1.Application of machine learning in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis C
Hua HAN ; Zhongping DUAN ; Yang WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(1):141-144
With the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning has shown great potential in the field of medical health. Machine learning conducts a comprehensive analysis of patient data including clinical features, blood tests, and imaging examinations and establishes corresponding mathematical models to achieve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and the prediction of disease conditions, thereby guiding disease management. With reference to the latest research findings, this article reviews the application of machine learning in chronic hepatitis C and related research advances.
2.Analysis of detection of repeat blood donors with unqualified alanine aminotransferase
Zijian ZENG ; Fenfang LIAO ; Junmou XIE ; Zhiting WAN ; Rongsong DU ; Zhongping LI ; Haojian LIANG ; Shijie LI ; Yanli JI ; Huaqin LIANG ; Hao WANG
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2025;38(4):482-487
[Objective] To retrospectively analyze the detection results of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) unqualified repeat blood donors in Guangzhou, so as to provide evidence for further expanding the repeat blood donor pool, reducing the rate of blood discarding and improving the qualified rate of blood test. [Methods] Blood donors with unqualified ALT in Guangzhou Blood Center from January 2018 to April 2024 were selected as the research objects. The past blood donation and population characteristics were analyzed according to the number of blood donations and ALT unqualified times. [Results] Among repeat blood donors with previous ALT disqualification, 99.5% to 99.7% did not have reactive markers for transfusion-transmitted diseases (TTD), which was higher than the rate among first-time blood donors with unqualified ALT (95.8%) (P<0.05). The rate of single-item ALT disqualification in repeat blood donors was higher in males than in females (P<0.05); it also varied by age (18-25 years > 26-35 years > 36-45 years > over 45 years) (P<0.05); and by quarter (third and fourth quarters > first and second quarters) (P<0.05). The ALT unqualified rate was significantly higher whole blood donors than that of platelet donors and returning blood donors (P<0.05). The overall ALT level (51.0 U/L), individual ALT level (56.0 U/L) and individual ALT unqualified rate (66.7%) of repeat blood donors with multiple ALT disqualifications were higher than those of repeat blood donors with single-item ALT disqualifications (26.0 U/L, 38.5 U/L, and 33.3%, respectively) (P<0.05). Moreover, as the number of ALT disqualifications increased, the overall level of ALT in repeat blood donors also increased (P<0.05), and the average level of individual ALT and individual ALT unqualified ratio tended to increase. Repeat blood donors with frequent ALT disqualifications had higher ALT levels (69.0 U/L). [Conclusion] The ALT unqualified rates of repeat blood donors were mostly non-specific elevation without TTD. Repeat blood donors with multiple ALT disqualifications tend to have continuous high ALT. Moreover, and with the increase of ALT disqualifications times, the overall ALT levels the average individual ALT levels and individual ALT unqualified rates showed an increasing trend.
3.Interpretation of guideline for diagnosis and treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure (2025 edition)
Manman XU ; Huaibin ZOU ; Zhongping DUAN ; Tao HAN ; Yu CHEN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(5):844-850
In 2025, Severe Liver Disease and Artificial Liver Group and Nutrition and Regeneration in End-Stage Liver Disease Group of Chinese Society of Hepatology, Chinese Medical Association, convened a panel of national experts to jointly develop China’s first guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). Based on the latest research findings and clinical practice in China and globally, this guideline establishes a standardized definition of ACLF and provide recommendations for its diagnosis, treatment, and clinical management. This article gives an interpretation of the key points in the guideline, in order to provide a reference for standardized diagnosis and treatment of ACLF.
4.Establishment and validation of a risk prediction model for 90-day mortality in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure based on sarcopenia
Huina CHEN ; Ming KONG ; Siqi ZHANG ; Manman XU ; Yu CHEN ; Zhongping DUAN
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(6):1135-1142
ObjectiveTo establish and validate a new prediction model for the risk of death in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) based on sarcopenia and other clinical indicators, and to improve the accuracy of prognostic assessment for ACLF patients. MethodsA total of 380 patients with ACLF who were admitted to Beijing YouAn Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2019 to January 2022 were enrolled, and they were divided into training group with 228 patients and testing group with 152 patients in a ratio of 6∶4 using the stratified random sampling method. For the training group, CT images were used to measure the cross-sectional area of the skeletal muscle at the third lumbar vertebra (L3), and L3 skeletal muscle index (L3-SMI) was calculated. Sarcopenia was diagnosed based on the previously established L3-SMI reference values for healthy adults in northern China. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to establish a sarcopenia-ACLF model which integrated sarcopenia and clinical risk factors, and a nomogram was developed for presentation. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was used to assess the predictive performance of the model, the calibration curve was used to assess the degree of calibration, and a decision curve analysis was used to investigate the clinical application value of the model. The independent-samples t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves, and the Log-rank test was used for comparison between groups. The DeLong test was used for comparison of AUC between different models. ResultsThe multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that sarcopenia (hazard ratio [HR]=1.962, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.185 — 3.250, P=0.009), total bilirubin (HR=1.003, 95%CI: 1.002 — 1.005, P<0.001), international normalized ratio (HR=1.997, 95%CI: 1.674 — 2.382, P<0.001), and lactic acid (HR=1.382, 95%CI: 1.170 — 1.632, P<0.001) were included in the sarcopenia-ACLF model. In the training cohort, the sarcopenia-ACLF model had a larger AUC than MELD-Na score in predicting 90-day mortality in patients with ACLF (0.80 vs 0.73, Z=1.97, P=0.049). In the test cohort, the sarcopenia-ACLF model had a significantly larger AUC than MELD score (0.79 vs 0.69, Z=2.70, P=0.007) and MELD-Na score (0.79 vs 0.68, Z=2.92, P=0.004). The calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ability, with a relatively good consistency between the predicted risk of mortality and the observed results. The DCA results showed that within a reasonable range of threshold probabilities, the sarcopenia-ACLF model showed a greater net benefit than MELD and MELD-Na scores in both the training cohort and the test cohort. ConclusionThe sarcopenia-ACLF model developed in this study provides a more accurate tool for predicting the risk of 90-day mortality in ACLF patients, which provides support for clinical decision-making and helps to optimize treatment strategies.
5.Analysis of the efficacy of prone position ventilation combined with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the treatment of severe primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation
Dapeng WANG ; Chenglong LIANG ; Jinsong ZHU ; Tao ZHOU ; Zhongping XU ; Chunxiao HU ; Hongyang XU
Organ Transplantation 2025;16(6):898-906
Objective To explore the application effect of prone position ventilation combined with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) in the treatment of severe primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after lung transplantation. Methods The clinical data of 75 lung transplant recipients who developed severe PGD after lung transplantation and were treated with VV-ECMO from January 2021 to June 2024 at Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University were collected. The patients with severe graft dysfunction after lung transplantation were divided into VV-ECMO group (control group, 45 cases) and prone position ventilation combined with VV-ECMO group (treatment group, 30 cases). The general data of the two groups of patients were compared, including the donors' clinical data (age, gender and oxygenation index, etc) and the recipients' clinical data [gender, age and body mass index (BMI), etc]. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of the recipients' 30-day, 90-day and 180-day survival after surgery. The survival curves of the two groups of recipients were drawn using Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Results The intensive care unit (ICU) stay time, ECMO application time and ventilator use time of control group were longer than those of treatment group. The proportion of male recipients and the BMI of control group were lower than those of treatment group. The 30-day, 90-day and 180-day survival of control group was worse than that of treatment group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis of the recipients' 30-day survival after surgery showed that the recipients' BMI, history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle, intraoperative blood transfusion volume and intraoperative red blood cell transfusion volume were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the history of diabetes and enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle were risk factors affecting the 30-day survival of lung transplant recipients (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis of the recipients' 90-day survival after surgery showed that the recipients' BMI, history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle, intraoperative blood transfusion volume, intraoperative red blood cell transfusion volume and group variable were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle and group variable were risk factors affecting the 90-day survival of lung transplant recipients (all P<0.05). The univariate Cox regression analysis of the recipients' 180-day survival after surgery showed that the recipients' BMI, history of diabetes, right atrium and right ventricle enlargement, intraoperative blood transfusion volume, intraoperative red blood cell transfusion volume and group variable were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the history of diabetes, enlargement of the right atrium and right ventricle and group variable were risk factors affecting the 180-day survival of lung transplant recipients (all P<0.05). The 30-day, 90-day and 180-day survival rates of control group were lower, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05), with a median survival time of 100 days in control group. Conclusions In the clinical treatment of severe PGD after lung transplantation, prone position ventilation combined with VV-ECMO may shorten ECMO application time, invasive ventilation time and ICU stay time, and improve the short-term prognosis of lung transplantation.
