1.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.
2.The role of magnetocardiography in the diagnosis and efficacy assessment of coronary microvascular dysfunction
Jiaqi MA ; Danbo LU ; Zhangwei CHEN ; Ao CHEN ; Congcong PAN ; Juying QIAN ; Jianying MA
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026;33(1):31-37
Objective To explore the non-invasive diagnostic criteria of magnetocardiography (MCG) for coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMVD), and its value in dynamically assessing drug treatment for CMVD. Methods Patients who presented with chest tightness or chest pain at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from September 2024 to March 2025 were consecutively enrolled, and all of whom had non-obstructive coronary arteries on angiography. Using the coronary angiography-derived index of microcirculatory resistance (caIMR) as the gold standard, patients were divided into a normal microcirculation group (caIMR≤40 U) and a CMVD group (caIMR>40 U). MCG testing was performed using a domestic device (MD-U041001, Mind Medical). Patients in the CMVD group received adenosine treatment and underwent repeat MCG after medication. Differences in MCG parameters between the two groups were analyzed, and a diagnostic model was established. The value of the diagnostic model was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results A total of 311 patients were included, with 135 in the normal microcirculation group and 176 in the CMVD group. The CMVD group had a significantly higher proportion of males (61.9% vs 47.4%, P=0.012), and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels ([1.16±0.31] mmol/L vs [1.24±0.29] mmol/L, P=0.029) than the normal group. Eleven MCG parameters showed significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05), among which increased values of mfm_QR_epav, mfm_RS_epmse, space_zeroRTrot, as well as decreased value of mfm_QR_v1 were independent predictors of CMVD. The diagnostic model based on these 11 MCG parameters yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.688 (95%CI 0.629-0.747). The integrated diagnostic model combining clinical risk factors (male, smoking history, HDL-C) with MCG parameters had an AUC of 0.701 (95%CI 0.643-0.759). After adenosine treatment, patients in the CMVD group showed significant decreases in mfm_QR_epav (P=0.010), mfm_RS_sad (P=0.013), and mfm_RS_epmse (P=0.046). Conclusions The model based on MCG parameters demonstrates good diagnostic ability for CMVD; dynamic changes in MCG parameters following adenosine intervention may serve as potential objective indicators for evaluating microcirculatory treatment efficacy.
3.Rapid Discrimination of Processing Degree of Wine-processed Chuanxiong Rhizoma Based on Intelligent Sensory Technology and Multivariate Statistical Analysis
Xiaolong ZHANG ; Xiaoni MA ; Xinzhu WANG ; Po HU ; Yang PAN ; Tulin LU ; Guangming YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):174-182
ObjectiveTo explore the changes in color, odor and chemical components during wine-processing of Chuanxiong Rhizoma(CR), identify differential markers, and provide a basis for standardizing the process and establishing quality standards. MethodsFifteen batches of CR samples from 4 producing areas were collected. Colorimeter and electronic nose were used to detect the color changes and odor components of CR before and after wine-processing. Multivariate statistical methods including partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), principal component analysis(PCA), discriminant factor analysis(DFA) and Fisher discriminant analysis were applied to identify wine-processed CR at different processing stages and establish discriminant models, and differential components were screened out based on variable importance in the projection(VIP) value1. Then, high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was employed to detect the content changes of four components(ferulic acid, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide A and ligustilide) during the processing stages. ResultsThe differences of wine-processed CR at various stages were primarily reflected in color parameters L*(brightness value), a*(red-green value) and b*(yellow-blue value). Based on chromaticity differences, the color reference ranges were established for moderately processed CR, including L* of 46.75-48.24, a* of 5.37-6.07 and b* of 20.32-21.70. In odor analysis, DFA revealed significant differences among processing stages, and 11 odor markers were identified, with four differential markers(4-hydroxy-3-butylphthalide, isopropyl butyrate, L-limonene and 1-methoxyhexane) based on VIP values. HPLC results showed that there was no significant difference of the four components except for ligustilide in wine-processed CR at different stages. ConclusionThis study achieved rapid identification of wine-processed CR with different processing degrees by electronic sensory technology and differential component content detection, with discrimination accuracy rates of 92.4% and 93.272% for color and odor, respectively. This paper also established the reference ranges of main colorimetric parameters for wine-processed CR at different stages, and four differential components were screened out, providing a basis for standardizing the processing of wine-processed CR and establishing quality standards for this decoction pieces.
