1.Traditional Chinese Medicine Alleviates Dry Eye Disease by Regulating Tear Film Homeostasis: A Review
Sainan TIAN ; Bin'an WANG ; Yao CHEN ; Guicheng LIU ; Li TANG ; Pei LIU ; Genyan QIN ; Jun PENG ; Qinghua PENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(7):172-181
Dry eye (DE) is a prevalent multifactorial disease of the ocular surface, clinically characterized by tear film homeostasis imbalance accompanied by related ocular surface symptoms. Specifically, the tear film is a thin liquid layer of tears covering the cornea and conjunctiva through blinking, while tear film homeostasis serves as the foundation for maintaining normal ocular surface structure and function. Insufficient tear secretion and excessive tear film evaporation lead to tear hyperosmolarity and the production of inflammatory mediators, disrupting tear film homeostasis and subsequently forming DE. Additionally, cascade reactions are triggered, resulting in a "vicious cycle of DE" that exacerbates the disease severity and prolongs its duration. Therefore, for DE treatment, it is crucial to restore tear film homeostasis and terminate this vicious cycle. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which differentiates and treats DE based on systemic conditions, often achieves favorable therapeutic outcomes, offering additional treatment options for DE. Studies have demonstrated that TCM can alleviate DE by regulating tear film homeostasis and terminating the vicious cycle. This review systematically summarizes recent basic experimental research in China and abroad on TCM in alleviating DE by regulating tear film homeostasis, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment and an insight for research design.
2.Morphological differences in the psoas major muscle and influencing factors for pain severity in patients with different types of lumbar disc herniation: an analysis based on quantitative computed tomography
Hongjie WANG ; Zhigang CHEN ; Pengfei GUO ; Qinghua ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2026;35(2):235-239
Objective To analyze the difference of psoas major muscle morphology and pain degree in patients with different types of lumbar disc herniation ( LDH ) by quantitative CT, and to further explore the relationship between psoas major muscle morphology and pain degree. Methods A total of 120 patients with LDH admitted to our hospital from January to December 2025 were enrolled as study subjects. Based on clinical symptoms and lesion location, they were divided into a simple lower extremity pain group and a lumbar and leg pain group. All patients underwent lumbar CT examination. The psoas major muscle index was used as a CT quantitative parameter, which was calculated as the mean of the maximum cross-sectional areas of both psoas major muscles divided by the cross-sectional area of the L5 vertebral body. This index was measured to reflect psoas major muscle morphology. Pain severity was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Differences in psoas major muscle morphology and pain severity between the two groups were compared. A Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the psoas major muscle index and pain severity. A linear regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors affecting pain severity. Results There were no statistically significant differences in sex, age, or body mass index between the two groups (P>0.05). The disease duration was longer and the incidence of anxiety and depression was higher in the lumbar and leg pain group than those in the simple lower extremity pain group (P<0.05). Compared with the simple lower extremity pain group, the lumbar and leg pain group showed lower psoas major muscle index [(0.53 ± 0.05) vs. (0.61 ± 0.07)] and higher VAS score [(4.67 ± 1.10) vs. (3.02 ± 0.89)], and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the psoas major muscle index and the VAS score (r=−0.288, P<0.05). Linear regression model analysis indicated that the independent risk factors affecting the VAS score were age, disease duration, LDH type, and the psoas major muscle index. Conclusion Compared with LDH patients with simple lower extremity pain, those with lumbar and leg pain demonstrate a longer disease duration, a higher incidence of anxiety and depression, and a higher severity of psoas major muscle atrophy and pain. The severity of pain is associated with not only advanced age and prolonged disease duration but also the LDH type and psoas major muscle atrophy.
3.Morphological differences in the psoas major muscle and influencing factors for pain severity in patients with different types of lumbar disc herniation: an analysis based on quantitative computed tomography
Hongjie WANG ; Zhigang CHEN ; Pengfei GUO ; Qinghua ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2026;35(2):235-239
Objective To analyze the difference of psoas major muscle morphology and pain degree in patients with different types of lumbar disc herniation ( LDH ) by quantitative CT, and to further explore the relationship between psoas major muscle morphology and pain degree. Methods A total of 120 patients with LDH admitted to our hospital from January to December 2025 were enrolled as study subjects. Based on clinical symptoms and lesion location, they were divided into a simple lower extremity pain group and a lumbar and leg pain group. All patients underwent lumbar CT examination. The psoas major muscle index was used as a CT quantitative parameter, which was calculated as the mean of the maximum cross-sectional areas of both psoas major muscles divided by the cross-sectional area of the L5 vertebral body. This index was measured to reflect psoas major muscle morphology. Pain severity was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Differences in psoas major muscle morphology and pain severity between the two groups were compared. A Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the psoas major muscle index and pain severity. A linear regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors affecting pain severity. Results There were no statistically significant differences in sex, age, or body mass index between the two groups (P>0.05). The disease duration was longer and the incidence of anxiety and depression was higher in the lumbar and leg pain group than those in the simple lower extremity pain group (P<0.05). Compared with the simple lower extremity pain group, the lumbar and leg pain group showed lower psoas major muscle index [(0.53 ± 0.05) vs. (0.61 ± 0.07)] and higher VAS score [(4.67 ± 1.10) vs. (3.02 ± 0.89)], and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the psoas major muscle index and the VAS score (r=−0.288, P<0.05). Linear regression model analysis indicated that the independent risk factors affecting the VAS score were age, disease duration, LDH type, and the psoas major muscle index. Conclusion Compared with LDH patients with simple lower extremity pain, those with lumbar and leg pain demonstrate a longer disease duration, a higher incidence of anxiety and depression, and a higher severity of psoas major muscle atrophy and pain. The severity of pain is associated with not only advanced age and prolonged disease duration but also the LDH type and psoas major muscle atrophy.
4.Morphological differences in the psoas major muscle and influencing factors for pain severity in patients with different types of lumbar disc herniation: an analysis based on quantitative computed tomography
Hongjie WANG ; Zhigang CHEN ; Pengfei GUO ; Qinghua ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health 2026;35(2):235-239
Objective To analyze the difference of psoas major muscle morphology and pain degree in patients with different types of lumbar disc herniation ( LDH ) by quantitative CT, and to further explore the relationship between psoas major muscle morphology and pain degree. Methods A total of 120 patients with LDH admitted to our hospital from January to December 2025 were enrolled as study subjects. Based on clinical symptoms and lesion location, they were divided into a simple lower extremity pain group and a lumbar and leg pain group. All patients underwent lumbar CT examination. The psoas major muscle index was used as a CT quantitative parameter, which was calculated as the mean of the maximum cross-sectional areas of both psoas major muscles divided by the cross-sectional area of the L5 vertebral body. This index was measured to reflect psoas major muscle morphology. Pain severity was assessed using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Differences in psoas major muscle morphology and pain severity between the two groups were compared. A Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the psoas major muscle index and pain severity. A linear regression model was used to analyze the independent risk factors affecting pain severity. Results There were no statistically significant differences in sex, age, or body mass index between the two groups (P>0.05). The disease duration was longer and the incidence of anxiety and depression was higher in the lumbar and leg pain group than those in the simple lower extremity pain group (P<0.05). Compared with the simple lower extremity pain group, the lumbar and leg pain group showed lower psoas major muscle index [(0.53 ± 0.05) vs. (0.61 ± 0.07)] and higher VAS score [(4.67 ± 1.10) vs. (3.02 ± 0.89)], and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the psoas major muscle index and the VAS score (r=−0.288, P<0.05). Linear regression model analysis indicated that the independent risk factors affecting the VAS score were age, disease duration, LDH type, and the psoas major muscle index. Conclusion Compared with LDH patients with simple lower extremity pain, those with lumbar and leg pain demonstrate a longer disease duration, a higher incidence of anxiety and depression, and a higher severity of psoas major muscle atrophy and pain. The severity of pain is associated with not only advanced age and prolonged disease duration but also the LDH type and psoas major muscle atrophy.
5.Research Progress on the Risk of Excipients-Related Adverse Reactions in Pharmaceutical Preparations for IBD Treatment
Yanru ZHANG ; Qiuyue TU ; Ping WANG ; Zelin FENG ; Huizhen LI ; Yushan ZHU ; Haojia LIN ; Xinyue WEI ; Qinghua YI ; Hetong ZHANG ; Yueting LI ; Xiaoqin LI ; Yu WANG ; Dong XIE ; Xiaocang CAO
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(4):1135-1142
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) require long-term pharmacotherapy. Due to the wide variety of clinically available drugs, medication safety has become increasingly concerning. As an indispensable component of pharmaceutical formulations, drug excipients may induce various adverse reactions, including rash, allergic responses, and gastrointestinal discomfort, and may even lead to severe organic injury. However, they are often overlooked in clinical practice. Therefore, identifying and managing excipient-related adverse reactions is crucial for ensuring medication safety. To address this issue, this article systematically reviews common excipients in IBD therapeutics, the underlying mechanisms of excipient-induced adverse reactions, and corresponding management strategies, aiming to enhance clinicians' awareness of excipient-related issues, improve their ability to recognize and manage such reactions, and ultimately ensure patient safety.
6.Self-Supervised Multi-Organ Segmentation in Pediatric Abdominal CT Based on Vision Foundation Models
Qinghua ZHANG ; Ming LI ; Zhedian ZHOU ; Jian ZHENG ; Huadan XUE ; Qiuxia WANG ; Yu DU ; Zhen LI
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(4):954-962
To address the scarcity of annotated data for pediatric abdominal CT imaging and the insufficient generalization capability of existing models, we constructed a self-supervised pretraining architecture tailored for pediatric CT domain adaptation based on the visual foundation model DINOv3, and validated its performance in the task of pediatric abdominal multi-organ segmentation. We built a general-purpose radiological visual representation using the large-scale adult CT dataset CT-3M, and introduced a Gram-anchoring mechanism that employs a frozen adult pretrained model as a structural teacher to guide domain alignment of local topological structures on unlabeled pediatric CT data. Combined with a multi-scale feature aggregation strategy and a lightweight Primus decoder, downstream segmentation tasks were evaluated on a public pediatric CT dataset. Based on case-wise paired results, we compared the mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean intersection over union (IoU) between our model and the baseline nnU-Net using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and computed the relative performance improvements. A total of 867 abdominal CT imaging cases were collected, constituting a pretraining dataset comprising 367 588 two-dimensional CT slices. On the public Pediatric-CT-SEG dataset (359 cases), our model achieved a mean DSC of (71.38±1.08)% and a mean IoU of (63.73±1.01)%, representing improvements of 3.22% and 3.59% over the baseline nnU-Net, respectively, with statistically significant differences ( The self-supervised pretraining framework proposed in this study effectively alleviates the domain shift between adult and pediatric abdominal CT images, significantly enhances segmentation accuracy for pediatric abdominal multi-organs-particularly small organs and structures with complex boundaries-and provides a reliable technical solution for intelligent pediatric imaging analysis in scenarios with limited annotated data.
7.Association between cardiovascular health scores and visual impairment among U.S. adults: A crosssectional study using NHANES 2013 to 2018
Mengyu LIU ; Qinghua REN ; Baohua LI ; Mingming ZHANG ; Xinyue HOU ; Jianquan WANG ; Xin YAN ; Danyu LI ; Juan CHENG ; Zefeng KANG
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2026;4(3):270-279
Background: Visual impairment is increasingly prevalent, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies. This study investigated the association between cardiovascular health and visual impairment using three progressively developed metrics: Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), a cardiovascular health score developed by the American Heart Association based on 7 components, including physical activity, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), diet, blood glucose, blood pressure, and total cholesterol; Life’s Essential 8(LE8), which adds sleep health as an additional component; and Life’s Crucial 9 (LC9), which further incorporates mental health. We aimed to evaluate whether these expanded metrics provide additional explanatory value and to inform future public health strategies. Objective: To investigate the associations among LS7, LE8, and LC9 cardiovascular health scores and visual impairment in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013 to 2018, assess the added value of sleep and mental health components, and identify key contributing subcomponents using regression and machine learning methods. Methods: We analyzed data from 9891 participants in the 2013 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic spline modeling, and subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the association between cardiovascular health and visual impairment. Machine learning methods, including Random Forest and SHapley Additive exPlanations, a model interpretation approach used to assess feature importance, were applied. The Boruta algorithm, a feature selection method, was used to identify key subcomponents of cardiovascular health. Results: Participants with visual impairment were older, had lower poverty-to-income ratios, and exhibited lower cardiovascular health scores (LS7, LE8, and LC9). Higher cardiovascular health scores were negatively associated with visual impairment. Each one standard deviation increase in LS7, LE8, and LC9 was associated with approximately 8%, 2%, and 3% lower odds of visual impairment, respectively. LS7 showed the strongest negative association, whereas LE8 and LC9 emerged as the most important predictors in the machine learning models. Key subcomponents such as blood glucose, blood pressure, and BMI, as well as mental health status, were strongly associated with visual impairment. Conclusion: Higher cardiovascular health scores were negatively associated with visual impairment. LS7 demonstrated the strongest statistical association, whereas LE8 and LC9 were the most influential features in the machine learning models. Blood glucose, blood pressure, BMI, and mental health status were important correlates of visual impairment. From the perspective of the “prevention and treatment of diseases” in traditional Chinese medicine and the holistic concept, the aforementioned research findings confirm that severe visual impairment is indeed an external manifestation of overall health imbalance (such as organ dysfunction and Qi deficiency and blood stasis). The prevention strategy lies in comprehensively adjusting lifestyle, emotional factors, and metabolic indicators (corresponding to the key factors in the study) to restore the body’s internal balance and achieve prevention before disease arises.
8.Correlation Analysis Between Microbial Community Changes and Medicinal Quality Formation During Processing of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix
Xiaoyan CHEN ; Xinglong ZHU ; Qingxia GAN ; Jiahao WANG ; Guangqin AN ; Qinghua WU ; Jin PEI ; Yuntong MA
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(4):198-207
ObjectiveTo compare the differences in color, odor, coumarin content and microbial community composition of Angelicae Dahuricae Radix(ADR) during different drying processes, and to explore the correlation between changes in microbial community composition and changes in quality indexes of ADR. MethodsThe fresh ADR was processed at three drying temperatures(50, 70, 100 ℃) by drying and steaming cutting, semi-fresh cutting and drying, fresh cutting and drying, and sulfur fumigation methods. The color values of samples were extracted by Adobe Photoshop 2022 software and subjected to principal component analysis(PCA), electronic nose was used to identify the odor information of medicinal powders and subjected to loadings analysis, PCA, and linear discriminant analysis(LDA), and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was used to determine the contents of five coumarins(bergapten, oxypeucedanin, imperatorin, phellopterin, isoimperatorin). The samples for microbial detection were taken from fresh dried samples, 50 ℃(dried and steamed cut, sulfur fumigated) samples, and 100 ℃(dried and steamed cut) samples when the water content was 50% and 14%, respectively. And the changes of microbial community composition during processing were determined by high-throughput sequencing method. The relationship between the changes of microbial community composition and the changes of odor, color and active component content of ADR during drying process was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. ResultsThe color quantification results showed that an increase in drying temperature led to the decrease of brightness value(L), and the increases of red-green value(a) and yellow-blue value(b), and the change of processing method had no obvious effect on the color of medicinal materials. The results of odor quantification showed that W1S, W2S, W5S, W2W and W1W sensor were sensitive to the odor changes of ADR and could be used to distinguish ADR decoction pieces from different processing methods. The results of HPLC showed that the coumarin content of ADR decreased with the increase of drying temperature and the delay of processing time, the optimal processing method was drying and steaming cutting method, and the optimal temperature was 50 ℃. High-throughput sequencing results showed that the dominant bacteria in ADR during processing were Achromobacter, Agrobacterium, Nocardioides, Mycobacterium and Enterobacter, the dominant fungi were Coprinopsis, Meyerozyma and Apiotrichum. The results of correlation analysis showed that the quality indexes of ADR were positively correlated with Agrobacterium, Mycobacterium in bacteria, Candida in fungi, and negatively correlated with Bacillus in bacteria. ConclusionThere are significant differences in the color, odor, coumarin content and microbial community composition of ADR in different drying processes, and the best drying method is drying and steaming cutting at 50 ℃. The relative abundance changes of 9 bacterial genera and 4 fungal genera are closely related to the quality formation of ADR during the drying process.
9.Effect of refractive status before small incision lenticule extraction surgery on postoperative accommodative function
Meiluo ZHANG ; Chunyu TIAN ; Qinghua YANG ; Liexi JIA ; Hongtao ZHANG ; Manmei LI ; Zhengqing DU ; Zhuo ZENG ; Xue WANG ; Wei ZHANG
International Eye Science 2025;25(2):323-327
AIM: To investigate the abnormal conditions and change patterns of accommodative facility in patients with different refractive states before and after small incision lenticule extraction(SMILE)surgery.METHODS:A prospective clinical cohort study was conducted. A total of 59 patients(118 eyes)who underwent SMILE surgery and had visual function files established in our hospital from June to December 2023 were randomly selected, including 37 males and 22 females, aged 18-35 years(with an average age of 25.19±5.65 years). According to the preoperative spherical equivalent(SE), they were divided into two groups: the low-to-moderate myopia group(SE≥-6.00 DS)with 40 patients(80 eyes), and the high myopia group(SE<-6.00 DS)with 19 patients(38 eyes). The monocular and binocular accommodative facility before surgery and at 1 wk and 1 mo after surgery were compared, and the changes in accommodative facility before and after SMILE surgery in the two groups of patients were analyzed.RESULTS:All surgeries were completed successfully. In the low-to-moderate myopia group, 33 cases(66 eyes)completed the 1-month follow-up after surgery, with a loss to follow-up rate of 17.5%(7/40). In the high myopia group, 15 patients(30 eyes)completed the 1-month follow-up after surgery, with a loss to follow-up rate of 21.1%(4/19). After SMILE surgery, the uncorrected visual acuity and SE of both low-to-moderate myopia and high myopia were significantly improved(all P<0.05). The accommodative facility of the right eyes in all the patients at 1 mo after surgery was better than that before surgery and at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.002, 0.006), the accommodative facility of the left eyes was significantly increased at 1 mo after surgery than that at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.005), and the binocular accommodative facility at 1 mo after surgery was significantly increased compared with that before surgery(P<0.017). Furthermore, there were statistical significance in accommodative facility of the right eyes in the low-to-moderate group at 1 mo compared with that before surgery and at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.011, 0.004); it was significantly increased in the left eyes at 1 mo after surgery compared with that at 1 wk after surgery(P=0.001), and binocular accommodative facility at 1 mo after surgery was significantly better than that before surgery(P<0.001). Furthermore, there was no statistical significance in the right, left and binocular accommodative facility of patients in the high myopia group(all P>0.017).CONCLUSION: After SMILE surgery, the monocular accommodative facility shows a transient decrease and then exceeds the preoperative level at 1 mo after surgery, and the binocular accommodative facility gradually improves after surgery. SMILE surgery has a positive impact on the monocular and binocular accommodative facility in patients with low-to-moderate myopia, but has no significant impact on the accommodative facility in patients with high myopia. It is of clinical significance to strengthen the detection of monocular and binocular accommodative facility before and after SMILE surgery.
10.Urban drinking water quality in Anhui Province in 2014-2022
Yanlong XU ; Lei MA ; Xiaoliang FENG ; Zhiqiang WANG ; Xinmiao SUI ; Fei LI ; Li ZHENG ; Qinghua XU
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(2):35-38
Objective To analyze the urban drinking water quality and its influencing factors in Anhui Province from 2014 to 2022, and to provide a scientific basis for water quality improvement and protection. Methods The data were collected, saved and monitored according to the Standard Test Method for Drinking Water (GB/T5750-2006) and evaluated according to the Hygienic Standard for Drinking Water (GB 5749-2006). Results A total of 20 941 samples were collected, and the overall qualified rate was 84.26%. The qualified rate of urban drinking water increased from 76.9% in 2014 to 93.3% in 2022, and the qualified rate of water quality was on the rise (χ2=544.43, P<0.01). From 2014 to 2022, the qualified rate of water quality in dry season was higher than that in wet season (χ2=35.98, P<0.001), the qualified rate of surface water was higher than that of ground water (χ2=4440.8, P<0.001), and the qualified rate of peripheral tap water was higher than that of factory water (χ2=145.1, P<0.001). Among all kinds of disinfection methods, chlorination disinfection had the highest qualified rate (χ2=1483.8, P<0.001). The qualified rate of water quality increased with the increase of the scale of water plant. Among the inspected indicators, the main unqualified indicators were chlorine dioxide (7.72%), fluoride (7.41%), free residual chlorine (3.90%), and total bacterial count (2.13%). Conclusion The passing rate of urban drinking water quality in Anhui Province is on an upward trend, and the quality of urban drinking water has improved. However, it is still important to pay attention to the problem of excessive microorganism and fluoride in water, and the quality of drinking water varies from place to place.


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