ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects and safety of the optimized new Shengmai Powder （优化新生脉散方） on exercise tolerance in patients with chronic heart failure （CHF） of qi deficiency， blood stasis， and fluid retention syndrome. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled trial was conducted. A total of 78 CHF patients with qi deficiency， blood stasis， and fluid retention syndrome were recruited and randomly assigned to a treatment group （39 cases） and a control group （39 cases）. On the basis of conventional western medical therapy， patients in the treatment group additionally received the optimized new Shengmai Powder granules， while the control group was given an oral placebo of optimized new Shengmai Powder granules. Patients in both groups took 30.6 g each time， twice a day， mixed with water for administration， with a total treatment course of 4 weeks. The primary outcomes were 6-minute walk distance （6MWD） and peak oxygen uptake （Peak VO₂） measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Secondary outcomes included New York Heart Association （NYHA） functional classification， B-type natriuretic peptide （BNP） levels， cardiac function indexes including left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventri-cular end-systolic diameter （LVESD） and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVEDD）， Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ） scores， and scores of four diagnostic information of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. All indicators were assessed once before and after treatment respectively. Safety indicators were evaluated， and adverse events during the trial were recorded. ResultsAll patients in both groups were included in the full ana-lysis set （FAS） and safety set （SS）. Compared with baseline， the 6MWD and Peak VO₂ of cardiopulmonary exercise test in the treatment group significantly increased after treatment， while the MLHFQ scores， serum BNP levels and scores of TCM four diagnostic information significantly decreased， and the NYHA cardiac function grade significantly improved （P＜0.01）. After treatment， the 6MWD and Peak VO₂ of cardiopulmonary exercise test， as well as their changes from baseline in the treatment group were higher than those in the control group； the MLHFQ scores， serum BNP levels and scores of TCM four diagnostic information in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group； and the improvement of NYHA cardiac function grade in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group （P＜0.01）. There was no statistically significant differences in all indicators after treatment in the control group （P＞0.05）. The incidence of adverse events was 5.1% （2/39） in the treatment group and 2.6% （1/39） in the control group， with no statistically significant difference between groups （P＞0.05）. ConclusionOn the basis of conventional western medicine treatment， the addition of the optimized new Shengmai Powder can further improve exercise tolerance， cardiac function and quality of life in patients with CHF of qi deficiency， blood stasis and fluid retention syndrome， and show good safety.

Olfactory receptors (ORs) form the largest superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Traditionally recognized for their role in the nasal olfactory epithelium, where they mediate the sense of smell, accumulating evidence has firmly established their ectopic expression in non-olfactory tissues, including the intestine, lungs, and kidneys. The intestine, as the primary site for nutrient digestion and absorption, harbors a highly complex chemical environment. To adapt to this environment, the gut employs a sophisticated network of “chemosensors” to monitor luminal contents and maintain homeostasis. Among these sensors, intestinal ORs have emerged as crucial functional components, serving as a molecular bridge that connects environmental chemical signals—such as food-derived odorants—to specific physiological responses. This discovery has significantly deepened our understanding of how dietary flavors and compounds influence intestinal physiology at the molecular level. This review systematically summarizes the expression profiles, ligand classification, and biological functions of ORs within the gastrointestinal tract. Studies indicate that intestinal ORs exhibit distinct spatial distribution patterns across different gut segments and display cell-type specificity, particularly within enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells. These receptors function as versatile sensors capable of recognizing a wide variety of ligands, including exogenous dietary components, gut microbiota metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, and endogenous small molecules like azelaic acid. Upon activation by specific ligands, intestinal ORs trigger intracellular signaling cascades, primarily involving the AC-cAMP-PKA pathway or calcium influx channels. A major focus of this review is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which these receptors regulate the secretion of gut hormones. Activation of specific ORs in enteroendocrine cells has been shown to stimulate the release of hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and serotonin (5-HT), thereby modulating systemic energy metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and gastrointestinal motility. Furthermore, the review addresses the critical roles of ORs in immune regulation and pathology. Evidence suggests that specific ORs contribute to the maintenance of intestinal immune homeostasis and may offer protection against inflammation. Beyond their involvement in inflammatory responses, ORs such as Olfr78 have been shown to regulate the differentiation and function of intestinal endocrine cells. Similarly, Olfr544 has been demonstrated to alleviate intestinal inflammation by remodeling the gut microbiome and metabolome. These findings collectively suggest that specific ORs hold promise as therapeutic targets for mitigating intestinal inflammation and maintaining gut homeostasis. Additionally, the review explores the emerging role of ORs in cancer. Although OR expression is often downregulated in tumor tissues compared to normal mucosa, activation of specific ORs by certain ligands can inhibit tumor cell proliferation and migration and induce apoptosis via pathways such as MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK. Conversely, other receptors, such as OR7C1, may serve as biomarkers for cancer-initiating cells. In conclusion, intestinal ORs represent a vital component of the gut’s sensory network. The review also discusses the translational potential of these findings. By elucidating the precise pairing relationships between dietary components and specific ORs, novel therapeutic strategies could be developed. Intestinal ORs may thus emerge as promising targets for nutritional and pharmacological interventions in metabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and malignancies.

