Aromatherapy refers to the method of using the aromatic components of plants in appropriate forms to act on the entire body or a specific area to prevent and treat diseases. Essential oils used in aromatherapy are hydrophobic liquids containing volatile aromatic molecules， such as limonene， linalool， linalool acetate， geraniol， and citronellol. These chemicals have been extensively studied and shown to have a variety of functions， including reducing anxiety， relieving depression， promoting sleep， and providing pain relief. Terpenoids are a class of organic molecules with relatively low lipid solubility. After being inhaled， they can pass through the nasal mucosa for transfer or penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream upon local application. Some of these substances also have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier， thereby exerting effects on the central nervous system. Currently， the academic community generally agrees that products such as essential oils and aromatherapy from aromatic plants have certain health benefits. However， the process of extracting a single component from it and successfully developing it into a drug still faces many challenges. Its safety and efficacy still need to be further verified through more rigorous and systematic experiments. This article systematically elaborated on the efficacy of aromatic substances， including plant extracts and natural small molecule compounds， in antibacterial and antiviral fields and the regulation of nervous system activity. As a result， a deeper understanding of aromatherapy was achieved. At the same time， the potential of these aromatic substances for drug development was thoroughly explored， providing important references and insights for possible future drug research and application.

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy. However, low response rates and immune-related side effects have plagued immunotherapy. Metallic nanoparticles, utilizing metals as their framework, are gaining prominence in cancer immunotherapy. Metal ions have shown the ability to modulate immune status by activating the cGAS-STING pathway and inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD), thereby enabling multidimensional activation of immunotherapy. Metallic nanoparticles offer significant advantages in cancer immunotherapy, leading to their increasing use in enhancing therapeutic outcomes. In view of the ever-increasing research on metallic nanoparticles, this review presents the construction, characterization, and enhanced cancer immunotherapeutic effects of different types of metal nanosystems from the perspective of the immunoregulatory mechanisms of metal ions. We delve into the current limitations and future directions of metallic nanoparticles in this rapidly evolving field. To the best of our knowledge, this review offers the most up-to-date and systematic analysis of metallic nanoparticles in immunotherapeutic applications. It is anticipated that this review of metallic nanoparticles will inspire a more refined and intelligent design of metallic nanoparticles for future research, paving the way for advancing their clinical applications.

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary fibrogenic cells in the liver, and their activation plays a crucial role in the development and progression of hepatic fibrosis. Here, we report that retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα), a unique member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key modulator of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. RXRα exerts its effects by modulating calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ)-mediated activation of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPKα). In addition, we demonstrate that K-80003, which binds RXRα by a unique mechanism, effectively suppresses HSC activation, proliferation, and migration, thereby inhibiting liver fibrosis in the CCl₄ and amylin liver NASH (AMLN) diet animal models. The effect is mediated by AMPKα activation, promoting mitophagy in HSCs. Mechanistically, K-80003 activates AMPKα by inducing RXRα to form condensates with CaMKKβ and AMPKα via a two-phase process. The formation of RXRα condensates is driven by its N-terminal intrinsic disorder region and requires phosphorylation by CaMKKβ. Our results reveal a crucial role of RXRα in liver fibrosis regulation through modulating mitochondrial activities in HSCs. Furthermore, they suggest that K-80003 and related RXRα modulators hold promise as therapeutic agents for fibrosis-related diseases.

The translation of genetic findings from genome-wide association studies into actionable therapeutics persists as a critical challenge in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. Here, we present PI4AD, a computational medicine framework that integrates multi-omics data, systems biology, and artificial neural networks for therapeutic discovery. This framework leverages multi-omic and network evidence to deliver three core functionalities: clinical target prioritisation; self-organising prioritisation map construction, distinguishing AD-specific targets from those linked to neuropsychiatric disorders; and pathway crosstalk-informed therapeutic discovery. PI4AD successfully recovers clinically validated targets like APP and ESR1, confirming its prioritisation efficacy. Its artificial neural network component identifies disease-specific molecular signatures, while pathway crosstalk analysis reveals critical nodal genes (e.g., HRAS and MAPK1), drug repurposing candidates, and clinically relevant network modules. By validating targets, elucidating disease-specific therapeutic potentials, and exploring crosstalk mechanisms, PI4AD bridges genetic insights with pathway-level biology, establishing a systems genetics foundation for rational therapeutic development. Importantly, its emphasis on Ras-centred pathways-implicated in synaptic dysfunction and neuroinflammation-provides a strategy to disrupt AD progression, complementing conventional amyloid/tau-focused paradigms, with the future potential to redefine treatment strategies in conjunction with mRNA therapeutics and thereby advance translational medicine in neurodegeneration.

Objective:To investigate the association between sleep status and the risk for coronary heart disease in adults in Suzhou.Methods:Using the baseline and follow up information of 53 269 local residents aged 30-79 years in China Kadoorie Biobank conducted in Wuzhong District, Suzhou, 51 929 subjects were included in this study after excluding those reporting coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer at the baseline survey. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the association of healthy sleep score (0-3 points) and sleep factors (snoring, insomnia, long sleep duration and nap) with the risk for coronary heart disease.Results:The median follow-up time was 11.12 years, and 1 304 individuals were diagnosed with coronary heart disease during the follow-up. After adjusting for potential confounders, occasional snoring ( HR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.04-1.38), usual snoring ( HR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.02-1.33), insomnia disorder ( HR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.12-1.78), daytime dysfunction ( HR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.20-2.03) and perennial nap ( HR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.19-1.59) were associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease. Compared with those with sleep score of 0 - 1 (low sleep quality), the people with sleep score of 3 had reduced risk of coronary heart disease by 26% ( HR=0.74, 95% CI: 0.63-0.87). Stratified analysis showed that the association of healthy sleep score 3 with risk of coronary heart disease was stronger in low physically active individuals (interaction P<0.05). Conclusions:Snoring, insomnia disorders, daytime dysfunction, and perennial napping were all associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease, and keep healthy sleep mode might reduce the risk for coronary heart disease in adults.

Objective:To understand molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistance of Clostridioides ( C.) difficile isolated from children in China, and provide data support the development of disease risk assessment and burden studies. Methods:A total of 155 strains of C. difficile isolated from children aged <12 years in 14 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) in China from 2010 to 2023 were used for the analyses on molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistance of C. difficile by PCR and drug susceptibility test. Results:A total of 26 sequence types (STs) and 18 ribotypes (RTs) were identified in the 155 C. difficile isolates, in which ST3 (20.65%), ST54 (16.13%), ST35 (12.90%), and RT012/ICDC007 (14.84%), RT001/ICDC001 (11.61%), RT046/ICDC018 (8.39%) were the most common. One highly virulent strain with RT078 and 27 non-toxin-producing strains were also found; the predominant toxin gene was tcdA+ tcdB+ cdt-. All the strains were sensitive to metronidazole and vancomycin, and there were 29 multidrug-resistant strains, in which 1 strain was resistant to all the seven antibiotics except for vancomycin and metronidazole. Conclusions:Molecular characteristics and antibiotic resistance of C. difficile in children were similar to those in whole population in China, but there were regional distribution differences. It is necessary to strengthen the routine drug-resistance surveillance for C. difficile infection in children in China.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of rapamycin-eluting vertebral artery stent in the treatment of severe ostial vertebral artery stenosis(OV AS),and to analyze the incidence of postoperative in-stent restenosis(ISR).Methods A total of 96 patients with severe OVAS,who received stenting angioplasty at authors'hospital between November 2020 and May 2022,were retrospectively collected.The patients were divided into the observation group(n=48)and the control group(n=48).For the patients of the observation group implantation of rapamycin-eluting vertebral artery stent was carried out,while for the patients of the control group implantation of peripheral balloon dilatation bare metal stent(BMS)was performed.The perioperative basic data,the incidence of complications during follow-up period,and the postoperative incidence of ISR were compared between the two groups.Results Successful stent implantation was achieved in all patients of both groups.During perioperative period no complications such as transient ischemia attack(TIA),dropping-off or fracture of the stent,vertebral artery or stent-related stroke occurred.No statistically significant differences in the length and the diameter of the implanted stents,in the preoperative vertebral artery stenosis ratio,and in the postoperative residual stenosis ratio existed between the two groups(all P＞0.05).In both groups,the postoperative residual stenosis ratio was＜20％.The patients were followed up for a mean period of(12.33±5.82)months(range of 6-18 months),the incidence of postoperative vertebral artery or stent-related stroke in the observation group and the control group was 0％and 4.17％respectively,the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The improvement of clinical symptoms such as dizziness,vertigo,etc.was observed in 47 patients of the observation group and in 45 patients of the control group,and no recurrent posterior circulation TIA or stent-related thrombotic event occurred.The incidence of postoperative restenosis in the observation group was 10.42％,which was significantly lower than 29.17％in the control group(P＜0.05).Conclusion Rapamycin-eluting vertebral artery stent can safely and effectively treat severe OVAS and reduce the incidence of postoperative ISR.(J Intervent Radiol,2024,33:275-279)

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism and pathway of Gandou Fumu decoction （GDFMD） in the development of liver fibrosis in Wilson's disease （WD）. MethodFirst， 30 TX-j mice were randomly divided into the model group， high-dose， medium-dose， and low-dose GDFMD groups， and penicillamine group， with six mice in each group， and another six wild-type mice were used as the normal group. The high-dose， medium-dose， and low-dose GDFMD groups were intragastrically administered drugs of 13.92， 6.96， 3.48 g·kg^-1. In the penicillamine group， 0.1 g·kg^-1 of penicillamine was given by intragastric administration. The model group and the normal group were given equal volume of normal saline， once a day， for four consecutive weeks. Samples were collected four weeks after gavage， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was used to detect type Ⅲ procollagen peptide （PCⅢ）， collagen type Ⅳ （Col Ⅳ）， hyaluronic acid （HA）， and laminin （LN）. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE）， Masson， and picric acid-Sirus red collagen （Sirus Red） staining were used to observe the histopathological changes of liver fibrosis. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， immunohistochemistry， and Western blot were used to observe the expressions of α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and collagen type Ⅰ （Col Ⅰ）， which were related to the activation of hepatic stellate cells （HSCs）. The expression of miR-29b-3p was observed by Real-time PCR. The expression of Unc-51-like kinase 1 （ULK1） and its downstream-related factors were observed by Western blot. The downstream genes of miR-29b-3p were verified by the dual luciferase reporter gene detection method. ResultCompared with the normal group， the four items of liver fibrosis （PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， HA， and LN） in the model group were significantly abnormal （P<0.01）， and the pathology was significantly abnormal. The expression of HSC activation-related indicators including α-SMA and Col Ⅰ， as well as α-SMA mRNA and Col Ⅰ mRNA was up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and miR-29b-3p expression was down-regulated （P<0.01）. ULK1， p-ULK1， autophagy-related gene 13 （Atg13）， p-Atg13， Beclin-1， FAK family kinase-interacting protein of 200 kDa （FIP200）， activating molecule in BECN1-regulated autophagy protein 1 （AMBKA1）， and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3Ⅱ/Ⅰ（LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ） were up-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. p62 protein expression was down-regulated （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the four items of liver fibrosis in the high-dose， medium-dose， and low-dose GDFMD groups and the penicillamine group were significantly improve （P<0.01）， and the pathological conditions were improved. The expression of HSC activation-related indicators including α-SMA and Col Ⅰ， as well as α-SMA mRNA and Col Ⅰ mRNA was down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the expression of miR-29b-3p was up-regulated （P<0.01）. ULK1， p-ULK1， Atg13， p-Atg13， Beclin-1， FIP200， AMBKA1， and LC3Ⅱ/Ⅰ were down-regulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and p62 protein expression was up-regulated （P<0.01）. The prediction software predicted that there was a binding site between miR-29b-3p and ULK1. The dual-luciferase reporter gene detection method indicated that the luciferase activity of the ULK1-WT plasmid-transfected cell group was reduced when miR-29b-3p mimics were co-cultured （P<0.01）. ConclusionGDFMD can regulate ULK1-mediated autophagy by up-regulating miR-29b-3p and further exert its anti-hepatic fibrosis effect in Wilson's disease.

