BACKGROUND: Molecular subtyping is an essential complementarity after pathological analyses for targeted therapy. This study aimed to investigate the consistency of next-generation sequencing (NGS) results between circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based and tissue-based in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and identify the patient characteristics that favor ctDNA testing. METHODS: Patients who diagnosed with NSCLC and received both ctDNA- and cancer tissue-based NGS before surgery or systemic treatment in Lung Cancer Center, Sichuan University West China Hospital between December 2017 and August 2022 were enrolled. A 425-cancer panel with a HiSeq 4000 NGS platform was used for NGS. The unweighted Cohen's kappa coefficient was employed to discriminate the high-concordance group from the low-concordance group with a cutoff value of 0.6. Six machine learning models were used to identify patient characteristics that relate to high concordance between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients were enrolled, of which 22.4% (19/85) had stage III disease and 56.5% (48/85) had stage IV disease. Forty-four patients (51.8%) showed consistent gene mutation types between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS, while one patient (1.2%) tested negative in both approaches. Patients with advanced diseases and metastases to other organs would be suitable for the ctDNA-based NGS, and the generalized linear model showed that T stage, M stage, and tumor mutation burden were the critical discriminators to predict the consistency of results between ctDNA-based and tissue-based NGS. CONCLUSION ctDNA-based NGS showed comparable detection performance in the targeted gene mutations compared with tissue-based NGS, and it could be considered in advanced or metastatic NSCLC.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology* ; Circulating Tumor DNA/blood* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods* ; Female ; Male ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Middle Aged ; Mutation/genetics* ; Aged ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a medical condition characterized by cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in individuals with diabetes mellitus. Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ overload in cardiomyocytes have been recognized as biological hallmarks in DCM; however, the specific factors underlying these abnormalities remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of a cardiac-specific long noncoding RNA, D830005E20Rik (Trdn-as), in DCM. Our results revealed the remarkably upregulation of Trdn-as in the hearts of the DCM mice and cardiomyocytes treated with high glucose (HG). Knocking down Trdn-as in cardiac tissues significantly improved cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in the DCM mice. Conversely, Trdn-as overexpression resulted in cardiac damage resembling that observed in the DCM mice. At the cellular level, Trdn-as induced Ca²⁺ overload in the SR and mitochondria, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. RNA-seq and bioinformatics analyses identified calsequestrin 2 (Casq2), a primary calcium-binding protein in the junctional SR, as a potential target of Trdn-as. Further investigations revealed that Trdn-as facilitated the recruitment of METTL14 to the Casq2 mRNA, thereby enhancing the m⁶A modification of Casq2. This modification increased the stability of Casq2 mRNA and subsequently led to increased protein expression. When Casq2 was knocked down, the promoting effects of Trdn-as on Ca²⁺ overload and mitochondrial damage were mitigated. These findings provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of DCM and suggest Trdn-as as a potential therapeutic target for this condition.
Animals ; Diabetic Cardiomyopathies/pathology* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Mice ; Calsequestrin/genetics* ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Male ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism* ; Methyltransferases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mitochondria, Heart/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mitochondria/metabolism*

The rapid screening of bioactive constituents within traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) presents a significant challenge to researchers. Prevailing strategies for the screening of active components in TCM often overlook trace components owing to their concealment by more abundant constituents. To address this limitation, a fishing strategy based on offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) combined with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was utilized to screen bioactive trace components targeting peroxiredoxin 3 (PRDX3), using Uncaria alkaloids (UAs) as a case study. Initially, an orthogonal preparative offline 2D-LC system combining a positively charged C₁₈ column and a conventional C₁₈ column under disparate mobile phase conditions was constructed. To fully reveal the trace alkaloids, 13 2D fractions of UAs were prepared, and their components were characterized using mass spectrometry (MS). Subsequently, employing PRDX3 as the targeting protein, a SPR-based screening approach was established and rigorously validated with geissoschizine methyl ether (GSM) serving as a positive control for binding. Employing this refined strategy, 29 candidate binding alkaloids were fished from the 13 2D fractions. Notably, combining offline 2D-LC with SPR increased the yield of candidate binding components from 10 to 29 when compared to SPR-based screening alone. Subsequent binding affinity assays confirmed that PRDX3 was a direct binding target for the 12 fished alkaloids, with isovallesiachotamine (IV), corynoxeine N-oxide (CO-N), and cadambine (CAD) demonstrating the highest affinity for PRDX3. Their interactions were further validated through molecular docking analysis. Subsequent intracellular H₂O₂ measurement assays and transfection experiments confirmed that these three trace alkaloids enhanced PRDX3-mediated H₂O₂ clearance. In conclusion, this study introduced an innovative strategy for the identification of active trace components in TCM. This approach holds promise for accelerating research on medicinal components within this field.

ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic mechanism of Bushen Huoxue prescription from the perspective of bone metabolism by observing the clinical efficacy of this prescription in treating femoral head necrosis （ONFH， syndrome of liver and kidney deficiency） and its influences on bone metabolism indexes： N-terminal propeptide （PINP） and β-collagen degradation product （β-CTX）. MethodSixty-six ONFH patients with the syndrome of liver and kidney deficiency in Zhengzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Orthopedics from December 2021 to September 2022 were selected. The patients were randomized into an experimental group and a control group by the parallel control method， with 33 patients in each group. The experimental group received Bushen Huoxue prescription orally， while the control group received Xianlinggubao Capsules orally， with a treatment cycle of 6 months. The visual analogue scale （VAS） score， Harris score， Association Research Circulation Osseous （ARCO） staging， imaging changes， quantitative scores of TCM symptoms， and serum levels of PINP and β-CTX were determined before and after treatment. The occurrence of adverse events and reactions was recorded. ResultThe total response rate in the experimental group was 83.87% （26/31）， which was higher than that （68.75%， 22/32） in the control group （Z=-2.096， P<0.05）. After treatment， the single and total scores of TCM symptoms， VAS score， and β-CTX level decreased in the two groups （P<0.05）. Moreover， the decreases in the scores of hip pain， lower limb mobility， soreness of waist and knees， and lower limb flaccidity， total score of TCM symptoms， VAS score， and β-CTX level in the experimental were larger than those in the control group （P<0.05）. After treatment， the imaging results showed no significant improvement in the two groups. The Harris score and PINP level in both groups increased after treatment （P<0.05）， and the increases were more obvious in the experimental group than in the control group （P<0.05）. No serious adverse event or adverse reaction appeared during the observation period. ConclusionBushen Huoxue prescription can relieve pain and TCM symptoms and improve the hip joint function in treating ONFH patients with the syndrome of liver and kidney deficiency. It can inhibit the development of ONFH， increase PINP， and decrease β-CTX. No obvious side effect appears during the clinical observation period， which shows that Bushen Huoxue prescription has good safety.

With the rapid development of the interdisciplinary area of artificial intelligence and medicine, large language model (LLM) has been widely used in the fields such as diagnosis and treatment, medicine, and healthcare. LLM has unique advantages in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as high consistency with the "Four Diagnostic Methods", perfect combination of natural language and self-supervised learning in TCM, the ability to adapt to the characteristics TCM formulas, and the assistance in TCM diagnosis and treatment. At present, various LLM models have been developed, including the "Qihuang Ask Big Model" and the Digital Traditional Chinese Medicine Big Model "GLM-130B", but they still face challenges such as value mismatch and medical abuse, increased demand for interpretability, lack of advanced technology, and domestic policy access. This article reviews the evolution of LLM, its unique advantages and applications in the field of TCM, the problems and challenges, and the future development trends, in order to providereference for the further promotion of LLM in traditional medicine.

Objective:To explore the effect of Jian-Pi-Zhi-Dong decoction on autonomous activity and dopamine (dopamine, DA) synaptic vesicle protein expression in the striatum of Tourette syndrome (TS) model rats.Methods:The 4-week-old male SD rats were used to establish the TS model by intraperitoneal injection of N-aminodipropionate. Thirty successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into model group, Chinese medicine group, and tiberide group according to random number table method, with 10 rats in each group. And another 10 rats with matched body mass were selected as the control group. Rats in Chinese medicine group were given Jian-Pi-Zhi-Dong decoction solution (1.6 g/100 g) and the rats in tiapride group were given sulfate tiapride suspension (2.1 mg/100 g), while rats in control group and model group were given an equal volume of 0.9% sodium chloride solution, once a day for 4 weeks.The number of autonomous activities in rats was determined by autonomous activity programmer. ELISA was used to detect the level of DA in the striatum of rats and the expression of dopamine transporter (DAT).Vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT2) and α-synuclein (α-syn) were measured by Western blot.SPSS 25.0 software was used for data analysis. Multiple group comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA, non-parametric test and repeated measures ANOVA.Results:Comparing the number of autonomous activities among the 4 groups, the interaction effect between time and group was significant ( F=184.354, P<0.001). At the 1-4 weeks of gavaging, the numbers of autonomic activities in the model group were more than those in the control group (all P<0.05).While the numbers of autonomic activities in Chinese medicine group and tiapride group were less than those in the model group (all P<0.05). Moreover, the numbers of autonomic activities in Chinese medicine group and tiapride group from 1 to 4 weeks were less than those after model making (all P<0.05). The Western blot results showed significant differences in the relative expression of α-syn ( H=29.098), DAT ( F=54.632) and VMAT2 ( H=18.982) among the 4 groups (all P<0.001). The expression levels of α-syn protein in Chinese medicine group and tiapride group were both lower than that in the model group (0.39(0.36, 0.51), 0.39(0.36, 0.50), 0.62(0.50, 0.70)) (both P<0.05). The expression level of DAT protein in Chinese medicine group was higher than that in the model group and lower than that in tiapride group ((0.37±0.06), (0.26±0.07), (0.49±0.09)) (both P<0.05). And the expression level of VMAT2 protein in Chinese medicine group had no significant difference compared with that in the model group ( P>0.05).The ELISA results showed significant differences in DA content of striatum among the 4 groups ( F=75.370, P<0.001). The level of DA in the model group was higher than that in the control group ((7.65±0.72) ng/L, (3.71±0.59) ng/L, P<0.05). The levels of DA in Chinese medicine group ((3.92±0.81) ng/L) and tiapride group ((4.40±0.53) ng/L) were lower than that in the model group (both P<0.05), and the difference between Chinese medicine group and tiapride group was not significant ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Jian-Pi-Zhi-Dong decoction can relieve the tic symptoms of the model rats with TS, and its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the excessive release of α-syn, improving the expression of DAT and VMAT2, improving the DA synaptic vesicle circulation, and reducing the DA content in the synaptic space of the brain.

Objective To investigate the role of macrophages in the process of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)exposure induced damage to pulmonary blood-air barrier.Methods Eighteen male BALB/C mice (aged of 10 weeks,weighing 24～27 g)were randomly divided into control group and low-and high-dose PM2.5 exposure groups (receiving 1 .8 and 16.2 mg/kg,respectively),with 6 mice in each group.The control group received tracheal instillations of normal saline on days 1,4,and 7,whereas the exposure groups were administered corresponding dose of PM2.5 exposure at the same time points.In 24 h after last exposure,pathological changes in the lung tissues were observed,and the contents of total protein (TP ),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH ),and alkaline phosphatase (AKP ) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF ),and F4/80 protein level in lung tissue were measured to evaluate the blood-air barrier damage and macrophage infiltration within the lung tissues.Additionally,an in vitro model of the blood-air barrier was established using A549 alveolar epithelial cells and EA.hy926 vascular endothelial cells.In combination with a THP-1 macrophage model,the supernatant PM2.5 supernatant,macrophage supernatant,and PM2.5-macrophage supernatant were incubated with the barrier model for 24 h,respectively.Transmembrane electrical resistance (TEER),sodium fluorescein permeability of the barrier model,and LDH release from the barrier cells were measured to ascertain the extent of macrophage-mediated enhancement in barrier damage induced by PM2.5 exposure.Furthermore,the expression of inflammatory cytokines,such as TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-8 in the macrophages after PM2.5 exposure was analyzed with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results PM2.5 exposure induced lung tissue damage in mice in a dose-dependent manner,significantly elevated the contents of TP,LDH and AKP in the BALF and caused marked infiltration of macrophages into the lung tissue,especially the high-dose exposure when compared with the mice from the control group (P<0.01 ).In vitro barrier model exposure experiments showed that in comparison with the treatment of 150 and 300 μg/mL PM2.5 and macrophage supernatant,the same doses of PM2.5-macrophage supernatant resulted in notably decreased TEER and significantly enhanced permeability in the barrier model (P<0.01 ),and markedly increased LDH release from epithelial and endothelial barrier cells (P<0.01 ).Additionally,the exposure of 150 and 300μg/mL PM2.5 led to a significant up-regulation of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6,and IL-8 in the macrophages (P<0.01 ).Conclusion Macrophages deteriorate PM2.5-induced functional impairment of the pulmonary blood-air barrier.

To improve the current situation of multiple preoperative visits and evaluations for elderly patients and other patients with complex conditions, in December 2022, Peking Union Medical College Hospital established preoperative multidisciplinary evaluation clinic (shorted as joint clinic). The joint clinic established a multidisciplinary team, clarified service targets, and developed standardized clinic workflows to provide patients with a " one-stop" preoperative assessment(physical fitness assessment, nutritional assessment, and frailty assessment, etc.), nutritional optimization intervention, and prerehabilitation education and guidance services. This practice strengthened preoperative risk management, improved preoperative assessment efficiency, and ensured the safety of patients during the perioperative period. As of September 2023, the joint clinic had received a total of 128 patients, of which 86 underwent surgery after preoperative evaluation and prehabilitation optimization. The obesity rate, smoking rate, and number of frailty cases of these patients had decreased from 13.96%, 11.63%, and 18 at the time of visit to 9.30%, 4.65%, and 14 on the day before surgery, respectively. They had recovered well after surgery. This practice had improved the preoperative status of patients and created conditions for high-risk patients to undergo surgery smoothly, so as to provide references for other hospitals to carry out multidisciplinary collaborative preoperative evaluation works.

Noninfectious uveitis (NIU) is a refractory disease that could lead to blindness.Lack of specific NIU indicators sometimes causes a delay in diagnosis and treatment, due to its diverse etiology, complex mechanism, and the long course of disease.Empirically, the clinical emphasis is to optimize diagnosis and treatment methods and reduce complications.Recent studies on exosomes have shown their regulatory effect on inflammation, suggesting that they have application potential in the diagnosis and treatment of uveitis.Exosomes are cell-derived cystic vesicles, containing a variety of effector biomolecules and biomarkers.They can penetrate biological barriers, mediate intercellular communication, and be used as drug carriers in clinical treatment.However, research on exosomes in fundus diseases, especially in uveitis, is still in its infancy.This article reviews advanced research, hypothesis, and possible translational applications of exosomes in NIU to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Objective To explore the practice and significance of the new course of"Enhanced Recovery after Sur-gery(ERAS)and Perioperative Management"for graduate students under multidisciplinary cooperation.Methods The Department of Anesthesiology collaborated with the Department of Clinical Nutrition,Department of Geriatrics and six related surgical departments to develop a course of 30 credit hours on"ERAS and Perioperative Manage-ment"in Peking Union Medical College Hospital.Researchers analyzed the teaching effectiveness of the course by collecting survey questionnaires and evaluating scheme report of ERAS case.Results Researchers found that ten graduates joined this course and they believed that learning improved their understanding of ERAS related knowl-edge,such as preoperative nutrition and functional state optimization,intraoperative volume and temperature man-agement,prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting,and perioperative pain management.Students had high satisfaction with the course and believed that it would help improve their clinical literacy.Conclusions The new course of"ERAS and Perioperative Management"for graduates may support capacity building in terms of clinical logic and thinking about ERAS and promotion of skills for perioperative management.Our experience of graduates′training with"Enhanced Recovery after Surgery and Perioperative Management"course can be shared by other trainers of health institution of China.