Diabetic kidney disease （DKD） is one of the common microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus （DM） and a primary cause of chronic kidney disease （CKD） and end-stage renal disease （ESRD）. Inflammation is currently a hot topic in exploring the pathogenesis of DKD. Macrophages， T cells， interleukins， tumor necrosis factor， NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT） signaling pathway， and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB）-related signaling pathway all play a role in regulating the inflammation of DKD and accelerating its progression. Astragali Radix， a Chinese herbal medicine， is widely used in the treatment of DKD and possesses strong anti-inflammatory effects. Studies have revealed that active ingredients of Astragali Radix， including polysaccharides， astragaloside Ⅳ， total flavonoids， calycosin， and quercetin， can regulate multiple signaling pathways to ameliorate the microinflammatory state and alleviate kidney damage， thereby slowing down the progression of DKD. This article systematically reviews the factors influencing the inflammation in DKD and analyzes recent research findings and mechanisms concerning active ingredients of Astragali Radix in the management of DKD inflammation， aiming to offer novel insights and directions for the prevention， treatment， and research of DKD.

Medicinal plants， with diverse species， high heterozygosity， and special breeding objectives， can be hardly bred with conventional hybridization techniques. Plant genetic transformation is highly selective and can specifically change the traits of plants， serving as an important technical means for the breeding of medicinal plants. The commonly used plant genetic transformation technologies include Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and particle bombardment. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is the most widely used method， while it is not applicable to all medicinal plants due to the high specificity. Although not specific， particle bombardment is limited in application due to the low conversion efficiency and external force damage to cells and tissue. With the rise and development of nanotechnology， the emerging nanomaterial-mediated transformation has solved the problems of the above two technologies. However， limited by its late development， the mechanism of nanomaterial-mediated introduction of genetic materials into plant cells remains unclear， and thus this technology is rarely used in medicinal plants. This article summarizes the development status of several commonly used or emerging plant genetic transformation technologies such as Agrobacterium-mediated transformation， particle bombardment， and nanomaterial-mediated transformation， as well as their application in different medicinal plants. Furthermore， this article looks forward to the development trend of genetic transformation technologies for plants and their application prospects in medicinal plants and Chinese materia medica resources， aiming to provide new technical ideas for the genetic improvement and germplasm innovation of medicinal plants and inject new impetus into the sustainable development of Chinese materia medica resources.

ObjectiveTo study the clinical characteristics and influencing factors of rheumatoid arthritis （RA） in the patients with cold dampness obstruction syndrome. MethodsThe RA patients treated in the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Rheumatology of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital from August 2022 to June 2024 were selected. The demographic information， clinical data， laboratory test results， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptom information were collected for syndrome differentiation， on the basis of which the characteristics and influencing factors of cold dampness obstruction syndrome were analyzed. ResultsA total of 258 RA patients were selected in this study， including 88 （34.1%） patients with cold dampness obstruction syndrome， 53 （20.5%） patients with dampness and heat obstruction syndrome， 31 （12.0%） patients with wind dampness obstruction syndrome， 29 （11.2%） patients with liver-kidney deficiency syndrome， 19 （7.4%） patients with Qi-blood deficiency syndrome， 14 （5.4%） patients with phlegm-stasis obstruction syndrome， 15 （5.8%） patients with stasis obstructing collateral syndrome and 9 （3.5%） patients with Qi-Yin deficiency syndrome. The patients were assigned into two groups of cold dampness obstruction syndrome and other syndromes. The group of cold dampness obstruction syndrome had lower joint fever， 28-tender joint count （TJC28）， and 28-joint disease activity score （DAS28）-C-reactive protein （CRP） and higher central sensitization， cold feeling of joints， fear of wind and cold， cold limbs， and abdominal distention than the group of other syndromes （P<0.05）. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that central sensitization （OR 5.749， 95%CI 2.116-15.616， P<0.001） and DAS28-CRP （OR 0.600， 95% CI 0.418-0.862， P=0.006） were the independent factors influencing cold dampness obstruction syndrome in RA. ConclusionCold dampness obstruction syndrome is a common syndrome in RA patients. It is associated with central sensitization， cold feeling of joints， abdominal distension and may be a clinical syndrome associated with central sensitization.

By consulting relevant literature of ancient herbal books and processing specifications， this paper made a systematic research and analysis of Ostreae Concha， including the name， producing area， harvesting， quality， historical evolution of processing， relevant processing specifications， modern processing technology， and changes in chemical composition and pharmacological effects before and after processing， in order to provide documentary evidence for the research on processing technology and the establishment of quality standards. According to the textual research， it is known that Ostreae Concha has a long history of being used in medicine， and there have been many aliases and local names in each historical period. Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica（Shennong Bencaojing） began to use Muli as the correct name， which has continued to use to today， and there were also aliases such as Muge， Zuogu Muli and Haoke. Ostreae Concha has a wide range of localities and irregular harvesting periods. The ancients believed that its left shell was of superior quality， but this has not been seen in modern. And there were many kinds of processing methods of Ostreae Concha， such as grinding， roasting， calcining， frying， simmering， quenching and so on， and the calcining was still in use. The different editions of Chinese Pharmacopoeia from 1963 to 2020 contain only calcined Ostreae Concha， and the local processing specifications mainly include three kinds of processed products（calcined products， salt-soaked products and vinegar-soaked products）. Modern processing research mainly focuses on process optimization， changes in chemical composition and pharmacological effects， and the research methods are relatively single. Overall， there are currently issues such as inconsistent processing standards， unclear process parameters and imperfect quality standards， which are not conducive to the quality control and standardized clinical use of Ostreae Concha. Therefore， it is necessary to further investigate the pharmacological substance basis of Ostreae Concha and its processed products in order to elucidate the processing mechanism， standardize the processing technology and improve the quality standard.

ObjectiveTo investigate the possible mechanism of Shenfuhuang Formula （参附黄配方） in prevention and treatment of epsis-associated encephalopathy from the perspective of brain genomics. MethodsC57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into sham surgery group， sepsis group， and Shenfuhuang group， with 20 mice in each group. The sepsis group and Shenfuhuang group were induced to develop sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture （CLP） procedure. At 4 hours after modelling， Shenfuhuang group were gavaged with 2.5 g/（kg·d） of Shenfuhuang Formula， 0.5 ml each time， at 12 hours intervals， for a total of 4 times after modelling. Sepsis group and sham surgery group were given 0.5 ml of purified water orally. At 48 hours after modeling， the transcriptome sequencing was used to explore the differential gene expression in the effects of Shenfuhuang Formula on the brain regions of septic mice， and real-time PCR and ELISA were later used to further validate the differential gene and proteins expression. ResultsA total of 4605 genes were differentially expressed in Shenfuhuang group compared with sepsis group， of which 2353 genes were up-regulated and 2252 genes were down-regulated. According to the results of previous publications， six key genes were screened， including serine/threonine-protein kinase （Nek1）， myelin-associated glycoprotein （Mag）， endothelial cell-specific tyrosine kinase receptor （Tek）， a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 20 （Adamts20）， lymphocyte antigen 86 （Ly86）， and E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase （Traip）. Further genetic and protein validation revealed that， compared to the sham surgery group， the mRNA levels and corresponding protein levels of Nek1， Mag， Tek， Adamts20， Ly86， and Traip in the brain tissue of septic mice significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. In comparison to the sepsis group， Shenfuhuang group showed significantly increased mRNA levels and corresponding protein levels of Nek1， Mag， Tek， Adamts20， Ly86， and Traip （P＜0.05）. ConclusionThe potential therapeutic targets of Shenfuhuang Formula for treating sepsis-associated encephalopathy may be related to the Nek1， Mag， Tek， Adamts20， Ly86， and Traip genes and their encoded proteins.

BACKGROUND:Currently,different methods of model establishment have been derived from different injury modes of spinal cord injury.Traditional physical injury modeling methods have their own advantages and disadvantages,and there is a lack of more effective and stable animal models of spinal cord injury. OBJECTIVE:To establish a reproducible,controllable,trauma-free,low-mortality,more stable,widely applicable,and short-term postoperative care rat model of spinal cord injury. METHODS:Forty Sprague-Dawley rats with similar body mass and ages were randomly divided into a control group and an improved group,with 20 rats in each group.Animal models of spinal cord injury in the control group were constructed using a clip model method,while the improved group used a modified ligation method based on the compression method to make the spinal cord injury models using suture ligation based on fenestration.Postoperative comparisons were made between the two groups,assessing urination behavior,hematuria,pyuria(infection rate),mortality,scoliosis rate and Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotor rating scale scores at 1,3,5,and 7 days after modeling. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the conventional modeling method,the modified ligation method based on the compression method resulted in faster recovery of urination behavior,lower hematuria rate,lower infection rate,lower mortality rate,lower scoliosis rate,and more concentrated and stable Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan scores(all below 2 points within 1 week).This proves that the modified ligation method based on compression is more suitable for the establishment of spinal cord injury models in rats.

BACKGROUND:Quercetin has anti-inflammatory,anti-cancer,anti-oxidation,anti-aging,anti-depression and other pharmacological effects,and has high medicinal value.Quercetin can promote wound healing in normal rats,but few drugs with quercetin as the main component have been developed,which limits its wide application in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the application effect of quercetin-carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel on diabetic wound in rats by loading quercetin with hydrogel material. METHODS:(1)Carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogels and quercetin-carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogels were prepared respectively,and the micromorphology and in vitro drug release properties of the hydrogels were characterized.(2)Cell experiment:Mouse L929 fibroblasts were cultured in four groups.The blank control group was cultured conventionally.Carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel,quercetin solution and quercetin-carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel were added to pure hydrogel group,drug group,and drug-loaded hydrogel group,respectively,to detect cell proliferation and migration ability.(3)Animal experiments:Diabetic models were established in 80 SD rats.After successful modeling,full-layer skin defect wounds with a diameter of 2 cm were made on the back of rats,and these models were randomly divided into four groups.Normal saline,carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel,quercetin solution,and quercetin-carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel were injected into the wounds of blank control group,pure hydrogel group,drug group,and drug-loaded hydrogel group,respectively.Each group contained 20 animals,which were bound with sterile gauze.Wound healing,pathological morphology,expression of inflammatory factors,and angiogenesis were observed after operation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Under scanning electron microscope,the microstructures of the two hydrogels were similar,both showed loose porous network structure,and quercetin-carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogels had good drug release performance in vitro.(2)Compared with blank control group,the cell proliferation and mobility of the other three groups were increased(P<0.05).The cell proliferation and mobility of drug-loaded hydrogel group were higher than those of pure hydrogel group and drug group(P<0.05).(3)The wound healing rate of the drug-loaded hydrogel group was higher than that of the other three groups at 5 and 11 days after operation.The wound healing rate of rats in the hydrogel group,pure hydrogel group,and drug group reached 100%18 days after operation,which was higher than that in the blank control group(P<0.05).Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that intact skin and skin appendages were visible on the wounds of rats in the drug-loaded hydrogel group 18 days after surgery,while intact skin and skin appendages were visible on the wounds of rats in the blank control group,pure hydrogel group,and drug group 25 days after surgery.The levels of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin-6 in the drug-loaded hydrogel group were lower than those in the blank control group at 5,11,and 18 days after surgery(P<0.05),and the levels of transforming growth factor β1 at 11 and 18 days after surgery were lower than those in the blank control group(P<0.05).The mRNA expressions of CD31 and vascular endothelial growth factor α in the drug-loaded hydrogel group were higher than those in the other three groups at 11 and 18 days after operation(P<0.05).(4)These findings indicate that quercetin in quercetin carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel can regulate inflammatory response,accelerate angiogenesis,promote the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts,and enhance the healing of diabetic wounds in rats.

BACKGROUND:Flap transplantation technique is a commonly used surgical procedure for the treatment of severe tissue defects,but postoperative flap necrosis is easily triggered by ischemia-reperfusion injury.Therefore,it is still an important research topic to improve the survival rate of transplanted flaps. OBJECTIVE:To review the pathogenesis and latest treatment progress of flap ischemia-reperfusion injury. METHODS:CNKI,WanFang Database and PubMed database were searched for relevant literature published from 2014 to 2024.The search terms used were"flap,ischemia-reperfusion injury,inflammatory response,oxidative stress,Ca2+overload,apoptosis,mesenchymal stem cells,platelet-rich plasma,signaling pathways,shock wave,pretreatment"in Chinese and English.After elimination of irrelevant literature,poor quality and obsolete literature,77 documents were finally included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Flap ischemia/reperfusion injury may be related to pathological factors such as inflammatory response,oxidative stress response,Ca2+overload,and apoptosis,which can cause apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells,vascular damage and microcirculation disorders in the flap,and eventually lead to flap necrosis.Studies have found that mesenchymal stem cell transplantation,platelet-rich plasma,signaling pathway modulators,shock waves,and pretreatment can alleviate flap ischemia/reperfusion injuries from different aspects and to varying degrees,and reduce the necrosis rate and necrosis area of the grafted flap.Although there are many therapeutic methods for skin flap ischemia/reperfusion injury,a unified and effective therapeutic method has not yet been developed in the clinic,and the advantages and disadvantages of various therapeutic methods have not yet been compared.Most of the studies remain in the stage of animal experiments,rarely involving clinical observations.Therefore,a lot of research is required in the future to gradually move from animal experiments to the clinic in order to better serve the clinic.

A 71-year-old male presented with esophageal cancer and severe aortic valve regurgitation. Treatment strategies for such patients are controversial. Considering the risks of cardiopulmonary bypass and potential esophageal cancer metastasis, we successfully performed transcatheter aortic valve implantation and minimally invasive three-incision thoracolaparoscopy combined with radical resection of esophageal cancer (McKeown) simultaneously in the elderly patient who did not require neoadjuvant treatment. This dual minimally invasive procedure took 6 hours and the patient recovered smoothly without any surgical complications.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.