1.Expert consensus on the application of artificial intelligence in lung cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment (2026 edition)
Wenzhao ZHONG ; Haibo WANG ; Yi HU ; Hao ZHANG ; Jigang DAI ; Junqiang FAN ; Guibin QIAO ; Fan YANG ; Jian HU ; Fengwei TAN ; Xuening YANG ; Qiang PU ; Zihao CHEN ; Hongxia TIAN ; Lunxu LIU ; Hecheng LI ; Xiaolong YAN ; Zongyang YU ; Zhenbin QIU ; Yihua SUN ; Jing HU ; Yuhang SHI ; Zhifei GUO ; Peng ZHANG ; Kezhong CHEN ; Shugeng GAO ; Yilong WU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(06):848-856
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.
2.ERBB3 blockade sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma to regorafenib after first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance by inhibiting HIF1A-ABCB1 signaling
Baorui TAO ; Chenhe YI ; Bo ZHANG ; Yan GENG ; Yinchen GU ; Rongquan SUN ; Xiangyu WANG ; Jing LIN ; Jinhong CHEN
Clinical and Molecular Hepatology 2026;32(2):787-807
Background/Aims:
Regorafenib is recommended by guidelines and trials as a sequential second-line therapy following progression on first-line sorafenib or lenvatinib in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, efficacy is limited, highlighting the urgent need to screen suitable patients and develop sensitization strategies.
Methods:
Acquired sorafenib- or lenvatinib-resistant (SR or LR) HCC cell lines and organoids were established. Genome-wide CRISPR library screen was performed in SR or LR cell strains to identify synthetic lethal targets of regorafenib. RNA-seq and FITC-regorafenib efflux assay were used to elucidate ERBB3-driven downstream signaling. Preclinical mouse models of cell line- and patient-derived xenografts and clinical cohorts of HCC patients were employed to validate the efficacy of ERBB3-guided patient stratification.
Results:
Screening with CRISPR library, we showed that inhibition of ERBB3 was synthetic lethal with regorafenib in SR or LR cell strains and organoids. Mechanistically, SR or LR triggered feedback activation of ERBB3 signaling and mediated regorafenib efflux via ERBB3-HIF1A-ABCB1 cascade pathway, limiting sensitivity to regorafenib. Moreover, ERBB3-low tumors following SR or LR exhibited significant sensitivity to regorafenib, suggesting its potential as a predictive biomarker to screen optimal candidates for sequential therapy. Seribantumab, an ERBB3-targeting monoclonal antibody, inhibited ERBB3-HIF1A-ABCB1 cascade, and its combination with regorafenib exerted marked synergistic anti-tumor effects on ERBB3-high tumors resistant to sorafenib or lenvatinib both in vitro and in vivo.
Conclusions
This study revealed that ERBB3 was a key resistance factor driving limited efficacy to sequential regorafenib, but also an effective therapeutic target whose inhibition enhanced regorafenib sensitivity after SR or LR.
