1.LU Fang's Clinical Experience in Differentiation and Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus from the Perspective of Heat-Toxin and Blood-Stasis in the Collaterals
Yingchao NIU ; Yongzhu PIAO ; Xiang GENG ; Zhihui GAO ; Yan ZHANG ; Huibin WU ; Zhilong WANG ; Shuangshuang GE ;
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(1):16-20
This paper summarizes Professor LU Fang's clinical experience in treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) based on the differentiation and treatment of heat-toxin and blood-stasis in the collaterals. SLE is generally characterized by deficiency in origin with excess in manifestation. The core pathogenesis is heat-toxin obstructing the collaterals. During the acute active stage, the predominant pattern is blazing heat-toxin causing blood stasis, while in the chronic remitting stage, the main pattern is toxic stasis blocking the collaterals with qi and yin deficiency. Clinical treatment follows the basic principle that treat with salty-cold herbs, when heat invades internally and that assist with acrid-dispersing herbs when stasis obstructs the collaterals. The self-formulated Yimian Decoction (抑免汤) serves as the base formula and is applied in stages. During the acute active stage, it is often combined with herbs for clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and resolving stasis, and unblocking the collaterals. In the chronic remitting stage, it is often combined with herbs for activating blood circulation and unblocking the collaterals, as well as tonifying qi and nourishing yin.
2.Multicenter machine learning-based construction of a model for predicting potential organ donors and validation with decision curve analysis
Xu WANG ; Wenxiu LI ; Fenghua WANG ; Shuli WU ; Dong JIA ; Xin GE ; Zhihua SHAN ; Tongzuo LI
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(1):106-115
Objective To evaluate the predictive value of different machine learning models constructed in a multicenter environment for potential organ donors and verify their clinical application feasibility. Methods The study included 2 000 inpatients admitted to five domestic tertiary hospitals from January 2020 to December 2023, who met the criteria for potential organ donation assessment. They were randomly divided into a training set and an internal validation set (7∶3). Another 300 similar patients admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from January 2024 to April 2025 were included as an external validation set. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and F1-score of three models were compared, and the consistency of the potential organ donor determination process was tested. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictive factors of potential organ donors. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to verify the resource efficiency of each model, and the threshold interval and intervention balance point were assessed. Results Apart from age, there were no significant differences in other basic characteristics among the centers (all P>0.05). The consistency of the potential organ donor determination process among researchers in each center was good [all 95% confidence interval (CI) lower limits >0]. In the internal validation set, the XGBoost model had the best predictive performance (AUC=0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.94) and the best calibration (P=0.441, Brier score 0.099). In the external validation set, the XGBoost model also had the best predictive performance (AUC=0.91, 95% CI 0.88-0.94), outperforming logistic regression and random forest models. Multivariate logistic regression showed that mechanical ventilation had the greatest impact (odds ratio=2.06, 95% CI 1.54-2.76, P<0.001). DCA indicated that the XGBoost model had the highest net benefit in the threshold interval of 0.2-0.6. The “treat all” strategy only had a slight advantage at extremely low thresholds. The recommended threshold interval, which balances intervention costs and clinical benefits, considers ≥50% positive predictive value (PPV) and ≤50 referrals per 100 high-risk patients. Conclusions The XGBoost model established in a multicenter environment is accurate and well-calibrated in predicting potential organ donors. Combined with DCA, it may effectively guide the timing of clinical interventions and resource allocation, providing new ideas for the assessment and management of organ donation after brain death.
