1.Standardization Challenges in Outcome Evaluation Systems of Animal Experiments and Considerations for Core Outcome Set Construction Strategies
Qingyong ZHENG ; Yongjia ZHOU ; Tengfei LI ; Jianguo XU ; Chen TIAN ; Hui LIU ; Min TIAN ; Ziyu ZHOU ; Caihua XU ; Yating CUI ; Junfei WANG ; Jinhui TIAN
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2026;46(1):138-148
Animal experimentation constitutes a critical link between basic research and clinical application, making its research quality and translational efficiency paramount. Although considerable progress has been made in standardizing operational procedures and ethical guidelines, the standardization of outcome evaluation systems has significantly lagged, creating a key bottleneck that constrains the quality of biomedical research and evidence synthesis. This deficiency is manifested by pronounced heterogeneity in outcome selection across similar studies, incomplete methodological reporting, and disparate criteria for result interpretation, which severely impairs the comparability of findings and the evidence integration. To cope with this challenge, this paper systematically introduces a mature methodological tool from clinical research–the core outcome set (COS)–and explores its construction strategies and application potential in the field of animal experimentation. Given the extensive diversity of animal experiments, a pragmatic strategy of "focusing on key areas, implementing phased pilots, and promoting gradual expansion" should be adopted. This approach prioritizes the development of domain-specific COS for disease areas characterized by high research volume, urgent translational needs, and well-established animal models. A multi-source integration pathway for COS development is detailed, comprising systematic literature searches, methodological appraisals, and expert consensus, with the feasibility of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance efficiency also being examined. The development and promotion of such COS are not intended to restrict scientific exploration; rather, they aim to establish a new, tiered evaluation paradigm consisting of "core outcomes" (mandatory), "recommended outcomes" (encouraged), and "exploratory outcomes" (optional). This framework is expected not only to enhance research quality through standardization and to adhere to the "3R" principles but also to accelerate the accumulation of high-quality evidence. This, in turn, provides a solid foundation for higher-level evidence synthesis, ultimately facilitating the effective translation of basic research findings into clinical practice and providing an essential methodological framework for scientific advancement in relevant disciplines.
2.Sesquiterpene ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum Improves Neuroinflammation by Regulating JNK Phosphorylation
Ziyu YIN ; Yun GAO ; Junjiao WANG ; Weigang XUE ; Xueping PANG ; Huiting LIU ; Yunfang ZHAO ; Huixia HUO ; Jun LI ; Jiao ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2025;31(1):139-145
ObjectiveTo study the pharmacological substances and mechanisms through which sesquiterpene ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum improves neuroinflammation. MethodsBV-2 microglial cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce neuroinflammation. The cells were divided into the normal group, the model group, and the ZH-13 low- and high-dose treatment groups (10, 20 μmol·L-1). The model group was treated with 1 μmol·L-1 LPS. Cell viability was assessed using the cell proliferation and activity assay (CCK-8 kit). Nitric oxide (NO) release in the cell supernatant was measured using a nitric oxide kit (Griess method). The mRNA expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR). The phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway proteins was assessed by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the model group, ZH-13 dose-dependently reduced NO release from BV-2 cells under LPS stimulation (P<0.05, P<0.01). In the 20 μmol·L-1 ZH-13 treatment group, the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS, and IL-6 were significantly reduced compared to the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In both the low- and high-dose ZH-13 groups, the expression of the inflammatory factor TNF-α and the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in the upstream MAPK pathway were significantly reduced (P<0.05). After stimulation with the JNK agonist anisomycin (Ani), both low- and high-dose ZH-13 treatment groups showed reduced phosphorylation of JNK proteins compared to the Ani-treated group (P<0.01). ConclusionThe sesquiterpene compound ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum significantly ameliorates LPS-induced neuroinflammatory responses in BV-2 cells by inhibiting excessive JNK phosphorylation and reducing TNF-α expression. These findings elucidate the pharmacological substances and mechanisms underlying the sedative and calming effects of Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum.
3.Trends and research hotspots in English publications from China′s anesthesiology discipline in international journals: a bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2023
Hui ZHANG ; Gang LUO ; Ziyu ZHENG ; Lini WANG ; Chong LEI
Chinese Journal of Anesthesiology 2025;45(8):976-986
Objective:To analyze the trends and research hotspots in English publications from China′s anesthesiology discipline in international journals from 2000 to 2023 using the bibliometric analysis.Methods:Based on the results retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded database covering English publications from China′s anesthesiology discipline in international journals from January 2000 to December 2023, CiteSpace 6.3.R1 and VOSviewer 1.6.20.0 were employed to analyze the annual publication counts, institutions, authors, co-cited references, and keywords, etc. with knowledge graph generated.Results:A total of 53, 039 articles published in English from January 2000 to December 2023 were included. The annual number of articles published in English showed an overall increasing trend year by year. Basic research articles exhibited a phase of slow growth during 2000-2007, entered a period of accelerated growth from 2008, and demonstrated a slightly decreased trend by 2023. The number of clinical research articles increased rapidly since 2008, was equivalent to the basic research articles by 2020, surpassed basic research articles by 2023 and became the mainstream research direction of anesthesiology discipline. Among clinical research publications, case series studies predominated from 2000 to 2022, and cohort studies exceeded case series for the first time in 2023, ranking second only to the randomized controlled trials. Research hotspots in anesthesiology discipline predominantly focused on the relationship of neuropsychiatry to anesthesia, pain management, cardiovascular surgery and organ injury, COVID-19 pandemic and patient safety. In terms of journals, Medicine was the journal with the largest number of publications, with 1, 345 publications in 2023 and an impact factor of 1.3. American journals dominated the top 15 highly productive journals, and Anesthesiology had the highest h-index (60) and g-index (98) with an impact factor of 9.1. In terms of domestic high-yield institutions, Shanghai Jiao Tong University topped the list, publishing about 1, 200 papers between 2000 and 2023, followed by Sichuan University (about 850) and Capital Medical University (about 720). Conclusions:China′s anesthesiology research has demonstrated a meteoric rise in both the number of papers published and cited frequency, reflecting ascending scientific academic levels and innovation capacity in the the international arena. While acknowledging this quantitative expansion, recognition is warranted that enhancing research quality and international impact remains imperative to narrow the gap with advanced nations and gradually achieve advancement.
4.Advancements in comprehensive treatment strategies for esophageal cancer
Chinese Journal of Clinical Oncology 2025;52(6):298-303
Esophageal cancer is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system that exhibits high morbidity and mortality rates in China.Multidisciplinary treatment regimens have improved patient survival,but the 5-year survival rate remains low.Challenges including posttreatment organ dysfunction,reduced quality of life,and high recurrence rates continue to impose a significant disease burden.Radio-therapy plays an important role in the treatment of esophageal cancer at all stages.Built upon advances in radiotherapy techniques,devel-opment of new drugs,and emergence of novel monitoring methods,current therapeutic strategies and research are increasingly focused on refining patient subgroups to deliver individualized treatments with low-toxicity and high efficacy.In this article,we review advances in ra-diotherapy for esophageal cancer between 2023 to 2024,focusing on organ preservation strategies,progress in neoadjuvant and definitive therapies,treatment for recurrent or metastatic esophageal cancers,control of side effects during radiotherapy,and methods to predict the efficacy of radiotherapy.
5.Analysis of influencing factors and efficacy prediction of 131I in the treatment of Graves′ disease
Ziyu MA ; Xue LI ; Yan WANG ; Nan LIU ; Jian TAN ; Qiang JIA ; Zhaowei MENG ; Wei ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025;45(1):24-28
Objective:To investigate the factors affecting the efficacy of 131I treatment for Graves′ disease (GD) and to construct a predictive model for the treatment outcomes of 131I therapy. Methods:Retrospective analysis of the treatment efficacy was performed on 2 190 patients (547 males, 1 643 females, age (42.9±12.4) years) with GD, who received initial 131I treatment in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital between October 2013 and May 2018. Univariate analysis ( χ2 test, et al) and logistic regression were performed to analyze the possible factors affecting the efficacy of 131I treatment. An efficacy prediction model for 131I treatment of GD was constructed, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical utility of the prediction model. Results:The overall effectiveness rate of 131I treatment for GD patients was 99.95%(2 189/2 190), with a total cure rate of 83.74%(1 834/2 190), among which 94.11%(1 726/1 834) were cured after a single treatment. Pre-treatment thyroid mass was identified as an independent risk factor affecting the efficacy of initial 131I treatment (odds ratio ( OR)=0.983(95% CI: 0.977-0.989), P<0.001). The clinical cure rate was higher in patients who received an adequate dose of 131I compared with that in patients who didn′t receive an adequate dose (79.97%(1 537/1 922) vs 70.52%(189/268); χ2=12.57, P<0.001), but it did not increase the incidence of hypothyroidism within one year. A predictive model was constructed, and it was found that thyroid mass and disease duration had a relatively high impact on the clinical cure rate. The concordance index (C-index) of the predictive model was 0.623(95% CI: 0.593-0.654). DCA indicated that the predictive model offered substantial net benefits across a wide range of probability thresholds. Conclusions:131I treatment is effective in most patients with GD. The predictive model for efficacy of initial 131I treatment developed in this study can assist in evaluating treatment outcomes and help clinicians select the most suitable 131I treatment dose, enhancing clinical decision-making.
6.A multi-feature fusion-based model for fetal orientation classification from intrapartum ultrasound videos.
Ziyu ZHENG ; Xiaying YANG ; Shengjie WU ; Shijie ZHANG ; Guorong LYU ; Peizhong LIU ; Jun WANG ; Shaozheng HE
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(7):1563-1570
OBJECTIVES:
To construct an intelligent analysis model for classifying fetal orientation during intrapartum ultrasound videos based on multi-feature fusion.
METHODS:
The proposed model consists of the Input, Backbone Network and Classification Head modules. The Input module carries out data augmentation to improve the sample quality and generalization ability of the model. The Backbone Network was responsible for feature extraction based on Yolov8 combined with CBAM, ECA, PSA attention mechanism and AIFI feature interaction module. The Classification Head consists of a convolutional layer and a softmax function to output the final probability value of each class. The images of the key structures (the eyes, face, head, thalamus, and spine) were annotated with frames by physicians for model training to improve the classification accuracy of the anterior occipital, posterior occipital, and transverse occipital orientations.
RESULTS:
The experimental results showed that the proposed model had excellent performance in the tire orientation classification task with the classification accuracy reaching 0.984, an area under the PR curve (average accuracy) of 0.993, and area under the ROC curve of 0.984, and a kappa consistency test score of 0.974. The prediction results by the deep learning model were highly consistent with the actual classification results.
CONCLUSIONS
The multi-feature fusion model proposed in this study can efficiently and accurately classify fetal orientation in intrapartum ultrasound videos.
Humans
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Female
;
Ultrasonography, Prenatal/methods*
;
Pregnancy
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Fetus/diagnostic imaging*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
;
Video Recording
7.Recommendations for Standardized Reporting of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis of Animal Experiments
Qingyong ZHENG ; Donghua YANG ; Zhichao MA ; Ziyu ZHOU ; Yang LU ; Jingyu WANG ; Lina XING ; Yingying KANG ; Li DU ; Chunxiang ZHAO ; Baoshan DI ; Jinhui TIAN
Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine 2025;45(4):496-507
Animal experiments are an essential component of life sciences and medical research. However, the external validity and reliability of individual animal studies are frequently challenged by inherent limitations such as small sample sizes, high design heterogeneity, and poor reproducibility, which impede the effective translation of research findings into clinical practice. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis represent a key methodology for integrating existing evidence and enhancing the robustness of conclusions. Currently, however, the application of systematic reviews and meta-analysis in the field of animal experiments lacks standardized guidelines for their conduct and reporting, resulting in inconsistent quality and, to some extent, diminishing their evidence value. To address this issue, this paper aims to systematically delineate the reporting process for systematic reviews and meta-analysis of animal experiments and to propose a set of standardized recommendations that are both scientific and practical. The article's scope encompasses the entire process, from the preliminary preparatory phase [including formulating the population, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) question, assessing feasibility, and protocol pre-registration] to the key writing points for each section of the main report. In the core methods section, the paper elaborates on how to implement literature searches, establish eligibility criteria, perform data extraction, and assess the risk of bias, based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement, in conjunction with relevant guidelines and tools such as Animal Research: Reporting of in Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) and a risk of bias assessment tool developed by the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE). For the presentation of results, strategies are proposed for clear and transparent display using flow diagrams and tables of characteristics. The discussion section places particular emphasis on how to scientifically interpret pooled effects, thoroughly analyze sources of heterogeneity, evaluate the impact of publication bias, and cautiously discuss the validity and limitations of extrapolating findings from animal studies to clinical settings. Furthermore, this paper recommends adopting the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to comprehensively grade the quality of evidence. Through a modular analysis of the entire reporting process, this paper aims to provide researchers in the field with a clear and practical guide, thereby promoting the standardized development of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of animal experiments and enhancing their application value in scientific decision-making and translational medicine.
8.A practical study on cultivating undergraduate innovative abilities under the perspective of integration of research and teaching
Jianhua LI ; Ziyu YIN ; Jianmin ZHENG ; Hui ZHANG ; Tafan WU
Chinese Journal of Medical Education Research 2025;24(11):1523-1527
Innovative talents are the main driving force behind the transformation of scientific and technological innovations into new quality productive forces, while the integration of research and teaching represents an advanced form of the deep integration between scientific research and educational teaching. Guangzhou Medical University, focusing on social needs and guided by the IMH (innovation, mission, and humanism) educational philosophy, has established an undergraduate innovative ability cultivation model that integrates research and teaching. By building training platforms, establishing learning communities for teachers and students, constructing courses and projects, and strengthening talent cultivation mechanisms to promote the implementation of the integration of research and teaching, the university has effectively improved the quality of education and teaching, creating a favorable environment for talent growth.
9.Research progress of risk prediction models for stress urinary incontinence during pregnancy and postpartum
Qingqing DING ; Ziyu DING ; Aihua WANG ; Chunlei LIU ; Yuan ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Practical Nursing 2025;41(11):873-881
Stress urinary incontinence is one of the common symptoms of women during pregnancy and postpartum, which has a lasting impact on the life of patients, and is also one of the public health issues of concern in the world. In this study, the generation, development, construction process, prediction performance and management application of stress urinary incontinence risk prediction models during pregnancy and postpartum were reviewed, with a view to improving the understanding of health care workers on stress urinary incontinence risk prediction models during pregnancy and postpartum, and providing references for promoting the health management of female patients.
10.Analysis of influencing factors and efficacy prediction of 131I in the treatment of Graves′ disease
Ziyu MA ; Xue LI ; Yan WANG ; Nan LIU ; Jian TAN ; Qiang JIA ; Zhaowei MENG ; Wei ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2025;45(1):24-28
Objective:To investigate the factors affecting the efficacy of 131I treatment for Graves′ disease (GD) and to construct a predictive model for the treatment outcomes of 131I therapy. Methods:Retrospective analysis of the treatment efficacy was performed on 2 190 patients (547 males, 1 643 females, age (42.9±12.4) years) with GD, who received initial 131I treatment in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital between October 2013 and May 2018. Univariate analysis ( χ2 test, et al) and logistic regression were performed to analyze the possible factors affecting the efficacy of 131I treatment. An efficacy prediction model for 131I treatment of GD was constructed, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical utility of the prediction model. Results:The overall effectiveness rate of 131I treatment for GD patients was 99.95%(2 189/2 190), with a total cure rate of 83.74%(1 834/2 190), among which 94.11%(1 726/1 834) were cured after a single treatment. Pre-treatment thyroid mass was identified as an independent risk factor affecting the efficacy of initial 131I treatment (odds ratio ( OR)=0.983(95% CI: 0.977-0.989), P<0.001). The clinical cure rate was higher in patients who received an adequate dose of 131I compared with that in patients who didn′t receive an adequate dose (79.97%(1 537/1 922) vs 70.52%(189/268); χ2=12.57, P<0.001), but it did not increase the incidence of hypothyroidism within one year. A predictive model was constructed, and it was found that thyroid mass and disease duration had a relatively high impact on the clinical cure rate. The concordance index (C-index) of the predictive model was 0.623(95% CI: 0.593-0.654). DCA indicated that the predictive model offered substantial net benefits across a wide range of probability thresholds. Conclusions:131I treatment is effective in most patients with GD. The predictive model for efficacy of initial 131I treatment developed in this study can assist in evaluating treatment outcomes and help clinicians select the most suitable 131I treatment dose, enhancing clinical decision-making.

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