1.The Neurobiological Mechanisms of Runner’s High
Yun-Teng WANG ; Jia-Qi LIANG ; Wan-Tang SU ; Li ZHAO ; Yan LI
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):358-373
“Runner’s high” refers to a momentary sense of pleasure that suddenly appears during running or other exercise activities, characterized by anti-anxiety, pain relief, and other symptoms. The neurobiological mechanism of “runner’s high” is unclear. This review summarizes human and animal models for studying “runner’s high”, analyzes the neurotransmitters and neural circuits involved in runner’s high, and elucidates the evidence and shortcomings of researches related to “runner’s high”. This review also provides prospects for future research. Research has found that exercise lasting more than 30 min and with an intensity exceeding 70% of the maximum heart rate can reach a “runner’s high”. Human experiments on “runner’s high” mostly use treadmill exercise intervention, and evaluate it through questionnaire surveys, measurement of plasma AEA, miRNA and other indicators. Animal experiments often use voluntary wheel running intervention, and evaluate it through behavioral experiments such as conditional place preference, light dark box experiments (anxiety), hot plate experiments (pain sensitivity), and measurement of plasma AEA and other indicators. Dopamine, endogenous opioid peptides, endogenous cannabinoids, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and other substances increase after exercise, which may be related to the “runner’s high”. However, attention should be paid to the functional differences of these substances in the central and peripheral regions, as well as in different brain regions. Moreover, current studies have not identified the targets of the neurotransmitters or neural factors mentioned above, and further in-depth researches are needed. The mesolimbic dopamine system, prefrontal cortex-nucleus accumbens projection, ventral hippocampus-nucleus accumbens projection, red nucleus-ventral tegmental area projection, cerebellar-ventral tegmental area projection, and brain-gut axis may be involved in the regulation of runner’s high, but there is a lack of direct evidence to prove their involvement. There are still many issues that need to be addressed in the research on the neurobiological mechanisms of “runner’s high”. (1) Most studies on “runner’s high” involve one-time exercise, and the characteristics of changes in “runner’s high” during long-term exercise still need to be explored. (2) The using of scales to evaluate subjects lead to the lacking of objective indicators. However, some potential biomarkers (such as endocannabinoids) have inconsistent characteristics of changes after one-time and long-term exercise. (3) The neurotransmitters involved in the formation of the “runner’s high” all increase in the peripheral and/or central nervous system after exercise. Attention should be paid to whether peripheral substances can enter the blood-brain barrier and the binding effects of neurotransmitters to different receptors are completely different in different brain regions. (4) Most of the current evidence show that some brain regions are activated after exercise. Is there a functional circuit mediating “runner’s high” between these brain regions? (5) Although training at a specific exercise intensity can lead to “runner’s high”, most runners have not experienced “runner’s high”. Can more scientific training methods or technological means be used to make it easier for people to experience the “runner’s high” and thus be more willing to engage in exercise? (6) The “runner’s high” and “addiction” behaviors are extremely similar, and there are evidences that exercise can reverse addictive behaviors. However, why is there still a considerable number of people in the sports population and even athletes who smoke or use addictive drugs instead of pursuing the “pleasure” brought by exercise? Solving the problems above is of great significance for enhancing the desire of exercise, improving the clinical application of neurological and psychiatric diseases through exercise, and enhancing the overall physical fitness of the population.
