1.mRNA display-enabled discovery of proximity-triggered covalent peptide-drug conjugates.
Ruixuan WANG ; Siqi RAN ; Jiabei GUO ; Da HU ; Xiang FENG ; Jixia ZHOU ; Zhanzhi ZHANG ; Futian LIANG ; Jiamin SHANG ; Lingxin BU ; Kaiyi WANG ; Junyi MAO ; Huixin LUO ; Rui WANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(10):5474-5485
Peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) have emerged as a promising modality in precision oncology, enabling targeted delivery of cytotoxic payloads while minimizing off-target toxicity. The integration of covalent warheads, such as those based on sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) chemistry, enhances drug-target residence time and tumor accumulation. However, existing screening methods for covalent peptide (CP) libraries require post-translational warhead conjugation, limiting throughput. Here, we present an integrated mRNA display platform that incorporates covalent warheads during ribosomal synthesis, enabling efficient screening of ultra-diverse covalent macrocyclic peptide libraries (>1013 variants). This approach, using site-specific incorporation of N-chloroacetyl-d-phenylalanine and fluorosulfate-l-tyrosine, accelerated the discovery of irreversibly binding (K i = 3.58 μmol/L) Nectin-4-targeting peptide CP-N1-N3 via proximity-triggered SuFEx. The peptide was further conjugated to cytotoxic payloads, yielding the covalent PDC CP-N1-MMAE with potent cytotoxicity (IC50 ≈ 43 nmol/L) against MDA-MB-468 cells. This platform establishes a new paradigm for precision covalent drug discovery.
2.Anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of flavan-4-ol and flavan glycosides from the roots of Pronephrium penangianum.
Feibing HUANG ; Yong YANG ; Qingling XIE ; Hanwen YUAN ; Muhammad AAMER ; Yuqing JIAN ; Ye ZHANG ; Wei WANG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(5):593-603
Five new flavan-4-ol glycosides jixueqiosides A-E (1-5) and two new flavan glycosides jixueqiosides F and G (6 and 7), along with twelve known flavan-4-ol glycosides (8-19), were isolated from the roots of Pronephrium penangianum. Comprehensive spectral analyses, X-ray single-crystal diffraction, and theoretical electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations established structures and absolute configurations. A single crystal structure of flavan-4-ol glycoside (14) was reported for the first time, while the characteristic ECD and NMR data for all isolated flavan-4-ol glycosides (1-5 , 8-19) were analyzed, establishing a set of empirical rules. Activity screening of these isolates showed that 8 and 9 could inhibit the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells with IC50 values of 7.93 ? 2.85 ?mol?L-1 and 5.87 ? 1.58 ?mol?L-1 (MDA-MB-231), and 2.21 ? 1.38 ?mol?L-1 and 3.52 ? 1.55 ?mol?L-1 (MCF-7), respectively. Western blotting and flow cytometry analyses demonstrated that 8 and 9 dose-dependently induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells by up-regulating BAX, activating caspase-3 and down-regulating BCL-2. Additionally, compound 8 affected autophagy-related proteins, increasing the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin-1 levels to inhibit MDA-MB-231 cell proliferation. Moreover, anti-inflammatory studies indicated that 2, 3, 7, 13, 14, and 18 moderately inhibited tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and nitric oxide (NO) release.
