One of the significant hurdles in telemedicine, particularly in ophthalmology, is the absence of direct physical examination. This specialty depends extensively on specialized instruments that typically require proficient operators. Visual function tests are crucial for both outpatient and inpatient ophthalmic services, playing a vital role in screening, diagnosing, monitoring treatment effectiveness, and managing follow-ups for various eye conditions. The progress in mobile technology has paved the way for expanding these tests beyond traditional clinic settings, promoting the creation of patient-focused, straightforward, cost-effective, and efficient measurement tools. In light of the swift advancement of digital technologies, this article reviews the characteristics, and reliability of self-administered visual function tests tools, including visual acuity, refractive error assessment, visual field, contrast sensitivity, and color vision, along with other pertinent diagnostic tools that have been developed and validated for accuracy and repeatability through research, with a view to providing ophthalmologists and patients with scientific and practical references when selecting and using these tools, further promoting efficiency and efficacy of teleophthalmology.

This paper explores the therapeutic approach for glaucoma based on the concept of "jueyin （厥阴） as the closing phase" from the perspectives of time and space. In traditional Chinese medicine， jueyin governs inward， converging aspect of qi， representing the crucial turning point between the end of yin and the emergence of yang， as well as the transformation between yin and yang. When the closing and descending function of jueyin operates smoothly， it promotes the inward convergence and smooth descent of qi， enabling the internal retention of blood， spirit， and emotions， which nourishes the internal organs and moistens the meridian-sinews. Conversely， dysfunction of this "closing" mechanism results in a disturbance of yin and yang， a mixture of cold and heat， and disharmony of qi and blood. It is proposed that "failure of jueyin to properly close and descend" is a core pathomechanism of glaucoma. From the perspective of spatiotemporal theory， clinical treatment should focus on "regulating the closing function of jueyin and harmonizing yin and yang". The modified Wumei Pill （乌梅丸） is recommended to adjust the ascending-descending and entering-exiting dynamics of jueyin qi transformation， thereby restoring its free flow， achieving yin and yang balance， and ensuring nourishment to the ocular system.

Objective: To explore the application and clinical efficacy of red blood cell therapeutic apheresis in erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). Methods: 1) The EPP patient was hospitalized twice for "abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and brown urine". One and two sessions of red blood cell exchange/therapeutic plasma exchange (RCE/TPE) were respectively performed during the two hospitalizations. During each session, one RCE with 6-8 units of leukoreduced RBCs and 3-4 TPE procedures with 1 800-2 000 mL of frozen plasma was conducted. Biochemical parameters were monitored before and after treatment. 2) The HH patient was hospitalized for “repeatedly elevated aminotransferases”. Erythrocytapheresis was performed once, removing 550 mL of red blood cells, and venous phlebotomy was conducted once every 2 months subsequently. Blood routine and ferritin levels were assessed before and after treatment. Results: 1) During the first hospitalization, the EPP patient was relieved of the abdominal pain and brown urine after therapeutic apheresis. The total bilirubin level decreased from 141.8 μmol/L on admission to 68.6 μmol/L at discharge, with a symptom remission duration of 10 months. During the second hospitalization, the EPP patient still had recurrent abdominal pain after therapeutic apheresis. He developed psychiatric symptoms and gastrointestinal bleeding subsequently, accompanied by elevated bilirubin levels. Liver function deteriorated and the patient went into the state of the end-stage liver disease (ESLD). 2) For the HH patient, the hemoglobin level prior to erythrocytapheresis and vein phlebotomy was 150-160 g/L, with the lowest value occurring two days after erythrocytapheresis, decreasing to 107 g/L. The ferritin level before erythrocytapheresis was 2 428.08 ng/mL and it declined gradually after theraphy, with the lowest value occurring two months after erythrocytapheresis, decreasing to 1 094 ng/mL. The ferritin level was 1 114 ng/mL two months following the first vein phlebotomy, however it increased to 1 472 ng/mL two months after the second vein phlebotomy. Conclusion: RCE/TPE may alleviate protoporphyrin liver disease and help patients with bridging liver transplantation before EPP developments to ESLD. For HH patients with significantly elevated ferritin levels, erythrocytapheresis reduces serum ferritin more quickly and maintains its level longer relative to phlebotomy.

Objective: To explore the application and clinical efficacy of red blood cell therapeutic apheresis in erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). Methods: 1) The EPP patient was hospitalized twice for "abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and brown urine". One and two sessions of red blood cell exchange/therapeutic plasma exchange (RCE/TPE) were respectively performed during the two hospitalizations. During each session, one RCE with 6-8 units of leukoreduced RBCs and 3-4 TPE procedures with 1 800-2 000 mL of frozen plasma was conducted. Biochemical parameters were monitored before and after treatment. 2) The HH patient was hospitalized for “repeatedly elevated aminotransferases”. Erythrocytapheresis was performed once, removing 550 mL of red blood cells, and venous phlebotomy was conducted once every 2 months subsequently. Blood routine and ferritin levels were assessed before and after treatment. Results: 1) During the first hospitalization, the EPP patient was relieved of the abdominal pain and brown urine after therapeutic apheresis. The total bilirubin level decreased from 141.8 μmol/L on admission to 68.6 μmol/L at discharge, with a symptom remission duration of 10 months. During the second hospitalization, the EPP patient still had recurrent abdominal pain after therapeutic apheresis. He developed psychiatric symptoms and gastrointestinal bleeding subsequently, accompanied by elevated bilirubin levels. Liver function deteriorated and the patient went into the state of the end-stage liver disease (ESLD). 2) For the HH patient, the hemoglobin level prior to erythrocytapheresis and vein phlebotomy was 150-160 g/L, with the lowest value occurring two days after erythrocytapheresis, decreasing to 107 g/L. The ferritin level before erythrocytapheresis was 2 428.08 ng/mL and it declined gradually after theraphy, with the lowest value occurring two months after erythrocytapheresis, decreasing to 1 094 ng/mL. The ferritin level was 1 114 ng/mL two months following the first vein phlebotomy, however it increased to 1 472 ng/mL two months after the second vein phlebotomy. Conclusion: RCE/TPE may alleviate protoporphyrin liver disease and help patients with bridging liver transplantation before EPP developments to ESLD. For HH patients with significantly elevated ferritin levels, erythrocytapheresis reduces serum ferritin more quickly and maintains its level longer relative to phlebotomy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of acupuncture-moxibustion on idiopathic facial palsy (IFP) at acute phase and recovery phase. METHODS: According to whether received acupuncture-moxibustion at acute phase or not, 198 IFP patients were divided into an early-phase intervention group (118 cases) and a non-early-phase intervention group (80 cases). With the propensity score matching employed, 70 cases were included in each group. On the basis of the conventional treatment of western medicine, acupuncture-moxibustion was supplemented in the two groups. In the early-phase intervention group, acupuncture-moxibustion was delivered at the acute phase (duration of illness≤7 days); in the non-early-phase intervention group, acupuncture-moxibustion was operated at the recovery phase (duration of illness>7 days). At the acute phase, warm needling was performed at Yifeng (TE17), Xiaguan (ST7), Hegu (LI4) and Zusanli (ST36) on the affected side; and at the recovery phase, electroacupuncture was delivered at Cuanzhu (BL2), Sizhukong (TE23) and Yangbai (GB14), etc. on the affected side, with the disperse-dense wave and 2 Hz/100 Hz of frequency. The intervention was operated for 30 min each time, once every two days, three treatments weekly and for 4 weeks. Before treatment, 1 week and 4 weeks of treatment, the House-Brackmann (H-B) facial nerve function grade, the score of Sunnybrook facial nerve function, and the score of facial disability index (FDI) were compared between the two groups. The clinical effect in 1 and 4 weeks of treatment and safety were evaluated. RESULTS: In 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, the H-B grade was improved when compared with that before treatment in each group (P<0.05), and in 4 weeks of treatment, H-B grade in the early-phase intervention group was superior to that of the non-early-phase intervention group (P<0.05). In 1 and 4 weeks of treatment, Sunnybrook scores and the scores of physical function of FDI were elevated in comparison with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05); and in 4 weeks of treatment, the elevation of these two indexes in the early-phase intervention group was greater than that of the non-early-phase intervention group (P<0.05). In 4 weeks of treatment, the scores of social function in FDI were reduced when compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). In 4 weeks of treatment, the total effective rate (97.1%, 68/70) in the early-phase intervention group was higher than that (87.1%, 61/70) of the non-early-phase intervention group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy starting at the acute phase is more beneficial to the functional recovery of the impaired facial nerve than at the recovery phase in the IFP patients.
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Moxibustion ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Acupuncture Points ; Treatment Outcome ; Facial Paralysis/therapy* ; Cohort Studies ; Aged ; Bell Palsy/therapy* ; Adolescent

The production of high-quality oocytes requires precisely orchestrated intercellular communication. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanoparticles that play a vital role in the transfer of bioactive molecules, which has gained much attention in the field of diagnosis and treatment. Over the past ten years, the participation of EVs in the reproductive processes of oocytes has been broadly studied and has shown great potential for elucidating the intricacies of female reproductive health. This review provides an extensive discussion of the influence of EVs on oocytes, emphasizing their involvement in normal physiology and altered cargo under pathological conditions. In addition, the positive impact of therapeutic EVs on oocyte quality and their role in alleviating ovarian pathological conditions are summarized.
Humans ; Extracellular Vesicles/physiology* ; Oocytes/cytology* ; Female ; Animals ; Cell Communication/physiology*

Recent studies have indicated that the expression of ubiquitin-specific protease 51 (USP51), a novel deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) that mediates protein degradation as part of the ubiquitin‒proteasome system (UPS), is associated with tumor progression and therapeutic resistance in multiple malignancies. However, the underlying mechanisms and signaling networks involved in USP51-mediated regulation of malignant phenotypes remain largely unknown. The present study provides evidence of USP51's functions as the prominent DUB in chemoresistant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. At the molecular level, ectopic expression of USP51 stabilized the 78 kDa Glucose-Regulated Protein (GRP78) protein through deubiquitination, thereby increasing its expression and localization on the cell surface. Furthermore, the upregulation of cell surface GRP78 increased the activity of ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1), the main efflux pump of doxorubicin (DOX), ultimately decreasing its accumulation in TNBC cells and promoting the development of drug resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, we found significant correlations among USP51, GRP78, and ABCB1 expression in TNBC patients with chemoresistance. Elevated USP51, GRP78, and ABCB1 levels were also strongly associated with a poor patient prognosis. Importantly, we revealed an alternative intervention for specific pharmacological targeting of USP51 for TNBC cell chemosensitization. In conclusion, these findings collectively indicate that the USP51/GRP78/ABCB1 network is a key contributor to the malignant progression and chemotherapeutic resistance of TNBC cells, underscoring the pivotal role of USP51 as a novel therapeutic target for cancer management.

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), has already brought, and will continue to bring, revolutionary changes to our daily production and life, as well as create new opportunities and challenges for diagnostic and therapeutic practices in the medical field. Haihe Hospital of Tianjin University collaborates with the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin, Tianjin University, and other institutions to carry out research in areas such as smart healthcare, smart services, and smart management. We have conducted research and development of a full-process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system based on GenAI in the field of smart healthcare. The development of this project is of great significance. The first goal is to upgrade and transform the hospital's information center, organically integrate it with existing information systems, and provide the necessary computing power storage support for intelligent services within the hospital. We have implemented the localized deployment of three models: Tianhe "Tianyuan", WiNGPT, and DeepSeek. The second is to create a digital avatar of the chief physician/chief physician's voice and image by integrating multimodal intelligent interaction technology. With generative intelligence as the core, this solution provides patients with a visual medical interaction solution. The third is to achieve deep adaptation between generative intelligence and the entire process of patient medical treatment. In this project, we have developed assistant tools such as intelligent inquiry, intelligent diagnosis and recognition, intelligent treatment plan generation, and intelligent assisted medical record generation to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of the diagnosis and treatment process. This study introduces the content of a full-process disease diagnosis and treatment assistance system, aiming to provide references and insights for the digital transformation of the healthcare industry.
Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Delivery of Health Care ; Generative Artificial Intelligence

Autoimmune hepatitis （AIH） is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic liver inflammation， with a gradually increasing incidence rate， and its social and medical burdens cannot be neglected. Intestinal microecology is becoming a research hotspot in the field of autoimmune disease. In recent years， it has been believed that changes in intestinal microecology can cause changes in autoimmune state， microbial metabolites， and intestinal barrier， which is one of the driving factors for the onset of AIH. Early diagnosis and correct treatment can help to improve the prognosis of AIH patients. This article introduces the characteristics of gut microbiota in AIH patients， elaborates on the impact of intestinal microflora imbalance on the pathogenesis of AIH， and briefly describes related treatment regimens from the perspective of intestinal microecology， so as to comprehensively understand and explain the role of intestinal microecology in AIH and the impact of intestinal microecology balance on the pathogenesis， diagnosis， and treatment of AIH.