1.Treatment of Liver Cancer by Intervening TGF-β Signaling Pathway with Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review
Hao CHENG ; Haohao GUO ; Jun SUN ; Juan XUE ; Chunyan JI ; Shiyi LI ; Yuxue DING ; Huaqiang YUE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):318-326
Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the digestive system and ranks sixth among newly diagnosed malignant tumors worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) regulates cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and other physiological and pathological mechanisms and exerts cancer-suppressive and pro-cancerous dual effects in the process of tumor development. In recent years, with the continuous exploration of the mechanism of liver cancer, it has been found that the conversion of the cancer-suppressive effect into a pro-cancerous effect of this pathway plays a key role in the development of liver cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides a unique perspective for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of liver cancer with its comprehensive regulatory effects of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways. This paper summarized that the cancer-suppressive mechanisms of the TGF-β signaling pathway included promoting cancer cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, et al, while the pro-cancerous mechanisms included promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, immunosuppression, angiogenesis, et al. The TCM compounds intervening this pathway were sorted out, including Jianpi Huayu compound, Fuyang Baoyuan compound, Yipi Yanggan compound, Fuzheng Jiedu compound, compound Astragalus and Salvia, Biejia Jianwan, Dahuang Zhechong pill, and Qingxiang powder. The single TCMs mainly included Schizocapsa plantaginea, Dendrobii Caulis, Gleditsia sinensis, and Dracaena cochinchinensis. The active ingredients of TCM are mainly concentrated on flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and other kinds of compounds. At the same time, it summarized that the liver cancer inhibition mechanism of TCM by regulating this pathway mainly included promoting apoptosis of liver cancer cells, blocking the cell cycle, and inhibiting liver cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune escape, etc. The mechanism aims to give full play to the advantages of TCM and precisely regulate the TGF-β signal, thereby exerting positive anti-tumor effects, opening up a new direction for the precise targeted treatment of liver cancer, and providing a scientific basis and a new strategy for the application of TCM in the treatment of liver cancer.
2.Treatment of Liver Cancer by Intervening TGF-β Signaling Pathway with Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Review
Hao CHENG ; Haohao GUO ; Jun SUN ; Juan XUE ; Chunyan JI ; Shiyi LI ; Yuxue DING ; Huaqiang YUE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(8):318-326
Liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the digestive system and ranks sixth among newly diagnosed malignant tumors worldwide. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) regulates cell differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and other physiological and pathological mechanisms and exerts cancer-suppressive and pro-cancerous dual effects in the process of tumor development. In recent years, with the continuous exploration of the mechanism of liver cancer, it has been found that the conversion of the cancer-suppressive effect into a pro-cancerous effect of this pathway plays a key role in the development of liver cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) provides a unique perspective for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of liver cancer with its comprehensive regulatory effects of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways. This paper summarized that the cancer-suppressive mechanisms of the TGF-β signaling pathway included promoting cancer cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy, et al, while the pro-cancerous mechanisms included promoting cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, immunosuppression, angiogenesis, et al. The TCM compounds intervening this pathway were sorted out, including Jianpi Huayu compound, Fuyang Baoyuan compound, Yipi Yanggan compound, Fuzheng Jiedu compound, compound Astragalus and Salvia, Biejia Jianwan, Dahuang Zhechong pill, and Qingxiang powder. The single TCMs mainly included Schizocapsa plantaginea, Dendrobii Caulis, Gleditsia sinensis, and Dracaena cochinchinensis. The active ingredients of TCM are mainly concentrated on flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, phenolics, terpenoids, polysaccharides, and other kinds of compounds. At the same time, it summarized that the liver cancer inhibition mechanism of TCM by regulating this pathway mainly included promoting apoptosis of liver cancer cells, blocking the cell cycle, and inhibiting liver cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune escape, etc. The mechanism aims to give full play to the advantages of TCM and precisely regulate the TGF-β signal, thereby exerting positive anti-tumor effects, opening up a new direction for the precise targeted treatment of liver cancer, and providing a scientific basis and a new strategy for the application of TCM in the treatment of liver cancer.
