1.Application advances, ethical dilemmas, and future directions of large language models in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment
Zhizhen REN ; Yufan XI ; Xu ZHU ; Yijie LUO ; Geting HUANG ; Junqiao SONG ; Xiuyuan XU ; Nan CHEN ; Qiang PU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2026;33(03):353-362
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Coupled with the substantial workload, the clinical management of lung cancer is challenged by the critical need to efficiently and accurately process increasingly complex medical information. In recent years, large language models (LLMs) technology has undergone explosive development, demonstrating unique advantages in handling complex medical data by leveraging its powerful natural language processing capabilities, and its application value in the field of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment is continuously increasing. The paper systematically analyzes that the exceptional potential of LLMs in lung cancer auxiliary diagnosis, tumor feature extraction, automatic staging, progression/outcome analysis, treatment recommendations, medical documentation generation, and patient education. However, they face critical technical and ethical challenges including inconsistent performance in complex integrated decision-making (e.g., TNM staging, personalized treatment suggestions) and "black box" opacity issues, along with dilemmas such as training data biases, model hallucinations, data privacy concerns, and cross-lingual adaptation challenges ("data colonization"). Future directions should prioritize constructing high-quality multimodal corpora specific to lung cancer, developing interpretable and compliant specialized models, and achieving seamless integration with existing clinical workflows. Through dual drivers of technological innovation and ethical standardization, LLMs should be prudently advanced for holistic lung cancer management processes, ultimately promoting efficient, standardized, and personalized diagnosis and treatment practices.
2.LINC00657 Promotes Malignant Progression of Cervical Cancer by Sponging miR-30a-5p to Regulate Skp2 Expression
Changhui ZHOU ; Jingqin REN ; Zhen CHEN ; Qi YAN ; Nan YANG ; Jiaqi ZHAO ; Rong LI
Cancer Research on Prevention and Treatment 2026;53(2):103-111
Objective To investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of LINC00657 in the progression of cervical cancer. Methods Bioinformatics analysis predicted potential binding sites between LINC00657 and miR-30a-5p and between miR-30a-5p and Skp2. These sites were verified by using RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter experiments. LINC00657, miR-30a-5p, and Skp2 mRNA expression levels in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines were assessed by utilizing RT-qPCR. Western blot analysis was employed to examine the protein levels of Skp2 in cells and subcutaneous xenograft tumor models in nude mice. Immunohistochemistry was applied to analyze Skp2 expression in animal tissues. The cellular processes of cervical cancer cell lines were evaluated through CCK-8, scratch, and Transwell assays. Results LINC00657 and Skp2 presented binding sites for miR-30a-5p. In cervical cancer, LINC00657 and Skp2 showed high expression levels (P<0.05), whereas miR-30a-5p displayed low expression (P<0.05). Functional experiments demonstrated that linc00657 upregulates Skp2 expression, a process that is dependent on its sequestration of miR-30a-5p. Conclusion LINC00657 promoted the malignant progression of cervical cancer by upregulating Skp2 expression through specifically sequestering miR-30a-5p, thereby relieving its inhibitory effect on the target gene Skp2.
