1.Evolving Paradigms in IgA Nephropathy Management: from Traditional Risk Stratification to Biomarker-Driven Precision Medicine
Dingding WANG ; Meng YAO ; Xiao LIU ; Qingxian ZHAI ; Qiong WEN ; Wei CHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(2):317-323
IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide and a major cause of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. IgAN exhibits marked heterogeneity in clinical presentation, histopathology, and pathogenic mechanisms, contributing to variable treatment responses and prognosisamong patients. Precise risk assessment and individualized intervention are therefore of critical importance. This review systematically traces the evolution of IgAN management from traditional risk stratification toward biomarker-driven precision medicine. We first review the clinical utility and limitations of established risk stratification tools, including the KDIGO guidelines, the Oxford MEST-C classification, and the International IgAN Prediction Tool. We then discuss emerging biomarkers closely linked to disease pathogenesis, including galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1), anti-Gd-IgA1 autoantibodies, B cell activating factor (BAFF), a proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL), and complement components, as well as the targeted therapies they have informed. In addition, urinary biomarkers and multi-omics approaches show promise for dynamic disease monitoring and individualized risk stratification.
2.Development of A Prognostic Prediction Model for Primary Membranous Nephropathy in the Elderly Based on Machine Learning
Yuzhu XU ; Shuqin LIU ; Dingding WANG ; Wei CHEN ; Xin WANG
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(2):370-381
Elderly patients with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) exhibit significant prognostic heterogeneity and poor tolerance to immunotherapy. However, there is a lack of early prognostic prediction tools specifically for this population. This study aimed to develop a prognostic prediction model applicable to elderly PMN patients. This study retrospectively included elderly patients with PMN confirmed by renal biopsy. The primary endpoint was a adverse composite outcome including end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a ≥50% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), or all-cause death. Patients were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort at a ratio of 7∶3. Key prognostic features were identified using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression combined with random survival forest, and a predictive model was constructed based on penalized Cox regression. Model performance was evaluated using the concordance index (C-index), time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis. The SurvSHAP (t) method was employed for interpretability analysis of the model. A total of 309 elderly patients with PMN were included in this study, with a median age of 65.00 years (IQR, 62.00-68.00) and a male predominance 61.2%(189/309).During a median follow-up of 47.00 months (IQR, 25.00-89.00), 38.2%(118/309) reached the endpoint event. The final model included nine key features, including eGFR, total protein (TP), glomerular capsular adhesion, urine glucose, segmental glomerulosclerosis proportion, fibrinogen, urea, age, and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). In the validation cohort, the model demonstrated good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.731(95% CI: 0.652-0.797). The time-dependent AUROCs for predicting adverse outcomes at 3, 5, and 10 years were 0.758(95% CI: 0.614-0.901), 0.781(95% CI: 0.646-0.916), and 0.866(95% CI: 0.740-0.993), respectively. Calibration curves demonstrated a high degree of concordance between predicted probabilities and actual event rates. Decision curve analysis confirmed the net clinical benefit of the model.SurvSHAP (t) analysis showed that eGFR, TP, glomerular capsular adhesion, urine glucose, and the proportion of segmental glomerular sclerosis were the top five variables contributing to the model. This prognostic model effectively predicts the risk of adverse outcomes in elderly patients with PMN in the internal validation cohort, offering a potential scientific basis for individualized risk stratification and treatment decision-making in this population.