3.Analysis of a child with Osteo-oto-hepato-enteric syndrome and a literature review.
Dandan WANG ; Qianqian LI ; Hongxiang GUO ; Yongning CHEN ; Qingfei HAO ; Yanlei XU ; Xiuyong CHENG
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(3):204-212
OBJECTIVE:
To analyze the phenotype and genotype of a neonate with Osteo-oto-hepato-enteric syndrome (O2HE) and review the literature.
METHODS:
A female neonate diagnosed with O2HE syndrome on December 13, 2024 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University was selected as the study subject, and her clinical characteristics were analyzed, and pathogenic variants were explored by whole exome sequencing (WES). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics No.: 2025-KY-1038).
RESULTS:
The proband, a female infant, was delivered by Cesarean section at 36+1 weeks of gestation. Five days after birth, she had developed severe diarrhea, mild cholestasis, sensorineural hearing loss, and growth retardation. WES revealed that she has harbored novel compound heterozygous variants c.512delA (p.Lys171Serfs*64) and c.698C>A (p.Thr233Asn) of the UNC45A gene, which were inherited from her mother and father, respectively. A total of 8 English papers were retrieved, which involved 16 patients from 14 families. Combined with our case, the 17 patients included 13 (76.5%) females and 4 (23.5%) males. Four patients (23.5%) had consanguineous parents. One case was excluded from further genetic analysis due to co-morbidity with other genetic variants. The primary clinical features included diarrhea (87.5%), cholestasis (81.3%), sensorineural hearing loss (31.3%), bone fragility (37.5%), and developmental delay (50.0%). Bi-allelic compound heterozygous mutations were identified in 12 patients (75.0%), and homozygous variants in 4 (25.0%). These included missense, nonsense, frameshift and deletional variants. The c.710T>C (p.Leu237Pro) variant was identified for 5 times, 3 of which were in homozygote forms.
CONCLUSION
O2HE syndrome should be suspected in cases with diarrhea, cholestasis, and hearing abnormalities during early postnatal period. Genetic testing facilitate early identification, genetic diagnosis and treatment.
Humans
;
Female
;
Infant, Newborn
;
Male
;
Mutation
;
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/genetics*
;
Diarrhea, Infantile/genetics*
;
Exome Sequencing
;
Phenotype
;
Fetal Growth Retardation
;
Hair Diseases
;
Facies
4.Regulatory Mechanisms of miRNA in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Current Status of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention: A Review
Shiyi LI ; Hao CHENG ; Chunyan JI ; Jun SUN ; Juan XUE
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(11):323-332
Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC), as one of the common malignant tumours, has seen a continuous rise in incidence and mortality worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health. However, traditional treatments have certain limitations, therefore, the exploration of new therapeutic strategies is particularly urgent. In recent years, with in-depth research on the regulatory mechanisms of microRNA(miRNA) in tumour occurrence and development, it has become new targets for HCC diagnosis and treatment. As a traditional treatment method, Chinese medicine, due to its multi-component, multi-pathway, and multi-target overall regulatory characteristics, shows broad prospects in treating HCC by regulating miRNAs. Accordingly, this paper reviews recent studies on the role of miRNAs in HCC and research advances in traditional Chinese medicine interventions, finding that various miRNAs play key roles in HCC cell cycle regulation, proliferation and apoptosis, invasion and metastasis, immune microenvironment, and drug resistance. It summarises how active ingredients, extracts, medicinal pairs, and formulas of Chinese medicine act on specific miRNAs to regulate their downstream target gene expression, affecting the malignant behaviour of HCC cells and exerting anti-cancer effects. This study aims to provide a theoretical basis for miRNAs as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for HCC, as well as to offer new ideas for developing miRNA-based targeted Chinese medicine therapies.
