1.Integrated molecular characterization of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma
Rong-Qi SUN ; Yu-Hang YE ; Ye XU ; Bo WANG ; Si-Yuan PAN ; Ning LI ; Long CHEN ; Jing-Yue PAN ; Zhi-Qiang HU ; Jia FAN ; Zheng-Jun ZHOU ; Jian ZHOU ; Cheng-Li SONG ; Shao-Lai ZHOU
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(2):426-444
Background:
s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated.
Methods:
In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs.
Results:
Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment.
Conclusions
We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.
2.Integrated molecular characterization of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma
Rong-Qi SUN ; Yu-Hang YE ; Ye XU ; Bo WANG ; Si-Yuan PAN ; Ning LI ; Long CHEN ; Jing-Yue PAN ; Zhi-Qiang HU ; Jia FAN ; Zheng-Jun ZHOU ; Jian ZHOU ; Cheng-Li SONG ; Shao-Lai ZHOU
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(2):426-444
Background:
s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated.
Methods:
In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs.
Results:
Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment.
Conclusions
We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.
3.Integrated molecular characterization of sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma
Rong-Qi SUN ; Yu-Hang YE ; Ye XU ; Bo WANG ; Si-Yuan PAN ; Ning LI ; Long CHEN ; Jing-Yue PAN ; Zhi-Qiang HU ; Jia FAN ; Zheng-Jun ZHOU ; Jian ZHOU ; Cheng-Li SONG ; Shao-Lai ZHOU
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2025;31(2):426-444
Background:
s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated.
Methods:
In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs.
Results:
Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment.
Conclusions
We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.
4.Lanthanide Metal Organic Framework as A New Unlabeled Fluorescence Anisotropy Probe for Detection of Phosphate Ions
Kai MAO ; Xiao-Yan WANG ; Yu-Jie LUO ; Jia-Li XIE ; Tian-Jin XIE ; Yuan-Fang LI ; Cheng-Zhi HUANG ; Shu-Jun ZHEN
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2024;52(1):35-44,中插1-中插4
Fluorescence anisotropy(FA)analysis has many advantages such as no requirement of separation,high throughput and real-time detection,and thus has been widely used in many fields,including biochemical analysis,food safety detection,environmental monitoring,etc.However,due to the small volume or mass of the target,its combination with the fluorescence probe cannot produce significant signal change.To solve this issue,researchers often use nanomaterials to enhance the mass or volume of fluorophore to improve the sensitivity.Nevertheless,this FA amplification strategy also has some disadvantages.Firstly,nanomaterials are easy to quench fluorescence.As a result,the FA value is easily influenced by light scattering,which reduces the detection accuracy.Secondly,fluorescent probes in most methods require complex modification steps.Therefore,it is necessary to develop new FA probes that do not require the amplification of volume and mass or modification.As a new kind of nanomaterials,luminescent metal-organic framework(MOF)has a large volume(or mass)and strong fluorescence emission.It does not require additional signal amplification materials.As a consequence,it can be used as a potential FA probe.This study successfully synthesized a lanthanide metal organic framework(Ce-TCPP MOF)using cerium ion(Ce3+)as the central ion and 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)porphyrin(H2TCPP)as the ligand through microwave assisted method,and used it as a novel unmodified FA probe to detect phosphate ions(Pi).In the absence of Pi,Ce-TCPP MOF had a significant FA value(r).After addition of Pi,Pi reacted with Ce3+in MOF and destroyed the structure of MOF into the small pieces,resulting in a decrease in r.The experimental results indicated that with the increase of Pi concentration,the change of the r of Ce-TCPP MOF(Δr)gradually increased.The Δr and Pi concentration showed a good linear relationship within the range of 0.5-3.5 μmol/L(0.016-0.108 mg/L).The limit of detection(LOD,3σ/k)was 0.41 μmol/L.The concentration of Pi in the Jialing River water detected by this method was about 0.078 mg/L,and the Pi value detected by ammonium molybdate spectrophotometry was about 0.080 mg/L.The two detection results were consistent with each other,and the detection results also meet the ClassⅡwater quality standard,proving that this method could be used for the detection of Pi in complex water bodies.
