Biomedical subjects

Feng Huang

Publications and source records attributed to Feng Huang.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2026

Family communication patterns and adolescent depressive symptoms: sequential mediating effects of hedonic capacity and anger expression.

OBJECTIVE: Depression is increasingly prevalent among adolescents, highlighting the need to explore its underlying developmental mechanisms to inform effective prevention. This study examined how different family communication patterns longitudinally impact adolescent depressive symptoms, with a focus on the mediating roles of diminished hedonic capacity and anger expression. METHOD: A total of 729 Chinese adolescents from five high schools participated in this two-wave longitudinal study over a six-month period. Participants completed the Family Communication Patterns Scale (FCPS), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), the Anhedonia Scale for Adolescents (ASA), and the Children's Inventory of Anger (ChIA). Mediation analyses were conducted using Hayes' PROCESS macro, alongside cross-lagged panel analyses to explore longitudinal effect. RESULTS: Cross-sectional analyses indicated that diminished hedonic capacity and anger experience sequentially mediated the relationship between family communication patterns and adolescent depressive symptoms. Specifically, this mediating effect existed for conversation orientation in junior high school students and female senior high school students, as well as for conformity orientation among female junior and senior high school students. In addition, longitudinal analyses revealed that diminished hedonic capacity mediated the associations at Wave 2. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that enhanced hedonic capacity and reduced anger expression may play a key role in the relationship between family communication patterns and adolescent depression, and hedonic capacity should be prioritized in practical interventions. These results support the potential value of interventions that promote positive family communication patterns as a means of mitigating adolescent depression, particularly for families with daughters.

anger expression↗

PubMed2026

Crucial role of telomere maintenance-related genes in survival prediction and subtype identification in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Telomere maintenance-related genes (TMRGs) are implicated in Colorectal cancer (CRC) development, but their prognostic value and clinical relevance remain insufficiently explored. This study aims to develop a TMRG-based prognostic model and elucidate its clinical utility in CRC management. METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas database was utilized to download RNA-seq data from 638 CRC and 51 control samples. Differential expressed genes were screened and intersected with 2086 TMRGs, resulting in the identification of 976 TMRGs. Through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, a prognostic model comprising three telomere maintenance-related biomarkers (PDE1B, TFAP2B, and HSPA1A) was developed and validated using an external dataset. By integrating the model risk score with clinical features, a nomogram was constructed to predict the survival outcomes of CRC patients. Additionally, an in-depth investigation of the immuno-infiltration, functional variation and drug sensitivity analysis were performed in two risk subgroups defined by the prognostic model. Finally, the functional significance of PDE1B in CRC cell lines was investigated through MTT assays, cell colony formation assays, transwell assays and flow cytometry. RESULTS: A total of 976 DE-TMRGs were enriched in telomere/DNA replication pathways. A three-gene signature (PDE1B, TFAP2B, and HSPA1A) stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups with divergent survival (AUC >0.60, validated externally). High-risk patients had advanced N/M stages, elevated M0/M2 macrophages, reduced CD4+ memory T cells, and upregulated immune checkpoints. Nomogram integrating risk score, age, and N/M stage accurately predicted 1-/3-/5-year survival. Low-risk patients showed greater 5-fluorouracil sensitivity. PDE1B expression was significantly reduced in CRC tissues and correlated with advanced stages. Functional assays confirmed PDE1B overexpression suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion, and induced apoptosis in CRC cells. CONCLUSION: This study identifies a moderately predictive telomere maintenance-related gene signature as an independent prognostic predictor in CRC. The risk stratification model effectively discriminates patients with distinct survival patterns, tumor microenvironments, and therapeutic responses, while the integrated nomogram offers additional reference information for survival analysis, albeit with only moderate predictive accuracy. These findings indicate telomere maintenance-related gene signature could serve as a preliminary auxiliary risk stratification tool for postoperative CRC patients, PDE1B may also serve as a potential epithelial tumor-suppressor target for future preclinical studies.

PDE1B↗

PubMed2026

Plasma Multiomics Links Early-Life Adversity to Disease and Cardiometabolic Health: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Childhood adversity (CA) is associated with increased cardiovascular and cardiometabolic risk, but the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to identify CA-related metabolomic and proteomic signatures and evaluate their roles in linking CA to incident diseases. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 153 225 participants aged 48 to 64 years. CA was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Screener-5, capturing cumulative (0-5 domains) and individual adversity exposures. Plasma metabolomics and proteomics data were integrated to derive CA-related molecular signatures. Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate associations between CA, molecular signatures, and 58 incident diseases and mortality. Mediation analyses quantified the role of multiomics signatures. RESULTS: Each additional CA domain was associated with higher risk of 49 of 58 incident diseases (hazard ratios [HRs], 1.024-1.338) and a 7.3% higher all-cause mortality risk. Focusing on cardiometabolic health, the CA-related metabolic and proteomic signatures were independently associated with incident disease. Per 1-SD increase in the cumulative CA metabolic signature, the highest observed HR was 1.313 (95% CI, 1.278-1.349) for incident diabetes, and the risk for hypertension was also increased (HR, 1.136 95% CI, 1.114-1.159). Similarly, the proteomic signature was strongly associated with incident diabetes (HR, 1.645 95% CI, 1.489-1.818) and hypertension (HR, 1.223 95% CI, 1.155-1.295). The cumulative CA metabolic and proteomic signatures mediated up to 25.5% and 46.8% of the association with hypertension, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CA is associated with a broad spectrum of diseases and mortality, with particularly strong links to cardiometabolic health. Multiomics signatures partially mediated these associations.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Multi-omics reveals an ecdysone-activated Eip75B-FABP signaling axis coordinating nutrient metabolism for development in Hermetia illucens.

INTRODUCTION: Efficient nutrient storage is essential for insect development and energy homeostasis; however, the mechanisms coordinating nutrient allocation during ontogeny are not well understood. Elucidating these systems may yield valuable insights to insect metabolic adaptation. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify regulatory modules governing nutrient metabolism in insects, focusing on hormonal and metabolic interplay. METHODS: Multi-omics profiling (proteomics, phosphoproteomics, and transcriptomics) was conducted throughout the life cycle, from egg to adult, to identify metabolic regulators. RNAi was utilized for gene knockdown, followed by qRT-PCR and mitochondrial DNA quantification to evaluate knockdown efficiency and its metabolic implications. Assessments of nutrient metabolism were performed using assays for triglycerides, crude protein, and fatty acid synthase. EMSA and BODIPY staining examined transcriptional regulation and lipid droplet dynamics. RESULTS: Utilizing an integrative multi-omics approach, this study elucidates the temporal metabolic regulators in insects. A conserved regulatory module was identified in which the PPAR homolog, ecdysone-induced protein 75B (Eip75B), functions as a transcriptional activator of fatty acid binding protein (FABP), sustaining lipid metabolic homeostasis during the larval stage. PPARγ modulators (rosiglitazone and GW9662) alter lipid accumulation, along with the expression of Eip75B and FABP, which was measured by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, the deficiency of FABP may reprogram metabolic pathways by inhibiting lipid storage and promoting mitochondrial β-oxidation, as supported by increased mitochondrial DNA copy number, as well as enhancing protein synthesis. This metabolic change could be modulated by ecdysone signaling, as hormonal supplementation effectively rescued the lipid loss phenotype. Our results establish the ecdysone-Eip75B-FABP signaling axis as a central regulatory module that integrates hormonal and nutrient-sensing signals to control insect nutritional metabolism. CONCLUSION: The ecdysone-Eip75B-FABP axis integrates hormonal and nutrient signals to regulate metabolic plasticity, underscoring a universal strategy for developmental energy allocation. The data also offer potential implications for research on metabolic disorders and bioenergy applications.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Production of laccase by a newly isolated deuteromycete fungus Pestalotiopsis sp. and its decolorization of azo dye.

The effect of various carbon and nitrogen sources on the production of laccase by newly isolated deuteromycete Pestalotiopsis sp. was tested under liquid-state fermentation. Twenty grams per liter of glucose and 10 g l(-1) ammonium tartrate were found to be the optimized concentrations of carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The influence of different inducers and inhibitors on the laccase production was also examined. Adding the Cu up to optimum concentration of 2.0 mM in medium (include 20 g l(-1) glucose and 10 g l(-1) ammonium tartrate), the highest laccase activity of 32.7 +/- 1.7 U ml(-l) was achieved. Cu had to be supplemented after 2 days of growth for its maximal effect, an addition after 6 days of growth, during which laccase activity was dominantly formed, resulted in distinctly reduced laccase activity. In addition, Direct Fast Blue B2RL can be effectively decolorized by crude laccase, the decolorization percentage of which was 88.0 +/- 3.2% at pH 4.0 within 12 h. The results suggest that Pestalotiopsis sp. is a high potential producer of the industrially important enzyme laccase.

Azo Compounds↗

PubMed2006

Response to one infusion predicts subsequent improvement as well as the rate of relapse of ankylosing spondylitis infused with three pulses of infliximab.

