AIM: To identify the primary active components and underlying mechanisms of Yijing Decoction(YJD)in treating early diabetic retinopathy(DR)based on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and network pharmacology.METHODS: Active components of YJD were characterized through LC-MS. Components with optimal ADME(absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion)properties were selected as key bioactive candidates. Network pharmacology approaches were employed to predict YJD-DR therapeutic targets. Protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks, gene ontology(GO)enrichment analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis were subsequently conducted to predict core targets and networks. Critical targets and pathways were experimentally validated through Western blot.RESULTS: Ten core therapeutic targets were identified, including TNF, Alb, EGFR, STAT3, PTGS2, ESR1, PPAR, MMP9, TLR4, and MAPK. YJD was related to cancer-related signaling, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, encompassing key biological processes such as inflammatory response regulation, programmed cell death activation, and enhanced cell migration. Furthermore, Western blot analysis confirmed that YJD significantly inhibited high glucose-induced phosphorylation of STAT3(P-STAT3/STAT3)and ERK(P-ERK/ERK)in rat retinal microvascular endothelial cells.CONCLUSION: This study revealed YJD's pharmacodynamical basis and its multi-component, multi-target, and multi-paths pharmacology. YJD exerts therapeutic effects on DR by coordinately regulating critical signaling pathways and alleviating intraocular inflammation, thus preserving retinal vascular endothelial cells, maintaining blood-retinal barrier integrity, and facilitating retinal neurovascular repair.

Tumor immunotherapy has achieved breakthroughs in the treatment of malignant tumors by activating the host immune system’s antitumor response mechanism. Among various strategies, Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists have garnered substantial attention due to their unique immunomodulatory capabilities. This work reviews the research progress on the combination of TLR agonists with radiotherapy in tumor immunotherapy, focusing on the clinical translational potential of intratumoral injection strategies. Clinical studies have shown that the in-situ injection of TLR agonists in combination with radiotherapy can effectively suppress primary and metastatic lesions by inducing immunogenic cell death, releasing tumor antigens, activating local immune responses, and triggering abscopal effects. Moreover, novel extended-release formulations and “endogenous vaccine” designs further enhance the safety and durability of treatment. Despite several challenges such as tumor microenvironment suppression and dose optimization, TLR agonists hold promise for the treatment of “cold” tumors lacking innate immunity through combinations with immune checkpoint inhibitors, nanodelivery technologies, and precise biomarker screening.

Mycophenolic acid (MPA), the active moiety of both mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS), serves as a primary immunosuppressant for maintaining solid organ transplants. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) enhances treatment outcomes through tailored approaches. This study aimed to develop an evidence-based guideline for MPA TDM, facilitating its rational application in clinical settings. The guideline plan was drawn from the Institute of Medicine and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Using the Delphi method, clinical questions and outcome indicators were generated. Systematic reviews, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) evidence quality evaluations, expert opinions, and patient values guided evidence-based suggestions for the guideline. External reviews further refined the recommendations. The guideline for the TDM of MPA (IPGRP-2020CN099) consists of four sections and 16 recommendations encompassing target populations, monitoring strategies, dosage regimens, and influencing factors. High-risk populations, timing of TDM, area under the curve (AUC) versus trough concentration (C₀), target concentration ranges, monitoring frequency, and analytical methods are addressed. Formulation-specific recommendations, initial dosage regimens, populations with unique considerations, pharmacokinetic-informed dosing, body weight factors, pharmacogenetics, and drug‍-‍drug interactions are covered. The evidence-based guideline offers a comprehensive recommendation for solid organ transplant recipients undergoing MPA therapy, promoting standardization of MPA TDM, and enhancing treatment efficacy and safety.
Mycophenolic Acid/administration & dosage* ; Drug Monitoring/methods* ; Humans ; Organ Transplantation ; Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage* ; Delphi Technique

Objective To analyze the distribution characteristics and trends of occupational exposure types of medical radiation workers in Gansu Province, China, and to provide a basis for administrative departments to formulate and adjust radiation protection policies. Methods According to the radiation health information platform, the data of occupational exposure types of radiation workers in Gansu Province from 2014 to 2023 were obtained. The proportions of occupational exposure types in each physical examination year was statistically analyzed. Results From 2014 to 2023, the number of medical radiation workers accounted for more than 70% of the total number of radiation workers. The proportion of X-ray imaging diagnostic radiation workers in the total number of medical radiation workers gradually decreased but remained the highest, exceeding 68% annually. The proportion of interventional radiology workers in the total number of medical radiation workers increased from 13.8% to 25.5%. The proportions of radiation therapy and nuclear medicine workers in the total number of medical radiation workers increased slowly. The numbers of interventional radiology and radiotherapy workers in tertiary hospitals both accounted for more than 70% of the total number of such workers in the province. The proportion of interventional radiology workers increased and then decreased. The proportion of radiotherapy workers increased significantly from 70.5% to 93.0%. The number of nuclear medicine workers in tertiary hospitals accounted for more than 80% of such workers in the province. Conclusion Radiation protection policies and measures should be adjusted according to the changes in the types of occupational exposure. The focus of these policies and measures should differ depending on the level of healthcare institutions, the type of radiological diagnostic and therapeutic services, and the characteristics of various occupational exposure types .

