1.From Cathartic Colon to Cathartic-dependent Constipation: Diagnostic-therapeutic Strategies from Integrative Medicine Perspective
Youcheng HE ; Fengru JIANG ; Yanru WANG ; Minghan HUANG ; Yue WU ; Chunyu ZHOU ; Lian MO ; Lifeng WEI ; Keyi PAN ; Shuyu CAI ; Jianye YUAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(11):162-172
Both cathartic colon (CC) and cathartic-dependent constipation (CDC) are caused by the abuse of stimulant laxatives, while their concepts are not completely the same.Starting from the disease name of CC, this article traced the origin and evolution of the concept of CC, summarizes and compared the similarities and differences between CC, CDC, and slow transit constipation (STC), and called for strict differentiation among the three.Furthermore, this article explored the specific contents of Western medicine clinical subtypes and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation of CDC and delved into the TCM pathogenesis of CDC according to both literature and clinical practice.The relationship between clinical subtypes and TCM syndromes was established, and the syndrome characteristics of CDC of different clinical subtypes and TCM syndromes were summarized.The recommended prescriptions for corresponding syndromes were listed.A systematic CDC diagnosis and treatment approach of "clinical subtypes-syndrome differentiation-syndrome characteristics-recommended prescriptions" was thus formed.Additionally, the paper provides an overview of current research on CDC in both Western medicine and TCM contexts, identifies future research directions, and suggests research pathways for refining and advancing CDC studies.
2.Clinical Efficacy of Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue Prescription in Treatment of Cathartic Colon and Analysis of Influencing Factors of Disease Severity
Youcheng HE ; Jingyi SHAN ; Fengru JIANG ; Yue WU ; Chunyu ZHOU ; Lu HANG ; Yan ZHOU ; Lian MO ; Shuyu CAI ; Keyi PAN ; Lifeng WEI ; Jianye YUAN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(11):173-184
ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy of the Yiqi Yangyin Huoxue prescription (YYHP) in the treatment of cathartic colon (CC) and its effects on fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and to explore the correlations among CC severity indicators and between these indicators and patient history. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 98 patients meeting the diagnostic criteria of both traditional Chinese and Western medicine for CC with the syndrome of Qi-Yin deficiency complicated by blood stasis were randomly assigned to an observation group and a control group. The observation group received YYHP granules, while the control group received lactulose. Both medications were administered twice daily, one sachet each time, half an hour after breakfast and dinner, with a treatment course of 8 weeks. The primary constipation symptom score, Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) score, and TCM syndrome score were assessed before and after treatment and at the 8th week after the end of treatment. The overall clinical effective rate, as well as the efficacy attenuation index and degree, were evaluated. Fecal SCFA levels were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Spearman correlation analysis was performed to explore the correlations among CC severity indicators and between these indicators and patient history. ResultsThe overall clinical effective rate in the observation group (95.83%) was higher than that in the control group (78.72%) (P<0.05). After treatment, the total scores for primary constipation symptoms, PAC-QOL, and TCM syndromes decreased in both groups (P<0.05), with more significant reductions in the observation group (P<0.05). The severity of all primary constipation symptoms was alleviated in both groups (P<0.05). In terms of "excessive straining and difficult defecation", "anal heaviness, incomplete evacuation, and bloating sensation", "abdominal distension", and "defecation frequency", the observation group showed better efficacy than the control group (P<0.05). Scores of the four PAC-QOL dimensions and the scores and severity of primary and secondary TCM symptoms were reduced in both groups (P<0.05), with more significant reductions in the observation group (P<0.05). After treatment, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and total SCFAs in the observation group increased significantly (P<0.05). The efficacy attenuation index and degree in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). No severe adverse reactions occurred in either group, and there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups. Positive correlations of varying degrees were observed among the total scores of primary constipation symptoms, PAC-QOL, and TCM syndromes, as well as between these scores and the history of stimulant laxative use, disease duration, and age. ConclusionYYHP can effectively alleviate the primary constipation symptoms in CC patients, improve quality of life, and ameliorate TCM syndromes, with good safety. It also has the advantage of a lower rebound degree after drug withdrawal, and its mechanism may be related to increasing fecal SCFA levels. Long-term abuse of stimulant laxatives may aggravate the severity of CC and prolong the disease course.
3.Study on the reversal effect of Qingfei huayu jiedu formula on drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer cells
Shuailong CHEN ; Huihui LIU ; Feng SANG ; Lifeng JIANG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(12):1553-1558
OBJECTIVE To investigate the reversal effect of Qingfei huayu jiedu formula (QFHYJDF) on drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells based on the microRNA-641 (miR-641)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. METHODS The human parental NSCLC cell line A549 was used to establish gefitinib-resistant cells A549/GR by combining concentration gradient increment with high-concentration pulse strategy. After screening for optimal intervention concentration and duration, the resistant cells were divided into a control serum group (treated with 20% blank serum for 48 h), QFHYJDF-containing serum group (treated with 20% QFHYJDF-containing serum for 48 h), and the normally cultured group (normally cultured for 48 h). The cell relative viability, total apoptosis rate, as well as the expression levels of miR-641, neurofibromin 1 (NF1), ERK1/2, and phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2), were assessed in each group. RESULTS Compared with the normally cultured group and the control serum group, the QFHYJDF-containing serum group exhibited significantly decreased cell relative viability and significantly increased total apoptosis rate ( P <0.05). Moreover, the expression of NF1 protein was significantly up-regulated, while the expression levels of miR-641 and p-ERK1, p-ERK2 proteins were significantly down-regulated in the QFHYJDF-containing serum group ( P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS QFHYJDF can inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells, which may be associated with up-regulating NF1 protein expression, down-regulating miR-641 expression, and inhibiting the activity of the ERK signaling pathway.
4.Suppression of LIF in tumor-associated macrophages contributing to the PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Shuangshuang YIN ; Yanming LUO ; Miaomiao JIANG ; Lifeng HAN ; Sibao CHEN ; Leilei FU ; Yuling QIU ; Haiyang YU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(10):101286-101286
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5.Depression among middle school students in Jiading District
WANG Haiqi ; ZHANG Hanxiao ; YANG Fengyun ; GUO Xianli ; FAN Shengrong ; ZHANG Lifeng ; JIANG Hong
Journal of Preventive Medicine 2025;37(8):832-836
Objective:
To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of depression among middle school students in Jiading District, Shanghai Municipality, so as to provide the evidence for developing mental health intervention strategies among middle school students.
Methods:
Students from 3 junior high schools and 3 senior high schools in Jiading District were selected from June 2022 to June 2023 using a stratified random cluster sampling method. Basic information including gender and educational stage was collected through questionnaire surveys. Depression, mental health literacy, cognitive emotion regulation, family cohesion, school climate, stress, and life satisfaction were assessed using the Children's Depression Inventory, the Mental Health Literacy Assessment Scale, the Chinese version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale, the Perceived School Climate Scale, Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale, and the Life Satisfaction Scale, respectively. Factors affecting depression among middle school students were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model.
Results:
There were 1 117 boys (53.94%) and 954 girls (46.06%), with a mean age of (15.20±1.77) years. There were 1 193 (57.61%) junior high school students and 878 (42.39%) senior high school students. Depression was detected in 577 students, with a prevalence of 27.86%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified gender (boy, OR=0.652, 95%CI: 0.512-0.832), educational stage (senior high school, OR=2.519, 95%CI: 1.584-4.008), mental health literacy (OR=0.958, 95%CI: 0.951-0.966), cognitive emotion regulation (adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, OR=0.970, 95%CI: 0.958-0.982; maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, OR=1.103, 95%CI: 1.084-1.123), family cohesion (OR=0.910, 95%CI: 0.899-0.921), school climate (OR=0.720, 95%CI: 0.694-0.747), stress (OR=1.127, 95%CI: 1.104-1.150), life satisfaction (OR=0.817, 95%CI: 0.799-0.836) as factors affecting depression among middle school students.
Conclusions
Depression among middle school students in Jiading District is associated with gender, educational stage, mental health literacy, cognitive emotion regulation, family cohesion, school climate, stress, and life satisfaction. It is recommended that targeted measures be taken from the perspectives of individuals, families, schools, and society to promote the mental health of middle school students.
6.Influence of network latency and bandwidth on robot-assisted laparoscopic telesurgery: A pre-clinical experiment.
Ye WANG ; Qing AI ; Taoping SHI ; Yu GAO ; Bin JIANG ; Wuyi ZHAO ; Chengjun JIANG ; Guojun LIU ; Lifeng ZHANG ; Huaikang LI ; Fan GAO ; Xin MA ; Hongzhao LI ; Xu ZHANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(3):325-331
BACKGROUND:
Telesurgery has the potential to overcome spatial limitations for surgeons, which depends on surgical robot and the quality of network communication. However, the influence of network latency and bandwidth on telesurgery is not well understood.
METHODS:
A telesurgery system capable of dynamically adjusting image compression ratios in response to bandwidth changes was established between Beijing and Sanya (Hainan province), covering a distance of 3000 km. In total, 108 animal operations, including 12 surgical procedures, were performed. Total latency ranging from 170 ms to 320 ms and bandwidth from 15-20 Mbps to less than 1 Mbps were explored using designed surgical tasks and hemostasis models for renal vein and internal iliac artery rupture bleeding. Network latency, jitter, frame loss, and bit rate code were systemically measured during these operations. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) and a self-designed scale measured the workload and subjective perception of surgeons.
RESULTS:
All 108 animal telesurgeries, conducted from January 2023 to June 2023, were performed effectively over a total duration of 3866 min. The operations were completed with latency up to 320 ms and bandwidths as low as 1-5 Mbps. Hemostasis for vein and artery rupture bleeding models was effectively achieved under these low bandwidth conditions. The NASA-TLX results indicated that latency significantly impacted surgical performance more than bandwidth and image clarity reductions.
CONCLUSIONS
This telesurgery system demonstrated safety and reliability. A total of 320 ms latency is acceptable for telesurgery operations. Reducing image clarity can effectively mitigate the potential latency increase caused by decreased bandwidth, offering a new method to reduce the impact of latency on telesurgery.
Animals
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Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods*
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Laparoscopy/methods*
7.Adrenal cortical carcinoma in children: a clinicopathological analysis of 25 cases
Ruifen WANG ; Wenbin GUAN ; Lingxuan LI ; Meng QIAO ; Ruiqi JIANG ; Lifeng WANG
Chinese Journal of Pathology 2024;53(1):40-45
Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) in children.Methods:Twenty-five children with ACC diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China from March 2014 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The related literature was reviewed.Results:A total of 25 children with ACC were collected, including 11 males and 14 females, with a male to female ratio of 1.0∶1.3. The patient ages ranged from 8 months to 14 years (median, 4 years). Eighteen cases with clinical data had functional tumors (18/22, 81.8%) presenting with virilization or precocious puberty (15/18), symptoms related to hypercortisolism (8/18) or endocrine symptoms mixed with both (5/18), while 3 cases (3/22, 13.6%) had unknown clinical data. The clinical manifestations of four patients with nonfunctional tumors were an abdominal mass and/or abdominal pain, walking instability and others. Grossly, the average maximum diameter of the tumor was 9.4 cm. Most of the tumors were nodular and partially encapsuled. The cut surfaces were gray or gray brown, soft with hemorrhage. Histologically, the tumor cells were diffusely distributed, separated by a vascular-rich network. The tumor cells were large, with distinct nucleoli, abundant eosinophilic or clear cytoplasm, and round or oval nuclei. The mitotic index was high, and atypical mitoses were common. Necrosis, calcification, capsule invasion or/and venous invasion were present. In some cases, the tumor invaded the surrounding soft tissues or kidneys. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were diffusely positive for syn and SF1 and focally positive for α-inhibin, Melan A and Calretinin, but negative for CgA. Ki-67 proliferation index ranged from 2%-90%. TP53 gene status was examined in 7 cases, in which mutations were detected in 4 cases. Follow-up data was obtained in 21 patients, among whom 18 received chemotherapy and 3 received radiotherapy. Distant metastasis occurred in 13 patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.2 months and median overall survival (OS) was 54.7 months. Patients aged less than 5 years had a better prognosis for OS ( P<0.05) than the older ones (≥5 years), but a similar PFS ( P>0.05). Male patients and Ki-67 proliferation index <15% had a better prognosis tendency for OS, but there was no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05). Conclusions:ACC in children is a rare, often functional tumor associated with Li-Fraumeni genetic syndrome and has a poor prognosis. Diagnosis and differential diagnosis require a combination of morphological, phenotypic and clinical analysis.
8.Paeoniflorin Induces Apoptosis in NSCLC Cells via Activating Hippo Signaling Pathway
Yan LI ; Liang PENG ; Lifeng JIANG ; Sheng WANG ; Ge WANG ; Xiaolin YU ; Yulin YAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(12):39-44
ObjectiveTo observe the apoptosis induced by paeoniflorin (PF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and explore its mechanism. MethodCell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the inhibition rates of H1299, H292 and A549 cells with different concentrations of PF (2.5, 5, 10, 20, 25 µmol·L-1), and to screen suitable concentrations of PF and experimental cells. The inhibitory effect of PF on lung cancer cells was detected by clone formation assay. The effect of PF on cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) double staining. With the right concentration of drugs, levels of apoptosis-associated protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved Caspase-3 and Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. At the same time, the molecular expressions of hypoxia inducible factor -1α (HIF-1α) and Hippo signaling pathway were determined. ResultCompared with the blank group, PF significantly inhibited the growth of H1299, H292 and A549 cells of human lung cancer (P<0.01). PF significantly induced apoptosis in A549 cells (P<0.01), decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio (P<0.01), and significantly increased the cleaved Caspase-3 expression (P<0.01). Compared with those in the blank group, the expression levels of HIF-1α, transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), large tumor suppressor 1 (LATS1), Mps one binding 1 (MOB1) and Yes-associated protein (YAP) in A549 cells of the PF treatment group were significantly decreased (P<0.01), while the expressions of p-LATS1, p-MOB1 and p-YAP were significantly increased (P<0.01). At the same time, there was no significant effect on the expression levels of phosphorylated mammalian Ste20-like kinase 1 (p-MST1) and MST1, which did not reach a statistical difference. ConclusionAll data demonstrated that PF showed an anti-tumor effect by improving hypoxic conditions and inhibiting the abnormally activated Hippo signaling pathway, thereby inducing and promoting apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.
