1.New advances in the treatment of neonatal diabetes mellitus with sulfonylureas
Xiaoyan HU ; Jinbo XIANG ; Xiaoxia ZHU ; Zheng LI ; Tingting CAO ; Ting DING ; Ziran XU ; Jingbo LI ; Youjun YANG
China Pharmacy 2026;37(9):1236-1240
Neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) is a rare monogenic disorder primarily caused by insufficient insulin secretion resulting from mutations in the KCNJ11 and ABCC8 genes. Sulfonylureas, represented by glibenclamide, have become the standard therapy for this type of NDM by precisely closing the mutated ATP-sensitive potassium channels in pancreatic β cells, thereby restoring insulin secretion. Clinical studies confirm that sulfonylureas enable over 90% of patients to successfully transition from insulin to oral treatment, achieving long-term stable glycemic control and improving neurological outcomes to a certain extent. In terms of safety, severe hypoglycemia induced by sulfonylureas is relatively rare and gastrointestinal reactions are mild; moreover, sulfonylureas show good long-term tolerability, and have no adverse effects on child growth and development. In the future, by further refining the full-chain management pathway of “rapid genetic diagnosis-early intervention-specialized dosage forms-long-term follow-up”, the clinical application of sulfonylureas is expected to provide NDM patients with an optimized treatment regimen and maximize their health benefits.
2.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.
3.Association between meat consumption and anxiety symptoms in first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province
DING Shaocai, SHI Zelin, YANG Yongfu, YANG Yijun, LU Qiuan, XUE Yanfeng, WANG Yuan,〖JZ〗 XUE Wei, HUANG Xiaoli, XU Honglü ;
Chinese Journal of School Health 2026;47(3):384-387
Objective:
To explore the association between meat consumption and anxiety symptoms in first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province, and to provide theoretical support for preventing and relieving anxiety symptoms in junior high school students.
Methods:
From October to December 2022, a random cluster sampling method was used to select 8 500 first year junior high school students from 11 counties in Yunnan Province as the survey subjects for a questionnaire survey. The study used Food Frequency Questionnaire and the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) to assess the meat consumption and anxiety symptoms of junior high school students.The distribution differences in anxiety symptoms among first year junior high school students with different demographic characteristics were analyzed statistically by using the Chi-square test,and the association between meat consumption and anxiety symptoms in students was analyzed by using a generalized linear model.
Results:
The detection rate of anxiety symptoms was 48.47%. After controlling for demographic variables and confounding factors, the consumption of livestock meat, poultry meat, processed meat, cured meat, barbecued meat and raw skin meat was statistically significant with anxiety symptoms ( β =-0.05, 0.04, 0.04, 0.08, 0.14, 0.17, all P <0.05). Stratified by ethnicity, The consumption of livestock meat, cured meat and barbecue was statistically correlated with anxiety symptoms in Han adolescents ( β =-0.07, 0.14, 0.22 ); the consumption of processed meat and raw skin meat was statistically correlated with anxiety symptoms in ethnic minority adolescents ( β =0.08, 0.18) (all P <0.05).
Conclusions
There is a statistical association between meat comsumption and the risk of anxiety symptoms in first year junior high school students in Yunnan Province. Guidance on meat consumption should be strengthened to prevent the occurrence of anxiety symptoms.
4.Effect of Astragali Radix on Gut Microbiota and GLP-1 in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Patients with Qi Deficiency Type
Keke HOU ; Lin CHEN ; Zhidan ZHANG ; Yunyi YANG ; Fangli ZHANG ; Yuanying XU ; Hongping YIN ; Lan DING ; Tao LEI ; Wenjun SHA
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2026;32(6):161-170
ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Astragali Radix-mediated changes in gut microbiota on treating type 2 diabetes (T2DM). MethodsA 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled eighty patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and poor glycemic control in the Qi deficiency type. All patients received insulin therapy. The observation group (40 cases) was administered with Astragali Radix Granules, while the control group (40 cases) received a placebo. Both treamtents were taken orally twice daily. Changes in gut microbiota were assessed by 16s rDNA sequencing. Serum glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Glucose metabolism indicators including fasting blood glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial blood glucose (2 h PG),glycated albumin(GA), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were evaluated. Pancreatic function was evaluated using fasting C-peptide (FCP), 2-hour postprandial C-peptide (2 h CP), and C-peptide area under the curve (AUCcp). Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome scores, clinical efficacy, and safety indicators were also observed. ResultsIn terms of glucose metabolism indicators, compared with the baseline, both groups exhibited significantly lower FPG, 2 h PG, GA and HbA1C (P<0.01),while FCP, 2 h CP and AUCcp were significantly higher (P<0.01). Compared with the control group after the treatment, the observation group showed significantly lower FPG, 2 h PG, GA and HbA1C(P<0.05, P<0.01),and significantly higher FCP, 2 h CP and AUCcp (P<0.05, P<0.01), indicating that Astragali Radix can improve glucose metabolism. In terms of the diversity of gut microbiota, no significant differences were detected in the Chao1, Shannon and Simpson indexes of the two groups compared with their respective baselines. However, compared with the post-treatment control group, the observation group demonstrated significant increases in the Chao1, Shannon and Simpson indexes (P<0.05, P<0.01). The β-diversity analysis showed significant separation in gut microbiota composition before and after treatment in both groups, indicating that Astragali Radix can significantly alter the structure and improve the diversity of gut microbiota. At the phylum level, compared with the baseline, both groups showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of Bacteroidota(P<0.01). The relative abundance of the potentially harmful phylum Proteobacteria was significantly lower in the observation Group after treatment (P<0.01). Compared with the post-treatment control group, the observation group had a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroidota(P<0.01). No significant difference was found in Firmicutes/Bacteroidota (F/B) ratio between the two groups after treatment, and other phyla showed no significant differences. At the genus level, compared with the baseline, the observation group exhibited a significant increase in Bacteroides (P<0.01) and a significant decrease in Escherichia-Shigella (P<0.01), whereas no significant difference was seen in the control group . Compared with the control group after treatment, the observation group after treatment had a significantly higher relative abundance of Bacteroides (P<0.01). No significant differences were seen in other genera. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) identified potential characteristics taxa: in the observation group, Bacteroidota at the phylum level and Bacteroides and Dubosiella at the genus level, in the control group, Proteobacteria at the phylum level as well as Barnesiella and Staphylococcus at the genus level. Correlation analysis based on a heatmap revealed that GLP-1 levels were positively correlated with Firmicutes, F/B ratio and Fusobacterium, and negatively correlated with Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, Bacteroides and Escherichia-Shigella. In terms of clinical efficacy, compared with the control group, the total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher (P<0.05). Compared with the baseline, the scores for shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, spontaneous sweating and reluctance to speak significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.01). Compared with the control group after treatment, the score for weakness was significantly lower in the observation group (P<0.01),indicating that Astragali Radix could improve clinical symptoms and alleviate weakness symptoms. In terms of safety, compared with the baseline, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.05,P<0.01),indicating that Astragali Radix did not induce any significant abnormalities in liver and kidney functions. ConclusionAstragali Radix demonstrates the potential to significantly improve the gut microbiota environment in patients of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes with Qi deficiency. The therapeutic effect may contribute to glycemic control, possibly mediated by an elevation in GLP-1 level. These findings may support its further clinical investigations and potential applications.
5.Clinical characteristics and genetic analysis of 22 Chinese pedigrees affected with Neurofibromatosis type I.
Bingjie HU ; Xianhong DING ; Yang LU ; Hongliang CHEN ; Shuaishuai CHEN ; Mengyi XU ; Yicheng FANG ; Bo SHEN
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2026;43(1):19-30
OBJECTIVE:
To explore the genetic variants and phenotypic characteristics of patients with Neurofibromatosis type I (NF1).
METHODS:
Twenty two NF1 patients who presented at Enze Medical (Center) Group in Taizhou between 2018 and 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical phenotype and family history were collected for the patients. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out for the 22 probands to screen the variants of NF1 gene. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing of their family members. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Hospital (Ethics No.: K20230902).
RESULTS:
The 22 probands were diagnosed between the age of 5 months to 47 years old, and have all shown cafe au lait spots on their skin. Seventeen patients exhibited the phenotype at birth, and 11 had various degrees of neurofibromatosis. Among them, probands 1 and 13 underwent surgical resection of the tumor but had recurred, while proband 12 had amputation due to the huge size and serious impact of the neurofibroma and had no recurrence. Five patients had various degrees of scoliosis. In total 22 germline mutations and one somatic mutation were identified among the 22 families, with 5 variants unreported previously, including 1 nonsense mutation c.1603C>T (Q535*), 3 frameshift mutations [c.7268_7269delCA (Thr2423fs), c.2293del (Arg765Alafs*26), and c.5433_5438delinsGC (Phe1812ArgfsTer50)], and 1 deletion involving exons 41-44 of the NF1 gene and adjacent introns. Proband 13 was found to harbor germline mutation c.6796C>T (Gln2266Ter) and somatic mutation c.1019_1020del (Ser340Cysfs Ter12) in the peripheral blood and tumor tissue, respectively. Among the 22 NF1 probands, 6 had received treatment due to severe illness. Proband 1 had tumor resection in the right upper limb, but was found to have malignant lung tumor and died during follow-up. Proband 12 had multiple recurrence of neurofibroma in the left ring finger. Proband 4 underwent spinal correction surgery due to severe scoliosis. Proband 11 had died due to a central nervous system disease. Among the 22 germline mutations, 6 had led to the occurrence of truncated proteins, which may have a more severe impact on the phenotype.
CONCLUSION
This study investigated the genetic variants and clinical phenotypes of 22 NF1 families and identified 5 novel variants of the NF1 gene, which has expanded the genotypic and phenotypic spectra of the NF1. Preliminary studies have identified an association between truncated mutations, young age, and severe phenotypes, which may provide important clues for prognosis evaluation. For the clinical diagnosis and treatment of NF1, it is necessary to consider the phenotypic characteristics and genetic testing in combination with genetic counseling and long-term follow-up.
Humans
;
Neurofibromatosis 1/pathology*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Pedigree
;
Adult
;
Child
;
Child, Preschool
;
Middle Aged
;
Adolescent
;
Infant
;
Young Adult
;
Neurofibromin 1/genetics*
;
Phenotype
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Asian People/genetics*
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Mutation
;
Exome Sequencing
;
East Asian People
6.Mechanistic Interpretation of Zheng’s San Qi San Powder in Treating Skeletal Muscle Injury via Bioinformatics Prediction, Chemical Analysis and Experimental Verification
Ding-Rui WANG ; Yun-Xin LIU ; Jun-Jie XU ; Liu YANG ; Jia-Hao LÜ ; Cheng-Yuan XING ; Lei LÜ ; Bei-Bei QIE
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(4):1028-1047
ObjectiveZheng’s San Qi San (ZSQS) power, a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is used for treating soft tissue injuries involving muscles, tendons, and ligaments. However, its underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to screen and identify pharmaceutically active ingredients and their candidate biomolecule targets, and further elucidate the molecular mechanism of ZSQS in the treatment of skeletal muscle injury. MethodsNetwork pharmacology was employed to construct “ZSQS-component-target”, “protein-protein interaction (PPI)” and “active ingredient-core protein-pathway” networks to predict the key active ingredients and potential core targets of ZSQS for skeletal muscle injury. The predicted results were then validated via microarray data from the GEO database. Molecular docking was then performed to assess the binding ability between the screened active ingredients of ZSQS and the candidate core targets. Moreover, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis to verify the active components of the drug and ZSQS serum. Finally, an animal model of eccentric exercise-induced skeletal muscle injury and a myotube cell model of oxidative stress-induced injury were established to validate the effects of ZSQS and its interventional effects on the biological functions of critical targets, thereby demonstrating the potential therapeutic mechanism of ZSQS. ResultsAmong the 111 active components identified in ZSQS and their corresponding 204 targets related to the skeletal muscle injury repair process, 14 core targets (including AKT1) and 4 core active components (quercetin, luteolin, kaempferol, and β‑sitosterol) were screened out, while the corresponding metabolites of quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol were detected in the ZSQS serum. Among these targets, 5 candidate genes (IL-6, CASP3, HIF1A, STAT3, and JUN) overlapped with the differential expression screening results with GEO data, and IL-6 was confirmed to be enriched in the PI3K/AKT pathway. Combined with the prediction results of the AKT expression levels, these findings suggest that the phosphorylation level of AKT1 plays a core role in the therapeutic mechanism of ZSQS. Molecular docking analysis further revealed that the PH domain of AKT1 had high binding energy with all 4 core active components, as verified by LC-MS. Finally, animal model studies have shown the promoting effect of ZSQS administration on skeletal muscle injury repair and its possible antioxidant damage mechanism. Cell model studies further demonstrated that ZSQS-containing serum, core active ingredient combination therapy, and quercetin monomer could increase the phosphorylation level of AKT, promote the nuclear translocation of Nrf2, upregulate the expression of downstream antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx, and GR), and inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors (IL-6 and TNF-α), thereby alleviating oxidative stress and the inflammatory response. ConclusionZSQS alleviates skeletal muscle injury mainly by activating the AKT/Nrf2 signaling pathway, enhancing cellular antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities. The results of this study provide a scientific basis for the clinical application and modernized development of ZSQS.
7.From transmission to elimination: progress of schistosomiasis control in Sichuan Province
Jiajia WAN ; Zisong WU ; Lin CHEN ; Nannan WANG ; Yu ZHANG ; Chen PU ; Rongzhi LI ; Xianhong MENG ; Liang XU ; Jingye SHANG ; Ding LU ; Bo ZHONG ; Yang LIU
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2026;38(3):232-239
Sichuan Province is a hilly schistosomiasis-endemic province in China with the highest endemicity and largest coverage. During the period of more than 70 years of integrated control, there are five distinct phases of schistosomiasis control in Sichuan Province, including baseline investigation, Oncomelania hupensis snail control, chemotherapy for both humans and livestock, management of source of Schistosoma japonicum infections, and sustained control and intensified surveillance and early warning, and a package of key interventions are implemented, including environmental modification, snail control with chemical treatment, large-scale chemotherapy for humans and livestock, management of source of S. japonicum infections, intensified integrated control, establishment of an early warning and surveillance system. As a result, schistosomiasis has been eliminated across all 63 disease-endemic counties (cities, districts) in Sichuan Province by June 2025. Government-led multi-sectoral collaborations, science and technology-supported precision control strategies, and a sustainable control model tailored to the ecological and socio-economic conditions in endemic regions are essential to achieving the target of schistosomiasis elimination in Sichuan Province.
8.A time-stratified case-crossover study on effects of heatwaves on daily outpatient visits for skin diseases in Urumqi from 2016 to 2024
Ying ZHANG ; Zhe LIU ; Chunyu XU ; Na LI ; Jingyi LIU ; Haofeng YANG ; Li DING ; Jingxiu HAN
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2026;43(8):967-971
Background Against the background of global warming, frequent heatwaves pose a major threat to public health. Objective To investigate the effects of heatwaves on outpatient visits for skin diseases in Urumqi, characterize the exposure–response relationship, identify the critical temperature threshold, and provide scientific evidence for targeted prevention and control of heat-related skin diseases. Methods Data on meteorological conditions, air quality, and dermatological outpatient visits from 10 hospitals in Urumqi were collected from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2024. A time-stratified case-crossover design combined with a distributed lag model was adopted to construct a conditional logistic regression model, with adjustment for potential confounders, including relative humidity, air pollutants, and COVID-19 lockdown measures. With a maximum lag of 14 d, single-lag and cumulative-lag effects of heatwaves were examined, and the exposure–response relationship between temperature and the risk of dermatological outpatient visit was fitted. Results A total of 385 heatwave days were identified in Urumqi from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2024. These days were concentrated between June and September and showed an increasing annual trend. The median daily number of dermatological outpatient visits during heatwave periods (165 cases) was significantly higher than that during control periods (114 cases) (Z=−5.108, P<0.001). After adjusting for confounders, the odds of dermatological outpatient visits during heatwaves were 1.088 times higher than those of the control period (OR=1.088, 95%CI: 1.069, 1.107). Single-lag effects were statistically significant from lag0 to lag11 (P<0.05), peaking at lag0 (OR=1.088, 95%CI: 1.069, 1.107), showing an acute and immediate effect. Cumulative-lag effects were statistically significant from 1 to 14 d (P<0.05), peaking at lag04 (OR=1.117, 95%CI: 1.099, 1.136). The exposure–response relationship indicated that the OR values increased steeply with increasing temperature when the daily mean temperature exceeded 24.2 ℃, peaking at approximately 28.1 ℃ (OR=1.400, 95%CI: 1.189, 1.649). Conclusions Heatwave exposure is significantly associated with an increased risk of dermatological outpatient visits among residents in Urumqi. The impact of high temperature on skin diseases is predominantly acute, with peak risks observed on the day of exposure and within the subsequent 4 d. A daily mean temperature of 24.2 ℃ can serve as the critical threshold for heightened dermatological consultation risk. Strengthened health education and early warning systems are recommended to mitigate heatwave-related adverse dermatological outcomes.
9.Practice and optimization pathways of the surveillance - response system for schistosomiasis during the elimination stage in China: a One Health perspective
Jiajia WAN ; Jingye SHANG ; Jing XU ; Chen PU ; Nannan WANG ; Rongzhi LI ; Yu ZHANG ; Liang XU ; Xianhong MENG ; Ding LU ; Lin CHEN ; Zisong WU ; Bo ZHONG ; Xiaonong ZHOU ; Yang LIU
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2026;38(4):361-368
This paper systematically analyzes schistosomiasis transmission risks during the elimination stage and reviews the evolution of the schistosomiasis surveillance system in China from a One Health perspective, with a special emphasis on schistosomiasis surveillance and response practices during the elimination stage from a One Health perspective. These practices include precise screening of human schistosomiasis under low-endemicity conditions, systematic monitoring of schistosomiasis in domestic and wild animals, ecological management of Oncomelania snails, and information-coordinated responses. Nevertheless, the current surveillance and response system for schistosomiasis suffers from challenges of insufficient cross-sectoral coordination and complex external environments, which constrain precise schistosomiasis surveillance and response in China. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to integrate coordination mechanisms, empower the surveillance system with technological innovation, improve capacity building, and actively promote diverse social participation in the One Health framework, so as to consolidate current schistosomiasis control achievements and achieve the target for schistosomiasis elimination across China, which may provide a replicable technical model for global zoonoses control.
10.Research progress on the application of mitochondrial DNA in solid organ transplantation
Runyi TAO ; Yizhao SUN ; Fan YANG ; Jinteng FENG ; Jingyi ZHANG ; Yuezhong DING ; Jiangnan XU ; Guangjian ZHANG
Organ Transplantation 2026;17(6):1033-1039
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acts as a bridge between tissue damage and immune activation, triggering innate and adaptive immune responses through multiple signaling pathways. This review introduces the biological characteristics of mtDNA and its release mechanism in solid organ transplantation-related injuries, discusses the immune responses it mediates, and further explores its relationship with graft damage and rejection in different types of solid organ transplantation. By deeply understanding the biological functions of mtDNA, new ideas are expected to be provided for promoting marginal organ repair, optimizing graft monitoring methods, and developing targeted intervention strategies for transplant-related immune responses.


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