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma （ICC） is a highly malignant liver tumor， and due to the absence of symptoms in its early stage and the lack of effective treatment measures， patients tend to have an extremely low 5-year survival rate. The tumor stroma-immune microenvironment （TSIME） is a complex ecosystem that changes dynamically during tumorigenesis and evolution and consists of a variety of cellular and non-cellular components， and it plays an important role in the development， proliferation， invasion， and progression of ICC and determines the heterogeneity and malignancy of ICC to a certain degree. This article reviews the cellular components （such as T cells， B cells， natural killer cells， dendritic cells， neutrophils， macrophages， myeloid-derived suppressor cells） and non-cellular components （such as chemokines and cytokines） within the ICC TSIME， as well as the complex mechanisms of interaction between these components， and it also reviews the spatial interactions between immune cells and tumor cells， in order to provide potential research directions for ICC immunotherapy and new ideas for the effective and precise treatment of ICC in the future.

AIM:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of lamellar keratectomy and corneal collagen crosslinking(LKCCC)in treating superficial fungal keratitis.METHODS: Retrospective analysis. Totally 79 patients(79 eyes)with superficial fungal keratitis who underwent LKCCC in our hospital from January 2014 to October 2023 were included. After admission, routine antifungal drug treatment for 7 d showed no obvious improvement or progressive aggravation. The maximum diameter of corneal lesions in all patients was ≤7 mm, the maximum depth was no more than 50% of the corneal thickness at the location, and the remaining healthy corneal thickness was ≥300 μm. The follow-up time was 90 to 112 d.RESULTS:Among the included 79 eyes, the lesions were located in the central region of the cornea in 6 eyes, in the paracentral region in 61 eyes, and in the peripheral region in 12 eyes. Hypopyon was observed in 5 cases. LKCCC was successfully administered in 79 eyes, cured in 76 eyes(96%), and failed in 3 eyes(4%). The healing time of corneal epithelium in 76 cured eyes was 3-15 d, of which 51 eyes(67%)healed within 7 d and 24 eyes(32%)healed within 3 d. The uncorrected visual acuity(UCVA)and best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of 76 eyes of cured patients were statistically significant compared with those preoperatively(P<0.0167). Two of the 3 failed eyes were located at the edge of the lesion and recovered after re-keratectomy. One eye was located in the center of the lesion and recovered after being covered by bulbar conjunctival flap. At the last follow-up, no other complications were observed in all patients except superficial cloud and thinning of cornea.CONCLUSION:LKCCC is a rapid and effective treatment for superficial fungal keratitis and can be considered a new treatment option.

AIM: To assess the impact of optimized pulsed technology(OPT)on the morphological and functional changes of meibomian glands in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction(MGD).METHODS: This prospective case-control study enrolled 60 MGD patients(60 right eyes)treated at Weifang Eye Hospital from September 2023 to February 2024. Patients were categorized into mild, moderate, and severe groups based on the extent of meibomian gland loss, with 20 cases(20 eyes)per group. Treatments consisted of bilateral OPT combined with meibomian gland massages, administered biweekly over four sessions. Ocular surface function indicators including the ocular surface disease index(OSDI), corneal fluorescein staining(CFS), non-invasive average tear break-up time(NIBUTav), and non-invasive tear meniscus height(NITMH), as well as meibomian gland function parameters such as meibomian gland expressibility score(MGES)and meibomian gland secretion score(MGYSS)were observed and recorded before treatment and at 3 mo after final treatment. Cellular-level assessments using in vivo confocal microscopy(IVCM)examined meibomian gland acinar unit density(MGAUD), inflammatory cell density(ICD), meibomian gland acinar longest diameter(MGALD)and meibomian gland acinar shortest diameter(MGASD).RESULTS: At baseline, no significant differences were found in NITMH across groups(P>0.05). Statistical significance were observed in NIBUTav, MGES, MGYSS, MGAUD, MGALD, and MGASD(all P<0.05). Compared to the mild group, the moderate and severe groups showed significant differences in OSDI, CFS, and ICD(all P<0.05), though no significant differences existed between moderate and severe groups(all P>0.05). At 3 mo after treatment, all groups showed no significant differences in NITMH(all P>0.05). All parameters improved significantly in the mild group(all P<0.05); all indicators improved in the moderate group(P>0.05), except for MGASD before and after treatment(all P<0.05); significant improvements were noted in OSDI, CFS, and NIBUTav in the severe group(all P<0.05), while MGES and MGYSS did not differ significantly(all P>0.05). IVCM parameters(MGAUD, ICD, MGALD, and MGASD)showed no significant change in the severe group(all P>0.05).CONCLUSION:OPT effectively enhances various ocular surface functions and improves gland expressibility and secretion quality in mild to moderate MGD cases, while also positively impacting certain cellular parameters. In severe cases, where most acinar functions are lost and structural reversibility is limited, OPT can still mitigate MGD symptoms and decelerate disease progression.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic factors of patients with liver cirrhosis and portal vein thrombosis (PVT), and to construct a prognostic prediction model based on machine learning methods.Methods:The clinical data of 388 patients with liver cirrhosis and PVT admitted to the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2022 to April 2024 were retrospectively collected and analyzed, including 243 males and 145 females, aged (56.9±10.9) years. A total of 388 patients were randomly divided into the training set ( n=310) and the testing set ( n=78) in a 4∶1 ratio. The Boruta algorithm was used to screen the key features in the training set, and then four machine learning algorithms, including random forest, support vector machine, generalized linear model and Bayesian, were used to establish a survival prediction model. Model performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the test set and the training set. The patients were followed up for 1 year for survival. Sort the importance of features based on the SHAP value. Results:There were 250 patients (80.6%) who survived and 60 (19.4%) who died. The model for end-stage liver disease score, total bilirubin, serum creatinine, prothrombin time, international normalized ratio, D-dimer, white blood cell count, severe ascites ratio, and Child-Pugh grade C ratio of liver function in the death group were higher than those in the survival group, and the red blood cell count and hematocrit were lower than those in the survival group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The areas under the ROC curve for predicting survival by random forest, support vector machine, generalized linear model and Bayesian model were 0.92, 0.78, 0.81 and 0.71 in the training set, and the area under the ROC curve in the testing set were 0.81, 0.72, 0.67 and 0.68, respectively. Random forest had the best prediction performance, with an accuracy of 81.7%, a sensitivity of 84.6%, and a specificity of 76.9% in the testing set. In the analysis of the importance of characteristic parameters of the random forest model, total bilirubin, red blood cells, hematocrit, serum creatinine, ascites classification, etc. had a relatively high contribution to the model. Conclusion:In the survival prediction model of patients with liver cirrhosis and PVT based on machine learning algorithm, the random forest model had high prediction performance, and total bilirubin may be the most important factor affecting the survival prognosis of patients.

