ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on chronic heart failure （CHF） due to heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis and its regulatory effects on miR-423-5p/Smad7/transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）/Smads axis and myocardial fibrosis indicators. MethodsOne hundred and fourteen patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction （HFrEF） and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction （HFmrEF） were randomly allocated into a control group and an observation group. The control group was treated with dapagliflozin tablets， sacubitril-valsartan sodium tablets， metoprolol succinate， and spironolactone， and the observation group was treated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on the basis of the therapy in the control group. The course of treatment was 8 weeks in both groups. The 6-min walking distance， New York Heart Association （NYHA） heart function grade， Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ） score， N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP）， angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVIDd）， left ventricular end-systolic diameter （LVIDs）， interventricular septum thickness at diastole （IVSd）， left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness （LVPWd）， left ventricular shortening fraction （FS）， miR-423-5p， Smad7， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Ang Ⅱ， type Ⅰ collagen （Col Ⅰ）， type Ⅲ collagen （Col Ⅲ）， mRNA levels of fibronectin （Fn） and α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in the myocardial tissue were observed before and after treatment in both groups to evaluate the efficacy of cardiac function and drug safety. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed declined levels of NT-proBNP， Ang Ⅱ， miR-423-5p， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Col Ⅰ， Col Ⅲ， and mRNA levels of Fn and α-SMA （P0.05）， and the levels of the indicators above were lower in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the Smad7 level increased obviously in both groups （P0.05） and was higher in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased MLHFQ scores and increased 6-min walking distance （P0.05）， and the observation group had lower MLHFQ score and longer 6-min walking distance than the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the control group showed increased LVEF and FS （P0.05） and the observation group showcased decreased LVIDd and LVIDs and increased LVEF and FS （P0.05）. Moreover， the observation group had lower LVIDd and LVIDs （P0.05） and higher LVEF and FS （P0.05） than the control group. The total response rate of cardiac function in the observation group was 90.38% （47/52）， which was higher than that （70.59%， 36/51） in the control group （P0.05）. No adverse reactions associated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction were observed during the study period. ConclusionErshen Zhenwu Decoction can improve the cardiac function， exercise tolerance， and quality of life， regulate neuroendocrine factors， and slow down/reverse myocardial remodeling in the patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF （syndrome of heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis by regulating the miR-423-5p/Smad7/TGF-β₁/Smads axis， inhibiting α-SMA and Fn expression， and alleviating myocardial fibrosis. It is worthy of further study.

Retinitis pigmentosa （RP） is the most common hereditary blinding eye disease in clinical practice， with the pathogenesis remaining unclear. Patients experience progressive apoptosis of retinal photoreceptor cells， accompanied by degeneration of retinal pigment epithelium （RPE） cells. Current Western medical treatments mainly focus on gene therapy and stem cell transplantation， showing limited efficacy. In contrast， clinical observations have confirmed the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatments. Establishing an RP animal model that aligns with the diagnostic features of both TCM and Western medicine could help combine the strengths of both approaches， thereby broadening the treatment options for RP. This study categorizes and summarizes the existing RP animal models in terms of classification， types， inheritance patterns， and alignment with clinical manifestations. It is found that current RP models are primarily derived from natural animal models such as RD mice and RCS rats， transgenic animal models like RPE-65 knockout mice and rhodopsin gene knockout mice， and chemically induced models such as those created by monochromatic light exposure or N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea （ENU） administration. These three categories of models focus more on detecting RP-related histopathological， molecular biological， and cellular immunological indicators， but offer limited observation of the overall characteristics of the disease and lack insight into syndrome differentiation. Although RP is a congenital genetic disease， its progression is influenced by acquired factors such as environment， constitution， emotions， and care. Current models do not fully capture the characteristics of this disease. Therefore， establishing an RP animal model based on the diagnostic features of both TCM and Western medicine will have significant implications for future experimental and clinical research.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on chronic heart failure （CHF） due to heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis and its regulatory effects on miR-423-5p/Smad7/transforming growth factor-β₁ （TGF-β₁）/Smads axis and myocardial fibrosis indicators. MethodsOne hundred and fourteen patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction （HFrEF） and heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction （HFmrEF） were randomly allocated into a control group and an observation group. The control group was treated with dapagliflozin tablets， sacubitril-valsartan sodium tablets， metoprolol succinate， and spironolactone， and the observation group was treated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction on the basis of the therapy in the control group. The course of treatment was 8 weeks in both groups. The 6-min walking distance， New York Heart Association （NYHA） heart function grade， Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire （MLHFQ） score， N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide （NT-proBNP）， angiotensin Ⅱ （Ang Ⅱ）， left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF）， left ventricular end-diastolic diameter （LVIDd）， left ventricular end-systolic diameter （LVIDs）， interventricular septum thickness at diastole （IVSd）， left ventricular end-diastolic posterior wall thickness （LVPWd）， left ventricular shortening fraction （FS）， miR-423-5p， Smad7， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Ang Ⅱ， type Ⅰ collagen （Col Ⅰ）， type Ⅲ collagen （Col Ⅲ）， mRNA levels of fibronectin （Fn） and α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） in the myocardial tissue were observed before and after treatment in both groups to evaluate the efficacy of cardiac function and drug safety. ResultsAfter treatment， both groups showed declined levels of NT-proBNP， Ang Ⅱ， miR-423-5p， Smad2， Smad3， Smad4， TGF-β₁， Col Ⅰ， Col Ⅲ， and mRNA levels of Fn and α-SMA （P0.05）， and the levels of the indicators above were lower in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the Smad7 level increased obviously in both groups （P0.05） and was higher in the observation group than in the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， both groups showed decreased MLHFQ scores and increased 6-min walking distance （P0.05）， and the observation group had lower MLHFQ score and longer 6-min walking distance than the control group （P0.05）. After treatment， the control group showed increased LVEF and FS （P0.05） and the observation group showcased decreased LVIDd and LVIDs and increased LVEF and FS （P0.05）. Moreover， the observation group had lower LVIDd and LVIDs （P0.05） and higher LVEF and FS （P0.05） than the control group. The total response rate of cardiac function in the observation group was 90.38% （47/52）， which was higher than that （70.59%， 36/51） in the control group （P0.05）. No adverse reactions associated with Ershen Zhenwu Decoction were observed during the study period. ConclusionErshen Zhenwu Decoction can improve the cardiac function， exercise tolerance， and quality of life， regulate neuroendocrine factors， and slow down/reverse myocardial remodeling in the patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF （syndrome of heart-kidney Yang deficiency and blood stasis by regulating the miR-423-5p/Smad7/TGF-β₁/Smads axis， inhibiting α-SMA and Fn expression， and alleviating myocardial fibrosis. It is worthy of further study.

Retinitis pigmentosa （RP） is the most common hereditary blinding eye disease in clinical practice， with the pathogenesis remaining unclear. Patients experience progressive apoptosis of retinal photoreceptor cells， accompanied by degeneration of retinal pigment epithelium （RPE） cells. Current Western medical treatments mainly focus on gene therapy and stem cell transplantation， showing limited efficacy. In contrast， clinical observations have confirmed the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） treatments. Establishing an RP animal model that aligns with the diagnostic features of both TCM and Western medicine could help combine the strengths of both approaches， thereby broadening the treatment options for RP. This study categorizes and summarizes the existing RP animal models in terms of classification， types， inheritance patterns， and alignment with clinical manifestations. It is found that current RP models are primarily derived from natural animal models such as RD mice and RCS rats， transgenic animal models like RPE-65 knockout mice and rhodopsin gene knockout mice， and chemically induced models such as those created by monochromatic light exposure or N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea （ENU） administration. These three categories of models focus more on detecting RP-related histopathological， molecular biological， and cellular immunological indicators， but offer limited observation of the overall characteristics of the disease and lack insight into syndrome differentiation. Although RP is a congenital genetic disease， its progression is influenced by acquired factors such as environment， constitution， emotions， and care. Current models do not fully capture the characteristics of this disease. Therefore， establishing an RP animal model based on the diagnostic features of both TCM and Western medicine will have significant implications for future experimental and clinical research.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common chronic respiratory disease around the world, and pharmacotherapy is the foremost treatment method currently. In recent decades, with the rapid development of bronchoscopic interventional therapy, endoscopic physical ablation technology presents a therapeutic effect in treating COPD, with few treatment-related side effects, showing excellent application prospects in treating COPD. Since ablation techniques in this field are emerging technologies with low patient acceptance, they are not widely used in the clinical treatment of COPD. This article reviews the development process of physical ablation techniques. Moreover, their current application status and the prospects in the field of COPD treatment are also summarized and analyzed. We hope to promote the application of physical ablation in the clinical treatment of COPD and provide practical references and a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of COPD.

Based on the characteristics of dormant cancer cells， which are "latency" and "opportunistic activation"， this paper classifies them within the scope of "latent pathogen" in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. It explores the mechanisms of formation， activation， and elimination of dormant cancer cells based on the latent pathogen theory. It is proposed that qi deficiency is the fundamental internal cause for the formation and growth of dormant cancer cells， qi stagnation is the inducing factor for their activation， and qi restoration presents an opportunity for their elimination. Guided by the latent pathogen theory， the TCM strategy for inhibiting dormant cancer cells includes two aspects. On one hand， methods such as strengthening the root， securing defensive qi， and lifting and supporting the body's upright qi are used to reinforce healthy qi and prevent the latency and accumulation of dormant cancer cells. On the other hand， regulating liver qi and warming yang to promote qi transformation are employed to ensure smooth qi movement， thereby inhibiting the activation of dormant cancer cells and disrupting their survival environment.

BACKGROUND: Delayed platelet engraftment is a common complication after umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT), and there is no standard therapy. Avatrombopag (AVA) is a second-generation thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist (TPO-RA) that has shown efficacy in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, few reports have focused on its efficacy in patients diagnosed with thrombocytopenia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study at the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China to evaluate the efficacy of AVA as a first-line TPO-RA in 65 patients after UCBT; these patients were compared with 118 historical controls. Response rates, platelet counts, megakaryocyte counts in bone marrow, bleeding events, adverse events and survival rates were evaluated in this study. Platelet reconstitution differences were compared between different medication groups. Multivariable analysis was used to explore the independent beneficial factors for platelet implantation. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were given AVA within 30 days post-UCBT, and the treatment was continued for more than 7 days to promote platelet engraftment (AVA group); the other 13 patients were given AVA for secondary failure of platelet recovery (SFPR group). The median time to platelet engraftment was shorter in the AVA group than in the historical control group (32.5 days vs . 38.0 days, Z  = 2.095, P  = 0.036). Among the 52 patients in the AVA group, 46 achieved an overall response (OR) (88.5%), and the cumulative incidence of OR was 91.9%. Patients treated with AVA only had a greater 60-day cumulative incidence of platelet engraftment than patients treated with recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) only or rhTPO combined with AVA (95.2% vs . 84.5% vs . 80.6%, P  <0.001). Patients suffering from SFPR had a slightly better cumulative incidence of OR (100%, P  = 0.104). Patients who initiated AVA treatment within 14 days post-UCBT had a better 60-day cumulative incidence of platelet engraftment than did those who received AVA after 14 days post-UCBT (96.6% vs . 73.9%, P  = 0.003). CONCLUSION Compared with those in the historical control group, our results indicate that AVA could effectively promote platelet engraftment and recovery after UCBT, especially when used in the early period (≤14 days post-UCBT).
Humans ; Female ; Male ; Thrombocytopenia/etiology* ; Adult ; Retrospective Studies ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Thiazoles/adverse effects* ; Platelet Count ; Receptors, Thrombopoietin/agonists* ; Child ; Thiophenes

"Stagnation" is an important pathological state in the development and progression of malignant tumors. However， its intrinsic connection with different stages of tumor evolution has not been clearly elucidated in previous studies. Drawing on clinical practice， this paper proposes the theory of stagnant toxin， emphasizing stage-specific pathogenesis and differentiated treatment strategies for tumors based on the varying manifestations of stagnation at each phase. The theory interprets the pathogenesis of stagnant toxin across the stages of tumor development through the five elements "wood， fire， earth， metal， and water" corresponding respectively to wood stagnation in the precancerous stage， metal stagnation in the postoperative phase， fire stagnation during adjuvant therapy， earth stagnation in the progressive stage， and water stagnation in the advanced stage. Each type of stagnation reflects a distinct pathogenic mechanism， such as wood stagnation giving rise to disease， metal stagnation inducing residual symptoms， fire stagnation resulting in ulceration， earth stagnation spreading toxin transmission， and water stagnation leading to critical deterioration. Accordingly， the treatment principles include guiding wood stagnation with counterflow， dispersing metal stagnation to harmonize symptoms， venting fire stagnation to regress ulcers， depleting earth stagnation to block progression， and controlling water stagnation to preserve vitality. This theoretical framework offers a traditional Chinese medicine perspective for understanding and treating malignant tumors based on the concept of stagnant toxin.

Lung cancer （LC） is a significant global public health issue， with both its incidence and mortality rates ranking among the highest worldwide. The age-standardized incidence and mortality rates are increasing annually， posing a serious threat to the life and health of LC patients. Radical surgical resection is the primary treatment for malignant lung tumors. However， postoperative multidimensional functional impairments， including respiratory， mucosal， and psychological functions， are common. These impairments not only reduce patients' quality of life and affect their treatment tolerance and duration， but also negatively correlate with prognosis， facilitating disease recurrence and metastasis. At present， postoperative functional dysfunction after LC surgery remains a key clinical challenge that urgently needs to be addressed. There is a lack of standardized and regulated postoperative rehabilitation treatment management and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） differentiation and treatment strategies for LC. Focusing on the core underlying pathogenesis of "Qi sinking" after LC surgery， and guided by the classical TCM theory of "lungs governing Qi"， this study， based on the core concept of the "five perspectives on treatment" theory， innovatively proposes the respiratory dysfunction as the core pathogenesis of "Qi sinking in the chest" during the rapid rehabilitation phase， mucosal dysfunction as the core pathogenesis of "Yin deficiency and Qi sinking" during the postoperative adjuvant treatment phase， and the psychological dysfunction as the core pathogenesis of "Qi sinking with emotional constraint" during the consolidation phase. Accordingly， stage-specific dynamic functional protection strategies are constructed. In the rapid rehabilitation phase， the strategy emphasizes tonifying Qi and uplifting sinking Qi， with differentiation and treatment based on the principle of ''descending before ascending''. In the adjuvant treatment phase， the approach focuses on nourishing Yin and uplifting Qi， with prescription combinations that integrate unblocking and tonification. In the consolidation phase， the strategy aims to resolve constraint and uplift Qi， with clinical treatment emphasizing a combination of dynamic and static methods. At each stage of functional rehabilitation， clinical differentiation and treatment should support healthy Qi and eliminate pathogenic factors simultaneously. This study is the first to propose the concept of postoperative functional protection in TCM， offering a new approach for TCM differentiation and treatment in the full-cycle， stage-based， and dynamic protection of postoperative function in LC patients. It is expected to contribute to the construction and development of an integrated TCM-Western medicine comprehensive program for cancer prevention and treatment in China.

Tumor treatment-related adverse reactions are a major focus of clinical concern， among which recurrent aphthous oral ulcers （RAU） associated with targeted therapy for lung cancer （LC） are among the most painful and distressing for patients. Currently， modern medical interventions show limited efficacy， and there is an urgent need for more effective treatment strategies. This study differentiates RAU associated with targeted therapy for LC from chemotherapy-related and ordinary oral ulcers， elucidates the pathophysiological basis of such ulcers， and traces the theoretical origin of "Yin deficiency and Qi collapse". Based on the new system of "five perspectives on diagnosis and treatment" for tumor prevention and treatment， with a focus on the core and symptom perspectives and rooted in the traditional concept of "lung dominating Qi"， we innovatively propose the concept of "medicine-induced ulcer" and are the first to introduce the theory of "Yin deficiency and Qi collapse" into the syndrome differentiation and treatment of RAU associated with targeted therapy for LC （i.e.， medicine-induced ulcer）. We propose that "Yin deficiency and Qi collapse" is the core pathogenesis of medicine-induced ulcers， in which the collapse of formless Qi is the key to their onset， while the deficiency and stasis of tangible Yin and blood constitute the root of recurrence. A hierarchical strategy for syndrome differentiation and treatment is established： first treating the collapse of formless Qi， then replenishing tangible deficiencies， and concurrently preventing recurrence. We emphasize that treatment should address both root and manifestation， with appropriate prioritization. In the acute phase， while relieving symptoms and promoting ulcer healing by nourishing Qi， uplifting collapse， and generating body fluids， attention should also be paid to nourishing spleen Yin， facilitating the circulation of nutritive Qi， and alleviating stasis to target the root pathogenesis and reduce recurrence. A verified case is presented to support this approach. This study enriches the theoretical framework and clinical methods of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of RAU associated with targeted therapy for LC， promotes symptom management of treatment-related adverse reactions through integrated TCM and Western medicine， and provides theoretical support for the construction and development of a comprehensive differentiation and treatment system for lung cancer prevention， treatment， and rehabilitation.