Addressing the enduring challenge of evaluating traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), the integrated evidence chain-based effectiveness evaluation of TCMs (Eff-iEC) has emerged. This paper explored its capacity through a demonstration study that evaluated the effectiveness evidence of six commonly used anti-hepatic fibrosis Chinese patent medicines (CPMs), including Biejiajian Pill (BP), Dahuang Zhechong Pill (DZP), Biejia Ruangan Compound (BRC), Fuzheng Huayu Capsule (FHC), Anluo Huaxian Pill (AHP), and Heluo Shugan Capsule (HSC), using both Eff-iEC and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. The recognition of these CPMs within the TCM academic community was also assessed through their inclusion in relevant medical documents. Results showed that the evidence of BRC and FHC received higher assessments in both Eff-iEC and GRADE system, while the assessments for others varied. Analysis of community recognition revealed that Eff-iEC more accurately reflects the clinical value of these CPMs, exhibiting superior evaluative capabilities. By breaking through the conventional pattern of TCMs effectiveness evaluation, Eff-iEC offers a novel epistemology that better aligns with the clinical realities and reasoning of TCMs, providing a coherent methodology for clinical decision-making, new drug evaluations, and health policy formulation.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction,which is caused by the body's uncontrolled immune response to infection.Tissue masts cells(MC),derived from blood mast cell progenitors,are one of the classical effector cells in inflammatory response.MC plays an important role in sepsis via secreting a variety of inflammatory mediators and cytokines.Here,we summarized the potential roles of MC in sepsis,which is expected to provide novel ideas for the future research on the novel mechanisms of MC in sepsis.

Objective:To investigate the expression of IL-18, IL-18-binding protein a(IL-18BPa) and IL-18 receptor α(IL-18Rα) by peripheral blood CD4 + Th17 cells of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and the effects of allergens on their expression. Methods:This study enrolled 45 outpatients with AR and 23 healthy control subjects receiving physical examination in the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University from October 2019 to September 2020. According to the results of skin prick test, the 45 patients were divided into two groups: AR group with positive results (24 cases) and nAR group with negative results (21 cases). Blood samples of them were collected. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the effects of allergens on the expression of IL-18, IL-18BPa and IL-18Rα at protein level by peripheral blood CD4 + Th17 cells. The level of IL-17A in plasma was measured by Bioplex system, and its correlation with the percentage of IL-18 + Th17 cells was analyzed. Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the AR group showed increased ratios of CD4 + Th17 and IL-18 + Th17 cells ( P<0.01), decreased ratio of IL-18BPa + Th17 cells ( P<0.01), enhanced mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of IL-18BPa ( P<0.01) and reduced MFI of IL-18Rα ( P<0.01); the nAR group showed enhanced MFI of IL-18BPa ( P<0.000 1) and reduced MFI of IL-18Rα ( P<0.000 1). The ratio of IL-18 + Th17 cells and the MFI of IL-18Rα in the AR group were higher than those in the nAR group ( P<0.05, P<0.01). House dust mite extract and Platanus pollen extract induced the expression of IL-18 and IL-18BPa by CD4 + Th17 cells of AR patients ( P<0.05). Moreover, house dust mite extract directly induced the CD4 + Th17 cells isolated from the healthy control subjects to express IL-18 and IL-18R ( P<0.05). Compared with healthy control subjects, AR patients had higher level of IL-17A in plasma and it was moderately correlated with the ratio of IL-18 + Th17 cells ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Allergens may be involved in the pathogenesis of AR by inducing blood CD4 + Th17 cells to express IL-18 and IL-18Rα.

Objective:To analyze the genetic and molecular characteristics of H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses from external environment and humans in Anhui Province from 2013 to 2022.Methods:Environmental samples and human samples were collected from Anhui influenza surveillance network laboratory. Sixty-three strains of virus were isolated in chicken embryos. RT-PCR was used to amplify the virus and whole genome sequencing was performed. To construct gene evolutionary tree and analyze its genetic characteristics and potential glycosylation sites.Results:The hemagglutinin (HA) gene belongs to the 9.2.4.5 clade, and the protein cleavage sites are mostly " PSRSSR\GL". The neuraminidase (NA) gene, basic protein-1(PB1) gene, acidic protein (PA) gene, non-structural protein (NS) gene and nucleoprotein (NP) gene belong to the F/98 clade, the matrix protein (MP) gene belongs to the G1/97 clade, and the basic protein-2 (PB2) gene belongs to the ST/7488 clade. Mutations of T155N, R164Q, H183N, T189D/V, A190V/T and Q226L occurred in HA protein, deletion of NA protein occurred at 62-64 sites, and mutations of T271A, I292V/M and E627V/L occurred in PB2 protein. At the same time, mutations of K356R and S409N occurred in the PA protein.Conclusions:The H9N2 subtype avian influenza viruses collected from external environment and human sources in Anhui province from 2013 to 2022 belong to the same evolutionary branch, and amino acid site mutations suggest that the virus shows a tendency to gradually adapt to the mammalian host environment. Therefore, further studies on the adaptive evolution of the virus and related monitoring work are needed.

Objective:To detect the expression of Toll-like receptor 7(TLR7)in blood neutrophils of patients with allergic rhi-nitis(AR),allergic asthma(AA)and allergic rhinitis combined with allergic asthma(ARA)before and after allergen challenge.Methods:A total of 44 AR,36 AA,19 ARA patients and 19 healthy control(HC)were recruited,the extracts of Artemisia siever-siana wild allergen(ASWE),house dust mite allergen(HDME)and Platanus pollen allergen(PPAE)were used to challenge periph-eral blood of HC as well as the patients,the expression of TLR7 in neutrophils was detected by flow cytometry.Results:In a resting state,compared with HC,upregulated expression of TLR7 in neutrophils in patients with airway allergy:the percentage of TLR7+neu-trophils in AR,AA,ARA patients increased 6 times,3.18 times and 6.15 times,respectively,and the mean fluorescence intensity(MFI)of TLR7 expression in neutrophil in ARA was enhanced by 24%.The results of allergen challenge tests showed that the expres-sion of neutrophils TLR7 did not change in HC subjects after the allergen challenge,whereas the expression of TLR7 in neutrophils of patients with airway allergy was upregulated after the allergens challenge.After HDME and PPAE challenge,the percentage of TLR7+neutrophils in peripheral of AR patients increased by 8.40%and 33.03%,respectively,and the MFI of TLR7 enhanced by 29.62%and 35.72%,respectively.After ASWE and PPAE challenge.The percentage of TLR7+neutrophils in peripheral of AA pa-tients increased by 59.18%and 1.06 times,respectively,and the MFI of TLR7 enhanced by 68.93%and 47.33%,respectively.How-ever,after HDME stimulation only enhanced the MFI of neutrophil TLR7 in AA patients by 66.14%;after HDME challenge,the per-centage of TLR7 and MFI in peripheral blood neutrophils of patients with ARA increased by 21.05%and 35.61%,respectively,while after PPAE challenge,the percentage of TLR7+cells in patients with ARA increased by 20.07%.Conclusion:The expression of TLR7 in blood neutrophils is increased in patients with allergic airway diseases after allergen stimulation,suggesting that allergens may be involved in the occurrence and development of allergic airway diseases by inducing TLR7 expression changes in neutrophils.

