Prescription optimization is a crucial aspect in the study of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compounds. In recent years， the introduction of mathematical methods， data mining techniques， and artificial neural networks has provided new tools for elucidating the compatibility rules of TCM compounds. The study of TCM compounds involves numerous variables， including the proportions of different herbs， the specific extraction parts of each ingredient， and the interactions among multiple components. These factors together create a complex nonlinear dose-effect relationship. In this context， it is essential to identify methods that suit the characteristics of TCM compounds and can leverage their advantages for effective application in new drug development. This paper provided a comprehensive review of the cutting-edge optimization experimental design methods applied in recent studies of TCM compound compatibilities. The key technical issues， such as the optimization of source material selection， dosage optimization of compatible herbs， and multi-objective optimization indicators， were discussed. Furthermore， the evaluation methods for component effects were summarized during the optimization process， so as to provide scientific and practical foundations for innovative research in TCM and the development of new drugs based on TCM compounds.

Objective To compare the long-term survival of elderly patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with surgical versus non-surgical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of elderly patients aged ≥70 years with ESCC who underwent esophagectomy or radiotherapy/chemotherapy at Sichuan Cancer Hospital from January 2009 to September 2017. Patients were divided into a surgical group (S group) and a non-surgical group (NS group) according to the treatment method. The propensity score matching method was used to match the two groups of patients at a ratio of 1∶1, and the survival of the two groups before and after matching was analyzed. Results A total of 726 elderly patients with ESCC were included, including 552 males and 174 females, with 651 patients aged ≥70-80 years and 75 patients aged ≥80-90 years. There were 515 patients in the S group and 211 patients in the NS group. The median follow-up time was 60.8 months, and the median overall survival of the S group was 41.9 months [95%CI (35.2, 48.5)], while that of the NS group was only 24.0 months [95%CI (19.8, 28.3)]. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates of the S group were 84%, 54%, and 40%, respectively, while those of the NS group were 72%, 40%, and 30%, respectively [HR=0.689, 95%CI (0.559, 0.849), P<0.001]. After matching, 138 patients were included in each group, and there was no statistical difference in the overall survival between the two groups [HR=0.871, 95%CI (0.649, 1.167), P=0.352]. Conclusion Compared with conservative treatment, there is no significant difference in the long-term survival of elderly patients aged ≥70 years who undergo esophagectomy for ESCC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with surgery is still an important choice to potentially improve the survival of elderly patients with ESCC.

