ObjectiveThe malaria parasites remodel the host erythrocyte structure by exporting parasite proteins that interact with the membrane skeleton proteins of red blood cells (RBCs), facilitating their intracellular survival and pathogenicity. Skeleton-binding protein 1 (SBP1) is a conserved exported protein across Plasmodium species. In Plasmodium falciparum, SBP1 has been reported to interact with erythrocyte membrane skeleton proteins 4.1R and spectrin, while its contribution to erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence in Plasmodium berghei (Pb) remains unclear. This study aims to determine whether PbSBP1 associates with the host cytoskeletal protein 4.1R and to investigate its role in the remodeling of host RBCs and the pathogenicity of Plasmodium berghei. MethodsIn Plasmodium berghei, the relationship between PbSBP1 and the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R was examined using co-immunoprecipitation. A Pbsbp1 gene knockout mutant of Plasmodium berghei (Pbsbp1∆) was generated based on the principle of double crossover homologous recombination. The deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was assessed using microfluidic methods. Microchannels with an array of cylindrical pillars were used to detect modifications in infected RBC deformability. The infected RBCs were squashed between the rows and recovered between the columns and the transit velocity (μm/s) of infected RBCs travelling through the microchannel was recorded. The component of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton junctional complex, tropomodulin (TMOD), was fluorescently labeled, and the cytoskeletal network of infected erythrocytes was imaged using super-resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) to analyze ultrastructural changes in the cytoskeleton of wild-type (WT) and Pbsbp1∆-infected erythrocytes. Actin-based junctional complexes were displayed as individual clusters by the labeled TMOD in the STORM images, and the cluster densities and distances between adjacent clusters of infected RBCs were calculated. Additionally, rodent malaria models (BALB/c mice) and experimental cerebral malaria models (C57BL/6 mice) were employed to monitor the growth of Pbsbp1∆ and WT parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage and their capacity to induce cerebral malaria in mice. ResultsPbSBP1 may participate in the remodeling of infected erythrocytes through direct or indirect interaction with the erythrocyte cytoskeletal protein 4.1R. Microfluidic assays revealed that the deformability of erythrocytes infected with Pbsbp1∆ parasites was significantly enhanced compared to those infected with WT parasites. STORM imaging further demonstrated that the ultrastructure of the erythrocyte cytoskeleton in Pbsbp1∆-infected cells was altered relative to that in WT-infected erythrocytes. The distances between nearest neighbors of clusters had a tendency to increase while the cluster densities were decreased in Pbsbp1∆-infected RBCs compared to WT-infected RBCs. Subsequent phenotypic analysis indicated that the growth rate of Pbsbp1∆ parasites during the intraerythrocytic stage was significantly slower than that of WT parasites, and their ability to induce cerebral malaria in mice was also attenuated. These findings suggest that PbSBP1 is involved in the remodeling of the erythrocyte membrane skeleton, likely through its direct or indirect interaction with protein 4.1R, thereby regulating the deformability of infected erythrocytes and influencing the pathogenicity of the blood-stage parasites. ConclusionThis study establishes a role for PbSBP1 in host erythrocyte remodeling and parasite virulence, providing new research strategies for the prevention and treatment of malaria.

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE), a common complication of advanced cancers, is associated with poor prognosis and reduced quality of life. Although host–tumor interactions are known to drive MPE development, the associated immune dynamics during disease progression remain unclear. Using a Lewis lung carcinoma-induced MPE model in C57BL/6JNidfc mice, we systematically evaluated general parameters and immune cell changes at two-day intervals throughout disease progression. Results: The day of Lewis lung carcinoma cell injection into the pleural space was designated as day 0. By day 10 post-injection (p.i.), MPE-bearing mice exhibited ~ 10% body weight loss, marking the experimental endpoint. Pleural tumor mass and pleural effusion volume were minimal up to day 4 p.i. but increased sharply from day 6 onward.CD45⁺ immune cell counts rose over time, and days 6, 8, and 10 p.i. marked key stages of MPE progression. On day 6, B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells, but not macrophages and neutrophils, increased significantly compared to earlier timepoints. By day 8, all immune cell subsets except T cells exceeded day 6 levels, and at day 10, natural killer cell numbers declined while others continued to increase. Besides, the numbers of CD8⁺ T cells, Th1 cells, regulatory T cells, and M2 macrophages progressively increased from day 6 to 10. Based on these data, days 6 and 10 were defined as early and advanced MPE stages, respectively, with distinct immune phenotypes. In advanced MPE, CD8⁺ T cells displayed reduced IFN-γ, TNF-α, Granzyme B, Perforin, FasL, and Ki-67, but upregulated PD-1 and CTLA-4 relative to early stage. Similarly, Th1 cells showed decreased IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 production along with reduced Ki-67 expression. Advanced-stage M2 macrophages exhibited lower MHC-II levels and impaired phagocytosis, but higher PD-L1 and IL-10 production, while neutrophils showed reduced TNF-α release and phagocytic activity. Conclusions Our findings characterize the temporal immune dynamics associated with MPE progression in a mouse model, revealing a transition from an early immunostimulatory state to a late immunosuppressive state. This study enhances our understanding of MPE immunopathogenesis and provides a foundation for developing precise, stagespecific therapeutic strategies.

Large language models (LLMs) offer a modern approach to help inherit traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This article discussed the progress of LLM applications in TCM and proposed future development directions by reviewing the existing research. We have found that LLMs and related technologies have excellent applications and performance in the management of TCM knowledge and data. They are often applied in information extraction, knowledge graph construction, and data standardization processing. However, data quality and security issues need to be given more attention. In clinical diagnosis and treatment, LLMs can imitate the thinking of TCM by disassembling and reconstructing its diagnostic process and can achieve functions such as prescription recommendation and question and answer (Q&A). However, this approach involves LLMs making inferences and predictions based on existing corpora and thus may not flexibly handle complex environments and tasks. Moreover, the current evaluation criteria for TCM LLMs can be summarized into 3 categories: general evaluation metrics, technical framework evaluation, and evaluation criteria for the characteristics of TCM (such as consistency rates of prescriptions and diagnostic suggestions). However, the lack of a unified and standardized evaluation system hinders the clinical application of TCM LLMs. The future progress of TCM LLMs should focus on the 3 aforementioned critical aspects to achieve technological breakthroughs. In addition, we are promoting the research on vertical TCM LLMs and application terminals. We believe this will bring new ideas to the research on TCM LLMs.

OBJECTIVE To provide standardized guidance for the homogenization construction and management of pharmaceutical care in urban medical groups. METHODS This consensus was jointly initiated by the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Professional Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society and the Expert Committee on Precision Clinical Medication of the Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association. Led by Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital， a drafting group of 7 members and an expert group of 36 members were organized. The outline of the Expert Consensus on Homogeneous Construction and Management of Pharmaceutical Care in Urban Medical Groups （hereinafter referred to as the “Consensus”） was discussed and finalized using the nominal group technique， and a preliminary draft was formed. The Delphi method was used for online c orrespondence review， and 12 external experts were invited for evaluation. After analyzing and revising expert opinions， the final Consensus was formed. RESULTS &CONCLUSIONS This Consensus defines the position setting and appointment procedures for the chief pharmacist， and establishes a three-tier professional guidance network of “chief pharmacist-regional/specialist pharmacist-pharmaceutical liaison of member institutions”. It formulates unified management standards for the drug supply catalog， establishes a full-process homogenization mechanism for prescription review， prescription commentation and comprehensive pharmaceutical care， and specifies the core functions and performance requirements of the prescription review system. It also supports by long-term mechanisms including cost allocation and performance assessment. This consensus can serve as a systematic reference for the homogeneous construction and management of pharmaceutical care systems in urban medical groups.

Retinal degenerative diseases are a group of blinding ocular disorders characterized by progressive and irreversible loss of retinal neural cells. They mainly include age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. At present, there are no curative clinical therapies capable of reversing the disease course. Patients have poor long-term visual prognosis, imposing a heavy public-health burden on families and society. Mesenchymal stem cell(MSC)-derived exosomes, as a novel cell-free therapeutic vector, have emerged as a research hotspot due to their low immunogenicity, no tumorigenic risk, and excellent tissue barrier penetration ability. This review systematically summarizes the core mechanisms of MSC-derived exosomes in regulating immune inflammation, inhibiting apoptosis, and promoting retinal neuroprotection and structural/functional recovery via miRNA and tsRNA, compares the efficacy differences and existing controversies among exosomes from different sources, and outlines the advances in intraocular delivery technologies and engineering modification strategies. Combined with preclinical and clinical data, the current bottlenecks and safety evidence for clinical translation were objectively described. Meanwhile, in view of the heterogeneity among existing studies, this review proposes future directions including standardized preparation and the establishment of efficacy evaluation systems, so as to provide theoretical references for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for retinal degenerative diseases.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which Luoshi Neiyi prescription treats endometriosis （EMs） through regulating ferroptosis， and to screen key metabolites and analyze their association with ferroptosis. MethodsClinical samples of normal endometrium from patients without EMs and eutopic and ectopic endometrium from EMs patients （10 cases each） were collected and divided into control group， eutopic group， and EMs group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe ectopic lesions of EMs. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to determine the levels of malondialdehyde （MDA）， ferrous ion （Fe²⁺）， GPX4 and glutathione （GSH） in endometrial tissues， as well as serum levels of Fe²⁺， GPX4 and GSH. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of SLC7A11， GPX4， transferrin receptor （TFR） and ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）. In the in vitro experiment， primary stromal cells were isolated from ectopic lesions of EMs patients. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） was used to determine the optimal concentration of drug-containing serum for intervention. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） was measured， and Real-time PCR was applied to detect ferroptosis-related indicators. In the animal experiments， an EM rat model was established， and the rats were randomly assigned to the sham operation group， EMs group， low-dose Luoshi Neiyi Formula group （7.87 g·kg^-1）， high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription group （15.74 g·kg^-1）， and danazol group （42 mg·kg^-1）. Untargeted metabolomics detection and pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on serum samples from patients and rats. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between differential metabolites and ferroptosis indicators. The correlations between differential metabolites in patient endometrium and serum and key ferroptosis indicators （GPX4， Fe²⁺， MDA， GSH） as well as ferroptosis-related mRNAs （GPX4， SLC7A11， FTH1） were analyzed， and correlation heatmaps were generated accordingly. ResultsCompared with normal eutopic endometrium， ectopic lesions in EMs patients showed glandular disorganization and stromal fibrosis. In ectopic endometrium， the contents of MDA， ROS， and Fe²⁺ decreased， while GPX4 level increased， and the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In serum， the levels of GPX4 and Fe²⁺ were elevated， whereas the GSH level declined， suggesting abnormalities in ferroptosis-related pathways in ectopic lesions （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After intervention with Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum， the intracellular ROS level in ectopic endometrial stromal cells was elevated， the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was downregulated， and TFR mRNA expression was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Metabolomics analysis revealed 1104 and 198 differential metabolites in EMs patients and EMs rats， respectively， compared with their corresponding control groups， and both low-dose and high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription were found to regulate this metabolic disturbance， with the core regulatory pathways mainly involving arginine and proline metabolism. Correlation analysis showed that the glycerophospholipids including PI（16∶0/17∶0） and PI［18∶2（9Z，12Z）］ were negatively correlated with GPX4 and positively correlated with MDA， while 17α-hydroxyprogesterone was positively correlated with GPX4， SLC7A11， and FTH1 q<0.05）. ConclusionLuoshi Neiyi prescription may systematically ameliorate disease-associated metabolic dysregulation via modulation of the serum arginine and proline metabolism pathway， and may regulate ferroptosis in ectopic lesions through a mechanism potentially linked to the serum glycerophospholipid and steroid metabolism pathways. Collectively， these findings provide experimental evidence for the clinical application of Luoshi Neiyi prescription.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which Luoshi Neiyi prescription treats endometriosis （EMs） through regulating ferroptosis， and to screen key metabolites and analyze their association with ferroptosis. MethodsClinical samples of normal endometrium from patients without EMs and eutopic and ectopic endometrium from EMs patients （10 cases each） were collected and divided into control group， eutopic group， and EMs group. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe ectopic lesions of EMs. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11） and glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4）. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was adopted to determine the levels of malondialdehyde （MDA）， ferrous ion （Fe²⁺）， GPX4 and glutathione （GSH） in endometrial tissues， as well as serum levels of Fe²⁺， GPX4 and GSH. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of SLC7A11， GPX4， transferrin receptor （TFR） and ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）. In the in vitro experiment， primary stromal cells were isolated from ectopic lesions of EMs patients. Cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） was used to determine the optimal concentration of drug-containing serum for intervention. The level of reactive oxygen species （ROS） was measured， and Real-time PCR was applied to detect ferroptosis-related indicators. In the animal experiments， an EM rat model was established， and the rats were randomly assigned to the sham operation group， EMs group， low-dose Luoshi Neiyi Formula group （7.87 g·kg^-1）， high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription group （15.74 g·kg^-1）， and danazol group （42 mg·kg^-1）. Untargeted metabolomics detection and pathway enrichment analysis were conducted on serum samples from patients and rats. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between differential metabolites and ferroptosis indicators. The correlations between differential metabolites in patient endometrium and serum and key ferroptosis indicators （GPX4， Fe²⁺， MDA， GSH） as well as ferroptosis-related mRNAs （GPX4， SLC7A11， FTH1） were analyzed， and correlation heatmaps were generated accordingly. ResultsCompared with normal eutopic endometrium， ectopic lesions in EMs patients showed glandular disorganization and stromal fibrosis. In ectopic endometrium， the contents of MDA， ROS， and Fe²⁺ decreased， while GPX4 level increased， and the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In serum， the levels of GPX4 and Fe²⁺ were elevated， whereas the GSH level declined， suggesting abnormalities in ferroptosis-related pathways in ectopic lesions （P<0.05， P<0.01）. After intervention with Luoshi Neiyi prescription-containing serum， the intracellular ROS level in ectopic endometrial stromal cells was elevated， the mRNA expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 was downregulated， and TFR mRNA expression was upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Metabolomics analysis revealed 1104 and 198 differential metabolites in EMs patients and EMs rats， respectively， compared with their corresponding control groups， and both low-dose and high-dose Luoshi Neiyi prescription were found to regulate this metabolic disturbance， with the core regulatory pathways mainly involving arginine and proline metabolism. Correlation analysis showed that the glycerophospholipids including PI（16∶0/17∶0） and PI［18∶2（9Z，12Z）］ were negatively correlated with GPX4 and positively correlated with MDA， while 17α-hydroxyprogesterone was positively correlated with GPX4， SLC7A11， and FTH1 q<0.05）. ConclusionLuoshi Neiyi prescription may systematically ameliorate disease-associated metabolic dysregulation via modulation of the serum arginine and proline metabolism pathway， and may regulate ferroptosis in ectopic lesions through a mechanism potentially linked to the serum glycerophospholipid and steroid metabolism pathways. Collectively， these findings provide experimental evidence for the clinical application of Luoshi Neiyi prescription.

Yinyang Gongji Pills have the effects of strengthening the body resistance to eliminate pathogenic factors, removing stasis, and reducing swelling, which is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) formula for treating intestinal accumulation. A real-world, registered, and single-arm clinical trial was conducted to observe the clinical efficacy and safety of Yinyang Gongji Pills combined with capecitabine in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer and analyze the clinical characteristics of the patients. A total of 60 patients with advanced colorectal cancer who refused or could not tolerate standard treatment of western medicine were included in the study. They were treated with Yinyang Gongji Pills combined with capecitabine until disease progression or intolerable adverse events occurred. The main observation indicators were progression-free survival(PFS) and safety. The treatment effects of the patients under different baseline characteristics were analyzed. The clinical trial has found that the median PFS of all enrolled patients was 7.3 months, with 30.1% of patients having a PFS exceeding 12.0 months. Layered analysis showed that the median PFS of patients with the onset site being the colon and rectum were respectively 8.4 and 4.7 months. The median PFS of patients with high, medium, and low tumor burden were respectively 7.0, 4.7, and 10.8 months. The median PFS of patients with wild-type and mutant-type RAS/BRAF were respectively 7.9 and 6.9 months. The median PFS of patients with KPS scores ≥80 and ≤70 were respectively 7.9 and 6.5 months. The median PFS of patients treated with Yinyang Gongji Pills for ≥6, 3-6, and ≤3 months were respectively 8.0, 5.2, and 4.2 months. The median PFS of patients with spleen, kidney, liver, and lung syndrome differentiation in TCM were respectively 8.3, 6.7, 7.3, and 5.6 months. The median PFS of patients with TCM pathological factors including phlegm, dampness, and blood stasis were respectively 7.0, 7.3, and 6.5 months. Common adverse reactions include anemia, decreased white blood cells, decreased appetite, fatigue, and hand foot syndrome, with incidence rates being respectively 44.2%, 34.6%, 42.3%, 32.7%, and 17.3%. The results showed that the combination of Yinyang Gongji Pills and capecitabine demonstrated potential clinical efficacy and good safety in this study. The patients have clinical characteristics such as low tumor burden, onset site at the colon, KPS scores ≥ 80, long duration of oral TCM, and TCM syndrome differentiation including spleen or liver.
Humans ; Capecitabine/adverse effects* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/mortality* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome

Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma is the dried rhizome of Acorus tatarinowii in the family of Tennantiaceae, which has the efficacy of opening up the orifices and expelling phlegm, awakening the mind and wisdom, and resolving dampness and opening up the stomach. Modern studies have shown that volatile oil is the main active ingredient of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, and α-asarone and β-asarone have been proved to be the active ingredients in the volatile oil of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma, with pharmacological effects such as anti-Alzheimer's disease, antiepileptic, anti-Parkinson's disease, antidepressant, anticerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, anti-thrombosis, lipid-lowering, and antitumor. By summarising and outlining the pharmacological effects of α-asarone and β-asarone and elucidating the possible mechanisms of their pharmacological effects, we can provide theoretical basis for the further research and clinical application of Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma.
Allylbenzene Derivatives ; Acorus/chemistry* ; Anisoles/chemistry* ; Rhizome/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Humans ; Animals

Medical institutions, with their clinical practice foundation and abundant human use experience data, have become important carriers for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the "cradles" of the preparation of new TCM. To effectively promote the transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and establish an effective evaluation index system for the transformation of new TCM conforming to the characteristics of TCM, consensus experts adopted the literature research, questionnaire survey, Delphi method, etc. By focusing on the policy and technical evaluation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions, a comprehensive evaluation from the dimensions of drug safety, efficacy, feasibility, and characteristic advantages was conducted, thus forming a comprehensive evaluation system with four primary indicators and 37 secondary indicators. The expert consensus reached aims to encourage medical institutions at all levels to continuously improve the high-quality research and development and transformation of new TCM originating from the TCM clinical practice in medical institutions and targeted at clinical needs, so as to provide a decision-making basis for the preparation, selection, cultivation, and transformation of new TCM for medical institutions, improve the development efficiency of new TCM, and precisely respond to the public medication needs.
Medicine, Chinese Traditional/standards* ; Humans ; Consensus ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Surveys and Questionnaires