1.QingNangTCM: a parameter-efficient fine-tuning large language model for traditional Chinese medicine
Xuming TONG ; Liyan LIU ; Yanhong YUAN ; Xiaozheng DING ; Huiru JIA ; Xu YANG ; Sio Kei IM ; Mini Han WANG ; Zhang XIONH ; Yapeng WANG
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(1):1-12
Objective:
To develop QingNangTCM, a specialized large language model (LLM) tailored for expert-level traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) question-answering and clinical reasoning, addressing the scarcity of domain-specific corpora and specialized alignment.
Methods:
We constructed QnTCM_Dataset, a corpus of 100 000 entries, by integrating data from ShenNong_TCM_Dataset and SymMap v2.0, and synthesizing additional samples via retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and persona-driven generation. The dataset comprehensively covers diagnostic inquiries, prescriptions, and herbal knowledge. Utilizing P-Tuning v2, we fine-tuned the GLM-4-9B-Chat backbone to develop QingNangTCM. A multi-dimensional evaluation framework, assessing accuracy, coverage, consistency, safety, professionalism, and fluency, was established using metrics such as bilingual evaluation understudy (BLEU), recall-oriented understudy for gisting evaluation (ROUGE), metric for evaluation of translation with explicit ordering (METEOR), and LLM-as-a-Judge with expert review. Qualitative analysis was conducted across four simulated clinical scenarios: symptom analysis, disease treatment, herb inquiry, and failure cases. Baseline models included GLM-4-9B-Chat, DeepSeek-V2, HuatuoGPT-II (7B), and GLM-4-9B-Chat (freeze-tuning).
Results:
QingNangTCM achieved the highest scores in BLEU-1/2/3/4 (0.425/0.298/0.137/0.064), ROUGE-1/2 (0.368/0.157), and METEOR (0.218), demonstrating a balanced and superior normalized performance profile of 0.900 across the dimensions of accuracy, coverage, and consistency. Although its ROUGE-L score (0.299) was lower than that of HuatuoGPT-II (7B) (0.351), it significantly outperformed domain-specific models in expert-validated win rates for professionalism (86%) and safety (73%). Qualitative analysis confirmed that the model strictly adheres to the “symptom-syndrome-pathogenesis-treatment” reasoning chain, though occasional misclassifications and hallucinations persisted when dealing with rare medicinal materials and uncommon syndromes.
Conclusion
Combining domain-specific corpus construction with parameter-efficient prompt tuning enhances the reasoning behavior and domain adaptation of LLMs for TCM-related tasks. This work provides a technical framework for the digital organization and intelligent utilization of TCM knowledge, with potential value for supporting diagnostic reasoning and medical education.
2.Association between bone mineral density in different age groups and primary malignant bone tumor: a Mendelian randomization study
WANG Manyi ; WU Jingjing ; LI Xiaoshan ; ZHANG Huiru ; HUANG Zhikai ; ZENG Guqing
Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(6):612-615
Objective:
To examine the causal association and potential mechanisms between bone mineral density in different age groups and primary malignant bone tumor based on two sample Mendelian randomization (MR), so as to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of primary malignant bone tumor.
Methods:
The genome-wide association study (GWAS) of bone mineral density was obtained from the GEFOS database,which included 66 628 subjects divided into five age groups (0-15, 15-30, 30-45, 45-60, and >60 years) based on the phases of human bone development. The GWAS of primary malignant bone tumor was sourced from the FinnGen database, including 648 cases and 378 749 controls. Using bone mineral density of five age groups as the exposure and primary malignant bone tumor as the outcome, an MR analysis was performed with the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method. Sensitivity analysis were conducted using Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger regression, MR-PRESSO test and MR Steiger test. The potential mechanisms underlying the causal association between bone density and primary malignant bone tumors were explored using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis.
Results:
The MR analysis results showed that there was a negative causal association between bone density and primary malignant bone tumors in the 30-45 age group (OR=0.301, 95%CI: 0.126-0.721). No statistically significant associations between bone density and primary malignant bone tumors were found in the 0-15, 15-30, 45-60, and >60 age groups (all P>0.05). Sensitivity analysis did not detect heterogeneity, pleiotropy (all P>0.05) and reverse causality. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that genes highly associated with bone density and primary malignant bone tumors were enriched in the mTOR signaling pathway and the Wnt signaling pathway, among which Low Density lipoprotein Receptor Related protein 5 and Wnt Family Member 16 are key regulatory genes.