The objective of this study was to evaluate if there are early clinical parameters in AS patients treated with three standard infusions of infliximab, which would predict whether a patient will derive a significant improvement at the tenth week, or whether there will be a lengthy clinical response after discontinuing the infusions. Sixty three AS patients were given three infusions of 5 mg/kg of infliximab at weeks 0, 2, and 6 and evaluated serially before each infusion and also at week 10. Afterwards, patients were followed up by telephone interview until their disease activities were >60% of the baseline values. At that point, disease was considered to have relapsed. Clinical parameters at baseline as well as at week 2 were used for analysis to identify factors that might predict an improvement at week 10, or predict a delayed relapse. A predictor is regarded as being useful if the area under the curve (AUC) when analyzed by receiver operator calculations (ROC) exceeds 0.75. No parameters at baseline have sufficient predictive values. However, ASAS20 (Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis International Working Group criteria) at week 2 predicts improvement at week 10, and also duration of clinical response after discontinuing the infliximab at week 6. The response to one pulse of infliximab is the best predictor of subsequent response as well as rate of relapse after discontinuing the infliximab.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

A multistep oriented attachment kinetics: coarsening of ZnS nanoparticle in concentrated NaOH.

Crystal growth of ZnS nanoparticles during hydrothermal coarsened in 4 M NaOH occurs via a two-stage process. In the first stage, the primary particles grow into a size over hundred times of the original volume. The initial growth rate can be fitted by an asymptotic curve. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) data indicate that in this stage, crystal growth mainly occurs via a multistep crystallographically specific oriented attachment (OA). The higher the coarsening temperature, the earlier the first stage ends. In the second stage, an abrupt transition from asymptotic to square parabola growth kinetics occurs. The crystal growth data can be fitted by a standard Ostwald ripening (OR) model consistent with growth controlled by dissolution/precipitation of ions in solution. HRTEM data indicate that a minor amount of OA-based growth also occurs in the early period of the second stage. A new multistep OA kinetics model analogous to the reaction between molecules was proposed to illustrate the asymptotic growth in the first stage of coarsening. The effect of concentrated NaOH was discussed and proved to be the key that hindered the OR process, attributing to the almost exclusive pure OA-based growth of ZnS particles in the first stage.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

[Effects of infliximab and etanercept, two types of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor on serum level of matrix metalloproteinase 3 expression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Infliximab and Etanercept two types of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors, on the serum level of matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHOD: 47 patients with AS, 40 males and 7 females, aged 17 - 51, were treated with Infliximab (5 mg/kg i.v at weeks 0, 2, and 6); and 26 patients with AS were treated with Etanercept (25 mg, twice a week for 12 weeks). Clinical data including Bath AS indices (BASDAI and BASFI) and sera were collected at baseline and other different times. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Serum levels of MMP-3 were measured with MMP-3 ELISA kits. RESULTS: Two, six, and ten weeks after Infliximab treatment the levels of ESR, CRP, and serum MMP-3 of the AS patients were all significantly lower than the baseline level (all P < 0.01), and the serum MMP-3 levels were all significantly correlated with ESR (all P < 0.05). In the Etanercept group 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after treatment the levels of serum MMP-3, ESR, CRP, BASDAI, and BASFI were all significantly lower than the baseline levels (all P < 0.01); before the treatment ESR was significantly correlated with CRP (r = 0.80, P < 0.01), BASDAI was significantly correlated with BASFI (r = 0.48, P < 0.05), and MMP-3 was significantly correlated with ESR (r = 0.74, P < 0.01) and with CRP (r = 0.72, P < 0.01); and 12 weeks after the treatment significant correlation still existed between ESR and CRP (r = 0.40, P < 0.05), BASDAI and BASFI (r = 0.89, P < 0.01), and MMP-3 and ESR (r = 0.43, P = 0.029), however, there was no significant correlation between CRP and serum level of MMP-3 (r = 0.37, P = 0.061). CONCLUSION: Infliximab and Etanercept, 2 anti-TNF-alpha inhibitors, not only significantly decrease the ESR and CRP, but also decrease the serum level of MMP-3 of patients with AS. MMP-3 is involved in the pathogenesis and disease activity of AS. MMP-3 is also a potentially useful marker of AS disease activity and useful parameter to assess the effectiveness of anti-TNF-alpha inhibitor in treatment of AS.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

A thermodynamically stable nanophase material.

