1.Targeting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to treat allergic asthma: Pathogenesis, mechanism, and treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and its components
Jiamao WANG ; Qitong ZHENG ; Yiqing SHI ; Mengyao CHEN ; Xia'nan SANG ; Gang CAO
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;4(1):10-23
Traditional Chinese medicine and its bioactive components have garnered increasing attention as potential therapeutic options for allergic asthma. By targeting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway, these natural compounds exhibit unique advantages in multilevel immunomodulation and inflammation suppression compared with single-target synthetic drugs. Accumulating pharmacological evidence supports their capacity to restore pathway homeostasis, positioning them as promising candidates for complementary strategies in asthma management. Allergic asthma, a heterogeneous respiratory disorder affecting approximately 150 million individuals worldwide, arises from a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental exposures, and lifestyle factors. Its pathological progression is marked by aberrant activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling cascade, with the mechanistic target of rapamycin serving as a key downstream regulatory node. This evolutionarily conserved pathway orchestrates fundamental cellular processes that contribute to three hallmark pathological features of allergic asthma: chronic airway inflammation, structural remodeling of the bronchial architecture, and airway hyperresponsiveness. This review has 3 primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the role of the PI3K/AKT pathway in allergic asthma pathogenesis, (2) to analyze the molecular mechanisms of representative traditional Chinese medicine preparations and their active ingredients, and (3) to identify novel bioactive inhibitors derived from natural products. Collectively, these investigations provide a conceptual framework for the development of next-generation targeted therapies and for optimizing clinical management strategies for allergic asthma.
2.Advances in artificial intelligence for benign-malignant differentiation and risk-stratified management of pulmonary nodules
Xuhua HUANG ; Yiqing WANG ; Xudong LÜ ; ; Jianmin WU ; Ping WANG ; Wang LÜ ; ; Jian HU ; Luming WANG
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(10):1559-1572
With the increasing use of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in lung cancer screening and health examinations, the clinical goal of pulmonary nodule management has shifted from detecting nodules to identifying lesions that warrant intervention while avoiding overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk disease. Artificial intelligence (AI) has consequently evolved from computer-aided detection and segmentation to benign-malignant differentiation, longitudinal growth assessment, invasiveness prediction, risk stratification, and closed-loop workflow support. This review outlines the developmental trajectory of AI for pulmonary nodules and summarizes advances in detection and segmentation, radiomics, end-to-end deep learning, longitudinal modeling, and multimodal integration across incidentally detected, screening-detected, subsolid, and multiple-nodule scenarios. Particular attention is given to real-world failure modes and their causes, including data and label bias, scanner- and protocol-related distribution shift, spectrum bias and overfitting in subsolid nodules, missed atypical lesions, automation bias, and management of discordance between AI outputs and guideline-based recommendations. Current evidence suggests that AI may improve detection efficiency and risk reclassification in selected settings; however, evidence regarding cross-population calibration, patient-relevant outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and post-deployment monitoring remains limited. AI should therefore be positioned as a human-in-the-loop adjunct within guideline-governed pathways, supported by scenario-specific validation, transparent reporting, interpretability and accountability, continuous performance auditing, and multidisciplinary decision-making.
3.Cross-sectional study of drug resistance in newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected patients in Shanghai
Qianru LIN ; Xuqin WANG ; Wenqi TANG ; Yuan DONG ; Qing YUE ; Chunyan HE ; Xiaolei YU ; Changhe LIU ; Yiqing HAN ; Wanqing FENG ; Zhen NING ; Xin SHEN ; Xin CHEN ; Yi LIN
Chinese Journal of Experimental and Clinical Virology 2025;39(1):69-74
Objective:To investigate the drug resistance of newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected patients in Shanghai and to provide reference value for clinical antiretroviral therapy (ART).Methods:The peripheral venous blood plasma of 196 newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected patients screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from April to June 2023 was collected, HIV-1 RNA was extracted, the pol region was amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for sequencing, the mutation sites and ART drug resistance were analyzed.Results:The plasma of 196 newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected patients was amplified successfully in 162 cases (amplification success rate was 82.65%). The subtypes consisted of CRF07_BC(51.23%), CRF01_AE (27.78%), and others (6.79%), CRF55_01B (5.56%), B (3.70%), CRF01_AE/B (3.70%) and CRF08_BC (1.23%). The overall transmitted drug resistance rate was 7.41%, the protease inhibitors (PIs), non-nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), integrase inhibitors (INSTIs) resistance rates were 3.09%, 3.70%, 0.00% and 0.62%, respectively. The proportion of NNRTIs-related mutation sites in B (66.67%) and CRF55_01B (88.89%) was higher than that in CRF07_BC (13.25%); the proportion of NNRTIs-related mutation sites in CRF55_01B (88.89%) was higher than that in CRF01_AE (22.22%) and other subtypes (18.18%), the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the probability of PIs-related mutation sites in CRF01_AE/B was 21.71 times that of CRF07_BC[odds ratio ( OR)=21.71, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 3.36-140.27, P=0.001]. Conclusions:The transmitted drug resistance among newly diagnosed HIV-1 infected patients in Shanghai is at the moderate epidemic level, mainly NNRTIs and PIs-related drug resistance, and the INSTIs resistance rate is low, the use of INSTIs in ART regimens should be considered.
4.Medication regularity and mechanism of prescriptions containingtraditional Chi-nese medicine compound formulas in treatment of sepsis based on data mining and network pharmacology
Lin DU ; Weidong HU ; Hanlin ZHOU ; Wanqin LUO ; Xiyao TANG ; Yiqing WANG ; Yin LI ; Li ZHANG ; Jun LI ; Liting CAO ; Shicheng BI
Chinese Journal of Veterinary Science 2025;45(4):782-793
This study aims to investigate the medication rules of patented traditional Chinese medi-cine(TCM)compound formulas and molecular mechanisms of core drugs for treating sepsis using data mining and network pharmacology approaches.In the present study,we first searched the PubMed database,Web of Science database,and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI)since the establishment of the library to April 30,2024 for the relevant literature on the treatment of sepsis by traditional Chinese medicine.The prescriptions were then statistically ana-lyzed for drug frequency and association analysis to obtain the core drugs.Then we screened the ef-fective active ingredients of the core drugs by TCMSP and other database platforms,obtained sep-sis-related genes in GeneCards and other databases,and statistically intersected targets,and predic-ted the mechanism of action of the core TCMs by subjecting the intersected targets to PPI analy-sis,GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis.Finally,the relationship between key tar-gets and herbal components was examined in reverse by molecular docking method.The results showed that 64 compound formulas were obtained,with a total of 150 Chinese medicines,which were mostly sweet in taste,cold in nature,and belonged to the spleen,stomach and intestinal me-ridians.According to the association rules,the core drugs were identified as"mirabilite-peach ker-nel-rheum officinale".There were 79 intersecting targets between the core drugs and sepsis,with core targets such as IL-1β,EGFR and SRC.MAPK,TNF,IL-17 and other signaling pathways are involved to mediate inflammatory responses,apoptosis and other biological processes to exert ther-apeutic effects on sepsis.The molecular docking results indicated that the docking activity of the key targets with the main components of the drug,and sennoside E_qt has the lowest binding ener-gy and the best docking activity with SRC.In conclusion,this study showed that the prescription of Chinese medicine for sepsis is mostly based on tonifying the spleen and clearing heat.The mecha-nism of action of the core drug"mirabilite-peach kernel-rheum officinale"in the treatment of sep-sis is multilevel and multifaceted,which provides a certain theoretical basis for the treatment of sepsis by traditional Chinese medicine.
5.Mechanism of Biejiajian pill for treatment of liver fibrosis in rats based on TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway
Wei XU ; Yiqing WANG ; Li LIU ; Jie PANG
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2025;41(5):965-971
AIM:To investigate the effect of Biejiajian pill(BJJP)in reducing carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)-in-duced liver fibrosis in rats and to explore the underlying mechanism of the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway.METHODS:A total of 40 male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups:control group,model group,low-dose BJJP group,and high-dose BJJP groups,with 10 rats per group.The rat model of liver fibrosis was established by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4,and two doses of BJJP(2.2 g/kg and 0.55 g/kg)were administered simultaneously.After 8 weeks of modeling and BJJP administration,the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to measure liver injury indicators,including alanine aminotransferase(ALT)and aspartate aminotransferase(AST).Masson trichrome staining and Sirius red staining were performed to assess the fibrin deposition in liver tissue.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis were conducted to detect the expression of extracellular matrix produced by hepatic stellate cells(HSCs).The expression of fibrosis-related proteins was examined using morphological assessment and Western blot.Finally,Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expression of proteins related to the Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/myeioid differentiation factor 88(MyD88)/NF-κB signaling pathway.RESULTS:The ELISA results indicated that BJJP treatment significantly re-duced ALT and AST levels in the serum of rats with liver fibrosis(P<0.01).Hematoxylin-eosin staining confirmed the protective effect of BJJP on liver tissue.Morphological analysis using Masson trichrome staining,Sirius Red staining,and alpha smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that BJJP effectively reduced fibrin depo-sition in CCl4-induced rat liver fibrosis.Furthermore,the decreased expression of other markers associated with hepatic stellate cell activation,including fibronectin,collagen type Ⅰ,and α-SMA(P<0.01).Additionally,BJJP treatment sig-nificantly inhibited the activation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway induced by CCl4(P<0.05).CONCLU-SION:BJJP alleviates CCl4-induced liver injury and fibrosis in rats.This effect may be attributed to its inhibition of the TLR4-NF-κB signaling pathway,which subsequently suppressed the HSCs activation.
