1.A machine learning-based depression recognition model integrating spirit-expression features from traditional Chinese medicine
Minghui YAO ; Rongrong ZHU ; Peng QIAN ; Huilin LIU ; Xirong SUN ; Limin GAO ; Fufeng LI
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(1):68-79
Objective:
To develop a depression recognition model by integrating the spirit-expression diagnostic framework of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) with machine learning algorithms. The proposed model seeks to establish a TCM-informed tool for early depression screening, thereby bridging traditional diagnostic principles with modern computational approaches.
Methods:
The study included patients with depression who visited the Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center from October 1, 2022 to October 1, 2023, as well as students and teachers from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine during the same period as the healthy control group. Videos of 3 – 10 s were captured using a Xiaomi Pad 5, and the TCM spirit and expressions were determined by TCM experts (at least 3 out of 5 experts agreed to determine the category of TCM spirit and expressions). Basic information, facial images, and interview information were collected through a portable TCM intelligent analysis and diagnosis device, and facial diagnosis features were extracted using the Open CV computer vision library technology. Statistical analysis methods such as parametric and non-parametric tests were used to analyze the baseline data, TCM spirit and expression features, and facial diagnosis feature parameters of the two groups, to compare the differences in TCM spirit and expression and facial features. Five machine learning algorithms, including extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), decision tree (DT), Bernoulli naive Bayes (BernoulliNB), support vector machine (SVM), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) classification, were used to construct a depression recognition model based on the fusion of TCM spirit and expression features. The performance of the model was evaluated using metrics such as accuracy, precision, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The model results were explained using the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP).
Results:
A total of 93 depression patients and 87 healthy individuals were ultimately included in this study. There was no statistically significant difference in the baseline characteristics between the two groups (P > 0.05). The differences in the characteristics of the spirit and expressions in TCM and facial features between the two groups were shown as follows. (i) Quantispirit facial analysis revealed that depression patients exhibited significantly reduced facial spirit and luminance compared with healthy controls (P < 0.05), with characteristic features such as sad expressions, facial erythema, and changes in the lip color ranging from erythematous to cyanotic. (ii) Depressed patients exhibited significantly lower values in facial complexion L, lip L, and a values, and gloss index, but higher values in facial complexion a and b, lip b, low gloss index, and matte index (all P < 0.05). (iii) The results of multiple models show that the XGBoost-based depression recognition model, integrating the TCM “spirit-expression” diagnostic framework, achieved an accuracy of 98.61% and significantly outperformed four benchmark algorithms—DT, BernoulliNB, SVM, and KNN (P < 0.01). (iv) The SHAP visualization results show that in the recognition model constructed by the XGBoost algorithm, the complexion b value, categories of facial spirit, high gloss index, low gloss index, categories of facial expression and texture features have significant contribution to the model.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that integrating TCM spirit-expression diagnostic features with machine learning enables the construction of a high-precision depression detection model, offering a novel paradigm for objective depression diagnosis.
2.Regulatory effects of G3BP2 on activation, proliferation, and migratory capacity in hepatic stellate cells
Qiqi DONG ; Wenjie SUN ; Minghui LI ; Jingjing YANG ; Renpeng ZHOU ; Wei HU ; Chao LU
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2026;61(3):501-508
ObjectiveTo investigate the role of Ras-GTPase-activating protein SH3 domain-binding protein 2 (G3BP2) in regulating the activation, proliferation, and migration of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). MethodsThe mouse HSCs (JS-1 cell line) were treated with 5 μg/L transforming growth factor-beta 1(TGF-β1) for 24 hours to establish an HSC activation and proliferation model. A G3BP2 knockdown system was constructed using siRNA interference technology. The experiment was divided into four groups: Control, TGF-β1 treatment, TGF-β1+si-NC, and TGF-β1+ G3BP2-siRNA. The expression levels of key fibrosis indicators, including type I collagen (Collagen I), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and G3BP2, were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation activity was assessed using the CCK-8 proliferation assay kit and EdU fluorescence labeling technology. Cell migration ability was analyzed by scratch wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay. The formation level of stress granules was quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy to investigate the effects of G3BP2 on stress granule formation in activated HSCs. ResultsStimulation with TGF-β1 upregulated the expression of G3BP2 in JS-1 cells (RT-qPCR: P0.000 1; Western blot: P0.000 1), while a downward trend in its expression was observed in the G3BP2‑silenced group (RT-qPCR: P0.01; Western blot: P0.000 1). Compared with the control group, the TGF-β1 group exhibited increased protein expression levels of α-SMA and Collagen I (RT-qPCR: both P0.01; Western blot: P0.01 and P0.05, respectively), concomitant with an increased number of stress granules and enhanced cell proliferation and migration capacity (all P0.001). The experimental results demonstrated that G3BP2 knockout effectively reversed the aforementioned phenotypes, with the G3BP2-silenced group showing reduced expression of fibrotic markers (all P0.01), decreased stress granule formation (P0.01), and reduced cell proliferation and migration capacity (all P0.05), compared to the negative control group. ConclusionG3BP2 enhances the activation, proliferation, and migration of HSCs by promoting the formation of stress granules, thereby accelerating the pathological progression of liver fibrosis. This suggests that stress granules may serve as important regulators in controlling the activation, proliferation, and migration of HSCs.
3.Therapeutic potentials of natural products for post-traumatic stress disorder: A focus on epigenetics.
Meijing XU ; Minghui CUI ; Yu WANG ; Boru LI ; Lijin FENG ; Hang XING ; Kuo ZHANG
Chinese Herbal Medicines 2025;17(2):203-219
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively common but complex mental illness with a range of diverse risk factors. Typical symptoms include the re-experience or avoidance of traumatic events, cognitive impairment, and hypervigilance. While the exact pathogenesis of PTSD is unclear, many studies indicate that epigenetic regulation plays a key role in its development. Specifically, numerous studies have indicated that the levels of histone acetylation and methylation, DNA methylation, and noncoding RNA are altered in PTSD patients. Further to this, natural products have been found to achieve epigenetic regulation of PTSD by regulating the expression of epigenetic enzymes, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), and miRNA, thereby playing a role in improving PTSD symptoms. To date, however, no epigenetic regulation related drugs have been used in the treatment of PTSD. Furthermore, while natural products that can epigenetically regulate PTSD have received increasing levels of attention, there have not yet been any systematic reports on the topic. Here, we summarized the roles and mechanisms of natural products in the epigenetic regulation of PTSD, providing a novel and unique perspective that will help to guide the development and application of new PTSD treatments.
4.Molecular architecture of mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex.
Maofei CHEN ; Yutong SONG ; Sensen ZHANG ; Yitang ZHANG ; Xudong CHEN ; Minghui ZHANG ; Meng HAN ; Xin GAO ; Sai LI ; Maojun YANG
Protein & Cell 2025;16(1):72-78
5.Osteopontin and ischemic stroke
Minghui CHENG ; Daojing LI ; Qianqian WANG ; Ziyou QI
International Journal of Cerebrovascular Diseases 2025;33(3):213-216
Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted extracellular matrix glycoprotein that exists in body fluids and mediates multiple biological functions. The expression of OPN is particularly critical and active after ischemic stroke, and has dual significance for the body. The rapid increase of OPN has certain protective effects on the body, such as anti-inflammatory and promoting wound healing; if the rate of increase is relatively slower, it will have adverse effects on the body, such as promoting thrombosis and inducing inflammatory reactions. This article reviews the research progress of OPN in ischemic stroke.
6.Research on attention-enhanced networks for subtype classification of age-related macular degeneration in optical coherence tomography.
Minghui CHEN ; Wenyi YANG ; Shiyi XU ; Yanqi LU ; Zhengqi YANG ; Fugang LI ; Zhensheng GU
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(5):901-909
Subtype classification of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images serves as an effective auxiliary tool for clinicians in diagnosing disease progression and formulating treatment plans. To improve the classification accuracy of AMD subtypes, this study proposes a keypoint-based, attention-enhanced residual network (KPA-ResNet). The proposed architecture adopts a 50-layer residual network (ResNet-50) as the backbone, preceded by a keypoint localization module based on heatmap regression to outline critical lesion regions. A two-dimensional relative self-attention mechanism is incorporated into convolutional layers to enhance the representation of key lesion areas. Furthermore, the network depth is appropriately increased and an improved residual module, ConvNeXt, is introduced to enable comprehensive extraction of high-dimensional features and enrich the detail of lesion boundary contours, ultimately achieving higher classification accuracy of AMD subtypes. Experimental results demonstrate that KPA-ResNet achieves significant improvements in overall classification accuracy compared with conventional convolutional neural networks. Specifically, for the wet AMD subtypes, the classification accuracies for inactive choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and active CNV reach 92.8% and 95.2%, respectively, representing substantial improvement over ResNet-50. These findings validate the superior performance of KPA-ResNet in AMD subtype classification tasks. This work provides a high-accuracy, generalizable network architecture for OCT-based AMD subtype classification and offers new insights into integrating attention mechanisms with convolutional neural networks in ophthalmic image analysis.
Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods*
;
Humans
;
Macular Degeneration/diagnostic imaging*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
7.Effect of Bushen Huoxue Granule (补肾活血颗粒) on Dopamine Homeostasis and ERK/CREB/VMAT2 Signaling Pathways in the Striatum in Parkinson's Disease Model Mice
Hehao SUN ; Yingfan CHEN ; Peng WANG ; Xiaohan GENG ; Yuzhi ZHANG ; Qian ZHANG ; Min LI ; Shaodan LI ; Minghui YANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(23):2484-2493
ObjectiveTo investigate the possible mechanism of Bushen Huoxue Granule (补肾活血颗粒, BHG) in treating Parkinson's disease (PD) from the perspecitve of dopamine (DA) homeostasis. MethodsSeventy-two mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, madopar group and BHG low-, medium- and high-dose groups, with 12 mice in each group. Except for the blank group, all mice were administered intraperitoneal injections of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) for 7 consecutive days to induce a PD model. On the day following the injection, BHG low-, medium- and high-dose groups were administered BHG at doses of 1.25, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/(g·d) by oral gavage, respectively, while the madopar group received madopar tablets at dose of 0.093 8 mg/(g·d) by oral gavage. The blank group and the model group were given 0.2 ml/10 g of distilled water by gavage. All treatments were given once daily for 14 days. Open field test, pole climbing test and grip test were used to evaluate the behavior of mice in each group. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in striatum. Nissl staining was used to detect the activity of striatal neurons. The contents of DA and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in striatum were detected by ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The number and volume of synaptic vesicles were observed by transmission electron microscope. The expression of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) in striatum was detected by immunofluorescence. Western Blot was used to detect the expression of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), phosphorylated CREB (p-CREB) and VMAT2 in striatum. ResultsCompared to the blank group, mice in the model group showed a significant decline in total distance and average speed in the open field test, along with an increase in total resting time; in the pole test, both the time required for the mice to turn completely downward (T-turn) and the total time taken to reach the bottom of the pole (T-total) were prolonged; forelimb grip strength was reduced; in the striatum, the mean optical density of TH, the average fluorescence intensity of VMAT2 protein, and DA content all decreased, while the number of striatal neurons was reduced, and the DOPAC/DA ratio was elevated; the levels of p-ERK/ERK, p-CREB/CREB, and VMAT2 in the striatum significantly decreased (P<0.01); transmission electron microscopy revealed that both the number and volume of synaptic vesicles in striatal neurons were markedly reduced. Compared to the model group, mice in the madopar group and BHG low-, medium- and high-dose groups showed significant improvements in all the above indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared to madopar group, the BHG high-dose group exhibited increased DA content and elevated p-CREB/CREB ratio in the striatum (P<0.05). Compared to the BHG low-dose group, the BHG high-dose group showed increased total distance and mean velocity, decreased total resting time, T-turn, and T-total, as well as enhanced forelimb grip strength; moreover, the average fluorescence intensity of VMAT2 protein, DA content, p-ERK/ERK, p-CREB/CREB, and VMAT2 levels in the striatum were all significantly elevated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). ConclusionBHG may restore DA homeostasis and alleviate the damage of dopaminergic neurons by regulating ERK/CREB/VMAT2 signaling pathway.
8.Achievements in the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B over the past 30 years and trends of future development
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2025;39(4):397-402
Hepatitis B virus(HBV)infection remains a major global public health challenge. Over the past three decades,significant progress has been made in HBV prevention and control,including the widespread implementation of hepatitis B vaccination and mother-to-child transmission(MTCT)blockade strategies,advancements in antiviral therapies,and improvements in public health awareness. The extensive administration of hepatitis B vaccines has markedly reduced the incidence of new infections. The development of antiviral treatments,such as nucleos(t)ide analogues,has effectively suppressed viral replication,thereby decreased the incidence of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Furthermore,enhanced public health awareness and the implementation of screening programs have enabled earlier diagnosis and treatment for more patients. Nevertheless,the complete elimination of hepatitis B continues to face challenges. Firstly,inadequate vaccine coverage,particularly in low- and middle-income countries,sustains the risk of HBV transmission. Secondly,suboptimal diagnosis and treatment rates persist among individuals with chronic HBV infection. Additionally,the long-term management of chronic HBV carriers remains complex,necessitating continuous monitoring and personalized therapeutic strategies. This article summarizes the major achievements in the prevention and control of hepatitis B over the past 30 years,analyzes current challenges,and explores future directions. Novel vaccines,including therapeutic vaccines and mRNA-based vaccines,are demonstrating therapeutic potential in clinical trials and may offer new hope for chronic hepatitis B patients. Emerging antiviral agents,such as capsid assembly modulators and RNA interference-based therapeutics,which target distinct stages of the HBV life cycle,hold promise for achieving functional cure of hepatitis B. In conclusion,despite ongoing challenges,the complete elimination of hepatitis B remains an attainable goal through sustained innovation and global collaboration.
9.Chronic hepatitis B long-term antiviral therapy:Reflections on suboptimal response and low-level viremia
Xin WEI ; Lilong CONG ; Linmei YAO ; Zixuan GAO ; Shuojie WANG ; Ziyu ZHANG ; Xinxin LI ; Shiyu WANG ; Wen DENG ; Minghui LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2025;39(4):518-525
Chronic hepatitis B(CHB)is one of the major challenges in the global public health field. As of 2022,approximately 254 million people worldwide were infected with the hepatitis B virus(HBV). CHB is one of the main causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Nucleos(t)ide analogs(NAs)and interferon therapy can delay the progression of liver fibrosis by inhibiting viral replication,but they cannot completely avoid the problem of heterogeneous treatment responses. Some patients are in a state of low-level viremia(LLV)during treatment. The persistent LLV state can induce chronic inflammation and the progression of liver fibrosis,ultimately increase the risk of HCC. In patients with poor treatment responses,the continuous active viral replication can induce immune disorders,accelerate the evolution of fibrosis to the decompensated stage of liver cirrhosis,and increase the risk of patient death. This article aims to review the definition,mechanisms,and impact on treatment outcomes of LLV and suboptimal response based on the latest research,provide a basis for optimizing antiviral therapy for CHB.
10.The analysis of risk factors for death in patients with acute kidney injury undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy after cardiac surgery
Minghui LI ; Wenwen XU ; Min FENG ; Yanna DOU
Chinese Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2025;41(2):82-90
Objective:This study intends to analyze the differences of indexes between the death group and the survival group of CSA-AKI patients undergoing CRRT before, during, and after heart surgery, and at the beginning and the end of CRRT, and to study the risk factors affecting the death of patients, so as to provide guidance for improving the prognosis.Methods:From January 2020 to October 2022, a total of 101 patients (59 in the mortality group and 42 in the survival group) were admitted to the Department of Cardiac Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University for cardiac surgery complicated by acute kidney injury necessitating postoperative continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted to ascertain the risk factors influencing the 30-day mortality rate.Results:The postoperative complications of the two groups showed that the mortality group had a large proportion of MODS and LCOS ( P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that intraoperative mean arterial depression, high SOFA score at the beginning of CRRT, high APACHE Ⅱ score at the beginning of CRRT, and low platelet at the end of CRRT were independent risk factors for death( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis shows that SOFA score and APACHE Ⅱ score at the beginning of CRRT have predictive value for the 30-day death risk of CSA-AKI patients receiving CRRT. Conclusion:Low intraoperative MAP, high SOFA and APACHE Ⅱ scores at the beginning of CRRT, and low platelets at the end of CRRT were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality risk in patients with CSA-AKI undergoing CRRT.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail