Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) represents a persistent autoimmune condition distinguished by a multifaceted etiology that encompasses both genetic and environmental factors. Recent progress in understanding the mechanisms behind RA pathogenesis has delved into the critical role of epigenetic regulatory processes, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and the regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs). These findings provide new insights into the intricate nature of RA and pave the way for innovative therapeutic strategies. This review consolidates the latest developments in the epigenetic regulation of RA, concentrating on how these mechanisms affect the dysregulated signaling pathways associated with the disease. We analyze the roles of specific proteins that function as 'writers', 'erasers', and 'readers' in epigenetic modifications, highlighting their potential as targets for therapeutic intervention. Additionally, in view of the significance of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of RA, we deliberate on their involvement in disease progression and explore miRNA-based treatment strategies. By integrating these diverse epigenetic dimensions, this review offers a comprehensive epigenetic perspective on RA pathogenesis and identifies promising avenues for future research and therapeutic interventions.

Professor Li Candong puts forward the"five differentiation"thinking in TCM:symptom differentiation,syndrome differentiation,disease differentiation,person differentiation and mechanism differentiation.This article discussed the thinking and method of application of classical prescriptions based on the mode of"five differentiation".Treatment based on symptom differentiation is a quick method of application of classic prescriptions,which includes searching for specific symptoms or symptom groups and according to special tongue images.Treatment based on syndrome differentiation is a commonly used method in classic prescriptions,distinguishing between primary and secondary syndromes and the authenticity of cold and heat.Treatment based on disease differentiation is the inherent meaning of classic prescriptions,which is mainly to distinguish six meridian diseases and special prescriptions for specific diseases.Treatment based on person differentiation embodies the individual differences in the use of classic prescriptions,which include age,gender,constitution and abdominal syndrome.Treatment based on mechanism differentiation is an ingenious method used by classic prescriptions.When practicing clinical medicine,we should adhere to the integrated mode of"five differentiation"in the application of classic prescriptions,comprehensively considering the five dimensions,in order to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the application of classic prescriptions,reveal and improve the academic system of classic prescriptions,and better guide their clinical application.

It is noteworthy that only 5% of more than 7000 described rare diseases are treated. In the era of big data, there is ever-increasing data for understanding biomedicine. The need for efficient and rapid data collection, analyses and characterization methods is pressing. Rare diseases can particularly benefit from artificial intelligence (AI) application. AI, with an emphasis on machine learning, creates a path for such efforts and is being applied to diagnosis and treatment. AI has demonstrated its potential to learn and analyze data from different sources with results in prediction。Presently, there are AI-driven technologies applied for rare diseases and this review aims to summarize these advances. Moreover, this review scrutinizes the limitation and identifies the pitfalls of AI applications in the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases.

Objeetive To investigate the relationships of CYP2C19 genotype polymorphism with platelet inhibition rate and clopidogrel low responsiveness in patients taking percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during perioperative administration of clopidogrel.Methods 404 patients taking clopidogrel after PCI were included from February 2016 to February 2017.They were divided into three groups:fast metaboliszer,moderate metaboliszer and slow metabolizer,according to the CYP2C19 genotype.Platelet inhibition rate induced by adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was detected by thrombelastogram,platelet inhibition rate ＜ 30％ was defined as clopidogrel low responsiveness (CLR) group and the relationships between the three groups were analyzed in view of CYP2C19 genotype and the platelet inhibition rate and the clopidogrel low responsiveness.Results (1) The proportions of the three groups was 45.5％,45.3％ and 9.2％ in the 404 patients,no statistically significant difference among the three groups in general data (age,sex,platelet,hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hyperlipidemia) (P ＞ 0.05).(2) There was no statistically significant difference in the platelet inhibition rate between the three groups (P =0.312).(3) There was no significant difference in the clopidogrel low responsiveness between the three groups (P =0.295),with the fast metabolizer group vs.intermediate metabolizer (P =0.522),the fast metabolizer group vs.the slow metabolizer (P =0.117) and the intermediate metabolizer group vs.slow metabolizer (P =0.255).Conclusion There is no correlation of CYP2C19 genotype with platelet inhibition rate and clopidogrel low responsiveness in patients taking clopidogrel after PCI.Only the detection of CYP2C19 genotype may not accurately predict the antiplatelet aggregative activity of clopidogrel.

Exfoliated cells in abdominal cavity were studied in 142 patients with gastric cancer. The cells were mainly obtained by irrigation with normal saline during operation. In this series, 53.5%(76/142) of the patients have malignant exfoliative cells. The relationships between the localization and the pathological types of cancer and the positive rate of the exfoliative cells in the abdominal cavity were discussed. No significant differences were found with regard to the TNM staging of the gastric cancer, the positive rate of stage I was 4/5, while those of the stage II,III,IV were 36%, 42.6% and 66.2%, respectively. The five-year follow-up study showed that in the positive exfoliative group, none lived more than 3 years, including 4 cases of TNM stage I, 9 cases of stage II and 63 cases with advanced cancer. However, in the 66 cases with negative cytology, 1 case of stage I patient was alived more than 7 years after operation, and in the 26 cases of stage II, 10 survived more than 5 years. This method is recommanded to detect the early metastasis of gastric cancer in the abdominal cavity. It may be useful in planning a reasonable management for the patient and may give a better understanding about the prognosis.