Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) decoction pieces are a core carrier for the inheritance and innovation of TCM, and their quality and safety are critical to public health and the sustainable development of the industry. Conventional quality control models, while having established a well-developed system through long-term practice, still face challenges such as relatively long inspection cycles, insufficient objectivity in characterizing complex traits, and urgent needs for improving the efficiency of integrating multidimensional quality information when confronted with the dual demands of large-scale production and precision quality control. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, machine learning can deeply analyze multidimensional data of the morphology, spectroscopy, and chemical fingerprints of decoction pieces by constructing high-dimensional feature space analysis models, significantly improving the standardization level and decision-making efficiency of quality evaluation. This article reviews the research progress in the application of machine learning in the processing, production, and rapid quality evaluation of TCM decoction pieces. It further analyzes current challenges in technological implementation and proposes potential solutions, offering theoretical and technical references to advance the digital and intelligent transformation of the industry.
Machine Learning ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/standards* ; Quality Control ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans

Objective: To investigate the chemical compositions of Maxing Shigan Decoction (麻杏石甘汤, MXSGD) and elucidate its anti-influenza A virus (IAV) mechanism from prediction to validation. Methods: Ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was employed to analyze the chemical compositions of MXSGD. Network pharmacology theories were used to screen and identify shared targets of both the potential targets of active ingredients of MXSGD and IAV. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was then constructed, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses. The binding stability between core bioactive compounds and key targets was validated by molecular docking and dynamic simulations. A total of 24 BALB/c mice were infected with IAV to build IAV mouse models. After successful modelling, the mouse models were randomly divided into model, MXSGD high-dose (2.8 g/kg), MXSGD low-dose (1.4 g/kg), and oseltamivir (20.14 mg/kg) groups, with an additional normal mice as control group (n = 6 per group). The treatments were administered by gavage daily between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. for five consecutive days. Upon completion of the administration, the body weight ratio, lung index, protein content in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and the levels of inflammatory factors including interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in mice were measured to preliminarily analyze the therapeutic efficacy of MXSGD against IAV infection. Furthermore, the expression levels of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) proteins in the HIF-1 signaling pathway, which was enriched by network pharmacology, were detected by Western blot. Results: A total of 212 chemical components in MXSGD were identified by the UPLC-MS/MS method. These chemical components can be classified into 9 primary categories and 31 secondary categories. After intersecting the chemical component targets with IAV-related targets, a total of 567 potential MXSGD components targeting IAV were identified. The construction of PPI network and the results of both GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the anti-IAV effects of MXSGD were associated with multiple pathways, including apoptosis, TNF, HIF-1, and IL-17 signaling pathways. The results of molecular docking demonstrated that the binding energies between the core compound 1-methoxyphaseollin and key targets including HIF-1α, mTOR, and VEGF were all lower than – 5.0 kcal/mol. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the structural stability of the resulting complexes. Animal experiments showed that compared with the normal controls, IAV-infected mice showed significantly reduced body weight ratio, markedly increased lung index, protein content in BALF, and the levels of inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and TNF-α (P < 0.01), thereby causing damage to the lung tissue; consequently, the expression levels of mTOR, HIF-1α, and VEGF proteins in the lung tissues of these mice were significantly elevated (P < 0.01). However, after MXSGD treatment, the mouse models presented a significant increase in body weight ratio, as well as marked decreases in lung index, protein content in BALF, and the levels of inflammatory factors including IL-6 and TNF-α (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the therapy alleviated IAV-induced injuries and significantly downregulated the expression levels of mTOR, HIF-1α, and VEGF proteins in lung tissues (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Conclusion MXSGD exerts anti-IAV effects through multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway synergism. Among them, 1-methoxyphaseollin is identified as a potential key component, which alleviates virus-induced lung injury and inflammatory response via the regulation of HIF-1 signaling pathway, providing experimental evidence for the clinical application of MXSGD.

