1.Ethical challenges and governance pathways of doctor digital twins
Da HE ; Yingting LI ; Xinyu ZHANG ; Chunhua YANG ; Jing XIE
Chinese Medical Ethics 2026;39(9):1144-1151
Doctor digital twins, as a significant innovative form within the medical metaverse, integrate technologies such as large language models, natural language processing and multimodal learning. They can simulate doctors’ appearance, language style, and certain clinical reasoning, realizing diverse applications such as medical knowledge dissemination, intelligent consultation, health management, and medical education. While enhancing the accessibility and intelligence of healthcare services, doctor digital twins also give rise to multidimensional ethical challenges, such as data security and privacy breaches, algorithmic black box and bias, a crisis of doctor-patient trust, weakening of doctors’ subjectivity, and ambiguities in legal responsibility. This paper systematically reviewed the core concepts and current application status of doctor digital twins, constructing a tripartite analytical dimension centered on “technology, doctor-patient relationship, and law.” It focused on pivotal ethical issues encountered in practical application, including data security, patient informed consent and trust, legal responsibility delineation, and others. These aimed to provide ethical guidance and theoretical support for the sustainable development of doctor digital twins, promote the deep integration of smart healthcare and humanistic care, as well as contribute to building a safer, more trustworthy, and sustainable intelligent healthcare system.
2.Clinicopathological features of early gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma
Wang GENGFANG ; Li TING ; He CHONGFANG ; Zhuang SHAOHUA ; Chen YINGTING ; Cheng YUQING
Chinese Journal of Clinical Oncology 2025;52(11):557-564
Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with early gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma(EGCLS).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 27 consecutive patients with EGCLS who underwent radical surgery at The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou between January 2007 and December 2023.Sixty-nine cases of conventional early gastric carcinoma with matched T stages were randomly selected as controls.Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of P53,mismatch repair(MMR)proteins,programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1),E-cadherin,and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)in the study cohort.FISH analysis was conducted on HER2 2+cases,and in situ hybridization was used to detect Epstein-Barr virus(EBV).Res-ults:No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of patient sex,age,tumor location,size,ulceration,lymph-ovascular or perineural invasion,tumor budding grade,P53 expression,or MMR protein deficiency.The EGCLS group showed significantly higher proportions of SM2 invasion(88.9%),poor tumor differentiation(70.4%),pushing tumor border(48.1%),PD-L1 positivity(59.3%),Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNA(EBER)positivity(55.6%),and abnormal E-cadherin expression(48.1%)compared to the control group(59.4%,46.4%,18.8%,24.6%,1.4%,and 23.2%,respectively;P<0.05).The frequency of lymph node metastasis(7.4%)and the pro-portion of elevated macroscopic type(14.8%)in the EGCLS group were significantly lower than in the control group(30.4%and 40.6%,re-spectively;P<0.05).Lymphovascular invasion,tumor budding grade,and non-EGCLS status were identified as risk factors for lymph node metastasis,with lymphovascular invasion being the only independent risk factor.Conclusions:EGCLS is a rare subtype of early gastric car-cinoma characterized by a low frequency of lymph node metastasis and a high proportion of EBER positivity or MMR protein deficiency.En-doscopic resection or immunotherapy may be preferred treatment options for patients who are not suitable candidates for surgery.
3.Phosphatidylethanolamine promotes macrophage senescence and liver injury by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress
Longchuan HAN ; Yue LI ; Zhihui ZOU ; Jing LUO ; Ruoyi LI ; Yingting ZHANG ; Xinxin TANG ; Lihong TIAN ; Yuheng LU ; Ying HUANG ; Ming HE ; Yinkun FU
Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Medical Science) 2025;45(6):693-704
Objective·To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)on macrophage senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),as well as its pathophysiological role in liver injury.Methods·A macrophage senescence model was established using doxorubicin(DOX),followed by PE treatment.A mouse liver injury model was generated via intraperitoneal co-administration of PE and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)to investigate the effects of PE on liver injury.Senescence markers and SASP factors,including senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-gal),cell cycle inhibitor p21,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6),were evaluated using SA-β-gal staining,quantitative real-time PCR,and Western blotting.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed,followed by Gene Ontology(GO)cellular component enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA),and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA),to explore the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which PE promotes macrophage senescence.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related proteins,including inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α(IRE1α),spliced X-box binding protein 1(XBP1s),activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),was analyzed through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Results·PE significantly promoted the expression of senescence markers SA-β-gal,p21,p16 and SASP factors.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress was involved in PE-induced promotion of SASP.Further experiments demonstrated that PE activated the ER stress signaling pathway,promoting macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors.In vivo experiments further confirmed that PE exacerbated LPS-induced liver injury in mice through ER stress.Conclusion·PE promotes macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors by activating ER stress signaling pathway,thereby aggravating LPS-induced liver injury.
