Bioscience trends最新文献

{"title":"Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy-based triplet conversion therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus: Evidence, patient selection, and surgical endpoints.","authors":"Chaosheng Xia, Yutao He, Rongfu Hong, Wenda Wang, Hangyu Li, Lin Wang, Zhitian Shi","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01217","DOIUrl":"10.5582/bst.2026.01217","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) is a biologically aggressive and clinically heterogeneous form of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Global guidelines generally classify macrovascular invasion as advanced disease and prioritize systemic therapy, whereas selected East Asian practice pathways incorporate hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC), radiotherapy, or resection. This review critically evaluates HAIC combined with an antiangiogenic agent and immune checkpoint inhibitor as a conversion strategy for HCC with PVTT. Randomized trials substantiate the efficacy of HAIC-based treatment in contrast to controls from the days of sorafenib but do not establish the incremental benefit of the contemporary triplet. Across prospective single-arm studies, RECIST 1.1 objective response rates ranged from approximately 36 to 77%, with higher estimates in some studies using mRECIST. Retrospective PVTT-focused comparisons also suggest longer progression-free and overall survival than with dual systemic therapy or HAIC alone, but these figures remain vulnerable to confounding by indication, heterogeneous regimens, inconsistent response criteria, and immortal-time bias related to surgery. Conversion should be defined as a prospectively documented transition from unresectable disease to an R0-resectable state with adequate liver reserve, not as radiological response alone. We propose an explicitly unvalidated multidisciplinary framework for candidate selection, reassessment, and perioperative management. Current evidence supports protocol-based use in clinical trials or experienced centers rather than routine global adoption. Randomized PVTT-stratified trials comparing the triplet to contemporary immunotherapy, with intention-to-treat reporting of resection and pathological response, are required.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":"373-384"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148860500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multidimensional social capital and latent anxiety severity profiles among Chinese medical graduate students: A multicenter cross-sectional study.","authors":"Wen Zhu, Xin Zheng, Ziwei Wang, Niannian Li, Yue Fang, Zhongliang Bai, Jun Wu, Sanyuan Hao, Ziwen Xu, Jiajie Zhao, Ren Chen, Xiaoli Wu","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2026.01167","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mental health issues, such as anxiety, are highly prevalent among medical graduate students. However, the potential relationship between social capital and anxiety symptoms in medical graduate students has not yet been investigated. Therefore, data were collected in 2024 from a multicenter sample of 2,587 medical graduate students obtained through multistage stratified sampling across northern, central, and southern Anhui Province. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the 20-item Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS-20). Social capital was evaluated across six dimensions: social participation, social support, social connection, trust, sense of belonging, and reciprocity. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify latent anxiety severity profiles. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine associations between social capital dimensions and anxiety severity-profile membership. The prevalence of anxiety symptoms among participants was 30.5%. Three latent anxiety severity profiles were identified: low (50.6%), moderate (18.6%), and high (30.8%). Lower levels of social support, social connection, and trust were associated with greater odds of membership in the moderate- and high-anxiety severity profiles. A higher sense of belonging was associated with lower odds of membership in the high-anxiety profile, whereas higher social participation was associated with greater odds of membership in the high-anxiety profile. Compared with the moderate-anxiety profile, membership in the high-anxiety profile was also associated with higher social participation and lower trust. Cognitive social capital, particularly trust and supportive connections, was consistently associated with lower anxiety severity, whereas structural participation showed a context-dependent association. These findings suggest that the quality and context of social relationships may warrant as much attention as the quantity of participation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148963330","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Conversion hepatectomy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: Principles of patient selection and surgical decision-making.","authors":"Jiayun Ge, Fan Yang, Yanling Chen, Haijie Hong, Wei Tang","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01229","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2026.01229","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Modern systemic regimens have increased objective response in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), producing a small but clinically important population in whom curative-intent local treatment can be considered. And yet response is not synonymous with resectability, and resectability is not synonymous with an indication for hepatectomy. This review begins at the point of making a post-response decision rather than ranking conversion regimens or proposing a general framework for longitudinal treatment sequencing. We separate technical, liver-functional, and oncological unresectability and propose a 5D framework-Disease extent and biology, Depth and durability of response, Definitive disease clearance, Durable liver reserve, and Decision timing-to distinguish patients who merely respond from those for whom resection is both feasible and rational. Retrospective series support feasibility and occasionally durable disease control in selected patients. The TALENTOP phase 3 trial now provides the first randomized comparative signal favoring resection in a narrowly defined post-induction population already judged suitable for R0 resection; however, overall survival remains immature, and the trial has not demonstrated a general causal survival benefit for all responders. The next phase of research should therefore validate reproducible decision rules, prespecify resectability assessments, and anchor analyses to the time surgical eligibility is achieved. Conversion hepatectomy should be understood not as a strict requirement after tumor shrinkage but as an irreversible switch in treatment justified by concordant tumor biology, depth and durability of response, complete disease clearance, hepatic safety, and superiority over available alternatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148918509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond individual virtue: Institutionalizing humanism, agency, and algorithmic governance in health systems.","authors":"Peipei Song, Wei Tang","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2026.01231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Humanistic values are usually treated as qualities of clinicians, although modern care is produced by organizations, financing arrangements, regulatory systems, and digital infrastructures. This conceptual and critical integrative review examines how humanistic tenets became embedded beyond the clinical encounter while drawing a boundary between humanistic tenets and health policy that is merely beneficial or efficient. Landmark scholarship, international frameworks, comparative healthcare-system studies, critical accounts of managerialism, and selected primary legal and governmental sources from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and China were synthesized by domains of responsibility rather than a presumed universal chronology. The framework distinguishes six non-interchangeable domains-physician, patient, population, organization, a person's life, and healthcare system-defined by different moral qualities, scales, temporal horizons, and governance mechanisms. Technology governance cuts across all six; technology itself is not a moral quality. The Japanese pathway illustrates the institutionalization of universal coverage before autonomy became comparably explicit, whereas China's recent trajectory is interpreted as compressed institutionalization across coverage, rights, quality, reforms in the provision of care, and aging. A humanistic healthcare system is proposed as an ideal and a directional continuum. Its core tenets are dignity, agency, attention to suffering, and responsiveness to person-defined life goals. Safety, equity, solidarity, participation, and trustworthiness acquire humanistic significance when they uphold those tenets rather than functioning only as performance objectives. Institutionalization can make humane care more reliable, but auditing, targets, and digital systems can also produce a predilection for procedures. Professional judgment, institutional capability, public accountability, and contestable technology must therefore remain mutually corrective.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148878975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cholinergic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease: Mechanistic perspectives and multi-target effects of traditional Chinese medicine.","authors":"Yixin Wang, Hongxing Li, Lin Hao, Pai Guo, Bingyan Xu, Meng Cai, Shuo Li","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2026.01106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and complex pathological changes. Cholinergic dysfunction is an early, clinically pivotal feature of AD closely associated with multiple pathological processes, including amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology, neuroinflammatory responses, mitochondrial dysfunction, metal-ion dyshomeostasis, and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4-related vulnerability. While disrupted cholinergic signaling impairs memory formation and synaptic function, its bidirectional interaction with AD-related pathological cascades further accelerates disease progression. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been investigated as a potential multitarget approach with which to modulate cholinergic deficits and related pathological processes. Some TCM-derived compounds, standardized extracts, and formulas have been reported to regulate cholinergic enzymes, acetylcholine levels, cholinergic receptors, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, neuroinflammatory responses, and Aβ- or tau-related pathology. This review summarizes the role of cholinergic failure in AD pathophysiology and evaluates the evidence surrounding TCM-based interventions, with emphasis on direct cholinergic evidence, indirect collateral mechanisms, and current translational limitations. Indeed, the purpose of these insights is to inform future development of multitarget therapeutic strategies for AD.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148825222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinicopathological characterization and prognostic factors of H3 K27M-altered diffuse midline gliomas: A real-world cohort study.","authors":"Chunbo Liu, Changwu Wu, Hao Peng, Weicheng Huang, Zheng Chen, Fushu Luo, Yongye Zhu, Qing Liu, Jun Tan","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5582/bst.2026.01077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Diffuse midline glioma (DMG) is a high-grade malignant brain tumor. The 5-year survival rate for DMG remains close to zero. It is a rare and highly aggressive tumor, which is more common in children than in adults. We here report our retrospective study of 210 cases of DMG. Surgical tumor samples were analyzed by routine histopathology and immunohistochemistry for H3 K27M, ATRX, p53, OLIG2 and Ki-67. The most frequent anatomic locations in patients were the thalamus and brainstem. During follow-up, 169/210 patients (80.5%) died from the disease, with a median survival time of 11 months (range: 0 to 87 months). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that the prognosis of adult patients was better than that of the pediatric cohort (P = 0.006). Multivariable Cox regression identified male sex, spinal cord tumor location, and a Ki-67 index of ≤ 10% as independent favorable prognostic factors. Also, meta-analysis indicated that the prognosis of adult patients was better than that of the pediatric cohort (P = 0.002), patients with brainstem tumors had a worse prognosis compared to those with tumors in other locations (P = 0.003). We highlight the aggressive nature of DMG and the critical role of clinical and molecular markers in prognosis. These findings demonstrate substantial clinicopathological heterogeneity in H3 K27M-altered DMG and support the combined consideration of age, tumor location, and proliferative activity in future prognostic stratification. Prospective multicenter validation and more comprehensive molecular profiling are required.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148663057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Liver transplantation in Japan: Achievements, limitations, and future perspectives.","authors":"Yasuhiko Sugawara","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01094","DOIUrl":"10.5582/bst.2026.01094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Liver cirrhosis (LC) represents a substantial and growing global health burden, driving high mortality through liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), for which liver transplantation (LT) remains the only definitive and life-saving therapy. Despite continuous technical and perioperative advances, a critical unmet need persists due to the imbalance between organ demand and availability. In Japan, the practice of LT is uniquely shaped by the predominance of living donor transplantation and a marked epidemiological transition: the burden of viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis has declined with antiviral therapies, while metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) are emerging as leading indications. This paradigm shift necessitates refinement of transplant strategies, including improved candidate selection for HCC through integration of tumor biology and novel biomarkers and careful consideration of immunotherapy-related risks. Moreover, MASH introduces complex challenges related to obesity, disease recurrence, and the role and timing of metabolic interventions, whereas ALD raises ongoing clinical and ethical questions regarding early transplantation and relapse prevention. Future progress will depend on expanding the donor pool through innovations such as machine perfusion and xenotransplantation as well as expanding indications to selected non-HCC malignancies and adopting advanced surgical technologies. Collectively, LT is transitioning toward a precision-based, multidisciplinary, and innovation-driven paradigm.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":"301-310"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147721731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imported Ebola as a stress test of hospital resilience in an era of global connectivity.","authors":"Yue Ma, Yifan Xu, Lu Tan, Yimei Tian, Jianchao Ran, Xianhu Zeng, Ting Huang, Hongzhou Lu","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01141","DOIUrl":"10.5582/bst.2026.01141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In May 2026, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease caused by Bundibugyo ebolavirus emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spread to Uganda, prompting a WHO Public Health Emergency of International Concern. With no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment, Bundibugyo virus poses an acute importation risk in an era of dense global air travel. This perspective frames imported Ebola as a hospital resilience stress test and proposes the Hospital Resilience 4P Framework, organizing preparedness around Prediction, Preparedness, Protection, and Partnership. We critically analyze the drivers of nosocomial amplification, including diagnostic delay, healthcare worker undertraining, and insufficient infection prevention and control. For China, whose aviation hubs in Guangzhou and Shenzhen sustain dense air links with Africa under the Belt and Road Initiative, this risk is particularly urgent. We further examine the vulnerabilities of East Asian healthcare systems - aging workforces, emergency department overcrowding, and skewed PPE stockpiles - and evaluate emerging technologies (deep-ultraviolet laser disinfection, AI-driven surveillance, differential serology) with explicit evidence grading. A full-chain, multi-layered system from the aircraft cabin to isolation ward, guided by the 4P Framework, can ensure imported cases remain contained clinical events rather than triggers of hospital-based outbreaks.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":"332-339"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148216143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early post-reperfusion neutrophil dynamics after liver transplantation: Association with graft size.","authors":"Michiko Ushio, Gaku Kawamura, Takakazu Yuki, Nobuhisa Akamatsu, Kiyoshi Hasegawa, Kanji Uchida","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01101","DOIUrl":"10.5582/bst.2026.01101","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Patients with end-stage liver disease often exhibit impaired neutrophil function and have an elevated risk for perioperative infections. Liver transplantation (LT) restores hepatic function; however, perioperative neutrophil dynamics and their association with graft size remain unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 71 adult patients who underwent LT between January 2019 and June 2021. Leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were assessed at three intraoperative time points: beginning of surgery (BS), anhepatic phase (AP), and abdominal closure (AC), as well as on postoperative days (PODs) 1-3. The patients were stratified by graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR < 1.0 vs. ≥ 1.0), and the correlations between GRWR and leukocyte parameters were evaluated. Neutrophil and leukocyte counts remained unchanged from the BS to AP and increased significantly after graft reperfusion (AC vs. BS: p < 0.01). Lymphocyte counts declined significantly during surgery. On POD 1, both neutrophil counts and their increases from BS correlated significantly with GRWR in the GRWR < 1.0 group (r_s = 0.424 and 0.442, respectively; both p < 0.01), although not in the GRWR ≥ 1.0 group. No postoperative infections were observed within 7 days. Graft reperfusion was associated with a robust increase in peripheral neutrophil counts, particularly in the recipients of smaller grafts. These findings suggest an association between graft size and early postoperative neutrophil dynamics, which may help interpret early immune responses after LT.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":"324-331"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148270110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical translation and accessibility of brain-computer interfaces: From technology development to clinical application.","authors":"Hui Sun, Ru Wang, Kenji Karako, Peipei Song, Jiangjiang He","doi":"10.5582/bst.2026.01118","DOIUrl":"10.5582/bst.2026.01118","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology establishes a direct communication pathway between neural activity and external devices. Driven by advances in neuroscience, artificial intelligence (AI), neural signal acquisition, decoding algorithms, and implantable system design, BCIs have progressed rapidly from experimental prototypes toward clinically relevant neurotechnologies. However, the translation of these technical advances into routine clinical practice and equitable real-world access remains substantially slower than technological innovation. This review summarizes the major technological pathways of BCIs and their clinical applications, and it then examines BCI development from the perspective of clinical translation and accessibility. We focus on key barriers across the translational chain, including long-term technical stability, quality of clinical evidence, evaluation standards, reimbursement mechanisms, health-economic evidence, and the feasibility of implementation in real-world healthcare settings. We argue that the central challenge in BCI development has shifted from improving technical performance alone to building the translational infrastructure required for safe, effective, affordable, and sustainable clinical integration.</p>","PeriodicalId":8957,"journal":{"name":"Bioscience trends","volume":" ","pages":"287-300"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148270181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}