The theory of constitution in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has emerged as a new discipline in recent years. Constitution plays a vital role in the onset，progression，transformation，and prognosis of diseases. At present，some clinical scholars have adopted a novel diagnostic and treatment model of "constitution differentiation-disease identification-syndrome differentiation"，in which constitution is regarded as a core element throughout the diagnostic and therapeutic process. Constitution is closely associated with etiology，onset，pathogenesis，syndrome differentiation，and treatment. Against this background，the construction of animal models based on constitution holds far-reaching significance for advancing clinical research. This paper focuses on the construction and evaluation of rodent models with Qi-deficiency constitution，aiming to explore how to further induce Qi-deficiency syndromes and related disease states on the basis of Qi-deficiency constitution models，thereby developing an integrated animal model that embodies the trinity of "constitution-disease-syndrome". The establishment of this model not only provides a solid experimental foundation for the development of new therapies and drugs in TCM targeting specific constitutions，diseases，and syndromes，but also greatly promotes the modernization and scientific advancement of TCM theory. By comprehensively applying multidisciplinary technologies and methods，the study evaluates the model's validity，reliability，and practicality，with the aim of opening new avenues for future research in TCM and promoting the development of the field.

The theory of constitution in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has emerged as a new discipline in recent years. Constitution plays a vital role in the onset，progression，transformation，and prognosis of diseases. At present，some clinical scholars have adopted a novel diagnostic and treatment model of "constitution differentiation-disease identification-syndrome differentiation"，in which constitution is regarded as a core element throughout the diagnostic and therapeutic process. Constitution is closely associated with etiology，onset，pathogenesis，syndrome differentiation，and treatment. Against this background，the construction of animal models based on constitution holds far-reaching significance for advancing clinical research. This paper focuses on the construction and evaluation of rodent models with Qi-deficiency constitution，aiming to explore how to further induce Qi-deficiency syndromes and related disease states on the basis of Qi-deficiency constitution models，thereby developing an integrated animal model that embodies the trinity of "constitution-disease-syndrome". The establishment of this model not only provides a solid experimental foundation for the development of new therapies and drugs in TCM targeting specific constitutions，diseases，and syndromes，but also greatly promotes the modernization and scientific advancement of TCM theory. By comprehensively applying multidisciplinary technologies and methods，the study evaluates the model's validity，reliability，and practicality，with the aim of opening new avenues for future research in TCM and promoting the development of the field.

BACKGROUND:Nerve growth factor is a protein that induces nerve growth and regulates biological behaviors such as proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the promoting effect of nerve growth factor on chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. METHODS:Rabbit bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were isolated and cultured,and nerve growth factor was transfected into bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by lentiviral transfection.The effects of nerve growth factor on the proliferation,migration,hypertrophic differentiation,and chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were detected by CCK-8 assay,cell scratch assay,alizarin red staining,and western blot assay,using the transfected null-loaded virus as control.To further investigate the promoting effect of nerve growth factor on the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,interleukin 1β was added in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells transfected with empty virus and nerve growth factor for 14 days.The expression of proteins related to chondrogenic differentiation and hypertrophic differentiation was detected by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)CCK-8 assay results showed that nerve growth factor had no significant effect on the proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.(2)Compared with the control group,overexpression of nerve growth factor enhanced the migration ability of the cells,and the expression of cartilage-associated proteins type II collagen and SOX9 was up-regulated(P<0.05),while the expression of hypertrophic-associated proteins type X collagen and Runx2 was down-regulated(P<0.05).(3)Compared with the empty virus+interleukin 1β group,the expression of cartilage-associated proteins type II collagen and Sox9 was up-regulated(P<0.05),and the expression of hypertrophy-associated proteins type X collagen and Runx2 was down-regulated after overexpression of nerve growth factor(P<0.05).(4)The results indicated that nerve growth factor could promote the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