3.Digital-Intellectualized Upgrade and Clinical Application of National Rare Diseases Registry System of China
Jian GUO ; Ye JIN ; Peng LIU ; Dingding ZHANG ; Limeng CHEN ; Yicheng ZHU ; Shuyang ZHANG
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2025;4(1):54-60
Since its establishment in 2016, the National Rare Diseases Registry System of China (NRDRS) has accumulated valuable case data and bio-specimen for basic and clinical research on rare diseases in China. However, the emerging challenges in clinical diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases make it unable for data and resource platform to fully meet the diversified needs. Under this backdrop, we have developed a protocol to optimize and upgrade the system based on the core functions of the NRDRS platform. The goal is to leverage intelligent digital technologies to transform NRDRS into a new platform integrating multimodal data and auxiliary diagnostic and treatment functions. It is specified as the development and construction of "one platform and four intelligent tools." Currently, we have upgraded and developed NRDRS platform, intelligent tool for genotype-phenotype analysis of rare diseases, AI-assisted diagnostic tool for rare diseases, remote multidisciplinary diagnosis and teaching tool for rare diseases, drug screening and validation tool for rare diseases. The next step will focus on the promotion of the application of these tools in clinical settings in order to address the issue of severe imbalance in the allocation of resources for the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases. This article provides an overview of the digital and intelligent upgrades of the NRDRS, the trials in applications in clinical settings, and direction in the future.
4.Efficacy of internal limiting membrane flap technique and simple internal limiting membrane peeling in the treatment of idiopathic macular hole
Lili CHEN ; Dingding WANG ; Juanjuan WANG ; Shu ZHOU
International Eye Science 2025;25(12):2017-2021
AIM: To explore the efficacy of internal limiting membrane(ILM)flap technique and simple ILM peeling in the treatment of idiopathic macular hole(IMH)and related influencing factors.METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on totally 32 patients(35 eyes)with IMH who received surgery at our department from January 2023 to November 2024. All the patients simultaneously received phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation, and they were divided into study group(19 eyes)and control group(16 eyes), with ILM flap technique and simple ILM peeling received in the two groups, respectively. The closure situation of macular hole, best corrected vision acuity(BCVA), and macular structure were observed in the two groups of patients. Furthermore, the correlation of BCVA and healing type of macular hole at the last time of follow-up with each parameter was analyzed.RESULTS: There was no statistical difference between the two groups of patients in preoperative general characteristics(all P>0.05). At the last time of follow-up, the macular hole was heeled in both groups, with 7 eyes of U-shaped heeling, 6 eyes of V-shaped heeling, and 6 eyes of irregular heeling in the study group, and with 13 eyes of U-shaped of heeling, 1 eye of V-shaped heeling and 2 eyes of irregular heeling in the control group(χ2=7.167, P=0.028). The postoperative BCVA was better than preoperative level(all P<0.05), there were no statistical significant differences between the two groups of patients in macular choroidal thickness before and after surgery(P>0.05), but the macular retinal thickness of the study group was thinner than that of the control group(168.11±92.11 vs 235.56±92.18 μm, P=0.03). Pearson correlation analysis indicated that BCVA at the last time of follow-up was positively correlated with the preoperative minimum diameter(r=0.476, P<0.05)and the diameter hole index(r=0.361, P<0.05), and negatively correlated with traction hole index(r=-0.364, P=0.031); Keendall correlation analysis showed that the postoperative closure types positively correlated with the basal diameter(τ=0.296, P=0.029), minimum diameter(τ=0.366, P=0.007), and visual acuity at the last time of follow-up(τ=0.412, P=0.003), while negatively correlated with macular hole index(τ=-0.415, P=0.002)and traction hole index(τ=-0.511, P<0.01). During the follow-up period, neither group of patients experienced postoperative complications.CONCLUSION: Both ILM flap technique and simple ILM peeling are safe and effective in treating IMH. As the smaller the basal diameter and minimum diameter of the macular hole, the larger the macular hole index and traction hole index, the probability of U-shaped heeling after surgery is greater and the visual acuity is better.
5.5 Hz microcurrent stimulation before bedtime improves sleep and mental state
Weiyi ZHOU ; Wei LUO ; Lele CHEN ; Dingding WANG ; Renlai ZHOU
Space Medicine & Medical Engineering 2025;36(3):199-205
Objective Previous studies have suggested that bilateral 5-Hz microcurrent stimulation has a hypnotic effect,but the lack of evidence on how the stimulation affects subjects'sleep limits the validation of this intervention.To address this gap,a crossover experimental design was employed,recruiting both insomnia and non-insomnia subjects.Methods 10 participants with insomnia and 10 healthy participants were selected to attend our study.In this crossover study,true(5 Hz)vs.sham stimulation was applied over the parietal temporal lobes.Impact of stimulation on subjective sleep experience,sleep efficiency,sleep structure and psychomotor vigilance task(PVT)was assessed.Results Subjects who received the true 5-Hz stimulation before bedtime had significantly enhanced sleep efficiency,sleep quality,and mental state compared to the night of sham stimulation.Additionally,subjects who received true stimulation exhibited higher sleep efficiency and a later appearance of dream sleep.These findings suggest that 5-Hz microcurrent stimulation before bedtime can enhance both objective and subjective sleep efficiency.Conclusion 5 Hz microcurrent stimulation before bedtime improved sleep efficiency of subjects and also enhanced their subjective perception of sleep.
