1.Multi-label fundus disease classification using dual-branch deep learning: an intelligent diagnosis framework inspired by traditional Chinese medicine Five Wheels theory
Xin HE ; Xiaohui LI ; Jun PENG ; Lei LEI ; Dan SHU ; Li XIAO ; Qinghua PENG ; Xiaoxia XIAO
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(1):80-90
Objective:
To develop a dual-branch deep learning framework for accurate multi-label classification of fundus diseases, addressing the key limitations of insufficient complementary feature extraction and inadequate cross-modal feature fusion in existing automated diagnostic methods.
Methods:
The fundus multi-label classification dataset with 12 disease categories (FMLC-12) dataset was constructed by integrating complementary samples from Ocular Disease Intelligent Recognition (ODIR) and Retinal Fundus Multi-Disease Image Dataset (RFMiD), yielding 6 936 fundus images across 12 retinal pathology categories, and the framework was validated on both FMLC-12 and ODIR. Inspired by the holistic multi-regional assessment principle of the Five Wheels theory in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) ophthalmology, the dual-branch multi-label network (DBMNet) was developed as a novel framework integrating complementary visual feature extraction with pathological correlation modeling. The architecture employed a TransNeXt backbone within a dual-branch design: one branch processed red-green-blue (RGB) images to capture color-dependent features, such as vascular patterns and lesion morphology, while the other processed grayscale-converted images to enhance subtle textural details and contrast variations. A feature interaction module (FIM) effectively integrated the multi-scale features from both branches. Comprehensive ablation studies were conducted to evaluate the contributions of the dual-branch architecture and the FIM. The performance of DBMNet was compared against four state-of-the-art methods, including EfficientNet Ensemble, transfer learning-based convolutional neural network (CNN), BFENet, and EyeDeep-Net, using mean average precision (mAP), F1-score, and Cohen's kappa coefficient.
Results:
The dual-branch architecture improved mAP by 15.44 percentage points over the single-branch TransNeXt baseline, increasing from 34.41% to 44.24%, and the addition of FIM further boosted mAP to 49.85%. On FMLC-12, DBMNet achieved an mAP of 49.85%, a Cohen’s kappa coefficient of 62.14%, and an F1-score of 70.21%. Compared with BFENet (mAP: 45.42%, kappa: 46.64%, F1-score: 71.34%), DBMNet outperformed it by 4.43 percentage points in mAP and 15.50 percentage points in kappa, while BFENet achieved a marginally higher F1-score. On ODIR, DBMNet achieved an F1-score of 85.50%, comparable to state-of-the-art methods.
Conclusion
DBMNet effectively integrates RGB and grayscale visual modalities through a dual-branch architecture, significantly improving multi-label fundus disease classification. The framework not only addresses the issue of insufficient feature fusion in existing methods but also demonstrates outstanding performance in balancing detection across both common and rare diseases, providing a promising and clinically applicable pathway for standardized, intelligent fundus disease classification.
2.Pharmaceutical care for the HIV-negative patient with disseminated Talaromyces marneffei osteomyelitis complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis
China Pharmacy 2025;36(16):2062-2066
OBJECTIVE To provide references for pharmaceutical care in the anti-infective treatment of disseminated Talaromyces marneffei (TM)osteomyelitis complicated with pulmonary tuberculosis in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patient. METHODS Clinical pharmacists participated in the entire treatment process of a HIV-negative patient with disseminated TM osteomyelitis complicated by pulmonary tuberculosis. The pharmacist assisted the clinician in formulating an individualized treatment plan and improving the diagnosis based on the patient’s clinical symptoms, signs, laboratory tests, and imaging findings. Recommendations included the use of amphotericin B cholesteryl sulfate complex for antifungal therapy, the completion of a tuberculin skin test and sputum acid-fast bacilli test. The pharmacist monitored the patient’s clinical manifestations and laboratory results in real time. Upon timely detection of hypokalemia in the patient, after analyzing the causes, oral and then intravenous potassium supplementation was sequentially recommended, along with adjustments to the treatment plan (switching to itraconazole and combining it with a four-drug antituberculosis regimen of isoniazid+rifampicin+pyrazinamide+ethambutol). Meanwhile, monitoring of itraconazole blood concentration was also advised. Additionally, the clinical pharmacist closely monitored the patient’s medication adherence and provided medication education. RESULTS The clinicians accepted the clinical pharmacist’s recommendations. The patient improved after treatment and was discharged. One-year follow-up showed that the patient was cured without adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS Amphotericin B cholesteryl sulfate complex is an effective therapeutic agent for disseminated TM osteomyelitis in HIV-negative patients. Prolonging the course of treatment can prevent recurrence. During therapy, clinical pharmacists should strengthen pharmaceutical care as well as provide medication and health education to ensure patient safety.
3.Hypobaric hypoxia promotes macrophage necroptosis and atherosclerotic plaque in-stability in mice
Tao HU ; Yingrong HE ; Wushuai WANG ; Xi YANG ; Qinghua DUAN ; Xuan DU ; Qiang WANG
Chinese Journal of Arteriosclerosis 2025;33(3):219-226
Aim To investigate the effect of hypobaric hypoxia on macrophage necroptosis and atherosclerotic plaque instability and explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages were i-solated and cultured,and divided into control group(21%oxygen concentration)and hypoxia group(3%oxygen concen-tration).After 48 hours,cell necroptosis was detected,and the expression of cell necroptosis related proteins was deter-mined by Western blot.Healthy male ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into control group and hypobaric hypoxia group.After the intervention for 16 weeks,the plasma lipids and inflammatory cytokines were measured,the areas of ath-erosclerotic plaque and necrotic core were evaluated by HE staining.The content of plaque collagen was detected by Mas-son staining.The number of macrophages in the plaque and the expression of necrotic apoptosis related proteins were de-tected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.Results Hypoxia induced increased necrotic apoptosis of macrophages(P<0.01),while necroptotic inhibitor necrostatin-1(Nec-1)reduced hypoxia induced cell death(P<0.05);hypoxia leads to a decrease in the expression of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1(ADAR1)in macrophages(P<0.01),and an increase in the expression of Z-DNA binding protein 1(ZBP1),phosphorylated receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase(p-RIPK3),and phosphorylated mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein(p-MLKL)(all P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the plasma lipid levels of ApoE-/-mice in the hypobaric hypoxia group did not change significantly(P>0.05),the plasma inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and MCP-1)increased(all P<0.05),the area of atherosclerotic plaque increased(P<0.05),the area of plaque necrotic core increased,the content of plaque collagen decreased,the number of macrophages increased,the expression of ADAR1 decreased,and the expres-sion of ZBP1 and p-MLKL increased(all P<0.01).Conclusion Hypobaric hypoxia causes the imbalance of A-DAR1/ZBP1 expression in macrophages,activates RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway,promotes macrophage necroptosis,in-creases the area of plaque necrosis core,and leads to increase instability of atherosclerotic plaque.
4.Insights from the Development Process of Traditional Chinese Medicine Chronic Disease Management Guidelines for Menopausal Women with Emotional Disorders(DB44/T 2547-2024)
Guanglian HE ; Jianong YU ; Xuchun HUANG ; Weizhi FAN ; Yuanxiu CHEN ; Jingling HE ; Xiaoyun WANG ; Qinghua GUO
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;42(11):2868-2876
This article outlines the formulation process of the local standard of Traditional Chinese Medicine Chronic Disease Management Guideline for Menopausal Women with Emotional Disorders(DB44/T 2547-2024;hereafter referred to as the"Guideline").By analyzing its structural framework and content,this study elucidates the TCM-specific chronic disease management strategies incorporated in the Guidelines,aiming to supply references to the development of similar standards and provide guidance for TCM chronic disease management practices.The development for the Guideline involved a multi-dimensional evidence collection process,including literature review,summary of expert experience,and expert consultations.By employing a multi-dimensional evidence-based approach,the Guideline has effectively integrated diverse evidence sources,and ensures the standard formulation being scientific and precise.The Guideline proposes the requirements for TCM-specific chronic disease management of menopausal women with emotional disorders firstly.By incorporating TCM lifestyle regulation,TCM emotional management,TCM dietary therapy,medication guidance,exercise therapies,and distinctive external treatments,the Guideline has developed into a comprehensive TCM chronic disease management system for prevention,treatment,rehabilitation and health preservation.The integrated approach effectively reduces the recurrence of emotional disorder and enhances quality of life of the patients.
5.Construction and characterization of single-framework fully synthetic nanobody libraries.
Ying LUO ; Yanping LI ; Qinghua HE ; Zhui TU
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(4):1500-1514
This study is designed to address the development, synthesis, and screening of non-animal-derived nanoantibody libraries. Furthermore, it seeks to elucidate the impact of framework region selection and complementarity-determining region (CDR) design on the characteristics of synthesized nanoantibody libraries. These investigations aim to establish a robust theoretical and technical foundation for enhancing the efficacy, diversity, and practical applicability of synthetic nanoantibody libraries. In this study, a new framework (IGHV3S65*01-IGHJ4*01) was identified based on the high-throughput sequencing results of natural nanobodies, and degenerate primers were designed based on the frequency of amino acids at each position in the complementarity-determining region (CDR) region to synthesize the coding fragments of nanobodies by overlap PCR. After 40 times of electro-transformation, a single-frame synthesized nanobody library (SS-Library) containing 6×109 clones was obtained, and the titer of the library was demonstrated to be 1013 PFU/mL after rescue by the helper phage M13K07. Random 48 single colonies were picked for PCR, which revealed an insertion rate of 95.8%. Sanger sequencing results showed that 38 clones had complete sequences, none of which showed cysteines or stop codons, and no identical sequences appeared, suggesting that the library had higher diversity. The library was screened and validated with three antigens, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), acetylcholinesterase (AchE), and immunoglobulin G (IgG). Finally, 2 nanobodies against BSA, 10 against AchE, and 15 against IgG were obtained. One positive clone of each antigen was singled out for recombinant expression, and the results showed that all the three nanobodies were expressed in a soluble form. The binding activity of recombinantly expressed nanobodies was evaluated using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and bio-layer interferometry (BLI). The results demonstrated that the anti-AChE and anti-IgG nanobodies exhibited specific binding to their respective antigens, with affinity constants (KD) of 294 nmol/L and 250 nmol/L, respectively. The nanobody synthetic library preparation method proposed in this study is simple and easy to use with low preference, and it is expected to be a universal nanobody discovery platform for the preparation and development of lead specific nanobodies.
Single-Domain Antibodies/biosynthesis*
;
Peptide Library
;
Complementarity Determining Regions/immunology*
;
Animals
6.Stability analysis and recognition of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation signals
Song LIU ; Donghui LIU ; Qinghua MENG ; Dehua HE
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2025;42(9):1221-1228
The clinical detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(PAF)remains challenging due to its transient and stochastic characteristics,and existing dynamic mode decomposition methods have limitations in modal redundancy reduction and feature extraction when processing single-channel noisy electrocardiogram(ECG)signals.Therefore,a signal analysis method based on high-order dynamic mode decomposition is proposed.It captures high-order correlations within ECG signals through tensor decomposition techniques and decomposes complex signals into physically interpretable dynamic modes.A stability evaluation framework for signal subsystem is established based on modal interaction relationships.By incorporating quantitative indicators including proportion of modes reflecting system instability,modal distribution entropy,and eigenvalue spectrum divergence,a feature discrimination model for PAF is developed.Experimental validation using the MIT-BIH atrial fibrillation database reveals statistically significant differences(P<0.05)in stability-related features between PAF episodes and normal sinus rhythms.The classification model based on support vector machine achieves an average recognition accuracy of 96.15%.These results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively analyze nonlinear dynamic characteristics in noisy single-lead ECG signals,thereby establishing a novel quantitative analytical framework for early detection and accurate diagnosis of PAF.
7.Construction and expression of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ plasmid and identification of Cav1.2 channel binding
Hongmei WANG ; Xianghui WANG ; Wenzhu ZHANG ; Rui HE ; Tianzuo LIAO ; Qinghua GAO ; Liying HAO
Journal of China Medical University 2025;54(1):1-4,11
Objective To construct a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ(CaMKⅡ)long-fragment fusion protein plasmid;investigate the expression,extraction,and purification of CaMK Ⅱ;and identify its binding to the Cav1.2 channel.Methods The extracted pGEX-6p-1/CaMK Ⅱ long-fragment plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 receptor cells and cultured in a shaking incubator for 12 h.Isopropyl β-D-thiogalactoside was added to promote GST fusion protein expression.Next,the GST-CaMK Ⅱ long frag-ment was isolated and purified with GS-4B using dithiothreitol(DTT)combined with ultrasonic crushing.After treatment with the PreScis-sion protease,the GST label was removed to obtain the CaMK Ⅱ long-fragment protein.The molecular weight and relative purity of the CaMKⅡ long-fragment protein were determined using 15%sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE).The concentration of the purified protein was determined using the Bradford method.The binding ability of the CaMK Ⅱ long-fragment pro-tein to the Cav1.2 channel protein was evaluated using the pull-down method combined with Western blotting.Results The sequencing results showed that the CaMK Ⅱ long fragment was successfully constructed.A CaMK Ⅱ long-fragment protein with high purity and con-centration was obtained using DTT combined with ultrasonic crushing.This protein can bind to the CT1 protein of cardiac Cav1.2 calcium channel.Conclusion In this study,we successfully constructed a CaMKⅡ long-fragment plasmid.The CaMKⅡ long-fragment protein was extracted and purified,and was determined to bind to Cav1.2 channel proteins and exhibit biological activity.Collectively,this study provides a basis for further study of the function of CaMK Ⅱ.
8.Application progress of high-intensity interval training in cardiac rehabilitation for elderly patients with coronary heart disease
Yanwen HE ; Qinghua LU ; Hongbing ZHAO ; He ZHUANG ; Zhaohui YAN ; Jinhu SHI
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(1):89-94
This review summarizes the concept and prescription classification of high-intensity interval training, its current application in cardiac rehabilitation, its effects on cardiac rehabilitation, and its feasibility. The goal is to provide a reference for the application and promotion of HIIT intervention in elderly patients with coronary heart disease in China.
9.Hypobaric hypoxia promotes macrophage necroptosis and atherosclerotic plaque in-stability in mice
Tao HU ; Yingrong HE ; Wushuai WANG ; Xi YANG ; Qinghua DUAN ; Xuan DU ; Qiang WANG
Chinese Journal of Arteriosclerosis 2025;33(3):219-226
Aim To investigate the effect of hypobaric hypoxia on macrophage necroptosis and atherosclerotic plaque instability and explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods Mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages were i-solated and cultured,and divided into control group(21%oxygen concentration)and hypoxia group(3%oxygen concen-tration).After 48 hours,cell necroptosis was detected,and the expression of cell necroptosis related proteins was deter-mined by Western blot.Healthy male ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into control group and hypobaric hypoxia group.After the intervention for 16 weeks,the plasma lipids and inflammatory cytokines were measured,the areas of ath-erosclerotic plaque and necrotic core were evaluated by HE staining.The content of plaque collagen was detected by Mas-son staining.The number of macrophages in the plaque and the expression of necrotic apoptosis related proteins were de-tected by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.Results Hypoxia induced increased necrotic apoptosis of macrophages(P<0.01),while necroptotic inhibitor necrostatin-1(Nec-1)reduced hypoxia induced cell death(P<0.05);hypoxia leads to a decrease in the expression of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1(ADAR1)in macrophages(P<0.01),and an increase in the expression of Z-DNA binding protein 1(ZBP1),phosphorylated receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase(p-RIPK3),and phosphorylated mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein(p-MLKL)(all P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the plasma lipid levels of ApoE-/-mice in the hypobaric hypoxia group did not change significantly(P>0.05),the plasma inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and MCP-1)increased(all P<0.05),the area of atherosclerotic plaque increased(P<0.05),the area of plaque necrotic core increased,the content of plaque collagen decreased,the number of macrophages increased,the expression of ADAR1 decreased,and the expres-sion of ZBP1 and p-MLKL increased(all P<0.01).Conclusion Hypobaric hypoxia causes the imbalance of A-DAR1/ZBP1 expression in macrophages,activates RIPK3/MLKL signaling pathway,promotes macrophage necroptosis,in-creases the area of plaque necrosis core,and leads to increase instability of atherosclerotic plaque.
10.Stability analysis and recognition of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation signals
Song LIU ; Donghui LIU ; Qinghua MENG ; Dehua HE
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2025;42(9):1221-1228
The clinical detection of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation(PAF)remains challenging due to its transient and stochastic characteristics,and existing dynamic mode decomposition methods have limitations in modal redundancy reduction and feature extraction when processing single-channel noisy electrocardiogram(ECG)signals.Therefore,a signal analysis method based on high-order dynamic mode decomposition is proposed.It captures high-order correlations within ECG signals through tensor decomposition techniques and decomposes complex signals into physically interpretable dynamic modes.A stability evaluation framework for signal subsystem is established based on modal interaction relationships.By incorporating quantitative indicators including proportion of modes reflecting system instability,modal distribution entropy,and eigenvalue spectrum divergence,a feature discrimination model for PAF is developed.Experimental validation using the MIT-BIH atrial fibrillation database reveals statistically significant differences(P<0.05)in stability-related features between PAF episodes and normal sinus rhythms.The classification model based on support vector machine achieves an average recognition accuracy of 96.15%.These results demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively analyze nonlinear dynamic characteristics in noisy single-lead ECG signals,thereby establishing a novel quantitative analytical framework for early detection and accurate diagnosis of PAF.

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