Objective:To analysis the current utilization of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment equipments in Gansu province, evaluate the fairness of its distribution and provide a theoretical basis for government decision-making and the allocation of nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment resources.Methods:In May 2023, Basic data were collected through questionnaires from the "Occupational Radiation Disease Monitoring" and "Radiation Protection Monitoring in Medical and Health Institutions" projects undertaken by Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.The Gini coefficient and Theil index were calculated using STATA SE software to evaluate the equity of clinical nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment resource allocation. Simultaneously, personal dose monitoring was conducted for nuclear medicine personnel. The fairness of clinical nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment resource allocation was evaluated using the Gini coefficient and Theil index.Results:As of December 31, 2023, a total of 12 medical institutions in Gansu Province engaged in nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment, employing 137 nuclear medicine radiation workers. Throughout the province, there were a total of 3 PET/CT scanners, 13 SPECT scanners and 3 medical cyclotrons available. In addition, 33712 nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures and 9365 various types of nuclear medicine treatments were administered over the year, resulting in a diagnostic frequency of 1.35 procedures per thousand population and a treatment frequency of 0.37 procedures per thousand population. The Gini coefficients for nuclear medicine personnel, equipment and diagnostic and treatment applications calculated per capita were 0.50, 0.53 and 0.61, respectively. The corresponding Theil indices were 0.0672, 0.0669 and 0.1277. In 2023, the average annual effective dose from external exposure for nuclear medicine workers was 0.37 mSv per person, while the average annual effective dose from internal exposure to thyroid 131I for nuclear medicine workers was 1.41 mSv. Conclusion:The distribution of nuclear medicine health resources and applications in Gansu Province is uneven. Greater emphasis should be placed on strengthening the adjustment of nuclear medicine resource allocation between regions, continuously promoting coordinated development within regions, and improving dose monitoring for nuclear medicine personnel.

Objective:To investigate the trends in detection, treatment, and outcomes of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Jiangsu Province from 2013 to 2023, assess the effectiveness of control policies and measures for drug-resistant TB, and provide evidence for better control of drug-resistant TB.Methods:Data and indicators related to the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of rifampicin-resistant TB in Jiangsu Province from 2013 to 2023 were obtained from the Tuberculosis Management Information System. The Joinpoint regression method was employed to analyze the trends over this period, and annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) were calculated. A comparative analysis was also conducted to evaluate the changes before and after implementing relevant policies and measures.Results:From 2013 to 2023, the number of registered rifampicin-resistant TB patients in Jiangsu Province showed a consistent upward trend (APC=AAPC=1.45%, P=0.035). The screening rates for drug resistance among new TB patients in high-risk groups and the proportion of molecular biological testing for drug resistance all exhibited increasing trends, with a notable turning point occurring in 2018. The trend of the treatment enrollment rate for rifampicin-resistant TB patients experienced a significant shift in 2020, showing a marked increase from 2013 to 2020 (APC=12.91%, P=0.008). The treatment success rate of rifampicin-resistant TB patients also showed a significant upward trend after a turning point in 2020 (APC=9.94%, P=0.004). Conclusion:From 2013 to 2023, significant progress was seen in preventing and treating rifampicin-resistant TB in Jiangsu Province, with relevant policies and measures proving to be highly effective.