Purpose: Due to the preservation of the entire stomach after endoscopic resection, the occurrence of metachronous gastric cancer (MGC) remains a possibility. In this study, we investigated the incidence and risk factors for MGC in patients with early gastric cancer who underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and successfully eradicatedHelicobacter pylori. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of 1,191 patients who underwent ESD and successfully eradicated H. pylori at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University. Endoscopic surveillance was performed at 3, 6, and 12 months post-resection, and annually thereafter. MGC was defined as the development of a new cancer at a site other than the primary gastric cancer site, at least 1 year after the initial endoscopic resection. Results: A total of 77 patients were diagnosed with MGC during a median follow-up of 41.5 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a 5-year cumulative incidence of MGC of 9.4% after successful H. pylori eradication. Multivariate analysis of the training set using Cox proportional hazards models identified male sex, severe atrophic gastritis, multiple gastric cancers before H. pylori eradication, and smoking history as independent risk factors for MGC.The nomogram exhibited favorable discrimination, with area under the curves of 0.767 and 0.822 in the training set and 0.724 and 0.745 in the testing set at 3 and 5 years, respectively. Conclusions Patients with gastric cancer who undergo endoscopic resection, even after successful H. pylori eradication, should undergo annual and continuous endoscopic surveillance for MGC.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A 5:2 intermittent fasting (IF) program is an effective dietary intervention for patients who are overweight or obese, but the effects of a 5:2 IF diet on the Chinese population are unclear. This study examined the impact of a modified 5:2 IF dietary intervention on Chinese adults who were overweight or obese. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this self-controlled clinical trial, 45 overweight or obese participants received a modified 5:2 IF dietary intervention for 24 weeks. The body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), glycolipid metabolism indicators, adipokines, and inflammatory factors were measured in all participants at weeks 0 and 24. The changes in body weight and glycolipid metabolism indicators were the primary outcomes. Serum metabolomics analysis was conducted to identify the differences in metabolites and potential metabolic pathways after dietary intervention. RESULTS: Thirty-one participants completed the trial and were included in the final analysis.After 24 weeks of a modified 5:2 IF dietary intervention, the participants showed significant decreases in the BMI, WC, body weight, levels of fasting plasma glucose, fasting plasma insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, alanine aminotransferase, and uric acid (all P < 0.05). Moreover, serum metabolomics analysis identified several significantly altered metabolites and metabolic pathways, including pyruvic acid, alpha-ketoisovaleric acid, ammonia recycling, and glutamate metabolism. CONCLUSION A modified 5:2 IF dietary intervention significantly reduced the body weight in Chinese adults who were overweight or obese.

