ObjectiveTo explore the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Bupi Qingfei prescription （BPQF） in treating stable bronchiectasis in the patients with syndromes of lung-spleen Qi deficiency and phlegm-heat accumulation in the lungs. MethodsA randomized， double-blind， placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Patients were randomized into BPQF and placebo control （PC） groups. On the basis of conventional Western medicine treatment， the BPQF granules and placebo were respectively administered at 10 g each time， twice a day， for a course of 24 weeks. The TCM symptom scores， Quality of Life Questionnaire for Bronchiectasis （QOL-B） scores， lung function indicators， T lymphocyte subsets， level of inflammatory factors in the sputum， level of neutrophil elastase （NE） in the sputum， and occurrence of adverse reactions were observed before and after treatment in the two groups. ResultsA total of 64 patients completed the study， encompassing 32 in the BPQF group and 32 in the PC group. After treatment， the BPQF group showed decreased TCM symptom scores （P<0.01）， increased QOL-B scores （P<0.01）， and declined levels of tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α and NE （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The PC group showed decreased TCM symptom （except spleen deficiency） scores （P<0.01）， increased the QOL-B health cognition and respiratory symptom domain scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and a declined TNF-α level （P<0.01）. Moreover， the BPQF group had lower TCM symptom （except chest tightness） scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， higher QOL-B （except treatment burden） scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and lower levels of interleukin-6 and TNF-α （P<0.05） than the PC group. Neither group showed serious adverse reactions during the treatment process. ConclusionBPQF can ameliorate the clinical symptoms of stable bronchiectasis patients who have lung-spleen Qi deficiency or phlegm-heat accumulation in the lungs by regulating the immune balance and inhibiting airway inflammatory responses.

Objective: To investigate the status and influencing factors of nutritional health knowledge awareness among primary and middle school students in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide a basis for carrying out targeted nutrition health education for students. Methods: The stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select students from 48 schools across 12 counties (cities and districts) in Wenzhou City as survey subjects from October 2023 to February 2024. Basic information, parental information, and nutritional health knowledge were collected using the Questionnaire on nutritional health knowledge for School-Age Children. The awareness rate of nutritional health knowledge was analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for nutritional health knowledge awareness among primary and middle school students. Results: The survey included 4 405 boys, accounting for 51.42%, and 4 161 girls, accounting for 48.58%. The sample consisted of 2 497 pupils in Grades 1-3 (29.15%), 2 591 pupils in Grades 4-6 (30.25%), 1 739 junior high school students (20.30%), and 1 739 senior high school students (20.30%). The median score of nutrition health knowledge was 75.00 (interquartile range, 19.00), and the awareness rate was 4 524 (52.81%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that girls (OR=1.317, 95%CI: 1.198-1.447), primary school students (Grades 1-3, OR=7.830, 95%CI: 6.444-9.513; Grades 4-6, OR=1.276, 95%CI: 1.066-1.528), and those whose mothers had an educational level above junior high school (senior high school/technical secondary school/technical school/junior college, OR=1.188, 95%CI: 1.044-1.352; bachelor' s degree or above, OR=1.194, 95%CI: 1.024-1.392) had a higher likelihood of nutrition and health knowledge awareness. Conversely, students who were overweight or obese (OR=0.798, 95%CI: 0.671-0.950), lived in school (OR=0.763, 95%CI: 0.650-0.895), and had a daily outdoor activity duration of <30 minutes (OR=0.641, 95%CI: 0.570-0.721) had a lower likelihood of nutritional health knowledge awareness. Conclusions The awareness rate of nutritional health knowledge among primary and middle school students in Wenzhou City needs to be improved, and is mainly influenced by gender, educational stage, body mass index, mother' s educational level, and outdoor activity duration. It is recommended to implement differentiated health education strategies and build a "family-school-community" linkage mechanism to improve students' nutrition health literacy.

ObjectiveTaking classical herbal pair compatibility research as the entry point， this study aimed to deeply investigate the material basis and compatibility rules underlying the antidepressant effects of the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） formula Zhizi Houpotang， and to elucidate its antidepressant mechanism， with a particular focus on its regulation of neuroinflammatory responses mediated by the NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3）/gasdermin D （GSDMD） signaling pathway and the consequent improvement of neuronal synaptic plasticity. MethodsC57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a blank control group， a chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） depression model group， a Zhizi Houpotang full-formula group （6 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex （MOC）-Aurantii Fructus Immaturus （AFI） herbal pair group （4.2 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a Gardeniae Fructus （GF）-MOC herbal pair group （4.2 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， a GF-AFI herbal pair group （3.6 g·kg^-1·d^-1）， and a positive drug group （fluoxetine， 12 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）. Depressive-like behaviors in mice were evaluated using behavioral tests. Immunofluorescence staining was used to label and quantify the expression of the microglial marker ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 （Ibal） and the purinergic receptor P2X ligand-gated ion channel 7 （P2RX7） in the prefrontal cortex （PFC）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was applied to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and interleukin-18 （IL-18） in serum and PFC tissues. Western blot was employed to determine the expression of pannexin 1 （Panx1）， P2RX7， NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， Caspase-1， GSDMD， postsynaptic density protein 95 （PSD95）， and the presynaptic protein Synapsin 1 in PFC tissues. Golgi staining was used to assess dendritic spine density of neurons in the PFC. ResultsCompared with the blank control group， the depression model group exhibited significant depressive-like behaviors. In addition， the immunofluorescence areas of Ibal and P2RX7 in the PFC were significantly increased （P<0.01）， the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in serum and the PFC were significantly elevated （P<0.01）， and the protein expression levels of Panx1， P2RX7， NLRP3， ASC， Caspase-1， and GSDMD in the PFC were significantly upregulated （P<0.01）. In contrast， the protein expression levels of PSD95 and Synapsin 1 were significantly downregulated （P<0.01）， and neuronal dendritic spine density was significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the Zhizi Houpotang full-formula group and the GF-MOC herbal pair group showed significant improvement in all the above indicators （P<0.01）. The GF-AFI herbal pair group improved all the above indicators except P2RX7， Caspase-1， GSDMD， and PSD95 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In contrast， the MOC-AFI herbal pair group showed no statistically significant improvement in any of the above indicators compared with the model group. ConclusionZhizi Houpotang and its key herbal pair， GF-MOC， can effectively ameliorate CUMS-induced depressive-like behaviors in mice. Its core antidepressant mechanism may involve inhibition of P2RX7/Panx1 signaling， thereby blocking the NLRP3/GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis pathway and significantly reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Simultaneously， it upregulates the expression of synapse-related proteins PSD95 and Synapsin 1 and increases dendritic spine density， promoting the recovery of synaptic plasticity. These results suggest that GF plays a key role in the antidepressant effects of this formula， and that the compatibility of GF with MOC may represent the principal herbal pair combination responsible for its core therapeutic action.

ObjectiveTo establish a high-performance liquid chromatography（HPLC） for the quantitative analysis of multiple components in Gegen Qinlian tablets， and to comprehensively evaluate the quality of samples from different manufacturers by integrating chemical pattern recognition and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution（TOPSIS）， in order to provide a reference basis for quality evaluation and control of Gegen Qinlian tablets. MethodsHPLC was employed to determine the contents of 10 components in 28 batches of Gegen Qinlian tablets collected from 6 manufacturers， and taking the detection results as variables， SIMCA 14.1 and SPSS 26.0 were employed for cluster analysis（CA）， principal component analysis（PCA）， and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis（OPLS-DA） to identify key components affecting the quality. Then， TOPSIS analysis was employed to rank the quality of Gegen Qinlian tablets from the 6 manufacturers and establish a comprehensive quality evaluation method. ResultsA quantitative method for Gegen Qinlian tablets was established. After methodological validation， the method was found to be stable and reliable， and could be used for the quantitative analysis of this preparation. The contents of 3′-hydroxy puerarin， puerarin， 3′-methoxy puerarin， daidzein， coptisine hydrochloride， epiberberine， jatrorrhizine hydrochloride， berberine hydrochloride， palmatine hydrochloride and baicalin in 28 batches of samples were 3.58-7.35， 24.88-42.32， 4.20-9.36， 4.33-7.60， 2.52-6.44， 0.93-4.10， 0.58-3.05， 10.68-22.92， 0.82-4.82， 11.73-60.16 mg·g^-1， respectively. Among them， puerarin， berberine hydrochloride and baicalin all met the limit requirements for this preparation specified in the 2025 edition of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. CA and PCA clustered the 28 batches of samples into 5 categories， PCA extracted 2 principal components with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 90.588%， and OPLS-DA screened out 4 differential markers with variable importance in the projection（VIP） values>1.0， namely baicalin， 3′-hydroxy puerarin， coptisine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride， which might be the main components affecting the quality of Gegen Qinlian tablets. TOPSIS analysis showed that the comprehensive score of each evaluation index（C_i） values of different manufacturers were different. Among them， the C_i of manufacturer B was ranked higher， indicating potentially superior quality， while the C_i of manufacturer A was ranked lower， suggesting potentially inferior quality. ConclusionThis study establishes a quantitative method for Gegen Qinlian tablets， and the content uniformity of the same manufacturer is good， while there are differences in the contents of active components among different manufacturers. Through the chemical pattern recognition analysis， it is found that the content differences of Gegen Qinlian tablets may be related to baicalin， 3′-hydroxy puerarin， coptisine hydrochloride and palmatine hydrochloride.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects and mechanism of Portulaca oleracea cream on skin pruritus and barrier function in allergic contact dermatitis （ACD） mice. METHODS Low-concentration and high-concentration P. oleracea creams were prepared， with the P. oleracea extract solution （1 g/mL， calculated by crude drug） concentrations of 10% and 20%. Sixty BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into blank group， model group， Mometasone furoate cream group （positive control）， blank matrix cream group， P. oleracea low-concentration and high-concentration cream groups. Except for blank group， ACD model was induced in each group using 2，4-dinitrochlorobenzene solution. The blank group and model groups received normal saline， while the remaining groups were treated with their respective creams， once a day， at a dose of approximately 0.5 g per application， continuously for 14 days. At 24 h post-final administration， skin lesions of mice were observed and scored； pathological changes of skin tissue were observed； serum levels of immunoglobulin E（IgE） and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were quantified. mRNA expression of MAS-related G protein-coupled receptors （including MrgprA3， MrgprC11， and MrgprD） in dorsal root ganglion （DRG） was assessed； while protein expressions of skin barrier function-related proteins Claudin-1 and Occludin in skin tissues were determined. RESULTS Compared with blank group， mice in the model group exhibited severe skin damage， characterized by loss of epidermal architecture， hyperkeratosis of the skin tissue， and the infiltration of a large number of inflammatory cells. The skin injury scores， as well as the serum levels of IgE and TNF-α， and the mRNA expression levels of MrgprA3， MrgprC11， and MrgprD in DRG， were all significantly elevated compared to the blank group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； in contrast， the protein expression levels of Claudin-1 and Occludin in the skin tissue were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group， mice in P. oleracea low-concentration and high- concentration cream groups demonstrated significant alleviation of skin damage， as evidenced by reduced epidermal hyperplasia， mitigated spongiosis in the dermis， and decreased infiltration of inflammatory cells； these quantitative indicators were almost significantly reversed （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No significant differences were observed in the aforementioned skin injuries， pathological alterations， or quantitative indicators between the blank matrix cream group and the model group. CONCLUSIONS P. oleracea may ameliorate skin lesions and restore skin barrier function of ACD mice， the mechanism of which may be associated with downregulating mRNA expressions of MrgprA3， MrgprC11 and MrgprD in DRG， and up-regulating the protein expressions of Claudin-1 and Occludin in skin tissue.

Objective: To examine the associations between three adipokines (omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), so as to provide the basis for the prevention and control of DR. Methods: The T2DM patients hospitalized in Lishui TCM Hospital from August 2021 to May 2023 were selected and divided into three groups: no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) group, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) group, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) group based on fundus fluorescein angiography. Data on gender, age, and course of T2DM were collected through questionnaires, and serum omentin-1, nesfatin-1, apelin, and related blood biochemical indicators were measured. The associations of omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin with DR were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression model. Results: A total of 150 T2DM patients were enrolled, including 58 cases in the NDR group, 60 cases in the NPDR group, and 32 cases in the PDR group, with males accounting for 60.34%, 45.00% and 68.75%, respectively. The mean ages were (54.79±14.40), (57.03±12.20) and (57.72±10.70) years, respectively. The median (interquartile range) courses of T2DM were 7.00 (7.75), 10.00 (8.00) and 10.00 (5.00) years, respectively. Compared with the NDR group, the NPDR group had lower levels of omentin-1 and nesfatin-1 and higher level of apelin, while the PDR group had higher level of omentin-1 and lower level of apelin (all P<0.05). Compared with the NPDR group, the PDR group had higher levels of omentin-1 and nesfatin-1 and lower level of apelin (all P<0.05). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that omentin-1 level was statistically associated with NPDR (OR=0.503, 95%CI: 0.291-0.871) and PDR (OR=7.862, 95%CI: 2.956-20.910); nesfatin-1 (OR=0.971, 95%CI: 0.953-0.989) and apelin (OR=3.266, 95%CI: 1.817-5.868) levels were statistically associated with NPDR. Conclusion Serum levels of omentin-1, nesfatin-1 and apelin were associated with different stages of DR among T2DM patients.

Inflammatory diseases (IDs) are a general term of diseases characterized by chronic inflammation as the primary pathogenetic mechanism, which seriously affect the quality of patient′s life and cause significant social and medical burden. Current drugs for IDs include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, biologics, and antioxidants, but these drugs may cause gastrointestinal side effects, induce or worsen infections, and cause non-response or intolerance. Given the outstanding performance of metal polyphenol network (MPN) in the fields of drug delivery, biomedical imaging, and catalytic therapy, its application in the diagnosis and treatment of IDs has attracted much attention and significant progress has been made. In this paper, we first provide an overview of the types of IDs and their generating mechanisms, then sort out and summarize the different forms of MPN in recent years, and finally discuss in detail the characteristics of MPN and their latest research progress in the diagnosis and treatment of IDs. This research may provide useful references for scientific research and clinical practice in the related fields.

Nanoparticle delivery systems have good application prospects in the field of precision therapy, but the preparation process of nanomaterial has problems such as short in vivo circulation time, easy recognition, and clearance by the immune system in the body. In recent years, biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems mediated by natural cell membranes have become a research hotspot to address these issues. The natural membrane biomimetic nanoparticle delivery system cleverly integrates the advantages of natural biofilm "autologous" and "artificial" functional carriers by using endogenous cell membranes to modify the surface of nanocarriers, endowing them with characteristics such as tumor targeting, low immunogenicity, and long blood circulation. Currently, biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems have been used in the treatment of malignant tumors, cardiovascular diseases, bacterial infections, and other diseases. This paper analyzes the development status and current research hotspots of natural cell membrane camouflaged biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems mainly reviews the latest research progress of red blood cell membrane camouflaged biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems in the field of disease treatment in recent years. It focuses on exploring the advantages, future development prospects, and limitations of biomimetic nanoparticle delivery systems based on red blood cell membrane camouflage in improving drug delivery, to provide a reference for the in-depth research and development of this system.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovial inflammation, joint destruction, and functional impairment. Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathological progression of RA with dysfunction of endothelial cells to promote synovial inflammation, sustain pannus formation, subsequently leading to joint damage. Colquhounia Root Tablets (CRT), a Chinese patent drug, has shown a satisfying clinical efficacy in treating RA, while the underlying mechanism by which CRT inhibits RA-associated angiogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we applied a research approach combining transcriptomic data analysis, bio-network mapping, and in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the molecular mechanisms of CRT in suppressing angiogenesis in RA. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (ratification number: IBTCMCACMS21-2307-06). Network analysis identified that key genes such as nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), SMAD family member 3 (SMAD3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) significantly enriched in pathways related to NOD-like receptor signaling and VEGF signaling, indicating that CRT may inhibit angiogenesis by regulating vascular endothelial cell function with modulating angiogenesis-related pathways. In vivo data showed that CRT significantly reduced the positive expression of CD31 and VEGF in the ankle joint of adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. In vitro data further confirmed that CRT effectively inhibited VEGF-induced migration, invasion, and tube formation in HUVECs, while significantly reduced the expression of angiogenesis-related factors VEGF/CD31/Ang-1, as well as the positive expression of VEGF and CD31 in HUVECs. Furthermore, CRT markedly decreased the protein expression of NOD2, VEGFA, and SMAD3. In conclusion, these findings indicate that CRT may inhibit the RA-related angiogenesis by targeting the NOD2/SMAD3/VEGF signaling axis to improve endothelial cell function, enriching the scientific connotation of CRT in inhibiting pathological angiogenesis in RA and also offer new insights for clinical prevention and treatment of RA.

ObjectiveTo develop a predictive model and application for spontaneous passage of common bile duct stones using automated machine learning algorithms given the complexity of treatment decision-making for patients with common bile duct stones， and to reduce unnecessary endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography （ERCP） procedures. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the data of 835 patients who were scheduled for ERCP after a confirmed diagnosis of common bile duct stones based on imaging techniques in Changshu First People’s Hospital （dataset 1） and Changshu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital （dataset 2）. The dataset 1 was used for the training and internal validation of the machine learning model and the development of an application， and the dataset 2 was used for external testing. A total of 22 potential predictive variables were included for the establishment and internal validation of the LASSO regression model and various automated machine learning models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve （AUC）， sensitivity， specificity， and accuracy were used to assess the performance of models and identify the best model. Feature importance plots， force plots， and SHAP plots were used to interpret the model. The Python Dash library and the best model were used to develop a web application， and external testing was conducted using the dataset 2. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to examine whether the data were normally distributed， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison between two groups， while the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsAmong the 835 patients included in the study， 152 （18.20%） experienced spontaneous stone passage. The LASSO model achieved an AUC of 0.875 in the training set （n=588） and 0.864 in the validation set （n=171）， and the top five predictive factors in terms of importance were solitary common bile duct stones， non-dilated common bile duct， diameter of common bile duct stones， a reduction in serum alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， and a reduction in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase （GGT）. A total of 55 models were established using automated machine learning， among which the gradient boosting machine （GBM） model had the best performance， with an AUC of 0.891 （95% confidence interval： 0.859‍ ‍—‍ ‍0.927）， outperforming the extreme randomized tree mode， the deep learning model， the generalized linear model， and the distributed random forest model. The GBM model had an accuracy of 0.855， a sensitivity of 0.846， and a specificity of 0.857 in the test set （n=76）. The variable importance analysis showed that five factors had important influence on the prediction of spontaneous stone passage， i.e.， were solitary common bile duct stones， non-dilated common bile duct， a stone diameter of <8 mm， a reduction in serum ALP， and a reduction in GGT. The SHAP analysis of the GBM model showed a significant increase in the probability of spontaneous stone passage in patients with solitary common bile duct stones， non-dilated common bile duct， a stone diameter of <8 mm， and a reduction in serum ALP or GGT. ConclusionThe GBM model and application developed using automated machine learning algorithms exhibit excellent predictive performance and user-friendliness in predicting spontaneous stone passage in patients with common bile duct stones. This application can help avoid unnecessary ERCP procedures， thereby reducing surgical risks and healthcare costs.