Conclusion
The decrease in bone mineral density among individuals aged 30-45 may increase the risk of primary malignant bone tumors through the mTOR signaling pathway and the Wnt signaling pathway.
3.Immunoregulatory mechanisms in the aging microenvironment: Targeting the senescence-associated secretory phenotype for cancer immunotherapy.
Haojun WANG ; Yang YU ; Runze LI ; Huiru ZHANG ; Zhe-Sheng CHEN ; Changgang SUN ; Jing ZHUANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(9):4476-4496
The aging microenvironment, as a key driver of tumorigenesis and progression, plays a critical role in tumor immune regulation through one of its core features-the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). SASP consists of a variety of interleukins, chemokines, proteases, and growth factors. It initially induces surrounding cells to enter a state of senescence through paracrine mechanisms, thereby creating a sustained inflammatory stimulus and signal amplification effect within the tissue microenvironment. Furthermore, these secreted factors activate key signaling pathways such as NF-κB, cGAS-STING, and mTOR, which regulate the expression of immune-related molecules (such as PD-L1) and promote the recruitment of immunosuppressive cells, including regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. This process ultimately contributes to the formation of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Furthermore, the article explores potential anti-tumor immunotherapy strategies targeting SASP and its associated molecular mechanisms, including approaches to inhibit SASP secretion or eliminate senescent cells. Although these strategies have shown promise in certain tumor models, the high heterogeneity among tumor types may result in varied responses to SASP-targeted therapies. This highlights the need for further research into adaptive stratification and personalized treatment approaches. Targeting immune regulatory mechanisms in the aging microenvironment-particularly SASP-holds great potential for advancing future anti-tumor therapies.
4.Interpretation of the service standards for medical nursing assistants of older adults in home and community
Ting LIU ; Haiyan SHI ; Huaguo ZHANG ; Yue CHEN ; Hongying PI ; Huiru HOU ; Shaomei SHANG ; Yan JIANG ; Zheng CHEN ; Ka LI ; Xin YANG ; Qilei TU ; Ze YANG ; Chao SUN
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2025;44(11):1500-1506
The Occupational Classification Dictionary of the People's Republic of China (2015 Edition) has added a new occupation type, Medical Nursing Assistants, aiming to meet the strong demand for medical care in the context of the aging population in China.In order to standardize the services of medical nursing assistants for the elderly in home and community settings and contribute to healthy aging, the National Health Commission issued the " Service Standards for Medical Nursing Assistants of Older Adults in Home and Community" ( WS/ T 803—2022) on September 28, 2022.The standards regulate the service processes, service items and requirements, as well as service evaluation and improvement for elderly medical nursing assistants.The interpretation of the standard's formulation background, the compilation process, and the standard's content are as follows.