Objective To explore the incidence and risk factors of sarcopenia in non-dialysis patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods Non-dialysis stage 5 CKD patients in Jiading District Central Hospital Affiliated Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences from October 2023 to October 2024 were enrolled and divided into the non-sarcopenia group and the sarcopenia group according to lean tissue index (LTI) and handgrip strength (HGS). Demographic data of patients were collected and biochemical indicators were detected. Serum advanced glycation end products (AGEs) were detected by competitive ELISA. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the risk factors of sarcopenia in these patients. The diagnostic efficacy of the risk factors was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results A total of 102 non-dialysis stage 5 CKD patients with (68.52±7.39) years, were enrolled, including 61 male (59.8%). Among them, 24 were diagnosed with sarcopenia (23.5%). Compared with patients in non-sarcopenia group, patients in sarcopenia group were older and had higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) and AGEs, lower body mass index (BMI) and lower serum albumin (sAlb; P＜0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that advanced age (OR＝1.153, 95%CI 1.045–1.273, P＝0.005), higher IL-6 (OR＝1.165, 95%CI 1.042–1.302, P＝0.007)、lower sAlb (OR＝0.675, 95%CI 0.542–0.840, P＝0.001), and higher serum AGEs (OR＝1.105, 95%CI 1.013–1.206, P＝0.024) were independent risk factors of sarcopenia in non-dialysis CKD 5 patients. The areas under the curve (AUC) for the age, IL-6, sAlb, and serum AGEs were 0.896, 0.643, 0.658, and 0.724, respectively. Conclusions Sarcopenia is common in non-dialysis stage 5 CKD patients, and the risk of sarcopenia is higher in non-dialysis stage 5 CKD patients with advanced age, higher IL-6, lower sAlb, and higher serum AGEs.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the first cohort of people in China treated with a responsive neurostimulation system (Epilcure TM , GenLight MedTech, Hangzhou, China) for focal drug-resistant epilepsy in this study. METHODS: This multicenter, before-and-after self-controlled study was conducted across 8 centers from March 2022 to June 2023, involving patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who were undergoing responsive neurostimulation (RNS). The study was based on an ongoing multi-center, single-blind, randomized controlled study. Efficacy was assessed through metrics including median seizure count, seizure frequency reduction (SFR), and response rate. Multivariable linear regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationships of basic clinical factors and intracranial electrophysiological characteristics with SFR. The postoperative quality of life, cognitive function, depression, and anxiety were evaluated as well. RESULTS: The follow-up period for the 19 participants was 10.7 ± 3.4 months. Seizure counts decreased significantly 6 months after device activation, with median SFR of 48% at the 6th month (M6) and 58% at M12 ( P  <0.05). The average response rate after 13 months of treatment was 42%, with 21% ( n  = 4) of the participants achieving seizure freedom. Patients who have previously undergone resective surgery appear to achieve better therapeutic outcomes at M11, M12 and M13 ( β  <0, P  <0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in patients' scores of quality of life, cognition, depression and anxiety following stimulation when compared to baseline measurements. No serious adverse events related to the devices were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings suggest that Epilcure TM exhibits promising therapeutic potential in reducing the frequency of epileptic seizures. However, to further validate its efficacy, larger-scale randomized controlled trials are required. REGISTRATION Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR2200055247).
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Drug Resistant Epilepsy/therapy* ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; China ; Adolescent ; Treatment Outcome ; Quality of Life ; Single-Blind Method ; Seizures ; Electric Stimulation Therapy/methods*

In order to compare the differences in growth and secondary metabolite accumulation of Panax quinquefolius between understory and field planting, growth indexes, photosynthetic characteristics, soil enzyme activities, secondary metabolite contents, and antioxidant activities of P. quinquefolius under different planting modes were examined and compared, and One-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) and correlation analyses were carried out by using the software SPSS 25.0 and GraphPad Prism 9.5. The Origin 2021 software was used for plotting. The results showed that compared with those under field planting, the plant height, leaf length, leaf width, photosynthetic rate, and chlorophyll content of P. quinquefolius under understory planting were significantly reduced, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF) infestation rate and infestation intensity, ginsenoside content, and antioxidant activity were significantly increased. The activities of inter-root soil urease, sucrase, and catalase increased, while the activities of non-inter-root soil urease and alkaline phosphatase increased. Correlation analyses showed that the plant height and leaf length of P. quinquefolius plant were significantly positively correlated with net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, chlorophyll content, and electron transfer rate(P<0.05), while ginsenoside content was significantly negatively correlated with net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and electron transfer rate(P<0.05) and significantly positively correlated with AMF infestation rate and infestation intensity(P<0.05). In addition, ginsenoside content was significantly positively correlated with the activities of inter-root soil sucrase, urease, and catalase(P<0.05). This study provides basic data for revealing the mechanism of secondary metabolite accumulation in P. quinquefolius under understory planting and for exploring and practicing the ecological mode of P. quinquefolius under understory planting.
Panax/microbiology* ; China ; Secondary Metabolism ; Soil/chemistry* ; Photosynthesis ; Plant Leaves/metabolism* ; Chlorophyll/metabolism* ; Mycorrhizae

To investigate the effects of phosphorus fertilizer on the morphological traits, active ingredients and rhizosphere soil microbial community of Polygala tenuifolia. The phosphorus fertilizer was calculated in terms of P_2O_5. Five treatments were set up: 0(CK), 17(P1), 34(P2), 51(P3), and 68(P4) kg per Mu(1 Mu≈667 m~2). A randomized block design was adopted. Samples of P. tenuifolia and its rhizosphere soil were collected under different superphosphate fertilizer treatments. Illumina high-throughput sequencing was used to analyze the rhizosphere soil microbial community, 9 morphological traits were measured and the content of 11 active ingredients were determined. The results showed that the whole plant weight, shoot fresh weight, root weight, and root peel thickness were the highest under P1 treatment, increasing by 34.41%, 38.80%, 39.21%, and 3.17% respectively compared to CK. Under P2 treatment, the plant height, stem diameter, root thickness, and core thickness were significantly higher than CK. Phosphorus fertilizer had a significant impact on the content of tenuifolin, sibiricose A5, sibiricose A6, arillanin A, 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose, and polygalaxanthone Ⅲ. Correlation analysis results showed that the relative abundance of Arthrobacter, Bacillus, norank＿f＿Vicinamibacteraceae, norank＿o＿Vicinamibacterales, MND1 and other bacteria, as well as the relative abundance of Neocosmospora, Paraphoma and other fungi were positively correlated with root diameter, wood core diameter, the whole plant weight, root weight, shoot fresh weight of P. tenuifolia. Bacillus, Neocosmospora, Subulicystidium were significantly positively correlated with oligosaccharides such as 3,6'-disinapoyl sucrose, sibiricose A5、sibiricose A6、glomeratose A、arillanin A and tenuifoliside C. Arthrobacter, Humicola, Aspergillus, Paraphoma were positively correlated with tenuifolin and norank＿f＿Vicinamibacteraceae, norank＿o＿Vicinamibacterales, Fusarium were positively correlated with polygalaxanthone Ⅲ. Evidently, appropriate phosphorus application is conducive to the growth and quality improvement of P. tenuifolia, and can increase the abundance of beneficial microorganisms in the soil.
Rhizosphere ; Phosphorus/pharmacology* ; Soil Microbiology ; Polygala/anatomy & histology* ; Fertilizers/analysis* ; Bacteria/metabolism* ; Soil/chemistry* ; Microbiota/drug effects* ; Plant Roots/metabolism*

Amid the global wave of digital economy, China's medical artificial intelligence applications are rapidly advancing through technological innovation and policy support, while facing multifaceted evaluation and regulatory challenges. The dynamic algorithm evolution undermines the consistency of assessment criteria, multimodal systems lack unified evaluation metrics, and conflicts persist between data sharing and privacy protection. To address these issues, the China National Health Development Research Center has established a value assessment framework for artificial intelligence medical technologies, formulated the country's first technical guideline for clinical evaluation, and validated their practicality through scenario-based pilot studies. Furthermore, this paper proposes introducing a "regulatory sandbox" model to test technical compliance in controlled environments, thereby balancing innovation incentives with risk governance.
Artificial Intelligence/legislation & jurisprudence* ; China ; Humans ; Algorithms