ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the action mechanism by which Banxia Xiexintang （BXT） inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） in chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） rats by regulating the interleukin-17（IL-17）/extracellular regulated protein kinases（ERK）/CCAAT enhancer binding protein β（C/EBPβ）signaling pathway， thereby providing new theoretical evidence for the treatment of CAG with classic traditional Chinese medicine formulas. MethodsA CAG rat model was established by using the combined factor method. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into the model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose groups （0.549， 1.098， 2.196 g·kg^-1， respectively） of BXT， and the positive drug group （vitacoenzyme， 0.3 g·kg^-1）. A normal control group was also set up. After 8 weeks of intervention， the pathological changes of gastric tissue were evaluated. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the contents of IL-17， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2）， and C/EBPβ in serum， as well as the contents of EMT markers in gastric mucosal tissue including E-cadherin， N-cadherin， and vimentin. The immunohistochemistry method was employed to determine the localization and protein expression levels of IL-17， p-ERK， and C/EBPβ in gastric mucosal tissue. Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of C/EBPβ， ERK， and its phosphorylated form （p）-ERK in gastric mucosa. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was applied to measure the mRNA expression levels of ERK， COX-2， and C/EBPβ in gastric mucosa. ResultsCompared with those in the normal control group， the rats in the model group showed gastric mucosal glandular atrophy and inflammatory cell infiltration. The protein and their related mRNA expressions of C/EBPβ， ERK， and p-ERK in gastric mucosa were significantly increased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The levels of IL-17， TNF-α， COX-2， and C/EBPβ in serum were significantly increased （P<0.01）. The contents of N-cadherin and vimentin in gastric mucosal tissue were significantly increased， while the content of E-cadherin was significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， after intervention with different doses of BXT， the pathological damage of the gastric mucosa was improved to varying degrees. The protein and mRNA expressions of C/EBPβ， ERK， and p-ERK in gastric mucosa were significantly reduced （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The levels of IL-17， TNF-α， COX-2， and C/EBP β in serum were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The contents of N-cadherin and vimentin in gastric mucosa tissue were decreased， while the content of E-cadherin was increased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionBXT can effectively improve the pathological damage of gastric mucosal tissue in CAG rats. Its action mechanism may be related to reducing the levels of IL-17 and TNF-α in serum， regulating the IL-17/ERK/C/EBPβ signaling pathway and inhibiting the EMT process.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a user-friendly visualization application for the automatic annotation of Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) terms based on large language models and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology, and to validate its performance in an authoritative case dataset. METHODS: By integrating the domestic open-source large language model DeepSeek-V3 with RAG technology, an interactive web application was deployed on the Streamlit cloud platform. Using only the latest official HPO dataset as the data source, the lightweight sentence-embedding model BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5 was employed to construct a FAISS vector index. During the online phase, a four-step closed-loop process is automatically completed: multilingual translation, phenotype phrase extraction, RAG candidate retrieval, term mapping, and official database validation. 121 English case reports publicly released by BMJ Case Reports and Oxford Medical Case Reports (with a gold-standard HPO set of 1 794 terms) were selected for application validation. Precision, recall, and F1 score were calculated and compared horizontally with traditional dictionary tools, standalone large language models, and the similar application "RAG-HPO". Finally, replace the model with the more advanced ChatGPT-5 and evaluate its performance on the newly extracted dataset. RESULTS: An HPO term automatic annotation visualization application named PhenoRAG, based on large language models and RAG technology, was successfully developed. Users can access it directly via a web link. Across the 112 cases, a total of 2 150 HPO terms were generated; 2,064 (96.0%) were fully validated by the official database, with a hallucination rate of 1.3% and an HPO ID-name mismatch rate of 2.7%. After deduplication, 1,906 terms remained for testing. The overall precision was 63.65%, recall was 67.34%, and F1 was 65.44%, significantly outperforming traditional annotation tools (F1: 0.45-0.49, P < 0.001). Although PhenoRAG's F1 was lower than that of RAG-HPO (F1 = 0.78, P < 0.001), which relies on a manually constructed synonym database of 54 000 entries plus the HPO dataset, it requires no additional dictionary maintenance and can be used without any background in computer programming. Moreover, after switching to the GPT-5 model, PhenoRAG exhibited no hallucination rate on the new dataset, and its F1 score significantly increased (P = 0.038). CONCLUSION Without constructing a synonym database, the PhenoRAG achieved high-accuracy automatic mapping from clinical text to standard HPO terms. It features a low usage threshold, free access, and a Chinese-language interface, and can directly serve rare disease diagnosis, genetic counseling, and research scenarios in China and worldwide, warranting further clinical promotion and multicenter validation.
Humans ; Phenotype ; Biological Ontologies ; Language ; Software ; Large Language Models

ObjectiveTo explore the vascular endothelial injury in male mice caused by exposure to polystyrene microplastics （PS-MPs） and the intervention effect of luteolin on vascular remodeling. Additionally， to investigate the mechanism through the oxidative system and metabolomics. MethodsThirty-two C57BL/6 mice （6-8 weeks old） were randomly divided into the saline group （saline group）， the 0.1 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure group （0.1PS-MPs group）， the 1 mg/kg PS-MPs exposure group （1PS-MPs group）， and the 1 mg/kg PS-MPs + luteolin treatment group （1PS-MPs + Lut group）， with 8 mice in each group. After 8 weeks of intervention， the body weight， blood pressure， aortic organ coefficient， and aortic histopathological changes of mice in each group were detected； the total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C） lipid metabolism-related indicators in the aorta of mice were detected； the reactive oxygen species （ROS）， glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） oxidative stress-related indicators were detected； the endothelin （ET-1）， nitric oxide （NO）， vascular endothelial growth factor A （VEGF-A）， vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM-1/CD106）， and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1/CD54） endothelial function-related indicators and serum metabolomics were detected. ResultsCompared to the saline group， exposure to PS-MPs resulted in pathological thickening of the mouse aorta， increased aortic organ coefficient， and elevated blood pressure. Lipid metabolism-related indicators， including TC and TG， were elevated， while HDL-C was reduced， indicating lipid metabolism disorder in mice. Oxidative stress markers such as ROS and MDA increased， whereas GSH decreased， demonstrating oxidative damage. Vascular endothelial inflammation and injury markers， including ET-1， VEGF-A， VCAM-1， and ICAM-1， were upregulated， while the vasodilatory substance NO was downregulated， confirming endothelial injury. Furthermore， serum metabolomics results revealed that PS-MPs exposure induced endothelial damage by disrupting metabolic pathways such as the citrate cycle. Compared to the PS-MPs group， luteolin significantly reversed these effects， attenuating oxidative stress and lipid metabolism disorders， and effectively repairing endothelial injury. ConclusionPS-MPs induce vascular toxicity through oxidative stress and lipid metabolism. Luteolin effectively alleviates endothelial damage and vascular remodeling.

Background:Acute pancreatitis(AP)is a common disease of the digestive system,among which severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)has a high mortality rate.Finding more accurate and convenient methods for early recognition of SAP is one of the major challenges in clinical treatment.Aims:To explore the application value of the controlled attenuation parameter(CAP)of ultrasound elastography in predicting SAP.Methods:A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 135 AP patients admitted to Jiading Branch of Shanghai General Hospital from February to October 2024.Patients were categorized into non-SAP and SAP groups according to the severity of the disease.Clinical data,local complications,laboratory indicators,and CAP were compared between the two groups.Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors for SAP.A SAP prediction model based on CAP was constructed according to the identified risk factors and the minimum Akaike information criterion(AIC).ROC curve and Bootstrap method were used to evaluate the efficacy of the prediction model and conduct internal validation,respectively.Results:There were statistically significant differences between the non-SAP group and SAP group in body mass index(BMI),incidence of hyperlipidemia,etiological composition,incidence of pleural and ascitic fluid,length of hospital stay,incidence of peripancreatic effusion,incidence of pancreatic necrosis,white blood cell count(WBC),D-dimer(D-D)level,blood glucose,triglyceride(TG),C-reactive protein(CRP),neutrophil count,procalcitonin(PCT),interleukin-6(IL-6),free triiodothyronine(FT3),and CAP(all P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that pancreatic necrosis(OR=13.39,95%CI:3.10-57.94,P<0.001)and CAP(OR=1.01,95%CI:1.01-1.02,P=0.038)were independent risk factors for SAP.The SAP prediction model based on CAP was formulated as:Logit(P)=-5.884+0.010×CAP+2.839×pancreatic necrosis+0.169×D-D+0.132×blood glucose+0.006×CRP.The model showed an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.834 for predicting SAP,which was superior to CAP alone(P<0.05).Internal validation indicated that the prediction model had high stability and accuracy(C-index=0.808).Conclusions:The prediction model constructed based on CAP has good clinical value for predicting SAP,providing a new perspective and tool for early identification and prognostic assessment of AP.

Objective:To explore the potential profile characteristics of family health in patients with chronic diseases, analyze the influencing factors of different family health categories, and further investigate the relationship between family health categories and the quality of life in patients with chronic diseases, providing a scientific basis for targeted intervention strategies.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional survey. The data for the study were obtained from the Chinese Residents' Psychology and Behavior Survey Research Database. A multistage sampling method was employed to select 1 808 patients with chronic diseases as survey respondents from July to September 2021. Data were collected using the General Information Questionnaire, the Family Health Scale, and the European 5-Dimensional 5-Level Health Scale(EQ-5D-5L). Potential profiles of family health in patients with chronic diseases were identified using latent profile analysis. Univariate analysis and multiple Logistic regression were used to examine influencing factors, and generalized linear regression was performed to analyze the impact of different family health categories on quality of life.Results:A total of 1 808 chronic disease patients were enrolled, comprising 986 males and 822 females, with a age of (55.23 ± 7.02) years. The scores of family health, EQ-5D-5L, EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale were 38(34, 43), 0.94(0.84, 1.00), and 78(63, 87) points. The family health of patients with chronic diseases were categorized into three potential profiles: the low family health group (418 cases accounting for 23.1%), the medium family health group (747 cases accounting for 41.3%), and the high family health group (643 cases accounting for 35.6%). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that family type, marital status, nature of household, education level, number of siblings and type of health insurance were significant factors influencing family health categories ( OR values were 0.464-2.503, all P<0.05). The family health was an important factor influencing quality of life ( χ2 values were 4.05-100.68, all P<0.05). Conclusions:There is significant heterogeneity in the family health of patients with chronic diseases, which can be divided into three distinct categories. Patients with higher family health levels have better quality of life. Medical professionals should develop precise intervention programs tailored to the characteristics of each category to improve family health levels and enhance the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases.

Objective Human facial morphology is an appearance phenotype with high heritability,high diversity,and complexity.Traditional facial morphological genetic analysis is mostly based on facial landmark measurements,using linear regression for genome-wide association studies,but this method extracts limited facial morphological feature information.This study established an extraction method for multidimensional facial representations and validated the correlation between 473 single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)previously reported to be significantly associated with facial features and facial representations in the Han Chinese population.Methods After acquiring facial 3D images,3D morphable face models and HR-net network were used to align and quantify the 3D images,obtaining high-density 3D facial point cloud data.After unsupervised clustering of the point cloud,principal component analysis was applied to reduce dimensionality and extract multidimensional morphological phenotypes for each facial region.Based on these multidimensional phenotypes,partial least squares regression(PLSR)and canonical correlation analysis(CCA)were used for genetic association analysis.Results A total of 10 SNPs were validated to be significantly associated with facial morphology in Han Chinese,of which 7 SNPs were validated by the PLSR method,2 SNPs were validated by the CCA method,and 1 SNP was validated by both methods.Conclusion Among the 10 significantly associated SNP sites,9 related facial morphological regions were consistent with previous reports in other populations,indicating that genes affecting complex facial morphology have cross-population effects.

Objective A scoping review of studies on symptom clusters in patients with chronic heart failure(CHF)was conducted to provide reference for the treatment and management of CHF.Methods According to reporting framework of scoping review put forward by Arksey,the related literatures of Cochrane Library,CINAHL,Web of Science,PubMed,Embase,Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform,SinoMed,CNKI and VIP from January 2014 to July 2024 were searched,and the contents of the literatures were screened,extracted and analyzed.Results Ten articles were included,involving many symptom clusters,mainly including mood,ischemia,congestion,digestive tract and fatigue.Symptom group assessment tool mainly adopted Chinese version of Memorial symptom assessment scale-heart failure.Conclusion There are various types of symptom clusters in CHF patients,and they show dynamic changes in each disease stage.It is still necessary to strengthen the research on the evaluation tools,occurrence principles and standardized naming of symptom clusters.Medical staff can give first-class care to the main symptom clusters in each period,formulate personalized nursing intervention measures in advance,and improve the efficiency of symptom management in clinical nursing.

Objective To investigate the neurological function recovery and prognosis by comparing robot-guided puncture drainage and medicine treatment for small to moderate volume(15-30 ml)hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in the basal ganglia.Methods Clinical data of 68 patients with small to moderate volume hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in the basilar ganglia treated in our department from January 2022 to January 2024 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the treatment methods,they were divided into operation group and medicine group,in which the operation group(n=30)received robot-guided puncture and drainage treatment and the medicine group(n=38)received simple medicine treatment.Parameters of the two groups were compared,including time for hematoma to dissipate,length of hospital stay,hospital cost,duration of mannitol use,pulmonary infection rate,National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score and Scandinavia Stroke Scale(SSS)score at time immediately after admission and 2 weeks later,and modified Rankin Scale(mRS)score at the time immediately after admission and 3 months later.Results There were no significant differences in the length of stay,duration of mannitol use,and pulmonary infection rate between the two groups(P＞0.05).The hematoma dissipation time was 10.0(8.5,13.0)din the operation group and 28.5(25.0,35.0)din the medicine group,which had significant difference(Z=-4.285,P=0.000).The hospital cost was(77 786.5±21 763.0)yuan in the operation group and(31 843.5±14 514.3)yuan in the medicine group,which had significant difference(t=5.922,P=0.000).At 14 d after treatment,the NIHSS score in the operation group(8.5±2.7)points was significantly lower than that in the medicine group[(12.0±1.7)points,t=-4.192,P=0.000],and the SSS score in the operation group(28.7±7.2)points was significantly higher than that in the medicine group[(24.2±3.5)points,t=2.164,P=0.041].At 3 months after treatment,the mRS score of the operation group was 3.0(2.0,4.0)points,significantly lower than that of the medicine group[4.0(4.0,4.2)points,Z=-2.508,P=0.012].Conclusion For small to moderate volume hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in the basal ganglia,robot-guided minimally invasive puncture and drainage treatment can accelerate the dissipation time of hematoma and improve the neurological function and prognosis of patients as compared to medicine treatment.

Objective To investigate whether there is a synergistic pathogenic effect between triglyceride glucose index(TyG)and C-reactive protein(CRP)on new-onset nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by observing the influence of combinations of TyG and CRP at different levels,and to provide a basis for identifying the high-risk population of NAFLD.Methods A total of 31 935 employees in Kailuan Group who participated in physical examination in 2006-2007 were enrolled as the observation cohort,and they had no history of drinking,fatty liver disease,cardiovascular disease,or malignant tumor and did not take antidiabetic or lipid-lowering drugs.According to the median of TyG and CRP at baseline,the subjects were divided into TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group,TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,and TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between multiple groups,and an analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data with skewed distribution between groups after logarithmic transformation;the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD in different combinations of CRP and TyG levels,and the multivariate Cox regression model was used to investigate the influence of different combinations of TyG and CRP on the incidence rate of NAFLD.Results After a mean follow-up time of 7.59 years,a total of 16 592 employees developed NAFLD.The cumulative incidence rate of NAFLD in the TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group,TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,and TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group were 59.5%,67.1%,73.8%,and 80.8%,respectively(P<0.001).After adjustment for confounding factors,compared with the TyG<8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group,the TyG≥8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group had the highest risk of developing NAFLD(hazard ratio[HR]=1.54,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.47-1.61),followed by the TyG≥8.42 and CRP<0.60 mg/L group(HR=1.43,95%CI:1.36-1.49)and the TyG<8.42 and CRP≥0.60 mg/L group(HR=1.17,95%CI:1.12-1.22).Conclusion With elevated TyG and CRP levels,the cumulative incidence of NAFLD increased,and rising levels of these markers significantly augmented the risk of NAFLD development.

Chronic pain causes physical suffering and can have major psychological impacts in patients.Chronic pain can induce depressive disorder,and clinical studies have consistently shown that chronic pain and depression frequently co-occur,suggesting the possibility of shared pathogenic mechanisms underlying these conditions.Acupuncture,as an alternative therapy,has been widely used for analgesia and to treat depression,with demonstrated clinical efficacy.The therapeutic mechanism of acupuncture is related to neural and endocrine regulation.This review considers the mechanism of chronic pain accompanied by depression,in relation to the brain regions and neural circuits affected by acupuncture treatment.This review provides a new approach for the treatment of depression caused by chronic pain.