Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, and its treatment continues to face major challenges such as therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. Pyroptosis, a newly characterized form of programmed cell death, induces tumor cell death through gasdermin-mediated membrane pore formation and is accompanied by the release of inflammatory mediators, thereby playing complex roles in lung cancer initiation, progression, and modulation of the tumor microenvironment. Active components and herbal formulas derived from traditional Chinese medicine can modulate pyroptosis-related signaling pathways through multi-target mechanisms, showing potential advantages in inducing lung cancer cell death, inhibiting proliferation and migration, and reversing chemoresistance. This review systematically summarizes relevant studies from domestic and international sources, focusing on the molecular mechanisms of pyroptosis, its roles in lung cancer development and tumor microenvironment remodeling, and the current research progress on traditional Chinese medicine-based interventions targeting pyroptosis, with the aim of providing references for the prevention and treatment of lung cancer using traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective: To characterize perioperative dynamic changes in immune-cell phenotypes and inflammatory cytokines in patients undergoing CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass) cardiac surgery, and to explore their associations with postoperative outcomes. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 120 adult patients who underwent elective cardiac surgery under CPB at West China Hospital from May 2022 to March 2023 were enrolled. Perioperative immune-cell phenotypes and concentrations of 40 inflammation-related cytokines were measured. The primary outcomes were the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score at 24 h after surgery and ΔSOFA (the peak SOFA score within 48 h after surgery minus the preoperative SOFA score). Secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), acute kidney injury (AKI), respiratory failure, severe liver injury, and infection. Results: The mean age of enrolled patients was 57±10 years. Of these, 52% (62/120) were male and 90% (108/120) underwent valve surgery. During the rewarming to the end of CPB, neutrophil counts rapidly increased (7.39×10 /L vs preoperative 3.07×10 /L, P<0.001), with significant upregulation of CD11b (7.30×10 /L vs preoperative 3.05×10 /L, P<0.001) and CD54 (7.15×10 /L vs preoperative 2.99×10 /L, P<0.001). Lymphocyte counts increased at the end of CPB (1.75×10 /L vs preoperative 1.12×10 /L, P<0.001) but decreased significantly at 24 h after surgery (0.59×10 /L vs preoperative 1.12×10 /L, P<0.001). Plasma analysis showed that multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines increased during CPB and remained elevated up to 24 h after surgery; five chemokines and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 peaked at the end of CPB. The SOFA score increased from 1 (1, 2) preoperatively to 7 (5, 10) at 24 h after surgery, with a ΔSOFA of 6 (4, 8). Within 30 days after surgery, 48 patients (40.0%) developed AKI, 17 (14.2%) developed infection, 4 (3.3%) developed severe liver injury, 3 (2.5%) developed respiratory failure, and 3 (2.5%) experienced MACE. During the 2-year follow-up, 8 patients (6.7%) experienced MACE and 5 (4.2%) died. Conclusion: Multi-organ dysfunction is common after cardiac surgery under CPB (median ΔSOFA, 6), accompanied by perioperative activation of multiple immune-cell subsets and upregulation of pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and chemotactic mediators. This study provides data-driven evidence and research clues for further investigation of the associations between CPB-related immune perturbations and postoperative organ dysfunction and clinical outcomes.

AIM: To analyze the risk factors for pre-myopia among school-aged children, develop a nomogram model based on these factors, and explore the efficacy of plano defocus lenses on myopia prevention and control.METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. School-aged children receiving physical examinations in the hospital between July 2024 and January 2025 were enrolled. All subjects were divided into the experimental group(children with pre-myopia)and the control group(children with normal refraction)according to the results of cycloplegic refraction and axial length measurement. Clinical data of the two groups were collected. Logistic regression analysis was adopted to identify the risk factors for pre-myopia, and a corresponding nomogram model was constructed. The children in the experimental group were further assigned to Group A(standard behavioral intervention+plano defocus lenses)and Group B(standard behavioral intervention alone)via the random number method. Ocular biological parameters and refractive indices before and after intervention were compared between groups.RESULTS: A total of 236 school-aged children were enrolled in this study, including 80 children in the experimental group(40 cases in group A and 40 cases in group B)and 156 children in the control group. The age of children in the experimental group was 8.88±1.11 y, with 27 males and 53 females. The age of children in the control group was 8.92±1.05 y, with 91 males and 65 females. Group A had an average age of 8.79±1.22 y(14 males and 26 females), and group B had an average age of 8.91±1.07 y(13 males and 27 females). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that parental myopia history, pencil-grip posture and duration of electronic device use were risk factors for pre-myopia among school-aged children(all P<0.05); daily outdoor activity duration and daily sleep duration were protective factors(all P<0.05). The nomogram model yielded an AUC of 0.970(95%CI: 0.951-0.990), with a sensitivity of 0.900 and specificity of 0.942. The calibration curve indicated nearly perfect linear calibration and good fitting performance. Decision curve analysis demonstrated high clinical applicability. SHAP summary plots showed that daily outdoor activity duration was the most critical factor affecting the onset of pre-myopia in school-aged children. After intervention with plano defocus spectacles, the axial length elongation in group A was significantly lower than that in group B(P<0.05). Choroidal thickness and cycloplegic spherical refraction were significantly higher, and uncorrected distance visual acuity(LogMAR)was significantly lower in group A compared with group B(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Parental myopia history, pencil-grip posture, and duration of electronic device use are risk factors for pre-myopia in school-aged children, while daily outdoor activity duration and daily sleep duration are protective factors. The nomogram constructed based on the above factors exhibits favorable predictive accuracy and can be applied for early screening of high-risk children. Plano defocus spectacles can slow axial length progression, stabilize refractive status, and exert positive effects on myopia prevention in school-aged children with pre-myopia.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of Lufu Pill （LFP）.METHODS The high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） fingerprint of LFP was established using the Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine （2012 Edition）， and similarity evaluation was performed. Hierarchical cluster analysis （HCA）， principal component analysis （PCA）， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were performed using SIMCA 14.1 software. The contents of strychnine， brucine， liquiritin， notoginsenoside R 1 ， ginsenoside Rg 1 ， ginsenoside Rb 1 ， licoricesaponin G 2 ， and ginsenoside Rd in 12 batches of samples were determined by the HPLC method.RESULTS A total of 26 common peaks were identified in the HPLC fingerprint of 12 batches of LFP samples， and eight common peaks were identified as strychnine （peak 3）， brucine （peak 4）， liquiritin （peak 6）， notoginsenoside R 1 （peak 7）， ginsenoside Rg 1 （peak 8）， ginsenoside Rb 1 （peak 15）， licoricesaponin G 2 （peak 17）， and ginsenoside Rd （peak 18）. The similarities of 12 batches of LFP samples were all greater than 0.90. The results of HCA and PCA both showed that the 12 batches of samples were divided into two categories： S2， S4-S6， and S12 were grouped into one category， while S1， S3， S7-S11 were grouped into another category. The upper control limits for Hotelling’s T 2 and DMod X were 16.631 and 1.578， respectively. The variable importance in projection values of ginsenoside Rg 1 （peak 8）， ginsenoside Rb 1 （peak 15）， peak 20， strychnine （peak 3）， peak 11， notoginsenoside R 1 （peak 7）， peak 2， peak 17， peak 13， peak 10， ginsenoside Rd （peak 18）， peak 23， peak 26， peak 21， and peak 24 were greater than 1.The content determination results showed that strychnine， brucine， liquiritin， notoginsenoside R 1 ， ginsenoside Rg 1 ， ginsenoside Rb 1 ， licoricesaponin G 2 ， and ginsenoside Rd were 0.005%-0.018%， 0.005%-0.010%， 0.050%-0.118%， 0.033%-0.073%， 0.132%-0.248%， 0.122%-0.242%， 0.021%-0.043%， and 0.016%-0.048%， respectively.CONCLUSIONS The established HPLC fingerprint and content determination method are accurate and reproducible， and can be used for the quality evaluation of LFP. Ginsenoside Rg 1 ， ginsenoside Rb 1 ， strychnine， notoginsenoside R 1 ， and ginsenoside Rd may be the differential components affecting its overall quality.

Objective To evaluate the intravascular volume at different levels of edema and disease course by the fractional excretion of filtered sodium(FeNa)of children with primary nephrotic syndrome(PNS).Methods A total of 172 children with newly diagnosed PNS who were hospitalized in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from September 2022 to September 2024 were selected and divided into non-e-dema group(n=51),mild edema group(n=43),moderate edema group(n=46)and severe edema group(n=32)according to the degree of edema at the time of admission.A total of 40 healthy children who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the healthy control group.Serum creatinine,ser-um sodium were detected before and after treatment.Urine samples were collected to detect urine creatinine,urine sodium,FeNa was calculated and compared according to the results,and the degree of edema was recor-ded.24 h urine samples were collected on the same day to detect 24 h urine protein quantification and 24 h u-rine volume.Results On day 1 to 2 of the course of the disease,about 12%of the PNS children had FeNa<0.2%,indicating insufficient intravascular volume,which was mainly concentrated in the severe edema group.The moderate,severe edema group had a significantly lower FeNa level than the non-edema group,mild edema group,and healthy control group(P<0.01).The moderate edema group had a significant increase in FeNa on days 6 to 7 of the course of the disease,and the severe edema group had a significant increase in Fena on days 11 to 12 of the course of the disease(P<0.01).Conclusion Intravascular volume of PNS children with mod-erate to severe edema is often reduced,and intravascular volume may be insufficient in severe edema.PNS chil-dren with moderate to severe edema have increased intravascular volume with the extension of the course of disease and the improvement of the condition.

Objective:To retrieve, evaluate and summarize relevant evidence on communication strategies for families with perinatal loss, and to provide an evidence-based basis for communication practice among clinical health professionals.Methods:The system searches for evidence related to the loss of family doctor-patient communication strategies during the perinatal period in computer decision support systems such as UpToDate, BMJ Best Clinical Practice, International Guidelines Network, UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, as well as in Chinese and English databases and related websites.The search was conducted between January 2012 and December 2022. The literature ′s quality and extracted evidence were independently evaluated by two researchers according to professional judgement. Results:A total of 13 articles were included, including 1 clinical decision, 2 guidelines, 4 national standards, 2 expert consensus, and 4 systematic reviews. 30 pieces of evidence have been summarized across five aspects, comprising communication environment, communication skills, timing and key points of communication, communication for special populations, and system-level communication support.Conclusions:This study summarizes the relevant evidence on communication strategies for family doctor-patient communication strategies for perinatal loss. Clinical professionals should carefully select and apply relevant evidence based on available medical resources and parental preferences, Develop and implement practical standards for family doctor-patient communication strategies for perinatal loss at the system level, further harmonize communication behaviors, and improve communication quality.

Objectives:To evaluate the incidence of neurological complications following left ventricular assist device(LVAD)implantation and to investigate related risk factors.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 151 patients who underwent LVAD implantation at Fuwai Hospital between June 2017 and September 2024.Clinical characteristics and postoperative survival outcomes were compared between patients with and without neurological complications.Results:Neurological complications occurred in 21 patients(13.9%)postoperatively,15 cases were ischemic strokes,5 cases were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhages or subarachnoid hemorrhages,and 1 case was transient ischemic attack(TIA).The total incidence of neurological complications was 0.08 events per person-year(EPPY),ischemic stroke was 0.06 EPPY and hemorrhagic stroke was 0.02 EPPY.Compared with patients without neurological complications,patients with neurological complications had a higher proportion of preoperative aortic regurgitation and tricuspid regurgitation,lower triglyceride levels,a lower rate of concurrent left atrial appendage resection and a higher rate of concurrent aortic valve replacement surgery.Multivariate cox regression analysis revealed that higher preoperative triglyceride levels(HR=0.21,95%CI:0.08-0.56,P=0.002)were associated with neurological complications.The median follow-up time was 508.0(186.5,931.5)days,12 out of 15 cases of ischemic stroke experienced no long-term sequelae,while 3 patients had varying degrees of residual deficits.All 5 patients with hemorrhagic stroke died,with 2 deaths directly attributed to hemorrhage.Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis indicated that patients with neurological complications had a significantly lower survival rate(log-rank P=0.005).Conclusions:Neurological complications after LVAD implantation are predominantly ischemic strokes.Although less frequent,hemorrhagic strokes are associated with worse outcomes.Higher preoperative triglyceride levels is associated with neurological complications.

To improve the consistency of outcome documentation and address the potential for outcome reporting bias in clinical trials involving integrative Chinese and Western medicine (ICWM) for ulcerative colitis (UC), we aim to develop a customized core outcome set (COS) that incorporates input from various stakeholders. The study design of this COS has been informed by the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials Initiative Handbook, with adherence to the guidelines from the Core Outcome Set-STAndards for Reporting statement and Core Outcome Set-STAndardised Protocol Items recommendations. Five groups of stakeholders will be invited to participate in the development of COS for clinical trials with ICWM for UC, including healthcare professionals, patients, COS developers, COS users, and methodologists. The process will involve five stages: (1) conducting a systematic review of outcomes reported in clinical trials and protocols to develop a list of potential outcome domains; (2) conducting semi-structured interviews to obtain important outcomes; (3) choosing the most important outcomes by conducting three-round Delphi surveys; (4) achieving a consensus in a face-to-face meeting to discuss the final COS; and (5) publication, dissemination and implementation of COS. Consequently, this specialized COS will be applicable to clinical trials involving both traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and ICWM interventions. Please cite this article as: Zhang X, Zhang L, Wang J, Lau CT, Wang N, Zhang X, Wang P, Li J, Han F, Bian Z. A protocol for developing, disseminating and implementing a core outcome set for clinical trials of integrative Chinese and Western medicine for ulcerative colitis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(6):654-659.
Colitis, Ulcerative/therapy* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Integrative Medicine ; Research Design ; Outcome Assessment, Health Care ; Delphi Technique

OBJECTIVE: To identify the key features of facial and tongue images associated with anemia in female populations, establish anemia risk-screening models, and evaluate their performance. METHODS: A total of 533 female participants (anemic and healthy) were recruited from Shuguang Hospital. Facial and tongue images were collected using the TFDA-1 tongue and face diagnosis instrument. Color and texture features from various parts of facial and tongue images were extracted using Face Diagnosis Analysis System (FDAS) and Tongue Diagnosis Analysis System version 2.0 (TDAS v2.0). Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression was used for feature selection. Ten machine learning models and one deep learning model (ResNet50V2 + Conv1D) were developed and evaluated. RESULTS: Anemic women showed lower a-values, higher L- and b-values across all age groups. Texture features analysis showed that women aged 30-39 with anemia had higher angular second moment (ASM)and lower entropy (ENT) values in facial images, while those aged 40-49 had lower contrast (CON), ENT, and MEAN values in tongue images but higher ASM. Anemic women exhibited age-related trends similar to healthy women, with decreasing L-values and increasing a-, b-, and ASM-values. LASSO identified 19 key features from 62. Among classifiers, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model achieved the best performance [area under the curve (AUC): 0.849, accuracy: 0.781]. The ResNet50V2 model achieved comparable results [AUC: 0.846, accuracy: 0.818]. CONCLUSION Differences in facial and tongue images suggest that color and texture features can serve as potential TCM phenotype and auxiliary diagnostic indicators for female anemia.
Humans ; Female ; Tongue/diagnostic imaging* ; Adult ; Anemia/diagnosis* ; Middle Aged ; Face/diagnostic imaging* ; Young Adult ; Machine Learning

Objective To examine the changing prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Burkholderia cepacia in 52 hospitals across China from 2015 to 2021.Methods A total of 9 261 strains of B.cepacia were collected from 52 hospitals between January 1,2015 and December 31,2021.Antimicrobial susceptibility of the strains was tested using Kirby-Bauer method or automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing systems according to a unified protocol.The results were interpreted according to the breakpoints released in the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute(CLSI)guidelines(2023 edition).Results A total of 9 261 strains of B.cepacia were isolated from all age groups,especially elderly patients.The proportion was 11.1％(1 032 strains)in children,significantly lower than the proportion in adults.About half(46.5％,4 310/9 261)of the strains were isolated from patients at least 60 years old and 42.3％(3 919/9 261)of the strains were isolated from young adults.Most isolates(71.1％)were isolated from sputum and respiratory secretions,followed by urine(10.7％)and blood samples(8.1％).B.cepacia isolates were highly susceptible to the five antimicrobial agents recommended in the CLSI M100 document(33rd edition,2023).B.cepacia isolates showed relatively higher resistance rates to meropenem and levofloxacin.However,the resistance rates to ceftazidime,trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole,and minocycline remained below 8.1％.The percentage of B.cepacia strains resistant to levofloxacin was the highest compared to other antibiotics in any of the three age groups(from 12.4％in the patients＜18 years old to 20.6％in the patients aged 60 years or older).Conclusions B.cepacia is one of the clinically important non-fermenting gram-negative bacteria.Accurate and timely reporting of antimicrobial susceptibility test results and ongoing antimicrobial resistance surveillance are helpful for rational prescription of antimicrobial agents and proper prevention and control of nosocomial infections.