OBJECTIVE To know about the working mode and human resource status of pharmacy intravenous admixture services （PIVAS） in national medical institutions. METHODS Through questionnaire survey， the national PIVAS was invited to fill out questionnaire and statistical analysis was performed on the effective sample data related to PIVAS working mode and human resources in the questionnaire. RESULTS In this study， 761 PIVAS from 722 medical institutions of 29 provinces were involved in the questionnaire survey， with 471 valid questionnaires for working mode and 441 valid questionnaires for human resources survey. In terms of working mode， among 471 PIVAS， 292 PIVAS （62.0%） were in pharmacist-alone mode， and 176 PIVAS （37.4%） were in pharmacist-nurse cooperative mode； there was no significant difference in the types of medical orders received by PIVAS between these two working modes except for the other medical orders （P＞0.05）. In terms of human resource setting， among 441 PIVAS， the average number of total staff of single PIVAS was 24（16，33）， including 11（6，19） pharmacists， 7（2，13） nursing staff， and 3（1，5） workers； there was a statistically significant difference in the number of personnel among three groups （P＜ 0.01）. The per capita income of PIVAS respondents in 2019 was [7.9（4.8，10.7）]×104 yuan， and in 2021 it was [8.8（5.8，11.7）]× 104 yuan， with an increase of 9.0% compared to 2019. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant （P＜ 0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Medical institutions’ PIVAS in China had not fully implemented the pharmacist-alone work model， and some medical institutions had chosen a pharmacist-nurse cooperative mode. It is suggested that relevant departments formulate corresponding qualification requirements and training standards for nursing personnel as soon as possible based on sufficient research on PIVAS’s demand for nursing professionals.

OBJECTIVE To know about the pharmacy intravenous admixture charge and operation balance of pharmacy intravenous admixture services （PIVAS） in national medical institutions. METHODS Using questionnaire survey method， the national PIVAS leaders were invited to fill in the questionnaire， investigation and statistical analysis of the drug dispensing charge standard and the income and expenditure situations of PIVAS nationwide were conducted. RESULTS A total of 761 PIVAS completed the questionnaire， among which 466 PIVAS （61.2%） had already started implementing pharmacy intravenous admixture charge， mainly in tertiary hospitals. The charge standards for chemotherapy drugs and parenteral nutrition solutions were relatively high， while the standards for packaged drugs were the lowest， with differences in charge standards among provinces（P＜0.05）. Among the 25 provinces that reported annual drug preparation fee revenue， Hubei had the highest revenue in both 2019 and 2021. In 2019， the number of PIVAS with a balance of payments was more than that of PIVAS with an imbalance of payments， but the number of PIVAS with an imbalance of payments in 2021 exceeded the number of PIVAS with a balance of payments （P＜0.05）； among them， eight provinces were unbalanced in 2019 and 2021， such as Tianjin， Chongqing， Guizhou， etc. CONCLUSIONS PIVAS charge standards of the surveyed medical institutions in all provinces are not unified. It is suggested to improve the charge standard further， formulate the charge adjustment cycle， and promote a sustainable development of PIVAS.