5.Cage design-centric glider approach to full-endoscopic lumbar fusion: optimizing nerve root protection in facet-sparing and facet-resecting techniques
Yu-Chia HSU ; Hao-Chun CHUANG ; Yuan-Fu LIU ; Chao-Jui CHANG ; Yu-Meng HSIAO ; Yi-Hung HUANG ; Keng-Chang LIU ; Chien-Min CHEN ; Hyeun-Sung KIM ; Cheng-Li LIN
Asian Spine Journal 2026;20(2):343-353
Endoscopic transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) offers substantial advantages in the management of degenerative spinal diseases, including accelerated postoperative recovery. However, its technical complexity and steep learning curve pose risks for nerve root injury. Optimizing nerve root protection in full-endoscopic facet-sparing TLIF (FE fs-TLIF) and full-endoscopic facet-resecting TLIF (FE fr-TLIF) is essential for enhancing surgical safety. This study aimed to improve the nerve root protection in FE fs-TLIF and FE fr-TLIF by optimizing cage glider selection and insertion techniques based on the specific cage shape—banana-shaped or bullet-shaped. The goal was to ensure safe cage positioning and mitigate nerve root injury during discectomy, endplate preparation, and cage insertion. These strategies were validated through cadaveric simulations and clinical implementation. In FE fr-TLIF utilizing bullet-shaped (straight) cages, one-tip and two-tip cage gliders effectively protected the traversing nerve root by facilitating medial cage entry, thereby minimizing irritation of the exiting nerve root. Conversely, in FE fr-TLIF with banana-shaped cages, the lateral tilt of the cage holder during implantation required the use of a two-tip cage glider to protect the traversing and exiting nerve roots, thereby mitigating the potential risk of nerve irritation. In FE fs-TLIF, a one-tip cage glider is preferred for safeguarding the exiting nerve root, while the traversing root is inherently protected by the medial wall of the facet joint. The use of a two-tip cage glider in FE fs-TLIF can cause injury to the nerve root during glider insertion. In addition to the selection of cage gliders, improper cage insertion steps can also contribute to postoperative neurapraxia. The appropriate selection of cage gliders with corresponding insertion techniques is critical for nerve root protection in endoscopic TLIF. Tailoring these choices to the specific approach (FE fs-TLIF or FE fr-TLIF) and cage type (banana or bullet) enhances surgical safety and clinical outcomes.
6.SIRT5 Potentiates Hepatocarcinogenesis by Modulating Protein Acylation in Mice
Yu ZHANG ; Feng-Rui REN ; Jia-Yun LI ; Xiang-Yu CHEN ; Zi-Yi WANG ; Qi SUN ; Jun-Cheng ZHAO ; Ye ZHANG ; Zhen HUANG ; Hao HU ; Tao-Tao WEI ; Min XIAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1712-1722
ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. The main risk factors associated with HCC include viral hepatitis (B and/or C), alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which progressively advance to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately evolve into HCC. Surgical resection represents the most effective treatment for HCC, while recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies, have provided improved treatment prospects for patients with unresectable HCC. However, the complex metabolic heterogeneity of HCC limits the therapeutic efficacy. Metabolic intermediates acyl-CoA not only provide energy and substrates for numerous biochemical reactions but also serve as donors for protein lysine acylation, a major class of post-translational modification (PTM). Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein lysine acylation and hepatocarcinogenesis is urgently needed. MethodsThe levels of protein lysine acylation and silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) expression levels in clinical HCC samples were analyzed by Western blot. Quantitative malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples were analyzed by antibody-based affinity enrichment coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proliferation of HCC cells was analyzed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, the apoptosis was quantified by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining coupled with flow cytometry, and the ability of cells to migrate was assayed by Transwell assays. The enzymatic activity of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) was quantified. Transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression of SIRT5 were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9, and primary hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by administration of diethylnitrosamine. ResultsWestern blot analysis indicated that the expression level of SIRT5 was elevated in clinical samples from HCC patients, and the levels of lysine malonylation, glutarylation, and succinylation were significantly reduced in HCC tissues. Knockout of SIRT5 in MHCC-97H and MHCC-97L hepatoma cells suppressed cell proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells significantly. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the differentially malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples revealed significant enrichment in two major classes of biological processes: core energy metabolism (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, fatty acid beta oxidation) and detoxification and oxidative stress response (e.g., response to toxic substance, chemical carcinogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)). SIRT5 removes malonylation from lysine residues in GSTM1 and restores its detoxification activity, which is crucial for the survival of hepatocytes under stressed conditions. More importantly, in vivo experiment indicated that hepatic-specific overexpression of SIRT5 in mice accelerated diethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating the critical role of SIRT5 in HCC progression. ConclusionThis study highlights the previously unrecognized SIRT5-GSTM1 axis as a key regulator in hepatocarcinogenesis, and suggests a potential target for the treatment of patients with HCC.