3.The Clinical and Genetics Characteristics of Oculopharyngodistal Myopathy
Jiaxi YU ; Zhihao QUAN ; Yilei ZHENG ; Jing AN ; Jing LIU ; Qingqing WANG ; Lingchao MENG ; Meng YU ; Zhiying XIE ; Jianwen DENG ; He LYU ; Wei ZHANG ; Yun YUAN ; Zhaoxia WANG
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2026;5(2):164-174
To analyze the clinical and genetic features of oculopharyngodistal myopathy (OPDM) patients and compare the phenotypic differences among various causative genes. A total of 65 genetically confirmed OPDM patients from 43 unrelated families, who were admitted to the Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital between January 2008 and December 2025, were retrospectively included.The general demographic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory/auxiliary examinations, muscle pathology, and genetic test results were systematically collected and analyzed. The clinical and pathological characteristics among different OPDM subtypes were compared. Among the 65 patients(39 male and 26 female), the mean age of onset was (31.20±10.43) years (range: 14 to 63 years). The initial symptom was predominantly distal limb weakness (67.44%), which gradually progressed to involve the extraocular muscles, pharyngeal muscles, facial muscles and proximal limb muscles. Serum creatine kinase levels were mildly to moderately elevated. Muscle pathological examinations revealed rimmed vacuoles and intranuclear inclusions (within muscle fibers). The mean duration from onset to diagnosis was (12.33±7.88) years (range: 1 to 32 years). All probands had negative results on conventional next-generation whole-exome sequencing; pathogenic variants were identified through third-generation long-read sequencing or OPDM-targeted repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction(RP-PCR). Among the 43 families, OPDM2 subtype was the most common genetic subtype ( OPDM2 was the predominant subtype in this study. All subtypes share similar age of onset and muscular pathological changes, yet exhibit distinct disease progression patterns. Future multicenter prospective cohort studies are warranted to further elucidate the clinical characteristics, pathogenetic mechanisms, and prognostic differences among OPDM subtypes.
4.Psychological Stress-induced Immune Dysregulation: The Key Factor Undermining Aerobic Exercise’s Antagonism Against Tumor Progression
Xin ZHOU ; Hua ZHANG ; Jing-Jing LIU ; Hui-Xin PAN ; Jing ZHANG ; Qing-Lu WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1656-1671
Cancer is one of the most lethal and burdensome diseases worldwide. Its progression not only causes irreversible damage to the body, but also imposes a substantial psychological burden on patients due to its complex prognosis. Immune imbalance, a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment (TME), accelerates tumor invasion and metastasis by impairing the function of effector immune cells, promoting the abnormal infiltration of immunosuppressive cells, and disrupting cytokine homeostasis, thereby constituting a major barrier to the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Compared with conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, aerobic exercise has shown considerable potential in antagonizing tumor progression through relatively mild but effective immunomodulatory mechanisms. On the one hand, regular aerobic exercise enhances the number and activity of key effector immune cells, such as CD8+ T cells, thereby strengthening their ability to recognize and eliminate tumor cells and alleviate immune imbalance. On the other hand, aerobic exercise promotes tumor vascular normalization, improves vascular maturity, and stimulates the secretion of irisin and other anti-inflammatory myokines, thereby remodeling the TME and relieving its immunosuppressive state to delay tumor progression. However, psychological stress following a cancer diagnosis can not only act as an independent disruptive factor that exacerbates immune imbalance within the TME, but also amplify the effects of other detrimental factors, such as reduced treatment adherence, thereby further weakening the antagonistic effect of aerobic exercise on tumor growth. Psychological stress, as a chronic stressor, promotes the excessive secretion of emotion-related hormones, including glucocorticoids (GCs) and norepinephrine (NE), which further suppress the activation and effector functions of antitumor immune cells such as CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, while facilitating the recruitment of protumor immune cells such as regulatory T cells (Tregs). These changes ultimately disrupt immune homeostasis in the TME, promote tumor immune evasion, accelerate tumor invasion and metastasis, and offset the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on tumor control. In addition, psychological stress induces hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and abnormal excitation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), thereby maintaining elevated levels of GCs, NE, and related stress hormones, suppressing inflammatory chemokine expression and immune cell recruitment, and further disturbing immune homeostasis in the TME, which accelerates tumor progression. More importantly, prolonged psychological stress can also disrupt the homeostasis of central neurotransmitters, such as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and glutamate (Glu). This not only directly inhibits the activation and effector functions of antitumor immune cells and promotes the establishment of an immunosuppressive microenvironment, but also impairs cellular energy metabolism and continuously provides energy for tumor cells through metabolic reprogramming, thereby sustaining rapid tumor growth and adaptation to a hostile TME. Ultimately, these alterations contribute to the dysregulation of “neuro-endocrine-immune” axis and weaken the protective effect of aerobic exercise against tumor progression. Therefore, this review focuses on the interaction between psychological stress and the “neuro-endocrine-immune” axis, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms by which psychological stress induces immune imbalance and weakens the antagonistic effect of aerobic exercise on tumor progression. We further highlight the important role of psychological stress in tumor progression and propose that combining psychotropic interventions, aerobic exercise, and clinical antitumor immunotherapy may help restore the tumor-killing capacity of the immune system. Such a multimodal strategy may exert synergistic effects at multiple levels, including psychological stress relief, neuroendocrine regulation, and reconstruction of immune homeostasis, thereby providing new perspectives for identifying therapeutic targets in solid tumors, enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, and improving patient prognosis.