4.Clinical and salivary metabolomic characterization of patients with OSA comorbid with LPRD
Yali DU ; Shusi DING ; Yi ZHAO ; Yingting QI ; Suhua SUN ; Tao LI ; Lemin ZHENG ; Yan YAN
Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;60(8):890-896
Objective:To explore the clinical and salivary metabolic component characteristics of patients with OSA combined with LPRD, and to investigate the potential co-morbid mechanisms of LPRD and OSA.Methods:A total of 98 adult patients with OSA (81 males and 17 females) who visited the Department of Otolaryngology of Peking University Third Hospital from March 2024 to May 2024 were consecutively included. The age ranged from 19 to 68 years (mean±standard deviation: 39.44±11.39 years). The severity of OSA was grouped according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) [mild group (29 cases), moderate group (26 cases), and severe group (43 cases)]. Patients with a reflux symptom index score (RSI)>13 points and/or a reflux sign score (RFS)>7 points were considered LPRD positive. Among the 98 OSA patients, 48 had LPRD and 50 did not. All patients were diagnosed with OSA through out of center sleep testing(OCST) or polysomnography (PSG), and general information, laryngoscopic examination images, and RSI scales were collected. The RFS was evaluated based on the laryngoscopic examination results. Saliva samples were collected from both groups for metabolomics analysis. Chi-square test was used for categorical variable comparison, and independent sample t-test or one-way ANOVA analysis of variance was used for continuous variable comparison.Results:Stratified analysis showed that the proportion of male patients in the mild OSA group was significantly lower than that in the moderate or severe OSA groups (58.6%, 92.3%, 93.0%, χ2=16.43, P<0.001), and the BMI was significantly lower in the mild OSA group [(25.80±4.41)kg/m 2, (27.53±3.88)kg/m 2, (28.99±3.65)kg/m 2, F=6.91, P=0.002]. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of LPRD among patients with different severity of OSA. The BMI of OSA patients with LPRD was higher than that of patients with OSA alone [(28.65±4.75)kg/m 2, (26.94±3.16)kg/m 2, t=-2.07, P=0.041], but there were no statistically significant differences in gender composition, age, AHI, and minimum blood oxygen saturation between the two groups. The metabolomics results of saliva samples from both groups showed significant differences in the levels of tryptophan pathway metabolites. The salivary serotonin metabolite level in patients with LPRD combined with OSA was significantly lower than that in patients with OSA alone (relative abundance 0.12±0.019 vs 0.22±0.046, t=2.04, P=0.045). Conclusion:Patients with OSA combined with LPRD have a greater BMI and significantly lower serotonin, a tryptophan metabolite component of saliva, which may be a potential co-morbidity mechanism between OSA and LPRD.
5.Clinical and genetic analysis of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hereditary dentin dysplasia type II due to a variant of DSPP gene.
Fang LI ; Yingting YANG ; Yang LIU ; Weifeng TANG ; Hailan FENG ; Dong HAN
Chinese Journal of Medical Genetics 2025;42(11):1329-1336
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the clinical characteristics and genetic etiology of a Chinese pedigree affected with Hereditary dentin dysplasia type II (DD-II) due to variant of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) gene.
METHODS:
A child diagnosed with DD- II at the Third Clinical Division of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology in December 2021 and her family members were selected as study subjects. Clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Saliva samples were collected from the proband, her parents and sister for genomic DNA extraction. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was carried out. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing and TOPO-TA cloning sequencing. The candidate variant was also subjected to bioinformatics analysis using Mutation Taster v2021. Secondary and tertiary structures of the wild-type and variant DSPP proteins were predicted with psipred v4.0 and PyMOL v2.3 software, respectively. The pathogenicity of the variant was classified based on the guidelines from American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology (Ethics No.: PKUSSIRB-202162021).
RESULTS:
The proband and her mother and sister had all exhibited typical clinical manifestations of hereditary DD-II. The primary dentition of the proband displayed yellowish brown discoloration, wear, and obliteration in the chamber and root canal, while the permanent teeth of the proband's sister and mother appeared nearly normal in both color and appearance, though with obliteration in the chamber and root canal. Her father showed normal dentition. WES identified a heterozygous c.1915_1918delAAGT, p.(Lys639Glnfs*674) frameshift variant in the DSPP gene. Sanger sequencing and TOPO-TA cloning sequencing confirmed the presence of this variant in the proband, the proband's sister, and the mother, while the proband's father was negative for the variant, indicating an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. The variant was predicted to be pathogenic by Mutation Taster v2021. Prediction of the secondary structure of the DSPP protein showed that the variant has changed it from coil to helix. The tertiary structure prediction of the DSPP protein showed change of the spatial structure of the variant DSPP, with the loops in the variant region replaced by helices at multiple sites. Based on the guidelines from the ACMG, the variant was classified as pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP1+PP4).
CONCLUSION
Phenotypic analysis and genetic testing of this family has clarified the clinical diagnosis of hereditary DD- II. The c.1915_1918delAAGT variant probably underlay the pathogenesis of DD-II in this family. Above results have expanded the phenotypic spectrum of the disease and may contribute to further clinical and genetic research on this disease.
Humans
;
Pedigree
;
Female
;
Extracellular Matrix Proteins/chemistry*
;
Male
;
Sialoglycoproteins/chemistry*
;
Dentin Dysplasia/genetics*
;
Asian People/genetics*
;
Phosphoproteins/chemistry*
;
Child
;
Mutation
;
China
;
Exome Sequencing
;
Adult
;
East Asian People
6.Clinicopathological features of early gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma
Wang GENGFANG ; Li TING ; He CHONGFANG ; Zhuang SHAOHUA ; Chen YINGTING ; Cheng YUQING
Chinese Journal of Clinical Oncology 2025;52(11):557-564
Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with early gastric carcinoma with lymphoid stroma(EGCLS).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 27 consecutive patients with EGCLS who underwent radical surgery at The Second People's Hospital of Changzhou between January 2007 and December 2023.Sixty-nine cases of conventional early gastric carcinoma with matched T stages were randomly selected as controls.Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression of P53,mismatch repair(MMR)proteins,programmed death-ligand 1(PD-L1),E-cadherin,and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)in the study cohort.FISH analysis was conducted on HER2 2+cases,and in situ hybridization was used to detect Epstein-Barr virus(EBV).Res-ults:No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of patient sex,age,tumor location,size,ulceration,lymph-ovascular or perineural invasion,tumor budding grade,P53 expression,or MMR protein deficiency.The EGCLS group showed significantly higher proportions of SM2 invasion(88.9%),poor tumor differentiation(70.4%),pushing tumor border(48.1%),PD-L1 positivity(59.3%),Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNA(EBER)positivity(55.6%),and abnormal E-cadherin expression(48.1%)compared to the control group(59.4%,46.4%,18.8%,24.6%,1.4%,and 23.2%,respectively;P<0.05).The frequency of lymph node metastasis(7.4%)and the pro-portion of elevated macroscopic type(14.8%)in the EGCLS group were significantly lower than in the control group(30.4%and 40.6%,re-spectively;P<0.05).Lymphovascular invasion,tumor budding grade,and non-EGCLS status were identified as risk factors for lymph node metastasis,with lymphovascular invasion being the only independent risk factor.Conclusions:EGCLS is a rare subtype of early gastric car-cinoma characterized by a low frequency of lymph node metastasis and a high proportion of EBER positivity or MMR protein deficiency.En-doscopic resection or immunotherapy may be preferred treatment options for patients who are not suitable candidates for surgery.
7.Phosphatidylethanolamine promotes macrophage senescence and liver injury by activating endoplasmic reticulum stress
Longchuan HAN ; Yue LI ; Zhihui ZOU ; Jing LUO ; Ruoyi LI ; Yingting ZHANG ; Xinxin TANG ; Lihong TIAN ; Yuheng LU ; Ying HUANG ; Ming HE ; Yinkun FU
Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Medical Science) 2025;45(6):693-704
Objective·To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)on macrophage senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),as well as its pathophysiological role in liver injury.Methods·A macrophage senescence model was established using doxorubicin(DOX),followed by PE treatment.A mouse liver injury model was generated via intraperitoneal co-administration of PE and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)to investigate the effects of PE on liver injury.Senescence markers and SASP factors,including senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-gal),cell cycle inhibitor p21,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6),were evaluated using SA-β-gal staining,quantitative real-time PCR,and Western blotting.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed,followed by Gene Ontology(GO)cellular component enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA),and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA),to explore the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which PE promotes macrophage senescence.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related proteins,including inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α(IRE1α),spliced X-box binding protein 1(XBP1s),activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),was analyzed through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Results·PE significantly promoted the expression of senescence markers SA-β-gal,p21,p16 and SASP factors.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress was involved in PE-induced promotion of SASP.Further experiments demonstrated that PE activated the ER stress signaling pathway,promoting macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors.In vivo experiments further confirmed that PE exacerbated LPS-induced liver injury in mice through ER stress.Conclusion·PE promotes macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors by activating ER stress signaling pathway,thereby aggravating LPS-induced liver injury.
8.Clinical and salivary metabolomic characterization of patients with OSA comorbid with LPRD
Yali DU ; Shusi DING ; Yi ZHAO ; Yingting QI ; Suhua SUN ; Tao LI ; Lemin ZHENG ; Yan YAN
Chinese Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;60(8):890-896
Objective:To explore the clinical and salivary metabolic component characteristics of patients with OSA combined with LPRD, and to investigate the potential co-morbid mechanisms of LPRD and OSA.Methods:A total of 98 adult patients with OSA (81 males and 17 females) who visited the Department of Otolaryngology of Peking University Third Hospital from March 2024 to May 2024 were consecutively included. The age ranged from 19 to 68 years (mean±standard deviation: 39.44±11.39 years). The severity of OSA was grouped according to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) [mild group (29 cases), moderate group (26 cases), and severe group (43 cases)]. Patients with a reflux symptom index score (RSI)>13 points and/or a reflux sign score (RFS)>7 points were considered LPRD positive. Among the 98 OSA patients, 48 had LPRD and 50 did not. All patients were diagnosed with OSA through out of center sleep testing(OCST) or polysomnography (PSG), and general information, laryngoscopic examination images, and RSI scales were collected. The RFS was evaluated based on the laryngoscopic examination results. Saliva samples were collected from both groups for metabolomics analysis. Chi-square test was used for categorical variable comparison, and independent sample t-test or one-way ANOVA analysis of variance was used for continuous variable comparison.Results:Stratified analysis showed that the proportion of male patients in the mild OSA group was significantly lower than that in the moderate or severe OSA groups (58.6%, 92.3%, 93.0%, χ2=16.43, P<0.001), and the BMI was significantly lower in the mild OSA group [(25.80±4.41)kg/m 2, (27.53±3.88)kg/m 2, (28.99±3.65)kg/m 2, F=6.91, P=0.002]. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of LPRD among patients with different severity of OSA. The BMI of OSA patients with LPRD was higher than that of patients with OSA alone [(28.65±4.75)kg/m 2, (26.94±3.16)kg/m 2, t=-2.07, P=0.041], but there were no statistically significant differences in gender composition, age, AHI, and minimum blood oxygen saturation between the two groups. The metabolomics results of saliva samples from both groups showed significant differences in the levels of tryptophan pathway metabolites. The salivary serotonin metabolite level in patients with LPRD combined with OSA was significantly lower than that in patients with OSA alone (relative abundance 0.12±0.019 vs 0.22±0.046, t=2.04, P=0.045). Conclusion:Patients with OSA combined with LPRD have a greater BMI and significantly lower serotonin, a tryptophan metabolite component of saliva, which may be a potential co-morbidity mechanism between OSA and LPRD.
9.Discovery of a normal-tension glaucoma-suspect rhesus macaque with craniocerebral injury: Hints of elevated translaminar cribrosa pressure difference.
Jian WU ; Qi ZHANG ; Xu JIA ; Yingting ZHU ; Zhidong LI ; Shu TU ; Ling ZHAO ; Yifan DU ; Wei LIU ; Jiaoyan REN ; Liangzhi XU ; Hanxiang YU ; Fagao LUO ; Wenru SU ; Ningli WANG ; Yehong ZHUO
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(4):484-486
10.Research progress in natural N-glycosides and synthetic methodologies for the formation of N-glycosidic bonds
Yingting XIA ; Qingxia XU ; Alastair N. HERRON ; Wenjun WANG ; Lidong SHAO ; Guodong LI ; An LIU ; Jintang CHENG
Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;2(2):82-94
N-glycosides comprise a broad range of compounds, some of which have demonstrated a variety of bioactivities, such as antiviral, antitumor, and antibacterial activities. Serving as essential building blocks for DNA and RNA, nucleosides are a particularly important subclass of N-glycosides. Accordingly, natural N-glycosides and their analogs have garnered great interests of both organic and pharmaceutical chemists, who have developed numerous synthetic methods for the preparation of N-glycosides. By reviewing the natural N-glycosides published between 1980 and 2023, this article summarizes current strategies for synthesizing N-glycosides, aiming to provide support for the development and research of N-glycosides.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail