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.

Objective To study anti-aging mechanism of skin with water extract of Codonopsis Radix by applying computational biology and animal experiments.Methods A total of 50 SPF 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice were selected and then randomly divided into five groups.D-galactose-induced aging mice model was constructed,and different doses of water extract of Codonopsis Radix were used for intervention.Hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE)and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of mouse skin tissue.The content of hydroxyproline(HYP),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)in mouse skin were measured by biochemical detection.Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructural changes of mouse skin tissue.The chip data of skin aging from GEO database was obtained to screen skin-aging differential genes.TCMSP and UniProt databases were used to search for active ingredients and targets of Codonopsis Radix.The intersection of targets for Codonopsis Radix-skin aging was obtained by integrating the above data.A protein interaction network of all core gene proteins for Codonopsis Radix intervention in skin aging was constructed through the STRING database.Then,quantitative real-time PCR(RT-qPCR)and Western Blotting were used to verify target genes expression and pathway-related protein expression after the intervention of Codonopsis Radix in the aging model.Results Compared with the normal control group,the skin tissue structure of mice in senile model group were damaged significantly,the damage of skin tissue structure was improved significantly after the intervention of Codonopsis Radix.Compared with the normal control group,the content of HYP and SOD in the skin tissue of mice in senile model group were significantly reduced(P＜0.05),while MDA was significantly increased(P＜0.05).After the intervention of Codonopsis Radix,the content of HYP and SOD were increased,while MDA was decreased(P＜0.05)compared with senile model group.It was found that matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9)was the core target for the intervention of Codonopsis Radix on skin aging in computational biology.Experiments have shown that the expression of MMP9 was significantly increased in the skin of aging model mice compared to normal control group(P＜0.05).After the intervention of Codonopsis Radix,the expression of MMP9 is significantly reduced(P＜0.05),the expression of the key protein including inhibitory subunit of NF-kappa B alpha(IκBα)、IκB kinase-alpha(IKKα)、nuclear factor kappa-B(NF-κB)P65 of NF-κB signaling pathway were significantly changed(P＜0.05).Conclusion Codonopsis Radix water extract can effectively alleviate skin aging in aging model mice by inhibiting the protein expression of IκBα、IKKα、NF-κB P65 of NF-κB signaling pathway,reducing the expression of downstream gene MMP9,and ultimately alleviate skin collagen damage and resist skin aging.

BACKGROUND: Simple nanotube surface modification of titanium implant has been shown to promote adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts. Collagen coating can promote osteoblast adhesion and osseointegration in vivo. OBJECTⅠVE: To observe the effects of type collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube composite coating modified titanium surface on osteoblast adhesion in vitro and osseointegration in vivo. METHODS: The titanium dioxide nanotube was fabricated on the pure titanium surface, then type Ⅰ collagen was combined with the nanotube structure to form composite coating. Scanning electron microscope observation was used to characterize the surface topography of the pure titanium, titanium dioxide nanotube and type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube surfaces. Contact angle test was employed to evaluate the hydrophilicity of different samples. MC3 T3-E1 murine preosteoblasts were seeded on the three kinds of materials for 4 hours. Cell adhesion morphology was examined by scanning electron microscope. Adherent cell counting was detected under inverted fluorescence microscope. Expression of actin cytoskeleton and vinculin was observed under laser scanning confocal microscope. The gene expression of vinculin and osteoprotegerin mRNA was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. The three kinds of samples were implanted into the tibia of Sprague-Dawley rats (provided by Laboratory Animal Center, Ⅰnstitute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences) , and tibia samples were removed after 4 weeks of implantation for biological push-out test and histological observation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSⅠON: (1) Scanning electron microscope: There was mechanical scratch on the pure titanium surface. There was controllable, and uniform vertical arrangement of nanotubular structures with a diameter of approximately 70 nm on the titanium dioxide nanotube surface, and collagen adhered surrounding the nanotubular structures on the type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube substrate, and partial tubule orifices were closed. (2) The hydrophicility of type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube was significantly larger than those of the other two materials (P < 0.05) . (3) Compared with the pure titanium and titanium dioxide nanotube surfaces, the type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube substrate displayed increased adherent cell number, much well-organized cytoskeleton, enhanced immunofluorescence intensity of vinculin protein staining, and increased expression levels of vinculin and osteoprotegerin mRNA levels (all P < 0.05) . (4) Ⅰn vivo test revealed that the maximum push-out force in the type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube group was significantly higher than that in the pure titanium and titanium dioxide nanotube groups (P < 0.05) . Hematoxylin-eosin staining results showed that there were few bones, but many fibrous connective tissue surrounding the implant in the pure titanium group; there were more newly-born bones, and less fibrous connective tissue surrounding the implant in the titanium dioxide nanotube group; there were dense newly-born bones, and few thin fibrous connective tissue surrounding the implant in the type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube group. (5) These results indicate that type Ⅰ collagen combined titanium dioxide nanotube surface can facilitate osteoblast cell adhesion and promote osseointegration in vivo.

Objective To understand the correlation of expression levels of serum stromal cell-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and β2microglobulin (β2-MG) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) with or without myeloma bone disease (MBD). Methods Eighty patients with MM who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University from January 2014 to June 2017 were selected; all of the patients met the international diagnostic criteria for MM. According to the symptoms such as bone pain, the patients were divided into group with MBD (45 cases) and group without MBD (35 cases). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the serum levels of SDF-1α and OPG, and radioimmunoassay was used to detect the expression of MM major prognostic indicator β2-MG. The MBD score was evaluated in 45 patients selected by random number table after sacroiliac joint X-ray and three-dimensional bone reconstruction. The χ 2test was used to compare the categorical variables; the two independent sample t-test was used to compare the continuous variables that conformed to the normal distribution between two groups, and the Pearson method was used for the correlation analysis. Results The expression level of serum SDF-1α in the group with MBD was significantly higher than that in the group without MBD [0.31±0.17) pg/ml vs. (0.18±0.06) pg/ml], and the difference was statistically significant (t ＝-4.21, P < 0.001). The expression level of serum OPG in the group with MBD was significantly lower than that in the group without MBD [(0.73±0.50) pg/ml vs. (1.08±0.31) pg/ml], and the difference was statistically significant (t＝ 3.62, P< 0.001). Pearson analysis showed that β2-MG level in the group was positively correlated with SDF-1α level (r＝ 0.84, P< 0.001), and negatively correlated with OPG level (r＝ -0.48, P<0.001). The β2-MG level in the group without MBD did not show a correlation with the SDF-1α and OPG levels. Conclusions In the serum of patients with MBD, the expression levels of β2-MG and SDF-1α are increased, and the expression level of OPG is decreased. SDF-1α and OPG may be new clinical biochemical indicators for diagnosis, treatment and prognosis assessment in MBD.