With the increasing proportion of human papilloma virus(HPV)infection in the pathogenic factors of oro-pharyngeal cancer,a series of changes have occurred in the surgical treatment.While the treatment mode has been im-proved,there are still many problems,including the inconsistency between diagnosis and treatment modes,the lack of popularization of reconstruction technology,the imperfect post-treatment rehabilitation system,and the lack of effective preventive measures.Especially in terms of treatment mode for early oropharyngeal cancer,there is no unified conclu-sion whether it is surgery alone or radiotherapy alone,and whether robotic minimally invasive surgery has better func-tional protection than radiotherapy.For advanced oropharyngeal cancer,there is greater controversy over the treatment mode.It is still unclear whether to adopt a non-surgical treatment mode of synchronous chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy combined with synchronous chemoradiotherapy,or a treatment mode of surgery combined with postopera-tive chemoradiotherapy.In order to standardize the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in China and clarify the indications for surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,this expert consensus,based on the characteristics and treat-ment status of oropharyngeal cancer in China and combined with the international latest theories and practices,forms consensus opinions in multiple aspects of preoperative evaluation,surgical indication determination,primary tumor re-section,neck lymph node dissection,postoperative defect repair,postoperative complication management prognosis and follow-up of oropharyngeal cancer patients.The key points include:① Before the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,the expression of P16 protein should be detected to clarify HPV status;② Perform enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the maxillofacial region before surgery to evaluate the invasion of oropharyngeal cancer and guide precise surgical resec-tion of oropharyngeal cancer.Evaluating mouth opening and airway status is crucial for surgical approach decisions and postoperative risk prediction;③ For oropharyngeal cancer patients who have to undergo major surgery and cannot eat for one to two months,it is recommended to undergo percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy before surgery to effectively improve their nutritional intake during treatment;④ Early-stage oropharyngeal cancer patients may opt for either sur-gery alone or radiation therapy alone.For intermediate and advanced stages,HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer general-ly prioritizes radiation therapy,with concurrent chemotherapy considered based on tumor staging.Surgical treatment is recommended as the first choice for HPV unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(including primary and re-current)and recurrent HPV related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy;⑤ For primary exogenous T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer,direct surgery through the oral approach or da Vinci robotic sur-gery is preferred.For T3-4 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer,it is recommended to use temporary mandibu-lectomy approach and lateral pharyngotomy approach for surgery as appropriate;⑥ For cT1-2N0 oropharyngeal cancer patients with tumor invasion depth＞3 mm and cT3-4N0 HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,selective neck dissection of levels ⅠB to Ⅳ is recommended.For cN+HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,therapeutic neck dissection in regions Ⅰ-Ⅴ is advised;⑦ If PET-CT scan at 12 or more weeks after completion of radiation shows intense FDG uptake in any node,or imaging suggests continuous enlargement of lymph nodes,the patient should undergo neck dissection;⑧ For patients with suspected extracapsular invasion preoperatively,lymph node dissection should include removal of surrounding muscle and adipose connective tissue;⑨ The reconstruction of oropharyngeal cancer defects should follow the principle of reconstruction steps,with priority given to adjacent flaps,followed by distal pedicled flaps,and finally free flaps.The anterolateral thigh flap with abundant tissue can be used as the preferred flap for large-scale postoperative defects.

In this work,a tetrahedral DNA nanostructure(TDN)functionalized rotational paper-based analytical device(RPAD)was constructed for rapid and highly sensitive detection of aflatoxin B1(AFB1)using exonucleaseⅠ(ExoⅠ)and G-quadruplex(G4)dimer.Herein,a single-stranded DNA,containing both of the G4 dimer sequence and AFB1 recognition sequence,was used as the recognition probe(G4 dimer probe).TDN was used to precisely regulate the orientation and distribution density of G4 dimer probe to improve the recognition efficiency of the system.ExoⅠas a single stranded DNA specific nuclease was introduced for effective amplification of the detection signal.G4 dimer was employed to enhance the fluorescence signal of thioflavin T(ThT).In the absence of AFB1,the G4 dimer structure of G4 dimer probe could specifically bind with ThT to generate dramatic fluorescence enhancement.However,in the presence of AFB1,AFB1 could specifically bind with G4 dimer probe,resulting in the dissociation of G4 dimer probe from TDN and further be digested by ExoⅠ.At the same time,the released AFB1 could bind to G4 dimer probe on the TDN again by this way to generate signal amplification.After this cycle,the amount of aptamer on the TDN was decreased,accompanied by the reduction of G4 dimer on TDN.In this case,the fluorescence intensity of the system was reduced.The designed RPAD showed a good linear response in AFB1 concentration range of 0.0001-500 ng/mL and the limit of detection was 0.1 pg/mL.Moreover,the proposed strategy was successfully applied to detection of AFB1 in peanut and wine.The developed TDN/G4 dimer/ExoⅠstrategy improved the specificity and sensitivity of the system significantly.

Perivascular adipose tissue(PVAT),attached to the adventitia,is a special functional layer of the vascular wall structure.PVAT exists around most blood vessels and is mainly composed of adipocytes,fibroblasts,stem cells,mast cells and nerve cells.PVAT not only participates in energy metabolism,but also has secretory function.It plays an important role in maintaining vascular structure and regulating vascular function.Atherosclerosis is a chro-nic metabolic syndrome characterized by endothelial dysfunction,lipid deposition,and inflammatory infiltration,which is closely associated with obesity.This paper reviews the role of PVAT in atherosclerosis.

