In recent years, research on stem cell therapy in the field of lung transplantation has gradually increased, demonstrating its potential in improving the outcomes of lung transplantation. As a treatment option for end-stage lung diseases, lung transplantation faces challenges such as scarcity of donor organs, postoperative complications and rejection. Stem cells, with their self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation capabilities, have emerged as strong candidates for alternative or adjunctive treatments. Current studies show that embryonic stem cells and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells play significant roles in lung tissue regeneration and immune regulation. However, stem cell therapy still needs to overcome issues such as the selection of cell sources, low survival rates after transplantation and unclear long-term efficacy in clinical applications. Future research should focus on exploring new stem cell sources, improving transplantation techniques and establishing efficacy evaluation systems.

Background: Adrenocortical hormones, particularly 11-oxygenated androgens, are pivotal in female reproductive health and fertility. Standardized detection kits and population-specific reference intervals are lacking in China, hindering related clinical applications. Methods: A HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) pipeline was developed, rigorously validated, and applied to simultaneously quantify corticosterone, cortisone, cortisol, 18-OH cortisol, androstenedione (A4), 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione (11-OH A4), dehydroepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in serum samples from 455 reproductive-aged women (18–45 yrs) in Guangxi, China. Age-dependent concentration trends were analyzed, and reference intervals stratified by age (2.5th to 97.5th percentiles) were established. Correlations with body-composition metrics, ethnicity, and the menstrual cycle were investigated. Results: The HPLC-MS/MS method demonstrated high precision (intra- and inter-assay CVs < 15%), accuracy, and sensitivity. All eight hormones exhibited significant age-related declines (P < 0.001 for seven hormones; P = 0.001 for 11-OH A4). Notably, 11-OH A4 levels were significantly lower in the 35–45-yr (3.05 nmol/L) and 25–34-yr (3.09 nmol/L) age groups than in the 18–24-yr (3.57 nmol/L) age group, whereas no significant difference was observed between the 35–45-yr and 25–34-yr age groups. Weak negative correlations were observed between the body mass index and corticosterone and cortisone levels, whereas ethnicity and the menstrual cycle showed no significant associations with hormone levels. Conclusions We developed an HPLC-MS/MS-based method for simultaneously quantifying eight adrenocortical hormones, including 11-OH A4, and defined age-specific reference intervals for reproductive-aged Chinese women. These findings advance the clinical utility of adrenocortical hormones in diagnosing and managing reproductive disorders.

Thyroid cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world, accounting for the increased sensitivity of diagnostic assessments, the environment, and extensive imaging. While open thyroidectomy still forms the base surgical treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), its visible scarring and postoperative morbidity have mandatorily propelled a longitudinal shift to minimally invasive techniques. Robotic thyroidectomy using the bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) is an emerging transformative technique that combines robotic precision and visualization with oncologic efficacy and superior cosmetic outcomes to enhance recovery. Molecular diagnostics such as next-generation sequencing (NGS) and microRNA classifiers have transformed preoperative planning. These tools aid in accurate risk stratification, enabling clinicians to determine the course of surgery and avoid overtreatment. Artificial intelligence (AI) enhances precision medicine by improving nodule classification, predicting surgical risks, providing intraoperative navigation guidance, and supporting postoperative histopathological evaluations. Despite these innovations, cost, accessibility, and ethical governance issues highlight persistent challenges. This review consolidates the current state of robotic-assisted surgery for thyroid cancer with molecular profiling and AI. It proposes future aims and strides toward precision surgery that is accessible worldwide.

Inteins are unique protein insertion sequences capable of self-excision, enabling the covalent ligation of flanking extein peptides via amide bond formation. This process proceeds spontaneously without requiring external enzymes, cofactors, or chemical reagents, granting inteins exceptional biocompatibility and traceless performance in protein engineering applications. Split inteins represent a specialized and versatile subclass whose splicing domains are encoded by two separate gene fragments rather than a single continuous open reading frame. These fragments, known as the N-terminal (IntN) and C-terminal (IntC) split inteins, associate through non-covalent interactions including hydrophobic forces, hydrogen bonds, and van der Waals forces to assemble into an active three-dimensional structure, which then drives efficient extein ligation and enables protein trans-splicing. Protein trans-splicing mediated by split inteins has become a cornerstone for traceless protein ligation owing to its high specificity and irreversibility, fundamentally reshaping strategies for protein modification, assembly, and functional regulation. Compared with traditional chemical ligation methods, split intein systems require no complex chemical derivatization of peptide fragments and can operate efficiently at micromolar concentrations under physiological conditions, thus avoiding structural and functional damage caused by organic reagents. In contrast to enzymatic ligation tools such as sortase, split inteins eliminate the need for additional enzymes or cofactors, simplifying reaction systems, reducing costs, and minimizing non-specific side products. These distinctive advantages render split inteins highly promising for applications in chemical biology, synthetic biology, and biopharmaceutical development. In recent years, deepened mechanistic understanding has established structure-guided rational design as the primary approach to overcoming key limitations of split inteins, including intrinsic aggregation propensity, strict extein sequence dependence, and limited splicing efficiency. Bioinformatic tools have been used to identify aggregation-prone regions in the IntN fragment, and site-directed mutagenesis of hydrophobic residues, relocation of split sites, or removal of misfolding-prone sequences has substantially reduced in vitro aggregation and improved soluble expression and assembly activity. Rational engineering of catalytic residues and adjacent flexible loops has relaxed strict amino acid preferences at extein junctions, enhancing sequence tolerance and reducing the risk of functional impairment in target proteins. Consensus design based on multiple sequence alignments has yielded ultra-fast splicing variants such as Cfa DnaE and Cat-TerL, which exhibit significantly accelerated kinetics and improved tolerance to denaturing conditions. Meanwhile, advances in structural biology have further clarified the conformational dynamics and catalytic mechanisms of splicing, supporting the precise design of high-performance intein modules. On this basis, electrostatic interaction tuning and metagenomic screening have yielded multiple mutually orthogonal split intein pairs, enabling selective multi-fragment protein ligation and providing new routes for the efficient synthesis of large multi-domain functional proteins. With these engineered split inteins offering continuously improved performance and expanded applicability, protein trans-splicing has been widely applied in numerous cutting-edge areas of protein research and biomedicine. In gene delivery, split intein-based systems overcome the packaging limit of adeno-associated viral vectors, enabling the accurate reconstitution of large therapeutic proteins and base editors in target cells, thereby enhancing the efficacy and scope of gene therapy for genetic diseases. In internal protein sequence editing, split inteins mediate precise sequence replacement and modification in flexible regions or loops of target proteins, without the need for complex multi-step ligation and protein refolding involved in traditional protein semisynthesis. In protein-protein interaction studies, intein-mediated splicing covalently captures transient and weak intracellular complexes, enabling sensitive, high-throughput interaction detection and drug screening. In synthetic biology, conditionally controllable splicing systems support the construction of diverse intracellular and cell-surface biological logic gates for the precise regulation of cellular behavior. In mechanistic biochemical research, split inteins enable photocatalytic proximity labeling and site-specific tagging, allowing the preparation of homogeneous protein samples carrying precise post-translational modifications such as ubiquitination and polyglutamylation for chromatin interactome analysis and epigenetic studies. Moreover, covalent trapping strategies using split inteins stabilize transient enzymatic intermediates, providing unprecedented insights into molecular mechanisms such as nucleosome ubiquitination that are difficult to elucidate using conventional methods. This review systematically summarizes key technological advances in split inteins over the past decade, highlighting engineering strategies, mechanistic insights, and the development of orthogonal components. It comprehensively surveys emerging applications at the frontiers of protein research, analyzes current core challenges, and proposes future directions, particularly emphasizing artificial intelligence-driven de novo design and novel splicing pathways to break existing technical bottlenecks. By enabling traceless, efficient, and versatile protein manipulation, split inteins continue to serve as indispensable tools that drive innovation in protein engineering and fundamental life science research.

Tacit knowledge of tongue inspection is content that affects diagnostic results but is difficult to be explicit. Its cognitive characteristics are rooted in xiang thinking and embodiment. It constructs multidimensional associations between tongue manifestations and disease mechanisms through imagery mapping， and it relies on the practitioner's bodily perception， clinical context， and long-term practice for continuous internalization. In response to the neglect of tacit transmission and individual cognitive processes in current traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） tacit knowledge research， an empirical research framework integrating cognitive neuroscience is proposed. Specifically， event-related potential （ERP） and eye tracking （ET） technologies can be used to capture the brain electrical activity and eye movement trajectories of experts and novices in different tongue diagnosis cognitive tasks. By integrating multimodal cognitive data such as behaviorism， ERP components， and ET indicators， the implicit cognitive advantages of experts in the perception， mapping， and decision-making stages of tongue diagnosis are presented， and the possibility of achieving tacit knowledge transformation through visual cognitive transfer training is explored. Exploring empirical pathways to uncover the cognitive mechanisms of tongue diagnosis tacit knowledge is of great significance for the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine.

Lung transplantation is currently the only effective treatment for end-stage lung disease. However, the field of lung transplantation still faces numerous challenges, including donor shortage, primary graft dysfunction, rejection, infection and others. In 2025, scholars worldwide have made remarkable progress in clinical research on lung transplantation. This article systematically reviews the cutting-edge developments in clinical research on lung transplantation in 2025, focusing on the application of novel evaluation tools in donor lung screening, optimization of lung perfusion techniques, exploration of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, as well as mechanistic research and intervention strategies for primary graft dysfunction, acute kidney injury and chronic lung allograft dysfunction. Meanwhile, hot topics such as the management of special populations, prevention and control of postoperative infections, and improvement of quality of life are summarized. This review aims to conclude the important annual research findings and provide references for the clinical practice and research development of lung transplantation in China.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Shenshu Fujian decoction on platelet-derived growth factor （PDGF）/naked cuticle homolog 2 （NKD2） /Wnt signaling pathway in rats with chronic renal failure （CRF）. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， Niaoduqing group （5 g·kg^-1）， low-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction group （5.5 g·kg^-1）， medium-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction group （11 g·kg^-1）， and high-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction group （22 g·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. A CRF rat model was established by feeding a 0.5% adenine diet for 21 days. After successful modeling， intragastric administration was given once daily for 28 consecutive days. After treatment， the renal morphology of rats was observed. Serum creatinine （SCr） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） levels were detected. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining and Masson staining were used to detect renal histopathological changes， and collagen volume fraction （CVF） was calculated. Serum levels of inflammatory markers interleukin （IL）-1β and IL-6 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expressions of fibronectin 1 （FN1）， type Ⅰ collagen （ColⅠ）， α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA）， platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β （PDGFR-β）， NKD2， dishevelled protein 2 （DVL2） and β-catenin in renal tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group showed significant renal pathological changes， a markedly increased kidney weight/body weight ratio （P<0.01）， significantly elevated CVF （P<0.01）， and notably increased serum levels of SCr， BUN， IL-1β， and IL-6 （P<0.01）. Expression levels of FN1， ColⅠ， α-SMA， PDGFR-β， NKD2， DVL2， and β-catenin in renal tissue were also significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all treatment groups showed significantly decreased kidney weight/body weight ratios and CVF （P<0.01）， as well as markedly decreased serum SCr， BUN， IL-1β， and IL-6 levels. Protein expression levels of FN1， ColⅠ， α-SMA， PDGFR-β， NKD2， DVL2， and β-catenin in renal tissue were decreased， with more pronounced effects observed in the Niaoduqing， medium-dose， and high-dose Shenshu Fujian decoction groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionShenshu Fujian decoction improves renal function， reduces inflammation， and reverses renal fibrosis in CRF rats， possibly by downregulating the expression of PDGF/NKD2/Wnt signaling pathway-related proteins.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of the modified of Bazhentang combined with Guishentang in improving pregnancy outcomes in mouse models of embryo implantation dysfunction by regulating T helper 1/T helper 2 （Th1/Th2） immune balance. MethodsEighty ICR female mice were randomly divided into four groups （n=20 per group） on gestational day 1 （GD1）： control， model， western medicine， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） groups. Except for the control group， all mice received mifepristone solution （0.2 mg/mouse） via oral gavage on GD4 to induce embryo implantation dysfunction. The TCM group received a water decoction of the modified of Bazhentang combined with Guishentang （20.8 g·kg^-1）， with the western medicine group administered dydrogesterone （3.9 mg·kg^-1）， and the control/model groups given equal volumes of saline. All treatments were administered once daily from GD1 until one day before sample collection. Outcomes included implantation site counts （macroscopic observation）， pregnancy rates， body weight， endometrial histopathology （hematoxylin-eosin staining）， uterine expression of T-box expressed in T cells （T-bet）， GATA-binding protein 3 （GATA3）， interferon gamma （IFN-γ）， and interleukin-4 （IL-4） at protein （Western blot） and mRNA （real-time polymerase chain reaction， Real-time PCR） levels， serum IFN-γ and IL-4 levels （enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay， ELISA）， and Th1/Th2 immune balance evaluated by calculating T-bet/GATA3 and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratios. ResultsCompared to the control group， the model group showed no significant change in pregnancy rate but exhibited a marked reduction in average implantation sites and body weight （P<0.01）. Histopathological analysis revealed endometrial abnormalities， including decreased glandular density， stromal compaction， and absence of nucleolar vacuoles. At the molecular level， uterine tissue in the model group demonstrated significantly upregulated expression of T-bet and IFN-γ （P<0.05， P<0.01）， alongside markedly downregulated GATA3 and IL-4 expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Serum analysis confirmed markedly elevated IFN-γ （P<0.01） and reduced IL-4 levels （P<0.01）， resulting in significantly increased T-bet/GATA3 and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratios （P<0.01）. Compared to the model group， pregnancy rates in all treatment groups showed no significant change. Implantation sites and body weight increased substantially （P<0.01）， with restored endometrial morphology characterized by enhanced glandular density， stromal edema， and reappearance of nucleolar vacuoles. Significant downregulation of T-bet and IFN-γ （P<0.01） and upregulation of GATA3 and IL-4 （P<0.05， P<0.01） in uterine tissue were observed. Serum IFN-γ levels were significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while IL-4 levels were significantly elevated （P<0.05）. The Th1/Th2 ratios were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe modified of Bazhentang combined with Guishentang significantly enhances the number of embryo implantation sites in mice with embryo implantation dysfunction， potentially through modulating T-bet/GATA3 expression， restoring Th1/Th2 immune balance， and improving endometrial receptivity.

ObjectiveTo explore the experience of sense of debt among family caregivers of adolescents with depression， and to conduct a cultural interpretation on the underlying reasons behind the sense of debt from the perspective of the Confucian family view. MethodsA semi-structured interview was conducted on 29 parents （family caregivers） of adolescents with depression regarding the sense of debt they experienced during their caregiving process. The interview data were organized using NVivo 12 software. ResultsThree first-level themes were extracted： dilemma of debt and self-blame， conflict and pressure， as well as seeking compensation. Under the theme of“the dilemma of debt and self-blame”， there are four sub-themes： insufficient companionship， control in the name of love， powerlessness， and venting outlets. Under the theme of“contradictions and pressures”， there are three sub-themes： conflicts between work and family， divergences among family members， and pressures from social evaluations. Under the theme of“seeking compensation”， there are three sub-themes： material satisfaction， taking leave or resigning from work， and changing family education methods. ConclusionThe sense of debt is a specific psychological experience under the Confucian cultural background. The responsibilities and obligations among members in traditional families are the deep reasons for the sense of debt. As a conscious moral constraint， debt has certain positive significance in maintaining member relationships and family life.

Objective To investigate the status of population dynamics and distribution changes of Aedes aegypti in Guangdong Province.Methods Continuous monitoring was conducted from May 2018 to July 2024 in Wushi Town and Qishui Town,Leizhou City,Zhanjiang City,Guangdong Province.Additionally,a survey of the distribution of Ae.aegypti along the Leizhou Peninsula coast was carried out.Results The density of Ae.aegypti in Zhanjiang showed a gradual decline from 2018 to 2024.The last detection of adult Ae.aegypti in Wushi Town was in September 2021,and the last larva was found in October 2023.No Ae.aegypti was detected in Qishui Town during surveys from 2021 to 2024.A survey of 18 coastal villages in the Leizhou Peninsula revealed no detections of Ae.aegypti.Conclusions This study provides a basis for understanding the distribution and population density fluctuations of Ae.aegypti,assessing its invasion risk,and scientifically conducting relevant prevention and control efforts.