To summarize the clinical experience of Professor LIU Shangyi in treating pruritus vulvae. It is believed that women have the physiological characteristics of liver and kidney as the root， and their pubic area is easily attacked by wind-dampness pathogenic qi， so the core mechanism of pruritus vulvae is proposed as wind-dampness accumulation and deficiency of liver and kidney. The core treatment method is to dispel wind-dampness and nourish the liver and kidneys， and modify the Danggui Decoction （当归饮子） to form a self-prescribed Yinyang Formula （阴痒方） as the basic prescription to treat pruritus vulvaen.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) in atherosclerotic plaques for regulating inflammatory responses during atherosclerosis (AS) progression. METHODS: Human coronary artery specimens from autopsy cases were examined for ATF3 protein expression and localization using immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^-/-) mouse models of AS induced by high-fat diet (HFD) feeding for 12 weeks were subjected to tail vein injection of adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) to knock down ATF3 expression. After an additional 5 weeks of HFD feeding, the mice were euthanized for analyzing structural changes of the aortic plaques, and the expression levels of ATF3, inflammatory factors (CD45, CD68, IL-1β, and TNF-α), and NF-κB pathway proteins (P-IKKα/β and P-NF-κB p65) were detected. In the cell experiment, THP-1-derived foam cells were transfected with an ATF3-overexpressing plasmid or an ATF3-specific siRNA to validate the relationship between ATF3 and NF‑κB signaling. RESULTS: In human atherosclerotic plaques, ATF3 expression was significantly elevated and partially co-localized with CD68. ATF3 knockout in ApoE^-/- mice significantly increased aortic plaque volume, upregulated the inflammatory factors, enhanced phosphorylation of the NF‑κB pathway proteins, and increased the expressions of VCAM1, MMP9, and MMP2 in the plaques. In THP-1-derived foam cells, ATF3 silencing caused activation of the NF‑κB pathway, while ATF3 overexpression suppressed the activity of the NF-κB pathway. CONCLUSIONS AS promotes ATF3 expression, and ATF3 deficiency exacerbates AS progression by enhancing plaque inflammation via activating the NF-κB pathway, suggesting the potential of ATF3 as a therapeutic target for AS.
Animals ; Activating Transcription Factor 3/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic/metabolism* ; Inflammation/metabolism* ; Apolipoproteins E ; Atherosclerosis/metabolism* ; Diet, High-Fat

ObjectiveTo explore the interaction among root fungi of Stellaria dichotoma var. lanceolata， soil factors， and main components of medicinal materials in lithosol habitats. MethodHigh-throughput sequencing technology was employed to determine the fungal community of the root system of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata at different levels （bulk soil， rhizosphere soil， rhizoplane soil， and root interior） and the soil properties of the root system （bulk and rhizosphere）， and the relationship among the fungal community， soil properties， and the main components of medicinal materials was analyzed. ResultThe total phosphorus， available phosphorus， alkaline nitrogen， dissolved organic carbon， and soil water content in the rhizosphere soil of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata were slightly higher than those in the rhizosphere， but the difference was not significant. Ascomycota is the dominant phylum of root fungi in S. dichotoma var. lanceolata. In the progressive level of bulk-rhizosphere-rhizoplane-root interior system， although the fungal diversity gradually decreased， the abundance of Hypocreales， a new phylum （unclassified_ k_ Fungi）， Helotiales， and Natipusilales gradually increased， among which Hypocreales is the most important fungal group in the root system of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata. The structural equation model （SEM） shows that the physicochemical factors of the root-soil play an important regulatory role in the fungal community and the main components of medicinal herbs， with soil total nitrogen， alkaline nitrogen， soil water content， and pH being the main regulatory factors. Soil nitrogen content is the key to promoting the main components of the medicinal herbs， and Penicillium fungi are the key fungal group to regulate the main components of the medicinal herbs. ConclusionIt highlights that the physicochemical properties of the soil of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata play a crucial role in the fungal community and the components of medicinal materials. Hypocreales fungi in the root of S. dichotoma var. lanceolata were an important group， and Penicillium fungi had a certain role in mediating the components of medicinal materials.

Objective To explore the effects of Jianpi Yichang Powder on the expressions of interleukin(IL)-1β and IL-18 of NLRP3 signaling pathway in ulcerative colitis(UC)model rats.Methods Ten rats were randomly selected from 40 SD rats as the normal group,and the other rats freely drank 5%dextran sulfate solution for 7 days to replicate UC rats model.The model rats were randomly divided into model group,sulfasalazine group and Jianpi Yichang Powder group,with 10 rats in each group.Jianpi Yichang Powder group and sulfasalazine group were given corresponding liquid medicine for gavage,and the normal and model groups were given equivalent volume distilled water for gavage for consecutive 14 d.The general status was observed,and the disease activity index(DAI)was scored,the contents of NLRP3,apoptosis-associated spotted proteins(ASC),and Caspase-1 in serum were detected by ELISA,the expressions of IL-1β and IL-18 protein and mRNA in colon tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot and RT-PCR respectively.Results Compared with the normal group,the general status of the rats in model group was relatively worse,and DAI score significantly increased(P<0.01),the contents of NLRP3,ASC and Caspase-l in serum were significantly increased(P<0.01),the expressions of IL-1β and IL-18 protein and mRNA in colon tissue were significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the general status of the rats in Jianpi Yichang Powder group and sulfasalazine group were significantly improved,DAI score significantly decreased(P<0.01),the contents of NLRP3,ASC and Caspase-l in serum significantly reduced(P<0.05,P<0.01),and the expressions of IL-1β and IL-18 protein and mRNA in colon tissue significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Jianpi Yichang Powder can inhibit IL-1β and IL-18 expression of NLRP3 signaling pathway to reduce colon immune inflammatory damage,thus play a role in treating UC.

Sishen Pills is a classic prescription for the treatment of spleen and kidney diarrhea,which has the effect of warming the kidney and the spleen,astringent intestine and antidiarrheal.In modern clinical application,the modified prescriptions based on Sishen Pills,combined with other treatments of TCM and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine are often used to treat ulcerative colitis with spleen-kidney yang deficiency syndrome,and the curative effect is remarkable.Experimental pharmacological studies have shown that Sishen Pills may achieve the purpose of ulcerative colitis by regulating the expression of related signaling pathway proteins,regulating inflammatory factors,inhibiting inflammatory response,regulating autophagy,regulating intestinal flora,improving intestinal mucosal permeability,repairing intestinal mucosal barrier,regulating cellular energy metabolism,anti-oxidative stress,regulating cellular immune function,etc.In this article,the research status of Sishen Pills in the treatment of ulcerative colitis was sorted out and summarized,in order to provide reference for further study of its mechanism and clinical application.

