Ulcerative colitis is a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease. Modern research indicates that immune dysregulation resulting from disruptions in circadian rhythm is closely associated with its pathogenesis. Both Western chronomedicine and traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）" treatment based on temporal factors" emphasize the temporal relationship between natural rhythms and human physiology and pathology. The " midnight-noon and ebb-flow " theory represents the concrete application and deepening of TCM " treatment based on temporal factors" within the realm of chronomedicine. This article correlates the onset time of ulcerative colitis with specific periods in the " midnight-noon and ebb-flow"theory：the Mao period（05：00-07：00），when the yangming large intestine meridian of hand is dominant； the Si period（09：00-11：00），when the taiyin spleen meridian of foot is dominant； and the You period（17：00-19：00），when the shaoyin kidney meridian of foot is dominant. According to this perspective，if the disease manifests during the Mao period，the pathogenesis is attributed to dampnessheat accumulation and disorder of qi and blood. Treatment should focus on clearing heat，resolving dampness，and harmonizing qi and blood，using modified formulas such as Shaoyao Decoction or Baitouweng Decoction. If it occurs during the Si period，the pathogenesis involves spleen deficiency with dampness obstruction and disharmony of qi and blood. Treatment should focus on strengthening the spleen，eliminating dampness，and restoring qi and blood，using modified formulas such as Huangya Decoction or Shenling Baizhu Powder. If it presents during the You period，the pathogenesis is characterized by fire failing to warm earth，and consumption resulting in qi and blood leakage. Treatment should focus on warming the kidney and spleen，and securing qi and blood，using modified formulas such as Sishen Pill or Tianhun Decoction. In addition to oral administration of Chinese herbal medicine，comprehensive therapies including acupuncture，herbal enemas，and acupoint application can provide novel insights for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of ulcerative colitis.

ObjectiveTo observe and analyze the plasma metabolite differences among colorectal cancer patients with spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（SRYD）， non-spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（non-SRYD）， and normal human beings（Normal）， aiming to identify unique metabolites specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients and their potential biomarkers. MethodsBased on the diagnostic criteria of SRYD and non-SRYD colorectal cancer， 30 patients were included， including 10 patients with SRYD colorectal cancer and 20 patients with non-SRYD colorectal cancer， while 10 individuals were recruited for the Normal group. Metabolome sequencing of plasma from the three groups was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS）. Multivariate statistical analysis were performed by principal component analysis（PCA） and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）， and the intergroup differential metabolites were identified based on variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1 and t-test P<0.05. And pathway enrichment analysis based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） was performed to explore the metabolites and metabolic pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients. ResultsMetabolome sequencing results showed some differences in metabolic profiles between the groups. A total of 111 plasma differential metabolites were found in the SRYD group and the Normal group， of which 31 were up-regulated and 80 were down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， indole-3-acrylic acid， and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate（P<0.05）. The non-SRYD group exhibited 97 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the Normal group， with 36 up-regulated and 61 down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， sphingosine， and palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine（P<0.05）. And the SRYD group exhibited 19 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the non-SRYD group， of which 5 were up-regulated and 14 were down-regulated， mainly including dihydrosphingosine， palmitic acid， and linoleoylethanolamide（P<0.05）. The significant differential metabolites were subjected to KEGG analysis to obtain significantly enriched metabolic pathways in each group， and the results showed that 11 metabolic pathways such as primary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism and bile secretion were differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer. Further retrieval of the above key signaling pathways showed that bile acids were up-regulated in both bile secretion and primary bile acid synthesis pathways， and there was a trend of up-regulation of glycochenodeoxycholic acid， taurochenodeoxycholic acid， and chenodeoxycholic acid. ConclusionPrimary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism， and bile secretion-related pathways may be differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer， and bile acid is a core molecule in the metabolic pathway， which can serve as potential biomarkers closely related to the development and progression of SRYD colorectal cancer.

ObjectiveTo observe and analyze the plasma metabolite differences among colorectal cancer patients with spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（SRYD）， non-spleen-qi deficiency， damp-heat stasis-toxin syndrome（non-SRYD）， and normal human beings（Normal）， aiming to identify unique metabolites specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients and their potential biomarkers. MethodsBased on the diagnostic criteria of SRYD and non-SRYD colorectal cancer， 30 patients were included， including 10 patients with SRYD colorectal cancer and 20 patients with non-SRYD colorectal cancer， while 10 individuals were recruited for the Normal group. Metabolome sequencing of plasma from the three groups was performed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry（UPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS）. Multivariate statistical analysis were performed by principal component analysis（PCA） and partial least squares-discriminant analysis（PLS-DA）， and the intergroup differential metabolites were identified based on variable importance in the projection（VIP） value>1 and t-test P<0.05. And pathway enrichment analysis based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes（KEGG） was performed to explore the metabolites and metabolic pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer patients. ResultsMetabolome sequencing results showed some differences in metabolic profiles between the groups. A total of 111 plasma differential metabolites were found in the SRYD group and the Normal group， of which 31 were up-regulated and 80 were down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， indole-3-acrylic acid， and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate（P<0.05）. The non-SRYD group exhibited 97 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the Normal group， with 36 up-regulated and 61 down-regulated， mainly including stearoyl lysophosphatidylcholine， sphingosine， and palmitoyl lysophosphatidylcholine（P<0.05）. And the SRYD group exhibited 19 differentially expressed metabolites compared to the non-SRYD group， of which 5 were up-regulated and 14 were down-regulated， mainly including dihydrosphingosine， palmitic acid， and linoleoylethanolamide（P<0.05）. The significant differential metabolites were subjected to KEGG analysis to obtain significantly enriched metabolic pathways in each group， and the results showed that 11 metabolic pathways such as primary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism and bile secretion were differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer. Further retrieval of the above key signaling pathways showed that bile acids were up-regulated in both bile secretion and primary bile acid synthesis pathways， and there was a trend of up-regulation of glycochenodeoxycholic acid， taurochenodeoxycholic acid， and chenodeoxycholic acid. ConclusionPrimary bile acid synthesis， cholesterol metabolism， and bile secretion-related pathways may be differential signaling pathways specific to SRYD colorectal cancer， and bile acid is a core molecule in the metabolic pathway， which can serve as potential biomarkers closely related to the development and progression of SRYD colorectal cancer.

The prevalence rate of metabolic associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） is steadily increasing worldwide， and MAFLD is now considered a significant risk factor for a wide range of metabolic comorbidities. However， current clinical management strategies often address MAFLD from a single-disease perspective， lacking a comprehensive understanding of the central role and systemic impact of MAFLD in the prevention and control of metabolic comorbidities. This article reviews the current evidence supporting MASLD as both a trigger and a key node in systemic metabolic dysfunction and elaborates on how hepatic insulin resistance， lipotoxic injury， inflammatory responses， and dysregulation of hepatokines mediate organ-specific metabolic disorders including cardiovascular disease， chronic kidney disease， and diabetes. With reference to the latest national and international guidelines， this article proposes an integrated multidisciplinary management strategy， including liver-glucose joint intervention and a cross-organ “cardio-renal-hepatic” strategy， and it also advocates for a paradigm shift from conventional liver-focused management toward liver-centered systemic metabolic control， in order to effectively delay the progression of MAFLD and its related multisystem complications.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu Formula (ZGJTJYF) on histone H3 lysine 18 lactylation (H3K18la) in the hippocampus of rats with diabetes mellitus complicated with depression (DD) and predict the regulatory genes of H3K18la. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, model, and positive drug (metformin [0.18 g/kg] and fluoxetine [1.8 mg/kg]) groups, and the three groups were treated with high, medium, and low ZGJTJYF doses (20.52, 10.26, and 5.13 g/kg, respectively), with 10 rats per group. After treatment, the forced swimming and water maze tests were performed to assess depressive-like behaviors and cognitive function. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure blood insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, lactate levels, and lactate content in the hippocampus. Western blotting was used to detect H3K18la expression in the hippocampus. Cleavage Under Targets and lagmentation(CUT&Tag) experiments targeted hippocampal H3K18la epigenetic modification regions to analyze the transcription factors bound by H3K18la. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Protein-Protein Interaction networks were constructed to identify key pathways and target genes regulated by H3K18la. Results: Compared with the normal group, the model group rats showed prolonged immobility time in the forced swim test, increased escape latency in the water maze experiment, decreased target quadrant distance ratio (P<0.01), increased serum lactate content, and decreased lactate content in hippocampal homogenate (P<0.01), as well as decreased H3K18la protein expression in the hippocampus (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, ZGJTJYF reduced the immobility time in the forced swim test and the escape latency in the water maze test (P<0.01), while the distance ratio in the target quadrant increased (P<0.01) in model rats. Lowered fasting blood glucose, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin levels (P<0.05, P<0.01) were also observed. ZGJTJYF also increased the lactate content and H3K18la protein expression in hippocampal homogenate (P<0.05, P<0.01). The DNA sequences bound by H3K18la were predominantly enriched at the transcription start sites. ZGJTJYF modulated H3K18la-associated pathways, including cell adhesion junctions, tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling, stem cell pluripotency regulation, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, and insulin resistance, leading to the identification of 12 target genes. Conclusion ZGJTJYF enhances hippocampal lactate levels and H3K18la modification in DD rats, which may regulate neural cell interactions, neurogenic stem cell function, TGF-β signaling, MAPK signaling, and insulin resistance pathways.

Rubi Fructus has a long history of medicinal and edible use in China. It contains chemical components such as terpenes, flavonoids, phenolic acids, fatty acids, and alkaloids, and possesses various pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, anti-tumor, anti-osteoporosis, and liver-protective effects. Rubi Fructus is widely applied in medical, health, and food fields. The quality of Rubi Fructus can directly affect the safety and effectiveness of clinical medication. Therefore, this article reviews the research progress on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Rubi Fructus. Based on the concept of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) quality markers(Q-markers), the article explores the screening and determination of Q-markers for Rubi Fructus from various aspects, including plant kinship, traditional efficacy, medicinal properties, measurability of chemical composition, different processing methods, producing areas, harvesting periods, and planting conditions. The components ellagic acid, kaempferol, quercetin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, rutin, astragalin, tiliroside, and hyperoside are preliminarily proposed as Q-markers for Rubi Fructus, providing a reference for the quality control of Rubi Fructus.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Rubus/chemistry* ; Fruit/chemistry* ; Quality Control ; Animals

Eucommiae Cortex, the dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides( Eucommiaceae), has both medicinal and edible values.Modern research has shown that Eucommiae Cortex contains various components such as flavonoids, lignans, iridoids, phenolic acids,terpenoids, and steroids, which have anti-osteoporosis, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood glucose-lowering, and gastrointestinal tract-protecting effects. Eucommiae Cortex has applications in multiple fields such as healthcare, industry, and animal husbandry,demonstrating broad development prospects. This article reviews the chemical constituents, pharmacological effects, and quality control status of Eucommiae Cortex. Furthermore, according to the concept of quality marker(Q-marker), this article predicts the Q-markers of Eucommiae Cortex from traditional medicinal properties, traditional medicinal effects, new medicinal effects, measurability of chemical components, compatibility, harvesting periods, and geographical origins. The components such as pinoresinol diglucoside,chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, quercetin, baicalein, baicalin, olivil, coniferyl ferulate, and kaempferol can be used as Q-markers for Eucommiae Cortex, which provide reference for establishing a systematic quality control system for Eucommiae Cortex.
Eucommiaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Quality Control ; Humans ; Animals