Humans
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Plant Roots/chemistry*
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Glycosides/isolation & purification*
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Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification*
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Flavonoids/isolation & purification*
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Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
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Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purification*
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Molecular Structure
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Apoptosis/drug effects*
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Cell Line, Tumor
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Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology*
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology*
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Interleukin-6/immunology*
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Animals
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Mice
3.Mechanism of Dihuangyin in Treatment of Mice with Atopic Dermatitis by Regulating JAK1/STAT3 Signaling Pathway
Xuening MA ; Juncheng ZHANG ; Teng YU ; Suqing YANG ; Xiaowen WEN ; Shulin JIA ; Suitian WANG ; Jielin ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(10):11-19
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and potential mechanism of Dihuangyin on 2, 4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) -induced model mice with atopic dermatitis (AD). MethodA mouse model with AD was established by repeatedly stimulating the back skin of mice with DNCB. After successful modeling, the mice were randomly divided into model group, Runzao group (0.78 g·kg-1), and high, medium, and low dose (40.30, 20.15, and 10.08 g·kg-1) groups of Dihuangyin, with 12 mice in each group, and the blank group consisted of 12 mice, 72 in total. The administration groups were given the corresponding liquid by dose, and the blank group and model group were given the same dose of pure water by intragastric administration, once a day. The skin lesions and scratching times of mice were observed after continuous administration for two weeks. The back skin lesions of mice were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and toluidine blue to observe the pathology. The contents of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-6, Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), and transcriptional activator 3 (STAT3) in skin lesion tissue were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR). The expressions of JAK1, phosphorylation(p)-JAK1, STAT3, and p-STAT3 proteins in skin lesion tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the blank group, the back skin of the model group showed large-scale scab, dryness, erosion, hypertrophy with scratching, epidermal hyperplasia with hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis, hyperacanthosis with edema, and a large number of mast cell infiltration in the dermis, some of which were degranulated. The contents of IgE, IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ in the serum of mice were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the protein expression levels of p-JAK1, STAT3, and p-STAT3 and mRNA expressions of IL-4, IL-6, IFN-γ, JAK1, and STAT3 in skin lesion tissue were significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, only a small amount of dryness and desquamation were observed in the back skin of mice in each administration group, and cell edema was reduced. The inflammatory infiltration was significantly reduced, and the number of mast cell infiltration was significantly decreased. The serum IgE, IL-4, IL-6, and IFN-γ of mice were decreased to varying degrees (P<0.05, P<0.01). The protein expression levels of p-JAK1, STAT3, and p-STAT3 and mRNA expressions of IL-4, IL-6, IFN-γ, JAK1, and STAT3 in skin lesion tissue were significantly decreased, and the effect of high dose group of Dihuangyin was the best (P<0.01). ConclusionDihuangyin can improve skin lesions and pruritus in mice with AD, and its mechanism may be related to the effective regulation of cytokines on the helper T cells (Th1)/Th2 axis by interfering with the JAK1/STAT3 signaling pathway and affecting skin barrier function.
4.Jiedu Tongluo Tiaogan Prescription Protects Pancreatic β Cell by Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome via TGR5/cAMP Signaling Pathway
Qi ZHANG ; Yang XIAO ; Jinghan XU ; Tianjiao LIU ; Li WANG ; Chunli PIAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):95-103
ObjectiveTo investigate the intervention effect of Jiedu Tongluo Tiaogan prescription (JTTP) in protecting pancreatic β cells by targeting the bile acid Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5)/cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway against NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. MethodThirty-two male SPF-grade db/db mice were randomly divided into the model group, low-dose JTTP group (3.6 g·kg-1), high-dose JTTP group (7.2 g·kg-1), and metformin group (0.2 g·kg-1). Eight db/m mice were assigned to the blank control group. The mice were treated with drugs for 8 weeks, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) was measured every 2 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were conducted after the last administration. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect fasting insulin (FINS), and the homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-1β levels were calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used to observe pathological changes in mouse pancreatic tissue. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect insulin expression in mouse pancreatic tissue. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) were used to detect the expression of proteins and mRNAs of key targets in the TGR5/cAMP signaling pathway and NLRP3 inflammasome. ResultCompared with blank group, FBG, OGTT, FINS, IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β in model group were significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, after 6 weeks of drug treatment, FBG level in JTTP group and metformin group decreased significantly (P<0.01). The results of OGTT experiment showed that compared with model group, the blood glucose levels of mice in each administration group were decreased at all time points (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the levels of FINS, TNF-α and IL-6 in JTTP dose groups and metformin group were significantly decreased. The level of IL-1β in JTTP high-dose group and metformin group was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Pancreatic pathology showed that the islets in the model group were irregular in shape, uneven in distribution, and showed signs of atrophy. The prognosis of JTTP was that the cell count increased and the boundary was clearer. Immunofluorescence results showed that the islet cells in the blank group were arranged in an orderly and full shape with appropriate insulin secretion, while the islet cells in model group were distorted in shape, atrophy in structure and less insulin secretion. The insulin content of mice in JTTP and metformin group was significantly increased. Compared with blank group, mRNA expressions of NLRP3, apoptosis-related spot-like protein (ASC) and Caspase-1 in pancreatic tissues of model group were significantly increased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, JTTP high-dose group and metformin group promoted the up-regulation of TGR5 and cAMP mRNA, and down-regulated the mRNA expressions of NLRP3, ASC and Caspase-1 (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with blank group, the expression of TGR5 protein in model group was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Compared with model group, TGR5 protein in JTTP high-dose group and metformin group was significantly increased (P<0.01).
5.Protective Mechanism of Cordyceps sinensis Treatment on Acute Kidney Injury-Induced Acute Lung Injury through AMPK/mTOR Signaling Pathway.
Ruo-Lin WANG ; Shu-Hua LIU ; Si-Heng SHEN ; Lu-Yong JIAN ; Qi YUAN ; Hua-Hui GUO ; Jia-Sheng HUANG ; Peng-Hui CHEN ; Ren-Fa HUANG
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2023;29(10):875-884
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate protective effect of Cordyceps sinensis (CS) through autophagy-associated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in acute kidney injury (AKI)-induced acute lung injury (ALI).
METHODS:
Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups according to a random number table, including the normal saline (NS)-treated sham group (sham group), NS-treated ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) group (IRI group), and low- (5 g/kg·d) and high-dose (10 g/kg·d) CS-treated IRI groups (CS1 and CS2 groups), 12 rats in each group. Nephrectomy of the right kidney was performed on the IRI rat model that was subjected to 60 min of left renal pedicle occlusion followed by 12, 24, 48, and 72 h of reperfusion. The wet-to-dry (W/D) ratio of lung, levels of serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin- β and tumor necrosis factor- α, and biomarkers of oxidative stress such as superoxide dismutase, malonaldehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), were assayed. Histological examinations were conducted to determine damage of tissues in the kidney and lung. The protein expressions of light chain 3 II/light chain 3 I (LC3-II/LC3-I), uncoordinated-51-like kinase 1 (ULK1), P62, AMPK and mTOR were measured by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, respectively.
RESULTS:
The renal IRI induced pulmonary injury following AKI, resulting in significant increases in W/D ratio of lung, and the levels of Scr, BUN, inflammatory cytokines, MDA and MPO (P<0.01); all of these were reduced in the CS groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the IRI groups, the expression levels of P62 and mTOR were significantly lower (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while those of LC3-II/LC3-I, ULK1, and AMPK were significantly higher in the CS2 group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
CONCLUSION
CS had a potential in treating lung injury following renal IRI through activation of the autophagy-related AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in AKI-induced ALI.