4.Rapid Discrimination of Processing Degree of Wine-processed Chuanxiong Rhizoma Based on Intelligent Sensory Technology and Multivariate Statistical Analysis
Xiaolong ZHANG ; Xiaoni MA ; Xinzhu WANG ; Po HU ; Yang PAN ; Tulin LU ; Guangming YANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(3):174-182
ObjectiveTo explore the changes in color, odor and chemical components during wine-processing of Chuanxiong Rhizoma(CR), identify differential markers, and provide a basis for standardizing the process and establishing quality standards. MethodsFifteen batches of CR samples from 4 producing areas were collected. Colorimeter and electronic nose were used to detect the color changes and odor components of CR before and after wine-processing. Multivariate statistical methods including partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), principal component analysis(PCA), discriminant factor analysis(DFA) and Fisher discriminant analysis were applied to identify wine-processed CR at different processing stages and establish discriminant models, and differential components were screened out based on variable importance in the projection(VIP) value1. Then, high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was employed to detect the content changes of four components(ferulic acid, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide A and ligustilide) during the processing stages. ResultsThe differences of wine-processed CR at various stages were primarily reflected in color parameters L*(brightness value), a*(red-green value) and b*(yellow-blue value). Based on chromaticity differences, the color reference ranges were established for moderately processed CR, including L* of 46.75-48.24, a* of 5.37-6.07 and b* of 20.32-21.70. In odor analysis, DFA revealed significant differences among processing stages, and 11 odor markers were identified, with four differential markers(4-hydroxy-3-butylphthalide, isopropyl butyrate, L-limonene and 1-methoxyhexane) based on VIP values. HPLC results showed that there was no significant difference of the four components except for ligustilide in wine-processed CR at different stages. ConclusionThis study achieved rapid identification of wine-processed CR with different processing degrees by electronic sensory technology and differential component content detection, with discrimination accuracy rates of 92.4% and 93.272% for color and odor, respectively. This paper also established the reference ranges of main colorimetric parameters for wine-processed CR at different stages, and four differential components were screened out, providing a basis for standardizing the processing of wine-processed CR and establishing quality standards for this decoction pieces.
5.Impact of Nutritional Support on Antitumor Efficacy in the Era of Immunotherapy
Xiaojun QIAN ; Ling LU ; Xuecheng HU ; Shiwei LI ; Wenjun GAO ; Li PAN ; Yubei SUN ; Suyi LI
Cancer Research on Prevention and Treatment 2026;53(2):89-95
Despite breakthroughs in immunotherapy for solid tumors, significant variations in treatment efficacy persist. Up to 80% of cancer patients suffer from malnutrition, which leads to: lymphoid atrophy and reduced T-cell reserves; deficiency of substrates required for T-cell activation and expansion; concurrent inflammation hindering T-cell infiltration into tumors; and cachexia accelerating PD-1 antibody clearance. Clinical studies confirm that severe malnutrition significantly impairs immune responses and increases the risk of treatment toxicity. Therefore, implementing standardized nutritional therapy is crucial for optimizing the reserve, activation, expansion, and infiltration capacity of immune cells, thereby providing a sound immune system foundation for immunotherapy. Immunonutrition therapy, by enhancing immunonutrients such as arginine, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and nucleotides, reduces the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators and promotes T-cell activation and proliferation. This enhances anti-tumor immune responses, prolongs survival, and advances cancer treatment towards multimodal combination and precision approaches.
6.Occupational fatigue and influencing factors of live-line power distribution workers
Ruijian PAN ; Conghan LIU ; Xin LU ; Chu CHEN ; Min LI ; Lei LIU
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(2):196-200
Background Fatigue among distribution network live-line workers in complex operational environments has become increasingly severe and requires widespread attention. Objective To investigate the positive rates of fatigue and associated influencing factors of live-line power distribution workers, and to make a reasonable strategy to reduce the fatigue of front-line workers. Methods Power supply companies in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan provinces were selected by cluster sampling in 2023, and all front-line live-line workers in the selected companies were recruited. The questionnaire used in this study consisted of two parts: one was the Fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14) for investigating fatigue status and the other was for associated influencing factors. A FS-14 score greater than 3 points was defined as fatigue.
7.Analysis on the practical challenges and paths of “clown doctors” practice from the perspective of narrative medicine
Hui WANG ; Yutong PAN ; Liqun LU ; Can ZHANG
Chinese Medical Ethics 2026;39(2):215-222
Narrative medicine focuses on empathy, relevance, and emotion, precisely aligning with the elements of “clown doctor” such as compassion, interaction, and pain relief. From the perspective of narrative medicine, the practice of “clown doctors” not only focuses on the emotional changes of patients but also enhances their sense of belonging by recreating their experiences. The key element for the success of “clown doctors” lies in establishing a multi-dimensional trust relationship among medical workers, patients, colleagues, and society, while ensuring their practice adheres to medical ethics norms. “Clown doctors” should concentrate on dimensions such as concept dissemination, clinical application, social recognition, and ethical practice of narrative medicine. They should also constantly optimize narrative techniques, deepen the understanding of patients’ stories, and intervene in the medical process in a more delicate and comprehensive way, thereby fostering in-depth communication and understanding between doctors and patients.