Pathological mechanism of ulcerative colitis(UC)is not fully clear,which may be the result of Th17/Treg immune imbalance and the interaction of multiple complex factors.Numerous studies have found that classical TCM prescriptions,experienced formulas and TCM active components could regulate Th17/Treg balance by intervening in cytokines,transcription factors,and signaling pathways,restore intestinal mucosal immune function,suppress intestinal mucosal inflammatory response,and repair intestinal mucosal barrier damage.Based on the research status of UC,Th17/Treg balance and TCM treatment,this article reviewed the relationship between Th17/Treg balance and UC,and explained the key role of Th17/Treg balance in the occurrence and development of UC.At the same time,the Chinese materia medica targeting to regulate the balance of Th17/Treg in the treatment of UC in recent years was summarized,in order to provide reference for the treatment of UC.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of a trinity strategy for the treatment of multiple orthopedic trauma.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 1 267 patients with multiple orthopedic trauma admitted to Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the First Affiliated Hospital of Navy Medical University from June 2013 to May 2023, including 862 males and 405 females, aged 18-93 years [(55.2±19.8)years]. Associated injuries included hemorrhagic shock in 632 patients, traumatic wet lung in 274, cranial injuries in 135, abdominal and pelvic bleeding in 116, pneumothorax in 89, urinary injury in 13, and vesical rupture in 8. All the patients were treated with the trinity strategy and the treatment process was divided into the phases of first aid, remodeling, and rehabilitation. The first aid phase focused on stabilizing symptoms and saving lives; the remodeling phase centered on restoring the anatomical structure and alignment; the rehabilitation phase aimed for functional recovery through the integration of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine. The all-cause mortality within 30 days after surgery and fracture healing time were calculated; the excellent and good rates of Constant-Murley shoulder score, Mayo elbow score, Gartland-Werley wrist score, Harris hip score, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee score and the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score at the last follow-up and the overall excellent and good rate of all joint function scores were measured. The short form health survey (SF-36) scores were collected preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively, including 8 aspects such as physical functioning, physical role, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, emotional role, and mental health. The incidence of postoperative complications was recorded.Results:All the patients were followed up for 6-18 months [(10.2±4.2)months]. The mortality rate during the acute phase (within 30 days after surgery) was 2.37% with 12 deaths due to hemorrhagic shock, 10 due to traumatic brain injury, 6 due to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and 2 due to pulmonary infection. The average fracture healing time averaged 3.8-18 months [(11.5±4.2)months], with 89.49% of the patients having bone union within 12 months after surgery, 8.93% having bone union within 18 months after surgery, and 1.58% undergoing reoperation. For the patients with internal fixation failure and nonunion, the average healing time was extended to (10.2±2.2)months and (13.7±3.3)months respectively. At the last follow-up, the excellent and good rates of Constant-Murley shoulder score, Mayo elbow score, Gartland-Werley wrist score, Harris hip score, HSS knee score, and AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score were 83.93%, 90.24%, 94.12%, 85.57%, 88.46%, and 92.31% respectively, with an overall excellent and good rate of 89.11%. At 6 months after surgery, the SF-36 scores of all the patients in the eight dimensions,including the physical functioning, physical role, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, emotional role, and mental health were (74.4±8.6)points, (44.7±14.4)points, (77.4±10.9)points, (68.4±18.2)points, (72.5±16.0)points, (76.8±8.7)points, (49.9±17.6)points, and (72.8±17.9)points, significantly improved compared with those before operation [(63.4±12.7)points, (30.9±17.4)points, (56.4±18.0)points, (55.4±24.7)points, (53.5±21.0)points, (55.8±24.3)points, (36.9±24.0)points, (58.8±21.6)points] ( P<0.01). Complications of different degrees occurred in 214 patients (16.89%), including lung infections in 118 patients (9.31%), lower extremity deep vein thrombosis in 50(3.95%), pressure injuries in 26(2.05%), internal fixation failure in 12(0.95%), and nonunion in 8(0.63%). Conclusions:The trinity strategy provides whole-process management, personalized treatment, and overall rehabilitation for multiple orthopedic trauma. It can decrease mortality, shorten fracture healing time, improve joint function and quality of life, and reduce the incidence of complications.

ObjectiveTo systematically analyze the effect of therapeutic exercise on neck function and quality of life in patients with neck pain and forward head posture. MethodsRandomized controlled trials about the effects of exercise training on forward head posture and neck pain were searched from PubMed, Web of science, Embase, Medline, Science Direct, EBSCO, Springlink, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang Data from database establishment to April, 2022. The literature was screened by two researchers independently. Cochrane bias risk assessment tool and Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale were used to evaluate the quality of the included articles. Revman 5.4 software was used for meta-analysis. ResultsA total of 416 patients from eleven literatures were included. Level 1a evidence indicated scapula stability training could effectively improve cranial vertebral angle (MD = 3.62, 95%CI 2.41 to 4.83, P < 0.001), and relieve pain (MD = 1.32, 95%CI 0.18 to 2.46, P = 0.02). Level 1b evidence indicated scapula stability training could reduce functional disability (MD = -0.92, 95%CI -1.11 to -0.74, P < 0.001). Level 1b evidence indicated deep cervical flexor training could improve cranial vertebral angle (MD = -0.83, 95%CI -1.56 to -0.10, P = 0.03), relieve pain (MD = 0.93, 95%CI 0.54 to 1.32, P < 0.001), and improve neck functional disability (MD = 2.17, 95%CI 1.39 to 2.95, P < 0.001). ConclusionScapula stability training and deep cervical flexor training can effectively improve cranial vertebral angle, relieve neck pain, and improve neck function.

OBJECTIVE To study the effect and potential mechanism of eriodictyol on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）. METHODS Sixteen C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into control group， NAFLD model group， and eriodictyol low-dose and high-dose groups （50， 100 mg/kg）， with 4 mice in each group. Except for control group， the other groups were fed with high fat diet to induce NAFLD model. After four weeks of preprocessing， they were given relevant medicine intraperitoneally （0.01 mL/g）， once a day， for 6 consecutive weeks. The body weight and liver weight of mice were measured， and the pathological damage of liver tissue in mice was observed. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， alanine aminotransferase（ALT）， and triglycerides （TG） in serum， as well as the protein expressions of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2） and heme oxygenase-1 （HO-1） in liver tissue were determined. In vitro NAFLD model was established by using 0.5 mmol/L oleic acid （OA） in HepG2 cells. Normal control group， NAFLD model group and eriodictyol low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （50， 100， 150 μmol/L） were set up. HepG2 cells in drug groups were treated with eriodictyol for 24 h at the time of modeling. The lipid deposition was observed in cells， and the levels of TG， malondialdehyde （MDA） and reactive oxygen species （ROS） as well as the phosphorylation levels of the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signal pathway related proteins [extracellular signal-regulated kinase （ERK）， c- Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK）] and the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were all determined. RESULTS In the in vivo experiment， compared with the NAFLD model group， the body weight， liver weight， the serum levels of AST， ALT and TG were all decreased significantly in eriodictyol low- and high-dose groups （except for serum level of AST in eriodictyol low-dose group） （P＜0.01）； liver lipid deposition was reduced significantly and the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 in liver tissues were further up-regulated （P＜0.01）. In the in vitro experiment， compared with the NAFLD model group， the lipid deposition in hepatocytes was reduced in eriodictyol low-， medium- and high-concentration groups （P＜0.01）， and the levels of ROS， MDA and TG were down-regulated （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the phosphorylation levels of ERK and JNK were significantly down-regulated （P＜0.01）， while the protein expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 were up-regulated significantly （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Eriodictyol can inhibit MAPK signaling pathway and activate Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway to alleviate NAFLD.

ObjectiveTo explore the effect of Jianpi Yichang power on the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome signaling pathway in a rat model of ulcerative colitis （UC）. MethodSixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal group （n=10） and an experimental group （n=50）. The experimental group received 5% dextran sulfate sodium （DSS） solution freely for 7 days to induce UC， and then they were further randomly divided into model group， sulfasalazine （0.3 g·kg^-1） group， and high-， medium-， and low-dose Jianpi Yichang power groups （54.4， 27.2， 13.6 g·kg^-1） for continuous treatment of 14 days. The general condition of the rats was observed and recorded daily， and the disease activity index （DAI） was scored before and after treatment. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect the levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β） and interleukin-18 （IL-18） in the serum of rats in each group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the histopathological changes in the colon tissue. Immunohistochemistry， Western blot， and Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） were used to detect the positive protein expression， protein expression， and mRNA expression of NLRP3， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD （ASC）， and cysteine aspartate-special proteases-1（Caspase-1） in the colon tissue. ResultCompared with the condition in the normal group， the general condition of rats in the model group was relatively poor， with increased DAI scores （P<0.01）， pathological changes in the colon， increased levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the serum （P<0.01）， and enhanced positive protein expression， protein expression， and mRNA expression of NLRP3， ASC， and Caspase-1 in the colon tissue （P<0.01）. Compared with the condition in the model group， the general condition of rats in the Jianpi Yichang power groups at various doses improved significantly， with reduced DAI scores （P<0.05， P<0.01）， alleviated pathological changes in the colon as revealed by HE staining， and reduced protein expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in the colon tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The serum levels of IL-1β and IL-18， and ASC protein expression in the colon， as well as the mRNA expression levels of NLRP3， ASC， and Caspase-1， decreased in the high- and medium-dose Jianpi Yichang power groups （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The positive protein expression levels of NLRP3， ASC， and Caspase-1 were reduced in the high-dose Jianpi Yichang power group （P<0.01）. The positive protein expression levels of ASC and Caspase-1 were reduced in the medium-dose Jianpi Yichang power group （P<0.05）. The mRNA expression level of ASC was reduced in the low-dose Jianpi Yichang power group （P<0.05）. ConclusionJianpi Yichang power can reduce colon immune inflammatory damage by regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway， thereby exerting a role in treating UC.