1.Role and pathogenesis of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors in osteoporosis
Jiamu XU ; Cheng YANG ; Weimin LI ; Chunqing WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(3):691-700
BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that there is a close relationship between pyroptosis,inflammatory factors and osteoporosis.OBJECTIVE:To review the effects of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors on the pathogenesis of osteoporosis from the perspectives of osteogenic differentiation and osteoclastic differentiation,based on an overview of pyroptosis in relation to the interaction of relevant inflammatory factors.METHODS:The first author used the computer to search the literature published by each database until 2024,and searched CNKI,WanFang,VIP and PubMed databases with the search terms of"pyroptosis,inflammatory factors,osteoporosis,osteoblast,osteoclast,bone metabolism,signaling pathway,review"in Chinese and English.A total of 79 papers were finally included according to the inclusion criteria.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The progression of osteoporosis is closely related to inflammation,in which pyroptosis plays a key role.Immune cells induce pyroptosis through apoptosis pathway,promote the secretion of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-18,interleukin-1β and NLRP3,build an inflammatory immune microenvironment,and regulate bone metabolism through complex signaling pathways,resulting in enhanced bone absorption and reduced bone formation,thereby leading to osteoporosis.Previous studies have shown that inhibiting pyroptosis is anti-inflammatory and slows the progression of osteoporosis,and it has been shown to improve inflammatory bone loss in vitro and in animal models.At present,research on pyroptosis and osteoporosis is limited.On the one hand,the exact mechanism of osteoporosis and the pathogenesis of pyroptosis are unknown,and the specific pathways and regulatory mechanisms remain to be understood.On the other hand,therapeutic strategies targeting pyroptosis are still theoretical,not clinically proven,and drug side effects are unknown.In the future,the research focus is to further explore the pathogenesis,especially the mechanism of pyroptosis,identify potential therapeutic targets,further study the pyroptosis signaling pathway and Gasdermin protein,and develop new drugs to improve the therapeutic effect in patients with osteoporosis.
2.Role and pathogenesis of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors in osteoporosis
Jiamu XU ; Cheng YANG ; Weimin LI ; Chunqing WANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2026;30(3):691-700
BACKGROUND:Studies have shown that there is a close relationship between pyroptosis,inflammatory factors and osteoporosis.OBJECTIVE:To review the effects of pyroptosis and inflammatory factors on the pathogenesis of osteoporosis from the perspectives of osteogenic differentiation and osteoclastic differentiation,based on an overview of pyroptosis in relation to the interaction of relevant inflammatory factors.METHODS:The first author used the computer to search the literature published by each database until 2024,and searched CNKI,WanFang,VIP and PubMed databases with the search terms of"pyroptosis,inflammatory factors,osteoporosis,osteoblast,osteoclast,bone metabolism,signaling pathway,review"in Chinese and English.A total of 79 papers were finally included according to the inclusion criteria.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The progression of osteoporosis is closely related to inflammation,in which pyroptosis plays a key role.Immune cells induce pyroptosis through apoptosis pathway,promote the secretion of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-18,interleukin-1β and NLRP3,build an inflammatory immune microenvironment,and regulate bone metabolism through complex signaling pathways,resulting in enhanced bone absorption and reduced bone formation,thereby leading to osteoporosis.Previous studies have shown that inhibiting pyroptosis is anti-inflammatory and slows the progression of osteoporosis,and it has been shown to improve inflammatory bone loss in vitro and in animal models.At present,research on pyroptosis and osteoporosis is limited.On the one hand,the exact mechanism of osteoporosis and the pathogenesis of pyroptosis are unknown,and the specific pathways and regulatory mechanisms remain to be understood.On the other hand,therapeutic strategies targeting pyroptosis are still theoretical,not clinically proven,and drug side effects are unknown.In the future,the research focus is to further explore the pathogenesis,especially the mechanism of pyroptosis,identify potential therapeutic targets,further study the pyroptosis signaling pathway and Gasdermin protein,and develop new drugs to improve the therapeutic effect in patients with osteoporosis.
3.Correlation between serum cystatin C and bone turnover markers in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis
Mengqian WANG ; Shaohong ZHANG ; Mengyue SUN ; Min CHEN ; Weimin WANG
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2025;36(4):89-92
Objective To analyze the correlation between serum cystatin C (Cys-C) and bone turnover markers in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and osteoporosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 320 elderly patients with T2DM admitted to Huai'an First People's Hospital from August 2021 to June 2024. Patients were divided into the osteoporosis group and the non-osteoporosis group according to whether they had osteoporosis. General information, bone turnover markers, and serum Cys-C levels were collected from all patients. The data were compared between the two groups to analyze the influencing factors of osteoporosis in elderly patients with T2DM and the correlation between serum Cys-C and bone turnover markers. Results The levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C in the osteoporosis group were higher than those in the non-osteoporosis group, and the bone mineral density was lower than that in the non-osteoporosis group (P<0.05). The levels of TPINP, β-CTX, and Cys-C in the osteoporosis group were higher than those in the non-osteoporosis group, and 25-OH-D3 level was lower than that in the non-osteoporosis group (P<0.05). Serum Cys-C was positively correlated with TPINP and β-CTX, and negatively correlated with 25-OH-D3 (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that total cholesterol, LDL-C, TPINP, β-CTX, 25-OH-D3, and Cys-C were factors influencing osteoporosis in elderly patients with T2DM (P<0.05). Conclusion Serum Cys-C levels in elderly patients with T2DM and osteoporosis are elevated. There is a significant correlation between Cys-C level and bone turnover markers.
4.Long-term safety and effectiveness of roxadustat in Chinese patients with chronic kidney disease-associated anemia: The ROXSTAR registry.
Xiaoying DU ; Yaomin WANG ; Haifeng YU ; Jurong YANG ; Weiming HE ; Zunsong WANG ; Dongwen ZHENG ; Xiaowei LI ; Shuijuan SHEN ; Dong SUN ; Weimin YU ; Detian LI ; Changyun QIAN ; Yiqing WU ; Shuting PAN ; Jianghua CHEN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(12):1465-1476
BACKGROUND:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated anemia (CKD-anemia) is associated with poor survival, and hemoglobin targets are often not achieved with current therapies. Phase 3 trials have demonstrated the treatment efficacy of roxadustat for CKD-anemia. This phase 4 study aims to evaluate the long-term (52-week) safety and effectiveness of roxadustat in a broad real-world patient population with CKD-anemia with and without dialysis in China.
METHODS:
This Phase 4 multicenter, open-label, prospective study, conducted from 24 November 2020 to 11 November 2022, evaluated the long-term safety and effectiveness of roxadustat for CKD-anemia in China. Patients aged ≥18 years with CKD-anemia with or without dialysis were included. The initial oral dose was 70-120 mg (weight-based followed by dose adjustment) over 52 weeks. The primary endpoint was safety based on adverse events (AEs). The secondary endpoints were hemoglobin changes from baseline and the proportion of patients who achieved mean hemoglobin ≥100 g/L. Effectiveness evaluable populations 1 (EE1) and EE2 included roxadustat-naïve and previously roxadustat-treated patients, respectively. The safety analysis set (SAF) included all patients who received ≥1 occasion.
RESULTS:
The EE1, EE2, and SAF populations included 1804, 193, and 2021 patients, respectively. In the SAF, the mean age was 50 ± 14 years, and 1087 patients (53.8%) were male. Mean baseline hemoglobin was 96.9 ± 14.0 g/L in EE1 and 100.3 ± 12.9 g/L in EE2. In EE1, the mean (95% confidence interval) hemoglobin changes from baseline over weeks 24-36 and 36-52 were 14.2 (13.5-14.9) g/L and 14.3 (13.5-15.0) g/L, respectively. Over weeks 24-36 and 36-52, 83.3% and 86.1% of patients in EE1 and 82.7% and 84.7% in EE2 achieved mean hemoglobin ≥100 g/L, respectively. In the SAF, 1643 (81.3%) patients experienced treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs). Overall, 219 (10.8%) patients experienced drug-related TEAEs. Thirty-eight (1.9%) patients died of TEAEs (unrelated to the study drug). Vascular access thrombosis was uncommon.
CONCLUSIONS:
Roxadustat (52 weeks) increased hemoglobin and maintained the treatment target in Chinese patients with CKD-anemia with acceptable safety, supporting its use in real-world settings.
REGISTRATION
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( www.chictr.org.cn ) ChiCTR2100046322; CDE ( www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn ) CTR20201568.
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Anemia/etiology*
;
Middle Aged
;
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/complications*
;
Glycine/adverse effects*
;
Isoquinolines/adverse effects*
;
Aged
;
Prospective Studies
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Adult
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Hemoglobins/metabolism*
;
Treatment Outcome
;
China
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Registries
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East Asian People
5.Impact of early detection and management of emotional distress on length of stay in non-psychiatric inpatients: A retrospective hospital-based cohort study.
Wanjun GUO ; Huiyao WANG ; Wei DENG ; Zaiquan DONG ; Yang LIU ; Shanxia LUO ; Jianying YU ; Xia HUANG ; Yuezhu CHEN ; Jialu YE ; Jinping SONG ; Yan JIANG ; Dajiang LI ; Wen WANG ; Xin SUN ; Weihong KUANG ; Changjian QIU ; Nansheng CHENG ; Weimin LI ; Wei ZHANG ; Yansong LIU ; Zhen TANG ; Xiangdong DU ; Andrew J GREENSHAW ; Lan ZHANG ; Tao LI
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(22):2974-2983
BACKGROUND:
While emotional distress, encompassing anxiety and depression, has been associated with negative clinical outcomes, its impact across various clinical departments and general hospitals has been less explored. Previous studies with limited sample sizes have examined the effectiveness of specific treatments (e.g., antidepressants) rather than a systemic management strategy for outcome improvement in non-psychiatric inpatients. To enhance the understanding of the importance of addressing mental health care needs among non-psychiatric patients in general hospitals, this study retrospectively investigated the impacts of emotional distress and the effects of early detection and management of depression and anxiety on hospital length of stay (LOS) and rate of long LOS (LLOS, i.e., LOS >30 days) in a large sample of non-psychiatric inpatients.
METHODS:
This retrospective cohort study included 487,871 inpatients from 20 non-psychiatric departments of a general hospital. They were divided, according to whether they underwent a novel strategy to manage emotional distress which deployed the Huaxi Emotional Distress Index (HEI) for brief screening with grading psychological services (BS-GPS), into BS-GPS ( n = 178,883) and non-BS-GPS ( n = 308,988) cohorts. The LOS and rate of LLOS between the BS-GPS and non-BS-GPS cohorts and between subcohorts with and without clinically significant anxiety and/or depression (CSAD, i.e., HEI score ≥11 on admission to the hospital) in the BS-GPS cohort were compared using univariable analyses, multilevel analyses, and/or propensity score-matched analyses, respectively.
RESULTS:
The detection rate of CSAD in the BS-GPS cohort varied from 2.64% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.49%-2.81%) to 20.50% (95% CI: 19.43%-21.62%) across the 20 departments, with a average rate of 5.36%. Significant differences were observed in both the LOS and LLOS rates between the subcohorts with CSAD (12.7 days, 535/9590) and without CSAD (9.5 days, 3800/169,293) and between the BS-GPS (9.6 days, 4335/178,883) and non-BS-GPS (10.8 days, 11,483/308,988) cohorts. These differences remained significant after controlling for confounders using propensity score-matched comparisons. A multilevel analysis indicated that BS-GPS was negatively associated with both LOS and LLOS after controlling for sociodemographics and the departments of patient discharge and remained negatively associated with LLOS after controlling additionally for the year of patient discharge.
CONCLUSION
Emotional distress significantly prolonged the LOS and increased the LLOS of non-psychiatric inpatients across most departments and general hospitals. These impacts were moderated by the implementation of BS-GPS. Thus, BS-GPS has the potential as an effective, resource-saving strategy for enhancing mental health care and optimizing medical resources in general hospitals.
Humans
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Retrospective Studies
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Male
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Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data*
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Female
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Middle Aged
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Adult
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Psychological Distress
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Inpatients/psychology*
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Aged
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Anxiety/diagnosis*
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Depression/diagnosis*
6.Fatigue driving detection based on prefrontal electroencephalogram asymptotic hierarchical fusion network.
Jiazheng SUN ; Weimin LI ; Ningling ZHANG ; Cai CHEN ; Shengzhe WANG ; Fulai PENG
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(3):544-551
Fatigue driving is one of the leading causes of traffic accidents, posing a significant threat to drivers and road safety. Most existing methods focus on studying whole-brain multi-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, which involve a large number of channels, complex data processing, and cumbersome wearable devices. To address this issue, this paper proposes a fatigue detection method based on frontal EEG signals and constructs a fatigue driving detection model using an asymptotic hierarchical fusion network. The model employed a hierarchical fusion strategy, integrating an attention mechanism module into the multi-level convolutional module. By utilizing both cross-attention and self-attention mechanisms, it effectively fused the hierarchical semantic features of power spectral density (PSD) and differential entropy (DE), enhancing the learning of feature dependencies and interactions. Experimental validation was conducted on the public SEED-VIG dataset. The proposed model achieved an accuracy of 89.80% using only four frontal EEG channels. Comparative experiments with existing methods demonstrate that the proposed model achieves high accuracy and superior practicality, providing valuable technical support for fatigue driving monitoring and prevention.
Humans
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Electroencephalography/methods*
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Automobile Driving
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Fatigue/diagnosis*
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Accidents, Traffic/prevention & control*
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Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
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Neural Networks, Computer
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Algorithms
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Prefrontal Cortex/physiology*
7.Advances in radiomics for early diagnosis and precision treatment of lung cancer.
Jiayi LI ; Wenxin LUO ; Zhoufeng WANG ; Weimin LI
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(5):1062-1068
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with its high mortality rate primarily attributed to delayed diagnosis. Radiomics, by extracting abundant quantitative features from medical images, offers novel possibilities for early diagnosis and precise treatment of lung cancer. This article reviewed the latest advancements in radiomics for lung cancer management, particularly its integration with artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize diagnostic processes and personalize treatment strategies. Despite existing challenges, such as non-standardized image acquisition parameters and limitations in model reproducibility, the incorporation of AI significantly enhanced the precision and efficiency of image analysis, thereby improving the prediction of disease progression and the formulation of treatment plans. We emphasized the critical importance of standardizing image acquisition parameters and discussed the role of AI in advancing the clinical application of radiomics, alongside future research directions.
Humans
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Lung Neoplasms/diagnosis*
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Artificial Intelligence
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Early Detection of Cancer/methods*
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Precision Medicine
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Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
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Tomography, X-Ray Computed
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Radiomics
8.Research progresses on the mechanism of macrophages in tendon bone healing.
Liang WANG ; Yinshuan DENG ; Tao QU ; Chaoming DA ; Yunfei HE ; Rui LIU ; Weimin NIU ; Weishun YAN ; Zhen CHEN ; Shuo LI ; Zhiyun YANG ; Binbin GUO ; Xueqian LAI
Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology 2025;41(2):183-187
The connection between tendons and bones is called the tendon bone connection. With the continuous improvement of national sports awareness, excessive exercises and the related intensity are prone to damage the tendon bone connection. Tendon bone healing is a complex repair and healing process involving multiple factors, and good tendon bone healing is a prerequisite for its physiological function. The complexity of tendon bone structure also poses great challenges to the repair of tendon bone injuries. In recent years, researches have found that stem cells, growth factors, macrophages, and other factors are closely related to the healing process of tendon bone injuries, among which macrophages play an important role in the healing process. The authors reviewed relevant research literature in recent years and summarized the role of macrophages in tendon bone healing, in order to provide new ideas and directions for treatment strategies to promote tendon bone healing.
Humans
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Macrophages/metabolism*
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Wound Healing
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Animals
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Tendons/physiology*
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Bone and Bones/injuries*
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Tendon Injuries
9.Predictive value of coronary microcirculation dysfunction after revascularization in patients with acute myocardial infarction for acute heart failure during hospitalization.
Lan WANG ; Yuliang MA ; Weimin WANG ; Tiangang ZHU ; Wenying JIN ; Hong ZHAO ; Chengfu CAO ; Jing WANG ; Bailin JIANG
Journal of Peking University(Health Sciences) 2025;57(2):267-271
OBJECTIVE:
To study incident and clinical characteristics of the coronary microcirculation dysfunction (CMD) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) and to explore the predictive value of CMD for in-hospital acute heart failure event.
METHODS:
One hundred and forty five patients with AMI who had received PCI and completed MCE during hospitalization in Peking University People' s Hospital from November 2015 to July 2021 were enrolled in our study. The patients were divided into CMD group and normal group according to the coronary microcirculation status detected by MCE. Clinical data and MCE data of the two groups were collected and analyzed. The acute heart failure event during hospitalization was described. A multivariate Logistic regression model was built to analyze the risk of acute heart failure in patients with CMD. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the value of CMD in predicting acute heart failure event.
RESULTS:
CMD detected by MCE occurred in 87 patients (60%). Compared with normal group, patients with CMD had higher troponin I (TnI) peak level [52.8 (8.1, 84.0) μg/L vs. 18.9 (5.7, 56.1) μg/L, P=0.005], poorer Killip grade on admission (P=0.030), different culprit vessel (P < 0.001) and more patients had thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow pre-PCI less than grade 3 in culprit vessel (65.1% vs. 43.1%, P=0.025). Meanwhile, patients with CMD had poorer left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) [52% (43%, 58%) vs. 61% (54%, 66%)], poorer global longitudinal strain (GLS) [-11.2% (-8.7%, -14.0%) vs.-13.9% (-10.8%, -17.0%)] and worse wall motion score index (WMSI) (1.58±0.36 vs. 1.25± 0.24) (P all < 0.001). Acute left heart failure happened in 13.8% of the CMD patients, which were significant higher than that in the patients with normal coronary microcirculation perfusion (1.7%, P=0.013). After correcting for the culprit vessel, the TIMI flow pre-PCI in the culprit vessel and the peak TnI value, the risk of acute left heart failure in the patients with CMD was still high (OR=9.120, 95%CI: 1.152-72.192, P=0.036). The area under ROC curve (AUC) was 0.677 (95%CI: 0.551-0.804, P=0.035).
CONCLUSION
The incidence of CMD detected by MCE in patients with AMI post-PCI was 60%. Patients with CMD have a higher risk of acute left heart failure during hospitalization.
Humans
;
Heart Failure/physiopathology*
;
Microcirculation
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Percutaneous Coronary Intervention/adverse effects*
;
Myocardial Infarction/complications*
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Male
;
Female
;
Hospitalization
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Middle Aged
;
Aged
;
Echocardiography
;
Coronary Circulation
;
Predictive Value of Tests
;
Troponin I/blood*
10.NIR-II-activated whole-cell vaccine with ultra-efficient semiconducting diradical oligomers for breast carcinoma growth and metastasis inhibition.
Yijian GAO ; Yachao ZHANG ; Yujie MA ; Xiliang LI ; Yu WANG ; Huan CHEN ; Yingpeng WAN ; Zhongming HUANG ; Weimin LIU ; Pengfei WANG ; Lidai WANG ; Chun-Sing LEE ; Shengliang LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(2):1159-1170
High-performance phototheranostics with combined photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging have been considered promising approaches for efficient cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, developing phototheranostic materials with efficient photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE), especially over the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm), remains challenging. Herein, we report an ultraefficient NIR-II-activated nanomedicine with phototheranostic and vaccination capability for highly efficient in vivo tumor elimination and metastasis inhibition. The NIR-II nanomedicine of a semiconducting biradical oligomer with a motor-flexible design was demonstrated with a record-breaking PCE of 87% upon NIR-II excitation. This nanomedicine inherently features extraordinary photothermal stability, good biocompatibility, and excellent photoacoustic performance, contributing to high-contrast photoacoustic imaging in living mice and high-performance photothermal elimination of tumors. Moreover, a whole-cell vaccine based on a NIR-II nanomedicine with NIR-II-activated performance was further designed to remotely activate the antitumor immunologic memory and effectively inhibit tumor occurrence and metastasis in vivo, with good biosafety. Thus, this work paves a new avenue for designing NIR-II active semiconducting biradical materials as a promising theranostics platform and further promotes the development of NIR-II nanomedicine for personalized cancer treatment.


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