To systematically review randomized controlled trials （RCTs） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervention in ulcerative colitis （UC）， and analyze the characteristics of these studies and their outcome indicators， thereby providing references for the design of future RCTs of TCM intervention in UC and offering evidence supporting the clinical application of TCM in UC. A computerized search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed， Cochrane Library， EMbase， and Web of Science databases for RCTs of TCM intervention in UC published from January 2021 to August 2024. The risk of bias was assessed， and outcome indicators were qualitatively analyzed. A total of 555 RCTs were included， with a sample size of 44 853 participants. The largest sample size was 218 cases， and the smallest was 28 cases， with most studies focusing on 60-100 participants. Of the 386 RCTs that explicitly reported TCM syndrome types， the top three were large intestine dampness-heat syndrome （31.05%）， spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome （12.47%）， and spleen deficiency with dampness syndrome （9.17%）. The interventions， ranked by frequency of use， included internal Chinese medicine compounds/preparations （64.5%）， Chinese medicine compounds/preparations with retained enema （18.2%）， internal Chinese medicine compounds/preparations + external TCM treatment （5.95%）， and external TCM treatment alone （4.86%）. The treatment duration was mainly 4-8 weeks （64.86%）， with 61 studies （10.99%） reporting follow-up time. A total of 157 outcome indicators were used， with a frequency of 3 460 occurrences， classified into six domains： TCM syndromes and symptoms （346 occurrences， 10%）， symptoms/signs （541 occurrences， 15.64%）， physical and chemical examinations （2 119 occurrences， 61.24%）， quality of life （107 occurrences， 3.09%）， long-term prognosis （61 occurrences， 1.76%）， and safety events （284 occurrences， 8.21%）. The analysis reveals several limitations in the outcome indicators of TCM intervention in UC， including the lack of a basis for sample size calculation， non-standardized TCM syndrome classification， absence of trial design and registration， inadequate blinding and allocation concealment， adherence issues with interventions， imbalanced selection of surrogate and endpoint indicators， inconsistency in the timing of outcome measurements， design issues that require standardization， and ethical and safety concerns. It is recommended that future studies actively construct a set of core indicators for UC that include standardized TCM syndrome classification， clear efficacy evaluation indicators， key endpoint indicators， and reasonable measurement time points. Long-term prognostic impacts， comprehensive assessments of patients' quality of life， and consideration of economic benefits should be emphasized， providing a basis for the clinical practice of TCM in the treatment of UC.

To systematically review randomized controlled trials （RCTs） of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervention in ulcerative colitis （UC）， and analyze the characteristics of these studies and their outcome indicators， thereby providing references for the design of future RCTs of TCM intervention in UC and offering evidence supporting the clinical application of TCM in UC. A computerized search was conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， Wanfang Data， VIP， SinoMed， PubMed， Cochrane Library， EMbase， and Web of Science databases for RCTs of TCM intervention in UC published from January 2021 to August 2024. The risk of bias was assessed， and outcome indicators were qualitatively analyzed. A total of 555 RCTs were included， with a sample size of 44 853 participants. The largest sample size was 218 cases， and the smallest was 28 cases， with most studies focusing on 60-100 participants. Of the 386 RCTs that explicitly reported TCM syndrome types， the top three were large intestine dampness-heat syndrome （31.05%）， spleen and kidney yang deficiency syndrome （12.47%）， and spleen deficiency with dampness syndrome （9.17%）. The interventions， ranked by frequency of use， included internal Chinese medicine compounds/preparations （64.5%）， Chinese medicine compounds/preparations with retained enema （18.2%）， internal Chinese medicine compounds/preparations + external TCM treatment （5.95%）， and external TCM treatment alone （4.86%）. The treatment duration was mainly 4-8 weeks （64.86%）， with 61 studies （10.99%） reporting follow-up time. A total of 157 outcome indicators were used， with a frequency of 3 460 occurrences， classified into six domains： TCM syndromes and symptoms （346 occurrences， 10%）， symptoms/signs （541 occurrences， 15.64%）， physical and chemical examinations （2 119 occurrences， 61.24%）， quality of life （107 occurrences， 3.09%）， long-term prognosis （61 occurrences， 1.76%）， and safety events （284 occurrences， 8.21%）. The analysis reveals several limitations in the outcome indicators of TCM intervention in UC， including the lack of a basis for sample size calculation， non-standardized TCM syndrome classification， absence of trial design and registration， inadequate blinding and allocation concealment， adherence issues with interventions， imbalanced selection of surrogate and endpoint indicators， inconsistency in the timing of outcome measurements， design issues that require standardization， and ethical and safety concerns. It is recommended that future studies actively construct a set of core indicators for UC that include standardized TCM syndrome classification， clear efficacy evaluation indicators， key endpoint indicators， and reasonable measurement time points. Long-term prognostic impacts， comprehensive assessments of patients' quality of life， and consideration of economic benefits should be emphasized， providing a basis for the clinical practice of TCM in the treatment of UC.

[Objective] To investigate the factors influencing the detection of HLA-C expression by flow cytometry. [Methods] A total of 12 hematopoietic stem cell suspension samples from peripheral hematopoietic stem cell volunteer donors were randomly collected after CD34⁺ cell counting detection. The influence of detecting different number of nucleated cell (500 000, 50 000 and 5 000), sequential order of red blood cell lysis and antibody incubation, and the HLA-C antibody with varied remaining time from the expiration date on the detection results of HLA-C expression by flow cytometry were investigated, respectively. The significance of differences between different groups was analyzed through Student t test. [Results] There was no significant difference in the proportion of HLA-C positive cells and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) among the three groups with different nucleated cell numbers detected (500 000, 50 000 and 5 000) (P>0.05). The sequential order of red blood cell lysis and antibody incubation had no influence on the proportion of HLA-C positive cells (P>0.05), but HLA-C MFI value was significantly lower when antibody incubation was performed after red blood cell lysis than that when antibody incubation was performed before red blood cell lysis (P<0.05). The proportion of HLA-C positive cells and MFI value detected by HLA-C antibody remaining 24 months from the expiration date were significantly higher than those detected by HLA-C antibody remaining only 5 months from the expiration date (P<0.05). [Conclusion] The present study has investigated the factors of influencing HLA-C expression level by flow cytometry, the results have important reference and application value for standardizing the experimental operation of HLA-C expression and improving the accuracy and comparability of detection results.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanism of quercetin （QUE） on inflammatory response in allergic rhinitis （AR） model rats based on Toll-like receptor 4/interleukin 1 （IL-1） receptor-associated kinase/nuclear factor κB （TLR4/ IRAK4/NF-κB） signaling pathway. METHODS AR model rats were constructed by ovalbumin sensitization method. A total of 48 successfully constructed rats were randomly divided into AR group， QUE-L and QUE-H groups （i.g administration， 17.5， 35 mg/kg） and QUE-H+TLR4 activator lipopolysaccharide （LPS） group （i.g administration of 35 mg/kg QUE+intravenous administration of 0.4 mg/kg LPS via tail vein）， with 12 rats in each group. Another 12 normal healthy rats were selected as control group， once a day， for 21 consecutive days. After the last medication， rhinitis symptoms of rats in each group were scored. The serum levels of immunoglobulin E （IgE）， histamine （HIS）， and inflammatory factors were all detected. The proportions of regulatory T cells （Treg） and helper T cells 17 （Th17） cells in blood were detected， the Th17/Treg ratio was calculated， and the pathological condition of nasal mucosal tissue was observed. The expressions of TLR4/IRAK4/NF-κB pathway related protein in nasal mucosal tissue were determined. RESULTS Compared with control group， nasal mucosal tissue damage in the AR group was more severe， with partial shedding of epithelial cells， the proliferation of goblet cells， and obvious inflammatory cell infiltration. The rhinitis symptom score， the levels of IgE， HIS and IL-17， Th17 proportion， Th17/Treg ratio，p-IRAK4/IRAK4 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 ratios as well as relative expression of TLR4 protein were increased significantly （P＜0.05）， while IL-10 level and Treg proportion were decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with AR group， the pathological injuries of nasal mucosa and the above indexes in QUE-L and QUE-H groups were all improved significantly （P＜0.05）. LPS treatment could reverse the improvement effects of high-dose QUE on histopathological damage to nasal mucosa tissue and the aforementioned indicators （P＜ 0.05）. CONCLUSIONS QUE can inhibit the inflammatory response in AR rats by inhibiting TLR4/IRAK4/NF- κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution pattern of tongue image characteristics in patients with glucolipid metabolic disorders and its main syndromes. MethodsA total of 841 patients with glucolipid metabolic disorders （disease group）， and 380 healthy subjects （control group） were included. The disease group was classified into three syndrome types： 283 cases of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome， 311 cases of phlegm-dampness obstruction syndrome， and 247 cases of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome. Tongue image data were collected using the TFDA-1 Tongue Diagnosis Instrument， and the TDAS V3.0 software was used to analyze the color， texture， and morphological features of the tongue body （TB） and tongue coating （TC） in patents with different syndromes of disease group （including lightness （L）， red-green axis （a）， yellow-blue axis （b）， luminance （Y）， difference between red signal and brightness （Cr）， difference between blue signal and brightness （Cb）， contrast （CON）， angular second moment （ASM）， entropy （ENT）， mean value （MEAN）， tongue coating area/tongue surface area （perAll）， and tongue coating area/non-coated area （perPart））. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify influencing factors for different syndrome types of glucolipid metabolic disorders. ResultsThe tongue body indicators TB-L， TB-Y， and TB-Cb in the disease group were significantly higher than those in the control group， while TB-a， TB-b， and TB-Cr were significantly lower. The tongue coating indicators TC-L， TC-Y， TC-Cb， perAll， and perPart in the disease group were significantly higher than those in the control group， while TC-a， TC-b， and TC-Cr were significantly lower （P＜0.05）. Comparing with the different syndromes in disease group， the TB-L and TB-Y of the liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome， and the phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome were higher than those of the qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome； the TB-a and TB-Cr of the phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome were lower than those of the qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome； the perAll of the phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome was higher than that of the qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome （P＜0.05）. In the analysis of the morphological characteristics of tongue signs， more spotted tongue in disease group compared with control group， more teeth-marked tongue in liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome than the other two syndromes， more greasy coating in phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome， and more stasis spots of tongue in qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome （P＜0.05）. Logistic regression analysis identified that greasy coating， spotted tongue， stasis spots of tongue， tooth-marked tongue， perAll， and TB-Cb are the influencing factors of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome； greasy coating， tooth-marked tongue， TC-Cb， and TC-Cr are the influencing factors of phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome； cracked tongue， stasis spots of tongue， tooth-marked tongue， and TB-Y are the influencing factors of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome （P＜0.05）. ConclusionCompared to healthy individuals， patients with glycolipid metabolic disorder have darker tongue color and thicker， greasy tongue coating. Glycolipid metabolic disorder patients of liver depression and spleen deficiency syndrome exhibit a reddish tongue with finer textures and more tooth marks； patients of phlegm-damp obstruction syndrome have lighter tongue coating with a coarser texture and a higher prevalence of greasy coating； patients of qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome display lower tongue brightness with a higher prevalence of blood stasis spots.

Objective To investigate the effects of Echinococcus multilocularis infection on levels of memory T (Tm) cells and their subsets in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of infection, so as to provide new insights into immunotherapy for alveolarechinococcosis. MethodsTwenty-four C57BL/6J mice aged 6 to 9 weeks were randomly divided into the infection group and the control group, of 12 mice in each group. Mice in the infection group were administered with 3 000 E. multilocularis protoscoleces via portal venous injection, while animals in the control group were administered with an equal volume of physiological saline. Three mice from each group were sacrificed 4, 12 weeks and 24 weeks post-infection, and lymph nodes were sampled and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to investigate the histopathological changes of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group. The expression and localization of T lymphocyte surface markers CD3, CD4, and CD8 were observed in mouse lymph nodes using immunohistochemical staining. In addition, lymphocyte suspensions were prepared from mouse lymph nodes in both groups at different time points post-infection, and the levels of Tm cell subsets and their secreted cytokines were detected using flow cytometry. Results HE staining showed diffuse structural alterations in the subcapsular cortical and paracortical regions of mouse lymph nodes in the infection group 4 weeks post-infection with E. multilocularis. Immunohistochemical staining detected CD3, CD4 and CD8 expression in mouse lymph nodes in both groups. Flow cytometry revealed higher proportions of CD4⁺ Tm cells [(55.3 ± 4.8)% vs. (38.8 ± 6.1)%; t = -4.259, P < 0.05] and CD4⁺ tissue-resident Tm (Trm) cells [(57.7 ± 3.7)% vs. (34.1 ± 11.2)%; t = -3.990, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks post-infection, and higher proportions of CD4⁺ Tm cells [(34.6 ± 3.2)% vs. (23.3 ± 7.5)%; t = -2.764, P < 0.05] and CD4⁺ Trm cells [(44.0 ± 1.9)% vs. (31.2 ± 1.5)%; t = -4.039, P < 0.05] in mouse lymph nodes in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. The proportions of CD8⁺ Tm cells were higher in the infection group than in the control group 4 weeks [(56.8 ± 2.7)% vs. (43.9 ± 5.2)%; t = -4.416, P < 0.01] and 12 weeks post-infection [(25.4 ± 2.7)% vs. (12.0 ± 2.6)%; t = -2.552, P < 0.05], while the proportions of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α⁺ CD4⁺ T cells [(15.7 ± 5.0)% vs. (49.4 ± 6.4)%; t = 7.150, P < 0.01], TNF-α⁺CD8⁺ T cells [(20.7 ± 5.5)% vs. (57.5 ± 8.4)%; t = -6.694, P < 0.01], and TNF-α⁺ CD8⁺ Tm cells [7.0% (1.0%) vs. 31.0% (11.0%); Z = -2.236, P < 0.05] were lower in the infection group than in the control group 24 weeks post-infection. Conclusions Tm cells levels are consistently increased in lymph nodes of mice at different stages of E. multilocularis infection, with Trm cells as the predominantly elevated subset. The impaired capacity of CD8⁺ Tm cells to secrete the effector molecule TNF-α in mouse lymph nodes at the late-stage infection may facilitate chronic parasitism of E. multilocularis.

Objective To assess the risk of human Spirometra mansoni infections and investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards sparganosis mansoni among residents in Henan Province, so as to provide insights into formulation of the sparganosis mansoni control measures. Methods Qinling Village in Fugou County of Zhoukou City, Bali Village in Yancheng District of Luohe City, Duzhai Village in Puyang County of Puyang City and Doushan Village in Luoshan County of Xinyang City were sampled as survey sites in Henan Province from July to August 2023, and more than 40 frogs were sampled from ponds or streams in each survey site for detection of Sparganum mansoni infections. At least 150 residents were sampled using a cluster sampling method from each survey site, and the sero-prevalence of anti-S. mansoni IgG antibody was estimated. In addition, a questionnaire survey was conducted on the KAP towards sparganosis mansoni among participants, and the proportion of eligible KAP, rate of correct KAP and KAP scores were calculated. Results A total 229 frogs were collected from 4 survey sites in 2023, and the overall prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 4.37% (10/229) in frogs, with 7.75% (10/129) prevalence in wild frogs and 0 in farm-bred frogs. A questionnaire survey was performed among 649 residents sampled from 4 survey sites, and 649 serum samples were collected. The seroprevalence of anti-S.mansoni IgG antibody was 0.15% (1/649) and the overall proportion of eligible KAP was 23.73% (154/649) among participants. There were age- (χ² = 30.905, P = 0.000), educational level- (χ² = 41.011, P = 0.000), and occupation-specific proportions of eligible KAP among participants (χ² = 10.721, P = 0.005), and the proportion of eligible KAP decreased with age (χ² _trend = 22.717, P = 0.000) and increased with education levels (χ² _trend = 40.025, P = 0.000). The rates of correct KAP towards sparganosis mansoni were 40.81% (2 119/5 192), 96.66% (1 882/1 947) and 63.81% (3 727/5 841) (χ² = 1 913.731, P = 0.000) among residents, respectively. The rates of correct KAP towards sparganosis mansoni varied significantly among survey sites (χ² = 136.872, 42.347 and 255.157; all P values= 0.000, with the highest rate of correct knowledge (51.94%, 748/1 440) and practices (75.86%, 1 229/1 620) in Yancheng District of Luohe City and the highest rate of correct attitudes in Puyang County of Puyang City (99.11%, 446/450) (all P values< 0.05). Conclusions There is still a high transmission risk of sparganosis mansoni in Henan Province, and the KAP towards sparganosis mansoni is required to be improved among residents.