1.Mechanism and Clinical Research Progress of Puerarin in Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure
Wenjie LU ; Siqi ZHONG ; Lu ZHANG ; Wenting LIN ; Zhijun ZENG ; Shaohua WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):327-336
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is an end-stage cardiac syndrome driven by multiple factors. Its pathological process involves interactions of multiple pathways such as energy metabolism dysfunction, neuroendocrine dysregulation, and myocardial fibrosis. Although current clinical medicine can alleviate symptoms through single-target approaches, significant limitations in reversing cardiac remodeling and disease progression remain. Puerarin, a major bioactive isoflavone constituent derived from Pueraria lobata, exhibits multidimensional pharmacological effects, such as vasodilatory effects, regulation of neuroendocrine balance, enhancement of metabolic homeostasis, and suppression of myocardial apoptosis. This review systematically integrated puerarin's multi-target regulatory network, elucidating its mechanisms such as improving energy metabolism by AMP-activated protein kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin (AMPK/mTOR) pathway, inhibiting fibrosis mediated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signals, and attenuating oxidative-inflammatory cascades by regulating nuclear factor erythroid 2 (E2)-related factor 2/nuclear transcription factor-κB(Nrf2/NF-κB) axis. Clinical research data was used to validate its efficacy in improving the left ventricular ejection function and reducing the therapeutic potential of cardiovascular events' risks. The study proposed that puerarin's "systemic regulation" characteristic breaks through the limitations of traditional single-target drugs and prospected its clinical translation pathway based on metabolomics and nano-delivery technology, offering an integrative perspective from molecular mechanisms to precise therapy for the research on modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.
2.Mechanism and Clinical Research Progress of Puerarin in Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure
Wenjie LU ; Siqi ZHONG ; Lu ZHANG ; Wenting LIN ; Zhijun ZENG ; Shaohua WANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):327-336
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is an end-stage cardiac syndrome driven by multiple factors. Its pathological process involves interactions of multiple pathways such as energy metabolism dysfunction, neuroendocrine dysregulation, and myocardial fibrosis. Although current clinical medicine can alleviate symptoms through single-target approaches, significant limitations in reversing cardiac remodeling and disease progression remain. Puerarin, a major bioactive isoflavone constituent derived from Pueraria lobata, exhibits multidimensional pharmacological effects, such as vasodilatory effects, regulation of neuroendocrine balance, enhancement of metabolic homeostasis, and suppression of myocardial apoptosis. This review systematically integrated puerarin's multi-target regulatory network, elucidating its mechanisms such as improving energy metabolism by AMP-activated protein kinase/mechanistic target of rapamycin (AMPK/mTOR) pathway, inhibiting fibrosis mediated by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad signals, and attenuating oxidative-inflammatory cascades by regulating nuclear factor erythroid 2 (E2)-related factor 2/nuclear transcription factor-κB(Nrf2/NF-κB) axis. Clinical research data was used to validate its efficacy in improving the left ventricular ejection function and reducing the therapeutic potential of cardiovascular events' risks. The study proposed that puerarin's "systemic regulation" characteristic breaks through the limitations of traditional single-target drugs and prospected its clinical translation pathway based on metabolomics and nano-delivery technology, offering an integrative perspective from molecular mechanisms to precise therapy for the research on modernization of traditional Chinese medicine.
3.Analysis of the application status of prescription pre-review systems in Yunnan province
Fan XU ; Wenjie YIN ; Kejia LI ; Zhengfu LI ; Jie CHEN ; Meixian WU ; Ruixiang CHEN ; Songmei LI ; Guowen ZHANG ; Te LI
China Pharmacy 2026;37(1):6-10
OBJECTIVE To investigate the application status of prescription pre-review systems in healthcare institutions of Yunnan province, evaluate their system functions and management capabilities, and provide a practical basis for promoting rational drug use. METHODS A questionnaire survey was conducted among public healthcare institutions at or above the secondary level in Yunnan province to investigate the deployment status of the systems. A capability maturity assessment framework was constructed, encompassing 6 dimensions and 39 indicators, including real-time prescription review, prescription correlation review, rule setting, evidence-based information support, prescription authority management, and system operation management. This framework was then used to evaluate the institutions that had implemented the pre-review systems. RESULTS A total of 100 valid questionnaires were collected, with 37 institutions having adopted prescription pre-review systems, mainly tertiary hospitals. The system predominantly adopted a modular architecture and was embedded into the hospital information system through application programming interfaces and middleware, providing certain capabilities for real-time prescription risk identification. Evaluation results indicated that basic functions such as reviewing indications, contraindications, and drug compatibility performed well, while deficiencies remained in functions related to parenteral nutrition prescription, review of drug dosage for specific diseases, individual patient characteristic recognition, and rule setting. Moreover, the construction of review centers and establishment of management systems were also not well-developed. CONCLUSIONS The overall application rate of prescription pre-review systems in Yunnan province remains low. System functions and management mechanisms require further improvement. It is recommended to enhance information infrastructure in lower-level institutions and explore regionally unified review models to promote standardized and intelligent development of prescription review practices.
4.Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulates Related Signaling Pathways to Prevent and Control Breast Cancer and Precancerous Lesions: A Review
Yifei ZENG ; Di ZHAO ; Junyue WANG ; Mengjie WANG ; Yubo GUO ; Yu ZHOU ; Dongxiao ZHANG ; Wenjie ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(5):290-301
Breast cancer has become the malignant tumor with the highest incidence rate among women, seriously threatening the life and health of women all over the world. The pathogenic factors and development mechanisms of breast cancer are complex and diverse. The development of breast cells from ordinary hyperplasia to atypical hyperplasia, and from pre-cancerous lesions to cancerous lesions, is a long-term progressive process. Therefore, early screening and prevention of breast cancer is particularly important. Western medicine has a relatively mature treatment program for breast cancer, which is mainly based on surgery and systemic treatment, whereas the ensuing complications and adverse reactions often bring a heavy burden to patients. For the precancerous lesions of breast cancer, surgery is also the mainstay of treatment. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has increasingly highlighted its advantages in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Increasing studies have shown that in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and pre-cancerous lesions, TCM compound prescriptions, single herbs or herb pairs, and active components are able to regulate a variety of intracellular signaling pathways through multi-targets to inhibit the proliferation and invasion, promote the apoptosis and autophagy of tumor cells, and regulate the cell cycle and the immune microenvironment, thus exerting anti-tumor effects. At the same time, they can significantly attenuate the toxic side effects of radiotherapy and drug resistance of patients. However, the specific mechanisms of TCM in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and precancerous lesions have not been fully clarified. The available studies are tanglesome regarding the TCM inhibition of tumor development through the regulation of classical signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Wnt/β-catenin, and Notch, which still need to be verified by a large number of clinical and experimental studies. Therefore, this paper reviews the research progress in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and precancerous lesions by TCM through interfering with the relevant signaling pathways in recent years, aiming to summarize the possible mechanisms of TCM in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and provide references for subsequent studies.
5.Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis Based on AMPK Signaling Pathway: A Review
Keqiu YAN ; Xiaoyu ZHANG ; Yifan CAI ; Wenjie XIAO ; Xinkun BAO ; Guangjun SUN ; Aizhen LIN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):341-351
Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease, involves multifaceted pathological mechanisms such as intestinal barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation, and oxidative stress. Current therapeutic strategies remain limited in efficacy and safety. In recent years, the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway has emerged as a pivotal therapeutic target for UC due to its central role in energy metabolism, inflammatory regulation, and intestinal homeostasis. This article systematically reviewed the mechanisms by which traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prevented and treated UC through the regulation of the AMPK signaling pathway, with a focus on elucidating AMPK's multidimensional regulatory network in inflammatory signaling crosstalk, alleviating oxidative stress, restoring intestinal immune balance, repairing the intestinal barrier, and modulating gut microbiota. Leveraging its unique advantages of multi-target engagement and low toxicity, TCM demonstrates promising potential in UC treatment and has become a focal area of research. By systematically summarizing and synthesizing the existing literature on TCM-mediated AMPK pathway modulation in UC, this review aims to provide a theoretical foundation for advancing mechanistic research and clinical interventions in UC.
6.Changes in health status and management strategies for workers in a chemical enterprise under low-level multiple occupational exposure
Xueting WANG ; Jiming ZHANG ; Yulai TIAN ; Zhiping DUAN ; Wenjie LI ; Chaoye SHEN ; Dasheng LU ; Zhijun ZHOU
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(6):693-701
Background Long-term occupational health surveillance facilitates the identification of chronic health risks arising from occupational hazard exposures. However, under low-level exposure conditions in chemical enterprises, traditional workplace-centered risk assessment models are insufficient to fully explain the observed health effects among workers, highlighting the need for individual-focused health management strategies that focus on the worker. Objective To characterize long-term health trends among workers in a chemical enterprise and examine the limitations of workplace hazard monitoring and health surveillance under low-level multiple exposure scenarios, thereby providing a scientific basis for more comprehensive worker health protection measures. Methods We analyzed 972 occupational health examination records collected over a 15-year period (2010–2024) from a chemical enterprise, integrating these with enterprise hazard monitoring reports and workshop air monitoring of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The annual counts and prevalences of abnormalities in liver function tests, metabolic syndrome-related indicators, and liver imaging were summarized. Temporal trends were evaluated using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. Time-related changes in abnormal health indicators among active workers were evaluated by generalized linear mixed-effects models (GLMMs), adjusting for age and sex. Individual longitudinal profiles were described for nine workers with continuous 15-year records. In addition, paired comparisons of health outcomes were conducted for 81 workers with both pre-employment and periodic examinations. Results Workplace hazard monitoring indicated that airborne concentrations of major occupational contaminants including VOCs, acids and bases, dust, and physical factors were below national occupational exposure limits. However, 62 VOC species—including chlorobenzene, chloromethane, and cyclohexane—were detected in workshop air, suggesting complex mixed organic solvent exposure. From 2010 to 2015, occupational health examination records were primarily based on physicians’ qualitative assessment, yielding generally low abnormality detection rates. During 2016–2024, data collection was complete, and the prevalences of abnormalities in liver function, metabolic syndrome-related indicators, and liver imaging among active workers remained relatively high. Trend analysis indicated that only the abnormality rates of total bilirubin (TBIL) and hypertension showed statistically significant temporal trends; other indicators exhibited no significant linear changes despite high prevalences. After adjusting for age and sex, the GLMMs showed that the abnormality rates of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), TBIL, and hypertension decreased over time, whereas those of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and fatty liver increased. In a subgroup of 9 workers with continuous 15-year follow-up data, the cumulative number of abnormal health indicators increased in several individuals after 2016. Among the 81 workers with both pre-employment and periodic records, abnormalities in total cholesterol, triglycerides, body mass index, and fatty liver were significantly more prevalent after employment over time, whereas changes in liver function enzymes were not statistically significant. Conclusion With increasing age, workers exhibit a gradual deterioration in liver function and metabolic-related health indicators, reaching abnormality rates comparable to those reported in the general population. These findings suggest that both workplace-related and non-occupational factors jointly contribute to the observed health changes. Consequently, occupational health management should shift towards an "individual-centered" approach. Enhancing workers' health literacy, strengthening workplace health promotion, and extending occupational health services beyond the workplace are essential to comprehensively protect workers' health.
7.Associations between usage behaviors of the artificial intelligence assistant “Xiaoyibao” and psychosocial outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer
Jun WANG ; Yuefen SHU ; Ling ZHANG ; Changming ZHOU ; Wenjie TANG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026;33(5):819-826
Objective To explore the correlation between the usage intensity and functional preference of the artificial intelligence assistant “Xiaoyibao” and anxiety symptoms and quality of life among patients with pancreatic cancer. Methods A total of 140 patients who were diagnosed with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in a tertiary grade A hospital from March 2024 to September 2025 and used “Xiaoyibao” were enrolled. One-off assessments were carried out from April to May 2026. Clinical data were extracted from electronic medical records. The Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) was adopted to evaluate anxiety, and the European organization for research and treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire-core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to assess quality of life past week (T1). The baseline EORTC QLQ-C30 score (T0) was obtained by asking patients to recall their status within 1 week before the first anti-tumor treatment (or within 2 weeks after diagnosis for those who had not received anti-tumor treatment). Participants were divided into a high-frequency group (cumulative usage>24 times, n=69) and a low-frequency group (cumulative usage≤24 times, n=71) based on the median cumulative usage times. They were also stratified into a psychological support group (n=70) and non-psychological support group (n=70) according to whether they used the psychological support module “Xingma Ailiao”. ANCOVA was used to compare HAMA score and EORTC_T1 score between groups. The multiple linear regression was used to analyze the dose-effect relationship between cumulative usage frequency and HAMA score. Results ANCOVA showed that after adjusting for age, sex, tumor stage, KPS score and disease duration, there was no statistically significant difference in the adjusted mean HAMA scores between the high-frequency and low-frequency groups. After adjustment for the aforementioned covariates and the baseline EORTC_T0, the difference in adjusted mean EORTC_T1 scores between the high-frequency and low-frequency groups reached marginal statistical significance (P=0.050). Compared with the non-psychological support group, psychological support group had lower adjusted mean HAMA score (P=0.024) and EORTC_T1 score (P=0.002). The multiple linear regression showed a marginally significant negative dose-effect relationship between cumulative “Xiaoyibao”usage times and HAMA score (each additional 10 usages corresponded to a reduction of approximately 0.68 points in HAMA score, P=0.050). Stratified analysis showed that this dose-effect trend was significant in the high-frequency group (Spearman ρ = −0.380, P=0.001), but not in the low-frequency group. Conclusions The use frequency of “Xiaoyibao” exceeding a certain threshold and the use of its psychological support function help reduce anxiety levels and improve quality of life in patients with pancreatic cancer. For the promotion and functional optimization of “Xiaoyibao”, the psychological support module should be prioritized.
8.Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Preventing and Treating Heart Failure Based on Macrophage Metabolism-Immune Regulatory Axis: A Review
Junlin ZHOU ; Xiaojiao ZHANG ; Jiahui CHEN ; Liyu LIN ; Shiyin ZHANG ; Yiyi CHEN ; Xiaoming DONG ; Wenjie LONG ; Huili LIAO ; Lu LU ; Zhongqi YANG ; Shihao NI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(23):269-282
Heart failure (HF) is the end-stage of various cardiovascular diseases, with high morbidity and mortality. The existing “new quadruple” standard treatment can hardly reverse the core pathological process of myocardial remodeling, and long-term medication may pose risks of drug resistance and adverse reactions. Therefore, new therapeutic targets and strategies are urgently needed. Metabolic reprogramming is the upstream core mechanism regulating phenotypic polarization and functional activation of macrophages, which drives the occurrence and development of HF through the core axis of metabolic reprogramming-immune imbalance-ventricular remodeling and has become a cutting-edge potential target for the prevention and treatment of HF. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in the prevention and treatment of HF. A large number of studies in recent years have confirmed that different therapeutic methods of TCM can correct the polarization imbalance, restore the homeostasis of myocardial immune microenvironment, inhibit myocardial injury, and delay the pathological process of HF by targeting and regulating the metabolic reprogramming of glucose, lipids, mitochondria, and amino acids in macrophages. This paper systematically expounds the core pathological mechanism of metabolic reprogramming of macrophages in HF, sorts out the research progress of TCM in preventing and treating HF by intervening this target, analyzes the regulatory rules, summarizes the limitations of existing research, and puts forward future directions. This review aims to provide a systematic theoretical reference and new research ideas for TCM clinical diagnosis and treatment and new drug development of HF.
9.Genomic characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 103 patients with intrapulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis
Jiancong ZHANG ; Chi WU ; Wenjie LAI ; Shan CHEN ; Peng XU ; Jiuxin QU
Chinese Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;48(4):512-519
Objective:To explore the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in different types of tuberculosis and its association with clinical features, providing evidence for precise diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. Methods:This cross-sectional study included 103 cases of tuberculosis (38 with simple pulmonary tuberculosis, 43 with tuberculous pleurisy, and 22 with pulmonary combined with extrapulmonary tuberculosis) from Shenzhen Third People′s Hospital from 2015 to 2018. Paired bacterial strains from lung and pleural effusion/extrapulmonary sites were collected. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used for drug resistance prediction, and genetic diversity (π value) was calculated as well as differential genes screening. Statistical analysis included paired t-tests and χ2 tests to compare clinical, bacteriological and genetic diversity features among groups.Results:The simple pulmonary tuberculosis group exhibited significantly higher rates of retreatment (71.7%, 27/38), cavitation (70.4%, 19/27), and multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant (MDR/RR) (60.5%, 23/38) compared to the tuberculous pleurisy group (retreatment 11.9%, 5/42; cavitation 11.9%, 5/42; MDR/RR 16.3%, 7/43) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis group (retreatment 9.1%, 2/22; cavitation 18.2%, 4/22; MDR/RR 13.6%, 3/22) ( P<0.05). The overall π values of the MTB strain genomes in lung [(5.94±3.93)×10 ?5], pleural effusion[(6.22±3.51)×10 ?5], and extrapulmonary tissues [(5.83±3.54)×10 ?5] showed no significant differences ( H=0.10, P=0.94). Differential gene diversity analysis revealed that π value alternating genes related to respiration and intermediate metabolism were prominently high [tuberculous pleurisy 32.4% (11/34) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis groups 31.4% (32/102)], while cell wall-associated genes dominated in the simple pulmonary tuberculosis group (42.9%, 6/14). Drug resistance profiles and mutation spectra were identical across isolates from different sites within the same patient. Conclusion:WGS revealed the MTB diversity among different types of tuberculosis. Difference between pulmonary and extrapulmonary environments may impel the adaptive alternations of the bacterial strains to maintain survival with higher overall genome stability. Drug resistance testing of lung-derived isolates may provide references on extrapulmonary tuberculosis treatment.
10.Dual-tracer PET image separation using three-dimensional depthwise separable convolution network
Dayang TANG ; Debin HU ; Hongliang QI ; Hao SUN ; Yanjiang HAN ; Hanwei LI ; Xinming ZHANG ; Zhilin PAN ; Wenjie YU ; Lijun LU ; Hongwen CHEN
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2025;42(2):160-166
Objective To propose a novel method based on three-dimensional depthwise separable convolution network(3D DSN)for the separation of PET images with dual tracers of 18F-FDG and 18F-FAPI.Methods A total of 120 pairs of 18F-FDG and 18F-FAPI PET images of the same patient scanned separately at different time points were collected,and the dual-tracer PET image was generated through simulation.After the image registration of PET images of two tracers for ensuring spatial position matching,the registered PET images were forward-projected to generate sinogram data,and the sinogram data of two tracers were accumulated to obtain mixed sinogram data.Subsequently,the dual-tracer PET image was reconstructed using maximum likelihood expectation maximization and input into a 3D DSN based network for image separation,thereby obtaining PET images of two single tracers.Results Compared with 3D CNN method,the proposed method increased the structure similarity index measure(SSIM)of the separated 18F-FDG images to the real 18F-FDG images by 0.87%,increased the peak signal-to-noise ratio(PSNR)by 11.8%,and reduced the normalized root mean square error(NRMSE)by 52%.The SSIM of the separated 18F-FAPI images to the real 18F-FAPI images increased by 1.1%,PSNR increased by 17.0%,and NRMSE decreased by 51%.Conclusion The proposed method can be effectively applied to simultaneous PET imaging with dual PET tracers,reducing the number of scans and costs in time and money,and providing clinical doctors more accurate and abundant diagnostic information.

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