With the continuous deepening of the concept of precision diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer, how to achieve higher efficiency and accuracy in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment pathways in clinical practice has become an important issue that urgently needs to be overcome. The current clinical difficulty lies in the fact that despite continuous advancements in imaging and molecular diagnostic technologies, there are still limitations in manual efficiency and subjective experience when it comes to massive data analysis and multi-scale feature extraction. Artificial intelligence (AI), especially algorithm systems based on deep learning, is an innovative technology capable of deeply empowering medical big data. This method utilizes algorithms such as convolutional neural networks, combined with radiomics, pathomics, and multi-modal data fusion analysis, demonstrating immense potential in early precise detection and benign-malignant differentiation of pulmonary nodules, digital pathological subtype recognition and non-invasive prediction of driver genes, precise 3D surgical planning and automatic delineation of radiotherapy target volumes, as well as dynamic risk warning during follow-up. This innovative technology provides a brand-new solution for realizing intelligent and individualized lung cancer diagnosis and treatment models. This consensus, based on the latest evidence from evidence-based medicine and combined with the development trends in the AI field and real-world clinical needs, was ultimately formed by gathering the consensus opinions of multidisciplinary experts in radiology, pathology, thoracic surgery, and other fields. The main content covers the application specifications of AI in the three core scenarios of lung cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, the technical standards for data collection and algorithm validation, as well as the ethical and regulatory challenges faced at the current stage. It aims to clarify the applicable boundaries of AI as a clinical auxiliary decision support tool, providing scientific guidance and standardized exploration directions for peers currently engaged in or planning to carry out AI-assisted clinical diagnosis, treatment, and translation of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Yangxue Qingnao Pills (YXQNP) combined with amlodipine in treating patients with grade 1 hypertension. METHODS: This is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. Adult patients with grade 1 hypertension of blood deficiency and Gan (Liver)-yang hyperactivity syndrome were randomly divided into the treatment or the control groups at a 1:1 ratio. The treatment group received YXQNP and amlodipine besylate, while the control group received YXQNP's placebo and amlodipine besylate. The treatment duration lasted for 180 days. Outcomes assessed included changes in blood pressure, Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome scores, symptoms and target organ functions before and after treatment in both groups. Additionally, adverse events, such as nausea, vomiting, rash, itching, and diarrhea, were recorded in both groups. RESULTS: A total of 662 subjects were enrolled, of whom 608 (91.8%) completed the trial (306 in the treatment and 302 in the control groups). After 180 days of treatment, the standard deviations and coefficients of variation of systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were lower in the treatment group compared with the control group. The improvement rates of dizziness, headache, insomnia, and waist soreness were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the overall therapeutic effects on CM clinical syndromes were significantly increased in the treatment group as compared with the control group (P<0.05). After 180 days of treatment, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity, ankle brachial index and albumin-to-creatinine ratio were improved in both groups, with no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred during the study period. CONCLUSIONS Combination therapy of YXQNP with amlodipine significantly improved symptoms such as dizziness and headache, reduced blood pressure variability, and showed a trend toward lowering urinary microalbumin in hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that this regimen has good clinical efficacy and safety. (Registration No. ChiCTR1900022470).
Humans ; Amlodipine/adverse effects* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Hypertension/complications* ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Adult ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Double-Blind Method ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents/adverse effects*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia. METHODS: Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABA_A receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABA_A receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.
Animals ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism* ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Light/adverse effects* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA/metabolism*

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is largely attributed to impaired endogenous repair. Nucleus pulposus-derived stem cells (NPSCs) senescence leads to endogenous repair failure. Small extracellular vesicles/exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (mExo) have shown great therapeutic potential in IDD, while whether mExo could alleviate NPSCs senescence and its mechanisms remained unknown. We established a compression-induced NPSCs senescence model and rat IDD models to evaluate the therapeutic efficiency of mExo and investigate the mechanisms. We found that mExo significantly alleviated NPSCs senescence and promoted disc regeneration while knocking down thioredoxin (TXN) impaired the protective effects of mExo. TXN was bound to various endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) proteins. Autocrine motility factor receptor (AMFR) mediated TXN K63 ubiquitination to promote the binding of TXN on ESCRT proteins and sorting of TXN into mExo. Knocking down exosomal TXN inhibited the transcriptional activity of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and activator protein 1 (AP-1). NRF2 and AP-1 inhibition reduced endogenous TXN production that was promoted by exosomal TXN. Inhibition of NRF2 in vivo diminished the anti-senescence and regenerative effects of mExo. Conclusively, AMFR-mediated TXN ubiquitination promoted the sorting of TXN into mExo, allowing exosomal TXN to promote endogenous TXN production in NPSCs via TXN/NRF2/AP-1 feed-forward circuit to alleviate NPSCs senescence and disc degeneration.

Natural polyphenols are a group of components widely found in traditional Chinese medicines and have been demonstrated to delay or prevent the development of aging and age-related diseases in recent years. As far as we know, the studies of natural polyphenols in aging and aging-related diseases have never been extensively reviewed. In the present paper, we reviewed recent advances of natural polyphenols in aging and common age-related diseases and the current technological methods to improve the bioavailability of natural polyphenols. The results showed that natural polyphenols have the potential to prevent or treat aging and common age-related diseases through multiple mechanisms. Nanotechnology, structural modifications, and matrix processing could provide strong technical support for the development of natural polyphenols to prevent or treat aging and age-related diseases. In conclusion, natural polyphenols have important potential in the prevention and treatment of aging and age-related diseases.

Objective:To investigate the value of 24 h urinary aldosterone(24 h-UAC) measurement by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) in the subtype classification of primary aldosteronism(PA).Methods:A total of 86 patients with PA, including 51 with unilateral primary aldosteronism(UPA) and 35 with bilateral primary aldosteronism(BPA), were enrolled in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at West China Hospital between January 2018 and December 2022. Plasma aldosterone concentration(PAC), plasma renin concentration(PRC) and 24 h-UAC were measured by LC-MS/MS. 24-hour urinary electrolytes and 24-hour urinary creatinine(24 h-UCR) were also measured. The diagnostic value of 24 h-UAC in PA subtype classification was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted with PA subtypes as the dependent variable(UPA=1, BPA=0) to establish a diagnostic model for differentiating unilateral from bilateral lesions, and its performance was compared with published Chinese classification models. Results:There were no statistical differences between the UPA and BPA groups in terms of age, gender, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, 24 h urinary potassium, sodium, chloride, 24 h-UCR and PRC( P<0.05). The lowest plasma potassium level was significantly lower in the UPA group than in the BPA group, while PAC, 24 h-UAC, aldosterone-renin ratio(ARR), and 24 h-UAC/UCR were significantly higher( P<0.05). The detection rate of typical adenomas on imaging also showed a significant difference between the two groups( P<0.05). The area under the ROC curve(AUC) of 24 h-UAC for differentiating UPA from BPA was 0.829(95% CI 0.733-0.902), with an optimal cut-off value of 15.4 μg/24 h, yielding a sensitivity of 68.63% and a specificity of 88.57%( P<0.001). At a cut-off value of 24.5 μg/24 h, specificity reached 100%, with a sensitivity of 27.45%. Multivariate analysis indicated that a combined model incorporating 24 h-UAC, the lowest plasma potassium level, and imaging findings of typical adenomas significantly improved diagnostic accuracy for PA subtyping, achieving a specificity of 91.43%. Compared with the existing Chinese modified Küpers scoring model and CONPASS prediction model, this model demonstrated higher diagnostic efficiency, a lower missed diagnosis rate, and a misdiagnosis rate intermediate between the two. Conclusion:The 24 h-UAC in UPA patients is significantly higher than in BPA patients, making it a valuable marker for PA subtype classification. A predictive model combining 24 h-UAC, the lowest plasma potassium level, and imaging evidence of typical adenomas demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for PA subtype classification and may provide valuable guidance for clinical decision-making.

Objective:To explore the cardioprotective effects of icariin (ICA) against radiation-induced cardiac disease (RICD) in C57BL/6 mice.Methods:A total of 48 female C57BL/6J mice aged 6-8 weeks were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (CON), the irradiation group (IR), and the irradiation combined with icariin group (IR+ ICA), with 16 mice in each group. The IR and IR+ ICA groups received a single cardiac irradiation at a dose of 30 Gy, while the CON group received no radiation treatment. The IR+ ICA group was treated with ICA (70 mg·kg -1·d -1) two weeks before irradiation until the end of the experiment through intragastric administration. In contrast, the CON and IR groups were treated with an equal volume of vehicle solution (0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, NaCMC) via intragastric administration. The mice′s mental status, food intake, body weight, and survival rates were monitored during the experiment. At two weeks post-irradiation, the venous blood of the mice was collected and serum was separated for the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) of creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT/TNNT2). At 12 weeks post-irradiation, the cardiac function of the mice was assessed using echocardiography. After the mice were euthanized under anesthesia, the histopathological changes and fibrosis degree of their myocardial tissues were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Masson′s trichrome staining, followed by the calculation of collagen volume fraction (CVF). The differential gene expression of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the cardiac tissues of the mice was detected using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Apoptosis-related proteins and proteins associated with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) pathway were determined using Western blotting. The survival curves of the mice were plotted using Kaplan-Meier, and the survival differences of the mice among various groups were compared using the log-rank test. Results:After irradiation, the mice in the IR group showed lethargy, as well as decreased food intake and activity, while these symptoms in the IR+ ICA group were significantly alleviated. At two weeks post-irradiation, the CK-MB and cTnT levels of the IR group were significantly elevated compared with the CON group ( t = 5.28, 8.89, P < 0.01). At 12 weeks post-irradiation, the mice in the IR group exhibited significantly decreased body weight ( t = 2.47, P < 0.05) and decreased survival rates ( HR = 8.25, 95% CI: 1.157-58.770, P < 0.05) compared with the CON group. Echocardiography revealed that the IR group featured decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), decreased fractional shortening (FS), and increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDD) compared with the CON group ( t = 7.02, 4.45, P < 0.05). Histopathological examination revealed that the IR group suffered from cardiomyocyte edema, disordered arrangement, and increased fibrosis, with an elevated CVF. The IR group exhibited significantly upregulated gene expression of BNP, TGF-β, and IL-6 in cardiac tissues compared with the CON group ( t = 4.23, 6.39, 4.61, P < 0.05). After-irradiation, the IR group exhibited upregulated apoptosis-related proteins Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax ( t = 6.29, 9.54, P < 0.05), decreased Bcl-2 expression ( t = 8.20, P < 0.001), and decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt ( t = 6.47, 3.42, P < 0.001). The symptoms of the mice were partially ameliorated after treatment with ICA. Specifically, the mice in the IR+ ICA group exhibited higher body weight ( t = 5.13, P < 0.001) and significantly higher survival rates ( HR = 0.121, 95% CI: 0.017-0.864, P < 0.05) than the IR group. Compared to the IR group, the IR+ ICA group showed elevated cardiac function indicators EF and FS( t = 3.23, 3.05, P < 0.05), and reduced LVDD ( t = 3.02, P < 0.05). The histopathological analysis revealed mitigated edema and disordered arrangement of cardiomyocytes in the IR+ ICA group. Furthermore, the IR+ ICA group exhibited significantly lower BNP, TGF-β, and IL-6 expression levels than the IR group ( t = 2.83, 4.15, 2.96, P < 0.05). The expression of apoptosis-related proteins Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax was lower ( t = 3.23, 3.24, P < 0.05), Bcl-2 expression was higher ( t = 5.92, P < 0.001), and restored phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt ( t = 2.89, 8.35, P < 0.001). Conclusions:Icariin has protective effects against the RICD. It alleviates cardiomyocyte apoptosis possibly by upregulating the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt.

Objective:Autoimmune gastritis (AIG) is characterized by the loss of acid-secreting glands, resulting in hypochlorhydria and hypergastrinemia, conditions that significantly increase the risk of developing gastric neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and gastric adenocarcinoma. In recent years, AIG has garnered increasing attention in both clinical and research settings. However, comprehensive studies on the clinical and endoscopic characteristics of AIG particularly cases complicated by gastric neoplastic lesions remain limited in China. This study aims to comprehensively summarize the clinical and endoscopic features of AIG and its associated gastric neoplastic lesions.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted using medical records from patients with AIG diagnosed at Sichuan Provincial People′s Hospital between 2019 and 2024. Data collected included demographic information, medical history, serological test results, imaging findings, and endoscopic observations. The clinical and endoscopic features of AIG patients with gastric NETs or epithelial-derived tumors were compared to those without gastric neoplastic lesions to identify potential risk factors and diagnostic indicators for tumor development in AIG.Results:A total of 72 patients with AIG were included, of whom 62.5% (45/72) were female, with an age range of 30 to 79 years old (mean age: 57±11 years). Parietal cell antibody (PCA) positivity was observed in 93.1% (67/72), intrinsic factor antibody (IFA) positivity in 45.8% (33/72), and Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori) co-infection in 48.6% (35/72). Endoscopically, 84.7% (61/72) showed prominent corpus-dominant advanced atrophy; 47.2% (34/72) had sticky adherent mucus; and 41.7% (30/72) displayed residual oxyntic mucosa in the gastric body or fundus. Only 23.6% (17/72) had normal antrum mucosa, and just 16.7% (12/72) showed a circular wrinkle-like pattern. Gastric neoplastic lesions were identified in 35 patients (48.6%), including 15 cases (20.8%) with NETs and 20 cases (27.8%) with epithelial-derived tumors (four adenocarcinomas, three adenomas, and 13 cases of intraepithelial neoplasia). No significant differences were found between tumor and non-tumor groups in terms of age, gender, PCA/IFA positivity, gastrin levels, anemia status, folic acid, or serum iron levels. However, patients with NETs had significantly lower vitamin B 12 levels compared to those without tumors (183±111 ng/L vs. 323±159 ng/L, t=2.47, P=0.042). Additionally, AIG patients with NETs were more likely to be H.pylori-negative compared to both the non-tumor group (66.7% vs. 35.1%, χ2=5.26, P=0.072) and the epithelial-derived tumor group (66.7% vs. 30.0%, χ2=5.80, P=0.055). The incidence of reverse atrophy in the epithelial-derived tumor group was significantly lower than that in the non-tumor group (65.0% vs. 91.9%, χ2=6.49, P=0.011) and the NETs group (65.0% vs. 93.3%, χ2=3.90, P=0.048).? Conclusion:In AIG patients with NETs, serum vitamin B 12 levels are significantly reduced, suggesting that vitamin B 12 deficiency may be a key risk factor or clinical indicator for NET development in AIG. Furthermore, NETs are more frequently observed in AIG patients without H.pylori infection, while epithelial-derived tumors are more commonly associated with H.pylori co-infection.

Objective:To study the risk factors for combined bacterial/fungal infections in patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) and to develop a novel and validated prediction model.Methods:The basic data and the results of the first laboratory examination after admission were retrospectively collected from patients diagnosed with SFTS who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University from January 2018 to December 2022. The patients were categorized into co-infected and non-co-infected groups according to whether they had co-infections with bacterial/fungal infections or not.Independent risk factors were screened by multivariate logistic regression analyses. A novel prediction model was constructed, and the predictive value of the model was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve. Non-parametric tests and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 294 patients were included, and 62 cases were in the combined infection group including 39 cases of simple respiratory tract infections, 11 cases of simple bloodstream infections, four cases of simple urinary tract infections, four cases of respiratory tract combined with bloodstream infection, and four cases of respiratory tract combined with urinary tract infection. Acinetobacter baumannii was mostly found in bacterial infections, with a total of 19 strains, followed by Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both with seven strains. Aspergillus were mostly common in fungi, with a total of 16 strains which were all collected from patients with pulmonary infections. Compared with the non-co-infected group, patients in the co-infected group had longer hospital stays, with statistically significant differences ( Z=-6.18, P<0.001). The patients also had higher frequencies of bleeding symptoms, neurological symptoms, severe illness, and death, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=23.91, 16.37, 15.51 and 15.58, respectively, all P<0.001). The aspartate transaminase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) was also higher in patients with coinfection, with a statistically significant difference ( Z=-4.64, P<0.001). Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that severe illness (odds ratio ( OR)=2.567, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.344 to 4.904, P=0.004), blood glucose level higher than 7.782 mmol/L ( OR=4.766, 95% CI 2.493 to 9.109, P<0.001), procalcitonin level higher than 0.228 μg/L ( OR=2.487, 95% CI 1.289 to 4.799, P=0.007), and APRI value higher than 6.268 ( OR=3.032, 95% CI 1.404 to 6.548, P=0.005) were the independent risk factors for co-infections in SFTS patients. Disease severity, blood glucose, procalcitonin, and APRI were combined to construct a novel predictive model: Infect-risk score=-3.331+ 0.654×severity (severe=1, non-severe=0)+ 0.160×blood glucose+ 0.066×procalcitonin+ 0.013×APRI. The AUC for this score was 0.764 (95% CI 0.698 to 0.830, P<0.001), with Youden index of 0.416, sensitivity of 0.839, and specificity of 0.578. Conclusions:Severe illness, blood glucose levels higher than 7.782 mmol/L, procalcitonin levels above 0.228 μg/L, and APRI values above 6.268 are independent risk factors for bacterial/fungal coinfection in SFTS patients. The constructed Infect-risk score model has good predictive value for bacterial/fungal coinfection in SFTS patients.

Objective To construct a nursing follow-up checklist for patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,providing a basis for postoperative follow-up care.Methods Using evidence-based methods,the literature from major guide websites and databases using Chinese and English search terms was retrieved,and their quality was evaluated.The relevant items were extracted,and a first draft was formed.15 experts were selected in relevant fields from 14 tertiary hospitals in 13 provinces,cities,and autonomous regions across the country for Delphi inquiry.The nursing follow-up checklist was revised again based on expert opinions and clinical practice.The nursing follow-up checklist was initially applied and then revised again to form the final draft.Results 15 experts include 12 undergraduate and 3 master's degree holders.The positivity coefficients of the 2 rounds of inquiry were 100％;the authority coefficients of the experts were 0.815;the Kendall coefficients were 0.119 and 0.144,respectively;the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.001).The final nursing follow-up checklist was formed,which includes 6 primary indicators,including physiological status,psychological status,social and family support,living conditions,disease knowledge,and laboratory tests.19 patients(95％)found the follow-up content to be comprehensive.The follow-up nurses's satisfaction rate exceeded 85％.There were 27 secondary indicators and 61 tertiary indicators,with coefficients of variation of all indicators less than 0.25.Conclusion The nursing follow-up checklist is scientific,reliable,and practical,which can provide a basis for clinical nursing staff to follow up and comprehensively manage patients after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.