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

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correlation of PRELID1 with gastric cancer (GC) progression, prognosis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: We analyzed the data of 115 patients undergoing radical gastrectomy for GC in our hospital between February, 2018 and March, 2023 to explore the correlation of PRELID1 expression level in GC tissues with tumor progression and patient prognosis. In cultured GC cells, the effects of lentivirus-mediated overexpression or interference of PRELID1 were observed on cell migration, invasion and EMT. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining revealed significantly higher PRELID1 expression in GC tissues (P<0.001), whose expression level was positively correlated with CEA ≥5 ng/mL (P=0.007), CA199 ≥37 U/mL (P=0.007), G_3-4 stages (P=0.001), T_3-4 stages (P=0.001), and N_2-3 stages (P=0.020). Univariate and Cox multifactorial analysis showed that high PRELID1 level was an independent risk factor affecting 5-year survival of GC patients (P=0.001). In cultured GC cells, PRELID1 overexpression obviously promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and the expressions of MMP2 and MMP9, and interference of PRELID1 produced the opposite changes. PRELID1 overexpression also increased the expressions of N-cadherin and vimentin and reduced the expression of E-cadherin. Mechanistic analyses showed that up-regulation of PRELID1 increased the expression of p-PI3K, p-AKT, and p-mTOR in GC cells, whereas its interference caused the opposite changes; the application of 740 Y-P, a PI3K/AKT pathway activator, significantly enhanced the migration, invasion, and EMT of GC cells with PRELID1 knockdown. CONCLUSIONS PRELID1 is highly expressed in GC and affects prognosis of the patients, and its high expression promotes migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition of GC cells possibly by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Prognosis ; Cell Movement ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Signal Transduction ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism*

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 specifically extract and analyze nascent proteins synthesized by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)after transplantation into ischemic hearts using a technique employing mutant methionyl-tRNA synthetase(MetRSL247G)for nascent protein labeling,in order to explore the potential mechanisms of action in BMSCs post-transplantation.Methods Point mutation at position 274 of the MetRS gene in BMSCs was induced via lentiviral infection to enable azidonorleucine(ANL)-mediated labeling of nascent proteins in BMSCs.The labeling efficiency was verified by means of fluorescent non-canonical amino-acid tagging(FUNCAT).Thirty healthy female C57BL/6J mice(8-10 weeks old)were divided into control and experimental groups,with 15 mice in each group.The acute myocardial infarction model was constructed by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery in experimental group,while control mice underwent only thoracotomy without coronary ligation.After modeling,both groups received intramyocardial injections of MetRSL247G-modified BMSCs(MetRSL247G-BMSCs)at 3 different sites in the peri-infarct ischemic region.Mice were intraperitoneally injected with ANL every 6 hours for 4 times on postoperative days 0,2,and 6(n=5 for each time point)respectively,euthanized 24 h after the last injection,and cardiac tissues were isolated.The newly synthesized and labeled proteins produced by BMSCs after transplantation into the myocardium of experimental and control groups were collected,using an enrichment technique for ANL-tagged proteins and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS)analysis.Gene ontology(GO)analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analysis,protein-protein interaction(PPI)analysis,and heatmap visualization analysis were performed to identify differentially expressed proteins at the 3 time points and screen key pathways and genes.Results Under fluorescence microscopy,the MetRSL247G lentivirus-infected BMSCs were observed to be labelled with mCherry signals,confirming the successful construction of the MetRSL247G-BMSCs cell line.Green fluorescent signals were detected only in nascent proteins in culture medium containing both MetRSL247G-BMSCs and ANL,validating the sensitivity and specificity of the labeling method.GO analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins were primarily involved in basic cellular biological processes such as extracellular exosome formation,extracellular matrix organization,and focal adhesion.KEGG and PPI analyses indicated that the differential proteins were mainly involved in complement and coagulation cascade pathway,actin cytoskeleton regulation pathway,and apoptosis pathway.Heatmap analysis showed significantly upregulated expression of anti-apoptosis and cell adhesion-related factors in experimental group on day 1(P＜0.05),upregulated anti-apoptotic factors,pro-apoptotic factors,and cell adhesion-related factors on day 3(P＜0.05),and upregulated anti-apoptotic factors,cell differentiation-related factors,and cell adhesion-related factors on day 7(P＜0.05)compared with control group.Expression of apoptosis-inducing factor 1 was significantly downregulated on days 1 and 7(P＜0.05).On day 3,most differentially expressed proteins,including anti-apoptosis factors(Protein S100-A11,Clusterin,Gelsolin),pro-apoptosis factor(Cathepsin B),cell differentiation-related factor(Transgelin-2),and cell adhesion-related factors(Cofilin-1,Periostin,Fibronectin)were significantly upregulated(P＜0.05).Conclusions The MetRSL247G mutation enables BMSCs to incorporate ANL and synthesize labeled proteins,confirming the feasibility of this nascent protein labeling technique.Nascent proteins of BMSCs in ischemic myocardium primarily contribute to extracellular exosome secretion and extracellular matrix organization.BMSCs may adapt to and respond to ischemic and hypoxic environments by influencing complement and coagulation cascades,activating inflammatory factors,regulating actin cytoskeleton structure,and modulating apoptosis,thereby maintaining the survival of BMSCs.

The experience of professor YANG Wen-Hui in treating lumbago disease with YANG's Baliao-acupoints moxibustion is introduced in this paper.YANG Wen-Hui believes that the basic pathogenesis of lumbago disease is'cold causes lower back pain',and based on the philosophical idea of'harmony in Shushu(the ways to cultivate health)',he proposes'YANG's Baliao-acupoints moxibustion'for the treatment of lumbago disease.According to the patient's condition,professor YANG used the acupoints of Shangliao(BL31),Ciliao(BL32),Zhongliao(BL33),and selected the moxa cone like jujube core,soybean or wheat grain,and applied moxibustion with the technique of'San Yang Kai Tai'or'Ruo feng Chui Yun',the number of moxibustion is proportional to the age of the patient.YANG's Baliao-acupoints moxibustion in treating lumbago disease exerts highly and remarkable clinical efficacy,and it was widely acclaimed by the patients.

Objective To investigate the effects of leptin on hypothalamic neuron activity and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue of obese mice.Methods 10 leptin-deficient obese(ob/ob)mice with homozygous mutation of leptin gene and 10 wild-type(WT)mice born in the same litter were randomly divided into control group and leptin treatment group.The activity of pro-opiomelanocortin(POMC)neurons and tyrosine hydroxylase(TH+)neurons,the morphological changes of adipose tissue and the expression of lipid-related genes were analyzed by immunofluorescent staining,HE staining and Real-time PCR.Results Compared with the WT mice,the ob/ob mice showed decreased activity of POMC neurons and TH+neurons and larger cell diameter in adipose tissue and liver tissue.In addition,the expressions of heat-related genes uncoupling protein 1(UCP1),cytochrome c oxidase subunit 8B(Cox8b)and cell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor,alpha subunit-like effector A(Cidea)in subcutaneous white fat in ob/ob mice decreased significantly,and the expressions of lipid synthesis-related genes sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1(Srebp1)and fatty acid synthase(Fas)increased significantly.After treated with leptin,the activities of POMC and TH+neurons were increased,and the cellular diameter and the degree of vacuolar degeneration were reduced in the adipose tissue and liver.Further analyses showed that the expressions of thermogenesis-related genes and lipolysis-related genes were increased,but expressions of lipid synthesis-related genes were reduced in brown adipose tissue.Conclusion Leptin treatment could prevent the increasing of obesity in ob/ob mice,which is associated with increased lipolysis and reduced lipid synthesis through activation of hypothalamic POMC neurons and peripheral adipose tissue sympathetic nervous system.

Objective To observe the effect and survival benefits of camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods Patients with advanced ESCC were divided into control group and treatment group.The control group was given albumin-paclitaxel(260 mg·m-2,qd,intravenous drip on the 1st day)and cisplatin(20 mg·m-2,once a day,intravenous drip on the 1 st-5 th day),while treatment group was given camrelizumab(200 mg,qd,intravenous drip on the 1st day)on basis of control group.All patients were treated for 4 cycles(21 d/cycle).The curative effect(disease control rate,objective response rate),immune function(CD4+,CD8+,CD4+/CD8+),tumor markers(carbohydrate antigen 199,carcinoembryonic antigen,carbohydrate antigen 125),safety and survival benefits in the two groups were compared after treatment.Results There were 48 cases in treatment group and 42 cases in control group.After treatment,disease control rates in treatment group and control group were 79.17％(38 cases/48 cases)and 57.14％(24 cases/42 cases),objective response rates were 62.50％(30 cases/48 cases)and 40.48％(17 cases/42 cases),the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).After treatment,levels of peripheral blood CD4+/CD8+levels were 1.11±0.29 and 1.87±0.38;levels of levels of serum carbohydrate antigen 199 were(50.03±6.21)and(36.41±4.87)ng·mL-1;levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen were(21.25±3.39)and(14.97±2.85)ng·mL-1;levels of serum carbohydrate antigen 125 were(29.82±4.16)and(20.63±3.34)ng·mL-1,the differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The differences in 6-month survival rate between treatment group and control group were statistically significant[95.83％(46 cases/48 cases)vs 80.95％(34 cases/42 cases),P＜0.05].The adverse drug reactions of the two groups were mainly proteinuria,abnormal liver function,bone marrow suppression,abnormal thyroid function and gastrointestinal reaction,and there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse drug reactions between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion Camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy can enhance immune function in patients with advanced ESCC,inhibit the expressions of tumor markers and increase survival rate.

