Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics， this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin， decocting methods， and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research， it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease， which is also known as Ganjietang， and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear， Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum， Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis， the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix， decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL， taken warmly after meals， twice a day， 100 mL for each time. In ancient times， Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome， with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice， Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis， esophagitis， tonsillitis and lung abscess， especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.

Jiegengtang is a basic formula for treating sore throat and cough. By means of bibliometrics， this study conducted a textual research and analysis on the key information such as formula origin， decocting methods， and clinical application of Jiegengtang. After the research， it can be seen that Jiegengtang is firstly contained in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease， which is also known as Ganjietang， and it has been inherited and innovated by medical practitioners of various dynasties in later times. The origins of Chinese medicines in this formula is basically clear， Jiegeng is the dried roots of Platycodon grandiflorum， Gancao is the dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis， the two medicines are selected raw products. The dosage is 27.60 g of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and 13.80 g of Platycodonis Radix， decocted with 600 mL of water to 200 mL， taken warmly after meals， twice a day， 100 mL for each time. In ancient times， Jiegengtang was mainly used for treating Shaoyin-heat invasion syndrome， with cough and sore throat as its core symptoms. In modern clinical practice， Jiegengtang is mainly used for respiratory diseases such as pharyngitis， esophagitis， tonsillitis and lung abscess， especially for pharyngitis and lung abscess with remarkable efficacy. This paper can provide literature reference basis for the modern clinical application and new drug development of Jiegengtang.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) is a prevalent metabolic and endocrine disorder. Long-term hyperglycemia can lead to severe chronic complications, imposing substantial economic burdens on both society and patients. Despite the availability of various hypoglycemic agents for clinical use, these agents often fail to meet the therapeutic needs of T2DM and its complications. Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies and drugs. Lithocarpus litseifolius(L. litseifolius), commonly referred to as "cordyceps on trees", has a long history of use in traditional medicine and can be applied in tea, sugar, and medicine. Research indicates that L. litseifolius extracts are rich in dihydrochalcones, including trilobatin, phloridzin, and phloretin, which exhibit a range of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective effects. These properties suggest potential applications in the treatment of T2DM and its complications. This review systematically compiled and organized the relevant literature from the past decade on dihydrochalcones(trilobatin, phloridzin, and phloretin) from L. litseifolius extracts. It highlighted recent research progress regarding their role in treating T2DM and its complications through mechanisms such as reducing insulin resistance, regulating glucose transport, improving glucose and lipid metabolism, modulating enzyme activity, regulating gut microbiota, and alleviating inflammation and oxidative damage. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference and basis for future research on the prevention and treatment of T2DM and its complications using dihydrochalcones(trilobatin, phloridzin, and phloretin) from L. litseifolius extracts.
Chalcones/chemistry* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/metabolism* ; Humans ; Animals ; Elaeocarpaceae/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypoglycemic Agents/chemistry* ; Plant Extracts/chemistry*

This study investigated the effect of Wuling San on transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)-induced fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in human renal tubular epithelial cells(HK-2) and its mechanism of antioxidant stress injury. HK-2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into a control group, a TGF-β1 model group, and three treatment groups receiving Wuling San-containing serum at low(2.5%), medium(5.0%), and high(10.0%) doses. TGF-β1 was used to establish the model in all groups except the control group. CCK-8 was used to analyze the effect of different concentrations of Wuling San on the activity of HK-2 cells with or without TGF-β1 stimulation. The expression of key fibrosis molecules, including actin alpha 2(Acta2), collagen type Ⅰ alpha 1 chain(Col1α1), collagen type Ⅲ alpha 1 chain(Col3α1), TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1(Timp1), and fibronectin 1(Fn1), was detected using qPCR. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-8(IL-8), and interleukin-4(IL-4), were measured using ELISA kits. Glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px), malondialdehyde(MDA), catalase(CAT), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) biochemical kits were used to analyze the effect of Wuling San on TGF-β1-induced oxidative stress injury in HK-2 cells, and the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1) was analyzed by qPCR and immunofluorescence. The CCK-8 results indicated that the optimal administration concentrations of Wuling San were 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10.0%. Compared with the control group, the TGF-β1 model group showed significantly increased levels of key fibrosis molecules(Acta2, Col1α1, Col3α1, Timp1, and Fn1) and inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-4). In contrast, the Wuling San administration groups were able to dose-dependently inhibit the expression levels of key fibrosis molecules and inflammatory cytokines compared with the TGF-β1 model group. Wuling San significantly increased the activities of GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD enzymes in TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cells and significantly inhibited the level of MDA. Furthermore, compared with the control group, the TGF-β1 model group exhibited a significant reduction in the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 genes and proteins. After Wuling San intervention, the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 genes and proteins was significantly increased. Correlation analysis showed that antioxidant stress enzymes(GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD) and Nrf2 signaling were significantly negatively correlated with key fibrosis molecules and inflammatory cytokines in the TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cell model. In conclusion, Wuling San can inhibit TGF-β1-induced fibrosis in HK-2 cells by activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway, improving oxidative stress injury, and reducing inflammation.
