1.Active Ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine Regulate Ferroptosis to Inhibit Breast Cancer: A Review
Yan LIU ; Zhenyao YANG ; Chengzhi WANG ; Jiuxian LI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(4):299-306
Breast cancer (BC), a common malignant tumor in women, is characterized by high incidence and mortality rates, posing a serious threat to women's life and health. Currently, the commonly used treatments for BC include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, and endocrine therapy. Although radiotherapy and chemotherapy can effectively kill tumor cells and inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of tumor cells, they can induce adverse reactions such as hematopoietic dysfunction and impaired immune function. The other treatment methods also have problems such as drug resistance, high recurrence rates, reduced quality of life, and poor clinical efficacy. Therefore, it is urgent to explore new drugs with better efficacy and lower toxicity. Ferroptosis is a form of iron-dependent, non-apoptotic programmed cell death triggered by lipid peroxidation. In recent years, ferroptosis has become a hot topic in the field of cancer treatment and has been gradually proven to effectively inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of BC cells, reduce the drug resistance of BC to chemotherapy drugs, and enhance the sensitivity of BC to radiotherapy. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with multiple components, multiple targets, and mild side effects, is widely used in the treatment of BC. A large number of studies have shown that active ingredients of TCM, such as saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, and polysaccharides, can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of BC cells by modulating ferroptosis-related pathways. These include iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, cystine/glutamate antiporter system Xc-/glutathione/glutathione peroxidase 4, Specifically, these ingredients elevate the levels of lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and Fe2+ in BC cells, thereby inducing ferroptosis-mediated suppression of tumor progression. This article reviews the relevant literature at home and abroad in recent years, summarizes the mechanisms of ferroptosis in regulating BC and the research progress in the active components of TCM targeting ferroptosis in the intervention of BC, aiming to provide ideas for the development of new drugs for the treatment of BC.
2.Explainable Machine Learning Model for Predicting Prognosis in Patients with Malignant Tumors Complicated by Acute Respiratory Failure: Based on the eICU Collaborative Research Database in the United States
Zihan NAN ; Linan HAN ; Suwei LI ; Ziyi ZHU ; Qinqin ZHU ; Yan DUAN ; Xiaoting WANG ; Lixia LIU
Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2026;17(1):98-108
To develop and validate a model for predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality risk in patients with malignant tumors complicated by acute respiratory failure (ARF) based on an explainable machine learning framework. Clinical data of patients with malignant tumors and ARF were extracted from the eICU Collaborative Research Database in the United States, including demographic characteristics, comorbidities, vital signs, laboratory test indicators, and major interventions within the first 24 hours after ICU admission.The study outcome was ICU death.Enrolled patients were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set at a ratio of 7:3.Predictor variables were selected using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression.Five machine learning algorithms-extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), support vector machine (SVM), Logistic regression, multilayer perceptron (MLP), and C5.0 Decision Tree-were employed to construct predictive models.Model performance was evaluated based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, and other metrics.The optimal model was further interpreted using the Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) algorithm. A total of 3196 patients with malignant tumors complicated by ARF were included.The training set comprised 2, 261 patients and the validation set 935 patients; 683 patients died during ICU stay, while 2513 survived.LASSO regression ultimately selected 12 variables closely associated with patient ICU outcomes, including sepsis comorbidity, use of vasoactive drugs, and within the first 24 hours after ICU admission: minimum mean arterial pressure, maximum heart rate, maximum respiratory rate, minimum oxygen saturation, minimum serum bicarbonate, minimum blood urea nitrogen, maximum white blood cell count, maximum mean corpuscular volume, maximum serum potassium, and maximum blood glucose.After model evaluation, the XGBoost model demonstrated the best performance.The AUCs for predicting ICU mortality risk in the training and validation sets were 0.940 and 0.763, respectively; accuracy was 88.3% and 81.2%;sensitivity was 98.5% and 95.9%.Its predictive performance also remained optimal in sensitivity analyses.SHAP analysis indicated that the top five variables contributing to the model's predictions were minimum oxygen saturation, minimum serum bicarbonate, minimum mean arterial pressure, use of vasoactive drugs, and maximum white blood cell count. This study successfully developed a mortality risk prediction model for ICU patients with malignant tumors complicated by ARF based on a large-scale dataset and performed explainability analysis.The model aids clinicians in early identification of high-risk patients and implementing individualized interventions.
3.Network meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors in first-line treatment of advanced gastric cancer
Liyuan KE ; Yan WANG ; Anping WANG ; Danxue HUANG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(3):383-388
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as first-line therapy for advanced gastric cancer. METHODS PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data, CNKI, and VIP databases were searched to collect phase Ⅲ clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on ICIs as first-line therapy for advanced gastric cancer, as well as abstracts from relevant oncology academic conferences. The search period spanned from database inception to June 1, 2025. After screening literature, extracting data, and assessing quality, a network meta-analysis was performed using R software version 4.3.2. RESULTS A total of 8 studies involving 7 801 patients were included. Network meta-analysis results showed that, in terms of efficacy, compared with chemotherapy (Chemo), SHR-1701_Chemo, Cadonilimab_Chemo, Sintilimab_Chemo, Pembrolizumab_Chemo, and Tislelizumab_Chemo significantly prolonged median overall survival (OS) and median progression free survival (PFS) in patients (P<0.05); whereas Nivolumab_Chemo only significantly improved median PFS (P<0.05). Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) results indicated that the top 2 interventions for median OS were SHR-1701_Chemo and Cadonilimab_Chemo; for PFS, the top 2 were Cadonilimab_Chemo and SHR-1701_Chemo. For patients with combined positive score (CPS) ≥5 points for programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), Cadonilimab_Chemo and SHR- 1701_Chemo also demonstrated the optimal OS and PFS benefits (P<0.05). Regarding safety, there were no statistically significant differences among the interventions in the incidence of any adverse events (AEs) or grade ≥3 AEs (P>0.05). The SUCRA ranking for the incidence of any AEs showed the top 2 were SHR-1701_Chemo and Chemo; for grade ≥3 AEs, the top 2 were Chemo and Sugemalimab_Chemo. CONCLUSIONS For patients with advanced gastric cancer, Cadonilimab_Chemo and SHR-1701_Chemo demonstrate the best benefits in terms of OS and PFS, with their advantages remaining clear in patients with PD-L1 CPS≥5 points. In terms of safety, the risk of developing any AEs and grade ≥3 AEs is relatively lowest with Chemo.
4.Research progress on epigenetic regulation in the occurrence and development of diabetic retinopathy
Jiaxin XU ; Qian PENG ; Chaoqun LIU ; Yan WANG
International Eye Science 2026;26(3):435-440
Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the most common and serious microvascular complications of diabetes, posing a significant threat to patients' visual health. In recent years, epigenetic mechanisms have garnered increasing attention in the scientific community for their pivotal role in the onset and progression of DR. This paper systematically examines the regulatory roles of epigenetic mechanisms in DR, covering key pathways such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNAs. Under hyperglycemic conditions in diabetes, these epigenetic mechanisms modulate gene expression, thereby influencing critical pathological processes such as oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, mitochondrial dysfunction, and metabolic memory. This article reviews recent advances in epigenetic regulation in DR, providing an in-depth analysis of its underlying molecular mechanisms and complex regulatory networks, and explores the potential of epigenetic markers as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Additionally, this article highlights emerging therapeutic strategies targeting epigenetic modifications, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation and research direction for the early diagnosis and precision treatment of this disease.
5.Five-year survival analysis and influencing factors of elderly lung cancer patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Mianyang City
Haishi XUE ; Ling HUANG ; Junjie XIA ; Yu QIU ; Ke GE ; Jincheng WANG ; Yuting CHEN ; Runjiao CHEN ; Lingna LI ; An LAN ; Yan HOU
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2026;37(1):138-141
Objective To study the five-year survival status and influencing factors of elderly patients with lung cancer complicated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods A cohort study was conducted to follow up 450 patients with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were hospitalized in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2023. The endpoint of the follow-up was the end of a five-year period or death. The Life Tables method was used to calculate survival rates and plot survival curves. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the influencing factors of five-year survival. Results The results indicated that the overall five-year survival rate of patients was 4.89%, and it decreased year by year. Cox regression analysis showed that age, gender, family functioning, and psychological status significantly influenced patient survival rate (all P<0.05). Stratified analysis found that the smoking status, family functioning, and psychological status of male patients all had an impact on survival rate (all P<0.05), while the psychological status of female patients had a more significant impact on survival (P=0.008). Conclusion This study provides a scientific basis for comprehensive intervention of elderly lung cancer patients with COPD. It is recommended that clinical attention should be paid to psychological and family factors to improve patient prognosis.
6.Research progress on stem cells in the treatment of sepsis
Ting CHEN ; Linlin CHEN ; Zhao CHEN ; Junping ZHANG ; Yan WANG
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2026;44(2):59-64
At present, the treatment of sepsis depends largely on non-specific methods, highlighting an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Stem cells have garnered significant attention in the treatment of various diseases due to their unique biological properties. Stem cells enhance sepsis survival through mechanisms such as reducing bacterial burden, modulating inflammation, and ameliorating organ dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that stem cells can increase the survival rate of sepsis patients through multiple pathways such as reducing the bacterial load of the host, regulating inflammatory homeostasis, and improving multi-organ dysfunction. Their derivatives, exosomes, can also alleviate the imbalanced immune response in sepsis patients. Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for sepsis were summarized in this paper.
7.Research progress on the tumor microenvironment of liver cancer
Tianhao SONG ; Weiheng XU ; Yan WANG ; Li CHEN
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2026;44(2):65-70
Liver cancer, one of the most common primary malignancies in humans, is a malignant tumor characterized by multifactorial induction, polygenic involvement, and intricate molecular mechanisms. This disease is characterized by its treatment challenges and poor prognosis, which are closely related to its unique tumor microenvironment composition. The tumor microenvironment of liver cancer is a dynamic ecosystem composed of heterogeneous cellular populations, soluble cytokines, and remodeled extracellular matrix. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the study of the tumor microenvironment of liver cancer, revealed an important role in the occurrence, development, and treatment of liver cancer. The key regulatory elements of the tumor microenvironment in liver cancer were systematically summarized, such as activation of hepatic stellate cells, dysfunction of immune cells, abnormalities of platelet, and remodeling of the extracellular matrix, which provided theoretical foundations for prevention and treatment strategies against liver cancer.
8.Bibliometric visualization analysis of research literature of Angelica sinensis at home and abroad from 2012 to 2022 based on CiteSpace
Feifei LIU ; Liping CHEN ; Yan ZHONG ; Rong WANG ; Wenbin LI
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2026;44(2):88-95
Objective Based on the visualization graph analysis of the research hotspots of Angelica sinensis, predict the future research trends, and provide references for the next step of Angelica sinensis research. Methods Chinese and English literatures on Angelica sinensis collected from CNKI, WanFang, VIP and Web of Science from 2012 to 2022 were retrieved. CiteSpace 6.1.R6 software was used to perform visualization econometrics analysis on the number of publications, authors, institutions, journals, keywords and other topics. Results
9.Wumeiwan Promotes M1 Polarization of Tumor-associated Macrophages to Treat Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Nianzhi CHEN ; Shiyun TANG ; Yuanyuan FENG ; Yan WANG ; Ningning LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(1):92-100
ObjectiveTo explore the effects of Wumeiwan on liver metastasis and lung metastasis of colorectal cancer and its potential mechanism. MethodsFirstly, mice were randomized into control, low-dose (20 g·kg-1) Wumeiwan, high-dose (40 g·kg-1) Wumeiwan, and paclitaxel (10 mg·kg-1) groups. Secondly, liver metastasis and lung metastasis models of colorectal cancer were established in mice. After 4 weeks of intervention, the body weight of each mouse was recorded, and the lung weight, liver weight, and survival time of mice with metastatic colorectal cancer were determined. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was employed to detect the effects of Wumeiwan on liver metastasis and lung metastasis. Real-time PCR was employed to determine the mRNA levels of M1 and M2 macrophage markers in the liver tissue. Finally, the content of M1 macrophage markers CD80 and CD86 in the liver tissue was measured by flow cytometry. ResultsCompared with the control group, Wumeiwan and paclitaxel reduced the body weight (P<0.01) and liver weight (P<0.01) and prolonged the survival of the mouse model of liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (P<0.01). In the mouse model of lung metastasis of colorectal cancer, Wumeiwan and paclitaxel also reduced the body weight (P<0.01) and lung weight (P<0.01) and extended the survival time (P<0.01). Histopathological results showed that compared with the control group, Wumeiwan inhibited the liver and lung metastases of colorectal cancer. Real-time PCR results showed that compared with the control group, Wumeiwan upregulated the mRNA levels of M1 macrophage markers IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) in the liver and lung tissue of mice with liver metastasis and lung metastasis of colorectal cancer (P<0.01). Meanwhile, Wumeiwan downregulated the mRNA levels of M2 macrophage markers Arg1, CD163, and CD206 (P<0.01). Meanwhile, the flow cytometry results showed that compared with the control group, Wumeiwan increased the content of CD86 and CD80 (P<0.01). In addition, immunohistochemical results showed that Wumeiwan promoted the expression of CD86 and inhibited the expression of CD206 in the liver and lung tissue of mice with liver metastasis and lung metastasis. ConclusionWumeiwan can inhibit the liver metastasis and lung metastasis of colorectal cancer by promoting the M1 polarization of macrophages in the liver and lung of the model mice.
10.A systematic review on the integrated application of evidence-based narrative education and undergraduate nursing teaching
Nannan BAI ; Meng LI ; Qian LIANG ; Chou YAO ; Yan WANG ; Ju HAN ; Chenyang HOU ; Nana XING
Chinese Medical Ethics 2026;39(2):229-237
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the application of narrative education in undergraduate nursing teaching, to understand the current application status of narrative education, and to provide a theoretical basis for the subsequent establishment of a sound narrative education system. MethodsA systematic search was conducted for studies published in Chinese and English databases on applying narrative education to undergraduate nursing teaching, with the search period ranging from database inception to February 23, 2025. Literature was screened, and relevant information was extracted. A rigorous quality evaluation was conducted on the included studies, and a descriptive analysis was performed on their content. ResultsA total of 20 papers were included, involving 3,180 research subjects, all of whom were undergraduate nursing students. The results of descriptive analysis showed that the teaching model of narrative education primarily encompassed reading narrative works, watching films and videos, performing narrative scenarios, and writing reflective journals. The course setting and content covered pre-teaching preparation and in-teaching implementation. The evaluation of teaching effectiveness included the evaluation of teachers’ teaching methods (student evaluation/self-evaluation) and the evaluation of students’ learning effectiveness (course grade evaluation/humanistic care scale/empathy scale assessment, and others). ConclusionNarrative education combines abstract concepts with concrete clinical situations, which not only enriches students’ learning experiences but also enhances their humanistic literacy. Meanwhile, it provides teachers with opportunities to develop their narrative teaching skills, which requires them to possess profound professional knowledge and employ narrative techniques to guide students in reflection and critical thinking, thereby improving teaching quality and learning outcomes. Future efforts should consistently deepen the connotation research of narrative education and build a systematic nursing education system.


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