ObjectiveAge-related macular degeneration （AMD） is one of the leading causes of low vision and blindness in people over 50 years old， and dry AMD （dAMD） is one type for which there is currently no clear treatment. On the basis of the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of dAMD in traditional Chinese and Western medicine， this paper evaluated the fitting degrees of existing animal models of dAMD with clinical characteristics according to the evaluation methods of animal models， and put forward suggestions and prospects. MethodsLiterature on animal models of dAMD was searched against database， and the characteristics of the models were assigned according to the diagnosis criteria of diseases and syndromes of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， and the fitting degrees of the models with clinical characteristics were analyzed and evaluated. ResultsAt present， the animal models of dAMD are mainly established targeting complement factors， chemokines， oxidative damage， lipid/glucose metabolism， and natural strains. Most of the models can simulate the major pathological changes of dAMD， showing the fitting degree of 25%-50% with clinical characteristics in Western medicine. However， the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， especially the evaluation of secondary syndromes， is missing， and the models present low fitting degrees with the clinical characteristics in TCM. ConclusionExisting animal models of dAMD are mostly established under the guidance of Western diagnostic standards， which reproduce the main disease characteristics of Western medicine and lack observation of TCM syndromes. Future studies can pay attention to the intervention factors and evaluation systems of spleen deficiency Qi deficiency and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and build the animal model of dAMD with integration of disease and syndrome based on clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

ObjectiveAge-related macular degeneration （AMD） is one of the leading causes of low vision and blindness in people over 50 years old， and dry AMD （dAMD） is one type for which there is currently no clear treatment. On the basis of the diagnosis and clinical characteristics of dAMD in traditional Chinese and Western medicine， this paper evaluated the fitting degrees of existing animal models of dAMD with clinical characteristics according to the evaluation methods of animal models， and put forward suggestions and prospects. MethodsLiterature on animal models of dAMD was searched against database， and the characteristics of the models were assigned according to the diagnosis criteria of diseases and syndromes of traditional Chinese and Western medicine， and the fitting degrees of the models with clinical characteristics were analyzed and evaluated. ResultsAt present， the animal models of dAMD are mainly established targeting complement factors， chemokines， oxidative damage， lipid/glucose metabolism， and natural strains. Most of the models can simulate the major pathological changes of dAMD， showing the fitting degree of 25%-50% with clinical characteristics in Western medicine. However， the evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndromes， especially the evaluation of secondary syndromes， is missing， and the models present low fitting degrees with the clinical characteristics in TCM. ConclusionExisting animal models of dAMD are mostly established under the guidance of Western diagnostic standards， which reproduce the main disease characteristics of Western medicine and lack observation of TCM syndromes. Future studies can pay attention to the intervention factors and evaluation systems of spleen deficiency Qi deficiency and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome and build the animal model of dAMD with integration of disease and syndrome based on clinical characteristics of traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease. The heterotopic colonization of periodontal pathogens results in the development of several systemic diseases. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a key pathogen for periodontitis, has been linked to the development of various cancers, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer. P. gingivalis promote the progression of tumor through various mechanisms, P. gingivalis regulates proteins targeting cell cycle and apoptosis to promote proliferation of tumor cells directly, enhances tumor stemness by upregulating the expression of cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44) and cluster of differentiation 133 (CD133), activates inflammasome and p38/c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1(JNK) pathways, regulates tumor-associated neutrophil (TAN) polarization to remodel the tumor microenvironment, regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to promote tumor metastasis, remodel macrophage function to evade host immune response, and regulates multi-communicating with symbiotic bacteria. In addition, P. gingivalis accelerates the progression of esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer by promoting cell proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis, inducing chronic inflammation, and escaping immunity. However, the oral microbiome is a complex system, whether the interactions between oral bacteria affect tumor progression needs to be further investigated.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Purpose: This study assessed the performance of the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in diagnosing and grading hepatic steatosis in patients with metabolic dysfunctionassociated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) served as the reference standard. Methods: Patients with hepatic steatosis were enrolled in this prospective study and underwent UGAP measurements. MRI-PDFF values of ≥5%, ≥15%, and ≥25% were used as references for the diagnosis of steatosis grades ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) were calculated. Results: Between July 2023 and June 2024, the study included 88 patients (median age, 40 years; interquartile range [IQR], 36 to 46 years), of whom 54.5% (48/88) were men and 45.5% (40/88) were women. Steatosis grades exhibited the following distribution: 22.7% (20/88) had S0, 50.0% (44/88) had S1, 21.6% (19/88) had S2, and 5.7% (5/88) had S3. The success rate for UGAP measurements was 100%. The median UGAP value was 0.74 dB/cm/MHz (IQR, 0.65 to 0.82 dB/ cm/MHz), and UGAP values were positively correlated with MRI-PDFF (r=0.77, P<0.001). The AUCs of UGAP for the diagnoses of ≥S1, ≥S2, and S3 steatosis were 0.91, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. In the subgroup analysis, 98.4% (60/61) of patients had valid controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) values. UGAP measurements were positively correlated with CAP values (r=0.65, P<0.001). Conclusion Using MRI-PDFF as the reference standard, UGAP demonstrates good diagnostic performance in the detection and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients with MASLD.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical effectiveness and safety of Dingchan Granule （定颤颗粒） for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis. MethodsUsing a randomised， double-blind， placebo controlled study method， 90 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome were divided into 45 cases each in the treatment group and the control group. Both groups were given conventional western medicine treatment， and the treatment group was additionally treated with Dingchan Granule， while the control group was treated with Dingchan Granule placebo， both of which were taken orally for 8 g each time twice a day. Both groups were treated for 8 weeks. We compared the clinical effectiveness， the improvement of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） symptoms and the recovery rate of atrial fibrillation between the two groups. We compared the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes， TCM symptoms score， atrial fibrillation symptom classification， 24-hour average ventricular rate， Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index （PSQI）， anxiety index， depression index before and after treatment， and evaluated the safety of the two groups. ResultsThe total clinical effectiveness rate in the treatment group was 82.22% （37/45）， which was better than 60.00% （27/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate of TCM syndrome effectiveness in the treatment group was 88.89% （40/45）， which was better than 66.67% （30/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）； and the rate of atrial fibrillation regression in the treatment group was 26.67% （12/45）， better than 6.67% （3/45） in the control group （P＜0.05）. The number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in both groups were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）， and the number and duration of atrial fibrillation episodes in the treatment group were lower than those in the control group （P＜0.01）. The TCM syndrome scores of both groups after treatment were significantly lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， and the scores of the treatment group was lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05）. The severity of atrial fibrillation symptoms and the grading of atrial fibrillation symptoms in both groups after treatment were improved （P＜0.01）， and the degree of symptom improvement in the treatment group was better than that in the control group （P＜0.01）. The 24-hour average ventricular rate of both groups after treatment was significantly lower （P＜0.01）. The PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group were all lower than before treatment （P＜0.01）， while the PSQI and anxiety index of the control group were both lower than before treatment （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）， the PSQI， anxiety index and depression index of the treatment group being lower than those of the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. No adverse events occurred in both groups， and no abnormalities were observed in blood， urine， stool routine， liver and kidney function， and coagulation function indexes. ConclusionDingchan Granule for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome can alleviate clinical symptom， improve TCM symptom scores， increase atrial fibrillation recovery rate， stabilise the average ventricular rate， and significantly improve the quality of sleep， alleviate the anxiety and depression， with a good safety profile.

Objective: To determine the clinical efficacy and mechanism of Piwei Peiyuan Pill (PPP) combined with moxibustion for treating patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome. Methods: Ninety-six CAG patients with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled at the Department of Spleen and Stomach Diseases of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine from June 2022 to December 2023. The patients were randomly divided into a control, a Chinese medicine, and a combined group using a random number table method, with 32 cases in each group (two cases per group were excluded). The control group was treated with rabeprazole combined with folic acid tablets (both thrice daily), the Chinese medicine group was treated with PPP (8 g, thrice daily), and the combined group was treated with moxa stick moxibustion (once daily) on the basis of the Chinese medicine group for 12 consecutive weeks. Gastric mucosa atrophy in the three groups was observed before and after treatment. The gastric mucosal pathological score was evaluated. The Patient Reported Outcome (PRO) scale was used to evaluate the patients′ physical and mental health status and quality of life.An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-10, IL-37, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β levels in each group. Real-time fluorescence PCR was used to detect the relative expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) mRNA in each group. Western blotting was used to detect the relative expression levels of proteins related to the STAT3/mTOR signaling pathway, and the adverse drug reactions and events were recorded and compared. Results: There was no statistical difference in age, gender, disease duration, family history of gastrointestinal tumors, alcohol consumption history, and body mass index among the three groups of patients.The total therapeutic efficacy rates of the control, Chinese medicine, and combined groups in treating gastric mucosal atrophy were 66.67% (20/30), 86.67% (26/30), and 90.00% (27/30), respectively (P<0.05). Compared to before treatment, the pathological and PRO scale scores of gastric mucosa in each group decreased after treatment, and TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-37, and TGF-β levels decreased. The relative STAT3 and mTOR mRNA expression levels, as well as the relative STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels decreased (P<0.05), whereas the IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared to the control group, the pathological score of gastric mucosa, PRO scale score, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-37, TGF-β content, relative STAT3 and mTOR mRNA expression levels, and relative STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels in the Chinese medicine and combined groups after treatment were reduced (P<0.05), whereas the IL-4 and IL-10 levels increased (P<0.05). After treatment, compared to the Chinese medicine group, the combined group showed a decrease in relative STAT3, mTOR mRNA expression levels, and STAT3, p-STAT3, mTOR, and p-mTOR protein expression levels (P<0.05). Conclusion The combination of PPP and moxibustion may regulate the inflammatory mechanism of the body by inhibiting the abnormal activation of the STAT3/mTOR signaling pathway, upregulating related anti-inflammatory factor levels, downregulating pro-inflammatory factor expression, and increasing related repair factor expression, thereby promoting the recovery of atrophic gastric mucosa, reducing discomfort symptoms, and improving the physical and mental state of CAG patients with spleen and stomach weakness syndrome.

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.

In recent years, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) have increased incidence and mortality, and most GIST is caused by the activation mutation of the c-KIT gene. Therefore, c-KIT has become a promising therapeutic target of GIST. At present, the drugs approved for the treatment of GIST including imatinib, sunitinib, regorafenib and ripretinib, are mostly prone to developing resistance and accompanied by various degrees of adverse reactions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new c-KIT inhibitors to solve the problem of resistance. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of a novel c-KIT inhibitor PN17-1 on gastrointestinal stromal tumor GIST-882 cells in vitro. We found that PN17-1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, colony formation and migration ability of GIST-882 cells, and significantly downregulated the protein expression levels of p-c-KIT and its downstream signals p-AKT, p-STAT5 and p-ERK in GIST-882 cells. In addition, PN17-1 induced apoptosis in GIST-882 cells, and the apoptosis may be mainly related to the mitochondrial-dependent endogenous pathway. In conclusion, the novel c-KIT inhibitor PN17-1 is a promising anti-GIST drug, and this study provides new ideas for further development of c-KIT inhibitors in the future.

Due to patient compliance and convenience, oral medication is likely the most common and acceptable method of drug administration. However, traditional dosage forms such as tablets or capsules may lead to low drug bioavailability and poor therapeutic efficiency. Therefore, with advancements in material science and micro/nano manufacturing technology, various carriers have been developed to enhance drug absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. In this context, we initially discuss the key biological factors that hinder drug transport and absorption (including anatomical, physical, and biological factors). Building on this foundation, recent progress in both conventional and innovative oral drug delivery routes aimed at improving drug bioavailability and targeting is reviewed. Finally, we explore future prospects for oral drug delivery systems as well as potential challenges in clinical translation.