3.Cross-sectional survey of healthcare-associated infection in 5 736 medical institutions across China in 2024
Cui ZENG ; Wuqiang GAO ; Fu QIAO ; Hui ZHAO ; Xu FANG ; Linping LI ; Xiuwen CHEN ; Jiansen CHEN ; Dan LI ; Yuan ZHOU ; Lingli YU ; Qinglan MENG ; Xia MOU ; Lijuan XIONG ; Weiguang LI ; Ding LIU ; Jiaqing XIAO ; Limei OU ; Baozhen LI ; Jun YIN ; Haojun ZHANG ; Qiang FU ; Qun LU ; Biao WU ; Ya-wei XING ; Shumei SUN ; Shuncai WANG ; Longmin DU ; Jingping ZHANG ; Wen-ying HE ; Gui CHENG ; Nan REN ; Xun HUANG ; Anhua WU
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2025;24(11):1572-1583
Objective To understand the current situation of healthcare-associated infection(HAI)in China,pro-vide data support and decision-making basis for formulating scientific and effective strategies for HAI prevention and control.Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey on HAI was conducted among various types and levels of medical institutions in China according to a unified protocol of bedside surveys and case investigations.Results In 2024,a total of 5 736 medical institutions and 2 751 765 patients were surveyed.Among them,34 889 HAI cases were identified,with a prevalence rate of 1.27%.The number of HAI episodes was 38 032,and case prevalence rate was 1.38%.The prevalence rate of HAI in medical institutions in different regions of China ranged from 0.66%to 2.35%.Among medical institutions of different scales,those with a bed capacity of ≥900 had the high-est incidence of HAI,reaching 1.65%.The most common infection site was the lower respiratory tract(44.66%),followed by the urinary tract(12.94%),surgical site(9.32%),upper respiratory tract(7.02%),and bloodstream infection(5.78%).The top 3 departments with the highest HAI rates were the general intensive care unit(10.02%),department of neurosurgery(5.51%),and department(group)of hematology(5.34%).A total of 23 238 strains of HAI pathogens were detected,with 10 714 strains(46.10%)from lower respiratory tract speci-mens.The top 5 detected strains were Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.76%),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(13.33%),Escherichia coli(12.79%),Acinetobacter baumannii(9.23%),and Staphylococcus aureus(7.88%).231 944 pa-tients underwent class Ⅰ incision surgery were monitored,with 1 647 cases experienced surgical site infection,and the prevalence rate of surgical site infection was 0.71%.The number of patients who should undergo pathogen de-tection(patients receiving therapeutic and therapeutic combined prophylactic antimicrobial agents)was 715 179,while the actual number was 480 492,with a pathogen detection rate of 67.18%.425 225 patients received patho-genic detection before treatment,with a detection rate of 59.46%.Conclusion The overall HAI prevalence in Chi-na is lower,showing disparities among medical institutions of different regions and scales.Therefore,precise imple-mentation of measures is necessary for HAI prevention and control,with a focus on high-risk institutions and high-risk departments,key areas,and critical procedures.All levels of medical institutions should continuously reduce the incidence of HAI by strengthening monitoring,standardizing the use of antimicrobial agents,and reinforcing basic HAI prevention and control measures.
4.Modeling methods and evaluation criteria in animal models of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head
Xiuli WU ; Xiaoxia YAN ; Zhiqiang REN ; Nan SUN ; Jinju LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(21):4560-4567
BACKGROUND:Steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head is a key risk factor for non-traumatic femoral head necrosis,and the incidence of it has gradually increased in recent years,but its specific pathogenesis is still unclear,and finding a reasonable animal model is essential for disease research and treatment.OBJECTIVE:To review the commonly used animal models of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head in recent years,and to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different modeling methods and evaluation criteria,so as to provide a reference for follow-up research. METHODS:The articles published from 2013 to 2023 were searched in CNKI,WanFang Data,and PubMed with the keywords "femoral head necrosis,osteonecrosis of the femoral head,steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head,animal model." Finally,61 articles were involved for comprehensive analysis according to the inclusion criteria,including 38 English articles and 23 Chinese articles.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Rabbits,rats,and chickens are the animals that are widely used in the study of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head models. (2) Hormone combined with lipopolysaccharide or horse serum modeling has low mortality,high success rate,and strong stability. (3) Histopathology is the gold standard for the evaluation model,but the experiment needs to be terminated,which is not conducive to subsequent experimental research,so finding a non-invasive alternative method is still the direction of future efforts. (4) An ideal model of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head has not yet been explored,and future researchers need to continue to strive to achieve breakthroughs in this field as soon as possible.
5.Feasibility study of dual-energy CT virtual non-contrast in quantitative analysis of emphysema
Yanbing GUO ; Qiuju FAN ; Zhanli REN ; Hui TAN ; Nan YU ; Yongjun JIA ; Guangming MA
Journal of Practical Radiology 2025;41(7):1109-1113
Objective To investigate the utility of dual-energy computed tomography(DECT)virtual non-contrast(VNC)images instead of true non-contrast(TNC)images in the quantitative analysis of emphysema.Methods A retrospective selection was con-ducted on 59 patients who underwent chest CT plain scan plus dual-phase enhanced scan on APEX-CT.VNC images of arterial phase(VNCart)and venous phase(VNCven)were generated on AW4.7 workstation.Volume CT dose index(CTDIvol)and dose length product(DLP)were recorded respectively.In a double-blind manner,two physicians graded the severity of each patient's emphysema according to the Fleischner Society's emphysema visual classification system.The"digital lung"detection and analysis platform was used to quantitatively measure emphysema at three thresholds(-950 HU,-930 HU and-910 HU),and the difference in meas-urement results between VNC images and TNC images was compared.Quantitative differences in low attenuation volume(LAV),percentage of low attenuation area(LAA%)and mean lung density(MLD)at the-950 HU threshold were compared using Bland-Altman plots.Results Using TNC images as the standard,there was no significant difference in the results of the visual classifica-tion evaluation of emphysema between TNC and VNC images(χ2=2.80,P=0.247).In quantitative measurement,there was no significant difference in total lung volume(TLV)(χ2=3.26,P=0.196)between the three groups images.Compared to TNC ima-ges,there were no statistically significant differences in LAV,LAA%and MLD of VNCven images at 15th percentile lung density(Perc 15%)and different thresholds(P>0.05).Compared to the TNC mode,the VNC mode could reduce the effective dose(ED)by approximately 32.6%.Conclusion The use of DECT VNCven images on chest has the potential to replace TNC for the quantitative analysis of emphysema,thereby streamlining scans and reducing radiation dose.
6.Design and Application of Five Elements Music Software Based on Emotion Classification in Malignant Tumor Population
Nan ZHAO ; Shanshan GU ; Jingtao ZHAO ; Hongmei XIE ; Wenjun WANG ; Mirui HE ; Guiju REN ; Shuying CHEN ; Guangmin LI ; Juan LIAO
World Science and Technology-Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;27(7):1990-1999
Objective To design a Five-Elements Music Software based on Traditional Chinese Medicine's(TCM)theory of five elements music therapy and music emotion classification.The software is intended to provide appropriate music selections tailored to the negative emotional states of cancer patients and evaluate its effectiveness in psychological rehabilitation.Methods ①Music screening and classification:Qualitative analysis was used by six experts in TCM,psychology,nursing,and musicology to screen five elements music and classify corresponding emotional categories.②Software design and development:Based on screening and classification of music materials,design and develop a"Five Elements Music Software Based on Emotion Classification".③Software application evaluation:Recruit 50 cancer patients from the"Beijing Anti Cancer Paradise"as participants to have a trial listening experience with music software,and fill out a satisfaction questionnaire to evaluate its application effect.Results This study established a music database containing 150 pieces of five-elements musical tunes and completed the classification of emotional categories.Among the included subjects,80%of the recruited objects were satisfied with the experience of the five elements music software,of which the application experience of female patients was significantly better than that of male patients,and breast cancer patients were better than other cancer patients,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).The five elements music Software in clinic showed comparing with other two groups after four weeks,there was a significant difference for HAMD when comparing five elements music software group and the other two groups(P<0.05).Conclusion The five-element music software designed based on emotion classification effectively meets the psychological rehabilitation needs of cancer patients.It provides appropriate music selections and convenient listening method to regulate cancer-related negative emotions,extending psychological rehabilitation from the hospital to the home.
7.Analysis of gut microbiota characteristics in elderly patients with sarcopenic obesity based on 16S rRNA sequencing
Ling WANG ; Xiangfeng HE ; Yanqing REN ; Yanping SONG ; Lin MA ; Nan CHEN
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics 2025;44(8):1114-1121
Objective:To explore the characteristics of gut microbiota changes in individuals with Sarcopenic Obesity(SO)based on 16S rRNA sequencing.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Chongming District, Shanghai from April to November 2021.Fecal samples were collected from 20 elderly SO patients (case group)and 40 elderly non-SO individuals(control group)for 16S rRNA sequencing in order to analyze the diversity, structural composition, and species differences of gut microbiota, and then to predict the differential metabolic functions of the gut microbiota.Results:A total of 60 subjects were included.The case group consisted of 20 individuals(15 males and 5 females)with an average age of 73.15 ± 4.09 years; the control group included 40 individuals(20 males and 20 females)with an average age of 71.20 ± 4.12 years.The α-diversity analysis revealed that the richness indices ACE and Chao 1 of the case group were significantly lower than those of the control group( P<0.05), while the diversity indices Shannon and Simpson showed a trend of being lower in the case group, but the differences were not statistically significant( P>0.05). Principal coordinate analysis based on the Unweighted-unifrac distance metric demonstrated a statistically significant difference in β-diversity between the two groups( P=0.003). The structure and composition of the gut microbiota in the case group were altered, with a significant reduction in the relative abundance of the Blautia genus in the case group( P<0.05). LEfSe analysis identified 5 and 16 enriched microbial species in the case and control groups, respectively (Linear Discriminant Analysis score >2, P<0.05). Additionally, PICRUSt2 functional prediction revealed significant differences( P<0.05)in metabolic pathways between the two groups, including quorum sensing, fat digestion and absorption, and folate biosynthesis. Conclusions:The gut microbiota in elderly SO patients is disordered, mainly manifested as a decrease in diversity and characteristic changes in structural composition, as well as a reduction in the abundance of the beneficial bacterium Blautia.The Progression of SO is closely associated with gut microbiota metabolic disturbances, and targeting the gut microbiota is expected to become a novel therapeutic approach for SO.
8.Comparison of the efficacy of continuous VA chemotherapy and I/HDAC consolidation in postremission therapy for acute myeloid leukemia fit for standard chemotherapy
Li SUN ; Pengpeng ZHANG ; Simei REN ; Nan ZHOU ; Liyuan LI ; Zhenzhen WANG ; Weiguang CUI ; Fan YANG ; Jianmin LUO ; Lin YANG
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2025;46(4):343-348
Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of continuous venetoclax combined azacitidine (VA) chemotherapy and intermedium/high-dose cytarabine (I/HDAC) consolidation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) fit for standard chemotherapy (transform from UNFIT) .Methods:Clinical data of patients who were fit for standard chemotherapy were collected among those with AML who underwent VA induction in the Department of Hematology, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University. The overall survival (OS), relapse-free survival (RFS), event-free survival (EFS), and incidence of adverse events were analyzed retrospectively.Results:This study enrolled 69 patients, consisting of 46 cases in the VA group and 23 cases in the I/HDAC group. We revealed the following. ① The median OS, RFS, EFS were 26.18, 24.69, 20.34 months in the VA group, and 34.14, 30.99, 28.42 months in the I/HDAC group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (all P>0.05). Median OS of patients who underwent I/HDAC consolidation with European Leukemia Net (ELN) favorable-risk, positive measurable residual disease (MRD), wild type FLT3, or IDH1/2 mutation was significantly longer than those who received VA ( P<0.05). ②Adverse events rate of grade 3 - 4 neutropenia, grade 3 - 4 thrombocytopenia, and bacteremia were significantly lower in the VA group than in the I/HDAC group ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:I/HDAC consolidation was more likely to help get survival benefits for patients with ELN favorable-risk, positive MRD, wild type FLT3, or IDH1/2 mutation. Continuous VA chemotherapy exhibited superior safety than I/HDAC consolidation.
9.Prognostic value of PRMT2,TRAF2 and metastasis-related gene in renal clear cell carcinoma
Lingyun DU ; Yaowu WANG ; Nan REN
Tianjin Medical Journal 2025;53(5):492-497
Objective To analyze the correlation between expression levels of protein arginine methyltransferase 2(PRMT2),TNF receptor associated factor 2(TRAF2)and metastasis-related genes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC)and their evaluation value for prognosis.Methods A total of 110 patients with ccRCC were selected.The expression levels of PRMT2,TRAF2 protein and mRNA,and the expression of metastasis-related genes[N-cadherin(N-cad),E-cadherin(E-cad),vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA),vascular endothelial growth factor C(VEGFC)]were detected in cancer tissue and paracancer tissue.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between PRMT2,TRAF2 mRNA and metastasis-related genes,and the effect of PRMT2 and TRAF2 expression on the prognosis of ccRCC patients.Results The mRNA expression levels of PRMT2,TRAF2,N-cad,VEGFA and VEGFC were higher in ccRCC cancer tissue than those in adjacent tissue,and E-cad was lower in ccRCC cancer tissue than that in adjacent tissue(P<0.01).PRMT2 and TRAF2 mRNA were positively correlated with N-cad,VEGFA and VEGFC mRNA expression,and negatively correlated with E-cad mRNA expression in cancer tissue(P<0.01).The positive rates of PRMT2 protein and TRAF2 protein in ccRCC cancer tissue were higher than those in adjacent tissue(P<0.01).The positive rates of PRMT2 and TRAF2 protein in TNM stage III cancer tissue were higher than those in TNM stage I-II cancer tissue(P<0.05).The 3-year progression-free survival rate of the PRMT2 and TRAF2 positive group was lower than that of the negative group(P<0.05).TNM stage III,PRMT2 positive and TRAF2 positive were risk factors affecting the progression-free survival prognosis of ccRCC patients(P<0.05).Conclusion The expression levels of PRMT2 and TRAF2 are up-regulated in ccRCC,which are related to the expression of metastasis-related genes and TNM stage of tumor,and can be used as the marker for evaluating the prognosis of ccRCC.
10.Cucurbitacin B Regulates Mitochondrial Apoptosis Through the NAMPT-FoxO3a Axis to Affect the Biological Function of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Cells
Nan QIU ; Yuhong REN ; Jiafu LIU
Acta Medicinae Universitatis Scientiae et Technologiae Huazhong 2025;54(5):626-634
Objective To explore the molecular mechanisms by which cucurbitacin B(CuB)regulates the mitochondrial ap-optosis pathway through the nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase(NAMPT)/forkhead transcription factor O subfamily member 3a(FoxO3a)axis to affect the biological function of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)cells.Methods Gefitinib(GEF)and CuB were used to intervene in A549 cells.Network pharmacology was employed to analyze the targets and downstream pathways,and different vector-transfected cell groups were set up.Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay,cell invasion by Transwell assay,and cell apoptosis by flow cytometry.The mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP)level was measured using a JC-1 kit,and intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were detected using a kit.Western blot was used to detect the expression of mitochondrial dynamics-related proteins(DRP1,Mfn1),as well as the protein levels of NAMPT and FoxO3a in A549 cells.The mRNA expression of NAMPT was detected by qRT-PCR.Additionally,a xenograft model in nude mice was es-tablished to verify the therapeutic effects of CuB in vivo.Results Compared with the control group,GEF and CuB intervention significantly inhibited the viability and invasion of A549 cells and induced cell apoptosis.Moreover,CuB intervention significant-ly decreased the MMP level,increased ROS concentration,and upregulated the expression of DRP1 while downregulating Mfn1 in A549 cells(P<0.05).NAMPT,a therapeutic target,was highly expressed in A549 cells and was inhibited by CuB.Compared with the vector group,overexpression of NAMPT significantly promoted the growth of A549 cells and inhibited mitochondrial apoptosis.Compared with the vector+CuB(100 nmol/L)group,overexpression of NAMPT reversed the effects of CuB on A549 cells(P<0.05).Compared with the si-NAMPT-NC group,silencing NAMPT significantly inhibited the growth of A549 cells and promoted mitochondrial apoptosis,while knockdown of FoxO3a enhanced the viability and invasion of A549 cells and re-versed the damaging effects of si-NAMPT on cancer cells(P<0.05).In vivo experimental results showed that CuB inhibited tumor weight and volume in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusion CuB regulates the NAMPT-FoxO3a axis through the mito-chondrial apoptosis pathway to inhibit the progression of NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail