Hepatic encephalopathy is a difficult and critical disease with rapid progression and limited treatment methods in the field of liver disease， and it is urgently needed to make breakthroughs in its pathogenesis. Selection of appropriate prevention and treatment strategies is of great importance in delaying disease progression and reducing the incidence and mortality rates. This article reviews the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis” and related prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy in traditional Chinese medicine/Zhuang medicine， proposes a new theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， analyzes the scientific connotations of “turbid”， “toxin”， and the theory of “turbid toxin pathogenesis”， and constructs the “four-step” prevention and treatment strategies for hepatic encephalopathy， thereby establishing the new clinical prevention and treatment regimen for hepatic encephalopathy represented by “four prescriptions and two techniques” and clarifying the effect mechanism and biological basis of core prescriptions and techniques in the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy， in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.

ObjectiveBased on analytic hierarchy process（AHP）-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation（CRITIC） hybrid weighting method， grey relational analysis and backpropagation artificial neural network（BP-ANN）， to optimize the water extraction process of Qizhi prescription， so as to provide an experimental basis for optimization of the preparation process of this prescription and the establishment of quality standards. MethodsL₉（3⁴） orthogonal test was employed， and the AHP-CRITIC hybrid weighting method was utilized to determine the weight coefficients of the quality fractions of various components， including astragaloside Ⅳ， polygalaxanthone Ⅲ， calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside， tenuifolin， and 3，6′-disinapoylsucrose， as well as the dry extract yield. The comprehensive score of each factor level combination in the orthogonal test were calculated as evaluation indicator to select the optimal extraction process parameters. The effects of extraction times， extraction time， and solvent dosage on the aqueous extraction process of the formula were investigated through intuitive analysis， variance analysis， and grey relational analysis. Meanwhile， a BP-ANN model was established to reverse-predict the optimal extraction process parameters of Qizhi prescription， and the optimized process parameters were validated. ResultsThe weight coefficients of the five index components（astragaloside Ⅳ， tenuifolin， calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside， polygalaxanthone Ⅲ， and 3，6′-disinapoylsucrose） and dry extract yield were 25.7%， 20.82%， 16.41%， 12.45%， 15.96% and 8.67%， respectively. The optimized extraction process parameters were extracted 3 times with 8， 6， 6 times the amount of water， each time for 1 h. The network prediction results of BP-ANN test samples were consistent with the orthogonal test results， and the mean square error（MSE） of the predicted and measured values of the network was <1%. The water extraction process of Qizhi prescription analyzed and predicted by relevant mathematical models was stable and feasible， which could effectively improve the extraction efficiency of the active ingredients of Astragali Radix and Polygalae Radix， and the average comprehensive score of the validation test was 90.85 with the relative standard deviation（RSD） of 1.55%. ConclusionThis study establishes a water extraction process for compound Qizhi granules， and the optimized extraction process can effectively improve the extraction efficiency of active ingredients， which provides useful references for the optimization of preparation process and the establishment of quality standards for other clinical experience formulas.

ObjectiveTo investigate the processing technology of calcined Haematitum based on the concept of quality by design（QbD） and to assess its health risk. MethodsTaking whole iron content， Fe²⁺ dissolution content and looseness as critical quality attributes（CQAs）， and calcination temperature， calcination time， spreading thickness and particle size as critical process parameters（CPPs） determined by the failure mode and effect analysis（FMEA）， the processing technology of calcined Haematitum was optimized by orthogonal test combined with analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation（AHP-CRITIC） hybrid weighting method. The contents of heavy metals and harmful elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry， and the health risk assessment was carried out by daily exposure（EXP）， target hazard quotient（THQ） and lifetime cancer risk（LCR）， and the theoretical value of the maximum limit was deduced. ResultsThe optimal processing technology for calcined Haematitum was calcination at 650 ℃， calcination time of 1 h， particle size of 0.2-0.5 cm， spreading thickness of 1 cm， and vinegar quenching for 1 time［Haematitum-vinegar（10：3）］. The contents of 5 heavy metals and harmful elements in 13 batches of calcined Haematitum were all decreased with reductions of up to 5-fold. The cumulative THQ of 2 batches of samples was>1， while the cumulative THQ of all batches of Haematitum was>1. The LCR of As in 1 batches of Haematitum was 1×10^-6-1×10^-4， and the LCR of the rest was<1×10^-6， and the LCRs of calcined Haematitum were all<1×10^-6， indicating that the carcinogenic risk of calcined Haematitum was low， but special attention should still be paid to Haematitum medicinal materials. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu， As， Cd， Pb and Hg were formulated as 1 014， 25， 17， 27， 7 mg·kg^-1. ConclusionThe optimized processing technology of calcined Haematitum is stable and feasible， and the contents of heavy metals and harmful elements are reduced after processing. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu， As， Cd， Pb and Hg are formulated to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of standards for the limits of harmful elements in Haematitum.

ObjectiveTo investigate the processing technology of calcined Haematitum based on the concept of quality by design（QbD） and to assess its health risk. MethodsTaking whole iron content， Fe²⁺ dissolution content and looseness as critical quality attributes（CQAs）， and calcination temperature， calcination time， spreading thickness and particle size as critical process parameters（CPPs） determined by the failure mode and effect analysis（FMEA）， the processing technology of calcined Haematitum was optimized by orthogonal test combined with analytic hierarchy process-criteria importance through intercriteria correlation（AHP-CRITIC） hybrid weighting method. The contents of heavy metals and harmful elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry， and the health risk assessment was carried out by daily exposure（EXP）， target hazard quotient（THQ） and lifetime cancer risk（LCR）， and the theoretical value of the maximum limit was deduced. ResultsThe optimal processing technology for calcined Haematitum was calcination at 650 ℃， calcination time of 1 h， particle size of 0.2-0.5 cm， spreading thickness of 1 cm， and vinegar quenching for 1 time［Haematitum-vinegar（10：3）］. The contents of 5 heavy metals and harmful elements in 13 batches of calcined Haematitum were all decreased with reductions of up to 5-fold. The cumulative THQ of 2 batches of samples was>1， while the cumulative THQ of all batches of Haematitum was>1. The LCR of As in 1 batches of Haematitum was 1×10^-6-1×10^-4， and the LCR of the rest was<1×10^-6， and the LCRs of calcined Haematitum were all<1×10^-6， indicating that the carcinogenic risk of calcined Haematitum was low， but special attention should still be paid to Haematitum medicinal materials. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu， As， Cd， Pb and Hg were formulated as 1 014， 25， 17， 27， 7 mg·kg^-1. ConclusionThe optimized processing technology of calcined Haematitum is stable and feasible， and the contents of heavy metals and harmful elements are reduced after processing. Preliminary theoretical values of the maximum limits of Cu， As， Cd， Pb and Hg are formulated to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of standards for the limits of harmful elements in Haematitum.

Hepatic encephalopathy （HE） is a common complication of severe liver disease in the end stage， and it is urgently needed to improve the rate of effective treatment and clarify the pathogenesis of HE. The liver is a crucial hub for immune regulation， and disruption of immune homeostasis is a key factor in the pathological mechanisms of HE. As the main metabolites of intestinal flora， short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs） play a vital role in the biological processes of both innate and adaptive immunity and can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of immune cells maintain the homeostasis of intestinal microenvironment and the integrity of barrier function. Studies have shown that SCFAs participate in bidirectional and dynamic interactions with the liver-gut-brain axis through immunomodulatory pathways， thereby playing an important role in the diagnosis， treatment， and prognostic evaluation of HE. Starting from the immunoregulatory effect of SCFAs， this article summarizes and analyzes the crosstalk relationship between SCFAs and the liver-gut-brain axis and the significance of SCFAs in the diagnosis and treatment of HE， in order to provide new ideas for optimizing clinical prevention and treatment strategies.

Cholesterol is an essential molecule for the biosynthesis of cell membranes and cell proliferation and differentiation， and the liver plays a central role in cholesterol metabolism and is responsible for the synthesis， uptake， secretion， and transport of cholesterol. The initial stages of cholesterol synthesis in the liver are particularly important， and abnormalities in such stages are closely associated with the progression of various liver diseases. Studies have shown that as a key rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis， 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase （HMGCR） has well-defined regulatory properties and has been confirmed as an important target for the regulation of various liver diseases. This article reviews the process of cholesterol metabolism， the degradation and regulatory mechanisms of HMGCR， and the application of inhibitors， as well as the role of HMGCR in liver diseases， in order to provide new insights for scientific research and the clinical prevention and treatment of liver diseases.

