1.Comparative Study on Effect of Jingui Shenqiwan and Liuwei Dihuangwan on Reproductive Ability and Brain Function of Normal Mice
Hong SUN ; Fan LEI ; Chenggong LI ; Rui LUO ; Shixian HU ; Bin REN ; Juan HAO ; Yi DING ; Lijun DU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):1-14
ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Jingui Shenqiwan (JSW) and Liuwei Dihuangwan (LDW) on the reproductive ability and brain function of normal mice and compare the actions of the two medications. MethodsSeven groups of female and male mice were divided at a ratio of 2∶1. Except for the control group, the other six groups were as follows: a group of both males and females receiving JSW (3.0 g·kg-1), a group of both males and females receiving LDW (4.5 g·kg-1), a group of males receiving water and females receiving JSW, a group of males receiving water while females receiving LDW, a group of females receiving water while males receiving JSW, and a group of females receiving water while males receiving LDW. Each group was administered the drug for 14 days and then caged together at a 2∶1 (female∶male) ratio to detect the number of pregnant mice and calculate the pregnancy rate. Pregnant mice continued receiving the drug until they naturally gave birth, which was followed by the observation of newborn mice, calculation of their average number, and the measurement of the offspring's preference for sugar water and neonatal recognition index. At the end of the experiment, the weights of the thymus and spleen were measured to calculate the organ coefficients, and mRNA or protein expression was analyzed in the brain and testes or ovaries. A 1% sucrose solution was used to examine the euphoria of their brain reward systems, while novel object recognition test (NOR) was applied to assess their memory capabilities. mRNA expression was detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) assay, and protein expression was analyzed with Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group, oral administration of JSW to both male and female mice for 14 days significantly increased the pregnancy rate of female mice on day 2 after being caged together (P<0.05), while LDW showed a trend but no statistical significance. Additionally, compared with the control group, JSW could upregulate the gene expression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the thalamus, as well as reproductive stem cell factor (SCF) and tyrosine kinase receptor (c-Kit) in the testes and reproductive stem cell marker mouse vasa homologue (MVH) in the ovaries, upregulate the expression of proteins influencing neuronal functional activity, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in hippocampal neurons (P<0.05), and enhance sucrose preference in male mice (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, JSW significantly increased sucrose preference and novel object recognition index in offspring mice (P<0.05), which was related to the upregulation of hippocampal dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (Nmdar) gene expression. Compared with the control group, both JSW and LDW could upregulate the protein expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR), BDNF, and tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) in the hippocampus of offspring mice (P<0.05). ConclusionJSW significantly enhances the reproductive ability of normal mice, which is not only related to the release of gonadotropin but also associated with its regulation of brain function. Additionally, JSW has a certain regulatory effect on the brain function of the offspring mice.
2.Perioperative immune dynamics and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing on-pump cardiac surgery
Zhiyuan CHENG ; Xinyi LIAO ; Juan WU ; Ping YANG ; Tingting WANG ; Qinjuan WU ; Wentong MENG ; Zongcheng TANG ; Jiayi SUN ; Jia TAN ; Jing LIN ; Dan LUO ; Hao WANG ; Chaonan LIU ; Jiyue XIONG ; Liqin LING ; Jing ZHOU ; Lei DU
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2026;39(1):31-43
Objective: To characterize perioperative dynamic changes in immune-cell phenotypes and inflammatory cytokines in patients undergoing CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass) cardiac surgery, and to explore their associations with postoperative outcomes. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 120 adult patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery under CPB at West China Hospital from May 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. Perioperative immune-cell phenotypes and concentrations of 40 inflammation-related cytokines were measured. The primary outcomes were the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at 24 h after surgery and ΔSOFA (the peak SOFA score within 48 h after surgery minus the preoperative SOFA score). Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), acute kidney injury (AKI), respiratory failure, severe liver injury, and infection. Results: The mean age of enrolled patients was 57±10 years. Of these, 52% (62/120) were male and 90% (108/120) underwent valve surgery. During the rewarming to the end of CPB, neutrophil counts rapidly increased (7.39×10
/L vs preoperative 3.07×10
/L, P<0.001), with significant upregulation of CD11b (7.30×10
/L vs preoperative 3.05×10
/L, P<0.001) and CD54 (7.15×10
/L vs preoperative 2.99×10
/L, P<0.001). Lymphocyte counts increased at the end of CPB (1.75×10
/L vs preoperative 1.12×10
/L, P<0.001) but decreased significantly at 24 h after surgery (0.59×10
/L vs preoperative 1.12×10
/L, P<0.001). Plasma analysis showed that multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines increased during CPB and remained elevated up to 24 h after surgery; five chemokines and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 peaked at the end of CPB. The SOFA score increased from 1 (1, 2) preoperatively to 7 (5, 10) at 24 h after surgery, with a ΔSOFA of 6 (4, 8). Within 30 days after surgery, 48 patients (40.0%) developed AKI, 17 (14.2%) developed infection, 4 (3.3%) developed severe liver injury, 3 (2.5%) developed respiratory failure, and 3 (2.5%) experienced MACE. During the 2-year follow-up, 8 patients (6.7%) experienced MACE and 5 (4.2%) died. Conclusion: Multi-organ dysfunction is common after cardiac surgery under CPB (median ΔSOFA, 6), accompanied by perioperative activation of multiple immune-cell subsets and upregulation of pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and chemotactic mediators. This study provides data-driven evidence and research clues for further investigation of the associations between CPB-related immune perturbations and postoperative organ dysfunction and clinical outcomes.
3.Early warning of influenza epidemic based on CUSUM and EWMA models in Daxing District, Beijing
Hong LEI ; Qiuling LI ; Qi LIU ; Meichen LIU ; Enhuan DU ; Jinfeng TANG ; Zhiping LI ; Yadi GAN ; Lijie ZHANG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2026;37(1):13-17
Objective To explore the effectiveness of the cumulative sum (CUSUM) and the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) for early warning of influenza epidemic using two datasets of reported influenza cases and influenza-like illness (ILI) cases. Methods Using the reported cases of influenza and ILI in Daxing District, Beijing, from week 23 of 2018 to week 22 of 2024 as data sets, the CUSUM and EWMA models were established, respectively. The positive rate of influenza etiology was used as the “gold standard”, and the Youden index was used as the evaluation index to compare the early warning effect of the two models under different data sets and different parameters. Results In CUSUM, the optimal Youden indices of the reported influenza cases set and the ILI cases set were 0.751 and 0.635, respectively. In EWMA, the optimal Youden indices of the reported influenza cases set and the ILI cases set were 0.544 and 0.464, respectively. The optimal EWMA and CUSUM models could both issue early warning signals in advance of the “gold standard”. Conclusion In the influenza epidemic early warning in Daxing District, Beijing, the CUSUM model established with the reported cases of influenza can achieve good early warning effects, but the model parameters need to be dynamically adjusted according to the local epidemic characteristics.
4.Syndrome Patterns Distribution and Risk Factors of Mixed Hemorrhoids in Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Multicenter Real-world Study Using Large Language Models and Latent Class Analysis
Ruyue DENG ; Kang DING ; Yuxin ZHU ; Meng LI ; Huiting ZHU ; Lei DU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(7):755-763
ObjectiveTo develop a standardized classification model for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome patterns of mixed hemorrhoids using multi-center real-world data, and unveil their distribution patterns and core risk factors, thereby providing evidence-based support for standardizing TCM syndrome differentiation and implementing precision interventions. MethodsA multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted, enrolling 13 283 mixed hemorrhoid patients from eight hospitals in Jiangsu Province between September 1st, 2023 and December 31st, 2024. DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B and LLaMA-3.3 large language models (LLM) were integrated with latent class analysis (LCA) to perform unsupervised learning and latent class modeling of TCM symptomatology. Potential risk factors were screened via univariate analysis, followed by logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for each syndrome pattern. ResultsThe model's performance indicators were stable and reliable across different clinical data types,i.e. in the outpatient records, past medical history (F1=99.7%), current medical history (F1=94.9%), and specialist examination (F1=90.7%); in inpatient records, past medical history (F1=98.2%), current medical history (F1=91.2%), specialist examination (F1=90.3%), and discharge status (F1=90.6%). Latent class mode-ling identified four core TCM syndrome patterns including spleen deficiency and qi sinking syndrome (915 cases, 6.89%), damp-heat pouring downward syndrome (10 820 cases, 81.46%), qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome (1252 cases, 9.43%), and wind injuring intestinal collaterals syndrome (296 cases, 2.22%), with respective latent class probabilities of 0.069, 0.815, 0.094, and 0.022. Logistic regression demonstrated that gender, age, disease duration, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, constipation, smoking history, and alcohol consumption were independent risk factors for pattern differentiation (P<0.05). The efficacy validation evaluation revealed that the cure rates for patients with spleen deficiency and qi sinking syndrome and qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were higher than those for patients with damp-heat pouring downward syndrome (adjusted P<0.05), with no statistically significant differences among other syndrome patterns. ConclusionDamp-heat pouring downward syndrome is the predominant syndrome in mixed hemorrhoids. Gender, age, disease duration, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipi-demia, constipation, smoking history, and alcohol consumption are independent risk factors for the differentiation of syndrome types.
5.Construction and Application of a Multicenter Traditional Chinese Medicine Proctology Disease Data Platform Based on Multimodal Large Models
Yuxin ZHU ; Liping ZHAO ; Jiafa LU ; Huiting ZHU ; Xia YANG ; Lei DU ; Kang DING
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(7):770-775
This paper has constructed a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) specialized disease dataset platform for mixed hemorrhoids based on a multimodal large model, and the preliminary application has been validated. The platform uses StarRocks to establish a four-level data warehouse system, enabling the aggregation, cleaning, and standardization of multi-source heterogeneous data. Using DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-7B as the base model, domain fine-tuning is performed through low-rank adaptation (LoRA) technology. Combined with LLaMA-3.3 natural language processing and reasoning chain techniques, the platform enables intelligent parsing and structured extraction of unstructured TCM medical records. It accurately identifies six major categories and 28 subcategories of entities, including symptoms and syndromes, with a fine-tuned model F1 score of 93.8%. The platform has established a high-quality specialized disease dataset containing more than 50,000 medical records and has been applied in a real-world study involving 17,831 patients, preliminarily verifying the efficacy of TCM heritage surgery.
6.New trends and new strategies of drug repurposing: 2020–2024
Fangsu CHEN ; Junjie YANG ; Jiayu DU ; Shimiao HUANG ; Yuxuan ZHANG ; Qidong YOU ; Lei WANG ; Qiuyue ZHANG
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2026;57(1):11-18
The research and development of innovative drug have progressed remarkably, but the long development circle and high failure rate have become the bottleneck. Drug repurposing, discovering new indications of approved drugs, is a strategy to overcome these obstacles. By exploring new indications for approved drugs, rapid progress has been made in basic research and clinical translation in recent years. Rich resources of drugs, proven security, efficient development workflow and reduced cost are core advantages of this strategy, making the strategy a crucial direction of optimizing the pipeline of drug research and development. This review systematically summarizes drug repurposing cases that have received clinical approval over the past five years, and proposes core strategies for drug repurposing, including approaches based on targets, pathways, drug similarity, post-treatment phenotypes, and clinical side effects, aiming to provide some strategic guidance for drug repurposing efforts.
7.Causal relationship of liposomes and circulating metabolomes to schizophrenia: a two-step, two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Mengyun LEI ; Yanhong DU ; Yao GAO ; Huaili DENG ; Binhong WANG ; Zhiyong REN ; Sha LIU
Sichuan Mental Health 2025;38(3):223-228
BackgroundSchizophrenia is a complex, chronic and severe mental disorder, and the pathogenesis of which has not been fully elucidated. The abnormalities in lipid metabolism and circulating metabolomes have already been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, available studies have mainly focused on a few liposomes and circulating metabolites, failing to systematically reveal the mediating role of circulating metabolomes in the causal relationship between liposomes and schizophrenia. ObjectiveTo uncover mediating role of circulating metabolomes in the causal relationship between liposomes and schizophrenia, thereby providing biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of schizophrenia. MethodsData from Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) were analyzed, taking data on 179 liposomes as exposure variables, data on 123 circulating metabolites as intermediate variables, and data on schizophrenia as outcome variable. A two-step, two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR- Egger, Weighted median, and Weighted mode methods to study the causal relationship of liposomes with schizophrenia and the mediating role of circulating metabolomes in the relationship. ResultsIVW model identified 8 lipids associated with schizophrenia without reverse causality. There were 5 circulating metabolomes strongly associated with schizophrenia. Acetate played a significant mediating role in the causal relationship between phosphatidylinositol (18:0_18:2) and schizophrenia (P=0.023, 95% CI: 0.036~0.532), accounting for 28.4% of the causal relationship. ConclusionThis study demonstrates a causal relationship between liposomes and schizophrenia, with phosphatidylinositol being a risk factor in the progression of schizophrenia, and acetate playing a mediating role in this process. [Fund by National Natural Science Foundation of China General Program (number, 82271546); Shanxi Merit Funding for Overseas Students Sci-Tech Activities Project (number, 20240041); Shanxi Province Science and Technology Innovation Leading Talent Team Project (number, 202304051001049); Shanxi Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars (number, 2022-190); "Six Measures for Health Care Prosperity" Specialized Research Program (number, Y2024008)]
8.Mechanism of glycogen synthase kinase-3β participating in stroke-induced inflammatory brain injury by regulating endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria coupling
Jianhua LEI ; Hefang DU ; Yuxiao LIU
Journal of Apoplexy and Nervous Diseases 2025;42(7):637-640
