compared in different hearing levels and different age groups.The correlation,differences and statistical differences between the two tests at each frequency were analyzed for all subjects.The lin-ear regression equation for estimating pure tone hearing threshold for all subjects CE-Chirp ABR V-wave response threshold was established,and the feasibility of the equation was tested.Results There was no statistical significance in the CE-Chirp ABR response threshold and pure tone hearing threshold dif-ference between different hearing level groups and different age groups(P>0.05).There was a good correlation between adult CE-Chirp ABR V-wave response threshold and pure tone hearing threshold with statistical significance(P<0.05),and linear regression analysis showed a significant linear correla-tion between the two(P<0.05).Conclusion The use of CE-Chirp ABR V-wave response threshold can be used to evaluate subjects'pure tone hearing threshold under certain conditions,and can be used as an audiological test method for forensic hearing impairment assessment.
4.Rapid Screening of 34 Emerging Contaminants in Surface Water by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS
Chen-Shan LÜ ; Yi-Xuan CAO ; Xiao-Xi MU ; Hai-Yan CUI ; Tao WANG ; Zhi-Wen WEI ; Ke-Ming YUN ; Meng HU
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(1):30-36
Objective To establish a rapid screening method for 34 emerging contaminants in surface water by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS).Methods The pretreatment conditions of solid phase extraction(SPE)were op-timized by orthogonal experimental design and the surface water samples were concentrated and ex-tracted by Oasis? HLB and Oasis? MCX SPE columns in series.The extracts were separated by Kine-tex? EVO C18 column,with gradient elution of 0.1%formic acid aqueous solution and 0.1%formic acid methanol solution.Q-TOF-MS'fullscan'and'targeted MS/MS'modes were used to detect 34 emerging contaminants and to establish a database with 34 emerging contaminants precursor ion,prod-uct ion and retention times.Results The 34 emerging contaminants exhibited good linearity in the con-centration range respectively and the correlation coefficients(r)were higher than 0.97.The limit of de-tection was 0.2-10 ng/L and the recoveries were 81.2%-119.2%.The intra-day precision was 0.78%-18.70%.The method was applied to analyze multiple surface water samples and 6 emerging contaminants were detected,with a concentration range of 1.93-157.71 ng/L.Conclusion The method is simple and rapid for screening various emerging contaminants at the trace level in surface water.
5.Jianwei Xiaozhang Tablets Improves Precancerous Lesions of Gastric Cancer in Rats via Regulating PI3K-Akt-eNOS Pathway
Hai-Yang HUANG ; Shao-Wen ZHONG ; Yun AN ; Yu-Xin WANG ; Shu-Min ZHU ; Jie GAO ; Xiao-Min LU ; Ming-Guo DONG
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;41(3):709-718
Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Jianwei Xiaozhang Tablets on rats with precancerous lesions of gastric cancer(PLGC).Methods Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into the normal group,the model group,the folic acid group and the Jianwei Xiaozhang Tablets group,with 10 rats in each group.In addition to the normal group,the other three groups of rats were prepared by gavage with Ranitidine Aqueous Solution combined with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine(MNNG)solution drinking method for the preparation of PLGC model.After successful modeling,drugs were administered accordingly for 7 weeks.The changes in body mass of rats during modeling and drug administration were recorded,the gross view of the stomach was observed and scored pathologically,the coefficients of spleen and liver were determined,the pathological changes in gastric tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure serum gastrin(GAS),motilin(MTL)and glucagon(GC),Alisin Blue-Periodic Acid Schiff's(AB-PAS)staining was used to observe the thickness of the mucosal layer of gastric tissues,the expressions of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K),phosphorylated PI3K(p-PI3K),protein kinase B(Akt),phosphorylated Akt(p-Akt),and endothelial-type nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)proteins in gastric tissues were detected by protein immunoblotting(Western Blot),and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA)protein in gastric tissues was detected by immunofluorescence staining.Results Compared with the normal group,the body mass of rats in the model group grew slowly during the experimental period,gastric macroscopic pathological scores were significantly increased(P<0.01),splenic coefficient and hepatic coefficient were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the gastric tissues showed cuprocyte hyperplasia and intestinal chemotaxis,gastric tissues'inflammation scores were significantly increased(P<0.01),the serum GAS content was significantly increased(P<0.01),and the MTL,GC contents were significantly reduced(P<0.05),and the thickness of the mucous membrane layer of gastric tissue was significantly reduced(P<0.05),the protein expression levels of PI3K,p-PI3K,Akt,p-Akt and eNOS were reduced(P<0.01),and the protein expression level of VEGFA was reduced(P<0.01);compared with the model group,the above indexes of the Jianwei Xiaozhang Tablets group and the folic acid group were all significantly improved(P<0.05 or P<0.01),among which,the Jianwei Xiaozhang Tablets group had a better improvement effect in the proliferation of cup cells and intestinal chemotaxis in gastric tissues,the content of serum GAS,and the thickness of the mucous layer in gastric tissues.Conclusion The mechanism of the improvement of PLGC in rats by Jianwei Xiaozhang Tablets may be related to the activation of the PI3K-Akt-eNOS pathway,which in turn promotes the angiogenesis and repair of gastric damaged tissues.