Nanoparticles are metastable relative to the equivalent bulk material due to the positive excess interfacial free energy (IFE). Previous studies have shown that, with increasing surface interaction strength, the IFE diminishes but remains positive. We describe an experimental multicomponent system in which a nanoscale ZnS material is thermodynamically favored and can be formed at the expense of bulk ZnS. In 17 M sodium hydroxide solution, at 230 degrees C, both 3 nm ZnS nanoparticles and bulk ZnS are transformed into sheetlike nanocrystals with a ZnS polytype structure. Our results are theoretically compatible with the concept of a negative IFE, although not with the assumption of constant interface composition. We clarify the meaning of an effective negative IFE and present the necessary conditions for strong chemical surface interactions to stabilize nanoscale inorganic materials relative to bulk matter. Our results show that synthesis methods employing thermodynamic controls can produce nanomaterials with novel morphology.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

[The role of mannose binding lectin in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the serum level of mannose binding lectin (MBL) and its genovariation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and to investigate the role of MBL in the pathogenesis of SLE. METHODS: ELISA was used to measure the serum MBL level of 40 SLE patients and 30 healthy blood donors. Tm genotyping method was used for the first timer in China. Primers and specific fluorophore-labelled hybridization probes for the exon 1 and promoter regions of MBL gene were designed based on the haplotype MBL2(*) LXPA (GenBank X15422). The genotyping of MBL in these two groups were performed using real-time PCR through Light Cycler Instrument. RESULTS: (1) The serum MBL of the SLE patients was 107.2 microg/L, significantly lower than that of the healthy blood donors (290.2 microg/L, P = 0.0002). (2) MBL mutation in exon 1 region was mainly at codon 54, with a mutation rate of 37.1% in the SLE group, significantly higher than that of the control group (13.3%, p = 0.049). (3) Polymorphisms of H/L in MBL gene were present in both SLE patients and controls, and there was no difference in the L allele frequency between the two groups. (4) The serum MBL level of the SLE patients with MBL mutation in codon 54 was 49.8 microg/L, significantly lower than that of the SLE patients without MBL mutation in codon 54 (141.7 microg/L, P = 0.000 27). The SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) of the SLE patients with MBL mutation in codon 54 was 7.44, significantly lower than that of the SLE patients without MBL mutation in codon 54 (12.87, P = 0.0029). A negative correlation was observed between SLEDAI score and serum MBL (r = -0.48). CONCLUSION: Mutation occurring in MBL exon 1 region at codon 54 may be a predisposing factor of the pathogenesis of SLE. Serum MBL may be a potential biomarker of disease activity in SLE patients.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Anti-hepatoma activity and mechanism of ursolic acid and its derivatives isolated from Aralia decaisneana.

AIM: To investigate the anti-tumor activity of ursolic acid (UA) and its derivatives isolated from Aralia decaisneana on hepatocellular carcinoma both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: In vivo cytotoxicity was first screened by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Morphological observation, DNA ladder, flow cytometry analysis, Western blot and real time PCR were employed to elucidate the cytotoxic mechanism of UA. Implanted mouse hepatoma H22 was used to evaluate the growth inhibitory effect of UA in vivo. RESULTS: UA could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 and its drug-resistance strain, R-HepG2 cells, but had no inhibitory effect on primarily cultured normal mouse hepatocytes whereas all the six derivatives of UA could not inhibit the growth of all tested cell lines. Further study on mechanism demonstrated that apoptosis and G0/G1 arrest were involved in the cytotoxicity and cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP). Downregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein and upregulation of heat shock protein (HSP) 105 mRNA correlated to the apoptosis of HepG2 cells treated with UA. In addition, UA also could inhibit the growth of H22 hepatoma in vivo. CONCLUSION: UA is a promising anti-tumor agent, but further work needs to be done to improve its solubility.

Aralia↗

PubMed2006

Lignin degradation by a novel peptide, Gt factor, from brown rot fungus Gloeophyllum trabeum.

Gt factor, a pure component isolated from Gloeophyllum trabeum, was used to decompose lignin materials. The radical intermediates, degradation products and structural changes of treated materials were analyzed by infrared spectrum, NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance, etc. The results indicate that Gt factor makes an oxidative attack on lignin via HO., which might be the initial step in lignocellulose degradation by brown rot fungus.

Basidiomycota↗

PubMed2006

Magnetic resonance imaging image intensity correction with extrapolation and adaptive smoothing.

A significant problem in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the inhomogeneity of the image resulting from a number of factors that are hardware related. The obtained image can be treated as the true image multiplied by a signal modulator, which is usually smooth across the image. A class of MR image intensity correction methods extracts the slowly varying component from the image with low-pass filtering or smoothing to approximate the signal modulator. This usually causes the edge enhancement artifact in the corrected image. A novel method of extrapolating the image in advance is proposed to reduce this effect significantly. Closest point algorithm is implemented to minimize the calculation time for extrapolation. To remove bright spots caused by nonuniform sensitivity profiles, a gradient-weighted smoothing method is discussed in this work. The partial differential equations based model is applied for locally adaptive smoothing. The filtered gradient of the corrupted image is used as the weight for smoothing. Phantom and clinical data collected on various MRI systems are used for evaluation of our method. These experimental results show that the proposed method solves the edge enhancement and bright spots problem effectively and robustly.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2006

Study on genetic coadaptability of wild quail populations in China.

Genetic coadaptability of wild Japanese quail, wild Common quail and Domestic quail populations in China was studied using 7 microsatellite DNA markers and Monte Carlo method to test genetic disequilibrium. The molecular effects of genetic coadaptability were analyzed through a new statistical model of neutral site. The results showed that genetic coadaptability dominated the genetic disequilibrium of the three quail populations, and totally 16.67%, 9.66% and 10.05% of non-allelic combinations were in the genetic disequilibrium in wild Japanese quail, wild Common quail and Domestic quail populations, respectively. Genetic coadaptability existed at almost all the tested sites. In the molecular point of view, genetic coadaptability plays an important role of keeping lots of polymorphisms in natural populations. Therefore, it is another key factor to the genetic disequilibrium in the population except for linkage. The results enrich the conceptions and connotations of genetic disequilibrium, and help us know more about genetic coadaptability and its effects, and lay a foundation of evaluation and protection of wild quail genetic resources in China.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2006

Surface chemistry controls crystallinity of ZnS nanoparticles.

Combined small-angle and high energy wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements of nanoparticle size and structure permit interior strain and disorder to be observed directly in the real-space pair distribution function (PDF). PDF analysis showed that samples of ZnS nanoparticles with similar mean diameters (3.2-3.6 nm) but synthesized and treated with different low-temperature procedures possess a dramatic range of interior disorder. We used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to detect the surface species and the nature of surface chemical interactions. Our results suggest that there is a direct correlation between the strength of surface-ligand interactions and interior crystallinity.

Crystallization↗

PubMed2006

Cytotoxic cycloartane triterpene saponins from Actaea asiatica.

Three new 9,19-cycloartane triterpene glycosides, asiaticoside A (1), asiaticoside B (2), and 25-O-ethylcimigenol-3-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside (3), together with cimiacemoside I (4), 25-O-acetylcimigenol-3-beta-O-D-xyloside (5), and 25-anhydrocimigenol-beta-O-D-xyloside (6) were isolated from the roots/rhizomes extract of Actaea asiatica, and their structures were established by spectroscopic methods (IR, HRESIMS, and NMR). Compounds 1-3, 5, and 6 had notable cytotoxicity against HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines.

Actaea↗

PubMed2006

New lignans and cytotoxic constituents from Schisandra propinqua.

The CHCl (3) extract from the stems of Schisandra propinqua (Wall.) Baill exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against cancer cell lines. Subsequent fractionation procedures led to the isolation of four new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, propinquanins A - D, along with two known lignans, schisantherin I and heteroclitin A, and three known triterpenoids, isoschisandrolic acid, schisandrolic acid and schisandronic acid. Their structures, including absolute stereochemistry, were elucidated through analyses of NMR data and CD spectra. The isolated compounds were tested for their cytotoxic activity in several tumor cell lines with the MTT assay. Propinquanin B ( 2) was significantly cytotoxic (IC (50) values < 10 microM) in HL-60 and Hep-G2 tumor cell lines. Cell cycle analysis and Hoechst 33 258 staining assay suggested that one possible mechanism of cytotoxic activity by 2 might be related to the induction of apoptosis.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic↗

PubMed2006

Anti-cancer activity and mechanisms of 25-anhydrocimigenol-3-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside isolated from Souliea vaginata on hepatomas.

Our previous study first revealed the cytotoxicity and relative selectivity of 25-anhydrocimigenol-3-O-beta-D-xylopyranoside (ACX) on HepG2 and R-HepG2 cells. In the present study, the anti-cancer activity and mechanisms of ACX isolated from S. vaginata were investigated both in vitro and in vivo. ACX showed significant, consistent anti-proliferative activity on hepatoma bel-7402 cells by MTT and clone formation assays with an IC50 value of 18 mumol/l. Morphological observation and flow cytometry results showed that apoptosis and G0/G1 cell cycle arrest contributed to the cytotoxic and cytostatic effects. Further studies showed that Bax and p21 protein expression were upregulated, Bcl-2 protein expression was downregulated, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase protein was cleaved. Moreover, ACX also exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of tumor growth on mice implanted with H22 in vivo. These findings implicate ACX as a promising anti-cancer agent for chemotherapy of certain cancers.

Animals↗