Objective To investigate the mechanism of glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β) participating in stroke-induced inflammatory brain injury through endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria coupling, and to provide a theoretical reference and potential targets for precise treatment. Methods A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion was established, and the rats were divided into sham-operation group, model group, and GSK-3β inhibitor(TDZD-8) intervention group. Neurological function score was used to evaluate the degree of brain injury; TTC staining was used to evaluate cerebral infarct area; electron microscopy was used to observe mitochondrial ultrastructure; mitochondrial calcium concentration was measured; ELISA was used to measure the levels of inflammatory factors[tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-1β(IL-1β)], and Western blot was used to measure the expression levels of related proteins. Results Compared with the sham-operation group, the model group had significant neurological function impairment, an increase in cerebral infarct area, and significant increases in the expression levels of inflammatory factors and GSK-3β,with enhanced endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria coupling and mitochondrial calcium overload. TDZD-8 significantly improved the above indicators and reduced the levels of inflammatory factors and cerebral infarct area. Conclusion Abnormal activation of GSK-3β damages brain tissue by regulating endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria coupling and promotes mitochondrial calcium overload and inflammatory response. Inhibiting GSK-3β activity can effectively improve stroke-induced inflammatory brain injury, which provides a new pathway and a molecular target for developing precise treatment strategies.
Stroke
9.Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound Formulas in Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis by Regulating NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling Pathway: A Review
Guanyu ZHAO ; Ruihua XIN ; Ying WANG ; Lei SHI ; Lidong DU ; Guotai WU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(17):305-314
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a refractory disease of the digestive system characterized by diverse etiologies, complex pathogenesis, a prolonged course, and frequent relapses. In recent years, the incidence of UC has been increasing annually, severely impairing patients' quality of life, posing a risk of malignant transformation that may threaten patients' lives, and resulting in a substantial medical burden. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound formulas, with their advantages of multi-component and multi-target actions, have become a new therapeutic option for UC. The NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a core component of innate immunity, and its aberrant activation is closely associated with the onset and progression of UC, involving multiple processes such as inflammation and oxidative stress, and exhibiting crosstalk with pathways including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP). At present, NLRP3 has become one of the most intensely studied hotspots in UC-related research. Although increasing studies have focused on the regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by TCM compound formulas for UC treatment, challenges remain due to the complex pathogenesis of UC and the compositional diversity of TCM, hindering the realization of precision therapy. In this context, by reviewing literature from the past decade, this paper summarizes the activation process of NLRP3 and its relationship with UC, and elucidates the roles and mechanisms by which TCM compound formulas regulate the NLRP3 inflammasome and related signaling pathways, with a view to providing a reference for further research into the pathogenesis of UC, TCM treatment strategies, and their mechanisms of action.
10.Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound Formulas in Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis by Regulating NLRP3 Inflammasome Signaling Pathway: A Review
Guanyu ZHAO ; Ruihua XIN ; Ying WANG ; Lei SHI ; Lidong DU ; Guotai WU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(17):305-314
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a refractory disease of the digestive system characterized by diverse etiologies, complex pathogenesis, a prolonged course, and frequent relapses. In recent years, the incidence of UC has been increasing annually, severely impairing patients' quality of life, posing a risk of malignant transformation that may threaten patients' lives, and resulting in a substantial medical burden. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compound formulas, with their advantages of multi-component and multi-target actions, have become a new therapeutic option for UC. The NOD-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is a core component of innate immunity, and its aberrant activation is closely associated with the onset and progression of UC, involving multiple processes such as inflammation and oxidative stress, and exhibiting crosstalk with pathways including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP). At present, NLRP3 has become one of the most intensely studied hotspots in UC-related research. Although increasing studies have focused on the regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by TCM compound formulas for UC treatment, challenges remain due to the complex pathogenesis of UC and the compositional diversity of TCM, hindering the realization of precision therapy. In this context, by reviewing literature from the past decade, this paper summarizes the activation process of NLRP3 and its relationship with UC, and elucidates the roles and mechanisms by which TCM compound formulas regulate the NLRP3 inflammasome and related signaling pathways, with a view to providing a reference for further research into the pathogenesis of UC, TCM treatment strategies, and their mechanisms of action.


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