This article systematically reviews and verifies the name， origin， production area， quality evaluation， harvesting， processing and other aspects of Cynanchi Atrati Radix et Rhizoma（CARR） by consulting relevant ancient and modern literature， in order to provide a basis for the development and utilization of famous classical formulas containing this herb. Through textual research， Baiwei has been the official name for CARR， though it also bears alternative names such as Chuncao， Popo Zhenxianbao， Longdan Baiwei. The mainstream base is the roots and rhizomes of Cynanchum atratum. Historical records indicate primary producing areas include Shandong， Anhui， Jiangsu， Shaanxi and Shanxi. Since the late Ming dynasty， varieties from Juxian， Yishui and Rizhao in Shandong have been highly regarded as authentic， commonly known as eastern Baiwei. Since modern times， its quality has been summarized as fine， slender， and straight fibrous roots， pale yellow exterior， whiter interior， and dryness with easy breakability are considered superior. The harvesting time before the Song dynasty was on the third day of the third lunar month， but after the Song dynasty， harvesting was possible in both spring and autumn. The initial processing methods of CARR in ancient times included drying in the shade， removing Lu（the little rhizomes which are on tap of roots）， and removing mustaches， modern methods involve washing and sun-drying. During the Northern and Southern dynasties， processing methods included steaming. In the Song dynasty， drying and light stir-frying were predominant， while wine washing emerged in the Ming dynasty. Modern practices primarily involve using raw， stir-frying or honey processing. Regarding the medicinal properties of CARR， both ancient and modern texts agree it has a bitter and salty taste and is non-toxic. Records prior to the Qing dynasty predominantly describe its nature as extremely cold， while mainstream herbal texts after the Qing dynasty generally characterize it as cold. Before the Ming dynasty， there were no records of its meridian tropism. It was not until the Qing dynasty that it was recorded in the lung meridian. Modern records mainly refer to the stomach， liver， and kidney meridians. Throughout history， its main functions have been to clear heat， diuresis， nourish Yin， and replenish essence， primarily treating Yin deficiency and fever syndrome. Based on the research results， it is suggested that when developing famous classical formulas containing CARR， the dried roots and rhizomes of C. atratum can be selected as its medicinal source. If there are no specific processing requirements， raw products can be selected as medicine. If the processing requirements are specified， corresponding processed products can be selected as medicine according to the original formula requirements.

Objective:To investigate the expression of NFAT5 and IGF1R in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and analyze their expression levels in relation to clinical features and prognosis. Methods:From January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, 69 cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected from patients treated at Yunnan Cancer Hospital. Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of NFAT5 and IGF1R in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to predict survival time, and the clinicopathological features were evaluated using the log-Rank test. Results:The positive expression rates of NFAT5 and IGF1R in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues were 87.0% and 84.5%, respectively. Compared to adjacent normal tissues, the expression levels of NFAT5 and IGF1R in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues were significantly increased （P<0.05）. Furthermore, the expression of NFAT5 and IGF1R was positively correlated with T stage, N stage, skull base invasion, and cranial nerve palsy （P<0.05）. The overexpression of NFAT5 and IGF1R significantly affected the survival rate of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and was negatively correlated with prognosis （P<0.05）. Conclusion:In nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues, overexpression of NFAT5 and IGF1R is observed, which is closely linked to clinical features and patient outcomes. These markers may serve as valuable indicators for predicting the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/pathology* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Female ; Receptor, IGF Type 1/metabolism* ; Male ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Middle Aged ; Survival Rate ; Adult ; Neoplasm Staging

Objective:Retrospective analysis of the correlation between clinicopathologic features and related indexes and prognosis in patients with recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods:One hundred and eight nasopharyngeal cancer（NPC） patients with post-treatment recurrence in Yunnan Cancer Hospital from January 2013 to January 2018 were collected, and the survival time was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method, and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed by log-rank test; risk factors and prognosis were analyzed by Cox proportional risk model for single-factor and multifactorial analysis. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:The median survival of all patients was 54 months, with a 3-year survival rate of 80.2% and a 5-year survival rate of 39.8%. The 5-year overall survival rate was 50.2% for patients >46 years old and 27.9% for patients ≤46 years old（P<0.05）, a statistically significant difference. Univariate analysis showed that overall survival was associated with age, chemotherapy regimen, EBV early antigen IgA, plasma D-dimer, glycan antigen-125, γ-interferon, α-tumor necrosis factor, IL-10, and IL-4（P<0.05）. Multifactorial analysis revealed that age, chemotherapy regimen, EBV early antigen IgA, plasma D-dimer, glycan antigen-125, and interleukin 10 were independent influences on the prognosis of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma（P<0.05）. Conclusion:Differences in chemotherapy regimens affect the prognosis of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Elevated plasma D-dimer, glycan antigen 125, and interleukin 10 levels affect the overall survival of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which may be a valid independent prognostic factor, and are expected to provide new biomarkers for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the clinic.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/mortality* ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Retrospective Studies ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Survival Rate ; Adult ; Risk Factors ; Interleukin-10/blood* ; Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models

Objective To investigate the effects of modified Banxia Baizhu Tianma Decoction(BBTD)on blood pressure and lipid metabolism in patients with metabolic hypertension and dyslipidemia of phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome,guided by Professor Tong Xiaolin's"state-target differentiation and treatment"theory.Methods Sixty eligible patients treated at Chongqing Beibei Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from February 2024 to February 2025 were randomly assigned to treatment group(n=30,receiving conventional therapy plus modified BBTD)and control group(n=30,conventional therapy alone)for 4 weeks.The changes in blood pressure,lipid profiles,body mass index(BMI),fasting blood glucose(FBG),serum uric acid(SUA)were observed,and the antihypertensive efficacy and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome efficacy were evaluated.Results(1)Regarding participant dropout,during the study,2 cases in the treatment group were lost to follow-up,while no dropouts occurred in the control group.Ultimately,58 patients were included in the efficacy analysis(28 in the treatment group,30 in the control group).(2)In terms of antihypertensive efficacy,after 4 weeks of treatment,the total effective rate was 92.86％(26/28)in the treatment group versus 36.67％(11/30)in the control group.The intergroup comparison(by chi-square test)demonstrated significantly superior antihypertensive efficacy in the treatment group(P＜0.05).(3)For TCM syndrome efficacy,the marked improvement rate and total effective rate in the treatment group were 60.71％(17/28)and 92.86％(26/28)respectively,compared to 0.00％(0/30)and 33.33％(10/30)in the control group.The treatment group showed significantly better outcomes in marked improvement rate(by chi-square test),total effective rate(by chi-square test),and overall efficacy(by rank-sum test)(all P＜0.05).(4)Regarding blood pressure,post-treatment systolic blood pressure(SBP)and diastolic blood pressure(DBP)were significantly decreased in the treatment group(P＜0.05)but remained unchanged in the control group(P＞0.05).The treatment group exhibited significantly greater reductions in both SBP and DBP compared to controls(P＜0.05).(5)For lipid profiles,the treatment group showed significant post-treatment reductions in total cholesterol(TC),triglycerides(TG),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)(P＜0.05).The control group demonstrated increased TG(P＜0.05),with nonsignificant decreases in TC and LDL-C,and a slight increase of HDL-C(P＞0.05).The treatment group achieved significantly greater TC and TG reductions versus controls(P＜0.05).(6)The treatment group showed decreased BMI,fasting glucose,and serum uric acid(P＜0.05),whereas the control group had unchanged BMI and fasting glucose(P＞0.05)but increased uric acid(P＜0.05).The treatment group's reductions in fasting glucose and uric acid were significantly superior to those of control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion State-target-guided modified BBTD effectively treats metabolic hypertension with dyslipidemia of phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome,demonstrating comprehensive metabolic benefits beyond blood pressure control.

ObjectiveExploring the role of microRNA126 （miRNA126） in chronic kidney disease combined with atherosclerosis （CKD AS） by regulating the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway and the mechanism of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction in the intervention of CKD AS rats with 5/6 nephrectomy combined with high-fat feeding. MethodA total of 60 SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， losartan group， and low， medium， and high dose groups of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction. The CKD AS rat model was established by 5/6 nephrectomy combined with high-fat feeding for 10 weeks. The low， medium， and high dose groups （6.0， 12.0， 24.0 g·kg^-1·d^-1） of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction and the losartan group （20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） were gavaged， and the corresponding intervention was carried out for eight weeks. Then， the rats were killed， and samples were collected for corresponding detection. Fully automated biochemical analyzers were used to detect kidney function and blood lipids in rats： blood creatinine （SCr）， blood urea nitrogen （BUN）， total cholesterol （TC）， triglyceride （TG）， and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） levels. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） and Masson staining of aortic tissue and pathological observation under a light microscope were carried out， and autophagosomes and autophagy lysosomes were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the mRNA levels of miRNA126， PI3K， Akt， and mTOR in rats， and Western blot was used to determine the protein expression levels of phosphorylated （p）-PI3K， PI3K， p-Akt， Akt， p -mTOR， mTOR， benzyl chloride 1 （Beclin-1）， and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3Ⅱ/Ⅰ （LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ）. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the serum SCr， BUN， TC， TG， and LDL-C in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the SCr， BUN， TC， TG， and LDL-C were decreased in the losartan group and low， medium， and high dose groups of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction （P<0.05）. Compared with the sham operation group， thickening plaques， infiltration of mononuclear macrophages， a small number of foam cells， disordered arrangement of smooth muscle fibers in the tunica media， and increased collagen fibers were observed in the model group， and the lesions in the losartan group and Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction groups were alleviated compared with those in the model group. Compared with the model group， the number of autophagosomes and autophagy lysosomes increased in the medium and high dose groups of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction. Compared with the sham operation group， the expression of miRNA126 in the aortic tissue of the model group was significantly decreased （P<0.01）， and the mRNA expressions of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the expression of miRNA126 in the aortic tissue of rats in high， medium， and low dose groups of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction and losartan group was significantly increased （P<0.01）， while the mRNA expressions of PI3K， Akt， and mTOR were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the sham operation group， the protein expressions of p-PI3K， PI3K， p-Akt， Akt， p-mTOR， and mTOR in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）， while the protein levels of Beclin-1， LC3Ⅰ， and LC3Ⅱ were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the protein expressions of p-PI3K， PI3K， p-Akt， Akt， p-mTOR， and mTOR in the losartan group and low， medium， and high dose groups of Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction were decreased （P<0.05）， while the protein levels of Beclin-1 and LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ were increased （P<0.05）. ConclusionThe expression of miRNA126 is decreased in the aortic tissue of CKD AS rats， and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is activated to inhibit autophagy flux. Shenshuai Xiezhuo decoction regulates the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway through miRNA126， restores the autophagy of aortic endothelial cells， protects the damage of CKD vessels， reduces the formation of As plaques， and slows the development of cardiovascular complications.

Objective:To explore the role of arginine metabolism in the inflammatory response to influenza A virus (FluA) infection.Methods:Eighteen-month-old mice were infected with FluA via nasal drip, with samples collected on the 6th day post-infection. The concentration of cytokines was determined by the Luminex multifactor assay, while the metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were analyzed using targeted metabolomic method. Correlation analysis was employed to examine the correlation between cytokines and metabolites. Macrophages were infected with FluA at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1 and cultured with different concentrations of arginine for 24 h. The mRNA and protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-10 were detected by real time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Cytometric Bead Array (CBA).Results:In comparison to the control group, the levels of surfactant protein D (SP-D), TNF-α, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), IL-1α, IL-6, IL-10, recombinant S100 calcium binding protein (S100) A9, interferon inducible protein 10 (IP-10), macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), matrix metalloprotein-9 (MMP-9), and Complement Factor D in BALF of FluA infection exhibited a significant elevation. The concentrations of arginine, aspartate, citrulline, glutamic acid, ornithine, proline, creatine, and sarcosine in arginine metabolism were up-regulated, which was correlated with most of elevated cytokine levels. The supplementation of arginine after FluA infection significantly decreased the levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, but increased the level of IL-10 in macrophages.Conclusions:Arginine reduces the inflammatory response induced by FluA infection in macrophages, suggesting that it may be a potential intervention target for severe pulmonary inflammation following FluA infection.

Diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in children is a hotspot of concern in the field of HBV infection. This article reviews the current status and progress of antiviral treatment for children with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in recent years, focusing on clinical issues such as the choice of antiviral treatment regimen for children with HBeAg-positive CHB (immune-clearance phase), the necessity of antiviral treatment for children with HBeAg-positive HBV infection (immune-tolerance phase), and the timing of antiviral treatment for infants with HBV infection, to explore the relevant factors that may affect the clinical cure of children with CHB. At the same time, based on the expert consensus on the prevention and treatment of children with CHB just published by Chinese experts, relevant diagnosis and treatment plans are proposed, with a view to providing reference and basis for clinical decision-making in children with CHB.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of serological indicators and evaluate the diagnostic value of a new established combined serological model on identifying the minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) in patients with compensated cirrhosis.Methods:This prospective multicenter study enrolled 263 compensated cirrhotic patients from 23 hospitals in 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China between October 2021 and August 2022. Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected, and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was calculated. Ammonia level was corrected to the upper limit of normal (AMM-ULN) by the baseline blood ammonia measurements/upper limit of the normal reference value. MHE was diagnosed by combined abnormal number connection test-A and abnormal digit symbol test as suggested by Guidelines on the management of hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhosis. The patients were randomly divided (7∶3) into training set ( n=185) and validation set ( n=78) based on caret package of R language. Logistic regression was used to establish a combined model of MHE diagnosis. The diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve. The internal verification was carried out by the Bootstrap method ( n=200). AUC comparisons were achieved using the Delong test. Results:In the training set, prevalence of MHE was 37.8% (70/185). There were statistically significant differences in AMM-ULN, albumin, platelet, alkaline phosphatase, international normalized ratio, MELD score and education between non-MHE group and MHE group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that AMM-ULN [odds ratio ( OR)=1.78, 95% confidence interval ( CI) 1.05-3.14, P=0.038] and MELD score ( OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for MHE, and the AUC for predicting MHE were 0.663, 0.625, respectively. Compared with the use of blood AMM-ULN and MELD score alone, the AUC of the combined model of AMM-ULN, MELD score and education exhibited better predictive performance in determining the presence of MHE was 0.755, the specificity and sensitivity was 85.2% and 55.7%, respectively. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve showed that the model had good calibration ( P=0.733). The AUC for internal validation of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.752. In the validation set, the AUC of the combined model for diagnosing MHE was 0.794, and Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration ( P=0.841). Conclusion:Use of the combined model including AMM-ULN, MELD score and education could improve the predictive efficiency of MHE among patients with compensated cirrhosis.

AIM:To explore the effect and mechanism of hydrogen sulfide(H2S)on autophagy and angiogene-sis in skin wound of diabetic rats.METHODS:Among 36 healthy 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats,12 rats were se-lected as control group,and the remaining rats were intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin(STZ)to induce diabetic model and were randomly divided into diabetes mellitus(DM)group and NaHS(H2S donor)intervention(DM+NaHS)group,with 12 rats in each group.A skin trauma model was established by excising the skin of the back of rats in each group.The rats in DM+NaHS group were intraperitoneally injected with NaHS(56 μmol/kg),and the rats in control and DM groups were daily received the same volume of normal saline for 21 consecutive days.The healing of skin wound was measured on days 0,7,14 and 21 after operation.On the 21st day after surgery,the content of H2S in skin tissues was de-tected by C-7Az fluorescent probe,and the morphological changes and angiogenesis of wound tissues were observed by HE staining.The expression of CD31 was detected by immunofluorescence staining,and endothelial autophagy was detected by double staining of CD31 and beclin-1.The protein levels of cystathionine γ-lyase(CSE),CD31,microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3),beclin-1,P62,Bcl-2,Bax,phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K),protein kinase B(PKB/Akt)and mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)in wound tissues were determined by Western blot.Caspase-3 and propidium iodide(PI)staining was used to detect cell apoptosis,and apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells was deter-mined with CD31 and TUNEL double immunofluorescence staining.RESULTS:Compared with DM group,the wound healing rate,H2S content and CSE protein expression were significantly increased in DM+NaHS group(P＜0.01),but still lower than those in control group(P＜0.01).HE staining showed that the wound surface in DM group was thin and wide,with few capillary,while that in DM+NaHS group was thicker with lots of capillary and wound width was reduced.Com-pared with DM group,CD31 expression was markedly increased(P＜0.01),the fluorescence intensity of caspase-3 and PI was significantly decreased(P＜0.01),and CD31+/beclin-1+ as well as CD31+/TUNEL+ cells were decreased(P＜0.01)in DM+NaHS group.Western blot analysis showed that compared with DM group,the levels of beclin-1,Bax and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ were significantly decreased(P＜0.01),while the levels of P62 and Bcl-2,as well as ratios of p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Akt and p-mTOR/mTOR were significantly increased(P＜0.01)in DM+NaHS group.CONCLUSION:H2S can promote skin wound healing,which may be related to activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway,inhibition of endothelial au-tophagy and apoptosis,and promotion of angiogenesis in diabetic rats.

Objective:To observe the effect of nutrition intervention and exercise rehabilitation treatment on the sarcopenia in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study. From March 2019 to September 2020, 101 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes complicated with sarcopenia treated in the Department of Endocrinology of Tianjin Third Central Hospital were enrolled in this study. The patients were divided into four groups with propensity score matching method: sarcopenia education group without nutrition and resistance training group (group A, n=22), simple nutrition intervention group (group B, n=28), nutritional intervention combined with resistance training group (group C, n=27) and nutritional intervention combined with aerobic and resistance training group (group D, n=24). All the patients were intervened for 24 weeks, two patients in groups C and D dropped due to their own reasons. The 25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 (25(OH)D 3), grip strength, muscle mass of the limbs and short physical performance battery (SPPB) scores were measured before and 24 weeks after the intervention in all the participants. Results:After the intervention, the 25(OH)D 3 levels in the B, C, D groups was (33.45±4.05), (33.68±4.69), (34.28±5.58) μg/L, respectively, all were higher than those before the treatment (all P<0.01), and there was no significant differences among the three groups ( P>0.05). The muscle mass in the B, C, D groups after intervention was 5.650 (5.102, 6.658), 6.601 (6.007, 7.156) and 6.520 (6.017, 7.302) kg/m 2, respectively, all were significantly higher than those before the treatment (all P<0.01); the muscle mass in group C and D increased more significantly than that in group B ( P<0.01), but there was no significant differences between group C and D ( P>0.05). After the intervention, the muscle strength in the C and D groups was 20.60 (19.20, 24.55) kg and 21.15 (19.43, 26.63) kg, and the SPPB scores was 8.00 (7.00, 9.00) points and 8.00 (8.00, 9.00) points, respectively, all were higher than those before the intervention (all P<0.01), but there was no significant differences between the two groups(both P>0.05). The SPPB function score in group D was better than that in group C, the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Nutritional intervention can improve the muscle mass in elderly type 2 diabetes patients with sarcopenia. Combined with rehabilitation training, the muscle strength and muscle function of these patients could also be improved, and the improvement of muscle mass is better than that in patients receiving nutritional intervention only. In terms of increasing muscle strength, the two kinds of rehabilitation training are equivalent. If combined with aerobic exercise, it can also improve the muscle function of these patients.