1.Olfactory Receptors Expressed in The Intestine and Their Functions
Pei-Wen YANG ; Meng-Meng YUAN ; Ying ZHOU ; Peng LI ; Gui-Hong QI ; Ying YANG ; Zhong-Yi MAO ; Meng-Sha ZHOU ; Xiao-Shuang MAO ; Jian-Ping XIE ; Yi-Nan YANG ; Shi-Hao SUN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(3):534-549
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.
2.Construction and Validation of a Large Language Model-Based Intelligent Pre-Consultation System for Traditional Chinese Medicine
Yiqing LIU ; Ying LI ; Hongjun YANG ; Linjing PENG ; Nanxing XIAN ; Kunning LI ; Qiwei SHI ; Hengyi TIAN ; Lifeng DONG ; Lin WANG ; Yuping ZHAO
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(9):895-900
ObjectiveTo construct a large language model (LLM)-based intelligent pre-consultation system for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to improve efficacy of clinical practice. MethodsA TCM large language model was fine-tuned using DeepSpeed ZeRO-3 distributed training strategy based on YAYI 2-30B. A weighted undirected graph network was designed and an agent-based syndrome differentiation model was established based on relationship data extracted from TCM literature and clinical records. An agent collaboration framework was developed to integrate the TCM LLM with the syndrome differentiation model. Model performance was comprehensively evaluated by Loss function, BLEU-4, and ROUGE-L metrics, through which training convergence, text generation quality, and language understanding capability were assessed. Professional knowledge test sets were developed to evaluate system proficiency in TCM physician licensure content, TCM pharmacist licensure content, TCM symptom terminology recognition, and meridian identification. Clinical tests were conducted to compare the system with attending physicians in terms of diagnostic accuracy, consultation rounds, and consultation duration. ResultsAfter 100 000 iterations, the training loss value was gradually stabilized at about 0.7±0.08, indicating that the TCM-LLM has been trained and has good generalization ability. The TCM-LLM scored 0.38 in BLEU-4 and 0.62 in ROUGE-L, suggesting that its natural language processing ability meets the standard. We obtained 2715 symptom terms, 505 relationships between diseases and syndromes, 1011 relationships between diseases and main symptoms, and 1 303 600 relationships among different symptoms, and constructed the Agent of syndrome differentiation model. The accuracy rates in the simulated tests for TCM practitioners, licensed pharmacists of Chinese materia medica, recognition of TCM symptom terminology, and meridian recognition were 94.09%, 78.00%, 87.50%, and 68.80%, respectively. In clinical tests, the syndrome differentiation accuracy of the system reached 88.33%, with fewer consultation rounds and shorter consultation time compared to the attending physicians (P<0.01), suggesting that the system has a certain pre- consultation ability. ConclusionThe LLM-based intelligent TCM pre-diagnosis system could simulate diagnostic thinking of TCM physicians to a certain extent. After understanding the patients' natural language, it collects all the patient's symptom through guided questioning, thereby enhancing the diagnostic and treatment efficiency of physicians as well as the consultation experience of the patients.
3.Evaluation and Regulation of Medical Artificial Intelligence Applications in China.
Mao YOU ; Yue XIAO ; Han YAO ; Xue-Qing TIAN ; Li-Wei SHI ; Ying-Peng QIU
Chinese Medical Sciences Journal 2025;40(1):3-8
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*
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China
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Humans
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Algorithms
4.Autonomous drug delivery and scar microenvironment remodeling using micromotor-driven microneedles for hypertrophic scars therapy.
Ting WEN ; Yanping FU ; Xiangting YI ; Ying SUN ; Wanchen ZHAO ; Chaonan SHI ; Ziyao CHANG ; Beibei YANG ; Shuling LI ; Chao LU ; Tingting PENG ; Chuanbin WU ; Xin PAN ; Guilan QUAN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(7):3738-3755
Hypertrophic scar is a fibrous hyperplastic disorder that arises from skin injuries. The current therapeutic modalities are constrained by the dense and rigid scar tissue which impedes effective drug delivery. Additionally, insufficient autophagic activity in fibroblasts hinders their apoptosis, leading to excessive matrix deposition. Here, we developed an active microneedle (MN) system to overcome these challenges by integrating micromotor-driven drug delivery with autophagy regulation to remodel the scar microenvironment. Specifically, sodium bicarbonate and citric acid were introduced into the MNs as a built-in engine to generate CO2 bubbles, thereby enabling enhanced lateral and vertical drug diffusion into dense scar tissue. The system concurrently encapsulated curcumin (Cur), an autophagy activator, and triamcinolone acetonide (TA), synergistically inducing fibroblast apoptosis by upregulating autophagic activity. In vitro studies demonstrated that active MNs achieved efficient drug penetration within isolated scar tissue. The rabbit hypertrophic scar model revealed that TA-Cur MNs significantly reduced the scar elevation index, suppressed collagen I and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression, and elevated LC3 protein levels. These findings highlight the potential of the active MN system as an efficacious platform for autonomous augmented drug delivery and autophagy-targeted therapy in fibrotic disorder treatments.