3.Analysis of the causes of the abnormal increases in gross α and gross β activity concentrations in Nanbei Lake water
Xiang ZHANG ; Xiaoqiong WU ; Miaohua GE ; Yanqian WU ; Daming WU ; Yikang WU
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2026;35(1):18-22
Objective To investigate the causes of the abnormally elevated gross α and gross β activity concentrations in the water of Nanbei Lake located near the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant. Methods Water and sediment samples were measured according to GB/T
4.Silencing progestagen-associated endometrial protein (PAEP) suppresses sorafenib resistance and enhances sorafenib-induced ferroptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Fanlin Zeng ; Cuifu Fang ; Yijiang Wu ; Ling Yin ; Yilong Ge ; Honghui Zhang ; Caixin Song ; Yifeng Cai ; Binhui Xie ; Jian Wu
Liver Research 2026;10(1):82-92
Background and aims
As a ferroptosis inducer, sorafenib, a first-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has a significant antitumor effect. Nonetheless, HCC patients frequently develop sorafenib resistance. Here, we investigated the impacts of progestagen-associated endometrial protein (PAEP), which controls sorafenib resistance and tumorigenesis in HCC. Furthermore, we investigated the function of PAEP and the underlying molecular mechanisms that cause HCC ferroptosis when sorafenib is applied.
Methods
Western blot analysis, cell proliferation, colony formation and animal experiments were performed to investigate the function of PAEP in sorafenib resistance and tumorigenesis in HCC. We detected the levels of reactive oxygen species, iron, and malondialdehyde and preformed transmission electron microscopy to investigate the relationship between PAEP and ferroptosis. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assay was performed to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of PAEP that cause HCC ferroptosis.
Results
PAEP was significantly overexpressed in HCC tissues, and this was associated with a poor clinical prognosis. PAEP silencing dramatically reduced HCC cells’ malignant phenotype. We found that sorafenib-induced ferroptosis was more sensitive to HCC cells with PAEP knockdown. Furthermore, the orthotopic cell line-derived xenograft mouse model results showed that sorafenib sensitivity can be effectively increased in vivo by PAEP knockdown. We determined that transferrin (TF) was a PAEP target using the String database, and we further supported this finding with Co-IP analysis. Additionally, on sorafenib-induced ferroptosis in HCC cells, TF partially reversed the effects of PAEP knockdown.
Conclusions
Our research indicates that PAEP may be a potential biomarker for predicting sorafenib resistance in HCC and disruption of PAEP expression may be a potential cancer-directed therapeutic option for HCC.
5.Circadian mechanisms underlying cardiometabolic dysfunction induced by chronic PM2.5 exposure
Wenqing ZHANG ; Biao WU ; Jianshu GUO ; Dongxia FAN ; Ge WANG ; Lu YU ; Chihang ZHANG ; Xianying LIAO ; Xihao DU ; Yuquan XIE ; Jinzhuo ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(8):926-935
Background Long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a significant risk factor for cardiometabolic disorders. However, the mechanisms of its interaction with the endogenous circadian system remain incompletely understood. Objective To investigate whether chronic PM2.5 exposure interferes with the rhythmic expression of the cardiac circadian clock, thereby disrupting downstream antioxidant defenses and metabolic homeostasis, and ultimately driving cardiometabolic dysfunction. Methods Seventy-two male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a PM2.5 exposure group (PM group) and a filtered air control group (FA group). Whole-body exposure was conducted for 8 weeks in a meteorological environmental animal exposure system. Samples were collected at six distinct zeitgeber time (ZT) points post-exposure. The 24 h ambulatory blood pressure and serum lipid profiles were monitored. Rhythm parameters were derived via cosinor analysis to compare differences in Midline statistic of rhythm (Mesor), amplitude, and phase between the two groups. The rhythmic expression of core circadian clock genes and antioxidant genes in the myocardium was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Myocardial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and downstream pathway protein expression were analyzed by immunofluorescence and Western blot (WB), respectively. The expression changes of the clock gene retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor α (RORα) were assessed at both the mRNA and protein levels. Finally, Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships among myocardial RORα expression, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress indicators. Results Compared to the FA group, mice in the PM group exhibited a blunted circadian rhythm in blood pressure, characterized by sustained elevation throughout the day. Chronic PM2.5 exposure showed a significant interaction with ZT on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (F-interaction=9.11, 5.70, and 6.02, respectively; P<0.05), as well as on serum triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (T-CHO), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (F-interaction=16.32, 11.12, 15.39, and 28.09, respectively; P<0.05). Cosinor analysis further revealed that the Mesor values of T-CHO, TG, and LDL-C were significantly increased (P<0.05), while that of HDL-C was significantly decreased in the PM group (P<0.05). The oscillation amplitudes of SBP, DBP, and MAP showed a decreasing trend, whereas those of TG and LDL-C were significantly increased (P<0.05). Furthermore, SBP, T-CHO, and HDL-C all exhibited a significant phase delay (P<0.05). Mechanistically, PM2.5 exposure significantly suppressed the expression of the positive circadian regulator RORα in the myocardium, leading to disordered rhythmic expression of core clock genes (Bmal1, Clock, Per1/2, and Cry1/2). This exposure also inhibited the rhythmic expression of antioxidant genes (GPX1, SOD2, and CAT), resulting in increased ROS generation and elevated expression of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) proteins. Correlation analysis further revealed that myocardial RORα expression level was negatively correlated with T-CHO, TG, and LDL-C (r=−0.55, −0.63, and −0.51, respectively; P<0.001), and positively correlated with HDL-C (r=0.37, P=0.010), and antioxidant genes GPX1, SOD2, and CAT expression (r=0.34, 0.35, and 0.56, respectively; P < 0.001). Conclusion Chronic PM2.5 exposure induces cardiometabolic dysfunction by suppressing myocardial RORα expression. This suppression disrupts the cardiac circadian clock and the diurnal balance of oxidative stress, triggering oxidative damage and elevating expression of CaMKII/NADPH pathway proteins. Collectively, these alterations precipitate the loss of cardiac metabolic rhythms and subsequent functional impairment.
6.Research progress on factors associated with emotional and behavioral problems in children
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(7):1050-1055
Abstract
Children s emotional and behavioral problems are characterized by a relatively high incidence, concealed manifestations, and a potential correlation with an increased risk of subsequent mental disorders. These problems have a sustained impact on children s social-emotional development, learning adaptation, and peer relationships. The study reviews the main influencing factors and their mechanisms of action regarding children s emotional and behavioral problems from three levels:individual, family, and social. Under a multi-level integrated perspective, it deepens the understanding of these mechanisms and proposes that future efforts should focus on factors such as improving physical fitness, enhancing sleep, and reducing sedentary behavior. Furthermore, it suggests strengthening collaborative interventions among schools, families, and communities to promote the early prevention of childrens emotional and behavioral problems and support their healthy development.
7.Development of the "Clinical Ethics" Course for the Eight-Year Clinical Medicine Program: Explorations and Practices by an Interdisciplinary Teaching Team
Jiangli HAN ; Yali CONG ; Qiong BAI ; Shu LI ; Guangkuan XIE ; Tongyan HAN ; Chuan MA ; Ying YAO ; Fei DONG ; Huilin LIU ; Rui WU ; Qinggang GE ; Liang WANG ; Yuxi XIA ; Shixian GU ; Xuan HE ; Ning SHEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(5):1223-1229
With the rapid advancement of medical technology and the increasing complexity of clinical environments, competence in clinical ethical decision-making has become an indispensable core competency for exemplary physicians. However, traditional medical ethics education has long been confronted with the persistent challenges of theory-practice dissociation and the disconnect between pedagogical settings and clinical realities. Thus, how to construct a "Clinical Ethics" curriculum that aligns with the objectives of training high-caliber medical professionals has emerged as a critical and challenging issue in current medical education reform. To effectively address this challenge, the Office of Education at Peking University Third Hospital, since 2021, has assembled a multidisciplinary "Clinical Ethics" teaching and management team comprising faculty from Peking University School of Humanities and key clinical specialists from the hospital. In 2022, the "Clinical Ethics" elective course was formally launched for fourth-year students in the eight-year MD program who had completed coursework in "Medical Ethics" and organ-system-based curricula, with the aim of exploring and operationalizing a pre-clinical ethics education model tailored for senior medical students. The course employs a modular instructional design encompassing "theoretical review-case-based deliberation-clinical workshop", which effectively facilitates the deep integration of medical humanities with clinical practice.Following four years of iterative refinement through the "plan-act-observe-reflect" cycle, the course has demonstrated positive outcomes in enhancing students' ethical awareness and decision-making capabilities, and has preliminarily established a sustainable collaborative mechanism among the multidisciplinary faculty team. This article systematically delineates the course development background, pedagogical model and methodological innovations, and the multidisciplinary collaborative framework, alongside reflections and summaries based on implementation outcomes, with the intent of providing references for the future development of "Clinical Ethics" curricula.
8.Predictive value of D-dimer for in-hospital mortality and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in patients with acute myocardial infarction
Jianquan LIAO ; Yinman WANG ; Haibin CHEN ; Yong FU ; Huaxing GAO ; Runda WU ; Zhixiang WANG ; Kang YAO ; Junbo GE
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026;33(5):790-796
Objective To investigate the predictive value of D-dimer for in-hospital mortality and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods A total of 688 patients with AMI who were hospitalized at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, from January 2020 to December 2023 were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, echocardiographic parameters, and in-hospital outcomes were collected. Patients were divided into four groups according to D-dimer quartiles, and trend tests were used to compare changes in each indicator with increasing D-dimer levels. The primary endpoints were in-hospital mortality and HFrEF. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the independent associations of D-dimer with in-hospital mortality and HFrEF. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate its predictive performance. Results Differences and trend tests among four groups for age, creatinine, peak cardiac troponin T, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), left ventricular ejection fraction, HFrEF incidence, and in-hospital mortality were statistically significant (P<0.05). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that elevated D-dimer was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with AMI (OR=1.251, 95%CI 1.093–1.432, P=0.001), and HFrEF (OR=1.075, 95%CI 1.028–1.124, P=0.002). ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of D-dimer for predicting in-hospital mortality and HFrEF were 0.871 and 0.716, respectively. At a cutoff value of 0.47 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity of D-dimer in predicting HFrEF were 81.9% and 52.1%, respectively; at a cutoff value of 2.18 mg/L, the sensitivity and specificity of D-dimer in predicting in-hospital mortality were 63.6% and 93.8%, respectively. Restricted cubic spline analysis demonstrated significant non-linear associations between D-dimer and the risks of in-hospital mortality and HFrEF (P<0.001). Conclusions Elevated D-dimer level is significantly associated with increased risks of in-hospital mortality and HFrEF in patients with AMI and shows acceptable predictive performance. As a simple and readily available laboratory biomarker, D-dimer may provide useful information for early risk stratification and clinical management in patients with AMI.
9.Changes in renal function in chronic hepatitis B patients treated initially with entecavir versus tenofovir alafenamide fumarate and related influencing factors
Shipeng MA ; Yanqing YU ; Xiaoping WU ; Liang WANG ; Liping LIU ; Yuliang ZHANG ; Xin WAN ; Shanfei GE
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2025;41(1):44-51
ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of entecavir (ETV) versus tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) on renal function in previously untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 167 previously untreated CHB patients who received ETV or TAF treatment for at least 48 weeks at the outpatient service of Department of Infectious Diseases in The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from September 2019 to November 2023, and according to the antiviral drug used, they were divided into ETV group with 117 patients and TAF group with 50 patients. In order to balance baseline clinical data, propensity score matching (PSM) was used for matching and analysis at a ratio of 2∶1, and the two groups were compared in terms of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the incidence rate of abnormal renal function at week 48. According to eGFR at week 48, the patients were divided into normal renal function group and abnormal renal function group. 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 or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. The multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the influencing factors for abnormal renal function, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the performance of each indicator in predicting abnormal renal function. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the cumulative incidence rate of abnormal renal function, and the log-rank test was used for comparison. The analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to compare the dynamic changes of eGFR during antiviral therapy in CHB patients. ResultsAfter PSM matching, there were 100 patients in the ETV group and 50 patients in the TAF group. There were no significant differences in baseline clinical data between the ETV group and the TAF group (all P>0.05), with an eGFR level of 112.29±9.92 mL/min/1.73 m2 in the ETV group and 114.72±12.15 mL/min/1.73 m2 in the TAF group. There was a reduction in eGFR from baseline to week 48 in both groups, and compared with the TAF group at week 48, the ETV group had a significantly lower eGFR (106.42±14.12 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs 112.25±13.44 mL/min/1.73 m2, t=-2.422, P=0.017) and a significantly higher incidence rate of abnormal renal function (17.00% vs 4.00%, χ2=5.092, P=0.024). After the patients were divided into normal renal function group with 131 patients and abnormal renal function group with 19 patients, the univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences between the two groups in age (Z=-2.039, P=0.041), treatment drug (ETV/TAF) (χ2=5.092, P=0.024), and baseline eGFR level (t=4.023, P<0.001), and the multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that baseline eGFR (odds ratio [OR]=0.896, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.841 — 0.955, P<0.001) and treatment drug (OR=5.589, 95%CI: 1.136 — 27.492, P=0.034) were independent influencing factors for abnormal renal function. Baseline eGFR had an area under the ROC curve of 0.781 in predicting abnormal renal function in CHB patients, with a cut-off value of 105.24 mL/min/1.73 m2, a sensitivity of 73.68%, and a specificity of 82.44%. The Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that the patients with baseline eGFR≤105.24 mL/min/1.73 m2 had a significantly higher cumulative incidence rate of abnormal renal function than those with baseline eGFR>105.24 mL/min/1.73 m2 (χ2=22.330, P<0.001), and the ETV group had a significantly higher cumulative incidence rate of abnormal renal function than the TAF group (χ2=4.961, P=0.026). With the initiation of antiviral therapy, both the ETV group and the TAF group had a significant reduction in eGFR (F=5.259, P<0.001), but the ETV group only had a significant lower level of eGFR than the TAF group at week 48 (t=-2.422, P=0.017); both the baseline eGFR≤105.24 mL/min/1.73 m2 group and the baseline eGFR>105.24 mL/min/1.73 m2 group had a significant reduction in eGFR (F=5.712, P<0.001), and there was a significant difference in eGFR between the two groups at baseline and weeks 12, 24, 36, and 48 (t=-13.927, -9.780, -8.835, -9.489, and -8.953, all P<0.001). ConclusionFor CHB patients initially treated with ETV or TAF, ETV antiviral therapy has a higher risk of renal injury than TAF therapy at week 48.
10.Status of Clinical Practice Guideline Information Platforms
Xueqin ZHANG ; Yun ZHAO ; Jie LIU ; Long GE ; Ying XING ; Simeng REN ; Yifei WANG ; Wenzheng ZHANG ; Di ZHANG ; Shihua WANG ; Yao SUN ; Min WU ; Lin FENG ; Tiancai WEN
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2025;16(2):462-471
Clinical practice guidelines represent the best recommendations for patient care. They are developed through systematically reviewing currently available clinical evidence and weighing the relative benefits and risks of various interventions. However, clinical practice guidelines have to go through a long translation cycle from development and revision to clinical promotion and application, facing problems such as scattered distribution, high duplication rate, and low actual utilization. At present, the clinical practice guideline information platform can directly or indirectly solve the problems related to the lengthy revision cycles, decentralized dissemination and limited application of clinical practice guidelines. Therefore, this paper systematically examines different types of clinical practice guideline information platforms and investigates their corresponding challenges and emerging trends in platform design, data integration, and practical implementation, with the aim of clarifying the current status of this field and providing valuable reference for future research on clinical practice guideline information platforms.


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