Large language models (LLMs) offer a modern approach to help inherit traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This article discussed the progress of LLM applications in TCM and proposed future development directions by reviewing the existing research. We have found that LLMs and related technologies have excellent applications and performance in the management of TCM knowledge and data. They are often applied in information extraction, knowledge graph construction, and data standardization processing. However, data quality and security issues need to be given more attention. In clinical diagnosis and treatment, LLMs can imitate the thinking of TCM by disassembling and reconstructing its diagnostic process and can achieve functions such as prescription recommendation and question and answer (Q&A). However, this approach involves LLMs making inferences and predictions based on existing corpora and thus may not flexibly handle complex environments and tasks. Moreover, the current evaluation criteria for TCM LLMs can be summarized into 3 categories: general evaluation metrics, technical framework evaluation, and evaluation criteria for the characteristics of TCM (such as consistency rates of prescriptions and diagnostic suggestions). However, the lack of a unified and standardized evaluation system hinders the clinical application of TCM LLMs. The future progress of TCM LLMs should focus on the 3 aforementioned critical aspects to achieve technological breakthroughs. In addition, we are promoting the research on vertical TCM LLMs and application terminals. We believe this will bring new ideas to the research on TCM LLMs.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with connective tissue diseases (CTD) have a high incidence of cardiac involvement, which often presents insidiously and can progress rapidly, making it one of the leading causes of death. Multiparametric cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provides a comprehensive quantitative evaluation of myocardial injury and is emerging as a valuable tool for detecting cardiac involvement in CTD. This study aims to investigate the correlations between CMR features and serological biomarkers in CTD patients, assess their potential clinical value, and further explore the impact of pre-CMR immunotherapy intensity on CMR-specific parameters, thereby evaluating the role of CMR in the early diagnosis of CTD-related cardiac involvement. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 72 consecutive CTD patients who underwent CMR at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between September 2019 and March 2024. Clinical data, serological markers, and CMR parameters were collected. Differences in CMR parameters were compared between CTD patients with positive and negative serological markers. Correlations between serological biomarkers and CMR parameters were analyzed, with subgroup analyses performed for different CTD subtypes. Logistic regression (univariate and multivariate) was applied to explore the effects of pre-CMR immunotherapy intensity on CMR parameters, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine cutoff values. RESULTS: In differential analyses, CTD patients with elevated interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 levels exhibited significantly higher myocardial T₂ values compared with those with normal levels (P=0.014, P=0.012). Elevated IL-10 was associated with a higher prevalence of microvascular lesions on CMR (P=0.038). Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association between high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and T₂ values (r=0.371, P=0.009). ROC analysis indicated that when the hs-cTnT threshold was 0.01 ng/mL, the sensitivity and specificity for predicting elevated left ventricular T₂ values were 85.71% and 61.11%, respectively [area under the curve (AUC)=0.767, P=0.001]. hs-cTnT and creatine kinase (CK) were also positively correlated with native T₁ values (r=0.371, P=0.009; r=0.364, P=0.032). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) showed a positive correlation with the percentage of the late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (r=0.236, P=0.047). Conversely, hs-cTnT correlated negatively with global radial strain (GRS) (r=-0.297, P=0.034), while CK correlated negatively with both GRS and global circumferential strain (GCS) (r=-0.292, P=0.022; r=-0.282, P=0.027). Among patients with elevated hs-cTnT, the cumulative glucocorticoid dose prior to CMR was negatively associated with elevated T₂ values (OR=0.997, P=0.018), and this correlation remained significant after adjusting for duration of steroid use (OR=0.997, P=0.044). ROC analysis showed that when the cumulative glucocorticoid dose did not exceed 613 mg/mL (prednisone equivalent), the sensitivity and specificity for predicting elevated T₂ values were 90.48% and 77.78%, respectively (AUC=0.862, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Several inflammatory biomarkers demonstrate correlations with specific CMR parameters, with hs-cTnT showing the strongest associations across multiple indices. Elevated hs-cTnT suggests a high likelihood of cardiac involvement in CTD patients. Furthermore, pre-CMR immunotherapy intensity significantly influences the specificity of T₂ mapping, indicating its importance in interpreting CMR results. These findings provide critical insights for clinicians in the early recognition, timely intervention, and disease evaluation. Future research should further explore the role of CMR in the assessment of CTD-related cardiac assessment of CTD-related cardiac involvement. Future studies should further explore the role of CMR in evaluating CTD cardiac manifestations and its integration with other clinical data to optimize patient management.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Connective Tissue Diseases/blood* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods* ; ROC Curve ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Troponin T/blood*