2. Effect of colchicine on LPS induced endothelial mesenchymal transformation and its mechanism
Jun GUO ; Guang-Neng TANG ; Qi ZHAO ; Zheng CAO ; Qiang TU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(2):243-248
Aim To investigate the effect of colchicine on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in human umbilical vein vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and its related mechanisms. Methods The EndMT model was established by treating HUVECs with LPS. Cell proliferation rate was detected by CCK-8 assay, cytotoxicity was detected by LDH assay, and the optimal drug concentration was screened. The cells were divided into the normal control group, the normal control + colchicine (10 nmol • L) group, the LPS (10 mg • L) model group, and the LPS + colchicine (10 nmol • L) group. The morphologic changes of the cells were observed under an inverted microscope, the cell migration ability was detected by Transwell assay, and the ability of tube formation was analyzed by tube formation assay. The expression of endothelial markers (CD31/ VE-cadherin) and mesenchymal cell markers (a-SMA/FSP-1) were detected by Western blot. NF-KB inhibitor was used to detect the changes in related signaling pathways. Results CCK-8 and LDH experiments showed that 10 nmol • L colchicine was the optimal concentration. LPS could induce morphological changes in HUVECs, and colchicine could reverse morphological changes in HUVECs to a certain extent. Transwell experiment showed that the migration ability of HUVECs in the LPS treatment group was significantly enhanced (P < 0. 05), and colchicine could significantly reverse this phenomenon (P < 0. 05) . Tube formation experiment showed that LPS decreased the endothelial tube formation ability of HUVECs (P < 0. 05), while colchicine treatment markedly improved LPS-induced tube formation defects (P < 0. 05) . Western blot assay showed that after colchicine co-cultured with LPS, the expression levels of CD31 and VE-cadherin significantly increased compared with the model group (P < 0. 05), while the expression levels of a-SMA and FSP-1 significantly decreased compared with the model group (P < 0. 05) . During the induction of EndMT by LPS, colchicine could inhibit the activation of the NF-KB/Snail signaling pathway. Conclusions Colchicine can effectively inhibit EndMT induced by LPS, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of the NF-KB/Snail signaling pathway.
3. Effects of metabolites of eicosapentaenoic acid on promoting transdifferentiation of pancreatic OL cells into pancreatic β cells
Chao-Feng XING ; Min-Yi TANG ; Qi-Hua XU ; Shuai WANG ; Zong-Meng ZHANG ; Zi-Jian ZHAO ; Yun-Pin MU ; Fang-Hong LI
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(1):31-38
Aim To investigate the role of metabolites of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in promoting the transdifferentiation of pancreatic α cells to β cells. Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were injected intraperitoneally with 60 mg/kg streptozocin (STZ) for five consecutive days to establish a type 1 diabetes (T1DM) mouse model. After two weeks, they were randomly divided into model groups and 97% EPA diet intervention group, 75% fish oil (50% EPA +25% DHA) diet intervention group, and random blood glucose was detected every week; after the model expired, the regeneration of pancreatic β cells in mouse pancreas was observed by immunofluorescence staining. The islets of mice (obtained by crossing GCG
4.Associations of cardiac biomarkers with stroke severity and short-term outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Chang HE ; Jie ZHAO ; Meng ZHANG ; Qing XU ; Yuru TANG ; Mengmeng QI ; Xiaoyan ZHU
International Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases 2024;32(1):1-8
Objective:To investigate associations between cardiac biomarkers with stroke severity and short-term outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Methods:Patients with AIS admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University from June 2018 to February 2024 whose etiological classification was large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small vessel occlusion (SVO) or cardioembolism (CE) were included retrospectively. According to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at admission, patients were divided into mild stroke group (≤8) and moderate to severe stroke group (>8). According to the modified Rankin Scale score at discharge, patients were divided into good outcome group (≤2) and poor outcome group (>2). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent correlation between cardiac biomarkers and short-term outcome. The predictive value of cardiac biomarkers for poor outcome in patients with AIS and different stroke etiology subtypes were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results:A total of 2 151 patients with AIS were enrolled, including 1 256 males (58.4%), aged 67.40±11.34 years. 1 079 patents were LAA type (50.2%), 679 were SVO type (31.6%), and 393 were CE type (18.3%); 1 223 were mild stroke (56.86%) and 928 (43.14%) were moderate to severe stroke; 1 357 patients (63.09%) had good short-term outcome, and 794 (36.91%) had poor short-term outcome. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), NT-proBNP/creatine kinase (CK) isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) ratio, and CK-MB/CK ratio were independent risk factors for poor short-term outcome. ROC curve analysis shows that the CK-MB/CK ratio had a higher predictive value for short-term poor outcome in patients with AIS (the area under the curve, 0.859, 95% confidence interval 0.839-0.879). Various cardiac biomarkers had a higher predictive value for short-term outcome of CE type and LAA type, but the predictive value for short-term outcome of SVO type was lower. Conclusions:Cardiac biomarkers are associated with the severity and poor outcome of AIS. NT-proBNP/CK-MB and CK-MB/CK ratios have higher predictive value for short-term poor outcome of AIS, especially in patients with CE type.