5.Analysis of epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 1247 cases of infectious diseases of the central nervous system
Jia-Hua ZHAO ; Yu-Ying CEN ; Xiao-Jiao XU ; Fei YANG ; Xing-Wen ZHANG ; Zhao DONG ; Ruo-Zhuo LIU ; De-Hui HUANG ; Rong-Tai CUI ; Xiang-Qing WANG ; Cheng-Lin TIAN ; Xu-Sheng HUANG ; Sheng-Yuan YU ; Jia-Tang ZHANG
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2024;49(1):43-49
Objective To summarize the epidemiological and clinical features of infectious diseases of the central nervous system(CNS)by a single-center analysis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 1247 cases of CNS infectious diseases diagnosed and treated in the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from 2001 to 2020.Results The data for this group of CNS infectious diseases by disease type in descending order of number of cases were viruses 743(59.6%),Mycobacterium tuberculosis 249(20.0%),other bacteria 150(12.0%),fungi 68(5.5%),parasites 18(1.4%),Treponema pallidum 18(1.4%)and rickettsia 1(0.1%).The number of cases increased by 177 cases(33.1%)in the latter 10 years compared to the previous 10 years(P<0.05).No significant difference in seasonal distribution pattern of data between disease types(P>0.05).Male to female ratio is 1.87︰1,mostly under 60 years of age.Viruses are more likely to infect students,most often at university/college level and above,farmers are overrepresented among bacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and more infections of Treponema pallidum in workers.CNS infectious diseases are characterized by fever,headache and signs of meningeal irritation,with the adductor nerve being the more commonly involved cranial nerve.Matagenomic next-generation sequencing improves clinical diagnostic capabilities.The median hospital days for CNS infectious diseases are 18.00(11.00,27.00)and median hospital costs are ¥29,500(¥16,000,¥59,200).The mortality rate from CNS infectious diseases is 1.6%.Conclusions The incidence of CNS infectious diseases is increasing last ten years,with complex clinical presentation,severe symptoms and poor prognosis.Early and accurate diagnosis and standardized clinical treatment can significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality rate and ease the burden of disease.
6.Mechanism of Ginkgo flavone aglycone in alleviating doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity based on transcriptomics and proteomics
Yujie TU ; Ying CAI ; Xueyi CHENG ; Jia SUN ; Jie PAN ; Chunhua LIU ; Yongjun LI ; Yong HUANG ; Lin ZHENG ; Yuan LU
China Pharmacy 2024;35(21):2596-2602
OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism by which Ginkgo flavone aglycone (GA) reduces the cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin (DOX) based on transcriptomics and proteomics. METHODS Thirty-six mice were randomly assigned to control group (CON group, tail vein injection of equal volume of physiological saline every other day+daily intragastric administration of an equal volume of physiological saline), DOX group (tail vein injection of 3 mg/kg DOX every other day), and GDOX group (daily intragastric administration of 100 mg/kg GA+tail vein injection of 3 mg/kg DOX every other day), with 12 mice in each group. The administration of drugs/physiological saline was continued for 15 days. Mouse heart tissues were collected for RNA-Seq transcriptomic sequencing and 4D-Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis to screen differentially expressed genes and proteins, which were then subjected to Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The expression levels of Apelin peptide (Apelin), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and protein kinase B (Akt) mRNA and protein in mouse heart tissues, as well as the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins, were verified. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were divided into control group (CON group), DOX group (2 μmol/L), and GDOX group (2 μg/mL GA+2 μmol/L DOX) to determine cell viability and the levels of key glycolytic substances in the cells. RESULTS Six common pathways were identified from transcriptomics and proteomics, including the Apelin signaling pathway, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and insulin resistance. Among them, the Apelin and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways were the most enriched in terms of gene numbers. Target validation experiments showed that compared to the CON group, the relative expression of Apelin, PI3K and Akt mRNA and protein levels, as well as the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins, were significantly decreased in the DOX group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The relative expression of Apelin, PI3K and Akt mRNA and the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt proteins were significantly increased in the GDOX group as compared with the DOX group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Cellular experiments indicated that compared to the CON group, cell viability in the DOX group was significantly decreased (P<0.05), the relative uptake of glucose and the relative production of pyruvate and lactate were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the relative production of ATP was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared to the DOX group, cell viability in the GDOX group was significantly increased (P< 0.05), and the relative production of pyruvate and lactate was significantly reduced (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS GA may alleviate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by upregulating the mRNA and protein expression of Apelin, PI3K, and Akt in heart tissues, and regulating glycolytic processes.
7.Signal Mining Study of Adverse Reaction Associated with Allopurinol and Febuxostat Based on FDA Adverse Events Reporting System(FAERS)Database
Lu WEN ; Li CHEN ; Xucheng HE ; Jia CHENG ; Yuan XU
Herald of Medicine 2024;43(4):639-647
Objective To conduct signal mining of adverse events(AEs)of allopurinol and febuxostat based on FAE-RS database,and to explore their potential drug risks and promote rational and safe clinical drug use.Methods The adverse event report data of febuxostat and allopurinol in 22 quarters from the first quarter of 2017 to the second quarter of 2022 were ex-tracted from FAERS database,and the signal mining of febuxostat and allopurinol adverse events(AE)was carried out using ROR method and PRR method.Results There were 5 060 AE reports for allopurinol,concentrated in patients aged≥60 years,in-volving 25 items of system organ classification(SOC),mainly in skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases(40.01%).It was found that 12 SOC categories were not mentioned in the instructions.For febuxostat,there were 905 AE reports,involving 17 SOC items,mainly in cardiac organ diseases(40.17%),and 2 items were not involved in the instructions.Allopurinol and febuxostat were as-sociated with infection and infectious diseases(5.51%,0.49%)and hepatobiliary diseases(5.35%,0.87%),However,these as-sociations were included in the instructions of allopurinol.Allopurinol was associated with the reproductive system and breast dis-eases(0.55%),pregnancy,puerperium and perinatal conditions(0.03%),but febuxostat was not found to be involved in the a-bove SOC.Conclusion The inclusion of adverse reactions in the instructions for allopurinol is relatively inadequate compared to buprostat,and the newly discovered involvement of systemic organs and AE can provide a reference for improving allopurinol in-structions.This study found that allopurinol and febuxostat allopurinol and febuxostat involved system differences,which can pro-vide reference for clinical individualized treatment.
8.Research status of traditional Chinese medicine monomer,drug-to-drug groups and compound formula in the treatment of endometriosis
Bin YUE ; Yuan-Huan CHEN ; Quan-Sheng WU ; Xiao-Hua ZHANG ; Yuan CHENG ; Hao MEI ; Can-Can HUANG ; Zuo-Liang ZHANG ; Xiu-Jia JI
The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2024;40(15):2283-2287
Interventions for endometriosis(EMs)include surgical excision of lesions and hormonal therapy,which usually have limited efficacy and adverse drug reactions.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has the multi-component and multi-target characteristics,which can help patients achieve good clinical benefits by intervening in different parts of the disease.In this paper,we briefly discuss the modern pharmacology of Sanlang and Curcuma longa,and deeply summarize the possible mechanisms of action of TCM monomer and classical compound extracts and their active ingredients through signal pathways in inflammation,immune system,angiogenesis,hormone regulation,etc.,so as to provide theoretical bases for the clinical use of TCM monomers,drug-to-drug groups and compounds in the treatment of EMs.
9.Strategy and progress of postoperative adjuvant treatment in hepatocellular carcinoma
International Journal of Surgery 2024;51(4):236-240
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a significant disease that seriously threatens the life and health of our people, and chronic hepatitis B virus infection is the most important cause of hepatocellular carcinoma in China. Radical surgery is an essential treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma patients who are expected to achieve long-term survival. However, the high recurrence and metastasis rate after surgery significantly affects the long-term prognosis. Postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma is characterized by a bimodal pattern, with early recurrence leading to higher mortality and poorer survival prognosis. Postoperative adjuvant therapy can help to reduce the recurrence rate and improve the overall efficacy, but there is no standardized postoperative adjuvant therapy regimen at home and abroad. Studies have shown that antiviral therapy, interventional therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine may have a specific effect on reducing the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery and prolonging overall survival. Key issues such as how to accurately assess and screen the population with a high risk of postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma, select the best postoperative adjuvant treatment modality and timing and determine the duration of postoperative adjuvant treatment still need to be confirmed by high-quality fundamental research breakthroughs and multicenter clinical randomized controlled studies. In this article, the authors will discuss the characteristics of postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma, the selection of adjuvant treatment strategies, and the problems faced based on the latest research progress and in light of the reality of hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence in China.
10.Optimisation of CUBIC tissue clearing technology based on perfusion methods
Chuan-Hui GONG ; Jia-Yi QIU ; Ke-Xin YIN ; Ji-Ru ZHANG ; Cheng HE ; Ye YUAN ; Guang-Ming LÜ
Acta Anatomica Sinica 2024;55(3):363-370
Objective In order to shorten the transparency time of clear,unobstructed brain imaging cocktails and computational analysis(CUBIC),improve the transparency efficiency,and explore the possibility of applying hydrophilic tissue transparency technique,this study was conducted to optimize the perfusion of CUBIC technique and compare it with four hydrophilic tissue clearing method in terms of tissue transparency effect,transparency time,area change,volume change and adeno-associated virus(AAV)fluorescence retention.Methods Brain,liver,spleen and kidney of 6 adult Institute of Cancer Research(ICR)mice were subjected to clearing treatment by SeeDB,FRUIT,ScaleS and CUBIC method,respectively.The area and gray value of the samples were measured by Image J 1.8.0,and the volume before and after transparency was measured by drainage method to compare the transparency effect,time and size deformation of each group.Perfusion optimization of the CUBIC was performed by improving the perfusion rate with the optimal perfusion dose,each group of the experimental sample size was 6.Fluorescence preservation by different techniques was evaluated by injecting AAV in the motor cortex of 16 adult mice and taking the cervical spinal segments for transparency treatment after four weeks,and the fluorescence photographs were measured by Image J 1.8.0 to measure the mean fluorescent intensity.Results The optimal perfusion rate and dose of CUBIC was 15 ml/min and 200 ml respectively.For transparency ability and speed,the perfusion CUBIC had the lowest mean gray value and took the shortest time,while CUBIC consumed the longest time,and SeeDB,FRUIT,and ScaleS did not show good transparency ability.In terms of area and volume changes,several techniques showed different degrees of expansion after transparency of tissues or organs.In terms of fluorescence retention,perfusion CUBIC showed the best retention of green fluorescent protein(GFP)fluorescence signal,followed by CUBIC,ScaleS,FRUIT,and SeeDB.Conclusion Perfusion CUBIC technique shows the best tissue transparency,the shortest transparency time,and the most AAV fluorescence retention compared with other techniques.

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