Bone marrow metastasis (BMM) from non-hematolymphoid malignancies with resultant cytopenia(s) can mimic primary hematolymphoid disorders. This study aimed to investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of BMM from non-hematopoietic tumors.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with BMM by non-hematolymphoid malignancies at our institution over the past 10 years. Demographic and clinical characteristics, histopathological findings of bone marrow, types of metastatic tumors, and prognosis were analyzed.

A total of 54 cases were included. The four most common malignancies with BMM, regardless of gender, were prostatic adenocarcinoma (29.6%), breast carcinoma (25.9%), colorectal adenocarcinoma (5.5%), and lung carcinoma (5.5%). The main clinical and laboratory manifestations were anemia (90.7%), reticulocytosis (80.5%), thrombocytopenia (73.9%), bone pain (55.5%), disseminated intravascular coagulation (39.6%), leukoerythroblastosis (35.3%), and leukopenia (24%). The vast majority (96.3%) of metastatic tumors were identified by morphology alone; however, in approximately 2.7% of cases, immunohistochemistry was required due to subtle morphologic features. In 29.6% (16/54) of patients, BMM was identified prior to or concurrently with other metastatic sites. The median time interval between the initial diagnosis of non-hematolymphoid malignancies and BMM was 29 months. Although patients who received anti-tumor treatment after BMM diagnosis showed significantly improved prognosis (P < 0.01), no significant differences were observed between those treated with immunotherapy versus chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy (P = 0.145).

Prostate and breast carcinomas are the most common malignancies associated with BMM, with anemia, reticulocytosis, and thrombocytopenia being the most frequent clinical manifestations. While our data demonstrate that anti-neoplastic treatments, regardless of regimen, significantly improve overall survival after BMM, no significant survival differences were observed when prostate and breast carcinomas were compared with other types of BMM.

Microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer, which accounts for roughly 80–85% of cases, remains largely refractory to immune checkpoint inhibitors compared with microsatellite instability-high tumors. This review synthesizes current evidence on tumor-intrinsic and microenvironmental mechanisms underlying immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer—including low neoantigen burden and impaired antigen presentation, activation of Wnt/β-catenin and MAPK signaling that exclude T cells, an immunosuppressive cellular milieu (regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, M2-like tumor-associated macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblasts), metabolic reprogramming, and gut microbiome dysbiosis—and evaluates translational strategies aimed at overcoming these barriers. Preclinical and early-phase clinical data indicate that rational, mechanism-guided combinations (vascular normalization, myeloid reprogramming, metabolic inhibitors, antigen-priming approaches, and microbiome modulation) can enhance immune infiltration and produce benefits in biomarker-defined subgroups. Moving the field forward will require biomarker-driven, adaptive clinical trials with embedded translational endpoints to optimize patient selection and manage toxicity.

Peginterferon-α treatment exhibits low rates of the serological conversion rate of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and the negative conversion rate of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, with significant myelosuppression leading to treatment discontinuation in some patients. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may ameliorate liver inflammation and modulate immune responses. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of combining TCM with pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) α-2b and its impact on myelosuppression adverse effects.

This study included 117 HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients who started initial antiviral therapy at Xiamen Hospital of TCM between June 2018 and January 2023. According to the treatment regimen, patients were divided into the observation group (n = 56, receiving PEG-IFN α-2b combined with Licorice 15 g, Angelica sinensis 20 g, Poria 20 g, Paeonia lactiflora 20 g, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae 20 g, Radix Bupleurum Chinense 20 g, Mentha piperita 3 g, Ginger three slices for more than six months) and the control group (n = 61, receiving PEG-IFN α-2b alone). This study retrospectively analyzed etiological indicators, liver biochemical indicators, and blood routine tests before and after treatment.

After 24 and 48 weeks of treatment, the observation group demonstrated significantly superior outcomes to the control group in quantitative reduction of hepatitis B surface antigen, the serological conversion rate of HBeAg, and the reduction in HBV DNA quantification (P < 0.05). By week 48, the HBV DNA negative conversion rate in the observation group (46.67%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (26.67%) (P < 0.05). Regarding safety, the incidence of myelosuppression in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group at both 24 and 48 weeks of treatment (P < 0.05)

Real-world findings demonstrate that adjunctive TCM significantly enhances the antiviral efficacy of peginterferon α-2b in HBeAg-positive CHB patients while concurrently mitigating treatment-limiting myelosuppression. This combination strategy may represent a clinically valuable approach to optimizing interferon-based therapy for CHB.

COVID-19 has resulted in significant long-term sequelae in convalescent patients, impacting overall quality of life. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has shown promise in managing post-COVID-19 symptoms through syndrome differentiation. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM in COVID-19 convalescent patients in a real-world setting.

This prospective, real-world study will be conducted at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A total of 528 COVID-19 convalescent patients will be recruited and divided into two groups: a control group receiving routine Western medical treatment and an intervention group receiving additional TCM treatment based on syndrome differentiation. Patients will be assessed for three major TCM syndromes: Lung-Spleen Qi Deficiency, Qi-Yin Deficiency, and Cold Phlegm Obstructing the Lung, with corresponding TCM prescriptions administered accordingly. The primary outcome measure will be the improvement in clinical symptom scores based on a TCM symptom scoring system. Secondary outcomes will include changes in laboratory tests, imaging studies, heart function classification, and quality of life scores. Safety will be assessed through liver and kidney function tests and adverse event monitoring.

The study is expected to demonstrate that TCM treatment, based on syndrome differentiation, can significantly improve clinical symptoms and overall health in COVID-19 convalescent patients compared to routine Western medical treatment. These findings will provide evidence for integrating TCM into post-acute COVID-19 care.

This study will contribute to the evidence supporting TCM as an effective treatment for post-COVID-19 syndrome, enhancing patient outcomes and informing comprehensive recovery strategies.

Clove essential oil (CEO) derived from Syzygium aromaticum and miswak (Salvadora persica) contains bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties. Due to the growing interest in alternatives to conventional antibiotics, this study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of CEO, miswak, and their combination against key peri-implantitis pathogens.

The antimicrobial activities of CEO, miswak, and their combinations were tested against Fusobacterium nucleatum, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Prevotella intermedia. Disc diffusion and serial dilution methods were used to measure the inhibition zones and minimum inhibitory concentrations, respectively. Doxycycline served as a standard antibiotic for comparison, while ethanol was used as a negative control. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s honestly significant difference test, with significance set at α = 0.05.

CEO exhibited inhibition zones of 10–16 mm, comparable to that of doxycycline (13–16 mm), whereas miswak (6–13 mm vs. 1–14 mm) and the CEO–miswak combination (8–14 mm vs. 0–14 mm) showed lower activity. Mean minimum inhibitory concentration values were lowest for doxycycline (1.73 ± 0.46 µg/mL), followed by CEO (2.37 ± 0.24 µg/mL) and CEO–miswak combination (2.92 ± 0.12 µg/mL). Statistical analysis showed that the CEO–miswak combination was less effective than CEO (p = 0.0326) and doxycycline (p = 0.0001), but not different from miswak (p = 0.9836). CEO showed slightly greater activity than miswak (p = 0.0605).

Among the natural extracts tested, CEO exhibited superior antimicrobial efficacy, whereas miswak was less effective. The combination of CEO with miswak did not enhance antimicrobial efficacy, suggesting antagonistic interactions between their bioactive compounds.

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the prevention and management of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases, yet dietary guidance remains generic, limiting its effectiveness. Conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, celiac disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease are significantly influenced by dietary factors. Personalized nutrition has emerged as a promising strategy to tailor interventions, but conventional approaches fail to account for individual metabolic, genetic, and microbiome variability, limiting their clinical impact. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed precision nutrition by integrating genomics, microbiome profiles, metabolic markers, and real-time dietary tracking to generate individualized recommendations. AI-driven systems are advancing dietary assessment, condition-specific nutrition optimization, and continuous monitoring through tools such as wearable devices and natural language processing-based diet analysis. These innovations hold transformative potential in gastroenterology and hepatology, offering dynamic, patient-specific strategies that may enhance clinical outcomes. However, challenges remain, including the lack of standardized AI-driven protocols, ethical concerns such as bias and data privacy, limited clinical validation, and the underrepresentation of nutrition in many current AI applications. Opportunities for progress include developing federated learning models, expanding real-world validation studies, and designing regulatory and ethical frameworks for safe implementation. This narrative review synthesizes literature published between 2015 and 2025 across five databases, highlighting key applications, limitations, and future directions of AI-driven personalized nutrition in gastroenterology and hepatology. It provides insights into how AI could reshape patient-centered care through more individualized, effective, and scalable dietary strategies.

To support clinicians in making informed decisions regarding the diagnosis and management of inherited hyperbilirubinemia, including Gilbert syndrome, Crigler-Najjar syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, and Rotor syndrome, the Inherited and Metabolic Liver Disease Collaboration Group of the Hepatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association convened a panel of Chinese experts in this field. This multidisciplinary consortium developed the present expert consensus by integrating the latest advances in both clinical practice and basic research.

Endometrial polyp (EMP) is one of the most common diagnoses in the evaluation of women with abnormal uterine bleeding. Understanding the malignancy risk associated with EMPs and related risk factors is essential for guiding both pathology practice and clinical management. This study aimed to explore risk factors for malignancy in EMPs.

The pathology database was searched for women diagnosed with EMP between 2021 and 2022. Patient age, polyp size, background endometrium, recurrence, and (if applicable) cancer types were recorded. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for p53 and p16 was performed on selected cases. Risk factors for malignancy were analyzed using Chi-square and analysis of variance tests.

Among the 740 EMP cases analyzed, 94% were benign, 2% were premalignant, and 4% were malignant. The median patient age was 54 years (range: 19–92). Minimal serous carcinoma (n = 14, 2%) was the most prevalent cancer. Among the 52 cases with p53 IHC, 38 were diagnosed as benign, supported by a wild-type p53 pattern, while 14 were diagnosed as serous carcinoma, supported by a mutant p53 pattern. Malignant polyps were found to be significantly associated with advanced age and malignant background endometrium (p < 0.001). Large size and recurrence were not identified as significant risk factors.

EMPs carry a low risk of malignancy, which is not significantly influenced by the polyp’s size or its recurrence. Our findings highlight the significantly elevated risk of malignancy in elderly patients and the importance of p53 IHC in improving diagnostic accuracy.

MD-1 is a time-tested polyherbal diabetes supplement in Tamil Nadu, India. It is composed of dried powdered herbs: Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonn, Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex Hook. F. & Thoms, Emblica officinalis Gaertn., Eugenia jambolana Lam., Gymnema sylvestre R. Br. Ex, and Cassia auriculata Linn. This study aimed to investigate the in vivo effects of MD-1 in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetes mellitus in C57BL/6J mice.

After 10 weeks of HFD induction, diabetic mice (n = 60) were randomized to 21-day treatments with MD-1, metformin, or left untreated on a standard pellet diet. Fasting blood glucose, triacylglycerol (TAG), total cholesterol, and liver tissue markers including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, glucokinase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, and glucose-6-phosphatase expressions were measured. Adipose tissue tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α infiltration and messenger RNA expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) and glucose transporter type 4 (Glut4) were also analyzed.

MD-1 treatment significantly reduced elevated fasting blood glucose, TAG, and total cholesterol in HFD-fed mice and countered HFD-induced weight gain despite unchanged caloric intake. Improved adipose tissue function was evidenced by reduced TNF-α infiltration and increased messenger RNA expression of PPAR-γ and Glut4. MD-1 attenuated HFD-induced fatty liver disease by reducing oxidative stress and TAG accumulation, suggesting a possible two-hit mechanism.

MD-1 administration primarily targets adipose tissue TNF-α signaling in HFD mice, restoring function via PPAR-γ/Glut4 expression. These findings support its glycemic intervention potential and justify its supplementation in diabetes.