1.Phenomics of traditional Chinese medicine 2.0: the integration with digital medicine
Min Xu ; Xinyi Shao ; Donggeng Guo ; Xiaojing Yan ; Lei Wang ; Tao Yang ; Hao LIANG ; Qinghua PENG ; Lingyu Linda Ye ; Haibo Cheng ; Dayue Darrel Duan
Digital Chinese Medicine 2025;8(3):282-299
Abstract
Modern western medicine typically focuses on treating specific symptoms or diseases, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) emphasizes the interconnections of the body’s various systems under external environment and takes a holistic approach to preventing and treating diseases. Phenomics was initially introduced to the field of TCM in 2008 as a new discipline that studies the laws of integrated and dynamic changes of human clinical phenomes under the scope of the theories and practices of TCM based on phenomics. While TCM Phenomics 1.0 has initially established a clinical phenomic system centered on Zhenghou (a TCM definition of clinical phenome), bottlenecks remain in data standardization, mechanistic interpretation, and precision intervention. Here, we systematically elaborates on the theoretical foundations, technical pathways, and future challenges of integrating digital medicine with TCM phenomics under the framework of “TCM phenomics 2.0”, which is supported by digital medicine technologies such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, medical digital twins, and multi-omics integration. This framework aims to construct a closed-loop system of “Zhenghou–Phenome–Mechanism–Intervention” and to enable the digitization, standardization, and precision of disease diagnosis and treatment. The integration of digital medicine and TCM phenomics not only promotes the modernization and scientific transformation of TCM theory and practice but also offers new paradigms for precision medicine. In practice, digital tools facilitate multi-source clinical data acquisition and standardization, while AI and big data algorithms help reveal the correlations between clinical Zhenghou phenomes and molecular mechanisms, thereby improving scientific rigor in diagnosis, efficacy evaluation, and personalized intervention. Nevertheless, challenges persist, including data quality and standardization issues, shortage of interdisciplinary talents, and insufficiency of ethical and legal regulations. Future development requires establishing national data-sharing platforms, strengthening international collaboration, fostering interdisciplinary professionals, and improving ethical and legal frameworks. Ultimately, this approach seeks to build a new disease identification and classification system centered on phenomes and to achieve the inheritance, innovation, and modernization of TCM diagnostic and therapeutic patterns.
2.Impact of inhaled corticosteroid use on elderly chronic pulmonary disease patients with community acquired pneumonia.
Xiudi HAN ; Hong WANG ; Liang CHEN ; Yimin WANG ; Hui LI ; Fei ZHOU ; Xiqian XING ; Chunxiao ZHANG ; Lijun SUO ; Jinxiang WANG ; Guohua YU ; Guangqiang WANG ; Xuexin YAO ; Hongxia YU ; Lei WANG ; Meng LIU ; Chunxue XUE ; Bo LIU ; Xiaoli ZHU ; Yanli LI ; Ying XIAO ; Xiaojing CUI ; Lijuan LI ; Xuedong LIU ; Bin CAO
Chinese Medical Journal 2024;137(2):241-243
3.Effectiveness of high voltage long duration pulsed radiofrequency versus low temperature plasma radiofre-quence ablation in the treatment of cervicogenic headache
Xiaojing ZHAO ; Hui LIANG ; Yuna GUO ; Baishan WU
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2024;40(1):85-90
Objective To compare the short-term efficacy and safety of low temperature plasma radiofre-quence ablation(LA)vs.high voltage long duration pulsed radiofrequency(HL-PRF)in the treatment of cervico-genic headache(CEH).Methods Eighty patients with cervicogenic headache were divided two groups:one treated with low temperature plasma radiofrequence ablation group as group L(n = 50)and the other treated with high voltage long duration pulsed radiofrequency group as group H(n = 30).The two groups were compared in terms of the score by the Visual Analog Scale,score by the Range of Motion Scale,postoperative pain relief rate,postop-erative complication incidence,1,4,12,and 24 weeks after the operation,as well as the therapeutic effectiveness and safety.Results Both groups showed significantly lower VAS and ROM scores after operation(P<0.05).Compared with group L,group H had significantly lower VAS(all P<0.05)but insignificantly lower ROM scores(all P>0.05)at each time point.At T4,group H had significantly higher therapeutic effectiveness rate(P<0.05)and higher incidence of scalp numbness at T3,as compared to group L(P<0.05).Conclusion The low tempera-ture plasma radiofrequency ablation and high voltage long duration pulsed radiofrequency both are effective and safe in the treatment of CEH,the latter approach can achieve better therapeutic effectiveness 24 weeks after the operation than the former.
4.Platycodin D improves pulmonary fibrosis in mice by down-regulating TRPC6 expression and reducing ROS production in lung fibroblasts
Zichen LIANG ; Changhui YU ; Shixiu LIANG ; Zicong ZHOU ; Zili ZHOU ; Xiaojing MENG ; Fei ZOU ; Shaoxi CAI
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(1):60-69
Objective To assess the effect of platycodin D(PD)for alleviating pulmonary fibrosis in mice and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods C57BL/6J mouse models of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin injection into the airway were treated with daily intragastric administration of 10 mg/kg PD for 28 days.The changes of pulmonary fibrosis and the expression and distribution of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6(TRPC6)were evaluated with immunohistochemistry,HE staining and Sirius Red staining.Western blotting was used to detect α-SMA expression in the lung tissues of the mice.Primary cultures of mouse lung fibroblasts were pretreated with PD(2.5,5.0,and 10 μmol/L)or larixyl acetate(LA;10 μmol/L)before exposure to 10 ng/mL transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),and the changes in cell survival rate,expressions of collagen I,α-SMA and TRPC6,reactive oxygen species(ROS)production,mitochondrial membrane potential,and cell proliferation capacity were assessed.Network pharmacology analysis was performed to explore the mechanism by which PD alleviated pulmonary fibrosis.Results PD treatment significantly alleviated pulmonary fibrosis and reduced α-SMA expression in BLM-induced mouse models(P<0.05).In TGF-β1-induced primary mouse lung fibroblasts,PD effectively inhibited the cell proliferation,reduced ROS production(P<0.0001),rescued the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential(P<0.001),and inhibited the expressions of α-SMA and collagenⅠ(P<0.05).Network pharmacology analysis suggested that TRPC6 mediated the effect of PD for alleviating pulmonary fibrosis.Immunohistochemistry showed that PD significantly reduced TRPC6 expression in the lung tissues of BLM-induced mice.In primary mouse lung fibroblasts,PD significantly inhibited TGF-β1-induced TRPC6 expression(P<0.05),and LA treatment obviously lowered the expression levels of TRPC6,α-SMA and collagenⅠ(P<0.05).Conclusion PD alleviated pulmonary fibrosis in mice possibly by down-regulating TRPC6 and reducing ROS production.
5.Paeoniflorin ameliorates chronic colitis via the DR3 signaling pathway in group 3 innate lymphoid cells
Huang SHAOWEI ; Xie XUEQIAN ; Xu BO ; Pan ZENGFENG ; Liang JUNJIE ; Zhang MEILING ; Pan SIMIN ; Wang XIAOJING ; Zhao MENG ; Wang QING ; Chen JINYAN ; Li YANYANG ; Zhou LIAN ; Luo XIA
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2024;14(6):889-901
Inhibiting the death receptor 3(DR3)signaling pathway in group 3 innate lymphoid cells(ILC3s)pre-sents a promising approach for promoting mucosal repair in individuals with ulcerative colitis(UC).Paeoniflorin,a prominent component of Paeonia lactiflora Pall.,has demonstrated the ability to restore barrier function in UC mice,but the precise mechanism remains unclear.In this study,we aimed to delve into whether paeoniflorin may promote intestinal mucosal repair in chronic colitis by inhibiting DR3 signaling in ILC3s.C57BL/6 mice were subjected to random allocation into 7 distinct groups,namely the control group,the 2%dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)group,the paeoniflorin groups(25,50,and 100 mg/kg),the anti-tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A(anti-TL1A)antibody group,and the IgG group.We detected the expression of DR3 signaling pathway proteins and the proportion of ILC3s in the mouse colon using Western blot and flow cytometry,respectively.Meanwhile,DR3-overexpressing MNK-3 cells and 2% DSS-induced Rag1-/-mice were used for verification.The results showed that paeoniflorin alleviated DSS-induced chronic colitis and repaired the intestinal mucosal barrier.Simultaneously,paeoniflorin inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s and regulated the content of cytokines(interleukin-17A,granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor,and interleukin-22).Alternatively,paeoniflorin directly inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s to repair mucosal damage indepen-dently of the adaptive immune system.We additionally confirmed that paeoniflorin-conditioned me-dium(CM)restored the expression of tight junctions in Caco-2 cells via coculture.In conclusion,paeoniflorin ameliorates chronic colitis by enhancing the intestinal barrier in an ILC3-dependent manner,and its mechanism is associated with the inhibition of the DR3 signaling pathway.
