1.QingNangTCM: a parameter-efficient fine-tuning large language model for traditional Chinese medicine
Xuming TONG ; Liyan LIU ; Yanhong YUAN ; Xiaozheng DING ; Huiru JIA ; Xu YANG ; Sio Kei IM ; Mini Han WANG ; Zhang XIONH ; Yapeng WANG
Digital Chinese Medicine 2026;9(1):1-12
Objective:
To develop QingNangTCM, a specialized large language model (LLM) tailored for expert-level traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) question-answering and clinical reasoning, addressing the scarcity of domain-specific corpora and specialized alignment.
Methods:
We constructed QnTCM_Dataset, a corpus of 100 000 entries, by integrating data from ShenNong_TCM_Dataset and SymMap v2.0, and synthesizing additional samples via retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and persona-driven generation. The dataset comprehensively covers diagnostic inquiries, prescriptions, and herbal knowledge. Utilizing P-Tuning v2, we fine-tuned the GLM-4-9B-Chat backbone to develop QingNangTCM. A multi-dimensional evaluation framework, assessing accuracy, coverage, consistency, safety, professionalism, and fluency, was established using metrics such as bilingual evaluation understudy (BLEU), recall-oriented understudy for gisting evaluation (ROUGE), metric for evaluation of translation with explicit ordering (METEOR), and LLM-as-a-Judge with expert review. Qualitative analysis was conducted across four simulated clinical scenarios: symptom analysis, disease treatment, herb inquiry, and failure cases. Baseline models included GLM-4-9B-Chat, DeepSeek-V2, HuatuoGPT-II (7B), and GLM-4-9B-Chat (freeze-tuning).
Results:
QingNangTCM achieved the highest scores in BLEU-1/2/3/4 (0.425/0.298/0.137/0.064), ROUGE-1/2 (0.368/0.157), and METEOR (0.218), demonstrating a balanced and superior normalized performance profile of 0.900 across the dimensions of accuracy, coverage, and consistency. Although its ROUGE-L score (0.299) was lower than that of HuatuoGPT-II (7B) (0.351), it significantly outperformed domain-specific models in expert-validated win rates for professionalism (86%) and safety (73%). Qualitative analysis confirmed that the model strictly adheres to the “symptom-syndrome-pathogenesis-treatment” reasoning chain, though occasional misclassifications and hallucinations persisted when dealing with rare medicinal materials and uncommon syndromes.
Conclusion
Combining domain-specific corpus construction with parameter-efficient prompt tuning enhances the reasoning behavior and domain adaptation of LLMs for TCM-related tasks. This work provides a technical framework for the digital organization and intelligent utilization of TCM knowledge, with potential value for supporting diagnostic reasoning and medical education.
2.Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factor analysis of mucinous com-ponents heterogeneity in lung adenocarcinoma
Kaiwen CHI ; Wei SUN ; Xin YANG ; Haiyue WANG ; Xinying LIU ; Yumeng JIANG ; Xiaozheng HUANG ; Dongmei LIN
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(6):719-725
Purpose This study aimed to explore the mucinous phenotype characteristics,key points of differenti-al diagnosis and prognosis of invasive non-mucinous adenocarcinoma(INMA)and invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma(IMA)under the WHO(2021)lung adenocarcinoma classification.Methods We retrospectively collected clinico-pathological data from 522 cases of lung adenocarcinoma,including 425 INMA(66 with mucin secretion,259 without mucin secretion)and 97 IMA.Immunohistochemical(IHC)staining using the EnVision method was performed on the mucin-secreting adenocarcinoma to assess expression of TTF-1,HNF4α,MUC1,MUC4,MUC5AC,MUC5B,and MUC6.Unsupervised clustering analysis was conducted to explore phenotypic subgroups.Results 522 patients with lung adenocarcinoma ranged from 32 to 83 years old(median:61).251 cases(48.1%)were male and 271 cases(51.9%)were female.Clustering analysis divided lung adenocarcinomas into two major groups:one characterized by TTF-1-/HNF4α+and gastric-type mucins MUC5AC+/MUC6+,predominantly IMA;the other,TTF-1+/HNF4α-/MUC4+,largely INMA.A three-marker IHC panel(TTF-1,HNF4α,MUC6)distinguished IMA from mucinous IN-MA with an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.957(95%CI:0.928-0.986)and a Youden's index of 0.860.Further cluster analysis of INMA cases identified four phenotypic subgroups.Prognostic analysis demonstrated that pa-tients with advanced-stage mucin-secreting INMA had significantly shorter overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)than those without mucin secretion(5-year OS:57.1% vs 81.8%,P=0.004;3-year PFS:40.9% vs 62.4%,P=0.004).No significant survival differences were noted among INMA subgroups stratified by varying mucin proportions.Multivariate analysis identified pathological stage,tumor necrosis,KRAS mutation,and TTF-1 negativity as independent adverse prognostic factors for both OS and PFS in mucinous INMA.Conclusion A three-marker im-munohistochemical panel of TTF-1,HNF4α,and MUC6 is recommended to distinguish IMA from mucinous INMA.Mucus component portends a worse prognosis in advanced INMA,with necrosis,KRAS mutations,and TTF-1 negativi-ty serving as independent adverse prognostic factors in mucinous INMA.
