1."Kidney deficiency-vessel impairment" as core pathogenesis of panvascular diseases: theoretical and clinical perspectives.
Jie WANG ; Jun HU ; Jun LI ; Zhen-Peng ZHANG ; Chao LIU ; Cong CHEN
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(13):3513-3521
Panvascular disease is a complex systemic disorder. Research by our team has established "kidney deficiency-vascular impairment" as its core pathogenesis. Consequently, we developed a three-tiered progressive prevention and treatment strategy: early prevention phase: focuses on tonifying the kidney and reducing turbidity; mid-term control phase: focuses on tonifying the kidney and stabilizing plaque; late recovery phase: focuses on tonifying the kidney and unblocking collaterals. This targeted therapeutic protocol effectively alleviates clinical symptoms, improves biochemical markers, enhances treatment efficacy, and achieves comprehensive management throughout the disease course. This article systematically elaborates on the concept of "kidney deficiency-vascular impairment" in panvascular disease, summarizes the mechanisms of kidney-tonifying Chinese herbal medicines, aiming to provide a beneficial reference for the whole-course management of panvascular diseases.
Humans
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Kidney/blood supply*
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Vascular Diseases/physiopathology*
;
Animals
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Kidney Diseases/physiopathology*
2.Exploring Mechanism of Electroacupuncture in Modulating Neuroinflammation Based on Intestinal Flora and Its Metabolites.
Hai-Min YE ; Zhuo-Yan LI ; Peng ZHANG ; Zhen KANG ; De-Sheng ZHOU
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(2):183-192
Neuroinflammatory responses play an important role in the pathogenesis of various diseases, particularly those affecting the central nervous system. Inhibition of neuroinflammation is a crucial therapeutic strategy for the management of central nervous system disorders. The intestinal microbial-gut-brain axis serves as a key regulatory pathway that modulates neuroinflammatory processes. Intestinal flora metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, indoles and their derivatives, lipopolysaccharides, trimethylamine oxide, and secondary bile acids exert direct or indirect effects on neuroinflammation. Studies have shown that electroacupuncture (EA) modulates the composition of the intestinal microbiota and its metabolites, while also suppressing neuroinflammation by targeting the TLR4/NF- κ B, NLRP3/caspase-1, and microglial cell M2-type transformation pathways. This review discusses the mechanisms by which EA regulates neuroinflammation via intestinal microbiota and its metabolites, providing information and a foundation for further investigation of the precise therapeutic mechanisms of EA in neurological disorders.
Humans
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Gastrointestinal Microbiome
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Electroacupuncture
;
Neuroinflammatory Diseases/metabolism*
;
Animals
3.Brucea javanica Seed Oil Emulsion and Shengmai Injections Improve Peripheral Microcirculation in Treatment of Gastric Cancer.
Li QUAN ; Wen-Hao NIU ; Fu-Peng YANG ; Yan-da ZHANG ; Ru DING ; Zhi-Qing HE ; Zhan-Hui WANG ; Chang-Zhen REN ; Chun LIANG
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(4):299-310
OBJECTIVE:
To explore and verify the effect and potential mechanism of Brucea javanica Seed Oil Emulsion Injection (YDZI) and Shengmai Injection (SMI) on peripheral microcirculation dysfunction in treatment of gastric cancer (GC).
METHODS:
The potential mechanisms of YDZI and SMI were explored through network pharmacology and verified by cellular and clinical experiments. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) were cultured for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured for tube formation assay. Twenty healthy volunteers and 97 patients with GC were enrolled. Patients were divided into surgical resection, surgical resection with chemotherapy, and surgical resection with chemotherapy combining YDZI and SMI groups. Forearm skin blood perfusion was measured and recorded by laser speckle contrast imaging coupled with post-occlusive reactive hyperemia. Cutaneous vascular conductance and microvascular reactivity parameters were calculated and compared across the groups.
RESULTS:
After network pharmacology analysis, 4 ingredients, 82 active compounds, and 92 related genes in YDZI and SMI were screened out. β-Sitosterol, an active ingredient and intersection compound of YDZI and SMI, upregulated the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2, P<0.01), downregulated the expression of caspase 9 (CASP9) and estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1, P<0.01) in HMECs under oxaliplatin stimulation, and promoted tube formation through VEGFA. Chemotherapy significantly impaired the microvascular reactivity in GC patients, whereas YDZI and SMI ameliorated this injury (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
YDZI and SMI ameliorated peripheral microvascular reactivity in GC patients. β-Sitosterol may improve peripheral microcirculation by regulating VEGFA, PTGS2, ESR1, and CASP9.
Humans
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Microcirculation/drug effects*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
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Stomach Neoplasms/physiopathology*
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Emulsions
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Male
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Plant Oils/administration & dosage*
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Brucea/chemistry*
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Middle Aged
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Female
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Drug Combinations
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Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism*
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Seeds/chemistry*
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Injections
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism*
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Aged
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Network Pharmacology
4.Characteristics of the amygdala and its subregions in premenstrual syndrome/premenstrual dysphoric disorder patients.
Ming CHENG ; Baoyi LI ; Zhen ZHANG ; Zhaoshu JIANG ; Jie YANG ; Peng JIANG ; Zhonghao YUAN
Journal of Central South University(Medical Sciences) 2025;50(3):492-500
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is considered a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). As a key brain region involved in emotional regulation and stress responses, the amygdala has been implicated in the pathogenesis of PMS/PMDD. The amygdala is composed of multiple subregions, each playing distinct roles in emotion, memory, and stress responses, and forms complex brain areas. Summarizing the interconnections among amygdala, subregions and their connectivity with external areas, and exploringt the neuroimaging characteristics of the amygdala, as well as changes in its neural circuits and brain networks in these patients, will help provide a theoretical foundation for targeted modulation of amygdala function in the treatment of PMS/PMDD.
Humans
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Amygdala/diagnostic imaging*
;
Female
;
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder/pathology*
;
Premenstrual Syndrome/pathology*
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Emotions/physiology*
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
6.Prevalence of dengue,chikungunya and zika viruses in blood donors in Kunming,China
Zhihui ZHANG ; Qian LI ; Mozhen PENG ; Zhen LUO ; Lu CHEN ; Lili GAO ; Wei CUN ; Xia DU
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2024;37(10):1137-1141
Objective To investigate the prevalence of zika virus(ZIKV),dengue virus(DENV)and chikungunya virus(CHIKV)infections in blood donors in Kunming,China.Methods A total of 10 662 samples from blood donors in Kunming from August 2022 to October 2023 were randomly collected,and ZIKV RNA,DENV RNA and CHIKV RNA were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR).Results Effec-tive test results were obtained from 10 554 samples,and no positive case of ZIKV RNA,DENV RNA and CHIKV RNA was found in this investigation.Conclusion The risk of ZIKV,DENV and CHIKV infections among blood donors in Kunming is low,and there is no immediate need for routine screening for these viruses among blood donors in this region.
7.Mass spectrometry analysis of intact protein N-glycosylation signatures of cells and sera in pancreatic adenocarcinomas
XU MINGMING ; LIU ZHAOLIANG ; HU WENHUA ; HAN YING ; WU ZHEN ; CHEN SUFENG ; XIA PENG ; DU JING ; ZHANG XUMIN ; HAO PILIANG ; XIA JUN ; YANG SHUANG
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2024;25(1):51-64,中插9-中插28
Pancreatic cancer is among the most malignant cancers,and thus early intervention is the key to better survival outcomes.However,no methods have been derived that can reliably identify early precursors of development into malignancy.Therefore,it is urgent to discover early molecular changes during pancreatic tumorigenesis.As aberrant glycosylation is closely associated with cancer progression,numerous efforts have been made to mine glycosylation changes as biomarkers for diagnosis;however,detailed glycoproteomic information,especially site-specific N-glycosylation changes in pancreatic cancer with and without drug treatment,needs to be further explored.Herein,we used comprehensive solid-phase chemoenzymatic glycoproteomics to analyze glycans,glycosites,and intact glycopeptides in pancreatic cancer cells and patient sera.The profiling of N-glycans in cancer cells revealed an increase in the secreted glycoproteins from the primary tumor of MIA PaCa-2 cells,whereas human sera,which contain many secreted glycoproteins,had significant changes of glycans at their specific glycosites.These results indicated the potential role for tumor-specific glycosylation as disease biomarkers.We also found that AMG-510,a small molecule inhibitor against Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog(KRAS)G12C mutation,profoundly reduced the glycosylation level in MIA PaCa-2 cells,suggesting that KRAS plays a role in the cellular glycosylation process,and thus glycosylation inhibition contributes to the anti-tumor effect of AMG-510.
8.A Methodological Investigation of Hair Proteomics-based Differentiation of Individual Traits
Xiao-Lin WU ; Tao ZHANG ; Ping XU ; Ya-Li ZHANG ; Zhen-Peng ZHANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(1):230-240
ObjectiveHair is an essential skin appendage, primarily composed of keratins and keratin-associated proteins. The protein composition and proportion of hair samples vary among different races and sexes. Currently, there is a lack of efficient methods to extract hair proteins. This study aims to explore the application of quantitative hair proteomics in distinguishing individual hair characteristics. MethodsBased on the exploration of sample processing and lysis buffer using three hair samples, we developed a stable and efficient hair protein extraction method, named PLEE (PTM lab for protein extraction from hair with high efficiency). We used the PLEE method to extract seven human hair samples and performed proteomic experiments on them using in-gel digestion method to produce data for analyzing hair protein composition and proportion among individuals. ResultsA total of 274 proteins were identified, among which 107 proteins were commonly present, and the number of non-common proteins ranged from 57-119, with some samples having unique identification proteins. Using the 107 commonly identified proteins for quantitative protein fractionation analysis, various samples were distinguished by clustering and principal component analysis, and technical repeated samples were merged, indicating the stability of the process. In addition, 10 key proteins (KRT33A, KRTAP9-6, KRT83, KRTAP7-1, KRT32, BLMH, KRT38, KRTAP11-1, NPAS1, KRTAP4-3) with large differences between individuals and stable protein identification within the same individual were screened. ConclusionThe protein composition of hair varies among different individuals, and the 10 selected proteins are expected to be key proteins for distinguishing individual hair characteristics and have significant potential applications in individual identification and criminal investigation.
9.Evaluation of Burosumab in the treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets in children
Shaohan FANG ; Fang DENG ; Yue YUAN ; Xu LI ; Zhen ZHAO ; Ying ZHU ; Yin PENG ; Luodan ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 2024;40(1):11-16
Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Burosumab in patients with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets.Methods:Clinical data of 9 children diagnosed with X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets and treated with Burosumab in the Department of Pediatric Nephrology, Anhui Children′s Hospital from November 2021 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, including the general information, clinical manifestations, auxiliary examination, Burosumab treatment and follow-up.Results:Among the 9 cases, there were 5 males and 4 females, with a median age at diagonosis of 2 years. After traditional treatment, the fluctuation of serum phosphorus ranged from 0.7 to 0.9 mmol/L. The median age at the initiation of Burosumab treatment was 2.8 years, and the initial dosage was 0.8 mg/kg, administrated subcutaneously every 2 weeks. The laboratory and imaging indexes were improved after 6 months of Burosumab treatment, and the mean serum phosphorus level increased from(0.81±0.14) mmol/L to(1.02±0.10) mmol/L at 1 month( t=3.85, P=0.001) and(1.14±0.25) mmol/L at 6 months( t=3.58, P=0.002). The average alkaline phosphatase(ALP) level decreased from(509.89±110.10) U/L before treatment to(447.89±106.76) U/L after 1 month( t=1.21, P=0.243). After 6 months, the ALP level significantly decreased to(385.89±60.33) U/L ( t=2.96, P=0.009). The average height percentile increased from 18.42±10.09 before treatment to 26.56±16.59 after 6 months( t=1.26, P=0.227). Rachitis severity scores of both lower limbs ranged from 4.61±1.36 before treatment to 3.06±1.51 after 6 months( t=2.29, P=0.036). No serious adverse events occurred during treatment. Conclusion:Burosumab is safe and effective in treating X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, exhibiting minimal side effects and significant clinical applicability value.
10.Spatial transcriptomics reveals that metabolic characteristics define the tumor immunosuppression microenvironment via iCAF transformation in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Zheqi LIU ; Zhen ZHANG ; Yu ZHANG ; Wenkai ZHOU ; Xu ZHANG ; Canbang PENG ; Tong JI ; Xin ZOU ; Zhiyuan ZHANG ; Zhenhu REN
International Journal of Oral Science 2024;16(1):9-9
Tumor progression is closely related to tumor tissue metabolism and reshaping of the microenvironment. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a representative hypoxic tumor, has a heterogeneous internal metabolic environment. To clarify the relationship between different metabolic regions and the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) in OSCC, Single cell (SC) and spatial transcriptomics (ST) sequencing of OSCC tissues were performed. The proportion of TME in the ST data was obtained through SPOTlight deconvolution using SC and GSE103322 data. The metabolic activity of each spot was calculated using scMetabolism, and k-means clustering was used to classify all spots into hyper-, normal-, or hypometabolic regions. CD4T cell infiltration and TGF-β expression is higher in the hypermetabolic regions than in the others. Through CellPhoneDB and NicheNet cell-cell communication analysis, it was found that in the hypermetabolic region, fibroblasts can utilize the lactate produced by glycolysis of epithelial cells to transform into inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (iCAFs), and the increased expression of HIF1A in iCAFs promotes the transcriptional expression of CXCL12. The secretion of CXCL12 recruits regulatory T cells (Tregs), leading to Treg infiltration and increased TGF-β secretion in the microenvironment and promotes the formation of a tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. This study delineates the coordinate work axis of epithelial cells-iCAFs-Tregs in OSCC using SC, ST and TCGA bulk data, and highlights potential targets for therapy.
Humans
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Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism*
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Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
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Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism*
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Immunosuppression Therapy
;
Transforming Growth Factor beta
;
Head and Neck Neoplasms
;
Gene Expression Profiling
;
Tumor Microenvironment

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