Objective To study the relationship between the changes of sagittal spinopelvic parameters and facet joint-derived low back pain in patients with hip osteoarthritis after hip arthroplasty.Methods The clinical data of 30 patients with facet joint-derived low back pain induced by hip osteoarthritis who underwent unilateral hip arthroplasty(observation group)from June 2019 to November 2020 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed,and 50 healthy subjects who underwent lumbar X-ray examination in the physical examination center of our hospital at the same time were randomly selected as the control group.The sagittal spinopelvic parameters were measured based on the X-ray,including pelvic incidence(PI),pelvic tilt(PT),sacral slope(SS),lumbar lordosis(LL),sacrum pubic incidence(SPI)and sacrum pubic posterior angle(SPPA).The correlation between the changes of sagittal spinopelvic parameters and facet joint-derived low back pain was analyzed by multiple linear regression,and its diagnostic efficacy to facet joint-derived low back pain was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results The PI,LL,SPI or SPA before and 1 year after surgery of the observation group had no significant difference combined with those of the control group(P>0.05).The PT before surgery of the observation group was smaller than that of the control group(P<0.05),and the SS before surgery was larger than that of the control group(P<0.05).Multiple linear regression analysis showed that PT and SS before surgery were correlated with facet joint-derived low back pain(P<0.05).The sensitivity of PT and SS before surgery in diagnosing facet joint-derived low back pain were 50.00%and 73.30%,with the specificity of 88.00%and 78.00%,respectively.ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of PT and SS before surgery in diagnosing facet joint-derived low back pain were 0.708(95%CI:0.595 to 0.822)and 0.775(95%CI:0.673 to 0.877),respectively.Conclusion Patients with hip osteoarthritis pain have significantly larger SS and significantly smaller PT.Hip arthroplasty can alleviate the symptoms of low back pain without affecting the sagittal spinopelvic balance;the PT and SS before surgery are correlated with the facet joint-derived low back pain,and they are of high value in the diagnosing facet joint-derived low back pain.

AIM To investigate the effects of Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe on necroptosis pathway in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with cerebral infarction(CI).METHODS The SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,the model group,the metformin group(0.045 g/kg),and the low,medium and high dose Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe groups(6.5,13,26 g/kg),with 9 rats in each group.In contrast to rats of the sham operation group,rats of the other groups were given 4 weeks feeding of high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to establish a T2DM rat model with one week stable blood glucose,followed by gavage of corresponding drugs 3 days before the establishment of the middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)model.After 7 days of administration,the rats had their CI injury assessed by mNSS method and TTC staining;their level of blood glucose detected by blood glucose meter;their levels of glycated serum protein,serum TNF-α and IL-1β detected by ELISA;their cerebral mRNA expressions of FADD,RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL detected by RT-qPCR;and their cerebral protein expressions of FADD,p-RIPK1,p-RIPK3 and p-MLKL detected by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the sham operation group,the model group displayed increased levels of blood glucose value,glycosylated serum protein,neurological function score,cerebral infarction volume,cerebral FADD,RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL mRNA expressions,cerebral FADD,p-RIPK1,p-RIPK3 and p-MLKL protein expressions,serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels(P＜0.01);and more disordered and morphologically diverse neurons with smaller nucleus.Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with medium or high dose Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe,or metformin shared improvement in terms of the aforementioned indices(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and more neurons with regular morphology neat arrangement,and reduced cell gap.CONCLUSION Zuogui Jiangtang Tongmai Recipe can improve the neurological dysfunction of the rat model of T2DM complicated with CI,which may associate with the inhibited activation of necroptosis signaling pathway.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) refers to the persistent inability to achieve and/or maintain a sufficient erection of the penis to obtain a satisfactory sexual life,which affects the quality of life of the patients and their sexual partners.To decipher the pathophysiological mechanism of ED,researchers have established a variety of animal models and achieved a series of progress.The cavernous nerve (CN) of rodents,anatomically similar to that of humans,is cost-effective,thick,and easy to be identified,which has gradually become the mainstream of animal models.In this paper,we reviewed the modeling methods of the neurological ED caused by bilateral CN injury in rats in recent years,summarized the model evaluation indicators,and discussed the application and progress of ED models in basic experimental research.
Humans ; Male ; Rats ; Animals ; Erectile Dysfunction/etiology* ; Quality of Life ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Disease Models, Animal ; Penile Erection