ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and economic value of the Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Dominant Diseases （abbreviated as the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol） in adult patients with non-severe community-acquired pneumonia （CAP） based on real-world clinical data. MethodsA retrospective real-world cohort study was conducted using electronic medical records of adult patients hospitalized for non-severe CAP from September 1st， 2023 to December 31st， 2024 across 10 TCM hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were classified into an exposure group and a non-exposure group based on whether they received Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） according to the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol. The non-exposure group received only conventional western medicine， while the exposure group additionally received differentiated CHM for at least five consecutive days. Outcomes were compared between two patient groups， including cough resolution rate， sputum resolution rate （assessed by volume， color， and consistency）， incidence of abnormal C-reactive protein （CRP）， incidence of abnormal white blood cell （WBC） count， and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors influencing clinical efficacy. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to age， gender， smoking status， history of hypertension， and pneumonia severity score （CURB-65）， and the efficacy of treatment for cough and sputum was analyzed within each subgroup. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted using cough resolution rate as the outcome measure， evaluating the pharmacoeconomics of the two groups. ResultsA total of 1688 patients were included with 1293 in the exposure group and 395 in the non-exposure group. Compared to the non-exposure group， the exposure group demonstrated significantly higher resolution rates of cough， sputum volume， color， and consistency， as well as a significantly lower incidence of abnormal CRP （P＜0.05）. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of abnormal WBC count and radiographic resolution rate of pulmonary infiltrates （P＞0.05）. Logistic regression analysis showed that the cough resolution rate in the exposure group was 1.83 times that of the non-exposure group， while the probabilities of resolution in sputum volume， color， and consistency were 1.37， 2.09， and 1.56 times those of the non-exposure group， respectively （P＜0.05）. Subgroup analyses showed that the exposure group achieved significantly higher cough resolution rates across most subgroups except for populations with a CURB-65 score ≥2 or those with a history of hypertension （P＜0.05）. Specifically， among females， patients aged ≥18 and ＜65 years， non-smokers， those without hypertension， and those with a CURB-65 score of 0， the exposure group showed a higher cough resolution rate than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. From an economic perspective， total hospitalization cost， length of stay， antibiotic cost， and CHM cost all differed significantly between groups （P＜0.05）. The cost-effectiveness ratio （CER） was 10,788.80 CNY/case in the exposure group， while 22,513.80 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. This implies that， compared with the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 17,302.27 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution. When the willingness-to-pay threshold ranged from 0 to 50,000 CNY， the probability of economic advantage was consistently higher in the exposure group than in the non-exposure group. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine， the addition of CHM in accordance with the Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol can effectively improve clinical symptoms， reduce inflammatory markers， promote clinical recovery， and is more cost-effective in treating adults with non-severe CAP.

ObjectiveTo observe the real‑world effectiveness and economic outcomes of Weishi Qingjin Formula （苇石清金方， WQF） in the treatment of adult community‑acquired pneumonia （CAP） with phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome. MethodsBased on a multicenter， real-world retrospective cohort study， clinical data were collected from hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with non‑severe CAP and phlegm‑heat obstructing the lung syndrome in 10 traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） hospitals in Jiangsu province. Patients were divided into an exposure group （those who received oral WQF） and a non‑exposure group （those who did not）. The following outcomes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment， which were remission rates of clinical symptoms including cough， expectoration （sputum volume， color， consistency）， and chest pain， levels of inflammatory markers including C‑reactive protein （CRP） and white blood cell count （WBC）， and the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT. Subgroup analyses were performed based on age， gender， smoking status， presence of hypertension， and the severity of community-acquired pneumonia （CURB‑65） score， comparing the two groups in terms of cough remission rate， chest pain remission rate， and chest CT absorption rate. For health economic evaluation， cost‑effectiveness analysis was used to calculate the cost‑effectiveness ratio （CER） and incremental cost‑effectiveness ratio （ICER）. Univariate sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed to test the robustness of the results. ResultsA total of 647 patients in the exposure group and 1491 patients in the non-exposure group were included in the final statistical analysis. There was no statistically significant difference in length of hospital stay， gender， marital status， smoking history， bronchoscopy history， and comorbidities between the groups （P＞0.05）， but age， CURB-65 score， and antibiotic use. The exposure group had significantly higher remission rates of cough and sputum consistency than the non-exposure group （P＜0.05）. After adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching and logistic regression， the cough remission rate in the exposure group was 1.49 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference was observed between groups in the reduction rates of CRP and WBC， and in the rate of pulmonary inflammatory absorption on chest CT （P＞0.05）. Subgroup analyses revealed that the cough remission rate in the exposure group was significantly better than that in the non-exposure group except for patients aged ≥65 years， smokers， hypertensive patients， those using other type antibiotics or not using antibiotics， and those with a CURB-65 score ≥1 （P＜0.05）. Among smokers， the chest pain remission rate in the exposure group was 4.38 times that of the non-exposure group （P＜0.01）. No significant difference in chest CT absorption rate was found between groups across subgroups of gender， age， hypertension status， or antibiotic type （P＞0.05）. In terms of economic evaluation， CER was 10,877.60 CNY/case in the exposure group and 16,773.10 CNY/case in the non-exposure group. Compared to the exposure group， the non-exposure group incurred an additional 15,034.26 CNY to achieve one case of cough resolution， indicating a more favorable cost-effectiveness profile. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded results consistent with the cost-effectiveness analysis， confirming the robustness of the findings. ConclusionWQF demonstrates significant efficacy in improving cough symptoms in the treatment of adult CAP with phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome， and also exhibits favorable economic benefits.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a user-friendly visualization application for the automatic annotation of Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) terms based on large language models and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology, and to validate its performance in an authoritative case dataset. METHODS: By integrating the domestic open-source large language model DeepSeek-V3 with RAG technology, an interactive web application was deployed on the Streamlit cloud platform. Using only the latest official HPO dataset as the data source, the lightweight sentence-embedding model BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5 was employed to construct a FAISS vector index. During the online phase, a four-step closed-loop process is automatically completed: multilingual translation, phenotype phrase extraction, RAG candidate retrieval, term mapping, and official database validation. 121 English case reports publicly released by BMJ Case Reports and Oxford Medical Case Reports (with a gold-standard HPO set of 1 794 terms) were selected for application validation. Precision, recall, and F1 score were calculated and compared horizontally with traditional dictionary tools, standalone large language models, and the similar application "RAG-HPO". Finally, replace the model with the more advanced ChatGPT-5 and evaluate its performance on the newly extracted dataset. RESULTS: An HPO term automatic annotation visualization application named PhenoRAG, based on large language models and RAG technology, was successfully developed. Users can access it directly via a web link. Across the 112 cases, a total of 2 150 HPO terms were generated; 2,064 (96.0%) were fully validated by the official database, with a hallucination rate of 1.3% and an HPO ID-name mismatch rate of 2.7%. After deduplication, 1,906 terms remained for testing. The overall precision was 63.65%, recall was 67.34%, and F1 was 65.44%, significantly outperforming traditional annotation tools (F1: 0.45-0.49, P < 0.001). Although PhenoRAG's F1 was lower than that of RAG-HPO (F1 = 0.78, P < 0.001), which relies on a manually constructed synonym database of 54 000 entries plus the HPO dataset, it requires no additional dictionary maintenance and can be used without any background in computer programming. Moreover, after switching to the GPT-5 model, PhenoRAG exhibited no hallucination rate on the new dataset, and its F1 score significantly increased (P = 0.038). CONCLUSION Without constructing a synonym database, the PhenoRAG achieved high-accuracy automatic mapping from clinical text to standard HPO terms. It features a low usage threshold, free access, and a Chinese-language interface, and can directly serve rare disease diagnosis, genetic counseling, and research scenarios in China and worldwide, warranting further clinical promotion and multicenter validation.
Humans ; Phenotype ; Biological Ontologies ; Language ; Software ; Large Language Models

Objective To build an inpatient hospital discharge preparation service management platform,to explore its application outcomes,and to enhance the quality of discharge preparation service management.Methods A research team was set up,and the literature was referenced.The platform was built on the basis of connecting and optimizing various existing information systems in the hospital,including 6 modules:evaluation,implementation of nursing,referral,monitoring feedback,follow-up,and continued nursing.Patients admitted to a tertiary comprehensive hospital were conveniently selected as research subjects in Shandong Province from August 2023 to January 2024.The 97 patients included after the platform application(November 2023 to January 2024)were selected as an experimental group,and the 97 patients included before the platform application(August to October 2023)were selected as a control group.The rate of unplanned readmission within 30 days,the utilization rate of"Internet+Nursing Services",and the time for assessing the demand for discharge planning service were compared between the 2 groups.In addition,in February 2024,300 healthcare professionals from the same hospital were selected to evaluate their satisfaction with the use of the platform.Results There were 7 cases dropping out in each of the 2 groups.The rate of unplanned readmission within 30 days in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group;the utilization rate of"Internet+Nursing Services"was higher than that in the control group;the time for assessing the demand for discharge planning service was less than that in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).In the satisfaction survey of medical staff on the use of the platform,the effective questionnaire response rate was 94.67％,and the score of the clinical nursing information system effectiveness evaluation scale was(100.84±16.48)points.Conclusion The use of this platform can reduce the unplanned readmission rate of patients within 30 days,promote the development of"Internet+Nursing Services",reduce the time for assessing the needs of discharge planning services,and medical staff are highly satisfied with the use of the platform.

Objective:To investigate whether there is mitochondrial transfer in dental mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and its significance for the odontogenic differentiation.Methods:Flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining were used to isolate dental mesenchymal stem cells. Immunofluorescence staining and live cell imaging were applied to determine whether there is mitochondrial transfer in dental MSCs. Transcriptome sequencing data re-analysis of human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) from gene expression omnibus (GEO) data base demonstrated the importance of mitochondrial transfer in dental MSCs. Cells were managed with mitochondrial transfer inhibitor ML141 with dimethyl sulfoxide as the control. Immunofluorescence staining, senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining, reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(EdU) labelling, cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, Western blotting, live cell imaging and transmission electron microscope were used to investigate cell morphology, ROS level, cellular senescence, cell proliferation, MSCs marker paired related homeobox 1 (Prrx1) and Sp7 transcription factor (Sp7) expression, mitochondrial transfer and mitochondrial morphology, respectively. Further, after using ML141 during the induction of odontogenic differentiation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) chromogenic kit was used to detect ALP activity and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of odontogenic differentiation-related genes Alp, Sp7, dentin matrix protein 1 (Dmp1), and dentin salivary phosphoprotein (Dspp), which were applied to investigate the effect of mitochondrial transfer on odontogenic differentiation.Results:An ultrafine tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) structure labelled with F-actin existed between dental MSCs, and the presence of transferring mitochondria in this structure was also confirmed. Transcriptome sequencing data suggested that the gene expression profiles were significantly different between DPSCs and BMSCs. Genes related to mitochondrial transfer and mitochondrial dynamic were significantly increased in DPSCs compared to BMSCs. Compared with the control group, treatment with 1, 5, 10 μmol/L ML141, the mitochondrial transfer inhibitor, had little significant effects on the cell morphology, cytoskeleton and ROS level. SA-β-gal activity and the proportion of SA-β-gal positive cells in the ML141-treated groups [(3.93±0.21)%, (3.23±0.42)%, (4.06±0.84)%] had no significant differences with the control group [(3.83±0.28)%] (all P>0.05). In the cell proliferation assay, the proportion of EdU positive cells in the ML141-treated groups [(20.00±3.82)%, (19.48±1.96)%, (12.55±2.86)%] had no significant differences (all P>0.05) with the control group [(18.57±0.87)%], whereas the CCK-8 assay showed similar results in ML141-treated group of 1, 5 μmol/L (all P>0.05). Western blotting results showed that the protein expression levels of PRRX1 and SP7 in the ML141-treated group had no significant differences with the control group. Live cell imaging showed that compared with the control group [(31.42±4.01)%], the proportion of TNTs and mitochondrial transfer in the ML141-treated groups [(13.45±1.46)%, (10.36±3.47)%, (9.32±1.11)%] were significantly decreased in dental MSCs (all P<0.001). Scanning electron microscope showed that the mitochondrial morphology of dental MSCs in the ML141-treated group was similar to the control group, with globular and short-rod shape. After 7 days of odontogenic differentiation, the ALP staining intensity of the ML141-treated group was significantly lower than the control group. After 21 days of induction, RT-qPCR results showed that compared with control group, the relative mRNA expressions of Alp, Sp7, Dmp1 and Dspp were significantly decreased in the ML141-treated group (all P<0.05), indicating that the suppression of mitochondrial transfer in dental MSCs inhibited the odontogenic differentiation. Conclusions:Mitochondrial transfer exists between dental MSCs, and inhibition of mitochondrial transfer impairs the odontogenic differentiation.

Objective:To explore the funding status and research hotspots of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for projects in the field of TCM for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.Methods:The research projects of TCM in the prevention and treatment of heart failure funded were retrieved from NSFC Big Data Knowledge Management Service Platform from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2023. Excel 2022 software was used to analyze the data of the number of funded projects, the amount of funding, the supporting units and the regions. VOSviewer 1.6.20 software was used to analyze the co-occurrence of keywords with frequency≥3.Results:A total of 202 research projects were funded with a total funding amount of 89.8 million RMB, and the number and amount of projects showed a fluctuating upward trend. The funding categories were mainly general programs and youth science foundation projects. There were 42 supporting units involved, and TCM universities and colleges were the main recipients of funding. Regional distribution was uneven, mainly in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and other regions. There were 17 secondary discipline codes involved, and the discipline categories were concentrated in Internal Medicine of TCM (H3108), Clinical Basis of Integrative Medicine (H3302) and Cardiovascular Pharmacology of Chinese Medicine (H3209). Therapeutic modalities covered compounding, monomers, proprietary Chinese medicines, and drug pairs, and research hotspots included aspects of myocardial energy metabolism remodeling, mitochondrial autophagy, macrophage polarization, endoplasmic reticulum stress, calcium homeostasis, ferroptosis, exosomes, micro-RNAs, and so on.Conclusion:NSFC has provided strong support to the research in the field of TCM for heart failure. In the future, the supporting units should pay attention to the interdisciplinary integration and development to promote the vigorous development of TCM.

Objective To build an inpatient hospital discharge preparation service management platform,to explore its application outcomes,and to enhance the quality of discharge preparation service management.Methods A research team was set up,and the literature was referenced.The platform was built on the basis of connecting and optimizing various existing information systems in the hospital,including 6 modules:evaluation,implementation of nursing,referral,monitoring feedback,follow-up,and continued nursing.Patients admitted to a tertiary comprehensive hospital were conveniently selected as research subjects in Shandong Province from August 2023 to January 2024.The 97 patients included after the platform application(November 2023 to January 2024)were selected as an experimental group,and the 97 patients included before the platform application(August to October 2023)were selected as a control group.The rate of unplanned readmission within 30 days,the utilization rate of"Internet+Nursing Services",and the time for assessing the demand for discharge planning service were compared between the 2 groups.In addition,in February 2024,300 healthcare professionals from the same hospital were selected to evaluate their satisfaction with the use of the platform.Results There were 7 cases dropping out in each of the 2 groups.The rate of unplanned readmission within 30 days in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group;the utilization rate of"Internet+Nursing Services"was higher than that in the control group;the time for assessing the demand for discharge planning service was less than that in the control group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).In the satisfaction survey of medical staff on the use of the platform,the effective questionnaire response rate was 94.67％,and the score of the clinical nursing information system effectiveness evaluation scale was(100.84±16.48)points.Conclusion The use of this platform can reduce the unplanned readmission rate of patients within 30 days,promote the development of"Internet+Nursing Services",reduce the time for assessing the needs of discharge planning services,and medical staff are highly satisfied with the use of the platform.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease involving upper and lower motor neurons. Neuroinflammation is a common pathological feature of many neurodegenerative diseases and is characterized by inflammatory activation of microglia and astrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as CNS infiltration of peripheral macrophages and T cells. It has been shown that ALS-associated gene mutations enhance neuroinflammation and lead to dysregulation of the immune microenvironment. Therefore, this review provides an overview around the regulation of the immune microenvironment of ALS by various inflammatory cytokines and immune cells, as well as relative immunotherapies, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of ALS from an immune perspective.