6.Thoughts on Selection of Rare Diseases and Prioritized Research Topics
Kexin LI ; Jingdan CHEN ; Dingding ZHANG ; Wudong GUO ; Jiayin ZHENG ; Linkang LI ; Kun ZHAO ; Shuyang ZHANG
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2024;3(2):269-274
This article combs and summarizes the entire process of rare disease selection and priority theme determination,including the application and preliminary review of rare diseases,standardization of disease theme information,the evaluation methods of evidence sorting and disease selection for priority se-lection of disease themes,and other aspects of the content were analyzed in depth.It is expected to provide reference for the subsequent selection of rare diseases,improve the fairness,rationality and scientificity of rare disease selection,and further promote research and decision-making in China's rare disease-related fields.
7.Clinical characteristics and changes in inhaled drugs of newly diagnosed patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in some hospitals in Hunan and Guizhou from 2017 to 2023
Bangxu JIAN ; Jun ZHU ; Aiyun JIANG ; Ping CHEN ; Qing SONG ; Dingding DENG
Journal of Chinese Physician 2024;26(6):817-822
Objective:To compare the clinical characteristics and changes in inhaled drugs of newly diagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in some hospitals in Hunan and Guizhou from 2017 to 2023, in order to further understand the current status of COPD diagnosis and treatment.Methods:This cross-sectional study included stable COPD patients who were initially diagnosed in the respiratory and critical care departments of 13 hospitals in China from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2023. They were divided into 7 groups based on the time of their initial visit: the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 groups. Basic information of the patients, the percentage of forced expiratory volume per second (FEV 1% pred), FEV 1/forced vital capacity (FVC), COPD assessment questionnaire (CAT) scores, the number of acute weightings in the past year, and inhalation drug regimens were collected. Results:The CAT scores of patients with COPD who visited from 2017 to 2019 were significantly higher than those from 2020 to 2023 (all P<0.05); The FEV 1% pred and FEV 1/FVC of patients with COPD showed an increasing trend from 2017 to 2023; The proportion of patients using long-acting muscarine anticholinergic (LAMA) gradually decreased between 2017 and 2023, with 8.0% (134/1 665) of patients with COPD using single drug LAMA in 2023. The proportion of patients using double branch dilators has been increasing year by year in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and the proportion of patients using double branch dilators for COPD has stabilized in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with no statistically significant difference between groups ( P>0.05). The proportion of patients with COPD who used triple inhalation drugs was the lowest in 2020 and 2021 ( P<0.05). In 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023, the proportion of patients with COPD who used triple inhalation drugs was 45.2%(364/806), 54.0%(730/1 352), 55.5%(742/1 337), 45.8%(717/1 565), and 51.1%(851/1 665), respectively. The compliance with inhalation prescriptions and Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) documents for newly diagnosed patients with COPD from 2017 to 2023 was 47.9%(386/806), 35.1%(474/1 352), 33.7%(451/1 337), 40.3%(405/1 005), 31.2%(372/1 193), 28.4%(445/1 565), and 58.8%(979/1 665), respectively. Conclusions:With the migration of time, the clinical symptoms of newly diagnosed COPD patients have been alleviated, indicating a trend of forward shift in treatment time; The proportion of double bronchodilators used has increased, and the proportion of triple inhaled drugs used is relatively high. The compliance with GOLD documents is still not ideal.
8.The impact of the Global Initiative on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) in 2023 on inhalation medication prescriptions
Jun ZHU ; Aiyun JIANG ; Dan ZHU ; Xiaotao ZHANG ; Ping CHEN ; Wei CHENG ; Dingding DENG
Journal of Chinese Physician 2024;26(6):827-832
Objective:To compare the differences in inhaled medication prescriptions among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who visited the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD 2023) one year after its release and the previous year, and to analyze the impact of GOLD 2023 on physician inhaled medication prescriptions.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study, with data sourced from the RealDTC study. The study subjects were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients who visited the respiratory and critical care departments of 13 hospitals in southern China from November 14, 2021 to November 15, 2023. According to the time of patient visits, they are divided into the following two groups: the group 1 year before the release of GOLD 2023 (November 14, 2021 to November 14, 2022), and the group 1 year after the release of GOLD 2023 (November 15, 2022 to November 15, 2023). We collected demographic characteristics, lung function, symptom scores, history of acute exacerbation in the past year, and inhaled medication prescriptions from patients. According to the symptom score of COPD patients in GOLD 2023 and their history of acute exacerbation in the past year, they were divided into three groups: A, B, and E. The treatment status of inhaled drugs in groups A, B, and E before and after the release of GOLD 2023 was compared.Results:There were statistically significant differences in COPD Assessment Test (CAT) scores, Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scores, and the number of acute exacerbations in the past year between patients with COPD before and after the release of GOLD 2023 (all P<0.05). Compared with the group one year before the release of GOLD 2023, the proportion of patients in the group one year after the release of GOLD 2023 using long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)+ long-acting β2-receptor agonists (LABA) was lower, while the proportion of patients using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05) in the proportion of patients in group A using LAMA between the year before and after the release of GOLD 2023. Compared to the year before the release of GOLD 2023, the proportion of patients in group A who prescribed ICS+ LABA was lower, while the proportion of using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05); The proportion of patients in group B who prescribed LAMA and ICS+ LABA was lower (all P<0.05), while the proportion of using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05); The proportion of patients in group E who prescribed LAMA and ICS+ LABA was lower (all P<0.05), while the proportion of using LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA was higher (all P<0.05). Conclusions:After the release of GOLD 2023, the prescription of ICS+ LAMA in groups A, B, and E decreased, and the prescriptions of LABA+ LAMA and ICS+ LABA+ LAMA increased compared to before; However, in the real world, the compliance of physicians with GOLD 2023 is still not ideal.
9.Therapeutic efficacy of novel dipotassium glycyrrhizinate-based dihydromyr-icetin nanomicelle ophthalmic solution on dry eye in mouse
Dingding LI ; Xiaodan LI ; Tao CHEN ; Meng XIN
Recent Advances in Ophthalmology 2024;44(12):943-949
Objective To prepare an ophthalmic solution of dihydromyricetin(DMY)based on dipotassium glycyr-rhizinate(DG)nanomicelle solubilization(DG-DMY)and evaluate its effect on dry eyes of mice.Methods DG-DMY was prepared using the thin-film hydration method,and its micelle size,potential,encapsulation efficiency and storage sta-bility at room temperature were tested.The ocular safety of DG-DMY was tested on mice.Dry eye models were built in mice,which were divided into normal control group(normal mice without intervention),PBS control group(dry eye mouse models,intervened by PBS),HA treatment group[dry eye mouse models,intervened by 1 g·L-1 hyaluronic acid(HA)]and DG-DMY treatment group(dry eye mouse models,intervened by DG-DMY),with 10 mice in each group.The fluorescein sodium staining of corneal epithelium and surface tear secretion were recorded after 10 days of intervention.Morphological changes in corneal epithelium,corneal stroma and endothelial cells were monitored by hematoxylin & eosin staining.The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was adopted to measure the expression levels of interleukin-6(IL-6)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β).Results DG-DMY is a light yellow,transparent solution with a nanomicelle size of(208.8±3.9)nm,polydispersity index of 0.277,Zeta potential of-(17.6±1.42)mV,encapsulation efficiency of 76.72%,and drug loading efficiency of 10.21%.It is stable at room temperature(25℃)and storage temperature(4 ℃).The mouse studies showed that DG-DMY displayed good in vivo tolerance in mice eyes.The therapeutic results showed that mice in the PBS treatment group still had extensive corneal staining,mice in the HA treatment group had reduced corneal staining,and mice in the DG-DMY treatment group had almost no corneal staining.The tear secretion of mice in the normal control group,PBS control group,HA treatment group and DG-DMY treatment group was(5.15±0.47)mm,(2.26±0.41)mm,(4.02±0.53)mm,and(4.11±0.54)mm.The histopathological results showed that the corneal epithelium,loose collagen structure and basal layer were damaged in the PBS control group;the corneal histopathological injury of mice in the HA treatment group and DG-DMY treatment group were mitigated,with normal corneal epithelium,corneal stroma and endothelial tissues.ELISA results showed that the expression level of IL-6 in the normal control group,PBS control group,HA treatment group and DG-DMY treatment group was(22.98±0.69)ng·g-1,(108.1±6.06)ng·g-1,(56.79±4.87)ng·g-1 and(44.01±0.99)ng·g-1,respectively,and the expression level of IL-1β was(27.97±2.74)ng·g-1,(115.70±5.16)ng·g-1,(50.36±1.56)ng·g-1 and(42.21±1.46)ng·g-1,respectively.Compared with the HA treatment group,the expression levels of IL-6 and IL-1β in the cornea of mice in the DG-DMY treatment group were lower,and the differences were statistically significant(both P<0.05).Conclusion DG-DMY nano-preparation successfully prepared in this study is verified to act on benzalkonium chloride-induced dry eye effectively and control the inflammatory response of dry eye mouse models by inhibiting the expressions of IL-6 and IL-1β with high safety.
10.Study on mechanism of interfering with LncRNA expressing to reduce paclitaxel resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells
Yi JIN ; Cong KANG ; Ping HE ; Dingding WANG ; Hailong YANG ; Xiaowei CHEN
China Pharmacy 2023;34(12):1460-1467
OBJECTIVE To study the mechanism of interfering with long non-coding RNA nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase-antisense RNA1 (LncRNA NNT-AS1) expressing to reduce paclitaxel (TAX) resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. METHODS NSCLC TAX-resistant cell line (A549/TAX) was constructed, and the expressions of LncRNA NNT-AS1 in normal, parental, and drug-resistant cells were observed. The targeting relationship of microRNA-582-5p (miR-582- 5p) with LncRNA NNT-AS1 and high mobility group box2 (HMGB2) was verified. A549/TAX cells were cultured in vitro to observe the effects of interfering with LncRNA NNT-AS1 alone or interfering with LncRNA NNT-AS1 and miR-582-5p on the expressions of LncRNA NNT-AS1 and miR-582-5p, the mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB2, cell viability, clone formation and apoptosis. The effects of interfering with LncRNA NNT-AS1 on tumor growth and the expression of miR-582-5p and the mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB2 in tumor tissue were observed in nude mice. RESULTS Compared with normal cells, LncRNA NNT-AS1 was highly expressed in parental and drug-resistant cells (P<0.05), showing an increasing trend. It was validated that miR-582-5p had a targeting relationship with LncRNA NNT-AS1 and HMGB2. After interfering with the expression of LncRNA NNT-AS1, the expression of LncRNA NNT-AS1 and the mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB2, cell viability and the number of cloned cells in A549/TAX cell, decreased significantly, while the expression of miR-582-5p and the apoptotic rate increased significantly (P<0.05); simultaneously interfering with the expression of miR-582-5p could reverse above changes (P< 0.05). Interfering with the expression of LncRNA NNT-AS1 in tumor cell could significantly reduce tumor volume and tumor weight of nude mice bearing tumors; at the same time, the expression of miR-582-5p was up-regulated significantly and the mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB2 were down-regulated significantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Interfering with the expression of LncRNA NNT-AS1 may alleviate TAX chemotherapy resistance in NSCLC through targeted up-regulation of miR-582-5p and down-regulation of HMGB2.

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