1.A survey on Chinese physicians’cognition,attitudes,and practices regarding biosimilars and their clinical switching
Liyang GAO ; Lijuan ZUO ; Huiting PENG ; Weixin XU ; Li ZHANG ; Haisheng CHEN ; Jing SHI
China Pharmacy 2026;37(18):2363-2368
OBJECTIVE To investigate the cognition, attitudes, and current practices of Chinese physicians regarding biosimilars and their clinical switching, so as to provide a basis for the rational clinical application of biosimilars in China and the improvement of related policies.METHODS A national cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was conducted in 2025. Quota sampling was adopted, with quotas based on physicians’ sex, city tier, and specialty. Questionnaire invitations were distributed to licensed physicians, and physicians who had prescribed monoclonal antibody biosimilars were included for analysis. The questionnaire covered their familiarity with biosimilars, attitudes, clinical switching practices, and reasons. Data were processed using reliability and validity tests, dispersion analysis, and cross-tabulation analysis.RESULTS The questionnaire scale showed good reliability and validity, with Cronbach’s α coefficient >0.7 and KMO value >0.6. A total of 2 071 survey invitations were distributed, and 300 valid questionnaires were returned, with an effective response rate of 14.5%. Among the respondents, 75.3% had prescribed 3-5 types of monoclonal antibody biosimilars; only 35.3% were aware that China currently has no clear regulatory provisions on biosimilar switching; 46.3% and 47.3% of respondents believed that there was no difference in safety and efficacy, respectively, between biosimilars and originator products; 63.0% of respondents were concerned about the immunogenicity risk of long-term switching between originator drugs and biosimilars. A total of 92.3% of respondents had experience with biosimilar switching, 87.7% of which involved switching from originator products to biosimilars, and 28.2% of respondents had completed three or more switches in the same patient. Among the primary reasons for switching, non-medical factors accounted for 57.4%, higher than medical factors at 42.6%; “lower treatment cost after switching” was the most important reason for switching; 95.3% of respondents believed that informed consent should be obtained from patients before switching.CONCLUSIONS The surveyed physicians had basic knowledge of biosimilars, but their understanding of the relevant regulations of the national drug regulatory authority was insufficient. Although most physicians were concerned about the risks of non-medical switching, clinical switching was mostly driven by non-medical factors. It is recommended to strengthen policy education for medical professionals and standardize clinical switching behavior. The National Medical Products Administration should also promptly improve the interchangeability review standards and post-marketing surveillance system for biosimilars, so as to promote the rational use of biosimilars.
2.Current Status of Prediction Models of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Emerging Acute Infectious Diseases
Jiaxin ZUO ; Chengyang JING ; Tiantian ZHOU ; Fang HAN ; Di WANG ; Xing LIAO ; Jing HU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(22):247-254
ObjectiveTo analyze the current status of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prediction model research for emerging acute infectious diseases, in order to provide reference for subsequent model construction and optimization. MethodsEight databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase, were systematically searched to comprehensively collect Chinese and English literature on TCM prediction models for emerging acute infectious diseases. The search period ranged from database inception to July 5, 2024. Reporting quality compliance was evaluated using the Transparent Reporting of a Multivariable Prediction Model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis—Traditional Chinese Medicine (TRIPOD-TCM) guideline. Risk of bias and applicability were assessed using the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (PROBAST). ResultsA total of 21 studies were included, comprising 11 early warning model studies, 5 diagnostic model studies, 3 prognostic model studies, and 2 prescription prediction model studies, involving 84 models in total. The diseases involved were mainly viral infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and hepatitis B. The most frequently applied TCM theory was the "five movements and six climates" theory. The most commonly used modeling method was neural network-based approaches. The most frequently reported predictive factors were meteorological variables, including daily mean temperature, wind speed, precipitation, relative humidity, and vapor pressure. In terms of reporting quality, the included studies showed poor item-level compliance, with only 13 sub-items achieving compliance rates above 50%. Overall compliance ranged from 27% to 59% across studies. Although the included studies showed relatively good applicability, all were assessed as having a high risk of bias. The main sources of bias included inappropriate handling of missing data, absence of calibration methods, and unreasonable validation strategies, indicating deficiencies across multiple stages of model development. ConclusionCurrent research on TCM prediction models for emerging acute infectious diseases exhibits distinctive modeling characteristics. These models are based on traditional TCM theories such as the "five movements and six climates", incorporate TCM-specific features as predictive variables, and use TCM syndromes as outcomes. However, they generally suffer from low reporting compliance and a high risk of bias. Future studies should systematically design model development and validation processes, adhere to TRIPOD-TCM reporting standards, and apply PROBAST or develop dedicated bias risk assessment tools for TCM prediction models to improve methodological quality and promote their translation into clinical practice.
3.Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Underlying Mechanisms and Targeted Therapy Perspectives
Cancer Research on Prevention and Treatment 2026;53(10):757-765
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a key immune population that influences the immunosuppressive microenvironment and drives the malignant progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). This review summarizes the mechanisms by which TAMs promote ESCC progression through facilitating tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. TAM-directed therapeutic strategies have progressed from early methods of depletion and reprogramming to emerging directions such as phenotypic remodeling, phagocytic checkpoint intervention, and precursor cell targeting. However, the compensatory nature and plasticity of the tumor microenvironment limit the efficacy of monotherapy. The combination of TAM-targeted therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors, chemotherapy, or anti-angiogenic agents shows potential for reversing immunosuppression and overcoming clinical resistance. Future efforts should focus on elucidating TAM heterogeneity using single-cell and spatial multi-omics technologies and advancing the clinical use of biomarkers and smart drug delivery systems, thereby providing novel pathways for optimizing therapeutic strategies for ESCC.
4.Prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events after acute type A aortic dissection combined with coronary malperfusion by machine learning-based interpretable models
Hao ZHANG ; Bo JIA ; Zuo ZHANG ; Huanyu QIAO ; Bo YANG ; Jing YANG ; Feilong HEI ; Xiaotong HOU ; Junming ZHU ; Yongmin LIU
Chinese Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;41(3):129-135
Objective:To explore and model risk factors in patients with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) after acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD), and to develop and validate a personalized machine learning model to assess risk factors and predict MACEs in these patients.Methods:Clinical data of patients who attended Beijing Anzhen Hospital and underwent surgical treatment for ATAAD from January 2018 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Using MACEs as the endpoint, 70% of these patients were randomly divided into the training set and the remaining 30% into the validation set. LASSO regression was applied to explore key clinical variables in the training set. The optimal predictive model was selected from nine machine learning algorithms based on area under the curve. And Shapley Additive explanations was used to elucidate the predictive model. Results:Of the 481 patients included in this study, 135 (35.6%) patients experienced an endpoint event. By combining the results of the training and validation sets, when assessing the validity of the single model with the highest predictive accuracy for the outcome, it was shown that the logistic model (0.774, 95% CI: 0.717-0.830) was the most effective in the combined effect and had a high model accuracy (0.743, 95% CI: 0.720-0.766). According to the results of the LASSO, the factors most associated with postoperative MACEs were history of cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery involvement, shock status on admission to the operating room, FDP, PLT, CPB, ascending aortic clamping, and age. Conclusion:In this study, nine machine learning models were developed to predict the occurrence of postoperative MACEs in patients with acute type A aortic dissection. The logistic model performed significantly better compared to other algorithms. Our study successfully predicted postoperative MACES and identified the factors most associated with MACEs.
5.Problems and countermeasures to strengthen mutual supervision between the same-level leadership members in public hospitals
Su WANG ; Yan ZUO ; Jing ZHAO ; Da WEI ; Dandan ZHU ; Hang CHEN
Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration 2025;41(7):518-523
How to effectively strengthen mutual supervision and weave a tight protective net against corruption in the medical field between the same-level leadership members in public hospitals, has become an urgent issue to be addressed for public hospitals′ leadership construction. Based on the investigation and research, the authors focused on the problems of " unwilling to supervise, afraid to supervise, unable to supervise and ineffective supervision" that existed between the same-level leadership members in public hospitals. Countermeasures and suggestions were proposed for strengthening mutual supervision between the same-level leadership members from five aspects: consolidating the ideological foundation, focusing on key points, establishing a sound supervision mechanism, purifying the political environment, and improving the evaluation system.
6.Combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS With Second-Line Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Using Sulfur Hexafluoride or Perfluorobutane for Diagnosing Hepatocellular Carcinoma in High-Risk Patients
Yu LI ; Sheng LI ; Qing LI ; Kai LI ; Jing HAN ; Siyue MAO ; Xiaohong XU ; Zhongzhen SU ; Yanling ZUO ; Shousong XIE ; Hong WEN ; Xuebin ZOU ; Jingxian SHEN ; Lingling LI ; Jianhua ZHOU
Korean Journal of Radiology 2025;26(4):346-359
Objective:
The CT/MRI Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) demonstrates high specificity with relatively limited sensitivity for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in high-risk patients. This study aimed to explore the possibility of improving sensitivity by combining CT/MRI LI-RADS v2018 with second-line contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) LI-RADS v2017 using sulfur hexafluoride (SHF) or perfluorobutane (PFB).
Materials and Methods:
This retrospective analysis of prospectively collected multicenter data included high-risk patients with treatment-naive hepatic observations. The reference standard was pathological confirmation or a composite reference standard (only for benign lesions). Each participant underwent concurrent CT/MRI, SHF-enhanced US, and PFB-enhanced US examinations. The diagnostic performances for HCC of CT/MRI LI-RADS alone and three combination strategies (combining CT/ MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or a modified algorithm incorporating the Kupffer-phase findings for PFB [modified PFB]) were evaluated. For the three combination strategies, apart from the CT/MRI LR-5 criteria, HCC was diagnosed if CT/MRI LR-3 or LR-4 observations met the LR-5 criteria using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB.
Results:
In total, 281 participants (237 males; mean age, 55 ± 11 years) with 306 observations (227 HCCs, 40 non-HCC malignancies, and 39 benign lesions) were included. Using LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, and modified PFB, 20, 23, and 31 CT/MRI LR-3/4 observations, respectively, were reclassified as LR-5, and all were pathologically confirmed as HCCs. Compared to CT/MRI LI-RADS alone (74%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 68%–79%), the three combination strategies combining CT/MRI LI-RADS with either LI-RADS SHF, LI-RADS PFB, or modified PFB increased sensitivity (83% [95% CI: 77%–87%], 84% [95% CI: 79%–89%], 88% [95% CI: 83%–92%], respectively; all P < 0.001), while maintaining the specificity at 92% (95% CI: 84%–97%).
Conclusion
The combination of CT/MRI LI-RADS with second-line CEUS using SHF or PFB improved the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis without compromising specificity.
7.Astragaloside IV-pretreated neural stem cell-derived exosomes attenuate brain injury in ischemic stroke rats by inhibiting classical pyroptosis pathway
Chunyue ZUO ; Meng LI ; Xiaofei JING ; Tianci ZHANG ; Xiaohan CHEN ; Shaoze YANG ; Tiangang ZHENG ; Weijuan GAO ; Xiaohong ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2025;41(2):277-286
AIM:To investigate the mechanism by which exosomes(EXOs)derived from neural stem cells(NSCs)pretreated with astragaloside IV(ASIV)alleviate brain damage in rats after ischemic stroke.METHODS:Rat NSCs were isolated from fetal rats within 24 h of birth,cultured for 3 d,and subsequently treated with ASIV for additional 5 d.The EXOs from untreated NSCs and ASIV-pretreated NSCs(ASIV-EXOs)were isolated via ultracentrifugation of the cell supernatant.These EXOs were characterized using Western blot to detect specific markers such as CD63,tumor sus-ceptibility gene 101(TSG101)and calnexin.Nanoparticle analysis was employed to determine the size,and the morpholo-gy of the EXOs was observed under electron microscope.Six to eight-week-old SD male rats were randomly assigned to 6 groups:sham group,middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion(MCAO/R)model group,edaravone(EDA)treatment(MCAO/R+EDA)group,EXOs treatement(MCAO/R+EXOs)group and ASIV-EXOs treatment(MCAO/R+ASIV-EXOs)group.Tail vein injections were administered within 2 h following the successful establishment of the MCAO/R model.The Zea Longa method was utilized to evaluate neurological deficits,while the TTC method was employed to assess brain infarc-tion.Pathological changes were examined through HE staining,and TUNEL and caspase-1 immunofluorescence double staining were conducted to detect cellular pyroptosis.Serum levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and IL-18 were measured us-ing ELISA,and Western blot was performed to evaluate the expression of caspase-1,nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3),apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain(ASC),gasdermin D(GSDMD),and IL-18 proteins in the ischemic area of the rat cerebral cortex across all groups.RE-SULTS:The MCAO/R group exhibited significantly higher neurological deficit scores compared to the sham group(P<0.01)and lower scores in the administered groups relative to the MCAO/R group(P<0.05).Cerebral infarction was mark-edly increased in the MCAO/R group compared to the sham group(P<0.01),whereas the infarction area was reduced in the administered groups compared to the MCAO/R group(P<0.05).Serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18 were significantly el-evated in the MCAO/R group versus the sham group(P<0.01)and were lower in the administered groups compared to the MCAO/R group(P<0.01).Moreover,IL-1β and IL-18 levels in the MCAO/R+ASIV-EXOs group were lower than those in the MCAO/R+EXOs group(P<0.05).HE staining revealed pronounced sieve-like infarction foci in the ischemic area of the rat cerebral cortex in MCAO/R group,characterized by disorganized neuronal arrangements,reduced or absent Nys-trom's vesicles,shrunken or fragmented nuclei,and numerous red neurons.In contrast,drug-treated groups exhibited milder pathological changes with clearer neuronal structures and a significant reduction in red neuron counts.Immunofluo-rescence double staining indicated a significant increase in double-positive cells in the MCAO/R group compared to the sham group(P<0.01),with a decrease in double-positive cells in the administered groups relative to the MCAO/R group(P<0.05)and a further reduction in the MCAO/R+ASIV-EXOs group compared to the MCAO/R+EXOs group(P<0.05).The expression levels of caspase-1,NLRP3,ASC,IL-18 and GSDMD proteins in the ischemic region of the rat cerebral cortex were significantly reduced in the administered groups compared to the MCAO/R group(P<0.01),with further re-duction observed in the MCAO/R+ASIV-EXOs group compared to the MCAO/R+EXOs group(P<0.05).CONCLU-SION:Exosomes derived from ASIV-pretreated NSCs attenuate brain damage in ischemic stroke rats,potentially through a mechanism involving the inhibition of pyroptosis mediated by the NLRP3/caspase-1 pathway.
8.The compiling of auditory comprehension assessment scale of double conditional phrases for adults and the research of reliability and validity
Jing ZUO ; Yongli WANG ; Ruiping HU ; Shunjuan FAN ; Qin WAN ; Qiaoyun LIU ; Yuan DAI
Journal of Audiology and Speech Pathology 2025;33(6):525-529
Objective To compile a comprehension assessment scale of double-conditional phrases for adults and to test its reliability and validity.Methods With reference to the compilation process of local and international word lists,a comprehension assessment scale of double-conditional phrases for adults was developed.The scale was used to assess 40 aphasia patients and 20 ordinary adults as subjects from four hospitals in Shanghai.The internal consistency reliability,split-half reliability,retest reliability and calibration validity of the scale were evaluated and analyzed[the western aphasia battery(WAB)as a calibrated measurcment instrument].Results The scale consists of 30 questions,including five types of phrases:coordinate phrases,verb-object phrases,subject-predicate phrases,endocentric phrases and interface-object phrases.Compared with the ordinary adult group,the total score of the scale and the scores of each dimension in the aphasia group were significantly lower than those in the control group(P<0.001).The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total score was 0.894,the half coefficient was 0.924,and the correlation coefficient for the retest reliability of the total score was 0.923,with retest reliability for each type of word group ranging from 0.731 to 0.903.With the exception of the repetition scores,correlation coefficients be-tween the scale and all other scores of WAB were all>0.6(P<0.01).Conclusion The self-developed"Adult Double Conditional Phrases Auditory Comprehension Assessment Scale"demonstrates good reliability and validity.It serves as a scientific and reliable tool for evaluating the auditory comprehension ability of adult patients.
9.Correlation Between Cortical Thickness and Putamenial Dopamine Transporter in Parkinson's Disease
Jing WANG ; Jingjie GE ; Xia BAI ; Ping WU ; Yuhua ZHU ; Jiaying LU ; Huamei LIN ; Huiwei ZHANG ; Zhengwei ZHANG ; Chuantao ZUO
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging 2025;33(3):280-285
Purpose To investigate the cortical thickness features in Parkinson's disease(PD)patients at various stages and their association with dopamine transporter(DAT)levels in the putamen.Materials and Methods We retrospectively enrolled 30 PD patients and 15 healthy subject who underwent 11C-CFT PET and T1 MRI scans at the Department of Nuclear Medicine/PET Center of Huashan Hospital from August 2016 to October 2020.DAT average radioactivity in the anterior and posterior putamen was analysis using SPM12 software,with the occipital lobe as the reference region.Cortical segmentation and reconstruction were performed on T1 images using Freesurfer v7.2.The differences in cortical thinning between the groups were compared using a general linear model.Additionally,the relationship between cortical thickness in various brain regions and DAT uptake in the putamen were assessed.Results Compared to healthy subjects,significant cortical thinning was observed in the left inferior parietal lobule and the right and left inferior middle frontal gyrus of PD patients(all P<0.05).There was a significant positive correlation between the cortical thickness of the left inferior parietal lobule and right inferior middle frontal gyrus and DAT uptake in the corresponding anterior/posterior parts of the putamen(r=0.30-0.47,all P<0.05).Furthermore,the DAT uptake in the right precentral gyrus was positively correlated with the ipsilateral posterior putamen,exhibiting a stronger correlation than on the contralateral side(r=0.32,P=0.029).Conclusion The results show that the thickness of the thinning cortex area in the PD patients correlates significantly positively with DAT levels in the putamen,highlighting the importance of the basal ganglia cortical circuit and providing a basis for further research into the neural mechanisms of PD.
10.Correlation between cortical thickness and pathological deposition ofβ-amyloid in patients with Alzheimer disease
Lyuming ZHU ; Junwen HOU ; Zhimin ZHONG ; Jingjie GE ; Yue WU ; Shengwen CHEN ; Jianhua LUO ; Yunhao YANG ; Jing WANG ; Huamei LIN ; Chuantao ZUO ; Yihui GUAN
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(2):207-211
Objective To observe the correlation between cortical thickness and pathological deposition of β-amyloid(Aβ)in patients with Alzheimer disease(AD)induced mild cognitive impairment(MCI)or dementia.Methods Totally 22 AD patients were prospectively enrolled and divided into dementia group(n=12)and MCI group(n=10)based on the degree of cognitive impairment,while 17 healthy individuals without cognitive impairment were recruited as control group.MR examination and 18F-florbutaben(18F-FBB)PET imaging were performed,the cortical thickness and Aβ deposition value(Centiloid[CL]value)were calculated and compared among 3 groups and between each 2 groups,then the correlation between the above two indexes was analyzed.Results The cortical thickness in dementia group,MCI group and control group was(2.18±0.14),(2.35±0.08)and(2.36±0.09)mm,respectively,with significant difference among 3 groups(P<0.05).The cortical thickness in dementia group was significantly thinner than that in MCI group and control group(both P<0.05).CL value in dementia group,MCI group and control group was 77.97(63.07,95.55),65.51(54.54,90.50)and-1.17(-9.66,4.88),respectively,with significant difference among 3 groups(P<0.05).CL value in dementia group and MCI group were significantly higher than in control group(both P<0.05).The cortical thickness was moderately negatively correlated with CL value in MCI group(r=-0.580,P=0.048)but not in the other 2 groups(both P>0.05).Conclusion The cortical thickness was moderately negatively correlated with abnormal deposition of Aβ in patients with AD induced MCI,but was not during dementia.

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