1.Pharmacokinetic Analysis of Ziyuglycoside Ⅰ in Normal and Acute Kidney Injury Rats
Yunhui ZHANG ; Yanli LIU ; Qiongming XU ; Shuding SUN ; Hongjin ZHU ; Di ZHAO ; Suxiang FENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(5):203-210
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(AUC0-t) and mean retention time(MRT0-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 AUC0-t was significantly increased(P<0.01), peak concentration(Cmax) 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.
2.Immunity-inflammation Mechanism of Viral Pneumonia and Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment Based on Theory of Healthy Qi and Pathogenic Qi
Zheyu LUAN ; Hanxiao WANG ; Xin PENG ; Yihao ZHANG ; Yunhui LI ; Jihong FENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(2):239-247
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.
3.Assessment of genetic associations between antidepressant drug targets and various stroke subtypes: A Mendelian randomization approach.
Luyang ZHANG ; Yunhui CHU ; Man CHEN ; Yue TANG ; Xiaowei PANG ; Luoqi ZHOU ; Sheng YANG ; Minghao DONG ; Jun XIAO ; Ke SHANG ; Gang DENG ; Wei WANG ; Chuan QIN ; Daishi TIAN
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(4):487-489
4.Artificial intelligence in traditional Chinese medicine: from systems biological mechanism discovery, real-world clinical evidence inference to personalized clinical decision support.
Dengying YAN ; Qiguang ZHENG ; Kai CHANG ; Rui HUA ; Yiming LIU ; Jingyan XUE ; Zixin SHU ; Yunhui HU ; Pengcheng YANG ; Yu WEI ; Jidong LANG ; Haibin YU ; Xiaodong LI ; Runshun ZHANG ; Wenjia WANG ; Baoyan LIU ; Xuezhong ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(11):1310-1328
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*
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Artificial Intelligence
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Humans
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Precision Medicine
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Decision Support Systems, Clinical
5.Effects of chlorinated polyfluorinated ether sulfonic acid exposure on intrauterine development in fetal rats and mechanism of placental vascular injury
Caixia CHENG ; Qingqing ZHU ; Qing YANG ; Yunhui ZHANG ; Yue ZHAO
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2025;42(11):1371-1380
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.
6.Health Risk Assessment of Employees Exposed to Chlorination By-products of Recreational Water in Large Amusement Parks in Shanghai
Cao WEIZHAO ; Zheng YIMING ; Zhao WENXUAN ; Shi LISHA ; Zhang YUNHUI ; Zhang LIJUN ; Chen JIAN
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2024;37(8):865-875
Objective Chlorination is often used to disinfect recreational water in large amusement parks;however,the health hazards of chlorination disinfection by-products(DBPs)to occupational populations are unknown.This study aimed to assess the exposure status of chlorinated DBPs in recreational water and the health risks to employees of large amusement parks. Methods Exposure parameters of employees of three large amusement parks in Shanghai were investigated using a questionnaire.Seven typical chlorinated DBPs in recreational water and spray samples were quantified by gas chromatography,and the health risks to amusement park employees exposed to chlorinated DBPs were evaluated according to the WHO's risk assessment framework. Results Trichloroacetic acid,dibromochloromethane,bromodichloromethane,and dichloroacetic acid were detected predominantly in recreational water.The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of the five DBPs did not exceed the risk thresholds.In addition,the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks of mixed exposure to DBPs were within the acceptable risk limits. Conclusion Typical DBPs were widely detected in recreational water collected from three large amusement parks in Shanghai;however,the health risks of DBPs and their mixtures were within acceptable limits.
7.Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Element, Evolutionary Patterns of Patients with Hepatitis B Virus-Related Acute on Chronic Liver Failure at Different Stages: A Multi-Center Clinical Study
Simiao YU ; Kewei SUN ; Zhengang ZHANG ; Hanmin LI ; Xiuhui LI ; Hongzhi YANG ; Qin LI ; Lin WANG ; Xiaozhou ZHOU ; Dewen MAO ; Jianchun GUO ; Yunhui ZHUO ; Xianbo WANG ; Xin DENG ; Jiefei WANG ; Wukui CAO ; Shuqin ZHANG ; Mingxiang ZHANG ; Jun LI ; Man GONG ; Chao ZHOU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;65(12):1262-1268
ObjectiveTo explore the syndrome elements and evolving patterns of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute on chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) at different stages. MethodsClinical information of 1,058 hospitalized HBV-ACLF patients, including 618 in the early stage, 355 in the middle stage, and 85 in the late stage, were collected from 18 clinical centers across 12 regions nationwide from January 1, 2012 to February 28, 2015. The “Hepatitis B-related Chronic and Acute Liver Failure Chinese Medicine Clinical Questionnaire” were designed to investigate the basic information of the patients, like the four diagnostic information (including symptoms, tongue, pulse) of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and to count the frequency of the appearance of the four diagnostic information. Factor analysis and cluster analysis were employed to determine and statistically analyze the syndrome elements and patterns of HBV-ACLF patients at different stages. ResultsThere were 76 four diagnostic information from 1058 HBV-ACLF patients, and 53 four diagnostic information with a frequency of occurrence ≥ 5% were used as factor analysis entries, including 36 symptom information, 12 tongue information, and 5 pulse information. Four types of TCM patterns were identified in HBV-ACLF, which were liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern, qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern, liver-kidney yin deficiency pattern, and spleen-kidney yang-deficiency pattern. In the early stage, heat (39.4%, 359/912) and dampness (27.5%, 251/912) were most common, and the pattern of the disease was dominated by liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern (74.6%, 461/618); in the middle stage, dampness (30.2%, 187/619) and blood stasis (20.7%, 128/619) were most common, and the patterns of the disease were dominated by liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern (53.2%, 189/355), and qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern (27.6%, 98/355); and in the late stage, the pattern of the disease was dominated by qi deficiency (26.3%, 40/152) and yin deficiency (20.4%, 31/152), and the patterns were dominated by qi deficiency and blood stasis pattern (36.5%, 31/85), and liver-gallbladder damp-heat pattern (25.9%, 22/85). ConclusionThere are significant differences in the distribution of syndrome elements and patterns at different stages of HBV-ACLF, presenting an overall trend of evolving patterns as "from excess to deficiency, transforming from excess to deficiency", which is damp-heat → blood stasis → qi-blood yin-yang deficiency.
8.Mechanism of Dahuang Tangluo Pills in Improving Renal Inflammatory Injury in Diabetic Kidkdey Disease by Regulating AGEs/RAGE/IKK/NF-κB Pathway
Pu ZHANG ; Jianqing LIANG ; Xia YANG ; Min BAI ; Xiangdong ZHU ; Chunxia XUE ; Beibei SU ; Yunhui ZHAO
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(20):77-85
ObjectiveTo explore the protective effects of Dahuang Tangluo pills on early diabetic kidkdey disease (DKD) in db/db mice. MethodEight db/m mice were selected as the control group. Forty male db/db mice were selected and blood samples were collected via tail vein to measure fasting blood glucose (FBG). Mice with FBG ≥ 16.7 mmol·L-1, increased urine output, and persistent albuminuria were considered successful in model establishment. After successful modeling, they were randomly divided into a model group, a dapagliflozin group (1.5 mg·kg-1·d-1), and high, medium, and low dose groups of Dahuang Tangluo pills (3.6, 1.8, 0.9 g·kg-1·d-1, respectively), with eight mice in each group. All medication groups were administered orally, while the control and model groups were given an equal amount of distilled water by gavage daily. After continuous administration for 10 weeks, the survival status of the mice was observed, and their body weight, FBG, and kidney function-related indicators were measured. Inflammatory indicators in renal tissues were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Masson staining, and electron microscopy were used to observe the pathological changes in renal tissues in each group. Immunofluorescence was employed to examine the expression of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) proteins. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) and Western blot were utilized to detect the gene and protein expression levels of AGEs, RAGE, inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) kinase (IKK), and NF-κB in the renal tissues of mice in each group. ResultCompared with control group, the model group showed a significant increase in body weight, FBG, serum creatinine (SCr), urinary microalbumin/urine creatinine ratio (ACR), total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides (TG) (P<0.05). The levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in renal tissues were significantly elevated (P<0.05). Renal histopathological staining and electron microscopy revealed loose arrangement, gaps, structural disarray, mesangial proliferation, and significant fibrosis in renal tissues. Real-time PCR results showed a significant increase in the expression of RAGE, IKK, and NF-κB genes in renal tissues (P<0.05). Immunofluorescence results demonstrated a significant increase in the expression of AGEs and RAGE proteins in renal tissues (P<0.05). Western blot results showed a significant increase in the expression of AGEs, RAGE, IKK, and NF-κB proteins in renal tissues (P<0.05). After drug intervention, compared with model group, the dapagliflozin group and the high-dose Dahuang Tangluo pills group showed significant reductions in body weight, FBG, SCr, and ACR (P<0.05), and a significant decrease in TC in mouse serum (P<0.05), while the high-dose Dahuang Tangluo pills group showed a significant decrease in TG in mouse serum (P<0.05). All treatment groups showed a significant reduction in ICAM-1, IL-6, and TNF-α in renal tissues (P<0.05). Renal histopathological staining and electron microscopy showed improved kidney injury, decreased collagen fiber deposition, and reduced mesangial proliferation in all treatment groups. Real-time PCR results showed a significant decrease in the expression of RAGE, IKK, and NF-κB genes in the dapagliflozin group and the high- and medium-dose Dahuang Tangluo pills groups (P<0.05). Immunofluorescence results demonstrated a significant decrease in the expression of AGEs and RAGE proteins in the dapagliflozin group and the high- and medium-dose Dahuang Tangluo pills groups (P<0.05). Western blot results showed a significant decrease in the expression of AGEs, RAGE, IKK, and NF-κB proteins in the dapagliflozin group and the high- and medium-dose Dahuang Tangluo pills groups (P<0.05). ConclusionDahuang Tangluo pills can improve the pathological structure of the kidneys and reduce renal inflammation in DKD mice, possibly through inhibiting the AGEs/RAGE/IKK/NF-κB pathway.
9.Association between umbilical blood organophosphate esters exposure and meconium microbiome of newborns
Yang LIU ; Liyi ZHANG ; Wenjuan MA ; Yunhui ZHANG
Journal of Environmental and Occupational Medicine 2024;41(9):1004-1011
Background Animal studies have shown that exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs) disturbs the composition of gut microbiome in rodents and zebrafish. However, current associated evidence in humans is limited. Considering the importance of gut microbiome in neonatal development, we need to investigate the impact of OPEs exposure on the early development stage of neonatal microbiome. Objective To investigate the associations between umbilical OPEs exposure and the diversity and composition of gut microbiome in newborns. Methods Based on the Shanghai Maternal-Child Pairs Cohort (MCPC), 391 mother-infant pairs with comprehensive follow-up information and bio-samples were enrolled in this study. Concentrations of OPEs in neonatal cord blood were quantified using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Meconium samples were collected after delivery and measured through 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina Miseq platform. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the effects of OPEs exposure on the alpha diversity of meconium microbiome. Principal coordinate analysis and permutational multivariate analysis of variance based on unweighted UniFrac distance were used to compare the beta diversity differences between high and low exposure groups of OPEs. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) was utilized to analyze the differential gut microbiome taxa between high and low OPEs exposure groups. The functional pathways involved in the meconium microbiome were predicted based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, and multivariate analysis by linear models (MaAsLin2) were conducted to explore the effects of OPEs exposure on gut microbiome pathways. Results Seven OPEs were detectable in the neonatal cord blood samples, of which four were detected higher than 50% including tributyl phosphate (TBP), tris (2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBEP), 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate (EHDPP), and tris (2-chloro-1 (chloromethyl) ethyl) phosphate (TDCPP), and the median concentrations of these four congeners were as follows: 0.52 μg·L−1 for TBP, 2.41 μg·L−1 for TBEP, 0.13 μg·L−1 for EHDPP, and 2.23 μg·L−1 for TDCPP. A significant association was observed between umbilical TBEP and TDCPP exposure and alpha diversity indices in neonatal meconium microbiome. Beta diversity significantly differed across varied high and low OPEs exposure groups. The results of LEfSe analysis indicated a significant correlation between umbilical OPEs exposure and 27 genera, including Streptococcus, Corynebacterium, Neisseria, Haemophilus, and Parabacteroides. The MaAsLin2 analysis identified associations between OPEs exposure and upregulation of pathways related to linoleic acid metabolism, steroid biosynthesis, Toll and Imd signaling pathway, retinol metabolism, NOD like receptor signaling pathway, and fatty acid biosynthesis . Conclusion Umbilical OPEs exposure is associated increased alpha diversity indices, increased relative abundances of Neisseria, Streptococcus, Parabacteroides, and Corynebacterium in the gut microbiome, as well as predicted metabolic pathway alterations in linoleic acid metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, etc. These findings indicate that umbilical OPEs exposure may disrupt meconium microbiome equilibrium.
10.Implement quality control circle activities to improve customer satisfaction
Yaoxing LI ; Cuidi LI ; Fen ZHANG ; Min TANG ; Wei YAN ; Puxian XIE ; Youlan XI ; Jiaxin WANG ; Yunhui WANG ; Haibo MA ; Chaodong ZHANG ; Jiyan DENG ; Yamei YU ; Qunhua MU
Modern Hospital 2024;24(3):391-394
Objective To study the application effect of quality control circle(QCC)in reducing the dissatisfaction rate of physical examination clients in health management center.Methods To establish QCC,selected the health check-up popula-tion in our hospital in September-2019 and March-2020,through the questionnaire investigation and analysis,compare the dis-satisfaction of the clients before and after the quality control circle.Results After carrying out QCC activities,the dissatisfaction of physical examination clients was significantly lower than that before QCC,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion The activities of QCC in the health management center can effectively improve the quality of the physical examination work and reduce the dissatisfaction of the customers in the physical examination.It is of great significance to the health management.

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