5.Establishment of a clinical risk scoring model for patients undergoing curative resection of pulmonary metastases from colorectal cancer based on primary tumor lymph node indices
Renshen XIANG ; Qi ZHANG ; Shuaibing LU ; Wenjing YANG ; Deyang KONG ; Yu SUN ; Huiru ZHANG ; Jialiang FAN ; Lin FENG ; Haizeng ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Oncology 2025;47(10):1039-1049
Objective:To analyze the clinicopathological factors affecting the prognosis of patients after curative resection of lung metastases (LMs) from colorectal cancer (CRC) and to construct a clinical risk scoring (CRS) model.Methods:This study retrospectively collected clinicopathological data and follow-up information on 132 patients who underwent radical resection of LMs from CRC at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2010 and December 2020. We analyzed the clinicopathological factors influencing patient prognosis using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models, and we developed a risk stratification model for prognostic prediction.Results:The median follow-up duration for the cohort of 132 patients was 54.2 months. During this period, 61 patients (46.2%) experienced recurrence or distant metastasis, resulting in a 5-year DFS rate of 54.1%. Additionally, 33 patients (25.0%) died, corresponding to a 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of 76.7%. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis indicated that ten clinicopathological factors were significantly associated with OS (all P<0.05). These factors include the total number of lymph nodes (LNs) dissected from the primary tumor (PT) <16, the number of negative LNs from the PT <13, pN(+) of the PT, logarithmic odds of positive lymph nodes (LODDS) of the PT ≥-1.1, lymph nodes ratio (LNR) of the PT ≥0.02, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level before LMs resection ≥10 ng/ml, the presence of hilar/mediastinal LN metastasis, the number of LMs ≥2, the maximum diameter of LMs ≥2.5 cm, and the necessity for hilar/mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified the number of negative LNs <13 ( HR=3.01, 95% CI: 1.28-7.03, P=0.011), pN(+) of the PT ( HR=5.04, 95% CI: 1.51-16.84, P=0.009), preoperative CEA level before LMs resection ≥10 ng/ml ( HR=5.39, 95% CI: 1.80-16.19, P=0.003), the number of LMs ≥2 ( HR=2.47, 95% CI: 1.09-5.60, P=0.030), and the necessity for hilar/mediastinal lymphadenectomy ( HR=2.74, 95% CI: 1.15-6.52, P=0.023) as independent prognostic risk factors. Patients were categorized based on independent risk factors, revealing statistically significant differences in OS across the groups with CRS scores of ≤2, 3~4, and ≥5 ( P<0.001). Conclusions:Independent risk factors associated with LMs from CRC patients include the number of negative LNs <13, pN(+) of the PT, preoperative CEA level before LMs resection ≥10 ng/ml, the number of LMs ≥2, and the necessity for hilar/mediastinal lymphadenectomy. Patients scoring 3 or higher on the CRS model may warrant cautious assessment for the appropriateness of direct surgical treatment.
6.Association between amino acids and primary malignant bone tumor: a Mendelian randomization study
LI Xiaoshan ; WANG Manyi ; ZHANG Huiru ; WANG Shuntao ; LIU Xinyue ; ZENG Guqing
Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(12):1252-1256
Objective:
To investigate the causal association between amino acids and the primary malignant bone tumor and its underlying mechanism.
Methods:
Genome-wide association study (GWAS) data of glycine, serine, arginine, glutamine, methionine, and leucine was sourced from the IEU OpenGWAS database and the GWAS Catalog. GWAS data of primary malignant bone tumor were obtained from the FinnGen database. Using each of the six amino acids as the exposure and primary malignant bone tumor as the outcome, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed with the inverse-variance weighted method as the primary approach. Multivariable MR analysis was employed to control for collinearity among amino acids. Sensitivity analyses were conducted using Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger regression and the MR Steiger test. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network analysis were explored to explore potential mechanisms and identify key genes.
Results:
MR analysis results indicated a statistically significant causal association between glycine and primary malignant bone tumor (OR=1.719, 95%CI: 1.083-2.728). No significant causal associations were found for the other five amino acids (all P>0.05). Multivariable MR analysis revealed that, after adjusting for the other five amino acids, confirmed a positive causal association between glycine and primary malignant bone tumor (OR=1.512, 95%CI: 1.125-2.031). Sensitivity analyses revealed no significant heterogeneity, horizontal pleiotropy, or reverse causality (all P>0.05). Genes associated with both glycine metabolism and primary malignant bone tumor were enriched in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, with serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) identified as a key gene.
Conclusion
Higher glycine levels may increase the risk of primary malignant bone tumor via the SHMT2-JAK-STAT pathway.
7.Construction and gene identification of CSF1R +/-mice
Yuanyuan Zhou ; Chong Liu ; Anqi Wang ; Huiru Zhang ; Jiaqi Qiu ; Mengjuan Zhu ; Jiajie Tu
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(5):884-889
Objective:
To constructCSF1R+/-mice and to analyze their genotypes, so as to provide animal model basis for disease pathological mechanism and drug target.
Methods :
A linearized targeting vector was designed according to Cre/Loxp system. A Loxp site was inserted upstream of the 5th exon of theCSF1Rgene, and a neomycin resistance box with Loxp sites on both sides was inserted downstream of the 5th exon. The linearized targeting vector was electroporated into embryonic stem cells. The correctly targeted embryonic stem cells were injected into the blastocysts of C57BL/6J mice to obtain chimeric mice, which were bred with Zp3-Cre mice. The newborn mice were numbered 9-14 days after birth and their tails were cut. The DNA of the mice was extracted, and the genotype of the mice was identified by polymerase chain reaction and agarose gel electrophoresis. The expression of CSF1R in mouse macrophages was detected by flow cytometry. The expression of CSF1R in mouse tissues was detected by Western blot.
Results:
The results of agarose gel electrophoresis showed that 453 bp bands were amplified in wild type mice, and 453 bp and 650 bp bands were amplified in heterozygous mice. The results of flow cytometry showed that the expression of CSF1R in peritoneal macrophages and bone marrow-derived macrophages of CSF1R heterozygous mice was lower than that of WT group(P<0.05). The results of Western blot showed that the expression of CSF1R in spleen, kidney and brain tissue of CSF1R heterozygous group was lower than that of WT group(P<0.05).
Conclusion
CSF1R+/-mice are successfully constructed, reproduced and identified, which provides an animal model basis for further revealing the potential mechanism of CSF1R in immune regulation.
8.Construction, breeding, and gene identification of micro RNA - 22 - 3p knockout mice
Anqi Wang ; Huiru Zhang ; Yuanyuan Zhou ; Chong Liu ; Yizhao Chen ; Jiajie Tu
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(6):1052-1058
Objective:
To construct microRNA(miR)-22 gene knockout(miR-22-/-) mice using CRISPR/Cas 9 technology, to breed miR-22-/- mice and to identify their genotypes.
Methods :
In this experiment, CRISPR/Cas 9 technology was used to construct miR-22-/- genetically engineered mice. After gene identification, the F0 generation miR-22-/- mice were mated with wild-type mice in the same litter to obtain F1 generation miR-22-/- mice. The miR-22 knockout efficiency was analyzed at the RNA level by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR). Western blot was used to detect the interaction between miR-22 and target genes.
Results :
miR-22-/- mice were successfully constructed using CRISPR/Cas 9 technology, gene identification was performed on the bred mice, and three stable genotypes of miR-22+/+,miR-22+/-, and miR-22-/- were identified. The real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR detection results confirmed that miR-22-/- mice showed almost no expression of miR-22 in the heart, liver, lung, kidney, spleen, and thymus tissues compared to wild-type mice in the same litter. Western blot analysis showed that the relative expression level of NLRP3 protein in miR-22-/- mouse tissues was lower than that in wild-type mice.
Conclusion
A miR-22-/- mouse model is successfully constructed, and stable genetic homozygous miR-22-/- mice is obtained. This indicates that miR-22 has an inhibitory effect on the downstream target gene NLRP3.
9.Breeding and genotype identification of CCR2 knockout mice
Huiru Zhang ; Anqi Wang ; Chong Liu ; Yuanyuan Zhou ; Hui Xue ; Jiajie Tu
Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui 2025;60(7):1167-1172
Objective:
To explore the breeding and genotyping of CCR2 knockout mice, and to verify the applicability of the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) method for genotype detection of CCR2 knockout mice.
Methods:
The introduced CCR2 pure male mice and wild-type female mice were mated and bred to produce the offspring generation, the obtained F1 generation heterozygous mice were continued to be mated. DNA was extracted by clipping the tail tissues of the mice at the age of 2 weeks, the target gene fragment was amplified by PCR, and the genotypic results were determined by agarose gel electrophoresis. The proportion of purebred progeny carrying the CCR2 knockout gene was increased by genetic crosses, the effect of CCR2 knockout in the progeny mice was verified by using Western blot against major immune cells and key organs, and flow cytometry was used to detect whether the knockout of the CCR2 gene had any effect on the function of the immune system by targeting the major immune cells.
Results:
CCR2 knockout mice were successfully bred and characterized, and three genotypes of F2 generation mice were obtained: CCR2+/+, CCR2+/-, and CCR2-/-. The offspring genotypes were identified by PCR, and Western blot showed extremely low CCR2 protein expression in CCR2 knockout mice. Flow analysis showed that CCR2 knockdown reduced the expression of CD4+T and Th1 cells in mouse spleen-derived T cells, but did not affect macrophage function.