AIM To investigate the effects of total Astragalus saponins on the improvement of sarcopenia in a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS The rats were divided into the normal group for a normal feeding and the model group for the feeding of high-sugar and high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of STZ to establish a T2DM model.The successful model rats were randomly divided into the model group,the metformin group(0.2 g/kg)and the total Astragalus saponins group(80 mg/kg),and given corresponding doses of drugs by gavage.After 12 weeks administration,the rats had their FBG,postprandial blood glucose(PG2h)and wet weight of skeletal muscle measured;their serum levels of INS,C-peptide(C-P),IGF-1,TNF-α and IL-1β detected by ELISA;their morphological changes of skeletal muscle observed by HE staining;their protein expressions of PI3K,p-Akt,mTOR,S6K1,FoxO1 and Murf1 in skeletal muscle detected by Western blot;and their mRNA expressions of Pi3k,Akt and mtor in skeletal muscle detected by RT-qPCR method.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the total Astragalus saponins group displayed decreased levels of FBG,PG2h,OGTT-AUC,HOMA-IR,TNF-α and IL-1β(P＜0.01);increased levels of INS,C-P,IGF-1 and wet weight of skeletal muscle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);improved skeletal muscle atrophy and increased protein expressions of PI3K,p-Akt,mTOR and S6K1 in skeletal muscle(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);decreased protein expressions of FoxO1 and Murf1(P＜0.05,P＜0.01);and increased mRNA expressions of Pi3k,Akt and mtor(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION The improvement effects of total Astragalus saponins on sarcopenia in T2DM rats may be associated with the regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR and PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 pathways.

ObjectivePeriprosthetic joint infections （PJI） are currently the most calamitous complication after arthroplasty. Although achievements have been made in many markers for the diagnosis of PJI， the lack of a gold standard remains a great obstacle for early diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the association between coagulation markers and the development of PJI in patients undergoing revision total joint arthroplasty （TJA）. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study with a total of 2 517 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasties from January 2011 to January 2022 （2 394 with primary TJA， 87 with aseptic revision and 36 with PJI）. We applied univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression to analyze differences of coagulation factors between primary TJA and aseptic revision or PJI group. Receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve and area under the curve （AUC） were used to measure the diagnostic value of coagulation factors in predicting PJI. ResultsCoagulation factors and their ratios including plasma fibrinogen （FBG）， prothrombin time （PT）， thrombin time （TT）， activated partial thromboplastin time （APTT）， platelet （PLT）， mean platelet volume （MPV）， platelet distribution width （PDW）， plateletcrit （PCT）， PLT / MPV， PLT / PDW and PLT / PCT were included in this study. High FGB level was strongly correlated with the risk of PJI compared to other coagulation factors. The optimal threshold value of FBG was 4.53 g/L with a sensitivity of 47.22%， a specificity of 93.07% （Primary TJA group vs. PJI group）. Similarly， the optimal threshold value of FBG was 4.44 g/L with a sensitivity of 47.22%， a specificity of 95.40% between the other two groups （Aseptic revision group vs. PJI group）. ROC curve analysis demonstrated moderate diagnostic performance of FBG （AUC value）， indicating a potential to be a diagnostic marker for PJI. ConclusionsFBG is significantly correlated with PJI and it can be used as a potential non-invasive marker for early detection. It may serve as a safe and cost-effective tool for assessing PJI in clinical work.

Intermittent exotropia(IXT)is a common ophthalmic disease with high incidence, variable deviation, and varying degrees of impaired binocular visual function. The defect of binocular visual function is related to the changes of visual cortex. IXT involves the functional changes of many brain regions, including the cortical areas related to binocular fusion. After correcting the eye position, the abnormal changes of cerebral cortex still exist in some patients with IXT, and the recovery of binocular vision is still difficult. In order to solve these problems, visual perception training is gradually applied to the postoperative reconstruction of binocular visual function in patients with IXT. Visual perception training repairs the visual cortex from the brain level, improving the ability of the visual cortex to process information by constantly stimulating the visual center, thus repairing the visual central function, so that patients can obtain good binocular visual function, stabilize the eye position and reduce recurrence. This article reviews the mechanism of binocular visual impairment and the role of visual perception training in the treatment of IXT. It is hoped to provide more evidence for visual perception training to reconstruct postoperative binocular visual function and reduce the recurrence rate in patients with IXT.

Objective:To study whether male was the risk factor for prognosis of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) after 131I treatment based on propensity score matching (PSM) method. Methods:From April 2016 to January 2021, 1 677 patients (age: 11-84 (43.9±12.5) years) with DTC who underwent total thyroidectomy and received 131I treatment in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital were retrospectively enrolled and patients were divided into male group ( n=546) and female group ( n=1 131). The evaluation results of patients were divided into excellent response (ER), indeterminate response (IDR), biochemical incomplete response (BIR) and structural incomplete response (SIR). Among them, ER and IDR were divided into good prognosis group, and BIR and SIR were divided into poor prognosis group. The PSM method was adopted to process all data to reduce the influence of data bias and confounding variables. χ2 test was used for data analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors affecting prognosis, and ROC curve was used to analyze the relationship between stimulated thyroglobulin (sTg) level and poor prognosis. Results:Before PSM, the proportion of male patients with poor prognosis was significantly higher than that of female patients (21.2%(116/546) vs 14.0%(158/1 131); χ2=17.53, P=0.001). After PSM, there was no difference in the proportion of poor prognosis between male and female groups (19.9%(107/537) vs 15.6%(84/537); χ2=5.43, P=0.143). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that male (odds radio ( OR)=1.439 (95% CI: 1.016-2.038), P=0.040), high T stage(T3+ T4 stage)( OR=1.816 (95% CI: 1.273-2.590), P=0.001), N1b stage ( OR=1.766 (95% CI: 1.233-2.530), P=0.002), M1 stage ( OR=9.833 (95% CI: 3.190-30.309), P<0.001) and sTg level ( OR=1.035 (95% CI: 1.029-1.042), P<0.001) were risk factors for poor prognosis before PSM, while high T stage (T3+ T4 stage)( OR=1.870 (95% CI: 1.212-2.886), P=0.005), M1 stage ( OR=8.993 (95% CI: 2.434-33.225), P=0.001), sTg level ( OR=1.040 (95% CI: 1.030-1.049), P<0.001) were still risk factors, and N1b stage ( OR=1.459 (95% CI: 0.938-2.270), P=0.094), male ( OR=1.383 (95% CI: 0.912-2.096), P=0.127) were no longer risk factors for poor prognosis after PSM. ROC curve analysis showed that the cut-off value of sTg was 10.25 μg/L, with the sensitivity of 81.0%(222/274) and the specificity of 84.2%(1 181/1 403). Conclusions:After reduction of selection bias by PSM, male is no longer a risk factor for prognosis after 131I treatment of DTC. In addition, high T stage(T3+ T4 stage), M1 stage and sTg≥10.25 μg/L were risk factors for poor prognosis.

Objective:To explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and the incidence of thyroid nodules, the clinical characteristics and efficacy evaluation of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), respectively.Methods:Clinical data of 1 375 healthy people (1 031 males, 344 females, age: (43.5±10.6) years) who underwent routine physical examination (PE) and 1 450 patients (490 males, 960 females, age: (44.3±12.4) years) with medium-high risk DTC in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from April 2016 to July 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. PE and DTC patients were classified into underweight group (BMI<18.5 kg/m 2), normal weight group (18.5≤BMI<24.0 kg/m 2), overweight group (24.0≤BMI<28.0 kg/m 2) and obesity group (BMI≥28.0 kg/m 2) respectively. χ2 test was employed to analyze the relation between BMI and thyroid nodules (with/without), BMI and clinical characteristics and efficacy evaluation of DTC, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors for the occurrence of thyroid nodules and the aggressiveness of DTC. Results:Among PE, there were 779 cases with nodules, and 596 cases without nodules. Comparing with those without nodules, more overweight and obese were found in PE cases with nodules (42.1%(328/779) vs 37.2%(222/596), 24.5%(191/779) vs 20.5%(122/596); χ2=13.42, P=0.004). Higher risk of developing thyroid nodules was related with older age and lower thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level (odds ratio ( OR): 1.044, 0.919, 95% CI: 1.029-1.060, 0.845-0.999; P<0.001, P=0.046). People with high-risk nodules were more likely to be obese than those with intermediate and lower risk nodules (5/15 vs 24.3% (186/764); χ2=21.11, P<0.001). Among 1 450 DTC patients, comparing with patients with normal weight, patients in the overweight and obesity groups were more likely to have central regional lymph node metastasis ( OR: 1.418, 1.427, 95% CI: 1.075-1.870, 1.044-1.952; P values: 0.013, 0.026), and patients in obese group were with greater risk of lesions being bilateral ( OR=0.696, 95% CI: 0.519-0.934; P=0.016). BMI was not related with the efficacy evaluation of DTC ( χ2=9.13, P=0.425). Conclusions:The incidence of thyroid nodules in people with high BMI is higher. DTC patients with high BMI may have more aggressive incidence. But BMI has no correlation with the efficacy evaluation of DTC patients after treatment.