1.The Development and Application of Chatbots in Healthcare: From Traditional Methods to Large Language Models
Zixing WANG ; Le QI ; Xiaodan LIAN ; Ziheng ZHOU ; Aiwei MENG ; Xintong WU ; Xiaoyuan GAO ; Yujie YANG ; Yiyang LIU ; Wei ZHAO ; Xiaolin DIAO
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(5):1170-1178
With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, chatbots have shown great potential in the healthcare sector. From personalized health advice to chronic disease management and psychological support, chatbots have demonstrated significant advantages in improving the efficiency and quality of healthcare services. As the scope of their applications expands, the relationship between technological complexity and practical application scenarios has become increasingly intertwined, necessitating a more comprehensive evaluation of both aspects. This paper, from the perspective of he althcare applications, systematically reviews the technological pathways and development of chatbots in the medical field, providing an in-depth analysis of their performance across various medical scenarios. It thoroughly examines the advantages and limitations of chatbots, aiming to offer theoretical support for future research and propose feasible recommendations for the broader adoption of chatbot technologies in healthcare.
2.Unveiling the molecular and cellular links between obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and vascular aging.
Wei LIU ; Le ZHANG ; Wenhui LIAO ; Huiguo LIU ; Wukaiyang LIANG ; Jinhua YAN ; Yi HUANG ; Tao JIANG ; Qian WANG ; Cuntai ZHANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(2):155-171
Vascular aging (VA) is a common etiology of various chronic diseases and represents a major public health concern. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) associated with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a primary pathological and physiological driver of OSAHS-induced systemic complications. A substantial proportion of OSAHS patients, estimated to be between 40% and 80%, have comorbidities such as hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation, aneurysm, and stroke, all of which are closely associated with VA. This review examines the molecular and cellular features common to both OSAHS and VA, highlighting decreased melatonin secretion, impaired autophagy, increased apoptosis, increased inflammation and pyroptosis, increased oxidative stress, accelerated telomere shortening, accelerated stem cell depletion, metabolic disorders, imbalanced protein homeostasis, epigenetic alterations, and dysregulated neurohormonal signaling. The accumulation and combination of these features may underlie the pathophysiological link between OSAHS and VA, but the exact mechanisms by which OSAHS affects VA may require further investigation. Taken together, these findings suggest that OSAHS may serve as a novel risk factor for VA and related vascular disorders, and that targeting these features may offer therapeutic potential to mitigate the vascular risks associated with OSAHS.
Humans
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Sleep Apnea, Obstructive/pathology*
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Aging/physiology*
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Oxidative Stress/physiology*
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Animals
3.The neurophysiological mechanisms of exercise-induced improvements in cognitive function.
Jian-Xiu LIU ; Bai-Le WU ; Di-Zhi WANG ; Xing-Tian LI ; Yan-Wei YOU ; Lei-Zi MIN ; Xin-Dong MA
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2025;77(3):504-522
The neurophysiological mechanisms by which exercise improves cognitive function have not been fully elucidated. A comprehensive and systematic review of current domestic and international neurophysiological evidence on exercise improving cognitive function was conducted from multiple perspectives. At the molecular level, exercise promotes nerve cell regeneration and synaptogenesis and maintains cellular development and homeostasis through the modulation of a variety of neurotrophic factors, receptor activity, neuropeptides, and monoamine neurotransmitters, and by decreasing the levels of inflammatory factors and other modulators of neuroplasticity. At the cellular level, exercise enhances neural activation and control and improves brain structure through nerve regeneration, synaptogenesis, improved glial cell function and angiogenesis. At the structural level of the brain, exercise promotes cognitive function by affecting white and gray matter volumes, neural activation and brain region connectivity, as well as increasing cerebral blood flow. This review elucidates how exercise improves the internal environment at the molecular level, promotes cell regeneration and functional differentiation, and enhances the brain structure and neural efficiency. It provides a comprehensive, multi-dimensional explanation of the neurophysiological mechanisms through which exercise promotes cognitive function.
Animals
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Humans
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Brain/physiology*
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Cognition/physiology*
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Exercise/physiology*
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Nerve Regeneration/physiology*
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Neuronal Plasticity/physiology*
4.Protocol for development of Guideline for Interventions on Cervical Spine Health.
Jing LI ; Guang-Qi LU ; Ming-Hui ZHUANG ; Xin-Yue SUN ; Ya-Kun LIU ; Ming-Ming MA ; Li-Guo ZHU ; Zhong-Shi LI ; Wei CHEN ; Ji-Ge DONG ; Le-Wei ZHANG ; Jie YU
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2025;38(10):1083-1088
Cervical spine health issues not only seriously affect patients' quality of life but also impose a heavy burden on the social healthcare system. Existing guidelines lack sufficient clinical guidance on lifestyle and work habits, such as exercise, posture, daily routine, and diet, making it difficult to meet practical needs. To address this, relying on the China Association of Chinese Medicine, Wangjing Hospital of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences took the lead and joined hands with more than ten institutions to form a multidisciplinary guideline development group. For the first time, the group developed the Guidelines for Cervical Spine Health Intervention based on evidence-based medicine methods, strictly following the standardized procedures outlined in the World Health Organization Handbook for Guideline Development and the Guiding Principles for the Formulation/Revision of Clinical Practice Guidelines in China (2022 Edition). This proposal systematically explains the methods and steps for developing the guideline, aiming to make the guideline development process scientific, standardized, and transparent.
Humans
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Practice Guidelines as Topic/standards*
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Cervical Vertebrae
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China
5.Prognostic Value of CDKN2A Copy Number Deletion in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.
Wei-Yuan MA ; Le-Tian SHAO ; Wen-Xin TIAN ; Sha LIU ; Yan LI
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(2):379-386
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the relationship between CDKN2A copy number deletion and clinical features of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and its prognostic value.
METHODS:
155 newly diagnosed DLBCL patients with complete clinical data in the Department of Hematology of People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from March 2009 to March 2022 were included, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissues were obtained and DNA was extracted from them, and next-generation sequencing technology was applied to target sequencing including 475 lymphoma-related genes, the relationship between CDKN2A copy number deletion and clinical features, high-frequency mutated genes and overall survival (OS) of DLBCL patients were analyzed.
RESULTS:
CDKN2A copy number deletion was present in 12.9% (20/155) of 155 DLBCL patients, grouped according to the presence or absence of copy number deletion of CDKN2A, and a higher proportion of patients with IPI≥3 were found in the CDKN2A copy number deletion group compared to the group with no CDKN2A copy number deletion (80% vs 51.5%, P =0.015) and were more likely to have bulky disease (20% vs 5.2%, P =0.037). Survival analysis showed that the 5-year OS of patients in the CDKN2A copy number deletion group was significantly lower than that of the non-deletion group (51.3% vs 69.2%, P =0.047). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that IPI score≥3 (P =0.007), TP53 mutation (P =0.009), and CDKN2A copy number deletion (P =0.04) were independent risk factors affecting the OS of DLBCL patients.
CONCLUSION
CDKN2A copy number deletion is an independent risk factor for OS in DLBCL, and accurate identification of CDKN2A copy number deletion can predict the prognosis of DLBCL patients.
Humans
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Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics*
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Prognosis
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Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16/genetics*
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DNA Copy Number Variations
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Female
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Gene Deletion
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Adult
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Aged
6.Clinical Efficacy of CAG Regimen Combined with Venetoclax, Chidamide, and Azacitidine in the Treatment of Elderly Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Qing-Yang LIU ; Yu JING ; Meng LI ; Sai HUANG ; Yu-Chen LIU ; Ya-Nan WEN ; Jing-Jing YANG ; Wen-Jing GAO ; Ning LE ; Yi-Fan JIAO ; Xia-Wei ZHANG ; Li-Ping DOU
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(4):945-950
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the efficacy and adverse reactions of CAG regimen combined with venetoclax, chidamide, and azacitidine in the treatment of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
METHODS:
15 elderly AML patients aged≥60 years old who were admitted to the Hematology Department of our hospital from May 2022 to October 2023 were treated with the CAG regimen combined with venetoclax, chidamide and azacitidine, and the efficacy, treatment-related adverse events, overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were analyzed.
RESULTS:
After one course of treatment, 11 out of 15 patients achieved complete response (CR), 3 patients achieved CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), and 1 patient died due to prior infection before efficacy evaluation, and the overall response rate (ORR) was 93.3% (14/15). The median follow-up time was 131 (19-275) days, with median OS and EFS both remaining unreached. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis showed that among the 15 patients, 13 were detected with gene mutations, and there were 7 genes with mutation frequencies of more than 10%, including ASXL1 (4 cases), RUNX1 (4 cases), BCOR (3 cases), DNMT3A (3 cases), STAG2 (2 cases), IDH1/2 (2 cases), and TET (2 cases). Among the 13 patients with detectable mutations, 12 patients achieved composite response (CR+CRi). The average recovery time of white blood cell count was 14.6 days after chemotherapy, and the average recovery time of platelets was 7.7 days after chemotherapy. The main adverse event was myelosuppression, with 10 patients accompanied by infection. Except for 1 patient who died due to septic shock during chemotherapy, no patients experienced serious complications such as heart, liver, or kidney damage during the treatment process.
CONCLUSION
The CACAG+V regimen, which combines the CAG regimen with venetoclax, chidamide, and azacitidine, can be applied in the treatment of elderly AML patients, demonstrating good safety and induction remission rate.
Humans
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Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy*
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Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/therapeutic use*
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Sulfonamides/therapeutic use*
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Aminopyridines/therapeutic use*
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*
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Azacitidine/therapeutic use*
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Aged
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Benzamides/therapeutic use*
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Male
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Female
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Treatment Outcome
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Middle Aged
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Cytarabine
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Aclarubicin
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Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
7.Plasma exchange combined with rituximab for the treatment of passenger lymphocyte syndrome after liver transplantation
Chenggao WU ; Juan ZOU ; Piaoping HU ; Wei LIU ; Linju KUANG ; Yize WU ; Aiping LE
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(10):1408-1412
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange and rituximab in the treatment of passenger lymphocyte syndrome (PLS) after ABO incompatible liver transplantation. Methods: PLS diagnosis was performed on the transplant patient using immunohematology testing techniques such as direct anti human globulin test (DAT), red blood cell elution test, and blood type antibody titer detection, combined with changes in hemolysis laboratory indicators; Severe immune hemolysis caused by PLS treated with red blood cell transfusion, therapeutic plasma exchange, and rituximab. Results: The patient was diagnosed with PLS 9 days after transplantation, and hemolysis caused by PLS continued until 20 days after transplantation; After three rounds of therapeutic plasma exchange and treatment with 100 mg rituximab, the titer of the patient's immune blood type antibody (IgG anti-B) decreased from 128 to 8 and was maintained until 27 days after transplantation. The patient's hemolytic symptoms improved and were discharged 32 days after transplantation. Conclusion: This case explores the application of therapeutic plasma exchange and rituximab in the treatment of severe hemolysis in PLS after transplantation, providing a reference for establishing standardized management of PLS after solid organ transplantation.
8.Effect of Xiayuxue Decoction against renal injury in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its mechanism
Xin ZHAO ; Zhiyi WANG ; Le TAO ; Guangyue YANG ; Wei ZHANG ; Liu WU ; Wenting MA ; Qian CHEN ; Xuling LIU ; Cheng LIU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(11):2213-2220
Objective To investigate the effect of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)induced by high-fat diet(HFD)on the kidneys of mice and the protective effect and mechanism of Xiayuxue Decoction.Methods A total of 25 healthy controls and 25 NAFLD patients who attended Putuo Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from September 2020 to September 2021 were enrolled,and the levels of total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr),and uric acid(UA)were measured.A total of 24 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into low-fat diet(LFD)group,HFD group,and HFD+Xiayuxue Decoction group(XYXD group),with 8 mice in each group,and since week 13,XYXD was administered by gavage once a day for 6 weeks till the end of week 18.The level of TC,TG,BUN,and Cr were measured for each group.HE staining and oil red staining were used to observe the pathological changes of the liver and the kidneys;immunohistochemical double staining was used to measure the expression levels of CD68 and alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA);quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression levels of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1(SREBP1),fatty acid synthase(FASN),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),Desmin,and α-SMA in renal tissue;Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of SREBP1 and TNF-α.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for pairwise comparison;the independent-samples t-test was used for comparison between two groups.Results Compared with the healthy controls,NAFLD patients showed significant increases in the levels of TC,TG,BUN,Cr,and UA(all P<0.05).Compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in body weight,TC,TG,BUN,and Cr(all P<0.001),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group showed significant inhibition of the expression of TC,TG,BUN,and Cr(all P<0.001).Liver pathological examination showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group showed significant increases in hepatic steatosis and inflammatory infiltration,while the XYXD group showed significant alleviation of lesions.Renal pathological examination showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant inflammatory infiltration,steatosis,and collagen formation in renal tissue,and compared with the HFD group,XYXD significantly alleviated inflammatory infiltration and inhibited steatosis and collagen formation.Quantitative real-time PCR showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in the relative mRNA expression levels of SREBP1,FASN,IL-6,TNF-α,Desmin,and α-SMA in renal tissue(all P<0.001),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group had significant reductions in the relative expression levels of these indicators(all P<0.001).Western blot showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in the protein expression levels of SREBP1 and TNF-α(P<0.05),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of SREBP1 and TNF-α(P<0.05).Immunohistochemical staining showed that compared with the LFD group,the HFD group had significant increases in the positive staining or the double positive staining of α-SMA and CD68(P<0.05),and compared with the HFD group,the XYXD group showed significant reductions(P<0.05).Conclusion HFD can induce renal steatosis,inflammatory infiltration,and collagen formation,and XYXD might exert a protective effect on the kidneys by inhibiting the expression of macrophages and myofibroblasts in renal tissue.
9.Pathogenesis and Treatment of Stomach Exuberance and Spleen Deficiency in Metabolic Disease
Wenxuan LUO ; Jinxi ZHAO ; Jinyan WEI ; Jiangteng LIU ; Zhichao RUAN ; Kaitong ZHANG ; Le WANG ; Weijun HUANG ; Yonghua XIAO
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(19):2041-2044
Stomach exuberance and spleen deficiency are common pathogenesis of many metabolic diseases. Through analyzing the pathogenesis of stomach exuberance and spleen deficiency, it is believed that its essence is stomach heat and spleen deficiency. Stomach heat includes gastrointestinal heat, spleen and stomach damp-heat, and spleen deficiency is divided into deficiency of spleen yin, deficiency of spleen qi , and deficiency of spleen yang. It is suggested that the metabolic diseases of stomach-exuberance and spleen-deficiency syndrome can be divided into three categories,i.e. stomach-heat and spleen yin-deficiency, stomach-heat and spleen qi-deficiency, and stomach-heat and spleen yang-deficiency, and the main treatment methods are clearing and draining heat, nourishing yin and moistening intestine, clearing dampness and heat, strengthening spleen and qi, clearing dampness and heat, strengthening spleen and warming yang, respectively, with prescriptions as Maziren Pills (麻子仁丸), Qinlian Pingwei Powder (芩连平胃散), and Jiawei Lianli Decoction (加味连理汤) accordingly.
10.Exploring the risk factors of blood transfusion in patients with isolated traumatic brain injury based on machine learning prediction models
Wei LIU ; Ziqing XIONG ; Chenggao WU ; Aiping LE
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2024;37(12):1358-1364
[Abstract] [Objective] To explore the risk factors of blood transfusion in patients with isolated traumatic brain injury (iTBI) based on multiple machine learning methods, so as to establish a predictive model to provide reasonable guidance for blood transfusion in patients with iTBI. [Methods] A total of 2 273 patients with iTBI from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2021 were included to compare and analyze the differences in variables such as vital signs, clinical indicators and laboratory testing indicators between transfusion and non transfusion patients. Furthermore, six machine learning models were established to compare the performance of different models through cross validation, accuracy, specificity, recall, f1 value and area under the ROC curve. The SHAP plot was used to explain the influencing factors of blood transfusion in iTBI patients. [Results] This study included 2 273 iTBI patients, with a total of 301 patients receiving blood transfusions. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in gender, age, HR, clinical diagnosis, skull fracture, treatment methods, hemorrhagic shock, GCS, K, Ca, PT, APTT, INR, RBC, Hct, Hb and Plt between transfusion and non transfusion patients; Moreover, the LOS, incidence of complications, mechanical ventilation rate, ICU admission rate, readmission rate within 90 days and in-hospital mortality rate of transfusion patients were all higher than those of the non transfusion group (P<0.05). Six machine learning algorithms were used for model construction, and the validation results on the test set showed that the CatBoost model performed the best with an AUC of 0.911. Furthermore, the SHAP framework was used to explain and visualize the optimal model CatBoost, showing that surgical treatment, lower GCS, higher INR, lower Hct, lower K, lower Ca, age ≥60 years, skull fractures and hemorrhagic shock increase the risk of blood transfusion in patients. [Conclusion] This study established a machine learning model for predicting blood transfusion in iTBI patients, and the CatBoost model performed the best. This model may be useful and beneficial for identifying transfusion risks in this population, making clinical transfusion decisions and monitoring progress.

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