AIM: To investigate the influence of pterygium thickness and area on corneal refractive status.METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study. A total of 60 cases(60 eyes)of pterygium patients admitted to our hospital from January 2024 to September 2024 were randomly selected. All patients underwent pterygium excision combined with pedicle conjunctival flap transplantation for treatment. Optical coherence tomography(OCT)was used to measure the preoperative thickness of patient's pterygium, and a digital slit lamp microscope was used to measure the area of pterygium. The corneal refractive status(degree of corneal astigmatism and average curvature)and changes in uncorrected visual acuity of patients before surgery, 1 d, 1, and 3 mo after surgery were compared. The relationship between preoperative thickness and area of pterygium in patients and corneal refractive status indicators at different postoperative time points were analyzed, and Logistic regression was used to analyze the impact of pterygium thickness and area on postoperative visual improvement in patients.RESULTS: All patients completed follow-up after surgery for 3 mo. At 3 mo after surgery, visual acuity improved in 21 eyes(35%). The results of bivariate Pearson correlation analysis showed that the thickness and area of pterygium positively correlated with the degree of corneal astigmatism and uncorrected visual acuity before surgery and 1 d, 1, and 3 mo after surgery(all P<0.05), and negatively correlated with the average corneal curvature before surgery and 1 d, 1, and 3 mo after surgery(all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the thickness and area of pterygium before surgery, high degree of corneal astigmatism, and low uncorrected visual acuity(large LogMAR value)were all risk factors for poor postoperative visual improvement in patients(OR>1, P<0.05). The large average corneal curvature before surgery was a protective factor for poor postoperative visual improvement in patients(OR<1, P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The increase in thickness and area of pterygium can, to some extent, improve corneal astigmatism, reduce the average curvature of the cornea, and affect postoperative visual recovery.

In this paper， by referring to ancient and modern literature， the textual research of Inulae Flos has been conducted to clarify the name， origin， production area， quality evaluation， harvesting， processing and others， so as to provide reference and basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this herb. After textual research， it could be verified that the medicinal use of Inulae Flos was first recorded in Shennong Bencaojing of the Han dynasty. In successive dynasties， Xuanfuhua has been taken as the official name， and it also has other alternative names such as Jinfeicao， Daogeng and Jinqianhua. The period before the Song and Yuan dynasties， the main origin of Inulae Flos was the Asteraceae plant Inula japonica， and from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the present， I. japonica and I. britannica are the primary source. In addition to the dominant basal species， there are also regional species such as I. linariifolia， I. helianthus-aquatili， and I. hupehensis. The earliest recorded production areas in ancient times were Henan， Hubei and other places， and the literature records that it has been distributed throughout the country since modern times. The medicinal part is its flower， the harvesting and processing method recorded in the past dynasties is mainly harvested in the fifth and ninth lunar months， and dried in the sun， and the modern harvesting is mostly harvested in summer and autumn when the flowers bloom， in order to remove impurities， dry in the shade or dry in the sun. In addition， the roots， whole herbs and aerial parts are used as medicinal materials. In ancient times， there were no records about the quality of Inulae Flos， and in modern times， it is generally believed that the quality of complete flower structure， small receptacles， large blooms， yellow petals， long filaments， many fluffs， no fragments， and no branches is better. Ancient processing methods primarily involved cleaning， steaming， and sun-drying， supplemented by techniques such as boiling， roasting， burning， simmering， stir-frying， and honey-processing. Modern processing focuses mainly on cleaning the stems and leaves before use. Regarding the medicinal properties， ancient texts describe it as salty and sweet in taste， slightly warm in nature， and mildly toxic. Modern studies characterize it as bitter， pungent， and salty in taste， with a slightly warm nature. Its therapeutic effects remain consistent across eras， including descending Qi， resolving phlegm， promoting diuresis， and stopping vomiting. Based on the research results， it is recommended that when developing famous classical formulas containing Inulae Flos， either I. japonica or I. britannica should be used as the medicinal source. Processing methods should follow formula requirements， where no processing instructions are specified， the raw products may be used after cleaning.

Chronic heart failure （CHF） represents the terminal stage of numerous cardiovascular diseases. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory， the pathogenesis of CHF is characterized by deficiency of the root and excess of the branch. The deficiency of the root mainly stems from insufficiency of heart Qi， while the excess of the branch arises from pathological accumulation of phlegm， blood stasis， and fluid retention. During the occurrence and development of CHF， the disobedience of heart Qi consistently serves as the key to the onset of the disease. As elucidated in Da Lun Chapter of WU Yun Xing in The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic： Plain Questions， "harmony when conforming to qi and illness when going against Qi". This principle describes the relationship between human physiology and nature Qi dynamics. Harmony leads to health， while disobedience leads to illness. The same principle can be applied within the human body， that is， harmony between the zang-fu organs and their Qi leads to health， while disobedience leads to illness. The occurrence of CHF and the relationship between the heart and heart Qi also follow this principle. This study started from this theory， analyzed the relationship between "following or going against Qi" and the occurrence of diseases in the human body， further analyzing the "following" and "going against" between the heart and heart Qi， the pathogenesis of CHF， the corresponding relationship between the heart Qi and modern physiology in the state of "following Qi"， the corresponding situation between the heart Qi and modern pathology in the state of "going against Qi"， and the relationship between "going against Qi" and different stages of CHF. Moreover， it proposed to treat CHF from the perspective of "illness when going against Qi". One is to replenish the insufficiency of heart Qi （tonifying heart Qi and also invigorating the spleen）， and the other is to unblock the channels of heart Qi （resolving phlegm and removing turbidity to unblock the channels， removing blood stasis and dredging collaterals to promote blood circulation， and transforming fluid retention and expelling water to facilitate blood flow）. Meanwhile， the effects of single-herb Chinese medicines and Chinese-medicine compound prescriptions on the myocardium and micro-indexes of the human body under the "tonifying" and "unblocking" methods were analyzed. Through the above-mentioned treatment methods， the nature of heart Qi can finally be restored to "abundant" and "unobstructed"， so that the heart Qi can be harmonized and CHF can be improved. These findings may provide a new way of thinking for the future treatment of CHF.

In this paper， by referring to ancient and modern literature， the textual research of Inulae Flos has been conducted to clarify the name， origin， production area， quality evaluation， harvesting， processing and others， so as to provide reference and basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this herb. After textual research， it could be verified that the medicinal use of Inulae Flos was first recorded in Shennong Bencaojing of the Han dynasty. In successive dynasties， Xuanfuhua has been taken as the official name， and it also has other alternative names such as Jinfeicao， Daogeng and Jinqianhua. The period before the Song and Yuan dynasties， the main origin of Inulae Flos was the Asteraceae plant Inula japonica， and from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the present， I. japonica and I. britannica are the primary source. In addition to the dominant basal species， there are also regional species such as I. linariifolia， I. helianthus-aquatili， and I. hupehensis. The earliest recorded production areas in ancient times were Henan， Hubei and other places， and the literature records that it has been distributed throughout the country since modern times. The medicinal part is its flower， the harvesting and processing method recorded in the past dynasties is mainly harvested in the fifth and ninth lunar months， and dried in the sun， and the modern harvesting is mostly harvested in summer and autumn when the flowers bloom， in order to remove impurities， dry in the shade or dry in the sun. In addition， the roots， whole herbs and aerial parts are used as medicinal materials. In ancient times， there were no records about the quality of Inulae Flos， and in modern times， it is generally believed that the quality of complete flower structure， small receptacles， large blooms， yellow petals， long filaments， many fluffs， no fragments， and no branches is better. Ancient processing methods primarily involved cleaning， steaming， and sun-drying， supplemented by techniques such as boiling， roasting， burning， simmering， stir-frying， and honey-processing. Modern processing focuses mainly on cleaning the stems and leaves before use. Regarding the medicinal properties， ancient texts describe it as salty and sweet in taste， slightly warm in nature， and mildly toxic. Modern studies characterize it as bitter， pungent， and salty in taste， with a slightly warm nature. Its therapeutic effects remain consistent across eras， including descending Qi， resolving phlegm， promoting diuresis， and stopping vomiting. Based on the research results， it is recommended that when developing famous classical formulas containing Inulae Flos， either I. japonica or I. britannica should be used as the medicinal source. Processing methods should follow formula requirements， where no processing instructions are specified， the raw products may be used after cleaning.

Chronic heart failure （CHF） represents the terminal stage of numerous cardiovascular diseases. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory， the pathogenesis of CHF is characterized by deficiency of the root and excess of the branch. The deficiency of the root mainly stems from insufficiency of heart Qi， while the excess of the branch arises from pathological accumulation of phlegm， blood stasis， and fluid retention. During the occurrence and development of CHF， the disobedience of heart Qi consistently serves as the key to the onset of the disease. As elucidated in Da Lun Chapter of WU Yun Xing in The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic： Plain Questions， "harmony when conforming to qi and illness when going against Qi". This principle describes the relationship between human physiology and nature Qi dynamics. Harmony leads to health， while disobedience leads to illness. The same principle can be applied within the human body， that is， harmony between the zang-fu organs and their Qi leads to health， while disobedience leads to illness. The occurrence of CHF and the relationship between the heart and heart Qi also follow this principle. This study started from this theory， analyzed the relationship between "following or going against Qi" and the occurrence of diseases in the human body， further analyzing the "following" and "going against" between the heart and heart Qi， the pathogenesis of CHF， the corresponding relationship between the heart Qi and modern physiology in the state of "following Qi"， the corresponding situation between the heart Qi and modern pathology in the state of "going against Qi"， and the relationship between "going against Qi" and different stages of CHF. Moreover， it proposed to treat CHF from the perspective of "illness when going against Qi". One is to replenish the insufficiency of heart Qi （tonifying heart Qi and also invigorating the spleen）， and the other is to unblock the channels of heart Qi （resolving phlegm and removing turbidity to unblock the channels， removing blood stasis and dredging collaterals to promote blood circulation， and transforming fluid retention and expelling water to facilitate blood flow）. Meanwhile， the effects of single-herb Chinese medicines and Chinese-medicine compound prescriptions on the myocardium and micro-indexes of the human body under the "tonifying" and "unblocking" methods were analyzed. Through the above-mentioned treatment methods， the nature of heart Qi can finally be restored to "abundant" and "unobstructed"， so that the heart Qi can be harmonized and CHF can be improved. These findings may provide a new way of thinking for the future treatment of CHF.

Peripheral neurotoxicity represents one of the most severe dose-limiting adverse reactions associated with oxaliplatin， with genetic polymorphisms playing a significant role in oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy （OIPN）. OIPN can be categorized as acute or chronic based on onset timing. The former presents clinically as sensory abnormalities or even motor disorders， while the latter presents clinically as limb sensory disorders that persist， numbness or pain in the hands and feet. The transporter genes OCT2， OCTN2， and NHE1 may be implicated in OIPN； drug-metabolizing enzyme gene GSTP1 Ile105Val， DPYD rs1801265， voltage-gated sodium channel （NaV） gene SCN4A rs2302237， SCN9A rs6746030， SCN10A rs12632942， and other associated genes such as HLA-G rs1610696， rs371194629 and CCNH rs2230641， rs3093816 are associated with severe OIPN. Conversely， DNA repair-related gene XRCC1 rs23885， NaV gene SCN9A rs3750904， rs12478318 and rs6754031 are associated with reduced OIPN risk. In the future， the genetic research findings on OIPN can be translated into clinical applications， ultimately achieving individualized precision medicine for patients.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and mechanism of Prunus mume against hepatic fibrosis （HF）. METHODS Male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group （n＝10） and modeling group （n＝50）. The modeling group established HF model using carbon tetrachloride. The modeled rats were randomly divided into model group （normal saline）， positive control group [colchicine， 0.09 mg/（kg·d）]， and P. mume low-dose， medium-dose and high-dose groups [1.35， 2.70， 5.40 g/（kg·d）]， with 9 rats in each group. They were given the corresponding drug/normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for 8 consecutive weeks. After the last medication， the liver index was calculated， while liver function indexes， liver fiber indexes， oxidative stress indicators and inflammatory factors of rats were measured. HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes in liver tissue of rats； Masson staining was used to observe the degree of HF in liver tissue of rats； transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of liver tissue in rats； TUNEL staining was used to detect liver cell apoptosis in each group of rats. Western blot method was used to detect the protein expressions of transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1） and platelet-derived growth factor （PDGF） in liver tissue of rats. RESULTS Compared with normal control group， the levels of alanine transaminase， alkaline phosphatase， aspartate transaminase， total bilirubin， malondialdehyde， procollagen type Ⅲ protein， Ⅳ-type pre collagenase， laminin， hyaluronic acid， interleukin-6， tumor necrosis factor-α， as well as the protein expressions of TGF-β1 and PDGF in model group were increased significantly， while the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly reduced （P＜0.01）； the HE， Masson staining and transmission electron microscopy observation results showed obvious HF characteristics in rats of model group. Compared with model group， varying degrees of improvement in above indexes were observed in P. mume groups， and the above 2021BSZR011） indicators of rats in P. mume medium-dose and high-dose groups were reversed significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS P. mume has an anti-HF effect， which may be achieved through mechanisms such as antioxidation， anti-inflammation， reduction of collagen production， inhibition of PDGF protein expression， and regulation of TGF- β1 signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between the maintenance treatment of modified Yiqi Huoxue Jiedu Formula （益气活血解毒方） or poly ADP ribose polymerase （PARP） inhibitors and the recurrence and metastasis of advanced ovarian cancer. MethodsA case-control study design was employed， dividing patients with advanced ovarian cancer into two groups based on the occurrence of recurrence and metastasis following first-line maintenance treatment. Patients with recurrence and metastasis comprised the case group， while those without recurrence and metastasis served as the control group. The previous first-line maintenance treatment method was set as the exposure factor in the study （with the use of modified Yiqi Huoxue Jiedu Formula defined as exposed and PARP inhibitors defined as unexposed）. Basic information was collected for both groups， including the achievement of satisfactory R0 surgery， age， stage， neoadjuvant chemotherapy， lymph node metastasis， germline BRCA1/2 mutations， homologous recombination deficiency positivity， first-line maintenance treatment method （modified Yiqi Huoxue Jiedu Formula or PARP inhibitors）， and CA125 levels after the last chemotherapy. The baseline data of the two groups were assessed for differences. If there exists difference， a 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method was used for propensity score matching. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to evaluate the association between the modified Yiqi Huoxue Jiedu Formula or PARP inhibitors and the recurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer. ResultsA total of 201 patients with advanced ovarian cancer were included， with 97 in the case group and 104 in the control group. Both groups showed statistically significant differences in R0 surgery， stage， neoadjuvant chemotherapy， and CA125 levels after the last chemotherapy （P＜0.05）， indicating baseline imbalance. After propensity score matching， there were 71 patients in both the case and control groups， achieving baseline balance （P＞0.05）. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the achievement of satisfactory R0 surgery （P = 0.006）， disease stage （P = 0.001）， the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy （P = 0.024）， treatment modality （P = 0.006）， and CA125 levels after the last chemotherapy （P = 0.013） were associated with the recurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that disease stage was an independent influencing factor for the recurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer （P = 0.030）， whereas the P-value for the correlation between first-line maintenance treatment and ovarian cancer was 0.188. ConclusionFirst-line maintenance treatment of ovarian cancer patients with the use of modified Yiqi Huoxue Jiedu Formula or PARP inhibitors does not correlate with the recurrence and metastasis of ovarian cancer.

ObjectiveTo explore the possible mechanism of Yigan Fupi Prescription （抑肝扶脾方， YFP） in treating diarrhea-type irritable bowel syndrome （IBS-D） by investigating the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. MethodsSixty SD rats were randomly divided into control group， model group， YFP low-， medium-， and high-dose group， and pinaverium bromide group， with 10 rats in each group. All groups but the control group， were subjected to 21 days of tail-clamping stimulation and 14 days of senna leaf gavage to establish a liver stagnation and spleen deficiency-type IBS-D rat model. After successful modeling， the YFP low-， medium-， and high-dose group were administered 0.96， 1.93， and 3.87 g/（kg·d） of the prescription， respectively. The pinaverium bromide group was given 13.5 mg/（kg·d）， while the control and model groups were given 10 ml/（kg·d） distilled water. All groups were administered once daily for 14 consecutive days. General conditions of the rats were recorded during the experiment， and after modeling and drug administration， body weight， Bristol stool score， abdominal withdrawal reflex （AWR） score， and histo pathology of colon tissue were observed under HE staining. ELISA was used to detect serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6）. Immunofluorescence was employed to detect the levels of AKT/mTOR pathway-related proteins including phosphorylated AKT （p-AKT）/AKT and phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR）/mTOR in the colon tissue. Western Blotting was used to detect the levels of autophagy-related proteins， including UNC-51-like kinase 1 （ULK1）， Beclin1 and LC3， and tight junction proteins including Occludin and ZO-1 in the colon tissue. ResultsAfter modeling， compared to the control group， the body weight of rats in the other groups decreased， and Bristol stool scores， as well as AWR scores under 20， 40， 60， and 80 mmHg increased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. After drug administration， compared to the control group， the model group showed reduced body weight， decreased ULK1， Beclin1， LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ， Occludin， and ZO-1 protein levels in the colon tissue （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， and increased Bristol stool scores， AWR scores， serum TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 levels， as well as p-AKT/AKT and p-mTOR/mTOR protein relative expression levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Pathological results showed a significant reduction in goblet cells in the upper part of the glandular layer of the colon， with mild inflammatory cell infiltration. The submucosal collagen fibers were dissolved， with unclear boundaries， pale staining， and microvascular congestion and dilation. Compared with the model group， the YFP low-， medium-， and high-dose group and the pinaverium bromide group showed increased body weight， Beclin1， Occludin， and LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ protein levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， and decreased Bristol stool scores， AWR scores under 40， 60， and 80 mmHg， serum IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α levels， and p-AKT/AKT， p-mTOR/mTOR protein relative expression levels （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The pathological morphology of the rats in the YFP groups and pinaverium bromide group showed varying degrees of improvement. Compared with the pinaverium bromide group， the YFP low- and medium-dose group showed increased AWR scores under 20， 40， and 60 mmHg （P＜0.05）. The YFP low-dose group had reduced TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 levels， and increased p-mTOR/mTOR protein relative expression levels occured in all YFP groups （P＜0.05）. Compared with the YFP low-dose group， the YFP high-dose group and pinaverium bromide group showed decreased AWR scores under different pressure levels and reduced p-AKT/AKT protein relative expression levels， while the YFP medium- and high-dose group had elevated serum TNF-α， IL-1β levels and reduced p-mTOR/mTOR protein relative expression levels （P＜0.05）. ConclusionYFP can effectively improve the pathological injury of colon tissue in IBS-D model rats with liver stagnation and spleen deficiency， reduce Bristol stool and AWR scores， and its mechanism may be related to reducing level of inflammatory factors and inhibiting AKT/mTOR pathway-related proteins in colon tissue， thereby enhancing the expression of autophagy-related proteins in the colon tissue.

It is believed that Shengyang Yiwei Decoction （升阳益胃汤， SYD） is effective in regulating the flow of Qi （气）， and can treat various diseases caused by the disorder of the spleen and stomach Qi. In clinical practice， based on the pathological characteristics of children often having insufficient spleen， and adhering to the principle of treating different diseases with the same method， the focus is placed on the core pathogenesis of spleen and stomach Qi disharmony. We use SYD in various pediatric conditions such as allergic rhinitis， post COVID-19 condition， urethral syndrome， and dysfunctional uterine bleeding in adolescence， and emphasize the treatment is flexibly tailored to the symptoms.