3.Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin prolonged the survival of a porcine kidney xenograft in a sensitized, brain-dead human recipient.
Shuaijun MA ; Ruochen QI ; Shichao HAN ; Zhengxuan LI ; Xiaoyan ZHANG ; Guohui WANG ; Kepu LIU ; Tong XU ; Yang ZHANG ; Donghui HAN ; Jingliang ZHANG ; Di WEI ; Xiaozheng FAN ; Dengke PAN ; Yanyan JIA ; Jing LI ; Zhe WANG ; Xuan ZHANG ; Zhaoxu YANG ; Kaishan TAO ; Xiaojian YANG ; Kefeng DOU ; Weijun QIN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(18):2293-2307
BACKGROUND:
The primary limitation to kidney transplantation is organ shortage. Recent progress in gene editing and immunosuppressive regimens has made xenotransplantation with porcine organs a possibility. However, evidence in pig-to-human xenotransplantation remains scarce, and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is a major obstacle to clinical applications of xenotransplantation.
METHODS:
We conducted a kidney xenotransplantation in a brain-dead human recipient using a porcine kidney with five gene edits (5GE) on March 25, 2024 at Xijing Hospital, China. Clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens were employed, and the observation period lasted 22 days. We collected and analyzed the xenograft function, ultrasound findings, sequential protocol biopsies, and immune surveillance of the recipient during the observation.
RESULTS:
The combination of 5GE in the porcine kidney and clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens prevented hyperacute rejection. The xenograft kidney underwent delayed graft function in the first week, but urine output increased later and the single xenograft kidney maintained electrolyte and pH homeostasis from postoperative day (POD) 12 to 19. We observed AMR at 24 h post-transplantation, due to the presence of pre-existing anti-porcine antibodies and cytotoxicity before transplantation; this AMR persisted throughout the observation period. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment mitigated the AMR. We observed activation of latent porcine cytomegalovirus toward the end of the study, which might have contributed to coagulation disorder in the recipient.
CONCLUSIONS
5GE and clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens were sufficient to prevent hyperacute rejection during pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation. Pre-existing anti-porcine antibodies predisposed the xenograft to AMR. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin were safe and effective in the treatment of AMR after kidney xenotransplantation.
Transplantation, Heterologous/methods*
;
Kidney Transplantation/methods*
;
Heterografts/pathology*
;
Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/administration & dosage*
;
Graft Survival/immunology*
;
Humans
;
Animals
;
Sus scrofa
;
Graft Rejection/prevention & control*
;
Kidney/pathology*
;
Gene Editing
;
Species Specificity
;
Immunosuppression Therapy/methods*
;
Plasma Exchange
;
Brain Death
;
Biopsy
;
Male
;
Aged
4.Value of cerebral cord blood flow ultrasound combined with glucose metabolism indexes in the diagnosis of preeclampsia with fetal growth restriction
Xiaoyue ZHANG ; Jingjing GAO ; Xiaozheng LIU ; Haixia GAO
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2025;46(8):971-975
Objective To explore the diagnostic value of brain cord blood flow ultrasound combined with glucose metabolism indexes in the patients with preeclampsia(PE)complicated with fetal growth restriction(FGR).Methods This study was a prospective cohort case-control study.A total of 198 PE patients admitted to the hospital from January 2017 to January 2022 were collected and divided into group A(PE patients com-plicated with FGR,101 cases)and group B(PE patients without FGR,97 cases)according to whether they were complicated with FGR.45 pregnant women with healthy prenatal examination in the hospital were se-lected as group C,and the differences of brain cord blood flow ultrasound indexes and glucose metabolism inde-xes among the three groups and the efficiency for diagnosing PE complicated with FGR were analyzed.Results Fast-ing blood glucose and fasting insulin levels in group A,group B and group C were gradually decreased(P<0.05).The peak systolic flow velocity/peak diastolic flow velocity(S/D),resistance index(RI)and pulsatility index(PI)of middle cerebral artery(MCA)of fetus in group A,group B and group C increased gradually(P<0.05).The levels of umbilical artery(UA)of fetus in group A,group B and group C decreased gradually(P<0.05).The area under the curve of fasting insulin,fasting blood glucose,S/D,RI and PI of MCA,S/D,RI,PI of UA and the combined detection were 0.782,0.748,0.765,0.836,0.805,0.758,0.811,0.795 and 0.895,respectively.The diagnostic efficiency of combined detection was higher than that of single diagnosis(Z=4.327,4.862,4.551,3.400,3.946,4.679,3.742,4.102,P<0.05).Conclusion The combined detection of glucose metabolism indexes and brain cord blood flow ultrasound indexes is of great value in the differential diagnosis of patients with PE complicated with FGR,and has good clinical application value.
5.Analysis of the Main Chemical Components and Seasonal Differences of Mussels
Xiaozheng HUANG ; Qianqian ZHONG ; Xinyu PAN ; Wanglin BAO ; Qiyuan FENG ; Jizhou YIN ; Jiangyu LI-ANG ; Shenghan YAN ; Jidong ZHOU ; Jipeng SUN ; Hao WU ; Rui LIU
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(3):383-392
OBJECTIVE To analyze the differences in chemical composition of mussels from Shengsi,Zhoushan in different har-vest months,and to compare the differences in the composition of mussels from different origins,so as to provide ideas for the compre-hensive utilization of its resources.METHODS Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QqQ-MS)and spectrophotometry were used to analyze and evaluate the contents of nucleosides,amino acids,water-soluble proteins,total sugars and polysaccharides in mussels from Shengsi,Zhoushan in 12 months of the year and from 5 different origins;principal component analysis(PCA),partial least squares discriminant method(PLS-DA)and TOPSIS method were used to compre-hensively evaluate mussels.RESULTS A total of 16 amino acids and 11 nucleosides were detected in mussels.The average content of total amino acids in Shengsi mussels throughout the year was 4 851.74 μg·g-1,the average content of total nucleosides was 921.40 μg·g-1,and the average contents of water-soluble protein,polysaccharides,and total sugars were 51.32 mg·g-1,74.39 μg·g-1,and 417.22 mg·g-1,respectively.The nucleosides of Shengsi mussels were the highest in March and April,the ami-no acids and water-soluble proteins were the highest in April and May,and the polysaccharides and total sugars were the highest in Oc-tober and November.The PCA and PLS-DA results of the chemical components of different resources showed that there were great differences in Shengsi mussel samples harvested in different seasons.The entropy weight TOPSIS analysis showed that the comprehen-sive scores of Shengsi mussels in March and April(S7 and S8)were better than those in other areas,and the comprehensive score of Shengsi mussels in April(S8)was the highest,which was determined to be the best harvesting month.CONCLUSION The comparison results of multi-type resource chemistry show that there are great differences in the chemical compo-sition of Shengsi mussels in different harvesting seasons;the quality of Shengsi mussels is better than that of other areas;April is the best harvesting season,providing a reference for the quality evaluation and comprehensive development and utilization of mussels.
6.Research progress on ubiquitin regulation function of TRAF6 and pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis
Xiaona ZHANG ; Xiaozheng DU ; Bo YUAN ; Fuxin LI ; Limei LIU
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(2):510-512,后插1-后插2
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a common autoimmune disease with synovitis as core pathological manifestation,with strong injury and high disability rate,which can not be cured completely at present.Recent studies have shown that tumor necro-sis factor receptor-related factor 6(TRAF6),as a ubiquitin ligase E3,plays a key role in autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases through a variety of pathways.This article reviews structure,function,ubiquitin regulation of TRAF6 and research progress of pathogenesis of RA.
7.Analysis of the Main Chemical Components and Seasonal Differences of Mussels
Xiaozheng HUANG ; Qianqian ZHONG ; Xinyu PAN ; Wanglin BAO ; Qiyuan FENG ; Jizhou YIN ; Jiangyu LI-ANG ; Shenghan YAN ; Jidong ZHOU ; Jipeng SUN ; Hao WU ; Rui LIU
Journal of Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;41(3):383-392
OBJECTIVE To analyze the differences in chemical composition of mussels from Shengsi,Zhoushan in different har-vest months,and to compare the differences in the composition of mussels from different origins,so as to provide ideas for the compre-hensive utilization of its resources.METHODS Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry(UHPLC-QqQ-MS)and spectrophotometry were used to analyze and evaluate the contents of nucleosides,amino acids,water-soluble proteins,total sugars and polysaccharides in mussels from Shengsi,Zhoushan in 12 months of the year and from 5 different origins;principal component analysis(PCA),partial least squares discriminant method(PLS-DA)and TOPSIS method were used to compre-hensively evaluate mussels.RESULTS A total of 16 amino acids and 11 nucleosides were detected in mussels.The average content of total amino acids in Shengsi mussels throughout the year was 4 851.74 μg·g-1,the average content of total nucleosides was 921.40 μg·g-1,and the average contents of water-soluble protein,polysaccharides,and total sugars were 51.32 mg·g-1,74.39 μg·g-1,and 417.22 mg·g-1,respectively.The nucleosides of Shengsi mussels were the highest in March and April,the ami-no acids and water-soluble proteins were the highest in April and May,and the polysaccharides and total sugars were the highest in Oc-tober and November.The PCA and PLS-DA results of the chemical components of different resources showed that there were great differences in Shengsi mussel samples harvested in different seasons.The entropy weight TOPSIS analysis showed that the comprehen-sive scores of Shengsi mussels in March and April(S7 and S8)were better than those in other areas,and the comprehensive score of Shengsi mussels in April(S8)was the highest,which was determined to be the best harvesting month.CONCLUSION The comparison results of multi-type resource chemistry show that there are great differences in the chemical compo-sition of Shengsi mussels in different harvesting seasons;the quality of Shengsi mussels is better than that of other areas;April is the best harvesting season,providing a reference for the quality evaluation and comprehensive development and utilization of mussels.
8.Clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factor analysis of mucinous com-ponents heterogeneity in lung adenocarcinoma
Kaiwen CHI ; Wei SUN ; Xin YANG ; Haiyue WANG ; Xinying LIU ; Yumeng JIANG ; Xiaozheng HUANG ; Dongmei LIN
Chinese Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology 2025;41(6):719-725
Purpose This study aimed to explore the mucinous phenotype characteristics,key points of differenti-al diagnosis and prognosis of invasive non-mucinous adenocarcinoma(INMA)and invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma(IMA)under the WHO(2021)lung adenocarcinoma classification.Methods We retrospectively collected clinico-pathological data from 522 cases of lung adenocarcinoma,including 425 INMA(66 with mucin secretion,259 without mucin secretion)and 97 IMA.Immunohistochemical(IHC)staining using the EnVision method was performed on the mucin-secreting adenocarcinoma to assess expression of TTF-1,HNF4α,MUC1,MUC4,MUC5AC,MUC5B,and MUC6.Unsupervised clustering analysis was conducted to explore phenotypic subgroups.Results 522 patients with lung adenocarcinoma ranged from 32 to 83 years old(median:61).251 cases(48.1%)were male and 271 cases(51.9%)were female.Clustering analysis divided lung adenocarcinomas into two major groups:one characterized by TTF-1-/HNF4α+and gastric-type mucins MUC5AC+/MUC6+,predominantly IMA;the other,TTF-1+/HNF4α-/MUC4+,largely INMA.A three-marker IHC panel(TTF-1,HNF4α,MUC6)distinguished IMA from mucinous IN-MA with an area under the ROC curve(AUC)of 0.957(95%CI:0.928-0.986)and a Youden's index of 0.860.Further cluster analysis of INMA cases identified four phenotypic subgroups.Prognostic analysis demonstrated that pa-tients with advanced-stage mucin-secreting INMA had significantly shorter overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)than those without mucin secretion(5-year OS:57.1% vs 81.8%,P=0.004;3-year PFS:40.9% vs 62.4%,P=0.004).No significant survival differences were noted among INMA subgroups stratified by varying mucin proportions.Multivariate analysis identified pathological stage,tumor necrosis,KRAS mutation,and TTF-1 negativity as independent adverse prognostic factors for both OS and PFS in mucinous INMA.Conclusion A three-marker im-munohistochemical panel of TTF-1,HNF4α,and MUC6 is recommended to distinguish IMA from mucinous INMA.Mucus component portends a worse prognosis in advanced INMA,with necrosis,KRAS mutations,and TTF-1 negativi-ty serving as independent adverse prognostic factors in mucinous INMA.
9.Research progress on ubiquitin regulation function of TRAF6 and pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis
Xiaona ZHANG ; Xiaozheng DU ; Bo YUAN ; Fuxin LI ; Limei LIU
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2025;41(2):510-512,后插1-后插2
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a common autoimmune disease with synovitis as core pathological manifestation,with strong injury and high disability rate,which can not be cured completely at present.Recent studies have shown that tumor necro-sis factor receptor-related factor 6(TRAF6),as a ubiquitin ligase E3,plays a key role in autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases through a variety of pathways.This article reviews structure,function,ubiquitin regulation of TRAF6 and research progress of pathogenesis of RA.
10.Epidemiological status and infant outcomes of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in Beijing from 2018 to 2022
Wen ZHANG ; Hongyan XU ; Xiaozheng CHEN ; Yanchun ZHANG ; Kaibo LIU
Chinese Journal of Perinatal Medicine 2024;27(12):1001-1006
Objective:To analyze the epidemiology, and infant outcomes of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in Beijing.Methods:This retrospective study involved cases diagnosed with CDH among 877 230 fetuses/infants monitored by the Beijing Birth Defects Monitoring System from January 2018 to December 2022. Data on the occurrence of CDH, prenatal diagnosis, and infant mortality were analyzed. The statistical method was the Chi-square test (or Fisher's exact test). Results:(1) A total of 254 CDH cases were included in this study. During the study period, the incidence of CDH throughout the pregnancy and the perinatal period was 0.29 per thousand (254/877 230) and 0.17 per thousand (153/877 230), respectively. (2) Among the 254 cases, 79 (31.1%) underwent prenatal genetic diagnosis, 6.3%(5/79) copy number varations were detected, including one case of like pathogenic and four cases with types of variation unreported. The proportions of prenatal genetic diagnosis from 2018 to 2022 showed no statistically significant difference ( χ2trend=2.86, P=0.091). The gestational age at prenatal diagnosis for 241 cases was (23.0±6.4) weeks, ranging from 13 to 38 weeks; 130 cases (53.9%) were diagnosed before 25 weeks of gestation. The proportion of genetic diagnosis was higher in the group diagnosed by ultrasound before 25 weeks (43.1%, 56/130) compared to the group diagnosed at or after 25 weeks (20.7%, 23/111) ( χ2=12.59, P<0.001). (3) A total of 146 live births were recorded, with the proportion of continuing pregnancy to live birth after prenatal diagnosis being 55.2% (133/241), with no significant difference across the years. The proportion of continuing pregnancy to live birth after prenatal diagnosis in the isolated CDH group was 64.5% (100/155), higher than the 38.3% (33/86) in the non-isolated group ( χ2=15.57, P<0.001). The live birth rate for those diagnosed prenatally at<25 weeks of gestation (26.2%, 34/130) was lower than for those diagnosed at≥25 weeks of gestation (89.2%, 99/111) ( χ2=93.67, P<0.001). (4) Among the 146 live-born infants, 28 (19.2%) died during infancy. All 28 cases were prenatally diagnosed with CDH. The mortality rate of CDH infants born in tertiary obstetric institutions (17.9%, 24/134) showed a trend towards being lower than that in secondary institutions (4/12), but the difference was not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, P=0.245). Among the 118 surviving infants, seven were abandoned from treatment, and of the remaining 111, 104 (93.7%) were treated at the Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics. The infant mortality rate at this institution (15.4%, 16/104) showed a trend towards being lower than that at other institutions (3/7), but the difference was not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, P=0.096). The infant mortality rate for those diagnosed prenatally at<25 weeks of gestation (38.2%, 13/34) was higher than for those diagnosed at≥25 weeks of gestation (15.2%, 15/99) ( χ2=6.78, P=0.009). Conclusions:Beijing achieved good secondary and tertiary prevention outcomes in prenatal diagnosis and reducing infant mortality. The concentration of neonatal surgical resources is beneficial for accumulating surgical experience and reducing infant mortality.

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