9.Current status and association analysis of sexual attitudes, sexual safety awareness and refusal skills among junior high school students in the suburbs of Shanghai
Dongmei ZHAO ; Yuyang CHEN ; Hong JIANG ; Haiqi WANG ; Lifeng ZHANG
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;36(4):375-381
ObjectiveTo understand the acceptance of sex-related behaviors, sexual safety awareness, and refusal skills among junior high school students and conduct association analysis, and to provide a reference for the implementation of sex and reproductive health education for adolescents. MethodsA questionnaire survey related to knowledge of sexual and reproductive health was conducted among 478 students from two junior high schools in Jiading District, Shanghai. ResultsThe pass rate for sex and reproductive health knowledge among junior high school students was only 36.6%, with acceptance rates for dating, watching pornography, engaging in sexual behavior, pregnancy, and artificial abortion at 24.5%, 11.1%, 5.6%, 4.8%, and 5.9%, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that students who passed the sexual and reproductive health assessment had a significantly lower acceptance rate of sex-related behaviors than those who did not (aOR=1.666, 95%CI: 1.124‒2.470, P=0.011). Adolescents with a passing knowledge of sexual and reproductive health (aOR=1.607, 95%CI: 1.060‒2.438, P=0.026) or a lower acceptance of sex-related behaviors (aOR=4.199, 95%CI: 2.804‒6.289, P<0.001) had higher awareness of sexual safety. Adolescents with a passing knowledge of sexual and reproductive health (aOR=1.691, 95%CI: 1.066‒2.684, P=0.026), a lower acceptance of sex-related behaviors (aOR=1.756, 95%CI: 1.130‒2.729, P=0.012), or higher awareness of sexual safety (aOR=2.872, 95%CI: 1.826‒4.516, P<0.001) had stronger skills to refuse sex-related behaviors. ConclusionSexual and reproductive attitudes, sexual safety awareness, and refusal skills for sex-related behaviors among junior high school students in Jiading District need to be improved. Schools should focus on cultivating adolescents’ sexual and reproductive knowledge and related skills, and advocate for relevant institutions to provide appropriate sexual healthcare services to meet their needs for reproductive healthcare.
10.Analysis of utilization and influencing factors of preconception healthcare services among women expecting additional childbirth in Jiading District, Shanghai
Li CHENG ; Lifeng ZHANG ; Liandi SHEN ; Haiqi WANG ; Xianli GUO ; Bing LIU ; Shengrong FAN ; Hong JIANG
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2024;36(8):783-788
ObjectiveTo understand the utilization of preconception healthcare services and the influencing factors among the women expecting additional childbirth in Jiading District, Shanghai, and to provide references for promoting the utilization of preconception healthcare services under the new population policy. MethodsA questionnaire survey on the utilization of preconception healthcare services and related influencing factors was carried out among 682 women expecting additional childbirth across six subdistricts in Jiading District, Shanghai. The results were statistically analyzed. ResultsThe average age of the women was (31.7±4.5) years, 30.2% of whom were ≥35 years old. The proportion of women having their third or subsequent children was low, at 16.4%. A significant majority, 92.4%, were found to have various risk factors during initial pregnancy screening. The utilization rate of preconception healthcare services among women seeking additional childbirth was relatively low at 26.7%. Awareness of the free preconception check-up program in Jiading District was also low at 28.6%, and the utilization rate for these services was even lower at 7.69%. Unplanned pregnancies were the primary reason for not utilizing preconception healthcare services, accounting for 63.6%. The results of multifactorial binary logistic regression analysis showed that the utilization rate of preconception healthcare services before the current pregnancy was higher for women aged between 35 and 39 compared to women aged ≤29 years old (OR=1.789, 95%CI: 1.033‒3.099). Women with planned pregnancies had a higher utilization of preconception healthcare services prior to this pregnancy (OR=4.164, 95%CI: 2.627‒6.602). Women who had received preconception care prior to their first birth had a higher utilization rate of preconception care prior to the current pregnancy (OR=7.534, 95%CI: 4.954‒11.456). Women without a family history of chronic diseases had a higher utilization rate of preconception healthcare services (OR=1.903, 95%CI: 1.083‒3.345). ConclusionUnder the context of three-child policy, the proportion of women seeking three or more children in Jiading District is low. Most of these women have risk factors identified during initial pregnancy screenings. The utilization rate of preconception healthcare services and the awareness of the free preconception screening program in Jiading District are both low. Unplanned pregnancies remain the primary reason for failing to receive timely preconception healthcare services. Age, whether the pregnancy was planned, whether the women had received preconception healthcare services before their first baby and family history of chronic diseases are the main factors affecting the utilization of preconception healthcare services. Relevant departments should enhance the promotion of preconception healthcare service programs, especially for women of childbearing age who have not yet given birth, so as to improve the utilization rate of preconception health care services.


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