1.Reflection on the pursuit of“superhuman”enhancement of brain-computer interface technology from the perspective of body ethics
Chinese Medical Ethics 2025;38(2):241-247
With the development of brain-computer interface technology (BCI), its potential to enhance human cognitive and physical abilities continues to emerge, while also stimulating the“superhuman”enhancement impulse to try to push the boundaries of treatment. Overmodification of the body governed by the pursuit of BCI“superhuman”augmentation may lead to a series of ethical body dilemmas, such as issues of bodily autonomy, the risk and benefit of the body medical dimension, and how to define the idealized body at the social level when the natural body and the BCI technology-enhanced body compete in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to take positive measures to promote the development of brain-computer interface technology in the process of continuous innovation and ethical responsibility.
2.Effects of Shujin Jiannao Formula (舒筋健脑方) on Neural Repair and PI3K-Akt-mTOR Pathway of Brain Tissue in Cerebral Palsy Model Rats
Ruiqin YU ; Yanjun MO ; Houjun ZHANG ; Gang LIU ; Zhuoluo ZHOU ; Zechen RUAN ; Lin XU ; Xiaohong MU
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2025;66(10):1038-1045
ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanisms of Shujin Jiannao Formula (舒筋健脑方) for cerebral palsy. MethodsThirty 7-day-old SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, and Shujin Jiannao Formula group, with 10 rats in each group. The model group and Shujin Jiannao Formula group established a cerebral palsy model by the classic Rice-Vannucci method. After successful modeling, rats in Shujin Jiannao Formula group were given Shujin Jiannao Formula 16 g/(kg·d) by gavage, while the normal group and model group were given normal saline 10 ml/(kg·d) by gavage once a day. After one week of intervention, the rats' body weight was measured, and Zea-Longa scores, the righting reflex test, and the hindlimb suspension test were conducted for assessment; hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Nissl staining were used to observe pathological changes in brain tissue, and the number of Nissl-positive neurons was counted; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to measure levels of inflammatory cytokines in the brain tissue, specifically interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of neurofilament protein 200 (NF200) and myelin basic protein (MBP) in brain tissue; Western Blot analysis was conducted to determine the protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt/PKB/Rac), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in brain tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group, rats in the model group showed significantly higher Zea-Longa scores and lower scores in the hindlimb suspension test (P<0.01); pathological findings revealed loose structure in the cerebral cortex, hippocampal atrophy, and neuronal damage in brain tissue. Levels of IL-1β and TNF-α elevated, and the number of Nissl-stained positive neurons in the cortex and hippocampal CA1 region reduced, and immunofluorescence intensity of NF200 and MBP, as well as protein expression levels of PI3K and mTOR, significantly decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the model group, rats in Shujin Jiannao Formula group showed decreased Zea-Longa scores and increased hindlimb suspension test scores (P<0.05); pathological damage in brain tissue alleviated, levels of IL-1β and TNF-α reduced, the number of Nissl-stained positive neurons in the cortex and hippocampal CA1 region increased, and the immunofluorescence intensity of NF200 and MBP, as well as the protein levels of PI3K and mTOR, significantly elevated (P<0.05 or P<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences among the groups in body weight, body-turning time, or AKT protein levels in brain tissue (P>0.05). ConclusionShujin Jiannao Formula can improve the neurological function of rats with cerebral palsy, exert neurorestorative effects, and its mechanism of action may be related to the reduction of inflammatory response in brain tissue and the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.
3.Prediction of Protein Thermodynamic Stability Based on Artificial Intelligence
Lin-Jie TAO ; Fan-Ding XU ; Yu GUO ; Jian-Gang LONG ; Zhuo-Yang LU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(8):1972-1985
In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of biology has witnessed remarkable advancements. Among these, the most notable achievements have emerged in the domain of protein structure prediction and design, with AlphaFold and related innovations earning the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. These breakthroughs have transformed our ability to understand protein folding and molecular interactions, marking a pivotal milestone in computational biology. Looking ahead, it is foreseeable that the accurate prediction of various physicochemical properties of proteins—beyond static structure—will become the next critical frontier in this rapidly evolving field. One of the most important protein properties is thermodynamic stability, which refers to a protein’s ability to maintain its native conformation under physiological or stress conditions. Accurate prediction of protein stability, especially upon single-point mutations, plays a vital role in numerous scientific and industrial domains. These include understanding the molecular basis of disease, rational drug design, development of therapeutic proteins, design of more robust industrial enzymes, and engineering of biosensors. Consequently, the ability to reliably forecast the stability changes caused by mutations has broad and transformative implications across biomedical and biotechnological applications. Historically, protein stability was assessed via experimental methods such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and circular dichroism (CD), which, while precise, are time-consuming and resource-intensive. This prompted the development of computational approaches, including empirical energy functions and physics-based simulations. However, these traditional models often fall short in capturing the complex, high-dimensional nature of protein conformational landscapes and mutational effects. Recent advances in machine learning (ML) have significantly improved predictive performance in this area. Early ML models used handcrafted features derived from sequence and structure, whereas modern deep learning models leverage massive datasets and learn representations directly from data. Deep neural networks (DNNs), graph neural networks (GNNs), and attention-based architectures such as transformers have shown particular promise. GNNs, in particular, excel at modeling spatial and topological relationships in molecular structures, making them well-suited for protein modeling tasks. Furthermore, attention mechanisms enable models to dynamically weigh the contribution of specific residues or regions, capturing long-range interactions and allosteric effects. Nevertheless, several key challenges remain. These include the imbalance and scarcity of high-quality experimental datasets, particularly for rare or functionally significant mutations, which can lead to biased or overfitted models. Additionally, the inherently dynamic nature of proteins—their conformational flexibility and context-dependent behavior—is difficult to encode in static structural representations. Current models often rely on a single structure or average conformation, which may overlook important aspects of stability modulation. Efforts are ongoing to incorporate multi-conformational ensembles, molecular dynamics simulations, and physics-informed learning frameworks into predictive models. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the evolution of protein thermodynamic stability prediction techniques, with emphasis on the recent progress enabled by machine learning. It highlights representative datasets, modeling strategies, evaluation benchmarks, and the integration of structural and biochemical features. The aim is to provide researchers with a structured and up-to-date reference, guiding the development of more robust, generalizable, and interpretable models for predicting protein stability changes upon mutation. As the field moves forward, the synergy between data-driven AI methods and domain-specific biological knowledge will be key to unlocking deeper understanding and broader applications of protein engineering.
4.Factors and Their Impact on Treatment Effect of Acupuncture in Different Outcomes: A Meta-Regression of Acupuncture Randomized Controlled Trials.
Wen-Cui XIU ; Wei-Juan GANG ; Qi ZHOU ; Lan-Jun SHI ; Xiang-Yu HU ; Tian-Yu MING ; Zhen LUO ; Yu-Qing ZHANG ; Xiang-Hong JING
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2024;30(3):260-266
BACKGROUND:
The effects of acupuncture have varied in different randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and there are many factors that influence treatment effect of acupuncture in different outcomes, with conflicting results.
OBJECTIVE:
To identify factors and their impact on the treatment effect of acupuncture in different outcomes.
METHODS:
Acupuncture RCTs were searched from 7 databases including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, VIP Database, and China Biology Medicine disc between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2019. Eligible studies must compare acupuncture to no acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waiting lists, and report at least 1 patient-important outcome. A multi-level meta-regression was conducted using a 3-level robust mixed model and univariate analyses were performed for all independent variables, even those excluded from the multivariable model due to collinearities. We used thresholds of 0.2 and 0.4 for the difference of standardized mean differences (SMDs), categorising them as small (<0.2), moderate (0.2-0.4), or large (>0.4) effects.
RESULTS:
The pain construct analysis involved 211 effect estimates from 153 studies and 14 independent variables. High-frequency acupuncture treatment sessions produced larger effects compared to low-frequency sessions [large magnitude, the difference of adjusted SMDs 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 to 0.84; P=0.02]. The non-pain symptoms construct analysis comprised 323 effect estimates from 231 studies and 15 independent variables. Penetrating acupuncture showed moderately larger effects when compared to non-penetrating acupuncture (0.30, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.53; P=0.01). The function construct analysis included 495 effect estimates from 274 studies and 14 independent variables. Penetrating acupuncture and the flexible acupuncture regimen showed moderately larger effects, compared to non-penetrating acupuncture and fixed regimen, respectively (0.40, 95% CI 0 to 0.80; P=0.05; 0.29, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.53; P=0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
High-frequency acupuncture sessions appear to be a more effective approach to managing painful symptoms. Penetrating acupuncture demonstrated greater effect in relieving non-painful symptoms. Both penetrating acupuncture type and flexible acupuncture regimen were linked to significant treatment effects in function outcomes. Future studies should consider the factors that are significantly associated with the effects of acupuncture in patient-important outcomes.
Humans
;
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
;
Acupuncture Therapy/methods*
;
Pain
;
Pain Management
;
China
5. Advances in relationship between pyroptosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension and therapeutic drugs
Qian YAN ; Yang SUN ; Jun-Peng LONG ; Jiao YAO ; Yu-Ting LIN ; Song-Wei YANG ; Yan-Tao YANG ; Gang PEI ; Qi-Di AI ; Nai-Hong CHEN ; Qian YAN ; Yang SUN ; Jun-Peng LONG ; Jiao YAO ; Yu-Ting LIN ; Song-Wei YANG ; Yan-Tao YANG ; Gang PEI ; Qi-Di AI ; Nai-Hong CHEN ; Sha-Sha LIU ; Nai-Hong CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(1):25-30
Pyroptosis is the programmed death of cells accompanied by an inflammatory response and is widely involved in the development of a variety of diseases, such as infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegeneration. It has been shown that cellular scorching is involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension ( PAH) in cardiovascular diseases. Patients with PAH have perivascular inflammatory infiltrates in lungs, pulmonary vasculopathy exists in an extremely inflam-matory microenvironment, and pro-inflammatory factors in cellular scorching drive pulmonary vascular remodelling in PAH patients. This article reviews the role of cellular scorch in the pathogenesis of PAH and the related research on drugs for the treatment of PAH, with the aim of providing new ideas for clinical treatment of PAH.
6.Prevalence and consultation behavior of childhood respiratory diseases in a hospital in Zhejiang Province in 2019-2021
Kaiyi YANG ; Guoqiang QI ; Zhiwen ZHU ; Jian HUANG ; Shasha HU ; Gang YU
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2024;35(2):12-16
Objective To analyze the causes of changes in the prevalence of respiratory diseases and the reason for changes in medical visit behavior of children in Zhejiang Province during the winter and spring seasons of 2019-2021, and to provide important reference for the allocation of hospital resources, implementation of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment, and epidemic prevention and control. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 256 937 outpatient medical records from January 23rd to April 23rd of each year from 2019 to 2021 at the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Statistical methods were used for data analysis. Results A total of 256 937 cases were selected in the present study, including 157 000 cases in 2019, 22 192 cases in 2020, and 77 745 cases in 2021. The number of patients to the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from outside Hangzhou accounted for 41.74%, 14.36% , and 18.53% in 2019-2021, respectively. For 0~2 years old , 3~6 years old , and 7~14 years old groups , the percentages of patients with upper respiratory tract infections were 49.54%, 45.95%, and 46.74%, respectively ; with lower respiratory tract infections were 42.90% , 31.76% , and 22.95% ; with influenza were 2.23% , 3.15% and 4.09%; and with asthma were 1.37%, 5.08%, and 8.15%, respectively. Conclusion From 2019 to 2021, there have been significant changes in the total number of respiratory diseases in children, the proportion of disease types, and the proportion of children's geographical composition. It is necessary to continue to monitor children's respiratory diseases, grasp the dynamic changes in their medical visits in real time, adjust the hospital admission model , implement the graded treatment policy, and promote the prevention and control of respiratory diseases in children.
7.Pathogenesis of hepatitis B-associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
Qiyu TIAN ; Jian YU ; Gang HUANG
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(4):797-803
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a type of primary liver cancer that accounts for about 10% — 15% of the total cases, and its incidence and mortality rates tend to increase significantly around the world, especially in Asian countries. At present, radical liver resection is the only possible cure for ICC, but with a fairly high postoperative recurrence rate and a poorer prognosis than hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, it is urgently needed to further investigate the mechanisms of the development and progression of ICC and search for more effective treatment methods. Some epidemiological data suggest that chronic hepatitis B virus infection is one of the most important predisposing factors for ICC, yet little is known about its oncogenic effects. This article summarizes the epidemiological evidence that links the two diseases and briefly elaborates on the mechanisms of the development and progression of HBV-associated ICC, so as to help to gain a better understanding of the role of HBV in the development and progression of ICC.
8.Effect of tuberculosis prevention and control in Wuhan in 2016 - 2021
Zhouqin LU ; Yuehua LI ; Meilan ZHOU ; Zhengbin ZHANG ; Dan TIAN ; Jianjie WANG ; Aiping YU ; Gang WU
Journal of Public Health and Preventive Medicine 2024;35(3):73-76
Objective To analyze and evaluate the implementation effect of tuberculosis prevention and control program in Wuhan, and to provide reference for scientific formulation of tuberculosis prevention and control measures. Methods Using the National Tuberculosis Information Management System, descriptive statistical analysis was carried out on the medical record information of pulmonary tuberculosis patients registered in Wuhan , 2016 - 2021. Results A total of 34 937 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were registered in Wuhan , with an average annual incidence rate of 49.85/100 000. The incidence rate showed a downward trend year by year, with a statistically significant difference in 2016—2021 (χ2trend = 708.387, P<0.001). The patients mainly came from referrals, accounting for 71.86%, and the proportion of referrals varied significantly among different years (χ2=355.541, P<0.001). The diagnosis type was mainly pathogenic negative, accounting for 49.12%. The proportion of pathogenic negative had statistically significant difference among different years (χ2=1 354.830, P<0.001). The proportion of patients cured and completed the course of treatment reached 93.98%, with statistically significant differences in the proportions among different years (cured, χ2=1 080.252, P<0.001; completed the treatment course, χ2= 933.655, P<0.001). The sputum examination rate of newly diagnosed patients in each year reached over 90%, and the overall completion rate reached over 95%. The proportion of positive pathogens showed an increasing trend year by year. Conclusion The overall epidemic situation of tuberculosis in Wuhan is declining year by year, and tuberculosis prevention and control work has achieved remarkable results. Active screening in key areas and populations should be strengthened, and prevention and control strategies should be formulated by emphasizing the key and difficult points.
9.Investigation on the Correlation Between Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution and Pathogenic Factors in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis
Shui-Ying LYU ; Ji-Chao YIN ; Peng-Gang XU ; De-Yu LIU ; Bao-Di REN ; Ying WANG ; Ming-Hui DING ; Jun-Li ZHANG
Journal of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;41(3):545-549
Objective To study the correlation between traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution and pathogenic factors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis(AS).Methods One hundred patients of AS and their family members who had medical consultation in the Fifth Hospital of Xi'an(i.e.,Shaanxi Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine)in August 2019 and September 2020 were selected as the study subjects.The guidelines of Classification and Determination of Traditional Chinese Medicine Constitution issued by the China Association of Chinese Medicine were adopted to determine the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)constitution types of the study subjects.The sociodemographic information,living habits,clinical symptoms,and TCM constitution types of the AS patients and their family members were collected by means of questionnaires and clinical investigations,and then the pathogenic factors of the patients with AS were investigated.The binomial Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between TCM constitution types and pathogenic factors in patients with AS.Results(1)Among the 100 AS patients,the majority of them had the biased constitutions,and the biased constitutions with the occurrence frequency in descending order were yang deficiency constitution,qi deficiency constitution,and damp-heat constitution,which accounted for 33.00%,14.00%,and 18.00%,respectively.(2)The prevalence rates of AS in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 56.25%,40.00%and 25.00%,respectively.For the positive rates of human leukocyte antigen B27(HLA-B27)in AS patients and their family members,HLA-B27 in AS patients was all positive,while the positive rates of HLA-B27 in the first-,second-,and third-degree relatives of AS patients were 44.31%,30.67%and 15.63%,respectively.(3)The results of regression analysis showed that the disease duration of AS patients was significantly correlated with qi deficiency constitution,the grading of sacroiliac arthritis was correlated with qi stagnation constitution,and age was correlated with blood stasis constitution(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The results indicated that disease duration and age were the important factors affecting the constitution types of AS patients,and disease duration was closely related to qi deficiency while age was closely related to blood stasis.Conclusion AS is a highly hereditary autoimmune disease,and its onset is associated with HLA-B27.Yang deficiency is the basic constitution type of AS,and damp-heat constitution is the main constitution type in the progression of AS(especially in the active stage of the disease).The prolongation of the disease will exacerbate the illness condition of AS and then the manifestations of qi deficiency will be more obvious.
10.Application of Mini-CEX evaluation Model Based on OBE concept in Clinical Practice Teaching of Neurology DePartment
Yanping LI ; Fei YANG ; Qian OUYANG ; Hongbin YU ; Gang WU ; Xiaolin DONG ; Huan WEI ; Qingyun LI ; Yi ZENG
Journal of Kunming Medical University 2024;45(3):192-197
Objective To explore the application effect of the Mini-CEX evaluation model based on the OBE concept in the clinical Practice teaching of neurology.Methods We Selected 100 students who will Practice in the Department of Neurology from 2022 to 2023 as the research objects,and divided them into the experimental group(n=50)and the control group(n=50).Under the guidance of the OBE concept,the experimental group was guided by learning outcomes,refined the teaching objectives,and applied the Mini-CEX evaluation mode for evaluation and feedback.In contrast,the control group adopted the traditional teaching mode.Combined with the observation data,we analyzed and compared the data of various indicators of the two groups of students at the beginning and end of the internship.Results At the end of the internship,the scores of clinical consultation,Physical examination,humanistic medicine,clinical diagnosis,health consultation,organizational effect,and overall evaluation of the experimental group were significantly improved and were higher than those of the control group.After the Practice,in terms of skill test scores,the experimental group scored higher than the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05),and the experimental group also scored higher in satisfaction evaluation than the control group.Conclusion The Mini-CEX evaluation teaching model based on the concept of OBE is applied to the clinical practice teaching of the neurology department,which can enhance the training effect of students'clinical practice skills.


Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail