1.Application of ''Sensation and Response'' Theory in Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Lung Cancer
Ayidana MAOLAN ; Qiujun GUO ; Runzhi QI ; Rui LIU ; Baojin HUA
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(2):261-268
Lung cancer still ranks first among malignant tumors in the world and China. Although surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other treatments can delay patients' lives, thorny problems remain to be solved, such as adverse reactions after intervention, patient resistance to treatment, and the economic burden of treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) featuring a holistic view advocates macro interventions throughout the entire disease cycle, which has the advantages of reducing toxicity, improving efficiency, and enhancing patients' quality of life. The theory of ''sensation and response'' was first recorded in the book of I-Ching. This is the natural law of mutual induction, influence, and interaction among all things in nature. According to the theory of ''Qi monism'' and the proposal of regulating Qi movement and removing toxin by Professor Hua Baojin, we re-examine lung cancer from the primitive thinking in TCM and explain the relevance of Qi movement changes to the occurrence, progression, and treatment of lung cancer. The core pathogeneses of lung cancer are the deficiency of healthy Qi and invasion of deficiency pathogen resulting in the formation of cancer and the internal generation of cancer toxin leading to intermediate dysfunction. Six excesses and Yin pathogen invade and gradually accumulate in the lung and spleen, leading to the generation of cancer toxin, which eventually evolve into lung cancer. The treatment can be based on the theories of five elements and visceral manifestation from three aspects. First, on the basis of syndrome differentiation, medicinal materials of different flavors can be used. Specifically, pungent medicinal materials can be used for dredging and sweet medicinal materials can be used for tonifying. Second, medicinal materials with similar morphology or origin to that in the human body can be used for treating the diseases in corresponding sites. Finally, corrigent medicinal materials can be combined for two-way regulation. These measures can be applied in lung cancer treatment to optimize the prevention and treatment strategies and provide new research directions for TCM diagnosis and treatment of tumors.
2.Characteristics of brain glymphatic system changes in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment based on perivascular spaces and DTI-ALPS index assessment
Xiaoqin CHENG ; Guoqiang FEI ; Shen ZHAO ; Rui HUA ; Feng SHI ; Xiaoli PAN ; Ziyi HE ; Sirui LIU
Chinese Journal of Clinical Medicine 2026;33(3):479-485
Objective To explore the characteristics and correlation between perivascular spaces (PVS) and diffusion tensor image analysis along perivascular spaces (DTI-ALPS) index in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods A retrospective study was conducted on a total of 118 participants, including cognitive normal (CN) healthy controls and aMCI patients, recruited from the Department of Neurology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from September 2020 to September 2022. All participants underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). An automatic segmentation algorithm was used to quantify PVS metrics in the brain, and DTI-ALPS index was calculated based on DTI. Differences in DTI-ALPS index and PVS metrics between the CN and aMCI groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent factors influencing aMCI. Correlation analysis was performed to assess relationships among DTI-ALPS index, PVS metrics, and cognitive scores. Results A total of 80 CN healthy controls and 38 aMCI patients were included. The DTI-ALPS index was significantly lower in the aMCI group compared with the CN group (1.28±0.18 vs 1.37±0.21, P=0.018), while differences in PVS metrics between groups were not statistically significant. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that DTI-ALPS index was an independent factor affecting aMCI (OR=0.097, 95%CI 0.011–0.833, P=0.033). Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between DTI-ALPS index and MMSE score (r=0.210, P=0.023) as well as PVS length in the centrum semiovale (r=0.216, P=0.019). Conclusions The DTI-ALPS index may serve as an imaging biomarker for identifying early cognitive impairment, and patients with aMCI exhibit abnormal DTI-ALPS indices, suggesting that brain glymphatic system dysfunction may occur prior to morphological changes.
3.Three cases of acquired ocular toxoplasmosis
Rui-rui LI ; Shu ZHOU ; Hua LIU ; Bo ZHOU ; Yu-zhang HU
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2026;33(1):66-68
In this study, there were three toxoplasmosis patients, two of whom developed symptoms in both eyes. One patient had a slight deviation of the lesion from the central fovea, which had a minor impact on vision. The diagnosis of this disease requires not only a close pet contact history and typical clinical manifestations, but also serology and the gold standard Goldmann-Witmer coefficient(GWC). However, the GWC of some patients cannot be detected at the initial stage, such as the first patient′s GWC, which did not meet the standard. All three patients underwent metagenomic testing to assist with diagnosis.
4.Dual Targeting of TBK1 and JAK-STAT1 Pathways by (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate Suppresses Type I Interferon-driven Inflammation
Liang LI ; Qi-Huan SHENG ; Huan LIU ; Wen-Hao YANG ; Jia-Lin SHI ; Ying-Jie SUN ; Rui JING ; Wei-Hua MAI ; Zhi-Min LI ; Xiao-Li XIE
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(7):1969-1983
ObjectiveType I interferon (IFN-I) signaling is essential for antiviral innate immunity, yet its sustained or excessive activation contributes to the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases and interferonopathies, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Aicardi-Goutières syndrome. Current strategies targeting this pathway, exemplified by JAK inhibitors, act mainly on downstream signal transduction and provide limited direct control over upstream IFN-I production, while also carrying the risk of broad immunosuppression. Phyllanthus emblica L. has long been used in traditional medicine for inflammatory disorders, but the bioactive constituent responsible for its regulation of IFN-I signaling and the underlying molecular mechanism have not been clearly defined. This study aimed to identify the active anti-inflammatory component of P. emblica and to characterize its mechanism of action on the IFN-I pathway in macrophages. MethodsActive components ofP. emblica and their candidate targets were screened by network pharmacology using the TCMSP and DrugBank databases (oral bioavailability≥30%, drug-likeness≥0.18) and intersected with inflammation-related genes retrieved from public databases. The predicted interaction between EGCG and IFN-I pathway proteins (TBK1, IRF3, STAT1) was evaluated by molecular docking, with BX795 and GSK8612 used as reference TBK1 inhibitors. Mechanistic experiments were performed in THP-1-derived macrophages and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). Upstream signaling was activated by transfection of the nucleic acid analogs poly(I∶C) and poly(dA∶dT) or by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, whereas downstream signaling was activated by exogenous IFN-β. An siRNA-mediated TREX1 knockdown model was used to mimic endogenous nucleic acid-driven interferonopathy. Expression of IFN-β1 and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) was measured by RT-qPCR, protein phosphorylation by Western blot, and IFN-β secretion by ELISA. Cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) and drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) were used to probe the interactionbetween EGCG and IRF3. ResultsNetwork pharmacology identified (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as a candidate IFN-I-suppressive constituent of P. emblica, with predicted binding to TBK1, IRF3, and STAT1. Molecular docking yielded binding energies of -9.2, -7.2, and -8.2 kcal/mol for TBK1, IRF3, and STAT1, respectively, indicating an affinity for TBK1 comparable to that of the reference inhibitors BX795 (-5.7 kcal/mol) and GSK8612 (-6.4 kcal/mol). EGCG suppressed IFN-β1 and ISG mRNA expression under poly (I∶C), poly (dA∶dT), and LPS stimulation in both THP-1 macrophages and BMDM. At the protein level, EGCG reduced the phosphorylation of TBK1 and IRF3 without affecting the levels of the upstream sensors cGAS and RIG-I, and lowered IFN-β secretion in a concentration-dependent manner. CETSA and DARTS showed that EGCG did not enhance the thermal stability or protease resistance of IRF3, indicating that its effect on IRF3 is indirect. Following IFN-β stimulation, prolonged EGCG treatment reduced STAT1 phosphorylation in a time-dependent manner without an apparent change in IRF9, and partially attenuated ISG transcription; this effect was not monotonicly concentration-dependent, and CXCL10 showed the most consistent suppression. In TREX1-knockdown cells, the elevated mRNA levels of ISG15, ISG56, and CXCL10 were reduced by EGCG. ConclusionEGCG suppresses IFN-I responses by concurrently inhibiting TBK1-IRF3-dependent IFN‑β production and JAK-STAT1-mediated downstream transcription. These in vitro findings provide a mechanistic basis for the anti-inflammatory use of P. emblica in traditional medicine and identify EGCG as a candidate for further evaluation in interferon-driven autoimmune disease models.
5.Prediction of Pulmonary Nodule Progression Based on Multi-modal Data Fusion of CCNet-DGNN Model
Lehua YU ; Yehui PENG ; Wei YANG ; Xinghua XIANG ; Rui LIU ; Xiongjun ZHAO ; Maolan AYIDANA ; Yue LI ; Wenyuan XU ; Min JIN ; Shaoliang PENG ; Baojin HUA
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(24):135-143
ObjectiveThis study aims to develop and validate a novel multimodal predictive model, termed criss-cross network(CCNet)-directed graph neural network(DGNN)(CGN), for accurate assessment of pulmonary nodule progression in high-risk individuals for lung cancer, by integrating longitudinal chest computed tomography(CT) imaging with both traditional Chinese and western clinical evaluation data. MethodsA cohort of 4 432 patients with pulmonary nodules was retrospectively analyzed. A twin CCNet was employed to extract spatiotemporal representations from paired sequential CT scans. Structured clinical assessment and imaging-derived features were encoded via a multilayer perceptron, and a similarity-based alignment strategy was adopted to harmonize multimodal imaging features across temporal dimensions. Subsequently, a DGNN was constructed to integrate heterogeneous features, where nodes represented modality-specific embeddings and edges denoted inter-modal information flow. Finally, model optimization was performed using a joint loss function combining cross-entropy and cosine similarity loss, facilitating robust classification of nodule progression status. ResultsThe proposed CGN model demonstrated superior predictive performance on the held-out test set, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC) of 0.830, accuracy of 0.843, sensitivity of 0.657, specificity of 0.712, Cohen's Kappa of 0.417, and F1 score of 0.544. Compared with unimodal baselines, the CGN model yielded a 36%-48% relative improvement in AUC. Ablation studies revealed a 2%-22% increase in AUC when compared to simplified architectures lacking key components, substantiating the efficacy of the proposed multimodal fusion strategy and modular design. Incorporation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-specific symptomatology led to an additional 5% improvement in AUC, underscoring the complementary value of integrating TCM and western clinical data. Through gradient-weighted activation mapping visualization analysis, it was found that the model's attention predominantly focused on nodule regions and effectively captured dynamic associations between clinical data and imaging-derived features. ConclusionThe CGN model, by synergistically combining cross-attention encoding with directed graph-based feature integration, enables effective alignment and fusion of heterogeneous multimodal data. The incorporation of both TCM and western clinical information facilitates complementary feature enrichment, thereby enhancing predictive accuracy for pulmonary nodule progression. This approach holds significant potential for supporting intelligent risk stratification and personalized surveillance strategies in lung cancer prevention.
6.Advances in the Localization and Regulation of P-glycoprotein in Different Tissues and Organs.
Jia-Hua ZHAO ; Xiao-Sa YANG ; Xiao-Jiao XU ; Rui LIU ; Tian-Tian ZHUANG ; Jia-Tang ZHANG
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(2):295-302
P-glycoprotein(P-gp)is an ATP-dependent efflux transporter that is distributed in many tissues and organs.P-gp can selectively pump endogenous substrates and exogenous chemicals from the cell to the outside of the cell to maintain a stable endo-environment.However,it meanwhile restricts the entry of therapeutic drug into tissues and organs,and in particular,mediates the multidrug resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs.Therefore,understanding the localization of P-gp in different tissues and organs may be an important breakthrough point for disease treatment.In this paper,we mainly review the molecular structure,transport mechanism,localization,and regulation of P-gp in different tissues and organs,providing reference for the subsequent treatment of diseases.
Humans
;
ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Member 1/chemistry*
;
Animals
;
Drug Resistance, Multiple
7.Development of Benchtop Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Technology and Its Application in Drug Control Field
Qi LIAO ; Yong-Hong LIU ; Ying JIAO ; Xiao-Ying YANG ; Yi-Hua YANG ; Cui-Mei LIU ; Rui-Xia GAO
Journal of Forensic Medicine 2025;41(3):267-276
At present,the drug substitutes represented by new psychoactive substances are gradually be-coming popular,leading to an increasing demand for identifying novel drugs with unknown structures in drug investigation.Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)spectroscopy is an important tool for ana-lyzing molecular structures.In the absence of standard substances,quantitative NMR(qNMR)can un-dertake the quantitative analysis of target substances in complex mixtures and has unique advantages in the research of new drugs and their precursor drugs.Due to the limitations of the site and mainte-nance costs,as well as relatively complex operation,high-field superconducting NMR is less com-monly applied in drug research.The desktop low-field NMR developed in recent years provides a new alternative solution.Due to the use of permanent magnets,its size is reduced,and the operation and maintenance costs are lowered.It has been widely used in various research fields.This article reviews the development of low-field NMR technology,summarizes the application of desktop low-field NMR in screening and identification of suspicious substances,rapid content determination,analysis of drug manufacturing processes and synthetic routes,and correlation traceability.It also looks forward to the prospects and development directions of this technology in drug research,aiming to provide a reference for researchers who work in analytical chemistry and drug research.
8.Expression of METTL5 and VIRMA in hepatocellular carcinoma and their relationship with clinical prognosis
Hong CHEN ; Lei LIU ; Huayou ZHOU ; Hua YANG ; Rui YANG
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(9):1060-1065
Objective To investigate the expression of methyltransferase like protein 5(METTL5)and Vi-ral like m6A methyltransferase associated(VIRMA)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and their relationship with clinical prognosis.Methods A total of 89 HCC patients who visited the hospital from March 2018 to March 2021 were enrolled in the study.Immunohistochemistry and fluorescence quantitative PCR were con-ducted to analyze the expression of METTL5,VIRMA protein and mRNA in tissues.Kaplan-Meier curve and COX regression were used to analyze the impact of METTL5 and VIRMA proteins on the prognosis of HCC.Results The METTL5 mRNA(3.23±0.55 vs.0.61±0.20)and VIRMA mRNA(2.97±0.42 vs.0.58±0.17)in HCC cancer tissue were higher than those in adjacent tissues,and the differences were statistically significant(t=42.234,49.762,both P<0.001).METTL5 and VIRMA proteins were located in the cyto-plasm and cell membrane,with some in the nucleus.The positive rates of METTL5[71.91%(64/89)vs.5.62%(5/89)]and VIRMA[69.66%(62/89)vs.6.74%(6/89)]in HCC cancer tissues were higher than those in adjacent tissues,and the differences were statistically significant(x2=82.385,74.627,P<0.001,P=0.001).The expression of METTL5 and VIRMA proteins in HCC were related to China Liver Cancer Staging(CNLC)stages,maximum tumor diameter,and vascular invasion,and the positive rates of METTL5 and VIRMA proteins were higher in HCC cancer tissues with CNLC stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ,maximum tumor diameter≥ 5 cm,and vascular invasion(P<0.05).The 3-year survival rates of METTL5 positive and negative groups were 34.88%(15/43)and 67.39%(31/46),with statistically significant differences(Log-rank x2=7.893,P=0.005).The 3-year survival rates of the VIRMA positive and negative groups were 36.36%(16/44)and 66.67%(30/45),with statistically significant differences(Log-rank x2=9.828,P=0.002).CNLC staging stages Ⅱ-Ⅲ,maximum tumor diameter ≥5 cm,vascular invasion,METTL5 positivity,and VIRMA positivi-ty were risk factors for poor prognosis in HCC patients(P<0.05).Conclusion The upregulation of MET-TL5 and VIRMA expression in HCC are associated with CNLC stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ,maximum tumor diameter and vascular invasion,and both of them are tumor markers for evaluating the prognosis of HCC.
9.A Retrospective Clinical Analysis of Multiple Myeloma Patients with Cardiac Amyloidosis.
Tian-Yue BIAN ; Shun WANG ; Qun LU ; Shi-Hui YUAN ; Rui LI ; Rui XU ; Ying CHEN ; Hua-Sheng LIU
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2025;33(3):834-840
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the clinical characteristics, curative effect and prognostic factors of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) complicated with light chain myocardial amyloidosis (AL-CA).
METHODS:
The data of 38 patients diagnosed with MM complicated with AL-CA in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2023 were retrospectively analyzed, and the data were comprehensively screened by multiple methods such as positive two-dimensional spot tracking echocardiography (2D-STE). Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression models were used to screen for independent prognostic factors.
RESULTS:
Among the 38 MM patients with AL-CA, 23 were male and 15 were female, with a median age of 60(50,75) years. The 1-year survival rate was 71.05%. Patients who underwent transplantation had significantly better survival outcomes than those who did not (P < 0.01). Additionally, the median survival time of patients with all-negative FISH results at the first visit was statistically different compared to patients with other mutations (P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that all negative FISH results at the first visit and the absence of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) were not independent risk factor for the prognosis of patients with MM and AL-CA (P >0.05).
CONCLUSION
ASCT may improve the prognosis of MM patients with AL-CA, and negative FISH results may indicate poor prognosis, but the results still need to be verified by larger samples.
Humans
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Multiple Myeloma/complications*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Aged
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Female
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Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Prognosis
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
;
Amyloidosis/complications*
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Survival Rate
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Proportional Hazards Models
10.Prognostic value of quantitative flow ratio measured immediately after percutaneous coronary intervention for chronic total occlusion.
Zheng QIAO ; Zhang-Yu LIN ; Qian-Qian LIU ; Rui ZHANG ; Chang-Dong GUAN ; Sheng YUAN ; Tong-Qiang ZOU ; Xiao-Hui BIAN ; Li-Hua XIE ; Cheng-Gang ZHU ; Hao-Yu WANG ; Guo-Feng GAO ; Ke-Fei DOU
Journal of Geriatric Cardiology 2025;22(4):433-442
BACKGROUND:
The clinical impact of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in patients treated with PCI for chronic total occlusion (CTO) was still undetermined.
METHODS:
All CTO vessels treated with successful anatomical PCI in patients from PANDA III trial were retrospectively measured for post-PCI QFR. The primary outcome was 2-year vessel-oriented composite endpoints (VOCEs, composite of target vessel-related cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was conducted to identify optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting the 2-year VOCEs, and all vessels were stratified by this optimal cutoff value. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI.
RESULTS:
Among 428 CTO vessels treated with PCI, 353 vessels (82.5%) were analyzable for post-PCI QFR. 31 VOCEs (8.7%) occurred at 2 years. Mean value of post-PCI QFR was 0.92 ± 0.13. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis shown the optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting 2-year VOCEs was 0.91. The incidence of 2-year VOCEs in the vessel with post-PCI QFR < 0.91 (n = 91) was significantly higher compared with the vessels with post-PCI QFR ≥ 0.91 (n = 262) (22.0% vs. 4.2%, HR = 4.98, 95% CI: 2.32-10.70).
CONCLUSIONS
Higher post-PCI QFR values were associated with improved prognosis in the PCI practice for coronary CTO. Achieving functionally optimal PCI results (post-PCI QFR value ≥ 0.91) tends to get better prognosis for patients with CTO lesions.


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