Large language models (LLMs) are revolutionizing drug development. Researchers from China are exploring the applications of LLMs in the drug development process, including target identification and drug screening, drug molecular design and optimization, drug repurposing, preclinical research, and clinical trials. Moreover, they deeply explore the major challenges LLMs face in pharmaceutical development and provide a scientific outlook on future research directions.

Abnormalities in tumor electrophysiology are key drivers of malignant tumor progression. This review systematically elaborates on its molecular mechanisms and clinical translation: Tumor cells regulate proliferation, maintenance of stemness, and metastasis through membrane potential depolarization and remodeling of specific "ion channel fingerprints". These electrophysiological characteristics interact with key signaling pathways to form a complex regulatory network (e.g., TRPV1 exhibits tissue-specific regulatory patterns in different tumors). Based on the above mechanisms, targeted ion channel modulators, therapeutic tumor electric fields, and nanodelivery platforms have shown significant efficacy in preclinical and clinical studies. Especially when combined with immunomodulatory strategies, they can reshape the tumor microenvironment and enhance anti-tumor immunity. Despite challenges such as treatment-related complications and the need to verify long-term efficacy, electrophysiology-targeted therapies still provide a highly promising new direction for precision oncology.

This study examines how catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with chronic diseases, highlighting the moderating role of family doctor contract services. It finds that patients experiencing CHE had significantly lower HRQoL scores compared to those without, but family doctor services helped mitigate these negative effects. Older age, multiple chronic conditions, and higher healthcare utilization were linked to poorer HRQoL, while higher education and stable employment offered protective benefits. The study suggests that expanding family doctor services for chronic disease patients can help break the "poverty-disease" cycle and improve overall health outcomes.

A new study has identified a set of plasma proteins that can predict whether patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) will respond to immunotherapy. 

The Yangtze River, stretching 4300 kilometers, forms a continuous topographic gradient from alpine gorges to estuarine deltas, creating significant variations in sediment particle size, hydrological dynamics, and nutrient spatial patterns. The research led by Sitong Liu’s team from Peking University reveals the regulatory role of river landforms (determined by geological structures) in microbial mutualistic patterns: bacteria in different landforms adapt to the environment by dynamically adjusting their mutualistic strategies, with a focus on comammox Nitrospira. In mountain-foothill regions, these bacteria maintain their competitive advantage by enhancing the absorption of amino acids and vitamin B6, which explains the difference between the stable abundance of this bacterium and the decline of other ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.