6.A signal sensing system for monitoring the movement of human respiratory muscle based on the thin-film varistor.
Yueyang YUAN ; Zhongping ZHANG ; Lixin XIE ; Haoxuan HUANG ; Wei LIU
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(4):733-738
In order to accurately capture the respiratory muscle movement and extract the synchronization signals corresponding to the breathing phases, a comprehensive signal sensing system for sensing the movement of the respiratory muscle was developed with applying the thin-film varistor FSR402 IMS-C07A in this paper. The system integrated a sensor, a signal processing circuit, and an application program to collect, amplify and denoise electronic signals. Based on the respiratory muscle movement sensor and a STM32F107 development board, an experimental platform was designed to conduct experiments. The respiratory muscle movement data and respiratory airflow data were collected from 3 healthy adults for comparative analysis. In this paper, the results demonstrated that the method for determining respiratory phase based on the sensing the respiratory muscle movement exhibited strong real-time performance. Compared to traditional airflow-based respiratory phase detection, the proposed method showed a lead times ranging from 33 to 210 ms [(88.3 ± 47.9) ms] for expiration switched into inspiration and 17 to 222 ms [(92.9 ± 63.8) ms] for inspiration switched into expiration, respectively. When this system is applied to trigger the output of the ventilator, it will effectively improve the patient-ventilator synchrony and facilitate the ventilation treatment for patients with respiratory diseases.
Humans
;
Respiratory Muscles/physiology*
;
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
;
Movement/physiology*
;
Respiration
;
Monitoring, Physiologic/methods*
;
Adult
7.Deciphering the significant impact of natural glycosylation on human insulin.
Yaohao LI ; Wenqiang LIU ; Dan LIU ; Ruihan WANG ; Yajing ZHANG ; Xin LI ; Jinyuan GONG ; Shiying SHANG ; Zhongping TAN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(11):5880-5890
In the century-long evolution of insulin pharmaceuticals, each transformative advancement in this drug class has been closely tied to the ability to obtain new insulin isoforms for research. Despite this, the recently discovered naturally occurring isoforms of glycosylated human insulin have remained largely unattainable for proper characterization. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that total chemical synthesis can be used to generate all isoforms. This achievement required maintaining the correct positions of the interchain disulfide bonds while effectively removing protecting groups on complex glycans. Notably, the availability of seven glycoforms reveals the important effects of natural sialylated glycans in suppressing insulin self-association and enhancing its solubility, surpassing the performance of currently employed rapid-acting insulin drugs. This work not only offers a readily adaptable platform for exploring natural O-glycosylation in other therapeutic proteins and peptides but also lays the groundwork for further research into harnessing natural glycosylation for therapeutic applications.
8.Identification of a natural PLA2 inhibitor from the marine fungus Aspergillus sp. c1 for MAFLD treatment that suppressed lipotoxicity by inhibiting the IRE-1α/XBP-1s axis and JNK signaling.
Yong RAO ; Rui SU ; Chenyan WU ; Xingxing CHAI ; Jinjian LI ; Guanyu YANG ; Junjie WU ; Tingting FU ; Zhongping JIANG ; Zhikai GUO ; Congjun XU ; Ling HUANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2024;14(1):304-318
Lipotoxicity is a pivotal factor that initiates and exacerbates liver injury and is involved in the development of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). However, there are few reported lipotoxicity inhibitors. Here, we identified a natural anti-lipotoxicity candidate, HN-001, from the marine fungus Aspergillus sp. C1. HN-001 dose- and time- dependently reversed palmitic acid (PA)-induced hepatocyte death. This protection was associated with IRE-1α-mediated XBP-1 splicing inhibition, which resulted in suppression of XBP-1s nuclear translocation and transcriptional regulation. Knockdown of XBP-1s attenuated lipotoxicity, but no additional ameliorative effect of HN-001 on lipotoxicity was observed in XBP-1s knockdown hepatocytes. Notably, the ER stress and lipotoxicity amelioration was associated with PLA2. Both HN-001 and the PLA2 inhibitor MAFP inhibited PLA2 activity, reduced lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) level, subsequently ameliorated lipotoxicity. In contrast, overexpression of PLA2 caused exacerbation of lipotoxicity and weakened the anti-lipotoxic effects of HN-001. Additionally, HN-001 treatment suppressed the downstream pro-apoptotic JNK pathway. In vivo, chronic administration of HN-001 (i.p.) in mice alleviated all manifestations of MAFLD, including hepatic steatosis, liver injury, inflammation, and fibrogenesis. These effects were correlated with PLA2/IRE-1α/XBP-1s axis and JNK signaling suppression. These data indicate that HN-001 has therapeutic potential for MAFLD because it suppresses lipotoxicity, and provide a natural structural basis for developing anti-MAFLD candidates.
9.Protective effect of salidroside on angiotensin Ⅱ-induced fibrosis in cardiac fibroblasts
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2024;28(20):3137-3142
BACKGROUND:Previous studies have shown that salidroside has an ameliorative effect on multi-organ fibrosis.However,the protective effect of salidroside on angiotensin ⅱ-induced fibrosis in cardiac fibroblasts is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the protective effects of salidroside on angiotensin ⅱ-induced oxidative stress and extracellular matrix deposition in cardiac fibroblasts of Sprague-Dawley rats and its mechanism of action. METHODS:Angiotensin Ⅱ was used to induce fibrosis in cardiac fibroblasts,and there were five experimental groups:normal control group,model group(final concentration of angiotensin Ⅱ in culture medium was 1 μmol/L),salidroside low and high dose groups(treatment with salidroside 50,100 μmol/L for 2 hours,followed by co-incubation with angiotensin Ⅱ for 48 hours),SIRT1 inhibitor group(treatment with SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 10 μmol/L for 2 hours,followed by high dose of salidroside for 2 hours and then co-incubation with angiotensin Ⅱ for 48 hours).The cell viability was detected using the cell counting kit-8 method,the cell migration rate was detected by Transwell,the intracellular reactive oxygen species level was detected by DCFH-DA fluorescent probe,and the intracellular malondialdehyde content,superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were detected by relevant kits.The protein and mRNA expression levels of SIRT1,LOXL2,α-SMA,type I collagen and type Ⅲ collagen were detected by western blot and qRT-PCR,respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The cells were identified as cardiac fibroblasts by Vimentin fluorescence.Compared with the normal control group,cell viability,cell migration rate,reactive oxygen species level,and malondialdehyde content were significantly increased,superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were significantly decreased,LOXL2,α-SMA,type I collagen,type Ⅲ collagen mRNA and protein expression were significantly increased,and SIRT1 protein expression level was significantly decreased in the model group(all P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the above indexes showed opposite changes in the salidroside low and high dose groups(all P<0.05).Moreover,salidroside showed dose-dependent regulation.Compared with salidroside groups,cell migration rate and α-SMA protein expression level were significantly increased in the SIRT1 inhibitor group(both P<0.001).To conclude,salidroside has a protective effect on angiotensin Ⅱ-induced cardiac fibroblasts and can dose-dependently inhibit oxidative stress and extracellular matrix deposition.
10.Effect of ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block on postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy
Zhongping CHENG ; Kaili YU ; Ruo WANG ; Xiaokun WANG ; Weihao LUO ; Yiqing YIN
Chinese Journal of Clinical Oncology 2024;51(1):23-26
Objective:To evaluate the effect of ultrasound-guided subserratus anterior plane block on postoperative analgesia in patients un-dergoing laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.Methods:Sixty patients who underwent elective laparoscopic radical gastrectomy were enrolled between May 2022 and October 2023 at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute&Hospital.Patients were assigned into two groups us-ing a random number table method:the control(group C)and the ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block(SAPB)(group S).Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA)was administered at the end of the surgery.After surgery,visual analogue scale(VAS)of static pain scores was evaluated at 1,6,12,24,and 48 hours.PCIA pump was started at the VAS pain score≥4 after surgery,and sufentanil 0.1μg/kg was intravenously injected when the efficacy was inadequate.The requirement for PCIA use,time to first postoperative anal exhaust,first postoperative out-of-bed activity,first oral intake,and the duration of hospitalization stay were recorded for the two groups.Results:VAS scores were significantly lower at postoperative 1,6,and 12 h in group S than in group C(P<0.05).Additionally,the number of effective uses of PCIA,and rescue analgesia were significantly lower in group S[(6.1±0.4)(2)]than in group C[(18.6±1.4)(17)](P<0.001).The time to first postoperative anal exhaust,first postoperative out-of-bed activity,first oral intake,and duration of hospital stay were shortened in group S than in group C(P<0.05).There were no significant differences in other parameters between these two groups.Conclusion:Ultrasound-guided SAPB can reduce postoperative pain and facilitate fast recovery in laparoscopic radical gastrectomy patients.

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