6.The Influence of Developmental Dyslexia-associated Gene KIAA0319 on Brain Development——From Animals to Humans
Jie CHEN ; Xiao-Yun YU ; Yi-Ming YANG ; Jian-E BAI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(6):1305-1315
Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a prevalent learning disorder, and the KIAA0319 gene is a DD-associated gene, potentially affecting reading ability by influencing brain development. This review provides an overview of the impact of KIAA0319 gene on brain development in fish, non-primate mammals, primate mammals, and humans. In studies involving fish, the kiaa0319 gene was found to be expressed in the brain, eyes and ears of zebrafish. In mammalian studies, abnormal Kiaa0319 gene expression affected neuronal migration direction and final position, as well as dendritic morphology during embryonic development in rats, leading to abnormal white and gray matter development. Knocking down the Kiaa0319 gene impaired the primary auditory cortex in rats, resulting in phoneme processing impairment similar to DD. In mice, Kiaa0319 overexpression affected the neuronal migration process, causing delayed radial migration of neurons to the cortical plate. Knockout of the Kiaa0319 gene led to abnormal development of the gray matter in mice, resulting in reduced volume of the medial geniculate nucleus and then impacting auditory processing. In primate studies, research on marmosets found that KIAA0319 gene is expressed in the visual, auditory, and motor pathways, while studies on chimpanzees revealed that KIAA0319 gene abnormalities primarily affected the gray matter volume and microstructure of the posterior superior temporal gyrus, morphology of the superior temporal sulcus and gray matter volume of the inferior frontal gyrus. The impact of KIAA0319 gene on human brain development is mainly concentrated in the left temporal lobe, where abnormal KIAA0319 gene expression caused reduced gray matter in the left inferior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and fusiform gyrus, as well as reduced white matter volume in the left temporoparietal cortex. Abnormalities in KIAA0319 gene also led to decreased hemispheric asymmetry in the superior temporal sulcus. The above-mentioned brain regions are crucial for language and reading processing. It is analyzed that the abnormalities in the DD-associated KIAA0319 gene affect neuronal migration and morphology during brain development, resulting in abnormal development of subcortical structures (such as the medial geniculate nucleus and lateral geniculate nucleus) and cortical structures (including the left temporal cortex, temporoparietal cortex and fusiform gyrus) which are involved in human visual and auditory processing as well as language processing. Impairment of the medial geniculate nucleus affects the information transmission to the auditory cortex, leading to impaired phoneme processing. Abnormalities in the magnocellular layers within the lateral geniculate nucleus hinder the normal transmission of visual information to the visual cortex, affecting the dorsal visual pathway. The left temporal lobe is closely related to language and reading, and abnormalities in its gray matter and connections with other brain areas can affect the language and word processing. In summary, abnormalities in the KIAA0319 gene can partly explain current research findings on the cognitive and neural mechanisms of DD, providing a genetic basis for theoretical models related to DD (such as general sensorimotor theory and the magnocellular theory). However, the mechanism of developmental dyslexia is complex, and there are mutual influences between different DD-associated genes and between genes and the environment, which require further exploration.
7.Analysis of the research status of AA-CYP-HETE/EETs metabolic pathways and cardiovascular disease therapeutic drugs
Ming-Xia HU ; Yong-Yun HE ; Yue YAO ; Xiao-Dan MO ; Xiu-Fen YANG
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(4):619-623
20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid(20-HETE)and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids(EETs)are products of enzyme metabolism of arachidonic acid(AA)by cytochrome P450(CYP).20-HETE is mainly produced by CYP4A,CYP4F metabolism of AA,which has a certain toxic effect on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system.EETS is mainly produced by CYP2J,CYP2C metabolizes AA,which has a certain protective effect on the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system.This article reviews the effects and mechanisms of drugs related to AA-CYP-HETE/EETs metabolic pathway on cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial hypertrophy,hypertension,heart failure,and myocardial infarction,in order to provide a reference for the clinical use of cardiovascular diseases and provide ideas and directions for the basic research and development of cardiovascular disease treatment drugs.
8.Effects of compatibility ratio and processing method on contents of nine constituents in combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus
Jian-Zhong HOU ; Shun-Juan ZHU ; Yao LI ; Xiao-Peng WANG ; Jian-Ming HAO ; Yun-Fei CAO
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2024;46(1):156-161
AIM To investigate the effects of different compatibility ratios and processing method on the content of rutin,isoquercetin,ferulic acid,quercetin,isotoosendanin,kaempferol,toosendanin,α-pinene,trans-anethole in the combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus,and to explore the optimal compatibility ratio for its use.METHODS The analysis of HPLC-DAD was performed on a 30℃thermostatic ZORBAX SB C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the use of DAD detector.SPSS 24.0 software was used to analyze the data differences.RESULTS Nine constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 1),whose average recoveries were 96.19%-103.13%with the RSDs of 1.86%-2.67%.Generally higher total content of nine constituents were detected in the combination use groups when Toosendan Fructus-Foeniculi Fructus were at ratios of 1 ∶ 1,1 ∶ 2,and 2 ∶ 1 than those single uses(P<0.05),and among which the 1 ∶ 1 ratio contributed the highest total content.After salt processing,decreased content of toosendanin and isotoosendanin,α-pinene and trans-anethole(P<0.05,P<0.01)),increased isoquercetin content(P<0.01),and no significant content changes of other ingredients were detected.CONCLUSION Through this method of high accuracy and good reproducibility,we learn that the combination use of Toosendan Fructus and Foeniculi Fructus promotes the dissolution of the nine constituents,and the maximum content is achieved at ratio of 1 ∶ 1.
9.Career development of targeted admission medical students:A seven-year follow-up analysis based on four medical colleges
Hao-Qing TANG ; Hui-Xian ZHENG ; Bai-Song ZHANG ; Ming-Yue LI ; Xiao-Yun LIU
Chinese Journal of Health Policy 2024;17(1):43-50
Objective:Utilizing a seven-year panel data set of a targeted admission medical student cohort,this study aims to examine their career development and provide insights for retaining healthcare talent in township health centers and village clinics in the central and western rural areas of China.Method:Starting from 2015,cohorts of targeted and general clinical graduates from four medical colleges in central and western China were selected and tracked for their career progression.Results:The targeted graduates'standardized residency training and medical licensing examination pass rates were similar to those of general clinical graduates.They advanced more quickly in professional titles and positions,with 82.5%becoming attending physicians and 16.2%obtaining positions in the seventh year after graduation.However,their monthly income was significantly lower than that of general clinical graduates,and this income discrepancy expanded annually.As of December 2022,among the 493 targeted graduates who completed their contracts,38.5%stayed in grassroots positions.Of those who left,60%moved to county-level or higher public hospitals,7.9%pursued further studies,and 27.7%were unemployed.Conclusion:Targeted graduates are well-trained and advance rapidly in their careers,but their lower income significantly impacts their willingness to remain at the grassroots level.After completing their service period,about one-third of the targeted graduates choose to stay in grassroots positions.
10.Postmortem Diffusion of Aconitum Alkaloids and Their Metabolites in Rabbits
Jia-Hao LIANG ; Ming CHENG ; Xiao-Jun LU ; Yan-Hua SHI ; Yun SUN ; Qing-Lin GUAN ; Tao WANG ; Meng HU ; Ke-Ming YUN ; Hai-Yan CUI
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2024;40(2):186-191
Objective To explore the postmortem diffusion rule of Aconitum alkaloids and their metabo-lites in poisoned rabbits,and to provide a reference for identifying the antemortem poisoning or post-mortem poisoning of Aconitum alkaloids.Methods Twenty-four rabbits were sacrificed by tracheal clamps.After 1 hour,the rabbits were administered with aconitine LD50 in decocting aconite root powder by intragastric administration.Then,they were placed supine and stored at 25℃.The biological samples from 3 randomly selected rabbits were collected including heart blood,peripheral blood,urine,heart,liver,spleen,lung and kidney tissues at 0 h,4 h,8 h,12 h,24 h,48 h,72 h and 96 h after intragastric administration,respectively.Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites in the biological samples were ana-lyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS).Results At 4 h after intragastric administration,Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites could be detected in heart blood,peripheral blood and major organs,and the contents of them changed dynamically with the preservation time.The contents of Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites were higher in the spleen,liver and lung,especially in the spleen which was closer to the stomach.The average mass fraction of benzoylmesaconine metabolized in rabbit spleen was the highest at 48 h after intragastric administration.In contrast,the contents of Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites in kidney were all lower.Aconi-tum alkaloids and their metabolites were not detected in urine.Conclusion Aconitum alkaloids and their metabolites have postmortem diffusion in poisoned rabbits,diffusing from high-content organs(stomach)to other major organs and tissues as well as the heart blood.The main mechanism is the dispersion along the concentration gradient,while urine is not affected by postmortem diffusion,which can be used as the basis for the identification of antemortem and postmortem Aconitum alkaloids poisoning.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail