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Open Access Issue
Bailicai: A Domain-Optimized Retrieval-Augmented Generation Framework for Medical Applications
Big Data Mining and Analytics 2026, 9(2): 376-392
Published: 09 February 2026
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Large language models (LLMs) excel in various natural language processing tasks and are increasingly applied in specialized fields like medicine. However, their deployment in the medical domain is challenged by limited domain-specific data and the tendency to generate inaccurate information, known as “hallucinations.” While domainspecific fine-tuning has improved open-source LLMs, they still underperform compared to proprietary models like ChatGPT and PaLM. To address this gap, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) techniques have been explored to enhance LLMs by integrating external knowledge bases. Nevertheless, the success of RAG depends on the quality of retrieved documents, and its application within the medical field remains in the early stages. In this paper, we introduce the “Bailicai” framework as an exploratory approach to integrating RAG with LLMs in the medical field. The framework employs fine-tuning to improve the RAG process, where “falsely relevant” and “completely irrelevant” interference documents are intentionally included in the training data. This enables Bailicai to develop the ability to assess the quality of retrieved documents and selectively incorporate them. The framework is organized into four modules: (1) medical knowledge injection, (2) self-knowledge boundary identification, (3) directed acyclic graph task decomposition, and (4) retrieval-augmented generation. Through the synergy of these modules, Bailicai achieves superior performance on multiple medical benchmarks, outperforming existing large models in the medical domain, RAG-based methods, and proprietary models such as GPT-3.5. Furthermore, Bailicai effectively mitigates the hallucination problem common in LLMs applied to medical tasks and enhances the robustness of RAG when dealing with irrelevant or misleading documents, enabling more accurate information retrieval and integration.

Open Access Original Article Issue
Novel drug targets for monkeypox: From viral to host proteins
Infectious Medicine 2025, 4(1): 100165
Published: 01 March 2025
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Background

The ongoing threat of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) underscores the need for new antiviral treatments, yet drug targets and candidate therapies are limited.

Methods

Calculating the centrality, conservation, and immunogenicity of MPXV proteins in the network to identify viral drug targets. Constructing the MIP-human protein interaction network and identifying key human proteins as potential drug targets through network topology analysis.

Results

We constructed a comprehensive protein–protein interaction (PPI) network between MPXV and humans, using data from the P-HIPSTer database. This network included 113 viral proteins and 2607 MPXV-interacting human proteins (MIPs). We identified three MPXV proteins (OPG054, OPG084, and OPG190) as key targets for antiviral drugs, as well as 95 critical MIPs (most interacting MIPs, MMIPs) within the MPXV–human PPI network. Further analysis revealed 31 MMIPs as potential targets for broad-spectrum antiviral agents, supported by their involvement in other viral interactions. Functional enrichment of MIPs indicated their roles in infection and immune-related pathways.

Conclusions

In total, we identified 112 drugs targeting MPXV proteins and 371 drugs targeting MMIPs, with fostamatinib, trilostane, and raloxifene being able to inhibit both viral and host proteins. This work provides critical insights into MPXV–human interactions and supports the development of targeted antiviral therapies.

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