This paper outlines the development of artificial intelligence （AI） and its applications in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） research， and elucidates the roles and advantages of large language models， knowledge graphs， and natural language processing in advancing syndrome identification， prescription generation， and mechanism exploration. Using spleen-stomach diseases as an example， it demonstrates the empowering effects of AI in classical literature mining， precise clinical syndrome differentiation， efficacy and safety prediction， and intelligent education， highlighting an upgraded research paradigm that evolves from data-driven and knowledge-driven approaches to intelligence-driven models. To address challenges related to privacy protection and regulatory compliance in cross-institutional data collaboration， a "trusted federated evidence-based analysis platform for TCM spleen-stomach diseases" is proposed， integrating blockchain-based smart contracts， federated learning， and secure multi-party computation. The deep integration of AI with privacy-preserving computing is reshaping research and clinical practice in TCM spleen-stomach diseases， providing feasible pathways and a technical framework for building a high-quality， trustworthy TCM big-data ecosystem and achieving precision syndrome differentiation.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of Janus kinase （JAK） inhibitors combined with Chinese herbal medicine （CHM） in treating rheumatoid arthritis （RA）. MethodsClinical data from 169 RA patients were retrospectively collected. Among them， 71 cases received JAK inhibitors as the control group， while 98 cases received JAK inhibitors plus CHM as the observation group， both treated for 24 weeks. The rheumatoid factor （RF）， cyclic citic peptide antibody （anti-CCP）， erythrocyte sedimentation rate （ESR）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， and white blood cell count （WBC） were recorded before and after treatment. Databases including CNKI， Wanfang， VIP， PubMed and Web of Science were searched from inception till August 31st， 2025 for randomized controlled trials （RCTs） on the combined use of JAK inhibitors and CHM for RA. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the risk of bias assessment tool. Meta-analyses were performed for RF， anti-CCP， ESR， CRP， 28-joint disease activity score （DAS28）， overall clinical effective rate， and incidence of adverse events. Sensitivity analysis were also performed. ResultsThe retrospective study demonstrated that after treatment， ESR， CRP， and anti-CCP levels decreased in the observation group， while ESR and CRP levels decreased in the control group （P＜0.05）. Moreover， ESR and RF levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.05）. A total of 9 RCTs involving 770 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that the JAK inhibitors plus CHM group was superior to the JAK inhibitors group in reducing RF （MD=-8.97， 95%CI -15.01 to -2.94， P=0.004）， CRP （MD=-3.34， 95%CI -3.82 to -2.86， P＜0.001）， ESR （MD=-5.33， 95%CI -7.98 to -2.69， P＜0.001）， and DAS28 score （MD=-0.54， 95%CI -0.74 to -0.34， P＜0.001）， as well as in improving the overall clinical effective rate （OR=4.53， 95%CI 2.55 to 8.03， P＜0.001）. No statistically significant differences were observed between groups in anti-CCP levels （SMD=-2.08， 95%CI -4.41 to 0.24， P=0.080） or incidence of adverse events （OR=0.93， 95%CI 0.55 to 1.57， P=0.790）. ConclusionThe combination of JAK inhibitors and CHM demonstrates remarkable efficacy in treating RA， contributing to improved disease activity and reduced inflammatory markers with a favorable safety profile.

Endometriosis （EMT） is a common disease with frequent occurrence and difficult to be cured in modern clinical practice of obstetrics and gynaecology. It is characterized by progressively worsening dysmenorrhoea， pelvic mass， and infertility. The incidence of EMT is growing and increasingly younger patients are diagnosed with this disease， which poses a serious threat to the reproductive and psychological health of women of childbearing age and adolescent females. However， the pathogenesis of EMT is still not completely clear， and the disease has a long course. Therefore， developing new therapies is an urgent clinical problem to be solved. Great progress has been achieved in the treatment of EMT with traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， while the underlying mechanism remains in exploration. Programmed cell death （PCD） is a cell death mode mediated by a variety of bio-molecules with specific signaling cascades. The known PCD processes include apoptosis， pyroptosis， autophagy， ferroptosis， and cuproptosis， which all play a pivotal role in the development of EMT. Researchers have made achievements in the treatment of EMT with TCM， which regulates PCD via multiple pathways， routes， targets， and mechanisms. However， the progress in the regulation of PCD in the treatment of EMT with TCM remains to be reviewed. This paper reviews the research progress in the treatment of EMT with TCM from five PCD processes （apoptosis， pyroptosis， autophagy， ferroptosis， and cuproptosis）， with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for the clinical prevention and treatment of EMT.

ObjectiveMagnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive neuroimaging technique, meticulously captures the magnetic fields emanating from brain electrical activity. Compared with MEG based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID), MEG based on optically pump magnetometer (OPM) has the advantages of higher sensitivity, better spatial resolution and lower cost. However, most of the current studies are clinical studies, and there is a lack of animal studies on MEG based on OPM technology. Pain, a multifaceted sensory and emotional phenomenon, induces intricate alterations in brain activity, exhibiting notable sex differences. Despite clinical revelations of pain-related neuronal activity through MEG, specific properties remain elusive, and comprehensive laboratory studies on pain-associated brain activity alterations are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of inflammatory pain (induced by Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA)) on brain activity in a rat model using the MEG technique, to analysis changes in brain activity during pain perception, and to explore sex differences in pain-related MEG signaling. MethodsThis study utilized adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Inflammatory pain was induced via intraplantar injection of CFA (100 μl, 50% in saline) in the left hind paw, with control groups receiving saline. Pain behavior was assessed using von Frey filaments at baseline and 1 h post-injection. For MEG recording, anesthetized rats had an OPM positioned on their head within a magnetic shield, undergoing two 15-minute sessions: a 5-minute baseline followed by a 10-minute mechanical stimulation phase. Data analysis included artifact removal and time-frequency analysis of spontaneous brain activity using accumulated spectrograms, generating spectrograms focused on the 4-30 Hz frequency range. ResultsMEG recordings in anesthetized rats during resting states and hind paw mechanical stimulation were compared, before and after saline/CFA injections. Mechanical stimulation elevated alpha activity in both male and female rats pre- and post-saline/CFA injections. Saline/CFA injections augmented average power in both sexes compared to pre-injection states. Remarkably, female rats exhibited higher average spectral power 1 h after CFA injection than after saline injection during resting states. Furthermore, despite comparable pain thresholds measured by classical pain behavioral tests post-CFA treatment, female rats displayed higher average power than males in the resting state after CFA injection. ConclusionThese results imply an enhanced perception of inflammatory pain in female rats compared to their male counterparts. Our study exhibits sex differences in alpha activities following CFA injection, highlighting heightened brain alpha activity in female rats during acute inflammatory pain in the resting state. Our study provides a method for OPM-based MEG recordings to be used to study brain activity in anaesthetized animals. In addition, the findings of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of pain-related neural activity and pain sex differences.

Purpose: Biomarkers predicting clinically significant prostate cancer (sPC) before biopsy are currently lacking. This study aimed to develop a non-invasive urine test to predict sPC in at-risk men using urinary metabolomic profiles. Materials and Methods: Urine samples from 934 at-risk subjects and 268 treatment-naïve PC patients were subjected to liquid chromatography/mass spectrophotometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics profiling using both C18 and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) column analyses. Four models were constructed (training cohort [n=647]) and validated (validation cohort [n=344]) for different purposes. Model I differentiates PC from benign cases. Models II, III, and a Gleason score model (model GS) predict sPC that is defined as National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-categorized favorable-intermediate risk group or higher (Model II), unfavorable-intermediate risk group or higher (Model III), and GS ≥7 PC (model GS), respectively. The metabolomic panels and predicting models were constructed using logistic regression and Akaike information criterion. Results: The best metabolomic panels from the HILIC column include 25, 27, 28 and 26 metabolites in Models I, II, III, and GS, respectively, with area under the curve (AUC) values ranging between 0.82 and 0.91 in the training cohort and between 0.77 and 0.86 in the validation cohort. The combination of the metabolomic panels and five baseline clinical factors that include serum prostate-specific antigen, age, family history of PC, previously negative biopsy, and abnormal digital rectal examination results significantly increased AUCs (range 0.88–0.91). At 90% sensitivity (validation cohort), 33%, 34%, 41%, and 36% of unnecessary biopsies were avoided in Models I, II, III, and GS, respectively. The above results were successfully validated using LC-MS with the C18 column. Conclusions Urinary metabolomic profiles with baseline clinical factors may accurately predict sPC in men with elevated risk before biopsy.

Elemene is widely recognized as an effective anti-cancer compound and is routinely administered in Chinese clinical settings for the management of several solid tumors,including non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).However,its detailed molecular mechanism has not been adequately demonstrated.In this research,it was demonstrated that elemene effectively curtailed NSCLC growth in the patient-derived xenograft(PDX)model.Mechanistically,employing high-throughput screening techniques and subsequent biochemical validations such as microscale thermophoresis(MST),microRNA-145-5p(miR-145-5p)was pinpointed as a critical target through which elemene exerts its anti-tumor effects.Inter-estingly,elemene serves as a binding stabilizer for miR-145-5p,demonstrating a strong binding affinity(dissociation constant(KD)=0.39±0.17 μg/mL)and preventing its degradation both in vitro and in vivo,while not interfering with the synthesis of the primary microRNA transcripts(pri-miRNAs)and precursor miRNAs(pre-miRNAs).The stabilization of miR-145-5p by elemene resulted in an increased level of this miRNA,subsequently suppressing NSCLC progression through the miR-145-5p/mitogen-activated pro-tein kinase kinase kinase 3(MAP3K3)/nuclear factor kappaB(NF-κB)pathway.Our findings provide a new perspective on revealing the interaction patterns between clinical anti-tumor drugs and miRNAs.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features and genetic variants associated with Multiple mitochondrial dysfunction syndrome (MMDS) type 3 in two children. METHODS: Two children diagnosed with MMDS type 3 at Zhuhai Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in January 2021 were selected for this study. A retrospective analysis of their clinical data was carried out. Whole exome sequencing was conducted on the two children and their parents, followed by Sanger sequencing for candidate variants and bioinformatic analysis. Both children received comprehensive rehabilitative therapy and were followed up for 3 years. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Zhuhai Maternal and Child Health Hospital (Ethics No. 202380). RESULTS: The two MMDS type 3 children were monozygotic twin girls, aged 9 months, presenting with developmental regression, pyramidal signs, and other clinical manifestations. Cranial MRI revealed widespread abnormal signals and vacuolar changes in the white matter. Whole exome sequencing revealed that both children had harbored compound heterozygous variants of the IBA57 gene, namely c.286T>C (p.Tyr96His) and c.307C>T (p.Gln103Ter). Sanger sequencing confirmed that these variants were inherited from their father and mother, respectively. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines, both variants were classified as pathogenic (PM2_Supporting+PM3_Very Strong+PP3_Moderate; PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PM3). After treatment with vitamins, levocarnitine, ATP, coenzyme Q10, and other drugs, both children showed partial recovery of neurodevelopmental regression, with improvement in feeding and sleep. Over the 3-year follow-up, there was slow but progressive improvement in motor, language, and cognitive development. CONCLUSION The compound heterozygous variants c.286T>C (p.Tyr96His) and c.307C>T (p.Gln103Ter) of the IBA57 gene probably underlay the MMDS type 3 in the twin pair. Clinicians should be vigilant about the possibility of MMDS type 3 in children with neurodevelopmental regression and early cranial MRI findings indicating widespread white matter abnormalities with vacuolar changes, as these may be indicative of IBA57 gene variants.
Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Calcium-Binding Proteins/genetics* ; Exome Sequencing ; Genetic Testing/methods* ; Microfilament Proteins/genetics* ; Mitochondrial Diseases/genetics* ; Mutation ; Retrospective Studies ; Carrier Proteins

Objective To summarize the changing prevalence of carbapenem resistance in Enterobacterales based on the data of CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021 for improving antimicrobial treatment in clinical practice.Methods Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using a commercial automated susceptibility testing system according to the unified CHINET protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints of the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)M100 31st ed in 2021.Results Over the seven-year period(2015-2021),the overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales(CRE)was 9.43％(62 342/661 235).The prevalence of CRE strains in Klebsiella pneumoniae,Citrobacter freundii,and Enterobacter cloacae was 22.38％,9.73％,and 8.47％,respectively.The prevalence of CRE strains in Escherichia coli was 1.99％.A few CRE strains were also identified in Salmonella and Shigella.The CRE strains were mainly isolated from respiratory specimens(44.23±2.80)％,followed by blood(20.88±3.40)％and urine(18.40±3.45)％.Intensive care units(ICUs)were the major source of the CRE strains(27.43±5.20)％.CRE strains were resistant to all the β-lactam antibiotics tested and most non-β-lactam antimicrobial agents.The CRE strains were relatively susceptible to tigecycline and polymyxins with low resistance rates.Conclusions The prevalence of CRE strains was increasing from 2015 to 2021.CRE strains were highly resistant to most of the antibacterial drugs used in clinical practice.Clinicians should prescribe antimicrobial agents rationally.Hospitals should strengthen antibiotic stewardship in key clinical settings such as ICUs,and take effective infection control measures to curb CRE outbreak and epidemic in hospitals.

Objective To characterize the changing species distribution and antibiotic resistance profiles of respiratory isolates in hospitals participating in the CHINET Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Program from 2015 to 2021.Methods Commercial automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems and disk diffusion method were used to test the susceptibility of respiratory bacterial isolates to antimicrobial agents following the standardized technical protocol established by the CHINET program.Results A total of 589 746 respiratory isolates were collected from 2015 to 2021.Overall,82.6％of the isolates were Gram-negative bacteria and 17.4％were Gram-positive bacteria.The bacterial isolates from outpatients and inpatients accounted for(6.0±0.9)％and(94.0±0.1)％,respectively.The top microorganisms were Klebsiella spp.,Acinetobacter spp.,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Staphylococcus aureus,Haemophilus spp.,Stenotrophomonas maltophilia,Escherichia coli,and Streptococcus pneumoniae.Each microorganism was isolated from significantly more males than from females(P＜0.05).The overall prevalence of methicillin-resistant S.aureus(MRSA)was 39.9％.The prevalence of penicillin-resistant S.pneumoniae was 1.4％.The prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producing E.coli and K.pneumoniae was 67.8％and 41.3％,respectively.The overall prevalence of carbapenem-resistant E.coli,K.pneumoniae,Enterobacter cloacae,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and Acinetobacter baumannii was 3.7％,20.8％,9.4％,29.8％,and 73.3％,respectively.The prevalence of β-lactamase was 96.1％in Moraxella catarrhalis and 60.0％in Haemophilus influenzae.The H.influenzae isolates from children(＜18 years)showed significantly higher resistance rates to β-lactam antibiotics than the isolates from adults(P＜0.05).Conclusions Gram-negative bacteria are still predominant in respiratory isolates associated with serious antibiotic resistance.Antimicrobial resistance surveillance should be strengthened in clinical practice to support accurate etiological diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial therapy based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing results.

Objectives:To analyze the cardiac involvement of patients with Fabry disease(FD)in Anhui region.Methods:This retrospective analysis included 48 previously and currently diagnosed FD patients(25 males)in Anhui region,overall patient and gender specific cardiac involvement was analyzed.Results:The median age of FD patients is 28.0(19.0,46.0)years.The cardiac manifestations of patients with FD were most commonly characterized by palpitations/arrhythmias(13/42 cases)and exertional dyspnea(11/42 cases),electrocardiographic changes were most commonly characterized by T-wave inversion(22/42 cases),ST-segment depression(16/42 cases),and left ventricular hypervoltage(18/42 cases),cardiac structural and functional changes were most common in papillary muscle hypertrophy(29/36 cases),bilateral sign(22/37 cases)and left ventricular hypertrophy(21/46 cases),as well as reduced left ventricular global longitudinal strain(26/39 cases).Neuropathic pain(28/43 cases)was the most common extracardiac manifestation of FD patients.FD patients of different gender differed in age at diagnosis(P=0.018),alpha galactosidase A activity(P<0.001),globotriaosylsphingosine(lyso-GL3)levels(P<0.001),enzyme replacement therapy rate(P=0.043),dyshidrosis(P<0.01),and the incidence of angiokeratoma(P=0.004).Correlation analysis showed that genotype was not correlated with enzyme activity or Lyso-GL-3 levels,whereas the Sokolow-Lyon index was positively correlated with Lyso-GL-3 levels(ρ=0.423,P=0.008),and the Sokolow-Lyon indices(septal thickness:ρ=0.562,P<0.001;left ventricle posterior wall thickness:ρ=0.569,P<0.001)and QRS duration(septal thickness:ρ=0.543,P<0.001;left ventricle posterior wall thickness:ρ=0.557,P<0.001)were positively correlated with left ventricular wall thickness.Conclusions:Cardiac involvement in patients with FD in the Anhui region is characterised by palpitations or arrhythmias,accompanied by nonspecific electrocardiographic changes.Echocardiography frequently reveals papillary muscle hypertrophy.The manifestation of cardiac involvement in patients of different genders is similar.