8.Associations between Metabolic Syndrome Indicators and Colon Polyps: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Dongya CHEN ; Hong XU ; Zhaolin ZHANG ; Fang CHEN ; Qingqing LU ; Feng PAN
Endocrinology and Metabolism 2026;41(2):256-266
Background:
While observational studies have suggested a potential link between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and an increased risk of colon polyps, the causal nature of this association remains uncertain. This study used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the relationship between MetS and colon polyps.
Methods:
A two-sample MR analysis was performed using data on MetS, its indicators, and colon polyps obtained from publicly available genome-wide association studies in the Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) and MAGIC databases. Outliers were removed using Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO), followed by MR calculations and false discovery rate (FDR) correction. The primary analysis was conducted with the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method.
Results:
The IVW results indicated no association between hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes and the risk of colon polyps. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P=0.005), 2-hour glucose (P=0.004), glycated hemoglobin A1c (P=0.004), and the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (P<0.001) were negatively associated with colon polyps. Conversely, body mass index (BMI) (P<0.001), body fat percentage (P=0.002), waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI (P=0.001), total cholesterol (TC) (P=0.002), triglycerides (TG) (P<0.001), and both omega-3 (P<0.001) and omega-6 fatty acid levels (P=0.02) were positively associated with colon polyps. The relationships between these metabolic indicators and colon polyps remained significant after FDR correction.
Conclusion
Obesity-related traits, TC, and TG may increase the risk of colon polyps, while HDL-C may have a protective effect.
9.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.
10.Psychological Stress-induced Immune Dysregulation: The Key Factor Undermining Aerobic Exercise’s Antagonism Against Tumor Progression
Xin ZHOU ; Hua ZHANG ; Jing-Jing LIU ; Hui-Xin PAN ; Jing ZHANG ; Qing-Lu WANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1656-1671
Cancer is one of the most lethal and burdensome diseases worldwide. Its progression not only causes irreversible damage to the body, but also imposes a substantial psychological burden on patients due to its complex prognosis. Immune imbalance, a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment (TME), accelerates tumor invasion and metastasis by impairing the function of effector immune cells, promoting the abnormal infiltration of immunosuppressive cells, and disrupting cytokine homeostasis, thereby constituting a major barrier to the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Compared with conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, aerobic exercise has shown considerable potential in antagonizing tumor progression through relatively mild but effective immunomodulatory mechanisms. On the one hand, regular aerobic exercise enhances the number and activity of key effector immune cells, such as CD8+ T cells, thereby strengthening their ability to recognize and eliminate tumor cells and alleviate immune imbalance. On the other hand, aerobic exercise promotes tumor vascular normalization, improves vascular maturity, and stimulates the secretion of irisin and other anti-inflammatory myokines, thereby remodeling the TME and relieving its immunosuppressive state to delay tumor progression. However, psychological stress following a cancer diagnosis can not only act as an independent disruptive factor that exacerbates immune imbalance within the TME, but also amplify the effects of other detrimental factors, such as reduced treatment adherence, thereby further weakening the antagonistic effect of aerobic exercise on tumor growth. Psychological stress, as a chronic stressor, promotes the excessive secretion of emotion-related hormones, including glucocorticoids (GCs) and norepinephrine (NE), which further suppress the activation and effector functions of antitumor immune cells such as CD8+ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, while facilitating the recruitment of protumor immune cells such as regulatory T cells (Tregs). These changes ultimately disrupt immune homeostasis in the TME, promote tumor immune evasion, accelerate tumor invasion and metastasis, and offset the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on tumor control. In addition, psychological stress induces hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and abnormal excitation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), thereby maintaining elevated levels of GCs, NE, and related stress hormones, suppressing inflammatory chemokine expression and immune cell recruitment, and further disturbing immune homeostasis in the TME, which accelerates tumor progression. More importantly, prolonged psychological stress can also disrupt the homeostasis of central neurotransmitters, such as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and glutamate (Glu). This not only directly inhibits the activation and effector functions of antitumor immune cells and promotes the establishment of an immunosuppressive microenvironment, but also impairs cellular energy metabolism and continuously provides energy for tumor cells through metabolic reprogramming, thereby sustaining rapid tumor growth and adaptation to a hostile TME. Ultimately, these alterations contribute to the dysregulation of “neuro-endocrine-immune” axis and weaken the protective effect of aerobic exercise against tumor progression. Therefore, this review focuses on the interaction between psychological stress and the “neuro-endocrine-immune” axis, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms by which psychological stress induces immune imbalance and weakens the antagonistic effect of aerobic exercise on tumor progression. We further highlight the important role of psychological stress in tumor progression and propose that combining psychotropic interventions, aerobic exercise, and clinical antitumor immunotherapy may help restore the tumor-killing capacity of the immune system. Such a multimodal strategy may exert synergistic effects at multiple levels, including psychological stress relief, neuroendocrine regulation, and reconstruction of immune homeostasis, thereby providing new perspectives for identifying therapeutic targets in solid tumors, enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy, and improving patient prognosis.

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