Atherosclerosis （AS） is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and seriously threatens human quality of life. Its prevention and treatment urgently need breakthroughs. The inflammatory response， which runs through the physiological and pathological evolution process of AS， is one of the important mechanisms for AS occurrence. Currently， the treatment methods for AS in Western medicine are relatively mature. However， they have adverse reactions such as abnormal liver and kidney function， drug tolerance， target vessel restenosis， and stent thrombosis， which remain the key bottleneck restricting clinical efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， characterized by multiple components， multiple targets， and multi-pathway synergy， shows unique clinical application potential and efficacy advantages in the intervention of AS. This article reviewed the research progress of TCM in intervening in AS by regulating inflammatory-related signaling pathways， such as nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptors （TLRs）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT）， in the past five years. It summarized the combined mechanism of action of TCM monomers， TCM pairs， and compound preparations in inhibiting the inflammatory cascade reaction through multiple targets， regulating lipid metabolism disorders， and improving vascular endothelial dysfunction and the imbalance of the microenvironment. It deepened the research on the molecular mechanism of TCM in anti-AS， so as to provide a scientific basis for the clinical transformation application and related theoretical research of TCM in anti-AS.

Atherosclerosis （AS） is the main pathological basis of cardiovascular diseases and seriously threatens human quality of life. Its prevention and treatment urgently need breakthroughs. The inflammatory response， which runs through the physiological and pathological evolution process of AS， is one of the important mechanisms for AS occurrence. Currently， the treatment methods for AS in Western medicine are relatively mature. However， they have adverse reactions such as abnormal liver and kidney function， drug tolerance， target vessel restenosis， and stent thrombosis， which remain the key bottleneck restricting clinical efficacy. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， characterized by multiple components， multiple targets， and multi-pathway synergy， shows unique clinical application potential and efficacy advantages in the intervention of AS. This article reviewed the research progress of TCM in intervening in AS by regulating inflammatory-related signaling pathways， such as nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Toll-like receptors （TLRs）， mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）， and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT）， in the past five years. It summarized the combined mechanism of action of TCM monomers， TCM pairs， and compound preparations in inhibiting the inflammatory cascade reaction through multiple targets， regulating lipid metabolism disorders， and improving vascular endothelial dysfunction and the imbalance of the microenvironment. It deepened the research on the molecular mechanism of TCM in anti-AS， so as to provide a scientific basis for the clinical transformation application and related theoretical research of TCM in anti-AS.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and risk factors of open gingival embrasures (OGEs) in the incisor region after treatment with clear aligners in adult non-extraction patients and provide a reference for preventing the occurrence of an open gingival wedge gap in the incisal area after orthodontic treatment. Methods: This study has been reviewed and approved by the institutional medical ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from the patients. A total of 125 adult patients with malocclusion who completed clear aligner treatment at Hefei Stomatological Hospital from September 2022 to December 2024 were selected as the study subjects. Based on the presence or absence of OGEs in the incisor region observed in frontal intraoral photographs taken immediately after treatment completion, the patients were divided into a normal group and an OGE group. Clinical data, including intraoral photographs, digital models, and cone-beam computed tomography before and after treatment, were analyzed. Measurements such as incisor overlap and rotation, crown morphology, number of attachments, and interproximal enamel reduction (IPR) were recorded and analyzed. Results: The incidence of OGEs between the maxillary and mandibular central incisors after clear aligner treatment in adult patients was 28.8% and 39.2%, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed between the normal and OGE groups in terms of sex, Angle's classification, gingival biotype, overbite, overjet, IPR amount, age, treatment duration, tooth axis angulation, or horizontal movement distance of mandibular central incisors before and after treatment (P 0.05). However, significant differences were found in the number of attachments, anteroposterior distance between mesial incisal angles, distance from the interproximal contact point (ICP) to the alveolar bone crest (ABC) (ICP-ABC), horizontal distance between mesial cementoenamel junction (CEJ) of two adjacent central incisors (CEJ-CEJ) and labial alveolar bone thickness (P 0.05). IPR amount and mandibular incisor intrusion were significantly associated with the severity of OGEs (P 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that the number of attachments, anteroposterior distance between mesial incisal angles, ICP-ABC distance, and CEJ-CEJ horizontal distance were significantly correlated with the occurrence of OGEs. Conclusion The incidence of open gingival embrasures in the mandibular central incisor region is relatively high among adult patients treated with clear aligners. The number of attachments (n = 2), the anteroposterior distance between the mesio-incisal angles, the distance from the tooth contact point to the alveolar bone crest, and the horizontal distance between adjacent cementoenamel junctions have been identified as risk factors for the development of open gingival embrasures upon completion of orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and potential mechanism of the compatibility of Astragali Radix-Puerariae Lobatae Radix on ferroptosis of liver cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus （T2DM） insulin resistance （IR） rats. METHODS Sixty male SD rats were randomly divided into control group （12 rats） and modeling group （48 rats）. The modeling group was fed with a high- fat diet for 4 consecutive weeks and then given a one-time tail vein injection of 1% streptozotocin to establish T2DM IR model. The model rats were randomly divided into model group， the compatibility of Astragali Radix-Puerariae Lobatae Radix group [QG group， 4.05 g/（kg·d）， intragastric administration]， ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 group [Fer-1 group， 5 mg/kg by intraperitoneal injection， once every other day]， the compatibility of Astragali Radix-Puerariae Lobatae Radix+ferroptosis inducer erastin group [QG+erastin group， 4.05 g/（kg·d） by intragastric administration+erastin 10 mg/（kg·d）， intraperitoneal injection]. After 4 weeks of intervention， serum fasting blood glucose （FBG） and fasting insulin （FINS） were measured in each group of rats， and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance （HOMA-IR） and the natural logarithm of insulin action index（IAI） were calculated； the serum levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， aspartate transaminase （AST） and alanine transaminase （ALT）， Fe2+ and Fe content， glutathione （GSH）， malondialdehyde （MDA） and superoxide dismutase （SOD） levels， NADP+/NADPH ratio and reactive oxygen species （ROS） were determined. The pathological morphology of its liver tissue was observed； the protein expressions of glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）， ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）， long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 3 （ACSL3）， ACSL4， ferritin mitochondrial （FTMT）， and cystine/glutamate anti-porter （xCT） in the liver tissue of rats were detected. RESULTS Compared with control group， the liver cells in the model group of rats showed disordered arrangement， swelling， deepened nuclear staining， and more infiltration of inflammatory cells， as well as a large number of hepatocyte vacuoles and steatosis； FBG （after medication）， the levels of TC， TG， LDL-C， AST， ALT， FINS， MDA and ROS， HOMA-IR， Fe2+ and Fe content， NADP+/NADPH ratio and protein expression of ACSL4 were significantly increased or up-regulated， while the levels of HDL-C， GSH and SOD， IAI， protein expressions of GPX4， FTH1， ACSL3， FTMT and xCT were significantly reduced or down-regulated （P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， both QG group and Fer-1 group showed varying degrees of improvement in pathological damage of liver tissue and the levels of the above indicators， the differences in the changes of most indicators were statistically significant （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. Compared with QG group， the improvement of the above indexes of QG+erastin group had been reversed significantly （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS The compatibility decoction of Astragali Radix-Puerariae Lobatae Radix can reduce the level of FBG in T2DM IR rats， and alleviate IR degree， ion overload and pathological damage of liver tissue. The above effects are related to the inhibition of ferroptosis.

ObjectiveTo investigate the anti-Alzheimer's disease （AD） effect of Dipsacus asper（DA） in the Caenorhabditis elegans model， and decipher the underlying mechanism via the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α （PPARα）/transcription factor EB （TFEB） pathway. MethodsFirst， transgenic AD C. elegans individuals were assigned into the blank control， model， positive control （WY14643， 20 µmol·L^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （100， 200， and 400 mg·L^-1， respectively） DA groups. The amyloid β-42 （Aβ₄₂） formation in the muscle cells， the paralysis time， and the deposition of amyloid β-protein （Aβ） in the head were detected. The lysosomal autophagy in the BV2 cell model was examined by Rluc-LC3wt/G120A. The expression levels of lysosomal autophagy-related proteins LC3Ⅱ， LC3I， LAMP2， and TFEB were detected by Western blot. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA levels of autophagy-related genes beclin1 and Atg5 and lysosome-related genes LAMP2 and CLN2 downstream of PPARα/TFEB. A reporter gene assay was used to detect the transcriptional activities of PPARα and TFEB. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the fluorescence intensity of PPARα， and the active components of the ethanol extract of DA were identified by UPLC-MS. RCSB PDB， Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， and Autodock were used to analyze the binding between the active components and PPARα-ligand-binding domain （LBD）. ResultsCompared with the model group， the positive control group and 200 and 400 mg·L^-1 DA groups showed prolonged paralysis time （P<0.05）， and all the treatment groups showed decreased Aβ deposition in the head （P<0.01）. DA within the concentration range of 50-500 mg·L^-1 did not affect the viability of BV2 cells. In addition， DA enhanced the autophagy flux （P<0.05）， up-regulated the mRNA levels of beclin1， Atg5， LAMP2， and CLN2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， promoted the nuclear translocation of TFEB （P<0.05）， increased LAMP2 expression and autophagy flux （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and enhanced the transcriptional activities of PPARα and TFEB （P<0.01）. The positive control group and 200 and 400 mg·L^-1 DA groups showed enhanced fluorescence intensity of PPARα in the BV2 nucleus （P<0.01）. UPLC-MS detected nine known compounds of DA， from which 8 active components of DA were screened out. The docking results suggested that a variety of components in DA could bind to PPARα-LBD and form stable hydrogen bonds. ConclusionDA may reduce the pathological changes in AD by regulating the PPARα-TFEB pathway.

Objective: To explore the relative importance of different food attributes and levels in food decision making of school aged children, and to understand their meal preferences, so as to provide the evidence for formulating precise intervention strategies for dietary behaviours of school aged children. Methods: From May to June 2024, a total of 854 children aged 11 to 15 years old were selected from 2 middle schools (each school in urban and rural areas) in both Hubei Province and Anhui Province by stratified cluster random sampling method to conduct a D-optimal discrete choice experiment. The mixed Logit model was used to analyze children s preference for meal attributes and different levels, and to calculate the relative importance (RI) of attributes and willingness to pay (WTP) in meal choices. Results: The included five food attributes had statistical significance on meal choice of school aged children ( P <0.05). The relative importance of food attributes affecting the meal choices of school aged children in descending order were dining mode ( RI =31.26%), food varieties ( RI =30.56%), cooking method( RI =23.84%), taste( RI =8.06%) and price ( RI =6.27%). Among them, school aged children preferred home cooked meals ( β =0.74) (WTP=86.3 yuan),varied foods(grain/tubers+vegetables+fish, meat, eggs and beans) ( β =0.61) (WTP=71.9 yuan), fried/roasted cooking ( β =0.51) and spicy taste ( β =0.33).Price was negatively correlated with meal choices( β =-0.01) ( P <0.05). Based on residential area and body mass index (BMI), the stratified analysis showed that dining mode was highest in the relative importance for rural children with overweight and obese children ( RI =31.28%,34.17%), both of whom preferred home cooked meals ( β =0.76, 0.91), and meals containing fish, meat, eggs and beans with grain/tubers or grain/tubers and vegetables in terms of food choice (area: β =0.53, 0.53 ; BMI: β =0.55, 0.56) ( P <0.05). Conclusions School aged children have different preferences for different attributes of meals. The quality of school meals should be improved,the cost of buying healthy meals should be reduced,targeted family health education should be carried out,and healthy cooking methods should be advocated.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (syMRI) combined with clinicopathological characteristics for the pre-treatment prediction of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) response in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (ANPC). Materials and Methods: Patients with ANPC treated with CRT between September 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled and categorized into response group (RG, n = 95) and non RGs (NRG, n = 32) based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1. The quantitative parameters from pre-treatment syMRI (longitudinal [T1] and transverse [T2] relaxation times and proton density [PD]), diffusion-weighted imaging (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]), and clinicopathological characteristics were compared between RG and NRG. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify parameters independently associated with CRT response and to construct a multivariable model. The areas under the receiveroperating characteristic curve (AUC) for various diagnostic approaches were compared using the DeLong test. Results: The T1, T2, and PD values in the NRG were significantly lower than those in the RG (all P < 0.05), whereas no significant difference was observed in the ADC values between these two groups. Clinicopathological characteristics (Epstein–Barr virus [EBV]-DNA level, lymph node extranodal extension, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression) exhibited significant differences between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that T1, PD, EBV-DNA level, clinical stage, and Ki-67 expression had significant independent relationships with CRT response (all P < 0.05). The multivariable model incorporating these five variables yielded AUC, sensitivity, and specificity values of 0.974, 93.8% (30/32), and 91.6% (87/95), respectively. Conclusion SyMRI may be used for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response in ANPC. The multivariable model incorporating syMRI quantitative parameters and clinicopathological characteristics, which were independently associated with CRT response, may be a new tool for the pretreatment prediction of CRT response.

To summarize the clinical experience of Professor LIU Shangyi in treating pruritus vulvae. It is believed that women have the physiological characteristics of liver and kidney as the root， and their pubic area is easily attacked by wind-dampness pathogenic qi， so the core mechanism of pruritus vulvae is proposed as wind-dampness accumulation and deficiency of liver and kidney. The core treatment method is to dispel wind-dampness and nourish the liver and kidneys， and modify the Danggui Decoction （当归饮子） to form a self-prescribed Yinyang Formula （阴痒方） as the basic prescription to treat pruritus vulvaen.

ObjectiveAccording to the theory of medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， Tangye Jingfa Tu， implying that all tonic prescriptions should primarily feature sweetness. However， the "Chart of the Classic Methods of Decoction Therapy" recorded in Mnemonic Aids for Medical Practice （Fuxingjue） proposes that each of the Zangfu organs has a corresponding tonifying flavor， i.e.， pungent for the liver， salty for the heart， sweet for the spleen， sour for the lungs， and bitter for the kidneys. Therefore， deficiency syndromes of different organs should be primarily addressed with specific medicinal flavors. This study applies this theoretical framework to analyze the formulation and compatibility principles and efficacy positioning of commonly used TCM tonic prescriptions， providing a reference for differentiated clinical medication. MethodsA database of tonic prescriptions was established based on the textbook Science of Prescriptions. Excel software was used to separately calculate the number of medicinal types， frequency of use， flavors， and proportional composition of the prescriptions. The prescriptions were categorized to determine their compatibility structures and functional characteristics. ResultsA total of 60 prescriptions were included， classified into six categories， involving 110 medicinal types with 469 instances of use. From the perspective of the "Chart of the Classic Methods of Decoction Therapy"， different tonic prescriptions exhibit distinct dominant medicinal flavors and organ associations. Specifically， 15 Qi-tonifying prescriptions primarily adopted a "sweet flavor" to tonify the spleen. Nine blood-tonifying prescriptions primarily adopted a "pungent-salty flavor" to tonify the liver and heart. Seven Qi-and-blood-tonifying prescriptions primarily featured a "sweet-pungent flavor" to tonify the spleen and liver. Nineteen Yin-tonifying prescriptions primarily adopted a "bitter-sour flavor" to tonify the kidneys and lungs. Seven Yang-tonifying prescriptions primarily featured a "pungent-bitter flavor" to tonify the liver and kidneys. Three Yin-and-Yang-tonifying prescriptions primarily featured a "bitter-pungent-sweet flavor" to tonify the kidneys， liver， and spleen. ConclusionThe "Chart of the Classic Methods of Decoction Therapy" clearly illustrates the formulation and compatibility principles and key differences among various tonic prescriptions， indicating that not all tonic prescriptions are predominantly sweet in flavor. This provides new insights for the clinical modification and application of tonic prescriptions.

ObjectiveAccording to the theory of medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， Tangye Jingfa Tu， implying that all tonic prescriptions should primarily feature sweetness. However， the "Chart of the Classic Methods of Decoction Therapy" recorded in Mnemonic Aids for Medical Practice （Fuxingjue） proposes that each of the Zangfu organs has a corresponding tonifying flavor， i.e.， pungent for the liver， salty for the heart， sweet for the spleen， sour for the lungs， and bitter for the kidneys. Therefore， deficiency syndromes of different organs should be primarily addressed with specific medicinal flavors. This study applies this theoretical framework to analyze the formulation and compatibility principles and efficacy positioning of commonly used TCM tonic prescriptions， providing a reference for differentiated clinical medication. MethodsA database of tonic prescriptions was established based on the textbook Science of Prescriptions. Excel software was used to separately calculate the number of medicinal types， frequency of use， flavors， and proportional composition of the prescriptions. The prescriptions were categorized to determine their compatibility structures and functional characteristics. ResultsA total of 60 prescriptions were included， classified into six categories， involving 110 medicinal types with 469 instances of use. From the perspective of the "Chart of the Classic Methods of Decoction Therapy"， different tonic prescriptions exhibit distinct dominant medicinal flavors and organ associations. Specifically， 15 Qi-tonifying prescriptions primarily adopted a "sweet flavor" to tonify the spleen. Nine blood-tonifying prescriptions primarily adopted a "pungent-salty flavor" to tonify the liver and heart. Seven Qi-and-blood-tonifying prescriptions primarily featured a "sweet-pungent flavor" to tonify the spleen and liver. Nineteen Yin-tonifying prescriptions primarily adopted a "bitter-sour flavor" to tonify the kidneys and lungs. Seven Yang-tonifying prescriptions primarily featured a "pungent-bitter flavor" to tonify the liver and kidneys. Three Yin-and-Yang-tonifying prescriptions primarily featured a "bitter-pungent-sweet flavor" to tonify the kidneys， liver， and spleen. ConclusionThe "Chart of the Classic Methods of Decoction Therapy" clearly illustrates the formulation and compatibility principles and key differences among various tonic prescriptions， indicating that not all tonic prescriptions are predominantly sweet in flavor. This provides new insights for the clinical modification and application of tonic prescriptions.