5.A Health Economic Evaluation of an Artificial Intelligence-assisted Prescription Review System in a Real-world Setting in China.
Di WU ; Ying Peng QIU ; Li Wei SHI ; Ke Jun LIU ; Xue Qing TIAN ; Ping REN ; Mao YOU ; Jun Rui PEI ; Wen Qi FU ; Yue XIAO
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(3):385-388
6.Determination of Organic Fluorinated Amines in Oral Care Products by Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Charged Aerosol Detector Coupled with Solid-Phase Extraction
Xiao-Fang LI ; Yan PENG ; Di XIN ; Wei ZHOU ; Xiao-Hong QIAO ; Hua-Jin SHI ; Lei ZHANG ; Guo-Qiang CAI ; Ying LIU
Chinese Journal of Analytical Chemistry 2025;53(8):1362-1370,中插100-中插105
The major components of Olaflur raw material were characterized using ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF/MS).The results revealed that cetyl amine fluoride(C16-AmF),octadecene amine fluoride(C18:1-AmF),and octadecyl amine fluoride(Olaflur)were the main components.The contents of C16-AmF,C18:1-AmF,and Olaflur in oral care products were determined via ultra performance liquid chromatography-charged aerosol detector coupled with solid-phase extraction(SPE-UPLC-CAD).The oral care sample was dispersed evenly with a 50%ethanol aqueous solution,and then vortexed with ethanol.The supernatant was collected by centrifugation,concentrated to near dryness,and redissolved with ultrapure water.The re-dissolved sample was loaded onto a Poly-Sery HLB Pro SPE column for purification and elution.The acetonitrile eluate was collected and concentrated to 1.0 mL.Finally,a prepared test solution was separated on a Thermo Acclaim Surfactant Plus chromatographic column(2.1 mm×150 mm,3 μm).Acetonitrile and 100 mmol/L acetic acid-ammonium acetate aqueous solution(pH=4.8)were used as the mobile phases for gradient elution.The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min and cloumn temperature was maintained at 40℃.The sample was detected using a charged aerosol detector,and quantified using an external standard method.The experimental results indicated that the three organic fluorinated amines showed good linear relationship in their respective concentration ranges.The correlation coefficients(r)were greater than 0.99.The limit of detection(LOD)and the limit of quantification(LOQ)of C16-AmF were 2.0 and 8.0 μg/mL,respectively.The LOD and LOQ of C18:1-AmF were 2.0 and 8.0 μg/mL,respectively.The LOD and LOQ of Olaflur were 3.0 μg/mL and 10.0 μg/mL,respectively.The spiked recoveries of the three organic fluorinated amines were 84.3%-104.2%,with relative standard deviations(RSDs)of 4.93%-5.82%.The 28 batches of commercial oral care samples were detected by this method and the results indicated that three organic fluorinated amines were detected in 18 samples and the total content were 22.2-11477.8 μg/g.This method had high sensitivity and good reproducibility.It was suitable for verifying the authenticity of the claims of oral care products promoted with Olaflur as the main efficacy ingredient and selling point,and provided a valuable reference for establishing and improving the standard analytical method for Olaflur.
7.Effect and mechanism of UBAC2 mediated by m6A methylation modification on the invasion and migration abilities of colorectal cancer cells
Ying-Peng SHI ; Hua LIU ; Dong-Lin ZHANG ; Ya-Ping NI ; Jie CUI
Medical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army 2025;50(9):1162-1170
Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of ubiquitin-associated domain-containing protein 2(UBAC2)mediated by m6A methylation modification on the invasion and migration abilities of colorectal cancer cells.Methods The GEPIA2.0 database was utilized to analyze the expression differences of UBAC2 mRNA between colorectal cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues,as well as its expression in colorectal cancer tissues at different stages.The correlation between Wilms tumor 1-associated protein(WTAP)and UBAC2 expression was analyzed.The Kaplan-Meier plotter online tool was applied to analyze the correlation between UBAC2 and the overall survival rate of colorectal cancer patients.The RMVar and SRAMP databases were employed to predict potential m6A methylation modification sites in the UBAC2 gene.Quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR)and Western blotting were performed to detect the expression levels of UBAC2 mRNA and protein in colorectal cancer cell lines.For UBAC2 knockdown experiments,SW480 cells were divided into control group(no treatment),sh-NC group(transfected with sh-NC negative control plasmid),and sh-UBAC2 group(transfected with sh-UBAC2 plasmid).For WTAP knockdown experiments,groups included control group(no treatment),si-NC group(transfected with negative control siRNA),and si-WTAP group(transfected with WTAP-targeting siRNA).For UBAC2 overexpression experiments,groups were control group(no treatment),si-WTAP group(transfected with pcDNA3.1 empty plasmid),and si-WTAP+OE-UBAC2 group(transfected with UBAC2 overexpression plasmid pcDNA3.1-UBAC2).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression levels of UBAC2,WTAP,E-cadherin,N-cadherin,and Vimentin;qRT-PCR was applied to detect the expression level of UBAC2 mRNA;Transwell assays were conducted to assess cell invasion and migration abilities.MeRIP-qPCR was employed to detect the m6A methylation modification of UBAC2 mRNA;RIP-qPCR experiments were conducted to verify the binding of WTAP to UBAC2 mRNA.In nude mouse colorectal cancer lung metastasis experiments,groups included LV-sh-NC group(tail vein injection of SW480 cells stably infected with LV-sh-NC)and LV-sh-UBAC2 group(tail vein injection of SW480 cells stably infected with LV-sh-UBAC2).After 42 d of tumor-implantation in nude mice,lung tissues were harvested:the number of lung nodules observed by hematoxylin/eosin(HE)staining,and the expression level of Luc2 mRNA detected by qRT-PCR.Results GEPIA2.0 database analysis revealed that the expression level of UBAC2 mRNA in colorectal cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues,and it gradually increased with the progression of tumor stage(P<0.05).The expression levels of UBAC2 mRNA and protein in multiple colorectal cancer cell lines were significantly higher than those in normal colonic epithelial cells(P<0.05).Compared with sh-NC group,sh-UBAC2 group showed significantly increased E-cadherin protein expression,significantly decreased N-cadherin and Vimentin protein expression,and significantly reduced number of invaded and migrated SW480 cells(P<0.05).GEPIA2.0 database analysis results indicated a positive correlation between WTAP and UBAC2 expression(r=0.24,P<0.001).Compared with si-NC group,si-WTAP group showed significantly decreased expression levels of WTAP and UBAC2 mRNA and protein in SW480 cells(P<0.05).MeRIP-qPCR results demonstrated that the m6A modification level of UBAC2 mRNA in si-WTAP group was significantly lower than that in si-NC group(P<0.05).RIP-qPCR further confirmed that WTAP could bind to UBAC2 mRNA.Compared with control group,si-WTAP group showed significantly increased E-cadherin protein expression and significantly decreased N-cadherin and Vimentin protein expression in SW480 cells(P<0.05);compared with si-WTAP group,si-WTAP+OE-UBAC2 group showed significantly decreased E-cadherin protein expression and significantly increased N-cadherin and Vimentin protein expression in SW480 cells(P<0.05).The number of lung nodules in LV-sh-UBAC2 group was significantly fewer than that in LV-sh-NC group,and the expression level of Luc2 mRNA in lung tissues was significantly lower than that in LV-sh-NC group(P<0.05).Conclusion UBAC2 mediated by m6A methylation modification can regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)process in colorectal cancer cells,thereby affecting the invasion and migration abilities of colorectal cancer cells.
8.COCKROACH SURVEILLANCE IN LANZHOU FROM 2016 TO 2023
Ying ZHANG ; Jing ZUO ; Qing-Ming SHI ; Zi-Peng LI ; Wen-Juan BA ; Zhi-Qing LI ; Ai-Miao LIAO ; Jing-Jing YU ; Guo-Jing BAO ; Xing LI ; Jun GAN ; Xiao-Lei YE
Acta Parasitologica et Medica Entomologica Sinica 2025;32(2):119-122
Objective To investigate the population composition,seasonal dynamics,and infestation levels of cockroaches in Lanzhou,China,and to provide information for the scientific development of cockroach control strategies.Methods Monitoring was conducted at three locations using the sticky trap method.Habitats included farm product markets,catering establishments,hotels,hospitals,and residential areas.Results From 2016 to 2023,the average cockroach density was 0.77 insects per board,with an average infestation rate of 10.84%.Blattella germanica was the dominant species.Seasonal density of cockroaches showed an approximately unimodal distribution,peaking in September.The highest average density and infestation rates were observed in farm product markets.Conclusions Cockroach density and infestation levels in Lanzhou remained relatively low.A comprehensive prevention and control strategy focusing on environmental management in key areas should be implemented according to the seasonal fluctuations.
9.Quality evaluation of benchmark sample of Zexie Decoction based on HPLC fingerprints and content determination
Chun-qin LI ; Yue LIANG ; Yu-juan ZHANG ; Li-ying PENG ; Jun-jun SHI ; An-dong YANG ; Tuo KAI
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(8):2485-2490
AIM To evaluate the quality of benchmark sample of Zexie Decoction.METHODS HPLC fingerprints were established,after which the content determination of epoxy alisma ene,23-acetyl alisol B,23-acetyl alisol C,alisol A,alisol B,atractylenolide Ⅰ,atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ was performed,and the transfer rate and paste yield were calculated.RESULTS There were 20 common peaks in the fingerprints for 15 batches of benchmark samples with the similarities of more than 0.95.The average contents of various effective constituents were 180.86 μg/g for alisol B 23-acetate,18.65 μg/g for alisol C 23-acetate,34.74 μg/g for alismoxide,17.65 μg/g for alisol A,238.19 μg/g for alisol B,2.85 μg/g for atractylenolide Ⅰ,6.38 μg/g for atractylenolide Ⅱ,and 15.42 μg/g for atractylenolide Ⅲ,respectively.In the decoction piece-benchmark sample,alisol B 23-acetate,alisol C 23-acetate,atractylenolide Ⅰ,atractylenolide Ⅱ and atractylenolide Ⅲ demonstrated the average transfer rates of 12.09%,16.45%,3.93%,12.17%and 34.37%respectively.The paste yields in various batches of benchmark samples were 15.2%-20.2%.CONCLUSION HPLC fingerprints combined with content determination can be used for the quality control of benchmark sample of Zexie Decoction,thus provides a reference for the development of its compound preparations.
10.Guideline for Adult Weight Management in China
Weiqing WANG ; Qin WAN ; Jianhua MA ; Guang WANG ; Yufan WANG ; Guixia WANG ; Yongquan SHI ; Tingjun YE ; Xiaoguang SHI ; Jian KUANG ; Bo FENG ; Xiuyan FENG ; Guang NING ; Yiming MU ; Hongyu KUANG ; Xiaoping XING ; Chunli PIAO ; Xingbo CHENG ; Zhifeng CHENG ; Yufang BI ; Yan BI ; Wenshan LYU ; Dalong ZHU ; Cuiyan ZHU ; Wei ZHU ; Fei HUA ; Fei XIANG ; Shuang YAN ; Zilin SUN ; Yadong SUN ; Liqin SUN ; Luying SUN ; Li YAN ; Yanbing LI ; Hong LI ; Shu LI ; Ling LI ; Yiming LI ; Chenzhong LI ; Hua YANG ; Jinkui YANG ; Ling YANG ; Ying YANG ; Tao YANG ; Xiao YANG ; Xinhua XIAO ; Dan WU ; Jinsong KUANG ; Lanjie HE ; Wei GU ; Jie SHEN ; Yongfeng SONG ; Qiao ZHANG ; Hong ZHANG ; Yuwei ZHANG ; Junqing ZHANG ; Xianfeng ZHANG ; Miao ZHANG ; Yifei ZHANG ; Yingli LU ; Hong CHEN ; Li CHEN ; Bing CHEN ; Shihong CHEN ; Guiyan CHEN ; Haibing CHEN ; Lei CHEN ; Yanyan CHEN ; Genben CHEN ; Yikun ZHOU ; Xianghai ZHOU ; Qiang ZHOU ; Jiaqiang ZHOU ; Hongting ZHENG ; Zhongyan SHAN ; Jiajun ZHAO ; Dong ZHAO ; Ji HU ; Jiang HU ; Xinguo HOU ; Bimin SHI ; Tianpei HONG ; Mingxia YUAN ; Weibo XIA ; Xuejiang GU ; Yong XU ; Shuguang PANG ; Tianshu GAO ; Zuhua GAO ; Xiaohui GUO ; Hongyi CAO ; Mingfeng CAO ; Xiaopei CAO ; Jing MA ; Bin LU ; Zhen LIANG ; Jun LIANG ; Min LONG ; Yongde PENG ; Jin LU ; Hongyun LU ; Yan LU ; Chunping ZENG ; Binhong WEN ; Xueyong LOU ; Qingbo GUAN ; Lin LIAO ; Xin LIAO ; Ping XIONG ; Yaoming XUE
Chinese Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 2025;41(11):891-907
Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.

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