5.ox-LDL Promotes Bidirectional Regulation of Neuronal Apoptosis Through The PCSK9/LRP1 Signaling Pathway
Nai-Qi HE ; Xue-Shan ZHAO ; Qian XU ; Hua-Yu ZHANG ; Zhong REN ; Zhi-Han TANG ; Qiong XIANG ; Lu-Shan LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(4):944-958
Obiective Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by a variety of risk factors. There are various pathological changes, but apoptosis of the neurological meridian cells is one of the most important pathological bases. Hyperlipidemia is a high-risk factor for the development of AD, which can lead to increased levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in brain tissues. PCSK9 is a protease closely related to lipid metabolism, but studies have shown that it may be related to the development of AD. LRP1 is abundantly expressed in neuronal cells, and it is an important transporter for the clearance of Aβ. There is now a large amount of literature confirming that PCSK9 can induce the degradation of LRP1. PI3K/AKT is an important signaling pathway in vivo, which plays an important role in apoptosis, and there is now a large amount of literature confirming that LRP1 activates the PI3K/AKT pathway, which has an anti-apoptotic effect. So can PCSK9 affect the PI3K/AKT pathway through LRP1 and thus regulate neuronal apoptosis? This deserves further investigation.The aim of this study was to explore the role of PCSK9 in mediating ox-LDL pro-apoptotic neuronal cell death and its mechanism, and then further elaborate the mechanism of hyperlipidemia leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. MethodsFirstly, PC12 cells were treated with different concentrations of ox-LDL (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 mg/L) for 24 h. Oil red O staining was used to detect lipid accumulation in PC12 cells, Hoechst33258 staining and flow cytometry to detect apoptosis in PC12 cells, ELISA to detect the content of Aβ secreted by PC12, Western blot to detect expression of SREBP2, PCSK9 and LRP1. Then PC12 cells were treated with 75 mg/L ox-LDL for different times (0, 6, 12, 24, 48 h), and Western blot were performed to detect the expression of SREBP2, PCSK9 and LRP1. Finally, after transfecting 100 nmol/L PCSK9 siRNA into PC12 cells for 48 h, PC12 cells were treated with 75 mg/L ox-LDL for 24 h, Hoechst33258 staining and flow cytometry to detect apoptosis rate of PC12 cells, and Western blot to detect PCSK9, LRP1, PI3K, AKT, P-PI3K , P-AKT, NF-κB, Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 expression, and ELISA detected Aβ content secreted by PC12 cells. Resultsox-LDL increased lipid accumulation and promoted apoptosis and Aβ secretion in PC12 cells, as well as increasing the expression of SREBP2 and PCSK9 and decreasing the expression of LRP1 in PC12 cells. pCsk9 siRNA could be inhibited through the PI3K/AKT pathway and the NF-κB-Bcl-2/Bax-Caspase-9/3 pathway to inhibit ox-LDL-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells while increasing Aβ secretion in PC12 cells. Conclusionox-LDL plays a bidirectional regulatory role in ox-LDL-induced apoptosis of PC12 cells by inducing an increase in PCSK9 expression and a decrease in LRP1 expression in PC12 cells, which in turn affects different signaling pathways downstream.
6.Effects of leonurine on the improvement of rats with severe acute pancreatitis by regulating HMGB1/RAGE signaling pathway
Jingjing DAI ; Zhao WANG ; Qi TANG
China Pharmacy 2024;35(14):1722-1726
OBJECTIVE To study the effects of leonurine on pancreatic injury in rats with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), and to explore its mechanism based on the high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)/receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) signaling pathway. METHODS SAP rat model was constructed by injecting 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile duct of the pancreas. Model rats were randomly divided into model group, low dose leonurine group (8 mg/kg), high dose leonurine group (16 mg/kg), HMGB1 overexpression group (8 μg/kg), and high dose leonurine+HMGB1 overexpression group (16 mg/kg+8 μg/kg), with 14 rats in each group. Another 14 rats were selected as the sham operation group. Rats in each group were injected with corresponding drugs or normal saline via abdominal cavity or tail vein once a day for 5 consecutive days. After the last administration, the levels of serum amylase (AMS) and lipase (LPS) were detected; the pathological injury of pancreatic tissue was observed; the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB1 and RAGE in pancreatic tissues were detected. RESULTS Compared with model group, the structure of pancreatic tissue in rats gradually recovered in low and high dose leonurine groups; inflammatory cell infiltration gradually decreased; the pathological injury score and the levels of AMS, LPS, TNF-α, IL-6, MDA, the mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB1 and RAGE were significantly decreased, while the SOD levels were significantly increased (P<0.05). The high dose leonurine group showed more significant improvement (P<0.05); the pathological damage of pancreatic tissue in the HMGB1 overexpression group worsened, and except for a decrease in SOD levels, all other quantitative indicators increased significantly (P<0.05). Overexpression of HMGB1 could reduce the improvement effect of high dose leonurine on the above indexes in SAP rats (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Leonurine may alleviate pancreatic injury, inflammation and oxidative stress in pancreatic tissue of rats with SAP by inhibiting the HMGB1/RAGE signaling pathway.
7.Integration model of management, teaching and research for general practice talent training in community teaching bases
Yan LI ; Wei SONG ; Yiming LI ; Xinxin ZHAO ; Qi XU ; Fang CHENG ; Lan TANG ; Shanzhu ZHU
Chinese Journal of General Practitioners 2024;23(1):65-69
The community teaching bases play an important role in training of general practice talents. To raise the training quality, the development of their own capacity is crucial, but community medical institutions also need close cooperation with the departments of general practice in medical schools and the higher-level general hospitals. This article discusses the integration model of management, teaching and research in general practice talent training based on the cooperation of community teaching bases with relevant governmental departments, professional societies/associations, general hospitals and medical schools.
8.Ideas and Methods of Acupuncture for Guillain-Barré Syndrome based on the Core Principle of “To Treat Flaccidity, Select the Yangming (阳明) Channel only”
Huan LI ; Hailun JIANG ; Hao CHEN ; Hui QU ; Ruohan TANG ; Jie JI ; Yuzheng DU ; Qi ZHAO
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(4):362-367
This study explored the ideas and methods of acupuncture for Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) with the core principle of “to treat flaccidity, select the yangming (阳明) channel only”. The main pathological mechanism of GBS is deficiency of qi and blood in the yangming channel, malnutrition of all sinews, diminished spleen and stomach function leading to the production of pathogenic damp-heat qi, which obstructs the meridians, and gradually affects the liver and kidneys, consuming essence and damaging blood. Concurrently, dysfunction of the dumai (督脉) pivotal mechanism and lack of moisture in sinews and vessels result in symptoms such as skin numbness, paralysis, and muscle wastage. In clinical diagnosis and treatment, a combination of syndrome and channel differentiation is taken. Treatment primarily focuses on acupoints of yangming channel, aiming to supplement qi and blood, and acupoints of du mai are combined to open the vessel and fill the marrow. Specific acupoints are selected based on syndrome differentiation, providing comprehensive regulation to promote harmonization of qi and blood, relieve meridians, and the smooth generation and circulation of whole body fluids. This, in turn, enhances the strength of muscles and bones, and fosters a robust and freely moving body.