6.Expert consensus on difficulty assessment of endodontic therapy
Huang DINGMING ; Wang XIAOYAN ; Liang JINGPING ; Ling JUNQI ; Bian ZHUAN ; Yu QING ; Hou BENXIANG ; Chen XINMEI ; Li JIYAO ; Ye LING ; Cheng LEI ; Xu XIN ; Hu TAO ; Wu HONGKUN ; Guo BIN ; Su QIN ; Chen ZHI ; Qiu LIHONG ; Chen WENXIA ; Wei XI ; Huang ZHENGWEI ; Yu JINHUA ; Lin ZHENGMEI ; Zhang QI ; Yang DEQIN ; Zhao JIN ; Pan SHUANG ; Yang JIAN ; Wu JIAYUAN ; Pan YIHUAI ; Xie XIAOLI ; Deng SHULI ; Huang XIAOJING ; Zhang LAN ; Yue LIN ; Zhou XUEDONG
International Journal of Oral Science 2024;16(1):15-25
Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease.Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha.However,it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT).Recent research,encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques,contributes to our understanding of the root canal system's anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT.Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients,infection severity,root canal anatomy,and treatment techniques.Therefore,improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions.The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions,tooth conditions,root canal configuration,and root canal needing retreatment,and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes.The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT.These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.
7.Relationship between serum levels of E-cadherin and p-catenin and calcium phosphorus metabolism and carotid artery calcification in patients with diabetic nephropathy
Jian GAO ; Zheng LIANG ; Fei ZHAO ; Xiaojing LIU ; Ning MA
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2024;45(12):1469-1473
Objective To investigate the relationship between serum levels of E-cadherin and β-catenin and calcium phosphorus metabolism and carotid artery calcification in patients with diabetic nephropathy.Methods A total of 112 patients with diabetic nephropathy admitted to the hospital from May 2019 to No-vember 2022 were selected as the study group,and were divided into a carotid artery calcification group(n=44)and a non-carotid artery calcification group(n=68)according to the results of bilateral carotid artery col-or Doppler ultrasound.In addition,90 healthy people who underwent physical examination in the hospital dur-ing the same period were selected as the control group.Serum E-cadherin,β-catenin,calcium phosphorus me-tabolism levels were detected and compared.Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between serum E-cadherin,β-catenin and calcium phosphorus metabolism in patients with diabetic nephropa-thy.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum E-cad-herin and β-catenin for carotid artery calcification in patients with diabetic nephropathy.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of carotid artery calcification in patients with di-abetic nephropathy.Results The levels of glycosylated hemoglobin,serum phosphorus,calcium-phosphorus product,parathyroid hormone(iPTH),creatinine,alkaline phosphatase and β-catenin in the study group were higher than those in the control group,and the level of E-cadherin was lower than that in the control group(P<0.05).The levels of serum phosphorus,serum calcium,calcium phosphorus product,iPTH,creatinine,al-kaline phosphatase and β-catenin in the carotid artery calcification group were higher than those in the non-ca-rotid artery calcification group,and the level of E-cadherin was lower than that in the non-carotid artery calci-fication group(P<0.05).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum E-cadherin level in patients with di-abetic nephropathy was negatively correlated with serum phosphorus,serum calcium,calcium phosphorus product,iPTH,creatinine and alkaline phosphatase(r=-0.453,-0.654,-0.365,-0.490,-0.411,-0.377,all P<0.001).The level of serum β-catenin was positively correlated with serum phosphorus,serum calcium,calcium phosphorus product,iPTH,creatinine,and alkaline phosphatase(r=0.444,0.345,0.421,0.398,0.651,0.622,all P<0.001).ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of serum E-cad-herin,β-catenin and their combination for predicting carotid artery calcification in diabetic nephropathy were 0.844(95%CI 0.795-0.894),0.853(95%CI 0.801-0.901)and 0.901(95%CI 0.801-0.901),respec-tively.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that serum E-cadherin(OR=3.789,95%CI 2.055-6.983),β-catenin(OR=4.104,95%CI 1.795-9.385),calcium phosphorus product(OR=2.998,95%CI 1.895-4.743)and iPTH(OR=2.713,95%CI 1.787-4.118)were the influencing factors of carotid artery calcification in patients with diabetic nephropathy(P<0.05).Conclusion The level of β-catenin is increased and the level of E-cadherin is decreased in patients with diabetic nephropathy.β-catenin and E-cadherin are closely related to calcium phosphorus metabolism and carotid artery calcification,which could be used as effec-tive indicators to evaluate carotid artery calcification in patients with diabetic nephropathy.The combination ofβ-catenin and E-cadherin has a higher predictive value for carotid artery calcification.
8.Correlation analysis between serum GDF-11 and S100A4 levels and disease severity and disease outcome in diabetic nephropathy patients
Jian GAO ; Zheng LIANG ; Fei ZHAO ; Xiaojing LIU ; Ning MA
International Journal of Laboratory Medicine 2024;45(19):2349-2353,2359
Objective To investigate the relationship between serum levels of growth differentiation factor-11(GDF-11)and S100 calcium binding protein A4(S100A4)and the severity and disease outcome in diabetic nephropathy(DN)patients.Methods A total of 95 DN patients admitted to the hospital from May 2021 to January 2023 were selected as the study group,and 110 healthy people were selected as the healthy group.The DN patients were divided into mild group(n=66)and severe group(n=29)according to the severity of the disease.The patients were followed up for half a year after discharge,and were divided into good prognosis group(n=64)and poor prognosis group(n=31)according to the prognosis.Serum GDF-11 and S100A4 lev-els were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to ex-plore the relationship between serum GDF-11,S100A4 levels and the severity of the disease.Receiver operat-ing characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum GDF-11 and S100A4 for dis-ease outcome in DN patients,and multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of disease outcome in DN patients.Results The levels of serum GDF-11 and S100A4 in mild group and severe group were higher than those in healthy group,and those in severe group were higher than those in mild group(P<0.05).Serum GDF-11 and S100A4 levels were positively correlated with the severity of DN patients(P<0.05).The good prognosis group had significantly lower serum levels of GDF-11 and S100A4 than the poor prognosis group(P<0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum GDF-11 and S100A4 in predicting the outcome of DN patients was 0.785 and 0.839,respectively,and the AUC of combined prediction was 0.902.The proportion of type 2 diabetes(T2DM)duration,glomerular grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ,interstitial inflammation score 2,interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy(IFTA)score 2-3 points,estimate glomerular filtration rate<60 mL/(min·1.73 m2)and the levels of total cholesterol,triglyceride,low-density lipoprotein choles-terol,24 h urinary protein,glycosylated hemoglobin,C-peptide,hematocrit,and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the good prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group(P<0.05).Multivariate Lo-gistic regression analysis showed that the duration of T2DM ≥12.0 years,IFTA score ≥2 points,GDF-11≥700.82 ng/mL,S100A4 ≥ 211.53 ng/L were risk factors for poor prognosis in DN patients(P<0.05).Conclusion The levels of serum S100A4 and GDF-11 are highly expressed in patients with diabetes mellitus,and are related to the severity and outcome of the disease,which are expected to be potential markers for eval-uating the condition and prognosis of diabetes mellitus.
9.Correlation between plasma neurofilament light chain and subtypes of Parkinson disease
Xiaojing LIANG ; Hongyan YI ; Tiantian LI ; Fugui XU ; Lijun WANG ; Zhou OU ; Qiang TONG
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2024;33(9):783-789
Objective:To investigate the correlation between plasma total α-synuclein (α-syn), phosphorylated α-synuclein (p-α-syn), neurofilament light chain(NfL) and subtypes of Parkinson disease(PD).Methods:A total of 62 PD patients admitted to the Department of Neurology, the Affiliated Huai 'an No. 1 People 's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from September 2021 to January 2023 were selected and scored on the Hoehn-Yahr stage(H-Y), unified Parkinson's disease rating scale Ⅲ(UPDRS-Ⅲ), levodopa equivalent daily dosage(LEDD), mini-mental state examination(MMSE), Parkinson disease quality of life questionnaire(PDQ-39) and activities of daily living(ADL). During the same period, 25 healthy individuals matched in age and sex were enrolled as the control group (HC). Clinical characteristics and blood samples were collected. The plasma levels of α-syn, p-α-syn and NfL were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). PD patients were divided into tremor dominant type (TD, n=27) and akinetic-rigid dominant type (AR, n=35) based on UPDRS-Ⅲ scores. Multifactorial Logistic regression analysis was performed by SPSS 25.0 software to determine the influencing factors of subtypes of Parkinson disease. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off point of plasma NfL between the AR type and the TD type. Results:Plasma α-syn, p-α-syn, NfL levels in the PD group were significantly higher than those of the HC group ( Z=-2.537, -6.580, -7.101, all P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the AR type and the TD type in disease duration, H-Y stage, UPDRS-Ⅲ scores, LEDD and MMSE scores ( Z=-2.503, -3.021, -2.025, -2.086, -2.409, all P<0.05). While no significant difference was found in plasma α-syn and p-α-syn levels between the AR type and TD type ( Z=-0.341, -0.085, both P>0.05), the plasma NfL levels were notably higher in the AR type(92.79(16.84, 117.53) pg/mL) compared to the TD type (12.10(6.99, 100.17) pg/mL)( Z=-2.236, P<0.05). Plasma NfL levels were correlated with rigidity scores ( r=0.438, P<0.001), UPDRS-Ⅲ scores ( r=0.337, P<0.05) and motor subtypes ( r=0.286, P<0.05) in PD patients. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that NfL was risk factor for AR( B=0.002, OR=1.002, 95% CI=1.001-1.003, P=0.017). The ROC curve analysis indicated that plasma NfL levels could predict different subtypes of PD with an AUC=0.667, optimal cutoff =26.527. Conclusion:There is a correlation between elevated plasma NfL levels and the occurrence of AR type of PD, suggesting that nerve injury is probably involved in the occurrence and progression of various motor subtypes of PD.
10.Platycodin D improves pulmonary fibrosis in mice by down-regulating TRPC6 expression and reducing ROS production in lung fibroblasts
Zichen LIANG ; Changhui YU ; Shixiu LIANG ; Zicong ZHOU ; Zili ZHOU ; Xiaojing MENG ; Fei ZOU ; Shaoxi CAI
Journal of Southern Medical University 2024;44(1):60-69
Objective To assess the effect of platycodin D(PD)for alleviating pulmonary fibrosis in mice and explore the underlying mechanism.Methods C57BL/6J mouse models of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin injection into the airway were treated with daily intragastric administration of 10 mg/kg PD for 28 days.The changes of pulmonary fibrosis and the expression and distribution of transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily C member 6(TRPC6)were evaluated with immunohistochemistry,HE staining and Sirius Red staining.Western blotting was used to detect α-SMA expression in the lung tissues of the mice.Primary cultures of mouse lung fibroblasts were pretreated with PD(2.5,5.0,and 10 μmol/L)or larixyl acetate(LA;10 μmol/L)before exposure to 10 ng/mL transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),and the changes in cell survival rate,expressions of collagen I,α-SMA and TRPC6,reactive oxygen species(ROS)production,mitochondrial membrane potential,and cell proliferation capacity were assessed.Network pharmacology analysis was performed to explore the mechanism by which PD alleviated pulmonary fibrosis.Results PD treatment significantly alleviated pulmonary fibrosis and reduced α-SMA expression in BLM-induced mouse models(P<0.05).In TGF-β1-induced primary mouse lung fibroblasts,PD effectively inhibited the cell proliferation,reduced ROS production(P<0.0001),rescued the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential(P<0.001),and inhibited the expressions of α-SMA and collagenⅠ(P<0.05).Network pharmacology analysis suggested that TRPC6 mediated the effect of PD for alleviating pulmonary fibrosis.Immunohistochemistry showed that PD significantly reduced TRPC6 expression in the lung tissues of BLM-induced mice.In primary mouse lung fibroblasts,PD significantly inhibited TGF-β1-induced TRPC6 expression(P<0.05),and LA treatment obviously lowered the expression levels of TRPC6,α-SMA and collagenⅠ(P<0.05).Conclusion PD alleviated pulmonary fibrosis in mice possibly by down-regulating TRPC6 and reducing ROS production.

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