1.Research Strategies for the Traditional Chinese Medicine Pathomechanism Syndrome Differentiation System from the Perspective of Systems Thinking
Ziyi ZHOU ; Zhe FENG ; Xueping ZHOU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(8):765-768
Given the limitations of traditional scientific research methods in revealing the complex and dynamic evolution of disease pathomechanisms, this paper analyzes the current state and challenges of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pathomechanism syndrome differentiation system within the framework of systems thinking. The challenges include insufficient experimental models, low data standardization, complex nonlinear characteristics, and difficulties in integrating expert experience. By leveraging qualitative-quantitative comprehensive integration methods, this paper proposes specific research strategies, including constructing qualitative models of pathomechanism evolution, employing mathematical models for validation and quantitative analysis to reveal pathomechanism patterns, and incorporating a "human-centered" approach to achieve human-machine collaboration. These strategies aim to provide insights for the modernization and development of a new TCM pathomechanism syndrome differentiation system.
2.Textual Research on Classical Formula Mulisan
Dongsen HU ; Xiangyang ZHANG ; Canran XIE ; Jiawei SHI ; Ziyi WANG ; Zhuoyan ZHOU ; Lin ZHANG ; Yexin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):191-200
The classic formula Mulisan is the 45th of the 93 formulas in the Catalogue of Ancient Classic Formulas (second batch) of Han medicine published by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It consists of Ostreae Concha, Astragali Radix, Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma, and wheat, with the effect of replenishing qi and stopping sweating. It is a common formula in the clinical treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. This study analyzes the historical evolution, composition, dosage, original plants and their processing methods, decocting method, efficacy, indications, and modern clinical application of Mulisan by tracing, comparative analysis, and bibliometric methods. The results showed that Mulisan firstly appeared in the Pulse Classic written by WANG Shuhe in the Western Jin Dynasty. The formulation idea can be traced back to the Important Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergency in the Tang Dynasty. The herb composition, dosage, efficacy, and indications of Mulisan were first recorded in the Treatise on Diseases, Patterns, and formulas Related to Unification of the Three Etiologies in the Southern Song dynasty. In terms of original plants and their processing methods, Ostreae Concha is the shell of Ostrea rivularis, which should be calcined before use. Astragali Radix and Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma are the dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus and Ephedra sinica, respectively, the raw material of which should be used. Wheat is the dried mature fruit of T. aestivum, which can be used without processing, while the stir-fried fruit, being thin and deflated, demonstrates better effect. The composition of Mulisan is Ostreae Concha 8.26 g, Astragali Radix 8.26 g, Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma 8.26 g, and wheat 7.92 g. The medicinal materials should be ground into coarse powder and decocted with 450 mL water to reach a volume of 240 mL, and the decoction should be taken warm. In modern clinical practice, Mulisan has a wide range of indications, including spontaneous sweating and night sweating caused by Yang deficiency or Qi deficiency. The clinical disease spectrum treated by Mulisan involves endocrine system diseases, neurological diseases, respiratory system diseases, and cancer. This formula plays a significant role in the treatment of internal medicine diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. This study aims to provide a scientific basis for the subsequent research, development, and clinical application of Mulisan.