Objective To explore the characteristics of the potential categories of traumatic psychological reactions in ICU patients and analyze the influencing factors of different potential categories,in order to provide ideas for the implementation of scientific and effective personalized intervention in the future.Methods A convenience sample of 300 patients treated in the ICU of a hospital from May 2023 to February 2024 was surveyed.The used instruments included a general information questionnaire,the Social Support Rating Scale,the Brief Resilience Scale,the Acute Stress Disorder Scale,and the Simplified Chinese version of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory.Data were analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression.Additionally,a purposive sampling method was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 12 ICU patients,and the interview data were analyzed by interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results Quantitative research results showed that the traumatic psychological responses of ICU patients were categorized into 4 latent classes,including Trauma-Dependent Type(17.3％),Smooth-Transition Type(36.0％),External-Support Growth Type(25.3％),and Internal-Rooted Growth Type(21.3％).Factors influencing these responses included age,educational level,social support,psychological resilience,household income,and the number of used hormone medications(P＜0.05).Qualitative research results showed that 4 core themes were identified,including immersion in psychological trauma,rational cognition and acceptance of reality,seeking external support for personal growth,and independent exploration of inner self.Influencing factors included age,income level,history of major illness or ICU treatment,level of disease awareness,presence of underage children,and individual capacity for rumination.The quantitative and qualitative results were mutually corroborative and complemented each other.Conclusion The acute stress response of ICU patients is obvious,and there are multiple characteristics in the potential categories of traumatic psychological response,suggesting that medical and nursing staff can identify the characteristics of various types and influencing factors early,formulate personalized intervention programs,and promote their post-traumatic growth.

Objective To explore the predictive value of combined detection of serum CXC chemokine lig-and 12(CXCL12),caspase-cleaved cytokeratin 18(CCCK-18)and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)for short-term poor prognosis in patients with acute hemorrhagic stroke.Methods A total of 138 patients with a-cute hemorrhagic stroke admitted to a hospital from October 2021 to March 2023 were selected as the study objects.Serum CXCL12,CCCK-18 and MMP-9 levels were detected after admission and before treatment.Pa-tients were followed up for 6 months after treatment and were divided into good prognosis group and poor prognosis group according to the modified Rankin scale score.Clinical data and serum CXCL12,CCCK-18 and MMP-9 levels of the two groups were compared to analyze the factors affecting the short-term poor prognosis of patients with acute hemorrhagic stroke.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to evalu-ate the predictive value of single and combined detection of serum CXCL12,CCCK-18 and MMP-9 in patients with acute hemorrhagic stroke.Results Among 138 patients,there were 52 cases in the poor prognosis group and 86 cases in the good prognosis group,and the poor prognosis rate was 37.68%.Serum CXCL12,CCCK-18 and MMP-9 levels,age,blood loss at admission,National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score at admission,systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure at admission in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group.The score of Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS)at admission was lower than that of good prognosis group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Multivari-ate Logistic regression analysis showed that high level of serum CXCL12,high level of CCCK-18,high level of MMP-9,older age,large amount of blood loss upon admission,high NIHSS score and high systolic blood pres-sure were all risk factors for short-term poor prognosis of acute hemorrhagic stroke(P<0.05).High GCS score on admission was a protective factor(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the combined prediction curve of serum CXCL12,CCCK-18 and MMP-9 was higher than that of the single and pairwise combined prediction of each index(P<0.05).Conclusion The combined detection of serum CX-CL12,CCCK-18 and MMP-9 has a good value in predicting the short-term poor prognosis of patients with a-cute hemorrhagic stroke.

Objective:To analyze the cost-effectiveness of high-flux hemodialysis compared to low-flux hemodialysis in the treat-ment of End-Stage Renal Disease(ESRD)patients.Methods:Based on a literature review,a cost-effectiveness analysis model was established,using the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio(ICER)as the outcome indicator to evaluate the economic value of high-flux versus low-flux hemodialysis.One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were conducted to further assess the robustness of the results.Results:In the treatment of ESRD patients,compared to low-flux hemodialysis,the ICER of high-flux hemodialysis was 234 882 yuan per QALY.The key factors influencing the model results were the cost discount rate,ef-fect discount rate,utility value of high-flux hemodialysis,and treatment costs.Conclusion:Compared to low-flux hemodialysis,high-flux hemodialysis demonstrates a cost-effectiveness advantage at a willingness-to-pay threshold of three times GDP per capita.

Objective:To analyze the cost-effectiveness of high-flux hemodialysis compared to low-flux hemodialysis in the treat-ment of End-Stage Renal Disease(ESRD)patients.Methods:Based on a literature review,a cost-effectiveness analysis model was established,using the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio(ICER)as the outcome indicator to evaluate the economic value of high-flux versus low-flux hemodialysis.One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were conducted to further assess the robustness of the results.Results:In the treatment of ESRD patients,compared to low-flux hemodialysis,the ICER of high-flux hemodialysis was 234 882 yuan per QALY.The key factors influencing the model results were the cost discount rate,ef-fect discount rate,utility value of high-flux hemodialysis,and treatment costs.Conclusion:Compared to low-flux hemodialysis,high-flux hemodialysis demonstrates a cost-effectiveness advantage at a willingness-to-pay threshold of three times GDP per capita.

Objective To explore the characteristics of the potential categories of traumatic psychological reactions in ICU patients and analyze the influencing factors of different potential categories,in order to provide ideas for the implementation of scientific and effective personalized intervention in the future.Methods A convenience sample of 300 patients treated in the ICU of a hospital from May 2023 to February 2024 was surveyed.The used instruments included a general information questionnaire,the Social Support Rating Scale,the Brief Resilience Scale,the Acute Stress Disorder Scale,and the Simplified Chinese version of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory.Data were analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression.Additionally,a purposive sampling method was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 12 ICU patients,and the interview data were analyzed by interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results Quantitative research results showed that the traumatic psychological responses of ICU patients were categorized into 4 latent classes,including Trauma-Dependent Type(17.3％),Smooth-Transition Type(36.0％),External-Support Growth Type(25.3％),and Internal-Rooted Growth Type(21.3％).Factors influencing these responses included age,educational level,social support,psychological resilience,household income,and the number of used hormone medications(P＜0.05).Qualitative research results showed that 4 core themes were identified,including immersion in psychological trauma,rational cognition and acceptance of reality,seeking external support for personal growth,and independent exploration of inner self.Influencing factors included age,income level,history of major illness or ICU treatment,level of disease awareness,presence of underage children,and individual capacity for rumination.The quantitative and qualitative results were mutually corroborative and complemented each other.Conclusion The acute stress response of ICU patients is obvious,and there are multiple characteristics in the potential categories of traumatic psychological response,suggesting that medical and nursing staff can identify the characteristics of various types and influencing factors early,formulate personalized intervention programs,and promote their post-traumatic growth.

To explore the biological characteristics related to the pathogenesis and severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis by RNA sequencing of white blood cells in children with RSV bronchiolitis. This study is a case-control study. A total of 87 children diagnosed with bronchiolitis and RSV antigen positive and/or RSV nucleic acid positive in the pediatric respiratory department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from October 2019 to April 2022 were selected as the case group. The case group was divided into three groups based on the condition: mild, moderate, and severe, and there were two groups according to the presence or absence of atopic symptoms: the atopic group and the non -atopic group, forty healthy children in the same period were selected as the control group. The whole blood leukocyte RNA of the children in the case group and the control group was extracted for RNA sequencing, and the data were analyzed to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then, the immunobiological pathways and genes related to the pathogenesis, disease condition, and atopy were screened through Gene Ontology (GO) annotation, Kyoto Gene and Genome Encyclopedia (KEGG) annotation, and protein interaction network (PPI) construction methods. Construct the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) module to identify potential biological indicators related to disease severity.Compared with the control group, the case group had a total of 1 782 DEGs, including 1 586 upregulated genes and 196 downregulated genes. The GO pathway enrichment of DEGs is mainly enriched in molecular functions such as peroxidase activity and oxidoreductase activity. In the cytological components, it is mainly enriched in cytoplasmic vesicle lumen and secretory granule lumen. In biological processes, it is mainly enriched in processes such as neutrophil activation involved in immune responses, neutrophil degranulation, and neutrophil activation. KEGG analysis is mainly concentrated in the signal pathway of the viral protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptor. A PPI network was constructed to screen four genes at the core position, including CCL2, IL-10, MMP9 and JUN. The DEGs obtained by comparing different disease groups with the control group are mainly enriched in retrograde endocannabinoid signaling and cell apoptosis pathways. WGCNA analysis showed that the brown module related to oxygen saturation was most closely related to the disease, and its gene was mainly enriched in the RNA helicase retinoic acid inducible gene-I (RIG-I) like receptor signal pathway. There are 230 specific DEGs in the atopic group and 444 in the non -atopic group. KEGG enrichment analysis results show that both groups are enriched to NF-κB signaling pathway, the characteristic does not cause significant changes in immune response and transcriptome characteristics in children with RSV bronchiolitis. In conclusion, neutrophil activation, degranulation pathway and signal pathway of interaction between viral protein and cytokine and cytokine receptor are involved in the immune response of RSV bronchiolitis host. CCL2, IL-10, MMP9 and JUN genes may be associated with the pathogenesis. They might be potential biomarkers related to disease severity in RIG-I like receptors, cell apoptosis, and endogenous cannabinoid related signaling pathways.

Objective:To explore the latent classes of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy women and its relationship with sense of coherence, providing reference for precise support interventions in clinical practice.Methods:From January to September 2023, convenience sampling was used to select 304 pregnant women who underwent antenatal examination at the Obstetrics Clinic of Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University as participants. The General Information Questionnaire, Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire, and the Sense of Coherence Scale-13 (SOC-13) were used for questionnaire survey. Latent profile analysis was used to explore the categories of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy women, and analyzed differences of SOC-13 scores among women with different categories of fear of childbirth.Results:Fear of childbirth in 304 late pregnant women was divided into three latent classes, including low-level fear group of (50.0%, 152/304), moderate-level fear group of (35.2%, 107/304), and high-level fear group of (14.8%, 45/304). ANOVA analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in total score and dimension scores of SOC-13 among late pregnancy women with three different classes of fear of childbirth ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:There are three latent classes of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy women. The sense of coherence among pregnant women affects their fear of childbirth. Nursing staff should address the heterogeneity of fear of childbirth in late pregnancy women, starting from sense of coherence, and take targeted intervention measures to reduce the fear of childbirth in late pregnancy women.

Objective To explore the role of serum Irisin,Nesfatin-1 and chitinase like protein 40(YKL-40)levels detection in evaluating the condition of patients with multiple sclerosis(MS).Methods A total of 160 MS patients who visited the First Hospital of Handan City from August 2017 to November 2023 were selected as the study subjects.According to clinical classification,they were separated into a remission group(n=115)and a progression group(n=45),and according to the severity of condition,they were separated into a mild group(n=109)and a severe group(n=51).ELISA method was applied to detect the levels of Irisin,Nesfatin-1 and YKL-40 in serum.Pearson was applied to analyze the correlation between serum Irisin,Nesfatin-1,YKL-40 levels and expanded disability status scale(EDSS)score in MS patients.Multivariate Logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors of Ms Necerity.ROC curve was applied to analyze the evaluation value of serum Irisin,Nesfatin-1 and YKL-40 levels for the progression of MS patients.Results In the advanced stage group,the serum levels of Irisin(8.25±2.17 ng/ml)and Nesfatin-1(5.94±1.76 ng/ml)in MS patients were lower than those in the remission stage group(14.94±3.58 ng/ml,9.92±2.15 ng/ml),while the YKL-40(42.98±10.89 ng/ml)level was higher than that in the remission stage group(22.78±7.95 ng/ml),and the differences were statistically significant(t=11.709,11.048,12.956,all P<0.05).In the severe group,the serum levels of Irisin(8.86±2.21 ng/ml)and Nesfatin-1(6.32±1.91 ng/ml)in MS patients were lower than those in the mild group(15.02±4.42 ng/ml,9.96±2.30 ng/ml),while the disease course(5.84±1.65 years)and YKL-40(37.28±10.15 ng/ml)levels were higher than those in the mild group(3.65±1.45 years,24.34±7.62 ng/ml),and the differences were statistically significant(t=8.514,9.407,9.823,8.971,all P<0.05).Serum Irisin and Nesfatin-1 levels in MS patients were negatively correlated with EDSS scores(r=-0.504,-0.517,all P<0.05),while YKL-40 levels were positively correlated with EDSS scores(r=0.509,P<0.05).Irisin(OR=0.724,95%CI:0.589～0.889)and Nesfatin-1(OR=0.813,95%CI:0.669～0.945)were protective factors for disease progression in MS patients,while YKL-40(OR=2.964,95%CI:1.795～4.894)was a risk factor for disease progression in MS patients(all P<0.05).The AUCs of serum Irisin,Nesfatin-1 and YKL-40 levels in evaluating the progression of MS patients were 0.844,0.849 and 0.823,respectively,which were lower than the AUC(0.957)of their combination(Z=3.158,3.096,3.324,all P<0.05).Conclusion Serum Irisin,Nesfatin-1 and YKL-40 detection levels can effectively evaluate the progression of MS patient condition.