Rats
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Male
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Animals
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AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism*
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Cordyceps/metabolism*
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Kidney/pathology*
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Acute Kidney Injury/metabolism*
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Signal Transduction
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TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism*
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Reperfusion Injury/metabolism*
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Cytokines/metabolism*
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Acute Lung Injury/drug therapy*
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Mammals/metabolism*
6.Observation on the curative effect of Tiaoti Tuomin Decoction on allergic conjunctivitis and the changes of immunologic function
International Eye Science 2022;22(2):343-346
AIM:To observe the curative effect of take oral and cold-wet compress on eyes with Tiaoti Tuomin Decoction and the changes of immunologic function in patients with allergic conjunctivitis. METHODS:Totally 160 patients 320 eyes with allergic conjunctivitis were randomly divided into observation group and control group. The 80 patients(160 eyes)in the observation group were treated with Tiaoti Tuomin Decoction take oral and cold-wet compress on eyes. The 80 patients(160 eyes)in the control group were treated with 0.05% Azelastine Hydrochloride Eye Drops. After 14d of continuous treatment, the symptom and sign scores, quality of life questionnaire scores of allergic conjunctivitis, and the levels of serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA, IgE of the two groups were compared and analyzed.RESULTS:After treatment, the scores of symptom and sign, quality of life questionnaire of allergic conjunctivitis in both groups were better than those before treatment(P<0.05), and the improvement degree of which in the observation group was better than that in the control group(P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of serum immunoglobulin IgG, IgA in the two groups were not significant improvement than before treatment(P >0.05), the level of serum immunoglobulin IgE in the observation group were significantly improved than before treatment(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Treatment of take oral and cold-wet compress on eyes with Tiaoti Tuomin Decoction can improve clinical symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis patients, help relieve allergic reaction and improve the quality of life.
7.Calcitonin gene-related peptides protect against oxidative stress-induced lung injury via increasing autophagy in neonatal rats.
Zhen-Zhuang ZOU ; Shao-Hua WANG ; Yuan-Lu HUANG ; Wei FENG
Acta Physiologica Sinica 2022;74(4):548-554
Our previous studies have shown that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) exerts protective effects on the acute lung injury induced by oxidative stress. This study was aimed to investigate whether autophagy was involved in the protection of CGRP against oxidative stress-induced lung injury in neonatal rats. Newborn Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups: Control group, oxidative stress model group (Model group), Model + CGRP group, Model + CGRP + Rapamycin (an autophagy agonist) group, and Model + CGRP + LY294002 (an autophagy inhibitor) group. The model of hyperoxia-induced lung injury was established by continuous inhalation of oxygen (FiO2 = 90%-95%) for 14 days in neonatal SD rats. Pathological changes of lung tissue were observed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and mean linear intercept (MLI) was measured. The quantitative changes of autophagic vesicles (AV) in type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECII) were measured under the transmission electron microscope. The protein expressions of Caspase-3, Bcl-2, mTOR, and Beclin-1 in lung tissue lysates were detected by Western blot. The results showed that, compared to the Model group at the same time point, the number of AV in AECII and the expression level of Beclin-1 protein of the lung tissue were increased, while the expression level of mTOR protein was decreased, with alleviated pathological changes, reduced MLI value and Caspase-3 protein expression level, increased Bcl-2 protein expression level in the lung tissue of Model + CGRP group. In addition, we found that the protective effect of CGRP on hyperoxia-induced lung injury could be enhanced by autophagy activator Rapamycin and abolished by autophagy inhibitor LY294002. Together, these findings indicate that CGRP could attenuate hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal rats by enhancing autophagy.
Acute Lung Injury/pathology*
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Animals
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Animals, Newborn
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Autophagy
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Calcitonin/metabolism*
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Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide/metabolism*
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Caspase 3/metabolism*
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Hyperoxia/pathology*
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Lung/pathology*
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Lung Injury/prevention & control*
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Oxidative Stress
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism*
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Rats
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Sirolimus/pharmacology*
8.Mechanism of Modified Liuwei Dihuangtang in Bone Protection of CKD-MBD Model Rats: An Exploration Based on Klotho-FGF23 Axis
Hua-hui GUO ; Mei-dan LI ; Ren-fa HUANG ; Qun-qing LIANG ; He-sheng LI ; Xue-pin LIU ; Ruo-lin WANG ; Si-heng SHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2021;27(24):61-70
Objective:To observe the effects of modified Liuwei Dihuangtang on serum fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), full-length intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] levels and Klotho and FGF23 protein expression in renal and bone tissues of rats exposed to high phosphorus combined with adenine, so as to explore the mechanism of modified Liuwei Dihuangtang against renal osteopathy. Method:One hundred and thirty healthy adult SD rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely normal group(
9.Effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment on level of vaspin and TNF-α in gingival crevicular fluid of type 2 diabetic patients with chronic periodontitis
WANG Lihong ; ZHANG Wenbiao ; XI Lijun ; BAO Aiqin ; HUANG Shiguang
Journal of Prevention and Treatment for Stomatological Diseases 2017;25(6):360-364
Objective :
To investigate the changes of vaspin and TNF-α levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) after non-surgical periodontal treatment.
Methods:
60 subjects were divided into 4 groups: DM-CP group (patients with both T2DM and CP, n=15); CP group (CP patients without T2DM, n=15); DM group (T2DM patients without CP, n=15), and CTRL group (systemically and periodontally healthy individuals, n=15). The clinical parameters of periodontal tissue and GCF were measured before and 8 weeks after non-surgical periodontal treatment.
Results:
The levels of vaspin and TNF-α were measured by ELISA. The levels of vaspin and TNF-α in CP group were significantly higher than those in CTRL group (P < 0.05), while the levels of vaspin and TNF-α in CP group were significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the total amount of vaspin and the total amount of TNF-α, the level of HbA1c, gingival index (GI) and probing depth (PD) (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
The results shows that vaspin and TNF-α are greatly decreased in periodontitis after non-surgical periodontal treatment. It suggests that vaspin and TNF-α in GCF may serve as inflammatory markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of diabetes and periodontitis.
10.Smartphone Application WeChat for Clinical Follow-up of Discharged Patients with Head and Neck Tumors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Ke-Xing LYU ; Jing ZHAO ; Bin WANG ; Guan-Xia XIONG ; Wei-Qiang YANG ; Qi-Hong LIU ; Xiao-Lin ZHU ; Wei SUN ; Ai-Yun JIANG ; Wei-Ping WEN ; Wen-Bin LEI
Chinese Medical Journal 2016;129(23):2816-2823
BACKGROUNDNowadays, social media tools such as short message service, Twitter, video, and web-based systems are more and more used in clinical follow-up, making clinical follow-up much more time- and cost-effective than ever before. However, as the most popular social media in China, little is known about the utility of smartphone WeChat application in follow-up. In this study, we aimed to investigate the feasibility and superiority of WeChat application in clinical follow-up.
METHODSA total of 108 patients diagnosed with head and neck tumor were randomized to WeChat follow-up (WFU) group or telephone follow-up (TFU) group for 6-month follow-up. The follow-ups were delivered by WeChat or telephone at 2 weeks, 1, 2, 3, and 6 months to the patients after being discharged. The study measurements were time consumption for follow-up delivery, total economic cost, lost-to-follow-up rate, and overall satisfaction for the follow-up method.
RESULTSTime consumption in WFU group for each patient (23.36 ± 6.16 min) was significantly shorter than that in TFU group (42.89 ± 7.15 min) (P < 0.001); total economic cost in WFU group (RMB 90 Yuan) was much lower than that in TFU group (RMB 196 Yuan). Lost-to-follow-up rate in the WFU group was 7.02% (4/57) compared with TFU group, 9.80% (5/51), while no significance was observed (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.176-2.740; P = 0.732). The overall satisfaction rate in WFU group was 94.34% (50/53) compared with 80.43% (37/46) in TFU group (95% CI: 0.057-0.067; P = 0.034).
CONCLUSIONSThe smartphone WeChat application was found to be a viable option for follow-up in discharged patients with head and neck tumors. WFU was time-effective, cost-effective, and convenient in communication. This doctor-led follow-up model has the potential to establish a good physician-patient relationship by enhancing dynamic communications and providing individual health instructions.
TRIAL REGISTRATIONChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IOR-15007498; http://www.chictr.org.cn/ showproj.aspx?proj=12613.
Adult ; Aftercare ; economics ; methods ; Aged ; Female ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Discharge ; economics ; statistics & numerical data ; Smartphone ; Social Media ; Telephone ; Young Adult


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