3.Textual Research on Classical Formula Mulisan
Dongsen HU ; Xiangyang ZHANG ; Canran XIE ; Jiawei SHI ; Ziyi WANG ; Zhuoyan ZHOU ; Lin ZHANG ; Yexin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(7):191-200
The classic formula Mulisan is the 45th of the 93 formulas in the Catalogue of Ancient Classic Formulas (second batch) of Han medicine published by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It consists of Ostreae Concha, Astragali Radix, Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma, and wheat, with the effect of replenishing qi and stopping sweating. It is a common formula in the clinical treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. This study analyzes the historical evolution, composition, dosage, original plants and their processing methods, decocting method, efficacy, indications, and modern clinical application of Mulisan by tracing, comparative analysis, and bibliometric methods. The results showed that Mulisan firstly appeared in the Pulse Classic written by WANG Shuhe in the Western Jin Dynasty. The formulation idea can be traced back to the Important Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergency in the Tang Dynasty. The herb composition, dosage, efficacy, and indications of Mulisan were first recorded in the Treatise on Diseases, Patterns, and formulas Related to Unification of the Three Etiologies in the Southern Song dynasty. In terms of original plants and their processing methods, Ostreae Concha is the shell of Ostrea rivularis, which should be calcined before use. Astragali Radix and Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma are the dried roots of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus and Ephedra sinica, respectively, the raw material of which should be used. Wheat is the dried mature fruit of T. aestivum, which can be used without processing, while the stir-fried fruit, being thin and deflated, demonstrates better effect. The composition of Mulisan is Ostreae Concha 8.26 g, Astragali Radix 8.26 g, Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma 8.26 g, and wheat 7.92 g. The medicinal materials should be ground into coarse powder and decocted with 450 mL water to reach a volume of 240 mL, and the decoction should be taken warm. In modern clinical practice, Mulisan has a wide range of indications, including spontaneous sweating and night sweating caused by Yang deficiency or Qi deficiency. The clinical disease spectrum treated by Mulisan involves endocrine system diseases, neurological diseases, respiratory system diseases, and cancer. This formula plays a significant role in the treatment of internal medicine diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. This study aims to provide a scientific basis for the subsequent research, development, and clinical application of Mulisan.
4.Analysis of the correlation between tinnitus and hearing loss in otology clinic
Ziyi HUANG ; Bo LIU ; Yi ZHANG ; Xinyang ZHOU
Chinese Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2025;32(2):86-89
OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence of tinnitus and hearing loss in otology patients,and to analyze the characteristics and relationship of tinnitus and hearing loss in different age groups.METHODS A total of 4 716 patients who visited otology clinic were enrolled.Age,gender,and presence or absence of tinnitus were recorded.All patients completed pure tone audiometry.The characteristics and relationship between tinnitus and pure tone audiometry threshold were analyzed after age grouping.RESULTS 1.Among the 4 716 patients,2 772 patients had tinnitus,accounting for 58.78%,and the incidence was highest in the 41-70 years old group.3 521 cases(74.66%)had hearing loss.2.Among the patients with tinnitus,2 227 cases(80.34%)had hearing loss,which was higher than that of patients without tinnitus(66.56%,1 294/1 944 cases).There was a difference in the incidence of hearing loss between those with and without tinnitus in each age group from 11 to 70 years(P<0.05).3.The average hearing threshold of patients with tinnitus was higher than that of patients without tinnitus.There was a difference in the average hearing threshold between patients with and without tinnitus in each age group over 30 years old(P<0.05).4.The incidence of high frequency hearing loss with tinnitus was 24.57%(681/2 772),and the incidence of without tinnitus was 21.66%(421/1 944).The rate of high-frequency hearing loss in the 21-40 years old group with tinnitus was higher than that in the non-tinnitus group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The incidence of hearing loss is higher and more severe in patients with tinnitus.Particular attention should be paid to tinnitus in young patients.The incidence of high-frequency hearing loss was higher in the young and middle-aged group of patients with tinnitus.Therefore,the evaluation of hearing threshold in patients with tinnitus is very important,which can provide a basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
5.Artificial intelligence applications in Ménière's disease.
Ziyi ZHOU ; Yiling ZHANG ; Qiuyue MAO ; Qin WANG
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(5):496-500
Objective:Ménière's disease(MD) is a common disorder of the inner ear. The fluctuating clinical symptoms and the absence of gold standards for diagnosis have posed serious problems for clinical diagnosis and treatment over the years. With the development of science and technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely used in the field of medicine, and the potential of AI application to MD is demonstrated. The purpose of this review is to outline the use of AI in MD. Initially, specific instances where AI aids in differentiating MD from other causes of vertigo are presented. Furthermore, the role of AI in the evaluation of Endolymphatic Hydrops (EH), particularly through imaging and biochemical assays, is highlighted due to its correlation with MD. Additionally, the effectiveness of AI in managing MD patients and forecasting disease progression is examined. In conclusion, the prevalent challenges hindering the clinical integration of AI in MD treatment are discussed, alongside potential strategies to surmount these barriers.
Humans
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Meniere Disease/diagnosis*
;
Artificial Intelligence
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Endolymphatic Hydrops/diagnosis*
6.Current status and progress of health economics research on allergen specific immunotherapy.
Qianxue HU ; Liyue LI ; Ziyi LONG ; Bingyue HUO ; Yuzhe HAO ; Xiangning CHENG ; Tianjian XIE ; Qing CHENG ; Tao ZHOU ; Liuqing ZHOU ; Shan CHEN ; Yue ZHOU ; Jianjun CHEN
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(9):894-898
Allergen specific immunotherapy(AIT), as an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and other allergic diseases, has received widespread attention in the field of health economic evaluation in recent years. This article reviews the current status and progress of economic research on AIT, mainly discussing the socioeconomic burden of allergic rhinitis, the results of health economic studies from different countries, and the primary methods used in health economic research on allergic rhinitis. Existing studies indicate that, although AIT involves high initial costs, it offers significant long-term economic benefits by reducing healthcare resource utilization, improving patient quality of life, and decreasing medication dependence. Moreover, reducing initial costs, applying standardized assessment tools, and conducting cross-national comparative analyses have become key directions for future research. Overall, AIT demonstrates strong potential in terms of long-term health benefits and cost savings, providing solid economic evidence for the management of allergic diseases.
Humans
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Desensitization, Immunologic/economics*
;
Cost-Benefit Analysis
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Rhinitis, Allergic/economics*
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Economics, Medical
7.VenusMutHub: A systematic evaluation of protein mutation effect predictors on small-scale experimental data.
Liang ZHANG ; Hua PANG ; Chenghao ZHANG ; Song LI ; Yang TAN ; Fan JIANG ; Mingchen LI ; Yuanxi YU ; Ziyi ZHOU ; Banghao WU ; Bingxin ZHOU ; Hao LIU ; Pan TAN ; Liang HONG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(5):2454-2467
In protein engineering, while computational models are increasingly used to predict mutation effects, their evaluations primarily rely on high-throughput deep mutational scanning (DMS) experiments that use surrogate readouts, which may not adequately capture the complex biochemical properties of interest. Many proteins and their functions cannot be assessed through high-throughput methods due to technical limitations or the nature of the desired properties, and this is particularly true for the real industrial application scenario. Therefore, the desired testing datasets, will be small-size (∼10-100) experimental data for each protein, and involve as many proteins as possible and as many properties as possible, which is, however, lacking. Here, we present VenusMutHub, a comprehensive benchmark study using 905 small-scale experimental datasets curated from published literature and public databases, spanning 527 proteins across diverse functional properties including stability, activity, binding affinity, and selectivity. These datasets feature direct biochemical measurements rather than surrogate readouts, providing a more rigorous assessment of model performance in predicting mutations that affect specific molecular functions. We evaluate 23 computational models across various methodological paradigms, such as sequence-based, structure-informed and evolutionary approaches. This benchmark provides practical guidance for selecting appropriate prediction methods in protein engineering applications where accurate prediction of specific functional properties is crucial.
8.The modern Silk Road spirit leads the “Belt and Road” Initiative to facilitate global tropical disease control programmes
Liying ZHOU ; Xiangjie LI ; Ziyi CHEN
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2025;37(3):316-320
The modern Silk Road spirit advocating for win-win cooperative partnerships, aligns with the target of the “Belt and Road” Initiative, which provides new opportunities for collaboration on tropical disease control among countries along the “Belt and Road”. The modern Silk Road spirit may effectively facilitate tropical disease control programmes and improve disease control concepts and approaches through collaborative research, information sharing, infrastructure development, and joint efforts in pharmaceuticals and vaccine development; however, there are still multiple challenges that require to be overcome, including political and cultural differences, and data sharing. Therefore, countries participating in the “Belt and Road” Initiative need to work together with mutual respects, build effective collaborative mechanisms and improve communications to jointly facilitate the sustainable development of global tropical disease control programmes and cultural exchange, so as to contribute to global health and prosperities. This article discusses the contribution of the modern Silk Road spirit to facilitating global tropical disease control programmes in the context of the “Belt and Road” Initiative.
9.Elucidating the role of artificial intelligence in drug development from the perspective of drug-target interactions.
Boyang WANG ; Tingyu ZHANG ; Qingyuan LIU ; Chayanis SUTCHARITCHAN ; Ziyi ZHOU ; Dingfan ZHANG ; Shao LI
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(3):101144-101144
Drug development remains a critical issue in the field of biomedicine. With the rapid advancement of information technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the advent of the big data era, AI-assisted drug development has become a new trend, particularly in predicting drug-target associations. To address the challenge of drug-target prediction, AI-driven models have emerged as powerful tools, offering innovative solutions by effectively extracting features from complex biological data, accurately modeling molecular interactions, and precisely predicting potential drug-target outcomes. Traditional machine learning (ML), network-based, and advanced deep learning architectures such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), graph convolutional networks (GCNs), and transformers play a pivotal role. This review systematically compiles and evaluates AI algorithms for drug- and drug combination-target predictions, highlighting their theoretical frameworks, strengths, and limitations. CNNs effectively identify spatial patterns and molecular features critical for drug-target interactions. GCNs provide deep insights into molecular interactions via relational data, whereas transformers increase prediction accuracy by capturing complex dependencies within biological sequences. Network-based models offer a systematic perspective by integrating diverse data sources, and traditional ML efficiently handles large datasets to improve overall predictive accuracy. Collectively, these AI-driven methods are transforming drug-target predictions and advancing the development of personalized therapy. This review summarizes the application of AI in drug development, particularly in drug-target prediction, and offers recommendations on models and algorithms for researchers engaged in biomedical research. It also provides typical cases to better illustrate how AI can further accelerate development in the fields of biomedicine and drug discovery.
10.Luteolin and its antidepressant properties: From mechanism of action to potential therapeutic application.
Jiayu ZHOU ; Ziyi WU ; Ping ZHAO
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2025;15(4):101097-101097
Luteolin is a natural flavonoid compound exists in various fruits and vegetables. Recent studies have indicated that luteolin has variety pharmacological effects, including a wide range of antidepressant properties. Here, we systematically review the preclinical studies and limited clinical evidence on the antidepressant and neuroprotective effects of luteolin to fully explore its antidepressant power. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses contribute to a better understanding of the preclinical models of depression and antidepressant properties of luteolin. Seventeen preclinical studies were included that combined network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses to clarify the antidepressant mechanism of luteolin and its antidepressant targets. The antidepressant effects of luteolin may involve promoting intracellular noradrenaline (NE) uptake; inhibiting 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) reuptake; upregulating the expression of synaptophysin, postsynaptic density protein 95, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, B cell lymphoma protein-2, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione S-transferase; and decreasing the expression of malondialdehyde, caspase-3, and amyloid-beta peptides. The antidepressant effects of luteolin are mediated by various mechanisms, including anti-oxidative stress, anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammation, anti-endoplasmic reticulum stress, dopamine transport, synaptic protection, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation, and 5-HT metabolism. Additionally, we identified insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as potential targets, luteolin has an ideal affinity for these targets, suggesting that it may play a positive role in depression through multiple targets, mechanisms, and pathways. However, the clinical efficacy of luteolin and its potential direct targets must be confirmed in further multicenter clinical case-control and molecular targeting studies.

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