Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is a naturally occurring, low-toxicity, and hydrophilic bile acid (BA) in the human body that is converted by intestinal flora using primary BA. Solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) functions to uptake extracellular cystine in exchange for glutamate, and is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers. Retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RLPS) refers to liposarcoma originating from the retroperitoneal area. Lipidomics analysis revealed that UDCA was one of the most significantly downregulated metabolites in sera of RLPS patients compared with healthy subjects. The augmentation of UDCA concentration (≥25 μg/mL) demonstrated a suppressive effect on the proliferation of liposarcoma cells. [¹⁵N₂]-cystine and [¹³C₅]-glutamine isotope tracing revealed that UDCA impairs cystine uptake and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Mechanistically, UDCA binds to the cystine transporter SLC7A11 to inhibit cystine uptake and impair GSH de novo synthesis, leading to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and mitochondrial oxidative damage. Furthermore, UDCA can promote the anti-cancer effects of ferroptosis inducers (Erastin, RSL3), the murine double minute 2 (MDM2) inhibitors (Nutlin 3a, RG7112), cyclin dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) inhibitor (Abemaciclib), and glutaminase inhibitor (CB839). Together, UDCA functions as a cystine exchange factor that binds to SLC7A11 for antitumor activity, and SLC7A11 is not only a new transporter for BA but also a clinically applicable target for UDCA. More importantly, in combination with other antitumor chemotherapy or physiotherapy treatments, UDCA may provide effective and promising treatment strategies for RLPS or other types of tumors in a ROS-dependent manner.

Objective To explore the imaging features of primary cardiac tumors detected by echocardiography,CT and MR in children,and to analyze the value of each examination and the clinical examination strategies.Methods The clinical,pathological and imaging data of the children with primary cardiac tumors confirmed by surgery and pathology from Jun 2008 to Feb 2022 in Children's Hospital,Fudan University were analyzed retrospectively.Tumor size,location,motion,signal characteristics on different sequences,and pericardial involvement were evaluated on MR images.Results A total of 23 children(16 males and 7 females)were included.The age of onset ranged from 1 month to 13 years old,average on(54.45±58.57)months.While the onset age of rhabdomyomas was only(7.23±6.30)months.The clinical manifestations mainly included 6 cases of cardiac murmur,3 cases of cardiac insufficiency,3 cases of epilepsy,2 cases of cerebral infarction,and 1 case of arrhythmia.Pathological results showed that there were 22 cases of benign tumors(9 cases of fibromas,8 cases of myxomas,4 cases of rhabdomyomas and 1 case of lipoma)and 1 case of malignant tumor(rhabdomyosarcoma).Echocardiography has a high diagnostic accuracy for myxoma.CT showed a case of malignant rhabdomyosarcoma with invasion of the pericardium and compression of the pulmonary artery and bronchus.MR showed that the fibroma had significantly late gadolinium enhancement.The signal of rhabdomyoma was equal on T1WI,and slightly increased on T2WI,perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement sequences.Myxoma had high signal on T2WI and late gadolinium enhancement.It had obvious motions in Cine sequence.The signal of lipoma on each sequence was consistent with that of fat tissue,and there was no high signal of perfusion and late gadolinium enhancement.Conclusion All types of primary cardiac tumors in children have imaging characteristics.MR has great advantages in diagnosing cardiac tumors.The clinical team needs to select the appropriate examination method according to the actual medical situation.

Objective To investigate the correlation of the distribution patterns of stem-branch circuit qi at birth and at conception of children with the predisposition to pediatric epilepsy.Methods A case-control study was conducted in 1 113 children with epilepsy(case group)and 2 346 non-epilepsy children(control group)who sought medical consultation in the Pediatric Outpatient Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the same period.Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the circuit qi endowment of children between the two groups at conception and at birth.Results(1)The analysis of the circuit qi distribution at birth showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the distribution of dominant qi between the case group and the control group at birth(P＜0.05).The initial qi(the first circuit qi in the theory of six climatic factors)accounted for the most(215 cases,19.30％)and the sixth qi accounted for the least(145 cases,13.0％).There was no significant difference in the distribution of suiyun(yearly evolutive phase),dominant circuit(regular yearly evolutive phase),guest circuit(alterable yearly evolutive phase),guest qi(alterable yearly circuit qi)and sitian(the first half of the alterable yearly circuit qi)at birth(P＞0.05).The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of predisposition to epilepsy in the children was increased when the children were born in the Chinese lunar year of Ren(OR=1.444,95％CI:1.055-1.975),at the initial qi(OR=1.363,95％CI:1.057-1.757)and at the fifth qi(OR=1.378,95％CI:1.065-1.783).(2)The analysis on the distribution of circuit qi at conception showed that there was no significant difference in the distribution of suiyun and sitian-zaiquan semiannual circuit qi between the case group and the control group(P＞0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of predisposition to epilepsy in the children was increased when pregnancy in the suiyun of taimu-taimu(OR=1.866,95％CI:1.142-3.048)and at sitian semiannual circuit qi of shaoyang minister fire and zaiquan semiannual circuit qi of jueyin wind-wood(OR=1.672,95％CI:1.004-2.786).Conclusion There is a certain correlation between circuit qi endowment and the prevalence of pediatric epilepsy.

Objective To analyze the characteristics of adult body composition and obesity status of three ethnic groups:Ewenki,Daur and Mongolian Buryat.Methods The bioelectrical impedance analysis(BIA)was used to measure 18 body composition components in three adults ethnic groups:245(male 124,female 121)Ewenki,207(male 90,female 117)Daur,and 181(male 74,female 107)Mongolian Buryat.The data were processed using Excel 2016 and SPSS 24.0 statistical software.Results The result of correlation analysis showed that visceral fat level was significantly and positively correlated with age(P＜0.01).Stature,total body muscle mass,estimated bone mass and trunk muscle mass were all significantly and negatively correlated with age(P＜0.01)in males and females of the three ethnic groups.The percent body fat,percent left upper limb fat and percent trunk fat were positively correlated with age in Ewenki males(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)and the percent body fat,body mass index(BMI),percent limb fat and percent trunk fat were positively correlated with age in Ewenki females(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Body weight,BMI,percent left upper limb fat,left upper limb muscle mass,bilateral lower limb fat and muscle mass were all negatively correlated with age in Daur males(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Body weight,upper limb muscle mass and left lower limb muscle mass were negatively correlated with age(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01)in Mongolian Buryat males and percent trunk fat was positively correlated with age(P＜0.05)in Mongolian Buryat females.Comparison between ethnic groups showed that most of the body composition index values of the Ewenki and Mongolian Buryat divisions were closest to each other,and the body fat content was higher than that of the Daur.BMI,percent body fat and visceral fat level were all manifested in the Mongolian Buryat Department＞Ewenki＞Daur.Cluster analysis showed that Ewenki,Daur and Mongolian Buryat were closer to the northern groups and further from the southern groups.Conclusion The Ewenki is most similar to the Mongolian Buryat in body composition characteristics all three ethnic groups has a more serious obesity problem.

Objective To understand the respiratory protection competency of staff in hospitals.Methods Staff from six hospitals of different levels and characteristics in Beijing were selected,including doctors,nurses,medical technicians,and servicers,to conduct knowledge assessment on respiratory protection competency.According to exposure risks of respiratory infectious diseases,based on actual cases and daily work scenarios,content of respira-tory protection competency assessment was designed from three aspects:identification of respiratory infectious di-seases,transmission routes and corresponding protection requirements,as well as correct selection and use of masks.The assessment included 6,6,and 8 knowledge points respectively,with 20 knowledge points in total,all of which were choice questions.For multiple-choice questions,full marks,partial marks,and no mark were given respective-ly if all options were correct,partial options were correct and without incorrect options,and partial options were correct but with incorrect options.Difficulty and discrimination analyses on question of each knowledge point was conducted based on classical test theory.Results The respiratory protection competency knowledge assessment for 326 staff members at different risk levels in 6 hospitals showed that concerning the 20 knowledge points,more than 60％participants got full marks for 6 points,while the proportion of full marks for other questions was relatively low.Less than 10％participants got full marks for the following 5 knowledge points:types of airborne diseases,types of droplet-borne diseases,conventional measures for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infec-tion with respiratory infectious diseases,indications for wearing respirators,and indications for wearing medical protective masks.Among the 20 knowledge questions,5,1,and 14 questions were relatively easy,medium,and difficult,respectively;6,1,4,and 9 questions were with discrimination levels of ≥0.4,0.30-0.39,0.20-0.29,and ≤0.19,respectively.Conclusion There is still much room for hospital staff to improve their respiratory protection competency,especially in the recognition of diseases with different transmission routes and the indications for wearing different types of masks.

Objective To investigate the implementation of surveillance,prevention and control measures for healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in maternal and child healthcare(MCH)institutions,and provide policy evi-dence for optimizing HAI prevention and control in MCH institutions.Methods Stratified sampling was conducted among the MCH institutions at provincial,municipal and county levels in 8 provinces/autonomous regions.A uni-fied questionnaire was designed and the online survey was conducted through"Questionnaire Star".Results The data from 123 MCH institutions were included in the analysis.90.24％of the MCH institutions carried out compre-hensive surveillance on HAI.The ratios of MCH institutions which implemented targeted surveillance on HAI in neonatal intensive care unit(NICU),surgical site infection,multidrug-resistant organisms(MDROs)and HAI in intensive care units(non-NICU excluded)were 89.66％,85.96％,80.77％,and 74.19％,respectively.51.22％MCH institutions adopted information surveillance system on HAI cases.94.31％MCH institutions carried out surveillance on hand hygiene compliance.Over 90％MCH institutions carried out surveillance on environment hy-giene in high-risk departments.71.54％MCH institutions conducted centralized cleaning,disinfection,sterilization and supply for reusable medical instruments in the central sterile supply department(CSSD).Over 90％MCH insti-tutions established three-level pre-examination triage systems.86.18％set up transitional wards.MCH institutions generally adopted a management model with established effective communication,full appointment visits,and sepa-rate visits for special medical groups,such as registered pregnant women,high-risk newborns,healthcare groups,and long-term rehabilitation patients.However,the ratio of institutions conducting on-line follow-up visits was less than 50％.Conclusion MCH institutions have generally carried out comprehensive and targeted surveillance on HAI.Information surveillance need to be facilitated.Hand hygiene and environmental hygiene surveillance has been popularized to a certain extent at all levels of MCH institutions.The cleaning,disinfection,sterilization,and supply processes of reusable medical devices in a few MCH institutions are not standardized.Special medical populations get effective management.On-line healthcare is to be further promoted.

Purpose To evaluate the classification criteria of triple negative breast cancer(TNBC)based on histomorphol-ogy and immunohistochemistry(IHC),and to provide theoreti-cal basis for the classification and treatment of TNBCs.Methods TNBC subtyping was performed according to the histomorphologi-cal characteristics and the expression of immune markers AR,CD8 and FOXC1,and the clinicopathological features and prog-nostic differences were compared.Results Among 93 cases of TNBC,there were 23 cases(24.7％)of luminal androgen re-ceptor subtypes,24 cases(25.8％)of immunomodulatory type,39 cases(42.0％)of basal immunosuppressive type,and 7 ca-ses(7.5％)of mesenchymal type.There were significant differ-ences in the clinicopathological features of subtypes,including pT stage(P=0.030),histological grade(P＜0.001),intersti-tial lymphocyte infiltration pattern(P＜0.001),expression of PD-L1(P＜0.001),and HER2-low(P=0.024).There was no significant difference in disease-free survival among the sub-types(P＞0.05).Univariate survival analysis showed there was significant difference in disease-free survival among the subtypes at pT1 stage(P=0.011),and other clinicopathological features were not independent prognostic factors.Conclusion The clini-copathological characteristics of TNBC subtypes are different,which are expected to be an alternative choice for complex gene expression profile analysis and to provide theoretical basis for subtypic therapy and targeted therapy.

ObjectiveTemporal heterogeneity in lung cancer presents as fluctuations in the biological characteristics, genomic mutations, proliferation rates, and chemotherapeutic responses of tumor cells over time, posing a significant barrier to effective treatment. The complexity of this temporal variance, coupled with the spatial diversity of lung cancer, presents formidable challenges for research. This article will pave the way for new avenues in lung cancer research, aiding in a deeper understanding of the temporal heterogeneity of lung cancer, thereby enhancing the cure rate for lung cancer. MethodsRaman spectroscopy emerges as a powerful tool for real-time surveillance of biomolecular composition changes in lung cancer at the cellular scale, thus shedding light on the disease’s temporal heterogeneity. In our investigation, we harnessed Raman spectroscopic microscopy alongside multivariate statistical analysis to scrutinize the biomolecular alterations in human lung epithelial cells across various timeframes after benzo(a)pyrene exposure. ResultsOur findings indicated a temporal reduction in nucleic acids, lipids, proteins, and carotenoids, coinciding with a rise in glucose concentration. These patterns suggest that benzo(a)pyrene induces structural damage to the genetic material, accelerates lipid peroxidation, disrupts protein metabolism, curtails carotenoid production, and alters glucose metabolic pathways. Employing Raman spectroscopy enabled us to monitor the biomolecular dynamics within lung cancer cells in a real-time, non-invasive, and non-destructive manner, facilitating the elucidation of pivotal molecular features. ConclusionThis research enhances the comprehension of lung cancer progression and supports the development of personalized therapeutic approaches, which may improve the clinical outcomes for patients.

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of foodborne diseases in Liuzhou City, and to provide reference for formulating the prevention and control measures of foodborne diseases. Methods The surveillance data of foodborne diseases in 25 sentinel hospitals in Liuzhou City from 2018 to 2020 were collected for statistical analysis. Results From 2018 to 2020, a total of 9 317 cases of foodborne diseases were reported in Liuzhou City, and 2 158 samples were collected for pathogen detection. A total of 311 cases were detected positive , with a detection rate of 14.41%. Norovirus had the highest detection rate (8.63%), followed by Salmonella (4.08%) and Escherichia coli (3.10%). July to October was a period of high incidence of foodborne disease（ 41.17%）. The proportion of patients aged 60 and over was the highest (18.49%), followed by the age group of 30-39 (18.03%). Suspicious foods were mainly meat and meat products (22.35%) and aquatic animals and their products (13.89%). The suspicious eating places were mainly families (40.43%) and restaurants (13.63%). Conclusion The high incidence of foodborne diseases in Liuzhou occurs in summer and autumn. The main pathogens are Salmonella and norovirus. Infected patients are concentrated in the age group of 60 years and above and the age group of 30 to 39 years old. The family is the main place of foodborne disease, followed by the restaurants and hotels. Suspicious foods include mainly meat and meat products and aquatic animals and their products. It is necessary to strengthen monitoring ability and food safety education to reduce the occurrence of foodborne diseases.