Humans ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Fibrosis/genetics* ; Cell Line ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Epithelial Cells/immunology* ; Inflammation/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: Electroacupuncture (EA) treatment is efficacious in patients with respiratory disorders, although the mechanisms of its action in lung-function protection are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the neuroanatomical mechanisms of EA stimulation at the BL13 acupoint (Feishu, EA-BL13) improvement in asthma. METHODS: Allergic asthma was induced by intranasal 2.0% ovalbumin (OVA) instillation combined with intraperitoneal injection of the 10.0% OVA. The levels of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-schiff stain were used to evaluate inflammatory cell infiltration and mucus secretion. Cellular oncogene fos induction in neurons after EA stimulation was detected by immunofluorescent staining. The messenger RNA expression levels of adrenergic receptors were quantified with real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: EA improved airway inflammation and mucus secretion mainly by activating somatosensory-sympathetic pathways ( P <0.001). Briefly, the intermediolateral (IML) nuclei of the spinal cord received signals from somatic EA stimulation and then delivered the information via the sympathetic trunk to the lung. Excited sympathetic nerve endings in lung tissue released large amounts of catecholamines that specifically activated the β2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) on T cells ( P <0.01) and further decreased the levels of IL-4 and IL-5 ( P <0.001) through the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A signaling pathway. CONCLUSION This study provided a new explanation and clinical basis for the use of EA-BL13 as a treatment for allergic asthma in both the attack and remission stages and other respiratory disorders related to airway inflammation.
Electroacupuncture/methods* ; Animals ; Asthma/immunology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Inflammation/therapy* ; Interleukin-4/metabolism* ; Interleukin-5/metabolism*

Objective To study the hearing intervention effects of the Shokz condyle-stimulated headband bone-conduction hearing aid on patients with conductive,mixed,and sensorineural hearing loss and to explore its clinical application prospects.Methods A total of 55 patients with hearing loss(age 18～82)participated in the study.Among them,9 had conductive hearing loss,15 had sensorineural hearing loss,and 31 had mixed hearing loss.Their bilat-eral bone conduction pure tone thresholds at 0.5,1,2,and 4 kHz were all ≤60 dB HL.The patients were fitted with the condyle-stimulated headband bone-conduction hearing aid.Hearing thresholds in sound field,single-syllable speech recogni-tion scores in quiet,and sentence recognition thresholds in quiet were assessed before fitting and on the day of 14±2 after fitting to compare differences in results.The effectiveness of the hearing aids on the day of 14±2 after fitting was also eval-uated using the IOI-HA questionnaire.Results After wearing the bone-conduction hearing aid,the average hearing thresh-old and sentence recognition threshold of the patients decreased significantly compared with before fitting(the average hear-ing threshold:56.5±8.2 dB HL before fitting,39.3±4.9 dB HL on the day of 14±2 after fitting;sentence recognition threshold:48.6±9.7 dB HL before fitting,34.3±5.6 dB HL on the day of 14±2 after fitting),and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).The single-syllable speech recognition score before fitting was 29.8％±11.4％,and on the day of 14±2 after fitting,it was 72.4％±14.4％,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.001).The av-erage total score of the IOI-HA questionnaire was 29.0±3.8 points.Conclusion Condyle-stimulated headband bone-con-duction hearing aids can significantly improve the hearing and speech recognition ability of patients with conductive,mixed and sensorineural hearing loss whose bone conduction pure tone thresholds at 0.5～4 kHz were ≤60 dB HL.It may poten-tially improve the quality of life for patients with hearing loss and holds substantial clinical application value.

Objective:To investigate the clinical distribution and diagnostic value of anti-total phospholipid-antibodies(aTPL) patients with in antiphospholipid syndrome(APS).Methods:We collected the clinical data and laboratory test results of patients diagnosed with APS, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sj?gren′s syndrome, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, mixed connective tissue disease, and adult Still′s disease in Peking University People′s Hospital from February 2009 to October 2017. A total of 335 cases were studied, of which 163 were APS patients, 122 were disease control(DC) and 50 were health control(HC). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to measure aTPL, anti-cardiolipin antibody (aCL), and anti-beta-2-glycoprotein Ⅰ antibody (aβ 2GPⅠ). The Chi-square test was used to compare the differences between groups. Results:The prevalence of aTPL in APS, DC and HC were 39.9%, 3.3%and 2.0% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were 39.9%, 97.1%. The proportion of thrombosis[75.4%(49/65) vs. 51.0%(50/98), χ2=9.73, P=0.002] and arterial thrombosis[49.2%(32/65) vs. 25.5%(25/98), χ2=9.67, P=0.002] was significantly higher in the aTPL positive group than that of the negative group. In aTPL positive group, the positive rate of aCL[84.6%(55/65) vs.29.6%(29/98), χ2=47.37, P<0.001], aβ 2GPⅠ[83.1%(54/65) vs.37.8%(37/98), χ2=32.55, P<0.001] and LA[61.5%(40/65) vs. 42.9%(42/98), χ2=5.46, P=0.020] was significantly higher than that of negative group.The area under ROC curve (95% CI) of aTPL [0.694(0.636, 0.751)] was slightly higher than that of aCL [0.668(0.610, 0.726)], but lower than that of aβ 2GPⅠ [0.746(0.694, 0.799)]. Conclusion:aTPL exhibits a strong correlation with thrombosis in patients with APS, particularly arterial thrombosis, and demonstrates high specificity, which can assist in the diagnosis of seronegative APS.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological features of pediatric sepsis in the Kashgar region and investigate factors associated with its prognosis, thereby providing evidence for implementing regional public health prevention and control policies.Methods:A single-center, retrospective observational study was conducted on the clinical data of pediatric sepsis patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of The First People′s Hospital of Kashgar between January 2022 and December 2023. For the assessment of clinical outcomes, this study utilized a composite endpoint comprising "length of hospital stay and survival status", classifying patients into two groups: Group A (survived with hospital stay <28 days) and Group B (hospital stay ≥28 days or in-hospital mortality). Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors associated with prognosis.Results:This study included a total of 79 pediatric patients with sepsis, with an age range of 1 month to 14 years and a median age of 8 months. Males accounted for 62.0% (49 males, 30 females). The rates of comorbid septic shock, sepsis-associated encephalopathy, and acute kidney injury were 73.4% (58/79), 24.1% (19/79), and 16.5% (13/79), respectively. The primary site of infection was the gastrointestinal tract, accounting for 34.2% (27/79), followed by the respiratory tract at 30.4% (24/79). Pathogens were detected in 59.5% (47/79) of the patients, with Staphylococcus aureus identified in 11 cases, Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli in 6 cases each, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 5 cases, and Candida albicans in 3 cases. The mechanical ventilation rate was 59.5% (47/79). The total hospital length of stay ranged from 1 to 55 days, with a median of 14 days, while the ICU length of stay ranged from 1 to 29 days, with a median of 6 days. In-hospital mortality occurred in 15 cases (19.0%). Group A comprised 56 patients (70.9%), and Group B comprised 23 patients (29.1%). Univariate analysis revealed that Group A had significantly higher mean arterial pressure (MAP), pediatric critical illness score (PCIS), and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) (all P<0.05), and significantly lower pediatric risk of mortality Ⅲ (PRISM Ⅲ), pediatric logistic organ dysfunction-2 (PELOD-2), lactate levels, pediatric multiple organ dysfunction score (P-MODS), pediatric sequential organ failure assessment (pSOFA), septic shock rate, and mechanical ventilation rate compared to Group B (all P<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis identified a high PELOD-2 score ( OR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.16-1.64, P<0.001) as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis, while a high GCS ( OR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.74-0.88, P<0.001) served as a protective factor against poor prognosis. The combination of PELOD2 and GCS demonstrated good predictive ability for in-hospital outcomes in pediatric sepsis patients, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.72-0.92). Conclusion:In children with sepsis in the Kashgar region, gastrointestinal tract infection represents the most common source of infection. Elevated PELOD-2 scores and reduced GCS are both indicative of a poorer prognosis, and a combined model integrating these two scoring systems may serve as a valuable tool for prognostic assessment.