Viral pneumonia is an infectious disease caused by virus invading the lung parenchyma and interstitial tissue and causing lung inflammation， with the incidence rising year by year. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） can treat viral pneumonia in a multi-component， multi-target， and holistic manner by targeting the core pathogenesis of pneumonia caused by different respiratory viruses， demonstrating minimal side effects and significant advantages. According to the theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in TCM， the struggle between healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi and the imbalance between immunity and inflammation run through the entire process of viral pneumonia， and the immunity-inflammation status at different stages of the disease reflects different relationships between healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi. Immune dysfunction leads to the deficiency of healthy Qi， causing viral infections. The struggle between healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi causes immunity-inflammation imbalance， leading to the onset of viral pneumonia. Inflammatory damage causes persistent accumulation of phlegm and stasis， leading to the progression of viral pneumonia. The cytokine storm causes immunodepletion， leading to the excess of pathogenic Qi and diminution of healthy Qi and the deterioration of viral pneumonia. After the recovery from viral pneumonia， there is a long-term imbalance between immunity and micro-inflammation， which results in healthy Qi deficiency and pathogenic Qi lingering. Healthy Qi deficiency and pathogenic Qi excess act as common core causes of pneumonia caused by different respiratory viruses. Clinical treatment should emphasize both replenishing healthy Qi and eliminating pathogenic Qi， helping to restore the balance between healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi as well as between immunity and inflammation， thus promoting the recovery of patients from viral pneumonia. According to the TCM theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi， this article summarizes the immunity-inflammation mechanisms at different stages of viral pneumonia， and explores the application of the method of replenishing healthy Qi and eliminating pathogenic Qi in viral pneumonia. The aim is to probe into the scientific connotation of the TCM theory of healthy Qi and pathogenic Qi in viral pneumonia and provide ideas for the clinical application of the method of replenishing healthy Qi and eliminating pathogenic Qi to assist in the treatment of viral pneumonia.

ObjectiveBased on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbital trap-linear ion-trap mass spectrometry（UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid-MS）， the plasma concentration of ziyuglycoside Ⅰ was determined at different time points after oral administration， and its pharmacokinetic characteristics in normal rats and rats with acute kidney injury were compared. MethodsRats were randomly divided into normal group and model group， the model group received intraperitoneal cisplatin（10 mg·kg^-1） to establish the acute kidney injury model， the normal group was given the same volume of saline. After successful modeling， rats in the normal and model groups were randomly divided into the normal low， medium and high dose groups（2.5， 5， 7.5 mg·kg^-1） and the model low， medium and high dose groups（2.5， 5， 7.5 mg·kg^-1）， 6 rats in each group， and the plasma was collected at different time points after receiving the corresponding dose of ziyuglycoside Ⅰ. Then， the concentration of ziyuglycoside Ⅰ in rat plasma was determined by UPLC-Orbitrap Fusion Lumos Tribrid-MS， and the drug-time curve was poltted. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by Kinetica 5.1 software， and the differences in pharmacokinetic parameters between different administration groups were compared by independent sample t-test with SPSS 22.0. ResultsThe pharmacokinetic results showed that after receiving the different doses of ziyuglycoside Ⅰ， its concentration increased first and then decreased， and all of them reached the maximum plasma concentration at about 0.5 h. The area under the curve（AUC_0-t） and mean retention time（MRT_0-t） of normal and model rats increased with the increased dose， and the clearance（CL） decreased with the increasing dose. Compared with the normal group， the AUC_0-t was significantly increased（P<0.01）， peak concentration（C_max） and CL decreased in model rats at different doses， indicating that the physiological state of the rats could affect the absorption and elimination of ziyuglycoside Ⅰ in vivo. ConclusionThe pharmacokinetic characteristics of ziyuglycoside Ⅰ are quite different in normal rats and acute kidney injury model rats， which may be due to the change of the body environment in the pathological state， then lead to changes in absorption and metabolic processes.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents a paradigmatic approach to personalized medicine, developed through the systematic accumulation and refinement of clinical empirical data over more than 2000 years, and now encompasses large-scale electronic medical records (EMR) and experimental molecular data. Artificial intelligence (AI) has demonstrated its utility in medicine through the development of various expert systems (e.g., MYCIN) since the 1970s. With the emergence of deep learning and large language models (LLMs), AI's potential in medicine shows considerable promise. Consequently, the integration of AI and TCM from both clinical and scientific perspectives presents a fundamental and promising research direction. This survey provides an insightful overview of TCM AI research, summarizing related research tasks from three perspectives: systems-level biological mechanism elucidation, real-world clinical evidence inference, and personalized clinical decision support. The review highlights representative AI methodologies alongside their applications in both TCM scientific inquiry and clinical practice. To critically assess the current state of the field, this work identifies major challenges and opportunities that constrain the development of robust research capabilities-particularly in the mechanistic understanding of TCM syndromes and herbal formulations, novel drug discovery, and the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered clinical care. The findings underscore that future advancements in AI-driven TCM research will rely on the development of high-quality, large-scale data repositories; the construction of comprehensive and domain-specific knowledge graphs (KGs); deeper insights into the biological mechanisms underpinning clinical efficacy; rigorous causal inference frameworks; and intelligent, personalized decision support systems.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Artificial Intelligence ; Humans ; Precision Medicine ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical

Background Prenatal exposure to chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid (Cl-PFESA, commercially known as F-53B) during pregnancy has been associated with fetal growth restriction and adverse birth outcomes. These effects may be mediated by structural and functional impairments of the placenta, potentially resulting from disrupted placental angiogenesis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Objective To explore the impact of prenatal F-53B exposure on fetal development, placental pathology, and the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis by establishing an F-53B exposure animal model. Methods A total of 48 sexually mature female SD rats aged 8 weeks were selected, along with 24 proven male breeders. The rats were acclimatized for one week before mating. Pregnant rats were assigned to four groups: control (0 mg·kg⁻¹), low-dose (0.1 mg·kg⁻¹), medium-dose (1 mg·kg⁻¹), and high-dose (5 mg·kg⁻¹). Half of the pregnant rats in each group were administered the test substance by oral gavage once daily from gestational day (GD) 5.5 to GD17.5. The fetuses and placentas were dissected and weighed, and placental efficiency was calculated as the ratio of fetal weight to placental weight, reflecting the placenta’s capacity to supply nutrients to the fetus. Placental histopathological alterations were assessed after hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was conducted to assess the mRNA expression levels of angiogenesis-related genes, including hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and its receptor (VEGFR2), as well as downstream genes in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. To evaluate the potential impact of prenatal F-53B exposure on birth outcomes, including birth weight and gestational age, the remaining half of the pregnant rats in each group were continuously exposed to the test substance until delivery. Results F-53B exposure significantly reduced fetal weight across all exposure groups (P<0.05) and markedly increased the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (P<0.01). Although placental weights did not differ significantly among groups, placental efficiency was significantly decreased in the high-dose group (P<0.05). The histological analysis after HE staining revealed disorganized trophoblast cell structure and a significant reduction in labyrinthine blood sinus area in the medium- and high-dose groups. The qPCR analysis showed that HIF-1α expression was significantly upregulated in the low-dose group (P<0.001), while VEGFA (P<0.01), PI3K (P<0.001), and AKT (P<0.05) expression levels were significantly downregulated in the medium- and high-dose groups. Conclusion Maternal exposure to F-53B during pregnancy may impair placental angiogenesis via VEGFA and its downstream PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, leading to placental pathological damage and increasing the risk of intrauterine growth restriction and reduced birth weight in fetuses.

Objective:To understand trends and hotspots of TCM research papers published in journals with high IF basing on a bibliometric analysis.Methods:TCM research papers published between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2024 from 80 journals with IF higher than 16.0 were retrieved from medical, life sciences and comprehensive journals in Journal Citation Reports of 2024. CiteSpace 6.3.R1 and Excel 2021 were used to analyze and visualize annual publication volume, research fields, features of clinical study, institutes, funds and keywords.Results:A total of 51 papers were included, showing an increasing trend in annual publication volume; the main research areas were pharmacology, acupuncture&moxibustion and internal medicine. Multi-center randomized controlled trials were the main clinical studies; China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences was the leading institute in terms of publication volume; 84 funds were involved, including National Natural Science Foundation of China. Keywords that appeared most frequently were TCM, efficacy, double blind, electroacupuncture, stimulation and management.Conclusion:The number and quality of TCM research papers are improved simultaneously; future research needs to deepen international cooperation, and pay attention to the integration of TCM diagnosis and treatment characteristics and modern scientific research methods.

Objective To understand the incidence of nutritional risk in IBD patients in Kunming City,and to analyze the influencing factors.Methods A total of 707 IBD patients who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from September 2016 to May 2024 were retrospectively enrolled.Patient general information,disease-related data,and laboratory examination results were collected.Nutritional risk screening was performed using the NRS2002 scale,with subjects divided into nutritional risk and no-nutritional risk groups.Among Crohn's disease(CD)patients,110 were in the nutritional risk group and 85 in the no nutritional risk group.For ulcerative colitis(UC)patients,146 were in the nutritional risk group and 366 in the no nutritional risk group.Statistical analysis was conducted on the collected data.Results The incidence of nutritional risk in IBD patients was 36.21%,with 56.41%for CD and 28.52%for UC.Statistical analysis showed that for CD patients,sleep,BMI,disease diagnosis age,and disease activity were influencing factors of nutritional risk(P<0.05).For UC patients,influencing factors were BMI,disease activity,albumin(ALB),and erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)(P<0.05).Conclusion IBD patients have a high nutritional risk,with CD patients being more severely affected.The influencing factors of nutritional risk are complex.Medical personnel should conduct early nutritional risk screening for IBD patients to avoid adverse outcomes due to nutritional issues.

The health risk posed by emerging environmental contaminants has become a public concern. Increasing evidence indicate that maternal exposure to multiple emerging environmental contaminants disrupts embryonic development. However, the underlying mechanisms of this developmental toxicity remain unclear, hindering risk assessment and prevention efforts. In this column, the developmental toxicity mechanisms of various emerging pollutants were studied by employing model animals, big data analysis, and single-cell sequencing. We hope that this column will encourage further research into the developmental toxicity mechanisms of emerging environmental contaminants and provide a scientific base for policy-making.

Emerging pollutants are a class of environmental chemicals characterized by bioaccumulation, environmental persistence, and high toxicity. Their long-term accumulation poses severe threats to the environment and human health. In recent years, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology has enabled the analysis of transcriptomes at the single-cell level, revealing cellular heterogeneity and the complexity of intercellular communication. In toxicological studies, scRNA-seq technology has been applied to identify the responses of different cell types to pollutants and to elucidate the mechanisms of pollutant action during embryonic development, providing novel perspectives on the toxicity mechanisms of emerging pollutants. This paper reviewed the classification and characteristics of single-cell sequencing technologies and their applications in investigating the developmental toxicity of emerging pollutants, including perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), antibiotics, microplastics, phthalates, and bisphenols. It also discussed the limitations of current studies and proposed future research directions. Through methods such as cellular heterogeneity analysis and pseudotemporal chronological analysis, single-cell sequencing can explore and validate the specific toxicity mechanisms of emerging pollutants in embryonic development. However, challenges remain, including dataset bias, batch effects, and developmental differences between humans and model organisms. Future research should focus on optimizing data analysis methods, integrating multi-omics sequencing data, and exploring the use of human organoid models in toxicological studies. Such efforts will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the toxicity mechanisms and long-term health impacts of emerging pollutants, providing a theoretical basis for their stringent regulation and control.

Background Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is associated with various cancers, and recent studies suggest it may also increase the risk of retinoblastoma (RB) in newborns. However, the pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Objective By constructing an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework based on public databases to elucidate the potential mechanisms linking PFAS and RB. Methods Chemical-gene interactions and disease-gene interactions from the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database were retracted to identify key toxicological disruption pathways using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and a priori knowledge. The Pathview package in R was employed to predict molecular initiating events, key events, and their associated phenotypes, for further understanding the relevant gene-molecule interaction toxicity pathway network. Molecular docking techniques were utilized to validate the affinity of PFAS for these molecular initiating events. An AOP framework focused on toxicological pathways was developed using classical AOP methodologies. Results The PI3K-AKT/MAPK signaling pathway was identified as a potential toxicological pathway involved in PFAS-related RB development, based on KEGG and a priori knowledge. The activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) served as the molecular initiating event, leading to the activation of key oncogenes such as RAS and AKT, as well as nuclear factor kappa-light chainenhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), along with the inhibition of the tumor suppressor gene P53. In this study, 14 types of PFAS demonstrated good binding affinity with most RTKs, with chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonates (Cl-PFESAs) showing particularly favorable predicted binding. Oncogenes, including the c-kit-encoded tyrosine kinase receptor for stem cell factor, epidermal growth factor receptor, and neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1, were identified as the receptors with the best predicted binding affinity. Conclusion The PI3K-AKT/MAPK signaling pathway may serve as a potential toxicological mechanism linking PFAS to an increased risk of RB.