1.An excerpt of medical management of polycystic liver disease: A position statement from the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases (2026 edition)
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(2):296-300
In January 2026, the European Reference Network on Hepatological Diseases released a position statement on polycystic liver disease (PLD). Compared with existing diagnosis and treatment recommendations, this statement provides the latest practical guidance on somatostatin analogues as the sole available pharmacological intervention for severe PLD, including clear criteria for eligibility, the criteria for initiation and discontinuation of treatment, and the gaps requiring further research. This statement also defines the criteria for patient selection, treatment goals, and monitoring strategies, and these updates fully reflect the latest clinical evidence and practical needs in the management of PLD. This article gives an excerpt of the key practical recommendations from the statement.
2.Analysis of Pharmacodynamic Material Basis, Mechanisms, and Efficacy-related Quality Markers of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix with Different Therapeutic Effect
Xiaowei MENG ; Zhenzhen YANG ; Wenting WU ; Ronghua LIU ; Yongmei GUAN ; Hui OUYANG ; Liping HUANG ; Yaqi WANG ; Qiong LI ; Huanhuan DONG ; Jianping GONG ; Weifeng ZHU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(18):269-281
Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix are the dried roots of Pueraria lobata and Pueraria thomsonii of the Leguminosae family, respectively. Since their separate inclusion in the 2005 edition of Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, the two herbs have been individually recorded. Although they share the same functions and indications, the required content of puerarin differs by a factor of up to eightfold between them. The current quality standard relies solely on a single indicator, puerarin, which fails to reflect the correlation between chemical constituents and core therapeutic effects. This has resulted in prominent issues of mixed use in clinical practice and production, thereby constraining the high-quality development of the industry. Modern research has demonstrated that Puerariae Lobatae Radix contains a comprehensive range and higher content of isoflavonoid constituents, while Puerariae Thomsonii Radix is rich in starch and polysaccharides. Puerariae Lobatae Radix exhibits stronger effects in antipyresis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection, and central analgesia, while Puerariae Thomsonii Radix demonstrates greater advantages in anti-inflammation, hypoglycemia, and peripheral analgesia. Based on this, the chemical material bases of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix at both the macromolecule and micromolecule levels were systematically reviewed and compared. The pharmacodynamic material bases and mechanisms of action underlying their three core therapeutic effects, namely "relieving exterior syndrome and clearing heat", "promoting fluid production to quench thirst", and "dredging channels and activating collaterals", were summarized. The most highly correlated common metabolic pathway shared by both herbs for these three therapeutic effects is the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway, and their common core target is prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2). This review provided clinical application recommendations based on the therapeutic differences between the two herbs, elucidated the scientific connotation of their "same origin but different effects", and, grounded in the quality marker (Q-Marker), proposed the concept of efficacy-related Q-Marker based on "substance-efficacy-syndrome" association, as well as a novel strategy for efficacy-oriented quality evaluation. Preliminary screening of quality markers associated with different therapeutic effects was also conducted. This study aims to provide critical scientific evidence for the precise clinical application of Puerariae Lobatae Radix and Puerariae Thomsonii Radix, the improvement of quality standards, and the high-quality development of the industry.
3.Correlation between IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and microbial abundance in vaginal secretions and the degree of mucosal injury in patients with trichomonal vaginitis
Lina ZHANG ; Wenting ZHU ; Haiqin LI ; Yi WU ; Lan DING
Immunological Journal 2025;41(9):653-659
Objective To explore the correlations between interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-8(IL-8),antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and the microbial abundance and the degree of mucosal injury in patients with trichomonal vaginitis(TV).Methods A total of 120 TV patients admitted from January 2022 to December 2024 were selected and divided into the occurrence group(n=63)and the non-occurrence group(n=57)according to presence and absence of mucosal injury.The general data,IL-6,IL-8,LL-37 and microbial abundance were compared between the two groups.According to the degree of mucosal injury,the occurrence group was divided into the mild subgroup(n=34),the moderate subgroup(n=20),and the severe subgroup(n=9).Pearson correlation analysis was applied to investigate the correlations between IL-6,IL-10,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,microbial abundance and the degree of mucosal injury.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of mucosal injury in TV patients.The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was used to evaluate the predictive value of relevant indicators for mucosal injury in TV patients.Result The levels of IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and the abundance of Actinobacteria and Gardnerella in the occurrence group were higher than those in the non-occurrence group,while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus was lower than that in the non-occurrence group(P<0.05,P<0.01).Pearson correlation analysis showed that IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and abundance of Actinobacteria and Gardnerella were positively correlated with the degree of mucosal injury(r=0.543,0.713,0.352,0.409,0.659,P<0.01),while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus was negatively correlated with the degree of mucosal injury(r=-0.540,-0.504,P<0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and abundance of Actinobacteria were risk factors for mucosal injury in TV patients,while the abundance of Firmicutes and the abundance of Lactobacillus were protective factors(P<0.05).The ROC curve showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUC)of the combined detection of IL-6,IL-8,antibacterial peptide 37,and the abundance of Actinobacteria,Firmicutes,and Lactobacillus in evaluating mucosal injury in TV patients was higher than that of the single detection(P<0.01).Conclusion IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and microbial abundance are closely related to the degree of mucosal injury in TV patients.The combined detection has a high value in evaluating the occurrence of mucosal injury in TV patients.
4.Network analysis of the relationship between self-management and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Jiangping ZHANG ; Xiaorong ZHOU ; Wenting DU ; Yumei LI ; Weishan ZHANG ; Guangyu ZHU
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(29):4039-4043
Objective:To explore the core factors of self-management and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the internal relationship between these two constructs.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to enroll 210 COPD patients who visited the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from January to December 2022. Data were collected using Self-Management Scale and 36-item Short-Form. A relationship network between self-management and QOL was constructed via network analysis, and centrality indicators and network stability were calculated.Results:A total of 210 questionnaires were distributed, and 205 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 97.6%. Emotional management was identified as the core node in both the overall network and the self-management subnetwork (2.064), while vitality was the core node in the QOL subnetwork (0.730). The relationship between self-management and QOL was mainly manifested through the strong association between emotional management and role-emotion.Conclusions:Emotional management is the core factor in the relationship between self-management and QOL in COPD patients. The overall network of self-management and QOL is influenced by the strong association between emotional management and role-emotion.
5.Efficacy of nucleos(t)ide analogues combined with peginterferon α-2b on antiviral therapy in children with chronic hepatitis B
Wenting CHEN ; Shilian LI ; Xiaochen MA ; Fang CHEN ; Lijian RAN ; Yi WU ; Yan GUO ; Yan ZHU ; Qing MAO ; Huimin LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2025;39(4):411-418
Objective:To analyze the efficacy of combination of peginterferon α-2b(Peg-IFN α-2b)with nucleos(t)ide analogues(NAs)on antiviral therapy in children with chronic hepatitis B(CHB)and to provide an optimized clinical treatment strategies for CHB children.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 30 CHB children treated in The First Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University(Southwest Hospital)from January 2022 to January 2025 with treatment duration at least 48 weeks. The enrolled children were aged between 2 and 17 years and divided into the NAs combined with Peg-IFN α-2b(NPI)group(n=13)and NAs group(n=17)by their therapy regimens. The characteristics of baseline,week 12,week 24,week 48 and week 96 were compared between groups,as well as the differences in response to biochemical,immune and viral indicators at each observation point. Logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis were performed to identify factors influencing the HBsAg seroclearance. Results:At baseline of treatment,the proportion of HBeAg positivity in the NPI group and the NAs group was high(76.9% vs 86.6%, χ2=0.679, P=0.628),and the alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST)in the NPI group were significantly lower than those in the NAs group( P<0.001). At 24 weeks,the decrease in HBsAg in the NPI group was also significantly higher than that in the NAs group( Z=-3.161, P=0.002). Finally,the cumulative seroclearance rate of HBsAg at 96 weeks in the NPI group was significantly higher than that in the NAs group(46.15% vs 5.88%, χ2=0.679, P=0.025). Mulitivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that treatment regimen and gender were risk factors affecting the outcome of HBsAg( P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the increase in ALT at 12 weeks compared with baseline(AUC=0.857,Cutoff value=3.615 IU/L),the decrease in ALT at 24 weeks(AUC=0.870,Cutoff value=47.85 IU/L),and the decrease in HBsAg at 12 weeks and especially at 24 weeks(AUC=0.885,Cutoff value=0.97log IU/ml)were effective predictors of HBsAg prognosis at 96 weeks. Conclusion:In CHB children,antiviral regimen Peg-IFN α-2b combined with NAs was more effective than NAs alone in improving the HBsAg seroclearance rate of CHB,and the effects in female were better than in male. The decline of HBsAg and the fluctuation of ALT in the early treatment period are valid predictors of HBsAg clearance.
6.Investigation on the current status of health insurance CHS-DRG/DIP performance evaluation of hospitals in China
Yutong WANG ; Xiaokun LIU ; Xueqin SUN ; Wei ZHANG ; Wenting ZHENG ; Chen XIE ; Rui DONG ; Weiguo ZHU ; Ding HAN
Chinese Journal of Hospital Administration 2025;41(1):55-62
Objective:To investigate the current status of implementing medical insurance performance evaluation in the hospitals of China under the background of China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups (CHS-DRG) and Diagnosis-Intervention Packet (DIP) payment reform, explore the perspectives and recommendations of key department leaders (e.g., health insurance, medical affairs, pricing, and performance evaluation departments) regarding health insurance performance evaluation, analyze the influencing factors in its implementation, so as to provide references for hospitals to develop and refine health insurance performance evaluation strategies.Methods:A questionnaire was designed and distributed to hospitals across 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China from December 1 to 31, 2023. The survey targeted secondary and tertiary general or specialized hospitals. The main responsible persons from four functional departments, including medical insurance, healthcare, pricing, and performance, were invited to participate in the survey. Descriptive analysis was conducted on the questionnaire data, and the chi-square test was used for differential analysis of unordered categorical variables, while the Wilcoxon rank sum test was used for differential analysis of ordered categorical variables.Results:A total of 761 valid questionnaires were collected. Most respondents were health insurance department leaders (420, 55.19%). Among them, 741 respondents reported that their hospitals used CHS-DRG or DIP payment, with 258 indicating that their hospitals had already developed and implemented health insurance performance evaluation plans. A majority (685, 90.01%) expressed support for such initiatives. Influencing factor analysis revealed that hospital type, level, scope of health insurance management departments, and payment methods might impact the implementation of health insurance performance evaluation ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Few hospitals have currently adopted health insurance performance evaluation, underscoring the urgency to establish a scientific and reasonable evaluation plan as a robust tool for internal hospital management.
7.Discovery and Application of Plant-Derived Cardiovascular Active Peptides
Qiangxiang ZHANG ; Shuhan LIU ; Chen ZHOU ; Wenting LIU ; Yawen LI ; Qi LI ; Mengying ZHU ; Xinyue WANG ; Jing LI ; Wenjun DENG
Herald of Medicine 2025;44(7):1126-1133
Plant-derived bioactive peptides have become a research hotspot in the fields of food and medicine due to their high source safety,easy absorption and utilization by the human body,and potential edible and medicinal value.Bioactive peptides can be classified into antihypertensive,hypoglycemic,hypolipidemic,anticancer,antioxidant,antimicrobial,and anti-inflammatory peptides according to their functions.Among these,antihypertensive,hypoglycemic,and hypolipidemic peptides are collectively referred to as cardiovascular active peptides,which can be used for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and have an important role in the development of modem biomedicine.This review focused on the preparation methods,separation,purification,and identification techniques of bioactive peptides,as well as their mechanisms of action and applications in regulating cardiovascular diseases,aiming to provide a reference for further development and application of plant-derived cardiovascular peptides.
8.Network analysis of the relationship between self-management and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Jiangping ZHANG ; Xiaorong ZHOU ; Wenting DU ; Yumei LI ; Weishan ZHANG ; Guangyu ZHU
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2025;31(29):4039-4043
Objective:To explore the core factors of self-management and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the internal relationship between these two constructs.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to enroll 210 COPD patients who visited the Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University from January to December 2022. Data were collected using Self-Management Scale and 36-item Short-Form. A relationship network between self-management and QOL was constructed via network analysis, and centrality indicators and network stability were calculated.Results:A total of 210 questionnaires were distributed, and 205 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 97.6%. Emotional management was identified as the core node in both the overall network and the self-management subnetwork (2.064), while vitality was the core node in the QOL subnetwork (0.730). The relationship between self-management and QOL was mainly manifested through the strong association between emotional management and role-emotion.Conclusions:Emotional management is the core factor in the relationship between self-management and QOL in COPD patients. The overall network of self-management and QOL is influenced by the strong association between emotional management and role-emotion.
9.Correlation between IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and microbial abundance in vaginal secretions and the degree of mucosal injury in patients with trichomonal vaginitis
Lina ZHANG ; Wenting ZHU ; Haiqin LI ; Yi WU ; Lan DING
Immunological Journal 2025;41(9):653-659
Objective To explore the correlations between interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-8(IL-8),antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and the microbial abundance and the degree of mucosal injury in patients with trichomonal vaginitis(TV).Methods A total of 120 TV patients admitted from January 2022 to December 2024 were selected and divided into the occurrence group(n=63)and the non-occurrence group(n=57)according to presence and absence of mucosal injury.The general data,IL-6,IL-8,LL-37 and microbial abundance were compared between the two groups.According to the degree of mucosal injury,the occurrence group was divided into the mild subgroup(n=34),the moderate subgroup(n=20),and the severe subgroup(n=9).Pearson correlation analysis was applied to investigate the correlations between IL-6,IL-10,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,microbial abundance and the degree of mucosal injury.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of mucosal injury in TV patients.The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was used to evaluate the predictive value of relevant indicators for mucosal injury in TV patients.Result The levels of IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and the abundance of Actinobacteria and Gardnerella in the occurrence group were higher than those in the non-occurrence group,while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus was lower than that in the non-occurrence group(P<0.05,P<0.01).Pearson correlation analysis showed that IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and abundance of Actinobacteria and Gardnerella were positively correlated with the degree of mucosal injury(r=0.543,0.713,0.352,0.409,0.659,P<0.01),while the abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus was negatively correlated with the degree of mucosal injury(r=-0.540,-0.504,P<0.01).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37,and abundance of Actinobacteria were risk factors for mucosal injury in TV patients,while the abundance of Firmicutes and the abundance of Lactobacillus were protective factors(P<0.05).The ROC curve showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUC)of the combined detection of IL-6,IL-8,antibacterial peptide 37,and the abundance of Actinobacteria,Firmicutes,and Lactobacillus in evaluating mucosal injury in TV patients was higher than that of the single detection(P<0.01).Conclusion IL-6,IL-8,antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and microbial abundance are closely related to the degree of mucosal injury in TV patients.The combined detection has a high value in evaluating the occurrence of mucosal injury in TV patients.
10.Bioinformatics Reveals Mechanism of Schisandrin B in Inhibiting Ferroptosis to Ameliorate Methionine and Choline Deficiency-induced Fatty Liver Disease in Mice
Zhifeng ZHU ; Wenting LI ; Yongjun CAO ; Yuanyuan LIN ; Yifei LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(2):74-83
ObjectiveNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a metabolic stress liver injury. Ferroptosis is involved in the occurrence and development of NAFLD. Exploring the efficacy and mechanism of schisandrin B in treating NAFLD facilitates the development of strategies for the prevention and treatment of NAFLD. MethodsThe molecular structure of schisandrin B was obtained by searching against PubChem, and the related targets were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction. The active ingredients and their targets were retrieved from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP) and the high-throughput experiment- and reference-guide database of traditional Chinese medicine (HERB). GeneCards and FerrDb were searched for the targets of NAFLD and ferroptosis. The common targets were taken as the core targets, and the protein-protein interaction network of the core targets was established. DAVID was used for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. Finally, molecular docking was performed between schisandrin B and core targets, and the binding energy was calculated. C57BL/6 mice were fed with a methionine and choline-deficiency (MCD) diet for the modeling of NAFLD. Mice were randomized into normal, model, positive drug (essentiale), and low- and high-dose schisandrin B groups. The body mass and liver index of mice were measured after drug administration. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in the serum and those of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and Fe2+ in the liver homogenate were measured by biochemical assay kits. The pathological changes of the liver tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and red oil O staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to determine the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) in the serum. Western blotting and real-time PCR were employed to determine the protein and mRNA levels, respectively, of solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), solute carrier family 3 member 2 (SLC3A2), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), transferrin, and ferritin heavy chain (FTH) in the liver tissue. ResultsA total of 2 370, 2 547, and 1 451 targets of schisandrin B, NAFLD, and ferroptosis were obtained, in which 90 common targets were shared by the three. Enrichment analyses predicted 505 GO terms and 92 KEGG pathways. Molecular docking suggested that schizandrin B had strong binding affinity with the key targets of ferropstosis (SLC7A11 and SLC3A2). Animal experiments showed that schizandrin B significantly decreased the liver index, lowered the levels of ALT, AST, TC, TG, IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α, alleviated hepatocyte ballooning and inflammatory cell infiltration, and reduced lipid accumulation in the liver of NAFLD mice. In addition, schisandrin B significantly lowered the levels of MDA, 4-HNE, and Fe2+, elevated the level of GSH, up-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of SLC7A11, SLC3A2, and GPX4, and down-regulated the protein and mRNA levels of transferrin in the liver tissue. ConclusionSchisandrin B can alleviate NAFLD by inhibiting ferroptosis in hepatocytes.

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