Xingming Ma

Objective: The study evaluated the effectiveness of generative artificial intelligence (GAI)-assisted teaching methods on the medical educational outcomes. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted for literature on AI-assisted educational interventions in medical education (e.g. clinical, nursing and dentistry medicine). PROSPERO registration number was CRD420251173150. Meta-analyses of the outcomes were performed using the Review Manager 5.4. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I ² statistic and Cochran's Q test. A forest plot, Egger's test and the trim-and-fill method were used to evaluate publication bias and robustness. Results: A total of 5,764 publications was initially retrieved, of which 78 studies involving 3,635 medical students in the GAI-assisted teaching group and 3,931 medical students in the control group were included. The pooled results revealed that GAI-assisted teaching significantly improved academic performance in terms of both knowledge (SMD = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.72–1.18, p < 0.05) and practical (SMD = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.20–1.77, p < 0.05) scores, compared to the control group. Additional benefits included improved student satisfaction (SMD = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.01–2.02, p < 0.05), self-efficacy in learning (SMD = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.17–1.32, p < 0.05), learning initiative (SMD = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.10–2.30, p < 0.05), self-directed learning ability (SMD = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.81–1.69, p < 0.05), clinical thinking ability (SMD = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.86–1.50, p < 0.05) and analytical and problem-solving skills (SMD = 1.53, 95% CI: 0.77–2.29, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results showed that the GAI-assisted teaching could improve efficiently various aspects of education outcomes for medical students, including academic performance, self-efficacy and initiative in learning, and skills development. In future, policymakers should consider integrating artificial intelligence into teacher training and medical curriculum design to improve learning outcomes.

Ensuring food safety and extending the shelf life of perishable products remain major challenges for the global food industry. The escalating consumer demand for natural food preservatives has intensified research into biological alternatives to chemical additives. Probiotics, traditionally recognized for their health‐promoting effects, have recently gained attention for their capacity to improve food preservation. Beyond their direct competitive exclusion of pathogens, probiotics produce a wide range of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), including bacteriocins, enzymes, and peptide‐based inhibitors, which exhibit potent activity against foodborne spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Individually, both probiotics and their AMPs have been explored as natural biopreservatives; however, growing evidence suggests that their synergistic application offers enhanced efficacy. The synergy arises from the multi‐targeted approach: probiotics colonize the food matrices, creating a protective biofilm, while simultaneously producing a spectrum of AMPs that disrupt bacterial cell membranes, inhibit cell wall synthesis, and suppress virulence gene expression. This combination extends the shelf life of various food products, including dairy, meats, and vegetables, by effectively controlling microbial load and delaying spoilage. Furthermore, the use of probiotic‐derived AMPs, often exhibiting thermal and pH stability, offers a natural label‐friendly option for the food industry. Despite these advancements, challenges remain regarding strain specificity, scalability, regulatory approval, and sensory impacts on food products. This review comprehensively examines the mechanisms of action, efficacy in various food matrices, and potential for industrial application, concluding that the strategic integration of probiotics and their antimicrobial proteins represents a potent, natural, and synergistic strategy for ensuring food safety and sustainability.

Introduction: Forsythia suspensa leaves (FSL), a traditional Chinese ethnomedicinal herbal material used to prepare health-promoting infusions and pharmacologically noted for their robust anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and broad-spectrum antiviral activities, nevertheless have an as-yet-uncharacterized molecular mechanism of action against human adenovirus (HAdV).Methods: Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap/MS) was employed to identification of FSL components. Publicly available GEO datasets were mined to identify HAdV-associated differentially expressed genes (DEGs). An integrated analysis of GEO datasets and network pharmacology to predict the key molecular targets of FSL flavonoids against HAdV. Ensemble molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations assessed the stability of flavonoid–protein interactions. In vitro antiviral assays quantified FSL’s effect on HAdV replication, viral gene expression, and E1A protein levels. Flow cytometry and RT-qPCR examined cell cycle distribution and expression of cell-cycle regulators.Results: Thirty-nine active components were identified in FSL, predominantly organic acids, terpenoids, flavonoids, and lignans. An integrated analysis of GEO data revealed 990 adenovirus-associated DEGs, with network pharmacology and functional enrichment analyses further demonstrating FSL flavonoids’ preferential targeting of cell cycle regulators. In silico docking and simulation confirmed the stable binding of FSL-derived flavonoids to core cell cycle proteins. In vitro, FSL inhibited HAdV replication in a dose-dependent manner, significantly reducing viral gene transcripts and E1A protein expression. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that FSL induced G2/M phase arrest, accompanied by the downregulation of CDC25A expression and upregulation of CCNB2, AURKA, CHEK1, and CCNA2 expression, thereby blocking progression into S-phase and impairing viral DNA synthesis.Discussion: These findings establish a pharmacological foundation for developing FSL-derived phytotherapeutics against adenoviral infections.

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE), a zoonosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (EG), is a major public health burden in western China. The study aimed to evaluate the current status of KAP about CE among undergraduate students from western areas of China, and to provide a basis for developing health education strategies for college students on the prevention of CE. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2023 to April 2024 in China. A cluster sampling method was used to enroll participants of undergraduate students. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the questionnaire, the χ² test for comparing rates, the independent sample T test for KAP scores, and linear regression analyses were conducted in the study. Results: A total of 724 students were included in the study. Approximately 65% (471) of the participants were female students and 35% (253) were male students, and most of them were non-medical (90%) students and from rural areas (60%). The total score of KAP was from 21 to 57, and the mean score of KAP was 41.92±5.78, and less than one fifth of undergraduate students had higher level knowledge (14.8%), positive attitudes (15.5%), and low-risk practices (8.6%). The education level was a significant factor in predicting knowledge, and upper-year students (junior/senior) had a higher level of knowledge about CE than lower-year students (OR = 1.59, p = 0.01). Both residence (OR = 0.57, p < 0.05) and knowledge (OR = 2.26, p<0.05) were significant predicting attitude factors, and students with more knowledge had a positive attitude. But the significant predictors of practice were gender (OR = 3.26, p < 0.05), education level (OR = 0.75, p < 0.05) and attitude (OR = 2.25, p = 0.05). Conclusion: The KAP level and pass rate for knowledge of CE among Chinese students in western areas is low, and most participants showed insufficient or poor CE knowledge. It is necessary to strengthen the health education in school or by multimedia communication platforms on CE for college students in western areas and those with identified related factors.

Background: More than 200 diseases are caused by eating food contaminated and the burden of foodborne disease is considered to be high worldwide. Foodborne diseases are an important public health issue, and the knowledge, attitudes and practices among college students are crucial in preventing outbreaks.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward foodborne diseases among Chinese college students and to identify the factors influencing practice actions.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to November in 2023. A cluster random sampling method was used to enroll participants at Xihua University. The questionnaire including 47 items was used to collect the foodborne diseases information. An offline questionnaire was used to generate the surveys. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the factors associated with foodborne disease knowledge, attitudes and practices.Results: A total of 445 college students with a mean age of 19.76 ± 1.24 years were included in the study. The majority of participants were female (59.1%), of Han Chinese (95.1%), and nearly two-thirds were lower-year undergraduates (66.7%). Most participants (78.9%) were non-medical students, and 64.7% of participants were from rural areas. The KAP score of foodborne diseases was 79.21 ± 6.84. The knowledge, attitudes, and practices scores toward foodborne diseases were 8.76 ± 0.95, 10.50 ± 1.63, and 59.94 ± 6.48, respectively. In particular, there was a notable decrease in practice scores toward foodborne diseases among male students, ethnic minority students, and non-medical students. The significant predictors of practices were included gender (β = 0.11, p < 0.05), nationality (β = −0.12, p < 0.05), specialization type (β = −0.13, p < 0.05), residence (β = −0.11, p < 0.05).Conclusion: These results revealed gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding foodborne diseases, and the knowledge was at an insufficient level, the attitude was positive and practice was at a moderate and acceptable level. In general, the level of KAP was at a moderate and acceptable level. Gender, nationality, education level, specialization type, and residence were identified as crucial influencers on practices toward foodborne diseases. It is necessary to provide foodborne disease health education targeting this population in western areas, which can help improve students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Vitamin C has been used as an essential antioxidant to reduce the inflammatory response associated with pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but its effect on clinical outcomes remains controversial and inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis and systematic review to assess the effects of vitamin C supplementation on the severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients. Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CNKI, CSTJ, Wan fang, and CBM databases were searched for publications between January 2020 and December 2023 that met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analyses of outcomes in more than one study were performed using Review Manager software. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² statistic. A randomized controlled trial, cohort studies, and retrospective studies in which vitamin C supplementation was supplemented as monotherapy or in combination, compared with placebo, no treatment, or other standard treatment without vitamin C were included. After screening, 22 studies, with a total of 6831 patients, were selected for assessment. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were calculated using fixed- and random-effects models. The meta-analysis showed significant effects of vitamin C on alleviating clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19 (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.65–0.89, P = .0007) but no shortening of the length of hospitalization (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = −0.13–2.44, P = .08) compared with the control group. Notably, vitamin C supplements significantly reduced the mortality risk (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.51–0.80, P = .0001) and the incidence of severity (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.43–0.80, P = .0006) in COVID-19 patients. The findings suggest that vitamin C supplements may have a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes, as well as reducing severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, but more clinical randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the role of vitamin C in treating COVID-19. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42023491517.

Fully online learning has become a common option in many universities worldwide in the post-COVID-19 era. The study aimed to evaluate the dimensions and characteristics of the fully online learning self-efficacy among Chinese undergraduate medical and nonmedical students. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to August 2023 at Xihua University in China. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to enroll participants of undergraduate students. The Chinese version of the online learning self-efficacy scale (OLSES) was used to collect the demographic information. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and linear regression analyses were conducted in the study. A total of 203 college students were included in the study. One hundred and twenty (59.1%) of the participants were medical students and 83 (40.9%) were nonmedical students, and most of them (64.5%) were from rural areas. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were determined to be 0.90, 0.86, 0.87, and 0.95 for the learning in a fully online environment, time management, technology use subscales, and the whole scale, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis revealed the justifiability of factor analysis. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the majority of the goodness-of-fit indices reached an acceptable threshold (χ2/df = 3.14, RMR = 0.06, RMSEA = 0.10, NFI = 0.84, RFI = 0.80, IFI = 0.89, TLI = 0.85, CFI = 0.90). More than half of the students reported insufficient self-efficacy for learning in a fully online environment and time management, whereas 55.7% showed good self-efficacy for technology use. Although more medical students than non-medical students had higher self-efficacy scores in the three domains of self-efficacy, the proportion of students with good self-efficacy was slightly lower among medical students than non-medical students, with no significant differences between the medical students and nonmedical students. Most Chinese university students’ that participated to our study found self-efficacy for fully online learning as insufficient (results on the three domains, ranging from 36.5 to 55.7%) and had a good level of fully online learning self-efficacy. Medical students and nonmedical students are not differences in the self-efficacy of fully online learning. Thus, pedagogues should take measures to help students including medical and nonmedical improve their self-efficacy in online environment learning, time management and technology use, ultimately enhancing their academic success.

Objective: Nanomedicine represents a transformative approach in biomedical applications. This study aims to delineate the application of nanomedicine in the biomedical field through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis to evaluate its efficacy and potential in clinical applications. Methods: The SWOT analysis framework was employed to systematically review and assess the internal strengths and weaknesses, along with external opportunities and threats of nanomedicine. This method provides a balanced consideration of the potential benefits and challenges. Results: Findings from the SWOT analysis indicate that nanomedicine presents significant potential in drug delivery, diagnostic imaging, and tissue engineering. Nonetheless, it faces substantial hurdles such as safety issues, environmental concerns, and high development costs. Critical areas for development were identified, particularly concerning its therapeutic potential and the uncertainties surrounding long-term effects. Conclusion: Nanomedicine holds substantial promise in driving medical innovation. However, successful clinical translation requires addressing safety, cost, and regulatory challenges. Interdisciplinary collaboration and comprehensive strategic planning are crucial for the safe and effective application of nanomedicine.