ObjectiveThrough multimodal research methods including medication rule mining， network pharmacology， molecular docking and dynamics simulation， and in vivo animal experiments， this study aims to speculate and verify the core composition （Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra-Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma） and efficacy （Qi-invigorating and blood-activating） of the drug combination in Yitangkang Compound for improving diabetic cardiomyopathy （DCM）， investigate the interaction relationship and binding strength between core active ingredients of the drug combination and key signaling pathway targets， and further explore the mechanism by which the Qi-invigorating and blood-activating drug combination regulates the calcium signaling pathway to improve cardiac function in DCM rats. MethodsThe Ancient and Modern Medical Cases Cloud Platform was used to construct a DCM prescription database， and the "Analysis Method" module of the platform was applied to mine and summarize medication rules， thereby determining the core composition of the Qi-invigorating and blood-activating drug combination in Yitangkang. Drug-active ingredient-signaling pathway-core target-disease analysis and visualization were conducted by combining network pharmacology with the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Platform （TCMSP） database， SwissTargetPrediction platform， GeneCards database， MetaScape database， CytoScape software， etc. Then， molecular docking was performed via the CB-Dock2 platform， and molecular dynamics simulation of the high-binding-strength docking complexes was carried out by Gromacs software. Finally， in vivo animal experiments were carried out. Twenty-eight Sprague Dawley （SD） rats meeting the research criteria were divided into a normal group， a model group， a drug combination group （3.3 g·kg^-1）， and a Yitangkang group （20 g·kg^-1）. A type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） rat model was established by high-fat diet feeding combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ）， followed by continuous feeding for eight weeks until the DCM model was successfully established. During this period， the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） compound and drug combination were administered for prevention and treatment intervention. Meanwhile， changes in blood glucose， body weight， and heart index of each group were monitored. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography， and electrophysiological signals were detected by an electrocardiogram. The heart tissue was observed for pathological changes by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining， and the expression of L-type calcium channel （CACNA1C）， calmodulin （CALM1）， calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱδ （CAMK2D）， and neuronal nitric oxide synthase （NOS1） proteins in the calcium signaling pathway of myocardial tissue was detected by Western blot. ResultsIn 62 DCM prescriptions， Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma were used most frequently. Their meridian tropism mainly involved the spleen， heart， and lung， and their sweet and warm properties were prominent. The drugs for tonifying or blood-activating and stasis-resolving ranked top. In association rule analysis， （Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma）-Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma had the highest lift. Network pharmacology obtained 75 active ingredients of the drug combination， 714 drug combination action targets， 2 702 disease targets， and 286 intersection targets. Protein-protein interaction （PPI） network predicted nine interaction component-targets （nine active ingredients and four calcium signaling pathway target genes）. Molecular docking showed the four complexes with the lowest binding energy were 2f3z-ginsenoside Re， 1cll-quercetin， 9blh-（6S）-6-（hydroxymethyl）-1，6-dimethyl-8，9-dihydro-7H-naphtho［8，7-g］benzofuran-10，11-dione， and 5vv0-miltionone Ⅱ. Dynamics simulation showed the CALM1-quercetin complex had the strongest binding affinity. The animal experiment results revealed that compared with the normal group， the model group showed significant changes in blood glucose， body weight， myocardial tissue morphology， heart index， cardiac function， electrophysiological indexes， and the expression levels of CACNA1C， CALM1， CAMK2D， and NOS1 proteins （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Yitangkang group had a certain improvement effect on the above indexes （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the Yitangkang group， the drug combination group showed no significant difference in improving myocardial tissue morphology， heart index， cardiac function， electrophysiological indexes， and the expression of CACNA1C， CALM1， CAMK2D， and NOS1 proteins， except for blood glucose and body weight. ConclusionGinseng Radix et Rhizoma Rubra， Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma， and Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma are the core Qi-invigorating and blood-activating drug combination in Yitangkang Compound. They have a good preventive and therapeutic effect on STZ-induced DCM in rats， and their mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of the calcium signaling pathway.

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.

Congenital orofacial cleft, the most common birth defect in the maxillofacial region, exhibits a wide range of prognosis depending on the severity of deformity and underlying etiology. Non-syndromic congenital orofacial clefts typically present with milder deformities and more favorable treatment outcomes, whereas syndromic congenital orofacial clefts often manifest with concomitant organ abnormalities, which pose greater challenges for treatment and result in poorer prognosis. This consensus provides an elaborate classification system for varying degrees of orofacial clefts along with corresponding diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines. Results serve as a crucial resource for families to navigate prenatal screening results or make informed decisions regarding treatment options while also contributing significantly to preventing serious birth defects within the development of population.
Humans ; Cleft Lip/diagnosis* ; Cleft Palate/diagnosis* ; Consensus ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Female

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate factors influencing dental arch development in patients aged 0-6 years with cleft palate after Sommerlad-Furlow (SF) palatoplasty. METHODS: A total of 183 patients who underwent primary SF repair for cleft lip and palate before 18 months of age were included. Follow-ups were conducted at different ages, and digital dental casts of the maxillary dental arch were obtained using 3-matic Research 12.0 software. The length and width of the dental arch and palate were measured to explore developmental changes in the maxillary dental arch of the patients after the procedure. The study also investigated the influence of gender, age, cleft palate type, and relaxation incision on maxillary dental arch development. RESULTS: After SF, maxillary dental arch measurements showed statistically significant differences between children aged 0-2 years and those aged 3-6 years (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were observed among different age groups within the 3-6 years range. Statistically significant differences were detected between males and females, with males having greater width of the posterior dental arch and palate (P=0.001) and shorter length of the anterior dental arch and entire dental arch (P<0.05). The unilateral cleft lip and palate group had shorter dental arch length (P<0.01) and wider posterior palate (P<0.01) than the cleft palate only group. Maxillary dental arch measurements had no statistically significant differences between groups with or without a relaxing incision. CONCLUSIONS Gender and age influence the width of the maxillary dental arch in children aged 0-6 years after SF, while age and cleft palate type affect dental arch length.
Humans ; Child, Preschool ; Male ; Cleft Palate/surgery* ; Female ; Child ; Infant ; Dental Arch/growth & development* ; Maxilla/growth & development* ; Cleft Lip/surgery* ; Age Factors ; Sex Factors ; Palate/surgery* ; Infant, Newborn

OBJECTIVE To explore the effectiveness, potential mechanism and compatibility characteristics of efficacy groups of Dunhuang medical prescription Daxiefei decoction in preventing and treating pneumonia based on chemical bioinformatics method. METHODS To study the effect of Daxiefei decoction freeze-dried powder solution on the proliferation activity of lung epithelial cells through cell experiments. Daxiefei decoction was divided into three groups: clearing away heat group, resolving phlegm group, and nourishing Yin group according to its efficacy characteristics. The chemical components of Daxiefei decoction were obtained by TCMSP database and literature search, and the targets were predicted in Swiss Target Prediction database. Pneumonia disease targets were obtained by DrugBank, TTD, Genecards and DisGeNET databases. STRING database and Cytoscape were used to construct the intersection target interaction network and "drug-component-target- pathway" network and DAVID database was used for KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The network was used to analyze the scientific connotation of the compatibility of efficacy groups. Furthermore, molecular docking was used to evaluate the target-compound affinity and molecular dynamics was used to explore the dynamic molecular mechanism. RESULTS Cell experiments showed that Daxiefei decoction can maintain the proliferation of lung epithelial cells, reverse the decrease of mitochondrial activity induced by LPS and reduce apoptosis. Complex network analysis showed that the pathways enriched by the three functional groups contained in Daxiefei decoction were mainly distributed in two modules: inflammation regulation and reducing airway mucus hypersecretion. Each module was connected by a common target gene and had its own focus. The results of molecular docking showed that the components quercetin, baicalein, isorhamnetin etc. might be the effective multi-target components of Daxiefei decoction. SRC, EGFR, PPARA etc. had good affinity with each potential active component, which might be a potential target of Daxiefei decoction for preventing and treating pneumonia. Molecular dynamics simulation showed that the potential active component quercetin formed stable intermolecular interactions with SRC. CONCLUSION This study initially reveal the material basis and molecular mechanism of Daxiefei decoction in the prevention and treatment of pneumonia. It also explores the scientific connotation of Daxiefei decoction in the prevention and treatment of pneumonia with different efficacy groups, and its modern development and clinical application provide chemical bioinformatics basis.

Objective:To evaluate the 10-year protective effect and immunogenicity of quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Chinese women aged 20 to 45 years.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020, a long-term follow-up study was conducted on the subjects of the Phase III clinical trial of the quadrivalent HPV vaccine (NCT00834106). Participants underwent a questionnaire survey, venous blood sampling, gynecological examination, cervical exfoliated cell pathology examination, and serum neutralizing antibody titers for HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18 were measured using a pseudovirus neutralization assay. The results of the cytological examination and the positive rate and titers of serum antibodies of different cervical exfoliated cells were compared.Results:A total of 889 subjects were followed up, including 240 in the control group, 453 in the vaccination group and 196 in the post-trial vaccination group. The age of the control group was (40±7) years old, which was higher than that of the supplementary vaccination group and the vaccination group [(38±4) and (38±6) years old, respectively] ( P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in condom use and sexual frequency among all groups (all P values>0.05). The abnormal proportion of cervical exfoliation cytopathology in the vaccination group was 3.7% (17/453), which was significantly lower than that in the control group [9.6% (23/240)] and post-trial vaccination group [5.6% (11/196)] ( P<0.05). There were two cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1 in the vaccination group, two cases of CIN grade 1 and three cases of CIN grade 2 and above in the control group, and no CIN grade 1 and above cases in the post-trial vaccination group. The positive rate of HPV-18 antibody was 35.5% (161/453) in the vaccination group and 76.0% (149/196) in the post-trial vaccination group, which was significantly lower than that of other types ( P<0.05). The neutralizing antibody GMT ratio between the vaccination group and the control group ranged from 2.62 to 25.33 (9.05 to 83.08). Conclusion:Protective neutralizing antibodies are sustained in Chinese women aged 20 to 45 years after ten years of vaccination with quadrivalent HPV vaccine.

Objective To analyze the relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) of infants over 6 months of age and exclusive breastfeeding and calcium nutrition guidance during pregnancy in Baoding area, and to provide evidence for clinical application. Methods A total of 308 infants over 6 months of age were selected from Baoding Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2020 to January 2023, and their BMD was measured by ultrasound. The level of 25 (OH) D3 in subjects' blood was detected. spearman correlation test was used to analyze the correlation between infant bone mineral density and exclusive breastfeeding and calcium nutritional guidance during pregnancy, and logistics regression model was used to analyze the independent factors affecting infant bone mineral density. Results The level of serum 25 (OH) D3 in normal BMD group was significantly higher than that in abnormal BMD group (P<0.05). The rate of exclusive breastfeeding and the guidance rate of calcium nutrition during pregnancy in normal BMD group were significantly higher than those in abnormal BMD group (P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between different bone mineral density and exclusive breastfeeding and calcium nutrition guidance during pregnancy (P<0.05). Serum 25 (OH) D3 level, exclusive breastfeeding rate and calcium nutritional guideline rate during pregnancy were independent protective factors for bone mineral density (P<0.05). Conclusion Bone mineral density (BMD) of infants over 6 months of age is positively correlated with exclusive breastfeeding and calcium nutrition guidance during pregnancy, and exclusive breastfeeding and calcium nutrition guidance during pregnancy are independent protective factors affecting BMD of infants over 6 months of age.

Objective:To assess the predictive value of aspartate aminotransferase-to-alanine amino-transferase ratio (DRR) on overall survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who underwent radical pancreaticoduodenectomy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 137 patients who underwent radical pancreaticoduodenectomy and were diagnosed with PDAC postoperatively at the Chinese PLA General Hospital from January 2015 to December 2020. There were 97 male and 40 female patients, with an average age of (58±10) years old. The patients were grouped according to the optimal survival risk cutoff value of DRR, and the differences in key clinical and pathological indicators between the groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and log-rank test was used for comparison of survival rates. Multivariate Cox analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic factors affecting survival.Results:The 137 PDAC patients were divided into two groups based on the optimal cutoff value of DRR, namely 1.1: DRR≥1.1 was defined as the high-DRR group ( n=29), and DRR<1.1 was defined as the low-DRR group ( n=108). The cumulative survival rate of the low-DRR group was better than that of the high-DRR group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P=0.003). The results of the multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that DRR≥1.1 ( HR=2.485, 95% CI: 1.449-4.261, P=0.001), preoperative biliary drainage ( HR=1.845, 95% CI: 1.030-3.306, P=0.039), lymph node metastasis N2 stage ( HR=2.240, 95% CI: 1.123-4.470, P=0.022), high tumor differentiation ( HR=2.001, 95% CI: 1.279-3.129, P=0.002), and intravascular cancer emboli ( HR=2.240, 95% CI: 1.123-4.470, P=0.022) were risk factors for poor overall survival in PDAC patients who underwent radical pancreaticoduodenectomy. Conclusion:DRR has predictive value for overall survival after surgery in PDAC patients undergoing radical pancreatoduodenectomy. A DRR of 1.1 or greater is a risk factor for poor overall survival after surgery in PDAC patients.