Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） therapy has unique clinical advantages in the treatment of atrial fibrillation， mainly reflected in five aspects， improving quality of life， enabling early diagnosis and treatment， promoting cardiac rehabilitation， making up for the limitations of Western medicine， and improving the success rate of catheter ablation. However， there is insufficient evidence in current clinical research. Based on the current status of TCM research in the treatment of atrial fibrillation， it is suggested that future studies should focus on standardized research on syndrome differentiation and classification. This can be achieved through clinical epidemiological surveys， expert consensus， and other methods to establish a unified syndrome differentiation and classification standard for atrial fibrillation. Clinical efficacy evaluation indicators should be standardized， and core outcome measures for clinical research on TCM treatment of atrial fibrillation should be developed through systematic reviews， patient interviews， and other methods. Additionally， clinical research design， implementation， and data management should be improved. By leveraging modern information technologies such as artificial intelligence， the scientific and standardized nature of TCM intervention research on atrial fibrillation can be enhanced， ultimately improving the quality of research.

The occurrence of diabetes mellitus （DM） is closely related to insulin resistance and islet β cell dysfunction. Modern studies have found that macrophages are widely present in the liver，fat，skeletal muscle，islets， and other tissues and organs. Macrophage M1/M2 polarization plays an important role in the occurrence and development of diabetes mellitus and its related complications by intervening in inflammatory response，improving insulin resistance，and promoting tissue repair. Most of the traditional Chinese medicines that regulate the activation and polarization of macrophages are Qi-replenishing and Yin-nourishing，heat-clearing， and detoxicating medicinal，which are consistent with the etiology and pathogenesis of diabetes and its related complications. Therefore，by summarizing the mechanisms between macrophage activation，polarization， and insulin resistance in various tissues，this paper reviewed traditional Chinese medicine and its effective components and compounds in improving diabetes mellitus and its related complications through multi-channel regulation of macrophage polarization and regulation of M1/M2 ratio，providing references for the future treatment of DM and its related complications with traditional Chinese medicine.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which modified Shengjiangsan （MSJS） improves diabetic kidney disease （DKD） by activating mitochondrial autophagy. MethodsSixty SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 7-8 weeks were selected. A DKD model was established using a high-sugar， high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ）. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into six groups： a normal control group， a model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose MSJS groups （7.7， 15.4， 30.8 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and an irbesartan group （0.384 g·kg^-1）. Each group received either normal saline or the corresponding drug by gavage once daily for 28 consecutive days. Blood glucose， body weight， and kidney weight were recorded. Serum creatinine （SCr） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） levels were detected using an automatic blood analyzer. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine urinary microalbumin （mALB）， and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6）. Histopathological changes in renal tissues were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining， and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The expression levels of mitochondrial autophagy-related proteins in renal tissues were analyzed by Western blot. Immunofluorescence co-localization was employed to detect the co-expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta （LC3B） and cytochrome c oxidase subunit Ⅳ （COX Ⅳ）. ResultsCompared with the normal control group， the model group exhibited significant increases in renal index， blood glucose， and 24-hour urinary microalbumin （24 h mALB） （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of serum SCr and BUN were significantly elevated （P<0.01）， and the serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 were markedly upregulated （P<0.01）. Histopathological examination revealed glomerular hypertrophy， mesangial expansion and increased deposition， podocyte foot process flattening and fusion， a decreased number of autophagosomes accompanied by mitochondrial swelling， vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells， and inflammatory cell infiltration in the renal interstitium. The expression levels of autophagy-related proteins LC3B， PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1）， and E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase （Parkin） were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while expression of the selective autophagy adaptor protein p62 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Immunofluorescence signal intensity and LC3B-COX Ⅳ co-expression were both diminished. Compared with the model group， the MSJS treatment groups and the irbesartan group showed significant reductions in renal index， blood glucose， and 24 h mALB （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The serum SCr and BUN levels decreased significantly （P<0.05） and TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 levels were significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Histopathological damage was alleviated， including reduced glomerular hypertrophy， decreased mesangial deposition， and attenuated podocyte foot process fusion. The number of autophagosomes increased， and mitochondrial swelling was improved. The expression levels of LC3B， PINK1， and Parkin in renal tissues were significantly upregulated， whereas p62 expression was significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01） in MSJS groups. Immunofluorescence signal intensity was enhanced， and LC3B-COX Ⅳ co-expression was increased. ConclusionMSJS alleviates the inflammatory response in DKD rats and exerts renal protective effects by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway and activating mitochondrial autophagy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which modified Shengjiangsan （MSJS） improves diabetic kidney disease （DKD） by activating mitochondrial autophagy. MethodsSixty SPF-grade male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 7-8 weeks were selected. A DKD model was established using a high-sugar， high-fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ）. After successful modeling， the rats were randomly divided into six groups： a normal control group， a model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose MSJS groups （7.7， 15.4， 30.8 g·kg^-1， respectively）， and an irbesartan group （0.384 g·kg^-1）. Each group received either normal saline or the corresponding drug by gavage once daily for 28 consecutive days. Blood glucose， body weight， and kidney weight were recorded. Serum creatinine （SCr） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） levels were detected using an automatic blood analyzer. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to determine urinary microalbumin （mALB）， and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6）. Histopathological changes in renal tissues were observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， periodic acid-Schiff （PAS） staining， and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The expression levels of mitochondrial autophagy-related proteins in renal tissues were analyzed by Western blot. Immunofluorescence co-localization was employed to detect the co-expression of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta （LC3B） and cytochrome c oxidase subunit Ⅳ （COX Ⅳ）. ResultsCompared with the normal control group， the model group exhibited significant increases in renal index， blood glucose， and 24-hour urinary microalbumin （24 h mALB） （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The levels of serum SCr and BUN were significantly elevated （P<0.01）， and the serum levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 were markedly upregulated （P<0.01）. Histopathological examination revealed glomerular hypertrophy， mesangial expansion and increased deposition， podocyte foot process flattening and fusion， a decreased number of autophagosomes accompanied by mitochondrial swelling， vacuolar degeneration of renal tubular epithelial cells， and inflammatory cell infiltration in the renal interstitium. The expression levels of autophagy-related proteins LC3B， PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1）， and E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase （Parkin） were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while expression of the selective autophagy adaptor protein p62 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Immunofluorescence signal intensity and LC3B-COX Ⅳ co-expression were both diminished. Compared with the model group， the MSJS treatment groups and the irbesartan group showed significant reductions in renal index， blood glucose， and 24 h mALB （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The serum SCr and BUN levels decreased significantly （P<0.05） and TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 levels were significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Histopathological damage was alleviated， including reduced glomerular hypertrophy， decreased mesangial deposition， and attenuated podocyte foot process fusion. The number of autophagosomes increased， and mitochondrial swelling was improved. The expression levels of LC3B， PINK1， and Parkin in renal tissues were significantly upregulated， whereas p62 expression was significantly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01） in MSJS groups. Immunofluorescence signal intensity was enhanced， and LC3B-COX Ⅳ co-expression was increased. ConclusionMSJS alleviates the inflammatory response in DKD rats and exerts renal protective effects by regulating the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway and activating mitochondrial autophagy.

In recent years, the roles of mitochondrial RNA and its associated human diseases have been reported to increase significantly. Treatments based on mtRNA metabolic processes and nuclear gene mutations are thus discussed. The mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation process is affected by mtRNA metabolism, including mtRNA production, maturation, stabilization, and degradation, which leads to a variety of inherited human mitochondrial diseases. Moreover, mitochondrial diseases are caused by mitochondrial messenger RNA, mitochondrial transfer RNA, and mitochondrial ribosomal RNA gene mutations. This review presents the molecular mechanisms of human mtRNA metabolism and pathological mutations in mtRNA metabolism-related nuclear-encoded/nonencoded genes and mitochondrial DNA mutations to highlight the importance of mitochondrial RNA-related diseases and treatments.
Humans ; Mitochondrial Diseases/therapy* ; RNA, Mitochondrial ; RNA/genetics* ; Mitochondria/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; RNA, Transfer/genetics* ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics*

Lactobacilli are important colonizing bacteria in female reproductive tract， among which Lactobacillus crispatus is closely associated with reproductive tract health and plays a crucial role in maintaining the vaginal microbiota balance. A decrease in the abundance of Lactobacillus crispatus may be correlated with various female reproductive tract diseases， such as bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis， and it can even lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as infertility and embryo arrest. This article provides an overview of the basic characteristics of Lactobacillus crispatus， relationship between the decrease of its quantity and reproductive tract diseases， its ability to inhibit pathogenic bacteria such as Candida albicans and Chlamydia trachomatis， and the anti-inflammatory effects of Lactobacillus crispatus. The aim is to provide references for the use of Lactobacillus crispatus in vaginal therapeutics.

Objective:To observe any effect of exercise preconditioning on the levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the brain tissue of rats after induced cerebral ischemia and reperfusion, and how it might promote angiogenesis.Methods:Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, a model group and an exercise preconditioning group, each of 12. After adaptive running training for 3 days, the exercise preconditioning group ran daily for 30 minutes at 15m/min for 14 days, while the other two groups did not exercise. Middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion were then induced in the model and exercise preconditioning groups using the modified Zea-Longa suture method. Rats in the sham-operation group were only cut open to expose the right carotid artery. Right after the modeling, and again 24 hours later neurological deficit was evaluated using the Zea-Longa score and modified neurological severity scoring (mNSS). Infarct sizes were measured using 2, 3, 5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining. Any morphological changes were noted using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and the expression of CD31 protein, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor in the ischemic cerebral cortex were quantified immunohistochemically.Results:Right after the modelling, compared with the sham-operation group, the average Zea-Longa scores of the model and exercise groups had increased significantly, but were not significantly different from each other. Twenty-four hours later the average Zea-Longa score, mNSS score and relative cerebral infarction area of the model group had increased significantly compared with the sham-operation group, while the exercise preconditioning group′s averages had decreased significantly. The HE staining showed that compared with the sham-operation group, pathological changes such as loose tissue, reduced number of nerve cells, nucleolysis, and vacuolization of the cerebral cortex on the ischemic side were found in the model group. Compared with the model group, the pathological changes in the exercise preconditioning group were less serious. The levels of CD31 protein, HIF-1α and VEGF in the ischemic cerebral cortexes of the model group had by then increased significantly. But compared with the model group, those levels had increased more in the exercise preconditioning group.Conclusion:Exercise preconditioning can effectively promote angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia and reduce chronic injury. That may be related to the activation of the HIF-1α and/or VEGF signaling pathways.

Objective:To investigate the effect of exercise preconditioning on angiogenesis in ischemic brain tissue in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in the view of VEGF/VEGFR2/dock6 signaling pathway. Method:SD male rats were divided into sham group,model group and exercise preconditioning group by ran-dom number table method,with 18 rats in each group.The sham operation group and the model group were not given any treatment,while the exercise preconditioning group was given adaptive running training for 3 days at a speed of 10 m/min,once a day for 20 minutes each time.After the adaptive training,the exercise preconditioning group was given formal running training for 3 weeks,continuous training for 6 days a week,rest for 1 day,electric treadmill slope of 0°,speed of 15m/min,30min/d.Model group and exercise precondi-tioning group were modified to prepare the middle cerebal artery occlusion(MACO)models by Koizumi thread method,while sham operation group only given skin cutting without thread insertion.Zea longa score and modi-fied neurological severity score(mNSS)were used to score neurological deficit in rats,the relative infarct size of the brain was detected by TTC staining,the morphological changes of the ischemic cerebral cortex was ob-served by HE staining,the expression of CD31 in ischemic cerebral cortex was detected by immunohistochemis-try and the expressions of VEGFA,VEGFR2,Dock6 in ischemic cerebral cortex were detected by western blot. Result:①Zea-Longa scoring:after awaking from anesthetizati,compared with the sham group,the Zea-Longa scores of the other two groups were increased(P＜0.01),and there was no statistical significance in the Zea-Lon-ga scores between the two groups.At 72 hours after reperfusion,compared with the sham group,the Zea-Longa score of the rats in the model group was significantly increased(P＜0.01);compared with the model group,the Zea-Longa score of the rats in the exercise preconditioning group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).②mNSS scoring:At 72 hours after reperfusion,compared with the sham group,the mNSS score of the rats in the mod-el group was significantly increased(P＜0.01);compared with the model group,the mNSS score of the rats in the exercise preconditioning group was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).③TTC staining:Compared with the sham group,the cerebral infarction volume in the model group was increased(P＜0.01),and compared with the mod-el group,the cerebral infarction volume in the exercise preconditioning group was decreased(P＜0.05).④ HE staining:Compared with the sham group,the model group rats appeared significant pathological changes in the cerebral cortex on the ischemic side.Compared with the model group,the pathological changes of the cerebral cortex on the ischemic side of the rats in the exercise preconditioning group were alleviated.