1.Research Advances of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease:Overview and Prospects
Liang DAI ; Guang JI ; Xianbo WANG ; Li ZHANG ; Hanchen XU ; Xudong TANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(4):386-391
The pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is fundamentally rooted in spleen deficiency and is closely associated with phlegm turbidity, damp-heat and blood stasis. Clinically, liver constraint with spleen deficiency and internal retention of damp turbidity represent the predominant traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome patterns. Researches have indicated intrinsic connections between the syndrome patterns and biological indicators such as gut microbiota and metabolic profiles. Regarding treatment, classical famous formulas, modern empirical formulas, and newly developed TCM drugs show positive effects in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, improving insulin resistance, and alleviating metabolic inflammation, exhibiting multi-target mechanisms of action; acupuncture and other external therapies also provide adjunctive value. Nevertheless, current researches still have limitations such as the lack of high-quality clinical evidence and insufficient systematic elucidation of the uncerlying mechanisms. Future efforts should focus on conducting high-quality TCM clinical trials with hard endpoint outcomes such as hepatic histology outcomes, and utilizing modern technologies like multi-omics to elucidate TCM's mechanisms of action, thereby advancing the position of TCM as a first-line therapeutic strategy for MASLD.
2.Clinical decision and prescription generation for diarrhea in traditional Chinese medicine based on large language model
Jiaze WU ; Hao LIANG ; Haoran DAI ; Hongliang RUI ; Baoli LIU
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(1):13-30
Objective:
To develop a clinical decision and prescription generation system (CDPGS) specifically for diarrhea in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), utilizing a specialized large language model (LLM), Qwen-TCM-Dia, to standardize diagnostic processes and prescription generation.
Methods:
Two primary datasets were constructed: an evaluation benchmark and a fine-tuning dataset consisting of fundamental diarrhea knowledge, medical records, and chain-of-thought (CoT) reasoning datasets. After an initial evaluation of 16 open-source LLMs across inference time, accuracy, and output quality, Qwen2.5 was selected as the base model due to its superior overall performance. We then employed a two-stage low-rank adaptation (LoRA) fine-tuning strategy, integrating continued pre-training on domain-specific knowledge with instruction fine-tuning using CoT-enriched medical records. This approach was designed to embed the clinical logic (symptoms → pathogenesis → therapeutic principles → prescriptions) into the model’s reasoning capabilities. The resulting fine-tuned model, specialized for TCM diarrhea, was designated as Qwen-TCM-Dia. Model performance was evaluated for disease diagnosis and syndrome type differentiation using accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. Furthermore, the quality of the generated prescriptions was compared with that of established open-source TCM LLMs.
Results:
Qwen-TCM-Dia achieved peak performance compared to both the base Qwen2.5 model and five other open-source TCM LLMs. It achieved 97.05% accuracy and 91.48% F1-score in disease diagnosis, and 74.54% accuracy and 74.21% F1-score in syndrome type differentiation. Compared with existing open-source TCM LLMs (BianCang, HuangDi, LingDan, TCMLLM-PR, and ZhongJing), Qwen-TCM-Dia exhibited higher fidelity in reconstructing the “symptoms → pathogenesis → therapeutic principles → prescriptions” logic chain. It provided complete prescriptions, whereas other models often omitted dosages or generated mismatched prescriptions.
Conclusion
By integrating continued pre-training, CoT reasoning, and a two-stage fine-tuning strategy, this study establishes a CDPGS for diarrhea in TCM. The results demonstrate the synergistic effect of strengthening domain representation through pre-training and activating logical reasoning via CoT. This research not only provides critical technical support for the standardized diagnosis and treatment of diarrhea but also offers a scalable paradigm for the digital inheritance of expert TCM experience and the intelligent transformation of TCM.
3.Genetic analysis and reproductive intervention for 46 Chinese pedigrees affected with Hereditary multiple exostoses.
Lilan SU ; Xiao HU ; Jing DAI ; Zhengxing WAN ; Duo YI ; Shuangfei LI ; Liang HU ; Yueqiu TAN ; Fei GONG ; Ge LIN ; Guangxiu LU ; Qianjun ZHANG ; Juan DU ; Wenbin HE
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(4):253-258
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the genetic etiology of 46 Chinese pedigrees affected with Hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) and provide genetic counseling and reproductive intervention.
METHODS:
Whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were carried out on 87 patients from the 46 pedigrees to analyze the variants of EXT1 and EXT2 genes. Pathogenicity of the variants was assessed based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP). Prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) were provided for couples with identified pathogenic mutations. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the hospital (Ethics No.: LL-SC-SG-2014-010).
RESULTS:
In total 17 and 22 pathogenic variants were respectively identified in the EXT1 and EXT2 genes, among which 5 EXT1 and 12 EXT2 variants were unreported previously. Three patients with no family history were found to harbor de novo variants of the EXT1 gene. Twenty nine couples had opted for PGT or underwent prenatal diagnosis following natural conception, and 17 healthy babies were born.
CONCLUSION
This study has clarified the genetic etiology of 45 HME pedigrees and identified 17 novel variants, which has enriched the mutational spectrum of the EXT1 and EXT2 genes. Reproductive intervention through PGT and prenatal diagnosis have prevented the recurrence of HME in these families.
Humans
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Female
;
Male
;
Pedigree
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Exostoses, Multiple Hereditary/diagnosis*
;
N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases/genetics*
;
Adult
;
Exostosin 1
;
Asian People/genetics*
;
Genetic Testing
;
Exostosin 2
;
Mutation
;
China
;
Prenatal Diagnosis
;
Pregnancy
;
Genetic Counseling
;
Preimplantation Diagnosis
;
Exome Sequencing
;
East Asian People
4.Engineered Bacteriophages for The Treatment of Multidrug-resistant Bacterial Infections
Yu-Ying CHEN ; Chun-Mei HUANG ; Jin-Zhi PAN ; De-Liang LIU ; Yang ZHOU ; Gui-Qin DAI ; Peng-Fei ZHAO ; Hong-Zhou LU ; Ming-Bin ZHENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1581-1596
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections have emerged as a serious challenge of global public health crisis. The overuse and misuse of conventional antibiotics have dramatically accelerated the emergence, evolution and worldwide spread of drug-resistant bacterial strains, necessitating urgent exploration of novel antibacterial strategies. Bacteriophages serve as natural bacterial predators offering distinct advantages including high host specificity, autonomous self-replication capabilities and cost-effective large-scale production. However, wild-type phages present significant clinical limitations due to their narrow host ranges, susceptibility to rapid immune clearance and poor penetration of bacterial biofilms, which severely restrict their therapeutic applications. The convergence of synthetic biology, nanotechnology and advanced gene editing technologies has accelerated the development of engineered bacteriophage platforms, providing programmable, scalable and clinically translatable pathways to overcome these inherent biological constraints. Here, we systematically delineate four fundamental strategies for engineered bacteriophage development. Chemical modification utilizes reactive functional groups such as amino, carboxyl and thiol moieties on capsid proteins through esterification, amidation or click chemistry reactions to achieve precise drug conjugation and surface functionalization. In vivo editing encompasses ultraviolet or chemical mutagenesis for random mutation induction, homologous recombination for targeted genetic alterations, recombineering methodologies including electroporation-mediated bacteriophage recombination engineering, and CRISPR-Cas systems for precise genome editing to enable exact genetic reconstruction and host range reprogramming. In vitro synthesis leverages genome engineering platforms where intact phage genomes are transferred into yeast or host bacteria to facilitate highly efficient homologous recombination, enabling large DNA fragment assembly and cross-gene host range expansion without bacterial toxicity constraints. Directed evolution combines artificial selection through mutation library screening with rational design approaches involving chimeric receptor binding protein construction or site-specific mutagenesis, effectively balancing the discovery of unknown adaptive pathways with targeted host specificity modification. Moreover, we comprehensively discuss therapeutic applications across diverse clinical scenarios. Engineered bacteriophage effectively disrupt bacterial biofilms through sophisticated functionalized delivery platforms including nanozyme-conjugated phages, phage-liposome nanoconjugates and bio-responsive hydrogels, demonstrating significantly enhanced bactericidal efficiency compared to unmodified free phages. These bioengineered vectors attenuate bacterial virulence and resensitize pathogens to antibiotics by delivering CRISPR-Cas systems or base editors to disrupt critical virulence factors such as pili, capsule synthesis machineries and quorum sensing systems, or by inactivating antibiotic resistance determinants including beta-lactamase genes. As an intelligent nanomedicine delivery platform, engineered bacteriophage enable precise pathogen elimination an through photocatalytic reactive oxygen species generation, immunomodulatory interventions, or controlled release of antibacterial drugs. Furthermore, oral administration of engineered bacteriophage facilitates microbiota modulation, which selectively eliminate intestinal pathogens while preserve beneficial commensal microbiota, thereby restoring microbial community balance and preventing complications associated with dysbiosis. Finally, we critically analyze persistent challenges including host strain matching complexity, evolution of bacterial resistance mechanisms, pharmacokinetic optimization requirements, optimal administration route selection, large-scale production quality control standards and clinical dosing determination protocols. Through multidisciplinary integration of synthetic biology, infectious disease medicine and immunology, future translational medicine studies of bacteriophage should establish comprehensive technical platforms encompassing rapid phage screening, intelligent rational design, rigorous in vivo evaluation and standardized clinical validation processes, ultimately advancing engineered bacteriophage from laboratory innovations to clinically approved therapeutics for effectively combating MDR bacterial infections.
5.Current Status and Prospects of Artificial Intelligence Technologyin Minimally Invasive Gastric Cancer Surgery
Tao ZHANG ; Boer SU ; Guanxing LIANG ; Shiman DAI ; Jiawei CHEN ; Zhengjie LIU ; Cheng PENG ; Rong LIU ; Qinglan LIN ; Yidan WU ; Yuhui WU ; Jiaming WEN ; Hong WANG ; Hao CHEN ; Jiang YU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(4):933-942
Gastric cancer remains a highly prevalent malignancy worldwide, with surgical resection currently constituting the cornerstone of treatment aimed at improving long-term patient survival. Owing to their notable advantages, including reduced surgical trauma and accelerated postoperative recovery, minimally invasive procedures are progressively supplanting conventional open surgery and have become the mainstream approach in gastric cancer management. Concurrently, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has enabled real-time intraoperative monitoring of surgical scenes, thereby furnishing novel technical support for adjunctive decision-making, surgical navigation, and skill assessment during gastrectomy. This article provides a systematic review of the current status of AI applications in minimally invasive gastric cancer surgery, with a particular focus on research progress pertaining to instrument recognition, surgical phase identification, delineation of normal anatomical structures, detection of metastatic foci, and early warning of intraoperative adverse events. Furthermore, we discuss the potential value of AI in enhancing surgical efficiency, ensuring patient safety, and optimizing surgical education. On this basis, we further analyze the principal challenges and inherent risks confronting current AI systems, with the aim of informing future technological innovation and facilitating clinical translation.
6.Expert consensus on electronic patient-reported outcome-based symptom management for perioperative lung cancer patients (version 2026)
Wei DAI ; Cheng LEI ; Yuanqiang ZHANG ; Rong ZHANG ; Pengyu Jinming ; Jinming XU ; Yuzhen ZHENG ; Liang ZHAO ; Guibin QIAO ; Guowei CHE ; Jian HU ; Lei JIANG ; Jie LI ; Qiang LI ; Qiuling SHI
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(08):1166-1178
Patients with lung cancer experience a heavy symptom burden during the perioperative period, which seriously affects their recovery and quality of life. Traditional symptom management models rely mainly on scheduled ward rounds during hospitalization and outpatient follow-up after discharge. However, they have limitations such as delayed symptom recognition, lack of post-discharge monitoring, and non-quantitative symptom assessment, which often lead to delayed interventions and low patient satisfaction. In recent years, the symptom management model based on electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) has been increasingly valued in clinical practice. Existing high-level evidence from both domestic and international studies indicates that, through proactive monitoring, real-time alerts, and remote interventions, this model enables dynamic and continuous symptom management and helps improve patient recovery and healthcare experience. As a supplement to routine medical care, the ePRO-based symptom management model aims to enhance the quality of care rather than replace existing medical processes. To promote the standardized application of this model in perioperative lung cancer care, this consensus integrates domestic and international evidence. After multiple rounds of voting by more than 50 experts, it formulates 12 consensus statements covering the three core components, symptom monitoring, alerting, and intervention, to provide scientific and practical recommendations for clinical practice.
7.IL-17A collaborating with TGF-β1 in regulating benign tracheal stenosis after tracheal injury in experimental dogs
Chun ZHAO ; Yunfeng DENG ; Wei SU ; Hongyan DAI ; Lusheng LIANG ; Xueguang CAI ; Song XU ; Jun WANG ; Xin YANG ; Junren ZENG
Journal of Interventional Radiology 2025;34(5):487-492
Objective To discuss the effect of interleukin-17A(IL-17A)and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)on the benign tracheal stenosis after tracheal injury in experimental dogs.Methods The trachea stenosis model of healthy Beagle dogs was established by burning the middle part of trachea with electric snare under bronchoscopy guidance.A total of 21 dogs were divided into normal group(n=3,receiving normal feeding),molding group(n=12,after airway modeling every 3 dogs were sacrificed each week for 4 weeks),IL-17A suppression group(n=3,receiving Secukinumab after airway modeling),and IL-17A inhibitor+TGF-β1 inhibitor group(n=3,receiving Secukinumab and SB43154 after airway modeling).Bronchoscopy and CT scan were performed once a week,and the stenosis degree was calculated.RT-qPCR,immunohistochemistry,and HE staining of the obtained tracheal tissues were performed.Results Within 1-4 weeks after molding,in module-making dogs the degree of stenosis of the injured trachea gradually increased,and the expressions of ECM-related proteins,TGF-β1 and IL-17A were up-regulated.After treatment with IL-17A inhibitors,the inflammatory infiltration and granulation tissue hyperplasia were reduced and the early tracheal stenosis was improved(P<0.05).The combination use of IL-17A inhibitor and TGF-β1 inhibitor had a better remission effect(P<0.05).Conclusion IL-17A and TGF-β1 may synergistically affect the formation of tracheal stenosis.
8.Analyzing the current status and influencing factors of occupational stress, job burnout and sleep quality of workers in the secondary industry in Jinshan District, Shanghai City
Shuang LIU ; Xuesong ZHOU ; Zhipeng DAI ; Xiaobin WU ; Fengyang LIANG ; Liping WANG ; Wei LI ; Yanping ZHANG ; Mingjia XU
China Occupational Medicine 2025;52(5):522-528
Objective To analyze the current status and influencing factors of occupational stress, job burnout and sleep quality among workers in the secondary industry in Jinshan District, Shanghai City. Methods A total of 1 418 workers from six key industries in Jinshan District, Shanghai City were selected as the study subjects by the stratified cluster sampling method. The Occupational Stress Core Scale, Maslash Burnout Inventory General Survey and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to investigate occupational stress, job burnout and sleep quality of the workers. Results The detection rates of occupational stress, job burnout and sleep disturbance among the study subjects were 33.6%, 65.4% and 23.3%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the workers with a monthly income <5 000 yuan had a higher risk of occupational stress than those with a monthly income ≥5 000 yuan (P<0.01). The workers with ≥5.0 years of service had a higher risk than those with <1.0 year (P<0.05). Lack of physical exercise, employment in medium- and large-sized enterprises, and shift work were risk factors of occupational stress in the workers (all P<0.01). The workers aged 18-<30 years had a higher risk of job burnout than those aged 45-<60 years (P<0.05). The workers monthly income <5 000 yuan was associated with a higher risk of job burnout than those with ≥9 000 yuan (P<0.05). The workers with 1.0-<10.0 years or ≥15.0 years of service had higher job burnout risks than those with <1.0 year (all P<0.05). Being unmarried, lack of physical exercise, and employment in medium- and large-sized enterprises were risk factor of job burnout in the workers (all P<0.05). The workers with an educational level of high school or above had a higher risk of sleep disturbance than those with junior school or below (P<0.05). The workers who work >56 hours per week had a higher risk than those working ≤40 hours per week (P<0.01). Conclusion There is a high detection rate of occupational stress, job burnout, and sleep disturbance in the secondary industry workers in Jinshan District, Shanghai City. Special attention should be given to workers with low income, lack of physical exercise, employment in medium- and large-sized enterprises, shift work, long service duration, and long weekly working hours to protect their physical and mental health.