Conclusion
Correct breeding and identification are important ways to get the pure CCR2 knockout mice, and PCR method for identifying mouse genotypes is simple, fast and reliable.
10.Clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with ovarian metastases from colorectal cancer and construction of postoperative prognostic models
Qi ZHANG ; Renshen XIANG ; Shuaibing LU ; Wenjing YANG ; Deyang KONG ; Yu SUN ; Huiru ZHANG ; Xuesi DONG ; Jialiang FAN ; Lin FENG ; Haizeng ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Surgery 2025;63(12):1137-1145
Objective:To construct and validate a prognostic prediction model for patients with ovarian metastases from colorectal cancer after radical resection.Methods:A retrospective case series analysis was conducted on the clinical and pathological data of 81 patients with colorectal cancer and ovarian metastases who underwent radical resection for ovarian metastases at the Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, between January 2014 and December 2023. The patients were all female, with an age ( M(IQR)) of 49(13) years (range: 22 to 79 years). The primary tumor was located in the colon in 60 cases (74.1%) and in the rectum in 21 cases (25.9%). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors affecting prognosis. A risk scoring system was constructed, and patients were assigned to high-risk and low-risk groups based on their risk scores. The predictive performance of the scoring system was assessed, and 5-fold cross-validation was performed to evaluate the model′s stability on the internal dataset. Results:Among the 81 patients with ovarian metastases, a high proportion had T4 stage (58 cases, 71.6%), lymph node positivity (68 cases, 84.0%), and colon cancer (60 cases, 74.1%). Preoperative imaging suggested unilateral ovarian metastasis in 15 patients (23.4%), but pathological examination after bilateral oophorectomy confirmed bilateral ovarian metastases. Among the 17 patients who initially underwent unilateral oophorectomy, 11 developed contralateral ovarian metastases at varying times postoperatively. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that positive lymph node ratio ( HR=2.68,95% CI:1.41 to 5.09, P=0.003), N stage ( HR=2.07,95% CI:1.08 to 3.95, P=0.028),maximum diameter of metastatic tumors ( HR=2.27,95% CI:1.04 to 4.96, P=0.040),and peritoneal metastasis or ascites at the time of ovarian metastasis ( HR=2.04,95% CI:1.02 to 4.08, P=0.043) were significantly associated with overall survival in patients with ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer. Multivariate regression analysis identified that positive lymph node ratio ( HR=3.34,95% CI:1.08 to 10.34, P=0.037) and maximum diameter of metastatic tumors ( HR=2.65,95% CI:1.19 to 5.88, P=0.017) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival following radical oophorectomy in patients with ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer. Based on the regression coefficients from the multivariate analysis for variables (ovarian metastatic tumor diameter ≥6 cm, positive lymph node ratio ≥0.3,and presence of peritoneal metastasis or ascites), a risk scoring system was developed. Using the optimal cutoff value (154 points) for the risk score,patients were divided into high-risk (19 cases) and low-risk (62 cases) groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that the high-risk group had significantly lower median overall survival (27 months) and median disease-free survival (22 months) compared to the low-risk group (median overall survival 90 months,median disease-free survival not reached; both P<0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC) for predicting 1-,3-,and 5-year overall survival was 0.731(95% CI:0.563 to 0.899), 0.703(95% CI:0.573 to 0.833), and 0.776(95% CI: 0.657 to 0.894), respectively. The AUC for predicting 1-,3-, and 5-year disease-free survival was 0.724(95% CI:0.397 to 0.993),0.710(95% CI:0.514 to 0.906),and 0.688(95% CI:0.478 to 0.898),respectively,indicating good performance of the model.The decision curve analysis showed that the model has good clinical net benefit and the results of the 5-fold cross-validation showed that the model demonstrated stability in the internal dataset. Conclusions:When performing radical resection for ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer,bilateral oophorectomy should be considered to minimize the risk of postoperative recurrence. Patients with ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer,characterized by a metastatic tumor diameter ≥6 cm,a positive lymph node ratio ≥0.3,and the presence of peritoneal metastasis or ascites, tend to have a poorer prognosis. Based on these findings,a clinical prognostic scoring system for radical resection of ovarian metastasis from colorectal cancer has been developed to stratify patients into different risk groups and may assist in postoperative risk assessment and management.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail