There is a substantial unmet need for treatments in the field of pediatric rare diseases, and investigator initiated trial(IIT) provide a critical pathway for testing and developing new drugs or treatment strategies. However, healthcare institutions, when conducting such research, must address compliance risks related to project approval, contract management, data protection, and conflict of interest management. This study aims to analyze the particularities and challenges of IIT in pediatric rare diseases, review relevant regulations and regulatory requirements, and provide healthcare institutions with a reference framework for compliance risk management to maximize the benefits of IIT. Based on literature review, analysis of laws and regulations, practical work experience, and frameworks from other institutions, we summarize the unique aspects of pediatric rare disease IIT in terms of participant characteristics, innovative technologies, and organizational structures.On this basis, targeted compliance management recommendations are proposed, which include establishing a risk rating and full-cycle risk monitoring mechanism, a consent and ethical review mechanism tailored to pediatric participants, a robust contract management mechanism, a comprehensive data security management mechanism, and a multidisciplinary team and multi-channel compensation mechanism. The study concludes that healthcare institutions, funders, and other collaborating entities should implement compliance management in line with the characteristics of IIT to ensure the safety and effectiveness of research and facilitate innovation and development in the treatment of pediatric rare diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To propose a machine learning-based method for predicting the trajectories during manual acupuncture manipulation (MAM), aiming to improve the precision and consistency of acupuncture practitioner' operation and provide the real-time suggestions on MAM error correction. METHODS: Computer vision technology was used to analyze the hand micromotion when holding needle during acupuncture, and provide a three-dimensional coordinate description method of the index finger joints of the holding hand. Focusing on the 4 typical motions of MAM, a machine learning-based MAM trajectory predictive model was designed. By integrating the changes of phalangeal joint angle and hand skeletal information of acupuncture practitioner, the motion trajectory of the index finger joint was predicted accurately. Besides, the roles of machine learning-based MAM trajectory predictive model in the skill transmission of acupuncture manipulation were verified by stratified randomized controlled trial. RESULTS: The performance of MAM trajectory predictive model, based on the long short-term memory network (LSTM), obtained the highest stability and precision, up to 98%. The learning effect was improved when the model applied to the skill transmission of acupuncture manipulation. CONCLUSION The machine learning-based MAM predictive model provides acupuncture practitioner with precise action prediction and feedback. It is valuable and significant for the inheritance and error correction of manual operation of acupuncture.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/instrumentation* ; Machine Learning ; Adult ; Male ; Female

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of manual acupuncture manipulations (MAMs) on subcutaneous muscle tissue, by developing quantitative models of "lifting and thrusting" and "twisting and rotating", based on machine learning techniques. METHODS: A depth camera was used to capture the acupuncture operator's hand movements during "lifting and thrusting" and "twisting and rotating" of needle. Simultaneously, the ultrasound imaging was employed to record the muscle tissue responses of the participants. Amplitude and angular features were extracted from the movement data of operators, and muscle fascicle slope features were derived from the data of ultrasound images. The dynamic time warping barycenter averaging algorithm was adopted to align the dual-source data. Various machine learning techniques were applied to build quantitative models, and the performance of each model was compared. The most optimal model was further analyzed for its interpretability. RESULTS: Among the quantitative models built for the two types of MAMs, the random forest model demonstrated the best performance. For the quantitative model of the "lifting and thrusting" technique, the coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.825. For the "twisting and rotating" technique, R² reached 0.872. CONCLUSION Machine learning can be used to effectively develop the models and quantify the effects of MAMs on subcutaneous muscle tissue. It provides a new perspective to understand the mechanism of acupuncture therapy and lays a foundation for optimizing acupuncture technology and designing personalized treatment regimen in the future.
Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy/methods* ; Machine Learning ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Subcutaneous Tissue/diagnostic imaging* ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment experience of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma by analyzing the clinical characteristics of patients with single center peritoneal mesothelioma.Methods Retrospec-tively analyze the clinical data,including age and treatment regimens,of 99 patients with malignant peritoneal mes-othelioma admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital from June 2012 to July 2023.Kaplan-Meier for surviv-al analysis and Logistic and Cox regression were applied to assess the impact of factors like age and treatment regi-mens on survival time.Results The median age of diagnosis for 99 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma was 56 years,of which 82 were pathologically diagnosed.Among them,38 cases(51.4%)underwent tumor cell reduction surgery,and 57 cases(77.0%)underwent systemic or local treatment.The median survival time for all patients was 43 years.The age of diagnosis may affect the prognosis of patients with malignant mesothelioma,and those aged≥65 at the time of diagnosis have a worse prognosis.Conclusions Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare but invasive malignant tumor with a poor prognosis.There is still a need to develop novo drugs and comprehensive treat-ment strategies.

Lung cancer is the most common malignant tumor of the respiratory system， and its pathogenesis is still not fully understood. Despite the significant clinical efficacy achieved through treatments such as surgery， radiotherapy， chemotherapy， targeted therapy， and immunotherapy， they still come with many complications and significant adverse reactions. In recent years， numerous basic and clinical studies have confirmed the effectiveness of Chinese medicine in treating lung cancer. Chinese medicine features synergistic regulation through its multiple components， targets， pathways， and approaches. Active monomeric constituents in Chinese medicine are diverse， and their mechanisms of action are intricate， making it challenging to fully understand the mechanisms by which Chinese medicine prevents and treats lung cancer. Therefore， there is an urgent need to approach Chinese medicine intervention in lung cancer from a modern medical perspective， exploring the mechanisms of Chinese medicine intervention in lung cancer at the molecular biology and network pharmacology levels. According to traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， the occurrence of lung cancer is predominantly attributed to factors such as deficiency of healthy Qi， presence of pathogenic factors， internal accumulation of heat-toxins， internal accumulation of phlegm-dampness， and Qi stagnation and blood stasis. Literature analysis reveals that Chinese medicine compound formulas for lung cancer predominantly include tonifying agents and heat-clearing and toxin-removing agents， such as Shashen Maidongtang， Xiaoyan prescription， and Feijinsheng prescription. The single herbs used mainly include heat-clearing， deficiency-tonifying， blood-activating， stasis-resolving， phlegm-resolving， cough-relieving， and asthma-calming categories. The use of Chinese medicine aligns with the TCM understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of lung cancer. Studies have shown that TCM can regulate the expression of key molecules in lung cancer-related signaling pathways， such as the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt）， nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB）， Wnt/β-catenin， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT）， thereby exerting effects such as reducing lung cancer cell activity， blocking the cell cycle， inhibiting proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells， inducing apoptosis in lung cancer cells， promoting cell autophagy， and reversing drug resistance， and intervening in the progression of lung cancer. This study systematically summarized recent research progress on how Chinese medicine monomers or formulas regulated the aforementioned signaling pathways and key protein expression to exert anti-lung cancer effects， aiming to elucidate the mechanisms by which Chinese medicine intervenes in the progression of lung cancer and provide insights and theoretical basis for further research and clinical application of Chinese medicine in lung cancer intervention.

Objective:To explore the central regulatory mechanisms of exercise to alleviate the behavioral effects of anxiety and depression in post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)and to promote hippocampal neurogenesis.Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group(Control),PTSD modeling group(PTSD),PTSD-mod-eling with low-intensity exercise group(PTSD+LE)and PTSD-modeling with high-intensity exercise group(PTSD+HE).A combination of conditioned foot shock(CF)and single-sustained stress(SPS)was used to construct the PTSD compound stress model.The anxiety and depression-like behaviors of mice were assessed using the open field test and the tail suspension test,respectively.Newborn mature neurons and proliferating cells in the DG area of mice hippocam-pus were observed by immunofluorescence double-labeling experiment.The expression of mice hippocampal adiponectin receptor 1(AdipoR1)was detected by Western Blot.Results:The results of the open field test showed that the mice in the PTSD+HE group showed a significantly longer distance and stay in the central area than those in the PTSD group and the PTSD+LE group(P＜0.05);the results of the tail suspension test showed that the immobility time of the mice in the groups with different levels of locomotor training was significantly reduced compared with that of the mice in the PTSD group(P＜0.05),and it was more significant in the PTSD+HE group(P＜0.05).In addition,BrdU+,Br-dU+/NeuN+and MCM2+cell densities in the hippocampal DG region of mice in the PTSD+HE group were significant-ly higher(P＜0.05).And the hippocampal AdipoR1 protein expression of mice in the PTSD+HE group was signifi-cantly upregulated(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Anxiety and depression-like behaviors in PTSD mice are associated with decreased levels of hippocampal neurogenesis.Exercise can improve their anxiety and depression-like behaviors,and the mechanism of the effect may be related to the promotion of AdipoR1 expression and hippocampal neurogenesis.

Alzheimer's disease is a common central neurodegenerative disease， mainly manifested by cognitive impairment and non-cognitive neuropsychiatric symptoms that severely affect patients' daily life and behavioral functioning. The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease is still unclear， and the western medicine currently used to treat Alzheimer's disease is only symptomatic， with a single pathway， limited efficacy， and many side effects. In recent years， with the deepening of research on Alzheimer's disease， the study and application of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease have gradually increased. Several studies have shown that TCM and its effective components can exert anti-Alzheimer's disease effects by regulating molecular mechanisms such as pathological protein production and aggregation， oxidative stress， neuroinflammation， ferroptosis， mitochondrial dysfunction， neurogenesis and neurotransmission， and brain-gut axis. This paper summarized the research progress of TCM in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in recent years， so as to provide a reference for further study of the specific mechanism of TCM in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and the discovery of effective components of TCM.

OBJECTIVE To explore the regulatory mechanism of Danshen decoction on dyslipidemia in hyperlipidemia model rats. METHODS The experimental rats were divided into blank group （n＝9， no modeling）， model group （n＝8， modeling）， and Danshen decoction group （n＝9， modeling）. Starting from the 9th week of feeding with the high-fat diet， rats in the Danshen decoction group were given the corresponding medication solution （3.6 g/kg） intragastrically， while blank group and model group were given equal volume of normal saline， once a day， for 4 consecutive weeks. After 4 weeks of administration， the plasma levels of triglycerides （TG）， total cholesterol （TC）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） were measured in each group of rats； the pathological and morphological changes of liver tissue were observed； the differential proteins between samples were screened out by TMT quantitative proteomic analysis； the expression levels of the key differentially expressed proteins in the liver， including epoxide hydrolase 2 （EPHX2）， perilipin 2 （PLIN2）， peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ （PPAR γ） and glycogen synthase kinase-3β （GSK-3β）were detected. RESULTS Compared with the model group， the plasma levels of TC， TG and LDL-C in the Danshen decoction group were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the level of HDL-C was significantly increased （P＜0.05）. The liver tissue of rats inmodel group showed uneven staining， disordered arrangement of liver plates， disappearance of liver sinusoids， nuclearcondensation or disappearance of some cells， swelling and fusion of cytoplasm， proliferation of connective tissue， and diffuse vacuolar-like fat droplet changes. The liver tissue of Danshen decoction group showed varying degrees of improvement in the above pathological and morphological. The results of differential protein analysis showed that the total number of differential proteins was 298 between the model group and the blank group； the total number of differential proteins was 139 between the model group and Danshen decoction group. Compared with the model group， the expression levels of EPHX2 and PLIN2 proteins in the liver tissue of rats in the Danshen decoction group were significantly reduced （P＜0.01）， while the expression levels of GSK-3β and PPARγ were significantly increased （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Danshen decoction has a significant improvement effect on the plasma lipid levels and the pathological and morphological of the liver tissue in hyperlipidemia model rats. Its regulatory mechanism may be related to the up-regulation of PPARγ and GSK-3β expression and down-regulation of EPHX2 and PLIN2 expression， and the signaling pathways involved may include PPAR-γ signal pathway.

The aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is an all-aqueous system fabricated from two immiscible aqueous phases. It is spontaneously assembled through physical liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and can create suitable templates like the multicompartment of the intracellular environment. Delicate structures containing multiple compartments make it possible to endow materials with advanced functions. Due to the properties of ATPSs, ATPS-based drug delivery systems exhibit excellent biocompatibility, extraordinary loading efficiency, and intelligently controlled content release, which are particularly advantageous for delivering drugs in vivo. Therefore, we will systematically review and evaluate ATPSs as an ideal drug delivery system. Based on the basic mechanisms and influencing factors in forming ATPSs, the transformation of ATPSs into valuable biomaterials is described. Afterward, we concentrate on the most recent cutting-edge research on ATPS-based delivery systems. Finally, the potential for further collaborations between ATPS-based drug-carrying biomaterials and disease diagnosis and treatment is also explored.

ObjectiveTo decipher the mechanism of Danshenyin in regulating platelet activation in the rat model of hyperlipidemia by means of proteomics and molecular biology. MethodWistar rats were randomized into blank， model， and Danshenyin groups （n=10） according to the blood lipid level. The rats in the blank group were fed with a basic diet， and those in the model and Danshenyin groups with a high-fat diet. All the rats had free access to water and food. The treatment began at the 9th week. The rats in the Danshenyin group were administrated with Danshenyin by gavage at a crude drug dose of 3.6 g·kg^-1. The rats in the model and blank groups were administrated with an equal volume of normal saline according to body weight. At the 12th week， the tissue samples were collected for the measurement of related indicators， and the blood lipid level was measured by an automatic biochemical analyzer. The whole blood viscosity and plasma viscosity were measured by an automatic hemorheometer. The platelet proteome was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Western blotting was employed to determine the protein levels of platelet membrane glycoprotein 4 （CD36）， focal adhesion kinase （FAK）， phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase （PIP5K）， phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （p-PI3K）， protein kinase B （Akt）， and phosphorylated protein kinase B （p-Akt）. ResultCompared with the model group， Danshenyin lowered the levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） in the plasma （P<0.05）， elevated the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） （P<0.05）， and reduced the platelet aggregation rate （P<0.05）. Compared with the blank group， the modeling up-regulated the expression of 44 proteins and down-regulated the expression of 12 proteins. Compared with the model group， Danshenyin up-regulated the expression of 21 proteins and down-regulated the expression of 22 proteins. Compared with the blank group， Danshenyin up-regulated the expression of 31 proteins and down-regulated the expression of 49 proteins. The gene ontology （GO） functional enrichment showed that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in cholesterol transport and efflux， production of cytokines， dyslipidemia， and platelet activation. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） pathway enrichment showed that the differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in ECM-receptor interaction， peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors （PPAR）， focal adhesion， and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Danshenyin can significantly down-regulate the expression of CD36， FAK， PIP5K， PI3K， p-Akt （Ser473）， and p-Akt1/2/3 （Thr308）. ConclusionDanshenyin can restore the blood lipid level of hyperlipidemia rats and inhibit the platelet activation caused by abnormal lipid levels by down-regulating the CD36/PI3K/Akt signal cascade.