6.131I whole-body scanning and 131I-SPECT/CT for evaluating differentiated thyroid cancer after operation and initial radioactive iodine treatment
Huan XI ; Lin LIN ; Rong FAN ; Ke YANG ; Zhengmao WEI ; Yiqing ZHENG ; Xuejuan WANG ; Rong ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Medical Imaging Technology 2025;41(1):65-69
Objective To comparatively observe the value of 131I whole-body scanning(WBS)and 131I-SPECT/CT for evaluating residual thyroid tissue,lymph node and distant metastasis,as well as risk of recurrence of differentiated thyroid cancer(DTC)after surgical resection and initial radioactive iodine(RAI)treatment.Methods Totally 367 DTC patients who underwent initial RAI treatment after surgical resection and then 131I-WBS and 131I SPECT/CT scanning were retrospectively collected.131I-WBS and 131I SPECT/CT were compared for identifying residual thyroid,lymph node and distant metastases.According to follow-up results,the risk of DTC recurrence was evaluated based on 131I-WBS and 131I-SPECT/CT,respectively.Results Residual thyroid was detected in 353 cases and suspected in 3 cases with 131 I-WBS,which was diagnosed in 349 cases with 131I-SPECT/CT,and no significant difference was found between 2 methods(P=0.289).131I-WBS detected 36 cases with and suspected 67 cases with lymph node metastases,312 without distant metastases,while 131I-SPECT/CT diagnosed lymph node metastases in 52 cases;131I-WBS detected 20 cases with and suspected 35 cases with distant metastases,while 131I-SPECT/CT diagnosed 60 cases with distant metastases but could not diagnose in 3 cases,304 without distant metastases.The detection rate of 131I-SPECT/CT for lymph node and distant metastasis were both higher than that of 131I-WBS(P=0.018,P<0.001).During follow-up period,there were 94 cases with low risk,155 with medium risk and 118 with high risk of DTC recurrence according to 131I-SPECT/CT,while 116 cases of low risk,137 of medium risk and 114 of high risk based on 131I-SPECT/CT,and the evaluating results were different between 2 methods in 40 cases(40/367,10.90%).Conclusion Compared with 131I-WBS,131I-SPECT/CT had better clinical value for evaluating lymph node and distant metastases and assessing recurrence risk of DTC after initial RAI treatment.
7.Analysis and evaluation of platelet bank establishment strategy from the perspective of donor loss
Zheng LIU ; Yamin SUN ; Xin PENG ; Yiqing KANG ; Ziqing WANG ; Jintong ZHU ; Juan DU ; Jianbin LI
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(2):238-243
[Objective] To analyze the loss rate of platelet donors and evaluate the strategies for establishing a platelet donor bank. [Methods] A total of 1 443 donors who joined the HLA and HPA gene donor bank for platelets in Henan Province from 2018 to 2020 were included in this study. Data on the total number of apheresis platelet donations, annual donation frequency, age at enrollment, donation habits (including the number of platelets donated per session and whether they had previously donated whole blood), and enrollment location were collected from the platelet donor information management system. Donor loss was determined based on the date of their last donation. The loss rates of different groups under various conditions were compared to assess the enrollment strategies. [Results] By the time the platelet bank was officially operational in 2022, 421 donors had been lost, resulting in an loss rate of 29% (421/1 443). By the end of 2023, the overall cumulative loss rate reached 52% (746/1 443). The loss rate was lower than the overall level in groups meeting any of the following conditions: total apheresis platelet donations exceeding 50, annual donation frequency of 10 or more, age at enrollment of 40 years or older, donation of more than a single therapeutic dose per session, or a history of whole blood donation two or more times. Additionally, loss rates varied across different enrollment locations, with higher enrollment numbers generally associated with higher loss rates. [Conclusion] Through a comprehensive analysis of donor loss, our center has adjusted its strategies for establishing the donor pool. These findings also provide valuable insights for other blood collection and supply institutions in building platelet donor banks.
8.Analysis of risk factors for obstetric septic shock
Meiling TAN ; Xueyuan HU ; Yiqing XIONG ; Mingyu ZHENG ; Ping YAN ; Dan WANG
Academic Journal of Naval Medical University 2025;46(11):1496-1501
Objective To explore the risk factors for obstetric septic shock.Methods The clinical data of 122 obstetric sepsis patients from Jan.2013 to Apr.2025 were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were assigned to shock group(n=26)or non-shock group(n=96)based on whether they progressed to septic shock.Variables including age,body mass index,multiple pregnancy,sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score,organ dysfunction status,white blood cell count(WBC),neutrophil count(NEU),neutrophil ratio,platelet count,procalcitonin,C-reactive protein,lactate(Lac),and D-dimer were recorded.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for obstetric septic shock.The predictive efficacy of these factors was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results The proportions of patients aged≥35 years,and those with respiratory,cardiac,or central nervous system dysfunction,were significantly higher in the shock group than in the non-shock group,and the SOFA score,WBC,NEU,neutrophil ratio and Lac level were significantly higher in the shock group(all P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that increased NEU(odds ratio[OR]=1.093,95%confidence interval[CI]1.022-1.169,P=0.010)and age≥35 years(OR=3.433,95%CI 1.112-10.602,P=0.032)were independent risk factors for obstetric septic shock.ROC curve analysis showed that NEU had predictive value for obstetric septic shock(area under curve=0.741,95%CI 0.634-0.848),with an optimal cut-offvalue of 17.17×109/L.Conclusion Increased NEU and age≥35 years are independent risk factors for obstetric septic shock.NEU has predictive value for the development of obstetric septic shock and may serve as an important indicator for clinical assessment and timely treatment.
9.Construction and Validation of a Large Language Model-Based Intelligent Pre-Consultation System for Traditional Chinese Medicine
Yiqing LIU ; Ying LI ; Hongjun YANG ; Linjing PENG ; Nanxing XIAN ; Kunning LI ; Qiwei SHI ; Hengyi TIAN ; Lifeng DONG ; Lin WANG ; Yuping ZHAO
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(9):895-900
ObjectiveTo construct a large language model (LLM)-based intelligent pre-consultation system for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to improve efficacy of clinical practice. MethodsA TCM large language model was fine-tuned using DeepSpeed ZeRO-3 distributed training strategy based on YAYI 2-30B. A weighted undirected graph network was designed and an agent-based syndrome differentiation model was established based on relationship data extracted from TCM literature and clinical records. An agent collaboration framework was developed to integrate the TCM LLM with the syndrome differentiation model. Model performance was comprehensively evaluated by Loss function, BLEU-4, and ROUGE-L metrics, through which training convergence, text generation quality, and language understanding capability were assessed. Professional knowledge test sets were developed to evaluate system proficiency in TCM physician licensure content, TCM pharmacist licensure content, TCM symptom terminology recognition, and meridian identification. Clinical tests were conducted to compare the system with attending physicians in terms of diagnostic accuracy, consultation rounds, and consultation duration. ResultsAfter 100 000 iterations, the training loss value was gradually stabilized at about 0.7±0.08, indicating that the TCM-LLM has been trained and has good generalization ability. The TCM-LLM scored 0.38 in BLEU-4 and 0.62 in ROUGE-L, suggesting that its natural language processing ability meets the standard. We obtained 2715 symptom terms, 505 relationships between diseases and syndromes, 1011 relationships between diseases and main symptoms, and 1 303 600 relationships among different symptoms, and constructed the Agent of syndrome differentiation model. The accuracy rates in the simulated tests for TCM practitioners, licensed pharmacists of Chinese materia medica, recognition of TCM symptom terminology, and meridian recognition were 94.09%, 78.00%, 87.50%, and 68.80%, respectively. In clinical tests, the syndrome differentiation accuracy of the system reached 88.33%, with fewer consultation rounds and shorter consultation time compared to the attending physicians (P<0.01), suggesting that the system has a certain pre- consultation ability. ConclusionThe LLM-based intelligent TCM pre-diagnosis system could simulate diagnostic thinking of TCM physicians to a certain extent. After understanding the patients' natural language, it collects all the patient's symptom through guided questioning, thereby enhancing the diagnostic and treatment efficiency of physicians as well as the consultation experience of the patients.
10.Mechanism of Kidney-tonifying and Liver-regulating Cyclical Therapy and Formula in Improving Endometrial Receptivity during "Implantation Window" in Rats with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome via miR-140-5p/VEGF Pathway
Quan LIU ; Yiqing HE ; Ying ZHANG ; Xi WANG ; Shuo YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(12):100-109
ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of kidney-tonifying and liver-regulating cyclical therapy and its formula in regulating endometrial receptivity during the "implantation window" in rats with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). MethodsSix rats were randomly selected from 36 SPF SD female rats as the normal group, and the remaining rats were administered letrozole to induce a PCOS model. By using a random number method, the rats were divided into the following groups: normal group, model group, Xiaoyaosan group (11.97 g·kg-1), Sanzi Yangmo decoction group (28.35 g·kg-1), cyclical therapy group (11.97/28.35 g·kg-1), and aspirin group (8 × 10-3 mg·kg-1). After 12 days of continuous administration by gavage (equivalent to three estrous cycles), female and male rats were co-housed. On the fifth day of pregnancy, the number of blastocyst implantation in each group was counted. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of rat endometrial tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in rat serum. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor (ER), androgen receptor (AR), and integrin(ITG) αvβ3 in rat endometrial blood vessels. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of miR-140-5 P, VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), PR, ER, AR, and ITGαvβ3 in rat endometrium. ResultsCompared with normal group, the estrous cycle of the rats in model group continued to be in the estrus interval and the estrous cycle lost regular changes. The endometrium was significantly thinner, the number of uterine glands and blood vessels were significantly reduced (P<0.01), and the pregnancy rate was significantly reduced. Compared with the model group, each drug group restored the regular estrous cycle to varying degrees, and the endometrial thickness and the number of blood vessels were significantly improved (P<0.01). The pregnancy rate of each drug group increased, and the effect of the cycle therapy group could reach the normal level. The results of molecular biology experiments showed that compared with the normal group, the levels of serum E2 and P in the model group were significantly decreased (P<0.01), the expression of VEGF, ER, PR and ITGαvβ3 protein was significantly decreased (P<0.05,P<0.01), the expression of AR protein was significantly increased (P<0.01), the expression of miR-140-5P and AR mRNA was significantly increased (P<0.01), and the expression of VEGF, VEGFR2, ER, PR and ITGαvβ3 mRNA was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, the serum E2 level in the Xiaoyaosan group was significantly increased (P<0.01).The levels of E2 and P in serum of rats in Sanzi Yangmo decoction group, cycle therapy group and aspirin group were significantly increased (P<0.01). The expression of AR protein in each drug group was significantly decreased (P<0.01). The expression of VEGF and ITGαvβ3 protein in Xiaoyaosan group was significantly increased (P<0.01). The expression of VEGF, ER and PR protein in Sanzi Yangmo decoction group was increased to varying degrees (P<0.05,P<0.01). The expression of VEGF, PR, ER and ITGαvβ3 protein in the cycle therapy group and the aspirin group increased to varying degrees (P<0.05,P<0.01). The expression of miR-140-5P and AR mRNA in each drug group was significantly decreased (P<0.01). The expression of VEGF, VEGFR2, ER, PR and ITGαvβ3 mRNA in each drug group increased to varying degrees (P<0.05,P<0.01). Compared with Xiaoyaosan group and Sanzi Yangmo decoction group, the expression of miR-140-5P, VEGFR2, ER, PR, AR and ITGαvβ3 mRNA in the cycle therapy group were significantly different (P<0.05,P<0.01). ConclusionThe kidney-tonifying and liver-regulating cyclical therapy may reduce the activity of miR-140-5P, target the upregulation of VEGF expression, mediate angiogenesis, and promote endometrial angiogenesis, thereby playing a synergistic role in improving endometrial receptivity in PCOS-induced infertility. Its efficacy in increasing pregnancy rates surpasses that of Xiaoyaosan or Sanzi Yangmo decoction used alone.

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