9.Effect of preoperative oral ibuprofen on postoperative pain after dental implantation: a randomized controlled trial
Kang GAO ; Xuezhu WEI ; Bin ZHAO ; Zhiguang LIU ; Conglin DU ; Xin WANG ; Yao WANG ; Changying LIU ; Dezheng TANG ; Qi ZHANG ; Ruiqing WU ; Mingming OU ; Wei LI ; Qian CHENG ; Yilin XIE ; Pan MA ; Jun LI ; Hao WANG ; Zuomin WANG ; Su CHEN ; Wei ZHANG ; Jian ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Stomatology 2024;59(8):777-783
Objective:To evaluate the effect of preemptive analgesia with ibuprofen on postoperative pain following single posterior tooth implantation, aiming to provide a clinical reference for its application.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel-group trial was conducted. A total of 82 participants were included in the trial, meeting the eligibility criteria from April 2022 to April 2024 at the Capital Medical University School of Stomatology (40 cases), Beijing TianTan Hospital, Capital Medical University (22 cases), Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University (20 cases). Participants were randomly assigned in a 1∶1 ratio to either the ibuprofen group or the control group, with each group comprising 41 individuals. Participants in the ibuprofen group received 300 mg of sustained-release ibuprofen capsules orally 15 min before surgery, while the control group received a placebo. Both groups received the same postoperative analgesic regimen for 3 days. Pain scores were assessed using the numerical rating scale at 30 min, 4 h, 6 h, 8 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h postoperatively, and the additional use of analgesic medication was recorded from days 4 to 6 postoperatively.Results:A total of 82 participants were initially enrolled in the study, with 7 dropouts (4 from the control group and 3 from the ibuprofen group), resulting in 75 participants (37 in the control group and 38 in the ibuprofen group) completing the trial. There were no reports of adverse events such as nausea or vomiting among the participants. The ibuprofen group exhibited significantly lower pain scores at 4 h, 6 h and 8 h [1.0 (0.0, 2.0), 1.0 (0.0, 2.0), 1.5 (0.0, 3.0) ] postoperatively compared to the control group 4 h, 6 h and 8 h [2.0 (1.0, 3.0), 3.0 (1.5, 4.0), 2.0 (1.0, 4.0)] ( Z=-1.99, P=0.047; Z=-3.01, P=0.003; Z=-2.10, P=0.036). The proportions of patients requiring additional analgesic medication between days 4 and 6 post-surgery were 18.4% (7/38) in the ibuprofen group and 27.0% (10/37) in the control group, with no significant difference (χ 2=0.79, P=0.373). The median additional medication usage postoperatively was [0.0 (0.0, 0.0) pills] in the ibuprofen group and [0.0 (0.0, 1.0) pills] in the control group, with no significant difference ( Z=-0.78, P=0.439). Conclusions:Preemptive analgesia with ibuprofen effectively reduces postoperative pain following tooth implantation, representing a safe and effective perioperative pain management strategy.
10.Complete genome sequence and molecular characterization of a human respiratory syncytial virus subtype B strain isolated in Qinghai province
Lifang HE ; Mengqi YIN ; Shengcang ZHAO ; Zhijian TANG ; Youju LEI ; Jinying QI ; Deng TIAN ; Chunxiang WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2024;38(5):533-538
Objective:To analyze the genetic characteristics of the complete genome of a strain of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) in Qinghai province in 2024.Methods:A total of 300 samples were collected during 2024 influenza surveillance in Qinghai province sentinel hospitals from patients with fever accompanied by severe respiratory infection symptoms. We used real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction RT-PCR) method to screen out HRSV subtype B (HRSVB) positive specimens, whole genome sequencing was performed on positivespecimens meeting the requirements for the sequencing. After downloading the global representative HRSVB genotypes at GenBank database, sequence alignment was performed, related evolutionary tree was built and the calculation and analyses of genetic distance were done, analyses of HRSVB sequencing of sequence homology of nucleotides, amino acids and amino acid mutation were performed.Results:The first strain in Qinghai, China/qinghai/2024-03 had a complete sequence of 15 140 bp nucleotides, with HRSV′s all structural characteristics, and subtype HRSVA prototype strain Long strains of nucleotide the lowest homology was 80.0%, and subtype HRSVB prototype strain nucleotide homology was above 94.7%. The result indicated that the first strain in Qinghai belonged to HRSVB subtype. Genetic evolution shows China/qinghai/2024-03 and USA/WA-S23450/2021 (OR326803.1) and Germany/2021 (OR795235.1) all belong to a branch, they have the closest relationship. Phylogenetic analysis of G gene showed that the strain belonged to BA9 genotype of HRSVB subtype, and the hypervariable regions of the genome were SH and G genes.Conclusions:In this study, the complete genome sequence of HRSV China/qinghai/2024-03 was obtained for the first time, and the basic molecular structural characteristics were elucidated, which filled the gaps in the gene and amino acid data of HRSV in our province, and also provided a basis for HRSV epidemiology.

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