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.Similarities and Differences between Myofascial Trigger Points and Sinew Knot:from the Perspective of the Channel Sinew Theory
Zijie CHEN ; Haohan ZHU ; Xingke SONG ; Xue PU ; Junying WANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(9):1023-1026
Myofascial trigger points, as hyperirritable spots within taut bands of skeletal muscle, can induce local or referred pain, and show a high degree of similarity to acupoints in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly the so-called sinew knot lesion point. From the perspective of channel sinew theory, and by examining the correlations of myofascial trigger points with acupoints and channel sinew disorders, this study aims to compare the similarities and differences between MTrPs and sinew knot lesion points in terms of pathological mechanisms, needling analgesic mechanisms, and therapeutic approaches. The goal is to deepen the understanding of MTrPs and dry needling, and provide a modern scientific perspective on channel sinew theory and the sinew knot lesion point.
3.Similarities and Differences between Myofascial Trigger Points and Sinew Knot:from the Perspective of the Channel Sinew Theory
Zijie CHEN ; Haohan ZHU ; Xingke SONG ; Xue PU ; Junying WANG
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;67(9):1023-1026
Myofascial trigger points, as hyperirritable spots within taut bands of skeletal muscle, can induce local or referred pain, and show a high degree of similarity to acupoints in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), particularly the so-called sinew knot lesion point. From the perspective of channel sinew theory, and by examining the correlations of myofascial trigger points with acupoints and channel sinew disorders, this study aims to compare the similarities and differences between MTrPs and sinew knot lesion points in terms of pathological mechanisms, needling analgesic mechanisms, and therapeutic approaches. The goal is to deepen the understanding of MTrPs and dry needling, and provide a modern scientific perspective on channel sinew theory and the sinew knot lesion point.
4.Discussion on Technical Characteristics of National Drug Standards for Traditional Chinese Medicine Dispensing Granules
Shengjun CHEN ; Song LI ; Kejia GUO ; Yuntian ZHANG ; Haiqin ZHOU ; Xianglan PU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(10):256-264
On the premise of respecting the objective law of the occurrence and development of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) dispensing granules, relevant national departments have gradually formed the research and formulation ideas of national drug standards for dispensing granules based on the experiences and lessons learned in the development process of quality standards, as well as the formation mechanism of national standards for dispensing granules. This has certain reference significance for the formulation path of TCM quality standards. Combined with the general situation of the published standards and specific cases, the research concepts of the national standards for dispensing granules were analyzed and summarized in this paper, and the analysis of the technical characteristics of the issued national standards was focused, including the introduction of standard decoction, the overall quality control of TCM, the whole process quality control and other research ideas. At the same time, it summarized the industry common problems in the research and development process of national standards for dispensing granules, such as the source and process control of medicinal materials, and strived to solve them together, encouraging the demonstration and application of new technological means in the field of TCM dispensing granules. Finally, based on the literature analysis, the shortcomings of the current national standards were discussed, and relevant suggestions were put forward to further improve the national standards for dispensing granules. Through the overall analysis, it is helpful to comprehensively understand the technical characteristics of the national standards for TCM dispensing granules, and provide reference for the scientific exploration and practice of quality control methods for TCM.
5.Analysis of influencing factors on the trajectories of psychological symptom clusters in pregnant women with assisted reproductive technology and nursing revelation
Danni SONG ; Shuang HU ; Congshan PU ; Yiting WANG ; Jin HE ; Yajie DING ; Chunjian SHAN
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(10):1209-1216
Objective To explore the trajectory of psychological symptom clusters in pregnant women with assisted reproductive technology(ART),and analyze the influencing factors of each trajectory subgroups,in order to provide a theoretical basis for the management of psychological health during pregnancy in pregnant women with ART.Methods A total of 205 pregnant women who had conceived using ART were sampled from the obstetrics clinic of a tertiary hospital in Nanjing from August 2023 to April 2024 using a convenient sampling method.The baseline data were assessed by general information questionnaire,Symptom Checklist-90,Distress Disclosure Index and Positive Psychological Capital Questionnaire at 10-14 weeks gestation,and the follow-up information was assessed by Symptom Checklist-90 at 22-26 weeks of gestation and 34-38 weeks of gestation.Exploratory factor analysis was used to extract symptom clusters;the latent class growth mixture model was used to identify the track categories;the multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of the track.Results 180 cases were finally included.By exploratory factor analysis,5,4 and 5 factors were extracted at 3 time points respectively.Trajectories of psychological symptom clusters in pregnant women with ART is divided into 3 potential classes:low level-slow relieving group(28.89%),high level-significant increasing group(6.11%),medium level-slow increasing group(65.00%).Logistic regression analyses showed that duration of infertility,number of ART,literacy,pain self-expression and positive psychological capital were influential factors in the potential categories of psychological symptom clusters in pregnant women conceived with ART(all P<0.05).Conclusion The trajectory of psychological symptom clusters in pregnant women with ART was divided into 3 potential classes.Medical workers could develop corresponding interventions based on the influencing factors and implement comprehensive and efficient symptom management.
6.Regulatory effect of electroacupuncture at "Neiguan" (PC6) on mitochondrial autophagy during the ischemia and reperfusion phases in rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Qirui YANG ; Xinghua QIU ; Xingye DAI ; Daonan LIU ; Baichuan ZHAO ; Wenyi JIANG ; Yanhua SONG ; Tong PU ; Kai CHENG
Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion 2025;45(5):646-656
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the regulatory effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Neiguan" (PC6) on mitochondrial autophagy in rats with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) at different phases (ischemia and reperfusion phases), and to explore the bidirectional regulatory effects of EA at "Neiguan" (PC6) and its potential mechanism.
METHODS:
Forty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups according to the random number table method, namely, sham-operation group (n=9), model-A group (n=6), model-B group (n=9), EA-A1 group (n=6), EA-B1 group (n=6), and EA-B2 group (n=9). Except the rats in the sham-operation group, the MIRI model was established in the other groups with the physical ligation and tube pushing method. In the model-A group, the samples were collected directly after ligation, and in the model-B group, the samples were collected after ligation and reperfusion. In the EA-A1 group, EA was delivered while the ligation was performed, and afterwards, the samples were collected. In the EA-B1 group, while the ligation was performed, EA was operated at the same time, and after reperfusion, the samples were collected. In the EA-B2 group, during ligation and the opening of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery, EA was delivered, and after reperfusion, the samples were collected. EA was performed at bilateral "Neiguan" (PC6), with a disperse-dense wave, a frequency of 2 Hz/100 Hz, a current of 1 mA, and a duration of 30 min. HE staining was employed to observe the morphology of cardiomyocytes, TUNEL was adopted to detect the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, transcriptome sequencing was to detect the differentially expressed genes in the left ventricle, JC-1 flow cytometry was to detect the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of cardiomyocytes, Western blot was to detect the protein expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced kinase 1 (Pink1), Parkin and p62 in the left ventricle of rats, and ELISA was to detect the levels of serum creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin I (cTn-I) in the rats.
RESULTS:
Compared with the sham-operation group, the cardiomyocytes of rats in the model-B group were severely damaged, with disordered arrangement, unclear boundaries, broken muscle fibers, edema and loose distribution; and the cardiomyocytes in the EA-B2 group were slightly damaged, the cell structure was partially unclear, the cells were arranged more regularly, and the intact cardiomyocytes were visible. Compared with the sham-operation group, the apoptosis of cardiomyocytes increased in the model-B group (P<0.001); and when compared with the model-B group, the apoptosis alleviated in the EA-B2 group (P<0.001). The differentially expressed genes among the EA-B2 group, the sham-operation group and the model-B group were closely related to cell autophagy and mitochondrial autophagy. Compared with the sham-operation group, MMP of cardiomyocytes was reduced (P<0.001), the protein expression of Pink1, Parkin, and p62 of the left ventricle and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I were elevated in the model B group (P<0.001). In comparison with model-A group, the MMP of cardiomyocytes and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I were reduced (P<0.001, P<0.05), and the protein expression of Pink1 in the left ventricle rose in the EA-A1 group (P<0.01). Compared with the model-B group, MMP of cardiomyocytes increased (P<0.001), the protein expression of Pink1, Parkin, and p62 of the left ventricle, and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I decreased (P<0.001) in the EA-B1 group and the EA-B2 group. When compared with the EA-A1 group, MMP of cardiomyocytes increased (P<0.001), and the protein expression of Pink1, Parkin, and p62 of the left ventricle, and the levels of serum CK-MB and cTn-I decreased in the EA-B1 group (P<0.01).
CONCLUSION
EA at "Neiguan" (PC6) can ameliorate MIRI in rats, which may be achieved through the Pink1/Parkin-mediated mitochondrial autophagy pathway. EA can alleviate myocardial injury by enhancing mitochondrial autophagy at the ischemia phase, and it can reduce reperfusion injury by weakening mitochondrial autophagy at the reperfusion phase.
Animals
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Electroacupuncture
;
Male
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Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/metabolism*
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Rats
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Acupuncture Points
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Autophagy
;
Humans
;
Mitochondria/genetics*
8.Nano-drug delivery strategies affecting cancer-associated fibroblasts to reduce tumor metastasis.
Linghui ZOU ; Peng XIAN ; Qing PU ; Yangjie SONG ; Shuting NI ; Lei CHEN ; Kaili HU
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(4):1841-1868
Tumor metastasis is the leading cause of high mortality in most cancers, and numerous studies have demonstrated that the malignant crosstalk of multiple components in the tumor microenvironment (TME) together promotes tumor metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the major stromal cells and crosstalk centers in the TME of various kinds of tumors, such as breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer. Recently, the CAF-induced pro-tumor metastatic TME has gained wide attention, being considered as one of the effective targets for tumor therapy. With in-depth research, CAFs have been found to promote tumor metastasis through multiple mechanisms, such as inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition in tumor cells, remodeling the extracellular matrix, protecting circulating tumor cells, and facilitating the formation of a pre-metastatic niche. To enhance the anti-tumor metastasis effect, therapeutic strategies designed by combining nano-drug delivery systems with CAF modulation are undoubtedly a desirable choice, as evidenced by the research over the past decades. Herein, we introduce the physiological properties of CAFs, detail the possible mechanisms whereby CAFs promote tumor metastasis, categorize CAFs-based nano-drug delivery strategies according to their anti-metastasis functions and discuss the current challenges, possible solutions, as well as the future directions in order to provide a theoretical basis and reference for the utilization of CAFs-based nano-drug delivery strategies to promote tumor metastasis therapy.
9.Rapid discovery of drug-introduced multiple organ dysfunction via NIR-II fluorescent imaging.
Pu JIANG ; Ruihu SONG ; Yue HU ; Xin HE ; Zewei ZHANG ; Xuemei WEI ; Zhiming WANG ; De-An GUO ; Hao CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(8):4285-4299
The precise and rapid monitoring of multiple organ dysfunction is crucial in drug discovery. Traditional methods, such as pathological analysis, are often time-consuming and inefficient. Here, we developed a multiplexed near-infrared window two (NIR-II) fluorescent bioimaging method that allows for real-time, rapid, and quantitative assessment of multiple organ dysfunctions. Given that existing probes did not fully meet requirements, we synthesized a range of NIR-II hemicyanine dyes (HDs) with varying absorption and emission wavelengths. By modifying these dyes, we achieved high spatial and temporal resolution imaging of the liver, kidneys, stomach, and intestines. This method was further applied to investigate disorders induced by cisplatin, a drug known to cause gastric emptying issues along with liver and kidney injuries. By monitoring the metabolic rate of the dyes in these organs, we accurately quantified multi-organ dysfunction, which was also confirmed by gold-standard pathological analysis. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of five aristolochic acids (AAs) on multiple organ dysfunction. For the first time, we identified that AA-I and AA-II could cause gastric emptying disorders, which was further validated through transcriptomics analysis. Our study introduces a novel approach for the simultaneous monitoring of multi-organ dysfunction, which may significantly enhance the evaluation of drug side effects.
10.Correlation study between dietary patterns and glucose and delivery outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus based on social jet lag
Jin HE ; Yiting WANG ; Chunjian SHAN ; Congshan PU ; Guifeng HU ; Danni SONG ; Juan WANG
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2025;41(22):1702-1709
Objective:To investigate dietary patterns under social jet lag in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and analyze its relationship with blood glucose control and delivery outcomes, to provide a reference for comprehensive management of pregnant women with GDM.Methods:A cross-sectional study method was used to select pregnant women with GDM during their stay in the obstetrics ward of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from October 2022 to December 2023 as the study population. Social jet lag and dietary information were collected using Simplified Food Frequency Questionnaire and Self-assessment Questionnaire on Social Jet Lag. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between dietary patterns and blood glucose control as well as delivery outcomes. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to analyze the predictive performance of social jet lag, dietary patterns and fasting blood glucose for cesarean section.Results:A total of 350 pregnant women with GDM were included, 140 pregnant women with social time lag, aged (31.97 ± 3.88) years old; 210 pregnant women without social time lag, aged (32.32 ± 3.91) years old. The plant-based dietary pattern factor, fast food dietary pattern factor, and the intakes of protein, fat, and carbohydrates of pregnant women with social jet lag were -0.06 (-0.25, 0.32) and 0.08 (-0.43, 0.66), (119.57 ± 89.77) g, (82.69 ± 59.48) g, (228.77 ± 140.18) g, compared with pregnant women without social jet lag [-0.21 (-0.39, 0.08), -0.24 (-0.57, 0.07), (86.29 ± 47.75) g, (57.31 ± 37.86) g, (170.79 ± 85.56) g], the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-2.39, -2.86, t=81.43, 90.78, 88.34, all P<0.05). The social jet lag of GDM women was positively correlated with plant-based dietary patterns, fast food dietary patterns, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin and cesarean section ( r values were 0.19-0.24, all P<0.05). The plant-based dietary pattern of pregnant women with GDM was negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose and cesarean section ( r=-0.17, -0.24, both P<0.05), while the fast food dietary pattern was positively correlated with fasting blood glucose and cesarean section ( r=0.20, 0.19, both P<0.05). The area under the curve in the combined prediction of multiple factors such as social jet lag, plant-based dietary pattern, fast food dietary pattern and fasting blood glucose for the outcome of cesarean section during pregnancy was 0.742. Conclusions:The dietary structure of GDM women with social jet lag is unreasonable, consume more carbohydrates, sugar, and fats, which are associated with poor glycemic control and increased cesarean section rate. Medical staff should be alerted to social jet lag preferences and dietary intake of GDM and include them in the risk assessment of adverse outcomes of GDM, give timely correction and strengthen management, which can provide a reference for early preventive interventions for GDM with different risk stratification.

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