5.The Diversity of Filamentous Morphologies and Magnetic Sensitivity Modulated by Diverse MagR Expression in Bacteria
Ya-Fei CHANG ; Jing ZHANG ; Peng ZHANG ; Xiu-Juan ZHOU ; Meng-Ke WEI ; Tian-Tian CAI ; Pei-Qi HE ; Jun-Feng WANG ; Can XIE
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(5):1439-1456
Objective Magnetoreception, the remarkable ability of diverse animals to sense and utilize the geomagnetic field for orientation and navigation, remains a molecularly unresolved mystery in sensory biology. The putative magnetoreceptor (MagR, previously known as IscA1) is a highly conserved iron-sulfur protein implicated in both magnetoreception and iron metabolism; however, the functional diversity among its cross-species homologs remains poorly understood. Cellular morphology is a key genetically determined trait that can be altered through genetic or environmental modifications—a process known as cell morphology engineering. Constructing engineered cells with specific morphological features and magnetic sensitivity to achieve remote, non-invasive magnetic modulation represents a crucial goal in this field with significant application potential. Therefore, this study aims to systematically investigate the effects of MagR heterologous expression on bacterial morphology and magnetic sensing capabilities, screen for MagR-based magnetically sensitive morphology engineering pathways, and reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods We systematically screened 28 MagR homologous genes from diverse prokaryotic and animal taxa to evaluate their expression and corresponding phenotypic effects in Escherichia coli (E. coli). To compare the differential magnetic responses among bacteria expressing various recombinant MagR proteins, we utilized high-throughput automated bright-field microscopic imaging and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, comprehensive biochemical and biophysical characterizations of iron and iron-sulfur cluster binding were performed using Ferrozine colorimetric assays, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Additionally, 100 mT static magnetic field (SMF) exposure experiments were conducted to assess magnetically tunable phenotypes, while the intrinsic magnetic properties of purified MagR proteins were directly measured using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. Results Our results demonstrated that the heterologous expression of MagR homologs induced varying degrees of bacterial filamentation. From this comprehensive screen, two distinct morphological patterns were identified: hydra (Hydra vulgaris) MagR (hyMagR) promoted uniform cell elongation and filamentation, exhibiting robust magnetic sensitivity manifested as significantly enhanced filamentation under the 100 mT SMF. In contrast, pigeon (Columba livia) MagR (clMagR) induced only low-frequency, extreme filamentation (sporadically exceeding 80 μm) with a relatively weaker magnetic morphological response. Mechanistically, our data unambiguously proved that these phenotypic differences are primarily driven by distinct iron redox preferences rather than total cellular iron accumulation. Specifically, hyMagR preferentially binds ferrous iron (Fe2+), whereas clMagR favors ferric iron (Fe3+) and forms more stable iron-sulfur clusters. Intriguingly, although SQUID magnetometry showed that purified clMagR exhibited approximately five-fold higher mass magnetic susceptibility than hyMagR, its cellular magnetic response was weaker. We hypothesize that the Fe2+-preferred intracellular environment associated with hyMagR overexpression primes the cell for enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via the Fenton reaction. Exposure to an SMF synergizes with this primed redox state, triggering the bacterial SOS response and upregulating cell division inhibitors to efficiently induce uniform filamentation. Conclusion Our findings identify the Fe2+/Fe3+ redox state as a critical determinant of MagR-mediated morphological remodeling and magnetic responsiveness. This discovery suggests a potential strategy for engineering magnetically responsive cellular systems for synthetic biology applications, and provides a plausible framework, which potentially combines intrinsic protein magnetism with redox-state modulation, for further investigating the evolutionary mechanisms of MagR-mediated magnetoreception.
6.Evaluation of CARIFS Score and Negative Antigen Conversion Rate of Qingxuan Daozhi Formula in Treatment of Influenza in Children (Heat Accumulation in Lung and Stomach Syndrome):A Multi-center Randomized Controlled Clinical Study
Jing WANG ; Liqun WU ; Tiegang LIU ; Yongning CAO ; Jing QIU ; Jing LI ; Huaqing TAN ; Ying ZHANG ; Xulei GOU ; Jia WANG ; Jing LI ; Haipeng CHEN ; Xueying QIN ; Yuanshuo TIAN ; Yang WANG ; Chen BAI ; Zhendong WANG ; Qianqian LI ; He YU ; Xueyan MA ; Fei DONG ; Lin JIANG ; Yingqi XU ; Jianping LIU ; Xiaohong GU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(13):188-196
ObjectiveThis paper aims to observe the syndrome improvement and negative antigen conversion rate of Qingxuan Daozhi formula in the treatment of influenza in children (heat accumulation in the lung and stomach syndrome). MethodsThrough a multi-center randomized controlled methodology design,confirmed influenza cases were collected from October 2022 to April 2023 in the pediatrics department of eight hospitals,such as Dongfang Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. A total of 180 children with influenza and heat accumulation in the lung and stomach syndrome conforming to the standard were recruited through the clinic. The sick children meeting the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into groups by a block-randomized method. The children in the experimental group were treated with Qingxuan Daozhi formula for five days,and those in the control group were treated with Oseltamivir Phosphate Granules for five days. The primary efficacy indicator was the negative conversion rate of influenza antigen detection. Secondary efficacy indicators were the Canadian acute respiratory illness and flu scale (CARIFS) and the incidence of complications,severe cases, and critical cases. Follow-up observation was conducted on the day of enrollment,48 hours after medication,72 hours after medication, and (6+1) d after medication. ResultsOne hundred and eighty participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group (90 cases) or the control group (90 cases). All participants were followed up during the study. Comparison of influenza antigen detection results in the primary efficacy indicators showed that the average time of negative influenza antigen conversion in the experimental group was (5.29±1.25) d,and that in the control group was (5.40±1.68) d,without a statistically significant difference. After five days of intervention,52 cases in the experimental group and 51 cases in the control group converted to negative,without a statistically significant difference. CARIFS score results in the secondary efficacy indicators showed that during 72 hours after intervention,there were statistically significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in three dimensions, including headache,muscle soreness, and the need for extra care (P<0.05). On the (6+1) days after the intervention,the differences in both the experimental group and the control group were statistically significant in 10 dimensions, including sore throat,bad sleep,uncomfortable feeling,poor spirit and fatigue,crying more than usual,the need for extra care,symptom,function,influence on parents,and total score (P<0.05). The comparison results within the group in the dimensional scores of symptom, function, and influence on parents,as well as the CARIFS total score showed that with the delay of follow-up time,scores of both groups decreased significantly,with a statistically significant difference (P<0.01). Inter-group comparison results showed that the mean score of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group at the time of enrollment. With the progress of intervention,the score of the experimental group was significantly decreased compared with that of the control group. At the end of follow-up,the mean score of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group,with no statistically significant difference. In terms of the incidence of complications,severe cases, and critical cases, there were no complications,severe cases, and critical cases in the two groups,without a statistically significant difference. ConclusionThe symptom improvement effect and negative antigen conversion rate of Qingxuan Daozhi formula in the treatment of influenza in children (heat accumulation in the lung and stomach syndrome) are not inferior to Oseltamivir Phosphate granules, and children's acceptance is better. It can be more widely used in clinical treatment of influenza in children (heat accumulation in the lung and stomach syndrome).
7.Efficacy of Zishen Huoxue Formula in treatment of molecular-targeted therapy-associated proteinuria in patients with primary liver cancer
Jing JING ; Aozhe ZHANG ; Simiao YU ; Xin WANG ; Yongqiang SUN ; Yiling WANG ; Ruixin GAO ; Yinying LU ; Xiaohe XIAO ; Ruilin WANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2026;42(4):874-881
ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Zishen Huoxue Formula (ZSXHF) on molecular-targeted therapy-associated proteinuria in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC), to assess the efficacy of ZSXHF in the treatment of molecular-targeted therapy-associated proteinuria, and to provide a basis for clinical medication. MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted among the PLC patients with molecular-targeted therapy-associated proteinuria who were diagnosed and treated in The Department of Hepatology of Chinese PLA General Hospital, from January 1, 2022 to July 1, 2025. With ZSXHF treatment as the exposure factor, the patients with a cumulative treatment duration of ≥9 weeks were enrolled as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group, while those without TCM treatment were enrolled as control group. Propensity score matching was performed for the two groups at a ratio of 1∶1 based on sex, age, 24-hour urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen, and serum creatinine. The independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the influencing factors for promoting the improvement of targeted-therapy-associated proteinuria. ResultsA total of 137 PLC patients with targeted-therapy-associated proteinuria were enrolled, with 34 patients in the TCM group and 103 in the control group. After follow-up for 6 months, the TCM group had a significant improvement in urinary protein grade compared with the control group (χ2=9.261, P=0.016). There were 25 patients in each group after propensity score matching, and after follow-up for 6 months, there were significant differences between the two groups in urinary protein grade (χ2=15.689, P<0.001) and 24-hour urinary protein (Z=-3.075, P=0.002). After cumulative treatment with ZSXHF for ≥9 weeks, the TCM group had a significantly greater change in 24-hour urinary protein from baseline compared with the control group (t=-2.514, P=0.016), while there were no significant differences in the changes in liver and renal function after ZSXHF intervention between the two groups (all P>0.05). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that ZSXHF treatment (odds ratio=2.901, 95% confidence interval: 1.135 — 7.417, P=0.026) was an independent influencing factor for improvement in molecular-targeted therapy-associated proteinuria. ConclusionZSHXF can effectively alleviate molecular-targeted therapy-associated proteinuria in PLC patients with a favorable safety profile, which provides a new reference for TCM prevention and treatment of molecular-targeted therapy-associated adverse reactions in PLC patients.
8.Curcumin extraction and preparation and optimization of curcumin nanoparticles
Yuhang WANG ; Han ZHANG ; Chaojing ZHANG ; Xurong KOU ; Tongtong JING ; Rimei LIN ; Xinyu LIU ; Shilei LOU ; Hui YAN ; Cong SUN
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(2):362-374
BACKGROUND:Curcumin is the main active ingredient of turmeric and has significant medicinal value in anti-tumor,anti-inflammatory,antioxidant and other aspects.However,its poor water solubility,unstable chemical properties and easy decomposition lead to difficulty in extracting curcumin and low extraction yield.Therefore,it is particularly important to optimize the curcumin extraction method.OBJECTIVE:To enhance the extraction yield and utilization value of curcumin and optimize the curcumin extraction process and curcumin nanoparticle preparation process.METHODS:Curcumin was extracted from turmeric by ethanol extraction,ultrasonic extraction,ionic liquid extraction,enzyme extraction,and ionic liquid combined with ultrasonic assisted enzyme extraction.The curcumin extraction yield was detected by high performance liquid chromatography;the best extraction method was determined,and subsequent process optimization experiments were carried out.The curcumin extraction yield was the response value with the type of ionic liquid,reaction temperature,ultrasonic time,liquid-to-solid ratio,ionic liquid concentration,and enzyme-drug mass ratio as parameters.The optimal production process of ionic liquid combined with ultrasonic assisted enzyme extraction was determined by single factor combined response surface experiment.The optimal process for preparing curcumin nanoparticles by ionic crosslinking method was determined by single factor combined response surface experiment with acetic acid concentration,chitosan to sodium tripolyphosphate mass ratio,stirring rate,curcumin mass concentration,sodium tripolyphosphate mass concentration,and chitosan mass concentration as parameters,and drug encapsulation efficiency as response value.Curcumin nanoparticles were prepared under the optimal process,and the particle size,polydispersity index,Zata potential value,drug loading,stability,hemolysis rate,and antioxidant capacity in vivo and in vitro of the nanoparticles were detected.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Among the five extraction methods,the curcumin yield of ionic liquid combined with ultrasound-assisted enzyme extraction was the highest,and this method was selected as the curcumin extraction method for subsequent experiments.The results of single factor combined response surface experiment showed that the optimal process for curcumin extraction was:ionic liquid selected 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride,reaction temperature 55 ℃,liquid-to-solid ratio 40 mL/g,ultrasound time 57 minutes,ionic liquid concentration 57%,enzyme-drug mass ratio 3.5:10,and the obtained turmeric extraction yield was 3.10%.The optimal preparation process of curcumin nanoparticles was:glacial acetic acid concentration 0.5%,chitosan and sodium tripolyphosphate mass ratio 5.0:1,stirring speed 150 r/min,curcumin mass concentration 2.23 mg/mL,sodium tripolyphosphate mass concentration 1.45 mg/mL,chitosan mass concentration 3.63 mg/mL,and the obtained drug encapsulation efficiency was 90.61%.(2)The drug loading of curcumin nanoparticles was(14.49±0.23)%,the average particle size was(76.95±1.65)nm,the polydispersity coefficient was 0.15±0.02,and the Zata potential value was(32.37±1.46)mV.The curcumin nanoparticles had good stability and blood compatibility,did not induce hemolysis,and had stronger antioxidant capacity in vivo and in vitro than free curcumin.(3)The results show that the process optimization not only solves the problems of low extraction yield,poor solubility,and low bioavailability of curcumin,but also enhances its antioxidant activity in vivo and in vitro.
9.MRI findings of spinal cord atrophy after spinal cord injury in children and their injury level
Yingxin ZHANG ; Genlin LIU ; Di CHEN ; Hongxia ZHANG ; Yifan TIAN ; Yiji WANG ; Yang JING ; Ruidong CHENG ; Shaomin ZHANG ; Jiafeng YAO ; Bo SUN ; Xiaomeng SUN
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2026;32(4):387-392
ObjectiveTo delineate imaging findings using an imaging platform and investigate the correlation between MRI characteristics of spinal cord atrophy and clinical diagnosis in children with spinal cord injury (SCI). MethodsImaging data of 150 children with SCI admitted to Beijing Bo'ai Hospital, China Rehabilitation Research Center, from January, 2002 to March, 2024 were collected and imported into the imaging platform. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the middle part of the spinal cord at the cross-section with the most severe atrophy were measured, and the relevant indicators of the previous normal spinal cord segment were measured as controls; the radiomic features were extracted. Clinical data of the children including gender, age, cause of injury, sensory level, motor level, spinal cord injury level, injury severity and disease course were collected. ResultsSpinal cord atrophy was identified in 81 cases (54%), among which 78 cases (96%) were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) grade A and 3 cases (4%) were AIS grade C. The upper boundary of the spinal cord atrophy site strongly correlated with the injury level, motor level and sensory level (r > 0.8, P < 0.001). ConclusionMore than half of children with SCI may develop secondary spinal cord atrophy, the vast majority of whom suffer from complete spinal cord injury; the upper boundary of spinal cord atrophy is correlated with the injury level.
10.Assessing High-density Y-SNP Panels for Paternal Haplogroup Assignment in Forensic Practice
De-Qin ZHANG ; Chun-Nian WANG ; Lin-Lin LOU ; Meng NI ; Jing GAO ; Jiang HUANG ; Li JIANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(2):458-469
ObjectiveThe accuracy of Y-chromosome haplogroup assignment is crucial for tracing paternal lineage in male samples. With the advancement of high-throughput sequencing technologies, high-density Y-SNP genotyping from whole-genome or array-based data has become a standard method for determiningY-chromosome haplogroups. This study systematically evaluated the performance of 4 commonly used high-density SNP genotyping systems—namely, the Global Screening Array (GSA), Chinese Genotyping Array (CGA), Affymetrix array, and the 1240K capture panel—for haplogroup assignment. This work provides a reference for data comparison across different systems. MethodsWe extracted genotype data for the 4 Y-SNP panels from 30× whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data of 1 590 male samples from the 1000 Genomes Project. Additionally, GSA array genotype data from 384 relative pairs (spanning 1st- to 12th-degree relationships) from 109 Chinese Han families were collected. Haplogroup assignment was performed using Y-LineageTracker v1.3.0 software. We assessed the concordance and resolution of haplogroup assignments between the four Y-SNP panels and the WGS data. The consistency and resolution of haplogroup assignments were also evaluated for both the 1000 Genomes Project samples and the 109 family samples collected in this study. Furthermore, the impact of varying numbers of Y-SNPs on haplogroup assignment was examined. ResultsThe GSA and CGA panels demonstrated superior resolution and discrimination of haplogroup subclades compared with the other two panels. The haplogroup assignments from the GSA, CGA, and 1240K panels showed high concordance with WGS data, with consistency rates exceeding 88.70%, whereas the Affymetrix platform exhibited a significantly lower consistency rate of 61.89%. Specifically, the GSA and CGA panels consistently demonstrated superior performance compared with the other two panels in the assignment of haplogroups O-M175 and H-L901, achieving complete concordance (100%) for both haplogroups. In contrast, the Affymetrix panel erroneously assigned all individuals belonging to haplogroup O-M175 to haplogroup K2-M526. Furthermore, its accuracy for haplogroup H-L901 was exceedingly low, at merely 1.41%. This poor performance was characterized by the misassignment of 98.59% of H-L901 samples—specifically, 1.41% to J-M304 and a predominant 97.18% to F-M89. For haplogroup R-M207, all four panels exhibited uniformly high levels of consistency, with concordance values exceeding 94.00%. Notably, for haplogroup E-M96, the 1240K and Affymetrix panels outperformed the GSA and CGA panels in terms of concordance, representing the first instance in which these two panels surpassed the latter. Conversely, for haplogroups J-M304, Q-M242, and I-M170, all 4 panels showed relatively elevated misclassification rates, with the Affymetrix array demonstrating the poorest overall performance. None of the four panels showed any discordant haplogroup assignments among the familial relative pairs analyzed. A positive correlation was observed between the number of Y-SNPs (ranging from 1 000 to 10 000) and classification consistency; however, classification consistency plateaued when the number of Y-SNPs exceeded 10 000. Furthermore, a random sampling analysis conducted on the GSA and CGA panels demonstrated that the haplogroup misclassification rate exhibited negligible fluctuation across the Y-SNP range of 500 to 1 000. Conversely, a marked enhancement in classification consistency was observed as the number of markers increased from 1 000 to 5 000, ultimately reaching a plateau within the interval of 5 000 to 8 000 markers. ConclusionThese findings indicate that the GSA and CGA panels provide high resolution and concordance, delivering reliable Y-haplogroup assignment for forensic investigations.

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