Objective To investigate the drug resistance of influenza virus strains in Anhui Province from 2021 to 2024 and analyze the mutation and molecular evolution characteristics of the neuraminidase (NA) for providing a reference for influenza prevention and clinical drug use in Anhui Province. Methods Throat swab samples from influenza-like cases in Anhui Province from 2021 to 2024 were collected for nucleic acid detection and virus isolation. A total of 70 randomly selected influenza virus epidemic strains were subjected to neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) sensitivity testing using an NA activity inhibition assay. The molecular evolution characteristics of the virus NA gene were analyzed using viral genome sequencing and molecular biology software. Results Among the 70 epidemic strains, only one H1N1pdm subtype influenza virus showed decreased sensitivity to Zanamivir (IC50=1.252 nmol/L), while the other epidemic strains were sensitive to both Oseltamivir and Zanamivir, with no strains demonstrating highly reduced sensitivity to NAI. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed no mutations in key amino acid sites in the NA catalytic active region. However, there were significant differences in IC50 of different types of influenza viruses against different drugs. The NA gene genetic phylogenetic tree showed that 20 influenza B viruses and the vaccine strains were classified into Clade A.1 branch, while among the 40 influenza A viruses (H3N2 subtype), only one epidemic strain differed from the vaccine strain and was clustered into Clade A.2, while the remaining 39 strains shared Clade B with the vaccine strain. only one epidemic strain (H3N2 subtype) was different from the vaccine strains and clustered into the Clade A.2 branch, with the remaining 39 strains shared the Clade B branch with the vaccine strain. Conclusions In Anhui Province from 2021 to 2024, 98.6% (69/70) of the influenza virus epidemic strains remained sensitive to NAI drugs, but there is a risk of continued mutation in the virus NA gene. With the widespread use of drugs, the surveillance of influenza virus resistance should be continuously strengthened to better guide the prevention of infectious diseases and clinical medication.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of balloon dilation percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) combined with prying reduction bone grafting in the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures, and its impact on patients′neurological function.Methods:The clinical data of 184 patients with thoracolumbar fractures from March 2017 to May 2020 in Cangzhou Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital of Hebei Province were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 86 patients were treated with balloon dilation PKP combined with prying reduction and bone grafting (combined group), and 98 patients were treated with open reduction decompression and internal fixation (internal fixation group). The intraoperative bleeding volume, surgical time, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, efficacy and complications were recorded. One year after surgery, X-ray films were taken to measure the height of the anterior border and posterior border of vertebral body and the Cobb angle, and the pain visual analogue score (VAS), Barthel index and neurological Frankel grade were evaluated.Results:The intraoperative bleeding volume and surgical time in combined group were significantly higher than those in internal fixation group: (205.64 ± 45.63) ml vs. (180.37 ± 30.08) ml and (110.22 ± 28.91) min vs. (81.66 ± 20.77) min, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01); there was no statistical difference in intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency between the two groups ( P>0.05). The total effective rate in combined group was significantly higher than that in internal fixation group: 91.86% (79/86) vs. 79.59% (78/98), the total incidence of complications was significantly lower than that in internal fixation group: 13.95% (12/86) vs. 38.78% (38/98), and there were statistical differences ( P<0.05 or <0.01). The height of the anterior border and posterior border of vertebral body 1 year after surgery in combined group were significantly higher than those in internal fixation group: (95.78 ± 1.59) mm vs. (62.74 ± 1.80) mm and (98.53 ± 3.80) mm vs. (95.06 ± 3.28) mm, the Cobb angle was significantly smaller than that in internal fixation group: (6.53 ± 2.80)° vs. (18.06 ± 2.68)°, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). The VAS and Barthel index 1 year after surgery in both groups improved significantly, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01), but there were no statistical differences between the two groups ( P>0.05). The rate of neurological Frankel grade E 1 year after surgery in combined group was significantly higher than that in internal fixation group: 56.98% (49/86) vs. 23.47% (23/98), and there was statistical difference ( P<0.01). Conclusions:Compared with open reduction decompression and internal fixation, the balloon dilation PKP combined with prying reduction and bone grafting patients with thoracolumbar fractures is better for vertebral reduction and deformity repair, with higher safety, more significant pain relief, and better recovery of daily life and neurological function.

Gastric cancer （GC） is a digestive tract tumor that occurs in the epithelial tissues of the gastric mucosa， seriously affecting the life and health of patients， and its mortality rate ranks the third among malignancies. Although medical technology has made great progress in recent years， the progression of GC still cannot be effectively controlled by surgery， chemotherapy， and targeted therapy. The pathogenesis of GC is extremely complex and is closely related to the tumor microenvironment， chronic inflammation， and immune escape， among which the reduction of tumor cell apoptosis is one of the important mechanisms for the occurrence and development of GC. Apoptosis refers to the process of spontaneous termination of cell life caused by genes under specific physiological or pathological conditions， which is of great significance for maintaining the stability of the internal environment. Researchers have found that in the GC state， mitochondrial endogenous apoptosis， endoplasmic reticulum stress， external death receptors， and other apoptosis pathways are regulated by multiple signaling pathways and genes， which together lead to the decline of GC cell apoptosis rate and thus promote the progression of GC. Chinese medicine is advantageous and characterized by multiple components， multiple targets， synergistic effect， and few adverse reactions. A large number of studies have shown that polysaccharide components， as effective components of Chinese medicine， have biological activities such as cancer inhibition， blood sugar control， anti-inflammation， antioxidant damage， and anti-virus， and can effectively inhibit the deterioration of GC by inducing cell apoptosis， gradually becoming a hot spot in GC drug research and development. However， systematic reviews on the apoptosis of GC induced by Chinese medicine polysaccharides are rarely reported. Therefore， this paper analyzed and summarized the studies of Chinese medicine polysaccharides in promoting apoptosis and interfering with GC， in order to provide a theoretical basis for the basic research， new drug development， and clinical application of Chinese medicine polysaccharides in the intervention of GC.