9.Quality evaluation of Gegen Formula Granules
Dai-liang ZHANG ; Chun-xia WANG ; Lei SHI ; Yu-kang LIU ; Yong-qiang LIN ; Yu-zhuo WANG ; Jing-hua ZHANG ; Jin-xin LI ; Gui-yun CAO ; Zhao-qing MENG
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(5):1421-1431
AIM To evaluate the quality of Gegen Formula Granules.METHODS Linear calibration with two reference substances(LCTRS)was adopted in the predicting of retention time with puerarin and daidzein as internal standards.UPLC characteristic chromatograms were established.The contents of 3'-hydroxy puerarin,puerarin(internal standard),3'-methoxy puerarin,puerarin 6"-O-xyloside,puerarin apioside and daidzin were determined by quantitative determination analysis multi-components by a single marker(QAMS),after which their transfer rates were calculated.RESULTS Compared with relative retention time method,LCTRS demonstrated higher positional accuracy for characteristic peaks and wider application range for columns.There were 9 characteristic peaks in the characteristic chromatograms for 14 batches of formula granules and 15 batches of standard decoctions with the similarities of more than 0.95.The contents and transfer rates of various constituents in formula granules and standard decoctions were basically consistent.CONCLUSION The chemical constituents in formula granules and their standard decoctions of Puerariae lobatae Radix display good consistency,reliable preparation process is observable in the former.
10.Integrative analysis of mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA competitive endogenous RNA network in browning of subcutaneous white adipose tissue in mice under cold stimulation
Yuefeng WANG ; Hangjiang REN ; Dehuan LIANG ; Li MENG ; Yong MAN ; Dapeng DAI ; Juan LU ; Guoping LI
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2025;44(7):933-942
Objective:To analyze the differentially expressed messenger RNA(mRNA), microRNA(miRNA), and long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)during the browning of mouse subcutaneous adipose tissue, construct a competitive endogenous RNA(ceRNA)network, and provide a theoretical basis for investigating the regulatory mechanisms of white adipose tissue browning.Methods:A cold-stimulated mouse model was established for transcriptome sequencing.Bioinformatics tools were employed to screen for differentially expressed mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs.An integrated mRNA-miRNA-lncRNA analysis was performed to construct a ceRNA network.Gene Ontology(GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA)were conducted on the differentially expressed mRNAs and ceRNA networks to explore transcriptional regulation during the cold-induced browning of subcutaneous adipose tissue.Results:Transcriptomic analysis of the cold-stimulated model identified 4, 256 differentially expressed RNAs, which include 3, 600 mRNAs, 588 lncRNAs, and 68 miRNAs.GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the browning of white adipose tissue involves immune-related processes, such as immune system processes, immune responses, adaptive and innate immune responses, and the positive regulation of T-cell activation.A ceRNA network associated with browning regulation was constructed, comprising 233 nodes(188 mRNAs, 34 miRNAs, and 11 lncRNAs)and 351 edges.Protein-protein interaction(PPI)analysis of the mRNAs within the ceRNA network highlighted pathways including apoptosis, intracellular signaling transduction, hypoxia-inducible factor-1(HIF-1), AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK), Janus kinase-signal transducer and activators of transcription(JAK-STAT)signaling, carbon metabolism, glycolysis, and thyroid hormone pathways, all of which regulate lipid metabolism, hypoxia, and glycolysis.Cytohubba analysis identified the top 10 hub genes: Bcl2, Src, Cebpb, Creb1, Runx1, Foxo3, Ets1, Socs3, Slc2 a4, and Pkm. Conclusions:The ceRNA network that regulates the browning of white adipose tissue is involved in various pathways, including carbon metabolism, glycolysis, thyroid hormone signaling, growth hormone signaling, prolactin signaling, as well as the HIF-1, AMPK, and JAK-STAT pathways.Key regulatory miRNAs in this context include miR-30e-5p, miR-182-5p, miR-20b-5p, miR-144-3p, miR-363-3p, miR-141-3p, miR-203-3p, and miR-107-3p.These miRNAs may serve as critical targets for inducing browning in response to cold exposure.

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