7.The first record of Anopheles messeae (Diptera: Culicidae) parasitized by water mites in China
Xue-ru CHEN ; Wen-zhen YAO ; Yu-hao LI ; Gui-chang LI ; Tao MENG ; Qun-ling FENG ; Xin-hui LIU ; Li-hong QIAO ; Xiang-ting WU ; Xue-feng ZHANG ; Cheng-lin LI ; Xue-cheng DONG ; Da-wei WANG ; Xiao-yan SI ; Yu-hong GUO
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(1):53-57
Objective This study reports on the obligatory parasitism of water mites Arrenurus sp. on Anopheles messeae at the Manzhouli Port, Inner Mongolia, China. Methods Duing July 2024, a survey on the mosquito diversity was conducted at the Manzhouli Port. Captured mosquitoes and their ectoparasites were identified to species level. Results A total of 1840 adult mosquitoes were collected, representing species from three genera: Culex(Cx. modestus, Cx. pipiens pallens), Aedes(Ae. dorsalis, Ae. flavidorsalis, Ae. flavescens), and Anopheles (An. messeae). Among all the mosqutioes specimens,3 out of 150 captured An. messeae were found to carry ectoparasitic mites, with number of 2,4,27 mites separately. Morphological and molecular identification reached the same result as water mites(Hydrachnidiae, Hydracrina). COI gene sequence showed 94% similarity with the closest species Arrenurus truncatellus. Conlusions Literature review suggests water mites are host-specific parasitism of mosquito species and herein with the first record of Arrenurus sp. parasiting on An. Messeae in the most high-latitude region globally.
8.Application of ultrasound-guided injection of carbon nanoparticle in cervical lymph node dissection for thyroid cancer reoperation
Yue ZHOU ; Gang WANG ; Fang YU ; Hao XU ; Zhenyu CHENG ; Ziyi FAN ; Xianjiao CAO ; Zhonghui LI ; Qingqing HE
Chinese Journal of Endocrine Surgery 2025;19(1):30-34
Objective:To investigate the efficacy of preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of carbon nanoparticle suspension in cervical lymph node dissection for thyroid cancer reoperation.Methods:Ninety-four patients undergoing reoperation for thyroid cancer admitted by the same physician team of the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery of the Ninety-sixty Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Jan. 2019 to Sep. 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different scope of the initial surgery, they were divided into the re-specification clearance group, the regional lymph node clearance group, and the metastatic lymph node dissection group, and the groups were subdivided into the carbon nanoparticle group and the control group according to whether they were injected with carbon nanoparticle before the surgery or not. The t-test, χ2-test, and non-parametric test were used to compare the age, gender, surgical method, duration of surgery, total number of lymph nodes detected, and positive lymph node detection rate between the nano-charcoal group and the control group in the three groups. Results:There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of age, gender, surgical methods, or the total number of lymph nodes detected (all P>0.05) , and the difference between the surgical time of the carbon nanoparticle group in the re-regulation clearance group and the control group was not statistically significant ( P>0.05) ; the surgical time of the carbon nanoparticle group was shorter than that of the control group in both the regional lymph node clearance and the metastatic lymph node dissection groups, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05) ; the positive detection rate of lymph nodes in the carbon nanoparticle group was higher than that in the control group among the three groups, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05) . Conclusion:In the operation of cervical lymph node dissection for papillary thyroid cancer, preoperative ultrasound-guided injection of carbon nanoparticle can accurately localize the lymph nodes, increase the positive detection rate of lymph nodes, reduce the difficulty of surgical operation, and shorten the operation time.
9.Effect of perioperative oral probiotics on infectious complications after pancreatico- duodenectomy
Jialing LI ; Hexing HANG ; Defu HU ; Zhiang WANG ; Hao CHENG ; Xu FU ; Yudong QIU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2025;33(5):347-356
Objective:To explore whether perioperative oral probiotic therapy reduces infectious complications following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), aiming to obtain higher-level evidence for clinical practice.Methods:A total of 81 participants undergoing PD at the Department of Pancreatic and Metabolic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital & Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, from May 2024 to December 2024 were enrolled in this single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial. The participants were randomly divided into a probiotic treatment group and a control group (receiving conventional treatment without probiotics) using a random number method. The primary outcomes included the incidence of postoperative infectious complications and intra-abdominal infection, and the secondary outcomes were the recovery of gastrointestinal function, postoperative hospital stay, and duration and costs of antibiotic use. The hematological indicators including inflammation and immune markers on postoperative days (POD) 1, 3, 5, and 7 were also compared between these two groups.Results:Finally 72 cases (39 males and 33 females) were analyzed, with 36 patients in the probiotic treatment group and 36 patients in the control group. Compared to the control group, the probiotic treatment group showed statistically significant reductions in the incidence of infectious complications (33.3% vs. 66.7%, P=0.029), intra-abdominal infection (27.8% vs. 58.3%, P=0.030), and incidence of delayed gastric emptying (0 vs. 16.7%, P=0.033). Also, the probiotic treatment group exhibited significantly faster recovery in postoperative bowel movements and shorter time to defecation, liquid diet, and semi-liquid diet (all P<0.05). Additionally, the probiotic treatment group had significantly shorter hospital stay, reduced duration of antibiotic use, and lower antibiotic costs (all P<0.05). Finally, the probiotic treatment group had significantly higher lymphocyte counts on POD 1 ( P<0.05) and showed a significant downward trend in inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 on PODs 3 and 5 and C-reactive protein on POD 7 (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Perioperative application of probiotic preparations in PD may reduce the incidence of postoperative infectious complications, especially intra-abdominal infection. Additionally, it can prevent delayed gastric emptying, promote the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal function, shorten hospital stay, and reduce the use of antibiotics. These benefits may be related to the improvement of postoperative inflammatory status.
10.Advances and future research prospects in regulatory policies for clin-ical trials of artificial intelligence medical devices
Hao LIANG ; Shun WANG ; Cheng CUI ; Ling SONG ; Ailin SUN ; Man LI ; Jie QIAO ; Chun-li SONG ; Haiyan LI ; Yangguang ZHAO ; Haiyan LI ; Chenguang ZHANG ; Dongyang LIU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2025;30(3):427-431
Artificial intelligence(AI)has emerged as a cutting-edge technology leading the future and is a key engine for China's development.In the innovation and research of medical devices,AI has provided critical support in the areas of intelligent diagnostic assistance,intelligent therapeutic assis-tance,intelligent monitoring,life support,et al.Ma-chine learning-enabled device software functions(ML-DSFs)have become an essential component of many medical devices.Recently,the United States Food and Drug Administration(FDA)released a draft guidance titled"Marketing Submission Rec-ommendations for a Predetermined Change Con-trol Plan for Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learn-ing(AI/ML)-Enabled Device Software Functions(Draft)."that aimed to provide a forward-looking approach to foster the development of ML medical devices.By supporting iterative updates through modifications,this approach ensures the continu-ous safety and effectiveness of the devices.This guidance represents the latest in regulatory direc-tion and is especially beneficial for enhancing the quality and efficiency of clinical trials for AI prod-ucts.Therefore,we plan to provide a detailed intro-duction and interpretation of the guidance,with the aim of learning from international advanced regulatory concepts and experiences to promote the development of ML-DSFs with more profound international influence.


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