1.Phenomics of traditional Chinese medicine 2.0: the integration with digital medicine
Min Xu ; Xinyi Shao ; Donggeng Guo ; Xiaojing Yan ; Lei Wang ; Tao Yang ; Hao LIANG ; Qinghua PENG ; Lingyu Linda Ye ; Haibo Cheng ; Dayue Darrel Duan
Digital Chinese Medicine 2025;8(3):282-299
Abstract
Modern western medicine typically focuses on treating specific symptoms or diseases, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) emphasizes the interconnections of the body’s various systems under external environment and takes a holistic approach to preventing and treating diseases. Phenomics was initially introduced to the field of TCM in 2008 as a new discipline that studies the laws of integrated and dynamic changes of human clinical phenomes under the scope of the theories and practices of TCM based on phenomics. While TCM Phenomics 1.0 has initially established a clinical phenomic system centered on Zhenghou (a TCM definition of clinical phenome), bottlenecks remain in data standardization, mechanistic interpretation, and precision intervention. Here, we systematically elaborates on the theoretical foundations, technical pathways, and future challenges of integrating digital medicine with TCM phenomics under the framework of “TCM phenomics 2.0”, which is supported by digital medicine technologies such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, medical digital twins, and multi-omics integration. This framework aims to construct a closed-loop system of “Zhenghou–Phenome–Mechanism–Intervention” and to enable the digitization, standardization, and precision of disease diagnosis and treatment. The integration of digital medicine and TCM phenomics not only promotes the modernization and scientific transformation of TCM theory and practice but also offers new paradigms for precision medicine. In practice, digital tools facilitate multi-source clinical data acquisition and standardization, while AI and big data algorithms help reveal the correlations between clinical Zhenghou phenomes and molecular mechanisms, thereby improving scientific rigor in diagnosis, efficacy evaluation, and personalized intervention. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including data quality and standardization issues, shortage of interdisciplinary talents, and insufficiency of ethical and legal regulations. Future development requires establishing national data-sharing platforms, strengthening international collaboration, fostering interdisciplinary professionals, and improving ethical and legal frameworks. Ultimately, this approach seeks to build a new disease identification and classification system centered on phenomes and to achieve the inheritance, innovation, and modernization of TCM diagnostic and therapeutic patterns.
2.Circulating tumor DNA- and cancer tissue-based next-generation sequencing reveals comparable consistency in targeted gene mutations for advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Weijia HUANG ; Kai XU ; Zhenkun LIU ; Yifeng WANG ; Zijia CHEN ; Yanyun GAO ; Renwang PENG ; Qinghua ZHOU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(7):851-858
BACKGROUND:
Molecular subtyping is an essential complementarity after pathological analyses for targeted therapy. This study aimed to investigate the consistency of next-generation sequencing (NGS) results between circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based and tissue-based in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and identify the patient characteristics that favor ctDNA testing.
METHODS:
Patients who diagnosed with NSCLC and received both ctDNA- and cancer tissue-based NGS before surgery or systemic treatment in Lung Cancer Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital between December 2017 and August 2022 were enrolled. A 425-cancer panel with a HiSeq 4000 NGS platform was used for NGS. The unweighted Cohen's kappa coefficient was employed to discriminate the high-concordance group from the low-concordance group with a cutoff value of 0.6. Six machine learning models were used to identify patient characteristics that relate to high concordance between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS.
RESULTS:
A total of 85 patients were enrolled, of which 22.4% (19/85) had stage III disease and 56.5% (48/85) had stage IV disease. Forty-four patients (51.8%) showed consistent gene mutation types between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS, while one patient (1.2%) tested negative in both approaches. Patients with advanced diseases and metastases to other organs would be suitable for the ctDNA-based NGS, and the generalized linear model showed that T stage, M stage, and tumor mutation burden were the critical discriminators to predict the consistency of results between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS.
CONCLUSION
ctDNA-based NGS showed comparable detection performance in the targeted gene mutations compared with tissue-based NGS, and it could be considered in advanced or metastatic NSCLC.
Humans
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Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology*
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Circulating Tumor DNA/blood*
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High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods*
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Female
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Male
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Lung Neoplasms/pathology*
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Middle Aged
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Mutation/genetics*
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Aged
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Adult
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Aged, 80 and over
3.Urban drinking water quality in Anhui Province in 2014-2022
Yanlong XU ; Lei MA ; Xiaoliang FENG ; Zhiqiang WANG ; Xinmiao SUI ; Fei LI ; Li ZHENG ; Qinghua XU
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(2):35-38
Objective To analyze the urban drinking water quality and its influencing factors in Anhui Province from 2014 to 2022, and to provide a scientific basis for water quality improvement and protection. Methods The data were collected, saved and monitored according to the Standard Test Method for Drinking Water (GB/T5750-2006) and evaluated according to the Hygienic Standard for Drinking Water (GB 5749-2006). Results A total of 20 941 samples were collected, and the overall qualified rate was 84.26%. The qualified rate of urban drinking water increased from 76.9% in 2014 to 93.3% in 2022, and the qualified rate of water quality was on the rise (χ2=544.43, P<0.01). From 2014 to 2022, the qualified rate of water quality in dry season was higher than that in wet season (χ2=35.98, P<0.001), the qualified rate of surface water was higher than that of ground water (χ2=4440.8, P<0.001), and the qualified rate of peripheral tap water was higher than that of factory water (χ2=145.1, P<0.001). Among all kinds of disinfection methods, chlorination disinfection had the highest qualified rate (χ2=1483.8, P<0.001). The qualified rate of water quality increased with the increase of the scale of water plant. Among the inspected indicators, the main unqualified indicators were chlorine dioxide (7.72%), fluoride (7.41%), free residual chlorine (3.90%), and total bacterial count (2.13%). Conclusion The passing rate of urban drinking water quality in Anhui Province is on an upward trend, and the quality of urban drinking water has improved. However, it is still important to pay attention to the problem of excessive microorganism and fluoride in water, and the quality of drinking water varies from place to place.
4.RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) exacerbates cellular senescence by mediating ribosome pausing.
Haoxian ZHOU ; Shu WU ; Bin LI ; Rongjinlei ZHANG ; Ying ZOU ; Mibu CAO ; Anhua XU ; Kewei ZHENG ; Qinghua ZHOU ; Jia WANG ; Jinping ZHENG ; Jianhua YANG ; Yuanlong GE ; Zhanyi LIN ; Zhenyu JU
Protein & Cell 2025;16(11):953-967
Loss of protein homeostasis is a hallmark of cellular senescence, and ribosome pausing plays a crucial role in the collapse of proteostasis. However, our understanding of ribosome pausing in senescent cells remains limited. In this study, we utilized ribosome profiling and G-quadruplex RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing techniques to explore the impact of RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) on the translation efficiency in senescent cells. Our results revealed a reduction in the translation efficiency of rG4-rich genes in senescent cells and demonstrated that rG4 structures within coding sequence can impede translation both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, we observed a significant increase in the abundance of rG4 structures in senescent cells, and the stabilization of the rG4 structures further exacerbated cellular senescence. Mechanistically, the RNA helicase DHX9 functions as a key regulator of rG4 abundance, and its reduced expression in senescent cells contributing to increased ribosome pausing. Additionally, we also observed an increased abundance of rG4, an imbalance in protein homeostasis, and reduced DHX9 expression in aged mice. In summary, our findings reveal a novel biological role for rG4 and DHX9 in the regulation of translation and proteostasis, which may have implications for delaying cellular senescence and the aging process.
G-Quadruplexes
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Cellular Senescence
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Ribosomes/genetics*
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Humans
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Animals
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Mice
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DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics*
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Protein Biosynthesis
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RNA/chemistry*
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Neoplasm Proteins
5.Kinematics Study on Gate-Turning Technique of Sit-Skiers in Winter Paralympic Alpine Skiing
Xiangdong WANG ; Zhiyi XU ; Qinghua XU ; Zongxiang HU
Journal of Medical Biomechanics 2025;40(4):1005-1011,1026
Objective To investigate the kinematic patterns of gate-turning techniques in sitting alpine skiing at the Winter Paralympic Games and their impacts on skiing performance.Methods Using drone footage and inertial sensor technology,kinematic data were collected from 11 alpine sit-skiers preparing for the Winter Paralympics.Key technical indicators such as turning radius,skiing speed,and trajectory length were analyzed for their relationship with skiing performance.Results The minimum turning radius during gate turns was(15.80±3.55)m,and turning radius showed a significant positive correlation with skiing time(r=0.40,P=0.02)and trajectory length(r=0.88,P<0.01).The maximum skiing speed was(16.92±1.60)m/s,which was strongly negatively correlated with total skiing time(P<0.01).Exit speed was also significantly positively correlated with total skiing distance(P<0.05).Additionally,single-gate technical characteristics(such as turning radius and speed variation),were strongly reflective of overall skiing performance.Conclusions Optimizing turning radius and minimizing speed loss are critical for improving skiing efficiency.Single-gate kinematic analysis provides a scientific basis for overall technique optimization and offers valuable guidance for training and competition strategy design.
6.Status and influencing factors of elevated blood pressure among manufacturing workers in Foshan City
Zhiheng XU ; Qinghua ZHONG ; Xudong LI ; Wei XU ; Fu CHEN ; Wanxia CHEN ; Qiang TAN
China Occupational Medicine 2025;52(6):637-642
Objective To analyze the elevated blood pressure status and its influencing factors among manufacturing workers in Foshan City. Methods A total of 565 795 manufacturing workers who underwent occupational medical examinations in Foshan City from 2017 to 2023 were included. Data of workers were obtained from the Guangdong Provincial Key Occupational Disease Monitoring and Management Platform. The influencing factors of elevated blood pressure were analyzed using descriptive epidemiological methods. Results A total of 89 526 cases of elevated blood pressure were detected among the 565 795 workers, with a detection rate of 15.82%. From 2017 to 2023, the annual detection rate of elevated blood pressure was 14.11%, 15.00%, 14.69%, 15.94%, 17.00%, 16.90%, and 16.68%, respectively, showing an overall upward trend (P<0.01). The top three industries with the highest detection rates of elevated blood pressure were instrument and meter manufacturing; wood processing and the manufacture of wood, bamboo, rattan, palm, and straw products; as well as agricultural and sideline food processing. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that male workers had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure than female workers (P<0.01). The risk of elevated blood pressure in workers increased with age, years of occupational hazard exposure, and duration of dust exposure (all P<0.05). Workers exposed to noise for more than three years had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure than those without noise exposure (P<0.05). The risk of elevated blood pressure among workers in Nanhai, Shunde, and Gaoming districts was higher than that in Chancheng District (all P<0.01). Workers originating from Northeast and Northwest China had a higher risk of elevated blood pressure than those from North China (all P<0.05). Workers from smaller-scale enterprises had higher risk of elevated blood pressure (all P<0.01). Conclusion Targeted blood pressure health interventions in Foshan City should be strengthened for male manufacturing workers who are older, have longer working years, and originate from Northeast and Northwest China. The development of exemplary health enterprises should be promoted, particularly among micro- and small-sized enterprises and key industries. Enhanced occupational health management is especially needed for positions with high intensity noise exposure and high concentration dust exposure.
7.Carbon ion radiotherapy planning: a study of prescription dose conversion between microdosimetric kinetic model and local effect model
Zijie ZUO ; Zhiqiang LIU ; Qinghua ZHANG ; Xu HAN ; Tianqi DU ; Hongtao LUO ; Shilong SUN ; Yu ZHANG ; Qiuning ZHANG ; Xiaohu WANG
Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology 2025;34(2):151-159
Objective:In carbon ion treatment planning of water phantom, establish a conversion factor calculation system and conversion factor curves for organs at risk (OAR) for microdosimetric kinetic models (MKM) and local effect models (LEM), and validate them in clinical patient planning.Methods:Using a uniform spherical water phantom as the research object, relative biological effectiveness-weighted doses (RWD) for the LEM were re-calculated based on the physical dose of RayStation-MKM. The median dose within the planning target volume (PTV) of LEM and MKM was regarded as the conversion factor. The impacts of single-fraction target prescription dose, spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) width and depth, shape, and irradiation mode on the conversion factor were assessed, and a conversion factor calculation system was established. Additionally, the accuracy of the conversion factor calculation system was validated using both water phantoms and clinical patient cases. The conversion factor curves for OAR were computed based on clinical patient treatment plans.Results:The primary influencing factors for the conversion factors were the single-fraction prescription dose, target SOBP width and depth. The conversion factors were increased with the increase of SOBP width and target depth, whereas decreased with the increase of the single-fraction prescription dose. Under single-field irradiation, a conversion factor calculation system was established based on above 3 parameters. For the plans of 9 patients, the average difference between the calculated results and the conversion factor calculation system was 0.340% ± 0.203%, and the average difference in the conversion curves for OAR was 2.650% ± 2.399%.Conclusion:A dose conversion factor calculation system and conversion factor curves for OAR for carbon ion radiotherapy are established for MKM and LEM, and their accuracy meets the requirements for use in clinical patient treatment plans.
8.To Explore the Biological Connotation of Dampness-Heat Syndrome of Spleen and Stomach Based on the Correspondence Between Syndrome and Prescription under the Mode of Combining Disease and Syndrome
Hailin YAN ; Wenliang LYU ; Jing XU ; Shuhan ZHOU ; Qinghua GAO ; Siyi ZHANG ; Hanlin ZHANG ; Lin YU ; Xiaohui XU
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(6):1501-1508
Dampness-heat syndrome of the spleen and stomach refers to the evil dampness-heat invading the spleen and stomach,the abnormal rise and fall of the middle jiaoqi machinery,dampness-heat depression and steaming,the physiological dysfunction of the spleen and stomach,with abdominal distention and distention,nausea and lethargy of the limbs,poor loose stool,red tongue and yellow greasy fur,and slippery pulse as the main symptoms of the syndrome,most common in digestive system diseases,among which chronic gastritis is the first.This paper summarized the research results in the past decade and related fields.In the mode of combination of disease and syndrome,based on the principle of corresponding prescription and syndrome,combined with the etiology and pathogenesis evolution of spleen and stomach damp-heat syndrome,the biological connotation of spleen and stomach damp-heat syndrome was explained from various aspects such as inflammation and immune disorders,gastrointestinal motivity disorders,water and humidity loss,endoplasmic reticulum function,and micro-ecological disorders.Enrich the research of the essence of syndrome.
9.Structural equation analysis and modeling of upper limb WMSDs and their adverse ergonomic factors
Siwu ZHONG ; Ning JIA ; Xin SUN ; Meibian ZHANG ; Qing XU ; Huadong ZHANG ; Ruijie LING ; Yimin LIU ; Gang LI ; Yan YIN ; Hua SHAO ; Jue LI ; Hengdong ZHANG ; Bing QIU ; Dayu WANG ; Qiang ZENG ; Rugang WANG ; Yan YE ; Bin XIAO ; Hua ZOU ; Jianchao CHEN ; Dongxia LI ; Yongquan LIU ; Qinghua SHI ; Jixiang LIU ; Enfei JIANG ; Jun QI ; Liangying MEI ; Xianfeng ZHAO ; Mimi YANG ; Xinwei GUO ; Zhi WANG ; Zhongxu WANG
Chinese Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Diseases 2025;43(4):254-263
Objective:To explore the structural relationship between WMSDs in the upper limbs and various risk factors in the occupational population in China, based on a large sample epidemiological survey and structural equation analysis, and to establish a structural equation model, so as to lay a foundation for the prevention and control of such diseases.Methods:The Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Disorders Electronic Questionnaire was used to conduct a nationwide survey on the prevalence of WMSDs in the upper extremity. Six factors related to WMSDs in the upper extremity were extracted by the classification standard of adverse ergonomic factors and their source and confirmatory factor analysis, including work organization, work type, upper extremity work posture, individual factors, upper extremity fatigue and upper extremity WMSDs. The structural equation analysis was carried out and the structural equation model was established.Results:The incidence of WMSDs and fatigue in the upper limbs was 24.44% and 43.76%, respectively. The adjusted structural equation model fitting indicators were generally up to the standard (GFI=1.000, AGFI=1.000, RMSEA=0.043, NFI=0.808, TLI=0.784) . The four exogenous latent variables of work organization, work type, upper limb work posture and individual factors were correlated. There was a strong positive correlation between job type and upper limb work posture ( r=0.865) , a moderate positive correlation between work organization and job type and upper limb work posture ( r=0.570, 0.490) , and a weak negative correlation between individual factors and the other three exogenous latent variables. Upper limb work posture and individual factors had direct effects on upper limb WMSDs, and the effect coefficients were 0.10 and 0.06, respectively. Upper limb fatigue played a mediating role between work organization, work type, upper limb work posture and upper limb WMSDs. The effect coefficient was 0.46, and the composition ratios of indirect effects were 100.0%, 100.0%, and 38.3%, respectively. The direct path effect of upper limb work posture, individual factors and upper limb WMSDs was weaker than the mediating path through upper limb fatigue. Conclusion:When carrying out the prevention and control of upper limbWMSDs, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the pathogenesis path of upper limb muscle fatigue and upper limb WMSDs caused by work organization, work type, and upper limb work posture, so as to provide theoretical reference for improving the prevention and control level of such diseases.
10.Biomechanical characteristics of different orthopedic modalities for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis based on finite element simulation analysis
Bo YUE ; Zhenhua CAO ; Yunfeng ZHANG ; Yangyang XU ; Feng JIN ; Baoke SU ; Lidong WANG ; Xing WANG ; Ling TONG ; Qinghua LIU ; Yuan FANG ; Lirong SHA ; Haiyan WANG ; Xiaohe LI ; Zhijun LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(15):3129-3137
BACKGROUND:The asymmetrical biomechanical environment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis can lead to further wedge deformation of the vertebral body,which may affect cardiopulmonary function and compress nerves in severe cases.Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with different degrees of scoliosis should be treated with exercise,bracing,and surgery.However,the mechanical mechanism of selecting an orthopedic approach remains unclear due to the individual variability of patients.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the biomechanical mechanism of different orthopedic modalities for the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis to provide a basis for clinical selection of treatment modalities based on the spine model of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.METHODS:Based on the CT images of an adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patient,a scoliosis model(C7-L5)was reconstructed in Mimics software in three dimensions,and lateral thrust force was applied at the T8/T9 thorax and vertical distraction force was applied over the C7 vertebra with the magnitude of 20,40,60,80,100,and 120 N.The intervertebral disc stress and vertebral displacement in concave and convex sides,and Cobb angle of the spine were analyzed under two orthopedic modalities.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)With lateral thrust,there was no significant change in the C7T1-T7T8 intervertebral disc.The concave and convex stress of T7T8-L4L5 segment decreased first and then increased with the increase of lateral thrust force.The correction effect of lateral thrust on the segment near T8T9 was obvious and weakened with the extension of the segment to the cephalic and caudal ends.At 120 N of lateral thrust,the thoracic Cobb angle changed from 53.2° to 32.5° and the lumbar Cobb angle changed from 50.2° to 43.9°.(2)With the vertical distraction,the thoracic intervertebral disc stresses first decreased and then increased,and all the lumbar disc stresses decreased.The C7 displacement was the most obvious,and the correction effect gradually diminished with the segment extended to the caudal end.At a vertical distraction force of 120 N,the thoracic Cobb angle changed from 53.2° to 39.4° and the lumbar Cobb angle changed from 50.2° to 47.6°.(3)It is concluded that both orthopedic modalities provide improvement in the degree of scoliosis,with the thoracic correction being greater than the lumbar correction.Also,the asymmetric stress distribution on the concave and convex sides is improved,which contributes to normal bone growth.A vertical distraction approach is appropriate for larger Cobb angles,and a lateral thrust approach is appropriate for smaller Cobb angles.The results of this study help to understand the mechanism of spinal orthosis and provide a theoretical basis for the choice of orthopedic approach.


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