Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics， this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin， decocting methods， and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research， it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease， which is also known as Ganjietang， and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear， Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum， Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis， the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix， decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL， taken warmly after meals， twice a day， 100 mL for each time. In ancient times， Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome， with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice， Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis， esophagitis， tonsillitis and lung abscess， especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.

Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics， this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin， decocting methods， and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research， it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease， which is also known as Ganjietang， and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear， Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum， Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis， the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix， decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL， taken warmly after meals， twice a day， 100 mL for each time. In ancient times， Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome， with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice， Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis， esophagitis， tonsillitis and lung abscess， especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of superoxide dismutase （SOD） administration on the malignant behavior of PLC/PRF/5 liver cancer cells， and analyze the correlation between SOD and alpha-fetoprotein （AFP） expression， to provide new ideas for targeting AFP with SOD as a drug for hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS Normal human liver cells L-02， AFP- negative human liver cancer cells HLE， and AFP-positive human liver cancer cells PLC/PRF/5 were used as experimental cells. Western blot assay and SOD activity detection kit were used to detect the expression of AFP， SOD and activity of SOD in cells before and after changing AFP expression； the effects of different concentrations of SOD [0 （control）， 0.188， 0.375， 0.75， 1.5， 3 U/mL] administration on the migration and proliferation of PLC/PRF/5 cells were detected using cell scratch assay and CCK-8 assay. The effects of SOD overexpression on the expression of malignant biological behavior-related proteins AFP and sarcoma virus protein （Src） in PLC/PRF/5 cells were detected using Western blot. RESULTS Compared with L-02 group and HLE group， the expression levels of SOD1 and SOD2， and SOD activity in PLC/PRF/5 cells were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. After down-regulating AFP expression in PLC/PRF/ 5 cells， compared with PLC/PRF/5 group， the expression levels of SOD1 and SOD2， as well as SOD activity， were significantly increased in the PLC/PRF/5-shAFP group （low-expression） （P＜0.05）. After 48 hours of SOD treatment， compared with control group， the scratch healing rates of PLC/PRF/5 cells in the 0.375， 0.75， 1.5 and 3 U/mL SOD groups were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）； after 72 hours of SOD treatment， compared with control group， the scratch healing rates of PLC/PRF/5 cells in the 0.375， 0.75， and 1.5 U/mL SOD groups were significantly reduced （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with control group， proliferation rates of PLC/PRF/5 cells were significantly reduced in the 0.375， 0.75， 1.5 and 3 U/mL SOD groups （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the PLC/PRF/5 group before up-regulating SOD1 and SOD2 expression， the expression levels of AFP and Src in the PLC/PRF/5-oeSOD1 and PLC/PRF/5-oeSOD2 groups （over-expression） after up-regulating SOD1 and SOD2 expression were significantly reduced （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS A certain concentration of SOD can inhibit malignant behavior such as migration and proliferation of PLC/PRF/5 cells， and the expression level and activity of SOD are negatively correlated with AFP.

Objective:To gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers to active management in elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and to provide evidence for targeted interventions.Methods:A descriptive qualitative research method was adopted. Using purposive sampling, a total of 14 elderly CHF patients admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, from January to February 2025 were selected as study participants. Based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), a semi-structured in-depth interview guide was developed. NVivo 12.0 software was used to organize and code the data, and directed content analysis was applied.Results:Eight TDF-related domains of barriers were identified and summarized into four themes: misconceptions of disease and information processing barriers (knowledge; memory, attention, and decision processes) ; dependence on family members and limited accessibility of medical resources (social influence; environmental context and resources) ; negative goal motivation and low management confidence (goals; beliefs about consequences and capabilities) ; and emotional management obstacles and fatigue from self-regulation (emotion) .Conclusions:On the basis of meeting elderly CHF patients' knowledge needs, healthcare professionals should expand their access to information, improve social support systems, stimulate intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, and alleviate negative emotions and fatigue related to self-regulation, thereby enhancing the positivity of self-health management and achieving sustainability in health management.

Objective:To gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers to active management in elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and to provide evidence for targeted interventions.Methods:A descriptive qualitative research method was adopted. Using purposive sampling, a total of 14 elderly CHF patients admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College, from January to February 2025 were selected as study participants. Based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), a semi-structured in-depth interview guide was developed. NVivo 12.0 software was used to organize and code the data, and directed content analysis was applied.Results:Eight TDF-related domains of barriers were identified and summarized into four themes: misconceptions of disease and information processing barriers (knowledge; memory, attention, and decision processes) ; dependence on family members and limited accessibility of medical resources (social influence; environmental context and resources) ; negative goal motivation and low management confidence (goals; beliefs about consequences and capabilities) ; and emotional management obstacles and fatigue from self-regulation (emotion) .Conclusions:On the basis of meeting elderly CHF patients' knowledge needs, healthcare professionals should expand their access to information, improve social support systems, stimulate intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, and alleviate negative emotions and fatigue related to self-regulation, thereby enhancing the positivity of self-health management and achieving sustainability in health management.

Objective:To explore the impacts of thermotherapy combined with gemcitabine on the biological behavior of tongue squamous cell carcinoma cells.Methods:Human tongue squamous cell carcinoma Tca8113 cells were divided into the control group (blank control), gemcitabine group, thermotherapy group (heated in an incubator at 43℃ for 1 h and then incubated at 37℃ for 24 h) and thermotherapy + gemcitabine group. The proliferation ability of Tca8113 cells was assessed by EdU staining and CCK-8 assay. Cell apoptosis and cell cycle of Tca8113 cells were detected by flow cytometry. The invasion of Tca8113 cells was determined by Transwell chamber assay. The expression levels of cyclin D1 (CyclinD1), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, phosphorylated histone H2AX (γH2AX) and Nijmegen breakage syndrome 1 (NBS1) proteins in Tca8113 cells were measured by Western blot. The changes of tumor mass and volume were detected by xenograft tumor in vivo test in nude mice. Multi-group comparison was performed by one-way ANOVA. Two group comparison was conducted by SNK- q test. Results:Compared with the control group, EdU positive cell percentage, OD 450 value, invasive cell number, CyclinD1, MMP-9 and NBS1 protein expression of Tca8113 cells were decreased, whereas the apoptosis rate, the expression of Bax and γH2AX proteins were increased in the gemcitabine, thermotherapy and thermotherapy + gemcitabine groups ( q=4.45-72.06, all P<0.001). Compared with the control group, the proportion of G 0/G 1 phase cells was decreased, whereas the proportion of S and G 2/M phase cells was increased in the gemcitabine and thermotherapy + gemcitabine groups, the proportion of G 0/G 1 phase cells was decreased and the proportion of G 2/M phase cells was increased in the hyperthermia group ( q=10.36-61.09, all P<0.001). Compared with the gemcitabine and thermotherapy groups, EdU positive cell percentage, OD 450 value, G 0/G 1 phase cell proportion, invasive cell number, CyclinD1, MMP-9 and NBS1 protein expression of Tca8113 cells were decreased, whereas apoptosis rate, S, G 2/M phase cell proportion, Bax and γH2AX protein expression were increased in the thermotherapy + gemcitabine group ( q=4.45-28.73, all P<0.001). Xenograft tumor in vivo test in nude mice showed that the tumor volume and mass of nude mice in the gemcitabine, thermotherapy, and thermotherapy + gemcitabine groups were decreased compared with those in the control group ( q=5.58-73.02, all P<0.001). Compared with the gemcitabine and thermotherapy groups, the tumor volume and mass in the thermotherapy + gemcitabine group were decreased ( q=5.58-21.45, all P<0.001). Conclusion:The combination of thermotherapy and gemcitabine can inhibit the proliferation and invasion, block the cell cycle, and induce cell apoptosis of Tca8113 cells.

To investigate the differences in methylation levels of cuproptosis related genes in cervical cancer and their effects on clinical prognosis.Methods:The methylation data of 310 cervical tissue specimens were acquired from public databases. The UALCAN database was used to analyze the methylation level differences of 12 cuproptosis-related genes and study their level in different stages or grades of cervical cancer. Genes with statistically significant differences were selected for prognosis analysis using the EWAS datahub. Finally, gene-enrichment analysis, pathway analysis, immune infiltration analysis, the mutation rate and tumor mutation burden (TMB) of the genes in cervical cancer were analyzed using the cBioportal database. Two independent samples rank-sum test was used for differences in methylation levels and immune cell infiltration; comparative analyses of overall survival were performed using KM survival curves and Log-rank two-sided tests. TMB analyses were performed using the Wilcoxon Test for statistical analyses; Pearson correlation analysis was used for assessment in GSEA and pathway analyses.Results:The methylationβvalue of Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A gene) in the cervical cancer tissues of patients was 0.075 which was significantly higher than the methylationβvalue of 0.049 in normal human tissues ( P=0.008). Dihydrolipoamide S-Acetyltransferase (DLAT gene) methylation with a β value of 0.102 was significantly higher than normal human tissue methylation with a β value of 0.08 ( P=0.002), and the methylation level β value of Lipoyltransferase 1 (LIPT1 gene) in cervical cancer tissues was 0.06,which was significantly lower than normal human tissue methylation value of 0.092 ( P=0.009). Patients with CDKN2A gene methylation levels≥0.199 had an overall survival of 14.75 years, which was lower than that of patients with methylation levels<0.199 (17.56 years) ( P=0.034).The results of gene enrichment analysis indicated that it mainly involves biological processes such as the response to type I interferon and DNA replication. The expression of CDKN2A gene is positively correlated with the number of neutrophils and dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment( P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the number ofmacrophages( P<0.05). TMB was higher in the group of variants of the CDKN2A gene than in the group of non-variants ( P=0.019). Conclusion:CDKN2A methylation is a potential biomarker for predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a common malignant tumor in southern China, and its occurrence and development mechanism are still not fully understood. However, a large number of studies have shown that DNA methylation has important clinical application value in the screening, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. DNA methylation affects the division cycle, growth, invasion and migration of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by regulating the transcription and protein expression levels of genes associated with tumorigenesis and development. In addition, there are significant differences in DNA methylation expression levels in different stages of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which provides theoretical guidance and clinical reference for the early diagnosis, timely treatment and response evaluation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Current studies have shown that DNA methylation detection may provide a simple and efficient early screening method for nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and can also explore new ideas for the development of non-invasive screening methods.

Berberine is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine,which has the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.Ongoing investigations have identified berberine as an effective medicine for systemic diseases,such as cardiovascular diseases,diabe-tes mellitus and neurological disorders.At the same time,there exists a close relationship between oral microbiota and these systemic diseases.This review focuses on the relationship between berberine,oral microbiota and systemic diseases,offering new insights for the treatment of systemic diseases.

OBJECTIVES: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) frequently leads to myocardial ischemia and cardiac dysfunction. Even genotype-positive/phenotype-negative (G⁺/P^-) individuals, carriers of pathogenic sarcomere gene mutations without left ventricular hypertrophy, remain at risk of progression to clinical HCM. This study aims to evaluate myocardial perfusion and contractile function in familial HCM patients and their first-degree relatives using myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) and velocity vector imaging (VVI), in order to identify early myocardial dysfunction and at-risk individuals within families. METHODS: Thirty-five genetically confirmed HCM patients with left ventricular hypertrophy were assigned to a G⁺/P⁺ group. A total of 30 first-degree relatives carrying sarcomere mutations but without echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular hypertrophy were assigned to a G⁺/P^- group. A total of 38 age- and sex-matched gene-negative healthy family members served as controls. All participants underwent MCE and VVI assessments. Myocardial perfusion parameters, including peak intensity (PI), time to peak concentration (TP), and the ratio of declining intensity and declining time (dI/dT), as well as strain parameters including global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), and global circumferential strain (GCS) were recorded and analyzed for differences and correlations. RESULTS: Compared to both the G⁺/P^- and normal control groups, the G⁺/P⁺ group had significantly lower PI, dI/dT, GLS, and GRS, along with significantly increased TP (all P<0.05). GLS and GRS were positively correlated with PI (r=0.629 and r=0.613, respectively; both P<0.01) and negatively correlated with TP (r=-0.597 and r=-0.571, respectively; both P<0.01). Compared to the normal control group, the G⁺/P^- group showed a significant reduction in GLS (P<0.05), but no significant differences in GRS, GCS, PI, TP, or dI/dT (all P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Myocardial contractile dysfunction in HCM patients is closely related to impaired perfusion. Even in the absence of wall hypertrophy, sarcomere mutation carriers show early signs of subclinical left ventricular dysfunction. MCE and VVI can quantitatively assess myocardial perfusion and function, offering valuable tools for early detection and risk stratification in HCM patients and their relatives.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Myocardial Contraction/physiology* ; Echocardiography/methods* ; Adult ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic, Familial/genetics* ; Family ; Mutation