At present, the treatment of sepsis depends largely on non-specific methods, highlighting an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. Stem cells have garnered significant attention in the treatment of various diseases due to their unique biological properties. Stem cells enhance sepsis survival through mechanisms such as reducing bacterial burden, modulating inflammation, and ameliorating organ dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that stem cells can increase the survival rate of sepsis patients through multiple pathways such as reducing the bacterial load of the host, regulating inflammatory homeostasis, and improving multi-organ dysfunction. Their derivatives, exosomes, can also alleviate the imbalanced immune response in sepsis patients. Recent advances in stem cell-based therapies for sepsis were summarized in this paper.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of Maimendong Yinzi （MMDYZ） on cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome and explore its potential mechanism of action. MethodsForty-eight Institute of Cancer Research （ICR） mice were randomly divided into a control group， a model group， a Baihe Gujin Tablet （BHGJP） group （1.36 g·kg^-1）， and low-dose， medium-dose， and high-dose MMDYZ groups （5， 10， 20 g·kg^-1·d^-1， based on the weight of crude drug）， with eight mice in each group. The mouse model of cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome was prepared by a combination of smoke exposure， nasal drip of lipopolysaccharide （LPS）， intragastric gavage with thyroxine， and capsaicin atomization. After successful modeling， drug interventions were administered for seven days. During modeling， the mice were observed for changes in general status， anal temperature， fecal water content， and water intake. After medication， the above indicators were evaluated again， along with assessments of spontaneous activity， cough sensitivity， lung function， lung index， and tracheal phenol red secretion. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） was analyzed for cell differential counts， and the level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in serum was measured via enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Lung injury was assessed via hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Network pharmacology was employed to predict the potential mechanism of MMDYZ in alleviation cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome. Western blot （WB） was used to measure protease-activated receptor1 （PAR1） and GTPhase α_i subunit （Gα_i） protein expressions in lung tissue. ELISA was used to determine lung cAMP content， and immunohistochemistry （IHC） was employed to evaluate transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 （TRPV1） expression. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group exhibited significantly increased water intake and anal temperature and significantly decreased fecal water content （P<0.05）. The total distance traveled in 5 min and the central zone duration were reduced， while standing frequency significantly increased （P<0.05）. Cough sensitivity and enhanced pause （PenH） were elevated. Peak expiratory flow （PEF） significantly declined （P<0.05）. BALF neutrophil （NEU） and white blood cell （WBC） counts rose. Serum cAMP and cAMP/cGMP ratio significantly increased， and cGMP significantly decreased （P<0.05）. Serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly elevated （P<0.05）. The lung injury was obvious， and the lung index was significantly elevated （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the medium-dose and high-dose MMDYZ groups and the BHGJP group showed significantly improved indicators mentioned above. Additionally， network pharmacology suggested that MMDYZ might alleviate cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome via cAMP， hypoxia inducible factor-1 （HIF-1）， and TNF signaling pathways. WB， ELISA， and IHC revealed that， compared with the control group， the model group exhibited significantly upregulated PAR1， Gα_i， and TRPV1 expressions and significantly downregulated cAMP in lung tissue （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， MMDYZ reduced PAR1 （P<0.01）， Gα_i （P<0.05）， and TRPV1 （P<0.01） while increasing cAMP level （P<0.01）. ConclusionMMDYZ may alleviate cough with Yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome by modulating the PAR1/Gα_i/cAMP pathway and TRPV1 expression.

It is believed that diabetes complicated with coronary heart disease is closely related to the functional interplay of the heart， spleen， and kidneys. This paper proposed the concept of the heart-spleen-kidney as a unified system for understanding and treating the disease. At the early stage， spleen and kidney deficiency leads to the internal accumulation of phlegm， dampness， and turbid lipids， causing impaired blood circulation and vascular obstruction， so treatment should focus on tonify the kidneys and strengthening the spleen， activating blood circulation and resolving stasis， using the self-prescribed Tangxin Maiwen Formula （糖心脉温方）. As the disease progresses， further decline of spleen and kidney function results in inadequate nourishment of the heart， leading to blood stasis and the accumulation of phlegm， dampness， and turbid lipids， which may transform into pathogenic heat and toxins， causing heart damage， then treatment should emphasize on boosting qi and nourishing yin， clearing heat， activating blood and resolving toxins， using the self-prescribed Tangxin Maiqing Formula （糖心脉清方）. In advanced stages， three zang organs， the heart， spleen， and kidneys， become severely impaired， leading to mental activity fail to be nourished and abnormal cognitive functions， so treatment should focus on harmonizing the three zang organs simultaneously， using the self-prescribed Yunpi Tiaoxin Decoction （运脾调心汤）. This approach aims to provide a clinical framework for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes with coronary heart disease.

In November 2024， the Expert Group on Alcohol-related Liver Disease released a position statement on metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-related liver disease （MetALD）. MetALD is a new subtype of steatotic liver disease and refers to MASLD patients with a relatively large amount of alcohol consumption. The position statement points out the importance of accurate evaluation of alcohol consumption and recommends to quantify alcohol consumption using standard methods and alcohol biomarkers， and a comprehensive diagnosis should be made based on metabolic risk factors. In addition， the position statement analyzes the influence of drinking pattern on the diagnosis of MetALD and recommends to consider long-term drinking history during typing. The position statement also discusses the complex association between drinking and the diseases including metabolic syndrome， hepatic steatosis， fibrosis， and type 2 diabetes mellitus， and it is pointed out that the hierarchical management of patients should be optimized based on liver histological models and noninvasive models. The position statement elaborates on the definition of MetALD， drinking assessment， the interaction between alcohol use and metabolic dysfunction， and the methods for comprehensive management of MetALD， in order to facilitate learning and provide guidance for clinicians and researchers in clinical practice.

This article summarized clinical experience in differentiating and treating non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy （HCM） based on the concept of nourishing the heart and softening the hardness. It is considered that HCM belongs to the category of "heart accumulation"， with the fundamental cause being depletion of the spleen and kidney， and phlegm-stasis accumulation， as well as qi-yin exhaustion， serving as the manifestations. Spleen and kidney depletion leads to the transformation of phlegm and stasis， which accumulate in the heart； over time， this phlegm-stasis accumulation consumes heart qi and yin， resulting in the heart being deprived of nourishment， which eventually leads to the damage to both the function and structure of heart. Therefore， the method of nourishing the heart and softening the hardness is proposed for the treatment of non-obstructive HCM. Emphasis is placed on softening hardness and dissipating masses throughout the entire treatment process， often using Modified Siwei Ruanjian Formula （四味软坚方加减）. During periods with prominent symptoms， the main treatment is boosting qi and nourishing yin to soften hardness and dissipate masses with self-made Yuxin Ruanjian Formula （自拟育心软坚方） in modifications； in stable periods， the main treatment is boosting kidney and fortifying spleen to soften hardness and dissipate masses with self-made Pishen Tongzhi Formula （脾肾同治方） in modifications.

Sophora Flavescens is the dried root of the leguminous plant Sophora Flavescens Ait. It was first published in Shen Nong's Herbal Classic. Sophora Flavescens contains a variety of active ingredients, mainly including matrine and oxymatrine, with anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-arrhythmia, disease-resistant pathogenic microorganisms and other pharmacological effects. Clinically, the compound preparations of Sophora Flavescens include Compound KuShen injection and KuShen gel and so on, which can be used to treat many types of cancers and improve skin, mucous pruritus, pain and other symptoms. Due to the poor bioavailability, the structure of matrine needs to be reformed. MASM, matrine derivative, only needs a low concentration to have a good therapeutic effect on sepsis and liver fibrosis. In this article, the chemical composition, pharmacological effects, compound preparations and structural modification of matrine were mainly discussed, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Sophora Flavescens and the development of new drugs.

Annexin A3（ANXA3）is a member of the membrane associated protein family. It has two subtypes of 36 kDa and 33 kDa. Its gene is located on the fourth chromosome of human. ANXA3, widely expressed in human bone marrow, lung, placenta, prostate and thyroid, is closely related to several biological processes such as exoplasmosis, vascular production, fat cell maturity, and white blood cell migration. Studies have found that ANXA3 is abnormally expressed in various diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease and inflammation. It can regulate multiple signaling pathways such as JNK, NF-κB, PI3K/AKT, and may become a potential drug target for treatment of related diseases. The structure, functions, the link with diseases and related mechanisms of ANXA3 were summarized in this paper, which could provide reference for ANXA3 related research.

Objective:To explore the key factors affecting health-related quality of life in children with brain tumors following initial diagnosis and to analyze its impact on survival and prognosis.Methods:Seventy-eight pediatric brain tumor patients who participated in a prospective cohort study between June 1st，2016 and June 30th，2021 were included for health-related quality of life assessment and long-term follow-up（median follow-up duration：52 months）.Results:The male-to-female ratio among the 78 children was 1.1：1，with a median age of 7.0（4.0，10.0）years. The scores of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory? 4.0 Generic Core Scales（PedsQL? 4.0）were（67.40±18.26）for parent proxy reports and（67.87±20.40）for child self-reports. Cronbach's α coefficients ranged from 0.790 to 0.927，with the intraclass correlation coefficient（ICC）was 0.673. According to the PedsQL? 4.0，impaired quality of life was observed in 50.0% of children by parent proxy report and 52.8% by child self-report，primarily affecting physical and role functioning. In addition，70% of caregivers reported impaired quality of life，with worry being the most prominent issue. Key factors affecting children's quality of life included radiotherapy，tumor stage，annual family income，and parents' marital status，while caregivers' quality of life was influenced by radiotherapy and the child's IgA levels（all P<0.05）. Children with decreased total scores，impaired physical functioning，or impaired emotional functioning on the PedsQL? 4.0 parent proxy report exhibited an increased risk of mortality（all P<0.05）. In multivariate Cox regression analysis，independent prognostic factors included a decrease in the total score on the PedsQL? 4.0 parent proxy report（ HR=6.702，95% CI：1.442-31.151， P<0.05），presence of hydrocephalus（ HR=33.602，95% CI：4.354-259.333， P<0.05），tumor recurrence（ HR=16.846，95% CI：3.158-89.852， P<0.05），and absence of hydrocephalus shunt surgery（ HR=13.428，95% CI：1.761-102.394， P<0.05）. Conclusion:The quality of life of newly diagnosed children with brain tumors is lower than that of healthy children，and quality of life is an important prognostic factor. Quality of life assessment should be an integral component of a comprehensive management program for children with brain tumors.

In clinical practice, TCM external treatment is used to treat cancer pain, malignant pleural effusion, cancer-related fatigue and other related diseases of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). TCM external treatment can also prevent and treat adverse reactions related to NSCLC treatment measures, such as postoperative cough, radiation-induced lung injury, nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy, bone marrow suppression after chemotherapy, immune and targeted drug-related rash, etc. It mainly uses external use of Chinese materia medica, acupuncture, moxibustion, scraping, acupoint pressing and other methods. Different TCM external treatment method are often used in combination to improve the curative effect. External therapy has been widely used in the treatment of NSCLC related diseases. By balancing yin and yang of viscera, promoting the recovery of body function, it can achieve the role of cancer prevention, improvement of quality of life, control of clinical symptoms, attenuation and effect enhancement.

Coronary heart disease(CHD)is a chronic and dynamic disease resulting from atherosclerotic plaque accumulation and disordered circulatory function.For aging and senescence have an effect through the course of the disease,periodic and time-related manifestations of CHD are presented,characterized by the"stable-unstable-stable"process.Modern medicine has made breakthroughs in lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory agents,and scaffold material technologies for CHD,but it still has certain residual risk.Inspired by the holistic concept of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM),this paper proposed the treatment of CHD from the view of"blood-vessels-heart-spirit"integration,and holds that kidney-deficiency induced aging has an effect on the progression of CHD through the course of disease.Aging results into blood stasis,and then the blood,vessels,heart and spirit are all affected.The prevention and treatment of CHD should be performed by multi-dimensional,whole-process intervention with therapies for promoting the qi transformation of heart-vessels,and recovering the function of spirit governing the whole body.Nourishing kidney to treat the root cause aims at vessel stagnation due to blood turbidity,atherosclerosis caused by vessel stagnation,heart failure due to atherosclerosis,and spirit disturbance due to heart failure.Nourishing kidney to generate essence is helpful for purifying blood and moistening vessels,nourishing kidney to unblock the vessels is beneficial for dissipating mass and smoothing vessels,and nourishing kidney to promote transformation dis helpful for nourishing heart and tranquilizing spirit.By nourishing kidney,the regenerative,self-purifying and self-adaptive function of the heart-vessels will be promoted,thus to achieve the healthy homeostasis of"pathogenic factors being impossible to invade the body if healthy qi being sufficient inside".Therapy of nourishing kidney can be used in various pathological stages for preventing,controlling and curing CHD.