Hepatic fibrosis （HF） is a pathological process of abnormal repair of liver tissue structure caused by chronic liver injury， and its pathogenesis has not been fully clarified. Related studies have shown that programmed cell death may be associated with the onset of HF， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a significant effect in regulating programmed cell death to intervene against HF. This article reviews the main mechanism of the influence of programmed cell death on HF and discusses the possible mechanism of TCM regulation of programmed cell death in improving HF， which provides new ideas for TCM prevention and treatment of HF.

ObjectiveTo investigate the role and possible mechanism of action of rhubarb decoction （RD） retention enema in improving inflammatory damage of brain tissue in a rat model of mild hepatic encephalopathy （MHE）. MethodsA total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into blank group （CON group with 6 rats） and chronic liver cirrhosis modeling group with 54 rats using the complete randomization method. After 12 weeks， 40 rats with successful modeling which were confirmed to meet the requirements for MHE model by the Morris water maze test were randomly divided into model group （MOD group）， lactulose group （LT group）， low-dose RD group （RD1 group）， middle-dose RD group （RD2 group）， and high-dose RD group （RD3 group）， with 8 rats in each group. The rats in the CON group and the MOD group were given retention enema with 2 mL of normal saline once a day； the rats in the LT group were given retention enema with 2 mL of lactulose at a dose of 22.5% once a day； the rats in the RD1， RD2， and RD3 groups were given retention enema with 2 mL RD at a dose of 2.5， 5.0， and 7.5 g/kg， respectively， once a day. After 10 days of treatment， the Morris water maze test was performed to analyze the spatial learning and memory abilities of rats. The rats were analyzed from the following aspects： behavioral status； the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and the level of blood ammonia； pathological changes of liver tissue and brain tissue； the mRNA and protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）， protein kinase B （AKT）， and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） in brain tissue. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the MOD group， the RD1， RD2， and RD3 groups had a significantly shorter escape latency （all P<0.01）， significant reductions in the levels of ALT， AST， IL-1β， IL-6， TNF-α， and blood ammonia （all P<0.05）， significant alleviation of the degeneration， necrosis， and inflammation of hepatocytes and brain cells， and significant reductions in the mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K， AKT， and mTOR in brain tissue （all P<0.05）， and the RD3 group had a better treatment outcome than the RD1 and RD2 groups. ConclusionRetention enema with RD can improve cognitive function and inflammatory damage of brain tissue in MHE rats， possibly by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a clinical syndrome of central nervous system dysfunction caused by liver insufficiency.It severely affects the quality of life of patients and may lead to death.Accurate prediction of the risk of developing hepatic encephalopathy is crucial for early intervention and treatment.In order to identify the risk of hepatic encephalopathy in patients in advance,many studies have been devoted to efforts to develop tools and methods to identify the risk of hepatic encephalopathy as early as possible,so as to develop preventive and early management strategies.Most conventional hepatic encephalopathy risk prediction models currently assess the prob-ability of a patient developing hepatic encephalopathy by analysing factors such as clinical data and biochemical indicators,however,their accuracy,sensitivity and positive predictive value are not high.The application of artificial intelligence to clinical predictive modelling is a very hot and promising area,which can use large amounts of data and complex algorithms to improve the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis and prognosis.To date,there have been few studies using AI techniques to predict hepatic encephalopathy.Therefore,this paper reviews the research progress of hepatic encephalopathy risk prediction models,and also discusses the prospect of AI application in hepatic encephalopathy risk prediction models.It also points out the challenges and future research directions of AI in HE risk prediction model research in order to promote the development and clinical application of hepatic encephalopathy risk prediction models.

In recent years,the morbidity and mortality of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)have been increasing worldwide,and the treatment strategies for HCC are still insufficient,which highlights the importance of exploring the pathogenesis and progression of HCC.Transient receptor potential(TRP)pathway is an important non-selective cation pathway,which is closely related to inflammatory response and sensory conduction.At present,a number of studies have shown that TRP pathway is also involved in the occurrence and development of HCC,inducing HCC invasion and migration.However,the overall potential mechanism and possible signal transduction pathways of TRP pathway in HCC remain unclear.Therefore,this article discusses the abnormal expression of TRP pathway in HCC,and reviews the key biological events of TRP pathway involved in the formation and progression of HCC,such as chronic liver inflammation-fibrosis progression,HCC cell proliferation,migration,apoptosis and HCC stem cell generation,and looks forward to its application prospect in HCC treatment.The aim is to better un-derstand the significance of TRP pathway in HCC,help to find new therapeutic targets and effective drugs,and open up a new situation for future clinical treatment.