Olfactory receptors (ORs) form the largest superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Traditionally recognized for their role in the nasal olfactory epithelium, where they mediate the sense of smell, accumulating evidence has firmly established their ectopic expression in non-olfactory tissues, including the intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The intestine, as the primary site for nutrient digestion and absorption, harbors a highly complex chemical environment. To adapt to this environment, the gut employs a sophisticated network of “chemosensors” to monitor luminal contents and maintain homeostasis. Among these sensors, intestinal ORs have emerged as crucial functional components, serving as a molecular bridge that connects environmental chemical signals—such as food-derived odorants—to specific physiological responses. This discovery has significantly deepened our understanding of how dietary flavors and compounds influence intestinal physiology at the molecular level. This review systematically summarizes the expression profiles, ligand classification, and biological functions of ORs within the gastrointestinal tract. Studies indicate that intestinal ORs exhibit distinct spatial distribution patterns across different gut segments and display cell-type specificity, particularly within enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells. These receptors function as versatile sensors capable of recognizing a wide variety of ligands, including exogenous dietary components, gut microbiota metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, and endogenous small molecules like azelaic acid. Upon activation by specific ligands, intestinal ORs trigger intracellular signaling cascades, primarily involving the AC-cAMP-PKA pathway or calcium influx channels. A major focus of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors regulate the secretion of gut hormones. Activation of specific ORs in enteroendocrine cells has been shown to stimulate the release of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and serotonin (5-HT), thereby modulating systemic energy metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and gastrointestinal motility. Furthermore, the review addresses the critical roles of ORs in immune regulation and pathology. Evidence suggests that specific ORs contribute to the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis and may offer protection against inflammation. Beyond their involvement in inflammatory responses, ORs such as Olfr78 have been shown to regulate the differentiation and function of intestinal endocrine cells. Similarly, Olfr544 has been demonstrated to alleviate intestinal inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings collectively suggest that specific ORs hold promise as therapeutic targets for mitigating intestinal inflammation and maintaining gut homeostasis. Additionally, the review explores the emerging role of ORs in cancer. Although OR expression is often downregulated in tumor tissues compared to normal mucosa, activation of specific ORs by certain ligands can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis via pathways such as MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK. Conversely, other receptors, such as OR7C1, may serve as biomarkers for cancer-initiating cells. In conclusion, intestinal ORs represent a vital component of the gut’s sensory network. The review also discusses the translational potential of these findings. By elucidating the precise pairing relationships between dietary components and specific ORs, novel therapeutic strategies could be developed. Intestinal ORs may thus emerge as promising targets for nutritional and pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

With the continuous deepening of the concept of precision diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer, how to achieve higher efficiency and accuracy in the screening, diagnosis, and treatment pathways in clinical practice has become an important issue that urgently needs to be overcome. The current clinical difficulty lies in the fact that despite continuous advancements in imaging and molecular diagnostic technologies, there are still limitations in manual efficiency and subjective experience when it comes to massive data analysis and multi-scale feature extraction. Artificial intelligence (AI), especially algorithm systems based on deep learning, is an innovative technology capable of deeply empowering medical big data. This method utilizes algorithms such as convolutional neural networks, combined with radiomics, pathomics, and multi-modal data fusion analysis, demonstrating immense potential in early precise detection and benign-malignant differentiation of pulmonary nodules, digital pathological subtype recognition and non-invasive prediction of driver genes, precise 3D surgical planning and automatic delineation of radiotherapy target volumes, as well as dynamic risk warning during follow-up. This innovative technology provides a brand-new solution for realizing intelligent and individualized lung cancer diagnosis and treatment models. This consensus, based on the latest evidence from evidence-based medicine and combined with the development trends in the AI field and real-world clinical needs, was ultimately formed by gathering the consensus opinions of multidisciplinary experts in radiology, pathology, thoracic surgery, and other fields. The main content covers the application specifications of AI in the three core scenarios of lung cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, the technical standards for data collection and algorithm validation, as well as the ethical and regulatory challenges faced at the current stage. It aims to clarify the applicable boundaries of AI as a clinical auxiliary decision support tool, providing scientific guidance and standardized exploration directions for peers currently engaged in or planning to carry out AI-assisted clinical diagnosis, treatment, and translation of lung cancer.

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of transrectal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for rectal cancer with intestinal stenosis caused by tumors. Methods Forty-nine patients with rectal cancer underwent transrectal CEUS and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before surgery.Intraoperative tumor localization and postoperative pathological results were taken as the gold standard for diagnosis.The differences in T stage,localization,and tumor length of rectal cancer were compared between the two methods. Results The total accuracy rates of transrectal CEUS and MRI in diagnosing T stage were 75.5% (36/49) and 67.3% (33/49),which had no significant difference (χ²=0.8,P=0.371).The total accuracy rates of transrectal CEUS and MRI in judging tumor localization were 79.5% (39/49) and 77.5% (38/49),which had no significant difference (χ²=0.061,P=0.806).The measurement results of tumor length in pathological examination had no significant difference from the transrectal CEUS results (t=1.42,P=0.162) but a significant difference from the MRI results (t=3.38,P=0.001).Furthermore,transrectal CEUS detected 8 (16.3%) cases of colonic polyps among the 49 patients,while MRI did not detect colon lesions. Conclusions Transrectal CEUS has good consistency with MRI in T staging and localization judgement of rectal cancer with intestinal stenosis,and this method can more accurately evaluate the tumor length and simultaneously evaluate whether there is a lesion in the entire colon at the proximal end of stenosis.It can be used as a supplementary examination before rectal cancer treatment in clinical practice.
Humans ; Rectal Neoplasms/complications* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Aged ; Contrast Media ; Ultrasonography ; Adult ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Constriction, Pathologic/diagnostic imaging* ; Aged, 80 and over ; Intestinal Obstruction/etiology*

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of transurethral water vapor thermal therapy(WVTT)using the Rezūm system for benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH)in the real world.Methods:A total of 181 patients with BPH were recruited from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from August 2022 to December 2023,of whom 173 patients were treated with WVTT using the Rezūm system,while 8 patients were treated with WVTT combined with TURP.They were followed up at 1,3,and 6 months postoperatively to assess changes in the IPSS,QoL,Qmax,IIEF-5,and the occurrence of any complications.Results:All 181 surgeries in this group were successfully completed.The operation time of the Rezūm system was(4.6±1.4)mi-nutes.The postoperative indwelling catheterization time was(8.0±2.1)days.With a follow-up of at least 6 months,there was a significant decrease in PV,IPSS and QoL,and a remarkable increase had been found in Qmax as well(P＜0.05).There was no sig-nificant difference in IIEF-5 before and after the operation(P＞0.05).In this groups of patients,postoperative complications mainly included 95 cases(52.5％)of gross hematuria,6 cases(3.3％)of retrograde ejaculation,5 cases(2.8％)of urethral stricture,4 cases(2.2％)of prostatitis,and 10 cases(5.5％)of urinary tract infection.Four cases(2.2％)underwent surgical retreatment for BPH after surgery.Conclusion:In the real world,the use of Rezūm thermal steam ablation system for the treatment of BPH has sat-isfactory short-term effect,short surgical time,and significant improvement in IPSS,QoL,Qmax,which does not adversely affect sexu-al function.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that sodium-glucose cotransporters-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors significantly improve major adverse cardiovascular events in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients, but the exact mechanism is unknown. Ferritinophagy is a special form of selective autophagy that participates in ferroptosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether ferritinophagy was activated during the occurrence of HFpEF, and whether canagliflozin (CANA) could inhibite ferritinophagy. METHODS: We reared Dahl salt-sensitive (DSS) rats on a high-salt diet to construct a hypertensive HFpEF model, and simultaneously administered CANA intervention. Then we detected indicators related to ferritinophagy. RESULTS: The expression of nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4), as well as microtubule-associated proteins light chain 3 (LC3), Bcl-2 interacting protein 1 (Beclin-1) and p62, were upregulated in HFpEF rats, accompanied by the downregulation of ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), upregulation of mitochondrial iron transporter sideroflexin1 (SFXN1) and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Above changes were diminished by CANA. CONCLUSION Ferritinophagy is activated in HFpEF rats and then inhibited by CANA, leading to HFpEF benefits. The inhibition of ferritinophagy could provide new prospective targets for the prevention and treatment of HFpEF, and provide new ideas for investigating the mechanism of cardiovascular benefit of SGLT2 inhibitors.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the efficacy of DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy for management of cancer pain and provide reference for its standardized clinical application. Methods and. RESULTS: Recommendations were formulated based on literature review and expert group discussion, and consensus was reached following expert consultation. The consensus recommendations are comprehensive, covering the entire treatment procedures from preoperative assessment and preparation, surgical operation process, postoperative management and traditional Chinese medicine treatment to individualized treatment planning. The study results showed that the treatment plans combining traditional Chinese with Western medicine effectively alleviated cancer pain, reduced the use of opioid drugs, and significantly improved the quality of life and enhanced immune function of the patients. Postoperative follow-up suggested good treatment tolerance among the patients without serious complications. CONCLUSIONS The formulated consensus is comprehensive and can provide reference for clinicians to use DSA-guided intrathecal drug delivery system combined with Zi Wu Liu Zhu Acupoint Therapy. The combined treatment has a high clinical value with a good safety profile for management of cancer pain.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Cancer Pain/therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Pain Management/methods* ; China

BACKGROUND: A growing body of research is exploring the role of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory dietary supplements in the treatment of osteoarthritis, highlighting an increasing emphasis on non-pharmacological interventions. Although more patients are turning to supplements to manage osteoarthritis, their actual effectiveness remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the available evidence concerning the efficacy of various dietary supplements in osteoarthritis treatment. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science for studies on the use of various dietary supplements in the treatment of osteoarthritis from the creation of each database until Jan 20, 2025. INCLUSION CRITERIA: (1) Research object: osteoarthritis. (2) Intervention measures: patients in the treatment group received dietary supplements, while the control group received placebos. (3) Research type: randomized controlled trials (RCTs). DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS: Two researchers independently examined the literature and retrieved data based on predefined criteria. The information gathered included the first author, year of publication, sample size, participant demographics, length of the follow-up period, intervention and control measures, and inclusion indications. RCTs comparing dietary supplements to placebo with the pain and function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) among patients with osteoarthritis were included. The optimal dietary supplement was identified based on the total ranking by summing the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of these two scores. Furthermore, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to confirm the quality of the evidence. RESULTS: Overall, 23 studies covering 21 dietary supplements and involving 2455 participants met the inclusion criteria. In the WOMAC pain score, the SUCRA of passion fruit peel extract was 91% (mean difference [MD]: -9.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [-16.0, -2.3]), followed by methylsulfonylmethane (89%), undenatured type II collagen (87%), collagen (84%), and Lanconone (82%). The SUCRA (99%) of passion fruit peel extract (MD: -41.0; 95% CI: [-66.0, -16.0]) ranked first in terms of the WOMAC function score, followed by Lanconone (95%), collagen (86%), ParActin (84%), and Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (83%). The top three total rankings are passion fruit peel extract (95.0%), Lanconone (88.5%), and collagen (85.0%). However, the GRADE revealed low evidence quality. CONCLUSION Passion fruit peel extract was the best supplement for improving WOMAC pain and function scores in patients with osteoarthritis, followed by Lanconone and collagen. However, further large-scale, well designed RCTs are required to substantiate these promising findings. Please cite this article as: Chen CS, Wen L, Yang F, Deng YC, Ji JH, Chen RJ, Chen Z, Chen G, Gu JY. Effects of dietary supplements on patients with osteoarthritis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(4): 357-369.
Humans ; Dietary Supplements ; Osteoarthritis/drug therapy* ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the spatiotemporal patterns and socioeconomic factors influencing the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the Guangdong Province between 2010 and 2019. METHOD: Spatial and temporal variations in TB incidence were mapped using heat maps and hierarchical clustering. Socioenvironmental influencing factors were evaluated using a Bayesian spatiotemporal conditional autoregressive (ST-CAR) model. RESULTS: Annual incidence of TB in Guangdong decreased from 91.85/100,000 in 2010 to 53.06/100,000 in 2019. Spatial hotspots were found in northeastern Guangdong, particularly in Heyuan, Shanwei, and Shantou, while Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Foshan had the lowest rates in the Pearl River Delta. The ST-CAR model showed that the TB risk was lower with higher per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) [Relative Risk ( RR), 0.91; 95% Confidence Interval ( CI): 0.86-0.98], more the ratio of licensed physicians and physician ( RR, 0.94; 95% CI: 0.90-0.98), and higher per capita public expenditure ( RR, 0.94; 95% CI: 0.90-0.97), with a marginal effect of population density ( RR, 0.86; 95% CI: 0.86-1.00). CONCLUSION The incidence of TB in Guangdong varies spatially and temporally. Areas with poor economic conditions and insufficient healthcare resources are at an increased risk of TB infection. Strategies focusing on equitable health resource distribution and economic development are the key to TB control.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Bayes Theorem ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Tuberculosis/epidemiology* ; Socioeconomic Factors

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Process analytical technology(PAT) is a key means for digital transformation and upgrading of the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) manufacturing process, serving as an important guarantee for consistent and controllable TCM product quality. Near-infrared(NIR) spectroscopy has become the core technology for measuring the TCM manufacturing process. By incorporating NIR spectroscopy into PAT and starting from the construction of a smart platform for the TCM manufacturing process, this paper systematically described the development history and innovative application of the combination of NIR spectroscopy with chemometrics in measuring the TCM manufacturing process by the research team over the past two decades. Additionally, it explored the application of a validation method based on accuracy profile(AP) in the practice of NIR spectroscopy. Furthermore, the software development progress driven by NIR spectroscopy supported by modeling technology was analyzed, and the prospect of integrating NIR spectroscopy in smart factory control platforms was exemplified with the construction practices of related platforms. By integrating with the smart platform, NIR spectroscopy could improve production efficiency and guarantee product quality. Finally, the prospect of the smart platform application in measuring the TCM manufacturing process was projected. It is believed that the software development for NIR spectroscopy and the smart manufacturing platform will provide strong technical support for TCM digitalization and industrialization.
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Software ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Quality Control