⑤ Immunohisto-chemistry of CD31:Compared with the sham group,the expression of CD31 in the ischemic cerebral cortex of the model group was significantly increased(P＜0.05).The expression of CD31 in the ischemic cerebral cortex of the exercise preconditioning group was further increased(P＜0.05).⑥Western blot of VEGF,VEGFR2 and Dock6:Compared with the sham group,the expressions of VEGF(P＜0.05),VEGFR2(P＜0.05)and Dock6(P＜0.01)in the ischemic cerebral cortex of the model group were significantly increased;compared with the model group,the expressions of VEGF(P＜0.05),VEGFR2(P＜0.05)and Dock6(P＜0.01)in the ischemic cerebral cor-tex of the exercise preconditioning group were further increased. Conclusion:Exercise preconditioning can effectively promote angiogenesis after cerebral ischemia and reduce cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury,which may be related to the activation of VEGF/VEGFR2/Dock6 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the effects of Yitangkang on browning of white adipose and PINK1/Parkin pathway of mitophagy in adipose tissue of db/db mice.Methods Totally 30 six-week db/db mice were randomly divided into model group,Yitangkang Group(30 g/kg)and liraglutide group(200 μg/kg),and another 10 C57BL/6 mice of the same age were set as normal group.All groups were treated with corresponding drugs or normal saline for 5 weeks.During the period of administration,the body mass and fasting blood glucose(FBG)of mice in each group were detected regularly,the samples of liver,white and brown adipose of mice were weighed,the contents of serum triglyceride cholesterol(TC),triacylglycerol(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were detected by biochemical analyzer,HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of inguinal white adipose tissue(iWAT),immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of browning marker protein uncoupling protein-1(UCP1)in iWAT,Western blot was used to detect the expressions of browning-related proteins UCP1,PRDM16,PGC-1α and mitophagy-related proteins PINK1,Parkin,Beclin-1,p62 in iWAT.Results Compared with the normal group,the body mass,liver,white adipose and brown adipose mass of the model group significantly increased(P<0.01),the FBG and serum TG,TC and LDL-C contents significantly increased(P<0.01),and the content of HDL-C significantly decreased(P<0.01);large vacuoles in iWAT adipocytes,the diameter of adipocytes increased obviously,some adipocytes were extruded and deformed,and the edge of adipocytes was not clear,the expressions of iWAT UCP1,PRDM16,PGC-1α and p62 proteins decreased(P<0.01),while the expressions of PINK1,Parkin and Beclin-1 proteins increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the body mass,liver and white adipose mass significantly decreased in Yitangkang group and the liraglutide group(P<0.01),FBG and serum contents of TC,TG and LDL-C were significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while HDL-C content significantly increased(P<0.01);the diameter of iWAT adipocytes decreased,the number increased,and the morphology was regular,the expressions of iWAT UCP1,PRDM16,PGC-1α and p62 proteins increased(P<0.01),while the expressions of PINK1,Parkin and Beclin-1 proteins decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Yitangkang can improve glucose and lipid metabolism and promote browning of white adipose in db/db mice,which may be related to mitophagy mediated by PINK1/Parkin pathway.

Objective To explore the effect of traditional Chinese medicine enema combined with acupoint massage on postoperative intestinal function recovery.Methods A total of 80 patients with abdominal surgery admitted to First Affiliated Hospital of Huzhou University from January 2022 to June 2023 were selected and divided into study group and control group according to random number table method,with 40 cases in each group.The control group was treated with conventional Western medicine,while the study group was treated with traditional Chinese medicine enema combined with acupoint massage on the basis of conventional Western medicine treatment.The therapeutic effect,postoperative recovery time,gastrointestinal hormone level,abdominal distension pain and gastrointestinal reaction score were compared between two groups.Results Postoperative bowel sound recovery time,first anal defecation time and full-flow diet recovery time in study group were significantly shorter than those in control group(P<0.05).At 5 days after surgery,the levels of motilin(MTL),gastrin(GAS)and gastric inhibitory peptide(GIP)in two groups were significantly higher than those in this group at 1 day after surgery(P<0.05).The levels of MTL,GAS and GIP in study group were significantly higher than those in control group(P<0.05).At 5 days after surgery,abdominal distension score and gastrointestinal reaction score in two groups were significantly lower than those in this group 1 day after surgery(P<0.05),and abdominal distension score and gastrointestinal reaction score in study group were significantly lower than those in control group(P<0.05).The total effective rate of study group was significantly higher than that of control group(χ2=3.914,P=0.048).Conclusion Traditional Chinese medicine enema combined with acupoint massage can effectively shorten the recovery time of intestinal function,improve the level of gastrointestinal hormone,relieve abdominal distension pain and gastrointestinal reaction after abdominal operation,and the effect is significant,worthy of clinical application.